Happy Cruiser 6143

I'm not a fan of 7-night cruises either. And Explora charges a $200 cancelation fee even if you cancel a year in advance. I've heard great things about their ships, but those two things put me off and I did get hit with one of those cancelation fees.

Doing my own laundry and pressing is not an enticement for me to book Oceania. I get laundry, dry cleaing, and pressing complimentary on Celebrity & someone else is doing the work. That's why I cruise--someone else is doing the cooking, cleaning, etc. And I might see some interesting places along the way.

I fondly remember the days the butlers came to your suite with the afternoon tea selection. It was a good chance to visit briefly with your butler. I was on a cruise when they made the switch and commented negatively on the survey.

I fondly remember the days the butlers came to your suite with the afternoon tea selection. It was a good chance to visit briefly with your butler. I was on a cruise when they made the switch and commented negatively on the survey.

I think my royal suite had a scale. No on Millie but on Summit.

Are you going to post on the Celebrity board? I've been on Seashore in YC but not Seascape.

Wow, that's a huge difference. I guess I booked my AQ cabins before the pricing folks went gaga. Mine were only a tad more than concierge and the private dining room is worth it to me for that. Because I used to book suites before their prices went crazy. But you're right, at that pricing differential, book a veranda and dine in specialties every night.

Yes, call the Zenith concierge--same number as the Retreat concierge and explain when you'd like to have your party. My guess is Celebrity can make it happen when you want it to. The retreat concierge on the ship had mine all set up to be on the bridge, but when I gave her the list of the people I wanted to invite, we decided that was too many for the bridge and she rescheduled it to be in Blu. I had a lot of cruising friends on that cruise, several of whom were already Zenith. I also asked her to invite any other Zeniths who happened to be on the cruise.

My cheap one used to last overnight. My daughter made me get it because she was concerned about the possibility of my falling after my knee replacement, so I wore it at night when I was most likely to fall. Now that's not an issue, so I don't wear it at night. I don't think my cheapie has sleep tracking, although there are aps for that. So, based on my experience with the lowest version, I don't think you need to be concerned about battery life.

No problem, things come at you kind of hot & heavy sometimes. Thanks for the answer.

I've not needed or requested a mattress topper since Celebrity got its new beds.

Jim, my Apple watch (the cheap one) is usually about half charged when I take it off at night and always fully charged in the morning. One time I apparently didn't connect the charger properly and it didn't have much charge. After my morning walk, it took about half an hour to charge up. I think you missed my earlier question about non-alcoholic wines and champagne. Are they available on Oceania? MSC Yacht Club did not have them and showed no interest in providing them.

I would call the Captains Club.

The cabin attendants know.

I would call them on that. Do you have a copy of the double points offer? I went on a double points cruise and the points didn't post that way. I called and had it fixed.

No. You get hot wash, hot dry. I never send anything to the laundry that hasn't been washed many times at home. You could have some items dry cleaned.

I definitely agree with your dessert comment! That was also my favorite. The chocolate pill is BORING.

Jim, I hope you will report on the non-alcoholic wines and champagne availability on these new cruise lines. When I asked for same in MSC Yacht Club, they looked at me like I was crazy. Also discussed the lack with the dining room manager (they don't have sommeliers). I didn't get the impression that was something they were interested in providing.

My understanding was always that if you left the regular gratuities in place, the cabin stewards or butlers or whatever got to keep the extra cash you gave them. Has that changed?

Interesting itinerary. Looking forward to hearing what it's like on Oceania.

I had no problem ordering off the MDR menu in Blu on Reflection this spring.

I recently started booking AQ cabins as the price of suites has soared into the stratosphere. I couldn't bear the idea of going back to the MDR. I found the experience of dining in Blu to be comparable to Luminae except that lunch is never on offer in Blu. What I find intriguing is the idea mentioned above of booking a regular balcony cabin and dining in specialty restaurants every night. Will keep that in mind for future bookings. Although I loved having access to those heated loungers on S class. The spa area is dismal on M class, so I think I would book a regular cabin & specialty restaurants, although there are few specialty restaurants available on M class.

I agree. We were there with one of the monstrosities of the sea (actually I nicknamed it the laundromat of the sea as just about every balcony had laundry flapping in the breeze) and it didn't feel crowded at all. I was surprised. And there are plenty of things to do which require no extra payment.

Yes. Exactly. The PH already had more than enough closet space. Why take a very functional space and turn it into more closet space???

I've sailed in both the un-revolutionized and the revolutionized versions of the PH. Actually, I prefer the older version. It had a wonderful sitting/vanity area outside the master bath which was an excellent place to sit and do hair and makeup. Why that went away is beyond me. I also found the furniture in the previous version more comfortable. But you can't go wrong in either version.