alexandria

I try to avoid attributing to malice that which can be explained by incompetence. My DW and I have been married for over 30 years and have dozens of cruises under our belt but when we embarked on our first Celebrity cruise last month, the Celebrity terminal check-in person insisted that we had to produce a copy of our marriage license! It took a supervisor to explain to her that such was not required and we were finally permitted to board after she apologized for the delay. As a parent of two adopted children, I am curious why you would need to carry a binder full of paper as evidence of adoption. In Georgia, a certified copy of the court order (often a single page) would be the only "proof" necessary to establish that fact. I'm not suggesting that Celebrity was justified in their actions but perhaps you don't need to carry an entire binder full of paper with you just in case. 🙂

Just checked Nevada District Court...nothing there either. In fact, as of 7:30am this morning, I can't find any filings in any US District Court involving Celebrity or their parent company since a personal injury case filed on December 22 in the Southern District of Florida (Glick v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, 1:23-cv-24865). 🤔

I did. Couldn't help myself. As of 5pm today, I found nothing filed this week on PACER in the Southern District of Florida involving Royal Caribbean Group or Celebrity. The most recent filing involving either entity was on December 22, 2023 and it is a personal injury case. 😯 But perhaps my PACER search skills are getting a little rusty...😉

So within a single business day during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, you (a resident of Nevada according to your profile here): 1. Found an attorney willing to take your case who is admitted to practice law in the Southern District of Florida, 2. Retained said attorney, 3. Paid said attorney to litigate your complaint against Celebrity, 4. Provided said attorney with all of the evidence you possess, 5. Discussed your complaint in detail with said attorney. And then, all within that same single business day, this attorney you retained: 1. Reviewed your complaints and evidence along with applicable statutes and caselaw (if necessary), 2. Determined what cause of action(s) were supported by the facts and evidence you presented, 3. Elected not to send a demand letter to Celebrity's general counsel, 4. Elected not to otherwise engage Celebrity's general counsel in any settlement discussion, 5. Decided to bear the financial and other risks of non-compliance with the applicable mandatory arbitration provision, 6. Drafted and reviewed the lawsuit and any other pleadings, and 7. Immediately filed the same in US District Court in the Southern District of Florida. What will be found if a search of PACER is conducted to find any new civil actions against Celebrity or Royal Caribbean Group that were filed in US District Court yesterday? Will a lawsuit such as you describe be found? My sincere apologies if I am off-base, but this simply doesn't pass the smell test. Of interesting note, if "the 'contract' will be deemed Null & void" as you claim, what is the basis for your complaint? You knew the product you would be receiving before you cruised and yet you cruised anyway, thereby accepting the product then being offered. After all, if the contract was "Null & void", you could have simply received a full refund. One cannot, having foreknowledge that the product or service will not be as expected, decide to accept the product or service as is with that foreknowledge and then be heard to complain that it was "bait and switch" or they breached a contract (that you now claim was "Null & void"). You simply did not rely and act upon any alleged misrepresentations by Celebrity. By the way...if your attorney actually told you that the contract WILL BE DEEMED NULL AND VOID, then your attorney is a fool (or worse). Of course, any attorney who has so few clients that they have the free time to act in the manner I described above and treats the litigation as though it is a critical life and death matter is not an attorney I would entrust with even the most trivial of legal matters. Edit to correct spelling and grammar.

If I wasn't going to accept a case, I would never agree to send a letter or take any other action where it could be inferred that I had undertaken representation of the aggrieved party (or that even had the appearance of such). Nor would I send such a letter unless I had investigated the allegations, reviewed the applicable statutes and cases, and determined that there was a legitimate basis to support the legal position that is being asserted. An attorney who would send a demand letter to a potential defendant without being engaged to represent the potential plaintiff and without doing sufficient due diligence is asking for trouble. Additionally, a client who has unreasonable and unrealistic expectations about "their case" and only wants to pay you a few hundred dollars to send a letter is a red flag for a potential bar complaint when that letter fails to achieve the client's desired results. Nothing good can come of that for an attorney and I don't know of a single attorney that would agree to such a request. But, I suspect there are some lawyers out there who are so desperate for a fee of a few hundred dollars, that they would be happy to send a letter to Celebrity. The likelihood that a letter from such a lawyer would generate anything other than a boilerplate "go pound sand" reply from Celebrity is very, very slim.

