lolawpb

You will be allowed to choose a boarding time through the online check-in system. The Retreat is handled differently though. You will have a separate check in area and possibly a lounge depending on the port. Usually, Retreat guests are allowed to board whenever they want after boarding begins. They have staff to guide you through the process and it was very quick and easy for us.

I have sailed that itinerary, in reverse order, with SS. It was my favorite cruise. While I enjoyed the Retreat on my recent Beyond voyage, there are other advantages to SS. Since the ship is not as large and the "Retreat type" service is throughout the ship, it doesn't feel as restrictive. The excursions are often more unique and many are small group adventures. Sometimes you will dock in smaller ports which is a different experience than the tourist ports give. SS will dock in both types depending on the itinerary. We love SS and will sail with them again at some point. We are trying Celebrity for a few Florida-based cruises because we can drive to Lauderdale or Miami and park easily. Our recent Beyond voyage was great but we were only sailing to relax and enjoy the ship so I can say that the less populated ships are my favorite for port-intensive voyages. SS ships never feel crowded and the vibe is quieter without the vivacious pool atmosphere we saw on Celebrity so keep that in mind. The shows are mostly musical performances and aren't technical feats like the ones we saw on Beyond but that can be a personal preference also. They have trivia, golf putting, pool volleyball, guest lecturers which usually tie into the location, etc. so we found plenty to do on board. I agree about the points as I have a lot of SS points and now have a separate Captains Club account. I believe SS used to allow them to add up for credit on a cruise but I'm not sure what they are good for now.

Hi. We have sailed on Silversea many times and have just recently been trying Celebrity out. I am also looking at Oceania right now. From what I can see so far, the main difference is that Silversea is all-inclusive. Oceania still has beverage packages to purchase and Wi-fi to pay for whereas that is automatically included in the price on Silversea. Drinks are included and unlimited. The new Silversea model seems to be a full experience with flights, transfers, and even transportation to and from your home. I'm not sure what I think of that. Most of Silversea's restaurants are included but there are a few with a cover charge on the various ships. I would think the general vibe on board Oceania and possibly Azamara is similar.

All suites dine in Luminae but the aqua sky suites can also walk into Blu and dine upon request. We had no problems at all getting a table but we tend to dine later. We went there two nights out of our seven night cruise.

We have stayed in and Aqua Sky Suite on the Beyond. In addition to the previously mentioned Persian Garden/ Thermal Suite access, Blu dining, and yoga mats in the room, we were offered some free fitness classes that others had to pay for. Be sure to ask early on about those if you are interested as they were already full when I found out. I believe there is also supposed to be priority for spa appointments.