rj59

I also did my first Celebrity cruise last month, after being a long-time loyalist to HAL and Princess. I try to focus on the positive, so I found things in the MDR and buffet that I liked, and then found crew and parts of the ship I also liked. As a price-conscious West Coast solo cruiser, I look for deals close to home, and I booked 4 cruises on Solstice out of LA from October-April, all with different itineraries, which I appreciate. Two of them had all-inclusive at a price half of that of HAL and Princess. I've cruised on RC several times, so the app and overall experience feels familiar. Ordinarily I don't care for a various classes of cruising, but I don't mind people paying more to subsidize my cruise, and I actually liked never having a crowded MDR, with people diverted to other restaurants. One thing I really liked about Celebrity was having a smoke-free casino. I also liked the views and ambience of the forward Skylounge, the peaceful solarium and pool deck that didn't have a TV screen blaring or people eating at tables, and even on an older ship, my inside roomy cabin had a sliding shower door, not the horrible curtains that plague me on HAL and Princess. I also booked Apex in March, since I wanted to try a very modern ship, so I can compare it with the newest ships by Princess and the Konigsdam, which I'll be on in December. I'm all about variety and finding the best of each cruise line, so I'm grateful to Celebrity for giving me a chance to expand my horizons and enjoy its unique pleasures and experiences.

Celebrity send me an updated, detailed receipt for my cruise when I applied for shareholder credit, and on the second page it showed that I had drinks, wifi, and gratuities included, and the appropriate codes were in the receipt also. I couldn't find anything to confirm it in the cruise personalizer, and I was concerned because it was an unbelievable solo deal that I only saw on a TA site I use ($40-50/nt all-included for a solo inside). So I'd ask your TA or Celebrity to send you a detailed invoice that shows what you have, and print it out in case there are any issues once you get on board, so you have documentation to back it up.

I just bought last week, and had my shareholder credit within a few days. You get an email of an updated receipt with the OBC added, which is nice, since it also had detailed fare breakdown and confirmed that I have all-included on a couple of cruises. The other nice thing is that it appears in your cruise planner, so you can use it to pre-book excursions or packages at a cheaper price ahead of time. Of course, RCL dropped $3 a few days after I bought it, so I gained $300 in OBC but lost $300 in share value.

The sodas are $3, so I see $8/day for a package, or $15 to include espresso drinks. You also have to include the annoyance/hassle factor of not having a package--I was pestered by everyone to get a package whenever I bought a drink the first two days on Solstice last month, including in the coffee shop and even the MDR, which made me feel uncomfortable. I also felt uncomfortable and annoyed having to sign a slip every time I bought a soda, with the space for an extra tip. I got lucky in the MDR, though, when I found a table with a nice drinks server who never charged me for a nightly sprite zero at dinner, but then I used Indonesian phrases with her. At the same time, the buffet drinks station has fruit punch and a guava mix, and I make my Arnold Palmers with lemonade and iced tea, and I usually bring a little canister of flavor enhancer to add to water. Celebrity is also the most liberal line about bringing soda on board, and on Alaska and Mexico cruises I simply wait until the first port and bring back a 2L bottle of Coke Zero, which lasts me the entire cruise, for $2 instead of $80 or so for the soda package, or $130 to add coffee. I find it more pleasurable to stop at coffee shops in ports, also, to see locals, try local coffees, and use their wifi and restrooms.

Professor Cruise has a list of the vegetarian menus, with some photos. She's vegetarian, so a good resource for vegetarian options on all cruise lines. I'd also suggest combining an MDR menu with some buffet grazing, so you can get the best of both, with the limited vegetarian choices in the MDR. I usually eat at 8 in the MDR, and do an early light dinner in the buffet. That's especially true with the Indian and pasta buffet selections, and Celebrity does a good job of labeling everything, and with one station geared towards vegetarian dishes.

I like the idea of a "Love Boat" costume party, particularly if somebody dressed up as Charo.

Reminds me of the I was on the HAL Zuiderdam and it was surrounded by eco protesters in inflatable rafts and kayaks in Kiel, Germany, and was delayed by 8 hours or so. There was a lot of ugliness with pax cursing and taunting the people and calls for violence, which made me sad and ashamed and not want to cruise again for some time. Strikes are something to plan for and to make sure you have a Plan B, especially in European countries, or with protests, as with a cartel rampage in Baja Mexico recently, or simply with hurricane season approaching. Even last September I sailed to Alaska from Seattle on a beautiful Friday, but the Princess ship that left on Sunday had to spend the first night in Seattle because of severe storms off Vancouver Island. A HAL cruise I was on was delayed overnight by azipod damage, and there are all the ships underpowered in Alaska this summer because of damaged engines or hulls from lack of parts or ice damage. I regret skipping a Crown Princess cruise that included Glacier Bay, because the Princess people on here were having meltdowns because it skipped a port and had engine limitations, with people demanding compensation and refunds and the CEO's head on a platter (or maybe that was a different mob riot, perhaps when they stopped providing pillow chocolates).

