KKB

Nice! Yeah, got an offer this week for Aug Seashore sailing, interior comped. When the booking went thru, it's a balcony! Woo Hoo!

Sadly, not the case on Divina last year (2 couples who ate slow also!); on Preziosa as well, but they were fine with me moving to a table with people I met. @kad56 Thanks for your thoughts. 100% agree with you on food--pizza & egg salad were my go to's as well, lol! Luckily, overall, I had generally excellent service on both ships last year. I was solo on Divina 12 days & Preziosa 20 days, so got to know my bartenders & servers WELL. The only glitch was my 2nd room on the Preziosa had a loud mechanical humming that gave me migraines & getting a new room was a bit of an issue...got there, but I had to be escorted to pack & move. On Princess, they just gave us a new room key & said the old one would be deactivated when we let them know we got moved. I tried MSC last year & wasn't thrilled...but the price was RIGHT. Just got a 4 day comped cruise on the Seashore (they didn't even charge me taxes--odd), and had points for flight & hotel, so why not try ONE more time. Thought I was getting interior; pleasantly surprised they put me in a balcony. We DO want to try Yacht Club & I have my eye on one with a great price...it's a ways out. So may book that onboard.

Definitely...like I said, NYPost is Enquirer adjacent, imo. Always about sensationalism.

No--in over 40 cruises, 25 since start up, i can recall few where we had to bring/wear a lifejacket. Since startup (after COVID), all mainstream lines have eliminated that (can't speak for Holland or Costa) & the muster where everyone gathered in one place. Now there are a couple crew members at each muster location & you simply checkin with them after you embark to prove you know where to go & what to do (because you watched the video). It's a MUCH better system!

Ah, yes, the NYPost...tells you everything you need to know...

Muster is EASY. Watch the video on your phone, then go to your station & they will check you off. You should all be able to get in together. Whoever has the earliest time can show them if they ask & then the rest follow. No PROMISES, but likely you will be fine.

I was looking at our cruises & it seems one of the draws for Celebrity was the opportunity to do a drink package. We began sailing Celebrity in 2014...I cannot remember if they already offered it at that time. I am NOT referring to All-Inclusive which began in 2020.

LMAO... I Googled "What year did Celebrity start All-Inclusive pricing?" (I was looking at old cruises & it seemed that was a draw for Celebrity for us. This thread is CRACKING ME UP. How times change...

Unfortunately that makes booking another cruise that week iffy. And I will say this the last 4 years have taught me--TAKE THE TRIP. You just don't know what curves life will throw you. The only regrets in life I have are the trips I didn't take!!!

Yeah the only AK cruise I see availability departs July 27--NCL Bliss. You could get Haven for that $5K. But I don't love the itinerary--the days in Juneau & Ketchikan are wonky. 630AM-130PM. And they are tendering at Juneau & shuttling people to town. But you might not know until the 23rd--or you must decide by then? We were both teachers. Personally, I would jump--that would have been a HUGE stretch to our budget. Hit AK next June. But I understand underlying issues which may make the decision more difficult.

I LOVE Eclass--have sailed Edge 2x, Apex & Beyond 2x since restart with Ascent booked for Dec. Love the new design. Celebrity service & food are a small tick better than other lines, imo. That is what drew us to Celebrity the 1st time we sailed them 10 yrs ago. Maget Carpet is a great bar to hang out in, but I would not dine there--Celebrity excels at specialty dining. Eden is the clear winner on Apex, imo. Buffet is quite good, but a buffet nonetheless. Eclass shows are a step up from other Celebrity ships & most other lines--this is an Imax-like theatre. They are contemporary & terrific. Even DH isn't much of a show guy, but he likes Eclass. Martini bar is the hub--seating may be hard to come by during popular times. Cafe al Bacio is the floor up & a great place to still hear the band by the Martini bar. Sunset Bar is the perfect place for sailaway (tho, again, tends to be popular for that!) We do like the infinite verandahs--it really opens up the room & gives it lots of light. We find it no difference than a covered balcony--except you get that advantage of the extra room when the window is up. Have a wonderful time! (we always have done British Express for our transfers, but there were always 4 of us, so cost effective. Look into National Express or transfers via Celebrity)

