terrydtx

The 20% gratuity is included in the premium drinks package and you will not be charged any additional gratuity for any drinks under $15. Keeping that in mind I do tip the bartender in the Retreat Lounge extra at the end of the cruise for the great job they do for suites guests.

On the Reflection in August I asked about Bullit Rye and the bartender found a bottle and kept it in the lounge for me. My experience is, if it is on the ship they will get it for you. He also found some Buffalo Trace Boubon on board for my friend who prefers that brand.

I am trying to figure out how anyone could have 15 drinks on HMC in 8 hours and still be able to get back on the ship. LOL

You are right about that, the captain we had on the Oosterdam in August had a terribly hard to understand accent and never said much until Covid was running rampant on the cruise. The Captain we had on the Reflection was easy to understand and very informative, I do not know his name but he did a good job.

If that is true, it will take away one of the reasons many book Aqua. We booked Aqua pre Covid for Blu and the smaller more intimate dining room, never cared that much for the menu, but we were always able to order from the MDR menu. We were able to order off the MDR in the Luminae on the Reflection in August but not sure about Blu.

I was just speculating but I believe she did move to the Beyond from the Edge. I do not follow her career much as I do not really care who the captain is of a ship, just as long as the captain gets us to our destinations on time and safely. I know Captain Kate has a loyal cult like following and that is fine, she has been a trend setter and pioneer for a woman in her industry.

We now only book suites, but before that we booked only Aqua Class because of Blu and not liking the MDR and dinning with hundreds of people. We get the premium drinks package with the Suites or Retreat and for us the big difference is the selections of wine by the glass and premium alcohol. The $9 wines are mostly cheaper wines that sell for under $12 a bottle retail. I like to have a shot of Mcallen 12-year-old Scotch before dinner and at $15 it is included in the Celebrity premium package, at least it was on the Reflection in August. After our Reflection cruise in August, we sailed in a Suite on the HAL Oosterdam and the same Mcallen Scotch was $18 a shot and not included in the drinks package. I know the OP is not looking at booking the Retreat but he should know that on the Beyond he will not have a traditional open balcony in less than a suite unless he can snag one of the aft facing Concierge class cabins.

I bet she will move over to the Ascent next year like she did with the Beyond this year.

I have been on several cruises in Europe, with many passengers from the UK and Scotland onboard, so gentlemen in Kilts is more common than you think. In the Scotland this is acceptable formal wear for men.

As evidenced in many US cities where laws are no longer enforced, and anything pretty much goes.

On our Reflection cruise from Rome in August I saw more than one Scottish gentleman wearing their finest Kilts, and not one complaint was heard.

Your comment is as follows: "You wear golf shirts and say you’re not a snob? In the trailer park that’s what all the people in the double wides would wear." I take that you equated me with living in a Trailer Park because of the way I dress. Where I come from accusing someone of living in a trailer park is the same as calling them Trailer Trash, if you found that offensive, I apologize.

Same here in San Antonio, we have several 4- and 5-star fine dining restaurants in San Antonio that will allow dress shorts anytime. I doubt there are any that require more in our city, and we have dined in most of them. We are a vacation tourist destination city and casual dress including shorts are never considered out of place.

No I do not, however, you basically called me "Trailer Trash" because I will wear long pants and a polo golf or button up shirt to in the dining room, which by the way are 100% within the dress guidelines as stated by Celebrity. There are too many dress snobs here who even think long pants and a golf shirt are inappropriate. BTW who appointed you dress police? You seem all too consumed by what people wear while on a cruise.

Your comment is totally uncalled for and needs to be removed.

Wait a minute, my wife and I are young 70's and we have future cruises booked on the Apex and Edge, will we be too old for them? LOL That is what we like about Celebrity much more age inclusive than lines like HAL. I love threads like this because it separates out the dress snobs from the rest of us. I do not own a suit or sports jacket, but I will wear long pants and a golf or button shirt for dinner. I do not waste a thought on what others are wearing, far too many let this apparently, ruin their vacations.

We booked our September 2023 Apex Cruise when it was released in November 2021, so if Celebrity stays consistent November sounds right.

We sailed in a Sky Suite in August on the Reflection from Rome, and I thought she was in great shape even though she had not been revolutionized. I believe she was refreshed in 2017 but she was not in service for most of 2020 and 21. After the Reflection cruise we were in a suite for 14 days on the HAL Oosterdam which had a total refurbishment in 2019. Comparing the two ships, the Oosterdam was in much poorer condition than the Reflection. Just walking down, the cabin hallways of the Oosterdam and seeing so many of the cabins with dented and scratched doors and torn carpeting was disappointing. I wouldn't hesitate to sail again on the Reflection anytime soon.

That is exactly what I heard while on the Reflection in August. As of now all Revolutionizing of remaining fleet is on indefinite hold by Celebrity corporate. It is all a matter of having the available cash to keep the Revolutionizing program.

Yes to both questions.

We were on the Reflection in August in a Sky Suite and my sister and BIL were in the adjacent cabin. We had our butler open the partition between our two balconies the first day. We were in 2139 and 2137, both balconies were a nice size on their own but with them opened up they were very nice. Each SS balcony had a full size 30" table and two chairs for dining on the balcony too.

Big cruise ships are banned from docking in Venice permanently by the Italian government. It is possible that a new cruise terminal may be built in Marghera but it will be several years before completion.

We were on the Reflection from Rome in August. Information I received from talking with a couple of Officers; the dry dock this month will be for the mandatory 5 year inspections and maintenance. The hull will be scrapped for barnacles and will be painted blue. Some carpeting and soft goods will be replaced. However, there are no plans to Revolutionize any of the Retreat venues and Celebrity has not made any decisions on continuing the Revolutionizing of the remaining non-revolutionized fleet. We were in a Sky Suite, and I thought the Reflection was in great condition compared to our cruise on the HAL Oosterdam after our Reflection cruise. The Oosterdam was refurbished in 2019 but she is in real sad shape and desperate need of a complete overhaul of all cabins and common areas.

In August on the Reflection we had a very strong thunderstorm between the mainland and Messina which delayed our docking and the cancelation of most shore excursions, including our Mt Etna winery and Taormina private tour. It was also the first time we had been in such an intense thunderstorm while cruising. The ship was like one big sail and the broadside winds were an issue.

We were on the Oosterdam last month and anytime dining was open until 9pm as well. My experience with calling HAL is that many of the customer service reps are poorly trained and too often give our erroneous information. Our bed in our Signature Suite on the Oosterdam also said queen configuration on the invoice, but I can assure it was more like a king. Putting 2 full sized beds together do not make a queen bed.