nikitty

Hello!

I need advice on two cruises we are trying to decide upon.  My mom and I normally sail with Celebrity when do cruises.  She is a senior and has issues with mobility.  She requires a wheelchair for embarkation (and when we fly) but on board she uses a cane.

We have a reservation for the 14 night Scandinavia & Russia sailing from Southampton on June 30th.  Our last few experiences have been a little disappointing so we were considering a river cruise with Avalon.  The cruise we have reserved is the 8 day Blue Danube Discovery on July 2nd. 

Would love to hear people's thoughts on both these cruises and their experiences if they are able to compare.  We haven't been on a ton of cruises (under 10 in total) so I'm sure there are things we haven't taken into account when considering both these tours.

On the one hand, we know that a river cruise is very luxurious and is supposed to be a "bucket list" vacation.  It is rather short though and we are on the top floor, which I heard can be louder.  It's also more regimented as there isn't any flexibility when it comes to meals and tours.  The Celebrity cruise is almost twice as long but there won't be anywhere near such pampering.  However, the pace is quite a bit more leisurely.

I know this is an apples to oranges type of question but I just wanted to hear about other people's experiences with Avalon (we have never been) and for Celebrity - this particular itinerary.

Here are the itineraries:

Avalon:

Day 1 Budapest (Embarkation): onboard welcome reception
Day 2 Budapest–Vienna: cruising
Day 3 Vienna: guided sightseeing
Day 4 Dürnstein–Wachau Valley–Melk:

Day 5 Passau: guided walk
Day 6 Regensburg: guided walk; enjoy a snack at the Historische Wurstküche; beer tasting on board
Day 7 Nuremberg: choice of guided sightseeing, or Nuremberg Rally Grounds tour
Day 8 Nuremberg (Disembarkation)

Celebrity Silhouette:

1    Southampton        
2    Bruges (Zeebrugge)        
3    At Sea        
4    Copenhagen        
5    At Sea        
6    Stockholm        
7    Visby, Gotland. Sweden        
8    Tallinn        
9-10    St. Petersburg - Overnight onboard        
11    At Sea        
12    Berlin (Warnemunde)        
13-14    At Sea - 2 days        
15    Southampton

Thanks for that info.  The ship is almost sold out so it's the top floor or the bottom.  My mom really doesn't want to be without a view so I have a feeling that we will have to just deal with the noise.  We are night owls and go to bed quite late but it sounds like a lot of the tours start early anyway so we are going to need a vacation after our vacation. 

If anyone else has done a Avalon river cruise and can address the noise level on the 3rd level or anything else that I wouldn't think to ask, please let me know.  We have to book this cruise by Monday or Tuesday I believe - and the deposit is non-refundable. 

On 3/7/2019 at 9:08 AM, acwmom said:

With regard to deck. I prefer NOT to stay on the top level. The chairs are pretty much left in place, though they may be collapsed for low bridges. The loudest noises are the rails being put down to go under bridges, and the crew walking around to do so. In addition, check and see where the ship's lights are. If above the top level, that light can seep through the curtains at the top.

 

Hi again acwmom - I tried to message you but I can't write messages for some reason.  Anyway, would you (or anyone) be able to tell me where the lights are on this deck?  We are staying near midship on the 3rd floor.  Right beside the royal suites.

I have been reading about how the top floor is not great for joggers in the morning (and who knows about late at night either) but we don't have much in the way of options. 

Our travel agent says these rooms are soundproofed so it won't be a problem but I don't know if they are just saying that. 

5 hours ago, acwmom said:

I haven't been on this ship, but have been on both Avalon and Uniworld ships. The info I list below is generic, but applicable to pretty much all river cruises.

 

First, side doesn't matter. For scenic cruising, you're either going to be on the sun deck, or in the lounge. Otherwise, you miss what you're passing on the opposite side. Second, when you're docked, you may be up against a concrete wall, or another ship. You may be on the same side of the river as the town, or you may be across the river. 

 

With regard to deck. I prefer NOT to stay on the top level. The chairs are pretty much left in place, though they may be collapsed for low bridges. The loudest noises are the rails being put down to go under bridges, and the crew walking around to do so. In addition, check and see where the ship's lights are. If above the top level, that light can seep through the curtains at the top.

