scottam

Jerseycandyman,

Thanks for your post and info about your reflection cruise. We are doing a b2b in March on her.

Has the change to World Bar been completed? If so, did you go and what did you think?

Thanks,Tammy

On ship time in St Thomas.

 

It takes about 20-30 minutes to get to le gallion beach. Wait in the the Orient Beach taxi line. It's just before Orient.

Thank you!

Thanks for the honest and detailed review and photos! Very fun to read as we are on reflection March 5 for a b2b!

Two questions if you don't mind ...

Did the ship change to local time or stay on ship time when in St Thomas? I understand local time is an hour ahead of ship time and I'm getting conflicting info as to whether the ship time changes (celeb told me no change and they told my TA that they do change). Makes it difficult to plan a private excursion!

How long of a taxi ride was it to the beach you visited on St Maarten - Le Galion, I think? What destination did you ask the driver for?

Thanks!

Tammy

I spoke to roll call members (now friends) onboard who are sailing in an aft A1 cabin they told me they can't hear the furniture inside the cabin at all, and have previously experience these scrapping sounds when in a cabin under the pool. They also said they could hear the Jazz playing on the terrace slightly at sail away, but no more an they could the music and sound of silver where from the ocean view and sunset bar. They said once inside the cabin with the door closed, they could hear neither. They aid they enjoyed the sounds, people having fun and merriment. We could barely hear silverware occasionally on deck 6, but no music except the music I had playing on the Bose speakers.

 

Sail away was stunning today, I can't imagine a better place than this balcony.

 

 

 

 

I've planned the tour tomorrow, old and new locks with another Cruise Critic favorite, Roberto. The total geek in me is really looking forward to it! Dee wanted to see the Embera Indian Village which is the plan, including lunch there, which is a tad scary, (mostly the local food, but also the boat trip given recent events) but we'll see.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi Jenna,

Thank you so much for that reassuring info! I really appreciate it! Enjoy your cruise and your visit to Panama!

Tammy

Yes, you can still access deck 11 and the same stairway goes up to 12 or down to 10. There are plans to eventually add a pantry for food and a Satelite bar. I wish the space was more permanent, it feels a bit unfinished. We're in Peru late and they plan to show the first movie with food that night, hopefully the weather is good.

 

Tonight it was not, the 6pm movie was obviously not going to happen, when I went to check it out, this is what I found:

 

 

 

 

 

Here is what the screen looks like, not sure how this will post. I am standing at the back of the deck, just in front of the cabana frames. It was not loud and I suspect any wind will block sound from traveling.

 

https://vimeo.com/148182800

 

Part of the sports court is closed as they are still adding scrubbers to clean the emissions:

 

 

Tonight was my first night visiting the casino, not too busy, not too lucky, blech!

 

I did hear a few of the entertainers tonight and everyone sounded great to me. We missed iBroadway last night and the singer tonight. I have not looked at the daily for tomorrow yet to see the show.

 

We do plan on eating breakfast in Luminae as it is a port day, though usually we do breakfast in he cabin, I'm not sure what we were thinking when we decide that at an earlier port, we might need to change it to a later port stop.

 

In the morning we'll be in Cartagena, Colombia and touring with fellow roll call members. It's my first time in South America. The next day we're in Colon, Panama and then we transit the canal before heading south on the west side of South America to Ecuador, Peru and Chile.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPad using fat fingers and Tapatalk

Thanks Jenna! I was worried they might have closed it and blocked our easy access from our aft deck 11 cabin down to the sunset bar! :)

Now we just have to hope they've insulated below the deck 12 flooring so as to not hear all that furniture moving in the cabins below. They seem to be moving it around a lot. I wonder, likely due to the bad weather or is it a nightly routine to tie it down and then set it up again in the morning?

It does not block any views...

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is no access besides the stairs yet, but I was told they are going to be adding a lift of some type.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

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Hi Jenna,

Wow! Thank you so much for all the info and photos. One question about the stairs that you just posted pics of. Does the door access to those stairs from deck 11 still exist? I can't tell if it's still there or if it's just a landing on the way up to 12.

Thanks!

Tammy

Hi Jenna,

Thank you so much for taking us all along on your Infinity cruise! I've been so curious about the Rooftop Terrace since our cabin is right below in 1140, in just 4 weeks. I'm glad to hear you think the ship is looking spiffy and look forward to whatever info and photos you can share with us!

Have a great cruise!

Tammy

Hi Tammy:

 

I didn't see your post until now.... so nice to hear from you! As mentioned, it will to be hard to know if the movie area will impact the aft deck 11 cabins. The decking above is all new, and will hopefully absorb any sound of moving furniture. I don't think you'd hear much while the ship is sailing, but again, that will depend on the audio level. Stay tuned, girlfriend, as we'll get some answers in a few weeks!

