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Those with brown heads are still immature. Those with white heads (sometimes with some pretty yellow) are adults.

It's unfortunate when people can't judge a change just based on that change instead of lumping it all together with everything they already don't like about what is happening. I would imagine that just sets them up for greater disappointment when they cruise.

I doubt it is negligible to the cruise line. If someone cancels 24 hours before the start of a shore excursion, that gives the cruise line very little time to fill that vacancy. It likely creates a lot of last minute headaches and juggling for shore excursion staff and tour operators. Some of those passengers they find to fill the vacancy likely had other excursions booked that they then cancel creating a domino effect. Additionally, if that cancellation means the difference between hitting the required minimum or not, that could mean the entire excursion gets cancelled which leaves other passengers scrambling to find a replacement. I get people's complaints about some of the other changes the cruise lines (all of them) have been making over the past couple of years. This is one where I don't understand the complaint. I just don't think it affects that many people unless you are one of those people who just want to keep your options open until the last minute (which isn't fair to other cruisers). And honestly, it might be a plus to passengers who plan ahead.

They don't have snacks and drinks waiting for you after each excursion? Room service isn't available? The Xpedition had snacks set up as we came back from excursions and one afternoon I remember ordering some hummus from room service. I also later discovered that if you ask the bartenders in the discovery lounge, they have chips (potato chips, plantain chips, and one other kind) they can go get from the back. I never lacked for food on the Xpedition.

I second all that @mahdnc stated in post 230. It is all applicable to the Northern Loop as well (and so should be pretty applicable to the Inner and Outer Loops the Flora does as they cover generally the same ports). I was really impressed with how much information (including photos) was provided at the briefings so you knew exactly how difficult an activity would be before you decided what you wanted to do. We had one walk that was labeled a fitness walk that was faster paced but a zodiac ride was offered at the same time which was probably our best zodiac ride since we saw so much wildlife. The rest of the walks were pretty slow paced and not all that long. FYI - The Xpedition does not have an elevator so you do need to be able to climb stairs. (Flora does have an elevator and it looks like has made getting in and out of the zodiacs even easier. See @Ken the cruiser Live thread for more information from him.)

I book as soon as I can (usually shortly after itineraries are released) and track prices. Most (but not all) of the time I never see a lower price. If the price for your cabin category does go down later, you usually (with some exceptions) can call to get your price adjusted.

Because it gives them 24 hours more to fill spots from cancellations. This allows them to make a little more money on shore excursions. It also might lessen the effect on passengers in situations like @jelayne mentioned in post 34.

How often have you made those switches between 48 and 24 hours of the port? How often does Celebrity open up new excursions in that time frame that are not the result of others’ cancellations (which will now be pushed back 24 hours with the new policy)? I’ve canceled and booked new excursions plenty of times but never that close to arriving in the port.

Have a great day in Quito!

Yes, it will be new starting the first of the year. The previous policy was 24 hours. Does your travel insurance cover missed excursions if you are sick? (I haven't looked that closely at mine but in my opinion, this is what I would expect to handle cancellations due to illness after the deadline.)

I don't quite relate to this thread and others like it and I think the reason is that I have never been loyal to a cruise line. I book what fits us in the moment. I like the variety of what each cruise line offers. And because I cruise enough lines, I know that Celebrity is not alone. Cuts are happening everywhere. Plus maybe I never became completely used to any of those things many of you miss because we have cruised enough other lines. For us, Celebrity is still fairly high on our list when we consider cruise lines. They still meet a lot of our needs, interests, wants, etc. I hope all of you looking elsewhere find what you are looking for whether it be land vacations, smaller ships, another mainstream cruise line, etc. There are still a lot of great experiences to be had out there.

Interesting. I remember seeing language in the past.

I don't have any personal experience with a GoPro but I have heard nothing but great things about them. There were several on our trip who used GoPros and got some pretty good footage.

In my experience, those excursions that are an exception (and they always have been an exception) have specific language in the excursion description regarding the cancellation policy.

I always thought the policy was 48 hours for cancellation although this could be a difference between 48 before port arrival vs. shore excursion time.

Read the fine print. Last I checked the amount of data included was so tiny that you would run through it with very little use and overage costs for any data that exceeds that limit was very high. Keep in mind that any plan (Celebrity or Cellular at Sea) may not have service at times on a TA.

