sbcs5390

Yes, Oceania was providing them on Sirena in November. My parents' concierge cabin had the gift of used water bottles with liquid still in one of them from the last cruisers. Very eco-friendly that way.

You can also do this through Celebrity Gifts if it's for someone else or you want to keep it a surprise: https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-gifts/items-results?category=SPIRIT&collection=LIQUORPKG I ordered a bottle of Grey Goose for my parents on Millennium ahead of time. It became a comedy for days to locate the bottle as the bar dept blamed guest services and guest services blamed the bar dept. Note, oddly it was a 750 mL bottle which you never see on ships normally.

There is a suitable, free sauna in the men's locker room on Solstice. I have the free pass to the Persian Gardens on a port day from Captain's Club but have never actually remembered to use it! I have had folks who had AQ or bought the pass say they felt like they "had to" use it to realize benefit from what they paid for. I prefer being in the sun, but maybe on a TA I'd make good use of it - probably like everyone else!

Thank you for your nice live post, Jim. I'm sorry I didn't follow along while it was live. After a really disappointing first time on Oceania over Thanksgiving, I enjoyed a trip visiting friends in Colombia in early December and just generally felt I needed a break from CC after the awful time on Oceania. The whole thing made me a bit sick of cruising for a bit, unfortunately. Hopefully you got all the info you needed before departing. Your post reminded me of many favorites from the B2B I did with my Mom on Solstice in October, which was a special trip for the two of us to celebrate making it through some health challenges. We were alike right down to the details of SS moving to RS - I was just next door to where you were, in 1116. My mom had a cabin down the hall and had Pramod as her stateroom attendant for the two weeks, so I know exactly what you enjoyed in his service. It sounds like the butlers have fortunately changed out as the senior butler (Allain) had been extended and extended like Singh. I had a bit of a dud stateroom attendant (Darwin) who told me he didn't have enough hand towels for the sinks in the RS! Singh was a highlight of our cruise. The bartender who is in the second part of the above video was also a favorite of ours to chat with - I think she was working in the Ensemble, where we didn't spend much time - but she would come in to Michael's Club late at night to charge the LED table lights and the three (or four of us, with Singh) would talk. Also really glad to see you and Iain had a good time Murano - we actually changed our reservations and ate there 6 nights the second week after lackluster food and service in Luminae and no followup from Bruno, the Maitre d who I am sure has changed over by now. Ljupcho (from Macedonia, I believe) was our amazing waiter each night in Murano instead and we had a fabulous time. Each week we left with new friends from all over. So glad you both also had a nice time on Solstice - I toy with the idea of going back this spring sometime but know many of the crew we knew and loved will have headed home.

Yes, there's a lounge. My mom's mobility impaired and so it was nice to have a spot to rest for a bit. Also was handy during the clumsy B2B process when we were waiting to reboard. "Regular" B2Bers waited just outside the suite lounge and they came to get us when it was time for all B2Bers to go back on. One set of retreat guests on the second leg were waiting already for boarding and stayed in the lounge. Suites manager had her eye out for us when we made it through security. They had pastries, fruit, water, sodas, etc. A couple ship waiters were there to tidy up.

In some way, that makes me feel better - normally I place the order earlier in advance but I guess it's been like that for a while now. Weird how there's just no explanation at all as to what's going on. Meanwhile I ordered flowers just fine on Celebrity for February the same day.

Same thing - I tried calling and chatting with Royal and they didn’t know either. Going on Anthem 1/13 and I guess it’ll be my first cruise I don’t order flowers on. Bummer.

I think on one load I forgot to write it in and didn't notice any shrinkage. But yes, was told you can do that and I did write it in and think butler confirmed it or was standing with me when I filled out the ticket once (of course he also said he could do that for me). I usually do warm wash and cool(er) dry at home and that's along the lines of what I wrote in.

Dry cleaning, pressing, and laundry are included. Regular laundered items come back pressed and neatly hung on a hanger - usually you find your butler has hung them in the closet for you while you were out. And your “smalls” left in a Celebrity pouch on your bed. You can state preference for water temp / drying.

One better on S class - it’s the same galley! Hence the soups aren’t hot but very easy for them to get MDR items.

