AmberCascades

My husband is celiac. We used to contact special needs but a couple of times they told us we didn't need to because the ships are prepared. My husband sees the menus the night before and orders his next day's meal at that time if it's something that needs modification. They will tell you if something can't be modified. We met someone on a cruise once who said she was allergic to capsicums (peppers?) and she said Celebrity was taking good care of her. They seem to be very accommodating with respect to dietary restrictions. We do anytime dining, but if we like our waiter on the first night we just ask to be in his/her section going forward and then we don't have to do all the explaining every night.

OMG. There's 10 minutes of my life I'll never get back. Too much love/hate going on there for me. Maybe the treks around the ship only seemed long because she was trotting around in dense carpeting wearing high heels. That sounds exhausting to me. Coffee on every other floor?? Hmmmm

What Rollie said. We did the Pride of America since, for us, it was about maximizing time in Hawaii rather than spending a lot of time going back and forth to the mainland. The food was good, and there were some onboard activities, and some excellent excursions. We were exhausted at the end of the day so we didn't worry too much about entertainment, although what we saw was good. We found it was a good way to see tidbits of Hawaii all at one time instead of committing to one place for a week.

I am wondering, is any of this kind of stuff happening on other cruise lines? I guess I can go look at their boards. In my own "at home" life, we are finding understaffing in many stores and restaurants, massive price hikes in restaurants and grocery stores, and certain items (e.g. romaine lettuce/ceasar salad) that aren't available sometimes in restaurants. Could any of this have an effect on the current cruise experience? I'm just wondering if it would be related to that kind of thing, as opposed to X just being out to screw us out of our money and fun times. We will be on our first post-covid cruise in April and plan to enjoy the heck out of it. We really need a break after the last 3 years. 🙂

We are doing same day for our upcoming cruise because it is a relatively short flight and weather shouldn't be a factor. We are using Flights by Celebrity. We used them once before to fly same day from Toronto to Vancouver. There was a mechanical problem and that plane was sent off somewhere. We had to wait a while for a new (unfortunately smaller) plane and that flight left a couple of hours later than scheduled. We made the cruise okay but that was a bit stressful. The day before one of our cruises leaving from Southampton we were on the bus from Heathrow. The driver told us that traffic was really bad that day (I forget why) so it would take longer than usual. For us, no problem. However, the Princess cruisers who had to be at the port in 2 hours were freaking out the whole time. It was a reminder of why we always fly in at least one day before sailing.

We used to email Special Needs because my husband has celiac disease. They would respond that we should just let them know on the ship. I think nowadays they are more prepared for it than they used to be. Celebrity is very good about GF stuff and giving us the menu the night before, etc.

Our most favourite was the Century but after our two cruises they sold it. (I don't think it had anything to do with us. lol) So now our favourite is the Infinity. We like the T-pool, we like that it's a smaller ship (compared to S-class), also that the Concierge cabins are a bit bigger than verandah cabins. There are also a lot of spaces where we can have quiet conversations. It doesn't feel crowded. Most of our cruises have been on the Infinity or the Summit. We tried a few of the S-class ships but they are too big for us.

Did you check the S-Class Cabin Compilation thread? Someone may have left a review of that cabin on there.

Did you try looking at independent vendors? We did the 5 glacier Taku lodge thing years ago. It was less expensive booking through the lodge directly and there were better times available than what was offered on the ship. You could try that. The vendors might not be sold out. I would probably start looking now, though, as opposed to waiting till you get there.

What they said. The only times I book with the cruise line is if it's a one-of-a-kind-not-offered-anywhere-else thing, or if it is a long trip to somewhere. I wouldn't want to get caught in traffic far from the ship. I also check reviews and look for independent tour operators who guarantee they will get you back to the ship in time.

How long ago were they "always included"? I have only been cruising for about 10 years, but I've never seen them included in daily gratuities. I thought only MDR and stateroom were included. You pay extra gratuities for drinks, spa, specialty dining, etc. Why would everyone pay gratuities for something they might not use?

How long ago were they "always included"? I have only been cruising for about 10 years, but I've never seen them included in daily gratuities. I thought only MDR and stateroom were included. You pay extra gratuities for drinks, spa, specialty dining, etc. Why would everyone pay gratuities for something they might not use?

Tpbel, do you recall if there was late night/DJ dancing anywhere? We haven't cruised since pre-covid and dancing is my husband's favourite thing.

Yes, they are pretty close together. Technically they are individual tables for two. Most times we exchange brief pleasantries with our neighbours and then everyone continues to pretend they are alone. LOL We don't usually hear the other conversations though. We manage to maintain our little world of two.