RobertoF

Embarkation in Vancouver today is a nightmare.  It has been three hours and we are still waiting in line at customs. I don't see how the ships could possibly leave on time today.

34 minutes ago, richwmn said:

I just looked since I bought some yesterday and found this note:

"

Through April 25th, various gift card brands will be unavailable as we perform system maintenance.

We apologize the inconvenience and appreciate your patience while we work to improve AARP Rewards.

"

Thanks.  That is helpful to know they were available yesterday.  Lucky us, we have a hold on a couple of cabins for family members that are good for 24 hours.  We were not aware of the problem with the gift cards before making the hold.  I tried asking AARP whether the gift cards would be available tomorrow (the 25th) or the next day and could not get a straight answer.  The answer essentially was "check back tomorrow".  Hopefully our hold does not expire before we are able to buy the gift cards.

HAL gift cards are currently unavailable on the AARP website.  Hopefully they will be back tomorrow (a rep at AARP did not know).

That type of machine would seem to be consistent with what the casino manager indicated to me.  I guess we will have to wait and see.  I played some slots even though I don't really enjoy them much.  Summit had loads of slots that all look alike to me.  I have seen those electronic roulette games that seem like fun (but I have never played them).  I agree that the poker odds were terrible but I like to play poker so at least they were fun to play.  Having electronic versions of table games is not a terrible idea but it does not substitute for poker.

I have more info on the video poker mystery. I spoke with a casino manager last night. He said the Summit would not be getting the machines back. He also said video poker is being phased out fleet wide! 😬 According to him the machines are really old and they keep breaking down and Celebrity cannot get the parts to fix them. He did say they were going to get other "similar" machines but I asked whether these machines would be video poker and he indicated no but they would be electronic versions of certain games (he was a little cryptic on this answer -- maybe Celebrity is still deciding which machines to buy). I really hope video poker does not start disappearing from other ships, but based on what this casino manager told me that seems to be the future unfortunately.

On Summit now and can report unfortunately no video poker and nobody seems to know when the machines will be back. ☹️

I was afraid Ascent would have the same structural problems as Beyond.  I am loyal to Celebrity, but this is really, really bad.

Going on the Summit in a couple of weeks and I sure hope they have video poker or I am going to be spending way too much time at the roulette table.

Thank you! We are looking forward to coming aboard the Summit in a couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy your last day. Thanks for taking us along.

Love this review.  Question: when you docked in Cozumel, were you at International Pier?

1 hour ago, vickykay said:

Question about the trains between the villages.   Does it involve lot of uphill walking , ie from the station to each village?
 

Also, how are the crowds early Sept ( going ,Sept 2024)?

Thanks!

It varies villiage to villiage, but in general there is a lot of uphill walking because the train stations are usually up the hill and then the town slopes down to sea level.  So when you arrive you walk downhill but then to get back you have to go uphill.  There was a bus at one of the towns that supposedly went to the train station.  We waited at the stop at the bottom of the hill with some other people for a while, didn't see the bus, and decided to just walk it.  In that town (I forget which one) you had to walk uphill and then there were stairs taking you back downhill to the train station.  Because the towns are built on cliffs overlooking the ocean it is very pretty but also steep terrain to walk or hike.

We tried to buy the pass online but the site kept giving us errors.  Maybe we were doing it wrong, I don't know.  Some people also said you could get the pass at the machines but I did not try.  Should have tried the machines ...

Oh, also one other thing I forgot to add: I figured the train ride between the towns in Cinque Terre would be pretty along the hillside and coast, etc.  Unfortunately, most of it is through tunnels so you don't get extended views.  So if you want the views you really have to hike.

We took the train from La Spezia to Cinque Terre last month.  It was not difficult taking the train.  The problem was the crowds.  The train platforms and trains were packed solid.  The line to get the Cinque Terre train pass (which includes unlimited access to the trains between the towns and park passes) was super long.  We wound up hiking more between the towns because taking the train was too crowded.  The place was beautiful but the crowds took away a lot of the enjoyment.  The hiking was fun though.

I noticed this during recent cruises with the addition at the lunch buffet of more plant-based fake meat dishes that are high in protein.  Celebrity calls this the "Vegan Corner" and it rotates every day.  Now Celebrity just announced the Ascent will feature a seven-course plant-based tasting menu for dinner at Eden.  I can't wait to try it.  I am happy to see Celebrity is paying attention to the growing number of cruisers who are vegetarian/vegan or just trying to get more plant-based foods in their diet.  These cruisers also tend to be younger, which bodes well for Celebrity in the long run.

We have cruised with our teenage kids and teenage nieces and nephews on Beyond, Apex, and Edge.  They loved these ships.  I agree that there are generally not the bells and whistles that the big RCL ships have, but if your kids enjoy entertainment and music and generally being social they will have a great time.  Our kids usually go to the teen club on day one to meet other teens and then just hang out with those teens (sometimes in teen club activities and sometimes outside the teen club).  Celebrity has some great entertainment staff for the teens.  Our kids still communicate with some of them on social media after having bonded with them on the cruise.  While Celebrity does not attract a lot of kids, there are usually a critical mass of teens to hang out together and do silent disco together, karaoke, late night pizza, etc.

