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Just back from the Galaxy-8/25/06

doublemm16

By doublemm16,
in Celebrity Cruises

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barbels

barbels

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I also just returned from the August 25th cruise and had a wonderful time. The food and service were as good as ever. They even served chateaubriand on the final night. If they wanted to leave me with a great memory, they succeeded.

 

They are in the process of changing mattresses. I think they are working from the top down. There were a lot of mattresses loaded on the ship in Messina but they didn't get to my cabin- 8139.

 

I didn't see all the shows but the ones I did see were good. Especially good was the pianist who played a concert he had put together for a UN event. It was a trip around the world in music with pictures on the large screen behind him on the stage- really imaginative and entertaining.

 

The pool band was great- with a really good lead singer. They played music appropriate to the trip- I didn't hear Margaritaville or Yellowbird once. The pianist in Michael's Club was fine as was the Duo in the Rendezvous. The cruise staff was lively and friendly. I didn't have any interaction woith the CD Shawn Cavanaugh, but he seemed ok.

 

The ports of call were of course great. The last two days- Cannes and Livorno- were hectic but wonderful. I really wanted anothe day at sea but c'est la vie.

 

But he best thing about this cruise was the wonderful people Barry and I met- many of them cruise critics.

 

I am still unwinding but I plan to write a full review soon. I wouldn't hesitate to book Galaxy again. Her cosmetic problems were minor and didn't effect my enjoyment of the trip.

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prettypetunia

prettypetunia

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I was on this cruise too, and we had an absolutely amazing time. Great ship and crew.

 

Anyone else who was on this 8/25 sailing - do you remember your ass. maitre'd's name? His name escapes us and it is really bugging us because he gave a wonderful dining experience. I'm thinking if I hear his name i'll have a "lightbulb" moment and i'll remember. I don't even know how many assistant maitre'ds there are on one ship.

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jlmdsc

jlmdsc

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We also just returned from the 8/25 Galaxy cruise. I agree -- it was fantastic. I thought the ship was in fine shape and have no complaints. In all aspects, the service was outstanding! Our assistant maitre'd was Vladimir.

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prettypetunia

prettypetunia

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We also just returned from the 8/25 Galaxy cruise. I agree -- it was fantastic. I thought the ship was in fine shape and have no complaints. In all aspects, the service was outstanding! Our assistant maitre'd was Vladimir.

 

Thanks jlmdsc, Vladimir doesn't ring a bell with me, and it is killing us that we can't remember our ass.maitre'd's name! He was so courteous.

 

If anyone else was on this sailing on Aug25 with a different MaitreD, please post his name so we can see if it jogs our memory.

 

I really don't know why Galaxy has such a bad rep, the cruise was excellent!

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doublemm16

doublemm16

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To answer some of the questions:

 

The cruise director was Shawn Cavanaugh. We met him at the cruise critic get together. He was very nice and really paid attention to what we told him.

 

I forgot the name of the Captain's Club Hostess. The activity staff was Naomi from Australia, Kevin from Trinidad, Misty and Derek. The ACD was Jeff (I think). The Master was Captain Margharitas.

 

Monica...yes, there were 2 late seatings. I had the 8:45pm seating on the lower level of the Orion Restaurant. There was also a 9:15pm seating.

 

As for the T-pool and the whirlpools, the whirlpools were still not working. They are waiting for parts; however, the T-pool was open and available to all guests free of charge. I took advantage of this one afternoon. It gets very crowded in there.

 

I was in Cabin 9222...we had new mattresses and bedding, including pillows. While there was some wear and tear, the cabin was always clean, and this did not detract from the cruise experience.

 

The shows I saw were great. I saw all of the productions shows...one about Broadway, a 50's 60's show, Elements, and Around the world. The Celebrity singers and dancers are very talented. Especially the duo that performs Cirque de Soliel like moves.

 

There was not too much going on as far as activities go later on in the evening, but that suited me just fine, as we were all exhausted from all of the walking we did in each of the ports.

 

I met some really great people on this cruise....some were from cruise critic. I had a great time playing trivia and some of the other games with fellow cruise critic members. All of the service I received was above and beyond. The food was great, and our tablemates were fabulous!! I would book the Galaxy again in a heartbeat!

 

I am not sure of the name of our Ass't Matrie'd. However, he was blond and wore glasses and was from Poland. He was terrific! I was traveling with a friend and her 11 year old daughter who is an EXTREMELY picky eater. He went out of his way to try and find things for her to eat. While he was not really successful, it was not fault of his! :)

 

For all of you with trips on the Galaxy coming up, you are sure to have the best vacation ever! Enjoy!!

 

Mindi

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medsailing

medsailing

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We too have just returned from the August 25 sailing on Galaxy. Our cabin was on the 12th deck and we did have new bedding. Slept great!

 

Our assistant maitre'D was Daurius. Blond, glasses, from Poland.

 

Our party of 7 had a great vacation. Our 2 daughters - 22 and 17 - enjoyed the experience.

 

We were advised that if you wanted to visit the beaches in Greece, Santorini was the better choice. We would disagree. The recomenended black sand beach in Santorini was interesting to visit.however the "sand" is very, very hot and the water pretty rough. The beach we visited in Mykonos was exceptionally lovely and very easy to get to. We all agreed a much better beach. I heard others comment about the shops recomendations for port activities. Seems if there are lots of "guaranteed shopping" stores in the port, then these are promoted at the expense of other activites. Case in point - Oia in Santorini only has one recommended guaranteed shop. Little if any time was spent talking about this destination. It is easy to get to and picture perfect.