Retired trial attorney here. What, exactly, do you contend would be your measure of damages? In other words, what is the monetary value of the benefit(s) you allege that Celebrity failed to provide in violation of this "contract"? I am not admitted in Florida, but I would likely charge you $750/hr plus expenses with a $15,000 retainer (to be applied to the billable hours until exhausted or any unearned retainer amount is refunded). Unless Celebrity offered a "nuisance settlement" that you were willing to accept, you'd need to be prepared to spend well in excess of the retainer amount to achieve any significant result (if such a result were even possible). Litigation against a large corporation is not quick and inexpensive, rather it is time consumer and costly. And no attorney worth hiring would ever accept a case such as yours on contingency. Consumer litigation almost never pays off for the consumer. If the actions of a company are egregious enough and impact enough consumers, class action litigation might be a course that is taken but in that case, class counsel (the lawyers) are the winners and the consumers involved (other than a few named class representatives) generally only receive a modest refund or discount (in this case, probably a token amount of FCC). Even the named class representatives only end up with a modest cash settlement. Sorry you were disappointed in your experience with Celebrity (with dozens of cruises under my belt since the 1970's, I sailed Celebrity for the first time a month or so ago and wasn't very impressed). If you came to see me about your situation, I'd caution you that hiring me to litigate this would be penny wise, pound foolish, and encourage you to vote with your wallet and find another cruise line to patronize. At the end, if you insisted on pursuing a legal claim, I would politely decline to take your case. Just based upon what you have posted, you simply don't have a case. Best wishes.

Even though that's not a Bulldog, as we say around here... That's a damn good dog!

I am very hesitant to book Silversea after the lack of integrity they demonstrated during the early days of the pandemic with their "Cruise with Confidence" cancellation policies. Silversea enticed booked passengers to leave their bookings in place and lured new passengers by promising to provide 125% FCC if Silversea cancelled their booking. Based upon the recommendation of several friends, my wife and I booked a Silversea cruise with that cancellation policy. Six months or so later, Silversea cancelled our cruise but reneged on the 125% FCC promised. Both our travel agent and I (a retired trial attorney) pursued the issue with Silversea executives with no success and I finally received a refund many months after the cancellation. (This topic was the subject of a thread on the Silversea board when it occurred, many were impacted). Our travel agent mentioned giving them another try, but I find their pricing model is often not competitive nor passenger oriented. For many sailings, they only honor promotions (like OBC for early bookings) for those who book door to door and when we priced a few sailings, we found that we could often book business class air tickets and round-trip transportation to and from our home airport and to and from the port(s) for significantly less than the Silversea upcharge for their door to door fares (and that is with their economy air tickets). So between the lack of trustworthiness Silversea demonstrated when they refused to honor their written and published Cruise with Confidence policy (which, at the time of our booking, had no fine print or disclaimers they could rely upon to change or cancel that policy) and their current pricing model, Silversea is the last on our list of luxury cruise lines we plan to sail now that we are fully retired and have been blessed with the means to travel extensively.

IMO, the various comments in this thread have done two things: 1. Educated any uninformed Seabourn passengers on this board that there will be an 18% gratuity automatically added to all spa services (which the customer can always supplement with an additional gratuity if desired), and 2. Seeing emotionally charged language such as slavery, starving, horrible, disgraceful, sweat shops, exploitive, inequity and inequality being used to describe the spa employee compensation model and work environment (without any verifiable facts to back up those accusations) serves as a good reminder why discussion of political leanings and related worldviews can be divisive and polarizing and rarely (if ever) results in consensus or agreement, and is therefore best avoided in polite social settings! 🤐 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. And fair winds and following seas to all those who will be sailing in 2024, whether as passengers or crew! 🛳️