I'm a shy solo passenger, so to avoid awkwardness I simply dine at off-peak times, usually going at 8, and I ask for a socially-distanced table. I also find that solo passengers get served very quickly usually, so I'm in and out quickly. I also sometimes have a light meal in the MDR and hit the buffet early and graze a bit for unique things, especially the manager's special station on Solstice last month, which had ramen, crepes, and 6 flavors of creme brulee, and they often have MDR soups that I can have there. You can do the reverse if you want to dine early, and on past HAL cruises I would order room-service MDR items for a late-night snack, like a cheese plate, creme brulee, or salad. By going to the MDR on Solstice I also got to meet a nice Russian wine steward and Indonesian drinks server, and they, along with the other servers, made me feel welcome and not out of place.

Even without the single supplement waiver, I've found incredible single rates by just searching online on travel sites that allow you to search for 1 passenger. Then I looked on a TA website and found even steeper drops for the cruises I looked at, for Apex and Solstice. Solstice has some amazing rates for solo passengers from October-April, if you search frequently and catch sales, so I booked 4 with a solo inside for $200-300 each, two of them with all-included. That's also how I did my first Celebrity cruise on Solstice this month, looking for a last-minute Alaska cruise and seeing no-supplement rates so me and my niece could have an affordable solo cabin. I never really looked at Celebrity before, since as a solo passenger I never saw competitive rates for Mexico and Alaska, but now that they offer solo deals and a no-perks option, I'm happy to branch out now from Princess and HAL.

If you like the Soltice in Alaska, look at it for Mexico trips. I already booked 4, and all have different itineraries, including Catalina, Ensenada, and CA coastal cities in April. Mexico also makes it easier to enjoy the pool deck, lawn area, and outdoor dining and drinking areas, to help spread out passengers more. If you're local, you also save a lot on travel expenses and the steep taxes/fees sailing from Seattle, and with so much competition now for Mexico cruises, Soltice prices are very good ($200-300 for a solo inside for the cruises I booked, including two with all-included). My next Solstice is on October 1, and I'm looking forward to trying different dishes, drinks, and meeting friendly crew members I got to know in Alaska. I also just bought 100 shares of RCL today, given its recent drops, so I can add $100 OBC to each of my cruises also.

I've been on the Noordam twice since refurbishment, pre and post Covid. The first was Vancouver-Hawaii, where I was in the worst storm I've been in, with waves crashing over my balcony and having to crawl to the bathroom, the ship rising and falling all night like a carnival ride. The second was this April on a coastal. As far as entertainment, there are the music walk venues, but they replaced BB King's blues with Rolling Stone rock. They no longer do production shows, so you get two dance shows which are the same on every ship. Every show and every setlist in every venue is now standardized on every ship, input into ipads by corporate masters. No more piano guy doing requests, no more Adagio classical duos. The crew was 90% male Indonesians and Filipinos, and I went to every bar and saw only one female crew member, which to me is sad and boring. On the good side, it's one of the few ships remaining with a full promenade, which makes a nice escape when everyone is crowding around the Lido pool. They had a Microsoft computer studio with laptops pre-Covid, but it was empty post-Covid. The coffee bar next to it actually has a small library. I also like that the Crow's Nest hadn't been fitted out with touch screens to sell excursions, so it was fairly quiet and peaceful.

Princess is weak on Indian, whereas I found that RC, Celebrity, and NCL have dedicated buffet Indian stations, with toppings and breads; and Carnival ships have huge vegetarian Indian options every night on the menu. Princess usually has one or two Indian dishes in the buffet, but nothing impressive. I think you should go to the dining manager on the first day and say you'd like to try some Indian food but don't know where to start. Tell him your spice tolerance and if you want vegetarian or meat, and I'm confident that the chefs, who are often Indian, will try to please you, and should give you advice. The ship might also have a dedicated Indian menu, but you again have to ask for it ahead of time, so they can have something for you to try. If you want to try some Indian ahead of your cruise, Trader Joe's usually have a good selection of Indian in frozen meals and packets, along with naan bread.

