Fieldofdreams

1 minute ago, Galaxy2004 said:

@Fieldofdreams I'm jealous!! We loved it. We sailed Ascent in December and loved it so much that soon after we got home we booked the February trip. She's a gorgeous ship. We had amazing weather and spent much of our time in this stretch of chairs on the stern side of Sunset Bar. Extra attentive bar staff and super comfy chairs. There are quite a few detailed reviews on here, but I'd be happy to answer any questions. Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks - great info, especially about Sunset Bar. Also, thanks for your willingness to answer any questions.  I would equally be happy to share. We have done 15 or so Ocean Cruises and three river cruises including two very recent Viking Ocean Cruises to Australia/New Zealand and most recently Adriatic/Mediterranean and Greece. Happy to share what we liked and would pass on doing if we did them again. Enjoy your travels wherever they take you.

1 minute ago, Galaxy2004 said:

Eden was not an option for lunch on embarkation day on our 2/4 sailing on Ascent. 

Thank you... we are boarding Ascent Sunday. Did you enjoy the ship/cruise?

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I think the Pool Grill, OVC  Opens at 11:00  --   Sushi on 5 at 12:00       Luminae at 11:45

 

Al Bacio 10:00 AM  

Any idea if Eden is open for lunch on embarkation day and when they might be open from and closing? Thinking of avoiding the rush at the buffet. Any other options/thoughts? Sailing on Ascent. Thanks

4 hours ago, David Kane said:

A few quick answers:

 

1) On our 7 day each theatre show is performed twice on the same day, at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Doors open 1/2 hour before, which is right about when the line starts forming. The line for the bathrooms right in front of the theatre start forming about 10 minutes before that 😉.

 

2) Likewise, the Club shows are performed twice on the same day, 8:45pm and 10:45pm. However, as the Club has activities throughout the day and a bar the seats can start filling up 45 minutes before. I managed to get a standing spot at the end of the Bar last night for the 2nd Smoke and Ivories viewing last night. 

 

3) Shows in Eden are performed once a day, at 10:45pm. Much like the club, since it is open all day, seats start filling up around 10:00pm - earlier if you want a seat at the bar. I have not yet managed to make an Eden show.

 

4) For group seating I would show up at the door time for Theatre shows and 45 minutes ahead for others - please note, this is a full cruise, so if you are on a less popular one/less popular ship you may be able to swing that arrival time by 15 minutes.

 

5) And yes, I do have an entire hardcase for hats - the one thing I cannot pack down.

 

David - Thanks so much - very helpful!

9 hours ago, David Kane said:

Day 4 - Awaken

We angled for the 7:30 show in the Theatre and here is a first. It was sold the heck out. Seriously - I got there at 7:10pm and there about 3 seats left all around the edges. I have never, in 10 years, seen the theatre this packed. Apparently, the word is out - this show delivers the goods.

 

Instead, we decided to wander the Casino, which was also hopping. I know this absolutely does not happen, and I know these negative EV money siphons do not work at all like this....but it SURE feels like slot machines run "hot" whenever a show is just about to get out. Like everyone who exits the show has to make their way through the casino and are greeted by the spectacle of golden coins floating in the air and joyous gamblers (as opposed to the LAST day on the cruise, when you should avoid the slot machines like the Celebrity entertainment design team avoids songs post 1971 - I kid, I kid...kinda).

 

Fortified with some ill gotten gains, we stormed the Theatre at 8:59:59 along with apparently the rest of the Mongol Hoard - seats went quick and by 9:10 you were pretty much sitting in the wings or standing in the back. There was, however, one exception. Celebrity reserves certain seats for Suite Guests on Formal Nights...and apparently, during all other nights, they reserve seats for those who bought the XPass...who knew? And, judging by the occupancy of those seats, exactly 2 people chose this upgrade option - to each their own.

