Jim_Iain Apex Key West, TansAtlantic and British Isle with a Week in Amsterdam

[DisneyJen]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I think I mentioned since I was in a Bit€hing mood -   I had a chat with Yusel, MD about the poultry on the previous cruise.    He thanked me and said if there were any small issue just let your waiter or me know immediately.    I told him I didn't want to make an issue of it and he said - "no do it immediately, If you are experiencing it so are all my other guests and I an talk to the chef.

 

Last night they had scrambled the menus and the menu was the same as we had 2 nights before -  the problem with Luminae on E-Class where you don't have the MDR menu to order the Prime Rib.   Iain had the delicious Cod dish I had 2 days previous..    I asked Iain -  do I dare try the Herb Roasted Chicken.  He said no but of course I always listen and ordered it anyway.    It was FANTASTIC -  perfectly cooked and juicy.    Yusel came over to assure it was ok and I asked him to send my thanks and compliments to the Chef.

 

Glad to hear the poultry situation has been corrected!

 

Yuksel is such a consummate professional. He makes dining in Luminae so special.

 

I'm hoping that our MD in Luminae on EQ in a little over two weeks is half as accommodating and professional as Yuksel. 🤞

[juanrod]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Thanks -- I'm Listening to CBS5 in San Francisco -  Looks like the coast is having FANTASTIC weather.    So much for Spring I think we are just going from Winter to Summer.    The fog started rolling in through the Golden Gate.

Yes we have had a beautiful weekend. Opened all the windows and spring cleaned , lots of bags of trash and donation boxes, then started my list for our British Isles cruise , 110 days and counting .  Will be curious on your pans in cork and other stops for British isles stops to make sure we don’t  miss anything 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, Rocky4 said:

 

I was born in Memphis and rode past Elvis's old home in East Memphis with the music notes on the wrought iron fence.  During my career after UT, I returned to work at Schering-Plough on Jackson Ave.  We moved to Nashville after my elementary school years.  Small world... age is only a number 🙂

 

That's so cool.   Way back before the development of his estate as a tourist attraction, you probably remember it was just a 2 lane rode with a strip mall across the street.   That's where my barber was.

 

I was recruited by Goldsmith's when at UT to Manage their Shipping, Receiving, Packing and  Gift Wrapping.   My son was just back taking his family to the Elvis  estate as his wife loves Elvis.   I looked and Goldsmith's is long gone.

[Jim_Iain]

19 hours ago, TommyD3 said:

Dawn hit triple Z about 6 months ago and had a celebration on the bridge with Captain Niko (and a dozen officers) onboard Apex in December. He said then that when Eric crossed he would do the same thing. Eric crossed two cruises ago. Tried to have the same bridge celebration with the same captain on the cruise just ended. Ended up that Eric received a call from one of the concierges in Wichita (the second to last day of the cruise) telling him it is NOT Celebrity policy to do that. Only at single Zenith. Eric asked what should we do if we see others receiving 2X/3X/4X Zenith celebrations (we saw several suite guests getting double Zenith celebrations on Reflection last year). Was told to report the officers involved to corporate (I presume for punishment).

 

Years ago (pre-pandemic) when Zeniths still had Retreat access, Dawn and Eric were at a helipad sail away Retreat event.They met LLP during the event. Commented how they were both Double Zenith and Eric was the youngest Zenith (according to one of the HD's). She asked what suite they were in. When they said they were not in a suite she turned around and walked away !!!

 

Tom -    On turn around day I saw Eric and went over to see you and he told me you had gone home.  I thought you were going to stay for the crossing....

 

Maybe you can answer how many 3x Zenith's are is it just the 4 of you or are there more?

 

Wow... I can't believe the HD would be so rude.    I hate to say it but haven't even met the CC hostess yet.   She has called but Iain has always taken the call. 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Wow Triple Zenith!  I never have seen that before.  How many TZ's exist?  Must have been cruising on Celebrity since birth!

