bigbenboys

On the S class ships Blu is on deck 5. The MDR kitchen is on deck 4. Blu sits on top of the MDR kitchen.

Sept of last year we were in a sky suite on Solstice. The best meal I had was from the MDR served to me in Luminae (prime rib). Then changes happened in Jan. I have canceled 2 X sailing back in Feb. The reason was removal of prime rib. The limited food in the OVC for dinner. Both sailings were in sky suites. April, Infinity in South America, May, Summit New England. I thought that I had canceled our sky suite for Dec 2023. It was a 16 nights cruise on Eclipse. Last month my TA asked for final payment. Back in Feb we decided to visit friends in England for the holidays and my 65 birthday. So I canceled a 3rd sailing with X. This month we are on Eclipse in a CS. To check out the changes on board. I booked Princess last month for Feb in a Penthouse Suite. While Princess has made changes, but not as much as X. I'm going to wait until after our sailing on Princess to decide if I'm keeping our Sept 2024 SC sailing. Is the grass greener over at Princess. I'm not done with X. June we are on Apex to Iceland in a sky suite. Hoping things are better with X by then.

We normally dont show up until 11:30. On the ship by 12. Luminae lunch hours normally are 12 to 1:30. I dont see any reason to show up early, just to sit around.

For now. I'm pretty sure our butler in our CS will be getting their next tip. Most likely not for our June cruise in a sky suite. Time will tell.

We are Elite+ getting close to Zenith. I'm not looking to book any X until things settle down. I'm thinking 2025.

We mostly book sky suites. This month we are in a CS. Overall we tip $240 extra for 7 to 12 night sailings. Of that amount the butler get $100. We tip extra to staff we interact with daily. If Luminae moves us around to different sections then less tipping of staff. If we dont have the same butler each morning then no extra $100 tip. We are sailing with Princess in Feb. We have one more X sailing in June on Apex in a sky suite. That will be the test for us.

I just book a Princess cruise in a Penthouse Suite with Premium packages. Back after 12 years. Do you have to sign for drinks if you dont have a plus or premium package? For us it is about convenience of not having to sign and for the 2 SD, wifi and Unlimited casual dining meals. Already booked our SD for the days and times we wanted, again convenience. Looking forward to the 360: An Extraordinary Experience. Alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 beverages per 24-hour period (6 a.m. to 6 a.m.). Alcoholic drinks requested above the daily limits are at the discretion of the shipboard management and crew and charged at regular menu prices. Non-alcoholic drinks do NOT have this limitation, nor do they count toward this maximum.

I did you see the video of Crown Princess owner suite A752 on cruisdeckplans. Your on starboard and A752 is on port side.

We will be Elite after our next cruise in Feb. We have been cruising with Celebrity the past 12 years. We are booked in a suite with premium package. What I'm hoping is to meet others that cruise a lot. Hear their stories, thoughts, where their next cruise is going. Their favorite boutique hotel. While the food is great and I will be eating appetizers with my glass of wine.

We are sailing on Celebrity Apex next June. Thanks for the info. Duke of Wellington looked very nice. I looked into booking 3 nights at Pig on the Wall, but to early to book for June. Great photos of Osborne house. On our list of things to see while in Southampton.

Looking forward to your thoughts. Us Celebrity Suite in Sept and Princess Aft Penthouse Suite next Feb. Then Sky Suite next June on Apex.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/captains-club/tiers-and-benefits

The only Azamara cruise we did was Rome to Venice with stops at Taormina, Dubrovnik, Split might have been a couple more stops. I did enjoy the white party bbq out at the pool deck. I will add that I was in my 40's when I sailed on Azamara.

It is also time for us to look at places that Celebrity does not cruise. Like the Black Sea or Seychelles Islands.

I think Celebrity was a Premium brand. Time will tell if it still is. We over 50 cruises and 36 of those with Celebrity. I do like Celebrity suites. With Celebrity moving away from Al. It make me think of a budget airline, everything is ala carte. Celebrity's dress code has been the one big reason not to try higher end cruiselines. Also no smoking inside. We tried Azamara once while the cruise was nice. The ship was boring, just not to much to do. I love the glassblowing. Already booked 2 glassblowing for next month on Eclipse with OBC. We have sailed 4 times since X started back up. The biggest problem I see is in lack of returning staff. 20+ years sailing with X and 12 years since we have sailed on Princess. Trying Princess next Feb in a suite. Feb I'll see how Celebrity compares to Princess. Is a 7 night cruise in a Celebrity Suites next month worth $3k to $5k more than a aft Penthouse Suite on Princess. I might be ready for smaller high end cruise ships in 5 years when I turn 70.

We sailed on Millie out of Seward Alaska last year and friends did not have any problems getting a kettle in their suite.

No, but why would Celebrity think their customers would want a double cheeseburger at dinner.

Thank you, I also wont eat Quail or any young animals. Blu did does serve pigeon (Squab). Never saw Squab on Luminae menu.

I did a google search. I thought it was only European ports. This was dated 2020. Celebrity Cruises is offering their guests an excellent option for enjoying their cruise experience for a few extra hours when the majority of passengers have disembarked. The Extend Your Stay disembarkation provides the flexibility many cruisers appreciate, especially those who drove to the port and those who have a late day flight. This exciting option can be purchased onboard and is available only on cruises that sail roundtrip from Port Everglades, and a handful of European ports.

HAL upgraded both cabins to nice suites. We were not happy as our cabins were not next to each other. It has been 20 years now and we still wont book HAL.

I did fine the following. Four things caught my eye. "You won’t even have to give a thought to your suitcases, neatly tucked away, until you debark from the ship. We will also pack for you at the end of your cruise. Whether you want to reserve a table at Luminae, the private restaurant exclusively for Retreat guests, or wish to dine in your suite, your Retreat Butler and team will act as your personal reservationist throughout your cruise. When dining in your suite, we’ll set the table, serve the meal course by course, then clean up afterward, while you enjoy a freshly made coffee or a glass of wine while gazing at the stars from your veranda." Glad to see Celebrity has not stop us from having parties in our suites with Butler help. "Inviting guests to join you for cocktails? Want to host a get-together to celebrate a birthday or make your anniversary cruise extra special? The services of a trained Retreat Butler and team for these special occasions are invaluable. We can provide advice on what to serve and arrange every detail, from canapes and cocktails to flowers and music, even rearrange the suite to host your guests." Last updated: August 14th, 2023 https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/cruise-butler

We have the same thing happening over at Celebrity. Others are checking Oceania or the higher end lines. I've canceled 4 Celebrity cruises this year all in suites. We have a Celebrity cruise next month and another in June. Hopefully the cruise industry will settle down by next June. We have not cruised Princess in 12 years. I booked a penthouse aft suite for Feb on Discovery. Going to see if the grass it green over at Princess. I do know my pocket is greener. 🤑

I ask for a glass of ice after they pour my water. This way I can top off my own water. Now is it 3 glass of wine to 1 water. 🤪

I'm new to Princess. Our cruise is in Feb with Premier Package. I tried to make SD reservations on the app and they wanted to charge my CC. I tried through the website today and was able to book both SD without charging CC.

Celebrity's app is not any better.