Cap_D

Fun evening, especially if you have OBC to use or want something different to focus on during dinner. People of all ages seem happy and amused dining, which is part of the fun. Great for kids, and makes for a good topic of conversation. Go early to avoid the noise seeping in from the martini bar. The menu is what it is, so check it out beforehand. And, in many ways, it's one more place to have a filet mignon (likely cooked in batches and heated before being served). Have not eaten at Cut or the Grill on Edge or any tasting experience, but don't expect a charbroiled / seared steak. Also, good way to change up the dinner venue. Was good about allergies.

Breakaway or Breakaway Plus Class. Likely Bliss.

For all of you that have cruised in Haven with kids, have you easily found outdoor loungers to take in the ocean, sun, sky, etc. as a family in a relatively peaceful location? Asking because we understand the Haven sundeck is 16+ and Vibe (also restricted by age and upcharge). Has this been an issue (especially if the child is not old enough to be on their own or wouldn't want to be in the kids club). We do realize the Haven Courtyard has a pool and retractable roof (on many ships) and great views of guestrooms, but don't consider that comparable to being on deck. For 1.5k/2k+ a day all traveling members of our family would like to be able to see the world / ocean, relax, etc. outside (preferably with proximity to an outdoor pool). (Before the posters post in support of the age restriction or praise the Courtyard as a substitute, we're not asking if the Haven Sundeck age restriction should be lifted.)

erdoc1 What did you decide on? We have a 5 year old and remain interested in Haven, but don't like the 16+ restriction on the sundeck. We have sailed Celebrity (Edge in April 2022). Their acceptance of children in all Retreat areas was a deciding factor, and we found they treated children as well / better than adults. Beautiful Berner, too.

Did anyone ever determine the answer to the question -- whether Haven would have a sundeck (outdoor area) where kids would be allowed? Significant factor and one that seems ridiculous considering the Vibe is an adults only area. No one goes on vacation to be stuck in a courtyard pool area.

For the cruise or any travel, we suggest traveling with some locks for suitcases, backpacks, and some ski locks (combination lock with wire string that loops back to the lock) and possibly an additional lock box (Master makes one that fits in a backpack that also has a wire string). That way you can lock items closed, and to fixed or heavy objects if the need arises. A locked suitcase under the bed on the ship or in a hotel room can be a nice place to store items that don't fit in the safe (which is probably something one can open by watching a Youtube video). If you're afraid of someone taking the entire bag then you can wire lock it to something in the room or wherever it may be. There's also waterproof bags that can be used for phones and anything that is brought to beaches, which are perhaps the weakest part of the Celebrity experience as compared to a private island that is an extension of the ship bubble. If anyone reading has children and would be considering safety on the ship, and possibly anxiousness of the child, we found on Edge in April that our son was well known to many of the crew even before an introduction and that helped. We surmise, but did not confirm, that a list of children may have been shared with crew. There were only a handful. Crew definitely seemed well trained to be aware of and interface with children in a positive way, and from a safety and security standpoint. Visiting the muster station, trying on a life jacket, meeting some crew, Captain Kostas, security, etc. was helpful. Reza at the OVC ice cream stand also had his head on a swivel, introduced himself to one and all, and had instant recall of everyone's name. Same for Martin the Maitre D in Luminae , of course our butler and attendant, and others throughout the ship. Everyone just wanted to be helpful and friendly. Many cruisers too. (We didn't confuse this with a false sense of security, but it does help a great deal to set the mood -- e.g., posters that have had things returned to lost in found or untouched, etc.) Note: On phones and trackers - don't overly count on tracking working as they do on land. There's plenty written about this elsewhere. Also, consider a battery on phone will drain at some point, and maybe more quickly due to use of the Celebrity App. Also, if one had to wipe a phone remotely, write down somewhere not on your phone the codes you'd need to get into Apple or Google Android profiles to do so. You may not remember them if you don't key them in often. And, two factor authentication may require a device you don't have ready access to. Bank apps will also allow debit cards and accounts to be locked, or limited to certain dollar amounts, without a second step being taken. This can be helpful if you want to know you could access funds if you needed them, do want access to some amount, but also that no one with your access devices could actually obtain the full amounts and liquidate a checking account, etc. Something you may not always do in regular day to day life. And, not a physical security or safety matter specific to ships, have backups of critical docs printed, copied, and uploaded to a cloud drive.

I would also be interested in this answer. Have been considering one of the last Sky Suites for over Christmas. (I welcome holiday suggestions). The cost to experience ratio becomes very off-putting if the food is not edible or the service is intolerable. Anyone could easily go out for multi-course meals with a driver each night and still not come close to what it would cost to dine in Luminae.

