Stem to Stern

Ha ha! Ussie is a term I learned from my new cruise buddy. It is like a selfie, but with all of us. Get it? @Ellesor826's DH takes really good ones!

80 minutes and counting until check-in begins. That is when the excitement really starts to kick in for me. But come embarkation day I am totally overcome with GLEEEEEE!!!

Would that be my response? I am a bit surprised by most of the responses as well, but maybe not all that surprised. Celebrity has really taken the wind out of the sails of a lot of their loyal customer base. Some of Celebrity's remaining loyalists on Cruise Critic may see "Yacht Club" in the title and just scroll on by. These threads tend to bring out those of us willing to call out Celebrity for what they are doing and willing to explore our options. Although we still like the overall experience Celebrity still provides, we aren't idiots who bend over and say, "Okay, I will play by Celebrity's new rule book and pay their crazy prices for fewer perks." We are definitely keeping our options open. If the overall value guides our future bookings toward MSC or another line, so be it. If the new Celebrity rule book means booking a non-suite category on Celebrity and playing their MoveUp game in hopes of getting into The Retreat at a more palatable price, so be it. We will be giving stronger consideration to land-based travel going forward. My basic point in my original comment was that we found the food and wait service better in Luminae on Equinox and Summit compared to the YC Restaurant. I am not cheering on anything else that Celebrity has done to The Retreat experience on board its ships. Prices have soared into the stratosphere compared to our previous bookings. We used to get gratuities and on board credit included with The Retreat. Then just prior to our last sailing, they increased the per-glass price of all of my go-to drinkable grocery store wines above the premium beverage package limit to $19.00. The sommelier was put in the awkward position of having to warn me of the additional $2.00 plus gratuity up charge I would be seeing on my account. There goes my "Modern Luxury." But I try not to sweat my first world problems. I think you have asked a valid question in your original post that hopefully sets you up for lowered expectations rather than disappointment. I will make a couple of side notes related to your original post and your and others' comments. I personally do not miss the MSC spa on Celebrity ships. I visited the spa on Seascape a few times and tried all of the different elements, but I guess the spa is just not my thing. Gen Pop on Celebrity is more of a "minimum-security" situation. It is all pretty civilized. Although the areas around the pools can get pretty crowded, the interiors are quite spacious. We did not mind Gen Pop on Seascape. It is just a matter of knowing when and how to best navigate it. Remember, you will be in Europe!! Enjoy!! Celebrity and MSC are two entirely different animals. My best advice is to try not to compare the two. Life is richer when it includes a wide variety of all kinds of experiences.

I am only really going to comment here on the food and service in Luminae. We all already know YC pool deck and Top Sail Lounge blow The Retreat non-equivalents out of the water. We have not sailed in The Retreat on board Equinox since our return to cruising cruise in October 2021, but Luminae blew us away. Food and service lived up to and exceeded our pre-pandemic suite experiences on S-class ships. Luminae on board Summit just this past December was also a mindblower. The food in the YC on Seascape was just okay for us. There wasn’t much on the menu that excited and delighted us. Since the cruise you are doing is Europe, personally I could not imagine myself spending much time on The Retreat Sundeck or partying late into the night at whichever evening venue would appeal most. Our port days in Europe tend to start early and we return to the ship exhausted. I would not be too concerned with theater seating on board Equinox. There are two seatings for the show nightly. I think many passengers are too tired or too busy maximizing their drink packages to bother attending the shows. I do not typically find the theaters on board the S-class ships to be packed like the theater was on my recent Seascape cruise.

Thank you! I forwarded the link to my husband since he did not receive the email with the survey. Hopefully, it works because I don’t know if our Captain’s Club loyalty accounts are linked. I don’t even know how to go about doing that. Never had to worry about it in the past because he always received the surveys and webinar invites. Celebrity IT strikes again?!?

I am curious if you know why a TA would not participate in Move Up? I would be disappointed to discover "ineligible" after anticipating a positive outcome from my bids. Should I email my TA and ask?

We are booked in a verandah on our April cruise. I just checked (51 days out) and all of my bids (SS, Sunset SS, Aqua SS, and CS) show "pending" and I can still "modify" all of them. If you click on one of the "additional offers" below the first category showing at the top that you bid on, you should be able to modify any of them. I can still modify any of them on mine anyway. At first glance I thought the only one I could modify was the first one. But if they say expired maybe you can't. Such a confusing system. Watching intently for a credit card alert.

So very sorry for your loss. Please accept my deepest condolences as you navigate this difficult time. Our Ziggy is getting to the age that we worry more and more each time we leave him that our poor friend and cat sitter will put in a position to have to deal with something out of the ordinary. Hopefully you are able to use this time on board to grieve and possibly find activities to take your mind off the situation if only temporarily. I do hope you continue with your live report. From the pics you posted on Instagram it looks like pretty lady Connie's Celebrity Suite is still in fine shape. Off topic I have great late-80s college memories of crossing the border into Windsor after turning 19 and reaching the legal drinking age in Canada. Changez By Nite ended up being the go-to place. Not sure if this building on Wyandotte would have been the location we visited? We were always fortunate enough to have a designated driver and a little luck on our side to get back to the USA without incident in the wee hours of the morning. Try to enjoy your voyage as best you can. Sending positive vibes.

