markluke

Zero formal nights. Formal nights were eliminated.

 

Two Evening Chic nights on 15-night cruises per Celebrity's website; however, some ships have bumped it up to three Evening Chic nights on 15-night cruises.

As a requirement they were eliminated, but some still choose to dress up, especially for photos. Some people's interpretation of 'evening chic' is rather interesting.

I sail alone with my 10 y/o and I pay full price for him. If I book a suite, both he and I are entitled to what all other suite guests get. I would never take him to Michaels simply because there's nothing for him there, but as for suite guest pool and restaurants, you betcha he's going to be with me, and you won't notice him because he's well behaved and has 13 cruises under his belt already.

 

 

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My kids have been on several cruises, and we just booked CS for next year.

There are two issues here - one, behavioral, and two, legal.

Kids obviously shouldn't be in the casino or an adults-only bar. That's a legal issue. There are also policy age-based rules, like no kids in the solarium pool. Fair enough.

As to behavior, that's up to the parents. My boys dress up for formal nights and love Luminae. They also know that if they don't behave they don't get to participate. They follow the rules and are polite. They appreciate afternoon tea and the service our butler provides. They say "please" and "thank you".

In fact, they behave better than at least 50% of the pax, many of whom are loud, obnoxious, drunk and disorderly.

When I pay close to $10K for my family to cruise I darned well expect better than someone paying $1K for an inside cabin. And I AM paying for my kids, so they are entitled to enjoy THEIR cruise.

People wanting no children on a cruise are also the kind that take Disney cruises and complain about it being full of kids.

During my cruises I rarely see any kids misbehaving, and certainly not mine. I can't always say the same about the adults.

Makes sense about opening up the solarium pool to all when the outdoor pools are closed. If the weather is really bad I can't imagine that many people will be using the pool anyway!

My kids will be 11, 15, and 18 and have cruised three times before, but not with Celebrity. We are looking at a June Alaska cruise and I'm sure there will be many families on board, but I was wondering what to expect as far as kids go in general. Will they be everywhere, crowding pools and whirlpools and running amuck? (Like I experienced on a RC cruise a few years ago where there were large youth sports teams and they all liked to stay together so you had to plan your day around them.) I am hoping for a slightly more peaceful experience... LOL

 

Any thoughts?

If you plan to take pictures in at least a few settings it's nice to know you get everything automatically. We also use it for formal night pictures so we get the annual family photo taken by a pro, along with a bunch more casual pix. Even if you don't buy before boarding there is usually a $100 off offer on the first day.

Have done regular, concierge, aqua and suite.

I would not pay extra to do aqua again. Blu was not worth it.

Suites are just too expensive for what extras you get.

Concierge is only getting the same cabin types on a higher deck.

Bottom line is, if you want a higher deck, you have no choice but to go concierge or aqua but for the extra little things (which are becoming less every month LOL), I do not believe it is worth the extra cost.

Curious about your suite opinion. I found a sky suite to be good value for access to Luminae, priority during embarkation and tendering and the perks that come with butler service. But I realize it's different strokes for different folks.

There is no protocol - you can't "reserve" a table.

 

OD

There's reserving and then there's reserving.

If someone means reserve so they can come back later I'm with you.

If someone means pick a spot and then go get food that's different. On my last cruise I was in a group of six, and with many six person tables by the Windows taken with only 2 people each (my pet peeve) we went to get a table first and then food.

What waiters did was to lean chairs up against the table while they fetched our drinks and we got food.

And we cancelled our specialty dining reservations because we honestly felt the best food on the ship was Luminae. We even had two free dinners and we only used one.

 

Good thing we all have a choice!

I echo most of the comments already posted.

A couple of extra points -

1) Assuming you're on a beverage (or premium beverage) package, expect your wine glass to be topped up before you have to even ask for it. This is apparently a big difference between Luminae and MDR dining.

2) You can get food that's served in the MDR in Luminae as well. For example, a shrimp cocktail appetizer, caesar salad, and any main course special of the night. In other words, you get access to the Luminae menu + MDR.

3) As others had said, they are extremely accommodating. While I didn't take advantage, I found out that the chef was from a certain region in India and was willing to make dishes if I wanted something different and special.

4) Can't decide which dessert to get? No problem, we'll get you both and take a taste of them. The service is MILES better - think a higher-end restaurant in New York or Paris. Not overly ornate, just very attentive.

