BytownMatt

AirTag saved me from having no luggage on a transatlantic in 2022. Due to flight delays and changed connections, my luggage didn't make it to Rome with me. The lost luggage contractor had a not-so-helpful message that they would do their best to return any lost luggage in 3-7 days. Two days later, with no follow up from the contractor, I see on my phone that my luggage is at FCO. I head back to the airport where the lost luggage desk tells me that my luggage is still missing and cannot be located. I tell them that my iPhone shows it as being in the same room and suggest they take a look in the storage area behind them. Eventually they do and surprise surprise they find it there.

The first night was windy and a bit cool as a result. The second night was very nice I thought. I wore a sweater on both nights. There weren't many people there - perhaps three or four tables with guests plus some of the senior ship officers. That said, I think I was lucky as overall the weather was great for the British Isles and Baltic Sea at that time of the year (very little rain, warmer than normal). Perhaps you could check it out on the first night and see whether it would be warm enough for you (although you might not be able to change the day 3 reservations at that point?). I would agree with the posts above about the ship warmth (indoors) and not pressing your luck eating outside if you don't like cooler temps. Enjoy your cruise!

It's a great place for dinner. I ate there twice on my recent B2B on the Silhouette and really enjoyed it. There are some barriers as well as overhead heaters. I believe that the staff will also provide blankets for those who want them. For me the issue is more about the wind than the temperature but maybe that's a Canadian thing...

Just completed my 13th solo cruise with Celebrity. I continue to love the Celebrity onboard product but like many others I am not keen on its recent approach to pricing for solo cruises (along with some other changes). I'm prepared to pay extra as a solo cruiser but the solo "premium" has increased significantly over the past year or so. As others above have correctly pointed out, these amounts are not insignificant. A recent example I found for an 11-day S-class cruise in 2025: -Celebrity price for 2 people sharing a veranda stateroom (AI + tips + taxes and fees): $10,612.68 ($CAD) -Celebrity price for one person in the same veranda stateroom (AI + tips + taxes and fees): $14,145.34 ($CAD) Whether you consider this disrespectful, mean-spirited, unfair or some other adjective, clearly Celebrity feels this is a reasonable policy in the current supply-and-demand market. That said, I think you can still find more reasonable fares for at least some cruises if you shop around and avoid the Celebrity website fares. One TA in my area gave me a quote of $7,217.34 ($CAD) for the same conditions above. There will also be last-minute discounts for some cruises. I recognize there is a lot of variability here, this example likely does not apply to all cruises, and some people can't travel on short notice or at certain times of the year, but I think there are some ways to manage what Celebrity is doing.

I would question how much enforcement is happening. On a cruise earlier this year I was checking out some of the more creative "evening chic" choices for gentlemen. Two stood out in particular: 1) the all-white track suit ensemble - white two-piece track suit, white t-shirt, white socks, white sneakers 2) not sure what to call this one - basement rec room chic? - overly tight print t-shirt, blue jeans, beige leather belt, no socks, beige furry slippers Both were seen leaving the dining room (separately) after dinner, presumably on their way to the photo studio.

I took my first solo cruise - a 7 night Alaska trip on Celebrity - in August 2022 and have done many more solo cruises on Celebrity since then. I find solo cruising to be a highly enjoyable way to see new places (and revisit some old favourites) for many of the same reasons listed above. There is lots of flexibility to do your own thing but there are also many activities and entertainment options at your disposal - production shows, musicians, trivia and other games, "Beyond the Podium" talks, presentations by the cruise director and ship crew, movies, etc. Lots of places to relax on Celebrity ships although I find the E-class ships to be a bit busier and noisier (not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation). I've enjoyed relaxing/reading in Eden, Cafe al Bacio, the shaded outdoor area near the Pool Bar, to name a few preferred places. Outside of meal times I've also seen people using the Oceanview Cafe buffet space for reading and playing cards and board games. I've only stayed in the Retreat once but I liked the Retreat Lounge and weather permitting there's a nice outdoor area there. The Retreat pool deck and bar area are also nice but seemed quite busy especially in the mornings and mid-day on my cruise. You should also enjoy the extra space and real balcony in a Sky Suite. There are often solo cruiser meet-and-greets organized by Celebrity - not really my thing but I know some people like those as a way to meet others onboard. Hope you have a great time!

looking at the drink packages for my cruise next week....looks like you got a bargain!

