cleobella

Good info, thanks for posting!

Awesome David! Thank you again, I'm going to research your suggestions, they all sound great. Especially interesting is the Aqua Luna Harbor Cruise with the dining options. I was wondering about doing something like that but didn't know if these experiences were offered during the Harbor Cruise. Now I'm on it...very exciting!

We always take the spa tour and did so this time, but it was not a great tour. Actually, very little was explained to us. The guide seemed mostly interested in having us book with her specifically for a massage. We've been to lots of spas and ended up figuring out most of it on our own.

MAHDNC, this is an amazing trip review! Thank you very much for taking the time to journal your trip, it will be helpful to many planners, myself included. We are taking this trip cruise in reverse next year. However, we will only have a couple of days in Hong Kong pre cruise. Our hotel is not too far from yours, about 2 kms ( maybe about a mile or so). If you only had one or two days in Hong Kong what would you choose to do? Many of the private tours I'm looking at are quite expensive but perhaps that's the best plan. Otherwise, is it possible to stay in the general hotel area and see a few things doing a DIY plan? You may be a slave to this post for life, it's so informative and interesting!

We will be in Hong Kong 2 days pre cruise. I'd like to book a private day tour on Day 2 but it seems very expensive. Since we will be flying from Toronto I know we will probably be very tired at least the first day and even possibly the second day so maybe a day tour isn't the way to go anyway. We will probably stay at the Kowloon Shangri- La. Does anyone have any good ideas for stuff we could do or see that might be close by, maybe walking distance, or easy commute. We are usually good to walk 1-2 KMs( or about a mile) at a time, in safe areas. We like shopping, local and cultural sights, interesting landmarks, interesting restaurants. I wonder if it's hard to get to Victoria Peak, and I'm not sure what areas or sights would require a ferry transfer? If anyone had a great day or two in Hong Kong pre cruise, please share what you did.

Good information about the infrared sauna, thank you. This is the kind of information that would be helpful to have in the Spa. If there was an attendant around advising people or even an informative sign then guests would not be putting down towels to try to trap heat in the room. This kind of info should be given when they tour you around the spa. Regarding the Hammam question there is no scrub provided. It's just heavy mist. I enquired, and you can buy some there, I think the cost was about $60. When we used the NCL spa they used to give you scrubs that they made up in the spa for free when you bought a pass. Maybe that has changed now, but the $60 charge on the Ascent was crazy considering how cheap salt and sugar scrubs are to make.

In answer to my own question: The day pass would cost $89 as per the girl at the Spa desk. I ended up opting for the week pass, even though I resented the gratuity charge. There's really no service in the Thermal Spa, just towels being restocked and robes being put in empty lockers which seems like basic service necessary to a basic spa function. I never saw staff in cleaning the rooms or mopping up the water on the floor, but it was clean so I'm sure that's done at night. It is OK in there, with a hot infrared sauna, two hot mist rooms, a salt room (but it just has one panel of salt, it's not like a salt cave) and a crystalarium (really just a white marble room with a couple of small crystals mounted). No one ever used this room so I found it good for meditation! The thermal beds were plentiful, but if you go on a sunny day, it gets very hot and people where covering their eyes and heads. In the infrared sauna folks would put a towel at the door, or else it never got warm enough to break a sweat. Over all, I'm glad I tried it, since it's a new ship, but unless you've booked Aqua Class I'm not sure it's worth the money to do a week pass. Next time I'll just book a service, also expensive, but it's easier to justify the 20% gratuity when someone is actually tending to you personally, IMHO.

