bama4cruisin

Exactly what I saw when checking one we’re considering.

Another vote for dinner in Eden. If you plan to do that, book it well in advance. On the 14-night Apex TA last fall, many who waited to book once onboard never made it off the waitlist. We also enjoyed lunch in Eden Cafe (not the same as the restaurant) and heard passengers who were coming by to check their status on the waitlist. Granted they were only seating about 50-60% capacity in Eden, but we also only had 1200 passengers. For our Beyond cruise, we currently have 2 nights booked in Eden. Don’t miss Caravan in The Club.

He should be able to request a replacement certified birth certificate from the Health Department where he was born.

Another house divided here . . . our 9 night repositioning cruise on Beyond only has one Saturday on the ship. My team (RTR) is off that Saturday 😃 but DH’s team (who wear orange and blue🙄) plays Arkansas that day. If AA gets us home as scheduled, we’ll be home the night before the AL - LSU GAME. I’m hoping to catch some of AL - MSU game while in NYC pre-cruise.

Equinox has the glass blowing area ; in that area Silhouette has Lawn Club Restaurant and The Porch

I like the Elite Breakfast as it is much quieter than the buffet. However, we have to compromise as DH much prefers a full breakfast. The elite breakfast is more a heavy continental breakfast with fruits, pastries, bagels and various cold cuts. I am very happy with half a bagel, cream cheese and smoked salmon along with a nice selection of fruit. Also available are Bloody Marys, Mimosas and Bellinis. . . even if you don’t have a beverage package. As said earlier, the cocktail hour is a nice treat if you’re not booked with a beverage package. In the past it was held in the Sky Observation Lounge from 5:00-7:00 pm. The event now includes the same menu that was offered in the past but it is now available to elite passengers and above at most of the bars and lounges on the ship from 5:00-7:00 pm.

Much will depend on ports visited. As long as any port on the itinerary still requires testing, for example Bermuda, for the passengers on that cruise testing will be required. Past that, who knows.

Yes, you can use OBC to purchase a dining package; however, you cannot make reservations until onboard if using a package.

We definitely enjoyed it on Apex last fall; thus we plan embarkation day lunch there. Will have VERY light breakfast at our hotel - just enough food for DH to take his morning meds. We sail from Bayonne in October on a Wednesday; the Plat du Jour on Wednesday is Bouillabaisse😊

Is the menu on the app accurate? We are planning to eat there on embarkation day to avoid the buffet crowd that day. I am fine with the menu on the app so curious if we’ll find something different.

Thanks for “taking us along”. These “live threads” are getting us through the next 11 weeks til we head to NYC to board Beyond for the repositioning cruise.

No, it can be booked pre-cruise. It shows on the Cruise Planner for my upcoming Beyond cruise, with a 7% discount.

I am so excited for another @jim_iain cruise thread! This will keep me satisfied as we wait to board Beyond. Thank you for taking us along! Safe and healthy travels WAOQnq this one.

I don’t believe you will be able to specify one, but your dining room will be assigned. In the months of lower passenger numbers, it has been reported that you can request the Maitre d’ in your assigned dining room arrange for you to dine in one of the others on a future night. Who knows if this will be possible once the ship is sailing at capacity, Even if you are dining in one dining room, it is possible to request some of the exclusive items from the others. Except for the exclusives, the remainder of the menus are identical.

Is your specialty dining included because you’re in a top suite? If so, I would have the Retreat Concierge straighten it out once onboard. If you receive a call pre-cruise from the shoreside concierge, they can probably straighten it out before boarding.

Well, @chemmo’s recommendations are virtually identical to what I was about to offer. We so enjoyed our DIY day in Santorini! The small boat ride to the dock below Oia where we walked and walked the narrow streets and lanes, then caught the bus back to Fira (included with the boat ticket). Amazing views in every direction, the Classic white, blue-domed buildings. We spent sail away at the aft bar and had THE MOST phenomenal sunset as the sun seemed to set into the caldera. Looking down at the small dock below a Oia where the small boat/ferry will drop you The Constellation at anchor THE MOST amazing sunset as seen from the aft bar the sun seems to drop into the volcano

I realize you asked for info on tours booked through Celebrity, and this is not - it was an exceptional private tour. We (about 10 of us from our roll call) booked a wonderful tour through PK Travel. We started with a wonderfully paced visit to the Acropolis; since we were a small group in a mini-bus, we beat the large buses there. Our guide, Michael, led us up to the Acropolis at a leisurely pace with brief stops to provide more information. We spent about 2 - 2.5 hours there. We also visited the Temple of Zeus, the “modern” Olympic Stadium, and had a leisurely stop at the Plaka to wander, shop and have lunch - all independently. We concluded the day with a hour + at the Archeological Museumwhere Michael took us to some specific exhibits. Transportation was timely and smooth and all admission costs were included.

Strangest I ever saw on the “to be reclaimed” table leaving a cruise . . . on one table, 5 rice cookers! Everyone in the line walking past was pointing and laughing. To be honest, to me one of the great treats of a cruise is I don’t have to cook!

It also depends on ports visited. For example, our October cruise on Beyond stops 2days after embarkation in Bermuda. Bermuda currently requires anyone entering the country, by cruise or air, visitors or residents, to have a negative test. There’s no indication that that requirement or the Bermuda Travel Authorization which must not only be completed and fee paid pre-embarkation but approved by the Bermuda authorities to even board the ship. So even IF Celebrity dropped the requirements it cannot be for every cruise.

I just looked at the Cruise Planner for our 9-night cruise in October. The “Singles Day Pass 9 Night”. Is $279.00, so plus 20% would be $279 + 55.80 = &334.80 for a 9-night cruise

If you have select dining, you can book now. I booked ours for October on Beyond a few months ago.

Have a very Happy Birthday!

We were able to do the same on Apex, but we had select dining, not fixed or traditional. OP had traditional, late seating.

You will be assigned to one of the 4 MDR’s, same table, same waitstaff at the late seating time. It has been reported by many that on sailings with very reduced capacity it was very easy to dine in the other dining rooms. However, as occupancy increases, I would anticipate this becoming more challenging. If you do wish to dine in a different dining room at some point, I think making this request of the Maitre d’ of your assigned dining room in advance, you could be accommodated. All that said, the menus of the 4 dining rooms are identical except for the small section of “exclusives “ (3 starters, 3 mains and 1dessert) to that restaurant. That portion of the menu does not change, and it’s been reported that it is possible to request an exclusive from another of the dining rooms. The only other difference is decor..

yes, there are only a few of the available wines listed on the menu. Tell your server that you have the CBP and the type of wine you like. They’ll be able to match something within your package. If you don’t mind going a few dollars over, you can let them know how much, and that will expand your options. I hope you enjoy your Apex cruise as much as we enjoyed ours last fall.