Chrisclaire

2 hours ago, PumpkinPatches said:

Good Morning! I am getting ready for my holiday cruise on the Silhouette, but my last Celebrity cruise was in 2016 so I have a question about MDR staffing since I know many cruise lines have made cutbacks since the pandemic.

 

I remember having a waiter and junior waiter in the MDR, plus there would be cocktail servers and a wine sommelier walking around taking care of drinks.

 

Is this still how the MDR works?

 

I am asking because I've upgraded to the premium drink package and am hoping to start with a glass of champagne and then enjoy a glass of wine with my main course.  I know from past cruises with Royal Caribbean, if the waiters are also in charge of drink service it can be really stressful for them and makes me feel guilty for even asking for a glass of wine. Plus even if you do ask, drink service can be really slow at best because they're serving multiple courses to many tables.

 

Any feedback or insight you fellow cruisers can share is much appreciated!

 

We were on Solstice 2 weeks ago and had great service in the MDR

We had a waiter, asst waiter & sommelier (never saw a cocktail server)

The sommelier was always busy serving us and other tables.

Hopefully your waiter will be as observant as ours and if your wine glass is empty he will call the sommelier 😊

Don't ever feel guilty!

A wee word of warning......we didn't drink Champagne at dinner but at the bar's they often pour Prosecco instead of Champagne!

Have a great cruise 😎 

On 11/17/2023 at 3:24 AM, Stockjock said:

Unless I am misunderstanding her, I think she meant that she had the classic package and paid the $8 upcharge for "Champagne", but didn't get it.

As I mentioned, I was being served Prosecco rather than Champagne in the premium package, but worse for her if she was paying an $8 upcharge, for Prosecco, which should have been included in the classic package.

You are absolutely correct!

I had no problem paying the upcharge, but not for nasty Prosecco. 

Not sure if Celebrity are chancing their luck with this or if the bar staff just don't know the difference 🤔 

It is easy enough to watch them pour if sitting at the bar, but if it is table service then not so much.

In future I will always ask to see what I am being served!

The other annoying thing was they sometimes poured from a bottle that had been lying opened.....clearly for too long....no fizz.

That was rejected and I asked for a fresh bottle to be opened 😉

13 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Did they pour it in front of you and did you see the bottle ?

They did & yes I saw the bottle.

Didn't recognise it and don't remember the name but it was a black bottle and was very good.

I also asked for a "nice" Champagne glass instead of the horrid thick prosecco glasses 😄 

#fussy 😉

On 10/10/2023 at 6:20 PM, Stockjock said:

I had a similar experience on my NYE 2021 cruise on Summit.  We purchased the premium package, but the better wines we wanted seemed to not be available.  I also noticed that I ordered French Champagne, but I was given cheap Prosecco.

Our latest cruise on Solstice,  I ordered Champagne and was served horrid Prosecco.

We were on the classic package, so I was paying $8 & for the privilege!

I ended up asking to see the bottle and have it poured in front of me.

This is disappointing as it causes unnecessary embarrassment on both parts.

 

We have just returned from 15 nights on Solstice.

Stateroom 8066

The bed had a mattress topper on it when we arrived.

It was super comfortable and we both slept incredibly well!

Been looking for similar back home 😊

12 hours ago, cruisinsusin said:

Second the recommendation for the guided tour of the Opera house- we did this on our recent turn around day and really enjoyed it. The Taronga zoo is excellent and the ferry ride over from the quay is pretty quick.  We also enjoy taking the ferry to Manley and just walking around. We have snorkeled from there in the past but understand there have been shark sightings recently so not sure I would recommend that now😳

We also took the ferry over to Manly, so easy to do!

The beach was fabulous and it was kinda like stepping back in time to a "seaside" resort.

 

Getting around Sydney is so easy with the underground, ferries & trams.

You just tap your credit or debit card.....so advanced compared to what we have in Edinburgh 🙄

13 hours ago, timtam2 said:

I'm on the Edge doing the reverse itinerary very soon and am considering doing that for our overnight in Bali. Can I ask which hotel did you stay at in Nusa Dua?I'm looking at the Conrad.

