lhsail

This is difficult for me to learn about and it does sound like at the least a mistake was made. We have sailed with Captain Matt a few times and have had the opportunity to visit with him on multiple occasions. Have always found him a kind, gracious and respectful man.  

11 hours ago, AllHandsAstern said:

I was pretty disappointed with the wine offerings by the glass on both Reflection last year and Viva in March. I find the wine lists as a whole really don't offer the breath or depth they used to.

We cruised on Celebrity in January and on the Prima in February. We were able to take advantage of a 50% off offer to upgrade to the premium package on Celebrity. For the Prima, we bit the bullet and paid the full fare. It wasn’t cheap, but some of the best wines we have ever enjoyed on a cruise. 

We were just on the Enchanted. We upgraded to the Premiere package as we are apparently wine snobs. Even then, it was hard to get a good glass of Chardonnay unless in the dining room. Have no idea who thinks Flowers is a quality offering, very tart. Red offerings were better. 
 

As for the glasses, I have a hard time believing that many people are stealing them. Celebrity had all Riedel stemware. Princess doesn’t need to go that high end, but there has to be a happy medium. 

1 hour ago, Josie201 said:

Enjoying all the recommendations but I too am still looking for Chardonnay recommendations!  

Didn’t care for any of the Chardonnays in the bars on the Regal. Boarding the Enchanted on Saturday and hoping for something better. 

In my opinion they have several good reds, most of which have been mentioned above. However, I really struggle with the whites, especially Chardonnay. I like an oaky Chardonnay and they simply don’t seem to have one. 

2 hours ago, FOPMan said:

Local news outlets are reporting an active shooter situation on SE 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale at the Holiday Inn Express Fort Lauderdale Cruise Airport location. A police officer was shot, apparently with non life-threatening injuries, and has been taken to the hospital (closest hospital is Broward General,  a few blocks away).

 

Southeast 17th Street is closed in both directions in the area for the time being. I expect the Eisenhower Boulevard entrance to Port Everglades is also affected.

 

This area is not usually prone to this type of violence. I would not be hesitant to stay in any hotel in the area, from a safety perspective.

 

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/03/21/gunshots-reported-in-hotel-near-port-everglades/

 

https://wsvn.com

 

 

 

 

We are scheduled to stay there in three weeks. Have never been overly concerned, but always aware. Will be following. 

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I'd like to know where people are reading that the balcony door is locked on these forward cabins.  It has been debunked here at least 50 times - maybe more.

Appreciate the feedback. My husband read it somewhere on the Princess website. 

I apologize if this has been answered, I did a search but need a quick answer. I booked a guaranteed deluxe balcony on the Enchanted Princess. We have cruised close to 80 times and I should know if it sounds too good…, so no lectures please. We ended up with a forward facing cabin. My husband has read that the door to the balcony is locked when at sea. Although this is not my preferred cabin, if we can’t choose for ourselves when we want to use the balcony that’s a big issue. If someone has been in a forward facing balcony can you let me know if you had access to the balcony at all times?  TYIA. 

14 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

I think your memory is off, because Jany is the contact person at Rome in Limo.  See this long thread:  

 

That could very well be. Thank you for this information!

Quite a few years go we used a company by the name of Limos in Rome and had reached out to them a couple years ago, but had to cancel the cruise. They were excellent and would like to use them again next September, but am afraid they are out of business. It was definitely Limos in Rome, not Rome in Limo, and the woman the organized everything was Janie (sp?). Anyone have any current knowledge of this company? TYIA

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful information. Watched a YouTube tour a couple of nights ago. With perhaps the infinite balcony, really excited to experience this ship in late January. 

9 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Well we are finding that it depends on where you are on the ship. For example, a certain Cabernet in CS was $17, so included in The premium package. Same wine in Eden restaurant was $25…so an up charge of the difference. Same wine, different price. But I agree, those with the classic package are going to run into limitations or up charges. 

Have never seen this previously on a Celebrity ship. Glad we were able to upgrade at a reasonable price as we are primarily wine drinkers. 

18 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thank you!  
Yes, we toured the thermal suite. No whirlpool. It’s lovely but at $89 for a one time pass we decided to skip it. 

Interesting. IMHO, Celebrity is really missing a revenue opportunity to not upgrade their thermal suite to something comparable to Princess, QM2 or even some of the newer NCL ships. 