 

I asked @TommyD3 -- if anyone would know it would be he.   He and wife are 3X Zenith's maybe higher now.   They came up the hard way... when Zenith was 100 cruises.

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

What do you have planned for Cork? That will be one of our port stops on July. 

 

LOL... I just asked Iain if we had anything planned as we will be there 2X.  First cruise we have nothing planned and will just figure out what we will do once there.    The second I booked a private tour on Tours by Local -  Decided against Blarney Castle.   Booked The Cashel and Holy Cross Abbey on day 2 -  we have an overnight in Cork

 

It's a bit€h getting old.

 

 

[Mike981]

17 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

Ahhh true entrepreneurs we were.    If I really got short I would check my text books out of the library and sell them back to the bookstore.  

 

Somehow we always had money for Booze and Gas.   OK --- gas was 25 cents a gallon and beer was 75 Cents and of course you left a quarter tip.

 

 

 

When I wanted to feel rich/ or could afford it, I would go to KFC and order six chicken wings for less than $2. Since no one wanted them, sometimes they would laugh and give me a dozen or more. Three meals for less than $2. Now where is my Ramen.

 

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Thanks -- I'm Listening to CBS5 in San Francisco -  Looks like the coast is having FANTASTIC weather.    So much for Spring I think we are just going from Winter to Summer.    The fog started rolling in through the Golden Gate.

 

Here in Minne-snow-ta, we are still dealing with winter and a lot of flooding. Hopefully we will be able to fill all of our aquifers to eliminate any drought issues. We have broken snowfall records across the state. Duluth MN has had over 11 feet of snow so far.

[Rocky4]

18 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

That's so cool.   Way back before the development of his estate as a tourist attraction, you probably remember it was just a 2 lane rode with a strip mall across the street.   That's where my barber was.

 

I was recruited by Goldsmith's when at UT to Manage their Shipping, Receiving, Packing and  Gift Wrapping.   My son was just back taking his family to the Elvis  estate as his wife loves Elvis.   I looked and Goldsmith's is long gone.

 

Wow...  I certainly remember the strip shopping center across from the mansion since my pediatrician was in Whitehaven we routinely visited that area.  We were living in East Memphis at the time and the small house (before Graceland) where he once lived was near Audubon Park.  The wall had a brick base and wrought iron music notes on top.  Shopped Goldsmith's and Lowenstein's many times.  Maybe my age is showing...  whoops!  Have a great trip(s).  Hope our paths cross one day... perhaps on Celebrity 🙂 

[Provence55always]

Spike Island is well worth visiting. A 26 minutes train ride from Cork city to the Heritage town of Cobh. From there it’s a 12 minute ferry ride to the Island. While traveling on the ferry you get spectacular views of Cobh both going and coming back from the Island.   You can look up the history of Spike Island online and book everything online. 

[TommyD3]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Tom -    On turn around day I saw Eric and went over to see you and he told me you had gone home.  I thought you were going to stay for the crossing....

 

Maybe you can answer how many 3x Zenith's are is it just the 4 of you or are there more?

 

Wow... I can't believe the HD would be so rude.    I hate to say it but haven't even met the CC hostess yet.   She has called but Iain has always taken the call. 

Hi Jim - Yes Rita and I got off yesterday. I hate flying and am not willing to spend the price of business / first class.

I tried to address the number of triple Zeniths in Post 1023.

Dawn & Eric are triple, Rita and I are still double. Back before Zenith was created we sailed in Concierge all the time. Now Veranda or lower. So it takes at least 1000 nights to go from double to triple Zenith !!!

In your "HD would be so rude" comment, I was referring to LLP, the Celebrity CEO. My point was all she cared about were suite guests. No interest in long time loyal gusts.

Edited April 23, 2023 by TommyD3

[TommyD3]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I asked @TommyD3 -- if anyone would know it would be he.   He and wife are 3X Zenith's maybe higher now.   They came up the hard way... when Zenith was 100 cruises.