We stayed at the Bali Tropic Resort & Spa.

It was lovely, very traditional.

Little bungalows dotted around beautiful gardens.

We were upgraded to the Royal Room and it was beautiful.

Breakfast was included and it was excellent. 

Incredibly reasonable price too 👍 

Enjoy!

2 hours ago, chrismakris said:

Any chance there was a bartender named Andre on the sailing? When we sailed the Solstice in December He was mainly in the casino bar when we were on it. 
 

Hoping he’s on there again. 

Sorry, don't know.

We don't use the casino.

2 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Both times we sailed on Solstice shave been from Sydney.  It is an awesome city and Sydney Harbour is so picturesque.  I guess we were lucky as we have never had a problem with embarkation however I can see how the traffic to the Overseas Passenger Terminal could be bad during peak times.  Also the space for traffic around the OPT is especially tight.

 

Tendering at the Great Barrier Reef ports is a very long process, indeed.

 

Great photo of Solstice!

7 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

What a pleasure to see a positive review. Thank you for your time in writing it.

My pleasure 🙂

28 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Thank you for your review. We will be sailing on her for the 3rd time next month (the first time since the cutbacks). 
 

How were the ports you visited?

Hope you have a great time!

 

We had 2 nights in Sydney and loved it.

The ship was docked close to the Opera House and the sail away was amazing.

The embarkation was a shambles.

Total disorganisation until you entered the building to check in, then it was very well organised.

They were very strict with who they allowed on and when.

I.e. if your checkin time was 1pm and you arrived earlier, they didn't let you on. I think this caused a lot of problems as many were arriving early.

 

Brisbane, we did a Celebrity Trip to the Gold Coast.

Coach travel and left to go it alone.

I reckon we could have done it much cheaper,  but hey you have the perks that go with booking through Celebrity. 

 

Airlie Beach was tendered, which is a bit of a pain & time consuming. 

We did a private tour with 30 others to Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven Beach.

Absolutely fantastic!

Didn't see any of Airlie Beach....sorry.

 

Cairns,  another Celebrity tour to Kuranda.

Again tendered & a pain to get off.

Again, saw nothing of Cairns but the Kuranda scenic train trip was well worth a visit. 

 

Darwin, we did ourselves, there was a shuttle bus at the port. Wandered round the shops for a bit, not really a whole lot to see or do and the temperatures were pretty unbearable!

 

Bali, the ship was docked overnight.

The biggest cruise ship ever to visit Benoa.

That was fun watching all the staff at the port taking photos.

We decided to book an hotel at Nusa Dua to spend a night in Bali.

Driver transfer to & from (organised by the Hotel)

It was around 20 minutes away & worked really well.

Nice to be off the ship for a bit.

Again, didn't see any sights in Bali, happy to chill by the pool.

 

Singapore, exceptionally organised and very slick disembarkation.

Spent 2 nights here and loved every minute despite the hot, humid weather.

Singapore slings at Raffles was a highlight.

 

Hope this helps, sorry to ramble on.....still on a high 🤣🤣🤣

 

Ps  Many were commenting on how little time the ship spent in the ports, which restricted what you could & couldn't do (especially the tendered port's)

 

14 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

Thanks for the insight. Hopefully this is the start of the tide turning (back to what it was!). We are sailing Celebrity for the first time next May in Japan and I had serious reservations after booking when reading these boards.

 

Chateaubriand in the MDR is certainly more along the lines of what I was thinking Celebrity would deliver.

 

Management visibilty and speedy reaction to feedback is also a positive sign.

 

 

 

I see you are from Edinburgh also!

I hope you have a fantastic time in Japan.

We waited a long time for our Oz trip & weren't disappointed.

 

When we spoke with Joseph Rebello, Maitre D'Specialty he advised us that there were big, positive changes coming in the next few months!  I wonder if that's why they are trialling the "specials"

We are not posh nosh people, but we do expect good food presented and served well.

