bluejayway327

20 hours ago, josh1324342 said:

Does anybody know if they still do the pre-cruise call/email with the concierge for their high level suites?  If so, how far in advance of your sailing should you expect to be contacted?

They do; when you're contacted might vary. In my recent experience it's been about a month out, except for the one time we won a move-up bid and it was less than 2 weeks out. People have told me it can be about a week or two out even if you're not doing move-up, though.

On 12/1/2021 at 1:47 AM, LGW59 said:

Hi - wondering if anyone with personal experience in sailing in Iconic Suite would be willing to share their experiences.  Happy to connect via email.  Have seen the professional reviews and travel agent videos, but would love to connect with someone here who has actually sailed in the IC.  TIA

Sailed in Iconic in November. Any specific questions?

It's a huge suite--literally more square footage than my house--and our butler was absolutely fantastic. Way more space than anyone needs, honestly. Though I would note that the beds can't be separated in either bedroom, so you're still limited to couples or adults willing to share. Shoreside concierge offered a rollaway when they realized it was me and my aunt sharing a bed, but the beds are huge--we didn't mind at all. My cousin was on the sofa bed, for which they provided an egg crate topper. Though I found the mattresses a bit too hard for my taste, my aunt was comfortable so I didn't ask for an egg crate myself.

The butler pantry is super nice to have because it has a full fridge and even a small freezer, plus the sink and Lavazza espresso pod machine. We frequently spent afternoons on the balcony since it's so large; we'd usually go up to the Retreat Sundeck in the morning (giving our excellent room steward time to clean--you can't be in the room or balcony when they're working due to covid protocols), come back to our room for lunch delivered by our butler, then spend the afternoons on our balcony. We didn't use the jacuzzi much, but our butler filled it for us ahead of time whenever we told him we might use it. Dirt came out of the jets at one point, though. The views are unparalleled. We left the curtains open a lot, obviously. It was admittedly fun to prank others in a different room by controlling them or the lights or TV via the app 😉 

We were in the port suite and there was no noise at all from being next to Luminae. I assume something must've been between the 2nd bedroom and the restaurant, to not ever hear a peep.

I will say that we spent so much time in the room that we didn't feel like we really even saw much of the ship. I suppose that's a trade-off. We were also pushed toward specialty dining since it was included for us, because Luminae was absolutely overwhelmed many nights. We sailed well below capacity but The Retreat was full, and Luminae was often crowded. 

17 hours ago, JaneStarr said:

It was previously reported that Silhouette isolation cabins are on deck 3 and porthole (aka oceanview) or inside cabins only. Are you just waiting for test results and in quarantine due to being close contacts, or are you positive and something has changed?

Would love to know this too! I have an upcoming silhouette sailing and hope quarantine wouldn’t be an inside room 😕

2 hours ago, gafnewyork said:

About 30 minutes later I received another call from the care team informing me that I would be isolated in an inside stateroom on Deck 2.  I let both he and the head of security know that I’m extremely claustrophobic and that wasn’t a feasible option for me.  Especially since I’d be quarantining alone as I didn’t want to keep exposing my partner. 

The inside stateroom is the big fear for me. I don't think I could handle it, unless the medical center was willing to prescribe a small dose of anxiety medicine. I bring some onboard but my Xanax is expired so I don't bring that anymore; I think I'd need it for a quarantine in an inside stateroom, though. Maybe I should consider getting a refill before my next sailing.

Anyway, that fear of quarantine contributed to our cancellation of our upcoming cruise. 

Hope you got home safely and recover quickly. Thank you for sharing; your experience is valuable for people deciding whether or not to cruise. 

19 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This is the second time we have experienced a captain announce that this will be the last announcement of the cruise or of the old year, and then  have to come on again about some emergency.  At 1:00 pm Captain Matt announced 4 more passengers this morning tested positive (24?).  He stated that it is now a "company decision" that all passengers must wear masks at all times, except when eating or drinking.

 P.S. Tonight is lobster night. Everyone comes early to dinner.

Really appreciate these updates as I'm sailing Equinox on Jan 9th. I'll be interested to see if the mask requirement is sailing-dependent or if they just keep it in place. I plan on wearing them indoors anyway; I do it at work and it's no bother for me. 