As stated Rita and I are still only double Zenith. We only know a few other triple Zeniths. Most of them sail SOLO in Royal suites and get many many points per cruise.

Before the Zenith level was created it was much less expensive to accrue "credits". One per cruise plus an extra for Concierge or above. Equivalent to 60 points now which takes at least a Sky Suite on a week long cruise. At a minimum of $500 pp/pd I don't see the value of a Sky Suite. Plus Zenith's have to pay for the $180 pd premium beverage package and WiFi that Celebrity gives us for free in Concierge and below.

[JeanieC,Aston]

1 hour ago, Provence55always said:

Spike Island is well worth visiting. A 26 minutes train ride from Cork city to the Heritage town of Cobh. From there it’s a 12 minute ferry ride to the Island. While traveling on the ferry you get spectacular views of Cobh both going and coming back from the Island.   You can look up the history of Spike Island online and book everything online. 

Hi

Have visited Spike Island,,,a good visit for a couple of hours,,and its history is great.

The ferry leaves just up the road from the dock,,as you say book online,it’s only a small ferry and watch for return times.

We have a history of Irish immigration in my town outside Liverpool,an area of the town is called Spike Island,,,,and there was a pub of that name now knocked down.

 

Spike Island..

[ProfMHC]

Had a great time “running into” Jim and Iain at lunch (yeah, we actually cold-conked them…. but whatever…Jim is a fellow detective fiction nut so he understands) So very nice to chat for awhile!! Blog on, guys! 💕 

[jwlane]

2 hours ago, Provence55always said:

Spike Island is well worth visiting

Agreed!  Very interesting & convenient way to spend the day.

[cachouonacruise]

7 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I had a chat with Yusel, MD about the poultry on the previous cruise.  

Hi Jim,

 

I just have a quick question. If you have the time.

 

Most people on these boards rave about the Luminae restaurant.

 

I am not a Suite cruiser, but because of the restaurant's reputation and posted food pictures, I was dreaming about the possibility of eventually trying a Suite.

 

My question is: Is the food served to non-suite Guests in Luminae ( as per an invite of a Suite guest) the same as if I had been a Suite Guest?

 

The reason for asking is my recent experience on Millenium. Suite guests friends invited us to eat in Luminae with them. We had to pay extra and eat a bit earlier, but I was really excited to try this famous restaurant! 
 

Sadly for me, it was really an underwhelming experience.

 

The menu offered fewer options than the main dining room. So, I unfortunately chose the poultry. ... Bad choice! It came in a dark brown sauce. The plating had no colors, no dimension, it was just two piece of chicken in a dark sauce.... It came with some kind of side so salty that I did not recognize what it was, and I love salty food.... To be honest, it has been one of my worst restaurant experience on Celebrity. (The other one was in a specialty restaurant, now replaced by Le Petit Chef.)

My first course was a cold carrot soup, which was O.K. Not more.

 

Service was good, but definitely not better then the Main Dining Room.

 

By all accounts, on all levels, the MDR was surprisingly a much nicer experience for us.

 

If I ever book a suite, would what I experienced in Luminae be different? Or does the level/quality of food and service just differs when you're an invited guest? 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

Ok 👌.   I need some help.   As you know I’m really not a Casino 🎰 player.  I went to pull some OBC off and got $300 off apiece using the card the casino gave me.   
 

I decided to play a penny machine. On M and S class machines I have played on the wheel of fortune machine. Fairly straightforward.  
 

This ship doesn’t have one so decided to play a bit on the penny machine.  I guess the minimum is actually 400 or 800 Pennies.  

I’m playing this slot and have no idea how it works- any instructions appreciated. 
 

I guess this so also a test is StarLink video turned out to be 40 meg so slow.  Not bad 2 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

i must be doing something right the thing has been beeping an spinning by itself and people have been cheering me on.  No one can explain the objective or what makes you win or loose. 

