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Add me to the group who always wash glasses before using them in our room….We tend to cruise in suites so have a cupboard full of assorted. Each time we get one from the cupboard it is thoroughly rinsed in hot water…Even if our room attendant has washed them thoroughly you have no idea how long they have been dust gathering. We also always wipe over surfaces with disinfectant wipes, door handles and the remote control. Takes seconds…As others have said this has always been our routine well before covid in hotels as well as on ships to reduce the risk mainly of noro.

Priority is more important at tender ports, that is when you probably will be advised to meet in the Retreat lounge, my apologies if my post was unclear! The concierge will be in contact with the tender station and receive a message when they can start to bring suite guests down. We have used it a few times. The general rule is Celebrity tours first then others. We arrive at the lounge and generally are escorted as a group of about 10 guests. Celebrity tours may still be getting on but suite guests are usually seated on the next tender. So rather than join a large queue you are escorted to the front. The concierge will then return to the lounge and bring another group…We always speak to the concierge the day before a tender port and ask the suggested earliest time we can be escorted. We then arrive a bit before that time and let him/her know we are there. We will have a coffee while we wait. You do not need to ‘organise’ with the concierge, we just see it as a curtesy so they have some idea how many guests want escorting. If you are not planning on picking up a tour until later in the morning then the queue will be dying down and you probably will not need an escort. On our second visit to Santorini when we were simply planning to use the cable car, visit the museum and enjoy a drink with views that is what we did, no long wait for the cable car then.

Just thinking the same… Enjoy the remaining time with your family, safe onward journey….

If Bruno wants the last piece of cake I would let him have it…

We honestly on our Silhouette cruise last September found mask wearing no issue at all. We felt very safe, more safe than shopping in Sainsbury! We cruise to the Canary Islands in October and would welcome mandatory masks being worn moving venues, on lifts etc. Looking at rooms available and mock bookings it looks like it will be a near to full cruise. Following all threads closely at present, final payment date end of July….Any chance of being moved to deck 3 and we will be postponing. Haven’t Celebrity thought it through that the more they make ‘admitting’ to having covid resulting in negative experiences the less guests will come forward? Guests with mild symptoms may ignore their sniffles and move around the ship at will.

Sometimes there are ports of call on cruise lines that are a long way from the port and are simply better as part of a land tour. Bangkok really needs more than a day…From the UK it is fairly easy to find packages of Bangkok, Phuket or Bangkok, Chang Mai, Beach…Compared to cruise prices they are reasonable…We did this one year rather than attempt Bangkok on a Far East cruise. Five nights in Bangkok gave us time to enjoy the major sights, float down the river and soak up the vibe (and to enjoy the food). It is a big, loud, noisy city so after five nights you are ready for relaxing in a quieter venue, we chose Cape Panwar on Phuket. We have, however, enjoyed a couple of fantastic Far East cruises including Hong Kong to Singapore where all ports offered excursions that were wonderful and not too far to get to. We did have another cruise booked during covid (didn’t happen) which did have the Bangkok stop…we had decided to simply enjoy an empty ship day. Definitely book an overnight, as mom says, your roll call could be useful as you will need to make the most of every minute…Alternatively, do as we planned to do and relax and see Bangkok as an option for a future land holiday.

Thanks for that…We love balcony time and are struggling with finding an E suite with a balcony as good as the s class PH (I don’t expect to find one as good as the m class PH). The Edge RS balcony is a joke…. This is what I had heard from others too although the inside layout of the PH would suit us. Iconic is beyond our price category….

So pleased you are both home and well. Sincere thanks for your wonderful review…I need to look at my drink choices before next cruise, certainly not as adventurous as you! I hope you are now sat at home with a cocktail in hand reflecting on a wonderful cruise and looking forward to the next.

What was your general opinion of the Edge Villa balcony (sun/shade/space/breeze)? I have spoken to two guests who have stayed in one…very different opinions. One loved it one would never do it again….

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The ship has a range of pillow types including feather and non allergy. Important to us as feathers make us sneeze. If in a higher suite you can put your preferred on your request list and they will be on your bed on boarding. If you have not been contacted pre cruise just mention to your room attendant (he/she usually pops in to see you first day) and they will swap them. On some cruises Sky Suite guests have reported that their butler has stocked their minibar with soda and water of choice. If your butler does not offer to do this he may simply be responding to management directives on that ship so simply request him to empty the cooler. It does not necessarily mean he is reluctant to help you. On the first couple of days on going to any bar request water or unopened soda to take away and fill your own cooler. Alternatively head to the retreat lounge and request some water and sodas there. If you want priority disembarkation let the concierge know the day before. They will explain where to go to. Usually the Retreat Lounge. We have tended to get there early and grab a coffee and a couple of their breakfast snacks (salmon and cream cheese are yummy) as we wait. In ports other than tender you usually do not need to be escorted. When returning to the ship some ports do have an (embarrassing) red carpet suite line. Whilst as long as the queue isn’t long we don’t bother if there is a long queue and we are hot and tired we have found this perk useful. Re what you can ask for, keep asking additional questions on here and also once you board. For example, in normal times the concierge will usually arrange a few on board tours (galley, theatre, bridge). On our last cruise these were cancelled due to covid but can be enjoyable. Simply ask the concierge on boarding. They will put your name on a list if they are offering. You can request an afternoon tea selection but before you do consider other options, that is simply our choice. Firstly, if you are an afternoon tea fan there is a full set up in the Retreat Lounge, we are simply too lazy at this time of day to go down. Other things you can request are things like cheese and crackers, a shrimp cocktail, crudités and dip. Hence in my earlier post my stress on the need to chat to your butler! Often by mid cruise we will also say ‘no more snacks’…sometimes afternoon snacks seem a better idea than they are when you are being offered excellent breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

Another vote for Tuscan over LPC but totally agree with Jim that if you haven’t experienced LPC it is great as a one off experience. We chuckled through our meal the first time…Second time the novelty had worn off, there will not be a third visit. The show is nothing like a real show. It is like a cartoon story on your table, it is very novel and amusing. If you fancy trying do not look it up as it will take the edge off the novelty. We found the food quality OK, but the choices are limited as the main menu fits in with the ‘storyline’.

