nunuc2000

Oh hey!!! I finally managed to get them to send me the "official rules" document... and wouldn't ya know it, right there in paragraph 6, sentence 3, they clearly state that potential winners are required to sign a publicity release. Soooo... I kept Rev on the phone while I read through this, and when I brought that to his attention, AND that the potential winners have 4 days to comply and respond (and that time line has since passed by the way), he put me on hold for 5 minutes, then came back on the phone to say "My advisors have told me that the winners list will be published after all, and they're waiting to hear back from notified potential winners" I asked him why they changed their tune about "privacy laws preventing us from publishing winners names" and he didn't respond. Huh... go figure. For those of you following along so far... paragraph 14 does indeed still have the active link to the page where the winners list will be published - should have happened already according to their own rules... but we'll cut them a little slack on that timeline... keeping in mind that they had trouble even making the graphics on their "wonderverse" move without huge issues, maybe mastering a calendar is a bit much for them at this time 😉 Soooo.... I'll be watching that page... good luck to all of you who actually managed to get through on the original contest... hope your name shows up there! Pretty sure mine won't... in fact I'm thinking they're going to file a restraining order against me if I keep this up HAHA!! For any of you intereseted in reading over those rules.. here ya go: Celebrity Cruises Wonderversesm Sweepstakes Official Rules NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. 1. Eligibility: Celebrity Cruises Wonderverse Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including the District of Columbia) and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are at least twenty-one (21) years old at the time of entry. Employees of Celebrity Cruises, Inc., Surreal Holdings, LLC., Merkle Inc., and their parent and affiliate companies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations and is void in Quebec and where prohibited. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules. Sponsor’s, Administrator’s and Prize Administrator’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. 2. Sponsor: Celebrity Cruises, Inc., 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132. Administrator: Surreal Holdings, LLC, 92 Milton Avenue, Suite 300, Alpharetta, GA 30009. Prize Administrator: Merkle Inc., 3000 Town Center, Suite 2100, Southfield, MI 48075. 3. Timing: The Sweepstakes begins on March 20, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time ("ET") and ends on March 26, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the "Promotion Period") and is comprised of seven (7) independent “Daily Entry Periods,” each beginning at 12:00 a.m. ET and ending at 11:59 p.m. ET. Administrator’s servers are the official time-keeping devices for the Sweepstakes. 4. How to Enter: During the Promotion Period, visit the Wonderverse website at celebritycruises.com/wonderverse (“Website”) and take the following actions to earn entries. You may take each of the following actions one (1) time each Daily Entry Period to earn an entry, to earn up to two (2) entries each Daily Entry Period. • Register or login to your Wonderverse account ("Account"). o Register: To register for an Account on the Website, follow the links and instructions to register, including providing your first and last name, a valid email address, your birth year and check the box agreeing to Sponsor’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. In order to participate in this Sweepstakes, you must also check the box that certifies you are twentyone (21) years old or older, a legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) and you agree to these Official Rules when you register. Upon valid registration and agreement to these Official Rules, you automatically will receive one (1) entry into the Daily Entry Period drawing associated with the date and time you registered. Or, o Login: Each day during the Promotion Period, except for the day you register, login to your Account and you automatically will receive one (1) entry into the Daily Entry Period drawing associated with the date and time you logged in. Limit: One (1) entry per Daily Entry Period, excluding the Daily Entry Period in which you registered for your Account. • Locate the daily hidden object (“Daily Easter Egg”): Each Daily Entry Period a Daily Easter Egg will be hidden on the Website. Explore the ship on the Website to locate the Daily Easter Egg. There will be a clue posted in a pop-up box that appears when you navigate to the ship’s deck on the Website each Daily Entry Period containing a hint to the Daily Easter Egg’s location. The Daily Easter Egg will also emit a glow from its hiding place. Locate the Daily Easter Egg and you automatically will receive one (1) entry into the Daily Entry Period drawing associated with the date and time you located the Daily Easter Egg. Limit: one (1) entry per Daily Entry Period. Limit: Each entrant may receive up to two (2) entries per day into each Daily Entry Period drawing. Nonwinning entries do not roll-over into subsequent Daily Entry Period drawings. