cocobakerchica

17 hours ago, Musigurl said:

....nothing 😞 Maybe I'm too far out? When do menus typically show up?

I've seen menus for our specific sailings start showing up on the app a couple days(maybe about week or so?)before we board. Sometimes the app shows nothing or incomplete menus as well, usually when one cruise is ending and the new one is either longer or shorter than the last, so they have to reload everything to fit the length of the sailing about to start.

20 hours ago, hcat said:

posted by a recent cruiser..

Yes, I know what's posted on the ships, I've seen them. I'm also speaking from recent lived experience of seeing someone in shorts in the MDR and the person not being turned away. But thank you for posting this.

2 hours ago, hopelea said:

My husband and I are seasoned cruisers.  We have sailed with Carnival 25+ times.   With that said, I am planning my husbands retirement cruise in 2026 or 2027.  I feel like we need to try a different cruise line.   We were in port next to Celebrity Ascent.....OMG it is beautiful!  

 

We would love to do at least a 10 day cruise for his retirement.

 

If you have cruised on Carnival and Celebrity, what are the main differences you have found?  Is the dress code "fancier" that Carnival at dinner?  Anything goes on Carnival now.  We actually sat next to a man in a bathing suit in the main dinning room.  Didn't bother me, but I know it would bother some 🙃

 

Thanks for your input

The main dining room dress code for dinner for the majority of your cruise will be resort casual, which is absolutely no bathing suits, lol(bathing suits aren't allowed at breakfast in the MDR either, and cover ups are to be worn over swimsuits in the Oceanview(buffet)at all times). Jeans are fine in the MDR, as are athletic shoes, but maybe not t-shirts with logos or slogans. Shorts are also not allowed, however I've seen a few diners wear them on various cruises, so it depends on the restaurant manager on how strict the enforcement is. The "formal" nights are called Chic Night and is pretty much relegated to the MDR and Theater(the rest of the public areas stay casual dress). The range of dress on those nights is from dressy casual all the way up to full formal, although it's been a very, very long time since I've seen a tux or formal gown worn onboard.

8 minutes ago, Newcruiser2024 said:

My husband and I are taking our first cruise ever on March 3rd. We are dining at 6:00 and I understand we will be assigned a dining room. For breakfast and lunch what other options do we have? I'm not seeking specialty dining necessarily. Where is the ocean buffet? I just don't want to spend extra money on dining.

The Oceanview Cafe(buffet) is on Deck 14 aft(rear). If they have a similar setup on all the Edge class ships(I've sailed Beyond twice), daily breakfast and lunch are served only in the Cosmopolitan dining room(included), so it doesn't matter what dining room you're assigned to for those. You might have to check onboard, but on Beyond (I sailed this past October/November) we also had a fixed 6pm dining and we switched it up and ate in all 4 dining rooms with no problem(and were told we could come as early as 5:30, but again, this can vary ship to ship). Also, don't feel as if you must go to the main dining rooms because that's your assigned time/dining room. If the menus aren't to your liking or if you want a more relaxed/casual meal, the buffet is a nice spot for dinner.

I'm so happy to read all of these positive responses and seeing the finished products. I bought the Hot Glass class on Eclipse for the Bermuda-Martha's Vineyard leg of our B2B, I might just book it for the first leg(Rio to Bayonne)too.

On 1/29/2023 at 8:05 AM, Bamlin said:

I have cruised celebrity several times but never on the edge class. Generally choose early dining. Since the Beyond has 4 main dining rooms, if I choose early seating am I locked into the one dining room or can I switch to the other ones on different nights. Would it be better to go with anytime dining? Any help would be appreciated.

I was on the Beyond back in October/November(first time sailing Edge class), and there's only Anytime dining onboard. You'll book your times for any of the four dining rooms of choice for each evening, you're not locked into any specific one venue.

4 minutes ago, Guindalf said:

We're flying from Atlanta to LA on Friday and boarding the Solstice Saturday. We'll be in a Sky Suite.