No, I don't believe I am missing the point. My point is that when I, as a consumer, am patronizing a business, I shouldn't concern myself with the compensation of those who work for that business. I know a number of sales people whose compensation is entirely commission based. But I don't inquire about the sufficiency of their pay when I am making a decision about purchasing a new vehicle or a new house. I negotiate the best possible price and make my purchase. I'm not going to pay more than that to ensure the sales person is paid more or has a good standard of living. Similarly at a restaurant. I tip based upon the quality of the service provided. I don't tip based upon my perception of how much that server earns and what they need to maintain a good standard of living. I am not responsible for whether the earnings of any person is "guaranteed" to satisfy their needs. (Leaving out the discussion of common misconceptions of "needs" vs "wants".) So I disagree about the point, or appropriateness, of this discussion about the pay for spa staff, whether they are paid by commission, gratuity, a combination or some other means. If the spa staff isn't satisfied with their employment situation, they can (and do) seek employment elsewhere. But I'm not going to buy something in the spa I wouldn't otherwise buy, I'm not going to pay inflated prices for products I can purchase elsewhere for much less, and I'm not going to tip more than I would otherwise (based upon the quality of the service provided) to ease my conscience about the compensation of the spa staff. And if the enjoyment of my massage was diminished having to endure a high-pressure sales pitch for overpriced spa products or listen to the spa staff gripe about their pay, I may well reduce the gratuity (or even eliminate it if it really gets out of hand.) Additionally, while I don't believe it to be a frequently employed tactic, there are some manipulative people paid largely by commission or tips who will complain about "low pay" to a customer in order to engender sympathy and increase their sales or their gratuities! So I caution folks not to believe everything they read and see online or are told by others. Not everyone is honest and forthright. Without having access to complete and accurate financial records, nobody can make any judgments about the earnings of spa staff. It is mere speculation. In short, it is my opinion that regarding the choices others make about their employment, their compensation, and their financial affairs, people should simply mind their own business. Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy. But that is just my opinion. You are certainly welcome to disagree! 🙂

I don't mean any offense, but I just don't understand this apparent obsession about the method and amount of compensation received by those who work on board in the spa (I presume as independent contractors or employees of a vendor, not employees of Seabourn). Isn't that a matter best left to those involved? The parties involved enjoy freedom of choice and freedom of contract and if the compensation system and amount is not acceptable to them, they can pursue other options (prior comment by a poster equating their circumstances to slavery notwithstanding). Or shall we broaden the scope of the discussion to consider the compensation of every person who works onboard, from the Captain to the laundry room workers. If we are going to be completely thorough, perhaps we should also ascertain how much each back office and shore based employee of Seabourn is paid. Personally, I don't investigate and discuss how much is earned by our local UPS or FedEx drivers, the clerk at our local grocer or the lab tech at my physician's office. Nor do I involve myself in how a gratuity in a service oriented business is distributed or shared, I simply tip based upon the quality of the service provided. And never have I experienced someone in a business relationship sharing with me, as a customer, how much they are paid or complaining about the conditions of their employment...I would consider it highly unprofessional and inappropriate if they were to engage with me in such a discussion. The issue of whether or not there is sufficient and proper disclosure of any automatic gratuity/service charge for spa services is certainly something to be aware of but frankly I just don't see how any of the other issues are any of our business.

I understand from those who cruise on Seabourn that they do the same...and they'll bring it to you wherever on the ship you happen to be, whether it is in your suite or while lounging at the pool. That level of service and quality is what is drawing us to Seabourn, Silversea and RSSC for future bookings, including our next sailing!

As I mentioned in my recent review of our first (and likely our last) Celebrity cruise, I found their product to be very much on par with RCL. I really couldn't tell a difference. Celebrity paled in comparison to HAL. Our next cruise is on Seabourn. I was curious what the more premium suites on Celebrity run and....wow! For the pricing I am seeing, you can very likely book a similar itinerary on Seabourn, Silversea or RSSC for more personal service and nearly everything included. Viking and Oceania also have more favorable pricing than Celebrity. And the size of the standard veranda suites on the three luxury lines is comparable to the Sky Suites on Celebrity. For those who place a higher value on service and quality over shipboard entertainment and resort-style amenities, it would seem there are better options than Celebrity.

