mab4285

I was able to talk with the crew on the MerMaiden of Scarlet back in October. They said it all comes down to Richard Branson's philosophy: take care of the crew and they'll take care of your guests. And it shows. Besides the free internet, more casual dress, and everything that has been mentioned already, they also have shorter shifts with breaks in between instead of long shifts. They truly feel like they're being looked after. And it's the little things too, like not having to cover up tattoos or piercings. 

On 3/21/2022 at 5:47 PM, Chrish2 said:

I was really surprised when rebooking recently that they decided to make all 3 (and maybe 4) ships with the same public venues and amenities. It's possibly a positive and negative. It simplifies the selection somewhat as you don't need to decide between ships, just which ever itinerary fits you. However it does remove the "collect them all" mentality.

 

My money is on the original plan was to have two sets of twins:

• The first set Scarlet and Valiant as we see them today
• The second set Resilient and "Project Virgin IV" been the same concept as Scarlet and Valiant but with some fresh and modified public spaces and amenities to given them a separate identity.

It would have been a "good balance" of speed, cost and variety. The pandemic might have made them decide on having identical ships with the idea they can swap out venues later.

I think the issue is that when a line launches a new class of ship, they're able to take time and learn from one to the other and progressively change it. Look at Oasis OTS vs Wonder OTS. Since the pandemic hit right as VV was supposed to be launching, they didn't have any feedback (Scarlet "launched" in 2020 and Valiant was 2022, so it should have been plenty of time to learn what worked and didn't in deck plans) to be able to make changes before they had to finalize layouts. I guess we'll see what happens when Resilient and Brilliant are launched. I do know that some of the shops have changed from Scarlet to Valiant, so there is still the possibility!

55 minutes ago, imtired1959 said:

Hello Mab.  Thank you for the update.  Would you please reiterate what the Celebrity folks said?  Their website still says 72 hours before arrival in SXM.  I am grateful that you have an inside track and post updates as you get them.

Sure thing. It is within 72 hours from arrival at the port, so 72 hours or less. Not 72 hours from arrival in St Maarten. I mentioned their website to the rep and she was shocked it was on there. She checked with her supervisor who checked with their supervisor (must have been having a fun collaboration over the phone!) and came back stating that the email is correct, and it is 72 hours from arrival at the port. I mentioned the website again and she stated she had already submitted a ticket to get the website corrected. So ultimately, go with what you’re getting in the email. 

4 hours ago, imtired1959 said:

From their website today it says 72 hours prior to arrival in St. Maartens and NOT prior to boarding:

 

Celebrity Boarding Requirements:

• Celebrity Cruises requires all guests age 16 and above to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to sail date. As of August 1, 2021, all guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination is required in the form of the original vaccination card. No photocopies or photos accepted.
• All guests ages 2 and up must present a negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior to arrival to St. Maarten. This requirement differs from St Maarten entry requirements which are 120 hours prior to departure. Name on test results must match those on government issued identification. 
• Unvaccinated children between the ages of 2-15 who are not vaccinated must complete an RT-PCR at the terminal prior to boarding. 

I called their TA assistance line today since I’m an agent. The email is the current procedure. They are supposed to be updating the site. They were confused and verified up three levels. 

3 minutes ago, mab4285 said:

You’ll want to check that site again. It specifically states 72 hours before boarding 

Well, at least it did yesterday….

5 minutes ago, gmjc2 said:

We booked a taxi in advance so we would not stress about waiting for one. We were told 20 dollars plus 2 dollars per suitcase. 

 

As for the tests. The wording on Celebrity website says 72 hrs before arriving in St.Maarten not before boarding. I am printing this out so if the check in person tries to say we are not in the time frame I can produce the document! We cannot get our test late enough on Weds  if we had to be before ship check in.

You’ll want to check that site again. It specifically states 72 hours before boarding 

3 hours ago, MrMike45 said:

 

Clearly, I am not in the architectural blue print department for NCL, so I have no proof.  

 

I do have proof that the last 3 ships that have enough room/strength to support a Go Kart track will have them.  There was also proof given that a ship that will be going into dry dock next year (again with enough room/strength) will have one added.  None of NCL's other ships have the room/strength to support a Go Kart track.  The Project Leonardo ships are all larger than the current builds, so they will be able to support one.  Simple premise of theory here. 

 

I also do not have proof that the sun will rise tomorrow, but I am pretty sure it will.  

Isn't Project Leonardo supposed to be smaller than Breakaway Plus? A little research from what I'm showing shows PL to have a length of 300m and GT of 140,000 and Breakaway Plus has length of 326-340m and GT of 145-169GT. 

According to this article in the Orlando Sentinel "The ships are large, but significantly smaller than the ships Norwegian has rolled out the last few years including the 165,300-ton Breakaway Plus Class ships like Norwegian Escape that sails out of Miami and its sister ships Norwegian Joy coming later this year and Norwegian Bliss coming in 2018."

You're on NCL! Freestyle cruising.  There's no dress code for the MDR (but please wear clothes. 🙂)

This makes me so excited to see, as I’m booked in an inside on my first HAL cruise in 2021!

Booked my very first solo cruise (I said enough with trying to convince others to go with me!) and will be sailing Jan 2, 2021 (a long way away, I know) on the Koningsdam to the Mexican Riviera. Super excited!

BoosCruize are new to the scene, but also worth watching. I refuse, however, to watch those that just focus on Atlantis cruises.  ::shudders:: I already feel bad enough about my body. haha

Excited for my first Solo cruise (and first HAL cruise as an adult) on the Koningsdam Jan 2, 2021!

Mike