Demand for Caribbean cruises this summer was very strong so it makes sense for Celebrity to get an extra ship in FLL next summer. It is also a bold move running Reflection on 3-4 night cruises over the summer. I am surprised with Silhouette already running 3-4 night cruises out of FLL Celebrity would add another ship doing short cruises. It is a good way to attract new cruisers, and younger cruisers with the addition of CocoCay. It does seem a little off brand for Celebrity, though. But I am not complaining. We may well try the 3 night for a long weekend getaway. I prefer a 4 night TH-M to a 3 night F-M, but if the price is right either will compare well to a land-based weekend trip. I wonder if we would get OBC with our future cruise credits on a 3 night, since now it is limited to 4 nights minimum. Anyone have any experience with that? My guess is the answer is no but I would love to hear from anyone who tried to apply a FCC to a 3 night Celebrity cruise.

On 6/19/2023 at 11:48 PM, goofysmom99 said:

No corkage concern.  I'd like to be able to open a bottle by myself for use in my cabin without needing a corkscrew (lousy hand strength these days).   I never finish a bottle in one sitting and a screwcap makes closing easy.  Italy officially doesn't like screwcaps but some vintners are using them anyway.  For a change this year, I'm arriving early enough to shop so I hope screwtops bottles won't be difficult to find.  Hoping someone reading this has bought wine in Italy this year.

Got back a couple of weeks ago from Italy (Edge from Rome to Barcelona). You are right that screwtops are hard to find in Italy. I found a few cheap "house" brands with screw tops but that was about it. I brought a corkscrew so I could open bottles, but you can find screwcaps if you are willing to limit yourself to the lower end stuff.

Hopefully Celebrity will continue to allow 2 bottles per person. That is a consumer-friendly policy and does not cost Celebrity much. I agree with others that the wine Celebrity offers onboard is subpar.  The only "classic" wine I find even drinkable is the Malbec, and the "premium" wines I have tried are not much better. I prefer to bring my own wines from my collection, or, as was the case recently in Italy, buy wines I choose from a local store and bring them onboard. It is also nice when sailing in the Mediterranean if Celebrity allows you to bring your purchases onboard (as opposed to having to check them to the end of the cruise), but I have found that policy to be inconsistent.

I suspect the free verandah offers will be paused for the summer and then may come back in the fall depending on occupancy rates. We were recently on the Edge and were surprised at how quiet the casino was. We played less because the atmosphere was not as fun (and I don't like playing BJ at tables with one other person). I suspect the lack of BCC offers is playing a part. It seems Alaska occupancy has been weak this summer, but I have not seen any offers for Alaska. Hopefully Carribean offers will start back up soon. California/Mexico itineraries also seem weak, so perhaps those offers may come back for the left coasters.

On our recent Edge sailing a bag of laundry was $60. We could not get the $20 price because the sailing was only 7 nights. I think $60 is too much. We did a small hand wash. In the past with Princess we used the laundry room, which is a nice option.

We are recently off of the Celebrity Edge (June 3-10; Rome to Barcelona). We have been sailing Celebrity a few times a year from Fort Lauderdale. I am vegetarian (not vegan). I often struggle to get enough protein on a cruise, and bring protein bars with me. I was pleasantly surprised to see Celebrity added some great options to the "Vegan Corner" at the lunchtime buffet. There was often tofu (the real firm tofu, not the soft stuff that comes in a box) and typically a vegan "chicken" or "beef" dish. I was told the vegan chicken is a Beyond Meat product. It tasted like seitan but I was told it is soy based. I suspect it is a mix of soy and pea protein. It seemed like it would have a lot of protein and was filling. I am assuming the vegan beef was also a Beyond Meat product. Celebrity serves a Beyond burger in Blu but I have not seen Beyond products anywhere else. My favorite dish was the opor ayam, which thankfully was served twice. Celebrity also served a lot of quinoa (beyond the typical yummy quinoa salad that is served in the Spa Cafe), and had a great roasted veggies carving station that was a regular part of the lunch buffet - butternut squash, sweet potato, bell peppers, etc. I wish Celebrity included similar dishes on the vegetarian dinner menu. But I was able to load up on enough protein at lunch that I did not have to worry about dinner. I hope Celebrity keeps offering these options because it is the best vegan food by far I have ever had on a cruise. I have included some pictures of what I had.

I guess I need higher status because on our cruise last week Celebrity wanted $60 for a bag of laundry and we wound up doing a hand wash instead. I figure I could have bought new underwear and socks for $60.

Our last cruise on Equinox we threw a few unopened plastic water bottles in our snorkel bag that we checked and nobody said anything.

My guess is Coda.  Second choice would be PowerPoint (kidding -- I agree Excel makes me think of spreadsheets).