mahdnc

Yeah, we are on the upcoming Constellation TA with the same issue. We are bringing the binaxnow test kits with us and will find a local pharmacy in Rome as a back up if need be. The testing requirement unique for TAs (and TPs) is causing some worries for some on our roll call who have the TA as the second leg of a B2B. No testing required to get on the first leg, but then you have to get tested (and pass) if you want to get back on the ship to cruise across the Atlantic. It would be nice if Celebrity dropped the TA requirement, but I think things are pretty much set for the Oct sailings.

For comparison, here are some Wi-Fi speed measurements that I took using the Speedtest app on board Solstice (Jan 2020, Tasman Sea) and Reflection (Jan 2019, Caribbean Sea). Most of the measurements occurred on sea days. The two sailings were before Celebrity began splitting their Wi-Fi into basic and premium offerings. The result at the top of the photo was taken at an airport lounge.

Yuck. Well pretty soon they will take away the actual ship and give us VR goggles. I am sure the Retreat VR goggles will be nicer.

We will be in an aft corner FV on Connie starting on Oct 22 for 15 nights, so I can report back with current first hand info. We have been in an aft corner FV 4 previous times on Connie's sisters and I can tell you that, yes, the corner FV on Connie will have the solid bathtub wall that blocks the view in that particular direction. The views in the other directions are not obstructed. There is a great deal of protected area on that massive balcony that shelters you from the wind. The balcony area furthest from the balcony door is more exposed and so it can be more windy. Balcony for FV cabin 8166 on Infinity, Jan 6 2017, Montevideo Uruguay.

Yes, you can bring cans of soda on board. My wife is very partial to diet Mountain Dew which you cannot get on the ship and so she used me as her soda mule when we embarked.

We like to stay connected on our phones while on board. However we prefer a paper copy for the daily newsletter. I guess hard copy restaurant menus will be the next to go. There is a productivity incentive to get rid of them.

People in hotels don't do roll calls either.

If you are willing to buy a private tour of the Blue Mountains, it should give you the flexibility in defining the start/end time and the pickup location. Have you asked any of the private tour companies whether they would be willing to pick you up at the pier or are you simply going by what they say on their website? Eclipse will most certainly be docking at Circular Quay because of its size. Fortunately the pier area is very compact. In fact if you are "stuck" having to specify a hotel for a private tour pick up and drop off, there are 2 hotels that are very very close to the pier. The first one was previously mentioned--Rydges Sydney Harbour (formerly a Holiday Inn). The approximate location of the hotel is marked with an "A" in the bottom photo (click on the photo if you want to make it bigger). The second one is Park Hyatt Sydney (a very nice place for afternoon tea). The Park Hyatt is marked with a "B" in the same photo. Both hotels are extremely close to the pier and may be a more preferable pick up location than at the pier itself. Solstice docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal (Circular Quay) on Dec 23 2019. A = Rydges Sydney Harbour Hotel. B = Park Hyatt Sydney.

It's good to know that you and your loved ones made it through ok and that your house mostly survived. Hopefully you will get things secured in time to enjoy next week's cruise worry-free.

Wait. So this was just a drill?

We had something similar happen where my wife mistakenly did not bring enough Imitrex on our South American cruise. She discovered this problem while we were in Chile a couple of days before the cruise. She ended up having to go to the Emergency Room to have a prescription written for her to present to the local pharmacy (link to story)

@Ex-Airbalancer also forgot to mention other TA hardship issues such as scurvy and sea monsters.

It varies as to when the 5 person minimum for an FV is removed. For example, I booked my wife and I in an Oct Constellation FV this past April.

It's hard to say--and perhaps that is your answer. We have had FVs up at the bow and FVs at the stern. I didn't notice any difference in motion, but they were all on different cruises, ships, itineraries, etc.

It is a shame that you were so disappointed. Our last cruise was aboard Solstice (Jan 2020) and we enjoyed it very much.

What a nightmare.

I'd say he hit the jackpot!

I have our 26 yr old son booked for a family cruise in Thanksgiving 2023 (Galapagos) and Christmas 2023 (Singapore to Hong Kong). My son and I usually play blackjack for about 4-6 hours total on each 12-15 night cruise at the low limit tables. Here he is getting abused by the dealer on Solstice in Jan 2018 (Great Barrier Reef) who just dealt him a deuce on his eleven that he doubled down on. Ouch. Luckily she busted. You can see how small his bank roll is. Somewhere in that pile of chips of his ($100 total?) is a free cruise, apparently.

Here are the complimentary sailings being offered. Also, I need to correct myself--there is only Edge cruise in the list and it is only a 4 nighter

After ignoring his first free cruise offer from late July, my son got a second free cruise offer emailed to him today. This time it includes Edge sailings. The email acknowledges his Pearl status with 40 points...... Go figure

I agree. Every extended cruise for us has had 3 even though the website says 2. Jan 2019 Reflection

300 kids. That's the number we had on our Solstice Christmas 2019 & NYE sailing which was a 12 night round trip from Sydney visiting New Zealand. Similar to your Edge itinerary. Our cruise was the last holiday New Zealand sailing by Celebrity so you won't find any more recent data for that itinerary for now. According to the Fun Factory counselor there were 150 3-12 yr old children and 150 13-17 yr old kids. These were pre-pandemic statistics, of course. It didn't feel like we had very many kids on board during the cruise.

No. All the work is up front during the registration process.

They know you reached Elite Plus and are living the high life. Delivering your points are a lower priority than those like us that are truly in need.

Just got ours at 3:31 pm CDT