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same email address. Any attempt by any entrant to obtain more than two (2) entries per Daily Entry Period by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods is prohibited and may void that entrant's entries and that entrant may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. In the event of a dispute as to any registration, the authorized account holder of the email address used to register will be deemed to be the entrant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. Each potential winner may be required to show proof of being an authorized account holder. 5. ALL ACTIONS TAKEN TO EARN AN ENTRY ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY ADMINISTRATOR, WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING. NEITHER SPONSOR NOR ADMINISTRATOR WILL ACCEPT SCREEN SHOTS OR OTHER EVIDENCE OF EARNING AN ENTRY IN LIEU OF ITS VALIDATION PROCESS. ANY ACTION TO EARN AN ENTRY THAT OCCURS AFTER THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED FOR ANY REASON IS DEEMED A DEFECTIVE ENTRY, IS VOID, AND WILL NOT BE HONORED. 6. Grand Prize Drawing: Prize Administrator is an independent judging organization whose decisions as to the administration and operation of the Sweepstakes and the selection of the potential winners are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Prize Administrator will randomly select the potential Sweepstakes winners from all eligible entries received during each Daily Entry Period on or around March 28, 2023.The potential winners will be notified by email. Each potential winner will be required to sign and return a Declaration of Compliance, Liability Waiver and where not prohibited a Publicity Release ("Declaration") which must be completed to Prize Administrator’s satisfaction, and received by Prize Administrator within four (4) days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent, in order to claim the prize. If any potential winner is a Canadian resident, they will be required to answer a time-limited skill-testing question, without assistance, in order to be eligible to receive a prize. A Canadian winner also will be required to complete an IRS Form W-8BEN in order to accept the prize. There exists an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is a contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. By accepting the prize, winner and winner’s guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the Declaration or provide any other requested information within the required time period, or the prize is returned as undeliverable, the potential winner forfeits the prize. Receiving a prize is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules. In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason or forfeits the prize, Sponsor will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. Only three (3) alternate drawings will be held, after which the prize will remain un-awarded. 7. Grand Prizes: SEVEN (7) GRAND PRIZES (One (1) per each Daily Entry Period): Each winner will receive a certificate (“Certificate”) redeemable for a 7-night Celebrity cruise for the winner and one (1) guest to anywhere Celebrity travels (excluding sailings to the Galapagos Islands) in a Veranda stateroom (single room, double occupancy), subject to availability and blackout dates, as well as additional terms and conditions listed on certificate. The Certificate must be redeemed at least 30 days before selected travel dates and travel must occur no later than 3/26/24. Each winner and travel companion are responsible for complying with any COVID-19 requirements set forth by Sponsor (See https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-atsea/us-travel-requirements) at the time of the prize redemption, as well as airlines or other vendors offering services in connection therewith. Prize also includes round trip, coach-class air transportation for the winner and one (1) guest from a major airport near winner’s home in the U.S. (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to the applicable port location. Prize does not include ground transportation. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): $8,000. Prize Taxation: If a winner is a resident of the United States, they will receive an IRS Form 1099 and will be responsible for all taxes associated with acceptance of the prize. If a winner is a resident of Canada, Sponsor will gross up the prize value in an amount to satisfy the 30% withholding requirement. The withholding amount will be submitted to the U.S. taxing authority the Internal Revenue Service as required by law and each winner will receive a U.S. tax form 1042 from Prize Administrator reflecting the total value of the prize, including the gross up amount, and the withholding amount submitted to the IRS will be noted separately. For All Prizes: Trip must be booked at least 30 days prior to departure. All travel must be round trip and is subject to availability and blackout dates. Sponsor will determine airline and flight itinerary in its sole discretion. No refund or compensation will be made in the event of the cancellation or delay of any flight. If in the judgment of Sponsor air travel is not required due to a winner’s proximity to prize location, ground transportation will be substituted for round trip air travel at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Travel is subject to the Official Rules, and those set forth by the Sponsor’s airline carrier of choice as detailed in the passenger ticket contract. All expenses and incidental travel costs not expressly stated above, including but not limited to, onboard purchases, shore excursions, travel insurance, ground transportation, incidentals, gratuities, passenger tariffs or duties, airline fees, surcharges, airport fees, service charges or facility charges, lodging, security fees, taxes