 

Since, except for the suites, the cabins on the middle and top level are the same, save some money, and go on the middle level.

Thanks for the information!  Unfortunately this sailing is almost sold out and the top level is the only level that has space left.

I'm not sure where the lighting is but the room we have is right beside the Royal Suites (there are only 2) on the ship.  Can you tell me where the lighting is based on this map?

https://www.cruisemapper.com/deckplans/Avalon-Envision-1014/deck03-5795

30 minutes ago, laverendrye said:

I’ll just add one thing to the excellent points made by acwmom. Most river cruises travel at night and are docked during the day.  And of course, unless you decide to stay back on the ship, you’ll be gone most of the day on excursions. The exceptions are for particularly scenic stretches such as the Rhine Gorge and the Wachau Valley and Iron Gates on the Danube. In these cases, you don’t want to be in your cabin but up on the top deck where you can enjoy the scenery on either side. This is true even in the case of the Douro, where all travel is during the day.

 

I really don’t think it matters in the least which side your cabin is on.

Does it make sense to get one of the "basement" cabins?  I think cruisers call them the Aquarium cabins?  I really like the idea of the floor to ceiling windows but I really don't want to hear a lot of noise from above if I can help it.

We are Celebrity castaways.  We normally sail with this line and love it but thought we'd try something different.  😃 

(ps - we are from Ontario too!) 

We will be cruising on the Avalon Envision on July 2 from Budapest to Nuremberg.  I've read many posts about there really not being a better side but I wanted to find out if anyone has taken this itinerary on this particular ship.

To me, it looks like the port side would be better as you would be on the side of the cities you're traveling to?

Also - we are on the top deck.  Deck 3.  I've never been on a river cruise, but I now for regular cruise lines, I try to book a level with cabins above and below so we don't run into the problem of a noisy public space above or below us.  Does anyone know if being on the top deck for accommodations is noisy with the sun deck above?  I worry that the noise from all the chairs being put out in the morning and being scraped across the floor would be loud.

Any other tips for this ship would be appreciated.  It will be our first time doing a river cruise! 

What is the difference on which way the bed faces? Is it having the view from the bed looking forward or some other reason? It isn't something that I have paid much attention to. Maybe I am missing out on something? I have seen this question asked and was always curious.

Hi Renee,

It has to do with motion sickness. I can't even sit backwards on a train so I literally can't stomach the idea of facing backwards in my room for 12 days. If you don't have this issue, it wouldn't be a problem. :halo:

FYI - just an update. I contacted Celebrity about my issue (I found the CEO's email on the forum here) and they contacted me the very next day. The CEO did read my email and asked someone high up in her organization to take care of it. I read in a thread that she does not read her emails and she is too busy, but this is simply untrue.

The room after May 2016 will be the same as it was before. The cabins are modules, the bathroom fixtures back up to each other, the head of the bed will always be on the same side as the bathroom. EM

Yes, I thought the same thing too. I understand the rooms will undergo changes during a refurbishment, but changing shared walls and configurations seemed like a massive reconstruction. I wrote to my travel agent who said they don't ever reference other sites (such as cruisedeckplans) re: information as they only use Celebrity material for their sources. This is the same line of BS they fed me last time when I sent them a Youtube video showing a room very close to the one we had booked for an upcoming cruise that clearly indicated that the room we were going to be in was facing aft. I am now in the process of trying to find a senior level manager at Celebrity who can expedite this issue as my travel agent said it will be a few WEEKS before she gets a response. :eek::eek::eek:

Our cruise is in less than a month and we still have to get our visas for China. Not sure how they are going to make this right at this point. This will be our third sailing (our of 4) where there has been been a mistake in the configuration of the room. Even a coin toss has a 50% chance of being right. As this has always been our #1 priority, and it has been handled poorly on more than one occasion in the past, you'd think it would not be an issue but this is becoming a comedy of errors.

Again, thank you for letting me know about that site. I had never heard of it before your post and am definitely going to become a member moving forwards.

