ShelleyQT

2 hours ago, SunNFunCruzer said:

We agree its losing its luster.  When we first started cruising, we cruised for itinerary. Then, as we continued to mature, we cruised to relax and see new places, but the brand, vibe and entertainment mattered. Then we started cruising HAL more often, and the entertainment and service took on even greater importance.

 

After our last, and most recent, experiences on HAL and Celebrity, if the itinerary isn't spectacular, we've decided to book resort and land based vacations. The Solstice must be a training ship, because while HAL post-Covid wasn't a true HAL pre-Covid experience, the Celebrity Solstice at times was a true disappointment.

 

We have been called debbie downers with an agenda, but we have no agenda. See for yourself, if you want to be enlightened, look for Solstice reviews from average state room folks, not just Suite Life folks. Everyone knows Suite, and on Solstice, Aqua passengers are treated differently, and I'd guess are assigned the best staff. Of course, if you pay twice or three or four times as much for 6 star service and dedicated rooms, bars and staff, you may have a better experience than the average cruiser. 

 

Thank you for posting this question, Gordylad.

We just got off the Solstice 6 days ago.  Service and food were spectacular!  Everyone, including staff and guests were so friendly!  Definitely our best cruise yet.  And, I want to point out that we were in a basic balcony cabin, so not in Aqua class or above.

We leave tomorrow on the Solstice.  This is our first time on Celebrity, but we have cruised many times on other cruise lines.  We have always needed reams of paper documents from the cruise line for check in at the terminal.

For this cruise, I understand that we need to show our Xpress Pass on the app, and of course we need our passports.  Do we need other ticketing on paper?  I have not been able to log in on the Celebrity website today from our computer, because for some reason the website just keeps asking me again and again to sign in (even though I know I have the correct password).  I even tried using a different browser, but no luck.  I can't print paper documents unless I can log in.

If I can never get logged in successfully, and I going to have a problem?  Obviously I won't have any luggage tags, but I imagine I can get some at the terminal if necessary.

1 hour ago, Bluewake said:

Well all that certainly is true.  However, when faced with a scenario in which someone sits down next to me in the theater and is clearly coughing and sneezing, a judgment call is necessary. One choice is to think “I’ll bet it’s nothing more than allergies”…and remain in my seat.  After all, I don’t wish to offend the cougher.  Another choice is to think “I don’t know what is causing the coughing and sneezing but it could be something I don’t want to contract such as Covid, the flu, or something else…and move”.  I’ve had Covid and I would strongly prefer not to get it again so I am likely to exercise option number two. I would like to think the cougher would understand but if that is not the case, so be it.

I agree with you.  I would move seats in this scenario, and in fact I did this just a few weeks ago when I was waiting at the airport and the lady next to me kept coughing, sneezing, and reaching for the Ricola.  My point is only that people should not be terrified that Covid is rampant just because people are coughing and sneezing.  

Cheers!

People cough and sneeze for many reasons.  Some people (like me) sneeze due to allergies.  Some people cough and/or sneeze due to having a cold (which they may or may not have caught before the cruise). Sometimes people cough because they got something caught in their throat. Some people have COPD. You can't assume Covid based on coughing or sneezing.

On 8/19/2022 at 9:01 PM, aring75 said:

Appetizers. Spinach Turnover and French onion soup

 

 

 

These both look delicious!

On 8/19/2022 at 9:47 AM, abbydancer said:

DH lived in Seattle for a long time.  When he moved to Northern California one of the hardest things to get used was the fact that rain here can last for days, whereas in Seattle, rain blows through for maybe a few hours.

Hm...lifelong Seattleite here.  This has not been my experience.  🤔

Okay, I've tried several times now to find the chat feature on the website.  I even pulled up the Mexican Riviera for those dates, @AnnaNicole, with the same view you are showing, and it does not show a chat feature on the page.  What am I doing wrong?  

5 hours ago, EthansNana said:

On the same cruise, second time with Celebrity, and we can't choose a boarding time yet either, as of today.  I am just trying to be patient!    Have you been able to do it yet? 

No, I still get the same "not ready" message.

The email I received today from Celebrity called the ship "the newly Revolutionized Celebrity Solstice." (Departure date is Sept. 24, 2022).

Long time cruiser here, new to Celebrity.  We are booked for the Solstice Sept. 24th, and we are now at 37 days to departure.  I was able to fill out the check-in process at day 45, but I still can't choose a boarding time.  I called Celebrity at day 44, and she told me I should be able to choose at day 45.  I told her that we were now at day 44, and I was still not able to choose.  She told me to wait a few days and then try again, but now here we are, still with no boarding times available.  The website and app both say, "Not quite ready for you."

