Team Stag

We did go to the PJ Party. It was lively and fun. The Scarlet Night Party was awesome. Great music, entertainment & dancing. It was a giant party that overtakes the whole boat and ends up on the Pool Deck then the night club. We lasted as long as we could 😂 . As far as reservations, definitely one of my least favorite aspects of the trip. We did not get up at midnight to book them; so we had 9:30 seatings for the few places we could get in. They did status match us; so we got on the boat after the suite guests and immediately started updating reservations to earlier times. We got everything we wanted as well as show reservations. My wife missed out on some classes. I definitely over stressed about it & really put a damper on first day. As opposed to a relax trip to the port, we were rushing & trying to make the entrance time simply get the reservations. We did see people turned away who did not have reservations. We did see some that were giving in the option to wait and see if others didn't show up for their reservations then they could have those slots. The shows - they held the reservations until 10 mins before start and then standby could be seated. We never saw a show sold out. And we regularly saw reservations pop up from time to time due to people canceling them (I'm guessing it sounded like a good idea on day 1 but after a day at the pool or in port; it didn't seem like such a good idea).

We are long time Celebrity cruiser who typically just went to the Celebrity website to pick where we were going to spend a week (or 2) of our vacation this year. With that being said, we just returned from a long weekend cruise on Virgin. January of this year we were not even considering other lines. We had great cruise with Virgin (but who really has a bad cruise?). There was a lot we liked and somethings we didn't. They didn't immediately become our favorite line but we enjoyed ourselves enough to buy a future cruise voucher. So where Celebrity blindly got 2 cruises a year previously; they lost one of those this year & will lose one of those during the next 2 years. With that being said, we have had amazing trips with Celebrity and still love a lot of what they do. I have one of those "Big" Birthdays coming up late next year & Celebrity definitely being considered for that trip.

I just returned from my first Virgin cruise & will share my experience. We regularly sail Celebrity (where tips are often bundled in the fare also). Although we have never felt obligated to tip on X for service, we do take a selections of $1, $5 & $20 for tips as we see fit. We went with the same approach on this cruise. As many have mentioned above, at no point during our cruise did we ever feel obligated to tip. When we chose to tip based on outstanding service, it was never refused and genuinely appreciated. The casino is like most casinos; they absolutely take any tips received. To be clear, we don't tip just to tip like we might when ordering at a local bar (order a beer; leave a dollar). It's typically something above and beyond for us. For example, our waitress at the Test Kitchen was amazing. She took the time to fully explain the ingredients and preparation of each dish while giving us a dining experience that rivaled anything we have had on land the last 6 months. So yes - we wanted to tip. We do also keep a list of names for the post cruise survey to make sure those are recognized as well. Finally, there are no receipts to sign when you order food or drink; so there is no place to put additional gratuity on your bill. All transactions are handled seamlessly electronically. You do need to have cash in hand if you want to tip. Again - this is my family's personal philosophy and how we choose to cruise.

What I really don't like about this change, it potentially hurts their employees as well. For me personally, if Tips are prepaid or part of the fare, I bring extra money for tipping and don't mind doing it. If I know I'm going to see another $300 charge (or whatever it is) in addition to other incidentals, I'm going to be a little less inclined to go over and above to the people who truly deserve it. Wow - I just continue to be blown away by some of these decisions. But I guess they have decided to do it fast and furious and establish what the "new normal" for Celebrity is going to be. But it doesn't appear its going to be a place for me.

Another vote for Just Dive. We dove with them in April and it was one of the best dives we have done from a cruise ship. As mentioned, close the port, friendly, great communication and flexible. We also saw a hammerhead shark during our dive; so that was the cherry on top!

I'm new to VV too; but I think there is a different between Sailors Loot and Bar Tab (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong). "Mainstream Cruiselines" seem to have one bill with on board credit that can be used for Drinks (cocktails, specialty coffee, beer, wine, etc) as well as Shore excursions, spa, classes, on board merch, etc. One bill for all. My understanding is Virgin has "the Bar Tab" which is only used for Drinks and "Sailers Loot" which can be used for all the other items. I don't believe the two are interchangeable.

@lisabucsfan1 & @jon81uk - Thank you both for your help!!

