BeeMinor

I think the process might actually have changed. There was a note in the planners about "checking out" towels. I'm not sure exactly how anyone would go about that, but then there was another note on the disembarkation info about remembering to check them back in or being charged a $25 fee. BeeMajor grabbed a couple from the main pool deck while we were walking by and we took those on catamaran #2. Never "checked them out" or officially returned them, just left them in the stateroom. It's a small thing but it seemed . . . ungracious might be the word I'm looking for.

It's been a week since we've been back and we're both fine! We both had Covid in the spring and got the latest booster in late October but otherwise we didn't take any special precautions. Hope everyone else on the sailing had an equally healthy return.

Congratulations to you both!!! I don't think we ever talked but I'm sure we must have crossed paths at some point. There were just so many people in the Retreat I feel like some people I encountered once or twice and then never saw again! How was the Ralph Harris adult show? I am 100% sure we would have been asleep by the time it was on anyway so we skipped for a couple reasons but I am really curious how his material changed for a different crowd.

I noticed some empty tables when we were there too. I was speculating to myself about whether it was a timing/table turn issue or whether the restaurants were required to hold a table or two for the upper level suites just in case. Regardless I'm sure the line of people being turned away weren't thrilled about it!

Day 7 and departure: Hello from back home! I have a last recap and some concluding thoughts, so thanks for following along with my liveish thread! Our last day was another sea day--we had three altogether. That time change finally happened and I was up quite early to find that the good chairs were being claimed by the Retreat pool even before 7 am. Luminae didn't open for breakfast until 8, and by the time we finished only the back area had loungers. Everything was fully occupied by lunch. The main pool area seemed like a madhouse. The captain said in the morning announcement that we were "a full house" and it certainly felt that way! Getting a slice of pizza requires both patience and ruthlessness on a full ship. We spent the day lounging, snacking, and bar hopping. I decided to walk off some lunch by taking a wander up and down the cabin halls to check out the photographs, which have varying regional or "vintage/retro" themes. Normally BeeMajor and I are trivia goers, but practically every trivia and in general most of the daytime activities all throughout the cruise were held in the Club. We don't see the appeal of sitting in a windowless and heavily air conditioned room on a beautiful Caribbean day, so that was kind of a bummer. We did go to the Musical Murder Mystery on Thursday afternoon and that was fun and pretty silly. We got all packed up and put out our suitcases before a last dinner in Luminae. We ate a little less in Luminae than usual, I think, and ultimately decided that we like the smaller versions of the restaurant we've experienced on M-class especially even though the food was generally better on Edge/Apex and the service was excellent. The tables just seemed so close together and the vibe is a little louder and more frenetic versus the relaxed dining experience on the older ships. Overall we found the suite experience less special even--or perhaps because--it's so hyped. The concierges (Paolo and Liz) didn't have much a personal touch and I highly doubt they ever knew our names; I only ever saw Liz on boarding day and this morning when departing. On other ships we've been invited to, say, musical performances or officers' meet and greets in the suite lounge but nothing this time whatsoever. Our butler (Dean) was extremely efficient and absolutely made sure everything we asked for was taken care of, but he was clearly super busy and was, I believe, covering twice as many rooms as usual. We often get to know a couple of staffers over the course of the week but that didn't really happen. Ultimately I think we may just prefer ships with fewer suites even if they lack some of the E-class amenities. Departure went smoothly this morning and I am pleased to report we had a very uneventful trip home where we were happily reunited with the dog! All in all we were happy with the cruise and I have no real complaints (my finger has recovered from being bitten by the water bottles) but this was the first Celebrity cruise we've taken that we didn't make another booking while on board. I priced a couple options out before we boarded and was prepared to be persuaded but IMO the experience just isn't there for $10k+ a week or $6k for a 4-nighter. We travel often and for that money there are just so many other options. We did book another cruise with another line, however, so we haven't given it up for good! And kudos to Celebrity for not firewalling their competitors' websites on the ship WiFi. If anyone has questions let me know!

Whoops, left out a key word there. We never received invitations for anything. BeeMajor didn't even get a reminder for his haircut appointment.

We got a flyer in the cabin at boarding with Elite benefits. (see below) Kind of forgot about it and never heard another peep from the Captain's Club reps. We received invitations for anything that wasn't shopping or "art." I'll circle back to this when I wrap up tomorrow but we considered this an overall miss by Celebrity.

The beach itself was not very exciting and I don't think anyone was snorkeling. People were bobbing around in the water but the highlight was the catamaran/lunch experience. Neither of us are snorkelers so great for us but I do think there is a separate excursion option that might be more water-forward. Our excursion was operated by Leeward Island Charters, or something similar.

We're not visiting Petit Chef or Fine Cut on this cruise, but have in the past on Edge, so we've tried all of them I think. Petit Chef is fun one time. It's very orchestrated. Fine Cut does a nice job with steak, but there are plenty of good steaks all around the ship. My husband says Le Grand Bistro had the best steak of the ones he's had to date. Raw on 5, the Bistro, and the Rooftop Grill are all open for lunch, too, at least sometimes. You won't go hungry!

The Alltrails reviews for Liamuiga make me think it's also not too fun when it's wet because it gets so slippery. I don't even think it was offered for this sailing, at least not the last time I looked at the cruise planner. Someday. Hope you have a great hike!

Day 6: A beautiful Thanksgiving at sea! The weather was sunny and warm, hot in the sun, and all the pools were packed. Even the back Retreat sundeck, which has been more thinly used, got pretty full throughout the day. This is our third cruise over Thanksgiving and this one seemed much more aware of the holiday than the others we've been on. The captain gave a little speech about being thankful for family during the morning announcement and the crew were wished everyone happy Thanksgiving, which some of the non-American guests seemed a bit baffled over. The buffet had a full Thanksgiving spread at lunch: turkey and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, the dreaded green bean casserole, etc. Luminae, at least, was also apparently serving Thanksgiving food to certain tables at lunch and especially dinner, which maybe wasn't a great idea. The regular dinner menu was the lobster entree Evening Chic one, and service was slower than usual. The staff had a slightly wild-eyed look. I hope they made it through . . . both because they have been a very good group and because I want breakfast. A few other miscellaneous points. Wifi: we have premium wifi as part of the Retreat package. It's just okay. I'm able to use social media, post photos, check emails, etc but loading websites is often very slow. We got Spotify to work last night but with lots of buffering. Covid: there are no rules! No announcements, no masks requirements and almost no voluntary masks, but also no significant coughing/sneezing that I've noticed around the ship. Venues are very busy. I haven't seen any room service tables parked outside staterooms. If you are Covid-cautious, holiday sailings might be an especially bad choice. Sports: World Cup games are being shown at the Rooftop Garden and Craft Social as well as on in-room TV. Same for football. There's been a pretty good crowd when I've walked by and yesterday there was a burger/hot dog buffet set up in the Rooftop Garden Grill in the afternoon. One last sea day for us! The time really did change overnight so I was up especially bright and early. Time to find coffee and then do a whole lot of nothing

Must just be a change then. It was listed on the app menu at the beginning of the week but has now definitely been dropped.

It is. It might just be because this sailing is so full--I keep hearing 3000 people. We asked about it and our server suggested getting multiple dishes to share instead which worked.

We booked pre-cruise. The time is listed on the wine events card the sommeliers have and there's a reminder card like you'd get for a dinner reservation. If you're concerned about a conflict you can check the time and book with a sommelier on board.

It was just a cove, really. There are picnic tables but no loungers. Toilet is on the catamaran so plan ahead.