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stewartmamone1

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Posts posted by stewartmamone1

    Do you use a lanyard for your sea pass?

    in First Time Cruisers

    Posted

    On cruise ship now where someone is standing in line to replace her sea pass card that she lost. She saw the lanyard I had on and stated she wish she had purchased one. Landyards are great for anyone interested in having one and it certainly doesn't manner if you have traveled 900 times or just one. Its your choice and I also carry a fanny pack on every trip. My items are organized and my sea pass is where I can find it safe.

     

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Forums mobile app

     

     

     

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Forums mobile app

    Do you use a lanyard for your sea pass?

    in First Time Cruisers

    Posted

    On cruise ship now where someone is standing in life r to replace her sea pass card that she lost. She saw the lanyard I had on and stated she wish she had purchased one. Landyards are great for anyone interested in having one and it certainly doesn't manner if you have traveled 900 times or just one. Its your choice and I also carry a fanny pack on every trip. My items are organized and my sea pass is where I can find it safe.

     

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Forums mobile app

    Solstice Royal Suite 1238 -- June 3, Alaska

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted · Edited by stewartmamone1

    Not Midnight Blue but I can confirm that Royal Suite guests get unlimited specialty dining, with the possible exception of Sushi on 5.

     

    Other perks: unlimited internet, free laundry - reports vary as to how much this entitles you to, premium beverage package, and more. Here's a link to the amenities from Celebrity.

     

    http://www.celebritycruises.com/ships/celebrity-silhouette#Staterooms/ships/celebrity-silhouette/staterooms/stateroom-subtype-si-rs

     

    Chezmarylou,

     

    Thanks a bunch. I will be leaving in 2 weeks and just checking to make sure this is included. Once again thanks for responding back so quickly. If you been on the Solstice before, can you share some secrets or tips? Is there a certain attire we have to where as well while eating for the specialty dinning restaurant.

     

     

     

    Sandra

    Solstice Royal Suite 1238 -- June 3, Alaska

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Did the Royal suite in Feb and the whole experience was amazing. We have never had such treatment and will book the next Celeb this way again. Perks are to die for!![emoji12][emoji12]

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

     

    Amtrac,

     

    Hope all is well. While staying in the Royal Suite, can you confirm if you had unlimited access to all the specialty restaurants?

     

    Sandra

    Hotels in Vancouver

    in West Coast Departures

    Posted

    Downtown hotels don't offer shuttles to/from the airport . A taxi is only $35 to $40 CDN to downtown. There are three hotels right beside the pier .

    Pan Pacific is actually built on the pier. Quick elevator ride to the Canada Place . There are at least two across the street from Canada Place .

    They all have an option where they transfer your luggage directly to the ship. The bell crew collects your bag outside the room when ready. The next time you see them is in your cabin on-board.

     

    Kamloops50,

     

    Thanks for this information. I booked the Pan Pacific after seeing your information. Made it very easy to decide. Thanks.

     

    Sandra

    Solstice Royal Suite 1238 -- June 3, Alaska

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Did the Royal suite in Feb and the whole experience was amazing. We have never had such treatment and will book the next Celeb this way again. Perks are to die for!![emoji12][emoji12]

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

     

    Amtrac,

     

    Thanks for sharing. We will be on the Solstice in September and I cant wait. I personally have not been on the Solstice but while in Alaska the ship pulled up next to us and I fell in love from that moment:)

    Solstice Royal Suite 1238 -- June 3, Alaska

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Last post for me this evening, but I can't stop before I comment on the food.

     

    First of all, to me...it's a cruise ship, not a Michelin starred restaurant. I get that and I'm good with it. And overall, I thought the food on X was not bad at all. I also had to deal with the fact that I'm a Type 2 diabetic who follows a fairly strict low-carb diet. Even so, I was always able to find something I could eat.

     

    Let me start by saying I'm not as much of a fan of Luminae as some folks are. It was fine, but as someone trying to eat low carb, Luminae's menu presented a challenge, even with their willingness to change things for me. Breakfast was the hardest/worst for me, but that's generally true as I'm not a huge fan of eggs. Kudos to Luminae's staff -- when I asked if it would be possible to get plain Greek yogurt (definitely not on the menu), they quickly brought me a dish (they use it to make the smoothies). And when I asked for a grilled hamburger patty (yep, for breakfast), while they couldn't get it for me that day (none were defrosted), the next day, one was defrosted and ready to be cooked for me. The really nice thing about Luminae was that it was never crowded, so it was a very pleasant dining venue.

     

    We went to 2 specialty restaurants -- Murano and Tuscan. Of the two, I liked Tuscan better, in part because it was easier to find things in keeping with my diet there. The only really bad dining experience I had was in Murano near the end of the cruise. I ordered the sea bass (Branzino). Big mistake, one that I knew better than to make. Branzino is a mild flavored fish that I've eaten a number of times and enjoyed. But if the fish has been stored frozen too long and not cooked very carefully, a layer of muscle under the skin turns to...how can I say it...brown sludgy looking stuff that has a very strong fishy flavor. Yuck. I knew better than to order fish late in a cruise, especially one that needs to be cooked carefully, but I did it anyway and regretted it hugely. To their credit, the staff in Murano were very concerned that I wasn't happy and offered to get me another entree or do anything to fix the problem. I really appreciated that-- in the end, though, I just wasn't hungry anymore. So kudos to them for trying to make it right and a good reminder for me to stick to less tricky dishes when on a cruise.

