mac_tlc

I would love to know how they can conclusively state #4, and how they can even say they about one or two days into the “test”. Royal can’t seem to stop non gamblers from smoking, as they congregate around an ashtray near a slot machine, I doubt that their sister will be diligent in their efforts. mac_tlc

First a big thank you to @Georgia_Peaches for being our spokesperson. The cynic in me, however, agrees with @RichYak— If we just don’t put up the signs, everything is ok. Are they going to allow it or not? If so, it is only a matter of time before word of mouth spreads. So maybe it slows down the number of vapers, but the policy stands—— and that is the real problem. mac_tlc

Well at least Ålesund has shore power. When I took these pictures, I knew I would be responding to @twangster or the chief!!😜😜. mac_tlc

I believe we have a winner!! Michael Bayley has said almost as much every time he is asked the question about Royal’s casino smoking policy. They refuse to give up revenue and will tolerate the upset customers. mac_tlc

Looking forward to following along. We just left Amsterdam last week after our Jewel of the Seas Arctic Circle cruise. Love the city. Have stayed at the Doubletree before, great location. mac_tlc

Beautiful tuxedos! We lost our 12 year old tuxedo last September— heartbreaking to this day. She was a beauty!

As someone who was maneuvering a wheelchair down the hallway to the aft cabin ( it was Norway so it had to be aft😜), I can tell you trays and cups and glasses are not my friend. If there was one tray in the hallway we had to stop, my wife had to get out of the chair, I would fold it up, go 8 feet, unfold it, and she would get back in. We did request ice twice a day and got it — almost every day. As for the garbage can. If we happened to stop for a coffee and bring it back to the room, those two cups would almost fill the garbage can. Better not have a coke can or a bottle of water too. As I stated in my review, the comparisons to home are ridiculous. I paid to be not at home. I clean the toilets at home, so should I be OK if they asked me to do that to enhance my cruise experience? mac_tlc

Just got off Jewel last week and I agree. It’s a real lessening of the experience. We asked for extra towels and got some. Quite a pile in the bathroom by the time the attendant arrived. And the garbage can situation is ridiculous. mac_tlc

I don’t disagree with the fact that supply was reduced but they also artificially increased demand, by making such few options. It must be nice to control both sides of the equation. I agree with you that price protection is all I want. mac_tlc

When we were on the Jewel last week, they had the equivalent of the officer sheet on the TV. I took a picture of each and posted it in my review , then tagged @wolfcathorse and @DELTABLUE so they would know. mac_tlc

On 6/9, I received an opportunity to get PUP points. It was tied to our October Edge cruise. Here is a piece of that email: Starting tomorrow, earn 50 Power Up Points and save 40% when you add a City Stay Package to your upcoming cruise between June 10 - June 11, 2023. Embark on an in-depth experience in the city where your cruise starts or ends. From transportation, to hotels, and guided experiences we have you covered from start to finish so you can get the most out of your upcoming vacation on Celebrity Edge®. Availability is limited, so reserve your spot now The price of the City Stay in Rome was amazing high. I passed. mac_tlc

I don’t know about the OP, but I want X to price protect the booking I made on the Beyond TA in November. Curiously, the suite prices on Ascent, which was one of the “options”, have increased since the Beyond cancellation. It was already $4K more than Beyond for one less day, and now it’s up another $400. Sorta wipes out that generous OBC. 🙄🙄 On a pppd basis, it’s now 43% higher than Beyond was. mac_tlc

The only one I really want is Aqua80. Ice show if available but I’ve seen it a dozen times. mac_tlc

Our 8/4 Oasis is 34 days out, nothing open yet. mac_tlc

Another vote for a balcony, and strong preference for an aft balcony. Great unobstructed views. mac_tlc

So as Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” I guess flying at 500mph qualifies as fast, so when I opened the shade on the flight from Iceland to New Jersey yesterday I saw this! Here are a few more. It was stunning! According to my camera, it was the Bernstoff Isfjord in Greenland. Lasted about five minutes and then it was all clouds again. A fitting photographic end to 16 days of great memories! I need to make multiple backups of these pictures!😜. mac_tlc

Thanks Nancy, We have safely arrived back in CT— it was a 24 hour day from waking up on ship in Amsterdam to pulling into the driveway in CT. One of the things we miss most are our cats, we have two . Here is quick picture of the older one (14). She does not like it when we leave and woke me up way too early today!

