GACrusin

Celebrity pricing in general is causing us to look at other vacation options.  We're doing a 6 night western Caribbean in June on the Equinox that we got for a decent (not great) price on board, but family looking at it now are seeing $2300 pp for Aqua (with perks). It's 6 nights, with 3 ports!  We're doing a 9 day tour in France this fall for that price!!  

My husband, son and brother in law rented tuxes on our first Celebrity cruise in the Med about 6 years ago.  It was so convenient...they were measured locally, completed a web form, and our room steward delivered them to our cabin on embarkation day.  They have missed that service also, and now bring jackets/suit.  

We typically board around noon, and did the same on the Summit for our Thanksgiving cruise.  There were no lines, and having already uploaded our pictures, and with the express pass on our phones,  it was a quick and easy boarding process!  It was nice to miss any potential early lines, and still be on board for lunch, get settled in our stateroom, and spend some time at the sunset bar prior to the late afternoon muster drill!  Have a great time!

Hi!  We stayed in a Jr. Suite at the Sheraton for our pre Summit cruise night 2 weeks ago.  The room had nice space, was clean, and comfortable, but the balcony view was the pits!  We looked out over a parking lot that trash dumpsters were coming in and out of.  I immediately went back to the front desk to see if we could get another room, and was told none of the Jr. Suites faced the water.  I shared that was not what the hotel pictures on line showed and got a shoulder shrug along with the comment those were "portfolio pictures".  I tried to move to a full suite with a view but they were booked up.  The front desk clerk could have cared less.  The hotel is in a convenient location but was very disappointed in the Jr. Suite.  

Anxious to follow along!  We board the 23rd for our first cruise on the Summit.  We've been on the Solstice class ships several times.  We have a different itinerary, but interested to hear your experience and what you enjoy on the ship.  Have a wonderful week!

You know, I feel like every amenity, whether large or small counts for someone.  As they're taking many of the small ones away one by one, what additional ones are they providing us in return?  It's frustrating to continue to pay more for any less.  I personally don't really care about movies, but love to sit on the balcony, read, and look out on the ocean.  Having a less comfortable chair and no footstool out there to do this diminishes my enjoyment of their product.  I don't want to have to pack a beach ball to use as a footstool, or get creative with where to put my room service breakfast.  And, with the upcoming prices for Europe (where we want to cruise next) we're going to look at other options.  Guess we all have other options!  

Happy Honeymoon Cruise!  I am so enjoying your live report...thank you for bringing back great memories from our Alaska cruise on the Solstice last July!  Have you gotten conditioned to flying to the balcony each time the officer blows the horn for a whale siting?  I still remember early one morning hearing the horn, and jumping out of bed to quickly get to the balcony, only to find that the horn was being blown with a regular cadence due to heavy fog.  If there were whales out there, we weren't going to see them.  Enjoy the rest of your week!!  

Paul, thank you so much for your review, and particularly your sharing of experiences like the ones above.  There is so much value in occasionally sitting back, taking in, and appreciating one's surroundings and those moments!  

We were on the last tender back to the ship in Grenada many years ago.  That was too close for comfort and have never cut it that close again!  We were in our late 20s at that point.  Now we're the people who are at the airport consistently 2 hrs before our flight, if that tells you anything!!  

We spent a couple of days on the deck above the pool on the Equinox at Christmas.  Drink service was pretty much nonexistent.  We routinely went to the bar for drinks.  I'd have been happy to provide some additional tips if we'd gotten initial service.  Not sure what the problem was.  Still had a great time, with plenty of drinks and got a few extra steps in!  

Hi!  I have not taken a Celebrity excursion, but have been on a charter to White Bay (and the Soggy Dollar) on Jost.  We got off the boat in water that was about waist deep.  Soggy Dollar has a webcam where you can see boats, and often people coming in and going out.  https://www.soggydollar.com/webcam  Have fun!

A frescatini at the Martini Bar.  It's the one one left in the picture.  Yum!  

Yes...I fed the slots some cash last July on the Solstice.  They were not willing to give much back! 😧

So glad Celebrity provides cans of sodas.  I also learned quickly which bars had the coldest Diet Cokes, coming straight out of the cooler! 😀

On 1/7/2019 at 8:45 AM, Danwes said:

 

We are on a 10 night ultimate Caribbean too! Departing 29th Nov.

 

As someone else has said, no bar behind OVC, on reflection. The sunset bar is different too. It's not against the wall, its round, and seems to be larger to compensate for no bar beneath it. (see below)

 

The slushie bar on the Equinox is called 'Slush' and I believe it isn't on the reflection.

Love the Sunset Bar on the Reflection!  It does provide additional seating, both at the bar, and around it.  We were on the Equinox at Christmas, and Slush was closed every time we tried to get a drink there.  It was on sea days, and the lines were significant at the other pool bars.  

It will be interesting to see, over time, if their new target audience fills these ships up.  While I am open to change, and new entertainment and options, I'm just not loving the new options I'm seeing.  

We're hoping to catch the Chiefs game 12/23 on the Equinox.  I believe it's the Sun. night game.  Where would y'all recommend as a fun place to watch the game?  We've not been on a ship previously with the Gastropub.  

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Hope this does not mean adding Enclosed veranda balconies with window and window shade gizmos,,,..in place of real outside balconies! That would be a shame!

I agree!  Please don't mess with the real balconies on any of the existing ships!!

Glad you had a great cruise!  Thanks for the review.  We will also be on the Equinox 12/22.  I hadn't really considered the hot glass show, and making an item, but may now!  

We have previously chartered with Palm Tree Charters, but from St. John.  Not sure if they will pick up from St. Thomas, but would be worth checking.  They are #1 rated on Trip Advisor for St. John and are about $700 for a day charter + gas and customs (if you go to an island outside US territory).  Jimmy and Bridgett were fun, and we had a great day!  We had multiple snorkeling stops, lunch at Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke, and stopped at the Soggy Dollar Beach Bar on Jost prior to heading back to Cruz Bay.  I believe they now have at least 2 boats they charter.  https://palmtreecharters.com/about-us/our-boats/

I've called the Captain's Club number several times over the past couple of weeks in the evening, and did not have issues getting through.  A minute or two hold once but that's it.  Later in the evening got right through.  

Thanks all for sharing the information and pictures!  We'll be on the Equinox at Christmas this year (for our first Christmas cruise), and glad to see all of the decorations...as there won't be many at home between now and then!  Hard to justify getting everything out and put up when we're going to be on the ship.  We've got dinner reservations in Murano Christmas evening.  I'm guessing their menu will be the same as usual...with good food!

Looking forward to following your entire review!  We recently booked this trip for next Thanksgiving week, also booking in a Sky Suite.  We can hope for the same upgrade opportunity!  It will be our first time on the Summit.  Thank you for sharing your experience.  

It's hard to believe they would not honor your rate when rescheduling another time convenient for you, no matter what the current rate for that sailing was!  Not wonderful service recovery on their part when you are inconvenienced.  

For us it tends to be ship first, and then see if the itinerary includes one of our favorite islands that we don't mind going back to over and over.  We love St. John, and enjoy the ABCs, so if we can find a ship we like that stops at one of those, we're in!  We're in the southeast, so don't have to get away from a bad winter, but just like to get away!