Cruising89143

We’re on board now and it has not changed. Ship still looks as good as it did in December. So far all has been very good. No complaints.

We found the so called “hot tub” a huge waste of space. As stated, it’s a bathtub with jets. IMHO it took up a lot of valuable space on the balcony.

It’s on the menu in the MDR for next week for our Solstice sailing. I think it was recently added back.

We will be on the 4/01 cruise departing from pier 50 and returning back to 92 at the end of the cruise. Celebrity has given out zero information for those of us embarking on 4/01 other than the address of pier 50. The port gave us more info. At least we’re going to be debarking from the regular terminal on our return.

We had five separate cruises all in the YC booked over the last few years on MSC. All during the pandemic. We found MSC great to deal with on canceling the first cruise. Quick refund and a great response from their agent. The remaining four…..not so much. All cruises were canceled by MSC due to the pandemic. We followed their guidelines/rules. Their Ft. Lauderdale based customer service reps left a lot to be desired. As much as I tried to deal with them on getting refunds, we hit a wall each time and rude and worthless does not even begin to describe their attitude. I ended up having to contact Amex. Who jumped in and took care of it. While I feel that most cruise lines are not great at times with customer service, MSC takes first place. Never say never but they are no longer on our short list to try. It’s a shame as we have read great things about the YC but between dealing with their direct reps and the website, we will pass for now.

{Rest snipped for space}. We both like the same great bartender.

Yes as we always stay here prior to our cruises and walk to dinner as plenty of places to choose from. We will be there again in a few weeks but I think that we’re going to try using Uber as we’re leaving our car parked at the hotel for the first time due to leaving from the outer pier in place of #92/93 but we return to #92. Just hope Uber doesn’t have an issue with the short distance.

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

They will more than likely have at least two nights showing. No reservations for any of the shows on this ship. The ice show is one of the best that I have seen on any ship. Not to be missed.

Going to tag onto this post. We’re docking for an over night in a few weeks and would like suggestions for dinner that evening. How safe is it near the port at night to walk? Are there any restaurants close to the port that anyone would recommend for dinner(casual)? Thanks.

I think that we’re seeing a different kind of cruiser lately from websites like urcomped. The casino has been sending out invites left and right and certain companies send out offers for Celebrity almost weekly. So for the cost of taxes and fees some guests are getting a bargain and many are trying X for the first time due to those type offers. I see it on FB all of the time. As ships fill up, offers will slow down. This is now happening on RCI.

Holidays and spring break can bring more kids on board but it will still be far different (less kids) than Carnival or RCI.

Based upon your comments I think Celebrity would be a good match. Definitely less kids on board with it being a much more laid back experience and the top two things for us would be no smoking allowed anywhere inside of the ship and only one announcement per day. I would suggest at least giving it a try. We like RCI but know what to expect when we cruise with them.

I haven’t stepped foot on a Carnival ship in 18 years but this is what it was like. Found this video on YouTube. Annoying when trying to enjoy dinner.

Same here. Well over 60 cruises and never once charged for the mini bar. Far from being a cruise line scam.

If you’re looking for a ship with all the bells and whistles then stick with one of the newer RCI ships. Be careful as some of RCI’s ships do not have a covered solarium. If you want a more “adult” experience then look at Celebrity. We like both cruise lines but Celebrity is geared more for a laid back quieter experience.

I have seen more than my share of adults doing the exact same thing.

This is nothing new. Cruised on a ship in 1992 on a cruise out of Miami. Seven nights to the eastern Caribbean. This is a cruise line that is no longer in business and we had a group of high school seniors on board. Around fifty students. They turned the ship upside down and made it miserable for many of the guests on board. The crew did what they could to try and control the situation but in the end very little changed. Now this was a group with teachers as chaperones and no parents as I recall. The following year, this lines policy changed on allowing young groups of people. I know that it’s not the exactly the same with no parents but as previously posted when you get a lot of kids together, things seems they change.

We found this guy totally useless. When he introduced himself he proceeded to tell us that he had turned down a contract on Carnival to take this position. Not sure why he had to bring this up? Who cares….. On RCI the hosts are at a desk on the casino floor. Easy to access. We had to ask for the host on this ship. We found him worthless. We shall see if much has changed in a few weeks.

It’s hard to believe that a week ago today many of us was following your journey across the country to board the ship. I hope that you had a great cruise. It’s been fun reading about your experience this week. Safe travels home.

Also agree. We walked from the ship following the blue line to the historic area of downtown and back with zero problems. Along the way was expats to help and answer any questions. A great port.

And the martini bar awaits your arrival. 🍸🍸🍸

She’s just coming in over California. About 45 minutes to landing. 👍👍

Here’s the link to the live webcam. https://www.portoflosangeles.org/news/livestream

2:30 is the normal time. There is a current “live” thread on this board and the guest had to contact Celebrity today as they were running late due to flight issues. Celebrity stated that they were moving the boarding time from 2:30 to 3:00 today so go with 2:30 as checked in and all aboard.