Given the level of service and food (I was on Reflection), I ate just about every dinner at Luminae. I'd say eat there unless there is something special or different you want to try.

One last hint - when boarding, I asked the concierge if I needed to book a dining time with Luminae as I was on Select. She said "no, just turn up". Well, they were booked on the first night but were able to squeeze us in. My suggestion is to book dining for the first night when you arrive on board so you don't have to wait or go through any hurdles.

Good feedback about Princess vs. Celebrity.

I suspect for the average cruiser Princess will provide more value, as it sounds as though they invest more in standard items like MDR and buffet food. The ships are bigger so you also get more economy of scale.

For the same reasons OP will cruise with Princess I will - unless things change for me - select Celebrity. The Sky Suites give an upmarket experience and Luminae is a great dining location. It's a balance between being suitable enough for kids while also providing mass market luxury.

For our upcoming 12 night cruise we ended up with $850 in OBC. PLUS pre paid gratuities. We don't do the spa thing so that is not a place we would blow any significant money. Because it's such a port intensive itinerary with 8 and 9 hour tours we won't be deck sitting sucking down $8 drinks. All tours, including Celebrity's have been prepaid.

 

So, where are we going to spend $850? Some of the funds come from Celebrity when we booked the cruise onboard the last sailing, $300 comes from the Go Perk thing. $150 comes from our TA.

 

Never had OBC left over before. What type of OBC is refundable and what is forfeited if not used?

A photo package is another option. Lots of opportunity to take some memorable pictures on a 12 night cruise.

Wore a tux, as did my boys. Great opportunity for a family photo.

I have to disagree in part with point #2. To expect people to 'self-quarantine' just because they have a cough is ridiculous. A couple years ago I caught a URI and the cough lasted for four months. It was due to post nasal drip from irritation that originated with the infection (as I ultimately learned from seeing a lung specialist). But there is no way I was contagious for that entire four months! People also have coughs for other non-contagious reasons like allergies or COPD. Fever? Vomiting? Yes, quarantine is the responsible thing to do. But if you have a cough or a simple cold it is nuts IMHO to expect people to sit in their cabins. Some common sense and consideration is prudent, but if the world quarantined themselves every time they had a cold with a cough our nation's productivity would ground to a halt. There is a certain amount of risk inherent with being around people and no amount of quarantine is going to change that.

Fair enough. Obviously if you're not infectious then there is no need to self-quarantine. However, if that 'cough' is extensive and accompanied by other symptoms....?

We are in a FV on this cruise. Previous celebrity cruises were all in M class ships with big FV aft balconies. Liked those better. Anyway wish I was in suite here.

Yet you booked 3 RCCL suite cruises? Hard to compare the two properly. I was in an aft corner FV on a M-class a few years ago and the food wasn't anything to write home about but I don't recall being disgusted either.

Before giving up on X you may want to try a sky suite and then eat in Luminae.

I'm sure more will comment on food quality in the MDR.

Depending on the quality of your glass, you maybe better off upgrading to better glass (even used). I'm a canon shooter so I'm not familiar with the Nikon lenses but in the Canon world some of the L lenses have a dramatic image improvement over some of the cheaper lenses. I'm sure Nikon also has a premium line. So I would be probably be looking at a better 70-200 or 24-70 2.8 or 4

I think these responses are right on target but I do want to mention that you might be in situations where changing lenses might be hard, like when whale watching, birds, etc. Some times the action comes quick and that makes it hard to pick a lens to go with and you'll miss the shot changing lenses. An 18-250 or something might be nice because of that. I had two bodies with me with an 18-55 on one and the 55-300 on the other and that worked well when on boat and bus excursions. FWIW: One of the best excursions I went on was called a 'Photo tour' something out of Juneau which included a boat trip and a hike to views of a glacier, I got my best pictures on that trip. Anyway, you'll definitely get great shots no matter what!

From point and shoot to DSLR's with normal to 300mm lens and 300 MM is still not enough at times. My lady the artist, did not want to carry all that stuff around. For $700, WOW, too much for my wallet and backpack. I just picked up a Canon SX60, yes point and shoot type but a little more sophisticated than most. It has a 65X telephoto, and I think it goes to 18 MM wide, you can read a barcode on the other side of Best buy with it. It weights about a pound and size slightly less than most DSLR cameras with basic lens. Price was a little high @ $449 but you can find it for less, if you dare. It was bought for our upcoming land trip to Africa. I just ordered a protective neoprene case and a good deal on batteries and a walking stick monopod(generally needed for 65X, for it from the Big A company.

