AbbyCruiser45

I’m up early because I can’t sleep anymore! Boarding day!!! The flight got in eventually, about 2 hours after the original time. It was largely uneventful otherwise. The funny thing is that I normally fly Southwest into FLL but I had some credit with Delta so I went with them. When we landed I had a moment of panic that I was in the wrong airport because I didn’t recognize a thing! I did not realize there were multiple, unconnected terminals at FLL and I’ve walked the one with Southwest dozens of loops before a flight. As for the Embassy Suites, we have a renovation in progress! So far they’re working on the top two floors. It smells a little bit like paint but otherwise I didn’t notice anything. I’m not sure how long it’ll take but for now it’s not impacting the guests. Eventually I assume they’ll renovate the lobby area which will have the biggest impact. Hopefully they’ll post on the website then. You can see some protective fencing on the top two floors in the picture here. We had a nice dinner at 15th Street Fisheries last night. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the hotel, but it’s right on the water and the food is always really good. The walk was hot on the way there but breezy on the way back!

A small update and I’m probably preaching to the choir but always fly in the day before at least! Flight is delayed because the flight attendants are coming from another gate. Delayed an hour so far and still waiting for them. It’s been a long day so far. Up at 4:45 for the rest of the family’s early flight that I changed to make a meeting. The meeting was supposed to be mandatory but it turns out they recorded it for people that needed to miss….annoyed with that but such is life. The good news is that I was able to hang out in a delta lounge for most of this time. I’ll update tonight or tomorrow with how the Embassy Suites is doing and what the status of the renovation is! I’m looking forward to that happy hour so much!

That’ll be a great one! I’ll actually be in Amsterdam next month (no cruise though) so if you have any recommendations feel free to share! Safe travels and enjoy!

Vacation has (kind of) begun! I’m settling the cats into their new vacation home and checking into the flight! I only have two small updates. The first is that I can no longer modify my Move Up bid since we’re less than 72 hours from departure. It doesn’t say expired yet, but I don’t have much hope. Oh well, inside room it is! I’ll be sure to share some pictures when we board. Our terminal has also updated. For a while we were slated to leave from terminal 18 which was strange since there is no other Celebrity ship in port that day. Just yesterday though, I saw it get changed to 25 (the new terminal). Early morning for us tomorrow! Everyone in the family is on a morning flight and mine is in the afternoon thanks to a meeting. But we’re all driving together so I’ll be up early and in the airport for hours! Still looking forward to it so much. I’ll probably update again tomorrow evening after some time in Fort Lauderdale.

I sat on it for a couple hours and finally got it! The PhD only means I’m an expert in one area….pretty slow in others 🤣

All packed besides my daily toiletries! I like to bring my own coat hangers because I feel like the room never has enough for two people. I know I can ask the cabin attendant for some, but the first day is always so busy for them and I just like to get unpacking! I always have the room for it in my luggage. I love using packing cubes because everything stays organized. One thing I really like about the E-Class ships is the amount of storage in the room. We use so much of it just to keep the room tidy and organized. A travel tip is to bring some of this wrinkle release spray. It works really well! Some people on the internet say that water would work just fine but I like that it’s scented and works as a clothes freshener too. I also bring my own shampoo and conditioner. I don’t mind their body was but I feel like their products don’t agree with my hair!

All shelter kitties around here! The two on the ottoman are siblings, around 12 years old now. We’ve always called them Tonkinese but who knows what they are! The bottom one is a large, 20 pound Siberian/Maine Coon mix (per DNA test). Don’t let his size fool you, he’s a big baby that’s afraid of everything! I love how many people on this thread are sailing this same itinerary over the summer! I’ll be sure to share any tips about the ports but they’re all fairly easy ones with plenty to do!

Between everyone traveling in my group with have 3 different rooms on different decks, one is an IV. I’ll update if any of us notice excessive creaking!

They ask that you book in advance! I can’t remember if links are allowed but if you just Google “Avila beach hotel day pass” it’ll be the first link. There is a button to book online, but that actually just takes you to WhatsApp to message the hotel. They’ll mark down your reservation and then you’ll pay in person.

100% agree. I'm looking forward to it...although with Kaleb's family now local to Fort Lauderdale we probably won't stay there again. I've stayed in some new Embassy Suites and they are really nice. Hopefully it is a total renovation! I'll ask when I'm there.

We're doing the Avila Beach Hotel. It is only $15 a person, but only includes chairs (no food, drink, etc., but there is a restaurant on site). It is a 30 minute walk from port and will take you over the bridge and through the downtown area. I haven't been but my parents have multiple times and they love it. Last year, we went to the Curaco Rif Magrove Park and it was really neat. We only walked through, but they offer kayak tours for pretty cheap ($25/person). The entrance fee is steep for what it is at $15/person. I think that is more than last year. I just thought of it as a donation in my mind since the fees go to maintaining the park. There's a lot of bridges and boardwalks and one overlook tower. Tons of birds and fish. Very hot though, so go in the morning if you want to! Also walkable from port. There is also a cafe right by the bridge with outdoor seating that is covered. We just sat there, ordered a drink and some bitterballen (a Dutch specialty) and watched the day go by. It was a lot of fun.

That's great! Keep it in good shape for us 🙂

They are shelter kittens! We did a DNA test on them and their biggest percentage (only 16% though) was Maine Coon. Followed by Siberian and Ragdoll. The Ragdoll is strong in cat on the right. Floppiest cat I've ever met!

