Cloudybay

Yes you can get one and it's fits perfectly on the lower level by the desk. We had it for the whole week. 

Here is a picture of the set-up.

I found that the clunky wifi was almost impossible to stream the classes live, so I would download the class to my iPad and use that. 

We just disembarked the Odyssey is St Maarten on Saturday, so I think I can give you some help.

The tent that is used for check-in and waiting area is very large and there are rows and rows of chairs. There is a little "VIP" corner with some sofas. It is located just adjacent to the transportation drop off area and within a short walk to the "port shops". 

I suspect you could wander over to the shops if you had to wait.

What I cannot speak to is how you board AFTER the tent. 

As for the airport, it is nowhere near completed. None of the jet bridges are operational, but the airport now has air conditioning throughout the temporary check-in area, immigration, and the boarding "gates". The boarding gates are located down a ramp to a waiting area where you board buses that take you to the plane and board via portable stairs.

There are restaurants, duty free, and clean restrooms. 

I think you will be fine, and I would happily tolerate the temporary boarding inconvenience for a fantastic Seabourn cruise!

We are a couple in our 40's [were, I just turned 50], and have really enjoyed Seabourn transatlantics. They guests are a bit younger, and since most days are sea days, people tend to stay up later. We have enjoyed the after-dinner/show energy. We are on the Odyssey in November doing the Lisbon to St Martin crossing.

We always ask to have two nice bottles of champagne, instead. With a premium drink package, hard liquor is everywhere and we can always drink the champagne getting ready on Chic nights.

This past cruise on the Edge we boldly asked for the nicest champagne they would stock and we got two bottles of the Veuve Clicquot. Try it.

13 hours ago, Phxazzcruisers said:

They do not use it if it is too windy and never intended to use it if too windy.  It is in operation on calm days.  Let's not blow this out of proportion

We just got off Sunday and went to the Dinner on the Magic Carpet the 6th night. It was a terrible mess. It was so windy that people were leaving before finishing. Women's hair completely messed, scarves and napkins flying away. I even saw crab shells flying off plates. It was a calm day leading up to the event, too.

Not worth it.

Also, they stopped using the Magic Carpet for tendering in Grand Cayman about one hour in, and started using the forward door. They mostly didn't use their own tenders, but rather large obnoxiously uncomfortable "barges" owned by the island.

On 1/2/2019 at 3:02 PM, Baron Barracuda said:

10,000 baby boomers continue to retire every day.  They have free time and disposable income.  In decent health should be able to cruise 15+ years.   If X doesn't want their money Princess, HAL, Oceania, Viking, Regent and others will be happy to take it. 

I am not sure that they don't want boomer's business, but they are trying to expand their appeal. There are still 5 Solstice class ships that are in great condition that Celebrity "traditionalists" can enjoy.  I remember when Celebrity came out with the Solstice and people were bothered by the size of the ship and lack of intimacy. Every change will make some happy, some sad. They were never going to keep building the same ship forever. In 5-7 years, they will develop another ship class that may appeal to another group.

Here is a photo of the hot tub.

On 12/25/2018 at 11:40 AM, WonderMan3 said:

 

How is the hot tub? We are in the Penthouse on Summit in a couple weeks. We’ve done the S class Penthouse and Royal suites and didn’t care for the tubs on the balcony. Was wondering if this one was better?

The hot tub is round and sits on the side on the deck partially under cover and certainly private enough that the adjoining Sky Suite would have to lean around the balcony divider to look. It is more comfortable in size and shape than the S class tubs. I really enjoyed it in the morning after the gym. I think the M class Penthouse is the best stateroom on Celebrity [I haven't been in Reflection Suite or on Edge yet].

There is a baby grand piano in the room, and when we were in the penthouse on a Panama Canal cruise we convinced the on-board piano player to come play for us one evening for 30-45 minutes. What a memory! 

The piano [at least did] have the ability to play itself with cartridges. They are hit and miss, but fun.

The outside hot tub is an entertainment highlight.

More to your point, in 2015, we had to bring a wireless speaker for music, maybe that has changed.

14 hours ago, benebire said:

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She is performing a song from the movie, "The Greatest Showman". If I remember, this song was one of the Oscar nominations. It's a very good movie.

