NCHPcruiser

Sitting on my balcony, glass of wine in hand, I’ll simply breathe a deep sigh.   Heck, there might be a tear.

While we enjoy breakfast in our suite the majority of mornings we have never had dinner in our suite.  I simply don’t believe the butlers have the time to deliver drinks or dinner to suites though I know occasionally it is done, especially in the upper level suites that have dining tables (though we still don’t).   

Our butlers have usually asked what we prefer in our fridge and have kept it stocked.  Unless we are in a Royal suite or above they do not stock a suite with liquor or wine.  

4 hours ago, FionaL91 said:

Fair enough, I doubt we would have much for the butler to do otherwise. Find the fact that people request them to pack and unpack bags a bit weird, but thought as they bring full meals and snacks to the room, a drink wouldn’t be much of a stretch to be honest. 

I have never met anyone who had their butler unpack or pack for them.  I think it just sounds good on the Celebrity website.    It has been our experience that very few suite guest request full dinner meals in their suite.  Only Royal suites or above (except Celebrity suites on M-class) have tables for a full meal.  It sounded nice when we booked our first cruise in a suite but eventually realized it was never going to be what we had envisioned (even when in an upper level suite).    When setting expectations please keep in mind that each butler is responsible for many suites.   There are  great butlers and very average butlers.  We have had several of each.       Having said all that, we LOVE sailing in suites on Celebrity!  

We love the Silhouette, probably our favorite ship (though we really liked the Edge on our last cruise).   We love The Porch (same level as Lawn Club Grill).  Unfortunately it is not on any of the other ships.  

Hands down longer.   It is doubtful we would go on a cruise any shorter than a week, even then our preference is 10 or more days.  It takes us the first couple of days to decompress and relax.   

Find another TA!

Our excursion to the Alhambra while docked in Malaga sticks in our minds as one of our best!  If you have the opportunity to go, do not pass it up!  

On 3/17/2021 at 6:38 PM, njpln said:

Throwing a question out there about what people actually really wear on the so-called dressing nights.   We haven’t been on Celebrity since 2018.(how time flies…).  The last time we cruised hubby wore a blazer and trousers and I wore a nice dress on the dressy nights. Our previous cruises were all in the Caribbean with Celebrity...

 

Now we have rebooked and have three Celebrity cruises scheduled in 2022.  One is a Caribbean, and two are Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific. So I’m starting to wonder whether or not people dress up differently for Caribbean cruises versus the south pacific area cruises.  
 

There are so many threads about people not dressing up too much anymore, but I’d love to hear what people really see on the evening chic nights..

 

looking forward to your replies.
 

 

 

We typically dress up a bit more on “chic” nights though not like we once did.    My husband is quite handsome in his tux but I’m not about to ask him to wear it on a Caribbean cruise or take it to the other side of the world.  He does wear a jacket and dress shirt (no tie).   I usually wear a cocktail dress but definitely not formal.   Caribbean cruises are the most casual in our experience.   Although our 16 night Australia/NZ cruise in 2019 was very casual.   My impression is most people still put a little extra thought into their attire on “chic” nights.  

13 hours ago, Alakegirl said:

Inside the Retreat?  Or just up on the Sundeck?

I only remember small bites inside the Retreat mid-day.   We enjoyed lunch on the Sundeck a couple of days.  

There was food throughout the day in The Retreat on the Edge during our last cruise in early February, 2020.    I don’t remember what was offered during the day but we passed through often enough that I remember there was always something available, though I doubt it was very substantial.  

You should not have trouble getting a great table by the window and keeping it for the duration if you eat early, soon after Luminae opens.   We often order something off the MDR menu and missed that option on the Edge.   

After giving it a few minutes thought I would go with Jerusalem.  Even with the distance from the port you have much more time in Jerusalem.  Personally I would get a guide for the two days (perhaps with another couple or two from your roll call) who would have someone pick you up at the port.  I would also consider spending the night in Jerusalem which would give you a much better experience.    

You really can’t go wrong though, Jerusalem and Istanbul are both great! 

