kwokpot

The NEW, Elite & Above Cocktail Lounge, which is the formal name for this event, is held twice on a seven day itinerary on the Ascent in Eden.

My original B2B on the Ascent was Jan 7th-21st. Unfortunately I had to cancel the first cruise since my father was admitted to the hospital. Luckily all is well (In a nutshell my dad, who is 94, was overexerted from being on a family Christmas cruise and subsequent NYE dinner. It all turned out just fine since he literally had every test under the sun done and everything was negative) and we were able to go on the 2nd leg.

The issue is the cut of beef vs HOW it is prepared. Celebrity does this in luminae for two cuts of beef;the ribeye and strip steak. So while the cuts of beef are from the parts of the cow that are used to make ribeye and strip STEAKS, Luminae chooses to ROAST those cuts of meats and then serve SLICES of it A LA Prime Rib, which is the same cut of beef that ribeye STEAKS are from. I REALLY, REALLY wish Luminae would change the description of these beef entrees. Serving slices of a ROAST is totally different than grilling individual cut pieces of the same meat. It looks and tastes nothing alike.

Just remember to look for the Elite information sheet which will list the events and benefits you qualify for. If the sheet isn't there just go to the Loyalty Ambassador and ask for it.

The video upload while I was using the airplane Wi-Fi work properly so let me try this again. A short clip from the Shine the Night Deck party. PXL_20240118_031343820.mp4

I must have missed this but it looks like the event has morphed in a once per cruise on Day One event at 10:30pm. Judging from the description it's the basis for a larger event than in the past. Don't miss it!

No problem getting Elite HH drinks at the Martini Bar on the Ascent. My experience on all four E-Class ships is there isn't a problem. Furthermore the excluded bars are clearly listed on the Elite benefits sheet (see attached photo) in your cabin and I have never seen the Martini Bar listed as an excluded venue. Having said that the issue some people may be having is the Martini Bar on E-Class ships only seem to have large martini glasses and the martinia that are part of the Elite HH are served in smaller glasses. So you have lazy bartenders that don't want to make and serve Elite HH included Martinis in their existing barware.

Interesting. I rechecked the app for our cruise and it doesn't show a light show for those times on any of the nights of our cruise. I distinctly remember on other ships it's definitely listed as an event in the app. . It's a combination of the Martini bartenders doing their tricks along with a light show using the chandelier synchronized to music. It's less than 10 minutes on other E-Class ships.

We didn't have the opportunity to eat there since we enjoy having lunch later at 1:30. I just went to grab the brownies and cookies before they closed up. It did seem there were lots of people having lunch there.

Dance Parties I didn't get to attend the Silent Disco so I have no comment other than it seemed well attended when I walked by after a show. Shine the Night Deck Parry I had high hopes for the Shine the Night Deck Party, which is the formal name for the new Ascent Resort Deck party, but for me, it wasn't anything new or special. There are ways to change up a cruise deck party to make it something unique and special for a fun night but this wasn't it. I'll give them props for having a live singer do a rendition of this past summer's LGBT dance hit Padam, Padam by Kylie Minogue. Otherwise I thought it was disappointing because it I wasn't particularly different than any other deck party Celebrity has put on. Getting people to dance wasn't the main goal. They want you to wave the light sticks they hand out back and forth in time to the music. They even stop playing music several times to talk. That's the party. I enjoy the deck parties that Virgin and Carnival put on. On both cruiselines their deck parties are very, very well attended and are known in the cruise industry as cruiselines that put on successful deck parties.

Entertainment Production shows Until recently Celebrity wasn't particularly known to have spectacular or innovative entertainment. That has certainly changed with the shows that were created for the Beyond and Celebrity has continued this trend with all new shows for the Ascent. On our seven day cruise we had three production shows presented in the main theater that are exclusive to Ascent. The show titled Awaken was the best of the three, with Bridges and Residency being the other two shows. All three shows have multiple acts and as such some are better than others. All three shows utilize the high definition videos screens to create amazing backdrops. Be warned though, the volume is loud for all the shows. Something a bit unusual on our cruise was the third production show was shown on the last day (day 7) of the cruise, despite have two seadays back to back for days 6 & 7. Whatsmore the final show was decoupled from the last Chic Night on Day 6. Along the same lines we had a time change on the last night of the cruise, which is highly unusual and unheard of. There are also shows presented in Eden as well as The Club. These are more cabaret-style shows and because of the smaller non-theater venues it's more difficult to get proper seats to see the entire show. Headliners We had several headliner entertainers. A Beetles tribute band named Here Comes the Sun was excellent and their performances received great feedback that was well deserved. Another headliner was singer Jesse Hamilton Jr. I thought his show was good but he can benefit from a little bit of humility. The rest of the ship's entertainment was plenty of enjoyable live music everywhere. Alert: It seems that the Grand Plaza Martini Bar Chandelier Light Show is no more. I didn't notice it on the schedule nor did we ever see it performed. I didn't ask about it so I'm not sure why it was eliminated. Too noisy?