Hope you have a great day and enjoy your lobster. 

15 hours ago, chemmo said:

For peace of mind why not contact Celebrity for some guidance re the specific circumstances you are discussing? The OP on the other post had a guest deciding not to cruise because of covid, not having to cancel because they were positive.
 

Remember cruise fares for guest 3 and 4 could go up significantly if it is guest 1 or 2 that cancel. 

We ended up asking our TA what they think. They believe we'd likely be able to have 3 out of the 4 sail as long as we're willing to pay. Hoping it's a non-issue and we all test negative, but ya know. Omicron is a new beast. 

2 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Maybe something here can help

 

And here I thought I searched through recent threads well enough before asking. I missed this, thank you! Looks like they had a positive outcome, so maybe we'll get lucky if we have to have someone cancel. Fingers crossed. 

Hi all,

I have an upcoming cruise where there are three separate households staying in one stateroom. I live alone, my aunt lives in her own house, and my parents live together--the four of us will be in one suite. We've scheduled our pre-cruise tests and it has me wondering.

Any idea what happens if any one of us tests positive? Do the ones who live in separate households still get to go? We're trying to manage our expectations. 

From what I can gather, we'd all be entitled to a refund as we're the same "Traveling Party", but I don't know if that means we definitely can't go. 

It feels like a group project and we're all relying on each other to get a passing grade 😅

1 minute ago, Loracpin2 said:

We just cancelled this sailing with our TA this morning. Now based on what I've just read, I am concerned we won't be able to book a replacement by May 31, 2022. 

 

 

We considered it. The problem is finding the same sailing at a cost that's even remotely comparable. We're in a suite and everything seems to be two or three times more expensive than what we're paying now.

I'll be (hopefully) cruising on the Equinox's January 9th sailing. I'm bringing disposable masks. I have kn95s to wear indoors on the ship, along with n95s if I want them. And of course I'll wear the n95 during the flight in the day before and on the flight home. The airport and plane concern me more than the cruise, frankly. 

It's a 12-night sailing, which is a long time for covid to spread noticeably. I figured I'd wear masks inside to avoid having my trip cut short, but to be honest, I won't be surprised if they're required by then. 

Thanks, chemmo! I forgot to check back on this thread, whoops. I'm relieved hearing that most people hear things 2 weeks out so I really appreciate the replies. I was worrying our offer was delaying things. I'll certainly be happy either way, but I am a very anxious planner and like to have everything checked off my list, heh. 

1 minute ago, jagoffee said:

Although I requested my luggage tags on line and again to the Shoreside Concierge, I never received my luggage tags.  This was true for my original cabin category and my upgraded cabin.  Not a big issue as I just printed the upgraded ones.  
 

Good luck.  A Penthouse suite would be exciting.

Had that issue with my first Celebrity cruise--I received them in the mail after I got home. Oh well!

Thanks! It would be convenient with a second full bath, but the Royal Suite would already be a great treat too.

22 minutes ago, jelayne said:

From what others have posted it seems contact from the Shoreside Concierge is happening about 7- 10 days or so before sailing.

 

 

Oh interesting! We got our email for our cruise in November a full month out; I kinda just assumed that was the norm. Good to know; I'm just worrying over nothing then! 

Ooh, I'll add to this post as I had similar thoughts. I sailed the Edge in November, and came to the conclusion that I prefer S-class after one cruise on Edge and one on Equinox. I am 30 years old, for what it's worth.

We were in a suite. The Retreat Sundeck was awesome. There's a nice pool and bar, and they even had a little tray with packaged cheap sunglasses if you forgot yours. Very nice touch. Bathrooms were right there and the sundeck has elevator access. We really liked having showers (for the pool) because it was a quick way to cool off--the Equinox sundeck wasn't totally finished so there's no water feature. Still, I preferred having lunch delivered to my lounger on the Equinox, rather than getting up and waiting by the bar for 20 minutes for food. Spoiled person problems, I know. There was a definite lack of shaded space, though I prefer sun myself. 

