Georgia_Peaches

Will definitely share our thoughts on HC! Pics too!

Our bid for Nov 26 sailing is still showing as pending.

WooHoo! Our boarding docs say we depart at 3:30!

It's a dreary day in the ATL but vacation has officially begun. We are off the the airport and once we get over the traffic hump it will hopefully be smooth sailing. I've scouted several MARTA stations along the I85 corridor in case we need to make a quick exit and take the train into the airport instead. Combine holiday travel and light rain and it makes for a perfect storm on the Atlanta highways and byways. One advantage we have going for us is that most metro area schools are off this week so this should significantly reduce the traffic on the roads. A 60 mile trek to the airport could easily take two hours on a good day! Wish us luck!

We have $950 on our May, 2024 Alaska cruise. $600 is coming from Celebrity as a suite guest (before they dropped the obc) and the rest is coming from our TA. The following year we are booked on Regent for a 10 night Med cruise. We are getting $1000 from regent for being new to the brand and $800 from our TA. To date,That will be the most we’ve ever had. on our Ascent cruise this week we have $425 from our TA (first leg) and $600 from Celebrity (second leg in a suite).

Hope we cross paths, Den. Safe travels.

Yes, my understanding is that she is moving to pier 25 in the wee hours of 11/21.

Just terrible. Sounds like a nightmare! This makes a very good case for walking off with one’s luggage in tact. I hope you get this sorted!

Lol. Since I retired in 2019 I find myself so busy that I often wonder how I ever managed a full time job! Have a great flight! One more sleep and We are right behind you!

Wow! I never get tired of the sight of cruise ships at the pier. So majestic! Thanks for posting!

Good to know RY! I’m in the more the merrier camp but I can see how the 12/1 event would be more appealing for all involved. I don’t think it would be fair to the paying passengers only because my assumption is that there would be exclusive/private events specifically for TAs and bloggers/vloggers that would maybe necessitate closing certain venues. It’s a complete guess on my part. Looking forward to finding out.

Wow! He's a beauty! Glad to have you along!

So glad you posted this! I didn't get that far in to his video. I agree, he does seem like a genuine cruising enthusiast!

Still no menus in the app but the daily planner is fully loaded along with events at the spa. Fitness classes (not that I'll be enrolling in those) are still pending. A youtube video popped up in my feed from a guy named Zach who indicated that he was booked on the maiden voyage for Ascent on Dec. 3rd but has cancelled due to the two preview cruises (this one) and the fact that he will not be among the first to sail. A shame, but I guess I understand... Anyway, there's a laundry list of things to do today...just one more sleep 'till lift off! 😎

Just two more sleeps before we head to the airport. As luck would have it, Tuesday promises 90% rain throughout most of the day. I’m guessing this is in part due to the weather system that brought flooding rain in some areas of central and south Florida over the last few days. In contrast, we’ve had beautiful weather and warm-ish temps throughout most of October and November. Perhaps it’s Murphy’s law or just plain luck of the draw… either way, we’ve changed our transport time to Hartsfield-Jackson from 9:30 to 9:00 am leaving nothing to chance when it comes to traffic in Atlanta. Already, news reports are calling for record travel through the airport in the coming days. Where on Earth are all these people going?! Anyway, we will be right there among the hustle and bustle. Can’t wait. On another note, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the dinner menus to load into the app. So far there’s nary a word regarding what’s on offer at any dining venue on this ship. What I did read however, is that there is a $20 fee for an additional entree at Butchers Cut. Is this standard? I ask because I don’t see this for Eden. Though we don’t make a habit of ordering multiple entrees, we did combine surf and turf at Murano and ordered half portions of various dishes at Tuscan Grille. In fact, our server encouraged it! And there was no up charge for doing so. Just wondering what others have experienced.

Cozumel for the first leg and Nassau for the second leg.

I would opt for the end of June due to heat. We did a med cruise in July and it was HOT. In fact, end of June will be hot too but not as hot as July and August. We are following up with another Med cruise, this time from Venice into Croatia and the southern tip of Italy. We are going at the end of April/beginning of May when temps are in the mid 70's.

Your point is well taken and I am not trying to minimize the comments of others but I would just like to add that the OP indicated they are not on the maiden voyage but rather, sailing on Ascent in January. It seems OP is perhaps miffed on behalf of those who are actually on the maiden voyage....none of whom I've seen express concern as of yet...at least here on CC.

I think that's fair...

You can likely still dine in Tuscan for the entire cruise even if no reservation times are showing in the App. Just check when you board...they usually hold back some time slots and people often cancel once on board as their plans change. Still looking for the menus to show up in my app...

Thank you, Jim. Looking forward to following your adventures!

Exactly this. We knew we weren't going to be on the maiden voyage and have no expectation of grand celebrations or memorabilia...I'm sure that is planned for what Celebrity has called the true maiden voyage. I look at the preview cruises as like a soft opening that some retail stores do before all the pomp and circumstance of the grand opening. yes! I believe the 2 preview cruises have been available for quite a while now...I don't think it was as if they only recently decided to do this to make up for extra time in the timeline...but I could be wrong. We booked the 2 previews back in August and frankly, I half expected them to be cancelled due to unforeseen delays. Thankfully that didn't happen. Just 3 more sleeps until we embark!

I have taken bubble wrap with me to bring the bottles home in my suitcase. We usually don’t open them on the cruise so they are full.

Well said, LD! Thank you for the kind words. Happy to have you along!

Thanks! Adding it to the planner now!