Xport

I've occupied 1133 on Infinity and have booked 1140 for a back-to-back on Millennium next year... 1141 is the cabin between those two... I'm not aware of--and certainly did not detect--any sort of soot problem on the Millennium-Class ships [and in fact, the Concierge Class 1 Afts on those ships--with enormous verandas--have never been cited as having a soot problem either (I've had those aft cabins--on Decks 7 and 8--three times now)]... To the best of my knowledge, the soot problems can be an issue--I encountered it--for the Solstice-Class aft cabins; some love them but, for a number of reasons, I'd never personally book an aft on Solstice Class again...

By the way... We're seasonal neighbors... When not in Florida, I still have my home in the Spring Brook area of my native Morris Township!

Enjoy 1141; to my mind you've made a great choice... And though some have reported smelling smoke from below, I did not detect it [but that can vary depending upon the behaviors of your cruise mates and winds] while sailing in 1133...

I have seen guest choirs and guest dance groups on a few of my Celebrity cruises but I wouldn't count on it...

It seems to me that when I've seen them, it has been on one of the Millennium Class ships with the group--who rehearsed during the sailing--performing during the crew talent show... Don't recall ever seeing a crew talent show on a Solstice Class ship...

I sailed in 1133 on Infinity in South America shortly after she was solsticized... It is my understanding that the cabins that were subsequently added to Millennium and Summit are identical...

Following is a link to related comments--and there is a link within that link to my earlier comments on the same subject--that I posted regarding the new staterooms earlier this year... I'd sail in those Deck 11 Aft cabins again without hesitation [and in fact have booked 1140 for a back-to-back through Indonesia/Southeast Asia in 2014 on Millennium]... Hope you find my observations helpful...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1569293

Sounds like the new deck 11 AQ cabins don't have as much storage room as the existing cabins (such as AQ on deck 9) then. Guess that's the trade off for the new bathroom.

I'd have sworn that the new AquaClass cabins on Deck 11 are identical to the Concierge Class cabins as they have always been designed/sized on Millennium Class ships... In fact, I was amazed at how closely they were replicated right down to the last detail...

Would this service be offered in Barcelona?

But as a result of customs considerations, Luggage Valet is not generally offered--to my knowledge, Vancouver is the sole exception--on international flights...

Is an amazing/affable guy who well-deserved promotion to his new senior role as Hotel Director...

I know that he'd be pleased to see, and sincerely appreciate, all of the terrific guest recognition that has been directed his way since I reported seeing him last month aboard Infinity...

Hopefully, you'll have opportunity to congratulate him first-hand before long!

I am looking for pictures of the new bathrooms in the Deck 11 Aquaspa rooms and have looked everywhere - have I missed them? I have seen comments that the showers are lovely, would love to see them

I don't have photos but I have sailed post-refurb Infinity in a Deck 11/AquaClass stateroom...

The bath is very similar in size/layout/look/storage as has always been featured in non-suite verandah cabins on the Millennium-Class ships... In fact, the room itself looks surprisingly similar--right down to many of the details and including the closet set-up--like a Concierge Class room on the Millennium-Class ships...

The baths do feature the same jetted shower panel [by Grohe, I believe] as you have seen in AquaClass on the Solstice-Class ships... And the rectangular shower [it is not the S-Class cylinder] features two glass doors that open either in or out [the ones in my cabin could have sealed better; there was always water on the bath floor following a shower (Guest Relations notified)] rather than a shower curtain... It is my understanding that the baths in the AquaClass rooms on Deck 9 have been similarly retrofitted...

There was a recent post relative to installation of night lights in the baths on the M-Class ships... Infinity has them as a replacement to the wall-mounted hair dryer but, even on Deck 11, there is no longer an electrical outlet in the bath...

It was fine--and brand new is always nice--but I didn't find the AquaClass baths in the new Deck 11 cabins to be anything special... Those on Solstice-Class are to my mind larger/more stylish and offer better layout/utility [other than the wash basin!] and more storage...

I did like the Deck 11 location... Though served only by the aft elevators [very convenient to Oceanview and Blu] without going outdoors, I liked the quiet, privacy, and short corridors... There are doors at each end of the port and starboard corridor; the aft doors offer a quick shortcut to the Sunset Bar/aft section of the buffet while the forward doors access the open deck [toward Qsine or down to the pool]...

Following was the line-up for the sailing from January 15 to January 29 [santiago to Buenos Aires]...

• Master - Michael Sympouras [apparently, he has recently been promoted to Captain]
  
• Hotel Director - Ken Ismail [previously affiliated with Guest Relations]
  
• Cruise Director - Steve Gaydos
  
• Captain's Club Hostess - Gabriela Larrainzar
  
• Party Band - Twist Of 8
  

Do you all think that Celebrity will do same on a 5 night cruise?? (Family of 16 on Millie Dec 17-22) Hope so -- my family will be impressed!!