or other expenses are the responsibility solely of winners. Winner will be required to provide a major credit card upon check-in, and all in-room charges will be charged to the credit card. Any damage to the room will be the responsibility of the winner. Unless child or legal ward of a winner, travel companion must be twenty-one (21) years of age or older as of the date of departure and must travel on same itinerary and at the same time as the winner. A winner traveling with their child or legal ward who has a different surname from winner will need to provide evidence of relationship. Married couples who do not meet these age restrictions may, at Sponsor’s discretion, be permitted to sail. Travel companions must execute liability/publicity releases prior to issuance of travel documents. Winners and travel companions must sign Sponsor’s passenger ticket contract prior to being allowed to board the cruise Winners and travel companions are solely responsible for obtaining valid passports and any other documents necessary for international travel. If a winner elects to travel or partake in the prize without a guest, no additional compensation will be awarded to such winner. Travel restrictions, conditions and limitations may apply. Sponsor will not replace any lost, mutilated, or stolen tickets, travel vouchers or certificates. The actual value of the prize may vary depending on point of departure and fluctuations in the cost of air transportation. Winners will not receive difference between actual and approximate retail value. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor bears no responsibility if any event, element or detail of a prize is canceled, postponed or becomes unavailable for any reason. Should any event, element or detail of the prize become unavailable, the Sponsor shall have no obligation to the winner aside from providing the remaining portion of the prize, minus any unavailable event, element or detail. Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during the applicable Daily Entry Period. Limit: One (1) prize per person. Prize is not redeemable for cash and is void if sold for cash or other consideration. Prize has no value except when redeemed in accordance with these terms and conditions. Prize cannot be used in conjunction with any corporate program, promotion, coupon, discount or special offer. Total ARV of all prizes: $56,000. 8. Release: So far as permitted by applicable law, by receipt of any prize, winners agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Administrator, Prize Administrator and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the Sweepstakes or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. 9. Publicity: Except where prohibited, participation in the Sweepstakes constitutes each winner’s consent to Sponsor’s and its agents’ use of winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. 10. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Sweepstakes, if any fraud, technical failures, human error, or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Sweepstakes, or any event or cause beyond Sponsor’s control (e.g. events such as natural calamities, national emergencies, wide spread illnesses, declarations of war, acts of God, acts of terrorism) interferes with any aspect of the Sweepstakes, including but not limited to fulfillment of the prize(s), as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. In such event, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance and may modify the prizes offered herein. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or to be acting in violation of the Official Rules of this or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. 11. Limitations of Liability: To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Sweepstakes; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Sweepstakes or the processing of entries; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail; or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Sweepstakes or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. If for any reason an entrant's entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another entry into the Sweepstakes, if it is possible. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. In the event that production, technical, seeding, programming or any other reasons cause more than the stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Sponsor reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, un-awarded, eligible prize claims. 12. Disputes: Except where prohibited by applicable law, entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan or the appropriate Michigan State Court located in Oakland County, Michigan; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Sweepstakes, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (3) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Sweepstakes, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Michigan without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Michigan or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Michigan. 13. Entrant's Personal Information: Information collected from entrants is subject to Sponsor’s Privacy Policy: https://www.celebritycruises.com/privacy-policy. 14. Winner List: For a winner list, click HERE. The winner list will be posted after winner confirmation is complete. 15. Promotion Emails: By participating in the Promotion, you agree to receive emails related to the Promotion. 16. Unsubscribe: To opt out of future marketing messages from Sponsor, click here. © 2023 Merkle Inc. All rights reserved.