 

BTW... you have some GREAT cruises lined up! Wow! :)

Hi Julia,

Thanks for the review - good info and all nice to know ahead of our upcoming cruise! Would love to meet up with you again on a future cruise!

I am hopeful that the furniture is indeed the stationary type as shown in the artist rendering photos, and agree with cle-guy, that it doesn't appear to be the type that will get moved and scooted around a lot, like traditional pool loungers would. Fingers crossed!

The perils of sailing after dry dock.... Ocean View bar closed currently, and "sunk" our sailaway gathering. Other bars very crowded, but we managed to meetup anyway!

Hi Julia!

Bummer about the sunset! Hopefully it will open some time during your cruise. Thanks for the updates! Scott and I will be on Infinity in 8 weeks for a South Amercia cruise and are anxious to hear about the changes. Especially the Deck 12 lounge/movie area as we are in a deck 11 aft cabin.

Have a great cruise and keep us updated with your discoveries!

Cheers!

Tammy

For our Jan 3, 2016 South America cruise, we just moved from 1110, a deck 11 starboard A1 cabin, to 1140, the center aft A1 cabin with the largest balcony. I will be very interested to hear thoughts and observations from those of you sail before me, after the refit. The new venue sounds interesting and one we would use, however I do worry about the effect it will have on our cabin experience. We shall see. In the mean time, I'm still excited about our great aft cabin! :)

I recently used the Wine Room (Cellar) on Silhouette for an Anniversary dinner with 10 guests. Seats up to 12, but really holds 10 comfortably. Be aware that other events, such as the Chef's Table" have priority and you might need to compromise in terms of date or time. Book it early and enjoy.

Thank you! We'll give it a shot!

 

 

Murano : We had the best meal I've *ever* had on a Celebrity cruise. To say it was outstanding is an understatement. We were honored to be seated in the beautiful Wine Cellar, making it a special touch to celebrate Mom's Birthday ! I ordered the Lobster Bisque, Pork Belly, Chateaubriand, and Chocolate Souffle. Wow ! Everything was perfect, and it was a truly wonderful evening.... which will no doubt, offer very special memories. Thank you to Ante and the entire Murano team.

Hi Andy,

Many thanks for the review. I'm excited to follow your future additions as we will be sailing on Equinox in a few weeks!

You mentioned dining in the Wine Cellar of Murano. Is this the luck of the draw or does it require a special reservation or a higher fee in order to dine there? We are traveling with a group of friends and we had planned to dine in Murano - it would be fun for our group to be seated in the Wine Cellar! Any info on how to go about securing such a great spot would be most appreciated!

Tammy

Newbie here- Through extensive reviews have chose to cruise the Galapagos on the Ocean Spray 8d/7n, Itinerary A, then on to the Amazon. Due to cruise logistics, we will have to spend 2 nights pre/post cruise and Amazon in Quito. Am trying to decide between 3 agencies - Columbus, Vaya Adventures, and Adventure-Life. All 3 ares priced relatively equally, does anyone here have an experience with any of them.

Thanks

We just returned from a Galápagos Islands cruise and used Columbus to book. They took care of the cruise and the air between the islands and the mainland. They were honest, reliable, and answered my many, many questions. I would use them again. I hope this helps! Enjoy your trip. It was an amazing experience for us!

We did not realize we would be returning on Super Bowl Sunday. When I did realize it I said OMG....what if the Bills are in it,what would we do?! My husband just looked at me like I was nuts. Bills in the Super Bowl? Now that is a fantasy.

Same with us. We also return on Super Bowl Sunday, so we won't get to party on the ship. Would've been fun even though we are not big football fans. Unless, of course, the Bears are playing. Speaking of fantasy football! :D

Miched, Funny! Before I posted my original question about this, I searched the boards to see if I could find the answer. All I found were a bunch of posts from Grammy! :D

Ah well, so no big theme parties on our cruise. We'll have to just make our own!!! :D

Tammy

Thanks for the replies. I think you're right about Grammy. Not "big" enough for a party. Oscars could be another story.

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know if Celebrity typically has some sort of Grammy Awards party on board during the airing of the show? We're not huge followers, but almost always watch it and I think a party would be fun!

Thanks!

Tammy

On Infinity, in Michaels each evening, was a nice little 3 piece jazz string group. It was very nice but for some reason didn't draw a crowd, which is why we liked it. It wasn't loud. In fact, it was very conversation friendly! It was the perfect area to chill out for an after dinner drink and visit with friends. This is what I was hopping for on Silly, and wasn't sure if there was a standard musical offering in Michaels on all ships, or if it varies from cruise to cruise. It sounds like it varies and may be different from our experience. We will happily go and find out! :D

Tammy

Hi Everyone!

During a recent cruise (fall 2013) on Infinity, we enjoyed some great, late-evening entertainment in Michaels Club. (They were closed most days until, I believe, 7pm but open until late after that.)

