Cruiser Susie

Thanks for your balanced review. It sounds like you had a really nice time. The Summit was the first Celebrity ship we sailed on 10 years ago, and I have very fond memories of that trip and of the next 3 we took on her. Glad you enjoyed your cruise with friends. Sailing with friends always makes a cruise even more fun! Sorry that debarkation was a mess... but glad you found a porter to help move things along.

So glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise so much. We did a back to back on the Constellation 5 years ago... three weeks onboard. Once you do a longer cruise, I am sure you'll be back for more of those. Your review brings back some wonderful memories. I think you'll have lots of those memories to enjoy until your next cruise. Thank you for sharing your fun in the sun with us!

Thank you for all the helpful advice (except that one commenter...I'd rather get married then be a Dook fan!)

 

I have a ring picked out already (we've discussed what she wants so it is going to be perfect) and to calm everyone's nerves it is a guaranteed yes so we can stop talking about awkwardness if she says no. Trust me on this one!

 

I think the most helpful advice has been ring transportation which I really appreciate! I'm leaning towards upgrading and doing it privately on the balcony. If you have any ideas geared towards this, I'd love to hear them.

If you do upgrade to a balcony, you'll be able to have dinner served on the balcony, and can have a bottle of champagne chilled and ready to celebrate. You could ask the room steward to bring both the champagne and roses after you propose and she says yes.

I just want to wish you all the best and a lifetime of happiness and joy together. When you get home, if you'd like, I am sure we would all like to hear how and where you decided to propose! Have a wonderful cruise and congratulations to you both.

We received that email yesterday as well. It sounds interesting and I wonder if Celebrity is doing this in other parts if the country as well.

 

Julie

We received an invitation like this last summer for an event in Chicago. We went and had a great time! It was held at an outdoor mall in Skokie;; they had a roped off area for those attending and you entered through a particular entry where they checked off your name on a list. Had a great set up; had Junior Merino there; he is the man behind the drinks in the Molecular Bar. They had lots of small bites of some of their dishes from the Tuscan Grill and other venues; and they also served champagne (Veuve Clicquot!), wine and other drinks as well. Lots of people were there. There was even a display set up with some of the "recliners" that are found in the Aqua Spa relaxation room and tables set up as they would be for dining in Blu. I think you'd have a good time; if you go, come back here and let us know how it was, please.

That is wonderful news Mike.

And to all of you that had all the nice comments for me, I really have y'all fooled. I am a complete jerk in person. ;)

I doubt that! :) Looking forward to meeting y'all in a couple of weeks (and hearing your opinion of the Azamara waffles). ;)

You are lucky to be sailing with Ed. He is a great guy. I hope you both enjoy your holiday cruises from start to finish, and that we'll hear more about it at some point. Have a great time!

No problem Mike. I do have a four wheel drive PU, so if he can't get out because of ice, let me know. I could run up to Dallas and grab them.

I think this is one of the nicest, most considerate things I have seen in a very long time. Ed, you are a wonderful man and the world is a better place with you in it. Thank you for being such a wonderful guy. And, of course,

Hello, Andy!

Thank you so much for your updates and time away from your cruise… I know we all appreciate it immensely. I hope that you and your mom have a great time, and that you can relax and enjoy the Passport Bar and the Caribbean warmth and sunshine. (it's 26 degrees here with snow in the forecast for tomorrow.) Did you see Larry and I waving goodbye to you as the Eclipse left port? ;) It would be very nice if Raffaele were still onboard when get on March 22nd; I'll cross my fingers. He is such a nice man. If not, and you happen to ask, could you mention who the hotel director will be then? Thank you!

Enjoy the rest of your cruise, and take care.

It really sounds like your two weeks on the Summit were wonderful, Susie, and having the crew and staff making it so enjoyable sounds just great. We haven't been on the Summit in years; we did our first 4 Celebrity cruises on her and really thought the crew and staff back then were superb.

Have a great time on the Silhouette!

(I can't believe your son is 4 already. He sounds like a wonderful little guy. The prices for photos that you mentioned seem so outrageous... I wonder if they are able to sell many at those prices.)

Oh, hooray!! Another greatly entertaining, supremely funny and well written Sailor Jack cruise review! What a treat to find on a day when some smiles are definitely needed. Thank you for sharing!!

Beautiful pictures, Gitte... thank you so much for sharing them! How wonderful to be among the first group of people to board and stay on the ship. Looking forward to more pictures if you want to share them. Really nice to see the ship at this point in time!

I noticed in the pictures of the suites that the tables by the beds have a drawer. Do you know if those are only in the suites, or have they changed the design of the other staterooms as well?

Positive comments are always a wonderful contribution... thank you for the invitation. Looking forward to reading more and hearing more from everyone!

Love it! Your enthusiasm for your wonderful trip and your love for your family shines through your writing... I am really looking forward to reading more. Thanks for your time in sharing! (And congratulations on your engagement! :D )

I heard there is some activity offered on Equinox where YOU cook a meal in either Murano or the steak restaurant ???. It costs about 100 per person, they only take 10-15 people and it's a lunch type activity on a port day. Anyway, can't remember who wrote about it (might be LoisR on her Med. cruise in June). Anyway, it was mentioned that you got a Celebrity Cookbook as a take home gift. I wonder if it was this particular book?

