coffeebean

20 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The low budget replacements that are currently being used are short-contract guest performers and entertainment staff already on the ship. It is cheaper to pay one bad ventriloquist than an entire production show cast and support. That’s the way it has been on our April and May cruises. We’ll see if it continues. I spoke to production managers on both cruises and there are no plans to bring on any other big production shows (Broadway or otherwise). 

So sad to hear this. The evening production shows are what we really look forward to. Sadly, we may not be booking NCL, one of our favorite cruise lines, in the future.

On 6/17/2023 at 8:29 AM, luv2kroooz said:

The only study that need be undertaken is bottom line profit. Easy decision, but likely the wrong one as it further devalues their brand.

I had heard NCL is going for super luxurious. Now they cancel the Broadway type productions. Sounds like an oxymoron to me. I always look forward to the Broadway production shows on a cruise ship. NCL is disappointing me with this decision.

On 6/16/2023 at 12:21 PM, Seminole1975 said:

Oh and don’t forget about Burn the Floor. It’s still there. 

Which ship has Burn the Floor? I saw that show on a couple of different NCL ships several years ago. The cast gave an up close and personal show in the main dining room that has a dance floor. I believe the restaurant is The Manhattan. Our seats were ringside for the show. I was in awe of the talent and the absolutely fabulous dancing. Such a great memory of our NCL Epic cruise.

3 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

We were on Silhouette for the TransAtlantic ending just 4 weeks ago and our experience was so dramatically different from yours. 🤷‍♂️

 

But what I really want to comment on is whether Celebrity is "better" than Royal Caribbean. For us, it's apples to oranges. We sailed exclusively on RCI for several years and had great experiences, but we don't sail with kids or teens and found it more boisterous than we wanted so we moved to Celebrity. More sedate experience. I wouldn't say the food was "better" or entertainment "better" - just different. 

One word comes to mind when describing Celebrity (Beyond).......Elegant. Much more so than any RCCL ship I have experienced.

On 5/13/2023 at 9:42 AM, hrhdhd said:

100%. There is no fixed dining on the Edge-class ships. The website is incorrect.

 

Just show up at one of the four MDRs when you are ready to dine.

NCL started this type of dining in the main dining rooms. They called it "Freestyle Dining". Seems all the cruise lines have followed what NCL started in one way or another.

It is true.....Beyond does not have early or late seating. Show up at any one of their four main dining rooms when ever you like, during time when the dining rooms are open of course.

1 hour ago, upwarduk said:

I’ve never been to a Beyond the Podium lecture which finishes with a test.

I find them interesting and educational.

I took that "test" comment to be a joke.

On 5/5/2023 at 5:36 PM, Obobru said:

I don't think Coco cay is aimed at the Celebrity cruiser it's more mass market. If celebrity had a private island I would expect some thing more tranquil and not a huge pool or a water park and zip slide. Everything on Coco reflects the Royal ships, loud and in your face.  

The huge pool (with its own zip code I might add) is the only reason hubby and I get off at Royal's private island. That area is very serene and gorgeous. I love the loungers in the water at the edges of the pool. It is the only pool that I can swim in while on a cruise. I just love it. The bar in the pool is a really nice touch too.

10 hours ago, the penguins said:

Not on any Celebrity ship - other  than in IV cabins - the Aircon stays on. 

My goodness, That is a waste of energy. I had no idea. Thank you for the correction. It has been several years since we sailed on Millie and a couple of years since we sailed in the S class ships.

Perfect Day at Cocoa Cay is Royal Caribbean's private island. I understand Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean Group but that doesn't mean Celebrity can go to Royal Caribbean's private island. They are two separate cruise lines. That is best I can do. Hope that helps.

5 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Even in my ignorance regarding cruise ship efficiency, this certainly seems to be sound reasoning. If indeed that is the case, does Celebrity now catch a break from all the negative IV and Brand related commentary? Those who dislike the Infinite Verandas will continue to dislike them but does the logic behind their creation validate X's attempt to become more efficient and thus cost effective. I would hope so. Can we get away from thinking that X is intentionally deserting loyalists, old folks, light sleepers and real balcony purists?

 

Also, could it be that over the years there have been many cases of "standard balcony abuse"? Open balcony doors, low AC temp settings to offset heat discomfort when sitting on the balcony. It's not your dime, at the time, but sometime in the future your cruise cost might include another person's electric bill...so to speak.

Of all the traditional balcony cabins we have been in, the A/C cuts off when the balcony door is open. Close the door and the A/C works again. That is the way the A/C systems work on the multiple cruise lines we have been on.

11 hours ago, mdcelebrity said:

The reason X and RC are going with IV has to do with efficiency (i.e., less fuel costs).  With the IV structure the ship moves with less drag.  The SV cabins are in the back so they don't affect the drag.

Anyway, this is my understanding.

That does make sense.

12 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Why?????? you ask.  Because a lot of cruisers like them.  Actually, Icon of the Seas has a mixture.  Some infinite balconies but a lot of other choices too.  A much larger ship.  I know some on these Celebrity boards (including me) would have preferred more of a balcony mixture and more choices on E-Class.  But as I expressed before, IMO,  time to just move on from this.  

Time to move on maybe for those folks who have cruised Celebrity many times. That is not my experience. Most of my 55 cruises has been on Royal and NCL. On those 55 cruises, most were in traditional balconies.

The Celebrity Beyond was an absolutely stunning ship in the public spaces but the IV was a huge disappointment for us. I can't say I didn't know what to expect because I did my homework and read lots of bad reviews of the IV. We just wanted to try it. Hubby and I have sailed on the Millie once, years ago, the Solstice once and a sister ship once. That is our experience on Celebrity.