We're going to be boarding the Silhouette in a little over a week and I'm wondering if we can look forward to some entertainment in Michaels Club. I've read a lot of negative reviews about the music on board silhouette recently, but no mention of Michael' Club.

Thanks!

Tammy

Andy,

Can you add Quest Nov 15 to your list of ship staff inquiries?

Thanks!

Tammy

Greetings!

 

I ran across this thread while researching the Coral Princess 10 night PC for April 2011. I'm not yet sure if we will be booking that cruise, but the time frame works well with our schedule. One of the ports is San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. There is certainly a shortage of information available on this port!

 

That being said, I would like to point out that the last time I was unable to find out a lot about a port was in the Dominican Republic last year on an RCI cruise. We were going to the south side of the island - not Santo Domingo. Because the tour infrastructure did not seem to be in place as you find in more developed ports we also opted for a ship tour. I must say that this was one of the best tours I had ever taken! We saw how the people of the island really lived (yes, it is also a very poor country) but we were able to see the beauty and heart of the people through the eyes of our very proud tour guides. The general attitude on CC was to stay on the ship and people who returned after venturing into the undeveloped port promoted that you should stay on the ship. We would have missed so much had we done so! And just think - there was not a DI in sight the whole day.;)

 

Yes, we tossed the dice on this tour as we had no reviews available, but I am so glad we did. Pick something that sounds good to you and try it. You really haven't got too much to lose and a whole lot to gain.:)

Hi Sunny - We ended up tossing the dice, as you said, and signed up for the ship's tour, Leon Viejo & Colonial Leon With Lunch (A visit to the ruins of León Viejo located near Lake Xolotan and the current colonial city of León for a walking tour, lunch and a visit to the cathedral). Ours was a good tour and, like your experience, we got a great chance to see the countryside, interact with the people a bit, see how they live, and learn about the country. None of which would have happened if we'd stayed on the ship.

Leon Viejo itself wasn't terribly exciting but it was a small part of our tour. Overall the tour was worthwhile and interesting, and I'm so glad we did it.

Tammy, We will be on the Island next week..feb. 12th sailing....if you change your mind on the excursion, we are going with Vapues to hike the cerro negro volcano. there are 4 of us and room for 2 more. we are in caribe 526. they seem to have a good reputation. We are leaving at 7am and will be back by 2ish. Nancy

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for the offer. I will keep that in mind and jot down your cabin number. BTW, I've seen your screen name on our roll call. Will you be joining the group in Crooners? :)

Tammy

Tammy,

 

I still haven't booked our excursion for Nicaragua on our cruise which sails on March 9. Probably will go with Leon and the Bubbling Mud Pots. Thanks for starting this thread. From the information I've gathered, I do think it will be worthwhile for us to see Leon. Your cruise is quickly approaching. Have a great time and please let us know what you did in Nicaragua and what you thought.

 

Rich

Hi Rich,

Thanks for the bon voyage! Yes, we get to leave the cold here in Chicago in 6 exactly days! We are still booked with the Princess Leon and Leon Viejo tour. After re-reviewing the options many times, that's the one that sounded the most interesting. I'd prefer something a little more active, but with the distance that we'll be away from the ship, we don't feel comfortable venturing out on our own or with an independent company. Anyway, we're looking forward to it! I will report back on this tour when we return. I'll also keep my ears open for any comments on the Bubbling Mud pots tour.

Tammy

Spindrift, Welcome back! I remember you from our Roll Call!

Wizard - Yes, I agree and we normally prefer to do things on our own with local guides, as well. But in very poor and undeveloped countries such as Nicaragua and Guatemala, we are more comfortable sticking with a Princess sponsored tour. It's a shame, as we prefer the freedome of designing our own day, but certainly better than staying on the ship. I don't want to waste the opportunity to see a country where we have never been and possibly change our perception - for better or worse - of that country.

And Rich, after having read all the Island and Coral reviews from the past, I hadn't been back in that area of the website. Today, though I went looking to see if there was anything new. I suppose it makes sense that there are new reviews as the 08/09 cruise season has begun in PC. Anyway, in case you hadn't been back there in a while, there are some new ones. One in particular, on the Island, gives good info for Guatemala and Nicaragua POCS. Check them out.

Rich,

Thanks for posting the comment about the Leon Art excursion. I also read in another review that the drive is an hour but, you're right - the roads must be pretty good to be able to go 65 mph.

I've also read (in yet another review) that the ride to Leon Viejo is 2 1/2 hours! Yikes! I'm re-thinking our booking of that excursion.

Seems like Leon would be nice to see, so we may make another choice that involves a visit there but with less travel time.

Nancy, I have heard many great things about Antigua and we definately plan to go there when we are in Guatemala. Thanks!