Happy Cruiser 6143

Agreed. I mentioned this to the captain once when we were having lunch.

One difference between having your butler deal with things and having the retreat team do it--distance! The butler comes to me. I have to go to the retreat lounge where one of the people may or may not be on duty. If my suite is at the rear of the ship like the PH on an M class ship, it's some distance to travel to the retreat lounge.

Yes, just keep it simple. Give your tip to your waiter who will turn it in to the pool in Luminae. And tip the sommelier separately. And, yes, those mentions definitely help their careers, so keep doing that.

"This was also the first time I experienced some of the more outrageous behavior by other passengers that I’ve occasionally read about in MSC reviews. It was about 9:45 at night, and a family including parents, teenagers and small children had decided to use an entire side of this lounge venue (which again was open, occupied and in the middle of a very nice live music performance) to play a running and screaming intensive game of tag and hide and seek. To our shock, the adults were as actively engaged in running and screaming as the kids! It got to the point where it was distracting the band and the lead singer commented on how many “lively kids we seem to have in the audience tonight.” I totally get the need for exertion and play for young kids, but there’s a time and place for everything and that was neither the time nor the place." And that would be why I rarely venture out of YC unless most of the rest of the ship is on shore. Obnoxious parents and kids in the gen pop. And far too many of them.

Happy Birthday cruise! I think you'll love the Summit, her crew is awesome.

There are several shared shuttles at the port which go to the airport. No need to reserve in advance. Just join the line (which moves quickly) and off you go. Price is reasonable.

I have sailed in suites and enjoyed the experience when the price was somewhat reasonable. No more at the current prices. I know that I can be perfectly happy in a regular balcony room. And if this vaping nonsense continues, I will definitely be moving to another cruise line. So much for "Healthy at Sea."

I sail solo on Celebrity all the time. Many times other friends are on the cruise also, but I'm still sailing solo with my own cabin. My most recent solo cruise was on the Connie out of Tampa in January. I knew absolutely no one on the ship prior to the cruise. There was a solo meetup the first night and I went. I met three other delightful people and we dined together for the rest of the cruise. If I had not met them, I would have asked for a table to share--I love meeting new people who like to cruise. I'm on a cruise this fall with a bunch of people--all of whom I met on various Celebrity cruises.

The one time we sailed from Terminal 29 we had to stand outside in the sun for quite a while before being allowed into the terminal.

No.

I prefer the menu in Luminae to the menu in Blu. As jelayne stated, food is very subjective.

I think the Tuscan experience depends on the ship, the chef, and the crew in Tuscan. I too had not satisfactory previous experiences there on other ships. Last year on the Summit, some of my friends wanted to go and since it was included in the price of my suite, I went. It was surprisingly good. I was astounded.

That's the big difference. Ms. Hoppen is not at all into function. Or comfort. Just "trendy" looking.

I suspect that the soft goods will have been refreshed. In my view, the old version of the PH was far preferable. Ms. Hoppen should be drawn and quartered for taking out that lovely dressing table area in the master bath. I hope your return to cruising works out well for you. Please come back and let us know how it went. P.S. Still waiting to see a picture of your posh frock!

Or you can take the HOHO bus up there.

Thanks again for yet another wonderful trip report. Sorry to hear the trip home is not going according to plan. Isn't flying fun these days? NOT!

Five cabins are not going to get you any group deals. Look for a travel agent who has group space booked and book with that agent.

I don't recall seeing them in Bacio, although I don't usually have to go to the case and look to see what's available. After the first time, the servers know what my order will be, so I just sit down and they bring it to me (almond croissants and a mocha). I have seen them occasionally in the buffet and I thought they were good.

I have done this on a Panama Canal cruise. None of the countries we visited required six months remaining on the passport (I believe I had four or five at the time). I also checked with Celebrity who confirmed that their only requirement was that the passport be valid through the date of your return.

Thanks for the pictures of the RS. I think I prefer the configuration on M class ships. Prefer two sinks in the master bath. Is there a door between the bedroom and the living room on your ship? Not evident from the pictures. Also, I did not see a table on the small balcony.

Happy Birthday to both of you! Enjoy your CS.

Amazing how Celebrity's crack IT system can F things up!

The move to Smith Cove was not an improvement, in my view. Sailing from downtown's Pier 66 was much better--it was possible to walk to the ship if one stayed at Inn at the Market, for example.

I've sailed MSC Yacht Club and Celebrity in suites and regular cabins. You could not pay me to sail in a regular cabin on MSC. WAY too many loud people and kids having meltdowns. Just way too many people period. I like the cabins in MSC YC and the YC area. They have lovely live music in the lounge. The only negative would be the food and the service in the YC restaurant. The food is mediocre and the service is nowhere near as polished and professional as Celebrity. Lately Celebrity's suite prices are in the stratosphere. MSC's YC prices have risen quite a bit as well.

Do not miss this. It's awesome!