AtSeaAlways

The new staterooms on Summit are indeed nice. And the Oceanview Cafe is lovely. The bad news is the library poofed. Connie has the classic 1997 library/computer room setup. If it was me, I'd take out the stairway between them which uses a lot of space and lets noise travel. If this is to be the world cruise ship, make the old computer center a card room and add chairs to the current library, which has a large central table. A "library" could be made on Summit- there are some underused corners and spaces on three - but you need to not blast the music. I get it a library is not a revenue space, etc. If you wanted to go crazy put in a guest laundry 🙂

I did not see a price list for either extra service. There was not a buffet price posted at the bar. I would buy the bundle to be safe.

Was any ballroom/latin dancing in the lounges observed? Is there a quiet place to read, etc? I like to wake up super early and try to escape the piped in music. I see compared to the Connie there is no library.

Can the new ship fit into Havana? Whatever happened to that?

The general advice in most ports lately- find an ATM and get bits of local currency. On a recent Transatlantic, several ship passengers could not enter a pretty park as they did not have any Euros.

Times have changed. The recent surge in cruising demand has re-established the need for a low price point. I can't blame the previous owners for COVID- they had a cool idea - it got blown up. With deeper pockets, the fleet expansion can work. Old small ships are tough. New ports are good. Tampa is ideal as the only giant ships business model (RCL, CCL) cannot ever work there. So good medium sized ships can rule. If I ran Grand Bahama, a trolley, train or even branded vans up to Lighthouse would be key. They have some tourist infrastructure, it is just a drive away- similar to Atlantis in Nassau.

Thanks. That worked on the app. So what is "Lounge Music" with the Lucky Band. Could one possibly couples dance to it?

I would select a secondhand ship with some balcony cabins. I think the ex HAL Veendam is out there laid up still. Majesty has a ton of tiny inside and outside cabins which are unpopular lately. Tampa is a good choice as you are not competing with the new jumbo liners, which will not fit into the port.

According to "research" background music makes us happy, calm, more productive and buy more stuff. Nearly all of the time it drives me crazy. https://blog.thymebase.com/the-science-behind-background-music-for-events/

Based on all the negative energy we are ready to book on the Connie - a beloved ship from cruises past, and at a good price. One question- was there any ballroom or latin guest dancing aboard? The idea of a library is exciting compared to newer ships where these have been deleted. And not having 4000 guests in line ahead of us- yaa. Waiting for bus or tender #33 - no thanks.

Could you please post a daily program? A simple screen shot of the paper one is fine. Looking for two things aboard- a quiet place to read in the morning (like a library- no yukky piped-in music) and any signs of ballroom dancing. The ship has 3/4? of a promenade deck for outside walking that I can see? We have fond memories of the Constellation and a trip to Turkey way back when.

Water bottle filling stations are widely available. Our local park has one. It is a business decision- people prefer to purchase plastic disposable bottles 🙂 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bottled-water-chemicals-health-risk_l_630d11bfe4b065bfc4b11085

The Epic pool deck with the umbrella structures is large and classy

The Epic has an actual library + card room which did not have the yukky piped in music on our cruise. Your stateroom is actually a bathroom with a bed in it- we would have liked more soundproofing around the toilet compartment.

Was there a combo in the Oceans Bar? We are dancers...