Xport

I like to be factual too, but at the same time relevant to the question because it can get very complicated.

It's still unclear to me how one might deduce irrelevance from the Thread Starter's post... And as I noted in my first response here, it can get very complicated... But sometimes, the devil is in the detail and I thought I was being helpful [thank you, Kathy] if the historical angle might apply or otherwise be a matter of interest...

This is one of those cases in which we'll need to agree--and most often, I think we have--to disagree [which, when such rare occasions have occurred in the past (always to my recollection as to perspective rather than appropriateness of content for purposes of this forum), have always been done constructively/respectfully]...

It's really not that complex even for a simple guy like me, but honestly your wordy answer to a pretty simple question doesn't help.

You are right that it's not that complex for those of us who lived through the conversion and remember it... That said, there are numerous posts every year--here and on the Celebrity forum--from people who were impacted by the conversion who don't recall the conversion at all or--if they do--the details... The explanation is no longer published on either the Azamara or Celebrity website...

I responded to the Thread Starter given that she did not mention when she sailed in the past... And I thought I was being constructive if the additional information helped her--or other readers--understand how one's Cruise Point accrual has been derived...

By all means--honestly--skip past my posts, without comment, if the content is of no interest to a highly experienced cruiser like you or if you don't happen to like my thoroughness or writing style [both of which have garnered appreciation from others]... If nothing else, I always try my best to be factual...

Do solo cruisers get extra points like on RCCL and Celebrity?

Solo cruisers on Azamara receive double cruise points assuming that one's cruise fare is based upon a full [100%] single supplement... The practice is identical to the one used by Celebrity...

Unfortunately, the chart provided on AZ's website (points per night based on stateroom) apparently only refers to AZ cruises. It would be nice if they made that clear and also provided the Celebrity chart as there's all this reference to the total Celebrity/AZ points needed for various levels so it didn't occur to me the Celebrity points per night structure was different. I have 23 nights in a balcony statement on AZ at 5 points per night for a total of 115. I have 7 nights in a Celebrity balcony statement for a total of 21. So I guess I have 136 instead of the 150 I thought I had.

Prior to 23 November 2013, Azamara's Le Club Voyage and Celebrity's Captain's Club both featured three loyalty tiers [Adventurer/Classic, Explorer/Select, and Discoverer/Elite], offered identical benefits across both programs, and used a Cruise Credit approach--rather than the current Cruise Point approach--to determine loyalty tier...

Under the Cruise Credit approach, for each completed cruise...

• One Cruise Credit was earned per trip...
  
• There was opportunity to earn an additional Cruise Credit based upon level of accommodation...
  
  • On Azamara, the additional credit was awarded to those sailing in a suite [only]...
    
  • On Celebrity, the additional credit was awarded to those sailing in an AquaClass Veranda, a Concierge Class Veranda, or a suite...
    
  • And finally, if applicable, an additional Cruise Credit was awarded--to a maximum of three and regardless of level accommodation--on sailings of twelve nights or longer...
    

On 23 November 2013, Celebrity revamped Captain's Club to add two new loyalty tiers for established cruisers, Elite Plus and Zenith... Since Azamara used--and continues to use--Celebrity's Loyalty Accounting System, Azamara followed by adding--in terms of qualification--the equivalent Discoverer Plus and Discoverer Platinum membership tiers... At the same time, both cruise lines shifted from the Cruise Credit to a Cruise Point [points per night based upon level of accommodation as is used now] approach to measuring loyalty... Each "former" Cruise Credit was converted to thirty "new" Cruise Points at the same time...

Celebrity coincidently introduced a new array of benefits associated with the two new membership tiers immediately... Azamara did not preview its revamped array of benefits until September 2014 for effect with sailings on/after 1 January 2015... During 2014, those sailing Azamara as Discoverer, Discoverer Plus, or Discoverer Platinum members received the then-unchanged benefits that had long been associated with Discoverer membership...