Did you EACH get the cookbook? Not sure I can see them offering the cooking and eating/drinking minus book for 39 dollars. I'm "guessing" it's 100 each per couple.......with one cookbook ???

My girlfriend and I did the class together, and both paid the $99 fee for it, so we both got the book. Had my husband wanted to go, :rolleyes:, he could have taken the class for the $39 fee. So it would have been $138 for my husband and I to go. I found out about this class in reading a review before we went on the Equinox in March... signed up for it, and did the class.

It was great.

Here's a link to the earlier thread about it. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1615277

Glad you did the class too, Lois. I thoroughly enjoyed it; hope you did too. Ours was on the last day of the cruise; makes much more sense to offer it earlier in the cruise; if they wanted to, they could offer it twice if time on the cruise allowed to give more people the opportunity to take the class.

One other way to get the book is the following: it's from an earlier post of mine this year.

We were on the Equinox in March. I had read about an intriguing cooking class in Murano's in a review of an earlier cruise on the Equinox. The day we boarded, I had forgotten about it, but we met a waiter from Murano's whom we knew from former dinners in the specialty restaurant) down in the Atrium and were chatting with him. He mentioned the cooking class , and said that at that point (mind you, this was about 2:00 on embarkation day) there were only two spots left! My girlfriend and I had talked about doing the class before the cruise (figuring the husbands might not be too interested), and she and I headed down to Murano's to sign up, and indeed, got the last two of the 12 spots. The cost for the class was $99, and it was held the last day of the cruise. It was a great experience. Loved seeing the kitchen, getting to work in the kitchen of Murano's, meeting the Head Chef and talking to him, and working with a wonderful young lady sous chef. The class was broken down into four groups, and each group prepared something different. After the food preparation was done, we headed back into Murano's for a wonderful lunch, including the dishes that the class prepared, along with wine and dessert. After lunch was over, we were given a copy of the cookbook "Excite the Senses", to take home. (The cook book is more of a coffee table book, but it is gorgeous, and HUGE. It weighs almost nine pounds... had to go into the carry on luggage to make it home!).

I have not made anything out of the cookbook yet, too busy enjoying summer, but there are some doable recipes in there that don't require a ton of ingredients and pots and pans. It is a great souvenir of our trip. I would do the class again for the experience. Without the cookbook, I think the cost was $39, but not too sure.

Those are indeed amazing photos, Phil. Can't imagine how phenomenal it would have been to experience this in person!

Thank you for this information... very helpful indeed. It obviously took a great deal of time to transcribe and share with us. Looking forward to seeing the wine lists in person next month.

Congratulations to you and your new husband! Wishing you years of happiness together.

Thank you for your pictorial review of your cruise... we will be back on the Equinox in March and in Aqua Class for the first time... now I am really looking forward to trying some of the dishes there. Your cabin looked wonderful, too... we'll be on the other side in a cabin with a similarly sized deck. Can't wait!

Thanks again for sharing. You'll have amazing memories of your honeymoon, and more cruises to look forward to.

Happy 10th anniversary to you both, and may many more of your anniversaries be as special and lovely as this one! Thank you again for sharing so much of your wonderful trip with us. All the best to you and your family. :)

Your video tour of your cabin was wonderful... it will be a very helpful video for those who have not been on the Eclipse or other S class ships... and it made me smile to remember our cruise on her last February! Thank you again for sharing your family, your journey and your thoughts and ideas with us.

Really glad to hear how the MDR staff has improved and that your daughter is so enjoying all her egg free dishes. That's great! :D

I jumped when those two monkeys landed on you... how on earth did you stay so calm?!

How lovely to follow along on your cruise! Love the videos and the pictures. Thank you for sharing with us; it is good to see that you are enjoying the ship so much after all your preplanning. I hope that Emily's meals are all egg free from now on and that there are no more worries about that. We were on the Eclipse for a week in February and really enjoyed our cruise. I hope your family has a wonderfully memorable cruise.

The furniture in the suite really was an issue because we couldn't get comfortable at all in the room. I hope they are planning on getting new furniture during dry dock. We sailed on the Solstice and those beds and chairs were fabulous.

 

The public rooms were fantastic on Summit and the staff was great.

Just wondering if you by any chance talked to anyone about the furniture in your room? I know that egg crate toppers will sometimes help those worn mattresses; I think that there have been instances where people have been able to have really bad mattresses replaced, but I am not completely sure about that. The Hotel Director might have been able to address some of the issues with the furniture in your room. Being that uncomfortable is unacceptable in my mind.

Happy 39th anniversary to you and your wife...what a great way to celebrate it! I loved all the pictures of Venice, and Kotor was beautiful. Have a wonderful dinner in Murano's. Thank you again for bringing us all along on this cruise!

I am so enjoying following along on this thread and your photos are just stunning; although we have been to some of these places, we have not been to Herculaneum and Ravello; I am ready to go now... wish we could. I am looking forward to "seeing" Montenegro through your comments and camera lens. Thank you again for taking the time to do this!

Thank you so much for doing this! We have several sets of friends on this cruise and it will be great fun to follow along as you share your adventures. Barcelona has been one of my favorite cities for years, loved seeing the pictures of so many great spots. Thank you and I will really look forward to your posts! Hope your weather is lovely and the seas smooth... have a marvelous trip.