LEMJMcC

13 hours ago, RichYak said:

I have many humorous answers to this, none of which are appropriate for CC. 

A quick and inexpensive way of removing unsightly back hair before hitting the pools.

1 minute ago, chemmo said:

Is it an area you generally like to visit or is it a specific port you would like access to it for sail in/sail out?

My preference is to visit the bow of the ship early enough to catch the sunrise, then sometimes at night as well.  It's not related to ports-of-call.  Oh well, can't have it all...such first world problems!

Thanks all.

This might be a deal breaker for me...of course that's one feature I despise on the RCI Oasis class ships, not having access to the bow.  On Freedom we could walk out onto the helipad pretty much all the time.

Which, if any, of Celebrity's ships have bow access for passengers?

Thanks.

18 hours ago, doghog said:

What class of ship? 

Beats me, I think it's Celebrity Reflection, I don't know the classes of ships for Celebrity as well as I do Royal.

Thanks so much for all the input.  Celebrity certainly looks to be more in line with our interests when cruising, though I admit I enjoyed the waterslides on Wonder, so did my wife, after some coaxing from me!

We particularly like the Central Park neighborhood on the Oasis class - I'm wondering if there is similar atmosphere to be found on some of the Celebrity ships.  We enjoyed the live musicians that would play in the evenings in CP and would often find ourselves there after dinner just relaxing and enjoying a coffee and some dessert, okay maybe second or third dessert for me...

The wife and I have cruised on Royal Caribbean six times, mostly in the Caribbean, but most recently to Alaska.  We've enjoyed all of these cruises and stayed in Junior Suites each time.

Now, we are looking at and considering our first Celebrity cruise, hopefully to the Southern Caribbean.

What would you say are the starkest differences between the two lines and their ships?  What would you say Celebrity is better at than RCI and vice-versa?

On RCI we cruised on Brilliance of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, and Quantum of the Seas.  It's just the two of us, no children to consider.

Thanks.

Thanks for all the great responses.  I should have noted what we most like about the oasis class ships (Oasis and Wonder anyway) are the neighborhoods, especially Central Park.  We do not travel with kids, so the typical attractions for them are not of interest to us, though we did enjoy the waterslides on Wonder!

I'm wondering about the condition of the ships themselves, we just returned off of Quantum a few weeks ago and she is in need of much repair and refurbishment.  The videos we've watched on some of the Celebrity ships look really good, but those are marketing videos.  It appears to me that the Sky Suites on Celebrity are equivalent to the Junior Suites on Royal, is that correct?

Also, do the demographics differ between RCI & Celebrity?  If so, how?  Would you say the number of children are about the same on either?  What about the mean age of the passengers? 

Most importantly for us, how crowded are the Celebrity ships compared to RCI's?  Quantum was really crowded, but I understand that it was 1) an Alaskan cruise and the weather wasn't as conducive for much outside activity when at sea and 2) it was over the Independence Day holiday.

We're considering a Southern Caribbean cruise on Celebrity's Reflection.

Thanks.

We are considering a Celebrity X cruise for the first time.  We have cruised no one other than Royal and are interested to see how the two cruise lines' ships compare.

Is there a chart or other resource that shows which Celebrity ships are most similar to RCI's?

Our favorite RCI class is Oasis, followed by Freedom.  What classes of Celebrity as most like these?  Does Celebrity have any ships that are like Royal's Icon class?

Thanks much.

Just curious.  For those who've either flown into or out of Anchorage for a cruise, how did you handle transportation between the airport in Anchorage and Seward's cruise terminal?

For the inside passage, would you recommend the northbound route from Vancouver or the southbound from Seward?  Itineraries seem the same.

Thanks.

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

Thanks for the additional information, especially the 3% booking fee!

 

Another question, were there any type of refreshments on board?    

Not much to speak of; some bottled water and some packaged snacks like Nature Valley Biscuits, I think.  Frankly we were so busy looking at and photographing whales that we didn't think much about eating or drinking...

13 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Thank you very much for reporting back!   Happy to hear that you had a wonderful time.    I am going to contact them tomorrow.    

 

Did you just pay a deposit or did you have to pay in full at booking?

