STLCRUISIN

3 hours ago, twodjs said:

Yes, but Celebrity gutted the formerly wonderful sauna in Infinity and Summit and added about 10 cabins in that space. They did install a smaller (no window to the sea) single-sex sauna during their "upgrade" ☹ We're on Summit in mid-May.

Such a shame they did away with the saunas that had the windows. So now there's no windows to the sea but they now have windows to the locker room!! We'll be on Constellation for 25 days in October/November so looking forward to some sauna time while there. Don't expect any changes to the sauna before 2025.

We were on the Edge last month and dined at Eden. You cannot see any of the musical performers from Eden but you can hear them. They had music starting generally around 6pm and mixed it up with singing, piano, acoustic guitar and electric cello. One of the performers told us were being told to keep the volume quieter because of complaints from some diners (we loved listening to the music while dining). The performers got together later in the evening, around 11:30pm for a jam session and could play louder. 

On 12/4/2022 at 3:23 PM, alyssamma said:

Yeah, but what about the return flight? You might not have needed it, but I'm guessing that is too early...

Since it is a Transatlantic the return home will be from Tampa where I will most likely use miles to book it. You're guess is correct though, it's too early.

3 hours ago, alyssamma said:

Which TA are you sailing on? I see 3...the last leaving 10/30 which is probably too early to pick flights for.

We are on the 10/30 TA on Constellation and were able to choose our one-way flight to Venice.

We have found from sailing a b2b on Edge last month that the hostess in each of the 4 dining rooms generally tries to seat you in the same area, with the same server, as in your past visit. Out of the 24 nights we spend on Edge I'd say we had the same servers about 60% of the time. On nights where we didn't it was because their section was full.

On 12/2/2022 at 11:11 PM, jagoffee said:

What happens when you try to select seats on an AA operated flight?

In the past I could always access seats and assign/change them either on the AA app or going to the AA website. Now I can't assign seats for an upcoming cruise, so I called FBC and they were able to assign seats. Once you have seats they will be reflected in AA....still can't change them yourself until after your booking is ticketed.

Yes, they will make mocktails. You'll see kind of an ebb and flow to the crowd. We always seem to go during a super busy time. You will notice a lot of people head to dinner or go to the show around 7pm so you most likely find a seat at the bar then, if not before.  Evening Chic night it's usually always very busy no matter the time.

We were on the Edge in 2019 and again last month for a b2b cruise. We had a fantastic time both times. Loved everything about the ship including the 4 dining rooms. I'm not crazy about the IV but my wife likes it very much, so I won't argue about that. Every evening the martini bar was also very crowded, so it was always a challenge finding a place to sit. No big deal for us. We have an upcoming cruise on Beyond in Retreat so looking forward to that experience.

5 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Does the AA flight show up on My flights when you log into AA.com?

Yes they do

8 hours ago, Illsticktocrusing said:

I wonder if something has changed in general with FBC, I booked an AA flight and can not choose my seat even thought I have been able to do it in the past.  I am less than 90 days out and I have made full payment.  

There is definitely something different with AA. We just booked tickets to Venice through FBC and also cannot choose seats. The flight is booked and operated by AA. I have status with AA but still can't book seats through the AA website. I called FBC today and they were able to access the seating chart and assign us seats. 

2 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

 No ships will be revolutionized anytime soon. Reflection will undergo routine dry dock maintenance this month for 2 weeks before the TA. Nothing will be done in Feb. I’m pretty sure there is a charter the week of 2/12. We sail in March and I was looking at menus and noticed the charter.

 

A complete revolution takes at least a month 

Purplsmurf-You are correct. We were originally booked on the 2/12 sailing but got bumped because they chartered the ship for a Vacaya Cruise. We are now booked on the 2/5 cruise. No downtime scheduled for Reflection in February.

We met Sue while cruising on Azamara some years ago and had the pleasure of sailing with her on a few Celebrity cruises. She is very friendly, approachable and can be found everywhere on the ship. Don't know if she still does this but she was always on the gangway to welcome you aboard the ship and to bid you farewell at the end of the cruise. She also performs in her own show. We really like her.

18 hours ago, MN Cruiser Dude said:

Sounds like you been there.  Busy?  How many people does it hold?

17 hours ago, twodjs said:

I'm reposting some photos I posted a couple years ago. Perhaps STLCRUSIN can confirm if the Summit has a similar layout. Someone else had posted the positioning of the glass-walled sauna across from the showers didn't provide the ideal setup, but at least there still is one.