According to pictures on cruisedeckplans.com, the bed in 8046 faces aft. The bed faces forward in 8032. 8076 the bed faces forward. So in 8078 the bed will face aft. If you are particular about certain things about your cabin, you should join cruisedeckplans so that you can research through the pictures collection. EM

Oh no. Thank you for letting me know. This is a nightmare. :eek: I have gone to great efforts with Celebrity for our last two sailings to make sure that the stateroom was facing forward and both times I was assured that the information they provided was correct. The last time I was actually chastised for being a pain in the neck and since they had already given me the information, the "matter was resolved." This resulted in them being unable to change our room when we got on the ship as we had to physically check out our own room and report to the front desk that it was indeed backwards and it was a very unpleasant experience.

If anyone else can confirm that their room on the Millie (after May 2016) in that row was forward or backward, it would be most appreciated.

I will definitely sign up for cruisedeckplans for future sailings. Definitely worth the money not to worry about your room - and to rely on service staff to give you correct information. Thank you so much Essiesmom.<3(y)

If anyone has taken a trip on the Millie in the last few years (after the May 2016 refurbishment) - and has had a cabin on Deck 8 - starboard side/mid-ship, any room between 8046 to 8012 (see link to deck plan below) could you please tell me what direction your bed faced?

We are going to be in room 8078 and we have been told that our beds face forward (so when you're sitting on the bed, your feet are facing toward the front.) I saw some pictures in one of the threads and it looks like room 8078 faces aft, so I am concerned.

We have sailed three times before with Celebrity and the last two have been with the beds facing backwards, even though the cruise line emphatically assured us the beds did face forward. Not trusting them this time around. Need to go to the real experts, so posting here. I'm hoping that your replies will hopefully help me to deduce which way the beds face.

Link to Deck 8: https://www.icruise.com/c/deckplan2014.php?SailDate=&WMPHShipCode=36&DeckNumber=8

Thanks in advance!

Nikitty

I'm having a hard time figuring this "facing aft" problem out. Do you need to be careful to only face the direction the ship is moving in, or only while you're on an open deck? Do you need to sit in a forward-facing chair in the dining room? Whichever way the bed faces, all you really feel is a gentle rocking motion, if anything at all. If your drapes are closed I don't think you'd be able to tell which direction you're traveling in. I think I'd book the cabin location I liked and take some ginger tablets or Bonine along. I'm sorry if I just don't understand the situation, and feel free to ignore me if this is the case.

:D It's fine if you don't understand! And I'll take the ribbing. I don't need to sit in the dining room a certain way but when it comes to the way the bed faces, that's for a significant amount of time. For me, when I'm on a train and have had to sit that way for a few hours, I find it does cause issues with motion sickness - and have also found that to be the case during cruises. Why deal with it with pills when I can get the relevant information beforehand and be prepared? :)

Exactly!

 

I see that you sailed on the Summit. Do you remember your cabin number and the configuration of your bed? Since the cabins alternate (mirror-like), you could deduct the configuration of cabins on the same deck and side of the ship. Millenium has same cabin configuration than the Summit.

Hi Vivi - what a genius idea! I searched back to 2009 and found my cabin number which was 8080 - but when I checked the configuration based on the connecting cabins, this would mean my cabin was backwards and i'm 100% sure it was forward. :confused:

I don't remember changing rooms but maybe I'm losing my memory a little? :D

Thanks so much for linking your blog post. I enjoyed reading it and was amazed by how spacious your balcony was! :)

I am not sure if sleeping sideways would bother me. I am sensitive to motion though so I think I would avoid. Pretty sure those rooms aren't available as the savvy cruisers snap those up quickly. :)

We've stayed in aft cabins on the M class ships and love them -- they are Concierge (C1) sandwiched between family cabins on either side. The latter don't always become available for booking early unless you are a certain number of people (4 or 5, don't recall). The bed is definitely not forward or aft facing. I have a photo of our cabin on Infinity in this blog post. This would be similar to any other M class aft cabin. Scroll past the first set of photos and you'll find it. The cabin door at the far end would be facing forward, and the veranda aft, so you can see how the bed is laid out.

