chemmo

What is ‘a shortie’?

Yes, we did do the UK cruise last year. We did a live review from the PH which I think you contributed to. A pity everyone was focusing on keeping apart on that cruise rather than meeting up! So pleased you are trying Cunard, I will look out on both boards for your comments. I am sure a comparative review would be enjoyed by many Celebrity regulars. We have happily cruised Celebrity now for many years finding it a good fit. We like the decor and design of the bigger suites and enjoy the suite perks. We have no complaints with Celebrity, we are not ‘jumping ships’ but if we want to cruise more without flying then Cunard becomes an obvious contender… Choosing holidays (of any type) is all about knowing what aspects are important to you but you can risk missing out on new experiences and adventures if you aren’t willing to try something new. Important to us are… A good sized room and balcony Bar music (classic and contemporary both enjoyed) A range of bars to suit all moods A range of restaurants (classic and casual) Not interested in casinos, big shows, shops… It would appear our concerns are similar. From what I have read on the Cunard board food quality is very good. I have no issues that we would not be well fed. Valuing the OPs food and drink knowledge I would probably concur that if you want fine dining every night then Cunard has the advantage over Celebrity. However, for example, whilst many on the Celebrity board find the food in Tuscan Grill a bit basic (steak/pasta) we love the venue with the fabulous views and it’s pleasant but very relaxed atmosphere. My husband is happy in a comfortable smart polo or open necked shirt I will be in a simple top and skirt…The food is what it is, a decent steak and unpretentious pasta selection. Similar to what one would get in an Italian Restaurant in most towns and none the worse for it. This will be our choice a couple of nights per cruise. Also some nights we may go in Sushi and simply share a selection of small plates. It is the lack of variety in venues that concerns us on Cunard. Re drinks. We do like the fact the drinks are included on Celebrity. We are not massive drinkers but by the time you add in the cost of decent wine with dinner, speciality coffee, sparkling water and a cocktail or three it is nice not to worry about a final bill! One of the advantages to us of a drinks package is that I then become more experimental. I will try new wines and cocktails. When paying by the bottle or glass I tend to be more conservative. This would not be a deal breaker on booking Cunard for us. Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise, really looking forward to reading your opinions.

Sincere thanks for your comments. I would (relying on the pictures) agree that the QG is a cut above Luminae on Celebrity. I am sure we would enjoy dining there some nights. What makes me a little reluctant to try Cunard is we have got used to varying the ‘ambiance’ of our dining experiences on Celebrity. I don’t necessarily want fine dining every night. For example, on the Silhouette in addition to the suite restaurant we could enjoy the ‘formal’ experience of Murano the ‘Italian steakhouse’ feel of Tuscan, the ‘family BBQ’ feel of the Lawn Grill, ‘casual Asian’ in Sushi on Five….Whilst I am sure in terms of food quality QG would win I am unsure about one dining style, especially on longer cruises. Perhaps we should try a short Cunard cruise and see how we get on! I guess we are not real ‘foodies’ just people who enjoy a variety of food and food types.

Thanks for your review. Thoroughly enjoyed reading. As usual with your reviews you make my drinking pattern look very modest and tame! Totally understand your love of the lights…lifetime experiences to treasure! Trying Cunard is something we have been considering for a while…We are regular Celebrity PH/RS cruisers… The QG food does look lovely. Totally understand you wanting to dine there all the time on your first experience. However, I assume there are other restaurant alternatives? Different styles of venue as well as different styles of food? More themed, more relaxed? If so is the cost included with a top suite or is it extra? Perhaps some regular Cunard travellers could respond as well as OP? Quite simply much as the QG food and service looks and sounds excellent I wouldn’t want to dine in the same restaurant every night.

Yes. However, after asking we never actually dined there. We fancied trying it one sea day lunchtime after skipping breakfast. However in our experience the food option only seemed to be open evening. Not our idea of an evening dining venue. Hope others respond with different experiences…I think we checked on one Med and one Caribbean cruise…

Agree! We always struggle to get butlers to understand we want a ‘small selection of…’. Also we want our small selection ‘instead of’ not ‘as well as’ the standard delivery of afternoon snacks. As you say, such a pity when things go to waste. Somehow we do always manage to find a small hole to fill…it would be rude not to…