Have you looked into other cruises in Australia and New Zealand for January 13 and following? You may have other options that will permit you to cancel your Celebrity cruise and use your booked airline tickets to sail another line. For example, HAL has a Jan 13 leaving from Sydney for 14 nts and you may be able to combine that sailing with another following. And having recently tried Celebrity for the first time, my impression is that HAL offers a far superior product and service. Good luck!

Starvation? Slavery? My goodness, perhaps I should cancel my upcoming cruise on SB and refrain from patronizing a line that engages in such abhorrent practices...🙄 😉

Thanks, lelak! Fortunately, my wife and I are able to get around without issues and rather prefer to take the stairs when cruising for the exercise and to avoid bringing home extra pounds. And I'm not talking about souvenirs in our luggage or British currency! But I can see that not having a working stair lift would be a significant issue for those who have difficulty walking or navigating a spiral staircase. I hope that didn't cause you any lasting difficulties or diminish an otherwise enjoyable cruise experience! 🙂 I found a photo here on CC in the Quest review section (https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise/seabourn/seabourn-quest/photos) that showed the "healthy" juices in the second mini-fridge. All of the ones whose brand I could identify have high fructose corn syrup as their second or third ingredient, so I'm not sure how "healthy" those are. Hopefully they'll have some unsweetened options including vegetable juices or "diet" fruit juices. Perhaps either I or our TA will reach out to Seabourn pre-cruise and discuss that with them. Is the balcony still furnished with padded loungers, sofa and chairs as well as a dining table as I have seen on some older photos of the spa suite balcony, such as the photo below? Did you use the spa amenities (thermal loungers, steam room/sauna, etc) and if so, any feedback? Were you in one of the two middle spa suites or a corner spa suite? Did you take any photos of your suite that you'd be comfortable posting? Thanks again!

There are quite a few in this recent lhread from VintageCheap...

I like the Brightline train to get to and from the Miami cruise terminals to and from Fort Lauderdale, West Palm and points in between. You can even take it to and from Orlando. A premium ticket ($32.00 pp for the day you return) will include complimentary Uber pickup at the cruise terminal and drop off at the Miami Brightline station, one checked bag per person, access to the Brightline lounge (with complimentary snacks and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages) and very comfortable seating in the Premium car which will again offer complimentary snacks and beverages. When you arrive at Ft. Lauderdale, the ticket will also include complimentary Uber pickup at the Brightline station and transportation to any Ft. Lauderdale destination within five miles of the Brightline station. An option to consider.

Just wondering...when embarking on our recent Summit cruise we noticed a number of the cushions on the furniture in the rooftop terrace area had no covers. They were just very dingy yellow/orange bare foam without the covers. (A few others had covers on the cushions that were threadbare but many others were in pretty decent shape). The covers on the bare foam cushions were not replaced during our five night cruise (why they even left the bare foam on the furniture instead of storing it until recovered was something I couldn't figure out). Did they ever replace the covers on those cushions?

Thanks for the replies thus far, they have been very helpful! My travel agent was also able to get some of my questions answered, additionally I was able to find a few tidbits on other questions by digging deeper into some prior reviews and online videos. We went ahead and booked a Penthouse Spa Suite upgrade. While it wasn't the "bargain basement" priced upgrade that some others have reported on other sailings, with nine sea days in a row and the possibility of cool or inclement weather on a late March transatlantic sailing, we decided it was worth the expense to have more "moving around" space in our stateroom. The Spa suite is about 100 sq ft larger than a Penthouse Suite (and nearly as large as the mid-ship Owner's Suite), the shower looks as larger (or larger) than all of the other suites other than the Wintergarden, it has a great soaking tub, the aft balcony is huge, the location of the Spa Suites appears to provide for a great deal of privacy when that is desired and the in-room and spa amenities provided with the Spa Suites seem to be a nice bonus. We ruled out the Signature Suites and all of the forward Owner's Suites as we didn't believe we would see any benefit from the location or the balconies of those staterooms on this early spring transatlantic. I suspect it would likely be too windy and cool to enjoy forward-facing balconies on the nine sea days and those staterooms are likely to most feel any effects of rough seas we may encounter. While the Wintergarden Suite looked spectacular, the upgrade cost for that was about double the cost of the Penthouse Spa Suite and we just didn't see that as being a good value (not to mention the fact that my wife very much preferred a stateroom with a well-lit vanity mirror). Seabourn did confirm what I suspected about the upgrade amenities (and as noted by markandjie)...when upgrading you get all of the amenities associated with the upgraded suite except private car transfer, extra OBC for premium suite bookings and bonus Seabourn Club points when booking a Penthouse or higher suite category. Thanks again all! Fair winds and following seas...