When Azamara first revealed their proposed benefit changes in September 2014, it suddenly occurred--to the dismay of many--that Azamara had long been accruing Cruise Credits [and during 2014, Cruise Points] for those occupying Club Veranda cabins at a lower rate [no additional Cruise Credits in the past, three Cruise Points per day during 2014] than Celebrity had been accruing Credits/Points for those occupying AquaClass Veranda and Concierge Class Veranda cabins [an additional Cruise Credit in the past, five Cruise Points per day as of November 2013]... Apparently, Azamara got quite a bit of negative reaction--including comments from Cruise Critic members contributing to this forum--that the disparity between the Celebrity accrual rate for those sailing AquaClass and Concierge Class Veranda cabins and those sailing in an Azamara Veranda cabin was unjust given Azamara's [usually] higher pricing for a veranda stateroom relative to Celebrity's usual pricing for Aqua Class and Concierge Class Veranda pricing... After several weeks of feedback and deliberation, Azamara announced that the Cruise Point accrual for veranda cabin occupancy would be increased from 3 Cruise Points per day to 5 Cruise Points per day effective with sailings on/after 1 January 2015; no retroactive adjustments for the long-standing credit/point accrual disparity were made... Azamara's laundry benefits were redefined at the same time; initially few seemed to notice or care about the changes...

So if your one Celebrity cruise commenced on/after 23 November 2013 and your two Azamara cruises both commenced on/after 1 January 2015, your calculation is likely correct... If otherwise, you may need to get your pencil out to redo the math [realistically, I'd look at your sailing record on My Celebrity to see your Cruise Point total and--if necessary--attempt to back into the number using the guidelines above]...

Hope this helps... Everything has a history and, sometimes, it can get pretty complex...

I was not disputing that, I just find it very strange that whereas the internet benefit is given to each traveller, the laundry is shared. It is the one place solo travellers get a better deal.

But it is the only place that solo travelers get a better deal... The loyalty-base internet benefit for a solo is a single allotment of minutes... And on Azamara--particularly at the two highest loyalty tiers--the allotment is pathetically stingy when compared to Celebrity...

• An Azamara LeClub Voyage member with Discoverer Plus tier status receives 120 complimentary internet minutes... A Celebrity Captain's Club member with Elite Plus tier status--the tier thresholds are identical in terms of required cruise point accrual--receives 240 complimentary internet minutes [and solo or not, a better laundry allowance of two bags per member per cruise without Azamara's "per week" stipulation]... Interestingly, Azamara grants 240 complimentary internet minutes to each suite guest; such accommodation may be a nice but unnecessary [and expensive] indulgence in the eyes of a solo paying a 100% single supplement regardless of loyalty status...
  

• An Azamara LeClub Voyage member with Discoverer Platinum tier status receives 150 complimentary internet minutes [still 90 minutes less than a suite guest regardless of loyalty status]... A Celebrity Captain's Club member with Zenith tier status--again, the tier thresholds are identical in terms of required cruise point accrual--receives a complimentary unlimited internet package [and unlimited laundry/dry cleaning]...

  
  

I don't sail for loyalty benefits--itinerary, anticipated experience, and price [other things being equal, I prefer to sail more often for the same fairly generous travel budget] are my drivers but loyalty--and the value a cruise line attributes to it [by actions, not words]--have become my "tie-breaker" since Le Club Voyage was redesigned for effect 1 January 2015...

I too have visited Mykonos several times...

If staying on the island, I'd wander the town on my own too--it's compact/charming; perhaps consider having a waterside lunch at a Greek Taverna [i assume you won't be there late enough for the great night life]--but, other than the beach, there's not a whole lot more there...

If interested in antiquity, consider doing the ship's tour [don't recall if such tours are available independently in town] to Delphi; if offered; it requires a water taxi transfer to the nearby island... I found the ancient ruins there impressive and thought them unspoiled/less commercial--with far less tourist traffic--than one would encounter in Athens [though I'd do those too if in Athens] ...

