ACJV

Please reply if you have stayed here. We are going to Rome, and are thinking of staying here. Thanks,

Vicki

Would it be risky to fly from Naples to Rome on embarkation day?

Want to spend three nights in the area. Would it be best to stay in Sorrento for touring Herculaneum and the Amalfi coast, or would another location be better. Need hotel recommendations in the area. Thank you.

Vicki

We are planning a pre-cruise trip to this area in November. We want to visit Herculaneum and the coastal area. We have been to Pompeii, and Capri, as well as a day trip to the Amalfi Coast. We would like to be centrally located for 3 days for touring the area. Would it be best to stay in Sorrento in Order to have easy access for transportation, as we will not have a car?also, any hotel recommendations for the area?

Thanks,

Vicki

Last year on Siloutte, we had booked a 1 A cabin a year in advance. It had the extra large balcony. Close to sailing, I noticed that our cabin had been changed to a consierge cabin. The new cabin had a regular size balcony. I called my TA, and she took care of it. We got our original cabin back. Good luck.

Vicki

We stayed at the J W Marriott in March, and it was fabulous! It was on Biscayne Bay.

Vicki

NYC at night was the most spectacular sail-out that I have ever experienced.

Vicki

We just cruised on the Reflection. The changes are so obvious to us. We have been sailing on Celebrity since 1998. So many cutbacks. The food in the main dining room is not anywhere near the same. The menu is not special, and the portions are much smaller. The service in the main dining room is nothing like it was in the past. The waiters and their assistants are so over -worked. ,we used to look forward to the dining experience. It was fun getting to chat with your waiter and busboy. Now, they seem so busy, that there is no time for chatting. The special touches are missing. I remember when your salad was cut up for you. The buffet area is really not a fun experience. Many of the servers seem to be unhappy.

The captain's club hostess on Reflection, was pleasant, but we hardly saw her. Never in the Elite breakfast, which, by the way, is not near as nice as it was when it was buffet style. Only menu service, and much wasted food. We had a wonderful cruise, and, I am only commenting on the changes that have taken place. We had a terrific cabin steward and assistant. The ship is beautiful, and the food is fine, just not what we experienced in the past. I still prefer Celebrity, but, am so sorry to see the downgrading. I only hope it does not continue to spiral downward. I do think the Captain's Club perks are great. We enjoy the cocktail party, and used to really look forward to the Elite breakfast. This trip, we only went a couple of times, because of the changes.

One thing that surprised us on the Reflection, was that the captain was promoting the ship's shore excursions, during his daily announcement. There are so many more opportunities to spend more money once you are on the ship. Most of the items on the daily schedule, are opportunities to pay extra. The specialty restaurants are getting more expensive, and not really worth that much extra expense. Once in a while, it is acceptable, but on a regular basis, it is exorbitant. We will continue to sail Celebrity, but, we have seen some disappointing changes.

Thanks for the balanced review. We have been on the Eclipse 4 times. It is a great ship and crew. Glad you had a a good experience.

Vicki

We sat in one night on the Eclipss transatlantic. Not for me or my DH. His style is very strange and the groupies were in abundance.

Gail, would you mind telling us what new wines have been added to the elite cocktail list?

Thanks,

Vicki

A few years ago, we disembarked in San Diego, after a Pacific coast cruise from Vancouver. We had an afternoon flight, and waited to get off the ship, later than usual. We found all of our suitcases, except for one. It was a large black suitcase. After spending at least an hour in the cruise terminal, looking, and filling out forms, we went to the airport without the one suitcase. We arrived back in Atlanta, late that evening, and we're already asleep, when the phone rang about 12:30. There was a man on the phone calling from LAX. He had been a passenger on our cruise. He was traveling with a large group, and their flight was cancelled, and their group ended up taking a bus to LAX, instead of flying out of San Diego. Their luggage had been loaded on to a tour bus at the port in San Diego, and they had an all day tour on the way to LAX. He noticed an unclaimed suitcase after everyone had claimed their luggage at LAX, and decided to investigate. He went to the trouble of calling us, and informing us that our suitcase had mistakenly been loaded on their bus, and wanted to help us get it back. We were so grateful to this Good Samaritan. What ensued, was that we had to deal with TSA agents, and Delta Airlines representatives, and we were finally informed that our suitcase would be on the next flight to Atlanta, and we would need to go to the Atlanta airport to retrieve it. To our pleasant surprise, the next morning , there was a knock on our front door, and our suitcase had been delivered from Delta.

Wanted to share this happy story.

Vicki

I would love to see some cruises out of Charleston. There

are a lot of interesting places along the east coast of the U.S.

Vicki

We avoided the martini bar last fall on the Eclipse. WE met up with some friends the first night, and you could not carry on a conversation because of the techno music blaring. I like all kinds of music, but it becomes annoying when it is so loud that you cannot hear anything else. I did not notice the loud music elsewhere on the ship.

Vicki

Thank you in advance for sendng notes to claudeandvicki@yahoo.com.

Vicki