Sailing12Away

"Working from home" this morning with this lovely view.... Celebrity gurus, a few questions for you regulars. What's the difference between everyone's colored key cards? With NCL they have fancy gold ones for Haven and everyone else is marked by your status level. Is celebrity the same? I've seen gold, blue, and ours are silver. Just curious. And in the room, how in the world do you turn off the bedside table lamps? Had to unplug them because we couldn't figure it out and was not about to bother the butler for something that dopey. Will ask him when he comes with breakfast, but we felt really stupid. Also no plugs near the bed so had to unplug the lamp anyway to get a bedside outlet. Last first world "complaint" (observation?), is there no free lotion supplied in the cabin? Or shower poof? I found 6 shower caps, but not one drop of lotion. I don't normally bring any because it's in most hotels or cruises I've been on. Just didn't know what other nooks or crannies to search in.

Retreat lounge had a very limited offering last night, at least what we could see. But we will head there tonight after dinner to see if the quieter area there is more accommodating to funky requests. It was just too quiet for our liking. Only 4 other people in there. No seats at the actual bar (couple we were talking to said they removed them after the renovation). Felt more like a library than a place to hang out and make friends. It is just different from what we're used to. The martini bar was definitely hopping, with a 10+ min wait to get drinks. Also no wait staff walking around to take orders, so you had to go stand in line which was odd to me. Maybe just the first day chaos.

Dinner menu for Luminae for tonight (last night, this didn't post for some reason) but we were still full from lunch and all the liquid lunch so we kept it simple and went to the buffet. No dinner pics, but a few of the desert options.

Dinner menu for Luminae for tonight, but we were still full from lunch and all the liquid lunch so we kept it simple and went to the buffet. No dinner pics, but a few of the desert options.

Visited the retreat lounge, made some new friends and grabbed some more drinks. Bartender is having her birthday today, so introduced her to a black and tan with Strongbow cider. Going to clean up and head to dinner. I think the consensus is to return to Luminae. Definitely a fan of the grab and go drink cooler. Also grabbed a spiked iced coffee from cafe baccio which was lovely, didn't take a photo of that as I was running out of hands from the free Effy locket the shop people pushed on me when we were looking at watches. I pawned that off on MIL and told her to go on a scavenger hunt each day to get the free charms. Just not my thing. Took a bit of time and some crew help to connect to the WiFi, but we've shared our new knowledge with other travelers. Paying it forward...

I should have prefaced my complaint with acknowledging these are first world problems. Leaving Miami from the helipad...

Ok, first complaint. At the martini bar and if I want two drinks I need to bring two room cards with me. Once they see the one I'd a retreat card they don't force me to go get the second one, but really? I can't get two drinks at one time? Regardless, we're making good progress through the martini menu despite the snafu. Bartenders also won't go off menu at all. There was a cherry martini on a previous menu we saw but since it's not in our sailing they won't make it for us.

Met up with the cousin and we all headed to Luminae for lunch. NCL Haven is good service, but I must admit celebrity definitely takes it up a notch. Maybe a bit too fancy and attentive for our low brow style, but it's something we can get used to. Dinner in the MDR will be a thanksgiving feast with both turkey and ham, Luminae is doing Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Apparently their turkeys are still getting boarded on the ship today so they need a day to prep. Headed to the martini bar next to chip away at the whole menu before we disembark.

Photos from our celebrity suite.

Check in was a breeze, on the ship in about 10 mins. Wheelchair service took her from the curb to her room. The motorized chair was in there waiting for her. Learning curve to drive... This will be fun. Her room is nice, ours looks amazing. Enjoying the bubbly then going to wander until the sail away on the helipad. Handicap room on deck 6 photos below.

Flight was nice and quick. MIL was sitting next to a pilot on the way so he was kind and helped her with a few small things. In the Uber on our way to the port. Had a nice view of our ship as we were landing.

