Blogging a solo Royal Suite experience on the Equinox (Apr 20-27, 2019)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

18 hours ago, varoo said:

 

Thanks for the info, Happy Cruiser. 

When a solo passenger is charged a fare that includes 2 beverage packages and 2 internet packages, it would be nice if they would give you a credit for the value of those unused second packages,

 

or else give you a raincheck for them that can be used on a future cruise

 

or else allow you to give them to a companion in another cabin who can use them.

 

 

Yes, all of the above would be nice, but don't hold your breath.  Actually, what would be really nice would be charging us for only one beverage package and one internet package but I'm not holding my breath for that either.  Probably WAY more than their unsophisticated computer system can handle.  And, yes, I'd love to know if the crew receives double gratuities when I sail solo but pay for gratuities for 2.  My guess is no.

[jagoffee]

3 hours ago, sstamour said:

Unfortunately, the issue is that I do need internet on 3 devices at once. Perils of a working cruise, but I'll be working with good views!

The good news is that RS Internet includes four devices.  (If I remember correctly or it might have been 3 devices)

 

fairly confident it was four devices per person.

Edited April 14, 2019 by jagoffee

[sstamour]

On 4/14/2019 at 11:53 AM, jagoffee said:

The good news is that RS Internet includes four devices.

 

That will certainly be convenient! I'll report back on what I learn.

 

Only a few days out now. I have a big list of errands still to check off, mostly involving turnover of my previous place. The wires to the thermostats in my new place are apparently old and brittle, so they're not supplying power to the thermostats; hoping to get A/C back before temps start to get into the upper 80s here. I finally got my outdoor patio furniture in (everyone keeps asking if there's a bear in my backyard. I, of course, say yes), and I'm having a couch delivered on Wednesday. I think that'll complete what needs to happen, just in time for me to leave at 6 AM on Friday!

 

Speaking of the service bear, the challenge is always feeding him whenever I leave him! He'll eat 22.5 lbs of food over the 9 days I'm gone, and I try to always do what I can to make it easier on his trainer. That mostly means pre-packaged ground food (he eats raw, but I'm aware that most people aren't as sanguine about putting out a bowl of goose heads, turkey liver and salmon trimming). He requires more luggage than I do. 

 

Somewhat surprisingly, I've been contacted by the concierge at the hotel I'm staying at in Miami, but I haven't heard from Celebrity shoreside concierge yet. I'm guessing it has something to do with booking as late as I did. 

 

[chemmo]

Phone Captains Club and ask to be put through to the shoreside concierge for your cruise....Also check emails, sometimes our first contact has been a mail not a telephone call.

 

I suggest you have a list ready of...

 

Spirits you require in your room

Minibar beer, soda and water preferences 

Pillow choices

Any medical/special needs

First two nights dining reservations 

 

If you don’t get through don’t worry your butler and room attendant will sort you out!

 

Re devices. Each RS guest is given one log in code at check in. I thought you could only then access one device at a time (needing to log off one before logging on another). I could be wrong as I only usually use my iPad on board. If this is the case then see the concierge. 

[sstamour]

So my live blog has gotten off to a somewhat delayed start! Due to work, crazy travel days and utter exhaustion, I've fallen asleep immediately after dinner last night and tonight. That almost never happens. 

 

But no matter. We're back on track now. Thursday night I could not fall asleep. I knew I had an early morning, but it just wasn't happening for me. So after a rather restless night, I was out of bed at 4 AM. Blasto barely opened an eye and went back to sleep. I made sure the basics were handled (trash was taken out, dishwasher was started) and got his bag of food packed up. Because I was leaving for the airport at 5 AM, I needed to have him packed up and ready to go to his trainer's, even though he wasn't going to be picked up for a couple of hours. 

 

I caught my Uber right as expected and was at the airport at 5:20. Since the airport only has 4 gates, getting through security does not exactly take forever. The downside is I still have to pull out my electronics, even though I have TSA Precheck. But, the flight to Phoenix was quick and easy. Once I got to Phoenix, my departure gate was roughly 729 nautical miles from the gate I arrived at. At least my steps will look good for the day. 

 

Once I get to the general area of my gate, I have an hour or so before boarding, so I head up to the lounge. A couple of mimosas set the "vacation" tone for the morning! The lounge was insanely crowded, but the seats at the bar have outlets. Power and wifi is all I really need. I get some work done and check in on the pup (he's been picked up and is on his way to the trainer's at this point, happy as usual). I get settled in my seat without problems, and the flight attendant brings me a glass of wine before takeoff. My seatmate, of course, helpfully ensures that half of it ends up in my lap when he throws his stuff everywhere, but...I'm flying to go on a cruise, I can be zen. 

 

5 minutes before we're scheduled to depart, the captain comes on the PA system to announce that there's a full groundstop in Miami, no flights are getting in or out, and we won't be leaving until 10 AM (45 minutes after our scheduled time). He promises to keep us updated if it's going to be any earlier.

