the penguins

The aircon is connected in pairs so yes it does affect your neighbour as it puts extra stress on the whole system. The instruction on the balcony door is very clear. If you want a more technical explanation ask one of the Engineering Officers next time you are on a cruise - Great topic of conversation at the Senior Officers Event.

2, 3, 4 plus ginger ale, tonics etc all in unopened bottles/cans. Brands of sodas different depending on the bar: Al Bacio generally has Royal Ginger Ale, Casino Bar Canada Dry. Sometimes if you want more water you will asked for your Room Card.

No. Aqua comes with dining in Blu.

theatre shows are 7.00 and 9.0pm. we like the later time and prebook dinner for 6.30 to ensure a relaxed dinner with time for a rest room visit before the show. No need to reserve seats in the the theatre. If there is an extra show in the theatre or in Celebrity Central it will always start around 10 to 10.15 pm. If there is a special performance in the Grand Foyer it will start between 10.00 to 10.15pm.

Update on the above. Just checked the changes Royals/Celebrity introduced due to Covid and the actual figures quoted are: in cabins the air is replaced 12 times an hour: in public spaces 15 times an hour. No air is recycled - in one side and out the other.

IV's are totally different. Opening the window turns the aircon off so there is no problem. Of course how long you will you be happy with with the atmosphere in the cabin (hot/cold/damp etc depending on what is happening outside) for any length of time is another matter but you won't be affecting your neighbour or anyone else. In all other cabins all you can do is to turn the aircon up and down not off.

On S and M Class you can't turn the Aircon off - just up and down. If you could you would have no fresh air as the system replaces the air in the cabin around 20 times an hour. Since Covid this air is not recycled it comes in one side of the ship and out the other. On E class you can turn the aircon off in IV cabins but only by opening the window and I doubt if you would find that comfortable for any length of time.

Since X introduced check in slots some passengers with late times have missed the lunch. On some cruises X has substituted the boarding day lunch with a lunch on a sea day. Two problems with this: 1) you don't know what X has decided to do on your particular cruise until you board. 2) a lunch on a sea day is clearly different to a lunch when you board. Not perfect but at least they are trying. Personally we go direct to our cabin drop our bags and collect our room cards. Next head to our Muster Station to "check in". Then onto Al Bacio for a coffee and cake (or two). If we need something extra to eat we head for the Spa Cafe which is normally very quiet although it doesn't seem to open on all ships. Back to the cabin to see if any bags have arrived if not we settle down on the balcony. we make sure we have a good breakfast and with 6.30 dinner we have no need of a massive lunch so can easily avoid the chaos of the Buffet.

For anyone who drinks little or in our case no alcohol and doesn't need unlimited WiFi the Elite+ perks are great: unlimited speciality teas/coffees/chocolate, 240 minutes premium WiFi to use when you want, 2 bags wash and fold laundry, plus during Happy Hour you can stock up with bottled water to last 24 hours plus ginger ale, tonic etc and get a nice juice to take into dinner.

Not all cruises start in Florida. Arrive early in Southampton and you can find yourself in a separate line out in the open, with no cover and no seats. Cruisers have posted similar events at other ports. Also the staff at the port are employed by the port, not the cruise line, so if you do take a chance and you have to wait please don't blame X

free drink carrier from Al Bacio - just ask. Use takeaway cups with lids for soups.

that's a lot of lattes even for us

there is a charge for most room service requests except I think Continental breakfast. we never use it as the "Boss" says the walk to the Buffet or Al Bacio is good for me.

Still enforced at other ports so arriving early is still a gamble.

Of course you have. Most passengers choose by itinerary first not by cabin category. If that means booking E class they really don't have much choice as the other cabins are in very short supply. For example on Edge a typical Deck with cabins for example Deck 9 (excluding suites) has 12 real balconies and 162 IV's. The other decks are basically the same.

unless you plan to do a lot of cruises on X Concierge is not worth it. Although you are Elite due to your status on Royal to get to Elite+ you start from zero so just settle for a normal balcony unless you are on M class where the cabins are bigger (squarer really) or the difference is tiny (we did Transpacific where the extra was $25 for the whole cruise and we were close to Elite +). Welcome to X,

regrettably in our experience X's idea of an accessible excursion is always just a panoramic tour with no actual assistance.

We have never had an IV and never will. Apart from the uncomfortable chairs can't imagine what the cabin would be like after we had sat for 3 hours with the window open i.e. with no heating /cooling in the cabin. With regard to clothing the answer is always "layers" with the top being a waterproof jacket. I usually manage with shorts but occasionally change to long pants. Our preferred balcony is Deck 7, rearward facing to keep us out of the wind. The overhang from 8 keeps any rain out. On boarding we collect 4 pool towels and 4 blankets from the spa pool (if the blankets aren't out a Pool Attendant will get them for you). We use the towels/blankets to line the backs and seats of the chairs with one towel rolled up as a back cushion. We return the towels and blankets on the last afternoon. We have our lunch on the balcony. Lunch for us is very simple and all collected from the buffet: Hot soup (in a takeaway coffee cup with a lid), choice of bread and a jello with fruit topped with ice cream/or acake. Takeaway cups are also good for fries, stir fried vegetables etc. After we eat the Boss clears the table while I take a short walk to the Al Bacio for a takeaway latte and a hot chocolate to round off our lunch.

short term yes. Lots of new passengers who may or may not book again. Sailing from the UK there is no choice and the marketing is, in my opinion, questionable as cabins are only defined as "Balconies" regardless of their type. We will only really know when X develops it's next class of ship. X got it very wrong once before with the M class ships' "jet engines" which failed to deliver the promised fuel savings. The engines were dropped when the S class was introduced.

we have sat on our traditional balcony for around 3 hours on practically every sea day on every Transatlantic cruise - both directions on both the northerly and southernly route.

on Edge - if we take Deck 8 as an example (The other decks with cabins are the same) excluding suites there are: 162 IV cabins and 12 with traditional balconies.

personally we always do this direct and in the covering email ask all the questions we want answered that way we know exactly what to expect when we are at the terminal.

if you haven't already done so you need to contact X ( or get your Agent to do it) and get the Guest Special Needs Form. This needs to be completed and when you submit it you can ask all your questions and request any additional assistance you need. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

for us - no for 2 reasons: 1) the location of the cabins - deck 7 is as high as we go and close to midship. 2) Dining - we eat as a couple every day at home and one of the highlights of cruising is sharing tables in the MDR (Select table of 6 ). Not right or wrong just personal choice.

As X committed (gambled) to building several E class ships before the first had even sailed we won't know how successful the IV is until X launches its next generation of ships. I believe Icon only has a few IV's which is totally different. Viking is only one cruise line that has many years of experience with IV's and it chose not to have any on its Ocean Fleet.