 

Although we had a great time while away, our trip ended with a dissapointment. Immediately upon our arrival back home, I realized that I had left a gown in our stateroom. The entire time of our vacation, it was folded and located on a chair in the sitting area of the room. Our room attendant folded the bedding up at night and placed it on this chair. When we were packing , the bed had been turned down and I completely forgot about the gown. Once home, I immediately called

Celebrity to track down this item and was informed that all items left behind are either discarded or donated to charity. I was told that they are not a storage company. Only if something is left in your safe will they do anything about returning items to you. While on hold to speak with a representative I listened to the taped message about how Celebrity strives to deliver excellent service and be the best in the industry etc. The representative told me that all articles left behind are valuable to their owners - teddy bears, blankets, cameras, gowns - and it really didn't matter that this article of clothing was easily traceable. It is a Celebrity policy not to return such items. Not an expensive item of clothing but the attitute really did not reflect their commitment to "be the best"

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WooKeef

WooKeef

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We too have just returned from the August 25 sailing on Galaxy. Our cabin was on the 12th deck and we did have new bedding. Slept great!

 

Our assistant maitre'D was Daurius. Blond, glasses, from Poland.

 

Our party of 7 had a great vacation. Our 2 daughters - 22 and 17 - enjoyed the experience.

 

We were advised that if you wanted to visit the beaches in Greece, Santorini was the better choice. We would disagree. The recomenended black sand beach in Santorini was interesting to visit.however the "sand" is very, very hot and the water pretty rough. The beach we visited in Mykonos was exceptionally lovely and very easy to get to. We all agreed a much better beach. I heard others comment about the shops recomendations for port activities. Seems if there are lots of "guaranteed shopping" stores in the port, then these are promoted at the expense of other activites. Case in point - Oia in Santorini only has one recommended guaranteed shop. Little if any time was spent talking about this destination. It is easy to get to and picture perfect.

 

Although we had a great time while away, our trip ended with a dissapointment. Immediately upon our arrival back home, I realized that I had left a gown in our stateroom. The entire time of our vacation, it was folded and located on a chair in the sitting area of the room. Our room attendant folded the bedding up at night and placed it on this chair. When we were packing , the bed had been turned down and I completely forgot about the gown. Once home, I immediately called

Celebrity to track down this item and was informed that all items left behind are either discarded or donated to charity. I was told that they are not a storage company. Only if something is left in your safe will they do anything about returning items to you. While on hold to speak with a representative I listened to the taped message about how Celebrity strives to deliver excellent service and be the best in the industry etc. The representative told me that all articles left behind are valuable to their owners - teddy bears, blankets, cameras, gowns - and it really didn't matter that this article of clothing was easily traceable. It is a Celebrity policy not to return such items. Not an expensive item of clothing but the attitute really did not reflect their commitment to "be the best"

 

Wow, yeah that is kinda a bad attitude. Maybe they would/should arrange to have you accept it c.o.d. or something. But, I can relate to their predicament. Imagine all the things that is left behind!

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doublemm16

doublemm16

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That's his name...Darius. He was our Asst. Maitre'd. As for the beaches in Greece, we only went to a beach in Mykonos...it was white stone, and it was really hot on the feet, but it was lovely. The water was warm, calm and perfect! We went on ship excursion to Oia. I only wish we had more time. The views were breathtaking!!

 

I only wish I had the money to own one of the many yachts we saw in Cannes....it was amazing!

 

I will try to post more info in the coming days, once the laundry is done and I am back to East Coast time.

 

Mindi:)

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prettypetunia

prettypetunia

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That's his name...Darius. He was our Asst. Maitre'd. As for the beaches in Greece, we only went to a beach in Mykonos...it was white stone, and it was really hot on the feet, but it was lovely. The water was warm, calm and perfect! We went on ship excursion to Oia. I only wish we had more time. The views were breathtaking!!

 

I only wish I had the money to own one of the many yachts we saw in Cannes....it was amazing!

 

I will try to post more info in the coming days, once the laundry is done and I am back to East Coast time.

 

Mindi:)

 

No, it wasn't Daurius we had, but thanks you guys for trying to help us remember our MaitreD's name! I do know who Daurius is from your description, we were sitting next to a table that he was MaitreD to. Our MaitreD was from Turkey I think, and had dark hair. I think a lot of them are from Turkey though, so that might not help narrow it down!

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Sheik

Sheik

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I'm just back home again (Holland) after a wonderful cruise on the Galaxy and 4 beautiful days in Rome.

 

I hope to put pictures on the web very soon. The Galaxy is a ship with an enormous positive ambiance and wonderful hardworking and friendly people. The ship definitely looks tired, is shaky, needs some repairs, paintjobs etc., but the cruise was overall one of our best cruises so far. I just love the Galaxy and her size.

 

Any questions? :)

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excitedofharpenden

excitedofharpenden

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we are going on the galaxy on the 15th out of rome. we are staying in rome before hand and have never been. should we bring Lira (sp??) with us? or exchange once we get there? we are taking public transportation out of Rome airport (train) and wonder what we should do money wise. thanks

You'll need Euros for Italy. I'm planning on taking a few with me for use at the airport, taxi rank, hotel etc when I arrive and will then make use of the ATMs if I need some more. If you use an ATM, check with your bank before you leave that you can use them in the countries you are going to with the pin number you have. If it is a major bank with a website, you should be able to find the info that way. Avoid the bureau de changes and any hotels for exchanging as the rate will be poor.

 

Phil

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