Have you cruised before? Did you have any problems? I always tell people who haven't cruised before to try a short one first. It's not for everyone who suffers while travelling.JMO

I have cruised 4 times before - 2 are not listed in my signature. :)

I do get seasick but it really depends on how rocky the boat is - the backwards thing I have been able to avoid so far. Would like to continue this trend! :D

Hi Viv!

Thanks so much for that information. I had a look at that sticky which had very useful information but I wasn't able to determine which way the beds face from the information. Some of them said by a bathroom or a mirror but that doesn't mean anything to me! :D

One thing you mentioned which really stood out was that if there is a door to a communicating room - that will indicate which side the bed is on. Just to clarify - if the door is on one side, the headboard will be on the opposite side? So does that mean that 7076 will be facing backwards and 7078 will be facing forward?

Stickies are discussions that always appear on top of the first page of the Celebrity forum. The one that is pertinent for you is about the M class cabins: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1911871

If you are affected by motion sickness, a ship is different from a car or a train and you have to take into account that you will feel less movement in mid-ship cabins than on aft or front cabins and that, for most passengers, that factor is much more important than the bed orientation. However, if you feel that it is important for you, you should find that info in the sticky discussion for some specific cabins. Note that all the M-class ships (Millennium, Summit, Constellation and Celebrity) have identical configurations and the info you will find for one of them will apply to the others.

 

Moreover, if you look carefully on the deck plans on the Celebrity site, you will notice that some rooms have a short line on the wall between them (e.g. 7076-7078); they are communicating rooms. Taking into account that the door is on the wall opposed to the bed, that indicates the bed orientation. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the info on the sweet 16's. I think I'd like to avoid floor 6 because it's right below deck 5 which is a common area but I did see some nice cabins near the aft on deck 7 which looked bigger. :)

 

I really appreciate you giving a definitive answer as to which rooms were back and forward facing. Looking at the deck plan, I thought the first section for each category always started with back, but from what you are telling me it seems it faces forwards! I am just going to try to correlate your info to the rooms on deck 7!

 

If anyone else would like to give me cabins that they've stayed in for veranda cabins on deck 7 that were forward or backward, I can see if the info remains consistent!

I think this is why I was confused about the "sweet 16's" - from this review found here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/celebrity-millennium-deck-plans/dp/deluxe-ocean-view-with-balcony-2a-2a/cc/

I cut and pasted the short version. :)

Cabin 7180 Great ship with great service DeepThinker

Thanks to Cruise Critics we booked one of the 'sweet sixteen' cabins #7180 which is a category 2A but with a large balcony, almost twice the size of the regualar ones. Lots of room to move around or add a lounge chair or two!

These cabins sound good, although I'm not sure if the elevator so close to the rooms would bother me. The last cruise we went on (Princess) we were right beside the elevator and we did hear the elevator dinging constantly.

Just FYI, the so-called sweet 16s with the bigger balconies are the first 8 balconies on each side of the ship on deck 6.

I believe they are all category 2C.

There are no sweet 16s on deck 7.

 

Here is a labeled photo that someone previously posted, which has been re-posted many times since, showing the sweet 16s on the starboard side of the ship, cabins 6016 - 6030.

 

 

As for which way the beds face, I know that the beds face backward in 6030 and forward in 6016, so it appears that they alternate

(but I do not know this for a fact and hope that someone will correct me if that is not the case).

 

 

Thanks so much for the info on the sweet 16's. I think I'd like to avoid floor 6 because it's right below deck 5 which is a common area but I did see some nice cabins near the aft on deck 7 which looked bigger. :)

I really appreciate you giving a definitive answer as to which rooms were back and forward facing. Looking at the deck plan, I thought the first section for each category always started with back, but from what you are telling me it seems it faces forwards! I am just going to try to correlate your info to the rooms on deck 7!

If anyone else would like to give me cabins that they've stayed in for veranda cabins on deck 7 that were forward or backward, I can see if the info remains consistent!

We always stay aft and the head of the bed is to one side of the ship, and your feet would be to the other side.

 

I don't like trains, limos, etc. where I sit backwards, but these cabins don't bother me at all, I love them - however, if you are very sensitive, when you sit on your veranda you will be watching the wake, and it will be "like" going backwards. I think because the ship is so lumbering it is not the same as being in a fast vehicle, but I don't know how sensitive you are to the backwards thing.

