chemmo

The descriptions in the MDR and Blu are quite descriptive. However, if you are dining in Luminae it is sometimes necessary to ask the waiter what a dish is like. It is quite ‘playfully’ written. I wouldn’t say I have a particularly healthy meal choice. When I cruise I expect to enjoy some ‘treat foods’. However, my general on ship rules for not over eating are:- Ask for sauces to be ‘on the side’ for many dishes. Don’t pig out on the bread while waiting for your starter! Ask for a side of broccoli and leave the starchy element of the meal. Ask for a starter as a main meal if you know you are not really very hungry. Ask for the salad starter to be served as a main with the always available chicken or salmon. Don’t feel obliged to empty your plate. Either have a small breakfast and a bigger lunch or the other way around. Remember you can always have a simple sorbet or blob of ice cream rather than a full dessert. In the buffet put your salad or vegetables on the plate first then you are less tempted to load with the more fattening elements. With your attitude of being aware of calorie intake then I think you will find eating healthy on board not an issue. See nothing as ‘banned’ but everything as ‘moderated’…

Writing as someone from your neighbourhood the older you get the harder it gets to fly long haul, even when upgrading flights so don’t leave it too long! Having enjoyed two trips in the Pacific and South Pacific I can only say if I close my eyes I can see the sights, hear the noises and even smell the fresh earth smell of the islands…Worth every penny and suffering the flights!

My late husband and I always said we never regretted a penny we spent on cruising because of the fabulous memories…Like yourself, there are moments we will remember forever.

I think you are looking at this the wrong way around…So much is about what you personally want. For example a big room is important to me but for others it may be their lowest priority… If you enjoy shows then RC bigger ships win, if dining quality is important then a smaller luxury line may suit but if lots of dining choices are important then a Celebrity ship with included speciality restaurants may suit you more… Can I suggest you make a list of what is important to you (room size, balcony size, dining preferences, included drinks…). Not only then will you be clearer of what is important to you others may be able to focus their suggestions to your priorities.

Looking back on years of cruising and holidays it is often the ‘little extras’ like special meals or special excursions which we have paid extra for that have been memorable. We have done a few of these dining experiences and agree that the company you are with does make a real difference. After saying that, even our one bad experience was memorable! So nice that you have booked early, gives you longer to look forward to it!

Jim, when we visited we had read a review that had described the town as you have…We opted for a tour that day and were pleased that we had when we finished the day with a stroll around. For the life of me I can’t remember the name of the tour but I remember lots of butterflies! A sign of age and how stressful and expensive flying has become…

Sincere thanks for a wonderful vicarious vacation!

As an older person myself and with mobility issues I have two responsibilities when choosing a tour. Firstly not to choose something where I could hurt myself and secondly not to choose something where my issues could slow down/reduce the enjoyment of fellow travellers. It is a sad fact that many people don’t read the description properly or expect tours to be modified to meet their needs. I remember clearly on a tour in Sicily when an older couple suggested we ‘skip’ a walk to a church and extend the lunch stop that followed as there were lots of steps…Fortunately others in the minibus were vocal in their choice to keep to the itinerary. Dress for excursions never fails to amaze me…flip flops in Pompeii and to climb Mount Teide are two examples that spring to mind. Continuing to enjoy your adventures Norwaylady! Please keep the commentary coming!

Sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery! For one reason and another I have done a lot of vicarious cruising myself this year!

Jim, just a brief message to say thank you for sharing your adventures. Loving every menu, picture and word…

I hate to say this but years ago we had a big ‘new’ crew on Equinox and to describe service as chaotic for the full cruise was an understatement…In all my Celebrity cruises it is the only one where we asked to speak to the hotel manager as so many things were wrong…His cheerful reassurance that “By next week service will be getting nearly back to normal” was not what we wanted/needed to hear! A butler who did nothing but tell us how sore his feet were (and in detail). A room attendant first day who, when I politely asked him to re vacuum the room as there were finger nails by the sofa in the lounge said I should have cut them over a bin. I had to point out to him they were violent red and clearly belonging to the last occupant! None existent service at the Elite cocktail hour…Really none existent. Even the Michael’s Club host was new and tried to tell me we would need to pay for our son’s specialty dining (we were in a RS) and didn’t believe me until she had spoken to the M’D of Murano. Luminae breakfast service was soooooo slooooow and evening service was a bit of a joke with so many errors. When the wrong entrees were brought out to us the waiter turned around moving from table to table asking generally “Has anyone ordered the lamb and salmon?”. When he finally found an owner he then needed reminding about ten minutes later that we were still waiting! We can laugh now looking back but at the time it really was a disaster and disappointment of a cruise. Never experienced anything that bad or remotely near that bad before or since. Quite simply they had swapped over so many staff the new ones weren’t getting the training they needed.

