swjumbo

9 hours ago, kjc852 said:

‘Captain Merrill Stubbing of THE Love Boat is holding on Line 2 to speak with you, Elvis!    And Walt Disney is holding on Line 3 to speak to you about Disney’s old The Big Red Boat.  
 

Should you wish to speak with me directly I will be staying in The Bronx!

 

 

When you post on one of these groups it’s best to check facts before submitting.

His name was Stubing and not Stubbing. 

And whilst we’re on this subject why do we debark and not disembark? Are some of us quiet dogs?

In the words of Winston Churchill, “British and Americans are one people separated by a common language”.

9 hours ago, buncosquad said:

Reviewed a few recent vlogs of Solstice class ships to get a full idea of the brand, only to learn they are dirty and quite worn and dated.

 

The yesteryear look is definitely nostalgic, though not for me.

 

Looking at the pricing, no wonder the older ships may sell well.

 

I would think Celebrity places their better staff on their newest class of ship. I've had excellent stateroom experiences and service on their Edge class ships.

You mention vlogs (plural) yet you later refer to one.

In any of the vlogs or blogs that we’ve seen recently there’s never a mention of Celebrity being dirty or tired.

1 hour ago, billc23 said:

If you are booking in the Retreat, I say Solstice every time. I know, so many are enamored with the E class ships and only want to sail on new ships. I have read many posts that say you need to be  on an E class ship to experience the Retreat. I beg to differ...For me the Edge fails in the Retreat compared to the Solstice concerning: comfortable furniture, state room layout, Retreat lounge, Luminae, and specialty restaurants. The first few days the Edge seems great because of the newness and glitter - very beautiful. Then the persistent noise level in the restaurants, the uncomfortable seating all around the ship, and the lack of attention compared to the S class ship becomes apparent. Crew, who I have known from other ships, have told me they do not get to know their fellow crew mates after months onboard! Luminae is just another banquet style restaurant, too many people to serve in a short time frame, so they do not cook the meal for you. The Retreat lounge is not inviting like Michaels Club is as far as an easy way to socialize with fellow passengers or interact with staff. 

 

If you are not considering the Retreat perhaps the E class is preferred - I don't know. Maybe the SV rooms on E class hit the sweet spot. 

Has the Solstice been revolutionised or will it be before the OP’s cruise in 2025?

Done both ships in various classes and the Solstice is our favourite.

If you enjoy the entertainment then the Cruise Director, Patrick on Solstice, would seal the deal for us.

We’re not normally into the activities on board but this guy was everywhere to be seen and had an energy and elegance about him.

His TV show in the morning was polished and even writing this makes me smile!

PS The only other CD I’d mention is Sue Denning. Amazing

On 12/9/2023 at 3:52 PM, MISTER 67 said:

Just off Sky Princess, 7 day Eastern Caribbean to Princess Cays, San Juan and St. Thomas.

Very nice cruise with almost perfect weather, we had a couple of sprinkles and yesterday morning the seas were a bit rougher, didn’t bother us but some people had some issues. We dis-embarked this AM at 6:30, we live in Punta Gorda Fl and were home by 9:12. That’s the earliest walk off we’ve ever experienced and this was our 72nd cruise.

I usually grade our cruises in various categories on a scale of 1 to 10 so here goes.

 

Ship Condition 9.5

Ship Cleanliness 9.9

Cabin service 9.5

MDR food 8.5

MDR Service 9.5

Buffet food 8.0

Buffet service 9.0 

Guest services 9.5

Bar and International Cafe service 9.5

Entertainment in main showroom 8.0

Activities 9.5

Cruise director and staff 9.5

Shipboard activities 9.9

 

My scores might seem a bit high but we are low maintenance people and hardly ever complain.

 

I will try to answer any questions.

 

 

Yay! You disembarked and didn’t debark!

Everything you post from now on will be perfect. X

We’re Celebrity regulars and are very excited about our upcoming Princess cruise from Southampton!
 

Thought it would be nice to dip our toe into the ‘competition’ pool.

Thanks to all the contributors on this forum. Makes for interesting reading.

We’ve only eaten in the main dining room twice as on both occasions it was very average. We’re not fans of Luminae on Celebrity but love Blu and the speciality restaurants.

Should we stay with main dining on Princess or go speciality too?
 

Agree with the above, 

Nice on your own balcony.

Use the extra €$£ for specialty dining or another cruise!

Whilst this is mildly interesting I don’t care about the Icon of the Seas as I’m a Celebrity customer and not RCL.

Yes I know they’re the same company but is this a step towards amalgamation?

Have you looked at any P&O reviews recently?

Might be worth it before you spend your hard earned ££!

Hope it’s not held in one of the bars!

Absolutely. Scottish, Yorkshire and East End accents need not apply either.