 

Around 9:50, he hops back on to say that the groundstop has been extended until 11 AM, and our crew may time out before we're able to get into the air. He lets us know the gate agent will be down shortly in case we want to deplane. The gate agent does in fact make the offer, but I decide to stay on the plane - I know the gate is going to be super crowded, and I have a power outlet and a glass of wine at my seat, so there wasn't really any incentive to get off.

 

About 10 minutes later, however, the gate agent returns, confirms that we're going to have to get a new crew and that everyone has to get off the plane with their luggage. They promise to update us every 10 minutes, so ask us not to leave the area. 

 

Surprising no one, that was the last update we got. An entire planeful of people is now milling around the gate, uncertain and checking their phones and travel agents for other options. Several people start to consider how far they are willing to drive, putting airports like Tampa and Orlando into play. The lines for customer assistance are hundreds deep with all the alterations, delays and cancellations. 

 

But, eventually we do get off the ground and into the air around 12:15. I hear many other worse stories, so a 3 hour layover really isn't a big deal to complain about. Of course, they didn't re-cater the plane before we took off, so the breakfast omelette they served was slightly less than fresh, but again, first world complaints. 

 

Once arriving into Miami, everyone heads to baggage claim to pick up our bags. And then we wait. And wait. And wait some more. The flight that landed an hour after us sees their bags come out. I've heard of losing luggage, but I don't think I've heard of an entire airplane's cargo hold going missing. Finally, more than an hour and a half after landing, I finally collect my one very small bag (should have carried it on!) and hop in an Uber.

 

I had planned to have a dinner somewhere quintessentially Miami, but after 13.5 hours of traveling, the hotel bar at the Conrad was all I could manage. Steak tartare, grouper ceviche and ham/manchego croquettes will do nicely for dinner. A couple glasses of wine, and it's all I can do to drag myself to the room and fall asleep.  

 

Next up, day 1 on the ship! That review will actually have pictures, too. 

[guy999]

Hey if you are on your own, ask to eat at the Captain's table one night.  It's a bunch of different people. I got invited once and it was really fun.  It wasn't actually the captain that night but it was still a great night, great service even better than the usual.  Something I still remember and it's been more than 10 years.  Hopefully they still do it.

[CruisersTimesThree]

7 hours ago, guy999 said:

Hey if you are on your own, ask to eat at the Captain's table one night.  It's a bunch of different people. I got invited once and it was really fun.  It wasn't actually the captain that night but it was still a great night, great service even better than the usual.  Something I still remember and it's been more than 10 years.  Hopefully they still do it.

There no longer is a Captains table in the dining room, but on occasion higher end suite guests are invited to dine with various officers in one of the specialty restaurants.  An invitation is left in your cabin and you call the Captains Club hostess on the ship to RSVP.

[OhioDogLover]

Have fun.  I love Bernese Mountain dogs.  Have known a few.  

 

Ohiodoglover

[Swordfish1949]

Enjoying reading your blog....looking forward to more installments.

[edgreenberg]

Looking forward to the blog. Also, I hope you don't mind, but I printed a copy of your dog's photo for my cubicle wall, along with several others. 

[sstamour]

5 hours ago, edgreenberg said:

Looking forward to the blog. Also, I hope you don't mind, but I printed a copy of your dog's photo for my cubicle wall, along with several others. 

Aww. I'll let him know he's famous!

 

I woke up a bit earlier than expected when the group next door to my hotel room returned from their night out at 5 AM. They proceeded to recap the night in great detail and with vigor. I decided I didn't want to start getting ready that early, so I went back to sleep for a little while longer. 

 

Around 10 AM, I received a call from a Miami number. Celebrity called to confirm that we were at terminal G and asked me to look for the "Special Delivery" sign by column 11. Fairly straightforward, but I appreciated the information on where to go for the suite drop off. I hopped in an Uber from my hotel, and my driver was particularly confused by my answer of "Celebrity" when he asked which line I was cruising. "Celebrity? You mean the mouse?" No, not quite. We got it straightened out though. 

 

My plan was to be at the terminal by 10:30, and my Uber driver dropped me off right at 10:24. So far, so good! I never did get any actual boarding documents or luggage tags (and was never able to request them on the website), but no one was particularly phased by this. I dropped off my bag and was escorted into the terminal and immediately up to the desk to check in. The whole process, from drop off to being checked in, took about 5 minutes. They weren't quite ready for guests yet, so they asked us to sit in a roped off area by the escalators first. A few minutes later, someone escorted us upstairs where a table with water, coffee, tea and pastries had been set up. In less than 10 minutes, Saber, one of our Michael's Club concierges, came to introduce himself and escort us to Michael's Club. I was settled in with my champagne before 11 AM. Perfection. The restaurants wouldn't be open for a while, but they brought everyone plates of snacks, and several members of the crew walked around to introduce themselves. The specialty dining manager brought over the menu for the chef's table dinner, which based on the recommendations on this thread, I decided to accept. $199 is a fairly steep price ($279 for couples), but I thought it might be a fun experience to have. 

