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Everything posted by ETHTrader
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Surcharges for drinks in Retreat Lounge
ETHTrader replied to TrueCruiseaholic's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Currently on Silhouette Old Fashioned was $25 + tip. Drinks are way more expensive than I remember -
Surcharges for drinks in Retreat Lounge
ETHTrader replied to TrueCruiseaholic's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Pretty much. Some are even higher, closer to $30s -
Not going to lie. I thought this was about Grey Goose
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Surcharges for drinks in Retreat Lounge
ETHTrader replied to TrueCruiseaholic's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I can tell you right now that no one has asked me for my seapass or surcharge at the Retreat Lounge. It's been free. However, the drinks at the World Class Bar is now anywhere from $20-$25 -
Companies care less and less about loyalty these days. It's all about profit and loss. Sooner or later, cruise line loyalty program will become similar to airline loyalty programs (e.g. status and benefits reset each calendar year rather than based on cumulative sailings). Unfortunately, that's how these executives make their big salary and bonuses. Not based on long time customer satisfaction or loyalty
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You can check in anytime as a suite guest. They don't even look at your assigned time, only that you have a Silver Seapass in the app
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I was on Beyond last December when the World Cup was on and every game was televised throughout the ship, including the Retreat Sun Deck bar, Craft Social, and the big outdoor screen on the top deck
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Sodas and the Newly Revised Drink Packages
ETHTrader replied to NemoCrownie's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I am baffled that soda is part of Premium Package but not Classic Not only is it confusing, it makes zero sense. -
There was a notable difference in the Retreat Sundeck area of the ship from Apex to Beyond (bigger, more shades, two TVs at the Retreat Sundeck bar, etc). Haven't been on Ascent yet but my understanding is that every new ship in the same class will get small improvements. So if you have already experienced the Retreat on Apex, my recommendation is to try Ascent. However, I have soft spot for Apex. I have been on three sailings on Apex since Sept 2021. I will never forget the first sailing in Greece not long after they started sailing again in 2021. 30-50% capacity and superb service/experience. I don't think we will ever get back to that level of service unless you are staying in the upper suites
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Basic WiFi will be frustrating to use. Email might be do-able but slow. Facebook might take long time to load or pages might not load properly depending on how much media/photos are displayed
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I dont think they have cold brew at Al Bacio. In my experience, whenever I asked for Ice coffee, they pour shots of espresso on top of ice and melt the ice down and then add more ice. Still good though
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Just off a three night Ascent preview cruise, some thoughts...
ETHTrader replied to Bead Pirate's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I think this is common on new X ships. When Apex was launched in 2021, we sailed twice the first year and experienced same situation at the Craft Social Bar. When we revisited Apex in 2022, they finally had some snacks that you can order at the bar. I don't remember what the situation was at Beyond last year since I spent most of the time in the Retreat -
When I sailed Apex back in Sept 2021, we started disembarkation at Piraeus between 7AM-7:15AM. I had my driver pick us up at 7:30AM Drive from Piraeus to the Airport varies depending on traffic. Budget an hour. Then add another 2-3 hours to get through the security before boarding the flight. In my opinion, you shouldn't book flight before noon just to be safe Looking at my itinerary from that trip, it looks like my flight back to US was around 2:30pm. So we hired a driver and he drove us around in Athens before dropping us off at the airport with plenty of time.
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YMMV depends on availability of the ingredients elsewhere, but I wouldn't hold my hopes up. A lot of the bartenders on the Retreat Sun Deck or the Lounge work elsewhere at different times of the day (i.e. Martini Bar), so they are trained to know how to make different drinks around the ship. However, my favorite drink from Luminae is "Fresh from Tokyo". When I was on Retreat Sun Deck, I asked the bartenders if they can make that drink and they told me the ingredients for that drink was only available in the Luminae, so they were very apologetic. So, it's really YMMV
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Retreat disembarkation time in Southampton
ETHTrader replied to MMMCruiser's topic in Celebrity Cruises
This can vary greatly depending on the port, and the weather (as well as time for the ship to clear customs, etc) In my experience, a ship docked and cleared customs as early as 6:45AM-7AM~ish but sometimes, various factors would cause delays. So to be on the safe side, I would tell the driver to pick you up around 9AM (if you are not in any rush). As a retreat guest, you can head over to the Retreat Lounge and have coffee/pastries there, and then leave at your leisure -
Beyond Cruise Nov 13, 2023 - An Awesome Time
ETHTrader replied to truckswain's topic in Celebrity Cruises
They are not supposed to help chair hogs reserve loungers. If you talk to someone at the Retreat Lounge below the deck, they will address that immediately. At least they did last December on Beyond -
I will pay that $4 upcharge on Blanton's. Any upcharge on Hayden is hilarious imo
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LOL Jameson is premium? Come on now.
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Holiday Decorations Equinox 11-30 through 12-10 2023
ETHTrader replied to horseymike's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I was on Thanksgiving cruise on Apex last year. Tree was out right after Thanksgiving Day -
Jim, I stayed at that same hotel for 4-5 months last year while on business trip. The Andaz across the street is part of a complex where many multi-national corporations have an office in that same building and for short stays, my colleagues stay at the Andaz and for long term stays, they book us at the Pan Pacific. There is a great Japanese spot (sushi, izakaya, etc) down the street called Omu Nomu Craft Sake and Raw Bar. They serve lunch and dinner and amazing list of craft sake bottles they import from Japan every week. You should try that place out if you have time. Also, I highly recommend lunch at the SKAI (top floor of the Swissotel), which is 15-20 minute walk from the Pan Pacific. Amazing panoramic view (higher than Marina Bay Sands) and really great pre-fixe lunch menu and cocktails
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Are they looking at arrival times at Fort Lauderdale?
ETHTrader replied to KKB's topic in Celebrity Cruises
If the ship is sailing full or close to its capacity, higher chances that they will enforce your check in time for embarkation (excluding Retreat guests) -
Greece and Med sailing - which is better month?
ETHTrader replied to Cruise Gopher's topic in Celebrity Cruises
August will be unbearably hot and super crowded with summer vacation crowd