If you are a Nikon fan they make a similar model.

Nothing is frustrating than the sensor hunting and you ending up with a slightly blurry "once in a lifetime" picture.

With my DSLR for long distances with telephoto I usually manually adjust the focus ring when composing my shot.

Nikon do a very good 35mm f1.8 DX that is very cheap. I have one that I brought second hand for £100 off ebay and to be honest it's the lens that I use more than any other on my d7100. The extra few stops over the kit zoom lens gives me so much flexibility in poor lighting.

Hello all. On Eclipse now ending a nice two week cruise. We've been loyal but infrequent Celebrity cruisers for about six years, having taken about one a year. We were attracted to Celebrity six years ago on a friends recommendation about great food. However on or current cruise we have found food noticeably lousy, especially with cuts of beef and other meats. We travel with here young children so eating in speciality restaurants is a no go unless we put them in kids camp (something I tired to do once I realized good meals could only be found there...sadly all speciality were booked the rest of the cruise). We are cancelling an already booked future Celebrity cruise as a result of lousy food here since in a suite in Royal I can take kids to speciality restaurants....booked three Royal cruises in suites while on this Celebrity cruise. So what I am wondering is if food has been really cut back fleet wide or is this one (lengthy) cruise just a standout. Any thoughts?

First, they do have a kids menu which was pretty complete. Second, you can get any MDR dishes you want in Luminae, so it's really like a 2 in 1. My 9 year old had the mini filet mignon every night (with a shrimp cocktail as an appetizer) and he it was delicious; high praise from a picky eater. My 7 year old rotated between a burger, mac and cheese and other options. He didn't eat as much because he probably ate 3 rolls before his main course came!

Third, the experience is excellent, so if the cut of beef or something else is poor you can send it back and get something else very easily without waiting for service staff to circle back. Can't decide between desserts? They'll bring both!

The only reason I could see eating in other specialty restaurants is if you wanted a different experience, especially for people who perhaps are more limited at home with their choices.

Rule of thumb -

(a) are you happy with the liquor and beers offered under the classic package?

(b) are you happy with the types of drinks available under the classic package?

© do you stick to only a couple of drinks around the pool or at dinner?

(d) are you content with managing within your drinks package?

(e) are you OK with having to pay full price for any drinks not covered?

If you say "yes" to 3 or more of the above then I'd say the classic package will work well for you.

I ended up with "Go Best" so I got the premium drinks package and between better glasses of wine at dinner and asking for premium margaritas and daiquiris it probably would have paid for itself.

You have the basic assortment as you mention (I have similar ones for my D5100). There are a couple of options that come to mind.

1) More wide angle - something like a 10-24 - if you want to capture landscape.

2) More telephoto - something like a 55-300 - if you want to zoom in.

3) A more expansive single lens - like their 18-300 or bigger still - if you want to not have to switch when you're taking pictures. These are out of your price range.

Another option you might want to consider is lens rental. There are companies out there that will rent expensive glass for a couple of hundred dollars for the cruise instead of you buying it. I've never used this option but you can google for companies offering this service.

I could believe this, IF

1) People took sanitary precautions like washing their hands, using hand sanitizer, covering their mouths when sneezing (and not with their hands!)

2) People self-quarantined if they started coughing or were otherwise sick, instead of not wanting to miss the buffet or a show where they will infect more people.

3) If people really felt poorly they went to the ship's doctor instead of brushing it off, and again, not wanting to miss out on a free meal or entertainment.

On my recent cruise my guests got sick with influenza, and one proceeded to get bronchitis and a suspected case of pneumonia. He was fine boarding the ship but went to shows where people clearly broke rule #2.

We're on the Eclipse right now. I'm using a Amazon Fire stick to stream videos from a NAS device via wifi. You can access the TV's input menu with a cheap universal remote. There may be buttons on the TV as well, I'll have to take a look. The internet speed is not sufficient to stream anything.

 

 

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But you still need internet to use these wifi apps, don't you? If there's an app that would allow me to text family onboard the ship using nothing but the ship's wifi connection (as in not purchasing internet time), I would love to know about that as it would make communicating while onboard much easier.

Unless you had a package this would be very challenging - you log onto a captive portal before getting access, so there is no ship-wide intranet (as opposed to internet) that would work. Good idea though - a less disruptive form of walkie-talkie!