For those of you who have done AMA, is it better to be pre & post cruise with them or on your own?

If not aware, there is a hybrid option you might want to consider...

I cruised the Danube [Vilshofen to Budapest] aboard AmaStella--and a few days following that disembarkation--cruised the Rhine [basel to Amsterdam] aboard AmaSonata in May/June 2017...

On both legs of the trip, I elected to do my off-ship touring independently [6 nights in Poland/4 nights in Prague prior to the Danube trip, an additional independent night in Budapest before flying to Switzerland/transferring by rail to Lucerne for three nights prior to the Rhine trip]... Though this approach did take a fair amount of meticulous planning on my part, I did get to see/do exactly what I wanted within the time periods I needed [understandably AMA offered nothing comparable for a consecutive cruiser; their land packages are designed cruise by cruise] and--though I stayed in very nice hotels and paid for my air/rail transfers, my tours, and all of my meals on my own--I realized a substantial savings as compared to the AMA land packages and appreciated the lack of regimentation...

It's not widely advertised but I did purchase transfers to the ship [from Prague to Vilshofen; from Lucerne to Basel] through AMA... On each of the cruise embarkation mornings, I taxied over to the hotels in Prague and Lucerne that AMA was using for their pre-cruise land package offerings [very nice; I happened to chose others that I viewed as comparable], met the Cruise Manager [who escorted the AMA group--on land and aboard ship--for the entire trip]/my fellow travelers, and did the bus transfers--each with an included tour in route--to Vilshofen and Basel... The process worked like a charm! The transfer to Vilshofen--and then to the ship from the rail station--would have been a bit of a logistical challenge... My luggage--I traveled for a month--was handled from AMA's hotels to my stateroom... I arrived at the ship precisely when it was fully ready to receive guests... And as an unexpected surprise, AMA provided me with a transfer to the airport in Amsterdam [i wasn't staying on having been there several times before; AMA was doing no post-cruise land-package there] since I'd purchased the pre-cruise transfer from Lucerne to Basel through them...

I should add that--among the guests I spoke with on both cruises--those who did the pre-cruise land tour [and there were many of them] through AMA were very highly satisfied with their experiences as to hotels, included tours/meals, and the supportive, highly organized, nurturing, very professional assistance provided by the Cruise Manager... If the entire itinerary is new to you, if you don't have pre-conceived notions as to what you want to see/do, and if you don't want to be bothered with the planning, doing the pre- and/or post-cruise land packages can seemingly be a very attractive option...

I was thrilled with my AMA experiences... Start to finish [landside and while traveling], I found them to be an impressive "class act" with inclusions/features that were perfect for me and with excellent/meticulous service... I'm sure I'll be back [depending upon the route I choose; I may/may not do their pre- and/or post-cruise land tours]!

Enjoy!

I did a six hour Celebrity tour--perhaps a variation of the one you are looking at--that included a Jungle Train ride along with the Skyrail to Kuranda--while in Cairns [we also tendered to Yorkey's Knob] in March 2013...

• When you check in for your tour [likely aboard ship so that you can all tender together with priority if early in the day/perhaps at the tender pier if your tour departs later in the day; your tour ticket will instruct you as to the time/place to meet], you will be given a small adhesive tag--to wear on your shirt/blouse/jacket--indicating the tour you have reserved [by tag color] and your tour group number [which signifies the bus to which you've been assigned/the guide who will be accompanying you; there may be more than one tour group to the same destination]... The guides will be holding "lollipop" signs reflecting your tour group number and each bus will have a sign in the front window displaying tour name/tour group number...
  
• Upon arrival at the upper Skyrail boarding area--you will travel in the descending direction to Kuranda--your assigned guide will lead you to the Skyrail boarding line/distribute Skyrail tickets to members of your tour group... When your turn, you will board the Cableway; it is unlikely that all or your tour group will do the descent in a single car but you will all be instructed to disembark at the lower Kuranda Skyrail Terminal... It is impossible to become separated from your tour group as you would need a separate ticket--none will be supplied; you will not be using the Skyrail twice--for the ascent...
  