At the gate there was a family with 6 cases of pastries with them. Hubby commented that it was making him hungry, so they gave him some. Ton of kids on our flight, my guess is about a 30% passenger count. Holiday travel I suppose... Should only be about a 2hr flight from JFK down to Miami, so that's always a plus. If this trip goes well we have our eye on a 2025 Mardi gras trip that we may book while on board. We shall see...

First time trying Celebrity was going to be next October in the Galapagos, so figured we would take a short Thanksgiving trip first to get a "real feel" before the super fancy trip. Long time NCL travelers, so will be hard to not keep comparing the two experiences, but keep thinking the two lines will be more similar than they are different at the end of the day. Hubby and I will be in a celebrity suite, my MIL will be across the hall in an accessible sky suite with a cousin. So far she had wheelchair assistance at JFK, and thank goodness as we are boarding from terminal 4 (super long walk). Once we get to the port in Miami we've requested wheelchair assistance for her to get on board. Then there should be a motorized wheelchair waiting for her in the cabin. First time trying this, so we'll see how it goes. Will check in as we can, but for now just enjoying the sun coming up and excited to get going.

Curious how the weather has been for you as I just saw a video on the Prima FB page of the thermal spa. It has become a wave pool apparently ....

Very jealous of your bathroom. I can see at least 2 shelves in there to put stuff on.... still bitter about my H4 room not having a single shelf at all.

Ahhhh, one of my favorite memories of Barcelona was walking around that market. We bought a vacuum sealed package of manchego cheeses and meat when we were there. Plus a schmorgasboard of snacks for munching on as we wandered. Those are amazing potato spiral thing-a-ma-bobs. Crunchy and savory depending on the seasoning they put on. Like a potato chip tree. Quite yummy indeed.

On your NCL profile you can find your reservation number. Use that to search through your email to bring up the confirmation attachment again.

At 5'2" ish I'm short, so hubby likes to be able to man spread and stretch his legs over into my foot compartment area when we get to sit next to each other. Plus being extra chunky being able to lean over into my side of the seat is nice rather than trying to keep all arms & legs and chub in your own tiny compartment area. So we typically opt for me in the window and him sitting twinkie. Worst flight we had was when we took a dirt cheap flight from JFK to Chicago. We booked the lowest of the low in terms of flight options with United I think. So no carryon allowed, a single personal item to go under your feet, last to board, etc. Going there we were in rows behind each other and one of the folks in our row was kind enough to swap seats so we could be next to each other. Coming home though we each sat twinkie in separate sides of the plane. Guy sitting next to me in the aisle used my head as an arm rest. I kid you not. He was on his 3rd bottle of airplane liquor and was manspreading into my footwell in addition to using my head as a personal arm rest. He finally got the hint after I kicked him for the 5th time and elbowed him to get the F off of my head. So yeah.... $100 total for both of us round trip, but I'll never do it again. Meanwhile the whole time hubby is looking over at me and laughing his arse off while I'm giving stink eye and telling him I'm about to be kicked off the plane for violence. Worst flight ever.

Yup, absolutely. I used to love the filet at LeBistro the best, but now with the menu changes and an up charge for it I have no interest to eat there at all. So more LeBistro for you.

You can dress up as fancy as you want as often as you want. Everyone will oooh-ahhh as you look all nice and pretty, then carry on with their tshirts and flippy flops. You do you - it's your vacation, do what you want (within reason). Our last trip we had our 12yo niece & nephew. Gave them leftover lanyards/badge ID holders we had and it made it easy for them to keep their room key handy without losing it. My sister has AT&T as her phone carrier - she was able to buy a package that lets them use their phone at sea. So she and my niece had the plan so they could always check in with each other via text or a quick call. "Headed to the buffet...." "Don't forget we're eating dinner at 7 on deck 6....." Check with whoever your carrier is and see what they offer and how much. No need to get it for everyone if you use the buddy system. Snorkels/masks - it's a personal choice. If you're doing an excursion or going to a beach area, they usually provide them or at least offer them for rent. Hubby has really bad eyes, so he has a prescription mask that we always bring if he's going in the water. Unless we're doing a planned snorkeling trip - we leave the fins at home. But if we know we'll be at a beach area with decent views, the mask/snorkel doesn't take up much room and we prefer our own. Towels you can get as you leave the ship - just remember to return them and have them check off that you brought them back. But I find these better - so again, if we're doing a beachy thing we bring our own. Much smaller and easier to pack/treck on/off the ship. Those NCL beach towels are nice, but get heavy and soaking wet when used. These suckers dry fast and pack light. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CB57QNZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Refillable water bottle - absolutely. You can fill it in the buffet, or ask any bartender anywhere to fill it with water for you. Packing - I'm flying out of JFK myself next Thursday. Planning on wearing my comfy yoga pants and a zip up fleece jacket on the plane, and then packing tshirts/shorts/sundresses. Our trip is headed to Cozumel from Miami - not sure where you're going. But if you're headed to warmer lands, the ship will be warm. You only need cold weather stuff for your flight down there or the first day on the ship if it's sailing out of NY.