The plot thickens... I've actually reached out to Celebrity over the last couple of days, and the first 5, yes FIVE, people I spoke to had absolutely no clue about the Wonderverse, let alone the free cruise sweepstakes that they hosted. It was after the 5th person that I insisted I was not going to let this go, that I wanted to speak to someone who actually had a clue, that they placated me by saying they would call me back. "Rev" called me back from the Captain's Club (which is where the initial sweepstakes announcement email originated from) and was hoping to make it a very quick call, stating "I was advised there will be no announcement of winners due to privacy reasons"... and was just getting ready to hang up when I chimed in with "But ahhhh... your official rules clearly stated that you would publish the winners after they were drawn 'on or about March 28th', so now you're changing the official rules? Pretty sure you can't do that. I now wish to receive a copy of the official rules and your terms&conditions, because even you must realize this looks like Celebrity decided the contest was a failure and has reneged on it's obligations." After a very deep sigh on his part, he said he would call me back again once he had that info... that was yesterday morning, and radio silence is all I've heard so far. Time to call back again. Not sure about US legislation regarding the announcement of winners in sanctioned contests, lotteries, sweepstakes, etc., but in Canada, that whole "privacy of winners" excuse doesn't fly - the winners names are a matter of public record to help prevent possible fraudulent activity by providing transparency. Does anyone familiar with US policies around this sort of thing know for sure? In Canada, the only way to protect an individual winners name from being published is by having that legally granted for extenuating circumstances, i.e. abused domestic partner avoiding identification from accused; law enforcement personnel in undercover/surveillance role; etc. I really wanna see this through... Celebrity is charging an obnoxious amount of money for us loyal cruisers to continue to cruise with them, and some of those charges are supporting the gongshow that is their attempt at fully digitizing their newest flagship, the Beyond. At the very least, I think they should be held to account for the terrible launch and running of the sweepstakes that accompanied that "wonderverse/wonderfiasco", and they should address it. Surely they can't be sitting in meetings high-fiving each other and clapping each other on the back saying things like "WOW, what a huge success! Congratulations to all of you digital geniuses who did such a great job on this project!!" Anyway... I rather hope that more of us loyal cruisers will contact them wanting to know the same things I've outlined here: Who are the winners? Why can we not see ANY trace of this anywhere on your website anymore? Why can we not even see the official rules anymore? Why does virtually no one on your end even seem to know that your "wonderverse" exists? Do you not feel any sense of obligation to provide transparency to us loyal customers about this whole thing?? Eager to hear from any of you who decide to pursue this as well... and I'm curious if others will receive different answers than I have received so far...

