Jim_Iain

I've done it a couple times because of late booking and they only thing available was a SS Guarantee. I always say - Expect worst cabin in the category and be happy if you get better. A number of times I've been assigned a Accessible SS. More often than not I've had a guarantee and bid on an upgrade and won the upgrade so wasn't an issue. In the past year all Suite Guarantees come with the 3 perks and it will indicate that when you book or do a mock booking. Only difference is you can't pick a room at booking.

You will find the Celebrity App has a wealth of information at your fingertip. That would imply no except for Continental Breakfast.

I've never noticed a long wait but I presume it is like when you check in at an airline. It depends on the availability of porters. I believe you will be taken care of quite quickly but if a large number of people requiring assistance all show up at the same time there may be a wait Even when I've seen wheelchair guest leave the ship or rejoin the ship they are taken care of quickly and without undue delay.

You can either select a time or not - your choice. Either way when you arrive at the terminal just say Suite Guest and flash your Sea Pass and you can check at any boarding times.

I guess the simple answer would be you and I would have to make the decision if cruising was the appropriate vacation for us. At least those that have not paid final payment can make the decision to change ships to those that don't have a stop in the Caymen Islands.

I think it will depend on the port and your boarding time. My experience has been they first board Suites but in many ports where they have a Suites Lounge you won't even see them boarding. As you check in you are sent to a seating area by group and they then load them group. What I've observed (not experienced) is Wheel Chaired guests are put in an area where ports come out and assist you boarding as they become available. I believe your priority use to give you priority for checking in not for boarding the ship. If I'm wrong please fee free to correct me.

The E-Class ships have 4 main dining rooms. I just checked the App for Apex Day 1 - Loyalty Dining and they list it between 12:00 - 2:00 PM on Deck 3 - and in the description says Tuscan Restaurant.

Celebrity automatically first takes from NR OBC for everything you charge. After all NR OBC is used up they start applying to Refundable and once used up will charge to you Credit Card.

Thanks for directing me to your Smithsonian review. Very informative as usual. Since we intentionally chose not to take the Smithsonian to get a more authentic introduction to Ponant I think we made the right decision. We often prefer doing things on our own. One thing I'm not yet clear on is how you arrange things on your own with the limited information Ponant has supplied so far. Most of the time they only say we will arrive in the Morning or afternoon without any times. Do you plan a side trip on your own in advance or do you wait until you are in port? On the Great Lake cruise some of the ports are so small we will probably do the ships tours - at this time they only say will be over $250 pp.

Thanks - I'll definitely be reading your review. After living in Europe for 3 years not particularly concerned whether French or English announcements are made. My French is minimal but Iain is fluent in French and Scotch. LOL. I am probably most excited about Mackinac Island - the movie Somewhere in Time is very meaningful to me and have wanted to visit the Grand Hotel for decades. We specifically chose the non-Smithsonian to really find out if we want to join our friends from Sydney on a Longer Ponant Cruise. They have been sailing them extensively and just returned from an Antarctica cruise that they have been raving about.

Thanks for your wonderful review. I think I've spent the last 1 1/2 hours enjoying your photo album. You have a great eye and your photos tell a story. I've read a number posts about the food, but definitely say the meals are perfect sized for us and I can say I saw a meal that would have disappointed. Presentation is excellent but I guess it all comes down to the flavor. You are definitely making us feel more comfortable with expectations.

Thanks for your review of Le Bellot. We have booked our first Ponant cruise on her in September to the Great Lakes. I'm learning more and more about Ponant on a daily basis - some good and some not so good, but that was the whole reason to take an appetizer cruise to see if it is a match for us. We specifically chose our particular cruise instead of a Smithsonian one but now questioning our decision as it appears our includes no tours and all tours will be additional. Maybe I just don't understand how Ponant works yet as they aren't sending out any information and pricing until July/August.

