Tom and Ingrid

I understood. I don't know yet whether this is good or bad, because I feel like they can build their shows around the team they have. I also feel like that position is usually what others mentioned - neither a top singer nor a top dancer - but one hopes the folks who shine as either a singer or a dancer will find a place once the singer/dancer role is gone. I would think the singer/dancer role would be a pretty important understudy position for any injury or illness that befalls the other folks during a cruise contract, so while the title may be gone, those folks may just be reclassified into one or the other (most likely to "dancer") to keep that flexibility open. Another thing I have noticed is that the talent differs across ships (and time), so a strong singer/dancer on one ship may easily be better than a singer or dancer on another ship, and X probably wouldn't want to cut those folks if avoidable. Better to shift folks around to where they are best suited considering there is always a lot of churn as contracts ends, and it would make sense to hold on to all the best folks you can.

And, as recommended by others, you can refill from your bathroom tap, ask a bartender, and/or speak to your room attendant. All water is drinking water from the multiple options - whether an OVC ice/water machine or your bathroom tap. I, however, usually drop a comment in the (now on-line) comment "box" that Celebrity should install bottle filling stations in key places on the ship - like OVC, the Solarium, poolside, and maybe Cafe Al Baccio or near disembarkation points. When flying, I usually drink a bottle of water while working my way to security. That leaves me with an empty bottle, and I will generally refill it after security from the dedicated bottle refill stations many airports have. X should have similar.

We were on board the Sillie in late July. The moment my wife got on board, she was like, "This is the nicest X ship we've been on." Having only been on Century, Millennium, and Solstice class ships, I can't compare it to the Edge ones, but versus the other ships, it held up very favorably. We had a rare-for-us sunset veranda, but even if it was just a standard OV or even interior cabin, I think we would have been happy. We also were happy (and comfortable from familiarity) with the public spaces and always found places to relax. Odd, it was a rare time where we didn't use the Solarium, and as it was Norway, we weren't spending much time around the outdoor pool (but plenty on the deck above). Biggest stand-out might have been the refresh to the ship with a tasteful (to us) decor throughout.

What about drunk so-called influencers cackling like witches in large groups at dinner? Isn't there a HUGE difference between just plain rude people and rude so-called influencers? Imagine a time before the rise of the so-called influencer. Everything was perfect. No one was rude. And we had no one to single out and complain about. The good old days of 2010!

I've had MANY folks on cruises hold up lines or do rude stuff in general. I haven't seen the need to keep track. I'm not sure why you would want to keep track of rude influencers but not rude men, or rude women, or rude Americans, or rude Canadians, or rude children, or rude redheads, etc...

NO ONE should be rude. That's common sense and common courtesy. And oddly, this 13 page (so far) thread hasn't shown that an "influencer" (or vlogger or TikTok star) is any different than any one else - more rude or less rude. I think most of us have never had an incident with a rude "influencer" but we ALL have had countless (truly innumerable) encounters with rude non-influencers. Address the general population's rudeness, and that will make all of our lives much better - at home and/or at sea. Simply focus on influencer behavior and that's not something that will benefit almost any of us.

Sadly, what you're describing is a MUCH greater pattern of poor behavior in the general cruising (and regular) population and not tied to vloggers to any more or less of a degree. 😞 Poor passenger behavior is a chronic complaint here (in the X forum) and often why folks "advance" up the cruise line level from the lower tier "booze cruise" lines to the ultra-expensive but strongly disciplined lines. Challengingly, X is at the crossroads of the shift to get younger and/or more active folks on-board vs maintaining what in the past was calm, quiet, and peaceful cruising. A sad example was the guy in the Solarium (maybe cruising alone) who spent hours speaking at a near shout (in the bubbling hot tub) to any and all folks who happened to join him in the tub. No "inside voice". No "hushed library talking", but rather "I like to talk and I like to talk loudly" voice. He wasn't a blogger. He wasn't on a phone. He wasn't taking selfies or making videos. What he was was in the Solarium for several hours every sea day behaving the same way. Rude is rude is rude, and for every one example of a rude TikTok or vlogger, there are literally hundreds or thousands of rude non-TikTok or non-vloggers. I don't ever really feel the need to narrow down who SPECIFICALLY is rude, as I've encountered, as I am sure you have, rude folks of EVERY persuasion - race, creed, color, sex, nationality, career, income, age, etc.. I'd much rather have a nickel for every rude person I've encountered in a day or a year than $100 or $1,000 for rude TikTok/vloggers I've encountered anywhere.