Hello - My wife & I are long time cruisers with another line but due to their changes; we are on the search for a new favorite cruise line. We have booked a cruise recently on the Scarlet Lady departing in the next 3 weeks (a little late to the party 😁). We did the online registration and obviously most the dinner reservations were full. We read that some reservations will open once we board and reservations are also required for the shows. We did the status match for Deep Blue; so hopefully we can board a little early. Can someone confirm if my understanding for reservations below is correct once we board the ship: 1) Dining Reservations - If we want to try to get an earlier time, where do we go? Each individual restaurant? Or are they set up in one place for all of them? 2) Show Reservations - made on the ship once you log on to the ship's wifi? 3) Spa Reservations - Made directly at the spa? We are excited to try this line & even though this aspect is a little different than we are use to - we are very excited to see the rest of the VV experience! Thanks for the assistance.

We have done several cruises over Thanksgiving. The main dining eateries (mdr & Lumanie) both offered a standard thanksgiving fare. Not sure about Blu but I would imagine it would as well. On the recent Thanksgiving cruises, it was also formal night. So you were choosing between turkey plate and lobster. Finally, during lunch of Thanksgiving day; they did the big Ocean View Cafe lunch with the watermelon carving, lots of desserts and of course fresh carved ham and Turkey. The NFL games were broadcast on the large outdoor screens as well. Here’s a photo of the turkey dinner my wife got. I had the lobster.

I was thinking the same exact thing. Destroyed a lot of loyalty by squeezing every dime out of guests that he could and now you see all the promotions they are running begging people to come back (at least to Florida residents). Put us in the group that is seriously disappointed with the changes. For the first time in a long; we are booking another cruise line for our fall cruise & instead of a spring cruise, next spring we are booking an all inclusive resort. Now - these may not turn out to be our cup of tea and we may return to Celebrity in the future. But a strategy of hoping your competition provides less of an experience and your customers come back; is not sound.

Absolutely with my buddy. Fortunately for me, my wife is my buddy and she enjoys it as much as me (it was her idea to get certified in the beginning vs even going the discover scuba route). Safe to say, I care about my buddy's safety as much as my own. We discuss it before hand but have dove enough together to know when we want to go higher or further on the edge of the group. Rarely do we dive on ship excursions. Normally, we will dive with local shops. We find that it tends to be less expensive, way less crowded and often end up in different places than the cruise ship excursions. While I normally, have my buddy with me in the cases we are on a family cruise and she wants to hang at the beach with the group; I am either buddied up when we get there or end up being the dive master's buddy. Occasionally you can a buddy through your roll call but normally the dive shops are use to accommodating singles.

For me the biggest difference for me is snorkeling is done in 2 dimensions and scuba is done in 3. For snorkeling - you are lying flat and enjoying the scenery. With scuba, you are balancing your buoyancy and get a front row show of what you see from a far while snorkeling. The other thing I like of scuba (during a cruise) - the dives tend to be MUCH less crowded and since you are certified; you are given a certain amount of trust / latitude from the people running the tour. The largest scuba group I've been on during a cruise excursion is 20 people. Even with that many divers, I can adjust my depth to not be surrounded by others. The minimum amount of people I've seen on snorkeling trips is usually 50. All on the same plane. There is no escaping those. And due to liability, usually, the ones running snorkeling trips, treat everyone like it's their first time in the water. With scuba, they know you have had some level of certification and can quickly tell who is comfortable in the water and who probably hasn't dove in a while. Personally, I love the adventure of it. I get to put on this gear and do something a large amount of people on this planet don't get to do. I get to disappear for an hour or so into a brand new world where I am the visitor. It's also the closest I will probably ever get to replicate what I imagine it is to floating in space. Be warned: once you go scuba, it's hard going back to just snorkeling. 😂😄. Be sure to RELAX and have fun! (and don't be hung over).

My wife & I always bring Yeti style cups on the cruise with us. We use it for occasions like this as well as pool side to transfer frozen drinks (lets them melt slower). We also leave them at dinner time and the ask the room attendant to fill the cups w ice instead of the ice bucket.

I think it's great it has returned. We purposely didn't book Eden on a future cruise because of our Apex experience (the app showed the tasting menu; they didn't offer it while on board). I guess we need to make a reservation for Eden for our upcoming sailing!

When we were on the Apex in November, Eden was no longer offering the tasting menu. Maybe it was just for that cruise or the policy had changed. We noted our disappointment on the survey.

Personally, I love Lumanie. The level of service and food is outstanding. Definitely as good or better as any specialty restaurant I've tried (which is all except for Le Voyage). However, we still eat one or two specialty restaurants a cruise simply for a little variety. Personally, I found the steak house a little underwhelming. If you are a steak person from Texas, I expect you would too. Not terrible but it's not the level of excellent steak houses IMHO.

