Georgia_Peaches

So good news-bad news…I vow to take it all in stride. Good news is activities are finally starting to load into the app for Ascent. I’m looking for menus any day now. Bad news? Well it seems our S1 sky suite mid-ship deck 10 has been downgraded to an S3 on the magic carpet. Hmm. Not the end of the world. We’ve booked a MC for Alaska. Just wondering why the change? The app shows the new room but my cruise planner on line shows the original room. Maybe we will win an upgrade bid and in the words of Joey this will become a “moo point”. Just a tiny bit bummed.

Minnie, meet Piper. I have grown children, grandchildren, a brother and wonderful parents…all of whom I love dearly. But when I go away, it’s this cat I miss the most. Don’t tell them I said so. 🤭

Lol. I can see how that might have “sounded”. We are definitely keen and partial to sleeping in our assigned stateroom, though I may or may not have slept a bit in the solarium after a looong night of cruising. 😜😂. What I meant was, I think we are the first to sleep in our room…unless the ship is currently carrying media types who got a head start on us…I really don’t know how these pre-launch festivities work.

Omg I am so happy for you guys!!! I didn’t think they would be notifying this soon out. That’s great news. Our bids still show as pending.

Thank you! Yes, we plan on trying the various MDR’s except for the 23rd…we have Eden reserved for that night.

YAY!! Thank you for joining! 😊

Always a good time to make great memories!

Thank you, hcat. Very well said! So happy to have you along!

LOL...too funny! With that nightmare in mind, we booked a morning flight to FLL with at least 9 flights after us...just in case! So glad to have you along 😊!

Now that I’ve whittled this cruise countdown into the single digits, I thought I’d begin my post a little early in the hopes that you will indulge my excitement to finally get started! But first, I’d like to invite any fellow Cruise Critic friends who are on this journey to join in this review as I know excitement levels are high and should be shared with anyone who wants to contribute! So why this cruise? Well, it might be a little risky embarking on a brand-new ship…with a brand-new crew…breaking in brand-new quirks but DH and I will celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary of 19 years on November 23rd and we were looking for something different, new and maybe even a little bit quirky. Now, I know what you’re thinking… 19 years isn’t a traditional milestone number. I agree. But since we are both in round two marriages, any year over 5 (for me) and 9 (for him) is a milestone we are darn proud to celebrate 😉. We initially booked this cruise back in August as a way to try out E class before embarking on Edge for our Alaska cruise next June. Not having been overly intrigued by the E class concept, we have been sticking to S class for the last couple of years. Something @Spif Barwunkel said not so long ago made me take a second look at what E class has to offer. For the first leg of our cruise, entitled, Four Night Taste of Luxury DH and I will be sailing in a Porthole Veranda. We will round out the second leg, entitled Three Night Bahamas Getaway in an S1 Sky Suite. Although we were invited to place an upgrade bid on both legs, I only submitted one for the Sky Suite leg of the cruise. I’m really excited to compare the two experiences (non-Retreat/Retreat) and like the idea of dining in many different venues, so kept the PV1 as is. Our upgrade bid for the Sky Suite leg is for either a Royal Suite or an Edge Villa Suite. Both are showing as sold out but I’ve also read that these pre-maiden cruises are likely sailing at reduced capacity. Our bid is in the “Strong” range but I am happy with our accommodations either way. In fact, the Sky Suite surprised me…I booked it as a Guarantee at a Military rate and was immediately assigned a mid-ship S1 category at a pretty good rate. Additionally, since we booked before the changes to AI, we are still getting the OBC and the paid gratuities...not bad at all. I imagine this cruise will be filled with firsts…here’s what I’ve got so far: First time on a brand-new ship First b2b…albeit a short one First E class ship First Porthole Veranda First to sleep in the stateroom bed…(well maybe a first) First time with Amethyst perks in the casino For anyone who has ever sailed on a preview or maiden cruise, feel free to share any advice, tips, and tricks! And finally (for now)... a look at Ascent's current location. I feel like she still has a ways to go to get to Freeport by the 18th…but what do I know?!

It was a wonderful discovery to learn that the ceiling is magnetic. I used a hook to hang my portable, usb rechargeable fan over my bed when we slept. Pure bliss.

Not much for children to do beyond kids club for the 2 older kiddos. Plus no dedicated pool area either. They will have to share with the adults. You know your kids. Will they be happy in the E class atmosphere? Did they utilize the kid features of the RCL ship(s) you cruised in the past? I’ve read that X does a pretty good job with the kid’s club. But if I were to sail with kids ages 7/4/1, I’d go with RCL for the more balanced mix of multigenerational things to do.

Congrats on your successful move up bid!! Do you mind sharing what range your bid fell into...We have a move up bid in for both a RS and an Edge Villa and we bid in the "lower end of strong" range. My understanding is that you get the perks associated with the room category you've been moved to but you retain the points and booking perks of your original booking.

Most helpful! Thank you!

Totally understand the school/limited income situation! You can absolutely have a wonderful experience outside of YC. I have no experience with random upgrades happening from the upgrade fairy. But the cost to upgrade being presented by the casino is very, very reasonable...especially for an 8 night cruise. Personally, if we were on a very tight budget I would stick with the comped room I was given and use any extra money I allotted for the trip for drinks and other expenses. There are so many places to enjoy the outdoors on the ship. In fact, our last YC room was an interior...we spent a lot of time on the sun deck so I didn't miss the balcony.

Where did the snacks go?

Please expand on this. Where do you plug the travel router? Where does one get a travel router? This device allows for streaming?

How many nights for your cruise? 3k for YC is a no brainer and completely worth it.

No, I don’t think so. I just misunderstood the previous 40% off promotion. I didn’t realize it was on every guest. I thought it was only for the second guest. 40% off both guests is better that 75% off one guest. The mystery is what is the base price that the % off is being applied to? I’m not sure where that base price is listed.

Our embarkation tradition is Sushi on 5 for lunch unless we’re in a suite…

Our experience as well.

Yes, I will keep checking!

You got the better deal! That's awesome! I should have done the same on Beyond yesterday but I dragged my feet. Win some-lose some. 😌

Ok, I could have sworn it was 40% off second guest but if it was every guest, then I guess the math is in line. 75% of second guest is not quite as good a deal as 40% off every guest. Thanks for the clarification. I knew I was missing something...thanks all!

So true! However, I think in this case, the banging and knocking people are experiencing goes beyond what one would expect on a cruise ship in the ocean. Pipes rattling and such. Sounds dreadful!