Fly and Sail

I'm sandwiched in between two cough monsters who occupy the cabins next to mine. Not too concerned as I ventilate fresh air through the window all day and night plus shut off my air vent because of the noise.

I feel bad for these two guys, it sounds horrible.

I'm much more shocked about how many people ignore the staff at Oceanview Cafe reminding them about handwashing or disinfecting. They just walk straight to the buffet. IMHO it should be mandatory to do either or be denied access to the restaurant.

1 minute ago, SoloAlaska said:

M class in Alaska last September had 3 children onboard. One of which was adorable and very well behaved, the other I never really saw, and the last one the parents really should have not done a late dinner every night (past bedtime with time change was wayyyyy to late and the kid was difficult because of it). Literally that was it for kids. 
 

Smaller ship with less kid friendly amenities, during the school year, longer cruises, and less kid fun destinations is the list I try to follow. The more boxes you check the less likely to have kids onboard.

 

I am slightly dreading the screaming children I will encounter on Freedom of the Seas (March, Caribbean, 8 night, full on water park on board). It was not my choice but I don’t want to miss this family cruise.

2022 was a totally different ballpark compared to 2023. Occupancy was still low across the board, but now ships are packed to the brim.

Say thank you to the new Celebrity management for pushing the "Royalization" of X.

It's grotesque.

Captains Club Elite Reception on the last day of the cruise. Isn’t that a bit odd?

And apparently they aren’t really looking at the correct stateroom nr for these invitations. 😁

I didn’t receive an invite for a single CC sailaway event this time. There was one they used the Thermal Spa outdoor space for as I mentioned but even in AQ as Elite there was no invite.

Nice dinner at BLU today, preceded by a drink at EDEN.

Beef Tartar and Grilled Rainbow Trout. No special dessert so Creme Brulee it was.

To round it up, a little slot bonus hit on the way out.

One more visit to the Thermal Spa Suite for  sauna and steam room, then it’s packing baggage time.

34 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

 

Not champagne Aqua is supposed to get sparkling wine but I find you need to ask for it 

 
Interesting. Not that I’m going to drink it, let alone take it home. I had two drinks this whole week. 😅

The last two times I had something with a Celebrity label on it.

I’m confused now. Isn’t Aqua Class Supposed to recieve a bottle of champagne (even Celebrity’s own brand) and not a bottle of a weird Spumante!?

This is a first! Aside from the fact that it wasn’t even actively offered.

Another small town today ~ Olden 🇳🇴🛳️

5 minutes ago, weacat said:

Thank you much for taking the time out of your vacation to do this. I really appreciate it!

No problem at all. I have nothing else to do really. 😂

FWIW (after claiming multiple such incidents myself) all insurance companies have a form letter for the attending physician to document and sign, outlining exactly what details they need.

I can only recommend keeping a copy of that letter (or a similar generic form without letterhead) printed in the baggage just in case. The last I want to do in an emergency is looking for a printer. 😬

4 hours ago, abbydancer said:

I've been seeing it for a couple of hours a day for quite a while.  What I've seen is about 2 hours around dinner time.  I don't think it was on every ship, but I don't remember which ones.

Usually Millennium, Solstice, and Eclipse. At least as per the signage on SL/ML in May. Two hours would be ok, but not seven. That's excessive!

2 hours ago, weacat said:

I can’t seem to message you privately. The first name is “Harper”. Thank you again. 

They said they won't be able to communicate with anyone, not even the patient post-cruise. All requests have to go through medicalrecords@rccl.com in order to obtain data.

Hope it helps!

1 minute ago, weacat said:

Yea please. Email would be great. Thanks again!

Can I give at least her first name (in case they ask) ? You can send me a message, no need to do this publicly.

4 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

As has been stated, Blu doesn't allow reservations. Also note that since your assigned dining room is Blu, there is a chance your MDR reservations will be canceled. If you wish to eat in the MDR versus Blu, you are supposed to make arrangements with the Maitre D on board.

I never had a reservation canceled because I'm in AQ and "supposed" to eat in BLU.

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Solarium  on  the ships should adhere to  the solarium  being  adult only..which is what folks booked. 

 

the 2 hr family swim time in cold weather is ok as it is during dinner hrs.. but letting the kids and teens take over

is a very bad sign that Celebrity is making more changes..like the vaping.

 

"Royalizing"  is on the move!

I agree, sadly Celebrity's new management seems to think this bait and switch is ok, but I don't believe this is going to resonate very well with the established clientele.