• Prior to boarding the Skyrail at the upper Terminal for the descent, your guide will provide you with an informed time--based upon the number of people doing the Skyrail upon your arrival--to reconvene in Kuranda... Immediately adjacent to the lower Skyrail Terminal, there is a souvenir shop/café... My recollection is that we met our guide--holding the "lollipop" with the tour group number [he/she will generally be there about fifteen minutes prior to scheduled departure]--outside the entrance to the souvenir shop; once the group has fully reconvened, the guide will lead you to your group's bus [it will have been driven down to Kuranda] in a nearby parking lot for return to the ship... Birdworld and the Butterfly Sanctuary are a short/easy/direct walk across the street from the souvenir shop/café [i did buy a souvenir, I did have a coffee and I did walk the area [i thought our time in Kuranda was more than ample but did not choose to enter either of the attractions; frankly and in my opinion, there's not much else in the vicinity--it is surely pleasant enough and we had magnificent weather/visibility--of the lower Skyrail Terminal]...
  

With respect, I think you may be overthinking the tour's logistics and worrying needlessly... If you listen to guide instructions, follow them carefully, and remain mindful/observant of time, it is--in my estimation--virtually impossible to become separated from your tour group... On my cruise, we did not overnight in Cairns but I certainly think I'd made the right--"best"--tour selection; it was very memorable...

As to doing consecutive excursions on your second day in Cairns...

• I believe that your desire to do both may be overly optimistic [delays can/do happen for any number of reasons] and would suggest that you book the one that is most appealing to you to secure your place...
  
• After booking the first and logging out, log in again a bit later and attempt to book the second--short of making payment--online... I expect you'll find that the system--it's more quirky now than it had been but it had been the case [i experienced it in another part of the world]--will prohibit you from booking the second after noting the first booked tour on your Cruise Planner calendar... I seem to recall that the system--and the recommendation from onboard Shore Excursion Representatives--is that one allow at least an hour [perhaps more at a tender port] between the anticipated end time of the first excursion and the start time of the second...
  
• If I am correct, you essentially have your answer... You may, of course, discuss booking the second tour with a Shore Excursion Rep once aboard--they certainly have tour-specific experiences that can't be readily factored into a computer algorithm but, from many perspectives, there are always opportunities for variation relative to a norm--but my suspicion is that they'll advise against booking two excursions in rapid succession without a generous gap between the two... Your preference--while understandable; I like to maximize my tour time/experiences too--leaves zero margin for error... You won't know whether your first excursion is on time for completion until you've returned to Yorkey's Knob, start of the second tour won't be delayed to wait for you, and--once purchased if allowable--the cost of the second tour is not refundable [full refund for tours requires 24 or 48 notice--there are rare exceptions for sudden medical issues at the recommendation of the ship's doctor; last minute high anxiety doesn't work--depending upon itinerary/port sequence] if you miss it...
  

Hope this helps... Enjoy!

My upgrade was to #1552 on Eclipse so I think I did pretty well hopefully.

I'd say that you did extremely well with your upgrade... I occupied 1552 while on Equinox in December [same AquaClass deck plan on Eclipse] and found the stateroom to be quiet and convenient in that it is quite proximate to the forward bank of elevators [i experienced no related noise from the elevators or guests using them]...

1552 is located on the rear-facing slant so as to provide a significantly oversized veranda... Adjacent 1554 does have a modestly obstructed view in that window-washing equipment is "parked" outside that stateroom... In my experience, you won't notice that equipment if looking outdoors from the interior of 1554 and you won't notice it if enjoying your veranda unless you walk to the rail/look aft or position the veranda chairs far forward and immediately adjacent to the rail...

Enjoy!

Don’t forget that Blu only has breakfast and dinner and few times during the cruise they have lunch. Having three meals on a cruise ship is a lot for us.