To the best of my knowledge and in my experience, it's done on every Celebrity cruise regardless of duration...

But in case you are not aware, you can avoid the spa sales pitches by writing the words "No Products" at the top of the pre-treatment questionnaire...

There have been numerous threads relative to sailing Celebrity while observing a gluten-free diet on this board... The topic comes up frequently...

You can access them using the Search feature at the top of this page... Click on that link, then select Advanced Search, enter the term "Gluten Free" in the text box, select "Celebrity Cruises" in the Forums list, and launch the search... I just did so and came up with 65 threads addressing your question...

If those threads don't discuss gluten-free beer, try searching again with the product name...

I expect you'll find that Celebrity is most accommodating in meeting your dietary needs... Enjoy!

Do you really think 1605 and 1610 are even bigger balconies than 1601 and 1606? We tried counting the wooden slats and they seemed to be the same. Has anyone measured or been in both to compare?

It's my impression that the verandahs for 1605/1610 are a bit larger than 1601/1606 [i've sailed in all four of the cabin pairs (1599/1604, 1601/1606, 1603/1608, and 1605/1610)--some more than once] but I've never measured/counted slats as I didn't find the difference to be material... It could be that 1605/1610--being furthest out on the angle--just seem a bit brighter to me [and provide the clearest view forward relative to the structural supports between the angles]...

There are others who have made the same observation but I don't know that any have been particularly scientific about it either [be wary of some of the earliest posts that were initially incorrect and subsequently corrected]...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1147317

Fact is, they're terrific cabins and I always try to snag 1605/1610, 1601/1606, 1603/1608 in that order... I'll be in 1601 on Eclipse in August, 2153 [which is equivalent to 1605 with expansion of AquaClass cabins--and the addition of AquaClass suites--to Deck 12] on Reflection in November 2012, and 1605 on Solstice for a B2B2B2B in 2013; don't know why exactly but I personally tend to select cabins on the port side of the ship if both in a pair are available...

I got my wires crossed when I quickly reported on the bed position for AquaClass 1606...

1601, 1604, 1605, and 1608 have the bed adjacent to the verandah... 1599, 1603, 1606 and 1610, have the bed adjacent to the closet/near the bath...

Truly sorry for the misinformation... I've stayed in--and have reserved--these staterooms often enough to know better...

Sorry, I inadvertantly duplicated my last post while trying to do a small edit to it... The Board is behaving strangely this evening!

Thanks Xport, I appreciate all the input I can get. Do you think that a move of just 2 cabins over would make that much of a difference? I believe it's still available and I might consider moving (but I think I'll like the music), but looking at the deck plans 1133 is not on the end, 1139 is with a hallway between.

www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/Main/dragitresize75.php?ship=Celebrity Summit

I could be completely wrong, let me know. Thanks

I'm relieved to know that you accepted my comments in the spirit in which they were intended! I was tempted to share them when I first saw your post but didn't want to come across as questioning your choice... Ultimately, I decided to share my experiences and my thoughts about the new Deck 11 cabins after having considered the very same issues myself--they're a complete unknown but I am psyched about them--about three weeks ago...

As to moving... Well, I do enjoy the music--especially at pre-dinner happy hour/as I'm getting ready for dinner--and it's audible from all the afts... I'm just saying that it would be toned down a bit as you move from the center [as a reference, I've had 8185 and 7203 and will sail in 8170 in July] if important to you... And as for smoke, I'm guessing that it will also be dampened a bit--if important--by moving as far to the starboard side [ie; 1130] from center given that smoking is restricted to the port side of Deck 10 Aft [sunset Bar; that area is also the outdoor dining area for the adjacent buffet] on both Infinity and Constellation... And though I didn't mention it earlier, I personally like the idea that the hallways flanking one side of 1130 and 1133--which seem to end in a stairwell to Deck 10 [i'm predicting they'll get little use and yet provide an express route to the bar/buffet for us!] means no neighbor noise [not that I've encountered much of it on any Celebrity cruise] from one side...

You really took my breath away when I first read your reference to 1133 but, after looking at your link, it is the room I want! If the aft verandahs on the new Deck 11 cabins are going to be oversized as they are on Decks 7, 8, and 9 [two penthouses occupy the aft of Deck 6], it will be those numbered 1130, 1133, 1138, 1140, and 1141... 1136 and 1139 are not truly afts--cabins that provide a direct, head-on view to the ship's wake--but are rather the rearmost cabins on the starboard and port sides of the ship... Those had some initial appeal to me but no one at Celebrity could tell me if those verandahs would be open to two sides [ie; port and aft or starboard and aft]... And then, the stairwell doors at the end of those L-shaped hallways directly abut 1136 and 1139 so as to create some potential for noise...