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Mike981 said:

 

When I wanted to feel rich/ or could afford it, I would go to KFC and order six chicken wings for less than $2. Since no one wanted them, sometimes they would laugh and give me a dozen or more. Three meals for less than $2. Now where is my Ramen.

 

 

Here in Minne-snow-ta, we are still dealing with winter and a lot of flooding. Hopefully we will be able to fill all of our aquifers to eliminate any drought issues. We have broken snowfall records across the state. Duluth MN has had over 11 feet of snow so far.

 

Did you see the reports in the Sierra's -  After a 3 year drought one area got 100 feet of snow.   Brings back memories of the Donner Party. 

 

[DaKahuna]

Jim,   I wish I could help as well but the only sure thing I know is when the machine starts spinning automatically, you have won free or bonus spends. 
 

Turning $600 (2 x $300) into $2700 is a trick I wish I could perform but alas I have only managed to turn $200 of OBC into $260, but it’s only day 3. 

Great video! 

Edited April 23, 2023 by DaKahuna

[Jim_Iain]

9 minutes ago, cachouonacruise said:

Hi Jim,

 

I just have a quick question. If you have the time.

 

Most people on these boards rave about the Luminae restaurant.

 

I am not a Suite cruiser, but because of the restaurant's reputation and posted food pictures, I was dreaming about the possibility of eventually trying a Suite.

 

My question is: Is the food served to non-suite Guests in Luminae ( as per an invite of a Suite guest) the same as if I had been a Suite Guest?

 

The reason for asking is my recent experience on Millenium. Suite guests friends invited us to eat in Luminae with them. We had to pay extra and eat a bit earlier, but I was really excited to try this famous restaurant! 
 

Sadly for me, it was really an underwhelming experience.

 

The menu offered fewer options than the main dining room. So, I unfortunately chose the poultry. ... Bad choice! It came in a dark brown sauce. The plating had no colors, no dimension, it was just two piece of chicken in a dark sauce.... It came with some kind of side so salty that I did not recognize what it was, and I love salty food.... To be honest, it has been one of my worst restaurant experience on Celebrity. (The other one was in a specialty restaurant, now replaced by Le Petit Chef.)

My first course was a cold carrot soup, which was O.K. Not more.

 

Service was good, but definitely not better then the Main Dining Room.

 

By all accounts, on all levels, the MDR was surprisingly a much nicer experience for us.

 

If I ever book a suite, would what I experienced in Luminae be different? Or does the level/quality of food and service just differs when you're an invited guest? 

 

 

 

I would have to agree that the menu offering are fare fewer than both MDR and Blu.   At least on a S or M Class ship you can order from the MDR menu in addition to the Luminae menu.   They also have the Childrens Menu with the 4 ounce Filet and other things.   They have an Anytime Menu which is the same as ll the restaurants  Shrimp Cocktail, Escargot, French Onion, Steak, Chicken and Salmon etc.

 

When you are a guest in Luminae you get the exact same menu as all other guests and no limits on how many entrees you wish.   Example on Lobster night it you wanted 2X, 3X etc would never be denied  

 

The main difference is that Luminae is suppose to only cook to order and never cooked in batches... with the chicken issues it raised question if the Chef was taking some shortcuts. 

 

Usually the food is very good and if you are disappointed just let your waiter know.  Generally the real difference is the service and attention to detail but like I mentioned sometimes their have been failures.

 

We have a Waiter, Sonny, that is top notch and would do anything for us.   We enjoy a nice slow service and he has adjusted to accommodate.     We also have an Assistant Waiter, Marcus from Brazil, that is incredible and I've recommended for a promotion.   His attention to detail is like dining in Murano.    

 

Then we have Alle as a Sommelier -  First night he didn't have Fre Red Non-Alcaholic but next day I bumped into him in Al Bacio and he told me he got a large supply out of stores and had it stocked in Retreat, Eden and Luminae for me.  