Sorry, but having completed 18 cruises [222 cruise days] in AquaClass, Blu is never open for lunch... Obviously, I do enjoy Blu as the vast majority does; my four future bookings [another 39 cruise days] are also booked in AquaClass...

We never used room service on our first trip, since it was our first cruise and we had no idea how it works. Is it really as simple as ordering from you TV and tipping the server? And this can be done for breakfast, coffee etc?

That explains it... I seem to recall—never used it personally—that the MDR may well have been open for lunch on the few occasions—in Alaska and in San Juan—that we arrived in port after lunch time...

Room service is easy and they tend to be extremely prompt (and will call a few minutes before delivery)...

For breakfast, suggest you use the TV or the hang tags (you will find them in your room or they are available through your steward) and place the order the night before for delivery in the morning (no delivery charge—other than a discretionary gratuity—between 6:00 AM and Midnight)... I’d personally avoid waiting until morning to order; they’re still relatively prompt but there is an inevitable rush from those who oversleep/have an early tour or otherwise change breakfast plans upon awakening...

For lunch or dinner, order by TV—no misunderstandings—or by phone (no “night before” hangtags other than at breakfast)...

If not aware, Celebrity will provide room service delivery of the MDR offerings (only, not from any of the other food venues)—in addition to the Room Service menu—at lunch on days the MDR is open (during MDR hours) and at dinner every night during MDR hours... Never used it personally—and don’t know if the MDR menu items are listed on the TV; you may need to get those menus from your steward—but the service is complimentary... Only downsides—if they matter to you—is that your meal will be delivered all at once rather than course by course and table space could get tight...

Hope this helps... Enjoy your cruise, enjoy AquaClass (my favorite), and enjoy Europe!

Do they have this on Eclipse too...I'm a first timer on that ship.

Yes... There’s a waffle station on all nine of Celebrity’s Solstice and Millennium Class ships...

Never been disappointed... Enjoy!

The cuisine at Blu is simply an imaginative way of preparing popular dishes without fussiness.

When Celebrity first introduced AquaClass upon the inauguration of Solstice in November 2008, the offerings in Blu were referred to as “Clean Cuisine”... For the most part—menus have flexed a bit over time in response to guest requests—the concept endures...

I think you’ll enjoy the food/ambience of Blu... I’m in the minority but actually prefer Blu to the suite restaurant, Luminae...

What are the lunch options when sailing in AQ? Our last cruise we had a regular veranda and dined in the MDR for lunch and dinner. Can AQ passengers dine in the MDR for lunch, or limited to buffet and specialty restaurants?

Don’t know when you last sailed with Celebrity but, in the nine years that I’ve been sailing with them (fairly frequently), the MDR has been closed for lunch on port days and open for lunch only on sea days...

The “free” lunch options are identical in all stateroom categories (Luminae, the dining room for suite guests, follows the same schedule as the MDR; Blu is never open for lunch)...

Don’t think anyone has mentioned Room Service as another no charge option at lunch...

If offered, lunch in one of the Specialty Restaurants (not Blu, not Luminae) may be available at an upcharge but those events—reservation required—are also staged only on sea days...

Typicallly, there are too few guests aboard ship on port days to justify opening the sit-down, menu service dining rooms... Most guests, as is true every day, will have lunch in the buffet...

However, it’s my understanding there is a fee for non-suite guests to dine in Luminae (perhaps $25pp).

Best I know, the current fee for non-suite guests to have dinner in Luminae--at the invitation of a suite guest and subject to space availability--is $30 per non-suite guest... The fee is charged to the onboard account of the suite guest host...

I do not recall the current fee associated with non-suite guests having lunch in Luminae at the invitation of a suite guest host...

I know this is counterintuitive but, on Solstice class ships, cabins numbered in the 11XX series are located on Deck 10...

Which celebrity ship is Richard Spacey cruise director on?

Richard served as Cruise Director aboard Equinox through last 9 December; that morning, he "signed off" for home leave and I haven't read/don't know that he has returned yet... My recall is that, at the time, he was uncertain as to whether he would be returning to Equinox or might instead be assigned to another ship...

