TGfromTX

Hurricane season officially started on June 1st. I saw the NOAA forecast online and thought I'd post it here. The article stated that the increase in activity is thought to be due to the ocean temperature increasing .9 degrees per decade. I also found interesting that the first named system typically forms around June 20th and the first hurricane around August 11th.

You posted HERBIE!

I booked early May and mine hasn't listed any lower than I posted. Not even during the Memorial weekend sale. This is my first cruise with Celebrity so maybe that is why.

Once you install the app, you can select a reserved time for dinner - early or late. People that want to have the same waiter(s) & sit at the same table will generally select this option. It will be around 7 for early or 9 for late (+/- 30 min depending on specific cruise). I believe your dining room is selected for you with this option. You can go to the main dining room on embarkation day & check if you like your seating. They'll likely change to your request. If you leave your dining as "Anytime" dining, you can show up whenever you want. With Anytime dining, you have the option to open any of the 4 dining room details in the app and reservations can be made there. Reservations will have to be set per day (you add each day to the cart and checkout with a $0 charge) & there are much more times, every 30 minutes, that you can select from. Many suggest reserving if you have Anytime dining to reduce the amount of time you are waiting and especially if you have a larger group. Be aware that how the dining rooms work is different per ship/cruise. Some ships will place priority over the reservations and many report that some ships seat first come still and will directly tell you reservations make no difference. If you book the cruise late you may get forced into a dining time. In the app you can request Anytime dining wait list. I did that for my most recent booking & was changed to Anytime after about 2 weeks.

That Elite plus discount must be big. My cruise shows premium wifi 1 Device: $22.99/per guest per day(30% off) premium wifi 2 Devices: $22.99/per guest per day(40% off) basic wifi 1 device: $23.99/per guest per day (no sale)

Mine is currently at $32.99/day - ever since the Memorial day sale. It most often is $26.99/day. I expect it to go down to that well before the July sale. If they do as usual, they'll increase to $32.99 during the 4th of July sale at which they'll lower the standard & premium alcohol packages. This is what seems most common across most cruises, but some itineraries have the packages at a higher rate. I haven't figured out if the higher pricing is by ship or location or what.

When I was researching which cruise I wanted to take, these are the numbers I found - where I could find them. But it's likely not apples to apples. Many ships have categories within cabin categories and the source didn't really take that into account. RC Wonder/Allure of the Seas 182 cabin + 50 balcony RC Navigator of the Seas 198 cabin + 42 balcony RC Enchantment of the Seas 191 cabin + 39 balcony Celebrity Beyond 184 cabin + (unlisted) balcony Celebrity Reflections 246 cabin + 54 balcony Celebrity Solstice 194 cabin + 54 balcony Celebrity Summit 170 cabin + 38 balcony

I couldn't tell if leaveitallbehind was being funny (smart) or what - that was too difficult for me to comprehend. But I didn't understand if the commenter meant to quote that either - but it was a priceless response in either case.

Their policy is vague to me - open to interpretation by each ship. Those descriptions are not Celebrity's words - they're mine. It's how I phrased my question & they did not respond directly to sneakers at all. Their response was basically no hats, not tank tops, no sandals and no shorts. And participation in chic night is optional. In my question, I meant that I was not planning on wearing old tattered jogging shoes; I am taking some relatively new sneakers that don't show much signs of wear. Everyone on this thread has indicated those will be okay.

Do you know if the E class allows you to set the temp for your cabin remotely?

No, it was just a general example of an automation I don't think would cause someone's opinion to change over time. The last ship I was on required a card in a slot near the door for the AC to run. I hope it's clear that I have never been on a Celebrity ship. I have no personal experience. I'm sure someone on here knows if you want to know the specific automations on one of the boats.

