Happy Cruiser 6143

I'm not a pool person either since I have one in my back yard. But the pool deck on YC is huge and never crowded and even has some shaded areas where one can sit and read the newspaper (you get a daily newspaper of your choice) in peace and quiet. There's also a food area and clever bartenders who came up with some interesting nonalcoholic drinks for me. I agree--the size of the ship is offputting. Luckily they have a separate gangway for YC, so it's possible to get back on the ship without standing in long lines. My biggest problem with them is they sail out of Miami--the drive there is the pits. And their itineraries are same old, same old 7-nights. And your status expires if you don't sail with them every three years. Given all that, I'm probably done with YC. I will be interested to hear how Oceania goes for you. Cheers!

That's an interesting observation from someone who, I believe, never goes to the shows. On my two YC cruises, I was perfectly happy to remain in the civilized atmosphere of the YC. Only ventured out into the Gen Pop when they were all off the ship. YC has wonderful live entertainment in their lounge. And their pool deck is far superior to Celebrity's retreat offering. Only problem is the food & service in YC is not up to Celebrity standards.

Yes.

Infinite "verandas" are just ocean view cabins at balcony prices.

Terminal 25 is in Fort Lauderdale. We were discussing the Tampa Terminal. Completely different situation.

Yes, the valet will be parking your car. You may or may not need a porter for the luggage, depending on what you have. At some point, you need to hand your checked luggage over to the shoreside luggage collectors.

Thanks for the tip on dining times in Blu. I'm on Reflection in Blu next month.

Tip for parking in Tampa: book the valet parking. It costs a bit more, but you mentioned your mother has difficulty walking. It can be a hike from the far reaches of the parking lot. Money well spent. Have a great cruise!

Apparently the dockworkers union does not permit Celebrity personnel to come ashore to assist passengers. At the time, I required wheelchair assist. I waited over two hours. The pier coordinator finally took me up. And I was traveling in a suite. So if Boston wants more cruise traffic, they're going to have to up their game and get their union under control.

I sailed out of Boston once and embarcation was an absolute nightmare. No interest in sailing from there again.

Thanks for your great report. I will be on the Beyond in December, my first time on an E class ship. And I agree that suite prices have gone nuts.

I think Celebrity needs to put that limit out there because people have abused the unlimited laundry in the past by sending out theirs plus other family members plus friends. In my experience of penthouses and royal suites, there have been no limits, but I don't send out much laundry. I just enjoy the ability to send out one or two items at a time as needed. Mostly I have things dry cleaned. No limit on that either.

Loved the door photos! I too love doors and have many pictures. Started out taking pictures of door knockers and then branched out to including the doors.

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear she goes to La Popa first. Later in the day, you will not get good pictures from up there.

I can live without the latest and greatest generation of iPads. The last one I purchased onboard with OBC (an iPad Pro) was indeed reduced in price and is still working fine for me.

Yes, that was what I loved about Blu. The breakfasts were really wonderful. Dinner was OK, but nothing special. Haven't booked Aqua class since it went away.

This cruise isn't going to Cartagena, Spain. This Cartagena is in Colombia.

I will be interested to hear your feedback on your tour with Dora in Cartegena. I know she has been recommended on these boards for many years. The last time I was there I was with a bunch of people and we grabbed a van at the curb. It was interesting, to put it mildly. Once, the guys had to push the van to get it started! Don't think I would ever do that again.

Have a wonderful cruise! Looking forward to your report as I will be on the Beyond in December.

I have the same problem.

On Solstice in November it was $10 for breakfast, $20 for lunch, and $30 for dinner. And the fee does not need to be charged to the suite guest. It can be charged to the guest.

Longer cruises will definitely skew to older passengers. I can't speak to the demographic of 7-night cruises as I try to avoid them, but I suspect that there would be more of a mix of ages. The demographics don't bother me as I'm part of the older group!

The problem with that is one does not have a Zenith seapass card until one has sailed the first cruise as a Zenith. I achieved Zenith quite a while before I took my first Zenith cruise. So I would have been barred from membership until after that cruise. What about a forwarded copy of the welcome email from the Zenith concierge?

I'm amazed that 9215 was the last cabin available. That's definitely a deluxe veranda (formerly a 1A) and, as first off the hump, has the largest balcony. I normally get the ones on the aft of the hump, so I will be interested to hear how the forward-facing one is for wind.

That happened to me once at the airport. Fortunately, the curbside check dude had given me a printed boarding pass when I checked my luggage. Now I never leave home without one.