Glad to help. Retired 2 years ago & have been taking full advantage of that time! IMO Celebrity is a small tick above NCL in service & food, so go in prepared for those differences. Yes, Breakaway is bigger, but you will likely find more activities because of it. (tho hard to say based on recent reviews--just remember, complainers are always more likely to write a review than those who were happy). I used to say NCL had better shows...while this is true for a few ships, they are removing most of the Broadway shows, sadly. BUT if you are a late 70s-80s music fan, Syd Norman's is NOT to be missed. It is a small venue & very popular, so arrive early to get a good seat. We were usually in line 30-45 min. early (but we are picky about where we sit) You CAN sit on the deck outside the venue & they pipe the music out so that is an option too. Speaking of that deck--deck 8, Waterfront. We fell in love with this concept on the Getaway & wish every ship had it. The deck has bars, seating & restaurant seating all around it. Much more pleasant area to be on when sailing, as opposed to upper decks, which tend to be windy. We find the lines we have sailed to all be more alike than different & would sail most of them again. (probably not MSC--the reviews had pattersn, should have paid attention). We are firm believers that attitude is everything--we have a great time because we thinks we will! Have a wonderful time!

Revisiting this thread... I pulled up reviews & I was shocked how all but one for 2 pages was 3 stars or less. So I had to dig in. (we sailed her a year ago & loved it) Complaints: Too many kids (uh, it's summer...) No coffee pot in my room (fairly standard) All the food sucks (impossible...even on MSC I found SOMETHING that was decent) They cancelled a port (again...happens ALL the time) Balcony so small you could barely turn around (huh? I'm a plus size gal & didn't have this issue) Now, I am seeing comments of lack of activities--I have found this is usually a Cruise Director issue. We did NOT have that problem last year, but likely it was a different CD. Also a few comments with charges--one family said $90 for their son to dine at specialty dining with them. 100% NOT TRUE. Unless he was going a la carte & ordering all the good stuff! But there were a few comments about charges not being rectified--I would find that annoying too. I tried to cancel Vibe for the 2nd week of my B2B 2 yrs ago on Getaway--I tried to do this during the 1st week cruise. They told me I had to call--there was no Starlink yet, THAT wasn't happening. Needless to say it was never removed. Very annoying.

Happens quite a bit actually--all based on demand. We snagged AQ for less than interior on Reflection next year. $800pp w/ AI 7 days.

We sailed Beyond 2x in the last 2 yrs--OV for 1 cruise, Sky Suite for another. No creaking for us either.

Awesome. I will try to call Monday. In the Terms & Conditions under the reward it says every 30 days. But when I tried to buy it yesterday, I got a message saying every 60 days, so in August.

OK...I'm sure this is a long shot but worth an ask. I stupidly used my $500 voucher on a cruise in Feb & realized that with the Caesars 20% off that it was pointless to use the voucher as the discount would be the same. If I call would NCL let me switch the MyVegas voucher to another booking (then apply my Caesars discount to the original booking). I'm 99% sure I cannot do this, but wondering if anyone has tried to switch the MyVegas voucher to another booking. (It's not about the points...I have far too many. But I have a cruise in Sept I'm looking at but I can't get a voucher until Aug. 11. MIGHT still be able to book...but you never know)

My iPad Kindle is also loaded! But I still love print books as does our 26YO DD--her Xmas list always has a full page of books she wants! She encourages me to order from Abebooks or Thriftbooks & donate ones we don't want anymore. I admit the Costco display can real me in--instead I take a pic of the display & put interesting ones on my "To Read" list. BTW subscribe to Book Bub--they send me a daily email of discounted & free Kindle titles, specific to the genres of my interest. I've loaded quite a few free reads from that! Plus if I start the book & don't care for it, no guilt for money spent.

We took a 28 day cruise in April. Laundry was a necessity without paying for extra luggage! We did it every 7-10 days. Always a port day--usually a day we got back to the ship before most others or possibly a day we did not go ashore. Did do a month last year w/ 20 days on MSC (no self-serve), carryon & backpack only. Merino wool was my workhorse--it didn't even smell after a few hours in a VERY smoky casino. But I did handwash delicates, sleepwear & a few non-merino tops.

It would certainly seem like you should still be able to order your Medallion based on past experience but obviously they have other ideas! You can print your boarding pass or screenshoot it on your phone. I usually do both, particularly when traveling internationally--figure if something happens to my phone, I'd like backup.

Hey, if you are comfortable with the price point, why wouldn't you? Regarding the unlimited dining...I figure I can add the unlimited dining package to any cabin.

@LabMom57 Thx for the review. Eclass is our fav! Martinis ARE available under the classic plan--they just make you a smaller version. Holland has 2 levels of drink packages like Celebrity--with a similar max price point. I guess there have always been a small selection of drinks with upcharges even over the premium package max on all lines. MDR reservations--simply go ask at the front desk of any restaurant.

Chrome on my Macbook Air. But Chrome worked fine on my iPad🤷‍♀️

THAT'S what I needed--THX!

I have seen plenty of books without a sticker on that were clearly left by passengers🤷‍♀️