Denny01

1 minute ago, MISTER 67 said:

We usually arrive early because we live in Florida and have a 2.5 hour drive to Port Everglades and like to give ourselves some time for accident delays or a flat tire. We have never had a problem boarding the ship before our designated boarding time with any of the lines. 

That’s ‘cause AF guys Never follow the rules!!

Fly Navy!!

Den

5 minutes ago, NHCRUISIN said:

Is it true that Suite guests can show up at the time they desire ?

4 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Yes

1 minute ago, hrhdhd said:

Yes.

Yes

21 hours ago, JFontaine said:

Maybe they are coming from an overnight flight. Maybe a relative is dropping them off early, because of unavoidable circumstances. Maybe a hundred other good reasons.  A little kindness is the Celebrity way. 

Excuses Ive used that didnt seem to work too well:

1. The Dog ate my homework……

2. My Uncle’s neighbor’s roomate’s cousin who I never met died and I was so depressed I couldn’t finish the project…

3. I know your pants shrank because I washed them in hot water…you shouldn’t have left the washer temp on Hot and when I used it afterwards!!!

4. And more closer to the question and Ive read in this other numerous “Can I ignore my check-in time and just show up?” Posts: My check-in time ins 1pm and my hotel checkout is 11am and I dont want to sit in the lobby so I want to cut in line ahead of those that show up on time?? 

And to the OP, those are just jokes above. You asked a legit question about what Celebrity is doing now. My semi-recent experience (a month ago) had a line for early show ups to stand in until the proper time people had finished. It works soooo nicely. On a July cruise out of Seattle, our Celebrity check-in had no line because all seemed to be checking in properly and next to us was a huge ship with a line longer than the ship waiting to check in.

Den

There’s a whole world for you to explore and in my opinion, there is no Best. If you are thinking of Italy and Greece, Id suggest you look at the Eastern Med cruises out of Rome. You can go early and see Tuscany. Then to Rome, down to Citiveceechia (Rome’s port) to take a cruise to the Greek Islands and back. 

You’ll want to never quit. There are so many European ports to explore. My favorite (if thats possible) in the Med is Barcelona. Then there is Southampton in the south of UK and you can explore. 

Then there is Amsterdam. We are going back to cruise to Iceland this year. Amsterdam is probably the friendliest city weve cruised from. And so much to see and do, it’s almost The Reason to cruise. A great port for river cruises also. 

Den

Yes, the Sunset Bar on the stern has a smoking area the OP can enjoy a cigar and bourbon at. 
 

den

Boy, not only does Celebrity Not use 13 for a deck number, they don’t use 17 either!….well, maybe that’s because no Celebrity ship has that many decks, oh well. 
 

den

The problem with CruiseCritic isn’t negative critiques, it is, In My Opinion, comments such as E-Class is terrible/not as good as S- or M-Class, all made without the obvious ‘In My Opinion’ added.

its all based on personal tastes. Ive seen critics complaining about something I think was the best part of a ship experience.

Ive done 4 E-Class cruises and enjoyed them a good deal. I Like the IV SRs and the various venues, especially Eden. I dont spend a good deal of time missing something another ship has that this one doesnt. E-Class is, In My Opinion, the best of the Celebrity Classes.  But I enjoy all 3 for different reasons. 

Another very positive on E-Class, In My Opinion, is the 4 MDRs.Instead of the one big one on the other Classes, and many other Lines, E-Class has the 4 with different decor and added special selections. And of course, the opinions on food is beyond personal, it’s the most biased. 

Den

1 minute ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I assumed their email they sent me today would also have the most up to date information. ……..
 

 

Their website is where Celebrity attempts to keep the most up to date info especially for All the ports and itineraries. An email only captures the specific timeframe, and countries/ports of call change their requirements which wouldn’t be reflected in an email. 

That’s why the emails are usually pretty general. 

Den

Kind of the same as a drivers license and passport and so on. And the other posts are right, may need it for ports. I always put mine inside my passport. 