On our last 2 cruises Concierge class was invited to the helipad. We were in that category on cruise #1 but not the second, and even though Elite, did not receive a helipad invitation. Of course that was a TA with few ports, but was I ever jealous of friends in concierge who experienced sailing out of NY harbor on the helipad:loudcry:.

It's not uncommon for repositioning cruises to have 800 or more Elite, Elite +, and Zenith Captain's Club members aboard... In such cases it is not uncommon for loyalty-based invitations to be extended to Elite + and/or Zenith tier members if a helipad event is staged [they are capacity controlled from a security perspective, and then, most invitees want to stand at the rail] if any loyalty-based invitations are extended at all... The criteria for invitation to an event if held [i've never personally seen Concierge Class--as a sole consideration--in the mix] varies from sailing to sailing with an eye toward keeping the group size manageable and the invitation list equitable/defensible...

On Equinox in December, there were two helipad sail-away events... In one case, the selection criteria was based on level of accommodation [all suites; on occasion it has been limited to only the highest suites] and loyalty... Invitation to the second event was limited--I'd never seen it before--to first time Celebrity cruisers...

To my mind, invitation to such events--and the ability to request inclusion [anyone can do so--with varying results--by speaking with the Captain's Club Host/ess or Guest Relations]--are not a loyalty perk [they are certainly not listed as such] but rather a nice gesture for those who enjoy attending [some are far more scenic than others; for me, Venice (prior to rerouting of large ships) was--by far--most memorable]...

You will find that a complete Laundry Price List is published in the Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ] section of Celebrity's website... A link to that webpage [uS website] follows; tab down to the bottom of the page...

https://www.celebritycruises.com/company/customer-support/help-and-faqs/during-your-cruise/all-during-your-cruise-faqs

On the Eclipse this July for a British Isles Cruise, and we are tendering in Edinburgh. We plan on joining a group excursion in Edinburgh, meeting point likely on the Royal Mile. I’ve asked the travel agent who inquired with Celebrity. Celebrity Excursion folks will get priority getting off the ship. Also have to go through Customs. Suggested we speak to Customer Service on board but not sure how helpful they will be considering it is a non-Celebrity excursion. Not so worried about return time since we plan on taking the excursion day 1 of 2 days in Edinburgh. Trying to figure out how long we need to get to the meeting point for the tour. Anyone with prior experience tendering at Edinburgh who can shed some light on how lengthy the process?

I was aboard Silhouette--with an overnight in Edinburgh [for the British Open at St. Andrews; it was a Signature sailing]--in July 2015... The ship was scheduled to anchor at South Queensferry but, at the last possible moment, port authorities redirected us to anchor at a far more central location on the Firth Of Forth with tendering into Leith [adjacent to the Ocean Terminal used by smaller ships]... Sounded great initially but the weather was so inclement--heavy rains, stiff winds, high/difficult tides--that tendering operations were fully cancelled coincident with our arrival on Saturday morning [for semi-finals play at the Open; for the first time in years, those were suspended that day too with the semi-finals postponed until Sunday/finals rescheduled from Sunday to Monday] and were not started until more than 24 hours later on Sunday morning... Ship tenders--supplemented by much larger municipal tenders at anticipated peak times--were then used in an attempt to expedite the transfer processes between the ship and Leith... Getting ashore on Sunday morning was ultimately uneventful--and Celebrity did an amazing job in rescheduling golf/non-golf excursions--but a recurrence of torrential rains, coupled with renewed windy conditions, on Sunday afternoon caused soggy/cranky waits of 45 minutes to an hour for return tenders from Leith to the ship...

Out of consideration for the many golf enthusiasts aboard, Silhouette remained in Edinburgh through Monday evening [double overnight] to allow "finals" attendance at St. Andrews but, in exchange, we needed to cancel our next scheduled port call at Inverness and instead proceeded directly to Belfast to get back on schedule...