     

    I actually ended up eating a fair number of meals in...wait for it...the buffet. I know, I know -- the horror of it all! But the buffet worked well for me. I could get a big salad with exactly what I wanted on it, along with a hamburger patty, chicken breast or other protein. And they had this phenomenal drink -- it was plain soda water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, fresh mint sprigs and agave nectar. I had them leave out the agave nectar and just added my own diabetic friendly liquid sweetener that I carry with me -- really an excellent drink! I generally don't like cruise ship buffets, in no small measure because I find them physically unpleasant places to eat -- too gaudy, too noisy, with tables full of dirty dishes. On Solstice, the staff did a great job of keeping the tables cleaned up and the area was pretty comfortable and attractive.

     

    I'll close this post (and my comments tonight) with a word on Cafe al Bacio. The word is... AWESOME. My partner and I went there every night at the very least. It was seldom crowded and we usually got a table by the window. Comfy, cushy chairs...a great place to watch the ship go by or to read a book. This is where I abandoned my food plan from time to time, as the complimentary pastries were really pretty good. My partner swears by the Aspen coffee. I was so happy to find 3 different beverages that worked for me -- a great selection of Tea Forte (which I love); the cafe shakerrato (cold espresso and heavy cream in a martini glass, unsweetened so that I could add my own appropriate sweetener); and the cafe Americano. The server that almost always helped us learned to bring me heavy cream for the tea and cafe Americano so as reported earlier, heavy cream is definitely available for you low carb folks out there!

     

    That's it for tonight -- I'll spend most of tomorrow getting home to Houston, but will return to this post to answer any questions and likely to add on some more bits and pieces.

     

    Solstice, I miss you!

     

    Midnight Blue,

     

    Thanks a bunch for posting this wonderful post. I'm on the Solstice on September 9, 2016 in this very same Suite. So I'm very thankful to hear about this suite. Also I noticed that you indicated there was a Jacuzzi in this Suite, is this correct? I originally had booked the Penthouse I canceled and booked this suite. Any other tips regarding this room or ship you can share would be really helpful!

     

    Sandra

    Per cruise spreadsheets please

    in Saving Money on Your Cruise - Tips & Advice

    Posted

    Hi Sandra, where can I find your latest main spreadsheet? The one with about 13tabs?

    I have an old one, but would like the latest

    Cheers

    Derek

     

    Hi Derek,

     

    You can find my most current spreadsheet if you go to main page, look under Celebrity Roll Call September 9, 2016 Hawaii, under stewartmamone. I just updated the spreadsheet. Scroll down a few pages and you will find it. If not let me know and I will email it to you.

     

    Sandra

    Per cruise spreadsheets please

    in Saving Money on Your Cruise - Tips & Advice

    Posted

    Thank you stewartmamone1, I look forward to getting it!!

     

    To everyone interested in Sherri's wonderful spreadsheet, I just posted it right below this message. If for some reason you cannot open the link, please let me know and I will email it to you as well. Also, if someone here has created any other spreadsheet they would like to share, please post them here. Your ideas and spreadsheets really help more people than you know. Sherri, we definitely want to thank you. Your spreadsheet has helped me planned and remain organized. Thanks!

     

    Sandra

    Per cruise spreadsheets please

    in Saving Money on Your Cruise - Tips & Advice

    Posted

    Hi All,

     

    Since there are far too many emails to go through I will post the spreadsheet in hopes that the majority of you have the ability to open Sherri spreadsheet. In the event you re unable to do so then let me know and I will email it to only those who are having issues. Otherwise, please see attachment.

     

    Once you open spreadsheet, just click on the tabs below:

     

    Tab #1 is the oh-so-important PACKING LIST, organized by suitcase and carry ons (mine vs. DH).

     

    The items are color-coded (his are blue, mine are pink) and for items that I still need to purchase before the cruise, I click the "to-buy" column and it sends that item to a separate spreadsheet (tab) called "SHOPPING LIST". Since I tend to lay the open bags in our guest room and begin the packing process over the course of a month before a big cruise, having the list there is helpful. I can check things off as I put them into the bags.

     

    As for the SHOPPING LIST, I have an alert set on my calendar to check my shopping list at 3 months and again at 2 months prior to cruise to begin looking for any items that still need to be purchased. Another tab on my cruise organizer is the ONBOARD TIPS list. This is very helpful when cruising on a large ship with so many options.

     

    The tips list includes all the dining and activity venues as well as whether there are fees involved, if reservations are required, best viewing places for outdoor shows, secret spots, all sorts of CC tips that I gather from lurking in the months leading up to a cruise. My TO DO tab is my reminder to do things like setting dining or show reservations, making payments, booking excursions, prefilling Rx's, notifying bank of international travel, etc. The last tab on my cruise planner is my SCHEDULE. Just prior to leaving, I fill in the blanks on this document and print it out in triplicate (because we always end up changing something after we get on the ship).

     

    It's a glimpse of the entire cruise itinerary. It includes any dinner / show / activity reservations we've made at a glance on one page. It also contains our Hotel, Flight, Travel Insurance, and Transfer information and all emergency phone numbers for TA, cruise line, hotel, etc. Of course, all that is subject to change once we step foot on the ship, but it's good to at least have something to go by. And for me, planning the vacation is half the fun!

    Copy of Cruise List (BLANK) 6-23-16.xls

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