phoenix_dream

That's interesting. I'm assuming then that you saw people of all ages? I was basing my thinking on what I see in Las Vegas casinos (the few that still have Bingo). Basically you feel like you are sitting in the middle of a retirement home. Perhaps with more limited entertainment options on a ship they can attract younger crowds.

The changes have been talked about ad nauseum on these boards. Rather than repeat it all here, I respectfully suggest you just search the boards and you'll find tons of info.

I am sorry this happened to you and hope you are healing well. I think Celebrity could have been a little more considerate in how they handled this situation, and definitely should have refunded the money right away. We got a full refund once just by complaining that an excursion was just not at all what it was advertised to be. That said, I think there are some things Celebrity has limited responsibility for. As to the bathroom, for example, how could they predict that would happen? Should a ship like that have a first aid kit? Yes it should. But how do they monitor that detailed level of inspection? Are they expected to inspect every dock that an excursion stops at? Now that they know about it of course they should put that vendor on hold until the issue is resolved but there are lots of less than 1st world country unsafe conditions on many excursions. An overbooked excursion? Any sailing excursion I have ever seen or been on has had wall to wall people so that is what I expect, like it or not. You were met with a wheelchair, you were of sound mind, and your husband was apparently completely capable of taking you down to medical. I would personally not fault them for not accompanying you. You said the Safety Office did come down and make a report. Did anyone follow-up with you at all? Medical? Guest Relations? At a minimum I would expect that.

All 9-5 employment is neither dull nor definitely the worst thing you can do with your life! My 9-5 job that I enjoyed 95% of the time and was paid well for it has paid for 70+ Celebrity cruises so far, including the 6-8 I am now sailing annually since retiring. I am old (compared to you apparently), but neither jealous nor miserable (well, actually I am in the middle of a nasty upper respiratory infection so I'm pretty miserable as I write this). But what I don't like is when people feel it is perfectly okay to interfere with others, take over space as if they are the only ones onboard, forget what manners and common courtesy are about and things of that nature that some influencers are guilty of (and frankly applies to some who are not influencers, just jerks). The wonderful, better way to earn money and live will likely fade out in time like all trends do. Those of us working the old dull 9-5 will end up helping support them when they get to be old and miserable and unemployable.

It doesn't always work, bribe or no bribe. On a full ship in one of the two assigned dining times there may or may not be any open tables to switch to, especially for larger groups. Of course it never hurts to ask.

That's great for you but for people who want it and pay a very large premium for it, it should deliver what it promises. Surely you agree with that?

I have to comment on the last sentence as that is often a justification for the high prices of specialty restaurants. The (big) difference is that on a ship you are already being charged for meals. If in Luminae or Blu you are paying even more. So a fair comparison would take that into consideration.

My reason? A concern about it getting lost or stolen. Would present a lot of difficulty upon returning to home port, and if the US getting a replacement copy could take months. But an individual decision.

I agree the shows on Apex were better. E class is where Celebrity is putting their time, money, and attention. Unfortunately though the theater was too small for the crowds. On many nights there were no available seats and people standing at the rear of the theater, two to three rows deep. Made it severely difficult for our traveling partner in a scooter to get around or find a place to park.

And if you really find yourself in a medical emergency and for some reason that would require a passport (can't imagine why), a simple call to your country's Embassy would allow them to help you get what you need. Alternatively, a simple call to the Celebrity portside staff (whose number is always mentioned on port information) would likely also enable their help in getting your passport out of your safe for a true emergency. Can't imagine why you would need a passport because you need police? Anyway.........you'd be in a lot more trouble if you somehow lost your passport or had it stolen in port, needed to board the ship for the next port, and tried to find some way to get a new passport for clearance to return to your original port (or fly home internationally as applicable). I would never bring my original passport unless required by the port.

You are technically correct. But in all my 70+ Celebrity cruises I have never heard of them leaving a Celebrity shore excursion behind. Not saying it couldn't happen, but it would be highly unlikely.