Hello everyone, and welcome to my second Live! I have not been on the boards much this year, but I still want to do a live since it’s basically a travel diary for me. Last year, I did a live for the exact same cruise that I am doing this year. The title of my live had to do with traveling on a budget because my partner, Kaleb, and I had just graduated from doctoral programs and were jobless. The great news is that we both have awesome jobs now that we love. So budget (to a degree) no more! We’re still doing things on the cheaper side since we are saving for a wedding (not engaged but it’ll be “soon”….not on this cruise though) and a down payment for a house. So what that means is that we are sailing in an inside room! We don’t mind inside rooms at all, and this is actually a family trip with my parents, sister, and her husband, so we won’t be in the room too much anyways. We did do a more than a minimum bid on an IV and concierge room, but it has not been accepted, so that does not look promising. Though it has not been marked as expired yet, so there is technically still hope. For the cruise itself, we already have premium wifi and drinks pre-booked, plus Eden on our first night. Alright, so what do we have coming up? I’m starting this thread early since I’ll be getting ready later in the week. My travel is starting early as I’ll actually drive up to my parents’ on Thursday to drop off these goobers (new in our life since last year). I adore their cat sitter, so we’re paying her to watch our babies also. For all my cat people out there, they will be separated from my parents’ cats! We’ll all fly out on Friday, everyone except me in the morning. I am in a fellowship program for an extra $$ ( and of course training) this summer, and there was a mandatory meeting during the middle of the flight, so I rebooked for a later one and will be taking my meeting camera off in the Centurion lounge. Will there be a glass of champagne off camera? Time will tell. In Fort Lauderdale, the family, minus me and Kaleb, will be staying in the Embassy Suites. They’re supposed to have a multi-million dollar renovation starting soon, which will be great because that hotel was getting a little tired. Kaleb and I will be visiting his family in Fort Lauderdale for the night. Though my parents put our names in their room, so we’ll still visit the hotel for the happy hour, and I can report if the renovation is starting. I’ll post throughout the week leading up, but here is a quick look at the sailing. It’s an ABC (ACB?). In Aruba, we’ll do an X excursion to De Palm Island. In Curacao, we’re doing a resort day pass. Finally, in Bonaire, we’re going to Sorobon Beach, which ended up being my favorite from our last trip. This should be a relaxed trip. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you all!

My favorite in the MDR for me is the baked brie as an appetizer in Normandie. I haven't sailed Edge class since 2021, and I'm sailing this Sunday and looking forward to it so much. Here's the picture As a bonus, one of the best food items on board is free but not found in the MDR. Go to Eden Cafe for lunch and get the Cuban pork sliders. They are SO GOOD.

I’m sailing the Beyond this Saturday and we’re leaving from terminal 18 and there is not other Celebrity ship in port that day. The Reflection is using it the day prior. Seems strange that they’re not using it when it’s open.

Where do you see this on the app? I always like to check in on the dinner to see if there’s any fun theme, but sometimes forget to make my way up there.

Nope, not possible. She cruises all the time, so booking cruises is like a part-time job for her! She booked this over the phone with Celebrity.

Thank you so much for your detailed response. I'll pass on that info to her. We did not realize there was an avenue to release the booking back to Celebrity.

This was my first thought too.

This happened to my mom today. Back in January 2023, my mom booked an Ascent sailing for October 2024 with Celebrity directly via phone. She received the cruise documents as normal, printed them off, and put them in a folder. A week later, she emailed Shareholder Services (shareholderbenefit@rccl.com) to apply for the on-board credit benefit. Fast forward to today, the final payment is going to be due while she on board this June so she wanted to go ahead and get it paid. So she called Blue Chip today for another reason and, while she was on the phone, asked if she could pay for the October 2024 sailing. The agent said that he could not do that because it was booked through a travel agent and she needed to contact her agent. She did not book through an agent, so the Blue Chip club employee looked into it, and he gave her a phone number that was linked to her booking. My mom called the number and it was Expedia Cruises. They were very confused and looked into it. It turns out that the same day my mom applied for the Shareholder benefit, someone (from Shareholder? Celebrity?) transferred the cruise to Expedia. They said they had heard of this happening once before, and the family ended up nearly losing the cruise because they almost missed the final payment. This is because that family (and also with my mom) Expedia did not have an email from whoever transferred it. So my question is, what do we do? Who do we contact? Expedia cannot transfer the cruise to anyone now and my mom doesn't have control of the payment. This seems highly sketchy. She is thinking of starting with calling Captain's Club to see who to talk to, but we're completely astounded at this. Thank you in advance!

Funny, this is actually why I popped on Cruise Critic today. I'm sailing the May 18 ABC and noticed this morning after getting my move-up bid email that they are all almost sold out. I was surprised! I have only sailed on Edge class right at the return from Covid, so the ship was only at about 40-50% occupancy.

As a (very late, almost not) 20-something who has sailed Celebrity several times, there usually are not a lot of other people around my age. But during the summer, it is more likely since cruising is a good multi-generational family vacation.

Hi there, plugging my own thread but I did a Celebrity and Princess cruise this past summer and posted a comparison. Link: The things I mention are largely nit-picky, but if they make a difference to you then you should choose Celebrity. If what you're proposing was my only vacation of the year, I would still probably go with Princess so I could have two extra days of vacation.

Wow what a combination of some of my interests, Taylor Swift and Cruising 🤣 good for Mama Kelce!