Galaxy2004

On the refundable future booking deposits, ours has always been automatically refunded. On our last sailing in February, all they offered were non-refundable future bookings deposits so we didn't purchase any of those.

Following along and hoping you got the adventure part of your vacation out of the way and the rest is relaxing!

@Tyler414 That's exactly how we felt on our last cruise!! At the end of the cruise we left our room attendant several extra bottles of water and a few unopened beers.

If you drink the water that is in the room, you have to pay for it. But go to a bar or get it in a restaurant, even Evian or whatever, and it's free. All I can think is it reduces the restocking work for the non-suite room attendants. That said, we never had any problem getting bartenders to give us 2 waters at a time on the premium and zero proof packages.

I'm assuming you are not in a suite. If that's so my experience has been that the room attendant can only restock those available for purchase in the room. Those are NOT covered by the package.

What @tompeter said. Our room attendant emphasized that when we met him on our recent cruise.

Just like chain/franchise restaurants on land, ship employees can be trained under the same system, prepare food using the same recipes, use what is basically the same equipment, etc. but the end product is going to vary, even within the same restaurant and maybe within the same day. Why? Humans. From the Captain of the ship down, there are a lot of humans involved.

@Fieldofdreams I'm jealous!! We loved it. We sailed Ascent in December and loved it so much that soon after we got home we booked the February trip. She's a gorgeous ship. We had amazing weather and spent much of our time in this stretch of chairs on the stern side of Sunset Bar. Extra attentive bar staff and super comfy chairs. There are quite a few detailed reviews on here, but I'd be happy to answer any questions. Have a wonderful trip!

Eden was not an option for lunch on embarkation day on our 2/4 sailing on Ascent.

On the 2/4 sailing we were in 12187 (same hallway, still under the pool deck). There was definitely noise as people started walking around in the mornings - pretty sure there was an elephant up there one morning. Also the night of the "shine" party, there was noise from above until a bit after midnight. Otherwise the location was great and the noise was not bad enough to make us regret the great price we got on a concierge guarantee 🙂. Now the EXTREMELY firm bed. Yikes. Even with 2 extra duvets (room attendant could not find us a pad like we snagged on our December sailing) it was really hard. Go and enjoy. We absolutely loved the Ascent!!

Also pasta station, variety of desserts (cookies, cakes, etc.). On recent cruise they had a crepe station one night. It varied each night. It's not a full buffet.

Very frustrating that a change in the reservation cost your the discount.

Eden at $45pp yes every time. Never at $85pp. We got lucky and grabbed a black friday price for our December sailing but no discounts came about for our February sailing so at $77 (which it was for that sailing) we said no. 3 times and loved it each time but not that much.

Ah the sacrifices you are making for the rest of us. Thanks so much for taking us along.

@Cruisegirl6On 12/10 and 2/4 Ascent sailings BOTH chic nights were port days - Day 2 Nassau and Day 6 Grand Cayman.

Haven't been on Beyond, but all other ships I've been on the MDR is open for dinner from 5:30 - 9:00pm. Buffet open until 9.30pm. Late night snacks start at 10 so that might be your only option, along with pizza and pasta.

Everyone has their own opinion. With 6 cruises in the last 2 years - 2 Equinox, 2 Apex, 2 Ascent, here are my thoughts. Experiences are getting better than they were right after the Covid restart. Better supplies, more staffing, etc. For me, Equinox loses out to the new and shiny of Apex and Ascent. And I much prefer the 4 main dining room concept on the Edge class ships over the old style 1 large, noisy dining room. I do think with Ascent they are targeting new cruise to Celebrity cruisers and maybe a bit younger crowd. I enjoyed Eden and Rooftop Grill over the specialty restaurants on Equinox.

Interested to read your review as we're thinking about booking a suite for the first time - after 19 non-suite but wonderful cruises. Just wondering whether it's really worth the price difference.

We did Ascent on 2/4 and booked a concierge class guarantee about 6 weeks before sailing. We were assigned a cabin within 48 hours after booking. Ended up with a great cabin only a few forward of 12th floor aft elevators. No upgrades were available but that was most likely because the ship was full. We paid less for the cabin than an ocean view was going for. Of course, we know we could have ended up with a less desirable location so count it as lucky. Good luck!!

They didn't ask us for a reason. I simply said I don't drink alcohol but hubby does, which is true. No questions asked and that's how they posted it.

Just off Ascent 2/11. We were able to do premium drink for one and zero proof for the other. It just required a telephone call to get that done.

Yes. Just off Ascent. The Beyond the Podium guest was Kenneth Stein talking about NASA, space race, etc. I missed the talks, but heard positive comments about them.

Received and submitted for my 10 PUP.

Which ship as these benefits are treated differently on e-class?

Agree with @hcat on Tuscan for it's decor (classic yet trendy black and white), coziness, music, etc. But favorite dish is oxtail from Cosmopolitan, which is my 2nd favorite venue.