My favorite ship is Equinox and I couldn't care less about the Lawn Club grill so that would definitely be my choice.

As you can see from the menu posted, there are very limited options for Cabernet by the glass on either package unfortunately. Lots more options if you want to buy a bottle, which is an additional cost of course. Our go-to is Decoy. Elegance is ok but not our preference. We like the red blend Conundrum and a Zinfandel called Edmeades which they usually have onboard. We have found that in more recent cruises there aren't as many supply issues. That's a plus and a minus. Back when they first restarted and supply was more limited, they often offered us the 'by the bottle' wines included with our package, as the other wines were often not available. Got to try some really nice wines that way but those days are past.

We loved Qsine and were so sad to see it closed. Le Petite was fine once - no interest in spending that kind of money again. I which they had left the old Qsine on some ships, but unfortunately they didn't ask my opinion🙂

We did a B2B Equinox this past January, and booked the same again for next January (only can't afford a suite next time - prices are crazy!). Equinox is my favorite Celebrity ship and the ABC's are by far my favorite Caribbean itinerary. Glad you enjoyed it as well!

I have sailed Celebrity more than 10 times since restart. On only one ship (Summit, in Blu) did we experience less than normal food quality and that was quite awhile ago so may have improved by now. That said, I do feel the quality has improved since they first restarted. I do find the portions smaller, but as long as you can order extra (which I never need to do) I think that is a positive change.

Suite class much more doubtful than Aqua Class. But it never hurts to nicely ask, as there can always be last minute cancellations.

I have left laptops, iPads, phones, etc.. out in our cabin many, many times and never had an issue. The crew wouldn't have their jobs very long if they started stealing things, and the ship has cameras in all public areas so anyone who somehow managed to get into your cabin (highly doubtful to begin with) would be caught on camera.

I agree that the app is very often not updated until right before the cruise, and often not fully updated until mid-cruise. That said, I did a sailing once on Reflection where there was a very large business group onboard and they completely booked all the specialty restaurants on multiple days (not to mention gathered in the bars so you could rarely find a seat). Really ticked me off! so it can happen, but it is not common.

If you want to try Caribbean again I definitely recommend the ABC's. By far my favorite Caribbean sailings! Can't imagine someone not being interested in Alaska as that is one of my favorites also! But given that you might not be interested either in one of my other favorites, Norway. Outstandingly beautiful!

No we are not all aware that insurance companies will try their hardest not to have to pay out when they can. This is a common belief spread through ignorance of the business and how it operates. I worked for insurance companies for 30+ years, as did my husband, and that is just not the case overall. People consistently expect companies to pay for claims that are not covered in their policies. People consistently do not even read their policies and just assume something is covered when it is not. Then they bad-mouth the companies when they don't get the money they were never entitled to in the first place because their policy didn't cover it. They unfairly expect these companies to be charities rather than businesses and pay people because they are supposed to feel sorry for them. What many people don't realize is that, at least in the US, insurance companies are highly regulated as to what they can charge, and are regularly audited to ensure they are handling claims legally. Are there some bad apples here and there like all businesses? Of course. But as an overall statement that is completely false.

All you have to do is go to the casino cashier and they will let you take out cash from your account at a minimum of $50 (maybe $50 increments after that, don't recall). On this ship if playing machines they will just give you cash out tickets like the machines would give you. Then whatever you don't use you can just cash in when you're done. We did it multiple times last month.

On our recent Solstice sailing, there were tenders running all night, albeit at a lesser frequency. Lots of the crew members like to get off after their shift so you will likely see some of them on the tenders in the wee hours.

Is it cute and moderately entertaining? Yes. Was the food good? Yes. Would I pay money again to eat there - no. We decided to try it when we recently sailed in a Royal Suite so it was included. The animation is quite good and very unique, but for that money I will eat elsewhere in the future. If you sail with kids, then I definitely recommend trying it.

I agree a jacket is no longer required. I've only been on one European cruise and I found the dress a little less casual than on my usual Caribbean cruises, but I'm sure a good majority of men just wear a nice shirt and slacks.