Except a later post admitted it was one incident at the pool (not Eden) which makes me wonder if even that was still an exaggeration.

Welcome to the Celebrity Retreat! A Celebrity Suite is one of the lower suites so it doesn't have some of the perks of an upper suite. Be aware that your butler will cover quite a few cabins. Generally, for meals in your room you are restricted to the room service menu although if the main dining room is open, you may be able to order off that menu. Butlers are often encouraging passengers to go to the Retreat Lounge for snacks and tea but you can definitely ask for snacks. The answer you get will likely depend on your butler. They can help with reservations although I personally find I get better help with reservations by going directly to one of the Concierges in the Retreat Lounge. The mini-bar is technically not included in a Celebrity Suite but I have heard a lot of reports of some butlers being willing to stock non-alcohol drinks and sometimes beer. Maybe I've just had bad luck but twice, I've had butlers tell me it isn't included and refuse to stock anything besides water. You can pick up your own drinks from the Retreat Lounge and stock your own fridge, if your butler isn't willing to. I have often asked the butler to bring a latte and pastry in the morning at a certain time.

Congratulations! The premium beverage package and internet are NOT included with an Aqua Sky Suite when you win a move up bid. You keep whatever drinks and wifi you had with your original booking. The only thing that is included is drinks in the Retreat Lounge/Michael's Club. If you want premium drinks elsewhere, you need the premium drink package or to pay the upcharge for each drink. Specialty dining is also not included with the cabin type you won. That is not included until you get up to a Royal Suite or higher.

I love those sculptures! We came home with a small painting of a Blue-footed Booby painted by the shop owner’s husband.

@mahdnc So sorry to hear about your wife’s mom! Some others in our group got some good footage with GoPros.

Re Cameras and lenses, I agree with most of what @mahdnc says above. My 80-400mm lens was my go-to lens for most islands and stayed on the body. I pulled out the 16-35mm lens for Bartolome (it was all about the views and landscape) and started a hike with it on one other island that had a lot of black rocks and neat landscapes. At the Darwin Center, I started with my 16-35mm but quickly switched to my fixed 60mm (the third lens I brought) which worked better. I did not even bring a tripod because I had read enough ahead of time there that really wasn't a lot of time to set one up and I really didn't want to carry it around for just a couple opportunities. If you are serious about landscape photography, the one place where you probably would have enough time for it would be Bartolome Island (on the Northern or Inner Loops). I agree underwater photography is hard. It does require good lighting and visibility and a lot of skill. I stuck to mostly video but even those were hit or miss as to what actually turned out. It was also so hard to follow a penguin or cormorant racing by. I used a SeaLife SportDiver housing for my iPhone 14 Pro. It has a red filter that is easily removable that I found generally helped with colors unless I was really close to the surface. A photo taken with my iPhone in the SportDiver Here is a short video I put together of some of the video footage I took underwater just to show others some examples of what the SportDiver can do.

In the last year or two, sodas and a couple other expected classic offerings disappeared from the website but never materialized as a change on the ships. And in my cruise planner, it still lists soda under the Classic package. So I wouldn't worry unless you hear actual reports from people on the ship of a change. Non-Alcohol: Non-premium bottled water, premium coffees and teas, and soda

On the Eclipse in May, the best dining times went quickly (months before the cruise). Once on board, there is a lot more flexibility especially if you go talk to the dining room staff the first day. A hostess or Maitre'D will be stationed at one of the entrances to the dining room as soon as you board.

We had an aft balcony going through the new locks on the Emerald Princess and had a great view of leaving each lock. I think it was a great choice for the new locks. That said, we have a cruise booked to go through the old locks and I intentionally chose a side facing balcony in the first third of the ship (the last third would have accomplished the same) to be able to watch the mules up close. I don't think an aft facing balcony would have given me such a great view of the mules. I don't know if there is a better side. Coming from the east means you will actually travel through the canal from the north (northwest) towards the south (southeast) so port side should get morning sun (including seeing the sunrise). We will likely stay on our balcony for the morning lock through to get the view from our balcony and then move to a forward facing view for the afternoon lock through (when it gets quieter on deck) to get a forward facing view. It's also really neat to go down on a lower deck while in a dock to see the walls so close. Of the two ships you are considering, the Summit will have the better indoor viewing space, the Sky Lounge (although it will get packed). The Summit may also open up the helipad (to at least some passengers) which would be pretty amazing outdoor forward facing views.