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The buffet is an option when you get to the MDR and have to wait in a long line to get a table. Those wait lines can get very long. People road and are sometimes nasty. Buffet is especially good if you still want to social distance. It is also a way to eat outside if weather is good. We loved eating in buffet in scenic places. Nothing can compare to a dinner in Alaska on deck looking at the glaciers. Main reason to keep the buffet as a good option for dinner is to spread people out. Covid is still out there. Dinner wait lines are a ripe host for Covid. Those buzzer boxes that they give out when you are waiting for a table are filthy. There are many good reasons to eat dinner in the buffet. celebrity isn’t listening.

WS is delightful for people who don’t need lots of entertainment. No glitz. Great food, attentive service, and no crowds. It is relaxing.

Been on 11 WS cruises. On one cruise there were 2 teenagers. They sat in their cabin and watched dvds. Ordered popcorn from room service. On warm days, they went in the pool. They were bored. WS attracts mostly older people who don’t need entertainment. Going to Alaska, the best bet is Holland America or Princess. They get into restricted areas like Glacier bay.

Bermuda is beautiful. Fly in and stay. I have flown in and also cruised. Cruise is not a guarantee that you will get to Bermuda or will stay for the listed time. On 2 Summit cruise s, we left early. Most recent in June, our itinerary was changed cutting our time in Bermuda to one quick stop. Also, if ship docks at Kings wharf. It is not a convenient location.

When we get back to the ship after a full day excursion, it’s nice to just go to the buffet. MDR may have a wait. Buffet never has a wait. On some cruises, the evening buffet is often better than the dining room. Oceania buffet serves the same menu as the dining room. Buffet has more choices including sushi, grilled meat( steak, chicken, lamp chops) and cooked to order fish. Lobster tails are served every night. No limit, no surcharge.

You can take the complimentary bottle to dinner. No corkage charge. However, if you don’t finish the bottle, don’t let the crew store it for you. Take it back to your cabin. On Marina in December, we took our bottle to Toscana. We let them store it. We had more than half bottle left. We watched then write our cabin number on the bottle. Went to Polo where we asked for our bottle. After a long time, the waiter returned empty handed. He then asked what did the bottle look like. He quickly returned with a bottle that looked like ours. Looked strange that there was far less than we had left. when we drank it, it tasted awful. No way that it was our bottle. After that we took any bottle back to the cabin. We also noticed lots of people doing the same thing.

Rent a car in St. Martin. Eat dinners in Grand Case. There are many excellent restaurants. Some of my favorites are Bistro Caraibe, Auberge Gourmand, Siga, and le Taste Vin. The lo los are a nice inexpensive Caribbean fare.

Celebrity post pandemic doesn’t look like it used to be. Last cruise in 2022 on Summit was Ok. It was our first time cruising since the pandemic. Our expectations weren’t met. We had classic drink package. We aren’t big drinkers. We were amazed at how many times we were told that something wasn’t available….Diet Coke, Canadian club, ginger ale. Getting bar service was also a challenge. Food in MDR was good. Prime rib twice was excellent. Now I am reading about the 2023 changes. It doesn’t sit well.

If vibration annoys you, avoid aft cabins. The worst is at the stern. Also, avoid tables in GDR near the stern. On Marina recently, one night we ate at a table far aft. Food wasn’t very warm. Add the vibration. Worst meal of the cruise.

Chic nights? I have asked many times. Nobody knows what is expected. On last X cruise, people wore wide array of clothing from dressy to sadly slovenly. Many people wore shorts in MDR including chic night. Since nobody is told to leave, the new dress code is wear whatever you want.

Oceania is amazing. It is a big jump from X and HA. Marina is beautiful. We were on in December . In 2022 we took 3 cruises….Celebrity, Windstar, and Oceania. It was nice to sail again. Celebrity was very crowded. Spouse got Covid. Windstar was nice. We seldom rebook onboard. However, while on Marina, we booked another cruise on Vista. Have a great time on Marina.

