goofysmom99

Did X ever have if officially written somewhere that you could order room service dinner from MDR menu? Many moons have passed since last I did that and I wonder if there will still be a room service, paid, option. If the OVC offerings are a dud, a tray of multiple appetizers and/or soups could be my Plan C (on M-class aft balcony). I'm going to specifically try that next month just to see how it goes.

I also just sent an email. I'm a solo zenith and it will be interesting to see how fast/if I receive a response.

I just checked the app for upcoming February Summit cruises. No beef in sight. On all my cruises from Aug 2021 thru Nov 2022, first night in MDR has been seared salmon and prime rib. Now it's seared salmon (which is pretty good) and a pork chop. There's still beef most nights in Luminae and about half in Blu. It'll be interesting to see if the 4 oz filet is still an option. It was in Nov on the Connie but asst maitre d' (nametag now says headwaiter BTW) had to get it blessed each time. This year's Nov 16-night Connie TA is going to be a loooong haul if OVC is so severely limited and the MDR menu is, too. I'll be watching to see how this plays out before making final payment in July. My air can be canceled (miles) so I'd only be out $100 (booked on board). We shall see (wish they had a skeptical emoji, with one eyebrow raised).

Sort of a Delphic Oracle?

I always booked concierge for the hump balconies on S-class and aft balconies or 6144/5 on M-class. And the extra points (quest to make it to the next level). Still prefer concierge locations on S-class and will try to book the now SV designated cabins on M-class when I can (or better yet, FV). I request a cheese plate in lieu of the mystery canapes. Hope they'll still allow that substitution; will find out next month.

I had dinner up there a couple of nights on the TA when I wanted some peace and quiet. Captain sat next to me twice (guess he needed some space, too). 😉

Will the pasta station be open anymore at night? I can't quite tell from what's being/been reported. TIA.

Maybe they could add room service to Elite Plus benefits. 😉

The charge is showing on the app on my upcoming February cruises. This one actually may be the straw that breaks this camel's back. One of the things I enjoy most about cruising is having room service breakfast. I don't have to get dressed to walk the dog first like I would at home. And it's decadent to have someone bring me my breakfast. Then there's the gluten-free thing. GF dinner is easy but it's tough to really enjoy the hassle of gluten-free breakfast. Trying to get someone to toast the GF bread in OV is always an adventure, just one of many. Lunch can be worse. In the MDR breakfast, they're very often clueless about GF choices and have made mistakes. Over the years, I've discovered the safest way to stay "unglutened" is to order room service breakfast and about 50% of the time, lunch. I'm going to spend a few hours researching other cruise lines (Azamara, O, etc., not the big ones) today. I'll be darned if I'm going to give X nearly $12 per delivery for the privilege of having a GF breakfast/lunch.

That's what the zenith concierge handles.

I was diagnosed with celiac 20 years ago and, happily, traveling, especially cruising, is so much easier now than it used to be. An easy I GF hack in OV is a taco salad. Get the lettuce elsewhere and doctor it up at the Mexican food station. Crumble a taco shell onto it if they're out of the chips. I've been cruising on S-class ships since Solstice inaugural and only last month did I discover the limoncello cheesecake in Tuscan is GF (as long as they hold the graham cracker crust sprinkles). When one of my tablemates ordered it and I finally, after all these years, saw the presentation, I had the maitre d' ask the chef if the bare limoncello cheesecake was actually GF. Yup. That, along with a shot of limoncello, was the food highlight of a 24-night cruise! 🥰 I order my cheeseburgers from room service without the bun; also order two slices of GF toast "not raisin." Much better than anywhere else I've found aboard. BTW, I don't order until around 2:00 so that it always arrives promptly and hot. Another room service option is ordering two house salads, extra dressing, and two club sandwiches "no bread." Makes a very respectable chef's salad to enjoy on my balcony. The GF muffins from the Spa Cafe are somewhat moist and taste better than the unbelievably dry ones from Cafe al Bacio. The Spa Cafe cookies are so-so. Best tasting GF cookies are the coconut macaroons, all flavors, at al Bacio (their sugar content isn't for the faint-hearted, however). Before dinner, I stop at the Martini or Passport Bar and grab a straight-up shot of a liqueur (Chambord, creme de menthe, Kahlua, etc.) every evening to carry into the MDR to pour over vanilla ice cream for dessert. Very tasty sundae. On the outside chance there's something worth ordering for dessert, I'll pour it over ice and drink it. They can also make sundaes with the various cheesecake toppings. I never feel deprived on Celebrity but occasionally need to be creative. p.s. The GF pizza is made from 100% rice flour which is hard and awful. Pure rice flour is the problem with most of their GF offerings. Anyway, if you order a GF pizza, just peel off the toppings and enjoy that part. 😉