I don't think I've weighed in. After 30+ cruises and six of them on Celebrity (Zenith, Galaxy, and four on Millennium in the last year), I took a splash and decided to try the Retreat. I did a B2B on the Solstice, one week in a Sky Suite and one week in a Royal Suite. Initially, Luminae seemed alright and things were enjoyable. But there were oddities - every soup was lukewarm. We were planning to dine in Murano three times the second week - as we had had enough of Tuscan and Le Petit Chef on the Millennium. As the first week came to a close, we realized nothing on the Day 7 menu appealed to us, so we thought, why not, let's go to Murano then too. I had enjoyed Murano on Silhouette and was hoping my Mom would enjoy it here. It's a good thing we made that decision because the Day 6 meal in Murano was an absolute dumpster fire. This was lobster night. We had asked for the scallops appetizer as an entree. It was like scallop roulette as about half of the scallops were wildly undercooked. We figured, well, the lobster is coming. My mom's lobster was served to her on her plate with the digestive tract of the lobster still present. Not a little bit of it, or this or that, but all of it. It was plainly obvious and anyone who plated that lobster should have been embarrassed to send it out to a table at what is supposed to be a top experience on a premium cruise line. Mine did not have this. We waited and waited. We looked around. We dine later, after the peak is gone, but not excessively late. The wait staff had seemingly disappeared. Finally the assistant waitress appeared and asked how we were enjoying our meals. We related the issue and she said that the maitre d Bruno had come out to another table and explained that this was normal. We cook our own lobster regularly and this is not normal. And of course, I had the same animal on my plate and it did not have those bits still present. She asked if my mom would like something else, but at this point her appetite was gone as she had sat there looking at it for probably 10 minutes. She said she'd make sure to let the waiter and maitre d know and that "honestly, the main dining room lobster is a better choice". Bruno never came by our table. He had a habit of not being visible in the dining room much anyway. On another night, our waiter bemoaned that his colleagues in the MDR were "already back in their cabins" but "here in Luminae we have to work late every night." One odd evening, we seemingly were the last diners despite having arrived at around 7:30. The next night when he saw as at the door he said "Oh you came earlier tonight?". It was actually around 8:00 but there were more people around that night still dining. We didn't really need this kind of micromanaging of our dining schedule from our waiter and wish he'd thought of how that kind of commentary would make us second guess and feel like we had to get there well before so we wouldn't be holding them up. The night before the fateful lobster dinner, while my mom had stepped out to the ladies room, I had asked the assistant waitress if they could do something for my Mom's birthday the next night. We had a great conversation about her mom back home and she assured me they would do something special tomorrow. After the lobster disaster was removed, dessert menus came, we ordered and the desserts were put down in front of us with no acknowledgement of my Mom's birthday. It really bummed me out. Again, this left plenty of time for Bruno or anyone who wanted to come by to discuss the disgusting lobster experience, but no one did. The good news was the next night, we had a fabulous meal in Murano. Service there was, in its worst moment, leaps and bounds better than Luminae's best. Soups were served hot, you could see the steam coming off the soup from tables across the dining room. So, we changed our plan and for the next 8 days, we never again set foot in Luminae. We had every dinner in Murano, except for one night when the butler served us in the suite. Ljupcho (pronounced Up-Cho) was our phenomenal waiter for 6 of the 7 nights we dined there. Maybe the only thing better about Luminae was the sommelier compared to the one in Murano. Before I left, I read posts here talking about how Luminae was going to be earth-shattering and thought I might not even go to the specialties for dinner when in the RS. I am sure the Retreat staff probably thought that we were just enjoying the RS amenity of free specialty dining, but I was disappointed that no one was perceptive enough to follow up with us - when the top management of Luminae knew of the issue we had - or to pick up on our obvious disappearance from Luminae. Perhaps we should have spoken up to make someone aware (although we discussed with several other staff, did not address head on with the Suite Manager or Concierge) - but we were happy in Murano. The fact of the matter is that the assistant waitress would probably be "blamed" for this since she handled our complaint, but she was really the best one of the whole team the rest of the time - other than obviously forgetting the birthday item. We also knew that once the excellent host at the front desk Nelly left the first week to go home, the best part of Luminae was going with her. A part of me was curious to see if anyone would be proactive about it or not as well. I read several posts on here about Luminae maitre d's coming to check on upper suite guests when they were in specialty dining. Again, we almost always ate later so there would not have been much going on in Luminae at that point. I guess maybe it's just the Solstice and the Luminae management there - and certainly I'd give it a try again. I would probably think twice about booking a Sky Suite as a result - to me, Luminae is no draw and so I'd rather have a "regular" aft veranda and a specialty dining package. Maybe on a ship with the Retreat Sundeck that was otherwise sailing at capacity, I'd feel differently. The RS experience was absolutely lovely, from having the bar area and dining table to the best butler on the ship and all of my laundry beautifully handled. I'd rather cruise less often and have the RS than more often in the SS. On this particular cruise the difference was not great between the two, which I know may have been an anomaly. I wish for sure that I'd done two weeks in the RS, but I wanted to try both products and have been spoiled with a lot of time in corner FVs on Millennium. I was afraid the RS balcony would be too shaded for my liking. Just wanted to offer my thoughts on how my Luminae experience will shape my future bookings.