They offered me yet another cruise from the casino (flyer from Future Vacations in the cabin) but I stopped by and gave it back. Told them I'm not interested in any future bookings until X firmly decided what they want to be and offer. I'm not flying halfway around the world for a cruise to deal with different policies that change at a whim without recourse. I can fly to Koh Samui, Langkawi or Bali within a few hours at much less expense both in airfare and 5* accommodation.

10 hours ago, weacat said:

Thank you so much!  I would need to contact them directly because of privacy issues I would guess.  If you could quickly find out a direct contact number/email - I would really appreciate it.

What should I ask them? If they have a direct email to contact?

Pretty nice scenery today, another lucky day as far as the weather is concerned. Except for the wind while en route. 😬

13 minutes ago, sjwebster said:

And just a note that on some nights, Camp at Sea has pool games in the Solarium from 9-10pm. That can definitely feel rowdy, but the kids are supervised.

I was there on 5 nights this week and no, they are not supervised unless a ghost is doing that job. Email to the Executive Offices with respective images has already been sent out.

43 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Beautiful photos.  Had you always planned to disembark early or is this because you aren't enjoying?  4-11 seems way too much for family hours.  Maybe 4-6 would be reasonable.

I was considering it before because of good flight options ex Bergen (Norway in general) but this plus the outlook of just another sea day made me decide for it.

I did enjoy this week of nature. Panorama and fresh air are always nice.

Keep in mind that this was a comped cruise through the casino so it’s always easier to pull something like that when it’s not your money on the line. 😉

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I thought the Solarium pool was only for adults, is this another unannounced policy change? 

Seven hours of family time and the remainder of the day isn’t enforced either. Celebrity also doesn’t show any interest in doing so.

They are currently working on my early disembarkation formalities ex Bergen, that way I can stay two more days in Europe rather than having to deal with all this. 😅

On a positive note, Flam is very nice today!

The way that kids are running wild on this ship is really starting to annoy me. Especially during the 7 (!!) hours of “family time” in the solarium.

There is no supervision either, not by the parents and no Celebrity Staff either. The Guest Relations Director promised two days ago that staff would be placed in the solarium to watch it but so far nothing happened. It’s just a second Royal Caribbean at this point.

The last two days I had dinner at Oceanview Cafe as I wasn’t in the mood for sitdown dinners at BLU or the MDR’s (menu wasn’t very enticing either).

Quality was very good and selection ample, it was also much more quiet than any of the restaurants - I absolutely hate loud environments during meals.

So far, Oceanview has always delivered during this trip.

I'm onboard the Apex right now and can give them a call if you want, but they'll likely ask for personal information of the patient.

8 minutes ago, hcat said:

AQ Class does come with BLU and Thermal suite access but no spa discounts,  special workout classes or other special events.. AQ class now commands higher prices but could use some extras!

I got so used to being in AQ due to the generous casino upgrade offers of $20/night that I'm trying to think how attractive a sailing would be without access to BLU and the Thermal Suite. I don't think I'd like it very much.

Similar to staying at the Park Hyatt Tokyo as a non-top-tier Hyatt member who receives free access to the Club at the Park (Onsen, Steam Room, Sauna, Relaxation area) and free breakfast. I don't think I'd spend $1000/night or 30,000 points there without these amenities being included.

9 hours ago, hcat said:

oh my.. someine goofed! did you report it? Hope not too sloshy.

Love the Solarium photos.The entry looks like it has a huge geode.  My grandson loves them.  Did you try the crystal rm.?   

 

kids/ teens taking over the Solarium at night ...hope that is not the new thing or extended to.other shops and itins.

 

Family  hrs are fine and maybe one evening event for teens  but it is an ADULT ONLY area...

I'm an avid user of all the facilities inside the Thermal Spa Suite. It's pretty much the only quiet place on the ship right now - except today, where someone had the "brilliant" idea to use the outside deck of the Thermal Suite for a Sailaway event for Captains Club invitees (I wasn't invited, a crew member said it was Zenith but no way are there THIS many Zenith members onboard). It was annoying, and I will definitely bring it up tomorrow. IMHO, there are plenty of venues, incl the Retreat Deck, for a sail away, why bother Aqua Class guests and take the view away from the lounge chairs?

22 minutes ago, Scottishclover said:

Wonderful photos of Geiranger. Bringing back lots of memories. Thank you. I hope the weather holds for you.

Well, the weather holds, but some crew washing the windows just flooded my cabin without lifting the automated windows up. Isn't that what central window control of these Infinite Veranda's is for?