jonsmum

Thanks people - very helpful!

Thank you - I'll have to rethink what we were going to take!

Hi.  We're in a U2 on Finnmarken.  What storage space is there (if any!) for suitcases?

Thanks

Thanks everyone - this thread is so helpful!

Another question!  Can we take a couple of bottles of wine on board with us?

Thanks

Thank you so much!

I thought when I cruised last year that gratuities were included with price of Specialty Restaurants, but when I just looked at the website at dining pkgs,,under view details, it said it little print that gratuities were not included. Now I am confused. Which is it??

If you have pre-paid your gratuities, then the staff are 'covered'. If not, then gratuities are not included for any of the staff. Either way, if you feel you have had great service, then tip accordingly.

If this is the case, what a waste of space. Rick

True, but if you are paying in excess of $10,000 per person per night (!!! Yes that is actually what we were told the Regent suite costs!!!) ........................................................!!

We had a tour of Explorer last Friday. My understanding from what was said, is that the Private Dining Room is exclusively available to Regent Suite guests, who can invite whoever they please to dine with them.

Just curios what has caused you to become disillusioned with Celebrity we love the Solstice class ships and have always had excellent service and good food of course not up to Regent quality but very good for a mass market cruise line. Regent used to be a lot more formal we like the more casual atmospher like it is now , not like those GQ dummy's in the brochures signed OLD FAT AND HAPPY!

 

 

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We have enjoyed cruises on both S and M classships until fairly recently. Unfortunately, the relentless cutbacks, which I'm sure are happening on all lines, have startedto get to us. A couple of years ago we started to notice things that we hadpreviously enjoyed were no longer available - especially on the entertainmentside. We had 2 cruises last year and things were even more noticeable - waitingover an hour for the pool butler to return with our drinks order, lunch in thebuffet finished before the drinks order arrived, same in the theatre - wellinto the programme before drinks arrived. We took to getting our own, butwhat's the point of having a service that doesn't deliver? It went on and on.Staff seriously stressed all over the ship, trying to do a good job, but quitesimply, just not enough of them. Our cruise last Nov was what really tipped thebalance for us. Apart from all of the above, X really messed up with regard toshore excursions, to the point that we missed the highlight of the cruise. Itturned out that this really was down to poor communication between X andimmigration, but rather than owning up to their part in the fiasco, X shruggedtheir shoulders and denied any culpability. Now I know things can go wrong, butif a company can't be honest with me, then I'm afraid I'm not overly keen to dobusiness with them. So, we did our sums and have discovered that Regent isactually only marginally more expensive than X when everything is factored in.Looking forward to a new experience! I'm sure we will sail with X again.(whenI've got over my pique!) - in fact just back from a great Alaska experiencewith them which was already booked prior to the port debacle. But, I have tosay, the cut backs were even more noticeable this year than last.

Phew!! This thread has reassured me. We are taking our first Regent cruise next year, having become rather disillusioned with Celebrity. The new 'Cruise Atlas' (I noted that it is not a brochure!) had me worrying that I would have to buy a whole new wardrobe, and lose a ton of weight in preparation. Good to know that I can enjoy Christmas without worrying about the calories or the cost!!

Mattresses are really a matter of personal taste. For us, we have found that the mattresses on all of the X ships we have been on (including Infinity last year) are absolutely perfect, and we sleep extremely well.

Haven't been on a ship yet that doesn't have diet coke - Equinox certainly carries it. If they don't have it in Michaels Club, they will go and get it for you from another bar. They did this for me with a drink I requested that they didn't have in stock.

Hi

1. It can be hit or miss whether there is live music. Often DJs and sometimes live music, butnot always.

2. Fresh water pool

3. Drinks service poolside, but can take time, depending upon how many people around

4. Some pool games - advertised in the Dailies- you will need to look out for them. Not routine

A Celebrity tour of the Tuscan Countryside. Doesn't sound like much and was quite a long coach trip but well, well worth it. Truly, authentic Italian hilltop towns, with virtually no tourists (well apart from us!) + the most delicious lunch imaginable at an AgriTourism Farm. All produce grown on the farm - including the wines served with lunch. Views to die for. Totally unbelievable!

Has anyone got an explanation as to why New Mangalore has been deleted from these cruises? Is it just another cost saving measure on the part of Celebrity?

New Mangalore did not seem to be a huge hit on the inaugaral visit, with many people complaining of long transfer times and limited choice of excursions. I strongly suspect that this could be one reason for dropping this port. Whilst the terminal itself gave a good insight into the dire conditions in which many locals live, if did not paint a good picture of life in India from the Tourist Offices point of view!

New Mangalore is not exactly a 'go to' port. We did this itinerary on its maiden voyage last year, and while we enjoyed our trip to the Jane Temple, the opportunities for excursions are few and far between, involving loo.....oong trips in dubious coaches! The port itself is basically a rusty iron building. I would imagine that X have heeded the feedback from people who have visited the port. An overnight in Mumbai, would for me at least, be a far better option.

Another vote for Murano. We love both Tuscan and Murano, but our experience has been Murano hands down for a special celebration. Our room steward (we were in AQ) had obviously picked up that it was my husbands birthday from the cards on the dresser. Hadn't said anything when booking Murano, but they really pulled the stops out, with specially made desserts for him to try and a beautiful birthday cake. Not quite the same attention on a similar occasion in Tuscan, although the food was excellent as we have always found.

Why oh why do people have to weigh in picking apart the situation in which the OP and their OH found themselves? Surely a 'thank you for the heads up' + good wishes for a speedy recovery is all that is called for.

Yes - we did this on our Constellation cruise last Nov/Dec. We had booked an AQ. I noticed that the price had dropped. Rang our TA. Not only upgraded to a Sky Suite, but also refunded the difference between Sky Suite cost and what we had paid. Not entirely sure if this was down to our TA being awesome, or whether they checked with X first.

Pretty sure this is nothing new. We've been cruising with X for nearly 6 years and am virtually certain this has always been the case.

Our last AQ cruise was this time last year. Yes we got Sparkling wine; No to canapes. Not sure if it has changed since then. Hope not as our next AQ sailing is in August!

Someone on the Celebrity Board has created a spreadsheet for X Solstice class ships. Really useful, but down to the originator to spend time putting info posted on the thread, into the spreadsheet.

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=911018

Anyone have the IT skills and time to put something similar together??

Based on our last 5 cruises I'd say at least 50% 50 -70 years old. Plenty of younger and a few older.

The longest we have ever had to wait was 30 - 40 mins. Given a beeper and enjoyed a quiet drink until they were ready. Have to say though, that we like to dine around peak time ie 7.30 - 8.00pm. Avoid these times and I'm sure you will be fine.