They will harvest more soon 😉 Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Trying to finish the packing tonight!

You’re welcome to call in to make your bookings even before the shoreside concierge contacts you. In my case they never contacted me. They claim they emailed but they didn’t get a response (not in my junk or inbox) and never bothered calling me. The number is 1-877-RETREAT

Yes - bag in closet for it. I didn’t use the service.

I presume so for Edge - I have cruised M and S extensively but not E. It has been a Celebrity “thing” for a long time. For suites, you normally are only able to order from Luminae and the specialities (and presumably, Blu) if you are RS and above. Was told no in SS, did it in RS. Not sure if they’d bend the rules for CS.

No - in standard cabins there is a charge of $5 during the 11 pm to 5 am range. And remember a hallmark of Celebrity is you can order from the MDR at dinner in any cabin.

Yes it is a bit milder - since the “fake” wasabi is kind of just green horseradish. We used it in the same way.

Hi @Sun Queen II - we are boarding Sirena with you next Friday. I had started a thread the other day which you might find interesting. Because Sirena is finishing the transatlantic when we board, there are a lot of government inspections (customs, public health, etc.) and also quite a lot of provisioning to take place. Embarkation might not go very smoothly as a result, based on others' experiences who have done this before (this is not unique to Oceania). Unfortunately we're on an O flight landing at around 9:00 A.M., so it will be interesting to see what they do with us for all that time.

Somewhat - except in these circumstances we used O air and O transfers - O assigned the flight and will transfer us at the time they choose from MIA. So, we aren't exactly the ones making the choices, although it's true we consented to not having that control when we agreed to let them handle it.

We ate in Sushi on 5 three times on the Solstice a couple weeks ago. The first two times I meant to ask about the tableside real wasabi. I remembered for our final time and they did it, which was really nice. It was not listed on the menu but I asked and they were definitely prepared for it.

Absent current info, the Sky Suite info I gave is from the Solstice on 10/15 so pretty recent. None of those items were on the menu provided, but I also didn't try to order them. They were on the menu provided in the RS the next week, no charge indicated, and I ordered them without charge.

Yes, true for S-class. I was just thinking the other night that while at WCB a couple weeks ago, I should have asked for one of my favorite Sushi on 5 drinks. Sometimes the orders are a little overwhelming for them! on M-class, it goes to Cellar Masters to prepare since the pantries connect in the back.

We are on an O-arranged flight landing at MIA at 9:19 A.M. Should be lots of fun. 🫣

I saw those too. Maybe the Wifi is out on the transatlantic 😉 I wonder if our boarding will be tied up or hampered. Celebrity Silhouette was three hours late to board and people were passing out in the Miami sun while waiting a couple weeks ago because of all guests and crew going through immigration as the first US port since Europe. I’m sure the size here will be more manageable but also sure the stores will have run dry after the long voyage and there will be lots of unloading and loading to do!

Just curious how the TA is going. We board in Miami next Friday when this one concludes for the 10 day Caribbean cruise. Any supply issues? Looks like our cruise is sold out.