KellyCz

We are at this point with our daughter. The extra shower of that second room will be so helpful! And of course privacy for her and us. Based on initial searches, we are planning for her cabin for one to cost only $200 to $300 less than ours for two.

Thanks @Loracpin2. I (clearly) did not know about those spreadsheets. What a great resource!

That was amazing! I'm a long-time packing cube devotee, but I might have to try this.

Looking at this forward-facing cabin, which is listed as Prime Ocean View. If you've sailed in this (or this style of) cabin before, can you offer any insights? Pros/cons? This would be a 6-night spring break sailing from Ft. Lauderdale.

How was your itinerary? Any highlights you want to share?

@Jim_Iain I'm loving all the door photos! This one in particular caught my eye.

I could have written this comment myself, swapping gin for vodka. Loved the martini bar on our first Celebrity cruise and really looking forward to it on the next!

With Anytime Dining, will you have the same table (or at least the same server) every night, regardless of the time you dine?

Thanks! I should have been more specific. No young children; one of us is an educator.

The YC is definitely not in our budget. (Plus, I just checked, and YC interiors are already sold out for that week.) We need to work with the school calendar. Will it be less of a party ship cruise if we travel during the summer vs. spring break? Or do all the shorter itineraries have the same vibe?

We’re looking to try an inside cabin for the first time, and we’ve targeted Spring Break 2024 to do it. Current plan is a 4-night cruise, plus a couple of days in Florida afterward. Our MSC options are: Seashore: Port Canaveral, Ocean Cay, Nassau Magnifica: Miami, Nassau, Ocean Cay The Seashore is much newer than the Magnifica, and considerably larger. What do you see as the pros and cons between the two?

I took both a curling iron and a straightener on the Divina last June.

@fluffybunny22 We had the Easy Plus package last summer (although it was a Bahamas/Mexico cruise) and found lots of good options on the menu. Favorites were strawberry daquiri, frozen Toblerone, and Bailey's Alexander.

Sorry, @WannaCruise365. I didn't know Piazza del Doge was only on the Divina. Just took a look at another ship, the Meraviglia, and it has something in a similar location called "Jean-Philippe Chocolate & Coffee" which looks similar. Does anyone know if the food there is included in your cruise fare (like Piazza del Doge)? Is there something similar to PdD on the other ships?

You'll also find pastries/sandwiches/desserts at Piazza Del Doge, depending on the time of day.

@Jim_Iain I'm a very infrequent cruiser, having taken just three cruises total and only one on Celebrity. But I sure am enjoying following you on this trip. Thanks for sharing your adventures!

Aspen Coffee was my favorite evening drink on our Summit cruise this spring.

@kickboxrca Did you go to Dyea on a ship excursion or on your own? We're looking at Skagway this summer.

This was a very helpful breakdown. Thanks!

Hi @jrapps. I was on the Divina for 7 nights last June (out of Port Canaveral) with my husband and our adult daughter. (And we just saw the Divina in Miami when we sailed on Celebrity Summit at the beginning of February!) I can't answer your first two questions, but here's a bit about our experience. WORTH NOTING: We sailed at about 50% capacity. I realize this will likely change things significantly. Our service in the main dining room was excellent. Both our Head Waiter (Gerard) and Assistant Waiter (Alex) were extremely attentive. By day 2, they knew our preferences and were quick to accommodate the one in our party who doesn't eat meat. By day 3, Alex would see us coming in and he would head to the bar to grab our drinks, bringing them back within a few minutes. We were spoiled. The Golden Jazz Bar (deck 7) was my husband's favorite. He called it the Austin Powers lounge because of the decor. Even though it was also on deck 7, we only discovered the Black & White Lounge on our last night. I recommend it! It's at the very back of the ship. It was not crowded when we were there (after dinner) and had a nice vibe. Live music. We danced to a couple of songs the one time we visited. We also liked the Silver Lounge on deck 6. If you're lucky enough to visit Ocean Cay, the Lighthouse Bar is a great place to hang out. There's some shade available, and Adriano was a great bartender. (You're going to think we only hung out at bars and lounges. Not so! But they were worth mentioning. And it was vacation, after all.) Our favorite area was the adults-only pool at the back of deck 14. Staff was serious about keeping it strictly for adults. We saw them stop several people trying to bring kids in (even older ones, say 14 or 15). A couple of men even argued with the staff person, but they didn't budge. So it was a fun area for the 20+ crowd. Nice pool and excellent service from the roaming bartenders. Plenty of lounge chairs (but again, half capacity for our sailing). We tipped with small bills frequently and had very attentive service the entire week. They even got to the point where they would bring us bottles of water without us asking. The Divina is not a smart ship. No app. This didn't bother us, but we heard some other guests complaining. We plan to try another MSC cruise on a different ship sometime soon. Enjoy your cruise!

