phoenix_dream

Exactly. Not sure if I like or agree with it, but that's the way of the world these days. Pay more, get more. In some ways I miss the status free sailings of when I started with Celebrity 30 years ago but those days are long gone. Got to get over it, quit cruising, or go to a luxury line.

Since when is Patron crap??

Prior to the changes they had plenty of options- Royal, Carnival, NCL to name a few. Now they're getting a taste of Celebrity. I can't see any good coming from that.

I am less worried about the one off noisy pool party at night than I am about the continued marketing of 3 and 4 night cruises. Those definitely bring a different crowd, generally one more prone to drinking and partying until all hours, inside and on deck. I avoid those sailings at all cost, especially the week-end ones. I just hope the people who book those don't get the idea that those experiences are like the typical 7+ night itineraries and start booking those expecting the same. So many things lately have really changed onboard as it is and Celebrity, while I still enjoy it, is definitely not the Celebrity of old. (And please, spare me the comments about change with the times, change is good blah, blah, blah. Sometime change is good, and sometimes it isn't. When you love something and it adversely changes for the worst, I can't define that as good.)

Relative control of your stateroom location in a suite definitely varies by class of ship and type of cabin. On some S class, unless you book an Aqua Sky Suite, you may not have pool music but instead you have carts rolling above you in the buffet from around 4 am on, all dang day long! Very frustrating!

My advice to anyone asking about Alaska cruises is always the same -pick the one with the most ports and don't worry about which ship (within the Celebrity family of course🙂). My personal favorite is to do a B2B to/from Seward and Vancouver. If you start or end in Seward make sure to add a few days to get up to Denali - we used an Alaska travel agent to book ours - just as nice and much less $$ than ship's excursions. Actually, to argue with my own point about which ship - I would avoid Edge class if you are stopping at the glacier - without the forward viewing areas and Sky Lounge the experience is just not as good IMHO. Our favorite times to go are May and September. No, it won't be as warm but fewer kids is a big plus. Also, May has beautiful spring flowers and September has beautiful fall colors.

Exactly! And I've never spent more than 5 minutes or so in the lounge anyway. I couldn't care less. Much more important that they take good care of us on the ship!

Already booked 6 cruises in early winter 2026. We cruise a lot in the winter to escape the Chicago area cold

Equinox definitely has a Retreat sundeck. They do not, however, have a pool or bar or hot tub.

I tried it years ago and was not a fan. It was windy and my hair kept blowing into my mouth as I was trying to eat. I don't know if it's changed, but it had a salad bar. I felt for the amount I was paying I shouldn't have to get up and make my own salad! At the time they offered cooking experiences but we ordered off the menu. The food was decent, but nothing exceptional. I realize it may have change since then, but I was disenchanted with my experience so never did it again.

I don't know the answer to your question, but am offering another option. Instead of a cruise tour, consider doing your own tour, using an Alaska based travel agent. We did that years ago, and saved $300 per person for a three day tour including Denali and had a wonderful time. The TA helped us with all the reservations and advice we needed.

It's been awhile since I've sailed out of San Juan but I never, ever remember having to board as late as 3 pm. I have always experienced boarding times similar to other Caribbean sailings, meaning suites can usually board around 10-10:30 (although in Tampa it was firmly 11). If you get there at noon you should have no issue. Sadly, so often the "help" you get from various customer service types on Celebrity when you call is very often wrong. You might want to look for a Roll Call for a sailing out of PR sometime earlier this year and ask them what time boarding started.

I have sailed 81 times on Celebrity in all but two of their newest ships. Equinox is my all-time favorite. Honestly I think some of the reason is that I've sailed her quite a bit and made some years long friendships with several staff members. The only "issue" with Equinox is that she has not been fully revolutionized due to issues in the port during her remodeling, and she is due for a refurbishment which I believe is happening next April. All the S class ships are very similar in design, with the newest having a few differences. All that said, I would not hesitate to book her any time and in fact have an upcoming sailing in March, right before her refurb.

I did a full transit so can't comment on which tour might be best for Panama - or none at all. As to Cartegena - I absolutely love that port! I have heard Dora tours recommended but never took one. Our first time we just grabbed a taxi and the tour was nice, but the driver's English was about as bad as my Spanish so I don't recommend that. Our next two times we did the tour to Gethsemane. We really, really loved that tour (so much we did it the next time). Cartegena is beautiful. As to safety - Columbia in general is definitely not safe, but the walled city of Cartegena is highly protected as they want to keep it good for tourists. In Panama if you decide to get off the ship I highly recommend a ship's tour. That area is definitely not safe. In fact, we were on a ship's tour one sailing and the driver of our bus got into a verbal altercation with another driver. To say those of us on the bus were uncomfortable and concerned is an understatement. The canal itself is so interesting! It was my husbands bucket list cruise and I thought I'd be bored to tears. It ended up being one of my very favorites. Another word of warning - it can be very, very hot in that area depending on time of year (we did April). Be prepared.

I get seasick in rough seas without medication. IMHO there is little difference between S and E class. E class is newer and bigger, but not that much bigger. I would say M class would feel motion the most. I would also recommend you get a midship, lower floor cabin. Despite my sensitivity I have been on 81 Celebrity cruises on all classes of ships, plus 10 more on other lines. My point- just be prepared and don't let it stop you.