chemmo

With all different swaps and changes to rules I think all of us seem to be reading the latest versions (including small print) before we hit that final payment date! I wonder if you do inform Celebrity they will actually process or use the data to make informed decisions? I guess if they leave the requirement in the ‘small print’ so no one reads or responds then it will make cruising look safer…

Love the RS on S class. We have done a CS once and would never do it again. It was the ‘inside’ bedroom and shower over tub we didn’t like…Some guests like the darkness of the CS bedroom but we really didn’t like it. The CS is definitely a marmite suite on S class…you either love it or hate it! The RS, in our opinion, is a much nicer experience. Separate shower and spa bath, decent sized bedroom and very spacious lounge. Re the perks. We do enjoy the in suite bar set up and the unlimited dining as we don’t want to dine in Luminae every night. You do also get free laundry service and on many cruises invites to a few special events. All I can suggest is you look at some YouTube videos to help you make a decision. If you rarely drink in suite, plan to dine in Luminae most nights and find the CS will suite you then definitely not worth the extra. However, if you can secure at a good price why not give it a go?

Agree, I would possibly phone with a cruise in mind for next year…So you would be booking before the expiry date (following rules) and simply requesting an extension to when it has to be used by.

There is usually a letter in your cabin when you board. It lists the breakfast along with any other events. Often easy on boarding to miss it as being a sales leaflet or you may simply put it to one side meaning to read later…There can be events you need to phone up to say you want to attend like a wine tasting and a behind the scenes tour. Surprised you hadn’t read about the perks on CC there have been multiple posts and one of the few things well described on the Celebrity website. Historically, pre drinks packages, a key perk was the evening cocktail event in the sky lounge with free drinks, canopies and music. Although we always had access to the suite lounge and a drinks package we loved the Captains Club events and would frequently attend. Nice venue, good company. I do understand that many like to have drinks elsewhere but it would be nice if a few ‘events’ were reinstated. As others have said the breakfast makes a nice change. On S class ships it is in Tuscan with wonderful wake views. It is also open a bit later than Blu and Luminae (10am). We find it a great choice on sea days when we may have slept in and want to avoid a busy buffet. The laundry is a great perk. Whilst I would never put delicate items in it is great for items you would put in a general mixed wash at home. Clothes come back folded.

If I remember correctly when we were on a cold cruise family time was something like 4 - 6 pm. I am sure it will vary depending on ship, number of sea days etc so hopefully a few others will relate their experience.

Your posts have been part of my early morning coffee routine for so many weeks now I shall miss them! Looking forward to your next adventure!

Thank you for the information. I am usually not a ‘posh’ handbag person, when I buy a bag it is usually to stuff things in and to tote around. However, with lots of OBC next cruise I might have decided it was time to treat myself. Like you I don’t have an issue with pre owned but I would want to know. Also as a naive purchaser I would have no idea if during the bags ‘make over’ pre resale if a catch had been swapped, a handle repaired…things that could effect its resale value.

There have been many threads about the Luminae menu. Historically there have been significant criticisms about the limited choices but few criticisms about the food quality or service. In our experience it is the limited choices on the menu and it’s ‘playful’ wording that tend to be the reason why many people order from the MDR menu. Hence, those who have found the Luminae menu to their style and taste thoroughly enjoy whilst others choose to opt for the MDR menu. A reflection of limited choices rather than poor food quality.

The thing we like about the Retreat Host/butler service is that they are only a phone call away if you need them but they are not ‘hovering’ if you don’t.

Sounds sensible. Or at least not allocate them until close to sailing date.

We find we do best by generally trying to stick to some either/or restrictions. In that no food is banned but we do try to make choices on what we would enjoy the most. Needless to say some days we will break our rules but overall we keep to them fairly well. Light breakfast (fruit and cereals) and reasonable lunch or real breakfast and salad/soup lunch. Avoid in between snacking (cafe cookies and ice cream) or eat one and skip dessert at dinner. Make sure I always request diet sodas. Only eat what I want on each plate at dinner. In the evening ask for sauces on the side. Often skip the dessert or just eat half. Always have a drink of water on the side when enjoying an alcoholic beverage so I am sipping the alcohol to enjoy not to quench the thirst.

Sincere best wishes for a negative test soon.

OP, before we book anything we do personal research first, we never rely on advertising, Travel Agents or phone staff who probably have not been on any ship. We would never book a cruise on any line without asking lots of questions first mostly on this site. Nothing like advice and opinions from people who have actually ‘been, seen and done’… We have cruised Solstice twice in suites (pre covid) and thoroughly enjoyed. Michael’s Club was a nice relaxing venue for pre and post dinner drinks. Luminae was pleasant and definitely a cut above the MDR. We had a fantastic butler who saw to everything we asked for including arranging a sail away party. Our room was not revamped but was still in very good condition. I can understand that you have felt mislead but with three different classes of ships and differences within each class it is difficult. If the bells and whistles of a new ship with a full Retreat experience is important to you then as others have suggested cancel and re book but you must do your homework first. If you don’t you could find you still book a room/experience that does not reach your expectations. For example, some suite rooms on Edge class overlook the Magic Carpet, the Royal Suite on Edge has a tiny balcony, only higher suites get some additional perks like in suite bar set up and unlimited speciality dining…You need to get a full picture of exactly what your room and suite experience will be like before booking. If you decide to swap cruise lines my advice would be the same…Do your homework first. All lines will have some anomalies between ships and then between suite categories.