I paid the whole price upon booking.  Be aware that there is a 3% booking fee that is not apparent on their website.  For a private tour we paid $1,630.80 (including this 3% fee) and there were only ten of us on the boat, not including the captain and the biologist.  There might have been room for a couple more, but it would have been tight.  Ten was a comfortable number. Harv & Marv's run multiple tours, some on larger boats.

We were shuttled from the cruise pier in Juneau to the marina in a medium sized bus with I think three other tour groups; took about 10-15 minutes.  There are nice restrooms available at the marina.  On our way back to the pier after the tour the shuttle stopped at the Mendenhall viewpoint and we were able to get out and take some pictures of the glacier; it was a good distance away, still it was neat to see it.

Enjoy!

We had a great experience with Captain Greg and Wildlife Biologist Cory on the Kaytos last Friday, 7/5/2024.  We saw so many Humpback whales that we quit counting, with several breaching nearby the boat.  We also encountered a pod of Orcas.  Both Capt. Greg and Cory were very knowledgeable, friendly, engaging, and entertaining.  I can't recommend them highly enough.  We had a group of ten in our cruise party, so elected to reserve a private tour with H&M.  Everything went smoothly and it was the highlight of the cruise for us!

Mine may well end up being sacrificial as I don't intend to spend the extra time at disembarkation to retrieve it if it is confiscated by RCI.  It's a roll of the dice I guess.

Thanks for the discussion.

Sigh, well I guess I may take a small Leatherman-like multi tool like below, but leave it in the cabin if it makes it that far!  I figured getting something back onto the ship after a shore visit would be unlikely.  I appreciate the input!

Disclaimer: Yes, I read and understand what RCI publishes as prohibited items:

• Sharp Objects, including all knives and scissors. (Note: Personal grooming items such as safety razors are allowed. Scissors with blade length less than 4 inches are allowed.)

I have read that some have been successful in packing small knives or multitools in their checked bags without issue.  What I am more interested in is what happens when I try to carry a small Swiss Army Knife (SAK) or better yet a Micro Leatherman off and back onto the ship when at a port o' call.  What's been the experience with folks in this regard, especially with those who've cruised Alaska with RCI?

Thanks.

19 hours ago, cruisingjandb said:

You read my mind on etiquette in the Windjammer. The last cruise we were on Liberty of the Seas a lot of rude people. I don't know if that was because it was only a 5 day cruise or it has just got that much worse. To be fair a lot of nice people too.

Perhaps some people are afraid the WJ will run out of food!  

Politeness and respect; too bad more don't exhibit such mature behavior.

I'll let you in front of me if you'll let me in front of you!😁

Hmmm, I never said I was going to leave it up indefinitely or unattended, did I?  I will hang it on Independence Day, when we are in a US port and ensure it is properly secured and if I do leave the balcony for an extended time, I will remove it.  Not because I'm concerned one bit about the ocean, but I would never want to dishonor the US Flag by allowing it to touch the ground or surface of the sea.  I will remove it when I turn in for the night and see that it is properly and respectfully stowed.

I think we'll chance it and fly Old Glory on the Fourth.  What's the worst that can happen?  We're asked to remove it...  

4 hours ago, Scottdalfonso said:

I'm just curious as to why...what's the reason to hang an American flag on a cruise that is (I assume) sailing to and from the US, full of American passengers? 

Well, in our case, we want to celebrate Independence Day.  When we cruised over Christmas, we put up some decorations as well.

Hi all,

Just wondering if any kind of decorations are permitted to be hung on the balcony railings?  We'll be on a cruise over Independence Day and would like to hang some appropriate banners on our railing.  I think I could use either zip ties or some suction cup holders for it.  Does RCI permit this?  Has anyone seen or done this?

Thanks.

Can't wait for our July 1 cruise!  We don't mind some rough seas as long as most folks aren't affected by seasickness and/or delays due to docking issues - I don't want anyone's trip tainted by either.  With that said, we kind of like the roll of the ship in more active weather...

I always take a rope and some clothespins to hang wet garments on the balcony, oh, and I always book a cabin with a balcony.

We're sailing Quantum on July 1 out of Seattle.  I am most interested in what they say about Skagway.  We have an excursion booked there through RCI that we really hope not to miss.  If they provide any update on the accessibility for future cruises, I'd be much obliged if you'd share them. 

Enjoy your cruise and your anniversary!