6 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Last night we dined in Normandy. Our reservation was for 8:30 but we arrived around 8:10 and were seated immediately. The dining room is beautiful!  DH remarked that he likes the way the E class ships have broken up the MDR’s into smaller spaces giving the feel of dining in a specialty restaurant. Service was great with only one misstep regarding the omission of our soup course. Once realized, our soup was immediately served. However, this backed up our mains, which were ready to be served as well. Not a big deal and the food was very good. For those who are more familiar with eclass, the menu likely looks the same as it has in the past. But for us, and our new experience with this whole themed concept, the food offerings were refreshing. 
 

We shared the baked Brie, which was served piping hot and another app, which I can’t recall at the moment…and that’s because the continuous flow of wine with dinner has blurred my recollection just a tad. Here’s what we ate..,

 

Was Windy your sommelier?

6 minutes ago, CardowMD said:

What is best way to get from FLL hotel to ship on Sunday ? Sounds like there are possible issues w Uber?

We usually Uber. However, Uber prices are supply driven so a taxi is occasionally cheaper. The last time we used Uber in October the driver spoke no English. We were on Princess and at the pier outside security so it wasn’t too bad, but it was a bit of a challenge. 

16 minutes ago, mtnesterz said:

Since at least three of their styles have seafood on them, you'll need to look at the menu and figure out which one it is. In this article, you can find their menu with toppings, and several photos of the styles.

https://cruiselifestyle.co.uk/2022/05/14/alfredos-pizzeria/

BTW, I enjoy making pizza too!

We actually have a list of the ingredients from a picture of the menu, my husband took. It’s the La Sarena. The owner of our local Italian restaurant is willing to make it, but she’d like to see a picture. 

1 minute ago, rowval said:

We will be on the Dec 10 sailing. If your daughter needs anything, send me a message on FB messenger so I get it. We are driving in so can pu what she needs! Would be happy to do so. 

Thank you so much. She is not really our daughter, but a daughter in heart. 

4 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

@lhsail does this mean Rendy does training?  I've always assumed that is what goes on during the TAs without passengers before the press and revenue cruises, and obviously periodically as new crew join.  

I would guess with his experience he does help with training. There is a lot of set up, stocking, etc. that is done by the crew on a new ship. He was initially assigned to the Ascent some time ago, so I have to believe his reassignment is due to a staffing need on the Edge. We were on five cruises on the Summit with him post Covid and were really looking forward to seeing him again. 

If you dine in the Normandie restaurant and meet sommelier Windy, please tell her mom and papa can’t wait to see her. Unfortunately, the Martini Bar star that is  in all Celebrity advertisements, Rendy, is leaving the Ascent today and headed to the Edge. ☹️

Odd request. We are on a quest to recreate the La Sarena (seafood) pizza from Alfredo’s. If anyone has or could take a post a picture of one it would be much appreciated. 

Happy Anniversary!   We are booked on the Ascent the end of January, our first E class sailing. I can assure you many of the crew are experienced with Celebrity and have previously been on E class ships. In fact, we’re booked on this sailing primarily to catch up with some of them. Have a wonderful time!

11 minutes ago, fun_one said:

Thank you!

We were on the last cruise. Loved Alfredo’s.  We tried sushi one day. Met others that had a good experience. Our service was very slow and tuna was extremely fishy tasting. Might be best early in the cruise. We left and went to Alfredo’s. 

4 hours ago, plastx said:

We are on board the Regal and will be 3 hours late arriving at Port Everglades. Captain advised change from 5am to 8am on Oct 24. 

Thanks to all of you onboard for keeping those of us boarding tomorrow informed. We’ve heard nothing from Princess. Even the rep at the hotel they are using knew nothing. We just plan to chill in the morning and not show up as early. 

I’m always anxious to get on as well, but I try to be cognizant of just how much work the crew has to do on turnaround day. 

6 hours ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Hi everyone, having been a fairly regular cruiser on P&O from Southampton we are used to having tea and coffee making facilities in our cabin. Can anyone of you regular Princess cruise passengers tell me whether Princess ships have these facilities. I know that our next cruise will have access to free delivery to our cabin by a steward but would prefer a kettle and tea, coffee and milk to be available whenever we are in our cabin. 

This answer will differ depending on where you are sailing. Kettles are standard on UK sailings. I have also had success requesting a kettle on other sailings. Not a tea drinker, but I want my coffee when I first get up in the morning and DH is usually still asleep. A kettle and Starbucks Via is perfect.