Regardless of what you decide--it comes down to personal preference and informed choice, I sincerely doubt that you'll be disappointed in any of those brand new afts on Deck 11... And I expect you'll thoroughly enjoy AquaClass... I've done it four times now on the Solstice-Class ships, have it booked on six future Solstice-Class cruises, and am really looking forward to experiencing it on Infinity [the first of the M-Class ships on which AquaClass is being introduced] in January...

So glad you found my comments to be of value... It was never my intent to question your judgement or alarm you... Above all else, enjoy!

Thanks Xport, I appreciate all the input I can get. Do you think that a move of just 2 cabins over would make that much of a difference? I believe it's still available and I might consider moving (but I think I'll like the music), but looking at the deck plans 1133 is not on the end, 1139 is with a hallway between.

www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/Main/dragitresize75.php?ship=Celebrity Summit

I could be completely wrong, let me know. Thanks

I'm relieved to know that you accepted my comments in the spirit in which they were intended! I was tempted to share them when I first saw your post but didn't want to come across as questioning your choice... Ultimately, I decided to share my experiences and my thoughts about the new Deck 11 cabins after having considered the very same issues myself--they're a complete unknown but I am psyched about them--about three weeks ago...

As to moving... Well, I do enjoy the music--especially at pre-dinner happy hour/as I'm getting ready for dinner--and it's audible from all the afts... I'm just saying that it would be toned down a bit as you move from the center [as a reference, I've had 8185 and 7203 and will sail in 8170 in July] if important to you... And as for smoke, I'm guessing that it will also be dampened a bit--if important--by moving as far to the starboard side [ie; 1130] from center given that smoking is restricted to the port side of Deck 10 Aft [sunset Bar; that area is also the outdoor dining area for the adjacent buffet] on both Infinity and Constellation... And though I didn't mention it earlier, I personally like the idea that the hallways flanking one side of 1130 and 1133--which seem to end in a stairwell to Deck 10 [i'm predicting they'll get little use and yet provide an express route to the bar/buffet for us!] means no neighbor noise [not that I've encountered much of it on any Celebrity cruise] from one side...

You really took my breath away when I first read your reference to 1133 but, after looking at your link, it is the room I want! If the aft verandahs on the new Deck 11 cabins are going to be oversized as they are on Decks 7, 8, and 9 [two penthouses occupy the aft of Deck 6], it will be those numbered 1130, 1133, 1138, 1140, and 1141... 1136 and 1139 are not truly afts--cabins that provide a view to the ship's wake--but are rather the rearmost cabins on the starboard and port sides of the ship... Those had some initial appeal to me but no one at Celebrity could tell me if those verandahs would be open to two sides [ie; port and aft or starboard and aft]... And then, the stairwell doors at the end of those L-shaped hallways directly abut 1136 and 1139 so as to create some potential for noise...

Regardless of what you decide--it comes down to personal preference and informed choice, I sincerely doubt that you'll be disappointed in any of those brand new afts on Deck 11... And I expect you'll thoroughly enjoy AquaClass... I've done it four times now on the Solstice-Class ships, have it booked on five future Solstice-Class cruises, and am really looking forward to experiencing it on Infinity [the first of the M-Class ships on which AquaClass is being introduced] in January...

So glad you found my comments to be of value... It was never my intent to question your judgement or alarm you... Above all else, enjoy! Don't be surprised if Celebrity wins you over...

1601 and 1606 have slightly larger verandahs than 1603 [though it's still significantly oversized] and feature the bed adjacent to the balcony... 1603 features the bed adjacent to the bath/closet... I'm generally indifferent as to bed position--some are not--but would advise that I'd personally select a cabin with bed near the balcony if you plan to split the bed into twins [it becomes really tight in accessing the closet otherwise]...

Those AquaClass cabins on the angle near the mid-ships elevators are my personal favorites... I've sailed them four times--and have one booked for six future cruises [my personal favorites are 1605 and 1610 if available; those verandahs are even a bit larger than 1601/1606]...

Truth of the matter is that after considering what's important to you--port versus starboard, verandah size, bed position--you would be hard-pressed to fault the selection of any of the cabins you cited...

Enjoy!

Just spoke to Celebrity and was told they just got updated deck plans for Summit. He told me that the aft facing cabins are over the sunset bar. They are recessed for privacy but he said that if you are really offended by cigarette smoke not to take these cabins as smoking is allowed on the deck below. I don't smoke but I'm not really offended by it either so I booked the center aft cabin! YAY, I think it'll be a fun place to be.

And it may not matter to you... But I've sailed aft cabins on M-Class twice now, have another booked for Alaska in July, and have booked one of the new AquaClass afts on Deck 11 [specifically, 1133] for a South America trip on Infinity next January...