We prefer Luminae to all of the Specialty restaurants (including Murano) on the S & M class ships.  Having only sailed on the Edge once on a 7 day cruise, we only tried Eden, which we did not like at all.  In the future we will definitely try Fine Cuts and Le Grand Bistro.   Usually on shorter cruises we stick with Luminae.  It’s on longer cruises when we need a change of venue every few nights that we go to the specialties.  

I received an email from Crystal this afternoon regarding their vaccination requirements.  All passengers must be fully vaccinated a minimum of two weeks prior to sail date.    I am not surprised by this considering the average age of their passengers is older than Celebrity’s.

I  We were in the same situation a couple of years ago.  I stressed over it for months and a few weeks before the cruise they switched to a SS.  They did not regret it!  We have enjoyed several cruises together since,  all in a suite.  

I completely understand why you might be concerned but the walkers (usually not many actually jogging in our experience) have never bothered my husband or I and this is the area we usually sit in. 

I have not read all of the responses to your question.  But here is my take.  We love a suite.  After several cruises with my sister and mom I finally convinced my husband to go on one.  Of course I booked a suite and he has never been happy with anything else.  However, it must be said that with every cruise the butler experience can vary widely.   We have been in a royal suite with a butler that was no better than my best room steward in AQ class and have had fabulous butlers in a Sky Suite (and not so fabulous ones as well).  My advice is to not expect too much or you’ll be frustrated/annoyed which is not what you want on a cruise!  We are easy going and self sufficient so the butler never makes or breaks our trip.  They can most definitely elevate the experience though (just don’t count on it).  

We love Raw on 5 and usually go a couple of times (or more on a long cruise), usually for lunch and stick with Luminae for dinner.    Tried Eden once and did not like it at all and we have lost interest in the others.    We really enjoy the food and service in Luminae.  

I have sailed on all but the Constellation and Apex and would be happy to sail on any of them again.    My favorite is probably the Silhouette.  Least favorite was probably the Millennium but was three years ago and it really needed refurbishment.   We also liked the Edge but sailed in a suite so that probably skews our opinion.  

For my husband and I and our children it has definitely not been a “lost year” and we are not living in fear.  There have actually been a few positives to emerge and we have chosen to concentrate on those.    It basically is a “lost year” for my 87 year old active parents.  I am glad they are being as cautious as they are.  I want them to be around as long as possible but they are definitely paying a high price.  

We were on one of the last cruises before cruising ceased and for the first time in many years only had land trips planned for the remainder of 2020 and 2021.  Our next cruise (Japan) booked while on our last cruise is not until April 2022.   The trip to the Baltic’s/Russia and African safari have been cancelled substituted with a trip to Hawaii planned for next March (assuming they are open).  

Stay safe everyone!  

In my area,  central North Carolina, where testing is widely available, there are far and away more false NEGATIVES than positives.   I have not heard of any false positives (though I have no doubt there have been some) however I personally know of several false negatives.  In one case a friend tested negative three times before finally testing positive.  It was obvious she had COVID but was denied the correct treatment 10 days, eventually being hospitalized for two weeks.  The false negatives worry me far more than the false positives!  

We booked an April 2022 cruise (Japan) this past February while aboard the Edge.  Perhaps that was an anomaly though.  

We have booked a guarantee suite before and were pleased.   I think our sky suite was assigned shortly after booking (booked in June for a September sailing)  though we were not informed.  I found out by accident when calling Celebrity and the rep mentioned our cabin #.  

The information I have been reading is most cruise lines will not be significantly reducing prices due to the Coronavirus but holding relatively firm.     I don’t think we will be seeing any fire sale pricing soon.  

I would allow 1.5 - 2 hours depending on the size of your group.

We were on the February 2 sailing of the Edge and also skipped Costa Maya due to winds.   I have read several post indicating Costa Maya has been skipped several times in the interim and would be interested to hear if they have docked at all in CM in the past month, skipping either due to high winds or the taxi situation.    We also arrived in Cozumel early and overnighted there.