txtechmk

Loving your review. We were on the Ascent in May and had a wonderful time! Enjoy....

Thanks so much. I appreciate the info.

I have been researching westbound transatlantic cruises for summer of 2025. It looks like Cunard is the only ship that sails during this time. Are there any other lines that I should research? We are spending 10 days in Scotland with friends, then hope to find a transatlantic cruise back to the states on our own. The Scotland trip has not been booked yet as we are awaiting tee times for some golf courses. But I wanted to go ahead and see what is out there. We can travel to any port to board, and we are open to any cruise line. Prefer to disembark in Florida. BTW, we have never taken a transatlantic cruise before. Thanks for any help.

No, my husband is not big into seafood. It was just a spicy sauce with noodles, but that's what he likes.

Constellation was our very first Celebrity ship years ago, and we were hooked! Enjoy!

It may not be offered, but if you ask nicely, you can get almost anything from any other restaurant. My DIL got a seafood bisque that was on the Blu menu, but Luminae went and got it. And another night my husband and DIL wanted the Wedge salad that was offered at Blu, and Luminae went and got it. The filet was not on the menu on one of the nights, but I asked for it. My husband likes spicy pasta, and he asked for it twice, and it was not on the menu.

I was on the Ascent last month, and ate in Luminae, and got a filet twice. It was excellent.

We tried turning down the room stat, but it just wouldn't cool enough. It's like the a/c would just stop at a certain temp. Yes, the a/c would turn off when we opened the doors. We had such a nice breeze when we opened the doors.

We were on the Ascent last month in the Mediterranean and in a Sky Suite. We left our balcony doors open four nights on a nine night cruise. The weather was very pleasant for the whole cruise. Our cabin got a little warm at night with just the a/c on, but with the balcony doors open at night, it was heaven. We closed them each morning.

Thanks for this detailed and honest review. It's been 2-4 years since we were on the Reflection but it is one of our favorite ships.

Thanks for the question. Yes, we stayed at INNAthens on May 17th before our Ascent cruise. The location is great, IMO. We were able to walk everywhere. We had booked a Junior suite (actually two Junior suites, one for us and the other for son and DIL). It was modern and had everything we needed for a single night stay. The staff were friendly and helpful. The elevator is tiny, but no big deal. We ate breakfast there and it was really good. The bar is nice also. Having never been to Athens, I cannot compare to any other hotel there, but we were pleased. There is a restaurant next door, but I was not that crazy about the food there.

We just sailed on the Ascent and I ordered a filet two different evenings that were not on the menu.

Regular entrees include: salmon, chicken breast, and filet.

We used RomeCabs for a full-day tour of Rome from the cruise port. They allowed us to devise our own itinerary and were helpful in doing this. Everything was great. The driver was courteous, knowledgeable, and attentive. He also drove very close to all the sites, so we didn't have to walk very far.

Thanks for posting your thoughts on your cruise. We will be on the Eclipse later this summer for the first time. We just sailed the Ascent in May, and had a great time. Beautiful ship. We actually are looking forward to the Michaels Club.......actually prefer it over the impersonal Retreat Lounge.

Love this review! And the photos are great! Thanks for sharing.

Regarding the weather in Japan in October: In Tokyo and other "northern cities", it was pleasant. I did wear jeans, knit tops with a hoodie or lightweight jacket. Our particular cruise went south to Okinawa, Jeju Island, South Korea, Kyoto, and others. It was warm enough for shorts during the day while on a tour. You may have to wait until closer to your cruise and check the weather forecast. We lucked out, but your cruise could be cooler.

Thanks so much for this Ascent review. We sail on her next month, so I am glad to hear that the Ascent was great!

Great photos. Thanks for sharing. Panama Canal is on our bucket list.

The kids would love this! It is definitely worth doing at least once.

This is one of our favorite cruises. We did this last October. I would definitely go to Japan again. Yes, that walk at the airport is LONG!! Enjoy your cruise. I'll be following along.

Good to know that the buses take cash only and when you board. However, I read somewhere that you can get a combo ticket (I think at the port) for a boat to Oia that includes a bus ride to Fira. ?? I wanted to make sure this isn't a gimmick for the boat people to collect extra money. Should we purchase everything separately?

I actually used Expedia to book it. Instead of going to the hotel's website, have you looked at Expedia or one of those type sites? Might make a difference.....

We are staying at INNAthens in Plaka next month. We have not stayed there, so I can't recommend or comment yet. My grown son picked in out online. It looks to be a quaint, but modern boutique hotel. We will see....... Good luck.

The last time I used the laundry service (I think it was the Apex), I wrote COLD Water Please on the ticket, and everything came back good. And I stuffed the bag really full......at least seven items were in the bag.