 

I guess my only complaint would be that they have had the exact same menu for over 10 years and especially on E-Class ships where you can't order of MDR it can be rather boring.

 

Stand by and I will be publishing the menus.   I've asked the Maitre' D for a copy of the full 14 day Dinner and Desert menus and the Lunch menus --- Will make it easier to post nice clean copies that can actually be read.

 

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Provence55always said:

Spike Island is well worth visiting. A 26 minutes train ride from Cork city to the Heritage town of Cobh. From there it’s a 12 minute ferry ride to the Island. While traveling on the ferry you get spectacular views of Cobh both going and coming back from the Island.   You can look up the history of Spike Island online and book everything online. 

 

Hmmm.. . will have to look.    Iain just googled on it and clicked on "How to Get there"   We don't have anything planned for the other 2 days we will be there.

Edited April 23, 2023 by Jim_Iain

[DaKahuna]

28 minutes ago, cachouonacruise said:

 

The menu offered fewer options than the main dining room. So, I unfortunately chose the poultry. ... Bad choice! It came in a dark brown sauce. The plating had no colors, no dimension, it was just two piece of chicken in a dark sauce.... It came with some kind of side so salty that I did not recognize what it was, and I love salty food.... To be honest, it has been one of my worst restaurant experience on Celebrity. (The other one was in a specialty restaurant, now replaced by Le Petit Chef.)

My first course was a cold carrot soup, which was O.K. Not more.

 

 

it sounds to me like what you ordered or was served was the Daniel Boulud Signature dinner which has not had very many good reviews in my reading. 
 

For example here are the Luminae Entree’s for tonight’s dinner 

 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, TommyD3 said:

As stated Rita and I are still only double Zenith. We only know a few other triple Zeniths. Most of them sail SOLO in Royal suites and get many many points per cruise.

Before the Zenith level was created it was much less expensive to accrue "credits". One per cruise plus an extra for Concierge or above. Equivalent to 60 points now which takes at least a Sky Suite on a week long cruise. At a minimum of $500 pp/pd I don't see the value of a Sky Suite. Plus Zenith's have to pay for the $180 pd premium beverage package and WiFi that Celebrity gives us for free in Concierge and below.

 

Thanks Tom ... saw your post after I wrote that.  

 

I guess we had the opposite complaint when they shifted to the new point structure.   We have always sailed in Suites and in the conversion instead of getting credits for the number of days x points per night we got just 2 points per cruise compared to 180 points we will get for this cruise in a CS.

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi

Have visited Spike Island,,,a good visit for a couple of hours,,and its history is great.

The ferry leaves just up the road from the dock,,as you say book online,it’s only a small ferry and watch for return times.

We have a history of Irish immigration in my town outside Liverpool,an area of the town is called Spike Island,,,,and there was a pub of that name now knocked down.

 

Spike Island..

 

 

Thanks for all of you.    I love CC for all the help from other members.   We will definitely be going there at least once.    Iain's Sister and BIL will be there on our second visit with the Overnight.

[Purplsmurf]

After winning that in the casino you might not be a Pearl anymore…..now possibly an Onyx 😂

[Jim_Iain]

9 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

it sounds to me like what you ordered or was served was the Daniel Boulud Signature dinner which has not had very many good reviews in my reading. 
 

For example here are the Luminae Entree’s for tonight’s dinner 

 

 

If you ordered that I would agree... I tried it once and it was absolutely terrible.   I unserstand that on Beyond they have revamped he Daniel B Menu at the bottom - 

 

On the other hand the Pistachio Rasberry Vacherin is my favorite go to if no other desert excite me.   Ok  time for another Bit€h session... I love Ice Cream.   In Luminae they only have Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry and also the sorbet and Gelato that are served with other deserts.    In the MDR they have about 6 choices and specialty ice cream flavors every night.