In 2024, the Iceland to Boston leg will begin with an overnight in Reykjavik.

Having to actually cruise for points....what a concept!

I don't.

No balcony and a bit too bijou for me. Guess I'm stuck with continuing to pay double or occasionally finding a decent single supplement, although those are becoming rarer.

I've paid double for over a decade. Thought I'd hit the jackpot in 2013 when I got a 150% supplement. It used to really frost me to pay double for tips, wifi, and bevs and only receive the use of one wifi. Then about 5 yrs ago, they started giving double-paying solos both of the wifis. Big woo. Finally now, with sail only rates, I only need to pay double for the cabin. Of course, that eliminates aqua and suites altogether. However, since aft-facing cabins are my favorites, I can live with that.

Yes, they were. I was on the Summit in 2003 when the sign on our deck 9 cabin door was switched to Concierge during the cruise. We'd decided we wouldn't choose that deck, mid-ship again due to noise. I stayed in 9096 on the Summit in 2022 to finish off the points I needed for zenith. Aside from its awful bathtub, and noise, the two deck 9 CS cabins have almost zero wifi and (no-go for Roku). Same suite on Deck 6 was excellent. The sky suites on 9 have zilch privacy from the glass elevators (I know this first hand). I wouldn't book a cabin on an M-class on Deck 9. Period. I know some of the ones forward under the spa are OK, but they're forward. So back to my original point, when you have a bunch of anything that's a tough sell, you have to create a need, and an either real or perceived benefit. I was in a marketing job in my second career and I totally respect and admire a good "sell." X did it in spades for Aqua and then did the same with suites. I well remember when we all dined in the MDR in the RS and PH. We only got 3 points for our 14 night cruises in them, too (3 points converted to 90). Times change.

X introduced Aqua class on M-class ships for standard veranda cabins that were a tough sell. It worked.

Aqua class (formerly undesirable cabins below the pool deck) is a true marketing triumph.

Good luck with that. I haven't found any solo specials for new bookings I want.

I'm sure glad I receive wifi and bev package from X now because the difference between cruise only and AI for a solo for my next TA is whopping $1834; gratuities are only $288 of that. No way slow internet and classic bev are worth $1546. I don't think it's worth it for two people with CC happy hour and free fast minutes either. Will no longer even consider suites due to bathtubs and the double charge for AI that I already receive. (Luminae and Retreat are very nice but not worth ~$7K.)

I used Luggage Forward when I was traveling around Europe by train before a TA. No way I could handle a cruise suitcase solo so it made sense for me. And I believe the airline Delta used was KLM. They're a Delta codeshare.

I really resented the AI until X finally allowed cruise only rates again for solos. But even if I traveled with someone, I'd skip AI. I used to get lots of waters during happy hour. Always gave a Passport Bar bartender a pretty good tip in advance and he'd have them ready, usually 3 or 4, when he'd see me get off the elevator. He'd also have my glass of wine right next to them. The tote was handy for that. I brought wine aboard, too, and would also buy a couple of bottles in the MDR for dinner. I don't drink much hard stuff these days, but paying for a decent scotch now and then was definitely more economical for me. Oh, and I always bought faster wifi with the captain's club discount.

The seats are low and the table is fairly high so card players reminded me somewhat of Kilroy.

Cruise Critic's link: https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/celebrity-constellation-272/michaels-club-203246/michaels-club--v10415181/