The Celebrity website has very straightforward info on what is required and right now, for Most itineraries, no proof of vaccination and no testing for anyone. 

Some exceptions I’m familiar with are NZ and Australia. And just completed a TA that required proof of vaccination and monitored test. Right now, The island Turks requires proof of vaccination to enter. 

Take a look at the Celebrity section:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/health-and-safety 

den

Not our recent exerience. We just finished a TA this Nov on the Edge and our room steward cleaned the SR in the morning, and then stepped in early eve and did a clean up check. Done this every day. Same on our July Alaska cruise on Solstice, and Nov ‘21 on the Apex. 

Den

I don’t think Ive seen this mentioned, but if you are making reservations that include others, especially a very large group, you’ll need the SR#’s for everyone. It’s not the same as a restaurant and you call and tell them the time and number, you’ll need their SR#. 

Den

We’ve done cruises with largish groups, and we set up dining for 4 and rotated who sat with whom each night so all dined together, but not all together. It’s just impossible to ‘enjoy’ a large group even of 7 or 8, at one table and it becomes just talking to the person sitting next or across from you anyway. So we set u 4-person dining. That worked for us much better and it’s hard to get a large group to meet up at the same time, and get served decently. 

Just an idea. Good input by other poster to set up one of the MDRs and at a set time. You can order the special dishes from the other MDRs in any of the restaurants.

Good luck planning it all for that large of a group!

Den

Look, there are no stairs for Normal Daily use aft, but there are emergency exits that are used by crew for their work and would be used by passengers during an emergency. The stairs are behind the ‘Crew Only’ doors which have ‘Emergency Only’ markings. crew will be stationed there to guide us and assist as needed including special chairs to transport those with issues. 
 

the aft is just as safe as any other section. 
 

den
 

There are emergency stairs forward, mid and aft throughout the ships for evacuations as needed. there are fire doors that isolate various sections and stairs within each section. 

During many emergencies, the elevators wouldn’t be operable. There is No section of the ship that is particularly ‘safer’. Yes someone who cant get from one deck to another via stairs will need assistance, which they have in each stairwell, but it might be easier for them being in a lower deck. But not necessarily fwd, mid or aft. And being on a lower deck isn’t necessarily the best spot because it depends on the type of emergency issue. 

Yes, need to be aware of what to do if there are ‘issues’, but I don’t think planning on what is ‘handier’ to get to a lifeboat is something I’d put as a calculation of where my SR is. 

Den

I’ll disagree with the comment that Eden isnt ‘conductive to views and sociability’. There were many locations in the lounge area, and certainly along the walkway with nice places to sit, watch the sea out of a ‘window’ that pretty much is the size of the ship stern. We play cards and meet friends to socialize and so on. Yes, there are a few plastic seats along the side, but there are a number of alcove type places with nice seating. 

All very personal opinion on what is a sociable and comfortable place. 

Den

You’ll love Eden. Great lounge, and wraparound walkway across the stern glass wall w seating along it. 
 

I love the fwd sky lounges but the Eden aft view is just fantastic. 
 

den

The Eden is aft with lots of places to enjoy. It looks aft instead of fwd. 

den

52 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Is a pair of socks one piece, or two?

A pair of pants, a pair of socks, a pair of shorts (undergutchies - what my family called them!)……all considered One. 

‘Pair’ kind of makes sense for shoes, glasses (unless you wear a monocle), gloves, socks….but pants? Turns out, pants, well pantaloons, came in two pieces, one for each leg.

But I bet you already really knew the answer….nobody washes one sock. And yes, I’m opening myself up on that one!

Den

And for Elite, that is for each Elite person so if your partner is Elite, it’s 2. very handy. 
 

den

6 hours ago, Darspurs said:

The cruise was pretty calm, I didn't notice any rough seas, despite a lot of rain.