Pleased to see you both settled in your new abode…We frequently also look for apartment or villa type accommodation over hotels now for stays longer than two nights. It is so nice to have the additional space and extra freedom to dine where and when you want…We have been pleasantly surprised how relatively inexpensive it can be too. Enjoy your family time! I hope your neeps, tatties, haggis and whisky are all up to standard!

Just a final word…make sure you do communicate with your butler and let him know what you want. For example, we ask that the usual snack selection delivered at about 4pm be replaced with afternoon tea. As you, and others, have said many guests do not particularly want butler service and butlers will respect this. However, there have been posts where guests have reported having ‘poor butler service’ that ‘they never saw their butler’ or that ‘our friend’s butler brought them drinks every afternoon, our butler never offered’….Whilst there are I am sure some poor butlers out there I am sure that many complaints are more about lack of communication than anything else. Butlers leave their number so you can easily contact them but they do not necessarily knock on your door daily. On the first day your Retreat Host (still find it hard not to refer to them as butlers) should pop in to introduce himself. At this point let him know anything you want regularly. After that if you want something use the phone…if your butler is off duty someone else will respond. Again, hope you have a fantastic cruise. We were frequent cruisers on RC for many years but we now prefer the more relaxing atmosphere on Celebrity.

We have cruised higher suites on both lines but not specifically on Beyond. As the last post says pre cruise you will be contacted re room set up etc and procedure for boarding at your port. We tend to have a draft email ready listing our requests for bar set up, pillow choices, dining plan… The biggest difference between service on the two lines we have found is that in our experience you get more practical help/service from the Retreat Host (Butler) on Celebrity compared to the Genie service. For example on Celebrity if you book in suite dining your Retreat Host will rearrange your room (if necessary), set your table and serve the meal. The Retreat Host will bring you afternoon snacks and coffee. They will also arrange snacks etc if you are hosting something like a sail away party. They will also take and return your laundry and deal with little things like lost buttons etc. If we want to arrange something special we will discuss with the butler usually 24hours before. We found the Genie service more about reservations for dining and shows… We have found the concierge service on Royal a little less personal than on Celebrity. This is probably a consequence of the higher number of suite guests and and a significant number of pinnacle guests in the suite lounge. However, their role is very similar, mainly offering support re any issues you would usually take to guest relations if not in a suite. Again, in our experience, Celebrity concierge staff usually make more effort to circulate and get to know the guests. If you are interested in a bridge tour, galley tour etc (covid rules allowing) the concierge will sort it for you. There are usually several special events in the suite lounge during the cruise including a meet the officers event, musical events… Hope you enjoy your first Celebrity cruise…

Safe onward journey to you both…

Sorry Jim! I wonder if you can tunnel out…Perhaps ‘The great escape’ could be a suitable choice… Coming back to reality I think most of us will be loading extra stuff on iPads ‘just in case’…Sort of like a talisman, if you prepare for it perhaps it will not happen…

Pretty grim the other side of the Pennines too…

Robinson Crusoe springs to mind…I could follow the Tom Hanks version and make a towel Man Friday…. The complete works of Shakespeare….Perhaps not, too much tragedy… Perhaps just a pack of cards and a book about the 1,001 ways to play solitaire…

As long as you know you need one!

Many years ago now we were on the Millennium and chatted to an elderly couple in Michael’s who had booked the CS as a treat for their anniversary. Quite simply she could not use the bathtub and he described it as a ‘bit of a challenge’. Far too dangerous for her to even attempt, she was not disabled but small and her balance and mobility were not wonderful. It definitely took the edge off the pleasure of their cruise. Fortunately, they did tell tell the concierge part way through the cruise who was able to get them an empty inside cabin to use to shower in…Not ideal but better than nothing. Our butler arranged for us to look at other cabin types on swap over day (we were on a b2b) and we could clearly see the issue… I think that the CS suites on M class definitely need some sort of ‘unsuitable for the less mobile’ warning and, as you say, some grab rails in many suites would be welcomed by many!

Whilst we love the S class PH the Revolution on Silhouette hasn’t been without errors…. No drawers at all in the bathroom! A bathroom big enough to hold a party in and no drawers or cupboards, all open shelving…. I looked around for several minutes before I finally realised that it must have been designed by someone who had never cruised. We have cruised S PH before (Eclipse) and that definitely had drawers! We always try to keep our surfaces clear to enable staff to clean easier and more thoroughly (especially in these covid times). We resorted to keeping the bare minimum in the bathroom and having an ‘overspill’ draw in the walk in wardrobe for things like first aid kit, sun lotion etc…

So pleased, Jim! I suggest you let Iain wake up naturally or you may end up with a sore nose… Fingers crossed for Iain! It would be lovely if you can both test negative…. Regardless, continue to enjoy your stay, making lemonade when life tosses you lemons is a lesson I firmly believe in, I think you are both masters of the art now. Stay safe…

No suites/Zeniths can still check in anytime. We tend to arrive about 11-11.30 so if there has been a slight delay we do not risk needing to queue.

So sorry for your disappointment, however, I guess better than boarding and spending your cruise in isolation or worse still feeling really ill. Hope you both stay well and that your son does not develop symptoms… Enjoy your search for a replacement cruise!