I don't intend this badly if it comes across that way. Any negative tone is not intended, just offering a differing opinion. I don't have contacts that cruise often because I don't live anywhere close to a port that has this class of Celebrity ships and I haven't watched that many 'IV specific' reviews because I was lucky enough to be able to book one for no additional cost over a window view. Since I'm already booked I think making my own opinion is most important so I'll just wait and see for myself. But I don't understand why you care if someone else's opinion differs from yours. It seems like the majority of the respondents have been in the cabins and already have an opinion and I haven't read where a single opinion change due to comments on any thread. Many of the ship reviews I've read and seen bring up these balconies. I don't see any indication that the bulk 'hate' them - although many 'influencer types' make these sort of claims. Many state they 'prefer' the traditional but I doubt you know dozens that actually hate them unless you are all cool weather adapted individuals cruising in hot climates. Without context it's hard to know, but that group hardly makes up the bulk of passengers. I still feel like where someone is from and where they are traveling to makes a big difference in someone's opinion. I've seen many comment that they have liked the cabins much more after a second trip so I think Oceansaway have noticed the same thing. The ship cabins are not low rated by any source I find reliable for mass opinion - just opposite - some of highest rated against any other ship. So whatever is in common in your group of "IV hating friends" is probably not as common or as important to many travelers. That said, I could possibly join you group that dislikes the veranda. I really don't think I will though - I'll probably just find some things I like more and notice some compromises - I feel like this is the standard reaction to them. When cruisers change their opinions to the positive, I think it has little to do with the balcony layout. I think it has more to do with automation and integration with phones. Being able to open the blind or a window and turn on lights from phone while laying bed is a big update that the youth of today likely appreciates more than the older cruiser. I still tend to like things with tactile feedback like knobs. Again, I haven't researched the competition or other cabins on these ships, but I haven't seen anything that works as fluidly from the end to end experience in a cabin. I don't think being able to change the room temp while being at dinner has the same impact of having automation throughout the entire room. And that's causing a change of opinion that takes people more time to develop as they experience the cruise. And some are noticing it more across multiple cruises - they aren't really saying it clearly as the cause when I've seen it, but that is what I think is happening. The overall experience is better for most so the inconveniences are overlooked with time. I don't mean to belittle your response, but I don't think our opinions really matter for changing what Celebrity builds on their next ship. I can't imagine the line did this if it were more expensive overall. They are likely saving on materials and time/manhours to build the ship. The changes likely reduce fuel use. The cabins look like the designers may have been tasked how to automate and appeal to the people buying Tesla cars. I sort of feel like they can add these verandas closer to sea level since since the windows can be closed by the captain to prevent people from being swept overboard. The ships likely have more window view cabins replaced with the higher priced verandas. I have no basis for these opinions, but the fact is the ships are still filling up and profits are being realized - and all of these would increase profit. I think only what affects profit is likely to make a change in how ships are built. So I don't think it matters if others agree with what I think about the verandas - it isn't changing how the next ship is built. I don't disagree with what I think all the cruise lines are targeting. The under 40 crowd - especially the cruisers that sailed with their parents as kids and the ones that buy Teslas. Passengers of that age as a whole don't seem to be care so much about the cabin layout to make their decision around it. I'm in the over 40 crowd and the Infinite veranda definitely had zero impact on my decision to book on Celebrity - it was mostly about food. I chose Beyond specifically because of how much it cost to upgrade to a veranda over ocean view on this ship - I didn't even know there was such controversy at the time. In future, my decisions will likely be influenced little by balcony type. In either case, I don't think there will be a reduction in these type of cabins on Celebrity. A very small percentage that won't affect profit will go to other lines because they have an issue with them that affects their experience. The majority will adapt to and embrace the change and likely make decisions off other aspects of the cruise which I think my result will be. And a small percentage will like the cabins enough to choose due to it, but probably won't really affect overall profit.

@Ergates The Ant, Do you know if one of the the main dining rooms is open for lunch on all days or if it was only on sea days?

I hadn't considered bats, but I made a note to be mindful when in ports due to birds and mosquitoes possibly getting into my room if the window and doors were open at same time. I am doing a solo room on my cruise so I don't think I'll have any of the issues others are identifying - I have much more of a concern of how uncomfortable those veranda chairs look to me. I hope my steward can find a stool and a chair with a back tall enough to lean my head against. I like the concept from afar - but I live in the south so I know my body will deal with heat and humidity differently/better than people that live in the north. Anytime my aunt (from Maine) visits in summer, she really looks miserable in the Texas heat - almost to the point of passing out. I completely understand how many struggle with the AC shutting down. Hopefully my impressions are correct and I love the trip.

Enjoy your trip!

North of Dallas in the burbs. I hope you are getting some of this rain over on the dry side of the state - we are drowning over here.