TheHawk1

Have been on Sky Suite on Edge and Sunset Veranda on Apex (with SS booked for next year on Beyond). I enjoy some aspects of the suite experience on E class, particularly the larger cabin and bathroom, the Retreat Sun Deck (still chair hogs, but of a higher calibre 😄) and the additional perks (premium drink and wifi package, but cost is embedded in your price). I am not a big fan of Luminae's menus and prefer to move around to various ship bars rather than use the Retreat Lounge. Having priority embarkation and first in line for leaving ship at ports is also a benefit. The cruise in a Sunset Veranda turned out to be just as enjoyable, i.e. the cabin was standard but nicely appointed and the balcony was larger than SS balcony (note, I would never book an IV cabin). We had a very attentive cabin steward who met all our requests and didn't miss the butler. I liked the variety of moving to different MDR's and specialty dining. When you pay for a suite, I feel obligated to get my money's worth from Luminae, rather than pay for additional restaurants. I missed some of the VIP treatment mentioned above, but it also didn't cost anywhere near the same price, so the trade off was worth it, depending on your expectations. I don't believe there would be much difference between Apex and Beyond, in terms of the non-suite experience.

You're right, the dress code isn't stuffy, I was only trying to be polite and not hijack the OP's review with another clothing attire thread. The more appropriate term would have been pretentious or archaic dress code. Now I know which side of the debate you're on.

So "casual venue" means we can skip the stuffy dress code of the dining rooms and actually wear shorts to dinner?

Thanks for the informative review... gave me some good ideas for our cruise. I booked the Edge cruise that goes from Sydney to Auckland but drops you off there, rather than return to Sydney. When you said you wished you had more time in Auckland, now I know I made the right choice, as we can stay in NZ for a couple nights post-cruise, before flying home.

It's your vacation, so do whatever makes you happy. Enjoying your review btw.

With apologies to the OP, no matter how good it is, I can't imagine having the same thing every night.

Yet another web site bug brought to you courtesy of the Celebrity IT dept. I've had the same password for years and now had to change it just to be able to access my account.

I did the same thing for a recent February cruise and 11:30am was the earliest option. I doubt many people beat me to the punch at 12:01am, so thinking that Celebrity may not be offering any earlier boarding times, except to suite passengers. That said, a couple recent threads on CC indicate that many people don't believe assigned check-in times apply to them and just show up for embarkation whenever it suits them. So staying up late to secure an early time may not be that worthwhile in the future.

They used to call the pool area the Lido deck on the old Love Boat TV show 😁

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class have better gyms than Celebrity, probably because they are larger ships and have more space to work with. I find there are too many cardio machines on Edge class, especially treadmills, and not enough resistance machines or free weights. But you can make do and it’s still better than no gym at all.

Now that you've completed the first part of your trip, wondering what your thoughts are about the demographic and "vibe" of an Australia/NZ cruise? We find European cruises to be very different from your typical North American Caribbean cruise, e.g. people eat dinner later, they stay up later, they don't believe in the concept of waiting your turn in a queue, etc. Just wondering what your fellow passengers have been like in this part of the world?

Just got off Apex three weeks ago and couldn't have had a more different experience. While there were certainly varying degrees of friendliness and customer service from the staff, we did not sense a general unhappiness amongst the crew nor encounter anyone who didn't say hello or or ask how they could help us.

I would think Deck 12 could be noisy on E class ships, from the activity right above on the Sunset Bar. I was on Deck 9 on Apex and didn't hear any noise, either above or below.

Does the ship not turn around and go back the same way out of the sound? I’ve booked an SV and am expecting to get good views and pictures on the return portion?

We did this last year with on Edge with no issues. When you're on a 10 day cruise, the formality (some might say stuffiness) of Luminae can get to be a bit much, so a break every few days is a nice change. We visited both Normandie and Cypress, enjoyed the meals and fine service. In fact, when we requested a window table one night in MDR, we heard the hostess on her walkie talkie say "VIP needs a windows seat" and we were seated in under 5 mins (we did have a reservation for that night). It made us feel special... what's not to like about that?

Just off Apex a few weeks ago and of the 4 MDRs, we enjoyed Cyprus the most, in terms of great service and quiet atmosphere. Though Normandie has some of the best specialty menu items. Also did Eden for dinner on the last night and it was, of course, the best meal of the entire cruise.

Will be interested to hear how this goes. I've read the sea crossing can be unpleasant, depending on weather and swells.

I would ask for just the lobster and hold the roll. That looks like more bun than anything else.

I have been looking for one of these reviews. Just put a future cruise deposit on this itinerary on Edge. Can't wait to hear about your experience.

I'll bet you instill these same fine values in your children as well.

Was on Symphony last fall and MTD worked fine, up to a point. I made all MDR reservations months in advance of sailing. For 4 of the 7 nights our reservation was 7:00 pm and we were always seated promptly, at the same table and with the same server, after night one. So, it was almost like choosing a set dining time, only with the flexibility to not have to eat early at 5:30pm or late at 8:00 pm. But where the process broke down was on the 3 nights I had made a reservation for 7:30 pm, because those were longer port excursion days and I didn't want to rush for dinner. On those evenings, our "regular" table was gone and they scrambled to try and find us another suitable table, usually involving a wait. So their process isn't really set up to accommodate "My Time Dining" in the way I would expect it to work.

Just off Apex a week ago. On SV, there were two loungers, two chairs and a table. It was a little cramped, but I'd much rather have the loungers there than none at all.

I had a Sky Suite last year and boarded at 10:30. This year, I had an SV, which is why I stayed up until midnight on the day of check in, to get an early assigned boarding time, which ended up being 11:30 am. Trust me, having a suite last year was much easier 😄

So, following that logic, the next time I'm on a crowded flight and assigned Zone 5 or 6, I guess I'll just push my way to the front of the line and board with Zone 1, because being assigned a boarding group doesn't really matter any more apparently.

There are over 2,800 passengers on Equinox (the OP's ship) and I'm sure Celebrity doesn't want them all showing up at the same time, which is why they assign boarding times in the first place. The only people who can show up at any time are suite passengers. The rest of us should stick to the time we're assigned and then everyone has the same opportunity to board quickly.