floatplan

No reservations for treadmills. AFAIK there are no Pelotons, they are all TechnoGym and at least 10.

When I was on in October they had 2 working on day 1 when we boarded. The next day there was 1 and I got to use it. The next day that was broke. They tried a lot too fix it, like reloaded software, but nothing worked.

It was a B2B but the port staff was unable to fix any of the bikes so for my second week there were also no bikes.

In the back room I saw 4 or 5 broken Pelotons that they were unable to fix. IMO the product does not seem to hold up to commercial use. 

If you book an Iconic suite you would probably have one in your room. For the price of that cabin you could buy 10 bikes 

Maybe someone recently off can give a Peloton status report?

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

I can go the rest of my entire life without eating any part of an octopus!

Grilled octopus leg is similar to a grilled shrimp. It's a mild white meat and tastes good, try it. As sushi it is cooked and served cold so can be like rubber thus not my favorite texture, but flavor is ok.

Stayed recently... Slippers were in room. Robes were Not, but a call to housekeeping and they were sent up.

Room service menu is available and from Toro and good! I would go order in the lobby at the bar and pickup there. It's faster and they offer more options like with a salad you can add beef, salmon or shrimp. Get the shrimp.

The barman can describe the items in detail. There are 2 menus at Toro: the Bar menu and a menu at the desk across from the bar. The room service menu on the TV is a mix of both so ordering in person you have more choices.

Hi Mike,

Great to have you here to take feedback since the web is now the main way to find cruises. I very much like the way the R website allows me to filter cruises. Also that all the criteria are in the URL so I can bookmark it 

The list shows the Availability. I would suggest that "Available" be formatted to standout more from the others. Maybe make it bold, or larger, or another color e.g. AVAILABLE. Or make "Wait Listed" mixed case. Maybe have a checkbox to show Available only.

The reason I ask is I seem to be interested in cruises that are almost 100% Wait Listed. I check them everyday scanning for "Available". Trying to find one in 15 rows of "Wait Listed" is tedious when they are all the same font style.

The new format does help me in that I can see availability of all D/E and PH in 2 rows instead of 5 rows.

I was booked in an F and was told by my TA that I was first on an RSSC wait list for a higher category. Twice now in my daily checks I have found the higher E, D, PH category I desired and called my TA and got it. So is the Wait List a myth for already booked passengers? I want to spend $12,000 more and I cannot get a phone call?

Thanks!

3 hours ago, Nymich said:

Gyms open!  View from my treadmill

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the postings!

Could you please take pictures from the 2 doors to show most of the gym? Is some equipment blocked off for distancing?

Any guesses or news if anyone tested positive?

29 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

Others have said they counted cabins available and came up with 88%

The 88% was for the cruise on the 14th, but it was posted on the 1/4 roll call were Jan posted 

A report on RCCL about Choice Air who did provide some help but cruisers had to solve the problem themselves mostly. Rereading I guess CA did ok ...

"The flights were supposed to be  IND -PHL then PHL-NAS arriving in Nassau at 1:26 PM.  

 Our first flight was delayed to the point we were going to miss our connection,  the American airlines ticket counter want to book us for tomorrow 😳  20 minutes later on the phone with Royal, they can't get us rebooked either but if we go over to the Southwest counter and book their 10:05 flight out of our own pocket to Miami they can get us on a Bahamas air flight to Nassau this afternoon,  they will reimburse us for the southwest flight.   We are now due to arrive in Nassau Shor after 3PM.

OMG, We are in the air on our way to Miami but talk about stressful start to the day."

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2795035-semi-live-adventure-of-the-seas-august-7th/

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

We have the added 'perk' with this suite of complimentary specialty restaurant dining but will not be able to report on any of them because we are so satisfied with the Luminae service and cuisine that we will stick with the Luminae

If you've never been you should eat at Murano.  Check out if they have a lunch.

CVS and Walgreens are Drive-Thru so require you to be tested while in a car. If you have flown into Fort Lauderdale that probably won't work. 

You can get a tested at FLL Terminal 3. You do need a ticket arriving or departing FLL. It's like $75 and they do not take insurance.

https://www.broward.org/Airport/passengers/Flights/advisories/pages/default.aspx

https://testing.nomihealth.com/easy_registration/34/onsite

Miami airport has similar  https://news.miami-airport.com/covid-19-testing-available-daily-at-mia-starting-may-21/

The ship will depart with or without you, that is 100% for sure.