This doesn't sound too bad! I am going to try to look for pics of aft cabins to see if I can get a better sense of what the rooms would be like. Are these regular balcony (2A-2C) or are they concierge class?

Kitty -

 

You may want to check the sticky here on the celebrity board with the M class ships.

 

I do not believe the reservation agents have information as to if the bed is by the bathroom or the balcony nor do they have information if it is forward or aft facing

 

I just tried to do a quick google search for celebrity millennium cabin #### you can sometimes find people that have posted pictures from there trip this might take multiple searches

 

Sorry I don't have a better answer for you...most of the threads I've seen only look at the bed near bath or balcony

 

Best of luck getting your answer

Thank you pl! I'm not sure what a sticky is but I went to the Millennium subforum and was trying to find any pictures or info but didn't have much luck. I stopped around the posts circa 2013 but I could go deeper I guess. Hoping that others will be able to give me their room numbers and a definitive answer if the beds faced forward or backwards. Most of the rooms on 6 are taken - and I think I would prefer being on deck 7 as the decks below and above are sleeping quarters. If you were on Deck 6, Deck 5 could be somewhat noisy below depending on where you are, I would imagine. :rolleyes:

Hi there,

I've been on hold with Celebrity for over half an hour trying to get a "resolution" to my question. While I wait, I thought I'd just ask here as I'm sure someone would know! :D

We are trying to book a reservation for Dec 21st Millennium sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore. I've heard that the ship is not as nice as the newer ones but we really like the itinerary!

The only thing that I require is a bed that faces forward. I get terrible motion sickness if I sit on a train with the seat facing to the rear so I definitely need a bed that faces forward. When I asked how the rooms are configured, the reservation agent wasn't able to tell me and said that there is no way of knowing until you get on board the ship. I find that very difficult to believe having sailed Celebrity a few times before!

I was hoping to get a verandah cabin 2A or 2B with a bit of a bigger balcony or more space in the room (perhaps one of the sweet 16's?) on floor 7. Can anyone tell me if they stayed in a room on floor 7 and if they had a cabin facing forward? If I get a few responses, I can hopefully figure it out myself! ;) I was thinking the rooms from 7172-7180 looked bigger (sweet 16s? but I wonder if it would be noisy since it is so close to the elevator?)

As well, the balcony cabins at the aft - does anyone have pics or videos of how the room is configured? We have never stayed right at the back and are wondering if we would like it. We are hoping to stay on the starboard side as it seems that this would be the best views for the Asia sailing in December. (I think!)

Thanks in advance for any help with this!!!

Kitty

When I did the Southern Caribbean route last year, I did the following:

 

St. Thomas: Did the Princess Trunk Bay snorkel excursion. In the past, I've also done the Discover Scuba at Coki Beach before, but St. Thomas is a good place to go off on your own if you don't want to do a ship's excursion.

 

Dominica: Did the princess Champagne Reef snorkel excursion. There really isn't much in Roseau here, so you'll definitely want to do something to get out and see more of the island.

 

Grenada: This will probably be a short stop, so me and the friend I was traveling with just opted to wander around the town a bit and up to the fort. There are some excursions, but nothing really stood out.

 

Bonaire: I originally wanted to snorkel here (I hear this is one of the best places for it), but my friend didn't really feel like it by this time in the trip, so we just took a taxi on a tour around the island. There's a decent amount of stuff in Kralendijk though.

 

Aruba: This, along with St. Thomas, is probably one of the most touristy stops on the itinerary. We did the Atlantis Submarine excursion here on my last trip, but on a previous visit, the group I was traveling with rented a van and used it to get out of Ornajestad and wander around the island. I have heard Aruba has a good bus system though to get to some of the major beaches and back.

 

If you're going to pick one island to do an excursion at, I'd say Dominica is probably your best bet. It has the greatest variety of different things to see and do, and is nowhere near as touristy as some of the other places.