Also kinda weird, the upper floor entrance opens up directly onto a breezeway for the outdoor part of the retreat. You open your door and there is a two-person lounger and the retreat bathroom right outside your door. 

Does anyone know if Edge will always [or almost always] dock with Starboard side to the pier, showing off the Magic Carpet?

I’m sorry, there is NOTHING appealing about the renderings with snake/lizard man or the acrobatics. There’s a fine line - or maybe no line at all where reptile costumes are involved - between interactive and annoying.

 

What are the folks at Celebrity thinking? The entertainment at NCL is fabulous and we don’t even like cruise ship entertainment! I’m pretty sure the millenials I know would fall down laughing at snake/lizard man. Or maybe that’s the point.

Celebrity is following NCL's lead. Below is a graphic of what was offered on Norwegian Epic.

Ship is now leaving Seattle. Thanks for the info.

After arriving to Pier 91 today, as expected, the ship is now being moved to Harbor Island. Anyone know why?

We have been fortunate to sail in the Sky, Celebrity, and Royal Suites on the S Class ships, and in my opinion, the best part of the Celebrity Suite is the massive balcony on the "hump" cabins. The separate bedroom is nice, but cramped, with little room between the bed and walls. There is not much extra storage compared to the S1 back corner Sky Suites, and it is really in a weird layout around the bedroom. The bathroom is not up to suite standards, with only one sink. Certainly the Royal Suite has much more storage and living space than either the CS or SS.

I have always felt like I got the same service as the RS and PS, when sailing in the CS. The SS cabins on the back corner have such great indoor space, but the balconies are small and exposed. Comparatively, there is not much room to really hang out.

The hump CS cabins have decks that during good weather become second living spaces with tables and chairs, loungers, and good overhang to stay out of the elements. I am not sure the normal size CS balconies make the price hike worth it, unless you really want to be in the middle of the ship.

That being said, we are in a CS with the big balcony in late August on the Solstice, and can't wait.

I tried posting this under the reviews and was blocked. So here goes.

Here is my review of our first time on Royal Caribbean, fortunately traveling in Star Class on the Harmony of the Seas in a 2 bedroom Aquatheater Suite [9330]. This was a 7-day Barcelona round trip cruise in early October.

Although this was our first RCCL cruise, we have cruised many times, previously on Seabourn, Crystal, Oceania, Holland America, and Costa.

This was a great cruise and we had a wonderful time, but I think comparing this to other cruise line products can be helpful for others. I also understand that we were very fortunate to travel in Star Class, and so any criticism I have is minor considering.

Embarkation: We arrived early and boarded via the secondary terminal C, for those with cabins on the Aft of the ship [? maybe all Star Class, too?]. We were escorted through to check-in and then seated in a “VIP area” which was an awkward little roped off area in the middle of the vast terminal surrounded by fake plants and plastic chairs. Approximately 15 minutes later we were escorted to the ship, met our Royal Genie, Cleon. Embarkation was all easy, a bit clumsy, but efficient.

Room: This suite is excellent, enormous, and if you enjoy being outside, the deck has everything. A great view inward to watch the aqua theater shows and activities, a large eating area with loungers, and on the water-side a very private area for reading and sunning. You can only hear noise in the bedrooms during the actual shows. It never bothered us except one afternoon during a nap [not a big deal].

Comparing the interior of the room, the bed and furniture were nice. In fact, the mattress was one of the best we’ve ever slept on. The fixtures and soft products, the Royal product is not as nice as Celebrity’s suite products, and to be fair, won’t spend time comparing to the “fancier” lines like Oceania, Seabourn, or Crystal.

There is enormous storage space everywhere except the bathrooms. There are plugs next to the beds, near the vanity, in the bathrooms, and living room.

The bathrooms were a bit disappointing for a suite. Both are small, with single sinks, not much storage. The tub/shower combo in the master was really weird, had a minimal partial door, and when showering got the bathroom floor very wet. I ended up showering in the second bathroom, which is a proper shower and great.

The L’OCCITANE bath products were fine, I think I prefer the Bulgari product on Celebrity, and certainly the Hermes product on Seabourn is my favorite.