That Youtube video would be a great example to share so we can see what you mean. TikTok, a bit different, might also have an example or two you (or others) could share showing a "ship being taken over". My guess is that a person's likelihood of being disturbed by a customer writing a check in a grocery store line is much much greater than ever having that happen with a TikTok or Youtube person. On the flipside, I will say I have seen countless non-vlogger types walking around - on ships and in ports, museums, parks, etc.. - having a Facetime chat with friends or family. So, for that situation, I can GUARANTEE you will run into those types of people, and you might feel like you have to leave a space to get some peace while they chitchat away. With Starlink, more and more folks will likely be taking the opportunity to live chat with folks back home.

The airport is relatively quick and easy to get to, so that shouldn't be a problem. The airport itself is another challenge altogether. For whatever reason, our two recent trips leaving from AMS (2023 and 2024) have been just slow and stressful messes. We've flown United both times, so they may be a bit of the issue - slow gate/luggage check in process and totally understaffed up there. But even if United was perfect, the security line and process seemed interminable vs most other airports we fly through. I gave them security a "pass" last month because at least they had the excuse of having just pulled a knife out of some guy's carry on, and that triggered super cautious carry on bag screening starting just about as we were getting scanned. 😞. 30+ mins standing around while ONE agent searches each carry-on is a SLOW process. The time in 2023 seemed to be almost as bad, but for no obvious reason. IOW, I'd build a little wiggle room into the flight times and consider arriving 3hrs before the minimum as a firm rule. Our last cruise ended in Rotterdam, and that was an insanely quick and easy disembarkation. Not sure how Amsterdam compares, though.

Potential long shot, but not a horribly expensive one, is this "cruise tour catalog" of 1993 available (used 😄 ) on Amazon for $23: Celebrity Cruises Catalog, Caribbean 1993, Vessels Zenith, Horizon, Meridian

I haven't really turned up anything but it did lead me to a fun Harper's story on a 1996 Zenith adventure! What fun the internet can be! A different time 😄 I now know every conceivable rationale for somebody spending more than $3,000 to go on a Caribbean cruise. To be specific: voluntarily and for pay, I underwent a 7-Night Caribbean (7NC) Cruise on board the m.v. Zenith (which no wag could resist immediately rechristening the m.v. Nadir), a 47,255-ton ship owned by Celebrity Cruises, Inc., one of the twenty-odd cruise lines that operate out of south Florida and specialize in "Megaships," the floating wedding cakes with occupancies in four figures and engines the size of branch banks.? The vessel and facilities were, from what I now understand of the industry's standards, absolutely top-hole. The food was be- yond belief, the service unimpeachable, the shore excursions and shipboard activities organized for maximal stimulation down to the tiniest detail. The ship was so clean and white it looked boiled. The western Caribbean's blue varied between baby-blanket and fluorescent; likewise the sky. Temperatures were uterine. The very sun itself seemed preset for our comfort. The crew-to-passenger ratio was 1.2 to 2. It was a Luxury Cruise. https://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/HarpersMagazine-1996-01-0007859.pdf

I'd be interested in how the ratio holds up for the "hotel" or service side of the house. Maybe even more in favor of a smaller ship? My guess would be a large ship requires more operational crew to run the ship and maintain it. But, there may be a benefit (some efficiency) to a larger ship so it may be in favor of a larger vessel (ie a greater percentage of "crew" is in the hotel/service category). Of course, the proof is always in the performance and how well you feel treated on-board.

I'd also consider a Garmin watch as a (much more advanced) Fitbit replacement. I wear an Apple Watch, but it comes off at night so the charging doesn't matter too much. But a Garmin watch like the fenix is pretty much a no-brainer for fitness tracking and with a battery life in the several weeks category. Since i primarily ride, I'm more in the Garmin Edge category, and my Apple Watch is mainly an extension of my phone but not an essential tool for anything else.

What DaKahuna writes. I am the one in the house that gets and does the PUP events. I always enter MY number AND my wife's number, so we both have similar points now. But, sadly, "easy" points are fewer these days, and it will be a while before I have enough to hit Elite+ - with or without the PUP extras. I will say, I don't think he will get to do the HH free drinks. I could be wrong, but they take your card and it likely indicates his lower status. For things like the Elite Breakfast, though I would think it is by cabin so you both are good.