@pederDo all MSC ships have the 2-bed/2-bath suites? How can I find these?

Wow, your wife is a trooper! I think that might deter me...

Yes...just coming back to say that I didn't know any other martinis to request. Plenty of options for us newbies on the Summit menu. Hopefully they'll be able to make your preferred options!

This was my first Celebrity cruise and my third cruise in total. I traveled with my daughter (age 22). I’ll hit the highlights here. Embarkation: Our assigned time was 11:30-12:00. We pulled up in a Lyft at 11:20, checked in, and were being welcomed onboard before we even realized what was happening. It was so quick…definitely under 10 minutes from curb to ship. Great start! Stateroom: We tried an Ocean View cabin on deck 2 (2164). The window was huge, so plenty of light. Also, the area under the window/behind the curtains was at least 12” deep with a lip on the front edge, which turned out to be the ideal place to store our backpacks, pool tote, and other random items. We welcomed the extra storage space. Having previously stayed on decks 5 and 11 on other ships, it was startling at first to have such an up-close view of the water! The room size was adequate and would have been better with the bed combined. Having them separated created a tight spot between the bed and the desk, which was a small annoyance. Closet space was tight for this 5-night trip, and there was very little drawer space. I would want more clothes storage space for a longer cruise. (We had only carry-on luggage, so we did not overpack!) Dining: We ate at the Oceanview Cafe only a handful of times. The food was fine, but lines were long and guests were exhibiting some of the worst buffet behavior I’ve ever seen. Using hands to grab food items from serving platters and bowls, eating with their hands while in the line, refilling their used cups at the self-serve beverage station. For the health of all guests, I wish Celebrity would serve all food and beverage items. The main dining room (Cosmopolitan) was a much better experience. We had dinner there on all but the first night. Food quality was quite good, service was 8/10, and we enjoyed conversation with the guests at the next table. If not drinking wine (which we weren’t), bar service was incredibly slow. After the first night, we stopped by the Martini Bar before dinner and brought drinks with us. We had burgers & fries for lunch twice from the Pool Grill. Fresh, hot, and delicious both times. I liked the toppings on offer (lettuce, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, onions). Tip: The bacon was in a separate tray out of view from guests, so you have to ask for it. We visited Café Al Bacio daily. Depending on the time of day, we enjoyed cappuccino and croissants, IGLU (Frappuccino equivalent), whichever chocolate dessert looked most appealing at the time, or Aspen coffee. We had excellent service there. Martini Bar: Another favorite spot. Great service, entertaining bartenders, delicious drinks. My favorite was the Cherry Lane, and my daughter’s favorite was the Sunset. We had the premium beverage package and made our way through a substantial portion of the martini menu throughout our five days. It was usually busy, so we sometimes got seats at the bar and other times at the adjacent free-standing bar (called Crush). We talked with so many other guests in this area and learned a lot from veteran cruisers. Pool Area: It was lively and crowded, but we always managed to find two lounge chairs together. [Old person alert]: I would have liked the music to be at a much lower volume. We stayed onboard during the Cozumel port day, and even at 9 a.m. with only a dozen guests on deck, the poolside music was loud enough that I had trouble focusing on my book. Eventually we found the Rooftop Terrace on deck 12, where it was blissfully quiet—but there was no bar service on 12, whereas on 10 and 11 bartenders were circulating so we could always get a bottle of water or a daquiri. Tradeoffs. Sometimes on 10, they came around with trays of lemon sorbet, which was a nice touch. Tender Process: We followed protocol and picked up our tender tickets for Grand Cayman only after having breakfast and gathering our things so we were ready to go. This was a mistake. We got tender #16 a little after 10 a.m. and waited nearly two hours for our number to be called. We didn’t know to expect this, and it was a big disappointment for my daughter, who wanted to spend the day at a beach. Eventually we got to the island, took a taxi to Public Beach, and rented chairs and an umbrella. It was fine, but not worth the hassle. Activities: We loved the ABBA sing-along in the Sky Lounge. And the Silent Disco was so much fun. One night we watched karaoke (also in the Sky Lounge), and there were some really talented singers. I joined a line dancing class one afternoon and enjoyed that too. Debarkation: We opted to keep our bags with us. We walked off the ship at 8 a.m. with no lines and no issues. From there, we boarded one of many vans to the airport ($10 per person) and waited probably 20 minutes for it to fill up before heading out. We were in no rush; our flight was at 12:15. Overall: I would return to Celebrity for Café Al Bacio and the Martini Bar alone. (In fact, I will be returning this summer, with my husband to Alaska on the Solstice.) This was intended to be a relaxing, affordable, escape-the-Midwest winter break for my daughter and me, and it definitely fit the bill.

Thanks for the detailed response, Harris! I returned from my first cruise on Feb. 10 so the points should show up soon. And your explanation about the upgrade makes much more sense. Wishful thinking, I guess!