 

Agree, management are key with such a large number of staff.

 

Chateaubriand pictured 😆

 

 

 

This is our 7th cruise with Celebrity and was a decider as to whether we would remain with Celebrity or "jump ship"

I have gained invaluable information from CC over the years and wanted to share my honest thoughts about our latest cruise.........

We had a balcony stateroom, therefore ate in the MDR and OV cafe.

No speciality dining this cruise.

 

MDR

One of the most important things for us is the seating in the MDR

We like to dine at a table for 2.

First evening we were sat at a table for 2, but the tables were so close together that we would have been as well sharing.

This has always been an issue for us that we have had to address.

We were also sat next to the work station for the staff coming and going.....not pleasant!

We met with the Maitre d who listened to our concers and organised a table that remained ours the duration of the cruise.

This made our dining experience so much better.  Thankyou Joseph!

The service we received was first class, professional, efficient and friendly.

The food, IMO was very good.

The plates were always hot, presentation good and a decent choice with "specials" available each night.......chateaubriand being one of them.....delicious!

The french onion soup has remained as good as the 1st time I tried it and despite the bad press, the mashed potatoes were very tasty!

There were always managers visible in the MDR observing and acting when necessary. 

My overall impression was excellent!

Everything we requested was met with a "yes, no problem" and I felt the staff genuinely wanted to please.

There were always short queues at the entrance, but they were efficiently managed.

 

OV Cafe......

I thought the choice of food was excellent and much improved from our cruise last year on Constellation. 

I was impressed with the sign on the table asking for guest's to vacate the table when finished, if busy.

Not sure I've seen that before.

 

I loved the Solstice

The size was perfect for us, easy to navigate and very comfortable seating areas.

There was a great vibe on the ship and as per usual, the staff were "The Stars"

The "Manager's" were way more visible & friendly than our previous cruise, with the exception of the Captain.

Only saw him once at the ceremony crossing the Equator!

 

Our stateroom on deck 8 was perfectly acceptable, we opted for the green package & met with our attendant to discuss our requirements.

This worked well for us & our room was well serviced.

You can tell it's an older ship but had everything we required. I definitely favoured the glass doors in the shower, to the curtain on Constellation!

The bed was very very comfortable, looks like they have added a topper.

 

We had many sea day's and the pool area was very busy.

I noticed that the pool staff were removing towels from unoccupied bed's.

It did state on the daily brief that towels would be romoved after 30 minutes.

I personally feel this is too short, but like the fact they are attempting to address it.

Some guest's were incredibly selfish.

 

There is a qr code on the daily brief for feedback.

I used this on a few occasions to compliment staff and to highlight anything we were unhappy with.

One of my complaints was there were no brandy glasses when I ordered a brandy.

Minor I know, but you wouldn't serve beer in a wine glass!

Whilst at dinner, the F&B manager approached our table to discuss.

He ensured that each bar would have the galsses available & he was correct!

I was most impressed with this follow up!

My advice.....if you are unhappy with anything, send feedback whilst on the ship to give the staff a chance to rectify.

 

Unfortunately we do not attend the shows, so can't comment.

Although the band's round the pool and bars were excellent.

 

The overall appearance IMO of the Solstice considering it's age is very good. It was being painted outside whilst we were overnight in Bali.

 

 

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed our trip and was most impressed with the service, the food and the comfort.

I got the impression that Celebrity were doing what they could to please guest's and improve on the issue's highlighted on CC many times.

 

I went on this cruise with some concern after reading much negatively, but with an open mind.

I would say the improvement from our Constellation cruise in September 2022 to this one is 100%

 

Will I "jump ship"?

Absolutely NOT.

More than happy to book another Celebrity cruise and will look forward to the continued improvements!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

 If you opt in online, pre-cruise, be sure to confirm with the guest relations desk that your name is on the list.   Even though there are sometime long lines, go there on boarding day because you cannot sign up for the green after that.
 

what suits me is to have one service in the evening, nothing in the morning. That is what works best for my schedule.