I also see a 2023 article and an associated X tour (Art, Architecture & Design) - but both seem to refer only to E class ships: Guests interested in art are offered an "Art, Architecture & Design" tour on board all three ships. On a 75-minute tour, which takes place several times a week, the most important objects on each ship are presented in an expert manner. The art tour debits the on-board account with the equivalent of around 50 euros. Interested passengers can find more details on the individual works of art in their cabins in an “Art Book” and in an “Art Collection” folder.

You'd be surprised - it sounds "more" than it really is. Ie - those 4 hooks are pretty darn small and pretty much did the same duty as yours. But I think I need to up my game to the bigger and more versatile options out there - still four hooks, but with larger actual hooks (2" seems reasonable), and definitely the swivel kind so the hook hangs down along the wall versus straight out. Or, in all likelihood, I'll for get to get new ones, and the old ones will still be tucked in my luggage, so I'll just end up using them again 😄

I'd also look at hook size rather than just weight limit. The 40# limit, though, does not guarantee it doesn't slip a bit from force pulling down. My stuff stayed in place, but it also only weighed a few pounds (hats, jacket, etc.). I went with "heavy duty" (40lbs+) hooks last time, and the hooks were too small for a few things I wanted to hook. The 1.35 inch - to me - was too small. I'd aim for maybe a 2" version. They packed flat since the hook unscrewed from the base, so 2" vs 1.35" wouldn't be a packing issue. I also think maybe a "swivel" kind would have been more useful. This image demonstrates the more options on offer, and also shows how the 40pound limit if derived from hanging on a ceiling and there is a significantly lower "hanging from a wall" limit. An empty lightwight backpack would be fine, but a heavier and slightly filled backpack would likely cause wall slippage.

Conceptually, you could get him an X gift card (at a discount) for on board credit, and he could use his Sea Pass to buy a lot of coffee from Cafe al Bacio. Not any hole punching, but the $100 (or whatever) OBC balance could be his digital punch card. Assuming, of course, you aren't getting a drink package already and/or Elite+ equivalent. In those case, I think the coffee from al Bacio is included.

My wife and I were reviewing the Celebrity "sales" this past holiday weekend, and exactly nothing jumped out at us as a good deal - let alone very good or great. I've seen the comments lately and get daily e-mails about "deals", but it really seems like the new normal is X doesn't want or need to sweeten the pot anymore. Even off-peak cruises seem full price - or, more likely, inflated "MSRP" and then basic discounting to "full" price. Not wanting to jump ship to other lines, but with a few others in our sights - Virgin, MSC, Princess, and Cunard - I do wonder if I need to pay more attention to how those lines are pricing and offering sales over time. Is this really just an X thing (few real deals) or is the high occupancy rates allowing all cruise lines to keep prices at full price?

Yep. Happened to me.

A related question - when there is NO Craft Social (I don't see it on Solstice for our next cruise), is the wider variety likely still available, just at the other bars? Probably still not going with a drink package, but if I did, I wonder the same sort of thing about which package "wins" for convenience of the beer I like and if that beer is even likely available. Makes me regret not paying more attention on prior cruises.

Last time (no drink package) my wife was happy they had the Affligem Blond available. I was okay with Heineken ("free" during HH). I do like Dogfish (relatively local for me) and have some 90 Min in the fridge right now. So, I could be happy with that list (thanks for posting) but probably not "upgrade to Premium" happy 😄. If nothing else, we were in Rotterdam, so a Dutch beer made sense! And her Belgian fell under the "close enough" category.

I like Bug. But, I like most cats, dogs, rabbits, etc. etc.. Honestly, if I was onboard with Bug and Captain Kate (or any captain or officer), I can 100% say Bug would be a much higher priority for a photo op or, in Bug's case, an ear scratch/head rub.

Yeah, the ones I listed would surely be considered more "expensive" or premium beers. In which case, assuming an upgrade from Classic to Premium drink plan, would that cover it? Or is it likely that it would require paying extra on top of the Premium package? I generally try to simplify my cruise (or travel) experience - sometimes end up paying more to not have a "do the math" situation every time I want to eat or drink on board. I'm hoping, if I chose the Premium package, it would make Craft Social (and Bacio) an easy option for almost all my drinks (water, coffee, wine and beer) on board. But, darn it, if I buy the Premium and am STILL paying extra every time in CS, I might as well not bother.

I don't see - on their site - any specific prices for the beers I like (bulleted above). Does that pretty much mean "assume Premium" for the beers I would normally select, or, even "worse", assume paying a difference every time over any package?