Cruise till you drop

1 hour ago, 1Virgo said:

answer from executive office. Loungers are being removed for safety reasons 

 

I pointed out that if that was the case, other cruise lines would be following suit. 

 

All I can say is, contact executive office and let them know your feelings.   

 

sitting on the balcony, feet up, relaxing, reading, now just a memory for us. 😡

I literally spit out my drink laughing.  What a joke

Why don’t they be honest and admit the cruise line doesn’t generate revenue if people are hanging out on their balconies

7 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

Next Opportunity,

 

30 Power Up Points for watching a Webinar on Galapagos

 

Register to watch by May 22, 2024, and earn 30 Power Up Points.

 

LINK: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4100016627014388829

 

Thanks.  Very helpful

This thread is the best ever !!

On 5/12/2024 at 1:48 PM, Gilliganluvsmaryann said:

My wife and I are not 68 years old.

If you’re not 68, how old are you ? 😂 

Thanks for posting as we’ll be on Beyond in Jan 2025.  We’ve done Edge twice so familiar with the layout of Edge class ships but excited to see how Beyond has been transformed 

We had an Edge SV in 2020 and had a lounger but in 2023 (same cabin), we were told no more loungers on account of safety stemming from people on the previous sailing and perhaps loungers going overboard.  We suspected we were fed a lie as we met other people in SV’s that had loungers.

As for this stated reasoning to the OP by Celebrity staff, I don’t think I believe it to be the reasoning

3 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

 

They round up, so it would be 1 CC point.

I wouldn’t even get out of bed for just 1 point 

9 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Does Princess have you sign the numerous $2 upcharge slips for a glass of wine?

 

On Celebrity this was getting a bit tiresome ...

We are Celebrity over Princess people but you hit the nail on the head.  This has to be our biggest pet peeve on Celebrity

We sail both but more partial to Celebrity for many of the same reasons mentioned already.

However one unique reason is that we like to pre book our room and  Celebrity is the only one of the two that can guarentee my room.  Princess says they will and when you show up, find that you are assigned to a different room that feels like a downgrade (even though they try to convince you it’s an upgrade)

19 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

 

https://cloud.na.celebritycruises.com/GOGREEN_OPTIN

And how many points do you earn for Go Green sign up?

14 hours ago, Boatharbour said:

Apex deck 10 last year. Can’t remember the cabin number but it was one off the centre. 

Edge deck 8 sky suite 8308 two weeks ago. Both locations were quiet. 

 

The 2nd pic looks like a Sky Suite on the starboard side of the ship

18 hours ago, lovedecruise said:

Thank you so much for the photos.  Was this 11271 on Edge?

Yes.  We’ve been in both 11270 and 11271 on the Edge

The pics were from 11270 but both balconies were the same

2 hours ago, lovedecruise said:

Hi, we have the option of 11271 on Edge.  Could you please tell me, was there much room on the balcony for any recliners?  Someone mentioned 11273 was very noisy with the cabin making all sorts of noises.  As this cabin is next door to 11273, did it make these noises as well?

Many thanks for your help.

Plenty of room on the balcony IMHO.  This was the pics before we had the room steward bring a lounger to the balcony.

As for the noises, never heard them in either 11270 or 11271

We got our 3 points posted today as well !!

I also had sign in problems and had to change passwords.

Also no power up points as yet

You can visit a Banana plantation in St Lucia but not sure it’s going to have what you’re looking for except a lot of bananas

On 3/30/2024 at 2:11 PM, Hopefulhawkeye said:

My husband and I have cruised only twice now, both times with Celebrity. Last year we sailed on the Edge for 7 days in the Mediterranean, and earlier this month we were on the Equinox for 9 days in Grand Cayman, Aruba, and Curacao. I wanted to share some thoughts from the recent sailing and compare/contrast a bit between the two experiences. 

