kapitch

Not cruise related, but we recently (2 weeks ago) flew home on AA connecting in Charlotte, NC. While waiting at our gate, a passenger approached the gate agent to ask a question with a dog on it's leash, the dog lifted it's leg and relieved itself at the base of the counter. We were horrified, notified the agent of what was going on, who said they would clean it later, which never happened while we waited. Shortly thereafter, a toddler came along and crept dangerously close to the mess. Be reminded that there may be more imbedded in the carpet of your cabin than you expect.

Those that live in the Upper Peninsula are known as Yoopers, but those of us that live below the bridge (Mackinac) are known as Trolls. 😀

On our recent Rotterdam cruise, our cabin steward was happy to remove the contents of the mini bar, but when we asked for it to be restocked with our beverages of choice, he told us we had to contact Beverage Services, he could not do it. I assume that means the beverages were to be purchased from the bar on our own.

When on the Rotterdam this past October, the "conditioner" dispenser in the shower was labeled "lotion" and it felt, and smelled like the lotion by the sink. Typically, we have been happy with the Elemis products, but since the questionable conditioner, I will bring mine from home.

No issue using a bottle from my wine package in the Rolling Stone Rock Room this past October, in fact, the server in the bar asked if I wanted to keep a bottle there, which I did.

Despite giving specific instructions on the form, one of my shirts was returned ruined. Metallic lettering on the front of the brand new t-shirt completely disappeared. This was the second trip to the laundry, the first being okay. Guest Services has refunded me the price of the t-shirt (purchased onboard) but the fact remains that instructions can be missed and the results cannot be reversed. We will not be sending any more items with specific needs to the laundry.

We too are on this cruise, and one addition I would like to make is the bands of both the Rolling Stone Rock Room and BB Kings are fantastic. The singers are very talented and love to entertain, and the musicians are very skilled. I make a point to catch both bands each evening, even skipping the shows on the Mainstage.

We upgraded once to a Neptune from what I thought was a verandah, but in fact was a Vista Suite, thus we received the double points. It's easy to mistake a verandah for a Vista Suite since they are basically the same.

Our flight from Ft. Lauderdale is 10:30am, and we have no worries about making it. We will disembark as soon as clearance is given and take our own luggage, but the airport is so close to the cruise terminal, and if we miss the flight, there are several more throughout the day.

For a completely different scenario...we booked 2 cruises during the $1 Deposit promotion. Received the AARP OBC for the October, 2025 cruise, but not for the June, 2024 cruise. Go figure!!!

Has anyone had luck with getting the AARP OBC added to a cruise booked more than a year ago? The agent I spoke to indicated the OBC could not be added to our cruise since we booked in November of 2021.

Thanks Ruth!

Please clarify, if we purchase a beverage card, no 50% discount would be applied to my coffee drinks as 4 star Mariners?

I purchased a HAL insulated coffee cup years ago and take it with me every cruise and the Explorations Cafe staff have not had a problem filling it with my coffee order. I even used it on Celebrity, who had no issues filling it, despite it being from HAL.

We recently sailed the Noordam from San Diego to Sydney, Australia, then embarked on the Celebrity Eclipse to sail around NZ. To us, there is no comparison, Celebrity is a line we are not likely to cruise again. The atrium was quite elaborate, but that is not important to us. The lack of a wrap around promenade deck, self-serving of buffet items, much fewer buffet choices, lack of seating in the buffet area, specialty coffees were pre-made and lukewarm at best, all contributed to a lackluster experience with X. We found dining in the MDR no better than HAL, some entertainment was better than HAL, but there were singers and comedians who were not very good. We did enjoy the Martini Bar, but their beverage package did not include the same drinks we enjoyed on the Noordam with the HIA, pricing was much higher on X. Music was always way too loud in the bars to enjoy conversation with other cruisers. Several occasions, we asked them to lower the volume, and they did. In their version of the Crows Nest, Trivia contests were always being held, starting early in the morning, so no peaceful seating found there. Several sofas in this area were occupied by passengers sleeping. And last but not least...no mats in the elevators to remind us of the day 😀