canderson

Try the truly 'local' honey on a scone! Not traditional, but...

I wouldn't have even mentioned it if I didn't know his certification level (3), received back in 2018. I'm not a wine rube. His name is Goran Storga (zoom the photo). WSET #201044241418. He's since also picked up a BA in business administration. No idea where he finds the time. Anyway, if you're fortunate enough to run across him on Silversea, he'll steer you right.

You're traveling on the wrong line if that's what you're after. We took our first Silversea cruise last year, and at least on the ship we sailed (Silver Dawn), their head and his assistant had the WSET / CMS bona fides.

Only 6 hours difference between Spain or Italy and Florida, but a very good point all the same. We always look forward to those little cards on the bed that remind us to set our clocks back an hour!

It does raise interesting questions about Virgin Voyages, however...

Now that's a proper request from crew. I'd even encourage that approach if I were sitting in Miami making these decisions. 😀 Who knows - perhaps that's what they're supposed to say?

As the ship fills up, prices go up. Lackluster bookings make the price go down. Sounds like yours is doing well in the bookings dept.

That's what I suggested she ought to have said in my original post. The crew, in my experience, already encourage participation - even those crewmembers that don't refer to ratings.

It will have been off of "list" price. With these % off online discounts, you don't get both that and a loyalty discount. You pick which of the two is better $ and go with that.

Occasionally you'll also find one of the guest performers doing a lecture on the business their history in it, etc., and they may do a number or two as part of that.

Her response was clear enough, I thought. "The post-cruise survey is one of the best tools we have to truly understand what we do well and what needs improvement. We do not interpret ratings less than 10 as a failure, nor do we expect to always receive 10s." Just the opposite of what you often hear aboard. If Miami really wants a useful tool, they're being thwarted by onboard practices. That would make the behavior, by definition, inappropriate. You can say she's lying or mistaken about the desire to have a useful tool, but that would be a different (and confusing) conversation.

The line aboard is that anything less than a 10 is a complete disaster. So yes, you've evaluated the situation correctly in that respect. If you've sailed Celebrity in the last decade and a half (perhaps you have not) it's more than likely that you've been party to the pleading for 10s, though we haven't experienced this nearly as frequently as we once did. Am wondering if that's related to the level of cabins we've been booking in the last 8-10 years or so? As this practice has been common for quite some number of years, it's not as though shipboard management hasn't both heard about it and been provided some direction from corporate regarding it ... we just have no idea who's being told what. If you believe our new President, the practice is in inappropriate. If you sail with Celebrity, you'll know the message either isn't being passed down, or is being ignored.

Finally able to get back in to "Plan my cruise". No price improvements over yesterday.

Just now:? We're still 'on hold' here on the web page. No access to any prices/purchases yet.

That mismatch probably explains why they've pulled down all of that functionality for the moment (Amazing Experiences Coming Soon). Probably getting the ad copy to match up to the actual discounts provided.

And now this sub-banner, which we hadn't seen before:

So far this morning, I've seen one or two items where the % discount seems to have increased, but nothing for anything we already had booked. What I have been seeing looks more like regular dynamic pricing changes that we see from time to time, flash sale notwithstanding. Our 11/7 TA is definitely one listed in the collection. The planning page doesn't yet say anything about a flash sale, either, and it's 10:20am Eastern time. That said, now we're in this mode ... ... so perhaps that means the site is about to be updated? Guess we'll see. Could just be another Celebrity IT glitch.

You'll have both for both of you. In fact, for the drink package, they insist on this!

Not ours for this November. Will be seeing if anything needs to be 'repriced' tomorrow. Caught a few things at good discount, but not all, during original bookings.

@TGfromTX You might want to take up geocaching. Just in your immediate neighborhood: https://www.geocaching.com/play/map?lat=33.0198&lng=-96.6989&zoom=12&asc=true&sort=distance&st=Plano%2C+Texas&oid=315086&ot=city https://www.geocaching.com/play/results?st=Plano%2C+Texas&ot=city&oid=315086&r=10

Here's an example. Someone questioned the shipboard practice/line regarding 10s on cruise surveys. Her answer was We always want our guests to provide us with their honest feedback so that we can continuously enhance our experience and offerings. The post-cruise survey is one of the best tools we have to truly understand what we do well and what needs improvement. We do not interpret ratings less than 10 as a failure, nor do we expect to always receive 10s. We constantly strive to be better and to provide our guests with their dream vacation, so we encourage you to answer honestly. OK. Fine. So Miami says they want honest answers. That's nice and as it should be. What are they going to do that provides them with honest answers vs. what's happening aboard now? Her answer does not address the problem - which has been an annoying and unhelpful practice aboard for years now - nor does it address the question the OP asked. She could have said, "We are sorry to hear this, and we will again pass down our corporate policy to the ships and ask that they properly train and comply." That would have been an answer worth giving.

I suspect "insulting" in the form of "insulting our intelligence".

And if that doesn't net an improvement, the next stop is the Hotel Director. It's a matter of eventually figuring out where the buck stops aboard, though... One hopes that this practice isn't known and approved out of Miami.

The Solarium was originally one of the few designated 'quiet spaces' available on a ship, which is why days and hours are supposed to be limited for kids. You don't need to be a geriatric case to appreciate a bit of peace and quiet now and again. Frankly, I think a lot of people have become sensory junkies. Unlike the DAWG, we don't all need constant audio stimulation to be sure we're alive! 😁 (Hey, it's YOUR avatar, after all!). Balance is when you can have either stimulus or not have it by moving yourself to an appropriate environment. If there are no spaces specifically set aside where one can move where it's avoidable, then how is that 'balanced'? Understanding that few children could reasonably be expected to be playing in a pool area without a fair bit of noise, Celebrity originally blocked these Solarium areas off for use by adults only, and expected them to operate with a bit of audio decorum as well, but that's slipped a great deal over the years. It's still implied in the advertising, though: On the Resort Deck, you’ll find one of the most popular spots on every Celebrity Ship—the adults-only Solarium. The Solarium features a pool and hot tubs for your relaxation. Relax on a luxurious lounger while you enjoy your favorite book or perfect the art of napping. Grab a light bite for breakfast or lunch at The Spa Café and Juice Bar or order your favorite beverage or cocktail from your waiter. The Solarium offers a perfectly serene atmosphere where you can restore both your tan and your sanity.

Probably good to have a close look at the deck plan.