Jim_Iain

Love the pictures coming under the GG Bridge. One can tell that the ship hadn't been revolutionized as all of the passengers are lined up in the area that is now the Retreat Lounge. One can understand the dissatisfaction of non-Suite passengers in loosing this space. Our first cruise through the Gate was on Mercury many years ago. The day was incredibly clear for SF and at least 100 miles visibility. 20 minutes after passing under the Golden Gate the Captain came on and advised that in 30 minutes all the exterior decks would be closed. We hit 25-35 Foot waves for the next two days. The first night the MDR was empty and they had the hallways lined with bags. You literally had to hold onto the railings to walk down the hallways. Luckily none of us were affected and enjoyed that. The bright side was once we broke through the seas up to Alaska and back were like a country pond and skies with no clouds and very little wind.

Actually the Gelato is one scoop in a bowl per cruise for each CC member. Ice Cream on the other hand is unlimited on all classes of ships in the OVC area. If you happen to book a RS or above you have unlimited Gelato throughout you cruise.

From what I have heard is that She met with Zeniths and they unloaded on her as well as thanked her for bring back access to Retreat. She and others were also dining in the MDR and many of her senior staff were shadowing staff in all areas of the ship and actually working along side staff in places like Al Bacio. Whether she was shadowing I don't know but I'm sure she has collected some data points. That's a H3LL of a lot more the Lisa ever did. Will it make a difference? Only time will tell and I think it is a step in the right direction to understand the complaints they have been getting. Problem is that once the cat is out of the bag it is hard to get them back. They lost me as a dedicated Celebrity cruiser after 23 years and I know we will never restrict our cursing to Celebrity or any other line.

Yes they do it daily in Retreat. They have a couple butlers available. On recent cruises on Revolutionized Ships they have a hot and cold station setup. The butlers serve your tea and you select from the hot and cold table and plate for you. They no longer bring out the tower with everything on it. If you are on a ship that hasn't gone through The Revolution they give you a menu and deliver everything to to you. Butlers are available for serving.

When we were on Apex in April/May of this year they had afternoon tea daily in the OVC. Small sandwiches with no crust, scones, clotted cream or whipped cream and small deserts. They had it on all 3 segments - Caribbean, TA and British Isle Cruise. I'm wondering if because of the British Isle Cruise they put it on. They also had Kettles in all the rooms.

OK.. back to nostalgia. How many of you remember the Champagne Afternoon Tea in Olympic. White Glove Service with Champagne, Sandwiches, Scones and Clotted Cream, and Sweets. All accompanied by a live Harpist. Unfortunately those days are gone on Celebrity and we are looking forward to experience Tea on Cunard in about a year from now. At an up charge they also have a Godiva High Tea with Godiva Chocolates and Godiva Cake.

It's not a bad cut. We use to get it when living in Ireland. Like a T-Bone - small filet portion with most of it being from the Loin. They basically butcher it like cow. Surprisingly when we were on Ponant they had a Tenderloin of Lamb - basically a long Filet Mignon of Lamb- It was incredible.

Thanks much. I feel like Celebrity is home and hopefully things will improve. I've been reading on "that other site" that Laura Hodges Bethge and her executive staff have been aboard one of the ships and have been dining in the MDR and met with Zenith Members for Lunch and discussion. They have also been shadowing various staff and even working in al Bacio. Hopefully they are listening and recent posts here have indicated they are bringing back some of the MDR Menu items and axing Tilapia. Will have to wait and see if any further changes take or place or the new ones go away again. I will indeed direct to my Lives and will probably do what I did on Ponant. Post a comparison on Celebrity while also posting on Ponant. The Ponant board was so small I felt uncomfortable monopolizing their board as most live post only have a hand full of followers. I'm somewhat surprised that Cunard is also very lightly followed. It may be that while there are many US and UK members many Europeans do not follow Cruise Critics.

You might indicate you don't want it and see if they can reduce the price. We had a different problem. Being a male couple they often don't know what to do and treat us a singles giving us a book apiece. This was at Daniel B's first hosted table and was personalized by him so we felt compelled to bring them home and then gave one away to a friend that collects Cook Books.

You can definitely use your drink package in lieu of the wine pairing. I'm not a drinker and was at a table where everyone except me were doing the pairing. The Somellier was fantastic and provided me with different Non-Alcoholic wines with each course. Not great but did make me feel part of the group instead of sipping water.

Would agree the food in Specialty is usually much better but even then their menus can get repetitive especially when your at sea for 30+ days. I find that for us we mix it up. On the smaller ship when you really only have Murano, Tuscan and Petite Chef the specialties can also be a challenge. Luckily the MD in Luminae (especially on E-Class) often offers to have off menu items prepared with 24 hour notice. They realize that B2Ber need a bit of variety and without the ability to mix and match from MDR menu the menu gets boring real quick.

