JCruise85

It's gotten a lot better since our first sailing in March 2022. I literally couldn't even use it the first day and when I went to their IT person they couldn't figure it out either. 

Turns out the solution was literally hitting an invisible button on a random point on the screen. 

The official Celebrity FAQ lists frozen drinks/smoothies (though this might not include Spa Cafe smoothies) with the new Zero Proof. 

We have it on our reflection cruise next week and if we notice anything we can't get that we would expect I'll report back.

I'll just say I find all the "X is so much worse now" comments are kind of funny because I've been reading this since we started sailing with them in 2015. 

I'm sure it is, in some ways, worse than it was when Celebrity first opened. Isn't everything? (The wonderful world of cutbacks)

But I sometimes wonder if it isn't just the change in food quality and more the change in people's expectations (or taste buds).

In several cruising with X, we've yet to have a bad time and never not come off the cruise considerably heavier. 

We're on the sailing right after yours and excited to see your updates! 

Haven't been on the Reflection since 2016 in the Mediterranean where we loved it and don't mind it hasn't been revolutionized. 

We were on Summit recently that has been, and while I like some of the upgrades, I kind of missed the older room layouts. Felt like they got rid of a lot of storage. 

We just got a notice from Celebrity asking us to arrive an hour later to checkin

We moved our flights up so we'll be in Miami before noon Wednesday. 

Should be fine as far as we can tell. 

1 minute ago, upwarduk said:

Suites have sold out this year.

Yeah, it seems like the suites sell out almost instantly and then the rest of the ship remains empty.
I was looking at our upcoming cruise in two weeks and there was lots of availability in everything but suites were all gone.

Bose Quiet Comfort over ears will always be the go to, but they are expensive.

Anymore, most in ears have some level of active noise canceling. The old Apple Air Pod Pros have fairly good noise canceling, and you can likely find them on sale as the new versions just came out.

I use the new Galaxy Buds2 Pros and the noise canceling on them is excellent.

The towel animals are probably based on who your cabin steward is and if they have the time to do as such.

1 hour ago, kirtihk said:

are born

Pretty much.

Even before Covid, there were outbreaks on cruises all the time.

Or at gyms (dirty gym rats don't know how to wipe down equipment). Grocery stores. Planes. Theme parks. You name it.

People get sick constantly from just interacting in the world.

Best advice, if you don't want to be a recluse, is to just take smart precautions.

Get your shots, wash your hands, don't lick the doorknobs (No, stop it. I don't care how tasty they look, don't do it).

21 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Reading the recent stories about several brawls on Carnival ships has given me a bad impression of that line.  But those brawls may be total anomalies. I've never seen a brawl on Celebrity--but Celebrity cruisers may just be wary of breaking a hip.

Never seen a brawl on a Celebrity ship but an elderly gentleman did bring a knife to the formal night party.

It was apparently to pop balloons, so it was both annoying and unnerving.

6 minutes ago, WestLakeGirl said:

I believe the OP has misunderstood what the “no tax and no duty” statement means.  
 

It does mean that taxes and duty were not charged on that item when it was placed into the shipboard inventory.

 

It does not mean that you do not pay tax and duty on the item.  Whether you might be charged taxes or duty depends on the local laws as well as the laws of your home country when you return there.

 

This is a common misconception

 

 

 

Yes. In the US, there's generally an $800 limit to items you can purchase outside the US and bring back without paying taxes. Regardless of where you purchased them.

Certainly, no one should feel they are being harassed or targeted, but "Duty/Tax free" is similar to "Lifetime warranty" it's a marketing term to get sales.

It doesn't mean what it should mean.

I don't know how anyone wears hats for long periods anyway.

Always makes my head itchy.

1 hour ago, Denny01 said:

To emphasize the point, the food on Celebrity ships are pretty much the same, so Solstice will have the same quality and choices as Eclipse, and postings about the quality of food is Very subjective.

 

I got a kick out of one post reminding all of us that Celebrity MDRs are the same as our local fast-food places…right. So along with being very subjective, you have those posting just to get reactions, or to show their superiority to us commoners. 

 

We cruised Solstice this last July and loved her. Good shape, excellent dining (for us), outstanding service and Alaska is fantastic. 

 

Den

Man, I'd love to see the fast food places they go to.

Drive through seared duck, salmon tartare and veal sounds like an experience.

This happens constantly to me. Won't let me access stuff like Excursions or changes to a cruise.

It just randomly unlocks a day or two later.

People have been complaining about cruising standards going downhill since commercial cruising was a thing.

Almost as if things change over time or something.

I haven't been on Silhouette since 2019 (just months before the happening), but I was on Virgin this past February.

They both have their plus and minuses.

I will say, the all included restaurants on Virgin are amazing. Gunbae is food heaven and the Galley is great.

The atmosphere is definitely more lively. They have an actual party club by the casino that will blow your ear drums if you're there too long.

Celebrity is definitely more traditional. The entertainment is definitely better and more organized on Celebrity as Virgin is still getting a footing there. Also, Cafe Al Bacio is my favorite place on any cruise.

Crews on both are great, but Virgin has a slight edge here (from my experience). They're very friendly, not pushy and will go out of their way to make you happy.

It can be kind of a toss up. We have a Celebrity booked this year and a Virgin next, we really enjoy both lines, but for very different reasons.

Either from the app or from a tablet at the tables in the Galley the ability to order food.

Even on lighter sailings, we've had trouble getting service (and most of the stations will not just give you food).

14 minutes ago, sjb317 said:

Funny, there were quite a few men wearing shorts, t shirts and baseball caps in the MDR each night on our Summit cruise that ended Monday.  No one seemed to care.

 

Sherri🙂

I guarantee some people cared. 

And a few probably even complained to their maitre d'. (I have seen more than one older person or couple throw their napkins down in disgust and leave in the middle of dinner when someone in shorts walked in)

The crew, however, would be very unlikely to say anything because it honestly doesn't effect them as long as the person isn't being disruptive to the dining process.

28 minutes ago, bdstickks0944 said:

People just like to complain.  

Some (many?) live for it.

Cafe Al Bacio is where I spend probably half the cruise on an X ship.

We went in February and have a second (longer) cruise booked for next year.

It's my favorite line.

The food is outstanding.

I could literally eat at Gunbae every night and the Galley always seems to have more than one thing I want (curse having only a single stomach). 

The staff went out of their way to make us feel welcomed and happy.

The scarlet night was rainy and cold so they did everything inside and it was a blast. Lots of games and activities all over the ship.

Sounds like the Reflection booking would be a far better deal. 14 nights on a wonderful boat with a great itinerary.

Ugh!!! I really hope that celebrity has not just gotten rid of Le Grand Bistro for breakfast and lunch. It gave an alternative option for breakfast and lunch, and I was excited about the menu. The concept seemed great because it was multi functional and not just a "dinner venue." Le Petit Chef, will be a one and done for most of us.

Especially since you can literally only eat at it once per cruise!

Le Grand Bistro seemed to have a good menu, too!

Quite disappointing.