Main Dining Rooms We had all our dinners in the main dining rooms so we never had a chance to sample the specialty restaurants. We had dinner in all four restaurants. Cosmopolitan has a nice atmosphere but is extremely noisy. Cyprus is quieter with a darker and more subdued environment. Tuscan is a brighter atmosphere and quite popular. With regard to the reservations the Ascent seems to have a system that other E-Class ships haven't implemented. Reservations for any of the four main dining rooms can only be made for early dining times of 5:30 or 5:45 and late dining times of 8:30 and 8:45. Any other dining times is solely first come, first served and no reservations, either pre-cruise or onboard can be made. We had no issues with this new system. Yes, there were evenings in the first few days we were given a buzzer but the wait times were no more than 10-15 minutes and by the middle of the cruise we were always seated right away without given a buzzer Food quality was very good. In particular the steaks and fish were both well prepared, hot and flavorful. We only had one bad entree, the specialty pasta from Tuscan. The Strozzapreti Carbonara was watery and not up to par. Desserts were good with the carrot cake worth a special mention. Service was always friendly and efficient. Breakfast is served every morning at Cosmopolitan and we enjoyed being served every morning. The regular brewed coffee was consistently hot and strong. I have one minor quip and that's with the preparation of the classic French omelet served at breakfast. It wasn't prepared the classic French way as it always has been on other Celebrity ships. Eden Cafe Although I didn't get to eat here on this cruise I must mention a new policy for this eatery that will please everyone. Eden Cafe is now open for breakfast and lunch on Port days as well as seadays. It isn't open on embarkation day and the opening times are still limited, but the expanded days open are very welcome change. And most importantly I can report that the exclusive brownies and cookies are still available at Eden Cafe during lunchtimes and they are as good as they were on the original Edge ship! Seaview Cafe/buffet The buffet retains the updated layout from the Beyond. It is a popular venue and admittedly during our lunchtimes around 1:30 we would have to walk around a bit before finding available seats. The food choices for lunch varies every day with themes of different cuisines highlighted. Today, the last day of the cruise, we had a seafood extravaganza with seafood of every kind available. If you like shrimp cocktail there were multiple stations filled to the brim with peeled shrimp. Although there always a cheese station today there were extra special selections with French soft cheeses being the highlights. There was also a chocolate fountain which always has a queue line for it. All in all I was quite satisfied with the buffet for lunchtime. We didn't have breakfast or dinner there so I don't have any comments about those mealtimes. Cafe Al Bacio This is our favorite area to have sit and enjoy an espresso-based coffee and have some yummy sweets treats. Yes complementary cookies are available but the are now in the refrigerated case on trays rather than in glass jars atop of the showcase. Macaroons are available but they aren't in the traditional half circle shape and they're available less frequently. Service is always available and friendly. Every night around 8:00 various ship officers would be available to mingle and greet passengers at the walkway in front of Cafe Al Bacio. We enjoyed spending time there after dinner as wait for the late show in the theater. It is admittedly a noisy place so it's not a place in the evening for a quiet coffee or nightcap.

*Seared Branzino *Slow roasted Leg of Lamb *Homemade Kordelia Pasta *Carrot Cake *Pan-seared aged sirloin steak *Spaghetti a la Mallorquin *Brownies and cookies from Eden Cafe lunchtime *Maritozzi (Italian Cream buns) from Seaview Cafe Lunchtime Italian theme day