Your plan will work 99% to 99.99% of the time, but Sh*t Happens. San Diego airport has a Single Runway so an incident on the runway can close the airport for hours and many flights are cancelled. 

The Sushi on 5 menu offered Asian beers like Orion and Enchigo and they were listed on the menu.

Does Edge Raw on 5 offer Asian beers?

43 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

We have a tendency to sail on B2B's or longer and find the menu to get a bit boring

Anyone sailing B2B on Edge know if Luminae is serving the same 7 day menu every cruise? 

They have 14 days of menus so I was hoping Eastern/Western would alternate 1-7 and 8-14 for B2B variety.

There is often lunch in some of the specialty restaurants one or two times per cruise. Check with the concierge and reserve early as there is limited seating.

Murano is the best with a different menu than dinner that I really enjoy. Tuscan is ok with menu that is a subset of dinner, nice views.

I agree with Noon, but it seems like most of my flights are 1:00 - 1:30

You have to consider if you have some helpers like TSA PREcheck and First Class or Priority check in that reduce waits. MIA can have some long security lines. 

I would guess I have gotten to the gate often by 10am with PRE and FC. I'm tempted by 11:30 but then recall that flight times change often. If that changes to 11am it can be a pain to rebook and get a pair of seats I want. Easier to reserve later from the start.

Oceania top suites (OC VS OS) get the best looking room card I've seen , gold metallic that really glitters with black accent frame. A real conversation starter.

Luminae can be busy, crowded and hectic the first day with most every suite heading there at Noon. Many people have an extra bag or backpack with them that can be a tripping hazard.

If you are in a Royal Suite+ you can go to a specialty restaurant for free and that is what I would do. Does anyone know what specialties are open for Lunch on Edge on embarkation day? I would expect at least Sushi / Raw on 5. Rooftop Garden Grill would probably be great on a nice day but I don't think it has the water views of The Porch.

Sorry to confuse you. The Fruit Bowl is a metaphor.

17 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Celebrity was the first to try the ship-within-a-ship' concept, but like Acura they have now fallen behind the leaders

X did not have this until recently on Edge and then it is being retrofitted into older ships.

NCL was the first with Epic in 2009 that had the ship-within-a-ship all suites area surrounding a suites only courtyard and sundeck. A dedicated Haven restaurant that served all 3 meals with special menus. Its not about avoiding mingling with the rest of the ship, its that it is nice with everything so close that a trip to/from the room takes 2 minutes. 

Years prior to Epic NCL on Jewel class ships NCL started the special suites dining where you had breakfast and lunch in a small specialty restaurant Cagney's with a special menu. Breakfast also had all the normal menu but cooked to order in the small kitchen. You can get things like a eggs and petite filet, eggs with lobster and scallops, a frittata.  For me it really sold the suite to eat in quiet small venue with special items.

In Cagney's you can see the kitchen and your breakfast or lunch being prepared. For me a major plus is when the trip from prep to table is 20 feet. You get your food as hot and freshly cooked as possible. On M class ships I think the kitchen is 2 decks down. The plate comes too hot to touch, with the eggs sort of scorched on the bottom and stuck to the plate. I assume because it sat under a heat element until someone went down 2 decks to get it.

The Jewel class ships had the ship-within-a-ship concept but it was limited to maybe 16 villas on the courtyard, plus the 4 owners that were distant. Once you stayed there you always wanted to come back. Again super short walk to private areas and Cagney's.

It's been a few years but last I was on NCL the Haven had a very limited menu of like 8 items (all excellent) unlike Laminae with 14 menus that offers so much variety it is like eating at a specialty. On S ships the food prep has been as good as NCL. I prefer the NCL breakfast.

NCL room service for suite guests allows you to order Haven food that is cooked by the Haven kitchen. It is excellent while I find X room service food often sucks like it came from a distant Deny's. You cannot order Laminae food. The butler will meet most requests pretty well but it is not the same. On O or R the room service food is excellent and you can order from Specialty. In the X higher suites you get all specialty free but AFAIK you cannot order it in. 