My advice is don't do it. I sailed in September last year and as a local was able to wait for a last-minute fare when the weather was least-bad, but the Princess ship leaving the next day was stuck in port because of severe storms on the open sea. Our ship had lots of rain and heavy swells on the return trip delayed our arrival by 5 hours or so, and we just missed hurricane-force winds off Vancouver Island. It makes a miserable cruise experience, with everyone crowded inside and bored and making glacier/wildlife viewing and excursions more difficult and unpleasant. If you're going to go for 10 days and prioritize glaciers and ports, then why not go when the weather is likely to be better? I went in June, July, and August this year, and had wonderful weather and long days (you'll miss hours a day of scenic viewing in September because of shorter days). If you want to avoid summer crowds and prices, then I'd go in May or early June instead, with longer days and generally less rain. That said, the Majestic is the only Princess ship I'd take to Alaska, simply because of the Hollywood Pool and Conservatory, which has free indoor spots for viewing and spreading out. I love Princess and am at Elite status, but for Alaska I would only go on a ship with forward indoor and outdoor viewing and/or a covered pool area, so I'd say NCL, HAL, Royal, and Celebrity are better options, depending on itinerary.

I sail solo, without Plus, and get $100-200 OBC between military/shareholder benefits, so I find it's easier to just bring my minibottles home with me and use OBC for coffee and cocktails, which helps limit overindulgence in caffeine and alcohol. I've also had good luck getting free Americanos and sometimes lattes, if I find the right barista who doesn't want to bother ringing up a purchase, and getting a coffee in a port is nice too. I also found on my last Alaska sailing that the international cafe and atrium aren't as much fun at 90% occupancy than it was at 40%

If you want to get to Elite easily, Pacific Coastal cruises are an easy way, especially at 3-4 days, and especially if you go solo and get double credits. I also live within bus distance to Vancouver, so I only pay one-way cheap airfare. I also like being able to get a full day in Victoria on some coastals and to avoid the high taxes/fees on Alaska cruises now. You can take the Majestic in September to LA for 4 days for $199 for an inside, or $329 for a solo. My interests in cruising on Diamond is because it's the only 7-nt on any cruise line I've seen that visits La Paz and Loreto, and of course having worried family and friends express concern when I say I'm risking my life on the Covid Death Ship.

I don't mind her so much, since it's usually at the end of intros at a sailaway, although now I'm crushed because I thought the cute Fortuna on my sailing with an actual redhead. It was almost as sad as expecting to swoon over Jan on my last sailing and seeing John instead. Perhaps the more annoying feature of Princess now is the bloated app slowed by games and gambling, which has the look of a malware-infested 2007 Android app designed by a Croatian college student.

I love to experience different cruise lines and try to find the best in each one. So this summer I've gone to Alaska on Carnival, Princess, and Celebrity, and I've written a serious post praising aspects of Carnival food. That's not popular for those loyal to certain lines and a tendency to find the negative in a ship or line or passengers instead of the positive. For me it's all about being at sea, not faux luxury or spending a lot of money to enhance one's status. That's why I also rise at 5 usually on cruises, both to enjoy the peace and quiet of a ship without noise and passengers and the sell!sell!sell! mentality, and because sunrises are just as spectacular as sunsets on cruises. There's also the excitement of sailing into a port in the early morning, if getting a wifi signal, of sailing under the Golden Gate or Lion's Gate bridges, or of sailing into a spectacular fjord in Alaska or the amazing Stockholm Archipelago, brilliant and beautiful at 5 am.

I used those. The Blue Cash Preferred also gave 6% back for Carnival gift cards in grocery stores, since I used to take some cheap 4-nt Carnival cruises out of LA. They have the Radiance there now, a rebuilt ship with fares as low as $100 for 4 nights to Ensenada and Catalina. I try to find the best of every cruise line, so even on Carnival I can get through the day with Guy's burgers and their Indian vegetarian options at dinner.

There's no way to date for a self-test, it's on the honor system, trusting that most people would care enough to do a current test for their own protection and those of others, and to not travel if they're positive. Even in the past, anyone with a little photoshop skills could change the date on a past test for any cruise, and it's not like the people going through documents for thousands of people at the pier are on the lookout for forgeries. The current Canadian requirement for Arrivecan is also a formality that as far as I know is never actually checked by Canadians in Victoria, and some freak out if they can't get it done on the ship, while others simply ignore it and have no problem. On my Solstice sailing a few weeks ago was upset because nobody checked her Arrivecan code, while the exit in Victoria was clogged with people fumbling for a mask because of a sign saying to put on a mask for the 10 second walk through the empty building. It's a transition period now, just as there was one for masks, so there will be confusion and fear ("oh no, is that loud person on my elevator unvaxxed? must hold my breath and wear my K95 by the pool, just in case").

I was on the Zuiderdam on a Baltic cruise and loved it, except when we were trapped by German ecoprotesters. HAL has replaced production shows with 2 dance shows and a nature documentary, so now they emphasize an evening music area, with classical, blues or rock, and piano duo. Their Dive-In burger place is very good, and room service is always free and has a good adult and kids menu. For kids, there's a few ping pong tables. The tvs have 100 or so on-demand movies to choose from. HAL has a dessert station with scoop ice cream and cookies that's very good. Zuiderdam is small and easy to get around on, so there can be less stress than a big family-oriented ship, so I never worried about my nieces on a HAL cruise since there are mainly just 3 public decks, plus a crow's nest and sports court on the upper deck.