 

What to say about Awaken without spoiling it? Yes, I know, videos are widely available online. Even Taking Back Sunday has a review, I think (a word play on an...influential? Youtuber?). That said, Celebrity enlisted a stage magician to create at least 5 practical effects for this show - the first and the last of which I don't think the audience even realized happened. I would say one had to watch this show twice to grasp what is happening - 3 times to fully understand it - and this is a compliment. It has a high re-watch value and the Stranger Things inspired scene is particularly well performed, let alone the leading vocal which, yet again, approach first-run show quality. In addition, I saw something I have never seen before. You have singers, you have dancers - some are even Singer/Dancers...but I have never before seen a Singer/Aerialist.

 

This is an exquisite show that I plan on seeing twice more, if possible.

 

Note: As indicated before the show begins, this performance does contain numerous smoke effects and a few minor strobing effects - if you are sensitive to these I would recommend sitting in the back on the bottom level, under the stage, and avoiding the balcony, especially in the front.

 

Next Up - Shine The Night!

 

 

 

 

Hi David - We were wondering on a 7 day cruise how many times during the week is Awaken performed, same for the other shows Bridges and Residency. We are a group of eight with a 6:00 dinner seating. Thoughts on what time to arrive at the theatre?  Thanks

3 hours ago, georgiaguy said:

They have it available for purchase near the gangway typically.

Thank you

Does anyone know if free bottle water is provided on excursions or can it be purchased prior to disembarking for an excursion ie. beach day excursion. Thanks

52 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

*Seared Branzino

*Slow roasted Leg of Lamb

*Homemade Kordelia Pasta

*Carrot Cake

*Pan-seared aged sirloin steak

*Spaghetti a la Mallorquin

*Brownies and cookies from Eden Cafe lunchtime

*Maritozzi (Italian Cream buns) from Seaview Cafe Lunchtime Italian theme day

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Kwokpot for your feedback as well as the photos. Speaking for all on this post greatly appreciated! Following you on your post as well. Enjoy your cruise!

49 minutes ago, CruiseMrB said:

Ate in Cosmopolitan every night. Pan Seared Cod and Corn Soup of the Cosmo-specific side was very good. Pan-Seared Duck was very good when it came around. The lobster night was disappointing. Beet Salad was great. Sacher Torte was very good. Get two the night it comes around. 

Thank you everyone for weighing in. Feedback is great! So curious, what was disappointing about lobster night? Not cold water Maine lobster, overcooked, tough, small tail, not tasty? I know these are all reasons I would be disappointed. I cook whole live Maine lobster at home all of the time so I get it when they are not good.

45 minutes ago, CardowMD said:

I had the grilled octopus in Cyprus every night, (not my usual escargot) Their lamb shank entree was amazing. Others loved the short ribs. Then we would have entrees from the other MDRs.

45 minutes ago, CardowMD said:

I had the grilled octopus in Cyprus every night, (not my usual escargot) Their lamb shank entree was amazing. Others loved the short ribs. Then we would have entrees from the other MDRs.

Really helpful, thanks

1 minute ago, Galaxy2004 said:

We ate in all 4 restaurants on our Dec 4 cruise. We liked the atmosphere and service in Tuscan best but our favorite dishes were from Cosmopolitan's everyday menu - Oxtail Royale and Corn Soup. We also liked their carrot cake. We ended ordering these again one night in Tuscan.

Thank you for sharing

Would be interested in knowing what everyone thinks your top ten dishes were in the four included restaurants. Thanks so much for sharing.

Sailing late February.

27 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I was just on Edge  a couple weeks ago and the price of Eden without discounts was $60 pp without pairing.    There is a 20% Gratuity added.   In the case of Edge on the current season in Australia and New Zealand they are required to have upfront pricing including tip so on the app it is currently listed at $72.00 ($60 plus 12 Tip)

 

The price with pairing is in the range of $100 plus tip.     It is also a requirement that all must order with pairing.    As I'm not a drinker that makes it an easy decision.  

Thank you - It appears pricing is possibly different depending on the ship. Not sure that it matters too much at this point, we are not able to get a table for 8 on any day, will likely have to wait until we get on the ship to see if anything opens up. Thanks again for sharing.

