Straughn

I have not read all the multiple pages on this post. Someone may have already made this point. My thinking on this is that the ability to vape in the casino means that those who do vape, will gamble more, as they won’t need to leave to fuel their habit, meaning more revenue for the cruise line. Royal allows smoking/vaping because of the revenue. Yes, I know that all gamblers don’t smoke/vape. On my last RCCL cruise, inFebruary, on the two or three occasions I walked thru the casino, there were a lot of folks smoking.

Back in the pre-pandemic days and, still in the era of Michael’s Club, I gave an envelope (tip) to the concierge. She had resolved a couple of issues for me which were not minor. She thanked me appropriately, and then said, “if you don’t mind, I will put this in the crew fund” I replied that it is for you and how you chose to use it is up to you.” I kept encountering her on subsequent cruises. One night, there were only a few passengers in MC and she and I had a good, long conversation. I asked if I could discuss a sensitive topic with her. She asked what the topic was and I said tipping as a suite class passenger. We gradually got to the topic of tipping the Micheal’s Club and Captain’s Club concierge. The gist of her reply was that it is in no way expected and but is greatly appreciated. We are a salaried position and never expect to be tipped. She went on to say that if a concierge in MC or CC expects to be tipped, they are probably not a good fit for that position. I reminded her of what she told me several cruises prior. Her response was that some concierges choose to keep the tips, but many donate to the crew fund or their favorite charity. I concluded that the MC (now Retreat) concierges do not expect to be tipped for what they do for suite guests.

@CHEZMARYLOU I have been reading your posts on the Celebrity board for years. I have 22 Celebrity cruises in the rear view mirror and one booked. Like you, I preferred to cruise in a suite for Michael’s Club/The Retreat and Luminae. As a solo cruiser, the prices for suites have skyrocketed so much that they are no longer affordable for me. Even Aqua is a stretch. I am friends with a couple who were also Celebrity loyalists until they did their first O cruise. They never looked back. They have convinced me to try Oceania and I am. I have two cruises booked in a Concierge level cabin-one is a solo cabin and I am wait listed for a solo on the other. I like the O style where once you leave your cabin, everyone is basically equal. All the specialty restaurants are included and other than the Executive Lounge for suite guests and the Concierge Lounge for those sailing in those cabins, there is no place on the ship that is restricted. While I gather that those lounges are good, they are not the same as Michael’s Club. Plus, I love that there are laundry and ironing facilities available. My friends, as many do, rave about the food and the service. They also like that there is no formal/Evening Chic dress code; smart/country club casual is the standard. My first cruise is this December and I am eagerly looking forward to it.

What time do the specialty restaurants and the MDR open for dinner? I thought I read somewhere it wasn’t until 7 PM? I tend to eat around 8 PM. Is there likely to be a wait then? Thanks.

I am with you. A really good slightly chewy, oatmeal cookie with cinnamon, nutmeg, and of course, raisins. No chocolate, no Crasins, no nuts. My mother had the perfect recipe. After she died, I went thru every recipe card and cook book she had. Never did find the recipe. I can still see the index card with the typed recipe.

in 2010, my partner and I sailed on Solstice. It was his first Celebrity cruise and my 7th or 8th. We are both accountants. It was the early days of drink packages. Since he was “funding” the cruise,” I deferred to him on purchasing the drink package. His initial approach was that having to sign slips and track accuracy of the onboard account was going to be a PIA, so we bought it. As we were number crunchers, he tracked how much we spent on drinks each day. This went on for 3-4 days at most. His analysis was that, at a minimum, we broke even, but most days we came out ahead. I am not sure that is applicable these days. The cost of the package has increased exponentially more than the cost of drinks. So I analyze every cruise when deciding to go with the all included or just the cruise option. Most times, (note I said MOST) with tips and Wi-Fi included, the all inclusive is a better deal, regardless of whether one consumes alcohol or not.

I am looking into using this company from Rome to the port and the reverse at the end of my cruise.. Since they might have to go to other hotels to pick up passengers, do they notify you of when you will be picked up? Right now the 10:30 time slot is available, so would that be when I am picked up? Also, it says to pay the driver. Do they take credit cards, or should I have sufficient Euros to pay? I culdnt find that info on the website. Thank you.

If I misbehaved in public, my mother had the ability to hold my arm as if she was just keeping me close. What she was actually doing was pressing her fingers on the inside of my upper arm squeezing a nerve. She never, ever missed it. It hurt so badly I couldn’t even cry out in pain. She would say “if you behave I will let go.” All I could do was nod yes.Today, that would probably be considered child abuse -60+ years ago it wasn’t.

And I have severe allergies, so stuffy nose, congestion, and coughing are part of my daily life. I just answer no to those questions as they are not new symptoms.

I wear Sheecs with my Tieks ballet flats. They have the silicon liner and do not slip. If you are at the high end of a size range- go up a size.

I have done this several times and enjoy it. I have never known them to provide a list, in advance of what will be served. If you asked, they might tell you the regions. I can assure you that they aren't going to be pouring $100 bottles of wine, but they aren't pouring Bogle and Yellowtail either. It is always wines I have never heard of and will probably never have again. Each station has several wines representative of the region and a couple of somms to talk about them. For me, the whole point of any wine tasting is to try something new that I might not experience otherwise. Some I like, some I don't, but I always have fun while learning something new.