I just saw on both the November 25 Edge and the Beyond October 20 menu under Appetizers. Definitely haven’t seen it before. Definitely would order it. I would expect it to be a mini-tail

Charla, So good to see Jeremy and your smiling faces back on board. Always enjoy following along on your adventures. Really interested to see if they have started using the new Menus in Lumina and any comments. I've looked at some of them and they look almost the same as the last ones. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time and will keep us all entertained. Jim

Yea... .on the Nov 25 Edge they showed it as an appetizer instead of the Lobster appetizer with pineapple. I think it was on day 2 dinner.

Equinox went through the Revolution so was updated in May 2019 and has the Retreat Sundeck. If I recall correctly there was an accident in the shipyard and they were unable to put in the Hot Tubs the other ships got. I haven't heard of a dry dock scheduled for Equinox yet but she will be due for her 5 Year recertification which is usually done during a 2 week dry dock.

You apply for them online at https://molina.imigrasi.go.id/ Make sure you don't go to a scam site that charges extra. You will want to apply for a B213 Tourist visa - Single Entry Maximum Stay 30 days. They also have an app that some prefer. If you check the Roll CAll for Edge Nov 25 there is a good discussion and instructions. You can also search for the Roll Call for you cruise and I'm sure others are working on it and can help you along with any questions.

Joan, Curious how they restrict drink on the Retreat Sun Deck? I've never been asked for a card --- maybe they just know us or they look up the pictures on the computer.

We did that cruise last year after a Round Trip to Iceland / Greenland on Summit. The New England cruise was one of our favorites and would definitely do it again. While not the same ship Summit has gone through Revolution and is fantastic condition. The ship docks downtown minutes away from all the hustle and bustle of and incredible city. The crew also enjoyed as they could get off after work and spend sometime enjoying the port. I've also been on Eclipse in the past year and she is a beautiful ship but if I remember she did not go through the Revolution. This may be good or bad depending on your opinion and whether traveling in a suite. If not in a suite you will love that you have access to the forward facing Solstice Deck which was turned into an exclusive Retreat Sun Deck on ships that have gone through the Revolution. They still also have the basketball court. The S-Class also has the advantage of more specialty dining rooms

Thank you for being responsible and protecting yourself and others. I hope it works out well for you and you receive a FCC.

You can either advise them prior to boarding but really not required. Just let the Maitre'D and your Server know. The first thing you waiter will ask is you have any allergies or food restrictions. Also in the Ocean View Cafe you can let a server know and they can direct you or speak with the chef. You can contact the Celebrity Cruises Access Department at 1.866. 592.7225 or special_needs@rccl.com. Or submit a Special Needs Form https://www.celebritycruises.com/content/dam/celebrity/pdf/CEL-Special-Needs-Form-Revised-062221.pdf

I have to agree with you. I don't think much has changed on the menu in about 10 years and can get really boring especially if you are doing multi-segment cruises (B2B+). Having said that they have improved their Amuse-Bouche. I would say some of our favorites is the Turbot and the Eggplant Parmigiana.

I rarely post on threads like this but felt compelled to after reading both the negative and positive posts here. Like others I would have to agree that taking such a statistically small sampling and make broad assumptions about it is not reflective of the general experience others may experience. I will preface this with the fact that I recently booked my first Non-Celebrity Cruise in 21 years and have booked another. First it is normal, that more people take the time to post a negative review when fired up than the majority of cruisers (including myself) who have never posted a review either negative or positive. Second and probably more important is that it is not just Celebrity or the cruise industry but prices, service and selection has been negatively impacted by Covid, supply chain issues and inflation. Just look at Airline Rates, Service, Performance and Customer Satisfaction. McDonalds, Hotels and Starbucks have seen prices increases that are astronomical. Finally, one should roam around the boards like I have been recently. I've been reading the same complaints on cruise lines like Cunard, Silverseas and Azamara. Basically we have decided that we will no longer be dedicated to a single cruise line and will be booking future cruises based on pricing, service and probably more important to us itinerary.

Your understanding is partially correct. You do get the All inclusive if you book and pay for a Suite but if upgraded the perks you currently have come with you and you do not get the Free Premium Drink or Internet. On the positive side you get all the free drinks you wish in Retreat Lounge. Another exception is that if you are upgraded to RS or above you get 4 internet High Speed Accounts and two liter bottles of liquor of your choice (this is a Room Amenity not a Perk). I would definitely bid. Even when fully booked rooms do open up due to illness, death and other unfortunate problems. If an upper suite opens it then sets off a chain of potential upgrades.

Unfortunately not true. You only get free specialty in RS and above. You don't even get that with a CS

It was strange. When we were on Apex for April and May the preliminary menus had the new Chef B menu but for the entire 3 cruises they had the original and the the Raspberry Pistachio. It is my go to when too many Chocolate Deserts are the only thing on offer. Also Ice Cream can be an alternative for me.