Jim_Iain

Bart is definitely a keeper... very attentive to our every need.

Letoka Fiji today

May be you would need an excursion. We passed the reefs coming in and were out quite a bit and were really beautiful from the ship.

So far it was a real hunt to find much color. May also have been it was Sunday and all the stores were closed. I saw more interesting shots outside the port.

They did put on some busses to a resort -- 1 hour drive and had to have tickets for a 2 hours time slot. The warned us against the beaches as it was Sunday and local beaches would be crowded. Today we are off to the inland on a small group 4 wheel drive jeep expedition. We meet at 8:15 so you can only understand getting Ol' Grump before his fist cup of tea.

All of those were taken with my iPhone. I am working on a video I'll post on my FB Travel With Jim_Iain. I did cut one video when I was propositioned by a a Transvestite.... My jaw was probably dragging on the sidewalk.

On the way back to port saw some interesting sight, so walked out of the port to shot some sights.

Town was Ho Hum and rather run down.

Decided to just go in and wander around. Bula!

Arrived in Lautoka,Fiji around 3:00 today. I took the free shuttle into town. We had been warned that it was Sunday and most of the shops would be closed.

When on Edge and Apex they allowed ordering from both MDR and Blu.

Hadn’t seen that. Good news in my opinion.

IMG_3684.mov

So sad, especially having just been in the mall last week. Really does show how we need to embrace each day to the fullest as life changing events can happen so suddenly.

Saw that on the news. Bad day for news.. The stabbings in Sydney were also very upsetting. We had just been to the Westfield Mall on Oxford Street in at Bondi Junction last week. So sad for those in both incidents.

I don't mind older ships but not interested in Caribbean (but would do ABC's again) and Definitely not in to Labradee and Coco Cay. I'm sure Coco Cay is great for Celebrity's bottom line, but would probably just stay on the ship. Just not our thing.

It really was...but really didn't use the patio as much as I thought we would... It was up one floor and there were Zero Views.... the Views were from the balcony in the front of the unit. It was one of those places that we felt at home the minute we walked through the front door.

Not a problem... I miss words all the time... The sight lines are great on the E-Class but the shows really need to be refreshed.

The WiFi has been really solid on this cruise. We have been streaming via YouTubeTV all the time and hasn't stuttered at all. YouTube really has good compression

Linda - you are very logical. In retrospect it is very similar logic to how much OBC you get while booking on board for both length of cruise and type of room. I think they see it as a percentage related to what you paid. As Orwell said “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”

We were talking about that yesterday. The Kelly design in my opinion was a real miss and she must have laughed all the way to the bank. I was explaining to the morning server how on the Retreat you can't even fit 2 tea cups and a tea pot on the small little tables. She with a puzzled look said, why didn't they just replace them with larger tables.... we all laughed as so was way too logical as oppose to Celebrity Executives.

I've really noticed a huge difference in food quality and preparation on Solstice than Apex and Edge. Every meal has been cooked to order and perfect, while on Edge it is obvious to me that they are cooking banquet style in advance. The staff also have much more time to socialize and check in with you. Last night the F&B Manager stopped by our table. We have known him from other cruises. He socialized a little too long and the waiter finally just started serving us as he didn't seem to be moving on. Nice man.

Unfortunately it is they way it almost always work. One cruise where we had multiple ports cancelled they gave us a 1 day FCC at the rate you paid for your room, so I can somewhat understand their logic (% of what you paid). Iain of course said - They should have given more for Upper Suites.... I'm on the other hand grateful that they just acknowledged the loss of 2 ports. Within 1 hour of receiving the letter the Specialties and Spa went from 10% booked to 100% booked on some days. I guess Celebrity gets their money back one way or another.

Had the Opportunity to meet Erin from Idaho - one of the activities staff on Solstice. I've known her mother via cyber for over 10 years and never met her. At one time we were recruited from CruiseCritics to be pop up Advocates for Celebrity on Celebrity's website. There were 5 of us that got to be friends. I've been able to meet 4 of the 5 and hope to meet Mickey face to face one day. Erin is high energy and is so much like her mother.

Did a quick speed check. Very stable.