We’ll also be looking out for those who drive themselves to the ship!

Really?

Here’s a few sample questions:

How did you find check in?

How’s your suite on this new ship?

Are you Queen’s or Princess Grill?
How was your food? What did you eat last night?
Have you pre ordered for dinner?

What do you think of this area? Worth the money?

Quite simple and not in any way rude!

I’ll happily engage in conversation with them and ask how they’re finding the Grills experience!

If I’m paying over the odds for the experience then so should they. If not then get out!

On 7/10/2022 at 1:00 PM, LadyL1 said:

Over the years we have seen those ignoring the signs on all Queens! 
I quite object to this, as one pays a hefty amount of ££££s for what is promised in the Grills. Why should a few receive this for nothing? Cards are never checked these days, and as in another thread, the “mark” denoting Grills pax is no longer on the key cards (well certainly up to March of this year).

Totally agree. I cruise in all classes and am respectful of areas which I haven’t paid for.

Just booked QA Princess Grill for next year. 
If there’s anyone from steerage hogging my hot tub I’ll politely ask them to leave!

Had a similar situation a few months ago. I was told (calling from UK) that you can cancel within 24 hours.

Just to note…

You’ll find it a tad different to P&O just as Ibis hotel are different to W Hotels. 
Also, don’t book your drinks package until special offers come online and you’ll find plenty of people on here telling you when they’re available!

Enjoy.

Strange story because we know of kids who had an inside cabin and were so happy with their door decoration but a grumpy guy across from them stole it and put it on the inside of his door!

Apparently he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box either.😜

We’re Celebrity fans but we’re on our first Princess cruise (12 nights from Southampton) in April next year.

2 sea days, island hopping then 3 sea days back.

Never been there either so it’s a double first. 
Heard lots of good things about the islands.

Thanks for the information.

We’ve done all classes on Celebrity on Solstice and Edge ships but have decided to try Princess next year out of interest.

It seems, looking online, that their suite offering leaves a lot to be desired but overall it’ll be fun to try something else.

Happy cruising and thanks again.

47 minutes ago, chemmo said:

I guess the really clever thing to do is take each vacation as it comes…

 

Loyalty to no company

Look for exactly what you want from a vacation at that one moment in time

Consider a range of options and their prices

Be willing to be adventurous 

 

For the first time in many years we are about to do an AI in Europe, first in a very long time…

 

All we want is a crash out, we didn’t want to fly far but wanted good weather, we didn’t want much sightseeing…If we had chosen a cruise we may have seen good ports as a chore rather than a pleasure…

 

Celebrity doesn’t only face competition from other cruise lines…

Chemmo.

Tried to send an email with no success.

Have a look at this contributor. 
As we’re getting the Apex next year in Southampton, the Sky Princess might just be a suitable replacement.

It’s safe to say that things change and not always for the better but obviously Celebrity isn’t what it used to be for some. 

There are many other cruise lines out there who want your custom. Does laundry or a lounge really make that much difference?
 

Jim and Iain have the best blogs and posts and are Celebrity fans but they appear to have tried another line.

I love Celebrity but have just booked a Princess cruise to see how it compares next April. 

If you’re not happy then vote with your feet! They’ll soon get the message.

32 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

Not many bars around the ship where you can get hors d'oeuvres along with your drink.

Yes. We really need some extra food on board!

I seriously don’t get it. There are so many lovely bars and restaurants throughout the ship why clamour to get into The Retreat?

Yes the staff are lovely; but they’re lovely everywhere else too.

The Captain, Hotel Director and the rest of the officers are very visible around the ship and equally approachable. Why is it necessary to meet them in Michael’s Club or The Retreat?

On our last cruise we were lucky enough to be invited to the Senior Officers’ party because of our CC status. We only got this status because of double points and some suite cruises during Covid.

Whilst it was nice to see a few familiar faces, we also know that these officers have a ship to run and can’t spend all their time speaking to us.

We realise that we’re not the only VIP’s on the ship. Every passenger is an VIP. Guests should be content with the amenities and areas they have paid for.

If you’ve paid for First Class on a European or Middle Eastern airline and have frequent fliers trying to sit at the bar you’d be rightly hacked off.

Same with Celebrity. Why should they get this ‘right’?

With so many lovely bars throughout the ship why is there a need for access to The Retreat?

Do they want to laud it up over the rest of us? I’ve seen these people on so many cruises having this perceived right of passage over the ‘younger’ ones.
 

It’s a ‘suite’ area. IMHO it should remain so.

I can only echo what has already been said.

It takes a lot of time and effort to do a blog on a cruise and it’s greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot for a job well done! X

Your Martini Bar barman (whose name I have sadly forgotten) has hidden talents.

Great guy who remembers names better than I can and is always smiling.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!