 

you get extra Captains Club points of one day’s worth per cruise of whatever your stateroom category is, no matter the length of cruise.  So an inside state room gives you a total of two extra points for the whole cruise.    That’s not a lot of incentive, but maybe if you are close to a new tier level, it would be enough.

Good advice.....many thanks!

29 minutes ago, bikerunner said:

Use it every time.  No need for a full cleaning in evening.   Still get turndown and yes towels replaced if on floor.  The room attendant will meet you on first day and you can let her know when you want it cleaned etc.   never noticed any difference in service. 

Thanks for that!

Just received an email on the above.

Would appreciate any feedback, good & bad please.

If we opt in are our towels replaced in the evening?

I also note you can choose your times.

Does this work well?

Tbh, reading it I don't see a whole lot of difference.

 

1 hour ago, Marga.Anders said:

Hi there,

 

Looking to make a switch from Royal Caribbean to Celebrity Cruises. Was looking at Ascent or Apex because they are newer ships but found out the Constellation is offering the best itinerary for our wishes (Dubrovnik, Koper, Split).

The reviews of this ship are mixed, mainly because it is an older ship. So this has me somewhat worries especially since we are 'used to' newer ships with RCL. 

 

I also saw online she is supposed to get a refurbishment in the spring of 2024. But can't really find what they will upgrade.

 

Does anybody have more info on this, or other information about Constellation?  Or alternative is the new Sun Princess, but the itinerary is less suitable.

 

We are a couple, 42yo, no kids.  Do like dining, solarium, theatre shows. Don't need: rock climbing, bumper cars, flow riders etc. 

We did 10 nights Best of Western Mediterranean on Constellation Sept 2022.

This was our 3rd time on Constellation.  We have only ever sailed with Celebrity, so nothing to compare with.

 

Some public areas had  had a mini makeover......new carpets, seating etc and was perfectly acceptable IMO.

However, the stateroom and in particular the bathroom for us was pretty disappointing. 

The decor is dated and just a bit drab.

That said, the bed is super comfy with lovely fresh white linen!

The balcony was in need of tlc also.

The shower enclosure was unacceptable for us.

Horrid curtain that needed replaced & tiles that needed ripped out & replaced, no amount of bleach would sort the grubby look.

Not unclean, just unsightly!

We did speak to guest relations but were told that the stateroom we could move to had similar problems!

Probably best to check with Celebrity what they intend to upgrade in 2024.

 

Only other slight disappointment for us was the MDR.

We just felt that the staff were really stretched and our dining experience was not as relaxed as our previous cruises....pre covid 😕

 

I agree with the previous post, I guess you maybe ask yourself what's most important to you?

Everyone has different standards/expectations & tolerances. 

That said, we still had a fantastic time and are off on Solstice for 15 nights from Sydney next week!

 

This cruise will determine our future with Celebrity.

We WILL have a great time, but I'm keeping everything crossed that we do not encounter any of the aforementioned issues.

 

Hope this helps your decision 🙂 

 

 

4 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 If they are still out of Zacap, ask for Bumbu or Brugal not quite as good but decent enough for a rum old fashioned. 

 

Order a Dessert Wine to have with your dessert 😉

Cause you can!

Nice to try.

Also, not sure if they still do "freshly squeezed orange juice" at breakfast, it's miles better than the standard.

Enjoy trying the different Martini's at the Martini Bar.

 

4 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Although Celebrity’s website says you will have two EC nights, the actual practice for an extended sailing such as yours should result in three EC evenings. 
 

Your itinerary looks awesome and it marks a return to Asia after a multi-year absence for Celebrity. We will be cruising on her in December. 
 

Have a nice cruise!

Thankyou!

Yes, very exciting to be returning to Asia.

We had a big trip cancelled Feb 2022 and were most disappointed.

This is a very different itinerary,  but looking forward to it 😀 

 

Enjoy yours in December!

I have just checked the planner on the app for this cruise.