Bon voyage, Megan!

Just call me a pier runner. I am way late to the party. Dang! Ten pages to catch up on and you are still two days out. Then, I will try to keep up. Have a wonderful vacation!

Va va voom!! If you were in the YC there would be plenty of white gloves to borrow from the butlers, but sadly they would not necessarily be your preferred length. 😂😂😂

I saw this FB post and was impressed. Looking a bit less airport lounge and a bit more hotel lobby or, dare I say it, residential. Has the design team been reading customer feedback?

This has been a very interesting read so far. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Oh Lordie Lordie. I got a feelin' it was a good, good night for you. Good thing you stockpiled all that morning after H2O in your minifridge. It is not a great weather Sunday back on land, so show us some sunshine over the next couple sea days if you can. Are Conundrum and Whispering Angel back down below the Premium Package ceiling?

Another Charla life hack learned: Rosé until the moment you sashay! Bon voyage!!⚓️

I recently received a MoveUp email 72 days out from embarkation day. Originally booked in a DV Deluxe Verandah for a 4-night on Silhouette. Starting bid amounts seemed weird to me and were presented in this order: (Per person) $1,000 Royal Suite $550 Celebrity Suite $800 Aquaclass Sky Suite $750 Sunset Sky Suite $1,500 Horizon Suite $300 Sky Suite

North Beach Village is such a cute, little neighborhood tucked behind the Conrad. If you are up for a little walk, check out the vintage architecture that has been preserved. Archibald's Village Bakery is a cute hangout right around the corner. This wiki entry talks about Trump's ties to the Michael Graves designed Conrad. I watched the property sit in a state of financial limbo for years. Enjoy your day!😎 Conrad Fort Lauderdale - Wikipedia

Thank you for your wonderful report as well as your timely FB posts.😀 You provided very helpful info as we look forward to our first cruise on Beyond. After following I am somewhat grateful to not be booked in The Retreat. We had a wonderful experience in The Retreat on board Summit recently.

Oh my heavens dear Charla. How devastating after all your family has been through. I have been meaning to inquire about the extent of your “hobby” farm. Having grown up on a farm (livelihood vs hobby) my initial reaction to your predicament was to offer to fly to Missouri to save the day. But once I read the words rabbits, parakeets, and bearded dragon, my mind quickly backpedaled to the reality of the extent of my capabilities.😩 Then, I thought poor, sweet Jeremy! Could I assist in some lesser way by taking his place on board Reflection this coming week?!?🤪 Then, once again, I retracted back to reality. There is no replacing this husband with a heart of gold. He’s a keeper for sure! Make sure he has his ice cream for breakfast while you are away! Be sure to consult with that travel insurance company just in case there might some chance of recouping something.🤨 And don’t forget to ENJOY the remainder of that luscious bottle of Silver Oak.🍷

8 Crazy Nights, huh?!? Hmmmm.🤔 This should be even more interesting than I was expecting. Ahhhh. Solstice-class vessels. That sweet spot for so many. We loved sailing on Reflection around the Western Med a few years ago. Among other things I will be reading for a refresher on World Class cocktail recommendations. ABC's is one of our fave itineraries with many chillaxing sea days and long port days. Looking forward to your Hato Caves report since we do this next time on Curacao. Great timing on your part setting sail a few days post-dry January. Hee hee hee.😆 We've also moved on to the reality of booking cruise-only and chasing amenity flash sales.🙄 Maybe I will chase a MoveUp offer or two depending on my Retreat per person per night ceiling. Have a GREAT🚢 vacation!!!🤩

Well it looks like lattegirl10 is speaking my language. Now I want some Peach Cobbler French Toast.

I never tried it, but DH was not overly impressed with the coffee machine in the Yacht Club Interior stateroom or the coffee it produced. We found the farthest forward self-service coffee station in the Marketplace Buffet to be quite convenient from the Yacht Club. As suggested above, bring your thermal travel mug. I did not do this, but I was content with the larger coffee mugs in MB and the coffee there was just fine. That early in the morning there is plenty of seating with a view either in the buffet or in the Jungle Pool Lounge. But if you walk aft through the buffet there is plenty of outdoor seating overlooking the aft of the ship. It is a nice time of day to explore the decks of the Gen Pop areas of the ship while all of the night owls sleep the day away. By then, you can meander back up to Deck 20 where if it is still a moment before 7:00am you will find the bartender at MSC Yacht Club Grill and Bar taking the last drag off his cigarette before he even thinks about pouring you a cup of coffee.

You could try calling around to local antique or vintage stores. They may know of a dealer that specializes in linens that would be interested in taking the entire lot of them off your hands at a fair price with the intention of reselling them for a profit. At least you would find some solace knowing that they may eventually find a loving and appreciative home.

I only have one booking for 2025 and beyond on Celebrity Xcel cruise-only on a group rate with refundable deposit. I booked on somewhat of a whim for the ship alone, but depending on how my September Beyond cruise plays out I could easily cancel. I am looking at many options, but prices are crazy across all the lines I am considering.🥲

Hoping my SV on Beyond has a lounger in September especially after the reports about the scarcity of available loungers on the pool deck.