Is this normal?  Am I missing something?

We were originally booked on the Millennium, and Celebrity changed us to Solstice.  Since then, there have been tons of waiting (cabin assignment, notifications, etc.).  It has been stressful.  As a new Celebrity customer, it has also made me rethink sailing with them again.

Those crumpled menus look terrible!  X is cutting costs that much?  Sheesh.

I'm new to Celebrity and confused about this.  Thanks in advance!

Oh, yikes!  When I was reading yesterday about your (free?) bus rides in Villefranche and Eze, I wanted to tell you that those rides are not actually supposed to be free.  In case several other readers also told you about this, I didn't want to pile on, so I thought I'd read the rest of the thread and then tell you if no one else did.  Unfortunately, no one did and I forgot about it by the time I got to the end.  Sorry!

Two years ago, we took the bus from Nice to Eze.  During the ride, our bus was pulled over by an inspector.  He didn't ask us about our tickets (which we had anyway), but he did check with a large family with several children, who did NOT have tickets for any of their members.  He got off the bus with them and the bus went on its way.  They looked really poor and unlikely to be able to pay.  It was really sad and I hoped that he would let them off with a warning.

Your dresses are beautiful!  I'm a slim petite and would especially love to wear a dress like the black one.  Any chance you got that online so I could find one, too?

How is the pizza?  It looks really good!!

11 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

I concur, yet there are a few posters who really, really, really want to quarantine in their original cabin not worrying about spreading C-19 by being on the balcony with passengers on either side who do not test positive.

 

IMO what defeats the purpose is not corralling all who contracted C-19 in one area... while nice to stay in the cabin we ordered upon booking, if ill then all be in one area for observation and any treatment necessary.

 

In health and bon voyage

Respectfully, one doesn't catch covid by being outside with others who have covid UNLESS they are right next to you for a significant period of time.  The air you are directly breathing has to be saturated with a heavy percentage of covid particles for someone to catch it.  On a cruise ship, especially a moving one, the air is moving around at such a rate that the chance of catching it from the balcony next door is statistically impossible.  

I've also seen that people who are quarantined on the ship, even in cabins on the "sick deck", are not exactly receiving top-notch medical attention...it seems most are reporting that they don't get checked on at all, except perhaps through an occasional phone call.

On 5/6/2022 at 1:23 PM, bananavan said:

Covid seems to be so fluid. 
We get so many differing scenarios. 
I was allowed to stay in my Suite. 
I found this out when I checked in for the B2B passenger checkin. 
I had packed all of my husbands items into a suitcase just in case he tested negative and we were permitted to disembark. Had that happened he would not have been permitted to return to the suite after release from the Red Zone. So he would have walked out wearing the same clothes that he walked upstairs in. 
I had packed all of my clothes into the remaining bags. 
I was extremely grateful to be permitted to stay in the same suite. 
I lost many of the perks that I had experienced and paid for on the prior cruise. I lost the drink package. I lost Wifi. My husband is allowed to have the unlimited Wifi. 
He was moved into the Yellow zone on Deck 6. His view is of the top of the lifeboats. He is hoping that the two tender ports are going to use the lifeboat below his window. The window does not open. 
He is unable to exercise anywhere. He still cannot leave the cabin. His meals are from the Room service menu. He is post cancer surgery and seriously how tough would it be to allow him to have the occasional vegetable.? 
And before anyones jumps on me and tells me that we should probably have considered that when we came onboard, please get a life and go and harass someone else. The rules have been changed more frequently than the Pampers on a two week old baby. 
So to recap: 
He has no ability to build up his health
He has no air circulation
He has no variety in his meals 
He has no entertainment. Until you have had the limited television choices that are presently being offered, you have no idea 
We did not purchase the Retreat as part of the  Move up. We purchased the vacation as a Retreat experience in March of 2021 and paid full fare. 
My husband completely missed the cruise experience for 7 complete days. 
I missed the Retreat experience for 6 days. 
I was unable to dine anywhere except in my room. 
I was not able to drink any beverages anywhere except in my room. 
Oddly, the close contacts of the Positive Casino Passengers were permitted to drink in the bars. That is what one of them told me. 
If we had left the ship today we would no longer be the responsibility of Celebrity. Considering he had tested positive  in our suite before the ship docked at our first port, there is no doubt as to his acquiring the virus while we were guests of Celebrity.  All of the expenses incurred from the moment we disembarked would be our responsibility. 
As of this moment, my husband will be tested again on May 11. If he is negative he will be able t rejoin me. Celebrity is arranging for flights home for us effective May 14 in the same class of flight that we had originally booked with Princess for our now canceled 3 week cruise starting on May 7. 
These were business class tickets. 
I am mentally drained and physically exhausted so if I am not answering as you might like me to, please understand that . 

