hcat

Spa cafe in Solarium...limited offerings and limited seating..but if you get there early it is quiet....Mast Grill for burgers. No MDR and no BLU

Good choices.but why not add Rawn on 5... We went in Nov,..lots of good choices besides Sushi., excellent service Books up quickly

OP Where did you have dinner? 4 mdrs, Luminae, BLU? We had Luminae on BEYOND in Nov. before announced cutbacks...home of the tiny lobster, mushy shrimp and burnt veggie slithers. BLU was much better..we are going back to BLU on our next cruise.. Buffet was adequate..not superb!

When folks get cold eggs and dried out toast, plus mixed up orders, they may believe they paid way too much.. of course, a sep tip for deliv person would be out of the question.. Only neg is that more folks will carry plates of food and hot coffee onto elevators to spill on other guests and the floors..not fun!

They are interrupting dining hours and using senior food staff to put out their excuses for buffet cutbacks.. like having the Cap take part in jewelry store previews! Sad! All these smart f and people should be able to reduce quantities served whlle serving high quality food beyond pork and beans , pasta, rice and bologna! Must be an app for that!

Another point of view...posted on thread started by SRQ BEACH GIRL ! Makes some good points.altho new to X "DH and I boarded the Reflection today for our first Celebrity cruise. If first impressions are anything to go by, we're going to have a very happy week. We boarded shortly after 11am and have already had lunch and explored the entire ship (even played ping pong). " "So far we have not seen a single kid. Not one. And no herds of family reunions with matching t-shirts. No yelling at Uncle Bob across the room. No teenagers jumping lines at the buffet (actually, no lines for anyone to jump). No massive 20-something year old groups already clogging up the hot tubs. No "bump and grind" music blasting at ear-splitting levels on the Lido deck. I'm in heaven. Might have just found us a new cruise line if our first impressions hold true for the week."

Sometimes it speeds things up...and u get a temp credit back..

we are snowbirds, not cruising much these days.and are no longer the target demographic....but they still gladly take our money! In Nov, we enjoyed our first suite experience on BEYOND..used up accumulated fcc. Cruise and ship were outstanding other than Luminae dining which was not our style. We just booked AQ class (our go to) on Ascent for 2024. Very nice 7 night itin.. We are used to the Celeb systems (quirks and all) , enjoy BLU, Elite lite breakfast, Cafe Baccio thermal suites , Solarium & the spa.. No smoking is a plus, and we like meeting fellow cruisers..still a nice group lively enough but not wild!. The live music is usually excellent as are many of the newer shows. We enjoy the X excursions and some of the repeat ports. The included alcohol plan , laundry internet perks work ok for our needs. We usually do 2 specialty dinners per cruise..( EDEN & Fine Cut for ASCENT.) We will evaluate value, cutbacks and management attitudes that directly affect us as we go along. No other cruise line has caught our eye..abandoned Royal awhile ago and still feel X is a step up from there.

They are tone deaf so they might still Celebrate themselves! Their cruise line, their bubble!

if not, is it possible to file a credit card co dispute?

Thanks for a great "ride along" on Connie..Hooe you enjoy the next adventure! Hcat

This was such a great idea for a t review..Hope it does not disrupt your enjoyment of the meals! The photos and your descriptions make it all come to life! The ribeye appetizer would've been enpugh for my main course!

we took an X excursion on our cruise a few yrs ago. it went way up and all around and hit many highlights..It was very scenic and informative. Wished for more time at some photo stops..did not include the casino....There's alot more to Catalina Island than the area by the water. Glad we booked the excursion! After our tour, we had time for lunch ( more cruisers than seats for lunch ,,& service can be slow..pick something simple and quick!,) Also made a stop in to the pharmscy and a few tee shirt/ postcard stores... a fav port!

great review, fresh perspective my take away Be Happy Whine Less! thank you...

happy to read the start of a positive review..hope you continue to enjoy your cruise..!

same location (so likely there are still distance issues re kitchens? ) BUT NO life boats or maint equip to block the sea view.. and when we were there, much better acoustics than EDGE You might be able to eat outdoors with a great sea view Not sure? ...We were only there for dinner when we tired of Luminae. Hoping same layout on ASCENT..we booked AQ

LLP is part of the Royal C trained Management Team that has brought about many of the changes to the brand.."downwardly mobile". From elgance and classy to "........" fill in your own thoughts! No doubt when LLP and her people cruise X, they do not wait on lines or eat what we eat.. No shortages or downgrades for them.

As an aside , Blu on BEYOND( Nov,,) was fabulous, esp compared Luminae on that ship ( fresher food, bread baskets, better service, a brighter venue ) ... & much better than BLU on EDGE..esp as to the view and acoustics.

we just pre book via US trvl websites or hotel sites..US Dollars . Easier for us..not sure if we do better or worse

thanks.. Not only enjoying the review but learned alot..Just shows that old dogs can learn new tricks! love cruise critic!

great ongoing review.. we too loved BEYOND. Could you explain again the idea of charging your card in pesos in Cozumel and paying the card's conversion fee? We bought jewelry there but was charged in US $ at a duty free store, so no conversion fee.... I think for lunch we paid cash near the pier.( first time at Senor Frogs,,..interesting! )We usually use a card that does not charge a conversion fee.. Next time I want to see the ruins..I know it is small. Was the Thirsty Cougar worth the ride?

Both of these lobster dinners, at the Island restaurant and on the catamaran(?), look much better than what we were served in Luminae on BEYOND in Nov,,,( sorry no pic but was tiny, although sweet)

2 days NOLA ..very good, but we are booked on Ascent for Jan 2024..Need something later in the yr...but not during NOLA rainy season(?) I have been to NOLA a few days for a land based conference, but thought it would be fun to cruise there with dh..We'll keep looking..just hope X stays with Connie..updated or not..ok with us. But we would need AQ Class ..suites too pricey!

Excellent review! Thanks for sharing. Silhouette is one of our favs over the years. How much was Lawn Club Grill? Did you go on port nights? Loved the idea abt the cold washcloths in a baggie...

Just curious, have you actually eaten the recent version of a lobster tail on X.. ? sweet but teenie weenie! young wealthy cruisers tend to enjoy excellent food..which does not include 3 tiny burnt to a crisp veggies at Luminae or bologna for dinner at the buffet. X food and bev could still serve decent QUALITY food..just prepare smaller QUANTITIES based on usage of the venue and waste! That's for food mgmnt to figure out....not use as an excuse! disatisfaction by experienced X cruisers does not make them " greedy gobble gannets" (?) or folks needing to move to Carnival..heard they and other lines are managing food costs and supply issues much better