An important reason some pick a Suite is for the Daily Replenished Fresh Fruit Bowl. Likely due to the beautiful bunch of ripe Grapes that are ready to burst with juice and make your mouth water. Other people will look at that Suite Daily Replenished Fresh Fruit Bowl in disgust thinking "I really don't care. Those Suite grapes are probably sour anyway" and walk off very, very scornfully. 

Canada is closed until the firm date of July 1. Seattle is NOT a firm date, it is closed "until the resolution of the public health emergency ...in conjunction with public health officials and our cruise line partners, the Port will regularly reevaluate this situation as the nature of this crisis evolves ".

This makes it easier for the cruises lines to not cancel and hold our deposits.

https://www.portseattle.org/news/port-seattle-expects-delay-start-2020-cruise-season

https://www.portseattle.org/page/covid-19-updates-2020-cruise-season

17 hours ago, deus said:

I am pretty sure I read that the Seattle Port is also closed until July 1st.

I see all Regatta AK cruises in May and June are "Wait List" in all categories, first in July is Available in all. Seems like a good sign if you desire a refund.

The Wait List probably prevents any online bookings? Which saves them time working on those bookings. Time they need to process all the cancellations they have now.

I would guess they will roll out cancellations slowly with the next round of maybe April 12-30 soon. If they cancelled out to July 1 all at once they would be overwhelmed and also drain cash faster. 

I want Oceania to cancel my June cruise so I can get a refund, not an FCC, of my deposit and not have to make final payment. That will happen sooner if the Port officially closes to cruises until  July 1.

The Port website makes no mention of closing yet, just the cancelling of the 2 April cruises where they hint that they do not want to cancel the season work $900 MM.

https://www.portseattle.org/news/port-cancels-first-two-sailings-seattle-cruise-season

" Local suppliers provide the vessel with goods and supplies, and guests often spend time in the region before or after their cruise. As a result, each homeport sailing creates approximately $4 million in business activity for the region. Cruise season in Seattle generates nearly $900 million in business activity and supports 5,500 jobs."

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

Seattle  is currently the center of Corona.... I would not  expect it to remain open next week...let alone this summer... The city is under severe closures of schools, activities and about everything else.. The last thing the want is a flock of tourists from all over arriving any time soon.

Likely.. Obvious... but SPECULATION and of little use on this topic

For those here wondering if their Alaska will happen, if it will be cancelled by O and they get a credit,  it would be significant news that the Port of Seattle announced it was closed until July. I did Not see that when I read the posted link. Did you? Did you read it? Will someone else read it?

For Seattle the summer cruises must provide significant revenues, and they know if they close they hurt the Alaska ports. So I'm not sure they will be in a big hurry to close. The next move might be to cancel just the May cruises

I think you're wrong about Seattle being closed. I only see this cancelling 2 cruises "The Port of Seattle announced earlier this week it was canceling its first two sailings of the year. "

There is speculation it will happen due to Canada if there is no waiver.

That is my understanding also … that (per couple) I lose $200 (which I can live with) but they hold back my $1600 as a Future Cruise Credit. I’m required to book another X cruise within One Year or lose the $1600. I guess the rules also allow applying it to another cruise booking of mine. I seem to hate being in that situation of being forced to spend a credit balance at a specific place by a date.

There is a cruise I am interested in now but the NRD has me apprehensive of booking a new cruise where in the past I would have reserved. I've probably cancelled 2 or 3 times in 20 years. So I am looking at other lines and options before I book on Celebrity. Suites on X have gotten so much more expensive it makes it easy to consider Oceania, Regent, Seabourn, SilverSea. X Suites have not improved food, hours or days open (like port days) while prices seem up 2x in 5 years.

When I think about the NRD ... it may not work out like X wants to get earlier cancellations. If I am in a situation of wanting to cancel an NRD cruise then I am going to wait to cancel (and start the 1 year clock ticking) until I have found a replacement X cruise to book and apply my $1600 FCC. If I can’t find a replacement cruise then I’m going to wait until final payment so I have the most time to find a new cruise and not risk losing the $1600. So the room remains unavailable until final payment. Without the NRD I would have cancelled as soon as I lost interest so I can get my deposit back.