 

How horrible!!  It would cost them nothing to give both of you WiFi.  It would cost them virtually nothing to give you the drinks package.  It costs them nothing to give your DH decent food.  It is cruel to deny anyone fresh air and exercise, even if it's just to let Covid-positive people some time reserved just for them on the walking/jogging track, and he should be allowed a balcony.  We know that people catch Covid when they have a certain number of Covid particles (saturation level) in the air... and being outside dilutes this enough that people don't catch Covid outside unless they are right next to each other for an extended period of time, especially on a moving cruise ship that has air blowing all over the place!

This all feels like it's designed to make people decide to get off the ship instead of staying on for the return trip.

Celebrity definitely needs to do better than this.

On 5/3/2022 at 8:25 PM, cruisingguy007 said:

 

There is no one to blame, covid is going to covid, folks need to quit looking for a scapegoat and quit thinking that they can control the uncontrollable. The only way to do that is to stay off cruise ships and away from crowds, period. Mask theater won't protect you, the sooner more realize this and accept reality, the quicker normal cruising returns and we can move on from the covid panic, covid counts and covid hysteria. Look at all the posts of simple stuffy noses and minor symptoms being the worst of it. There will always be a few chiming in with doom/gloom and worse case scenario but the overwhelming majority are asymptomatic or minor symptoms. It's 2022, not early 2020, time to move on to pragmatism and let the fear mongering go.    

Hear, hear!  I'm amazed by the number of people who come here saying they got Covid on their cruise, even though they wore their masks the whole time!  If the masks worked, people wouldn't keep getting Covid when they are wearing masks.   Our current vaccines don't prevent catching it (though for most people they reduce the severity of symptoms) and they don't prevent passing it to others.  Neither do the masks.  The best way to get over this is for people to just stop fearing it and live their lives.

I remember many, many years ago (1980s, I believe) there was an expose on 20/20 or some other TV news magazine, where they used hidden cameras to record footage of hotel maids using their cleaning rag (same one they used on toilet and sink) to clean and polish the drinking glasses.  They showed this happening in several different hotels, including upscale ones.  I wash our drinking glasses in the cabin or hotel room so I know they are clean.

59 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

The Standard offering is not NYT, and if you are on a b2b you will see that the 2nd Day 2 is the 1st Day 2 again, same puzzle. But guest relations can be quite accommodating to requests. And, if you have a NYT subscription, go to the iLounge, log on to the paper, print your daily fix from your e.g. iPad, or from one of their systems.

You can also get the NYT crossword app.  There is a fee to subscribe to the app, but it's not expensive, and the app's interface is easy to use.  I've been a subscriber to the puzzle app for years and I can't live without it!

I think it's important to point out that the people on this thread who posted that these policies incentivize people to "hunker down and wait it out" instead of reporting their symptoms have not stated that people SHOULD avoid reporting symptoms, or that people with symptoms SHOULD walk around the ship infecting everyone.  Rather, they are saying that if the policies seem too draconian, SOME people will end up feeling that it's not in their best interest to report. 

Again, I (and the posters suggesting that this could happen) are not saying that it's a good idea to avoid reporting--just that X would do better to provide a pleasant quarantine experience, making it more likely for passengers with symptoms to report.

10 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

For Starters I had the Pear and Anjou Pear (MDR) and Iain had the Smoked Potato Soup

 

 

That soup looks delicious!  But I don't see it available on the menus you posted.  Is this a specialty item that you asked for?

10 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, craig01020 said:

Same here. I waited on hold for 45 minutes just to be told that I needed to call a different number.

I was on hold for about 20 minutes.  I was not told to call a different number, but I WAS told that I can't choose my cabin right now, and that instead I have to wait for them to assign my cabin.  At that point, if I don't like my cabin, I can call back and request a change.  I don't know how that works when it seems the cabins will all be spoken for after Celebrity has assigned everyone.

5 hours ago, ellsbells3032 said:

I'm not so worried about the balcony. I actually prefer the covered veranda as I burn easily. But we wanted to put the baby to sleep In the room and sit on the veranda or vice versa. May bring some silver foil or a groblind to cover them up

You could bring something like this (available on Amazon):

On 3/31/2022 at 7:28 AM, emmas gran said:

People do not want to do the searching for information, easier to ask. There are so many asking not looking for themselves.

Often when people look for things through the CC search engine, too many things pop up without answering your question.  I agree that Google often gives the answer you're looking for.   

That said, if you don't want to answer the question, why don't you just ignore the post and move on?  No need to make comments about the OP or anyone else.