jdr93

it was, as it shows in the episode, the Romanza, a chandris ship. as usual rumpole teaches a lesson and helps someone out of a difficult situation. during almost all the scenes shot onboard you can feel the rumble of the motors and the smell of the diesel smoke.

the new royal caribbean and celebrity websites are awful. they are not intuitive, they are frustrating. they are glitchy. they are almost guaranteed to anger anyone who attempts to use them for any cruising purpose. rccl should drop back to the "old" sites while they fix all the problems with the "new".

 

and not a fan of the new cruise critic site either, but at leas it works.

 

john

If I had to take the stairs after dinner to deck 12 you would find me dead in the Library. Like a game of clue.

stairs are easy, with lots of landings to rest on. if you feel like resting consider it just an opportunity to say hi. cruisers are generally friendly and helpful.

 

john

On board now. Will ask around. See what hilarity has in store for someone in a suite q

Thanks both. Well, there's no harm in asking I suppose!

though a kettle has not been one of my requests, the butler has always said "yes, be right back" to those I have made.

 

John

Thanks greydog, that was my fear. I usually go through a cup an hour so I wish I could just have a kettle really

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

l am currently on the eclipse which is on its way to Southampton, traveling with a couple who life in York. We each brought our own bags of Taylor's Yorkshire tea. They are traveling in an aqua cabin and were provided by their cabin steward with an electric kettle to make their tea in their cabin. Must likely if you ask your butler a kettle will be provided for your use as well. If you prefer a certain brand of tea you would probably be best served by bringing a sufficient quantity with you when you board the ship.

 

John

well done. enjoyable style and a fair amount of objective information to go along with the subjective thoughts

thank you

 

john

WOW

end WOW

Yes, VoIP takes up too much bandwidth so ships block the required ports.

On the infinity last week there was amazing internet at most times of day (except between meals most days).

Cellular on the ship on the same sailing worked great. $2.50 a minute charge for roaming from att.

 

john

this spring i sailed the reflection from miami to rome. while it was a great cruise, the blu experience was a disappointment. i had booked blu because our summit sailing in aqua had been so much fun, special and delicious. on the reflection food in blu was essentially the same food as in the mdr, prepared and presented, it seemed, in much the same fashion as in the mdr. the service felt rushed even though there was a long wait between plates. i ended up eating in the mdr more nights than in blu; service there wasn't rushed, very good food was hot. with friends i met on-board tried the tuscan grill twice and the service was properly paced, all the staff were friendly.

the best meal by far was in murano, even though the host stood and chatted (hovered) at our table for far too long.

on the last dress-up night i did go to blu for the lobster and found it to be the best i've ever had on a ship, but the service was still poor. my waiter even made her assistant cry in the middle of the dining room, though the waiter was the one doing the poor job while the assistant was trying to do everything in her power to make sure her section was happy.

reflection had too many aqua and suite passengers for the size of the dining room, it was always packed from start of supper to end of service. at times the line was long enough outside the maitre'd from the tuscan came over with menus.

oh, unlike some others commenting in this wonderful review of your sailing i had a good experience with the wine steward, he was attentive and friendly. it was obvious though he did have too many tables to cover.

Hi guys

have not been following the boards -- snip --

-- snip --

 

With the talk of chits for drinks as opposed to cocktails in the sky lounge, what next ? it so cheapens -- snip --

no worries, there are still many many people in the lounge enjoying the atmosphere and fellow guests. there was even a good jazz ensemble in the lounge during the cocktail hours on last spring's reflection transat. the "chits", so called, are just a courtesy to those who might feel crowded crushed or claustrophobic if everyone was in the lounge.