Pretty sure that I have read about previous situations like this where the person contacted Celebrity and got the payment sorted out. I would call and explain the situation (if you haven't done so already).

Congrats on the upgrade. I think the laundry is related to your loyalty status - elite gets one bag of free laundry. And yes I believe the room service fee is waived in the Retreat although I never used it on my one successful upgrade to a suite (oops). Others with more experience with this process will likely have more to offer. cheers

Looks like the Eclipse will be doing similar Northern Europe itineraries in 2025.

Pretty certain that the Silhouette (Solstice class) will be there this week. Not sure about 2025.

You can select your arrival time at the terminal (30 min time slots) when the check in process opens online which is normally 45 days before sailing.

From what others have said on this forum, that is sometimes a sign that your pending bid was successful but I have seen it work both ways for me. Twice last year one of my bids was greyed out as pending for an extended period before being switched to "not upgraded". Hope it works out for you.

Likewise for me - even managed to get it when I booked my first B2B using two different TAs (wouldn't recommend doing that though...).

Thanks for the excellent live review and safe travels home. Sounds like it was a successful escape from winter!

Pretty sure it has been deck 4 on each of my E class cruises. Might be some variations depending on the port.

Agreed and in my case that was 5 or 6 times over about 130 nights at sea/dinners. Not bad in my view.

Would point out that on a recent cruise on the Edge, there were a couple of nights when the 4 MDRs had separate lines for those with reservations and those without. This was the first time I had seen this on an E-class ship. Once seated, one could see many empty seats in the restaurant(s), so it would seem the issue was one of staff capacity, not seating capacity. Long waits (45 min +) to be seated for dinner on Celebrity are rare but do happen from time to time (maybe 5 or 6 times over 11 cruises for me) with all or almost all of those being on "evening chic" nights.

I looked into similar itineraries a while back. Celebrity options were limited. I think Apex is the only Celebrity ship currently sailing out of the UK? In terms of somewhat similar itineraries, the Silhouette has one sailing from Rotterdam to Barcelona in August 2024 and Apex has one sailing in the reverse direction from Barcelona to Southampton in April 2025. I ended up making a booking with Holland America on the Nieuw Statendam from Dover to Barcelona for September 2025 ("14-Day Around The Iberian Peninsula").

Yes it is multiplied by 2 for solo - so if you bid $200 per person as a solo cruiser, you would pay $400 if your bid is successful.

I took these in Dubai and Sydney recently on Celebrity cruises. In one case, the Celebrity excursion price was on sale and cheaper than what the operator was offering online (a bit surprising). Agree with others that they are a good way to get an overview of a new city, especially if they cover large areas. One caveat is that I found both of them to be slower routes than advertised. If I had actually hopped off and waited for another bus I might have missed getting back to the ship on time on turnaround day. Luckily I had more time to see the cities apart from the bus experience.

Presumably earlier (unscheduled) drydock time to resolve whatever the issue is, but this is obviously speculation based on the posts in this topic and the absence of information from Celebrity.

If it is a stabilizer issue, I can't imagine that Celebrity would carry on with a less than optimal sailing experience for passengers for over a year, but I guess time will tell...

For what it's worth, when I was on the Apex and Beyond last year, a number of the beers listed on the Craft Social menu(s) were not available. That said, I was always able to find a decent beer and I enjoyed having a drink there.

Regarding #2 - you will have to call Celebrity's Captain's Club to get the loyalty discount for the wifi upgrade - can't do this through the website. Would also suggest watching for sales/promotions - sometimes those can be better than the loyalty discounts although recently that hasn't been the case.