There are cruise lines that don’t allow you to use OBC for gratuities. Be careful. Read the FINE print. The first time that we had it happen was a real shock. We just assumed that we had enough OBC to cover posted tips. Wrong. We got charged for the tips and were left with no way to spend that OBC. That was before accounts were posted daily. Now I read everything and also ask guest relations. Look at your onboard account daily. Often find mistakes.

Could this be a way to make the Captains Club disappear? If there wasn’t a Captains Club or a loyalty program, would you still sail on Celebrity? Loyalty programs can pose lots of problems. If a cruise line is truly amazing, you would rebook because you had an amazing time. I am elite plus with about 1200 points. I took 3 cruises in 2022. Only one was on Celebrity. For me, while I like getting some loyalty perks, it isn’t the reason that I choose a cruise.

Never really thought about preordering. After my December cruise, I might preorder Diet Coke and Sprite Zero. On previous O cruises, both were available. They did have diet 7up and Coke Zero.

Relax. Making online reservations can be a challenge. Been there. If you can get a reservation, book it. If not, don’t be upset. Once you are on the ship, visit the reservation desk. They hold back reservation slots from the online bookings. We were on Marina in December. We made reservations online. Thinking about cruising during pandemic, we opted not to share. We were happy to get tables for 2 even if times weren’t great. We like to eat early. However, we are flexible. If we booked a late time, we went to tea for late afternoon snacks. We were also able to rearrange bookings and get additional bookings. Even though we were willing to share a table, we never shared a table.

I understand that Chefs Table has multiple menus. How can you tell what menu will be served when you make advance reservations prior to your cruise? We are traveling with a group. Several of the menus from past cruises that we saw online had food items that some people cannot eat. Allergies, dietary restrictions, and dislikes make some menus distasteful. Should we make a reservation or wait until we can see the menus?

Did it on Summit before pandemic. Blu is a nice small venue with great service. However, we weren’t thrilled with the menus. We often asked for items from MDR menu. Not sure if they do that now. We didn’t like the cabin locations. Aqua class cabins are not in good locations. We did it once. After that we booked concierge class. We like cabins on decks that are between 2 decks of cabins.

We did it in January 2020. 2 couples in a taxi . Driver was the guide. It was an excellent tour.

Done both. Both are great. Why not book both weeks. If you have to make a choice, air fare and connections might be a factor. I have done WS round trip from both St. Martin and Barbados. That was before pandemic when there were lots of good choices for air. Now, air is a different story.

In 2022, we cruised on 3 different lines. There were cutbacks and shortages on all. Sadly even at home, there are items that are unavailable. It’s crazy times. Be patient.

French balcony is a step up from ov. Nice to get fresh air. It’s not as nice as a true balcony. When Vista opened booking, we thought about booking a French balcony. In December we sailed on Marina. We used our veranda everyday. Especially nice to have a private outdoor space to avoid Covid exposure. We booked Vista with a real veranda.

On Marina Dec 2022. Got replacement toiletries as needed. If I asked for anything, it happened. The soap dish near sink doesn’t drain. After a few days, the soap is mushy. Often got a new bar of soap. One strange thing was no choice of scents in toiletries. We got the green. Was told there wasn’t any blue. Also, we noticed replacements were strange. Some had bottles and caps that didn’t match. White scented shampoo in a bottle with green cap or the opposite. Wondering why.

Summer 2022. I saw people wearing everything in the MDR… shorts, jeans, sequins, flip flops, pajamas, bathing suits, hats, etc. there is no dress code! You can wear anything. That includes chic night. For Alaska, jeans are a good choice.

Not worth it. You already paid for dinner in MDR. Eat it. Save your money for a restaurant on land.

Prices are up on most things including cruising. Cruise lines that cut prices may also cut food and services. If a price is too good to be true, look for the reason. There are still some real deals. We got a cheap fare on Windstar cruise in September. It was a changed itinerary repo cruise. However, most fares are increasing. If Oceania cuts fares, expect cruise to be not as good as you expected. On our December Marina cruise, we noticed some changes. Didn’t get tote bag, no choice of scented toiletrie, and fewer beef dishes. Not enough to stop us from booking.