TeeRick

Yes there are many honest people out there. The majority. Especially on a cruise line like Celebrity. The minority of people that are dishonest get all the attention.

How about two connecting cabins?

Isn't the "king" bed on Summit just two singles moved together? Same size bed in Sky suites or any premium suite? Or am I mistaken?

Yes pre-pandemic thread from the glory days of 2019!

Are you before final payment? At that date there might be some cancellations (for suites and other cabins). Call Celebrity the next day or have your TA do it. If you are past final payment, still watch for cancellations that might happen due to COVID. Or see if you can upgrade once on board. Move Up is not going to work if there is nor general availability of premium suites.

Ken that is really unfortunate. We don't want to go all the way to Iceland and miss a port!

A few years back we did Miami to San Diego through the Panama Canal on Infinity and stayed in CS 8106. We thought it was awesome for our needs. It has not been updated yet as far as I am aware. Positives: The M-Class CS is quite spacious and is blessed with a great view. Great being able to cruise in hot or cold climates and stay indoors with that view. We enjoyed the separate bedroom, the wall of windows, the great storage space, and the indoor dining table. Some negatives that some people mention: one bathroom which requires a walk through the bedroom, the aforementioned high tub (mobility restricted), the narrow (but adequate) balcony. The CS is not a "premium" suite and gets the same Retreat benefits as a Sky Suite.

Yes very well understood. No problem.

We always do Geo Blue annual policies. Not sure why you also need MediJet if you have Geo Blue.

Jim can you post the Gin martinis too? Thx.

Why pay $20 or more for a COVID antigen test at the pharmacy? Just want to remind everybody (from the USA) that you can get up to 8 free COVID at-home antigen test kits. It takes a few weeks, so order for later cruises. Ours came as the Abbott BinaxNow version but there are others. Useful for testing at home before or after you travel. And good for cruises that no longer required proctored tests. There are insurance and Medicare reimbursements too. Here is the link for ordering the free tests. https://special.usps.com/testkits

Have you ever purchased items like this in the gift shop of a nice hotel? Same kind of deal.

Assuming nobody will bring a photo of a positive test. Makes a negative test photo the only type they will see. Yeah kind of worthless.

Yes I think so. I remember you on the Roll Call.

There are great books and series by British author Ken Follet. Pillars of the Earth series. Eye of the Needle. Century trilogy. Some have been made into films. Highly recommend.

Yes sorry for the mistake. My bad. I recently read McCullough's The Pioneers. His last publication. Found a new hardcover copy on the bargain shelf for $4.99.

We did 16 nights on Solstice. Started in Perth, Western Australia, did the southern coast, then around both islands in NZ, then ended in Sydney. Amazing cruise.

That's another reason why they will go to non-proctored at-home tests.

And ATM's dispense only $20 paper bills in $USD. So what is the problem? Getting $euro's in paper bills from the ATM is the best exchange rate. Especially if your bank rebates ATM fees. If you want to tip below 5 Euro you can make change I guess.

As I said, the honor system going forward. The large majority of Celebrity cruise passengers will take it seriously and comply with it IMHO. Some will not and nothing is ever absolute. As for me, I am totally ready to get past pandemic mode and just live with the virus in society. Much of that is believing in the integrity and goodness of most people cruising Celebrity. I will keep my vaccinations Up To Date and be cautious but that's it. Others who choose not to be vaccinated at this point will not change. I am betting that most Celebrity cruisers have some decent immunity - vaccinated or not- and will not cause serious outbreaks on ships. Positive cases yes. Serious illness no.

Joanie and Jim. My apologies! I should just mind my business! 😀 I honestly did not know of the reading list between the two of you on your longer cruises. I thought it was a great idea and hoped Joanie would start a thread that we could discuss and enjoy. That was my intention. Anyway I want to give a shout out to David McCullough who passed recently on Aug 7th. His Path Between the Seas got many of us through the Panama Canal cruise much more informed. His book is on Joanie's list. But he also wrote many more incredible books if you are a fan of historical fiction. Then of course there is James A. Michener. See- sorry it is easy to hijack your thread with this topic. Not my intention. Now back to the cruise!

On European cruises, there are at least two ATM's on board the ship. One dispenses $Euro's and one dispenses $USD.

highly likely.

Good topic and thanks for your list. But maybe start a separate thread? So as not to hijack Jim's live posting thread? Unless of course he does not mind?

Yes just premium suites have specialty dining included. Not Sky Suites, Aqua Suites or Celebrity Suites. But in any suite you will be able to dine in the suite restaurant, Luminae, which is included as is all of the benefits of The Retreat. Many consider Luminae as good or better than the specialty restaurants. But they do offer variation.