I was on Discovery Princess in June at 3400 pax and it was too much for me. Waits were long outside Gigi's pizza, both early and late production shows had no seats (going early to get a seat got me Covid), and embarkation was awful, since everyone had to drop off luggage inside at x-ray machines. More importantly, it didn't visit Glacier Bay or Hubbard, as HAL does, and the ship was too big and unwieldy (propeller vs. HAL azipod) to get within viewing distance of Dawe's Glacier. Also, HAL has the forward-view crow's nest and a covered pool deck, whereas Princess has neither, nor does it have a wraparound promenade that I use for whale watching and exercise. I went on Majestic Princess twice to Mexico at 30/40% capacity, but the Royal class ships at near-full capacity aren't good for Alaska. I went on my first Celebrity cruise a few weeks ago, Solstice, and I found it better for Alaska than Princess also. I have Discovery and Konigsdam and Solstice booked for Mexico, but I'd go on Celebrity or HAL for Alaska, unless it's the smaller Crown Princess, with a promenade and Glacier Bay visit. I also enjoyed NCL in Alaska, since the newer ships have an amazing observation lounge, Beatles tribute band, and Broadway shows, and last September I was on Ovation of the Seas at 30% full, so I got to skydive and do bumper cars all I wanted, on a gorgeous ship with great shows.

Things are constantly changing, but the general direction is towards normalcy. The cruise lines are very slow to change, and with local areas having their own complicated and changing rules, it makes it difficult for them to update CS, their websites, and the app. Fortunately simple competitive pressure got them to push the testing beyond 7 days, after HAL and Princess did the same. It was the same long, wait-and-see process that was involved in dropping masking, and allowing passengers to touch serving spoons (gasp!), so some people will freak out, some will want them to move faster, but we're moving in the right direction finally. They've also had the CDC to shift responsibility to for some time, so now they have to make and live with their own rules. Now what I really want to see is the smiling faces of all crew and to make their lives easier--it was nice to see some on Solstice a few weeks ago unmasked on the pool deck.

There are more options now that they offer a no perks rate. The soda package for $9 a day pre-cruise and soda/espresso for $15/day pre-cruise are good options, although they brag about all the Coke varieties they have now, but I found in practice on Solstice that they only had Coke Zero and Sprite Zero as my no-sugar options. I didn't have perks or a package, but the drinks server at dinner always gave me a Sprite Zero without charge, maybe because I spoke some Indonesian to her and was nice. You also have the option to bring aboard drinks--if you're going to Alaska, Ketchikan and Juneau have grocery stores where you can bring aboard 2L bottles in port, and I get Coke Zero 2L bottles in all Mexico ports at OXO convenience stores. Then I just fill glasses with ice at the buffet and have drinks in my room, or fill a 20oz empty Coke bottle and carry it around the ship. I actually don't like having wifi on a cruise, since it leads to ignoring the beauty of the ship and interacting through activities, and speeds seem to have diminished significantly with so many ships back in service and at high occupancy.

I'm also going on Soltice twice in October, after my first cruise on her to Alaska a few weeks ago. Staff is very aggressive about getting you to upgrade to a package or your current one, even baristas and dining room drinks servers. The weird pricing also tries to encourage you to upgrade, so many cocktails, beers, and wines are priced about the magic $9 price point, and the app and bar menus have only a very limited price list, so it was confusing and stressful for me. I didn't have AI, and when buying individual drinks I had to sign a slip asking for an extra tip, which also is uncomfortable for me. At the same time, their pre-cruise non-alcoholic package prices are quite good, $9 for soda and $15 for soda/coffee, so I'll probably do those on my upcoming cruises, especially since they allow me to use $100 of OBC pre-cruise. I found the Blu/Luminae helped keep the dining room unpacked, so I always had a window seat and good service. They have a nice buffet layout, but it doesn't connect with the pool deck, which on other lines has dining tables, but not on Solstice, so at peak times the buffet and after outside get completely full, so I used a plastic tray I brought and took food elsewhere. The Sky lounge was my favorite part of the ship, with lots of good view seating. The other thing I really liked was a buffet station that has a different special each night, which included ramen, crepes, and multiple flavors of creme brulee. Finally, I booked 4 Mexico cruises on Solstice and what I really like is that they vary the itinerary, so some include Ensenada, Catalina, and San Diego, instead of the usual Cabo/PV/Mazatlan trip, and in April I'm doing a coastal on them as well.

I bought 4 bottles of rum for $52 on my last cruise, they might enjoy that more.