I still cannot understand why Royal is building a ship with IV cabins when there are so many complaints about them.

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Why does an Infinite Veranda thread bring out such strong(er) opinions from normally pleasant posters here? As others have said, we Celebrity cruisers just all need to live with E-Class ships or be happy with M&S ships, or really just move on.  Many many people like E-class apparently as judged by the full ships.  I usually do not even look at IV threads anymore as for me there will never be an answer, an argument, or a winner.  They just go on and on.  And come back over and over.  I'm not even sure why I am commenting here in this thread.  Please feel free to tell me to move on too!

After experiencing the IV on The Beyond, I now understand why there is so much objection to this type of accommodation; especially when one usually books a traditional balcony cabin. What truly baffles me is that because of all the detractors to the IV cabins, Royal Caribbean is going to be introducing a new ship with...........guess what?..............IV cabins. All I want to know is...... why???????

8 hours ago, Cruisegoer said:

Having a traditional verandah I might be lucky to go outside on it 15-20 minutes per day.  A few mins in the morning and a few minutes at the very end of the day.  With the infinite verandah we would open the window almost every time we were in the cabin, if not for the entire time at least it was open.  It also allows for better views and provides larger interior space in the cabin.  The automated blackout shade is great too, far better than a curtain/drape.

The blackout shade in our IV on The Beyond did not work properly several times. Thank goodness, most of the time it did work. I did like the button to open/close the shade but not so much when we had to "finesse" it. We cruised when it wasn't hot and humid so the IV worked well for us. But........if we cruise during hot and humid weather, that IV window will remain closed. I wouldn't mind it so much (having an ocean view) but the price of those IV cabins are the same as a regular verandah.

3 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

 found the infinite balcony cabins too narrow- if you sit on the balcony unless you are extremely short or tall your vision is obstructed by the bar on the window.  Also cannot use a/c in cabin if infinite veranda door is open.  

The "bar" at the window of the infinite veranda is the same height as the hand rail on a standard balcony cabin. No?

Recently off Beyond. This ship does not offer traditional dining. Are all the Edge class ships the same for dining times in MDR?

2 hours ago, wendyam76 said:

Yes, it does! I know it is not the proper name but I refer to it as the Funky Forest. on Apex it I call it the Oor Wullie strip - only Scottish guests would understand that! 

Ahhh.........it is the same as Beyond for the idea but Beyond's artwork is different.

This may be a bit off topic but.......

We sailed on The Beyond a few weeks ago and was absolutely blown away by the elegance, moderness and the beauty of the ship. Just wondering if Edge has that "surprise" hallway on the way to Eden which is at the aft of the ship like Beyond has. I don't want to give it away to anyone who has not been on an Edge class ship, but that was the most surprising stretch of hallway I have ever seen on any cruise ship. It has a name; The Oddyssey. I don't see this listed on the Beyond deck plans so I guess it is supposed to be a surprise when one ventures through that hallway.

I heard today from Tony of La Lido Loca that the classic menus in the MDR are being done away with. He said this is being rolled out fleet wide. How do you feel about this? No more shrimp cocktail available every night; as an example.

36 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Such a timely post! We have debated on trying LPC on our upcoming cruise. My understanding is that bc it’s animated, everyone is served at the same time. Do I have that right?  Something about that has kept me from reserving in the past. Your post has me rethinking. 

Yes, everyone in the restaurant is served at the same time. We all watch the same video. There are several projectors in the ceiling so all tables receive the video, even if the tables are not occupied.

As I just said in a previous post, our "show" was quite empty so everyone did receive their plates at the same time. That was great. Just as the animation stopped on the plate, the real food was delivered. The animation continues on the table though. It was like dining at a table with a live table cloth........birds were flying all over the place and little people were sailing in boats. That was just one course. Other courses are different and so creative.

I highly recommend this dining experience!

52 minutes ago, crimsonbird said:

The first time on the Equinox was wonderful.  A few months later...on the Infinity...it was a disaster.  There were too many diners for the staff to handle.   

Our dining room on Beyond was quite empty. There were about five parties in the restaurant so service was wonderful. As soon as the animation ended for each course, our plates were delivered right away. I wondered what it would be like if all the tables were occupied.

59 minutes ago, D. B. said:

My favorite of the 3 shows is the Battle of the 4 Chefs. I  have made it a point to do LPC once on every X cruise because in the Past there has been a few nights that Lobster and a small Filet were (Both) served and were outstanding But someone posted here that that Menu has been replaced by Short Ribs????

  I'll be on Milli in A  few days so I will see if that's the case.....😐

We were on the Beyond when we did Le Petit Chef. We had Short Ribs for our entree.

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

Perhaps if you remind him that there are 3 or 4 different shows he might change his mind. 🙂

Are the different shows on different ships?

I know this delightful dining experience is not new to Celebrity cruisers. I am a seasoned cruiser but have cruised only five times on Celebrity. We are just off Beyond and this was our first E class Celebrity ship to experience.

Of the four specialty restaurants we dined in (Le Voyage, Fine Cut Steak House, Eden) my favorite dining experience, by far, was Le Petit Chef. I was aware of the technology used for this animated dining experience but was still blown away by the execution of it. The food was so delicious, but that was sort of secondary to the absolute delight of the animated table top and dinner plate.

I want to do this again but hubby says once is enough. Whaaaa.

Just off the January 29 Beyond sailing. When we got home, hubby was positive for Covid with mild cold like symptoms. I tested negative. Our last cruise was just the opposite results.......after the cruise, I tested positive (with a dry cough for 2 days) and hubby remained negative.

Covid is endemic now which means we must live with it. Thank goodness for vaccines as neither one of us became ill with Covid. We are old too so those vaccines worked really well for us!