Suite Departure Lounge at Terminal 25 Ft Lauderdale

[Quo Vadis?]

Loved it, no waiting in line, pre-boarding, get processed by staff coming to you while you are seated,  get your first extra calories..

 

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by Argo.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

1 hour ago, Argo. said:

Loved it, no waiting in line, pre-boarding, get processed by staff coming to you while you are seated,  get your first extra calories..

 

Right.  Like we all need those extra calories.  More on the ship.  I didn't even get a chance to sit down before someone approached me to check me in and then they just shooed me on board.

[Keys Kathy]

On 6/28/2020 at 11:43 AM, TeeRick said:

We were coming from the first leg of a cruise on Harmony of the Seas.  We were next boarding Edge and got to Terminal 25 about 9:30 AM.  No problem.

Did you Sale June 28th, 2020? The CC message board states you posted at 11:43 yesterday which would have been June 28, 2020!

[rollie]

13 hours ago, Argo. said:

Loved it, no waiting in line, pre-boarding, get processed by staff coming to you while you are seated,  get your first extra calories..

 

 

Thanks for posting, just what I was looking for.

 

Rollie

[TeeRick]

12 hours ago, Keys Kathy said:

Did you Sale June 28th, 2020? The CC message board states you posted at 11:43 yesterday which would have been June 28, 2020!

Kind of confused by the question. We sailed Harmony and then Edge for two weeks in January 2019.

[Keys Kathy]

12 hours ago, Keys Kathy said:

Did you Sale June 28th, 2020? The CC message board states you posted at 11:43 yesterday which would have been June 28, 2020!

Ah, I did not post this!

[TeeRick]

57 minutes ago, Keys Kathy said:

Ah, I did not post this!

just weird!!  some kind of autopost??

[K12Guy]

On 6/29/2020 at 6:39 AM, chemmo said:

 

We have had to shift our next one from this September to next September...It will be the longest we have ever gone between cruises. Reluctant to commit to anything sooner with the present situation. On the bright side we have booked the PH!

Interesting. Which sailing next September? We are on 10 September 21 on Summit in 6148.

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, K12Guy said:

Interesting. Which sailing next September? We are on 10 September 21 on Summit in 6148.

 

 

You're making me jealous.  We had 6148 on the B2B to Iceland and Greenland this year which sadly has been cancelled.  Not available for the same cruise in 2021.  We had so many cruising friends on those cruises and were planning some fun parties.  Not too many of them have re-booked for 2021.  I have fond memories of a lot of good parties in that cabin. 

Edited June 30, 2020 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[K12Guy]

1 minute ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

You're making me jealous.  We had 6148 on the B2B to Iceland and Greenland this year which sadly has been cancelled.  Not available for the same cruise in 2021.  We had so many cruising friends on those cruises and were planning some fun parties.  Not too many of them have re-booked for 2021.  

This will be our first PH and it looks wonderful. We are really looking forward to The Retreat treatment, once again. We've always had such good crew in The Retreat class.

[chemmo]

On 6/30/2020 at 10:28 PM, K12Guy said:

This will be our first PH and it looks wonderful. We are really looking forward to The Retreat treatment, once again. We've always had such good crew in The Retreat class.

 

Each time we have booked the PH on M class we have spent far less time around the ship than we planned. The room is just so nice and the deck is simply stunning. Whilst we made the odd trip to the Solarium (no Retreat Deck when we cruised) we preferred to return to our own space to relax. The butler’s pantry means you can really stock up on drinks and I don’t know if it is coincidence but when we have been in an M class PH the butler has been very happy to arrange alternative in suite dining.

 

As Happy Cruiser says it is a great place for entertaining.

 

Hope you enjoy! Only snag with this suite is any balcony afterwards (including S class PH) looks really small...

[K12Guy]

2 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

Each time we have booked the PH on M class we have spent far less time around the ship than we planned. The room is just so nice and the deck is simply stunning. Whilst we made the odd trip to the Solarium (no Retreat Deck when we cruised) we preferred to return to our own space to relax. The butler’s pantry means you can really stock up on drinks and I don’t know if it is coincidence but when we have been in an M class PH the butler has been very happy to arrange alternative in suite dining.

 

As Happy Cruiser says it is a great place for entertaining.

 

Hope you enjoy! Only snag with this suite is any balcony afterwards (including S class PH) looks really small...

 

Thanks so much for your great comments about the penthouse suites. We normally don't spend a lot of time around the ship, at the pool, casino, shopping, etc. so this sounds like exactly what we are hoping for. Not to mention it should be a great place for a sail away gathering. Just curious if you've ever hosted a sail away for folks who would like to see a penthouse in life?

Also, I don't know if you do any face booking but if you do I have created a group called Celebrity Penthouse Sailors, should you care to join. With your experience I'm sure you can give great advice for us first timers!

 

Yes, it will be hard to go back down a level or two, I'm sure. We have an S1 (7307) on Solstice just a month before our PH on Summit, so it will good to compare and help us realize how fortunate we are.

 

We normally dine at Luminae most evenings, but I am thinking about 'in suite' for a night or two since Murano is not available on Summit.  Can the butler actually make it nearly the same experience in quality of food?