Hi There! You picked a wonderful itinerary and will have a great time! I suggest you come into Rome a day or two early and do a full day tour with a local company to see the iconic sights: Colusseum, Pantheon, St Peter's Basillica, Panoramic Drive. If you can have 2 days pre departure you could do a full tour one day, and just walk around Rome the other day. Pick a good central hotel. We stayed at the Albergo, right in the Pantheon Piazza...magical. For your second stop, don't try to do too much. We did a visit to the Tower of Pisa and Winery and it was great, plus we got good pictures and it didn't feel overwhelming. In Monte Carlo, you can easily walk around Monacco and Monte Carlo, see the Castle, take a tram between the old and new sections. You will see great views of the sea and the harbor and if you google a bit, there are some nice cafes where you can take a break. In Marseille we did a ship's tour and saw the amazing Notre Dame. Also a good place to do some local shopping and sample some amazing pastries. The downtown seemed very walkable. In Barcelona there is so much! Again an overview tour would be nice, the architecture is amazing. Take an extra day here and you can spend time on Las Ramblas (food, shopping, touristy but fun), or go out to see the National Catalonia Art Museum which also has wonderful views over the city. Barcelona has a good department store, Cortez, and it's fun if you're a shopper. We have been on Med cruises 3 times. I think the trick is to do your research and focus on balancing your interests. Don't try to do too much. In some iconic places an organized tour will let you see alot, and local tours are well done here, better then ships tours. Take some laid back days where you just walk and soak in the culture so you don't exhaust yourself. Have fun planning!

Has anyone done the San Gervasio and Beach Excursion? Is the tour of the ruins usually guided and does anyone know what Beach this tour uses? Are there facilities at the beach...chairs, food, toilets?

We are looking at the Tulum and "5th Avenue" Shopping Experience via Celebrity. This sounds like a great day. However I am thinking that the travel time round trip with Ferry and Driving will be about 2.5 hours, then we spend 2 hours at the Ruins. So, that means 4-5 hours shopping in Playa del Carmen? This seems like too much shopping time for us. Maybe I am underestimating the travel time? Has anyone done this tour and can advise if this is correct, and if there may be other stuff to do on this shopping street besides eating and shopping? Thanks

Does anyone know how much a Day Pass to the Thermal Suite on the Ascent will cost? We would love to book a week pass but at $300 CAN pp, it is too expensive for two of us. I don't suppose it's possible to share a pass with someone, lol?

Wow! We have been cruising for about 25 years, and have openly used the thermal suite pre treatment, I'm sure I even asked about it way back...but maybe that was with another line. We've never done AC with Celebrity. I need to research if the thermal suite is nice enough to justify the cost, maybe I'll just try it one day this trip, if I can. Don't know if I'm interested in the beds, if it's a sweatbox !

In the past, we've always been able to use the thermal spa area when we arrive for a facial or body treatment. Recently, I've heard that on the Ascent, customers will not be able to use the thermal spa area, complimentary, with a booked service. Anyone know if this is true?

I find the price of the pass has gone up dramatically in the last few years, certainly post COVID. We have taken many Celebrity Cruises and I always get the pass, sometime booking a treatment as well. For 7 days the pass, just a few years ago, would come in under $200 (CAN, of course we pay more with our lower dollar). We are on the Ascent in March and I am pricing it at almost $300 CAN dollars, plus tax!! I buy the passes it as a treat because I have arthritis, and the warm tile beds and various climate rooms really help me after a day touring, but I can no longer afford this relief. Also, I agree with whoever suggested you check it out first before buying, despite any ore sale offer. Last winter we were on the Summit and I only booked a facial, could not afford to add the day passes. I was glad I cheaped out because looking around, the spa was very scaled back. There were no warm beds, not enough places to sit in the thermal area, and just a few sauna's that were crowded. Not a great set up there.

I am looking for suggestions regarding good hotels to stay at for 1 night before cruising out of Port Everglades. We will be driving from Orlando, I wonder if it would be cheaper to stay a bit farther away, or is it worth the convenience to use a hotel closer to port? Are there any "park and go" hotels where we can safely leave our car for a week?