DW and I are booked on the March 24 TA on the Quest from Miami to Las Palmas and received an upgrade offer from our TA yesterday to move from our Veranda suite to a higher category suite ranging from a Penthouse Suite to the Wintergarden Suite. While we are experienced cruisers, we are new to Seabourn so have quite a few questions that I haven't been able to find clear answers to online. Thanks for helping us sort our our options. 1. I have read that the curtains along the frosted glass walls separating the bedroom area in the Penthouse and Spa suites from the remainder of the suite are fairly sheer. On the other hand, I saw a video tour of a Penthouse Spa Suite posted online a year ago and those curtains didn't appear sheer (although they were open so it was hard to tell for certain). I am a very early rise while my DW prefers to sleep longer, particularly on vacation so I don't want to disturb her by turning on lights in the suite. Can anyone confirm whether those curtains will block the majority of any light in the suite? 2. Am I correct that Penthouse Suites and above have the Nespresso maker? Is there half and half in the stateroom or can it be requested? 3. I see that the Spa Suite includes some additional amenities, such as juices, waters and more healthy snacks/fruits in your stateroom and complimentary use of the Spa Serene area (which I understand includes the thermal loungers, sauna/steam bath/Laconium and outdoor spa deck with loungers). Is that accurate? How busy is that area, particularly on sea days (we have nine of those)? I read here that the stateroom attendants for the Spa Suites also service staterooms on another deck. I couldn't tell from the comments whether that was just an observation or if there were service lapses as a result. Any thoughts? 4. A number of the available options are either at the bow of the ship (like the Signature Suites) or the aft (Spa Suites). While I know that nobody can predict weather and sea conditions for our sailing, any opinions on the location of those for a transatlantic sailing (west to east)? Since the ship will have to make 15 knots/hr on average to reach our first port on time after leaving Miami (if my math is correct), I imagine the balconies on the bow cabins will be unusable for the most part. 5. There is one owner's suite that is midship (731) but I can't find much information about that stateroom. How does the size and layout of that owner's suite compare to other suites onboard? 6. On the videos and photos of the Wintergarden suites, I wasn't able to see a vanity table with side lighting. I also am having a hard time seeing the size of the shower (it appears from video tours that there is a massive tub in the bath but a circular shower that may be smaller than found in penthouse and other suites). I also understand that noise from furniture on the pool deck directly above can be an issue. Can anyone shed light on these things? 7. According to the Seabourn website, the Penthouse Suites and higher receive a complimentary Stream Wi-Fi package. Is the reliability and speed of that package markedly different than the Surf Wi-Fi package? However... 8. The upgrade letter to our TA reads, in part: "On all sailings promotional or suite amenities are based on the non-discounted category paid, not the upgraded suite category." I know that the complimentary transportation post-cruise is not included with a paid upgrade, but otherwise, what specifically does that language mean? Does that mean that we will only receive the amenities associated with our current Veranda booking and not the other suite amenities (like complimentary Spa Serene access with a Spa Suite or the upgraded Wi-Fi)? On the other hand, the Seabourn information on the Wi-Fi packages reads "Guests receiving a complimentary upgrade into a Penthouse or Premium suite will not automatically receive the Stream package." So I'm not clear how to read the language in the upgrade letter. Surely they don't intend to remove the Nespresso machine from upgraded suites since that isn't included with the Veranda suite category! 😮😉 9. This is a complete shot in the dark, but since most of the amenities on Seabourn are included with all stateroom categories, I'm curious how experienced Seabourn folks value the upgraded suites? I'd be interested in your opinions on what you would pay (per day) to move from a Veranda to a Penthouse, Penthouse Spa, Owner's, Signature or Wintergarden Suite. I just am not sure how to "value" the offer we received (or if that is even possible). Can we afford to upgrade? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? That is the condundrum! Thanks all for your help and your prior threads and posts on Seabourn. We are looking forward to our first voyage with them in March!