 

With all the negativity on this board, MUCH more than the boards for other lines, I understand that post-pandemic, cruise lines must make changes to survive. Cruise ships need to sail at over 100% to make a profit and ships are still sailing as low as 25% full. This means they must get creative where they can.

 

Yes, there are cuts. Yes, there are bar closures, yes, there are new charges, but the alternative i NO CRUISING AT ALL. I'll live with the changes in order to gt my week of R&R, no matter what cutbacks there are. I'll be happy with what I get.

 

I accept that cruising is a privilege and many people may get no vacation at all, so it's time to shut up and accept things will be different, but still awesome!

 

We have a reservation on Princess for Alaska at the end of September and I was considering cancelling in favor of the solstice, but all the poor comments made me think that the people on board the Discovery Princess will be happier than the X passengers

 I take many of the complaints with a grain of salt(really a half grain if that was possible😆). Some is pertinent, some is editorializing, and like you put so well, going on a cruise(like so many vacations) is a privilege, and no matter what, I'm going to enjoy my time away from home. Even with the cutbacks, present cruise ship amenities are in many ways head and shoulders above what I experienced back in my early days of cruising nearly 30 years ago. 

I agonized over this same question while planning for the transition cruise we took this past October on Beyond (boarded in Bayonne, debarked in Ft Lauderdale). Since it was our first flight since even before Covid, and flight cancellation possibilities were high, we ultimately decided to book a room and stay overnight in Ft Lauderdale and take the earliest next morning flight home. We were among the last to get off the ship, no crowds waiting for an Uber(and no inflation pricing), and a relatively stress free flight that actually got us home earlier than scheduled!

1 hour ago, DancersImage said:

We have an upcoming cruise with a port stop in Charleston, SC. This will be our first time in that port . We are in the process of planning excursions and activities. We are looking for input from someone with prior experience with this port regarding whether or not the Historical District is within walking distance of the port. Thanks for any recommendations and Happy Holidays. 

It's within walking distance, and yep, the free local bus has a stop right outside the entrance of the port. The historic Charleston City Market is about a two block walk away(definitely check out their website), and Waterfront Park is also within walking distance There's little to no shade in the port area after leaving the terminal, so definitely bring a hat

9 hours ago, prmssk said:

Does anyone know if they have non-dairy milk (almond, coconut, oat, or soy) available to make lattes for the elite breakfast?

I heard people asking for non dairy milks, and there was no problem getting it. I think almond and soy were the most asked for.

9 hours ago, hobgoblin said:

Thanks ,that all looks good to me!

Do you have yo book in for these breakfasts or just turn up?

Just show up between 8-10 am. You'll probably show your sea pass card on the first morning, then after that, not at all.

19 hours ago, ggo85 said:

We haven’t cruised X for 5 years. While we can read the definitions for the dress code, in practice, what is the difference? I’m more interested in men’s wear as it’s easy for a woman to wear a dressier top.  For example, do most men wear jackets?   But I’ll take any advice.  This is for Caribbean and Central America, if that makes a difference.  

I've been on two cruises this year, and the men very rarely wore jackets for either chic or casual nights(I remember seeing only one or two jackets on chic nights) in the evenings. It was usually jeans, or khaki pants, polo shirts or casual button down shirts, and all manner of footwear on casual nights, and jeans(usually darker wash) or trousers, dress shirts of all kinds/colors, and dress shoes or sandals on chic nights.

5 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Eclipse will be moved to long Caribbean routes from Fort Lauderdale and New Jersey/Boston for Bermuda/Canada/New England and Greenland/Iceland. 

Thank you for this information, it now makes more sense as to why there's no Bayonne/Boston itineraries for 2024 up yet. Looking forward to seeing/sailing Eclipse in '24

3 hours ago, PinkSandGirl said:

Bedtime at 2:20am and I have to get up @ 4:30am.  It's Cruise Day though. 🥳

 

🍹

YAY, it's finally here!!!! I woke up about half an hour ago 🎊🎊🎊🎉🎉🎉🎉 

16 hours ago, UkeT3 said:

We're living in the am for Cape Liberty!  woohoo.  Anyone know if when we have standard 6 pm seating for dinner, will be always be in the same dining room or rotate?  And if the same one, which one do they use for 6pm dinner?  See you all!

