Nanny2Trey

Well, that is very strange. Always had bottled water on other ships with the drink package as well as coffee. May have to rethink. Not much of a benefit for me considering I may have one drink a day and won’t be drinking much soda since I’m a Coke person all the way. 

New to NCL. Have the adult ultimate beverage package included. Not sure I understand what that includes. I’ve seen comments that it doesn’t include water and I think coffee. Any input appreciated. Thanks

Linda

13 hours ago, Fairsky84 said:

 

Agree. I can understand the 70yr old passenger whose cruise 40+ times not being a fan of Edge. That’s acceptable IF the ship is effectively drawing 35yr olds to cruising for the first time. Is there any evidence it’s working? 

 

While Edge-class might ultimately be ok for Celebrity once they work out the bugs and make some adjustments, can anyone think of another new class debut from RCI/Celebrity that has been met by so much criticism? Sure, every ship has its oddities but Quantum-class, Oasis-class, S-class... all were nearly universally praised for their design, innovation, cabin comfort, and layout. I don’t recall any M-class fans criticizing S-class when it launched. It was widely embraced as a step forward. Edge is the first new class I’ve seen that has received this degree of pushback, even if it’s not “most” passengers complaining the % is enough for Celebrity to take notice. 

Careful on the 70 year old. Lol. I’m close to that and we have cruised a lot. We thought the Edge was delightful and beautiful! There are some things that could be improved. For sure the closet is a tiny thing and we travel light. I couldn’t believe it. But the bathroom was great! We were in a regular Infinite balcony cabin. We didn’t opt for Concierge or Aqua. I’m not sure why. As far as the Infinite balcony, we have had much better balconies. It’s hard to beat the very aft balconies on the M class ships. We would definitely cruise Edge again and wished we had done a BTB. We booked so far out that we had a much better price than it was going for even a year out. So this old person would and her old husband would definitely book again. Now, I didn’t get too caught up in the Magic Carpet. Seemed kind of silly. But it was usually full and people seemed to enjoy it. 

Linda

Forgot to add. Don’t know what cabin you’re booked in but if you can swing it the cabins on the very aft have amazing balconies. Huge! And so relaxing to watch the wake and read and just sit. They are Concierge Class. There are 5-6 rooms on deck 11 very aft that are Aqua Class. Very nice balconies, too. All the aft balconies have a good amount of shade but also sun at the end of them if that makes any sense. They sell out very quickly. These large aft balconies are only on the M Class ships. If you have one if these cabins you don’t need any other place on the ship to relax. Lol We cruise Celebrity a lot if you have any more questions. 

Linda

1 hour ago, RYMOMA said:

 

Ok. Like what are the in and outs of the summit? 

Best place to pop a squat and relax with a good book?

Restaurants to not miss?.. we are not huge buffet fans

 

we love smaller ships, so the Summit is up our sleeves. 

We are not smokers? But my hubby does like a good cigar. So does the smoke control mean you can smoke on your balcony? Like can the hubby have a cigar?

 

I haven’t been on NCL although we have scheduled for next Spring. Rethinking that decision after reading their board.

Have been on Summit many times  there is no smoking on the balcony. Just a few assigned areas. The Sunset bar is a great place to sit and relax and watch the wake. It will be busy the first day at sail away but tends to be open after that. The solarium pool area is usually relaxing and quiet. Popular on sea days. Cafe Al Bacio ( fancy name for coffee shop) is a nice place to sit and relax. The ship is just getting back after a nice refurbish. One favorite thing for me is hand dipped ice cream in the buffet. No extra charge. Also, on the very top of the ship aft there is now a resting, relaxing area that does show movies at times. 

Maybe you can help me with NCL. Is there a lot of smoking, on balconies, etc. None of my family will go for that. What is the Vibe? Keep hearing people talk about it but they don’t say what it is. Have a great trip! We are on the Summit 8/20. 

Linda

EWe have booked our first NCL on the Encore. We have cruised many lines but prefer Celebrity. When we take grandkids we do the big RCCL ships. Thought we wanted to try new but rethinking after reading about NCL. I understand the usual charges. However, I’ve never paid extra for entertainment. Also, no extra charge on a RCCL for flow riders, rock wall,ice rinks, etc. The cost of the cruise was no less than RCCL. I haven’t heard good talk of food on NCL unless go specialty. Not going to do that for 6 people. Wavering about changing back to RCCL. But, as my grandson says, “How bad can it be? It’s a cruise!” Lol

27 minutes ago, CruiserNicole47 said:

I will let you know when we return!!! 

