Team Stag

Harris gave you incredible advice. I will simply share my story as it's similar to what you are looking to do: We scheduled a cruise for my wife's 40th Bday for March 2020. While looking through excursions - she mentioned that she wanted to try Discovery Scuba bc no certification was required. 10 years earlier - we had discussed getting certified. The shop we went in only did 10 person classes and you had to give 2 weekends in a row and some other policies. With our travel schedule, it just didn't work for us & kind of went on the back burner then forgotten. Due to my work world revolving around safety, it stays at the forefront of my normal concerns. So before committing to Discovery Scuba I want to talk to a professional about the safety of it. We have a scuba shop close to our house (different than above) and so we stopped by and asked the instructor about Discovery Scuba. He put us at ease about the safety aspect and exactly how it would work. As we continue to talk he mentioned that we could consider getting open water certified with them then be eligible for 2 tank dives etc. Not sure if they were running a special or not but the cost wasn't a whole lot more than Discovery Scuba through the boat was going to cost. We expressed concerns about being done in time (this was about 1 month out). This particular shop does small group training and worked with our schedule to get us certified (partial online, partial classroom, pool dives and then open water dives). So we were able to get certified in time for our cruise & started planning spots to dive (most recommended shops provided by Harris above). Now - our Cruise ended up getting canceled due to Covid. Which probably turned out to be the best thing for us. Eventually some dive sites opened here and we were able to go put our new skills to use. Needless to say our first couple times diving by ourselves was interesting. It wasn't bad; but it's different by yourself, getting comfortable assembling equipment, weighting etc. In a couple months, we eventually went down to the Keys and did some boat trips there and continued to learn more. My suggestion is : even after you are certified be sure to do some practice dives in your area and get comfortable with your equipment and skills before just jumping on a boat and diving with a group. Or at least request a private divemaster to join you as you build that comfort level. In hindsight, we would have been a mess going straight from certification to diving off a boat in the Caribbean. When we went on her reschedule BDay cruise in March of 2022 - we much more confident divers and really enjoyed the total experience and all the Caribbean had to offer. Everyone is a new diver at some point and the diving community is extremely helpful with others getting started in it. Just my 2 cents.

Personally - a leaky mask ruins the snorkeling experience. So bringing my own that I know fits my face and works as well as a snorkel that I know that only my mouth has been on - is worth the trouble of hauling it on the boat & taking it on the excursions with me. Also note - we live in Florida so we don't have to pack it on an airplane taking up space in our luggage. I've never snorkeled in Nassau so I can't comment about how good it is there.

The answer is Yes. While it might not be called what it is in the Retreat, most of what they are just renamed drinks that are available. If the bartender has been there a while, they will know how to make them (assuming they have all the proper ingredients at that station).

That is correct. If someone is willing to pay full price or whatever the discounted pre-cruise price is, then yes - they can reserve available times that are offered. I do believe they don't sell ALL time slots beforehand but some who have had the speciality dining packages have shared that they have not getting their preferred times.

While typically shorter cruises can be a more lively atmosphere, I would be surprised if this one is "over the top" booze crouse. Typically your heavier partiers are younger in general. Jan 3-5 is would be the absolutely worst time for younger people to take a cruise. You are literally using 3 days of vacation the first of the year after you most likely have just finished a Christmas / NY type break. If you have kids, they are starting classes again so you aren't pulling them out of school. Could I be wrong - absolutely. I have been before. Many times - ask my other half. But from my vantage point; IDK if its going to be as bad as say a 3 day cruise that starts on Thurs or Friday and ends on Sunday / Monday.

I wonder if this is a short term change due to all the challenges they had last week. Anyone following some of those threads read about dining wait times. Maybe this is a reactive solution to address the previous issues. If so, well done to Celebrity for being dynamic and trying their best to improve the guest experience.

What are the RCI benefits? (Sorry for highjacking the thread)

I put my phone in airplane mode. It allows me to turn off the cellular signal but still use wi fi (for the celebrity app, texting the better half etc) and blue tooth (headphones / watch). Turning off my phone is my favorite part of cruising!

Nervously checks Roll Call on upcoming cruise. 🤞 Exhales major sigh of relief.... ☺️

I fly 40+ times a year. Noise canceling headphones are a lifesaver. Granted I fly out of Orlando - so every flight is packed with kids excited for vacation or crying because they are leaving. 😆 But I also use them in the hotels, conference calls, cruise ships and just about anytime I want to get away. I use Bose quiet comfort earbuds, my wife (who also travels) uses air pod pros and likes them but has recently gone back to Bose wired version for my comfort. They are pricey. But they are also worth every penny.