Thank you, morpheusofthesea.

Thank you for all of the posts, everyone and the OP. I may have missed this, any comparison to experiences with Haven? We enjoyed Edge retreat in April, despite some criticisms. We have a 5 yr toddler (very well behaved and quiet when appropriate). He loved it. The ideal cruise would be the level and quality of Celebrity Retreat (when Luminae is working) with just a bit more to do for individual /family activities on the ship or private beach. The two ping pong tables and bean bag toss were about it. Yet, not being able to have anyone under 17 in the Haven sundeck area, so being confined to the courtyard or main decks for lounge time, has been a dealbreaker when Haven is compared against Retreat. (Not sure difference between inten of Haven Sundeck and Vibe, except music and use of one day passes). However being realistic, a dedicated kids splash pad areas and fun quotient OR quality beach may be needed in future years. Don't necessarily need all the go-karts and other thrills, or ambiance, that Royal and Norwegian have at the expense of service, fresh ships, etc. Also, I have read the posts on the MSC board and many of the reviews. I also have noticed some travel agents abhor MSC given how they treated customers during the pandemic and what they perceive to be quality issues across the board (customer service and shipboard). Any reaction to those that have had absolutely abysmal experiences and poor customer service? Is it a function of you get what you pay for on MSC? Is Yacht Club something that is at least minimally going to be okay? Or even is that sometimes just abysmal (regrettable time and expense). Btw, agree a private Island would be a terrific addition to Celebrity. It's an amenity/venue missing from the experience. I don't believe it would even need to have a special Retreat section, as generally any private beach would be a standout compared to most of the itineraries in the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Mexico. The possible exception would be Bimini, which seems to be very nice (have not been). The Celebrity experience really seems to stop when one goes to many of the ports.

Thank you for the time and care taken in posting.

This is a great reason why Celebrity could really use a proprietary beach resort option for some of its itineraries in the Caribbean. A private beach / Island, with lockers, controlled access, etc., would reduce the potential for being accosted or robbed by locals. Costa Maya was overrun with stray dogs, people of all ages soliciting, and generally not on par with the on-ship resort experience.

Suggest some flavor/gatorade/electrolyte powder for water.

Probably a non-issue or travel on Virgin (no kids allowed). We were on Edge last year departing Easter Day. There seemed to be no more than 20 kids on the ship, about 5 under 5, plus a small number of babies. No packs of kids, and it is possible the kids we saw didn't have siblings or know anyone on the ship. The kids program had a small number of kids in it each day. There was an Easter bunny and egg hunt the first afternoon that brought out the kids that were onboard. For those with kids, the staff and ship treated all the kids very well. Most staff learned our son's name by the end of the first day. And, we found the kids onboard to be very well behaved.

Thank you very much danceswithphones

Does anyone know what the Celebrity Beyond has scheduled from November 4 - 8? I see it arrives at FLL on November 4, but can't seem to find any info until a November 8th cruise. Thanks.

We did have some service issues with aspects of the Retreat experience, but they were corrected. Looking back, it's relative convenience by and large what Retreat gets you, as well as maybe more square feet with room. Most everything can be accomplished, eaten, or seen without being in the Retreat, but one has to be crafty or work at it relatively a bit more. Complaints generally are when something that should be easy, or would be an issue regardless, occurs. Cold toast or no toast is a valid issue with or without a host, and with any dining experience. Presumably that will happen at times in Retreat just as it happens on land. The frustration is valid, and too many issues and annoyances can cause someone to question the benefit of the extra costs. (Like asking Retreat, premium all you can drink cruisers, to pay for a scoop of gelato that tastes just like the included ice cream product.). For us traveling with a child, the Celebrity Suite configuration is a rare room among many lines and ships due to the ability to enclose the bedroom and still have lights on, tv, etc. We don't need a full second room, or equivalent to a family room, for our child as they are not at the age where it would matter, but we do need some ability to do anything before retiring for the evening (we can switch them out to the pull out). A curtain like most cruise lines use doesn't do it. We did like the see through bathroom in the sky suite, but the separate space at night is more important to us than the daylight while brushing teeth. So glad the CS config exists. The more ship tour videos one watches the more one realizes it is a unique thing to have a separate bed area with walls. We found the retreat host to be helpful so we could continue on with whatever we wanted to do while they did whatever it was requested, including following up on requests of other departments, etc. They also were in many ways a human version of the services one could request by phone or app, without having to navigate that process or listen to VMs. The Luminae maitre'd is critical to the entire dining experience too, and they also troubleshoot.