jonsmum

Hi

I've been to Maldives many, many times and it truly is a stunning country. As others have said, you won't get to see much if you visit as part of a cruise. There are one or two islands close to male that accept day visitors, but once you are on an island you are stuck there, and even the largest takes only about 45mins to walk round. You can do a Liveaboard cruise (from Male) for c7 days (or more) but you will again only see one part of the country, and many of these do not actually land at islands - you will only get to see things from a boat. The real reason for these cruises are diving and snorkelling.

If you want to see the beauty of the country while on a cruise, the only real way is to do a photoflight. These operate out of Male and you will fly over many of the islands at a height that allows you to get a real look at things and take worthwhile photos. However - beware - it is not cheap (well actually, nothing in Maldives is cheap!). Hope that helps a bit.

I'm glucose intolerant, and since discovering Aqua and Blu haven't put on ANY weight when we've cruised! Prior to this I'd put on quite a few pounds per cruise. Blu not only has low fat choices but low carbs as well. Because of the general price increase OH wants to look at doing Veranda cabins again - I've said no way - my health is far more important than a few £:)!!

Hey Nancy! Was thinking of you today. We met the couple on the deck above us in "your & Dee's cabin", which we always refer to as the girls' cabin! LOL. I've taken a couple of pics & will either post them here or send them to you privately. Luminae has been wonderful so far, but only two meals so far. It's a small restaurant -- only seats about 45 I think they said. It was very crowded last night when we went for dinner at 7:00 pm. They were telling people to come back at 9:30! Took about 2 hours for dinner. Today we went for brunch around 11:00 am and there were only a handful of people in there. Menu is limited -- not as many choices as MDR, but you can order some additional things from left side of MDR menu like shrimp cocktail, Cesare salad, etc. we are told it will be a different menu every night for the 17 nights. Breakfast & dinner only -- not lunch as was stated earlier by Celebrity. Sea day today & they had brunch instead of breakfast. I'm not sure if that will be every sea day or not. I'll keep you updated. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

 

Shirley

Shirley mentioned in her post above that people were being sent away while they were having dinner c7.00pm and told to come back at 9.30pm. Can't imagine many people being prepared to wait that long, so wondering if it has impacted Blu.

Hi

We're on the Infinity 15 night Panama Canal cruise next March in an A1. If people are having to wait 2 hours for Luminae, I'm guessing many will be trying to eat elsewhere. Do you have any idea whether the introduction of Luminae has impacted the queues for Blu?

Thanks

Personally I loathe the new UK website - I find it much harder to navigate than the old one. We were looking to book a cruise for next Spring, but the 'Search by date' option has gone! We had no idea where we wanted to go, or which ship, just that we wanted to go somewhere warm next Feb/March. There was no way I was going to trawl through all the 'Destinations', so sorry Celebrity, until it's fixed, we're going nowhere!

I just don't like the new website - period! At least with the old version it was relatively easy to find what you wanted to know, even if the buttons didn't work etc. Now... you have to scroll and scroll and scroll checking each heading to see if it's what you want. Grrrr.... surely it shouldn't be THIS hard to sort out a sensible website?

You sort of answered your own question: Your son has been diabetic for 20 years and can easily recognize the symptoms. For someone who is newly diagnosed or has other health issues that might otherwise mask the effects, a service animal might be required/needed.

In the UK EVERYONE is required and encouraged to take responsibility for their own health - newly diagnosed or not. In fact when my son was first diagnose at age 18 he tested every few hours, as in fact I found others in his situation did. In my experience, it is the newly diagnosed who check their condition more often until they become sensitive to it. At least that's how it works in the UK thank goodness. I have just checked and in fact 'emotional support' dogs are not recognised as being service animals in the UK either. Good to see common sense prevails in some areas of the world.

Quote: 'If I have a legitimate service dog for something that's not so easily recognizable (say, because I'm a diabetic and the dog has been trained to sense when my blood sugar is low),........'

Sorry if I appear dumb... why would anyone need a service dog to tell them that their blood sugar is low/high??? My son is diabetic and has been for nigh on 20 years now. He SENSES when his sugars are wrong - he then CHECKS with a quick needle prick test, so why would anyone need a service animal for this???? Okay, perhaps someone elderly might not be on the ball so much, but what ever happened to taking responsibility for your own health? And don't even get me started on this 'emotional support' nonsense. 2 muts in a stroller?? In the words of John McEnroe - 'you cannot be serious'!