We haven't sailed any of the premium, ultra-premium or luxury lines yet but we are looking forward to giving them a try. I wouldn't call our cruise "disappointing" rather it seemed to me to be pretty typical of the average mid-tier cruise product now being offered out there and still represents a good vacation value. But even an average cruise beats sitting in Atlanta traffic any day of the week!

I don't know but I went down to guest services when directed by our cabin steward after I didn't have them in our stateroom the final night. The explanation for their absence from our cabin steward was that it was because we were listed as "self-assist", so it sounded to me as though they should have been in our stateroom absent a glitch in their app or elsewhere that had us listed incorrectly as "self-assist". In any event, I was prepared to wait for them at guest services (after waiting in line to be helped) but was told by the guest services representative, and then again by phone later, that they would be delivered to our stateroom. It wasn't a big issue, it was just inconvenient to have to carry off both pieces of luggage and our overnight bag, particularly after asking several times for the luggage tags. That was the first time in dozens of cruises that we experienced this.

Now that we are both retired, my wife and I have resumed cruising and as part of that we decided to try a few more of the main-stream lines we had not sailed before. We prefer small to medium size ships (about 100,000 GT or less with under 2,000 passengers) and have no interest in megaships. Summit was right on the upper limit of our preferred ship size and passenger capacity. We found a nice price on the Summit 11/27 sailing to Key West, Bimini and Nassau (5 nts). While we have been to Key West and Nassau more times than we can count, we wanted to give Celebrity a try so the itinerary wasn't important and those aren't part of this mini-review. We booked a balcony guarantee and immediately were assigned a "sweet sixteen" balcony on deck 6. The room was well-located although from about 9pm until 11pm we occasionally experienced "bass" thumping from music either from the late theater show or music on the pool deck. It wasn't so loud or disturbing to be a problem but others more sensitive to such may wish to select a different location onboard for their cabin. The cabin was cleaned twice daily with chocolates on the pillows on nights one and two only. There was a substantial amount of rust on the balcony and visible on many of the balcony supports above us and visible from windows in the Oceanview cafe. We never saw any maintenance on those areas. However, public areas were kept very clean and there was always somebody mopping a floor or wiping down the stairway railings. Boarding in Miami was relatively speedy although for the first time ever (cruising since the early 1970's and married for 30+ years) the check-in attendant believed we needed a marriage certificate. After I showed her the website for Celebrity's document requirements on my phone, she checked with her supervisor who quickly corrected her and apologized to us for the delay in boarding. They also took new photos instead of using those we uploaded (Royal Caribbean did the same in late 2021). The menus were as posted in VintageCheap's recent Live from the Celebrity Constellation thread. Food is often the most subjective part of the cruise experience. We found that food was fine with an adequate selection and generally properly prepared and served. Nothing great, nothing terrible. I'd rate it as average/slightly above-average for MDR cruise dining. I did have a few observations: while I didn't order the "always available" steak, those at our table who did received a very, very well-done piece of tough meat regardless of how they ordered it. Hamburgers/cheeseburgers at the Pool Grill were very overdone the two times I ordered them, nearly crispy! I then saw you can have one cooked to order so I ordered one medium. It was not even medium rare but rare. I hate to waste food but I ate 0/3 hamburgers I was served there (on the other hand, the hot dog I had was quite good). Eggs Benedict in the Oceanview Cafe were usually cool to cold by the time I got to a table, I suspect that is because the Hollandaise sauce is not kept in a warmer but in a bowl sitting nearby. MDR and Oceanview Cafe service was excellent with a very attentive and friendly waiter and assistant waiter. I found one exception to the generally friendly service at the Spa Cafe in the Solarium. The first smoothie I ordered was very runny and thin. I ordered another one the next morning and asked that the young lady put a few tablespoons of yogurt (sitting right there during breakfast hours) in when she mixed it. Her curt and somewhat