fabby50

I too like the bamboo massage, and I like the salt scrub, it makes you feel so soft and silky, plus it smells nice. I usually get the salt scrub and the longer massage package (75 minutes) and a 110 minute massage sometime during the week.

I don't think anyone can answer that question for you, it depends on what in the package you'll use and what you won't. For example, plus gives you one WIFI device, will that be enough for you? It is when I travel alone, but not when my husband comes, he has to have 3 to himself 🙂 Will you go to the fitness classes? Again, I will when I travel solo, but probably not if traveling with others. Will you eat the premium desserts? I wouldn't if you have to get the super sundae massive treats, but since they are now allowing you to get a single scoop of gelato, I probably will. I don't drink elither, but I do get waters, club soda, hot tea, etc. I would do your own cost evaluation and make a decision based on that. Have a great cruise!

Barre is a class based on ballet exercises TRX is suspension training using straps I would wear fitness gear or at least, shorts and a t-shirt and yes, wear trainers. In barre and TRX, they may let you take them off, but in some public spaces, you've got to wear at least sox and sometimes shoes, can depend on the instructor.

They used to have flavors, but on the last few I've been on, all they've had is plain sugar free syrup, without flavor to it. I bring the flavored drops.

For what its worth, I like Princess' food better too, for many of the same reasons in others posts. Celebrity does have really good desserts at the coffee shop and the gelato is great. Don't like their buffet, really like the spa cafe concept and the food there, I wish every other line had something similar. On Princess, I like the International Cafe and I think their specialty restaurants are better. I rarely eat in the dining rooms on any ship.

Will they let you get the sorbet?

I do the same - I've seen several, but I always leave them for the kids.

I pack my socks in it so it doesn't take up room in my luggage. Bonus is if you take the lid and there's something you really like (like a particular flavor of daily croissant 🙂 ), you can grab a couple of extra and have them the next day!

We sail off season if possible, usually, between Thanksgiving and Christmas and between Spring break and summer. If you can afford it or find a good sale, book a suite and take advantage of everything, suite lounge, cocktail hour, much less crowded and not many small children. Eat at the speciality restaurants if you like the offerings. On Princess, to avoid the buffet, I like the cafe, I bring a tupperware box to serve as a carrying container and will get breakfast or lunch and sometimes even dinner, carry it out, and eat it elsewhere less crowded. I like to book the spa on port days after returning from shore but before sailing. They offer discounts and usually available, or if I really want a time I book before sailing, which is also less expensive.

I like to go down to the International cafe in the morning and grab us coffee and the croissant of the day first thing in the morning. I take a Rubbermaid shallow box to carry stuff in, works at lunch for soup and sandwiches too. I pack my underwear or socks in it. I also take some small and medium baggies and just in case sea sickness medication (haven't needed it in years, but never know).

I take hardcopies of documentation for any type of vacation. Biggest hassle was a reservation in Hawaii that they somehow put under my middle name, tried to check in and they kept insisting they couldn't find my reservation and we were at the wrong hotel. It was pre-paid and if I hadn't had the hard copies, I know they wouldn't have kept looking. Took at least an hour and several people for them to finally find it, then they tried to blame a 3rd party booking site, when the emails I had were directly from the hotel and I didn't use a 3rd party. Never would admit it was their problem, not someone else's.

Onion rings are my favorite vacation indulgence, I only have them on holiday. I don't like the frozen type covered in cornmeal that buffets generally have, I like the batter fried and have never seen them on a cruise ship.

I've never understood why anyone does this, it's a pain. I do carry mine off if I don't have a flight to speed disembarkation. If there's something I want before my luggage would arrive, I put it in my backpack and carry that on (like a pair of shorts or a bathing suit).

How is the gelato by the way? Had it on RCCL, it was icy, not that great. Had it on Celebrity, it was wonderful. I figured I could order a premium dessert and ask for no toppings to get just plain gelato.

They are jacked up sundaes. There have been several posts with pictures, you can do a search.

The have frequent specials on board, sometimes more depending on whether you're on a popular cruise or not. If you're on a more popular cruise, they also can get booked up, you might not get the time or day you want. I usually prebook one massage and then evaluate what's on offer once I get on board to see if I want to book more. You can use the OBC either way.

Do you know what the Salty Dog is being change to? We were on Discovery a couple of months ago and missed it. One her again in November and was looking forward to trying. Thank you!

And, if it's important to you, no alcohol at the PCC. My husband does nothing in Hawaii without a mai tai 🙂

Your best bet would probably be to look at the perks for your room category and, if not listed, as your room attendant if any are available.

A lot of the lines offer coffee makers in their suite categories but not in others. We have coffee makers in our NCL and RCCL suites, and in a cabinet in the NCL one was a hot pot as shown above. We have never had either in mini suites or balcony rooms on these lines. Never had on Carnival or Princess, no matter what the category. It is a perk for some lines.

This is why I started, my father had a double bypass at 45, we produce cholesterol like crazy. I am a vegetarian, but only eat small amounts of non fat or low fat dairy. I did eat fish for a couple of years in my 20s, but that's been decades ago. Became a vegetarian at 18 and I'm 65 now, no heart problems have come up yet and I'm the only one in the family that hasn't had problems. It works. Ladyshopper23 - good job on the explanation, I gave up years ago trying to explain it 🙂

That was my experience too - went in November and then again last month. World of difference, especially at dinner.

Thanks for posting a vegan menu, knew they had a vegetarian one, but not vegan. I don't usually eat in the MDR, especially when I cruise solo, so I'm hoping on my next solo cruise, they'll let me order from it through room service. When solo, I usually end up in the buffet.

In regards to the Celebrity buffet, it appeared to me that budget cuts are noticeable and the "nice to haves", at least ones I enjoy, have been trimmed. A few examples, if you wanted grapes, you had to take them off the decorative display by the cheese, there were no berries, kiwi, etc., just apples, oranges, grapefruit, etc. The only dried fruits were raisins, no nuts, just sunflower seeds. The cooked food was lukewarm, a problem a lot of ships have, but to get hot food, I would go to the stir fry or pasta station and have them make me something. They do have ice cream, which was very popular, but I thought it was low quality, not much flavor to it. The thing Celebrity does have, that I really enjoyed and wish other ships had, as far as food, was the spa cafe. The fruit plates, lunch salads (the Thai noodle salad is yummy), breads, just about everything there I greatly enjoyed and I wish they were open for dinner too. I love the concept of having an area of healthier food options, especially lower sugar and sodium. I got to where I would go in the morning and get a fruit plate to put in my in room refrigerator.

When things started to have deep discounts because of COVID and we were thinking of retiring, I decided to book every line that sails regularly out of Los Angeles so I could figure out which line we liked the best and would like to book regularly in the future, the advantage to us is no air fare, we can drive to the port. We have gone on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival and NCL all within the last six months. We preferred Carnival Panorama overall, followed by Princess Discovery, then Royal Caribbean, and lastly, Celebrity. I didn't include the NCL cruise because we took the one out of Hawaii and it is a unique experience on its own. My only disappointment with the Panorama is they only do one route, while the others will do various Mexico routes as well as California coastals. I am booked on a solo on Discovery Princess in November and we're booked on Crown Princess for a Pacific Northwest for an extended family cruise next April. I mention Los Angeles because the RCCL and Celebrity ships that sail out of here are older and probably not a good example of an experience you might have on a newer ship. We were on the first sailing of the Panorama as well as the first sailing after the COVID restart. Discovery is a nice ship too with lots of dining venues.