Luminae on the Edge was not as good as it was on the Equinox. It was very crowded. The Retreat was full on our sailing, and I don't think Luminae was designed well enough for the increase in suites on Edge class. The service wasn't what we were used to (though lord knows they tried; they were swamped) and we were usually pushed towards specialty dining, which we suspected was because it was included in our fare and they wanted to have fewer people in Luminae. While we really enjoyed the specialty dining onboard (the steakhouse was awesome with live music from the martini bar area, we loved the rooftop garden, and Le Petit Chef was a different show from Equinox), we didn't feel like we had that normal "home base" in Luminae with familiar serving staff. 

We also felt like the ship was really segmented. It's possible that we just never encountered people gathering due to the reduced capacity, but it never felt like there was a good central place where people hung out each night. We actually struggled to even find the Magic Carpet, which we only visited at night when the view was darkness, whoops. With Luminae on deck 12 near all the suites, we actually wished it were on deck 5 or somewhere so we had a reason to leave the suite area and see more of the ship? Again, such a spoiled person problem, but it almost felt isolating. 

Eden is a really cool space, though I admit we didn't dine there because the menu seemed complex and cruising is the fanciest thing we do.

Overall, even in suite class, which the ship seems to have been designed for, we still prefer the S-class ships. We do have a sailing booked for Beyond that I'm certainly still looking forward to, especially with the bigger Retreat Sundeck, but overall I wouldn't say Edge class is worth much extra money. 

Hi, all,

We're sailing in January in a Royal Suite on Equinox. We made a Move Up offer on a Penthouse that is currently pending with no option to edit the offer. 

Our friends travelling with us are able to view their edocs and print their luggage tags, but we are not. We've also not heard from shoreside concierge yet; last time, we got an email exactly a month out from our sailing date. 

Could this be delayed due to the Move Up offer? Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what has been your experience regarding luggage tags & shoreshide concierge contact? 

31 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Yes. Food comes from the galley, drinks from the bar.

Thanks! I'm lazy and so excited for those sundeck lunches!

11 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Last time on Equinox they had a limited menu and staff to take your order and deliver you lunch.

Yeah that was my experience; I'm just wondering if they also do that on the Edge since there's a dedicated bar area.

On 8/29/2021 at 10:50 AM, George C said:

At many times retreat pool was packed like sardines. Service in pool area and outside bar was fantastic.

Can I ask if they serve you Luminae lunch right to your lounger? They did that on Equinox but there was no dedicated bar/eating area. 

On 8/2/2021 at 12:53 PM, goofysmom99 said:

I'm sitting in Oceanview on Equinox wearing my fashion-forward tracelet.  No way to tell unvaccinated from vaccinated.  Lots of folks wearing masks.  I do in elevators.  And if you just can't stand to wear a tracelet, stick it in your pocket.

I'm late to this post but I have a question about these Tracelets. Does anyone know what the material is, or what the clasp is like? I'm really allergic to nickel so I'm always worried about wearables like this. I might need to plan on wearing something under it to shield my skin.

Hi all, 

Thank you for the responses. Sounds like I won’t want to get terminal 29. I am aware that terminal 25 is the nice new terminal with the Retreat waiting area; I sailed out of it last Jan. However, the Edge will sail out of Terminal 25 the day we leave and we are on Equinox. I know that we won’t know our terminal until right before we sail.
 

I am wondering if there are any suite-only waiting areas in any of the other terminals you've sailed out of? Terminals *other* than 25. 
 

We have friends coming with us on this cruise, and we were hoping they’d get to see how much nicer the suite embarkation process is for Celebrity compared to Disney’s. Of course, that may not be the case since we won’t be in terminal 25 with the lovely Retreat waiting area. 

Has anyone ever sailed out of a different terminal than 25 in Port Everglades?
 

For our cruise on Jan 9th 2022 on the Equinox, we don’t think we’ll get terminal 25 because the Edge also leaves Port Everglades on the 9th. The Odyssey of the Seas also leaves that day, so 18 may be out as well. 
 

1) What other terminals does Celebrity/Royal use in Port Everglades? 
 

2) Are there suite-only check-in areas? Suite-only security lines?
 

We LOVED that process in terminal 25 because of how quick and easy and not crowded it was.