8 minutes ago, jelayne said:

That is the new price for booking pre cruise.

8 minutes ago, jelayne said:

That is the new price for booking pre cruise.

Thank you

2 minutes ago, Fieldofdreams said:

Thank you - I will check the app.

Just checked and still see $77.99

2 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

We are on Ascent right now and paid $65 US including gratuities in advance. Dinner, not tasting as we have the premium package and why pay twice? 
 

In the app at this moment, pricing is $60 pp for meal, $100pp for tasting. Both plus 20% grat. 
 

Thank you - I will check the app.

3 hours ago, Galaxy2004 said:

We were on Ascent for the 12/10/23 sailing and had prebooked at a great promo of $44.99/ea - regular then was $65/ea (all in for $107.96 for two). We're booked for the 2/4/24 sailing and it was showing in the app at the same price as yours 2 nights ago but now there are no reservations available. We've done Eden 3 times now and enjoyed it all 3 times, but we never paid what they are asking now and not for sure we would enjoy it as much if we did. 

Thank you for the feedback, very helpful.

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

The prices of some of the specialty restaurants was increased very recently.  Eden without wine is now $85pp +20% gratuity on board.  The pre cruise price, as you see, is a bit less expensive.

Interesting ... It used to be that most cruise lines would set a price and stay with that price for a bit, it now seems that they are basing prices upon supply and demand, similar to airline bookings. Have to say if that is the case, that is disappointing.

9 minutes ago, roxannex said:

They definitely raised prices on Eden and La Voyage. I booked Eden for I think around 60 dollars in November (I think) and now it's up to 77 (pre cruise). And La Voyage also went up. I was going to use that for the my 3 night dining package I purchased and now it says there is a 20 dollar upcharge for La Voyage. There was not one when I booked the package. 

Thank you

3 hours ago, Galaxy2004 said:

We were on Ascent for the 12/10/23 sailing and had prebooked at a great promo of $44.99/ea - regular then was $65/ea (all in for $107.96 for two). We're booked for the 2/4/24 sailing and it was showing in the app at the same price as yours 2 nights ago but now there are no reservations available. We've done Eden 3 times now and enjoyed it all 3 times, but we never paid what they are asking now and not for sure we would enjoy it as much if we did. 

Thanks so much for the response

We are reading conflicting information about cost. Most of what we have read is the cost is $60 pp without the wine flight, however, when we are on the Celebrity site for actually booking reservations the following shows up: Additionally, Celebrity reps are stating that there is only pricing with the wine flights, which I am fairly certain is not correct. If someone who has recently sailed the Ascent and dined for dinner at Eden would provide accurate information that would be great. We are 4 couples trying to make a reservation.

      Eden

On 12/7/2023 at 8:01 AM, Georgia_Peaches said:

Reservations are recommended but not required. You can make/change them in the app day of or you can stop by in person. For a party of 8 I would definitely try to make a reservation. The MDR portion of the menu will be the same in each restaurant with only a small portion of the menu being unique to a specific restaurant. If in a pinch due to another scheduled activity, go with the dining room that can seat your group the quickest. On our cruise, Tuscan seemed to be the most crowded. 

Thank you

On 12/5/2023 at 7:10 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

The only chic night on our 4 night cruise on Ascent was the first sea day...so second night.  

Curios if any of the 4 free restaurants were difficult to get into if your seating was at 6pm or 8pm? Do you have to specify which restaurant you want to go that evening and make arrangements that day? We are a group of 8 sailing in February 2024. Thanks

2 hours ago, Andy_P said:

It will be after final payment date (which is on Nov 27 for that cruise I think), and even though we go through a TA, we have always received an email with the offer sometime afterwards - as soon as a week, and as long as about six weeks.  

Thank you - You are correct

38 minutes ago, thebutlerdidit said:

You can fill this out to see if you’re eligible.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/bid-on-cruise-room-upgrade

 

Thank you