Cafe al Bacio has a range of good quality brewed teas, hot and iced. You get collect these yourself or ask your butler to deliver. Alternatively, ask for a kettle and tea selection and brew your own. If you want a theatre tour, a bridge tour or a galley tour speak to the Retreat Concierge on boarding. He/she tend to be in charge of organising these rather than your butler. It is the Retreat concierge who also arranges helipad sail aways and other events. With covid still being an issue be aware tours may be limited/not running on some cruises. The difference with the bought tour is that on a sea day you would do the full behind the scenes tour in one go. When you arrange through the concierge each aspect will most likely be separate. If you are only interested in certain aspects then the Concierge arranged tours may suit you better. If you would like a comprehensive overview the paid tour is worth doing. We have on a couple of occasions (PH and RS guests) been invited on the last sea day to a bridge tour followed by a private lunch in Blu with the senior officers. Nice event.

If you pre arrange the night before it will come pretty much on time requested as does all room service. If you place on order via the TV or by phoning your butler just be tolerant there will be some delay (especially on port days where room service tends to be well used). Remember there is the Elite breakfast (if you are E or above) that runs until 10am and that the Retreat lounge has breakfast snacks too…

Agree the OPs question has been answered. However, I do think that some guests (with extended family) can ‘push the boundaries’ of acceptable expectations. I am not suggesting the OP is one of them but it does explain the number of responses. We were on a cruise in a RS shortly after the laundry perk was changed from ‘unlimited’ to twice per cruise. We were told this was because some upper suites with extended family in other rooms literally were sending in the full family washing! From personal experience we were on a cruise where the PH guests were very demanding on behalf of their extended family putting the butler and Retreat staff in a difficult position…They do want to offer great service to higher suite guests but not at the expense of other guests…a fine balance.

All about what you want from your holiday… Firstly we like the dress code on Celebrity. We like smart casual. We don’t want to dress up (DH in, particular, does not want to be in a suit every night) but we do like to be smart/casual. Secondly, we like the ship in a ship concept. We enjoy the full ship experience with all its included speciality restaurants offered on Celebrity. We also enjoy visiting a range of bars, not just sticking to the Retreat Lounge. Thirdly we enjoy being able to ‘retreat to the Retreat’ for the more club atmosphere. We also like the diversity on Celebrity, a nice mix of US, UK, European and others…

How nice! It is little touches like this that make a cruise special. As a guest who enjoys the occasional sweet sherry pre dinner we often find it hard to get (especially on Caribbean itineraries). A few years ago I asked in Michael’s if they had it. They didn’t, no big deal, I ordered something else. The next evening the bar tender proudly announced he had found two bottles. One of which he had put under the bar so no one else would see or request it from the shelf and the other he asked what other bars we went to regularly and he would arrange for it to be there. That bit of above and beyond service often turns a good cruise into an exceptional one.

You would do far better buying before boarding. On our more recent med cruises we find we need less and less Euros. Just a few for tips off ship and an occasional street vendor. Even small bars on small Greek Islands now invariably take cards. Owing to the high pickpocketing incidents in parts of Europe it can be worth taking a card with a low credit limit on it for off ship rather than the card you are registered with on ship. Can save a lot of messing if you are unlucky…

Think of RC as ‘Action, Adventure and Entertainment ’ and Celebrity as ‘Relaxation, Rest and Enjoyment ’. We can come off a RC cruise exhausted, we come off a Celebrity cruise happy and refreshed. There is plenty to do on Celebrity, it is just there are lots of venues where the focus is simply on enjoying meeting new people and making new friends, listening to a variety of music or simply watching the world go by… In our experience food on Celebrity at all levels is better than RC. I would suggest, especially as you like casual dress in the evening, that you do visit Lawn Grill. It has a family BBQ vibe. A mix of meat and fish options. Sushi also is worth a visit. Sincere best wishes for a great cruise!

Butlers are either port or starboard side. So the butler who does the PH will do the adjoining Sky Suite too. The number of suites a butler will service can be dependent on staffing, especially in these difficult times. Asking in advance for things daily rather than last minute phone calls can help your butler organise his time and assist with conflicting demands. We have been on cruises where there have been ‘demanding’ guests. Not often but occasionally. I particularly remember a PH guest on one ship demanding a hot buffet breakfast set up in his room daily for his whole family (12 more people if I remember correctly). I know about this because the guest came into Michael’s as we were sipping coffee and complaining to the concierge that the butler had refused to arrange it and had ‘only’ offered to set up coffee and pastries for that number of guests… If you experience any concerns about butler service then talk to your butler first. Sometimes it can simply be a communication problem. For example, you may have requested morning coffee daily but he may have interpreted this as you would contact him if you wanted morning coffee…Remember, English is rarely the butler’s first language. If after a chat requests are still not being fulfilled then ask to speak to the suite manager. Up to him to find out what the issues are.