Jane I couldn't agree more, but the point is that people have made some extremely disparaging comments about the parents without knowing the full facts. Just before Xmas I was shopping with my not quite 3 grandson. He had hold of my hand, I needed to change direction, which meant swapping hands, but I was carrying a lot of bags. I went to take his other hand - I couldn't see him. I tell you, I panicked for the 5 sec it took me to realise he was behind me hiding! Now I wasn't inattentive - far from it, I'd weighed up the dangers and knew he needed to hold my hand but on the side that was safe, and still I didn't lay eyes on him for a few seconds. Does that make me a bad grandparent? No, it means I'm human and have a grandson full of mischief! I fully agree that at a sailaway, you need to be extra vigilent, but in a crowded environment, it is very easy for adventurous little ones to do what they want to do. Whilst I hope it would never have happened to me, I don't think I could 100% guarantee that it wouldn't have. And that's the point I'm trying to make. We don't set out to be bad or negligent parents, but kids are kids - even the most well behaved. Those poor parents must be beating themselves up without a load of people they don't even know casting aspersions on their parenting skills.

A child can drown in less than 2" of water. Many puddles are deeper than that. Just an observation for all those who have never let their attention wander for even 1 second when with a child.

We sailed twice on the Equinox last year - not in 1547 but both times in Aqua, forward of this one. We are booked for next year and actually rejected the corresponding one on the Starboard side because it has quite a large 'overhang' and there is window washing equipment slightly to one side of the balcony. We are sunlovers and therefore usually opt for cabins without the larger overhang which for some reason they expect you to pay extra for with an A1! Of course you are nearer midships and therefore less movement and nearer the elevators etc but still! The actual cabin is at a bit of an angle, which was another thing that put me off, but if you check out the comments on this thread https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AtHczoNeooladEEyVmQwWmJhaGItbFZPUFNudTFZcEE&type=view&gid=0&f=true&colid0=1&filterstr0=1547&sortcolid=-1&sortasc=true&rowsperpage=250 you'll see that people are generally happy with this room.

Sorry, but I've seen plenty of pax who claim they were gone "20min." When it was over 45. Yes, I WILL move pax items but, will be keeping watch over them, until the person returns.

We hate and detest chair hogs, so can assure you that we went to get a drink - 20 mins absolute MAX (and that is overestimating how long it took) as the bar wasn't even busy. But I guess you just don't want to believe me - it wasn't you that moved them was it!?? It wasn't just that our things were moved, it was that they were hidden. And as others have said, if you touch other peoples stuff then you are laying yourself open to all sorts of accusations, even if you do keep watch over them. Leave it to the Pool Butlers.

There are 2 sides to this. I am in total agreement that the chair hogs should have their stuff removed, but NOT by another passenger. Find a pool butler and have them do it. Celebrity state that loungers left unattended for 30 mins or more will have items removed and that these can then be recovered from Guest Relations. I was absolutely furious on our very first cruise when we literally went to get a drink and returned 20 mins (max) later to discover not only that someone was using our chairs but that there was no sign of my reading glasses and book, or my husbands cap and book or our towels. The pool butler knew nothing about it, we checked with Guest Relations - nothing there. We asked the people on 'our' loungers about our stuff - they denied all knowledge, maintained the seats were empty and nothing on them. We searched the entire deck - people must have thought we had lost the plot but I was livid on 2 fronts - we were gone less that the allowed (as stated in the guidelines) 30 mins, + someone had removed and done goodness knows what with our things. We kept going back to GR throughout the day to see if they had been handed in. I needed my glasses to be able to read menus etc apart from anything else. Eventually, we had one last look around before going in to dinner and lo and behold our things were stuffed down behind a lounger. Now they were not there earlier because as I say we went over that deck with a fine tooth comb. I'm guessing that people saw 2 loungers and just hid our stuff and then denied all knowledge. If ever we are looking for loungers and there are vacant ones with towels left on them, we always ask people around if they know how long people have been gone. Wouldn't dream of removing other peoples belongings no matter how long they had been gone. Just towels - different matter. As I say - DON'T remove other people's stuff, get the pool butler to do it. It is part of their job to make sure people don't hog chairs. Let them get the flack!

I understand I can bring two bottles per cabin. Can these be in my checked bags or should I carry through security. Thanks

We prefer to put them in our carry-on bags. That way we don't run the risk of being called to the 'naughty room' while they open our checked luggage to see exactly what we have in there! Does happen sometimes - but not always.

Don't worry. We are not able to do the express pass because of a unique computer glitch and we went without it a month ago. No problem whatsoever. I wouldn't even say the absence of the pass slowed them down. Enjoy your cruise.

We didn't have ours for our Sept cruise from Venice. Unfortunately, there was a real 'jobsworth' on duty, who made us take a number and told us in no uncertain terms to not even approach a counter before the number was called. We queried this as we were booked into Aqua and there was no queue there, whereas there was a VERY long regular line. She was having none of it! Told us we would have to wait like everyone else. We had a drink and then when her back was turned approached another person and explained the problem. Told not an issue and to go straight to the AQ desk! Turned out there was no problem at all, just one very bad tempered employee on duty.