Day's 2 & 4 state "Tonight's attire, evening chic" and Day's 3 & 12 state "Evening chic photo studio"

Does this mean there will be 4 chic nights? 🤔 

8 hours ago, tigervixxxen said:

Checking in to say MDR lunch was lovely, enjoyed every bit of it today. Had the beef/chicken skewers, pork loin and chocolate mousse. Will hit the OVC for dinner. 
 

Haven’t noticed anything with temps, overall pleasant. Nothing overly air conditioned or hot. If anything maybe gets a little warm in the observation lounge and conference room (deck 14) but otherwise haven’t noticed much. 

Thanks for info!

Can I ask if you are a champagne drinker?  If so, do you know what brand they are serving and is it available in all bars?

Thanks 😊 

6 minutes ago, Chrisclaire said:

Hope you have a great time!

Good news re taxi to stateroom!

Not such good news re absence of a safe, especially after the sad thread from Mark_uk with regards his parents passports being stolen in Athens.

This is a tad worrying 😟 

I think I will take this screenshot from their website......

40 minutes ago, Bob & Sandy said:

Hello everyone!

 

Bob & Sandy also here in cabin 1164 (hello tiger vixen et al!). I won’t step

on your thread, and you are spot on to date, but I will add two things:

First, in spite of a purported “1730 check in time”, we arrived at 1135

and the taxicab to stateroom time was about 20 minutes. Second 

(and more disconcerting!) there is no safe in our stateroom. Upon

questioning, our room attendant said it was broken, and a “lot” of the inside

staterooms did not have one, now. Is this another cutback? If so, not

a good idea - first time we have seen this in nearly thirty years of cruising.

Hope you have a great time!

Good news re taxi to stateroom!

Not such good news re absence of a safe, especially after the sad thread from Mark_uk with regards his parents passports being stolen in Athens.

This is a tad worrying 😟 

18 minutes ago, Rina155 said:

Ooo that cruise sounds like an amazing one!  

Very excited!

First time in Australia.

Long way to travel from Scotland, but I'm sure it will be worth it!

Overnight in an Hotel in Bali whilst the ship is docked for a wee change of scenery.

7 hours ago, tigervixxxen said:

The Solstice has just departed from Honolulu a touch early and we are on the way to Tahiti, in which we will arrive after 5 sea days. 
 

Day 1 was a success. The embarkation process was as simple as ever and we had completed out muster checkin, unpacked our carryon and were eating lunch at the OVC by noon. As reported by many here the Indian dishes were a standout. 
 

After unpacking the big bags we enjoyed a martini flight in the afternoon. Bartenders were great as always including one we recognized from our Equinox sailing over New Year’s. We were also given two regular size martinis for free after we finished the flight (we have the classic package so would have had to pay for them otherwise). 
 

For dinner in MDR it was prime rib night and was accurate in the app. There’s no menu yet for nights 9 and 10 plus some repeats the last week of the cruise so I’m not sure I believe those yet but up until day 8 I think the app is correct. Overall the meal was good, tiny mash and matchstick carrots were with the prime rib. I ordered the masala potatoes on the side to supplement and worked out well. DH enjoyed the spaghetti bolognese. We’ll see how my opinion of the MDR evolves as we go.  
 

First day on the ship I’d describe as quiet. Not sure if the prolonged embarkation and midnight departure contributed to this. We are still getting used to the time change so it was an early night and haven’t checked out much of the entertainment yet. Ship is what I’d expect from an S class but can tell it’s one of the older ones. Nothing glaringly obvious though. Only real annoyance is somehow we can hear pretty intermittently some sort of vacuum noise presumably from the toilet system. We are on deck 9 in one of the veranda rooms on the hump if that makes any difference. 
 

All in all a good start to the cruise! I also found a duck in the library so that was exciting. I brought my own duck to hide near the end of the cruise. Thanks all for following along!

Thankyou for taking the time to post this.

I will be following with great interest.....when your cruise ends, our's begins from Sydney to Singapore!  Counting down the days 😊

The Martini Bar is our favourite spot on the ship, those Martini's look great!

Have a wonderful time

Cheers! 🥂