Star Class: Having the star class treatment was great, and made the cruise. We loved the Ultimate Drink Package, which as a Star Class passenger included Starbucks. We were never charged additional for ordering a glass of wine over the limit of $13.95. It was also nice to show up at any restaurant without paying the supplement. Even the times when I was inadvertently charged, rather than making a fuss, I just presented the receipt to our Genie and he took care of it.

We never made reservations for the shows, and our genie saved seats for us wherever we wanted. It was kind of embarrassing to show up at the last minute to our seats, but those around us were at least not outwardly unhappy about it. I hope they understood it was part of what we paid a premium for. Our Genie would also have drinks delivered to us after we were seated.

Access to the Coastal Kitchen was nice, but there were always kids running around and it didn’t feel very exclusive. Service was very good.

Royal Genie: Our Genie was Cleon, and we really enjoyed him. I don’t think we used him as often as others, but we didn’t have excursions that needed coordination. We also were well taken care of and didn’t have many outside requests or issues. He was always connecting to make sure we were OK, and occasionally surprised us with snacks, or drinks, or small presents. He even overheard me wishing I could get a pepperoni pizza delivered to the room [like at home], and the next day it happened. These small gestures are great. Having a Genie helped raise the level of service to more closely match the more exclusive cruise lines. We were not aware of the Loop app [oversight] that would have helped us communicate with our Genie.

Specialty Restaurants: We had good meals every night, but I will admit, I had to remind myself we were not on Seabourn or Crystal when food was a little off. Being in the Star Class sometimes unfairly raised our expectations and the Harmony struggled to achieve that level of service in the restaurants. I know that sounds snobby, but it was true.

The service in the specialty restaurants was always good, but honestly never outstanding. Chops and 150 Central Park were both good, but Murano is better on Celebrity. There seems to be too much commotion and noise. It didn’t feel exclusive like Murano. Wonderland was a fun night, and a good concept, but the food sometimes was room temperature or mushy and felt like it was made ahead of time.

My big issue was kids running through the restaurant on multiple occasions. In fact, kids seemed to be everywhere [i know, Royal is a family cruise line, I need to get over it].

OTHER food and drink: The Ultimate Drink Package included the soda fountain drinks with a special cup. This was a complete waste as the machines usually only offered ~20% or less of the options. Maybe this was just a Europe issue that will be resolved in the Caribbean.

Sorrento’s was not a great pizza option. The pizza’s were small and hard and options few.

MDR: We only ate in the main dining room one night, and it was a very good meal. The grilled lobster was one of the best I’ve ever had at sea. Since it was included in the Star Package, I didn’t pay the premium, but it would have been worth it.

We were surprised when we arrived as we looked on the Royal IQ app at the menu, but it didn’t correspond, a little annoying.

Public Spaces: The casino was a big stinky hot mess. There must have been 100 smokers at all times. There is a non-smoking side, but like most things, rules are rarely enforced.

The public bathrooms are fine, but I do prefer Celebrity’s system with bathroom attendants and cloth towels around dinner/show times.

The gym was very large and had everything you would want. Unfortunately there was a very stale smoke smell at all times. Looking at the deck plans, this must have been near a crew smoking area, because it wasn't near the casino!

Disembarkation/Debarkation: This was super easy, our Genie walked us off and our bags were sitting right there. 10 minutes.

Overall: This was an awesome cruise, the Aquatheater suite is fantastic, and there is WAY too much to do in 7 days. I’m sure this is a strategy to bring you back. The Royal Genie program is a very nice way to make the very large cruise ship more intimate.

We are doing another RCCL cruise in December on the Brilliance, and will certainly miss the Genie and Star Class program. As for future cruises, we may be better suited for Celebrity, but don’t regret this cruise for a moment. Hope this helps others.

From the other side of the coin, we just got back from the 12-19JULY Solstice and DIDN'T do the excursion. We so regret it! We had beautiful [perfect, actually] weather, and the ship never rounded the final bend to actually see the glacier. There was "too much ice in the water", and the captain turned the ship around and left. We were really disappointed. We even had access to the helipad, and it was a bit of a bust.