I'm currently on the Ascent’s 1/14/24 sailing and wanted to note some observations and comments about the ship and this particular cruise. To place my comments in context this is my 26th sailing on Celebrity, 109th cruise overall. I've sailed on all previous E-Class ships and was on the Apex this past July. Lastly I'm on the ship with my husband who received this cruise as a fully complementary Concierge Class cabin from Celebrity’s Blue Chip Club Casino department. Let's note similarities and differences with Beyond The Ascent is an E-Class plus ship similar to the Beyond and larger than the Edge and Apex. Having said that the basic interior aesthetics is consistent throughout the E-Class ships. The monochromatic gray, beige, and taupe color schemes are the same on all four ships. Cabins The cabins are basically identical on all four E-Class ships. The only notable difference on the Ascent is the desk and mirror in non-Retreat cabins. The desks are no longer retractable into the refrigerator/dresser cabinet but are fixed. Consequently the mirror is no longer full length but stops right at the top of the desk (there's a full length mirror inside one of the closet doors). Otherwise the cabins remain unchanged. I would have liked to see a couple of changes/additions which are minor but would add more comfort and usability. 1) Additional USB ports on the other nightstand (currently only USB and power outlets adjacent to one nightstand) 2) A foldaway lower hanging rack in the closet (The current lower hanging rod is fixed which gets in the way of longer hanging garments if you have an abundance of those and don't need the lower hanging rod). 3) Soft close toilet seats Resort Deck The Resort Deck has seen the most updates as compared to the Beyond. The decorative white ‘cactus garden’ seating area that was just below the Pool bar port side has been removed and now it's just regular movable chairs. The other visible change is the abundance of large gray umbrellas all over the pool deck. This is obviously in response to the numerous comments on previous E-Class ships about the lack of shady seating immediately around the main pool. As with the Beyond there are fixed canopy shades over the champagne hot tubs as well as the sunken circular seating areas just aft of the main pool. I think the Ascent Resort Deck is the best of the E-Class ships. Rooftop Garden and adjacent venues The Ascent and Beyond have the best versions of the Rooftop Garden of all current E-Class ships. This is due to the larger space devoted to seating and activities area and also to the addition of glass windscreens and giant sun umbrellas. On both ships the adjacent Rooftop Garden Grill is shielded from the elements with overhead canopies and glass windscreens. I didn't notice anything different with the Ascent from the Beyond with regards to these venues. Same goes for the two plunge pools on the Port side which saw its debut on the Beyond. Lastly the enlarged Sunset Bar with its Moroccan design theme seems the same as on the Beyond. More to follow.

As I suspected the Shine the Night Deck Party, which is the formal name for the metallic party, isn't anything different or new and just your usual Celebrity deck party. There are ways to change up a cruise deck party to make it something unique and special for a fun night but this wasn't it. I'll give them props for having a live singer do a rendition of this past summer's LGBT dance hit Padam, Padam by Kylie Minogue. Otherwise I thought it was disappointing and nothing special. Getting people to dance wasn't the main goal. They want you to wave the light sticks they hand out back and forth in time to the music. They even stop playing music several times to talk. That's the party. Virgin and Carnival are the only cruiselines that know how to put on successful deck parties. PXL_20240118_031343820.mp4

7:30 & 9:30. E-Class is almost always 7:30 & 9:30.

I'll create one tonight or tomorrow. It won't be a full live day by day but just some observations of what's different on the Ascent vs the other E-Class ships.

That's not how it should be and is a result of lazy employees propping open the thermal suite access doors for various reasons. Having said that even with the door locked there's obviously ways to sneak into the thermal suite.

There are two ways to access to the Thermal suites either from the main corridor or from within the locker rooms. Both entrances require a key card that you get from the spa reception desk when you exchange you room card. This applies to Aquaclass as well as Thermal suite pass guests.

On the Ascent they are doing something slightly different. While all four main dining rooms are anytime dining there are certain times that you can make reservations. Early at 5:30,5:45 and late at 8:30,8:45. Any other dining times no reservations can be made nor are any advanced reservations able to be made. It's first come, first served. I haven't seen this particular set-up on other E-Class ship.

I just confirmed that the locker rooms in the Spa on the Ascent are available to everyone to use, even though you don't have a treatment, Aquaclass, or Thermal Suite pass. When ships separate the fitness center from the spa it becomes less evident that the spa locker rooms are available to everyone. And it's not always available. On Royal's Oasis and Quantum class ships the spa locker rooms aren't available for all passengers. On Carnival's Excel Class ships they are even though they locker rooms are very removed from the Fitness Center. On MSC they solve this problem by having two!!! sets of locker rooms, one for the spa and one for the fitness center. Done of the older Carnival ships have the same set-up. BTW the gym on the Ascent is much better equipped for weight training. Two Smith machines, two cable machines, more sets of dumbbells and fixed weight barbells. Some additional weight training machines not found on other E-Class ships. The bad news is it comes at the expense of no rowers!

I will confirm this on Sunday but my sense is yes, the spa locker rooms are open to everyone. It wasn't always the case on E-Class ships. It definitely wasn't the case when both the Edge and Apex debuted. Things loosened on the Beyond. I always ask this specific question to the spa desk personnel so I get the official answer. I know the rules have since been relaxed on the Apex when I was on it in July.

It is conjecture based on what they are doing. As you see BCC has extended the earnings period AGAIN to March 31,2024 would would mirror Royal's Casino Royale program. If there was no plan to merge programs there was zero point to extend the current earnings period beyond December 31st. It would stand to reason if every single aspect of each cruise casino program is exactly alike, and it's being administered from the same exact office with the same employees, that there would be plans to merge the two programs. They are literally 'Royalizing' Celebrity with small incremental changes (although I would classify going to Coco Cay a very major change). It's clear as day Celebrity will be targeting a different customer and base than in previous years and expand to families looking for a slightly more upscale experience.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/casino/casino-royale-rewards-table.pdf There's no reciprocating benefits between Royal and Celebrity's casino programs AT THE PRESENT TIME; it is anticipated that the programs will be merging together later this year, although no confirmation on this.