It was my husbands birthday on our cruise in September. He had made me promise not to say anything to X as no way did he want the waiting staff to sing Happy Birthday to him, which we have seen happen quite often! I had taken cards with us and we put these up in our room. I'd booked Murano for that evening and had difficulty getting the time that we wanted. The Maitre d' asked it it was a special occasion, I said well yes, but my husband didn't want any fuss. Low and behold, when we had finished our main course the Maitre d' came over and said that they had an extra special dessert on that night that he'd be grateful if we tried. Although we were full, and were going to opt for something light we said okay. Not only did they bring out the most spectacular dessert I have ever seen, but when we had finished they also produced a beautiful, decorated cake, which said Happy Birthday on it. Now I hadn't said what the occasion was, but someone had clearly done some investigating! And it didn't end there. When we got back to our room, there was a birthday card from the Captains Club and a voucher for a complimentary meal in Bistro on 5. Don't know whether it was Murano or our room steward who arranged everything, but we were both absolutely thrilled that someone would go to so much trouble. Well done X!!

What I dislike about some of the posts is the apparent vitriol in their comments,. As a laundry user, where available, I appreciate that others may prefer not to use them, but I do not condemn them in the way they do laundry lovers.

Equally I do not rate the lack of laundromats on Celebrity as a deal breaker, but for longer cruises they are helpful to us, and I would be very happy for Celebrity to re-visit this issue during the planning of their new ships.

Well said. For those of us who would find a laundry useful - it would be nice if there was one. We like many others, manage fine without, and it isn't a deal breaker in any way shape or form. Not sure why many who wouldn't want to use one, have to be so vehement in their objection.

We love Bistro on 5 for it's laid back atmosphere. We enjoy the fact that the service is slow and frequent it for the lack of hustle and bustle. I have to agree that the food can be iffy at times - I've had to return a Chicken Ceasar Salad as the chicken was slightly underdone, but on the whole, we love it and in any case the problem was speedily addressed and remedied. (I've had similar problems in the Specialty restaurants that attract an even higher premium, so these issues are not unique to Bistro) A true crepe should be wafer thin, light and airy and this is what we have experienced many times. We have had the odd 'thicker' crepe - more akin to a British pancake, but delicious nonetheless. I can understand that it is not for everyone, but if you are looking for a truly relaxed dining experience at a reasonable cost then in my opinion, it's worth a try.

Goodness!! I've never had a problem in the buffet - ever. People queue certainly, but I've never, ever had a problem that has made me think - I'll go at a different time. Maybe we Brits are more used to queueing?

We had exactly this problem when deciding which cabin for our next cruise. However, having previously had a forward cabin with no overhang and rear one with some overhang, we knew that as sun lovers it was a no brainer. We were offered the upgrade to an A1, but have to say that the Future Cruises consultant knew exactly why we refused it! Apparently this is quite a common occurence (people opting for a forward A2 as opposed to an upgrade to A1). If you like you sun, I'd stick with the A2. Do check the deckplan carefully though. We had no problems with a starboard cabin under the gym (others had noted some noise, but we didn't) nor with a portside under the Persian Gardens, but were warned off the portside one nearest to the A1 cabins because of noise, by the consultant.

I can accept the enhanced security that exists everywhere - UK, USA, Australia, wherever... - we've had to wait hours in line in all these places and fully understand the reasons. What riles me is the disrespect that is shown in some countries to all and sundry. I object to being screamed at to 'stay in line' when my wheelie had a mind of its own. My son ( a diabetic) was subjected to excessive handling and screamed at to 'get up against the wall' and not given the chance to explain why he was carrying needles. A little politeness goes a long way - everywhere in the world. And sorry to say, in my experience the US customs could learn a lot from other countries in this respect. We will not be embarking on a cruise that requires us to transit the US in future.

A quick google search suggests that they are somewhere around 6.15am and 6.45pm.

Just remember, never leave items unattended on the balcony. Bring them inside if you leave the stateroom.

We take some pegs with us to make sure items are secure on the balcony if we are going to leave the room. Not had a mishap yet:)

Did you book the cruise you were on with a UK TA? If so, then your onboard booking will automatically have been transferred to them. If not, then follow the advice above!

I dry our smalls, by getting a pool towel, laying the washed items flat on it, rolling the towel lengthwise and then enlisting OHs assistance to twist the towel in opposing directions. This removes most of the water and I then drape the items over the various rails/bars in the bathroom. They're usually dry within a couple of hours. Larger items that I want to look okay, but don't want put through a drier, are put on hangers (we ask our room steward for extra wire hangers) and hung from the back of the loungers on the balcony. Works a treat for us.