You would think Norway, Arctic Circle, chilly? Not for us. Every day seemed to be historically high temps, with the peak being 84 in Flam. We packed long sleeve T-shirts, jeans and sweatpants. Even brought wool hat and gloves— imagine. Also brought some shorts and short sleeve tshirts, mainly for ship days — so we thought. Last few days that’s what we wore ashore, especially in Olden/Loen. We are D+ so the free laundry bag helped — and we could use it any day, so that gave us two per room. I think you need to pack for all possibilities and probably will have too much of one type of clothing. mac_tlc

Mid-travel update. All is smooth so far. Sitting on the plane in Iceland bound for Newark. Flight from Amsterdam was uneventful and made connection in Reykjavik with time to spare. Due in at 7:20pm EDT, a 6hr 20min flight. Both airports today have been mobbed but the signage is good so you can find your way through the masses. mac_tlc

Thanks Andrew, it was great to have you along for the virtual cruise ! mac_tlc

Well we are sitting at Schipol waiting to check in our luggage for the journey back to Newark, NJ. It is going to be a long day, probably close to 22 hours ship to door. Flight to Newark through Iceland, then grab a rental for the drive to CT. Hopefully we will pull in by 11pm EDT. A remarkable journey, but I know the withdrawal will be severe, especially since we don’t know if we will ever be back —- don’t have those feelings on any Caribbean voyage, it’s easy to go back. Spent most of yesterday being pi$$ed off at Celebrity for shafting us on our now-cancelled Beyond TA for 11/1/24. No price protection and the only similar ship offer would be $4K for for one less day. For those not following that debacle, they cancelled the entire 2024 European season to keep Beyond in the Caribbean. I could go on, and have on other posts, but won’t here. This is about the wonders of Norway and why everyone should go before the ship restrictions potentially limit access to some of the most beautiful places on the planet! Thanks for following along! Hopefully I have boosted tourism $$ for @Norwaylady ‘s country!😂😂 mac_tlc

We are almost to Amsterdam: Oh, those pesky locks! A few more general musings: 1) Internet - It started out great! Solid connections, decent speed. All to way to Honningsvag and to start the southern return. Then it began to suck. Constant disconnection, trouble getting internet connection. Today is the last day and it always sucks that day, with more users dealing with flights and such. 2) More food — Anything from the bakery has been very good. Rolls, danish, pastry, breads. Even some of the desserts have been better than previous. 3) Once a day room cleaning - Nope. And before people say “do you clean your towels twice a day at home”? , I’m not at home —- and paid not to be at home. That analogy is frivolous. You end up doing more minor stuff yourself. This room has scant counter space. If you get a breakfast room service tray, you are fighting with it all day for the table space. Sure, just put it outside—-, you never had to push a wheelchair down the hallway and try to dodge trays and cups and glasses and plates. One very small garbage can in the room and a smaller one in the bathroom. Fills quickly. Our stateroom attendant has 25 rooms ——. They clearly did this solely to cut costs. None of these will stop our cruising days, but the value and experience are lessened. Thankfully, we had this to look at:

Maybe someone should ask the question of them at a Q&A session? Why are the Beyond bookers being shafted when the Reflection bookers get a free upgrade. Im not looking for a discount, just not a multiple thousand dollar penalty. mac_tlc

Yesterday was a lazy sea day, No magnificent fjords, quaint villages along the shores, or majestic photographic opportunities. It was another blue sky day: I guess I’ll take this time to hit on a few common CC topics and how they applied to this voyage and a few other general musings. 1) Cabin - We had an aft balcony on deck 7. Gerald our attendant is great and personable. Only retraction is it is directly above the Safari Club so if the music is playing late, you can hear the bass. I would move up a deck if possible but would definitely book this cabin again to get the aft. 2) New Royal MDR menus — This was our first opportunity to try them. Overall reaction? Meh ……. Definitely fewer options, a lot of “cottage pie/ Shepards pie” options. Some options lacked flavor. We love French onion soup and I thought I would be disappointed it was not available every night. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as it used to be. Broth lacked bold flavor. Some nights it wasn’t hot enough. Overall they have cheapened the ingredients which cheapens the product. MDR is not what it used to be. 3)MDR dress code — Seems like it’s whatever you decide it should be. The “shorts” battle has been lost long ago. There were numerous T shirt and baseball cap wearers, who never took the hat off … ever… As I stated earlier, the ambiance and experience is not what it used to be. 4)!Chair hogs — It was an Arctic cruise so not an issue but….. they were replaced with table hogs, especially in Solarium. Playing cards, dominos, etc. They set up camp early ! 5)Ship— Jewel is a great size ship especially for this itinerary. She is in need of some upkeep and modernization. Looks very dated in furniture and common areas. Cabin showing its age. I don’t think they knew what USB stood for when they built it. I will be honest, our last couple cruises have been on Celebrity Beyond so…. 6) Windjammer - Have I said I am not a fan? More times than I can count they had no mugs at any of the four coffee stations. The rear ones ran out of coffee a few times too. Tables are inadequate, sometimes took two or three laps around with my wife in a wheelchair to find a spot. We do avoid the venue as much as possible but there are few other options, especially once the MDR closes (9:30 for breakfast, 1:30 for lunch). Newer ships win big in this category. Food itself was OK and it was crowded, but where else can people go? Today we arrive in Amsterdam, alongside by 4, and depart tomorrow. Can’t believe it’s almost over😞😞. Memorable doesn’t begin to describe it. It has been fun to document for all the CC followers! mac_tlc

Those are the big ones. It be a vastly different cruise and experience without them. It’s why we took this journey. mac_tlc