In June, we will have a nice long day in Juneau Port. We'd like to see Mendenhall Glacier, from the Visitor Centre, and also do the Tram Ride as well as looking around town. I think we are in port for 11 hours. I am wondering which is better to do first: the Glacier or the Tram ride? Is the Tram close to the ship dock? Also, I understand the blue bus is not operating, what is the best way to get to the visitor center (I'd rather not have to walk a mile from the public bus stop unless it's scenic). Is the town in walking distance to the port and is there anything especially interesting to do there ? Thanks for any info!

We will dock in Icy Point Strait in June from 1:30 pm to 10 pm. I understand this is a small, quiet port, owned by the local indigenous people. We'll probably plan to be out in the afternoon, right after docking. I would like to avoid a booked excursion if possible. We like short nature walks and local/cultural sights and activities. If you have any good ideas on how to spend a few relaxing, educational hours here please share! From what I've searched so far, it seems that we might be able to walk one way to town and take a shuttle back home. There is a renovated Cannery there too? Does anyone know what we could see in town other then shopping (though that is always good), and is the Cannery in walking distance from the ship? Where is the best place here to see wildlife? Thanks!

We will dock in Icy Point Strait in June from 1:30 pm to 10 pm. I understand this is a small, quiet port, owned by the local indigenous people. We'll probably plan to be out in the afternoon, right after docking. I would like to avoid a booked excursion if possible. We like short nature walks and local/cultural sights and activities. If you have any good ideas on how to spend a few relaxing, educational hours here please share! From what I've searched so far, it seems that we might be able to walk one way to town and take a shuttle back home. There is a renovated Cannery there too? Does anyone know what we could see in town other then shopping (though that is always good), and is the Cannery in walking distance from the ship? Where is the best place here to see wildlife? Thanks!

Seeing the highlights in Barcelona is easy: Guell Park, Las Ramblas, National Catalonia Museum of Art, La Pedrera, Sagrada Familia. A hop on hop off can help get you around but is slow, much is walkable or a short taxi ride. With 4 days you can also book a tour out to Monserrat to see a gorgeous Cathedral on a mountain, and view the famous Black Madonna Statue, stand in the courtyard on a spot said to be a healing vortex. We also went out to a Cava Winery which was very fun.

The tour companies do a great job getting you to the highlights and can skip the line ups. With one day this is really the way to go. We did Share an Shore Excursion, years ago, Rome in Limo also offers shared options for cruise passengers. Otherwise I'd say book ship transport into Rome and plan to map out a walking tour where you can see one highlight, maybe the Colosseum and then spend time walking around one or two adjacent parts of the city, going into churches, sitting in a famous Piazza and maybe having a nice lunch.

We saw Pompeii as part of a Rome in Limo tour which included a drive to Sorrento. The driver got us to Pompeii super quick, so we were allowed in a few minutes before the gates opened. This was fantastic because it kept us ahead of the crowds for the whole time we were there and we were able to get amazing pictures with no crowds in the way! We were handed off to the Pompeii Guide who was so knowledgeable. Though we were just there 2hrs I think we saw and learned more then we would have on our own.

It's been a few years for us, but I seem to remember this being a port that you could easily walk off the ship and into town, so I think it should be easy to walk to taxis just outside the port

There are Aruba Aloe stores all over the island including in the port area. They sell Aloe products ( creams and such) made on the Island. If you get outside the port area they have a factory/farm site about 15 minutes away and do a little tour there which is interesting. Aruba Aloe sells a good quality medical cream for burns and skin irritations that we really like, we stockbup when we visit, and lots of nice bath products.

Yup, you can just throw a towel down on any of the beaches! Eagle is beautiful, calmer, less crowded, my fave. Palm is more touristy IMHO, but fun with more bars and restaurants nearby. With 14 hours you could rent a car and drive the island, most of the attractions are free. Or you could do a local bus tour for part of the day and go out to the National Park, then come back to the ship for lunch, then out for port shopping. We did a half day tour with Trikes Aruba once and it was awesome, higly recommended! So fun and you'd still have time to go for lunch or walk about the port area too.

Rent a car an drive around a bit to look at sights or chill on the beach. The car could be your suitcase locker! And you could return it to the airport.