Happy Cruiser 6143

Well, if you think you're going to get better food and service in the MDR, knock yourself out. In my experience, that is not the case.

I'm just off ten nights on the Connie. I found the breakfast offerings to be the same as usual. And yes, there were waffles. With my favorite orange butter. The thing I noticed about lunch was that the Mexican station was gone. But there was still plenty to choose from. I'm really getting tired of reading all these doom and gloom posts!

There were no afternoon tea items available in the buffet on the Connie this month.

I doubt it. They either have the prime rib on board or they don't.

We're only discussing the embarcation day lunch here.

If you're in a suite, you have no need of the MDR luncheon. You will have lunch in Luminae.

Yes, if anyone figures out how to do this, I would also love to know!

I still cruise mostly with Celebrity because of the wonderful staff and the smoke-free indoors. Just off the Constellation and, while there were food cuts, I didn't starve. Mostly good beef dishes are gone. The one offputting thing is their current suite prices--that may send me back to Yacht Club on MSC. I did not have a suite on my recent cruise and the lack of a butler or suite concierge to solve my mobility issues was very apparent. So my debarcation was a bit hard until I ran into a wonderful guy on shore who, when we could not find a porter, pushed me to my car in the remote parking lot (together with my luggage). I will be forever grateful for that kindness!

If you don't want to run into the crowds in the GenPop (as Yacht Clubbers call the rest of the ship), wait until they have all gone ashore and then go explore the rest of the ship. If you're going to the show, you will be escorted by a butler.

Premium drink and wi-fi packages come with all suites if that is what you book originally. If you move from a lower suite to a royal suite, you will still have this.

Well, the person you spoke to was emphatically misinformed. If you move up to a suite, you get to dine in Luminae. Friends of mine have done it.

Beware! My TA almost fired me the first time she had to book YC for me. Many TAs refuse to do bookings with them.

Hi, Bo! There are food cutbacks. I haven't starved yet. I do miss the Mexican station at lunch in the buffet. I'm getting a bit tired of hearing all the doom and gloom about the food. The cruise is just fine. The crew have been outstanding. The ship is in excellent shape. No complaints about that. Considering she is the oldest ship in the fleet, that is pretty outstanding. And, of course, I love it that Ms. Hoppen has not taken away all the comfortable chairs, etc. Blessings and peace be upon her.

I am currently on board the Connie and have booked a future cruise. I was definitely not offered the chance to use some of my large amount of OBC to pay the deposit. My guess is whoever posted that was a tad confused.

I'm going to jump in here with my impressions as I am also on this cruise. I was leary of booking a concierge room because last spring the Summit MDR was a complete cluster. This MDR is a well-oiled machine. From the boarding day lunch to dinner every night, service has been very good. The offerings in the buffet for breakfast and lunch don't seem to have changed much, although I miss the Mexican offerings at lunch. I agree, the dinner offerings at the buffet are very limited, but I hardly ever have dinner in the buffet, so I'm not affected by this. I've found the dinner menu in the MDR to be more than adequate. The pork chop tonight was amazing. The crew has been wonderful (with the exception of my cabin attendant, but I'm working on training him how to do his job). I asked my cabin attendant at 9:00 p.m. the first night if he could arrange to charge my scooter since it won't fit in my cabin (that was the first time I'd seen him all day). He suggested I call guest relations. The guest relations person was astounded at his response and said she would send someone to attend to it. The next day I decided to look for a more permanent solution. Went down to GR and asked for an adapter--figured I could plug it in somewhere in the hallway. She sent an electrician to my cabin to help with the issue. What a sweetheart! He tried all sorts of things and finally came up with the perfect solution--plug it in behind the TV and run the cord under the door to the cabin--there's enough space so that works. So now I'm completely self sufficient with my scooter and it's always charged. All the crew members I've interacted with have been helpful and cheerful. Everything in my cabin looks fine; the bed is comfortable and the carpeting appears to be brand new. I'm loving that Ms. Hoppen hasn't got her mits on this ship, so it still has comfortable chairs and functional furniture. Love the deck furniture--mesh high-back chairs whose backs recline and which have footstools tucked under them waiting to be pulled out for use. Actual nightstands with drawers. Functional lamps. Plenty of storage.

If you're in a royal or the PH, they have your picture. It can get unnerving at times. Once upon a time when I was in the PH, I wanted some stationery and envelopes and didn't feel like calling the butler and asking for them. Went down to Guest Relations and there were like two people in front of me in line. No big deal. A woman came rushing out from behind the counter to find out what I needed. Crazy!

That's why we specified that it is not possible on Beyond. Believe it or not, people who sail on ships other than Beyond will be reading this thread. I think the distinction is important to make.

That's because she hasn't got her hands on that ship yet. Give her time.

It is a fact on the ship she's sailing on. It is possible on other ships. P.S. You may wish to look for another TA. One who swears that something which is completely false is true could be a problem.

So sorry to hear of your loss. May your cherished memories sustain you.

My sentiments exactly. Not paying a fee for anything on that menu.

Did you discuss the issue with the suite manager? Retreat concierge staff are on the same level as the butlers. The suite manager is in charge of both. Delivery of dinner items is supposed to be course by course. These sorts of issues are best resolved on the ship at the time.

Looking forward to your comparison. I haven't sailed YC since the cruise shutdown. Their pricing has risen quite a bit since last I sailed in YC. So I hope you will include pricing in your comparison. I agree, Celebrity's suite pricing is getting crazy. I think you will love the RS experience. My last two cruises were in a RS on Summit.

I have requested this in Tampa for next week. Will let you know how it goes. I rent a scooter on the ship.

Glad to hear that as I send many of my things to be dry cleaned. And I'm not liking the price of suites lately.