This is an interesting thread. My first reaction when I heard the LLP had accepted a new position was that she didn’t have a choice. The new CEO wants his team and she is a Fain person. I saw this happen on Royal shortly after they bought Celebrity. They brought in an airline guy to run the new company. In the process, they terminated a very senior RCL executive who had been with the company since its inception simply because he was a hold over. I saw it happen to my DH in the aerospace industry. New CEO unloaded several executives whom he considered “the enemy” simply because they had been hired/promoted by his predecessor. New CEO’s want their team, people they know, trust, have similar management styles, and think the same way. Add to that, the E class debacle with the IV and the Magic Carpet. I happen to be one of the few people who likes Eden, but I can see why many don’t. If I sail on an E class, it is in a SV or I pick another ship. I used to sail in suites, but the pricing has gone thru the roof. LLP bears full responsibility for that class of ships as the M &S classes were already there when she took over. Overall, I think Jason Liberty wanted new, younger, blood. LLP had outlasted her usefulness as, I suspect, there will be a gradual shift in a different direction for X. Not sure what that will be, but it will happen.

I am sailing on Beyond in May. How do I sign up for “Go Green” housekeeping each day. As a solo, and a very neat person, I would love the one night’s extra points. I have looked all over my reservation and the associated info and cannot see where to sign up.

It’s called “creative accounting.”

I only ate in the MDR twice on Jewel last week. My impression of what I ate was somewhere between Denny’s and Olive Garden. Conversations with other passengers produced complaints similar to mine. Some examples: Creme Brûlée was the consistency of soup, the lobster tail , after removed from the shell, was about 2 inches long, food was either bland or overly salted, portion size was not consistent- two people could order the same item and one got a significantly larger portion than the other one. I had two excellent meals in Izumi, one excellent and one good dinner in Giovanni’s, one not so good dinner in Chops, one excellent dinner in Chops, and two decent lunches in Chops. Mornings in the buffet had the usual fare-eggs, bacon, sausage, English breakfast, omelet bar. I found the pastries at breakfast to be dry and the cakes at lunch to be tasteless. The salad bar was good for the first four days. They must have run out of the mixed lettuce as the last few days only chopped iceberg available. Some of this is picky, but these are the things I judge by and I wasn’t impressed.

I just got off Jewel today. I had full service in the morning-bed, towels, vacuuming, bathroom cleaning, etc. I was solo and am very neat, so hard to tell if my evening service was standard. No true bed turndown, towels were replaced, used wine glass was replaced, and the Cruise Compass, as well as any other pertinent info sheet was placed on the bed. I had towel animals two times (not a big deal to me, but I know others love them.) After this cruise, I would happily go to one time cabin service per day in exchange for seriously improved food. Let’s not turn this into a food discussion. This is just my impression of things and what matters to me.

Which terminal/ship? I never had a problem getting a parking space at Terminal 1. I am on Jewel next month, which is Terminal 5. I had planned to arrive around 11AM as I assumed I would not have a problem getting a space. Should I plan on an earlier arrival?

I wouldn’t be surprised if both were on the Maiden Voyage.

I generally check two smaller bags rather than one larger one. At my age, it is easier for me to handle the two rather than one large suitcase. Yes, these bags would fit thru the scanner on the ship, but I don’t want to deal with that. I find that a $5 bill, a friendly smile and a thank you to the Porter/longshoreman (or whatever title is appropriate) goes a long way. I am happy to tip a few $ to not have to schlep my luggage.

I have been thinking about the issue of the dinner buffet. Celebrity says that they are cutting back the dinner options in the OV due to lack of use. There are reports by some who say it is empty and by others who use it routinely and will miss that dining options . If indeed it is a cut back because of lack of use, then reducing the number of options will probably reduce even more the number of people who will use it with that change. Draw your own conclusions… I don’t want to start any unfounded rumors!

And let’s face it, Celebrity is focusing on the age group that lives their lives on their phones. They aren’t interested in those of us who still remember dial telephones and huge desktop computers. They don’t care that our eyesight isn’t as good as it once was and therefore hard to read the small print on phone screens, or that using the tiny keyboard to type is hard for older hands. The emphasis on marketing, use of the app to check in and on board, and now not supporting tablets are indicators that they want to appeal to the millennials and younger.

Don’t know the official policy, but here is my experience on two cruises. On my Silhouette TA in Oct, I paid the full single supplement with AI. When I signed in on Wi-Fi, I showed availability for two devices. I was able to be logged in on my phone and my iPad at the same time. I was on Infinity in July with a partial solo supplement and AI- maybe 150%, not 200%. I only had access to one device.

I am also solo most of the time. I totally agree with you. I always tip extra in addition to the prepaid gratuities. Since solos pay double for wi-fi and beverage packages, I wish they would upgrade us to the premium package and the surf and stream wi-fi.

That sounds like a change. I have been told, on more than one occasion, that a cash tip given to a crew member, such as the Cabin steward, is theirs to keep. The only exception I am/was aware of was in Luminae and Blu where tips are pooled.

I have just read thru all the posts. I will be on Jewel in February , my first RCCL cruise since the pandemic, so I am interested in what is available by the glass and the bottle. I have just enough wine knowledge to be dangerously uninformed. . Ah Conundrum. I go back to the days when it was under the Caymus label. I fell in love with it at a tasting at the Caymus winery. After the Wagner family spun it off to its own label, it was no longer the outstanding wine it had been. While it is still good, it isn’t what it once was. Pricing on the ship, by the glass, is reasonable, but not a deal. I have never priced it by the bottle on the ship. The Opus One pricing is interesting. I will research the Opus wines before I sail so as to decide if it is reasonably priced by the bottle. Please keep the info on the high end wines coming. It will be most useful.