 

The overall experience with Celebrity feels premium whether it is on the newer Edge class or the Solstice class (Equinox). Service is impeccable. I have felt like my stateroom attendant or my poolside server is a friend of mine by the end of each cruise. On both cruises there was someone who went the extra mile to make the experience special. It saddens me to know that certain passengers don't appreciate these wonderful people as human beings. While perhaps an overshare, one staff member told me that some people treat her as if she is their personal slave and she was nearly in tears. Do better cruisers! It's okay to expect a premium level of service from a premium cruise line, but treat these people how you would want to be treated! 

 

The food on both ships has been a highlight. For main dining, we love the buffet, the poolside grill, and the main dining room (MDR). Only have a few minor complaints with main dining. Neither ships MDR could execute a quality pasta dish -- only Tuscan Grill (specialty dining) had great pasta. I vastly preferred the choice of main dining venue the edge class ships provide and also their ability to better accommodate a private dining experience. I also thought the wait staff was stronger on the Edge class ships -- not for lack of trying, but I couldn't help but be annoyed by the waiter who read every last item verbatim off the menus each night. Give me the highlights -- I can read.

 

Celebrity could not miss with the specialty dining -- at least for dinner options. On the Edge we tried both Eden and the Fine Cut Steakhouse - both were among the best meals I've ever had. Murano and Tuscan Grille on the Equinox are also incredible -- I loved the tableside lobster preparation at Murano. I find some of the Lunch specialty dining to be unremarkable though - Sushi on 5 (Equinox) is very mediocre. Le Grand Bistro on the Edge was better but still didn't feel premium.  

 

One thing I've learned between the first cruise and the second is not to buy the drink package. They are not worth it unless you drink like a fish. Consider that you get even less value from it for every day of your cruise where you will mostly be off the ship. I priced out the value of the classic package when it was 20% off per person, per day and it was about $58.00. Our actual spend on alcohol and other beverages was $26.00 per person, per day. Granted we are light drinkers, but its still an awful value - especially when you consider that the classic drink package doesn't cover the vast majority of the cocktails featured on bar menus. You'll be paying a 2 dollar or more (+20%) surcharge at just about every bar for every drink. Celebrity absolutely needs to amend their classic package to allow cruisers more choice without a surcharge. 

 

One other gripe I have, especially with the more recent cruise, was the heavy-handedness of the sales push onboard. Every drink I got came with a suggestion to get a package, every meal came with reminders of specialty dining, and then there's the spa, the casino, the shops, and on and on....I get that this is the bread and butter for Celebrity and on the front end of a cruise in particular I can forgive this, but this went on through the last night. 

 

Let's talk demographics. Celebrity ships, despite what there marketing may have you believe, skew very old. On the Med cruise there was at least a contingent of Europeans that were in their 30's/40's, but on the Equinox, you could've fit everyone under 40 at one large table. It also struck us that there was a wide gulf between the mobility of European seniors versus Americans. We saw so many canes, walkers, and scooters on the Equinox. To be clear, I love seniors, I'm just not in a rush to be one. Multiple cruisers (and even Celebrity's security staff!) thought my husband was a dancer for the theatre shows. There was a distinct lack of shows/activities on both ships that appeal to a younger demographic. We left this cruise with a strong feeling that we need to try a Virgin cruise next, if only not to be called "younguns" for just one day of the cruise. 

 

To be clear, even though most of the shows and activities don't have youthful appeal, there is a ton of talent. The singers (theatre cast and headliners) for both cruises were exceptional. I love the emphasis Celebrity has on supporting live music experiences. The cruise directors are always a ton of fun -- I'm young and I still couldn't maintain that level of constant energy. We even saw our cruise director from the Edge serving as activities director on the Equinox. It was great to see a familiar face ("Hi Dave!"). 

 

One last tidbit for those who've been curious about the Art aboard celebrity. In addition to the beautiful works that adorn Celebrity ships, both ships have a dedicated art area with pieces for auction. Celebrity appears to lease some of their ship space to a company called Park West to sell art. We didn't engage with this on the Edge, but we did give it a try for the Equinox as we did actually come across a piece of artwork that evoked our Mediterranean vacation that we both loved.