Obviously, I'm hooked! But you might want to know that, on my past trips on both Constellation and Infinity, it was not uncommon for the guitarist--with amp--to sometimes [afternoons and evenings] play outdoors after setting up smack dab in the middle and along the rear rail of the Sunset Bar... It never bothered me--and in fact, I enjoyed it even though it sometimes went to 11:00 PM--but I'm not sure that I'd have wanted to occupy the center aft on Deck 9 immediately below [in fact, I've selected afts on Decks 7 and 8 as all of those on Deck 9 get some amount of foot traffic from above]...

I selected 1133 [end aft/port] based upon the fact that my South America trip is traveling eastbound [santiago to Buenos Aires] and will be positioned just a bit closer to the coast line even though I know, at least on Infinity and Constellation, that smoking on that outdoor dining deck around Sunset Bar is restricted to the port side...

Not trying to rain on your parade... 1140 might well be a terrific cabin and suit you in every respect [and in any case, it will be fun to have a newly constructed cabin with the prospect of an oversized verandah]... But if you're interested in muting the entertainment a bit and reducing the smoke exposure, you might want to consider moving to a Deck 11 aft [i predict that they'll become very popular] favoring the starboard side of the ship...

Just my observations; hope you realize that they're intended to be helpful/constructive...

The doors to the Main Dining Room are closed 30 minutes after the start of each of the dinner seatings; late comers may not be accommodated...

If you were to select First [Early] Seating, you would be expected to vacate the table with ample time for it to be reset for Late Seating; it will likely be assigned to others at that time... While there is probably more latitude to linger following Late Seating, know that the Service Staff will be readying the Dining Room for the next morning's breakfast [and though they won't express it, will be eager to call it a day]...

And finally, please do let your tablemates--if you plan to be seated with others--and/or your Servers know if you expect to arrive more than a few minutes late for Traditional Dining so that they feel comfortable taking orders and starting service in your absence... It's considered good form...

By entering the term Luggage Valet in the search box at the top of Celebrity's home page...

That you should probably pay less attention to your fellow cruiser; a peek--probably from the corridor--wouldn't afford much perspective... The verandahs on the angles are oversized; they are no wider left-to-right than ship standard but they do extend out further than the norm and are irregularly shaped to follow the angle...

They are certainly not super-sized like the M-Class afts are...

My recommendation is that you relax...

The only problem was the thallasotherapy pool was cold. We mentioned this to one of the officers and notice that toward the end of the cruise they drained the pool.

On S-Class ships, The Solarium Pool does not have Thalassotherapy features as you will find on the M-Class ships and Mercury... During our sailing, the Solarium Pool was drained because of rough seas... Early Friday morning, the waves in the Solarium Pool were akin to those found in a Wave Rider [only they were multi-directional] and there was as much water on each end of the Solarium floor as there was in the pool; its use--and, for that matter, just walking through the area--would have been hazardous...

I, too, thoroughly enjoyed sailing with Captain Kafetzis... He has a wickedly keen sense of humor, an engaging personality, a seemingly terrific rapport with and respect from the ship's staff, and is just a really nice/no pretense guy... Hope to have the opportunity to sail with him again in the future...

I believe that the pools are the only part of the Solarium that has an age restriction (16+). At least those were the only places (pool & 2 hottubs) on the Solstice that I saw any signs mentioning age.

Was enforced on Solstice last week... There was a very contentious episode in which a couple attempted to bring their young children into one of the Solarium whirlpools after having just been shooed from the Solarium pool by a guest... A Security Officer was there to enforce the posted rules in an instant and, though subject to quite a harangue from both parents, steadfastly and tactfully held his ground... He told the couple--repeatedly--that children under 16 could pass through and, with parental accompaniment, lounge in the Solarium but could not use the pool or whirlpools there...

I was impressed by Security's handling of the matter from every perspective...

Deck - Penthouse

Cabin # - 1511

Class – AquaClass

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – Balcony

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – Extremely quiet despite spa/gym above [perhaps there is a dead zone above]. No adjacent service areas. Local foot traffic only.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Quite unobstructed but stateroom is six back from the front of the ship on the deck above the cantilvered bridge. I didn't find the bridge obtrusive and actually found the view of the ship's officers at work to be pretty interesting when we were arriving and departing from ports...

Balcony Size? Normal/oversized for class? Normal

Was wind a problem? Once when extremely windy at sea.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? Not Applicable

Any specific problems with this cabin? None; I'd choose it again.

Any other comments? Not particularly close to elevators and it was a hike to Blu [but good exercise]... Easy access to Solarium. The Relaxation Room--really the waiting room for the spa but otherwise accessible--is a real treasure of quiet and is just steps away.