kwokpot

So we took both of yours advice and after signing up for shows, applying for Press Your Luck, and reserving BTS tour, wine tasting, and officer dinner, we went to Indulge at approximately 12:35pm. Indulge was already a madhouse and we circled the premises 4 times before giving up. We're sitting in Hudsons now with a view of the downtown Miami skyline and enjoying the calm peaceful atmosphere. This was my initial thought but I tried to be open. The atmosphere in Indulge was too chaotic and I'm enjoying the peaceful and elegant surroundings.

Maybe at inception the dinner choices at Blu may have been healthier but as it stands now it is most certainly not. The food at Blu can never be confused with Spa cuisine. You can look to the spa cafe for food items that are examples of healthy spa cuisine. .Does Select Anytime Dining in the MDRs not work for you?

When I saw the photo I KNEW it was too rare. :Lamb has to be cooked to medium otherwise the meat is too tough and chewy to eat. I order all beef to be cooked to medium rare but lamb to medium.

A couple of things to consider. First off do you feel you'll spend time using the Retreat lounge? What that boils down to is will you enjoy spending time relaxing and drinking in a private lounge or are you more interested to be among everyone else, especially on a brand new ship? The Retreat Lounge doesn't have regular entertainment so it won't be like sitting in the Grand Plaza or Eden listening to live entertainment. If those are things you enjoy doing nightly that would limit the amount of time you spend in the lounge. Same goes for the Retreat sundeck. Do you think you'll enjoy being outside in a private area away from everyone or you prefer the energy of the main pool deck? Have you been on an E-Class ship? If not then maybe this isn't the best time to upgrade since you'll be interested in checking out all the great venues on the whole ship. If you've already experienced an E-Class ship then there's less 'need' to experience all the different venues since you're already familiar with them.

You didn't mention how much you're planning on bidding. For the record we did a SS on the Apex which was our first experience in Retreat and we loved it. If you're price conscious it all boils down to the amount you're bidding and whether the added costs are worth it to your for the experience. Break it down by day and them see if it seems reasonable to pay $X/day/cabin for the Retreat Class experience.

What's the current turnaround for onboard laundry? I'll be on the Viva on Weds. Shappire status here, so I get a free laundry. Does NCL still fold the clothes nicely and return them in a basket?

Given the later room availability on NCL and the inability to place hand luggage in your cabin straight away we have decided to check our carry-on size bags and will only have backpacks with us. Our current preference is to go for a sit down lunch. This is a nice option most cruiselines don't offer and will offset the inconvenience of not being able to access the cabin to deposit hand luggage (Carnival and Celebrity allow this) and if 2:00 seems to be the average time for room access a bit late, IMO (most other lines are 1-1:30)

Celebrity fleetwide has separate shampoo, conditioner, body wash,Body lotion, and bar soap as the provided toiletries. . The brand labels will be different according to cabin class.

In your opinion would you do embarkation lunch in Indulge or a sitdown at Hudsons?

Following your trip report, we board on Weds. Could you verify what toiletries are provided in standard cabins? Specifically if body lotion is provided? Thank you!

This is the default practice on Carnival cruises and it's been repeated over and over that the procedure is to do exactly that, place dishes outside and do not leave them inside. It's more work for the room stewards if you leave them in the cabin. I agree it looks terrible but at least on Carnival that's what they want you to do. Having said that some people are just plain STUPID. They will leave mugs and glasses full of liquid that could be spilled. Common sense would be to pour out any liquid down the bathroom sink. I've seen have eaten ice cream cones with ice cream still in the cone left on the floor,melting. Stupid 🤦

No worries. To jog your memory here's a photo of the free co-ed sauna on the Mardi Gras, located behind the locker rooms. This is the only free sauna (no free steam rooms) on the Excel Class ships. On the Celebration the sauna door has added frosting since this sauna is located directly at the rear door of the women's locker room.

Yes, on the Mardi Gras, Celebration, and Jubilee. A few other ships such as the Sunrise and Radiance also only have coed saunas. Most of the remaining Carnival ships have free single sex saunas in the spa/gym locker rooms.

Incorrect. There's no free separate male and female saunas on Excel Class ships-Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee. There's only one free co-ed sauna that's located behind the men's and women's locker room.

Do not worry about the time. That is incorrect. If you buy a pass for the whole cruise you can use the spa as many times each day as you want for as long as you want.

All the mens shoe manufacturers now have dresser shoes with sneaker soles which means they can double as regular walking shoes. https://www.rockport.com/products/rockport-men-s-total-motion-craft-wingtip-black-ml06305-jbl61 https://www.colehaan.com/mens-zerogrand-wingtip-oxford/C20719.html https://www.colehaan.com/mens-2.zerogrand-laser-wingtip-oxford/C23832.html https://www.rockport.com/collections/rockport-mens-sneakers/products/rockport-men-s-total-motion-craft-sneaker-black-ml06245-jbl61 And of course black leather tennis style shoes goes with slacks, jeans, and walking shorts https://www.colehaan.com/mens-grandpro-tennis-sneaker/C23877.html https://www.rockport.com/collections/rockport-mens-sneakers/products/rockport-mens-colle-tie-sneaker-black-ml02044-jbl61

Thank you very much for this excellent review. I know how much time and effort it takes to do these things(I ran out of steam on my last Carnival 30 day cruise trip report and never wrote an end of cruise post, lol). People seem to forget we do these things out of personal enjoyment and not as a profession! And also thank you for taking personal question requests. Happy holidays!

You'll be just fine. No need to bring other shoes. Personal advice just make sure they're clean without dirt on them like you just came back from a hike in the woods. Otherwise you're all good to go!

Sure you can, but what's the rest of the outfit?

Thank you so much for this. Never knew about this. My cabin is assigned and we're next to family!

how does that work?

I'm on the Anthem's Christmas Eve cruise and still haven't received my OV Guarantee cabin. I', traveling with other family members who have their cabin already. The cruise is sold out.

Nicely put! Which is why even with the newer E-Class ships that have a bar in the Retreat Lounge it's more of a service bar without seating for precisely the reason you state.

I have a personal interest in architecture and Interior design so I do pay attention to the design and aesthetics of whatever environment I'm in. Having said that you ask a very specific question and If my recollection is correct the carpet designs and colors of the other parts of the ship were a bit more interesting and less dull. Michael's Club on S-Class ships sits off the Ensemble Lounge bar area which usually has a dark and intimate decor itself. I distinctly remember that the overall decor of Michaels Club seemed much more dated than the rest of the ship and it was a somber like environment evoking a stuffy Private Mens Club from the '70s & '80s.

My husband is sober so hanging out at a bar is just something we don't do. If we order drinks from the bar we take them and find a seat elsewhere. Same thing at the Martini bar. We have no issues meeting other people and striking up conversations despite not sitting at the bar. If we're traveling with friends and/or family we certainly never would sit at the bar. But even for me I'm not a drinker and the on a cruise three drinks/day is my max. Even in my younger days I never hung out at the bar, I would order my drink and observe the action from across the room.