In Cozumel, we use Roberta's Scuba Shack. While we normally sail with Celebrity, Roberta's is right off the dock that they use. Her boats are a little older but small groups and great service. In Costa Maya, we have used Doctor Dive. Right down in Mahuahal. They basically leave from the beach, go dive, then return for your surface interval, grab another tank and off on another dive. Great communication from them.

Typically the concierge cabin location tends to a more "preferred" location. I use quotes - because preferred location is obviously very subjective. But for S-Class as others have said - Same Size room and balcony.

This is the most intelligent way I've seen this explained! I will be totally using this when trying to explain the same thing to friends & family.

Similar to what others have said, I have found 4-5 day cruises have one personality, 7 day cruises have a different personality and 9+ day have their own personality. While 4-5 day cruises may be a little "festive" they definitely have a different vibe from Carnival, RC or NCL 4-5 day cruises. I think you will have a great time & look forward to you sharing your thoughts on Celebrity after your cruise.

Thank you for sharing your experience. The stories really seem to vary ship to ship. I'm curious if this is the first time tested positive for Covid?

We love Murano as well. Just another reason that S-Class is our favorite. I've enjoyed Tuscan in the past but like others have said; we have found it to be hit or miss as well. We always reserve Murano and occasionally will go to Tuscan (normally when we need to fill nights on a specialty dining package).

On our last Equinox cruise, we stayed in 1231 and absolutely loved the location. Close to the elevators and easy to get anywhere on the ship. Congrats on Concierge Class - we find the departure lunch in a sit down restaurant vs the buffet to be an excellent way start our cruise.

We just had our annual checkups & asked about this for our upcoming cruise (trying to be prepared just in case) and we were told the same thing. We have to show a positive test before our dr would prescribe it.

This right here. As well as, causing undue stress on the captain and crew as they get ready to leave realizing one person has not returned. "Do we wait 15 more mins, do we not?" plus by the way it reads - it might not be the entire party getting off. They will inevitably be left to answer questions to the whereabouts etc and most likely have to deal with any penalties etc. I would not suggest just not coming back as a course of action. And by the OP comments above, I don't think they would do that either.

We booked the alcoves on the Reflection last year during a Thanksgiving cruise. It was a sea day vs a port day. But yes, the volume was obnoxiously loud. They were showing football games (and I love football) but after about 2 hours of it - it was too much. The morning was great though.

This was always a part of our routine too!

I have never been in this situation directly but I'm trying to put myself in your situation with our best friends or even close family. If this was in a S class or M class, I think it's more manageable. We would be up front with our schedule and try to divide the trip with a balance of MDR, speciality dining, and Luminae (either dinner on our own or someone pays the surcharge for the guests). Then figure out the excursion piece. But if it's an E class ship (as you mentioned), I'm completely up front that we can do a speciality dining or two, we can do excursions together, see you at night for the theater, trivia, martini bar, or the casino; but for the most part, I'm hanging at the retreat. Especially the pool deck & I'm enjoying Luminae nightly. Sorry, not sorry.

We use to always line up with our luggage and walk off the ship. Especially on shorter cruises when I could get down the stairs with it. But as more and more passengers have gone that route, we have chosen to just check it the night before and go off at our assigned time. On our last two cruises, with the increased amount of people walking off and then backed up waiting on the elevator (whether with luggage or wheel chairs or scooters or whatever), we have just sailed by going down the escalator, pick up our luggage and beat the walk offs out of the terminal.

I have found the Retreat Servers up on the Retreat Deck to be extremely efficient. Both cruises were Caribbean based (warm weather - so Retreat Deck was full) and the Retreat was sold out for both cruises. I never felt like I had to wait an uncomfortable amount of time for a refill. As far as chair hogs, sadly they are an issue all aspects of cruising - including the Retreat Pool Deck. One morning about 7:00 am, I went there after visiting the gym for a stretch and little mediation & there were already people putting personal towels, shirts, books and other items to "claim their space" before heading off for whatever else they wanted to do. When I came back at 9:30 am; sure enough, no one was sitting in their claimed areas and their setup looked the same as it did 2 hours prior. Oh Well.

I don't know for sure but here is my guess: The tasting menu is the Eden experience. Or at least would be in line with the last 2 times I did Eden. You had a menu of 6 courses and just pick one from each course (of course my wife picked one & I get the other as I assume most would do to try everything). I have heard from some other travelers that the menu was confusing and they wish it just had appetizers and main courses instead. If enough people communicated this sentiment to the right people; it could explain the visual change.