Ya... noticed that.. and virtually impossible to find any mention of the entire contest ANYWHERE on their page... no hint of it, no rules or T&C's... nada... zip... zilch.

For us, we felt that Ernest was just meh… we are very social and out and about all the time, but literally only interacted with him one time, and only because we initiated it… And we were left feeling rather underwhelmed by his presence. But cruise directors, and the way people feel about them, can be a rather subjective thing, so perhaps others have enjoyed his role more than we did.

Yes, please do!! I'm committed to seeing this to the very end!! HAHA!!!

And one more update... I was curious to see the list of winners, who are apparently supposed to be selected today... (on or about Mar 28)... and initially when I went into the FAQ's on the Celebrity site last week during the contest entry period, there was a clickable "list here" that could be clicked on to see the posted names of the winners. Fast forward to today... no clickable list, no official rules, no terms and conditions... not a thing. Soooo.... do you think there will actually be any winners? Will we ever even know the final outcome of this little wonderverse adventure?" Enquiring minds wanna know....

Andrea is, quite simply, the commanding face of Celebrity for me. We've had the pleasure of cruising in the past when she was also at the helm of the Hotel department (another B2B2B cruise we enjoyed on the Summit in very early 2020 before covid) and she was a standout then too. She was on the outer deck of the Millie on Feb 11th as we were boarding for our first segment this time, and I recognized her instantly!! She genuinely seems to enjoy her role and appears to perform it expertly, if the service and quality we experienced are any indication. But beyond that, she has also mastered the art of interacting with guests. She was often visible - in fact I'm pretty sure we saw her at least once every single day of our voyage! - and she made it a point to make eye contact and smile as she went about her day, even if she wasn't able to take the time to chat. When she did reach out to personally interact with us, whether it was at Le Petit Chef, or on the pier, or in the MDR, or waiting for coffee at El Bacio, she was always warm and sincere, and seemed genuinely interested in making sure we were absolutely happy with our cruise experience. She sets the bar very high when it comes to customer service interactions, and I think the vast majority of her entire team is doing a great job of meeting that expectation! If you do chat with her, keep in mind the correct pronunciation of her name... an-DREY-a is correct versus the more common ANN-dree-a 🙂

Ohhh... and one other mistake I noticed in their info on destinations... if you clicked on the "Explore Japan" circle, it showed a little cartoony image of Mount Fuji, and this little blurb: Ummm... nope... Mount Fuji is about 3.7 kilometers tall... in feet, it's well over 12,000 FEET tall... oops! Who's proofing this stuff?? HAHA!!

And for today's fun.... apparently there are 12 different Easter Eggs to be found?? Ummm... What?!? Is this some of the behind the scenes info that was never released or meant to be seen? So confused...

Interestingly, though it says that today is the last day to play (day 7), the window that popped after I found the clue said to return again tomorrow "for another chance to win"... huh... ?

Echoing all the previous comments about how glitchy it is, but my experience today had me totally cracking up... this is a screen shot of my avatar apparently trapped in the face of someone else - pretty sure that's the donkey from the Shrek movies! HAHA!!

Not for me... still getting "no servers available"

The only European outlet was at the dressing table area - there was a US outlet and USB outlet on one side of the bed, the side where the lamp is fixed upon the nightstand. The other side of the bad had a nightstand where the phone sat, but no outlets - the "bedside" lamp on that side was actually up on the wall. But our room was only a veranda/balcony room, so I'm not certain if the Sky Suites might have more outlets (US or European) or a different placement of them.

We had the 12:00 boarding time... but arrived at the pier at approx 11:40 am, and were on board, drink in hand by 11:53am... I've always found the San Juan boarding process to be the fastest and easiest!! Yes, we had the grey canvas type bag in the room in a drawer upon boarding - I prefer my own zippered beach bag, but still bring home the tote bag for groceries... every time I use it, it reminds me of the cruise 🙂 Opted out of Tuscan this time, but have enjoyed it many times in the past - a good steak house restaurant can be had on most other cruise lines, but this was a great opportunity to introduce our friends to Le Petit Chef, so that's why we chose that particular dining experience this time around 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful time!!!

We had quite a bit of OBC, so we upgraded to Premium at the beginning of each week, plus we really enjoy the martini's in the Martini Bar with are an upgrade. If you choose not to upgrade, you can definitely pay as you go... just keep in mind that the those specific martini's are over and above what is covered by the classic package, so you'll need to sign for the overage. We had no trouble getting the attention of the bar tenders and servers at any of the bars, but we also extra cash tip, and they got to know us quite well after the first couple of days of the first week, so that likely helped. Ultimately, I find if you're really nice and gracious with them, they'll be just as nice and attentive to you 🙂 Hope you have a great time on the Millie... wish we were still on board her!!

We just returned from the Millennium - for Anytime (select) dining, there was a sign at the entrance to the MDR that stood between two separate hostess podiums, both manned. On that sign was an arrow pointing to one of the podiums for those with reservations, and to the other podium for those without reservations. At least 15 minutes prior to the MDR opening at 5:30, there was usually a lineup of at least 20-40 people, but when we would finish our pre-dinner drink and got to dinner at approx 6:15, there was never more than 2-4 people in either lineup and we never had to wait at all to be seated.