We have cruised Eclipse RS on several occasions and most other S class RS too. We find the rooms lovely. A good sized balcony, lots of space in the living room to relax, entertain and dine in if you wish. Bathroom is really nice too. The RS perks are lovely too. We particularly enjoy the unlimited speciality dining and tend to dine in Tuscan or Murano most evenings. Go for it! Enjoy!

Make sure you add ‘special occasions’ to your planner. As others have said head straight to a speciality restaurant as you board. If you are flexible about the time you dine you are far more likely to get the dates you want. Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

Definitely a ‘hit and miss time’ for the weather in this part of the Mediterranean at this time of year…We have experienced everything from glorious sunshine to torrential downpours! Op, hope you have a wonderful cruise. I would be interested in feedback on Luminae and Michael’s Club once you have experienced both a few times.

Our son did lots of cruises with us in his late teens and early twenties. Sometimes there were others similar age sometimes not. However, we always gave options for active and interesting port days and then he was content to spend the sea days with us crashing poolside, enjoying dining…

We have found the response mixed. On some cruises we have been given a cake, on others a decorated cake slice…Only on one occasion (our son’s birthday) was our room decorated. If you want it celebrating definitely let the M’D know beforehand and on the actual evening.

Having looked at travelling solo this year and the cost I decided to invite family members to join me. It seemed a waste to me to pay to go solo. Just my personal reflection. I guess your choice will depend on what you enjoy on a cruise. Are you someone who enjoys their own company? Spends lots of time reading, doing crosswords etc? If so then you will get your value from your balcony. Or do you enjoy socialising and enjoying the ship’s facilities? Given the choice if I went solo of a balcony vs drinks package I would go for the drinks package. My reasoning is as follows: I like breakfast on the balcony and sitting out in the afternoon for a while but with six sea days in a row I would want to enjoy the ship facilities. I would want to have a swim in the Solarium regardless of the weather, attend some of the lectures, cooking demonstrations, a quiz or two…As you say, if the weather isn’t good you can’t use your balcony but you can enjoy looking out from one of the lounges etc. Whilst I am not a big drinker I do enjoy the social atmosphere of the bar areas. We have made long lasting friendships over the years in bars…During the day I often get my ‘value’ from a drinks package from coffee, non alcoholic cocktails, water and tea! In the evening I do enjoy a pre dinner drink or a drink in the theatre if watching a show and a glass or two of wine with a meal. I do like ordering what I want without considering the cost… I guess what I am saying (perhaps badly) is the balcony offers ‘my time’ and the drinks package offers ‘social settings’. I do understand your ‘sitting alone at a bar…’ but it doesn’t need to be so. On numerous cruises I have visited bars on my own whilst waiting for others to join me and invariably conversations develop. However, I have also joined the roll call for my cruise and do plan on joining in some organised social events, mixing with others… I don’t think there is any right/wrong answer, just what you will get the most pleasure from… Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

So pleased your journey wasn’t as disrupted as many of us feared and that you are refreshed and able to enjoy your pre cruise days… Must confess we tend to more and more look for rooms that are ‘apartment style’. Not only are they often more practical for a pre/post cruise stay they are often very competitively priced… Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

Soooo looking forward to vicariously enjoying a bit of Caribbean sunshine with you…

Both my feet would fit into one slipper so if you are on the petite side of life they are useless!

On our last few wonderful cruises together we splurged on RS and PH…Whilst at the time we didn’t know our time together was limited we did believe in ‘Making it count’…No regrets…

Yes, they did…Some upgrading of furnishings in bard etc. Michael’s Club to be revamped as Retreat Lounge. Ironically I think I would have preferred them to leave Michael’s alone…

We are also booked on Infinity later this year and I telephoned to ask what the update would include…Definitely no suite sun deck.

Mix ups happen. It is how they are handled that matters… Agree, if Celebrity had given the OP free speciality dining and offered a bar set up in addition to the OBC I think that could have taken the sting out of the situation. Ironically it wouldn’t really have cost Celebrity much to do this…

Annoying and disappointing….I feel for you. Having cruised Silhouettes PH it really is a wonderful experience. It would appear you have exhausted all options of complaint now, all you can do is put it behind you, get on board and enjoy your CS. As a note for the future, we find we generally get the best prices for RS and PH shortly after itineraries are released. I know for certain on our Equinox cruise we paid significantly less for our RS than two couples had paid for theirs through the move up system. Perhaps you could soften the blow of your disappointment by looking out for a good offer in the future rather than using the move up system.