[X2tgibso]

Sounds like you’re earning your vacation!  Hopefully the rest is smooth sailing 😉

[CHEZMARYLOU]

WOW, they've really upped the offerings in Michaels Club on embarkation day.  I don't remember seeing any food there on our cruises and we've been in many suites on many ships since MC became a suite's lounge.

[guy999]

Hey can you go to sushi on five for the unlimited specialty dining?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Sushi on 5 is included in unlimited Specialty Dining for Signature Suites and above.

[tomservo]

On 4/13/2019 at 11:07 PM, sstamour said:

Specifically, I'm wondering how they'll handle the internet. I need it on three devices, so it'll be interesting to see if they require me to buy 1 or 2 additional packages. 

 

Can I ask what industry you work in where you need 3 devices? I want to say social media and/or advertising. Is the ship internet meeting your needs? I’ve thought about trying to WFS (Work From Ship) but I’m worried that the latency/lag would make it unusable. 

[guy999]

58 minutes ago, tomservo said:

 

Can I ask what industry you work in where you need 3 devices? I want to say social media and/or advertising. Is the ship internet meeting your needs? I’ve thought about trying to WFS (Work From Ship) but I’m worried that the latency/lag would make it unusable. 

 

just guessing but I have a iphone, ipad and laptop. and it's annoying to have to login and logout all the time.

[edgreenberg]

On 4/26/2019 at 10:16 PM, guy999 said:

 

just guessing but I have a iphone, ipad and laptop. and it's annoying to have to login and logout all the time.

 

I plan to bring a phone and a Chromebook, but given the prices, I will happily log the phone out when I want to use the Chromebook, but, admittedly, I am not doing WFS.   

 

Still looking forward to blog posts from the original poster....

 

Ed 

[phabric]

Following along.  Love your puppy pictures

[miched]

I hope you have a better experience than we did doing the Chefs table.   There were 11 of us crowded around a table that should only seated 8

 

The table mates were very rude.  One person thought it was a private audience to air all of her complaints and get satisfaction.

 

another couple kept telling the officer at the table that the subjects he was talking about ( when not getting interrupted by the complainer) wasn’t of interest to them and wanted to to talk about something different.  He would say in nasty way that “ I am not interested in that.”  

 

another couple thought they were the food experts and kept trying to advice the servers and chef how things should be and have been done.

 

one couple left before desert was served because the dinner was taking too long.

 

for us it would have been better to have dined by ourselves in a Speciality Restaurant and saved a lot of money.

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[sstamour]

Life definitely got a little crazy around here since I returned. I will be completing this, however, and I still have all my notes and papers.

 

To answer a few questions - I got the full four device package with the Royal Suite, which was very convenient. 

On 4/26/2019 at 6:17 PM, tomservo said:

 

Can I ask what industry you work in where you need 3 devices? I want to say social media and/or advertising. Is the ship internet meeting your needs? I’ve thought about trying to WFS (Work From Ship) but I’m worried that the latency/lag would make it unusable. 

 

I'm a business manager, property manager, and also own and operate a business that does short-term vacation rentals and other property related business. It's essentially around the clock. The ship internet mostly worked fine. There were times it ran a bit slowly, particularly on sea days when everyone was on it, but it never was unusable. I staked out my "office" in Michael's Club and was perfectly content to work (if perhaps attracting a few stares). 

 

On 4/26/2019 at 7:16 PM, guy999 said:

 

just guessing but I have a iphone, ipad and laptop. and it's annoying to have to login and logout all the time.

 

Yes, those are my three devices as well. Often, I'm working on something that spans multiple devices, so even logging in and out isn't really a viable option for me. 

 

On 4/26/2019 at 3:26 PM, guy999 said:

Hey can you go to sushi on five for the unlimited specialty dining?

 

Yes. I went there several times, and my butler would bring me food from there during the evenings as well. 

[Cruiseluv19]

thanks for doing this.  enjoying your posts.  hope you have a wonderful time!

[JaneStarr]

On 4/13/2019 at 5:07 PM, sstamour said:

 

I'll be curious how this works. I booked without perks (at a discount after final payment), but there are perks that come with the suite itself. Specifically, I'm wondering how they'll handle the internet. I need it on three devices, so it'll be interesting to see if they require me to buy 1 or 2 additional packages. 

 

I'm momentarily dreaming about one of those around the world cruises that last for 170+ days and wondering how the cruise line would react when I requested an industrial size freezer to accommodate Blasto's food for that long. 

The RS we are in on Solstice currently gave us a 4-device package for the suite. That should hopefully cover you!

Jane

Oops...I just realized I posted WAY too late for you!

 

Edited May 5, 2019 by JaneStarr