Ergates The Ant

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like I’ve asked how long is a piece of string! On our last Celebrity cruises, just pre Covid, we were able to watch a film most nights, not the just released blockbusters, but recent enough for us not to have seen them. It was a big bonus to be able to start and stop them at will, unlike one other line, where the films started on a strict timetable which was very inconvenient. Not interested in news or sports, or listening to music via the tv. Thanks, Phoenix Dream, I haven’t been criticised yet! We cruise because it’s like staying in a nice hotel, but waking up in a different place every morning! And only having to unpack once! The big advantage of evening entertainment in our cabin is that we can turn down the volume to a sensible level!

On those nights when we are too tired to do anything but relax in the cabin, we do enjoy watching a movie or two. On our past Celebrity cruises, there was a good selection of free to watch, on demand, films etc. Is this still the case, or have Celebrity started to charge for everything? We are sailing out of Southampton in May 2024.

I had to phone to book our upcoming cruise, as we had some future cruise credits from Covid to use. The person doing my booking took my captains Club membership numbers and gave me an additional £100 off. Pleased with that!

That’s very useful, thanks. Sometimes the high decks are too cold and exposed to be pleasant, so it’s nice to know that one can access the outside without getting very wet or blown about. Can be fun to be a bit nearer the water too. Not interested in sitting out, so not an issue for us, and we can turn back before hitting the smoking section.

Is there anything resembling a prom deck on Apex, or are the only opportunities to take a walk outside on the top deck jogging track?

My guess is that they have sold quite a few guarantee cabins. Rather than upgrade those passengers free of charge, it would make sense to offer any of the higher grades to passengers willing to pay for an upgrade.

I suspect many of those who remove the auto gratuity might be from the UK. For most services here, the price we pay includes paying all the staff involved, including the behind the scenes ones. Tips are an extra thank you for going above and beyond the service paid for. It can be very confusing for us, especially as it’s illegal in the UK to price a product without including any compulsory extras. If the autogratuities are labelled as an extra and not included in the price of the cruise, they are seen as optional and can be treated as such.

You will certainly find some charity shops in Southampton, plus it’s worth looking in TKMaxx for discounted new clothing, including good brands. Also there will be branches of stores like Mountain Warehouse which may have a bargain rail.

That’s helpful, thanks. Wish cruise lines would realise that information like this can be very important to some of us when choosing a cabin. Clear information and consistent rules would be very useful.

Any update for 2023 as to which side of the Promenade deck is smoking allowed on? Many thanks

She was on our first cruise, and I wasn’t overly impressed - I prefer to decide myself whether an act is fantastic, rather than be emphatically told beforehand by the CD. However, it wasn’t until we had done a few more cruises that I realised what an asset she was. She was the only CD who would be on the quay to see you off for the day, and there to welcome you back. Around the ship all day, and highly visible. We’ve certainly seen a lot worse.

Most sea days, you won’t be seeing any land from either side. If you go into the fjords, what you don’t see on the way in, you’ll see on the way out! We tend to book our cabins based on which side might be affected by smoking areas on the promenade deck.

That’s excellent news, Solentsam. Thank you. Always a worry trying to work out which side of the ship to avoid. I hope they stick to that arrangement.

Does anyone have any current information on where the smoking areas are on the Iona Promenade deck? It appeared that they are right at the back of the Port side, but are there any towards the mid / forward part of the promenade deck, that might affect cabins above? Thanks in advance.

New to this thread, and only read back a few pages so far! I have had a Ninja dual zone air fryer for well over a year now, and hardly put the oven on any more. Re the jacket potatoes, I give them a blast in the microwave first, about 9 minutes for two potatoes, then into the air fryer on a high temperature for another 20 minutes, often less, for lovely crunchy skins. re the injections, many people do their own, diabetics for instance, easy to learn if it’s just into muscle. It’s the insurer that probably needs to be convinced that they are happy with the arrangements.