Compass Rose Monica

I scanned our passports and saved on one of my email accounts in case of loss. I also make a copy and keep them in the safe in the cabin. I carry my passport in my money belt.

Monica

I bring a battery operated tea light and put one in the bathroom at night. It glows enough to see when I need to get up in the middle of the night. It weighs next to nothing and packs easily.

Monica

Enjoy your AI vacation, but please, please come back and try an S-class ship. They're the best!

Monica

I love the Silk Harvest!! I can't wait to be on the Solstice so I can have dinner there.

Also love the Lawn Club Grill.

Monica

After researching these boards for a couple of months before we cruised recently on Infinity, I felt very prepared for our Panama Canal cruise and honestly I was. Still there were a couple of items that I wish I had known and prepared for better, so I thought I would share the few things I would have done differently and hope someone else can benefit from my experience.

First, the hairdryer. I wish I had brought my own. The reason? The hairdryer requires that you press a button the entire time it is in use. That would have been fine in my younger days, but with the arthritis I now suffer from, I was unable to use it. My poor DH had to dry my hair for me. I'm sure this isn't a problem for most, but it you suffer from arthritis in your hands, bring your own.

Secondly, the beds on this ship are hard! Wish I had requested the egg crate on the first day. Check the bed when you get to the cabin so that you know if it is a good fit for you right away.

Third, I would have stuck to shore excursions with no more then 20 people. All of the shore excursions we were on had a large bus full and it definitely affected our enjoyment.

Lastly, If you enjoy a deal and don't have a beverage package= look for the "Daily Pour"- It is listed in your Celebrity Today and it is a $5 craft cocktail that changes daily.

We really did have an amazing time on our cruise! This stuff was trivial, just information hoping to enhance your cruise . Happy Cruising to all!:D

Yes, the hair dryer is a pain to use. Some people bring a wide rubber band and use it to keep the button down. I haven't done that, as I just deal with it. I like to keep my suitcase as light as possible.

I keep forgetting to ask for the egg crate.

I book my own private tours and keep the group to 8 or 12 total. Much better than a ship's tour.

Monica

My stay at the Embassy suites was fine. No problems with the room. Paid for the shuttle service to the port.

I hosted a pre-cruise party during the happy hour at the hotel. About 20 or so showed up. We enjoyed the drinks. The snacks (as previously mentioned) were okay. A bunch of us walked across the street to Panaretto Italian Bistro (1311 SE 17th ST, panarettopizzeria.com) to have dinner. Sat outside. The food was excellent and service good.

Monica

Thanks for sharing...we are doing our first TA in April. We can't wait, as two couples we met on our Adriatic cruise are traveling with us. However, we are losing time crossing the Atlantic!

 

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I've done two east-bound crossings (Silhouette in 2014 and Serenade in 2016). I much prefer the west-bound: ports the first week; relax the second week; arrive hope with out any jetlag. Fortunately, my Serenade cruise had enough sea days in between the port days so that helped.

Monica

The Lawn Club and Grill is my favorite specialty dining. I usually wait till I'm on the ship to get a discount. You can make your own flatbread (fun) and even cook your own steak (didn't do that). Save room for dessert - especially the warm chocolate chip cookie!!!!

Monica

I second Embassy suites (http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/embassy-suites-by-hilton-fort-lauderdale-17th-street-FLLSOES/index.html). Very good location; great happy hour too.

Another time I stayed at Extended Stay America. It was OK (room wise) and a block from embassy suites.

Monica

Thanks John for your review.

I'm on the Reflection (first time) next October's TA cruise. :)

Monica

.....

Second- we had the drink package so were not affected BUT- we are Elite and were given drink coupons for nightly drinks- the bars that you could use your coupons at were always too full. We did struggle to find a meeting place before dinner for our group. They should have kept the sky lounge for this so the bars would not be affected for everyone else. The passport bar, the martini bar and Ensemble lounge were packed every night !!!....

Brockmom

Celebrity started using the drink coupons because over the last few years or so, the number of elites/elite+ passengers has grown; equating to at least 1,000-1500. Having the "happy hour" only in the observation sky lounge just didn't work any more. I agree the other bars are full, but in my experience not too bad. On my last two cruises, I hung out at the sunset bar. When the weather was bad, I went to the sky lounge.

What I'd really like to see Celebrity do is allow those with coupons (or loaded to the cards) to use them anytime of day, not just between 5-7pm. This would allow me to have a drink poolside if I wanted one, or before 5pm or after 7pm. I think it would reduce the crowds in the bars. Three complimentary drinks is three complimentary drinks. Why limit it to just 5-7pm?