 

As for the auction process itself, it is very gimmicky. They provide complementary champagne and do a sort of reverse auction where they start at a dollar and have everyone get used to holding up their bid card and then drop their hand as they go up in price -- all intended to loosen you up for a higher dollar transaction. They have a couple high-value items that they auction off at extremely high prices and it isn't immediately apparent whether there was anyone actually bidding on those items or if it was just for show. They tell you that you can pre-reserve pieces at a set price that is 5-10% lower than what the piece will start with at auction and as long as no one bids against you, you will get the work at that pre-reserve price. 

 

My advice if you see a piece you like is this. Unless you see evidence that others are interested in the same piece, (which is unlikely because art taste is very subjective and there are only 3,000 people on the ship and maybe 150 of them at most are engaging with the auctions) wait until the last day. Make an offer below their "minimum pre-reserve price". You'll find their minimums to be much more flexible at this point. We ended up getting the piece we wanted for about $200.00 less then their "minimum" by doing this. We may well have still overpaid, but the price was fair to us at this point. We loved the piece, we weren't making an investment. 

 

All in all, another great cruise. I will be back to cruise with Celebrity, probably many more times. I just need a more youthful cruising experience to switch it up for the next go around. Thanks for listening. 

Thanks for your post and I would agree with all your assessments except the Art part where we couldn’t give a darn about art 

31 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Deck 5 for us the last two years.

Agreed. We’ve been on the Edge twice and it’s been deck 5

Probably not much else they could do to keep the ship sailing and making money

It’s only been sailing for 17 years so probably not being retired anytime soon

It’s not bad but we usually wait until they offer the 40% off each passenger with lower deposit (and sometimes maybe some onboard credit)

The 40% per passenger is a little better than the 75% off 2nd guest

On 1/20/2023 at 2:16 PM, shellunderwater said:

Thanks for the info.

We are planning to do this, but worry about it selling out if we wait to book on board.  We are on the Equinox in June for ABC islands.  Is selling out an issue?

From our experience, this does not sell out and they’re usually trying to fill spots as the cruise goes on. But if I were you, I would book early if you know for sure you want to do it 

We will be in an IV for the 1st time in the Caribbean in Jan 2025 and we like that it makes the room seem bigger but concerned that the AC shuts off when the window is open

If youre happy with the location, I say stay where you are as the AC thing won’t be a problem in Alaska like it would be in the Caribbean

On 3/3/2024 at 2:01 PM, helen haywood said:

The black square or the triangle refer to cabins that sleep three or four.  Those cabins always have the bed by the bathroom. 

Actually not true as we recently sailed Equinox on deck 11 in SV 1668 and the bed was by the balcony

19 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

 

Side note:  It is a shame the captain’s club members’ time spent playing webinars has been reduced from 50 power up points down to 30 power up points.  Did no one else take note of this devaluation?

I say don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

6 hours ago, CaroleSS said:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8899208959042120793?allowMobile=y&ecid=em_12921794&rid=583186056&mes=Celebrity Loyalty Laura Webinar 15 Mar 2024 EM&emsc=CCC_ELT_OUR_NAN_M_USA_FL_7_TA&empf=Y&emct=E&lnkid=REGISTER_AND_WATCH_NOW_CTA&rcid=69655777

Thanks for the link.  I just finished the Webinar and now await the points

On 2/2/2024 at 8:20 PM, NMTraveller said:

One would have thought for a 900 million dollar ship,  that they would have put more than a few balconies in .  🤣

That is the mystery in that if you prefer a regular balcony on an E class ship, unless you’re in Retreat class, you’ll likely not get a SV balcony unless you book very very early.  So all you’re left with is an IV.

Saying that, we’ve never done one yet but we’ll try one out in Jan 2025 on the Beyond (not because we planned to try one but because all the SV’s were sold out)

In March 2023, we cruised with friends that were concierge and we were not.  They went to the lunch and was so busy, they were forgotten and took them 2 hours to get in and out of there.

We went to OVC and had no wait and enjoyed a nice quiet lunch 

Flash forward to Jan 2024 and we sailed again with friends and we all had Concierge and we ALL ate at OVC