Great!

22 hours ago, CruiserNicole47 said:

We are new to NCL also. We were loyal to royal for years but decided to switch it up in a couple weeks on Bliss! 

I would love to know how you feel it compares to RCCL. I’m starting to question if I made a good choice. Thanks

Have take many cruises but never on NCL. Have booked one for next March on Encore. Would be interested in hearing info on sailing NCL. Things to be sure to check out. Anything done differently from other mass market cruise lines that we should know. Will be me and my husband and daughter and her family which will include a 17 and a 10 year old. 

Thanks,

Linda

Thanks everyone.

Doing Pacific Coast cruise 10/1 out of Los Angeles. Haven't cruised from there in quite some time. Where in Los Angeles is the port located? Any hotel suggestions? Thanks

Linda

They are great cabins and balconies. Have stayed in 1138 on all the M class. It's our favorite.

I am starting to have the same itch! Feeling a little restless with Royal. My problem is I have no idea where to begin as far as choosing a Celebrity ship to sail. Should I just look for the newest? Can someone share with me the difference in the difference classes of ships?

Thank you!

Have sailed all the M class ships at least twice. They are older and smaller but still good size. I love them. What I love most are the aft facing cabins on the M class. (Not the same on s class) The cabins are a bit larger but the balconies are very much larger.

Have been on two of the S class. They are newer and larger. Not Oasis or Allure large. I'm not sure why but we really love the Reflection. There isn't much difference in the s class ships but the Reflection just seems to call our name. Lol

The buffet on S class is a larger space and I feel better set up. There are a few more options because if more space.

Both classes are peaceful and relaxed. But if you want to party and or dance you can find options for that.

We usually try to do Aqua class on either ship. There is a separate dining room for Aqua called Blu. It's great to eat breakfast there. Sit down and be waited on. Not open for lunch but open for dinner.

So if you want shinier and newer go for s class. If older and more classic go M class.

Or, try the new Edge coming out early 2019. Check out the videos on their website. It is a very smooth and classy looking ship in my opinion.

Linda

We've taken 3 spring break cruises on RCCL with two of our grandkids who are now 9 and 14. They have had a blast every time. They loved the kids club and the teen club. Nearly impossible to drag them out. Strangely they had little interest in the rock walls, zip line, and wave boards. But they had tremendous fun. We did Oasis, Allure, and Harmony. There were tons of kids but things never felt crowded. I really think they would like Celebrity at spring break time I'm just nervous to switch. I've checked out their teen and kids club the last time we were on Celebrity and it looked very comparable to RCCL as far as the physical layout and the events they offered.

Linda

Leaving on Reflection Sat. Cannot remember if the plugs are 2 or 3 prong. Wondering if anyone could help me. Prefer my own hair dryer but don't want to lug it if wrong type of plug.

Thanks

Have been in 7208 a few times. We love it. Haven't been in the other cabin. I would pay that for 7208 but everyone is different. The concierge part is not worth 1000.00 difference but that's not the reason we book the aft cabins. We book cause they are bigger, love the bigger balcony, and love the wake. Of course we only book aft on the M class shifts. Totally different on the S class.

Linda

We did the 5 night land tour in August pre cruise and we enjoyed it very much. We flew to Fairbanks and spent two nights there. We toured FB and also took a boat tour. We stayed at Sophie Station. It was nice and clean and spacious but rustic. Not as rustic as Denali and unfortunately I can't remember the name. We spent 8 hours in Denali and yes it was on a bus. But it was amazing. We saw so many animals and yes, we saw several bears. Some right beside the bus. A mom and her baby. Denali is amazing. We took the train from FB to Denali and that was fun. The service was very good. We had a great breakfast and some yummy beverages. Not included in the price. The place we stayed in Denali was very clean and unique and log cabiny. Made up that word. From Denali to Anchorage. Stayed in an upscale hotel. Toured a native center which was ok. We then headed to Seward with a stop in Talkeetna. It's a lovely little town. On to Seward. Stayed in a very cozy, quaint lodge. Took a nature boat trip the next day and then boarded the ship. I would highly recommend doing pre cruise instead of post cruise. Not going to kid you it was a bit tiring and good to have the cruise last to relax. Our guide and driver were great and very informative. Our luggage was always waiting for us at our room. We did have some early mornings to have our luggage out. Always felt well cared for. Enjoyed it very much. I'm sure you could see and do more if you chose to spend more time and go on your own but that wasn't an option for us. Felt we made the most of our time.