discourteous reply was "we don't do that". So when I received my smoothie I removed the lid, added yogurt and stirred it around myself. Perhaps she was having a bad day as that inflexible and less than friendly reply was not typical during this trip. On three of the days, the Solarium was very, very noisy as workers used hammers to chip away rust near the pool/hot tub stairs and repaint. They had that area closed entirely (the pool/hot tubs, not the Solarium itself) for a good part of one of our days. And for some reason, there were no bar waiters at all in the Solarium...we never saw one. So we had to go to a bar near the pool to get a soda or sparkling water as did others who wanted something a bit stronger. However, bar waiters were everywhere on the pool deck itself. Passengers? We found many to be very friendly and engaging and we joined several other couples for entertainment offerings or dinner. Most seemed to be courteous to other passengers and crew. But we also found some whose behavior seemed to be more suited to Carnival; shoving by other passengers in line, verbally berating other passengers who occupied a lounge chair they had "reserved" three hours before (and whose newspaper/magazine had been removed by Celebrity crew), and showing up late, loud and inebriated for a show, a game or other entertainment. The "dress code" in the MDR was not enforced and some wore clothing not in keeping with the Smart Casual or Evening Chic requirements (more like suggestions it appeared). But that is a topic of some disagreement so I won't belabor that observation any further. The overall entertainment was very good to average. Comedian Shayma Tash was great (I was already familiar with her) early in the cruise, however, Celebrity cancelled her "adult" comedy show scheduled for 10:15pm the final night of the cruise due to what they described as a personal situation. A vocalist and a magician were both very good as was the in-house band (they called it an orchestra but it was just a rhythm section with a single trumpet and saxophone). Other than the acrobatic entertainers, the production shows were mediocre. And on a very picky note, a good friend who is a well-known sound engineer in Nashville would have cringed at the horrible intro music and announcement welcoming you to the Celebrity Summit theater before every show. Heavy thumping bass and screeching treble "notes" at very high volume makes it seem like it was an amateur recording produced by a teenager on his/her home computer. We didn't try the specialty dining as the only reservation times open for the Tuscan Grille were much later than our preferred dining times. And is every single person in the MDR on the final night required to tell you to give them ten out of ten on the post-cruise survey?? We heard that from at least four Celebrity crew members who came to our table. To end the cruise, Celebrity dropped the ball with our disembarkation. We filled out the disembarkation information on the app and expected our luggage be taken the night before (they call it "luggage assist" I believe) to retrieve in the terminal. When we found no luggage tags in our stateroom after the last night cleaning and turndown service, we asked our stateroom attendant who said we were listed as "self-assist" and needed to carry our own luggage off. I mentioned that we didn't want to carry our own luggage off and didn't select that in the app, she said to go to guest services. Once there, the guest services crew member apologized for the mix-up, asked for our preferred disembarkation time, and said we'd receive luggage tags delivered to our stateroom within fifteen minutes. An hour and a half later (11:00pm by now) and still no luggage tags after calling to check on the status of them twice. Needless to say, we never received the luggage tags and had to carry all of our luggage off ourselves. Immigration/customs in Miami was fast and efficient, once we departed the ship we were waiting at the curb for our Uber to the airport within ten minutes. Where do we rank Celebrity? About equal to Royal Caribbean, superior to NCL and Carnival and far superior to MSC. However, we didn't find the food, service and condition of the ship as good as HAL. Our next sailing is on Seabourn and we'll be trying Viking Ocean, Silversea and RSSC as well. Would we sail Celebrity again? Perhaps, but much will depend on our experiences on some of the other ships we'll be trying over the course of the next year. If we do choose Celebrity again, it is likely to be on an expedition sailing to the Galapagos.

Makes perfect sense and since the OP can select the earliest boarding time available (11:30 am) there shouldn't be any worries about missing lunch or otherwise maximizing their enjoyment of the ship on embarkation day! 😃