phoenix_dream

On my two Apex sailings the bars were jammed and noisy. The martini bar was never available and the area around it was very, very full also. Eden had seats if you were willing to sit very far away or upstairs. That said, I just booked her again for next year primarily due to the itinerary and somewhat lower suite prices than newer E class ships

Sorry not familiar with that port

And as a side note, many of the pictures on their website of verandas show loungers.

Excellent point!

Exactly. If there were so many of these supposed incidents the Cruise Critic boards would be blowing up. And let's say it's true. 50 incidents out of hundreds of thousands of passengers?! Come on. Why should we all have to suffer.

The Bay of Alaska can be very rough on some sailings. Make sure to pay attention to the Captain's sea forecasts.

My favorite production show of all their ships is Rockumentary.

Which port? On some I've seen signs prohibiting it.

Our relatives booked an accessible suite on Apex because they need one, and there were many things I loved about it. It was 1/3 larger than our SS, including a bigger balcony. The bathroom was huge and had an actual shower rather than the awful bathtubs. My only issue with it was that the TV was at a weird angle from the bed IMHO. Otherwise I'd be very happy to be assigned that type of suite! To each their own I guess.

No need to be so rude about it, just because I disagree with you (which unlike you I did politely)

I can tell you at Zenith level, versus the matching Pinnacle level, the perks are WAY better on Celebrity. I think a lot of the people you hear about switching over are at Pinnacle level, and there are a heck of a lot more of them than there are Zeniths.

We can agree to disagree. I definitely think they are trying to overcome their accusations of pushing out all of us very loyal (and mostly older) customers. They have had a lot of complaining, not just on these boards, but on other sites like Facebook, in onboard conversations with management, with letters and emails to the CEO from people (particularly but not exclusively Zeniths and Elite Plus cruisers). As a Zenith (and I only note this as it is pertinent to my point) I have seen, heard, and heard of many conversations going on of that type with ship's senior officers. They are trying to throw us a bone so to speak with this and a few other minor changes meant to pacify our frustration.

I remember in the very early days, these were just considered regular balcony cabins! We sailed in them a number of times, Then they became FV's which you could only book with at least 4 people I think it was (until right before sailing if they were available). And now Sky Suites. Money grab after money grab. Same reason many of the less desirably located balcony rooms suddenly became Aqua Class so people would pay more and actually book them to get Blu and spa access. Similar thing that recently happened to create Aqua Sky suites - they are in the best locations compared to being under the buffet in regular Sky Suites, so make them Aqua so you can charge a lot more. Ugh!!

I hope you will consider writing a letter/email to the CEO advising them of what the impact was to you. They need to keep hearing this.

Not sure what your point is. Apparently at one time Royal had fire safety issues also based on your postings. But now they do have footstools on their balconies (not sure about loungers) - at least I saw them on Icon a few months ago. Same cruise line owners; likely same insurance company.

As are their Zenith versus Pinnacle which is why so many Pinnacles are talking about switching over to Celebrity - a lot easier money-wise to reach Pinnacle and a heck of a lot better perks with their new Zenith match. We got the short end of that change for sure.

We usually go to the earlier show and then dinner after. On Eclipse the shows will likely be 7 and 9. One word of advice - if you don't want to wait in a bit of a line at the restaurant, just leave the show ASAP as soon as it ends while the Cruise Director is wrapping it up with info on what's going on that night (which you can find yourself in the app or the daily planner).

I explain it by calling it pandering as they have been accused many times by their very loyal cruisers for targeting the younger crowd, and many have talked about trying other brands because of it - and have done so. Nothing they have changed in recent times have been to attract an older crowd. Putting one picture of an older person in an ad doesn't change that. I could go on and on and list the changes I mean but not worth it as it won't change anything.

Celebrity is all about marketing towards the younger, more affluent, working crowd so I don't see them adding much in the way of longer cruises or exotic itineraries. I so wish they would bring back the 14 night Caribbean options but that is just a wish and a dream at this point. I just don't get it myself. They are competing against their own brand, Royal, who already appeals to that crowd and has many HUGE ships to fill. I am no marketing guru but it just makes no sense to me. People can only carry that huge credit card debt so long so I predict they may come to regret this decision. But upper management in general in all types of business and CEO's in particular tend to only look a year or two ahead to make sure they get their big bonus so I don't see this changing any time soon as the strategy is working for now.

It is very, very rare that you will not be given a room. It has happened a couple of times but the internet would be exploding if it happened regularly. Sometimes people literally get assigned the day of sailing - sometimes even at the gate. Fingers crossed for you - maybe you'll luck out into something even better! Let us know what happens.

The insurance explanation makes some sense until one considers the chairs are made of the same material, as were the footstools. Plus I would be willing to bet a cruise that Royal uses the same carrier but they have loungers. Still doesn't make any sense

The latest I've been on is 9:30. Would like to know how someone can catch a 10:00 that time! It's happened twice to us.

All cabins have umbrellas, but I prefer smaller ones. In Alaska it is best, IMHO, to just bring ponchos and other rain wear for walking around town.

On M class our favorite is definitely the Rendezvous Lounge. Lots of seating so you can almost always find a decent one. Live music. A dance floor if you are so inclined. Can't get your specialty martinis there but all else is great. On S class we go to Ensemble. Similar, although much smaller so sometimes it is also too full to get a seat.

So much depends on the date, the itinerary, and the length of the cruise. School vacation time - we had over 400 kids on our March cruise on Reflection, many of them older teens sailing with their families. Very well behaved but I can honestly say they looked bored as heck. That said, so much also depends on your kids. We sailed with my youngest from the time he turned 3. As a teen he was more the quiet type - loaded some movies and games on his laptop, brought some books, etc.. We spent a lot of family time together which was nice, especially as a working parent. Playing board games, going to shows, swimming, working out, etc.. Honestly would he have preferred a Royal ship? Definitely, and having sailed a couple of those as well he knew the difference. But he says he always had a good time.