Linda

Thanks, ClaudiaB. Good to know. Unfortunately can't upgrade to a balcony ($2000 per person!) and still have money for excursions. We will have to hang out on the deck of the ship. This is one reason we were leaning toward Radiance on RCI. Hmm. Food for thought.

Our first Alaska we were inside our cruise this Aug was balcony. Both were excellent. If anything, you can get a bigger more inclusive view from being outside by the pool or any of the outside decks. For the most part if you have a balcony room you still want to be outside for best views. If it's particularly chilly they provide blankets for sitting outside. Also at the very front/top of the ship is a large bar with large windows. We have been on the Millenium many times. Always had a great time!!

Linda

Most always stay in Aqua Class. Most always miss breakfast. I wish they would stay open later. When I'm on vacation I don't want to be up and dressed to get somewhere before 9AM. I realize I can still get breakfast elsewhere but that's not the point. I book AQ for the perks and the breakfast is great.

Linda

Also escargot. I don't like it but my husband does and it was available in Blu last week.

We are booked for July 7, 2017 voyage from Vancouver. We need to decide between deck 9, which I read has limited sky viewing due to balcony overhang, or aft of deck 11, above the bar? Aft of deck 11 has great reviews, but don't know if the music/noise would keep me up, we're early birds. We really want to experience the BEST view from our balcony, along with peace and quiet. Please help us select a room and/or deck! Thanks!

We just returned home this morning from Alaska cruise. We were in 1138. We have been in it several times and love it. We call it our room. It was cold and rainy enough this time so that the sunset bar was hardly used until the last three days. So no noise from there. I think privacy is fine if you are sitting on the balcony. If you move up close to the rail then you will be seen. There is a nice overhang to protect a good bit if it rains. The outdoor movie on 12 was on all day with the Olympics. Not sure who was up there in the rain and wind. We could hear it when on our balcony but somewhat muffled. Never ever bothered us but can't speak for others. Noise is subjective. We just love the location and the large balcony. Never heard noise in the room. Very quiet. We love watching the wake and sail away. It is a great place to sit and watch the scenery in the Inside Passage. We will always go with 1138 given a choice. And if it's not available will look at a different date. We did have very rough seas leaving Seward (which would be going into Seward for you). There were 12 ft seas and it was extremely rocky since so high on the ship. Neither of us got sick but I did take med that night. We had a fabulous cruise even with the cool, rainy weather. Your weather should be much different in July of course. HTH

Linda

Flying to Seattle then on to Fairbanks the next day. Have been to Seattle a few times so thinking of just staying near the airport, having a nice dinner, and relaxing. Any suggestions of someplace to stay and someplace for a nice meal. Possibly seafood. Or is that even possible near the airport?

Thanks,

Linda

Have done this cruise twice in Sept. Varied from gorgeous days, no jacket needed to pouring rain and very chilly. There's no way to know. So layers and definitely a rain poncho. Both cruises were 14 days and I would say both cruises were mostly great weather. We had a great time on both and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Beautiful areas to visit. If you stop in Quebec, it is a beautiful place to sail in and out of. We overnighted both times. The only thing that was not as I expected were the fall colors. We live in the Midwest and our colors are much more intense. It's a great trip.

Linda

We were on Allure last year spring break and Oasis this year. Was very pleasantly surprised. Didn't seem crowded at all. Did everything we wanted and the grandkids had a fabulous time!!

Linda

New to Celebrity so have some questions. Yesterday I booked an aft cabin. I was under the impression that the balcony would be larger than others due to it being an aft. It is on all the RC ships I have been on so I thought the same here. After more research I find out that the aft is not larger. Now I am thinking I am spending a lot of money to watch a wake that I do not intend to do for large periods of time. This room was not cheap compared to a basic balcony room. My question is what is your favorite room and why? I am not stepping up to a suite so balcony rooms only please. Is the Aqua room worth it with the opportunity to go to blu and the relaxation room? Is blu worth anything? The aqua room is right about the same money and looks like things that my wife may prefer. I think that no ones knows more about the ship than you folks and that is why I am here asking. Thanks for any insight you can give me so I do not make a mistake. I am not giving up my aft until I hear some ideas. Thanks.

The rooms that extend the hump of the ship out have larger balconies. I think there are 3 maybe 4 on the extension. We always go for those on the S class ships. The middle rooms of the extension have the biggest balconies.

Linda