I have seen reports from people complaining about the creaking on our cruise so it has to be:-

Certain areas

Certain cabins

Or somehow the internal doors not shut/open properly, the balcony window not sealing properly when closed etc.

 

No, its not ‘so it has to be:’ we may not be aware of ‘rough seas’ because it isnt just noticeable high waves waves and whitecaps, it is also sea swells which are harder to ‘see’ and the period between swells which cause the ship to pitch and roll. If you are getting ‘a lot of rain’ then there is a good chance you are in an active sea, with a swell affecting the ship. So it doesn’t have to be what is listed, it is, again, most likely the ship pitching, rolling and therefore flexing.  Part of ‘Being At Sea’.

And it occurs in the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, Med, etc. Heck, the Great Lakes are classic for very colorful storms and seas that sink ships….remember the song about the Edmund Fitzgerald!

den 

The Celebrity cruises you are considering are port-intensive, most with 2 at sea days so the focus wont be too much on the ship itself. But with that said, we started cruising Celebrity in our early 40’s, took our teen kids who now are 30-40’s and love Celebrity also. 

Have done RCL and enjoy the smaller ships, but no NCL cruises, so can only compare those. Disliked the large RCL and the smaller RCL’s are good, but I found Celebrity to be a big step up…..for us. It is lower key experience, what I like is I can entertain myself and dont need the ship constantly trying to get me going to some ‘event’. Lots to do, but only one announcement per day, great venues to explore and an outstanding staff. Lots of opportunities to meet other cruisers…..or to focus on yourselves. 

Enjoy! We signed up for the Best of Japan cruise on the older Celebrity Millennium in 2025…..good to see others are booking over 2 years ahead! 

Yup, I’m addicted. 

Den

@Oceangoer2, taste differs so, but my opinion is the E-Class production shows are a big step up. Yes, there are the standard guest entertainers, singers - comedians - magicians, but the production shows have changed and are excellent…..in my opinion. Excellently done dance and song and storyline. Fun to see and more whimsical. 

Also enjoy the Behind the Podium talks, but those are pretty standard on many X cruises and the same on E. 

Den

Yes, you must go through your TA which is really the point of having a TA so not sure why not just doing that. And yes, most likely will cost $100. 

But if you have some extensive history with Celebrity, your TA may be able to work a better set up. My TA transferred a booking from one Celebrity itinerary to another and when X was going to charge me $100, she asked them to look at my booking history and said: ‘Do you want to really charge someone $100 for moving from one of your bookings to another and they have cruised with you so many many times??’…..they didnt charge me, but that is because of my silver-tongued TA. 

Den

Isnt it lovely to have so many choices….not only with other Lines, but within the Celebrity Class’s. Each different and appealing (or not!) in very different ways. 

Personally, I enjoy different venues and experiences, and for those areas I’m not big on such as the High End shops, I just dont go to. 

It’s interesting reading all the negative opinions on E-Class, and remembering all the very similar comments made when S-Class was rolled out. I wont go into all those, except to mention how fun its reading about how E-Class isnt as classic as M-and S-Class when S-Class was accused of being so non-traditional! (I stitched the order I listed S- and M- because I thought That was a big too suggestive!!)

I’m afraid my retirement savings doesnt cover me having a cruise ship specifically designed for me, so I’ll enjoy the positives and bypass the areas I’m not big on. And yes, there are ships that do Not have enough positives and way too many ‘I’ll bypass that’.

Den 

Oh, I forgot to mention the Big Positive of E-Class and that is the Magic Carpet. Fantastic place to have a drink and dine (no more windy than any open area on a ship) and just a great experience and fun place. 

I’ll disagree with the “You had to get off when it was moving” type comment. It isn’t something that is moved deck-deck much at all. Was onboard for the 15N TA and it wasnt moved at all…..docked at all ports, and the 3 other cruises, it as moved once and that wasnt in the middle of ‘use time’. Just my ‘limited’ observation. 

A great experience. 

Den