The easiest way to work out what to request is to think about your ‘daily’ routine. Things you regularly want. For example, we like to make our own early morning tea and afternoon tea so we always request a tea tray set up and a kettle. Well, we are English! We also enjoy a fruit bowl with a selection of apples, pears, oranges and bananas. We always request a small selection of afternoon tea sandwiches and mini pastries. Usually a problem with the word ‘small’. Often enough food arrives for a party. We end up stressing ‘two mini sandwiches each and one mini tart each! We ask our butler to ‘vary’ a selection to enjoy on the balcony late at night with a last drink. A shrimp platter, cheese plate, veggies and dip. This will be left in our cooler for us to enjoy on return to our suite. We also request sliced lime and lemon in the cooler as part of our bar set up. We try to think of things we don’t want or need to disturb the butler for. Hope you have a fantastic cruise!

OrcaGirl, sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise! From a cold, wet and grey England I hope you get some good weather we can vicariously enjoy!

So pleased, so much nicer when you don’t have to chase up.

In our experience on lots of cruises it is usually about two weeks out. We have our email drafted ready with bar set up, pillows, speciality dining etc listed. We find sending a mail is more successful than verbal requests. We also take a copy of our mail on board for our butler to use as a check list, very useful if your requests haven’t been forwarded. We also ask our butler to check all dining reservations. Just occasionally only the first night has been booked. We always pre book our speciality dining then adjust it if necessary when on board to accommodate any shows, special events etc. We like Murano on sea days when we are fresh enough to enjoy a longer more formal meal and Tuscan when leaving a port so we can enjoy the views. The speciality restaurants really appreciate you pre booking but will try their best to fit you in if you like to be more flexible. Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

If you visit any of the speciality restaurants the day before you intend to dine they will go through the menu with you. They will indicate options suitable, choices that can be modified and suggest alternatives they can offer. If you don’t discuss before visiting then it can be difficult for them to modify or arrange alternatives last minute.

On boarding speak to the M’D. He will arrange each evening after dining for you to look at the next evenings menu. They will discuss with you options that are suitable or could be modified for you. If nothing is suitable they will happily offer alternatives. Luminae have no issues catering to people with special dietary needs but they do appreciate the 24hours pre planning. Have a great cruise!

This was the point where we started booking a RS. Two separate sleeping areas, one and a half bathrooms but the young teen is still in your room. Yes, the suite option is expensive but so is a solo room and so many perks with a suite…

Thanks for your review.

Free laundry is a perk for RS and above. In a Sky Suite it is a charge per item. However, ask your butler about the ‘fill a bag offer’ which is sometimes available mid cruise. It is a wash and fold service and you can fit quite a lot in the bag. Suitable for items you would put in a hot mixed wash at home, not suitable for delicates. Also if you are Elite or above you get some free laundry.

Do they have a Porch on Beyond? My apologies if I my responses have caused confusion. My experiences with The Porch have been on Reflection and Silhouette, S class.

There is a big difference between moving on with your life and putting others at risk. If one of our family has ever even had a mild tummy bug on a cruise or at an AI resort then we will self isolate…It is simply the right thing to do. ‘’Taking responsibility for your own health’ depends on the cooperation of others. For example to enable more vulnerable groups to protect themselves would you… Not use elevators. Many older guests or guests with mobility issues need an elevator, others simply prefer one. Wear a mask in queuing situations and on coaches. Be vigilant in respecting others personal space. Choose a place to sit in a bar or restaurant not just based on personal choice but also on respecting distancing from others. I sincerely hope you will live long and prosper without a worry or a care… However, many people know they have medical issues. If others are willing to make small compromises on their cruises then the more vulnerable can also enjoy cruising too. Just a little effort from all of us can enable so many more to enjoy life. For those with ‘mileage on the clock’ and those with life threatening illnesses their ‘need’ to cruise now is (in our mind) more valid than those who are in good health and with time on their side… Lexmillar, I do totally understand your viewpoint but older and vulnerable groups should have the right to cruise and expect our fellow cruisers to respect and cope with the issues we face…