Weather happens--and it did improve with a rainbow just as we were sailing away on Monday evening--but, with more than 400 nights at sea, I've never encountered anything remotely comparable... It was quite an experience!

Hope everything goes smoothly for you!

First, Total Wine is open at 9am 7 days a week.

You are correct... Fort Lauderdale changed its laws governing retail sale of alcohol on Sundays during September 2016...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-lauderdale-sunday-morning-alcohol-sales-20160908-story.html

I disagree with this on the M class. The AQ cabins were added on - they were not there in the original build of the ships. So creating Blu I believe did take away from the MDR and make it more crowded.

 

The suite passengers going to Luminae was as you mentioned.

Sorry, but your recollections as to the addition of AquaClass service to the four Millennium Class ships are not entirely accurate...

• The only cabins that were added--all have a maximum occupancy of two--are those on Deck 11... 37 of those are AQ-1 staterooms and 6 of those are interior cabins... Additional potential guests at maximum occupancy = 86 [74 with Blu as primary dining venue; 12 with MDR as primary dining venue]...
  
• Seventy cabins on Deck 9 were converted from Concierge Class service [at least some of which--perhaps all--accommodated more than two guests; all of the current Concierge Class cabins on Millennium Class ships accommodate more than two guests] to AquaClass [AQ-2] service [maximum occupancy of two]...
  
• At double occupancy, ship capacity increased by 86 but realistically--with solos and fewer staterooms accommodating more than two guests--the increase in total passenger load is somewhat less than that...
  
  • At double occupancy, the addition of AquaClass shifted at least 140 guests--the real number is likely a bit higher given that the converted Concierge Class cabins did not have a two guest maximum --from dining in the MDR to Blu...
    
  • At double occupancy, the addition of six interior cabins on Deck 11 added 12 guests to the MDR...
    

There are 40 suites--all with a maximum occupancy of at least two--on each of the Millennium Class ships... The introduction of Luminae, assuming double occupancy in each of those suites, shifted an additional 80 guests [at a minimum; there may be a few solos] from the MDR to the new venue...

It seems to me that the distance between tables in the MDR and Blu is roughly comparable... The distance between tables in Luminae is significantly greater...

To my mind, the perception of crowding in the MDR may somewhat relate to the "carve out" of space for Blu and Luminae but more relates to the increasing demand for Select Dining [standard in Blu and Luminae]--while maintaining two set-time, traditional seatings in the MDR--in an attempt to meet the preferences of all... Guest dining times are far less predictable than they had been and, per an Officer, apparently the dynamic can vary significantly from cruise to cruise [and from day to day on a single sailing]...

Holy cow! If you see something billed as Teacakes in you Patter, go! She is a singer with the audacity to take on the music of Aretha and Whitney. Fortunately she has the talent to pull it off. She’s a real pro and hit “I Will Always Love You” out of the park. She is amazing!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Teacake's performances while I did a thirty night back-to-back [south America highlighted by Carnival in Rio followed by a repositioning to Miami] aboard Azamara Journey in February/March 2015... Her voice is indeed amazing--best talent I've ever experienced at sea--and, as a bonus, she is approachable, friendly, gracious, and absolutely unassuming in her easy interaction with guests around the ship...

Last I knew, she disembarked on the same day that I did and was transferring back to Royal Caribbean for her next contract as she preferred performing on [and sailing on] larger ships... Royal Caribbean's loss is Princess' gain!

Only the Travel Agent can tell you if they will give you their cruise fare on a stateroom you book through Princess and then transfer to them... There is no standard practice; call the TA and find out what—if anything—they will offer you...

This place has become the happy hours all day for Elites Plus members since they get free coffee.

There have always been guests who chose to camp out in Cafe al Bacio... The number of Elite + members aboard no doubt did modestly increase traffic since the membership tier was created in November 2013 but their numbers tend to be minuscule relative to ship capacity... Rather, it is the more recent proliferation of beverage packages that now often tax seating opportunity in the cafe...