[chemmo]

13 minutes ago, K12Guy said:

 

Thanks so much for your great comments about the penthouse suites. We normally don't spend a lot of time around the ship, at the pool, casino, shopping, etc. so this sounds like exactly what we are hoping for. Not to mention it should be a great place for a sail away gathering. Just curious if you've ever hosted a sail away for folks who would like to see a penthouse in life?

Also, I don't know if you do any face booking but if you do I have created a group called Celebrity Penthouse Sailors, should you care to join. With your experience I'm sure you can give great advice for us first timers!

 

Yes, it will be hard to go back down a level or two, I'm sure. We have an S1 (7307) on Solstice just a month before our PH on Summit, so it will good to compare and help us realize how fortunate we are.

 

We normally dine at Luminae most evenings, but I am thinking about 'in suite' for a night or two since Murano is not available on Summit.  Can the butler actually make it nearly the same experience in quality of food?

 

We have done a few gatherings in the PH and in S class RS too. We have never organised much pre cruise unless it has been with people we have cruised with before. We did organise a sail away from Sydney with couples we knew from our TP the year before...

 

When we organised our sail away (9 guests in total) we let the shoreside concierge know we were planning a sail away and asked them to arrange some cold nibbles and for the room to be set up. The general rule on X is they will arrange cold snacks and fruit juices free of charge but if you want alcoholic beverages and hot snacks provided then a tariff can kick in...We only really wanted a few light snacks and champagne so we bought two bottles on land (so much cheaper) to go with the bottle provided on board and the butler put all on ice...As we boarded we checked with the Michael’s host that they had received our request (they had) and as we got to our room glasses etc were ready. Remember you will have some beers and two bottles of spirits as part of your package in suite anyway...

 

If you want to organise anything for large numbers during your cruise discuss with your butler options like a rum punch or margarita’s being served...A couple of bottles of spirits can go a long way and it feels more like a party than a simple glass of wine. 

 

Our favourite ‘share the PH moments’ have been fairly spontaneous....coming back from an excursion and inviting new friends to join us for a drink or inviting couples from Michael’s to enjoy a coffee and nightcap watching the wake of the ship...Invariably the butler appears from nowhere with drinks, nuts...

 

Our most memorable PH entertaining experience (which I have related before on another thread) was befriending an elderly couple in Jamaica who had felt threatened by ‘pushy selling’ until my husband approached and offered them the opportunity to join us. They were quite shaken by their experience but with us relaxed...On returning to the ship they pointed out the ‘rooms with the big decks at the back’ and told us they were the Penthouses...We asked if they had ever seen one...they said ‘no’ so we confessed to being in one and invited them up. Needless to say the butler pulled out the stops (especially when we said the couple had not had the best of mornings...) Drinks, snacks and chocolate strawberries were provided and our butler insisted on escorting the couple back to their own room later with another plate of chocolate strawberries! 

 

I am afraid I don’t know anything about face bookings but if there is any information you need or answers to questions I am always willing to answer on CC. 

 

Re dining...As you are  aware the ‘flaw’ on the M class is the limited range of speciality dining options. LPC is fun and novel but once is enough, Tuscan is great as what it is (steak and pasta house) but it lacks the ambiance and fantastic wake view of its S class counterpart...Murano’s equivalents now gone leaving Luminae....We have always had great service in Luminae but we do find the menu limited...if you need a ‘back up’ of the MDR menu then it simply implies the choice is quite narrow.

 

I think this is where in suite dining can come to its own....Ask for the Luminae menus (for your full cruise) to be available on boarding. Spend a bit of time first day browsing...Nights where you find the choices limited chat with your butler. We have through our butler arranged an Indian banquet along with other more standard meals in the PH. Your butler can do so much more if you give him  at least 24 hours warning rather than doing things last minute (hence browsing the menus on boarding)...Also much fairer on other guests as he can plan his time better. Ask your butler (after your browse of the Luminae menus) for his suggestions on certain evenings rather that ask for x or y...Good butlers, which PH butler’s usually are, take pride in making their guests happy, the really good ones know what you want before you know it yourself! There are mixed responses on CC about requesting room service other than standard. I do think most of the time it comes down to being ‘reasonable’ and not asking for the extraordinary too often. Requesting something available somewhere on board with 24 hours notice is a lot different than ‘demanding’ something from Luminae to be delivered ASAP...We never demand, only request and always say thank you...

 

Often when we dine in we have had a tiring port day so don’t rule out asking for simple options like Luminae burgers, a nice pizza or a couple of platters of finger food, ideal for eating on deck. Not every experience on board needs to be fine dining...The butler will set your table inside or out, serve course by course and obviously clear up after. Remember with that really big fridge in the butler’s pantry it is easy to ask for desert to be left for later...

 

Hope you have a fantastic cruise...Our next cruise now isn’t until September 2021, PH on the Silhouette...We will love the decadence of light and space in the room but will miss the wonderful M class PH deck...

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Hosting a sailaway in the PH seems like a good idea until more than 100 people show up!  It was an open invitation to all on the roll call, back when lots of people actually participated in roll calls.  The suite and the expansive deck can accommodate that, but it was crowded.  After that experience, future sailaways were by invitation only to either friends or people from the roll call.