 

john

[quote name='Schplinky']I read that, too, but to be fair, that never once happened to us in line at Blu.[/QUOTE] usually they're getting bookings outside the cafeteria at breakfast and lunch. Sometimes you'll see a waiter hovering around a particularly long line at blu, trying to relieve the congestion. Never heard that being elite (so called ) counted for anything as far as specialty restaurant discounts go. Seating in a crowded specialty yes, but not discounts. The discounts are most available at the end of the cruise, sometimes even half price. A friend got comped by the casino hostess and three of us ate at Tuscan with wine no cost, though we left a large tip for the excellent service

John

I have a reminder in my calendar to check rates this week. I noticed today there are a number of special rates currently being offered. They don't help me, and won't help any of you who also booked ages ago at lower rates, but they might help some of you who have booked more recently and qualify. If I haven't mentioned your category, it is either sold out or not currently eligible.

 

Here they are:

 

AS: Military rate

S1: Senior and military rate

S2: Senior and military rate

SV: Senior and military rate

1A: Senior Rate

1B: Senior and military rate

1C: Senior and military rate

2C: Military Rate

C1: Military Rate

C2: Military Rate

C3: Military Rate

A1: Military Rate

7: Military Rate

8: Military Rate

9: Senior and military rate

10: Senior and military rate

 

thank you for posting the note above. saved me a sea chest of money. without losing my captain's club obc

 

Thanks, Lee. I hope there are people who can take advantage. Even if you booked earlier, if you qualify, you can get the lower rate. Our A1 cabin went originally for $2100, then went up to $2900 PP. I was able to get the military rate of $1629 PP without rebooking. Since X doesn't allow more than one promotion at a time, I had to give up my Captain's Club OBC, though my TA increased their OBC. It was more than worth it for the huge discount on the cruise.

sdbart: i don't know what circumstance would cause you to lose your captain's club obc, that has not in my experience ever happened to me or anyone i know. i wonder if maybe your ta made an error and rebooked you rather than just ask celebrity for the new lower rate.

 

now a decline in prices on the 10/19/13 silhouette would be another welcome present.

 

john

Hi LibraryLady,

First, as always, a huge THANK YOU for all you do to keep track of all this information.

Second, I just read a new Eclipse Member Review with some important cabin information re noise. This is not in the preferred format, but these changes in the S-class layout above AQ should be noted:

 

Aquaclass. ECLIPSE Beware cabins 1502 to 1518

snip

this is too bad, but good information; so eclipse sailors can avoid the problem. thank you

john

- snip -

 

After the questions please add any comments concerning location - close to elevators, far from specific venues, etc. Also, post links to your photos of specific cabins or attach photos to the post.

 

 

Deck - PENTHOUSE

Cabin # - 1545

Class – AQUACLASS

Starboard or Port Side - STARBOARD

Bed near?(balcony or bath) –NEAR BALCONY

 

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – YES

 

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – CLEAR VIEW, YOU CAN SEE THE CAPT. ON THE BRIDGE. NICE OVERHANG.

 

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - NORMAL

 

Was wind a problem? NO, SOME SUN LATE AFTERNOON, NICE

 

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem?

 

Any specific problems with this cabin? Next to housekeeping closet but you don't notice it.

 

Any other comments? Great location near elevators, just beneath AquaSpa, Aqua Spa cafe and adult only pool. Relaxation room is just down the hall. Closet is small, but we had plenty of hangers, cubby space under the safe fit 8 pairs of shoes (ladies sz 7 1/2). Cabinet above the bed was perfect for hubbies shoes and smaller bags.

what ship?

Here is the newly updated spreadsheet, current through the previous post.

A couple of requests:

PLEASE, include ship name in your posting.

Let me know if you find any errors

Email me at the address below if you would like an Excel version of the spreadsheet.

this is a great document. thank you for tour effort of corralling us all and for putting the information into what is becoming quite a comprehensive document.

 

john

Attached is the latest update to the spreadsheet. - snip -

[*]I am cross posting this on the X board too.

many thank yous to donna and sandy for the work of building and maintaining this long list of solstice class cabins. and thank you to all who took the time to send their descriptions and comments.

i think cabin 1023 was deducted from this latest list. it was the only port side forward c2 or c3 cabin listed.

 

john