Just off the Millie following a B2B2B from Feb 11 to Mar 4 - no prime rib, but there was lobster on the second chic night each week.

We used Celebrity air for our Sept 22 Vancouver to Hawaii cruise and were able to make a few adjustments to suit our travel preferences: -Flew Calgary to Vancouver Sept 21 using CELEBRITY AIR -Cruised on Eclipse Sept 22 to Oct 3, ending in Honolulu -Flew Honolulu to Maui using our own flight arrangements on Oct 3 -Flew Maui to Calgary Oct 14 using CELEBRITY AIR In short, Celebrity Air allowed us to delay our return flight by 11 days, AND fly home from a different location entirely than where our cruise terminated - we found them to be quite accommodating, and in this case, the price through them was even lower than what we would have paid trying to book the air portion ourselves.

I hope you are able to convince your wife to try Le Petit Chef… it is such a unique and fun experience!! So entertaining, superb service , and the food is very good as well! Hope you have a wonderful cruise, no matter where you choose to dine on the ship 😊

Each evening we would make our way to the martini bar for a pre-dinner drink, and the lineups were quite long for the early time on deck five as well as any time on deck four. By the time we would head to the dining room on deck 4 for our anytime dinner, it was usually between 615 and 630, and we never had to wait a single time. There was sometimes four or six people in the lineup when we arrived, but they were greeted and seated immediately, as were we. by the third night, we had fallen in love with the serving duo of Alvin and Ricky, and made a request to be seated in their section each evening thereafter, and it was honoured. Our sommelier was a lovely woman by the name of Jelena, very tall, with a head full of shocking red hair, and a bold and sassy attitude to match! She was delightful!!

I'm not positive of the exact title of the show, but it was something like "Art, History, Creativity and Love" or something close to that. We had previously enjoyed the Seasons one, as well as the International Cooking Competition one, and thoroughly enjoyed them both! This one was very good too, especially since our friends who were cruising with us were enjoying Le Petit Chef for the first time, so it was fun to see it through their fresh eyes. The 4 courses included a caprese salad, a pasta dish, a main of short ribs, and lovely dessert of strawberry Chantilly with a flakey pastry... really terrific meal!

Quite honestly, the live entertainment on board was just so-so for us. There were 5 different live acts that seemed to rotate to different venues including the Rendezvous, the top of the stairs of the Grand Foyer next to the Martini bar, the Skyview lounge, and Cellar Masters on 5. One was their "partyband" that played some top 40 stuff, Motown, disco, etc., and they were okay. Another was a duo (and sometimes trio) that played slower stuff (think Sade, Nora Jones, slow jazz type stuff), another was the Millennium Orchestra band that basically was all horns and did a New Orleans French Quarter Dixieland music kind of set. There was also a Latino band that the local guests from Puerto Rico really enjoyed. Last, but not least, was young lady solo act from Ireland on her guitar playing upbeat and fun sing-along type music at times... The Eagles, Tom Petty, Alanis Morisette, Pink, The Beatles, etc. - we thought she was terrific and really enjoyed her voice and style, especially when she played at the top of the stairs by the martini bar in the evenings 🙂

It's a great room! Two semi-reclining chairs, two loungers, and two small tables. During our first week, there were 4 of us couples cruising together, and our steward was happy to bring us an additional two chairs. We also used the one from the vanity area when all 8 of us were enjoying a final sea-day deck party out there. 🙂

I'm not crazy about creamy ones, so instead Cipta made mine more clear... Raspberry Vodka, white creme de cacao, chambord, and lemon sweet and sour mix... divine!!!

Have a great time!! And if you enjoy the martini bar, the current group of guys are fabulous!!! Guna, Cipta (pronounced Chiptah), and Sura are so much fun and made a great new martini that we loved - Raspberry Chocolate... if you're into that sort of flavor, ask Cipta to make the the one he was making for Karen and Celine last week 🙂