keesar

2 hours ago, TJ O'Pootertoot said:

I'm sure that the cruise line will make us all aware long before sailing date and that there will be clear signage on the day. It's still amusing, all of us trying to guess what the situation might be; possibly we should start a betting pool?

I

Looks like we need either a poll or a pool for this important question.   

The buffet and the Mast Grill will definitely be open.  The Spa Cafe was open on our cruise but that is subject to change.  Sushi on 5 is a good choice but there are fees there.  Many find it worthwhile, especially those avoiding  the buffet that day.  Can be crazy.

15 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

There are a variety of pillows available.  If you are not satisfied with what is initially on the bed just ask your sOtateroom attendant for something else.

On the Ascent, we had requested for body pillows but they were not available.  They had two types.  The down and the hypo-allergenic pillows were the choices. I remember the days when there were at least 4 choices on the pillow menus left in the room. 

Not down pillows.  They are queen size.

33 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

This is good to know.  Thank you for the update.

There are no coupons or booklets on Celebrity.  You must show your card to get a drink.  On some ships, you need to show your card to get access to the area serving drinks.  No sharing.

6 hours ago, hcat said:

for the Special celebration night, there might be a large alcove area in a Specialty restaurant that woud be nice.. not sure what is available on Reflection. 

 

There are more large groups these days, so shipboard  maitre ds are probably able to assist and accomodate.

There is a semi-private area in Murano that will accommodate larger groups.  In the Tuscan Grill, larger groups are accommodated in the rear on the port side.

3 hours ago, bikevegas said:

We are going on the Beyond in a few weeks and noticed on the app we only have a choice of a 2:00 or 2:30 check in time. First time Celebrity cruiser here so question is, if we showed up earlier to check in would it be a problem? Would they allow us to get on board say at 12:00? Thanks in advance for your input!

Do you mind waiting in an area at the Terminal until you are called?  That is the risk you take.  The good news with a time of 2 pm is that there will be shorter lines everywhere.  Very beneficial at the buffet as we tend to stay away until around that time.  Not relaxing around noon to 1 pm as it is like animal house.

1 hour ago, ngrund said:

I have the my time dining and was able to make reservations on the website for each night of my March '25 cruise on Beyond.

I spent a good deal of time booking reservations for the MDRs on the Beyond.  When we showed up  the first night, we were told there were no reservations as it was Anytime Dining for all.  Told just show up where we wanted to eat when we wanted to eat. What was even more confusing is that we had an assigned time to eat on the website as well.  Food and service was excellent.

4 hours ago, LXA350 said:

It depends on the staff and the maitre'd, some are not willing at all to go any extra mile others will try to make things happen especially if it's less complicated things like getting items from MDR.

On Beyond, I asked several different staff members in Blu if I could order from the MDR.  The answers were consistent.  "NO".  However, on the Ascent, the answer was "YES".  I guess it depends on the staff, especially the number of staff working I would guess.

Our "assigned" dining was Late but we were told it is Anytime Dining.  As mentioned, show up where and when you want to eat and you will be fine.

Sometimes I wonder whether the pizza or cardboard box tastes better. 🍕

I find the pizzas as being bland.  I try to get them to load pepperoni, sausage and onions on the pizza.  That helps alot.  

2 hours ago, Travel-and-See said:

the key issue for me is the "take over" - one of the reasons I like Virgin is the ship is designed so that events take place in certain sections of the ship and do not take over the entire ship (except for Scarlet Night - but even with that, different sections of the ship feature different styles of entertainment). 

 

I'm sure the Silent Disco is fun for those who enjoy it, but don't takeover the entire atrium of such a classy ship - it just comes off as tacky to me. Let the jazz band play - that's the right mood and people love them! 

Typically, you see about a dozen couples dancing on the small dance floor in the Atrium.  That is about all that can fit in that small space.  There are many more being able to dance to the sounds of the Silent Disco.  I see it more as another cruise ship activity rather than "a takeover".  And people who are participating in the Silent Disco  also feel that is the right mood and love that activity.

Make sure you get a receipt.  I learned a painful lesson.  I had purchased OBC for myself and was told it would not show for a couple of days in my account.  However, after the 4th day, I went to Guest Relations and they had to call Miami to investigate.  It did take awhile for the process to play off.  Last time for me purchasing OBC without traveling without a receiopt.

39 minutes ago, bleacher04 said:

Hi there folks, newbies to Celebrity, looking at a cruise later this year. "Anytime" dining appears to be unavailable (much to my surprise), which is what we normally do on other lines. So that pushes us to "Select" dining at 8:30 pm. And so here's the actual question: can we just accept the 8:30 pm slot and then show up whenever we want for Anytime dining? Most lines don't really care, but maybe some do?
Thank you for your experience & advice!

What ship will you be on?  That would make a difference.

Do the cruise lines guarantee clear skies?  

We had no problems getting a 2 top in Tuscan and Normandie.  There were many around us as well.

32 minutes ago, RLM77 said:

Hello all!  Although we are E+ in Captain’s Club, we will soon be taking our very first cruise on Edge-class, in this case Beyond.  Since guests are able to order from any of the four MDR menus regardless of which MDR you are seated in, I am wondering if any of the rooms are a bit quieter or give diners a bit more space than the others?  Put another way, do any past pax have a preference from an ambiance point of view?  Or are they all pretty much the same?

 

Thanks in advance for your insights.

Rich

When you get on board, take a walk thru each of the MDRs.  You may get a sense of what  atmosphere is comfortable for you. Each has a different feel.   I enjoyed Normandie and Tuscan. Don't worry as it is Anytime Dining.

The music in the ad brought back memories of being on hold on the phone for long periods of time last year.  Response time has greatly improved  for me this year.

I agree it is time to resubmit.  The morning after I had submitted the form, I received a confirmation that it had been received.  Two days later, another email was received saying the request was approved and the OBC was applied to my sailing.

9 hours ago, dml said:

We're sailing on Apex March 8, 2025 transatlantic. Besides dress up nights, aka formal,  are there any themed nights in the MSR?

No theme nights in the MDR.  However, if you are eating dinner in the buffet, there are nights such as German night, British night, etc. highlighting foods from these areas.

After dinner, there may be a white out night by the pool, 60's night, etc.  where you are encouraged to dress in a certain way.  Check your app.

56 minutes ago, Zoedokey said:

Is the Spa Cafe open to everyone?

Yes, it is open to all.  The menu has been reduced but still worth checking out.

10 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I just took a peak at the radar, I do not get  the angst over this..

I would agree with you.  Years ago, there was a hurricane and we still had a great cruise with a modified itinerary.  The cruise will leave in nearly all cases.

The Silent Disco was held in the Grand Foyer on the Equinox and Silhouette.  

Don't expect the menus to be accurate.  On our cruise, people were expecting prime rib one night and guess what?  Wrong night.

36 minutes ago, cw2go said:

I'll add that The Abba Sing Along seems to be a new regular is very popular! 

 

Patty

Agreed!  It was standing room only on our cruise.  We also had 3 nights of Silent Disco which was better attended  each time.