This thread got me curious; so I did a little research. In 2013, we booked a balcony (Caribbean 7 day) on the Reflection (at the time 1 year old ship); the cost per person for a balcony was $1000 (before port taxes and fees). Booked this year on the Beyond (1 year old ship) - balcony (kind of) (Caribbean 7 Day) - cost: $1000 / person (before port taxes and fees). We all know the prices today are not that of 2013. When I look at the price of flights, hotels, theme parks and restaurants - all are considerably higher than they were in 2013. Eggs, fuel (although it was high in 2013), meat, seafood are much higher than 2013. So we understand getting on a ship in 2023 at the same price as 10 years ago; there will be some differences. The steak I had a Christmas dinner was twice the price it was at the same restaurant in 2013. Why should Celebrity be any different? We continue to look at all vacation options and continue to return to Celebrity due to the value. Sure - the MDR isn't what it was in 2013. But they also have made a lot of cuts since we started cruising in 2003 (remember when there was a crab leg night??? although that might have been a Princess cruise). But when I get on the ship, I have an idea of the experience I'm going to have vs paying a lot more for an unknown all inclusive or extensively planning a multiple night week somewhere else. As far as 2025 pricing, we all know the prices move dynamically. As we approach 2025 cruise final payment, people will cancel, interests will change and price will move based on what the market is willing to support. When I look at 2025 pricing, I look at that simply as a tool for the executives to raise the stock price. Terms like "bookings are strong" - "predictive revenue is really high / higher than the past" etc. While cruising is our passion : to the RC executives - it's a business. And the higher they raise the stock price, the more money they have to pay down debt, buy new ships, (and get paid bonuses) etc. The golden rule of selling something "Never give away price; because you will never get it back". People are always happy to pay less for the same thing; but rarely want to pay more. Just my 2 cents.

This is my favorite post on CC this year!

Depends on the Ship. The last time we sailed on E-Class; the Le Grand Bistro and Raw on 5 were open. I don't believe reservations were available for either one for lunch on Day 1 - it was just walk up service. The App may be able to give you an idea of what else could be open other than the OVC. EDIT - Sorry - just read where you said Reflection....It appears Raw on Five would be your only option.

In 2021, we sailed on the Edge and then the Reflection. At the time, the Edge was newest ship available and Reflection was on like it's 3rd cruise (coming back online). The Edge being new was beautiful and fantastic. The Reflection (which we had been on before) was in great shape and the only minor complaint I could come up with was a small mechanic knocking while under full speed (none of the rest of the party noticed it & nobody online has since said anything about it - so I'm assuming it was resolved or settled). We enjoyed the Reflection so much our cruise for 2022 was on the Equinox (a sister ship to the Reflection - aka S-Class) but also ended up returning to the Apex late 22 for a family trip. Personally, if I was booking a suite, I would go with the Apex. If I was not booking a suite on the Apex, I would go with the Reflection. I enjoy the smaller bars that the Reflection has vs the giant ones on the Apex. Also, Tortola was a great port to visit. Really enjoyed our stop there last year.

I’m in the camp where I normally have some ones in my pocket and tip as I see fit. Not guaranteed everytime; just when it feels appropriate. I will say; unlike times in America, when I do tip say a bartender; I don’t feel that I’m treated with any other priority than other customers around me who may not be tipping. I do feel in America - I received adequate service at restaurants (order taken, drinks refilled, food delivered, checked on etc) where as on a cruise boat; I feel like the staff truly cares if I’m having a good time. Or a good meal. Or whatever.

False - while the food is not the main reason we cruise Celebrity; Food is always is a major element in any trip we take. Especially if I am locked into a location for 5+ days, poor food can ruin the entire trip for me. In fact, while booking our most recent cruise; we looked very hard at Virgin Voyages simply because everyone raves about the food there even if the rest of the experience isn't our cup of tea. And we will most likely try a 4 day cruise on VV later this year to give it a whirl.

We are considering an upcoming cruise that visits Roatan. I know Roatan is well know for it's diving but have always thought of it as a destination vs cruise port diving. Our boat doesn't offer any scuba excursions. Does anyone have any recommendations of private companies they have used in the past? Thanks.

Some of it is technique as well. You have to get use to using your mouth to inhale and exhale. If you exhale via your nose - you fill the mask cavity with air and it has to go somewhere (typically breaking the seal and escaping). You also have to focus on not "smiling" too much. This also breaks the seal allowing water to enter. This one can be tough especially seeing all the cool stuff down there. Dive shops will have much higher quality especially on the silicone rubber. This softness allows it to flex some and fit faces better. If you do go the dive shop route, please make sure they instruct you how to remove the inner layer to avoid fogging.

Good Stuff. Thanks for sharing. We have an upcoming ABC cruise; so I appreciate the info.