When I was on the Jade we had the DOS in between the 2 garden villas. To be honest, I don't remember going to the sundeck because we had 2 balconies to ourselves. On the Pearl (sister ship) we had the 3br villa and never left the villa. The one that looks directly above the cabins on deck 14 is the 'true' Haven sundeck. You can get to it right from the pool area on 14. The other one more towards the front of the ship may not be a Haven only area. If it is, it would be redundant. But in all the times we looked out towards the front pool deck area never recall seeing anyone up that high and forward. So maybe try adventuring and see where you can go. That gold Haven card will open magical doors. With your GV - once you get on board do a security check of the exterior outside doors. Make sure they're locked so the riff raff can't get in. Both times we had a GV the door was left unlocked and we found strangers wandering around in our private villa.

Food Republic is by far our favorite place, we use one credit to share lunch on sea days and a 2nd credit to share a dinner. I don't eat seafood either, but there's plenty of non-fishy stuff to filly my belly. But to each their own. Have a ballpark idea already planned out for which restaurant you would want to eat at on which day/time. Then book Moderno first just to be sure. When you get on board and go there they will ask if you want to use a meal credit, platinum voucher, or out of pocket - but when booking, the system can get confused by the fixed price places if they're not booked first or second. Just make sure you save room for the pineapple at Moderno. We're looking forward to that treat in February on our next trip with NCL.

My hubby and I have the same status. We have never once received more than the two standard vouchers. Ever. It's always been one coupon book per room.

Love finding little gems like this in random posts so you have a real image of your CC buddies. I have no problem leaving my folks behind in gen pop when try tag along with me on trips. It truly becomes my sanctuary ship within a ship. Guess I'm evil. 😈 Think you're already convinced as I'm late to the party, but if you do any international flights it is a life saver. Coming home from our Iceland trip it took longer to walk to customs at JFK than it did to get through it. Stand in front of a machine, it finds you by your face, you talk to the guy at the end who calls you by name, you confirm you are who you are, and you walk out to your Uber home. <5 mins. Some countries outside the US also participate as well, so that's a bonus. Now as for Barcelona - seems like you've already got stuff booked and planned out, but consider looking into these places if you've got the time. https://thepaellaclub.com/ - we did the dinner class, wine was flowing nonstop, dinner was great, and it was a lot of fun. It's all over Viator, but we booked direct through their website. And these bars - same owners, just go to whichever one is less crowded - they're all down the street from each other. The cocktail menu is quite crazy and odd, but they were all amazingly delicious. We walked there after the paella class and didn't leave the bar until nearly 2am. Although in my search to find a website for them to share with you, it seems the original owners have left so not sure what it will be like now. 2 Schmucks, Lucky Schmuck, Fat Schmuck

My last trip we had a group of 6 with us. Last meal we were trying to use a platinum voucher and 2 regular FAS meal credits and they were giving me a hard time because the voucher can't be transferred. Had to say that my meal and one of the kids meals was on the voucher, and the hubby's meal was 'shared' with the other kid on the credit. It was really dopey, but they were adamant that I could not just let the kids eat from the voucher - one of us platinum cruisers had to be the one ordering food on the voucher.