Thanks so much for all that great information! We have booked two tours in Grenada and Dominica so I feel like we have done just enough. :)

We did Grenada on a Celebrity ship last year around Christmas. It is a lush, tropical island but the poverty is very apparent. My wife and daughter did not feel comfortable. They remarked that the people did not appear friendly or welcoming to tourist. I assume it was due to the poverty of the island and the stark contrast with the cruise ship passengers. We did the spice tour of the island and I enjoyed it. While we were up in the mountains where there is no electricity and water lines, we passed by two older ladies who were bathing in a stream stark naked. There is not much to do if you walk around town. The ship docks right in the downtown area and the streets were crowded with little to see. Aruba is flat and dry. We did a tour of the island that stopped at the butterfly farm. My daughter enjoyed it. Don't have any idea why people would fly to Aruba for vacation, there are better islands.

I felt the same way about St. Kitts when we visited. Beautiful place but the people seemed aggressive and hostile. Thank you for giving us that information as this really isn't the type of information you can find by googling - and I find it invaluable.

Thanks CruisingJs and pmcue for your responses.

And thanks to everyone who responded.

I booked tours for Dominica and Grenada and refrained from booking for the other ports based on your suggestions.

If anyone has other great tours they loved, please share!

What they are saying is that since they have to pass the information on to the ship, no changes (cancellations or new bookings) can be made for several days before embarkation.

 

However, you can still cancel once on board. There is a deadline for cancelling for each port, usually 36 hours before the port. (If there is a port on the first full day, the cancellation deadline will be the first evening.)

 

So if you see excursions you think you will be interested in, book them now as they may be fully booked once you get on board.

Thanks! That's good information to know! Can anyone who has been on this itinerary - or even some of the ports - recommend tours that are worth taking? Are there some ports which you're better off just walking around town - or hopping in a cab - and going out on your own?

Hi everyone!

My mother and I are going to be going on the upcoming Royal Princess next week! Our ports:

Princess Cays, Bahamas

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Dominica

Grenada

Aruba

I haven't booked any excursions yet, mainly because it says the reservations aren't able to be cancelled 5 days prior to sailing and I'm just not sure of what ports are better for walking around on your own. :confused: Usually when we book tours through the cruise line, we find them to be mostly ho hum and overpriced as well.

In the past, I have tried to book tours privately (and teamed up with fellow Cruise Critic forum members here!) but that didn't happen this time around. So now I'm asking for advice on which ports are better left to roam around on your own - and which cruises (booked through the cruise line, or locally) are not to be missed!

My mom has some mobility issues so we can only do things that are "Easy" level for her. Preferences are for tours with culture or nature - not so much swimming/water/sun related. :) If anyone has any good recommendations, please let me know! As well, if anyone is doing tours that they need people to join up with, please send me a message! :)

Thanks for all the great posts everyone! Sorry to have sparked a kerfuffle but it shows how polarized people are about this particular ship which really makes me think twice. Do I care about a promenade deck and an extra pool? Probably not. But waiting longer for elevators and worrying about my mom having to possibly climb more stairs? That could be an issue. I'm definitely mindful about getting a room closer to the middle at any rate. Either way, I really don't like the idea of having to pay so much more for a balcony to use as a glorified oceanview. So basically - we do like the sounds of the ship - how beautiful it is but a cramped balcony doesn't sound great when you're paying a premium and we are pretty much at our budget ceiling.

We were thinking about the Island Princess Panama cruise at Christmas (all the cruises I have been looking at are around the 20th) but it's out of the budget - unless we want to downgrade to an oceanview - (we always get a veranda) but is that something you want to do when going through the Panama Canal? We also thought of just going back to our regular stomping ground of the Celebrity but we've been on the Summit before and it would be nice to try something new - and we're not thrilled with the idea of flying into Puerto Rico - the cost and the hassle - and the ports aren't amazeballs as we have done a few on the Reflection 2 years ago. I was then thinking of a completely different tack - the Norwegian Dawn which sails out of New Orleans. We really love New Orleans so we know we'd have a fun time before the cruise, and the price is very reasonable - but not sure about this ship itself. So pretty much - my mind is mush - DH is mad because I've spent the whole holiday weekend doing research - and I am pretty much back to where I was a few days ago. :)

If anyone has any suggestions of Christmas cruises they really enjoyed, I'd love to hear about it! :)