 

twodjs-Thanks for the pics. That is pretty much how I remember it on Summit and Milly. I didn't look in the restroom area but I remember being able to see the lockers from the sauna. I loved the old setup...not so much the new since I felt like I was on display, lol.

MN Cruiser Dude-You can see from the pics about how many the sauna can hold. In the past it was busy on sea days. Otherwise, late afternoon/early evening (before dinner) can be busy. Have a good time.

20 hours ago, twodjs said:

Yes, all Celebrity ships except the Edge class have free saunas. Give us an update if you go in the near future. I think that big round window is gone if I remember correctly, but a smaller sauna still exists. I'm on Summit next May out of New Jersey

You are correct. Celebrity built additional cabins on Summit where the original men's changing area and sauna was. They moved the changing area to the port side with a smaller sauna that is fronted with glass overlooking the changing area. Not nearly as nice as the original sauna but at least it's free.

20 hours ago, twodjs said:

People from other parts of the world just roll their eyes when they run into (mainly) Americans who don't understand that you are trying to eliminate toxins, not concentrate them by wearing sweaty gym clothes or underwear. Sitting on or loosely wrapped in a towel is so much healthier and a lot more freeing...no harm in giving it a try!

I totally agree!!

At my gym the guys always wear their shorts or underwear rather than a towel in the sauna...I just don't get it. 

I checked us in last night for an upcoming October cruise and there was no mention of uploading vaccination cards. There were just questions regarding vaccination status and if we are boostered.

On 7/22/2022 at 9:53 AM, GenerationX said:

G

Looks like you enjoyed lunch at the bar at Cinder House in the FS. Love it there!! 

 

 

12 minutes ago, Linda VH said:

We had a wonderful young man on 2 of our Regent Explorer cruises called I Ketut.   If you see him and he is the same young man please tell him that Linda Hall (Pinot Grigio with ice) says hello.  Enjoying following along on your cruise(s) although I haven’t sealed Celebrity in years.  Now that I’ll be a solo traveler I’ll give it a look.  

I believe I Ketut is a Balinese name and as part of the custom children are named based on the order of their birth. In this case the "I" indicates a male and "Ketut" would be the fourth child. So their are many crew from Bali that are named Putu, Made, Nyoman and Ketut. But who knows...he could be the I Ketut you're talking about 🙂.

Our favorite ship is the one we're on at the time 🙂

2 hours ago, cavaaller said:

@steamboats

I promise this Is my last question : do I understand this correctly?
There is a difference between mandatory Isolation (as in "the authorities control that you isolate/quarantine"?) and the self-isolation stated here: (https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/tackling-new-coronavirus-in-the-netherlands/self-quarantine/self-isolating :

"if you test positive for coronavirus after doing a self-test or getting tested by the municipal health service (GGD), you must self-isolate immediately" ??

 

 

We disembarked in Amsterdam a day early in April because I was tested positive the day before flying home. Now this was on a riverboat cruise, not an ocean cruise. But there were no authorities that controlled where and how long we had to isolate. Amsterdam has a "suggested" protocol for isolating (which is 5 days followed by 5 days of mask wearing) however you are responsible for taking care of yourself and others.

As a result of our "extended" stay we chose our own hotel. The only thing that was dictated to us at the time was the airline telling us when we could fly home. We weren't happy about it but made the best of a tough situation.

The IV makes the room look a little bigger and provides an unobstructed view. 

However, I did not like the fact that when the window is open you are sitting there looking through two panes of glass. I found that annoying. And with me being 6' tall I found the area very cramped. I was always banging my arm on the side wall or the folding door. My wife has no issues with the IV since she's only 4'10".

She loves it...I don't. Needless to say, we're on a B2B on Edge this fall in an IV. You can see who won that battle...lol.

following...

• I checked a website that lists full ship charters and the Eclipse currently is NOT on the list. However, this doesn't mean it won't be added at some future date.

7 minutes ago, Lil Puppy Dog said:

We're considering a Celebrity cruise, but will not go if they don't guarantee us a table for two.  Do you know if they will guarantee that?

 

If they won't guarantee a two-topper and you have Select Dining, are the reservations you're talking about only for the time?  Or would we be able to, in addition to the time, also reserve the size of the table?

 

In Select Dining you can always ask the host/hostess for a two top. You might have to wait if one is not available but it should never be a problem. The host/hostess sometimes will also note it in your record that you prefer a two top. Keep in mind though a lot of the two tops are very close together.

The reservations are for your preferred time only. During a busy period you may see a line of people without reservations but if you have one there is usually another line and it goes much quicker.