vms

What a great deal for that upgrade to the sunset veranda cabin!

Your photos are beautiful.  Thanks for taking us all along with you!

As a solo cruiser who mostly cruises either insides or balconies depending on price, it was great to see the pictures of the 'square' shaped cabin. It looks very spacious!

Looking forward to more of your review.

I like the Raspberry Fizz they serve in the MDR.

Raspberries, lime juice, agave nectar and soda water

Sometimes it will be less than the cost for 2 people, sometimes it will be more, and sometimes it's exactly the same. Depends on many factors which we as travelers don't have visibility into.

Good for you for doing the math. It's unfortunately a requirement if you are going to be a solo cruiser who doesn't want to pay more than the cost for 2 people, as most of the cruise websites don't make it easy to see what the price difference is without making a "mock" booking both ways, or jotting down the PP rate for 2 in the cabin and doing the math prior to trying to book as a solo.

Thanks for the link to the port schedule. Interesting that Celebrity still shows the Silhouette in Grand Cayman on Wednesday April 6, but it is not on the port schedule. Although perhaps I should be relieved since there are 4 other ships already scheduled that day.

I was expecting this port to be cancelled, but disappointed that Celebrity isn't being forthcoming about the change when it's pretty clear it won't happen. Our sailing doesn't meet the criteria listed as GC isn't the first port of call, so even if they were to reopen, we wouldn't be able to visit if that requirement is still in place.

I was missing mine for cruising solo on the same cruise as you are missing yours for @JamieLogical. I sent an email to the same address you did and didn't receive an email back but about 3-4 weeks later the missing points had been credited to my account.

Agree with others to call since email wasn't successful. Good luck!

Thank you for your review!

Do you know where people were being quarentined onboard? I'm trying to guess the likelihood that my cabin will be switched to something else by Celebrity since I am currently booked in a cabin on deck 6 for my cruise at the end of March 2022.

Thanks for finishing this up Jamie! It was so great to meet you on the last night of your second leg, although I clearly missed my chance to tag along and get a "Shenanigans". I'm thrilled to hear they were able to get you a suite card, even if your original card wasn't available.

Happy sailing.

I just sailed in Aqua for the first time, and while I loved Blu for dinner, the breakfast didn't impress me and I didn't use the Persian Garden as much as I thought I would. The best parts were Blu dinner, afternoon canapes, and the room location (which you wouldn't get to choose with a Move Up bid). You also wouldn't get the extra points/day with the Move Up.

I personally would keep the room with the larger balcony in a location you know you love and spend my extra money to book the specialty dining package for the length of cruise, but I love the specialty restaurants, and I know you only like a few of them.

Good luck deciding!

This was standard practice on Holland America before the pandemic- to have the staff serve in the buffet rather than allow guests to serve themselves.

It seems that it is do-able if the cruise line is interested in doing so.

Sounds delicious! Do you know if it is an option if you have a specialty dining package, or if you would need to purchase outside of the package?

Is there somewhere you can validate that your PUP have been given to you correctly? I had wrongly assumed there would be some type of tracker but I can't find anything on the website or app except my past cruises.

Great review! I can't wait for my March Silhouette cruise that is this itinerary.  Can I ask if you booked the ship's SCUBA tour in Bonaire or if not, which company you went with?

Thanks for the great nuggets of information wrapped in delightful humor!

Thank you to all who have shared with me how lucky I was in the past and didn't know it. I guess I should go buy a lottery ticket. 🙂

Well, I'm glad I asked someone with more recent experience to chime in. The last B2B I did on Celebrity was in 2016 and everyone on our B2B received a coupon for a free bag of laundry at the B2B meeting. I was already planning to pay for it, so was thrilled to get such a nice surprise. I think I was still at the first tier of CC back then, so I know it wasn't because of my loyalty status.

Sad to hear that this has changed, and apologies for misleading folks.

Well, that was exciting for half a minute til I realized that my March 2022 cruise is apparently considered a holiday cruise and doesn't qualify.

In the past, a free bag of laundry was a perk given to B2B cruisers, but I don't believe that applies if you are switching ships. I'm not sure if this perk is still being given since the restart, but perhaps a recent B2B cruiser could comment?

Another amazing review! Thanks for taking us along with you, and looking forward to your final thoughts.

I just got off the Summit and was in 1116. I didn't find them any more windy than other standard sized balconies- it really depended on what direction the wind was coming from. 

There was a small amount of noise on the balcony from the movies they play on the rooftop deck, but I couldn't hear it at all when I was inside the cabin with the balcony door closed.

Next time I sail Aqua class, I would absolutely book a cabin on deck 11 again. I loved the location. The only downside was on a rainy day, to get from the spa or anywhere deck 10 or 11 forward, I ended up having to go down to deck 9 to get to the aft of the ship to not get rained on.

Just back from Celebrity Summit 4 day to the Bahamas.

No solo events, although there were a few LGBTQ meetups, if you're a part of that community.

Met people mostly through sitting at nearby tables at meals, by the pools, and hanging out at the martini bar, so not too much differently than pre-covid. Ship was less than 1/2 full of passengers, so fewer people in any one place at a time.

I would highly recommend cruising while the occupancy is so low. The cruise director and captain kept joking about having our own private  yacht, since the crew outnumbered the passengers, and there were moments where it really felt like it.

6 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Actually, it was quite eventful! After several delays, I didn't make it home until after midnight. I am still recovering and trying to get settled in at home. I have a ton of notes and photos to post from the second leg of my B2B, so I will try to get those posted tomorrow.

 

It was great to meet you too and I hope your trip home went better than mine!

Oh no! Hopefully you can rest up during the holiday weekend!

Mine went fine, but trying to get caught up today was brutal. Thank goodness for a 4 day weekend!

@JamieLogical

It was so great to finally meet you on the last full day of your second cruise and join you for dinner and then breakfast with T & P! Hope your travel home was uneventful and you'll be able to fill in the remainder of your review.

Valerie

57 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Must be only 4 days. Since I'm boarding on Monday for a 5 day Thanksgiving cruise.

 

Correct! 4 nights- 11/18-11/22

Depending on how many martinis you plan to have, you may want to upgrade. The martinis at the martini bar are not included in the classic package, so you would pay the cost difference +20% gratuity.

There are lots of vodka-based options on the menu there. They are also great at making drinks off the menu if you ask- I often just ask them to surprise me, after giving them an idea of what I like.

I'll be boarding on Thursday as well, so might see you there. 🙂