Monica

On that note, can I ask. Do you always use the celebrity transfers from Rome to the port or do you organise your own? I am in the process of organising next Aug, from Rome, but the transfers are nearly as expensive as my flights! Mt plan was to travel to the port and stay overnight, does this make sense or is it easy enough to get from Rome to port?

All these questions ... sorry

If I stay in Rome fore the cruise, I use Romecabs.com to get from the airport to hotel; then hotel to the port. I don't use Celebrity tranfsers. Usually I'm with three other couples, so 8 of us split the transportation expenses.

If I stay in Civitavecchia, I stay at Hotel Tragehetto. We just walk to the shuttle bus pick up point which is literally just 2 minutes away - 400 feet.

For just one night in Rome, I'd skip it and stay in Civitavecchia. You really should have 2-3 nights in Rome. If you did just one night, you would be getting to your hotel around noon (depending on your arrival time); then you'd need a pick up service around 9am. That doesn't leave you time to enjoy Rome.

Monica

I usually get to the port around 11:30am.

Monica

Celebrity Select is the Celebrity Cruises flexible dining option. With Celebrity Select Dining, guests can arrive to be seated for dinner in the main dining room at any time between 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm, or can make reservations to dine at any time that they choose within that timeframe.

 

We strongly encourage reservations to ensure the best service and to avoid any potential wait times.

I made advanced dining reservations online for a past Celebrity cruise (and one time on the RCL Serenade) and still had to wait 12-25 minutes for a table.

Trying to get a table with reservations between 7-8pm is a not fun.

I'm booked on the Reflection for October 2017. Will give it a try again, as I hope the services improves with these advanced reservations.

Monica

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cobQa_3iDbgXrjy8qfx8ugkv93wFrJjCkRUp7f8BAYw/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks for the link. There's a few items that's not on my packing list that I should add.

Monica

Thanks to all for your replies. We have booked 9127 as we like to be close to elevators and stairs and I think it will work out just fine.. We both need to avoid too much sun exposure, so the A1's on Deck 11 are not for us.

I had the exact cabin, 9127, when I was on the Summit back in 2012. GREAT cabin!!!! It's quiet (even though it's near the elevators and stairs. Above is the cafe, but we didn't hear a single sound. The overhang does not darken the room and I prefer a shady balcony.

Monica

Thank you. I was able to navigate Celebrity's website and make reservations/times for all 7 evenings.

I've pre-booked certain times for select dining online (once on Celebrity and once on RCCL). It was terrible. We still had to wait 15-30 minutes for a table.

Monica

Thanks Tom for your great review. Short but sweet and detailed enough for me.

You mentioned, "The Porch has been reinvented with a new menu, but we did not dine there." Do you recall what was on the menu? I've dined there twice but not thrilled with the food there.

I'll be on the Reflection next October 2017. Join our group!! I have a web site for it too in my signature. :)

Monica

I always bring one large (either 25" or 29") and a carry on (18-19"). With the 29" suitcase, I can't fit it under the bed because the bottom end is deeper than the top end.

On a S-class ship, I can "hide" it between the sofa and window behind the drapes. The 25" fits easily under the bed.

When I was on the Serenade this past spring, I had to have it standing on one wall near the desk. It was out in the open but we could walk by it without any problems.

Monica

I've done both directions (twice EB and 6 WB). I much prefer to visit the ports the first week and relax the second week. You gain an hour almost every night the second half of the trip and you dock in Florida without any jetlag.

I didn't mind my second EB cruise because there were plenty of sea days mixed in between the port days.

But from now on, I will book a WB before and EB.

Monica

It is quite a walk and my last choice of areas to book a cabin. I've had to go back to my cabin many times and being in a cabin near the front or center elevators/stairs makes it so convenient.

I know some friends don't mind the long walk.

You can go to the S-class cabin excel sheet to read about the aft cabins and comments about noise and sometimes soot on the balconies: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=911018

Monica

So based on the comments here, it sounds like if you want a table for two, there's hardly a wait, if at all; but for a larger group, there is a longer wait.

Monica

You just show up whenever you want to. Between 7pm-8pm, it will be very crowded. Every once in a while we would have to wait 15-20 minutes. If you go when it first opens or late, you won't have to wait.

On my past cruises, Celebrity offered a discount to the specialty restaurants on the first night for Aqua class passengers to alleviate the crowd in Blu.

Monica

Do you need to build your Celebrity cruise points? If so, then go for concierge. Plus you get the extra perks.

If you plan to spend a lot of time on your balcony, 8160 is a very good choice.

Monica

Passengers have been complaining about this for years, and the reply has always been that the paper advertisements come from the companies that own the concessions (e.g., art auction, spa, stores), not from Celebrity.

I didn't know that. But still, it seem such a waste. I would go to my cabin to find the advertisements and immediately put them in the trash can.

Monica