I've departed a number of times on the first day of a overnight last stop. Each time I advised the Retreat Host and they made arrangements for the time we wanted to leave the ship. We had to leave within the hours that they could arrange for Customs and Immigration to be available. In Yokohama we departed around 9:00 and made our own arrangements to the airport as Celebrity wasn't offering any transfers on the first day. In Buenos Aires we were staying at an AirBnB and got off the ship around 2:00 PM. It was Christmas Eve and we needed to do shopping for a dinner party the next day with friends who stayed aboard. Both times was really easy and basically just walked off and past the immigration and Customs agents with no interaction.

I can understand that for sure. Since I can't drink Alcohol and Iain never drinks until evening cocktail time at 7:30PM I guess we won't be impacted. A couple years ago we had a similar situation in NYC. Someone screwed up and didn't get the right license for an overnight in Manhattan. At least they had a license for Beer and Wine that they could sell at 1 or two bars. For the 2 days we were there even in Retreat and Bars all liquor bottles were removed from the selves. As I recall I really didn't hear a lot of complaints.

Thanks - as we all know everything we read on the internet is true.

Usually the ships change clock to local port time. On rare occasion they maintain ships time. You didn't indicate the Date of your wedding but easiest for you to go to - time and date and put in date - you can also search for Revenna. You will be changing your clock probably on the sea night before arrival in Santorini https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/@3169561

On Solstice San Pelligrino was $3.50 for an 8oz Bottle and if I recall $5.00 for the Large bottle

I guess it also depends on how many people choose to drink at that time of day. Did you actually experience long lines waiting to be served?

Also was checking on e-Class Fine Cut is now up to $65 + Tip Pre-Cruise Price

It is always a good idea to check the pricing pre-cruise. They have both a first night discount as well as sales pre-cruise. Example of 1st night Discount - they apply tip at checkout

Wanted to let all those who have been so helpful that I booked our first Ponant cruise - The 7 Day Great Lake in September. We are mostly taking it as a sampler to determine if Ponant is a fit. Learning a lot even after booking. I'm sure all the regular Ponant cruisers can zip around their website but finding it a bit difficult to always find what I'm looking for. The main think I have learned is unlike some of the original comments that everything is included is always the case. Ponant seems to make a big differentiation between a "Regular" sailing and a Exploration Sailing. I was falsely of the opinion that sailing on an Exploration Class Ship would be an exploration cruise. While I could be wrong it doesn't appear on our cruise they include any excursions and all of the excursion are additional and we will be advised of the cost at about 2 months before sailing.

Never been disappointed with Murano on the first night. The main reason we usually have done this is that the fist night in every venue except specialties can be a real mess. Customers and Staff alike are getting used to one another. People have a tendency to run the Sommelier ragged as they haven't pre-stocked what people are ordering and many are also ordering cocktails. The first night also takes the Wait Staff longer to explain how things work on the menu etc etc. The other side of the coin is we find that if you dine in Luminae the first night you are setting the stage for who your waiter will be for the entire cruise (M and S Class) and where you prefer to sit. Also many have noted that you get a 30% discount for the First Night - I use to book for this reason but was advised by the Specialty that I get a 25% discount any night as a Zenith. Unfortunately they don't allow stacking of discounts. I now sometimes just book the nights I want regardless of the potential 5% savings for first night.

Wow.. this is really an old original post - Dating back to 2018.

Not sure if you are in Blu but they have a Beyond Burger on the anytime menu.

My recent experience is not in an Upper Suite - We are only in a CS and have invited Iain's Sister and BIL to join us for the cruise We booked them in a AQ initially thinking we might join them in Blu for dining. I had our TA inquire about the RPP. He was able to confirm them but I had to pay via Credit Card - a good year before final payment date. We will be traveling on an E-Class ship. I was happy that they will be able to join us in Retreat and Luminae for their first cruise experience. We will probably also bid on an upgrade to SS for them so will be interesting to see if we get a refund if they get upgraded.