 

If you have fixed time for dinner, you've been assigned to one dining room, and you can use the app to reserve a table in any of the other three for different nights if you want to try them out.

Hi Kelly, of course I hit folloiw, even though I'll be on the same cruise😆 See you in line check in line in a couple days(maybe)

Geri

1 minute ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

I'd thought The Porch was mostly seafood though. Unless it's radically different on Beyond, Rooftop Garden Grill is more steak and such

Which is why I used the wording "similar concept".

16 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

I don't see one listed on its list of specialty restaurants

Similar concept, different name. It's called The Rooftop Garden Grill on Beyond, and making reservations is possible in advance.

19 hours ago, socktaco said:

The celebrity website says designer jeans and elegant top are ok for evening chic, and i presume that means in specialty restauants too. How often are ladies showing up in nice jeans and elegant tops? Really what i want to know is whether i will feel out of place if i do, and i know that's a really vague and subjective question. But im travelling solo and have reserved a specialty restaurant by myself which is a bit of a personal challenge and im interested in everyones thoughts and experiences.

I've worn jeans and a dressy top several times as evening chic dinner outfits(most recently on a 10 night cruise this past May/early June) with zero issues, and you won't feel out of place at all.

20 minutes ago, NJRonbo said:

Hey all!

 

Still looking at booking the Summit for June or July next year.

Already, on all the sailings we looked at, early dining is sold out.

So, okay, I can pick ANYTIME dining.  Problem solved, yes?

Well, actually is it?  Will I experience long lines for dinner if I arrive when the restaurant opens given the early dining spots are spoken for?

Are reserved early dining passengers given priority over anytime dining?  Or, are they located in separate areas of the dining room?

The Summit MDR is on two decks aft; the anytime MDR is on Deck 4 and the fixed time MDR is on Deck 5. Early dining and anytime dining never competes for tables.

Just checked, it's telling me my password is incorrect(it isn't ) when trying to sign into my account on my tablet, and I got the same result of the X logo just repeating, then going to the sign in page when I tried to access my (already completed) check in info on the app.

5 minutes ago, bama4cruisin said:

I must disagree.  When I checked in for our upcoming Beyond cruise, there were the 3 sections to be completed:  Travel Info, Check-In, Health Status.  I was able to select Check-In for myself and select the time, save it and change to DH’s Check-In and do the same.  I then went back to complete the remainder of the entire process for both.  Entire process for both (except photos) took less than 15 minutes.  Added photos later, and that is not even required.

Then yours was different, since I'm on the same cruise and completed everything for both of us (except the photo) before I could choose our arrival time, and it still took less than 15 minutes.

You can, but you have to complete the majority of your check in info(not necessarily uploading the photo), the initial health assessment questionnaire, and agree to your cruise contract before they give you a choice of times for arrival.

6 hours ago, garyl62 said:

Is it just me, or does anyone else think of this as "Goop"?  Every time I see a goop thread or comment I can't help but wonder why they named it that, and how they got around the trademark of this. 

😆This is the only Goop I recognize! It's great stuff, and I used it as a laundry pretreat to get the stains out of my culinary school uniforms almost 25 years ago.

38 minutes ago, yvrbos said:

I am thinking about getting the non-alcoholic package. Does it cover:

 

Espresso at Bacio

virgin margaritas

smoothies in the adult only pool area

 

Thank you!

The classic nonalcohol package covers the coffee/tea at al Bacio, soda(Coca Cola products), canned juices, and non premium bottled water.

The premium non alcohol package covers all the above, plus premium water(Perrier, San Pellegrino/Evian), frozen no alcohol cocktails, Vitamin Water, coconut water, Red Bull and the smoothies at AquaSpa Cafe