No….

Safe and pleasant journey….

Totally understand, we bailed out of anything involving flights months ago and opted for a cruise from Southampton rather than a USA cruise or Mediterranean cruise this year. We are not without hope and have a Florida holiday and Caribbean cruise booked for March 2023. If the worry of what could go wrong on a holiday is occupying your mind more than what could go wrong it simply isn’t worth it.

Getting on with having a good time regardless is all you can do given present circumstances! Unfortunately it doesn’t make cold food any tastier…Perhaps you should resort to salad starters and ice cream desserts then at least two of your three courses would be the right temperature! Totally agree with you that Celebrity does need to get on top of it or their reputation will suffer. Those guests trying Celebrity for the first time may see present levels as the norm and regular cruisers may decide to move to other lines… Sincere best wishes that you can continue to enjoy…

We find atmosphere, activity range, food offerings etc does vary a bit from cruise to cruise…Some of this I think is dependent on the guests on board as well as the concierge staff. Generally each cruise we have experienced an officer’s event, usually first chic night. Then one or two musical events early evening. During the day there is usually a future cruise talk and the option to meet privately with future cruise staff. Concierge staff usually also arrange a helipad sail away and some behind the scenes tours. OP make sure you chat to the concierge if you would like a galley tour etc. However, it is possible that with the covid situation at present they may not be offering them. We find if the same people pop in on a daily basis for pre or post dinner drinks chatting moves from the starting conversations to the building of long lasting friendships. Once a few guests are regularly in then more are likely to walk in and stay and experience rather than turn around and go if they spot a ghost town. I do think the manner and engagement of the concierge staff has a lot to do with the atmosphere also. There are those who sit at their decks/stand at their podium saying a quick ‘hello’ to guests as they enter and then there are those who circulate…Spending time to chat with guests, asking how their cruise is going, asking about their plans. We never use Michael’s/Retreat Lounge as our only bar but we often enjoy for a few pre dinner drinks. We were surprised how much we missed the regular events when during our staycation cruise no gatherings were arranged for obvious reasons. Re food…In our experience you can order a cheese plate or something else to be delivered to your room but not usually to the Retreat Lounge. We usually order an afternoon tea selection in our suite at about 4pm. We have definitely seen some snacks available early evening every cruise, even during our staycation cruise when you had to be served, (certainly more than celery sticks) but have rarely eaten them. I wonder if many are presently not eating snacks (seeing them as buffet food) so they have reduced the number/range of offerings? Certainly I would pass on food left out in any venue at present. OP, I hope you enjoy your first suite experience! I think there is a fine balance re activities in Michael’s/Retreat. Many, like us, want a relaxing venue where we can enjoy a quiet drink and light conversation. We would not like trivia or the silent disco there. If we wanted to participate in those events we would go the usual venues.

We used ours! We actually sunbathed on it in Liverpool….Not a sentence I ever thought I would write on CC!

We were on Silhouette last September, back on board her in October and then again March ‘23. Our favourite ship! I will do live reviews so keep watching! We loved the extra speciality dining choices on Silhouette and the suite deck is a bonus. I promise we will look after her for you. The Southern Caribbean is a great itinerary, lots of variety of excursion choices. Rather than think of it being a long time until you are on board see it as lots of time to look forward to it…

Agree with other posters that the best food is in Murano. Service level and table side preparation all add to the experience. However, if you are leaving a port at about 6pm it is worth booking an early Tuscan Grill to enjoy the view. Sip your first drink and peruse the menu as you see the ship’s ropes come off and slowly leave the port, enjoy your starters as the port fades into the distance and relax with your entree as day turns to night…More to a dining experience than just the food. We have cruised on Eclipse three times. Each time Murano was very popular and on at least one cruise there were no on board discounts. Tuscan, however, did have offers especially if you were willing to dine early or late.

If I remember correctly both cruises from the UK and Australia do not have any charges with extra % service add ons. I seem to remember noticing when we cruise from the UK drink prices look higher than when cruising from the USA but when you add on the grat % in the USA then they are the same. Could be similar?

I feel really sorry for the staff too in this situation. I know it doesn’t make poor service acceptable but it must be really hard to be trying to best guess how to do a job without adequate support and supervision and then get ear ache from disgruntled guests…At least if our experience is bad we get off after a few days, they are on for several months! It could be useful for many middle management staff to pitch in with all roles not only just in short staff situations. It would keep them better informed about both the guest experience and the pressure on staff…

A very variable market at present…We are paying a lot for a Silhouette cruise from Southampton in October (there have been no suite rooms left for months) but have a great price for the Silhouette from Miami next Spring. Let’s just hope we all manage a few bargains but that Celebrity (in particular) and other cruise lines generally can get over the last few very challenging years…

I am now rather pleased we are not on board until October…By then hopefully the staff will know what they are doing! Retreat Managers seem a bit hit and miss in our experience. We did have an issue on Reflection which we shared with the Manager and his response was outstanding. On other ships they tend to have been rather invisible, including pre covid…I guess their role should only really kick in if there are issues other members of the Retreat team cannot deal with but it would be nice to see them once in a while!