Cruisin4ABruisen

Thanks for sharing! Does anyone know if escargot is available in Blu on the edge class ships?

Mind boggling to me that Celebrity simply doesn’t state whether or not it is a premium package in the cruise planner. Limes are classic, oranges are premium? Really?

10 hours ago, Rustyman said:

Not sure but I hope so too as we’re on the Beyond next year. I’ve only found the WCB on the S class ships so far.

WCB is available on the Beyond, but it is not on the Apex. 

Thanks for sharing the pictures @PompeySailor! We are going on our first Edge class cruise in April (transatlantic on the Apex). Any opinions on which restaurants were the best? We have a 6 night dining package so will probably try everything…

Our plan was to do a proctored test on Sept 9th, before we fly out. That way, if there are any issues, we didn't spread anything around the airports. But, like you, our flight is fairly early -- I'll have to check on when we can do the test!

In my opinion, Blu is good, but the specialty restaurants still edge it out. When staying in an Aqua class cabin, we like to do a mixture of Blu and specialty. It's nice to have the variety.

Dining packages are normally available via the cruise planner. You select a number of nights. I've attached an example from my Cruise Planner.

1 hour ago, kmezz said:

Has anyone done the mixology class on Celebrity?  Was it fun and did you learn how to make good drinks?

Yep, me and my wife did it together. Originally, there was another couple scheduled to attend too, but they were unable to make it. It was a fun experience because we were already friends with the bartender who taught the class. We basically had the opportunity to ask any questions we wanted (about the mixology topic, or anything else). The bartender went over all the tools of the trade, and described some techniques for pouring, mixing, etc. They also explained the different elements of a cocktail. The bartender described the training that he did to become a World Class bartender. They gave us a little cocktail kit to take home. It''s a pretty short class, so it isn't too in depth. 

28 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Some of our favorites:

shrimp tempura roll

lobster ramen

mochi (ice cream inside a mochi shell)

These look delicious! Especially that mochi.

It is a really chill venue. For whatever reason, it's always near empty.

3 minutes ago, NoWhiners said:

Are these drinks (at Sushi on 5) included in the bev package?

They have been on my previous cruises.

36 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Your wife and you... I've gone off researching on the internet whether there are male and female masseuses on Celebrity.  I'm getting mixed info.  Did you have a female or male masseuse?  I assume you are a guy?

I'm a guy. In my experience, plus the Canyon Ranch FAQ, they only have female masseuses. 

This is from the FAQ (accessed via Cruise Planner on Celebrity's website):

"Can I request a male or female therapist?

                Only female therapists are available for all massage treatments; other services vary."

10 hours ago, zitsky said:

Is there anyone who actually likes Canyon Ranch?  Doesn't seem like it.

9 hours ago, sanger727 said:

I've had a nice massage on Celebrity before. Personally, I've never experienced what I would consider a hard sales pitch after any spa service on any cruise line. Not sure if that's a reflection that the normal sales pitch seems low key to me or if it' just a reflection of my reaction that they tend to give up quickly.

The experiences of my wife and I haven't been bad either. On our first cruise, they hardly tried to sell us anything (I think they may have mentioned some lotion was available for purchase, but that was it). On our second cruise, at the end of our treatments (we did 3 each), they tried to sell us some things, but it wasn't too bad of a sales pitch and I wouldn't say it was high pressure. Perhaps because my wife and I always do several treatments, there is less selling going on. In our experience, it hasn't been a problem.

I'd say we've also had nice treatments and massages too. They definitely help me feel relaxed on vacation.

I've done Sushi on 5. You have to pay for it, but it's normally a quiet place.

Thanks for the comments everyone! I think the best idea might be to stop in for some snacks, and grab a few cocktails while we enjoy the venue 🙂

Which ship? All the Canyon Ranch spas have female masseuses. In my experience (around 6 different massages), they've been good. 

Hi folks,

The wife and I will be on the Solstice next month and were wondering if we could stop by Sushi on 5 for just drinks? They have some different cocktails that we are interested in but we may not want to eat there.

Hey Paul! Thanks again for the pictures. Have you noticed how busy the Solarium is on your cruise? Wondering if that would be a good place to chill. 

Hey Paul,

Thanks for the review! Really enjoy following along. We are considering doing this cruise next year, and were wondering if you could snap a couple of photos of the bathroom/room? We've been trying to track down some pictures of the AquaClass rooms post-renovation and haven't been successful.

1 hour ago, mysparky said:

 I was also thinking that the mixology class would be fun, but I was wondering how basic it is?  Do they show simple cocktails, or do they get into designing more complex cocktails?  Thanks!

When we took the class, it was mostly basics (terms, tools, components of a cocktail). We took it with Marius (spelling) on the Eclipse. My wife and I were the only two in attendance, so there was a lot of opportunity for us to ask specific questions. Even though the content wasn't that in depth, it was a fun a experience, especially with a bartender you already like.  

We just upgraded from a Concierge room to an Aqua room (for a refund of $1300!) -- Since we haven't done Blu before, we've scaled back our dining package from 8 to 5 nights. We still love Murano, but want to be able to give Blu a good try. You could split the difference and cut back a few nights.

A while ago, Celebrity was running a promotion where if you booked your air travel with them, you got a few points (I don't recall the exact amount) -- you could look for a situation like that.

7 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

I looks like you were on a 14 day Caribbean cruise in March 2018. I mention it because it was not a repositioning cruise.

I would think a  high number of the Suite passengers would have the Best Package since it is included with most bookings.  300 total passengers with a Premium package seems low, but I am confident the bartenders at the WCB would have the exact number.  Perhaps they were saying how many passengers upgraded from the Classic package?  Or people booked at a lower fare without  the Best bundle included.

Yep -- correct cruise (apologies, I should have mentioned that). The bartender didn't mention too many details, and I didn't press. But I also found that number to be surprisingly low.

On 3/3/2019 at 3:41 AM, yorky said:

I wonder what percentage of cruisers upgrade to the premium package.

I asked one of the World Class bartenders a similar question on my last cruise -- how many people on board had the premium package. He knew the exact number, but I believe it was around 300. So, I don't think a lot of people upgrade.

We thought everything was great and absolutely worth the money. We had some previous experience with the chef, so that made it extra special. Here is a link to the menu we were served.