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Thanks for thanks for this information. I was unable to connect to the link yesterday. Now I will delete and not bother to try again.

But for those of us not sailing in a suite, the bright sunny Retreat Lounge is not open to us. My major complaint with the E class, as mentioned before, is that there is no longer a "bright, sunny Sky Lounge" in the front of the ship. I really miss that venue found on the M and S class ships. It seems that location is now only for suite guests to enjoy.

When we were on the Edge in October several types of non-dairy milk was available; but no dairy-free yogurt. We really enjoy this quiet, relaxing breakfast venue. The Tuscan has never been crowded so we are usually able to get a table by the window. The limited menu fits our breakfast preferences.

I totally agree. We have sailed on all classes of Celebrity ships, usually in Aqua class because we enjoy Blu. On the Edge we were in a SV cabin because we did not want an infinite balcony and can't justify the price of a suite. My biggest disappointment with the Edge was that I really missed the SKY Lounge at the front of the ship. That lovely area appears to be reserved for the suites (Retreat Lounge). In my opinion, the four MDRs were fine, but food inconsistent. The food and service in Eden were wonderful but the music coming in from the open bar above so loud that it was impossible to have a dinner table conversation. Perhaps this has all been discussed in the other threads criticizing the E class ships? If so, sorry for repeating.

We were also on this cruise and totally agree with Shaun that there was a lack of experience among the the staff. Nothing blatant, but a mix up in ordering drinks and coffees, especially in Cafe Bacchio and Eden. We were not in a suite, but a sunset balcony because we prefer a real balcony over the infinite one. We will definitely not sail on this Edge class Celebrity ship again. The food in the four main dining rooms was all basically the same menu, mostly very good, but a few choices not great. We ate in Eden one night and found the food and service excellent. However, the loud music coming down from the entertainment on the floor above made it impossible to have any table conversation. We cancelled our second booked night. We missed the forward lounge (constellation/sky lounge) found on Celebrity’s smaller ships. This front area is now part of the Retreat—-suite package. Rather than pay the additional price for a Celebrity suite we will stick with Viking Ocean and enjoy their Explorers Lounge in the front. jan

Where did you get a proctored test for $15? We paid $35 for the emed tests. Yes, I know, $35 for a cruise that costs thoursands of dollars.....

My Finnish friend recommended this book——THE NORDIC THEROY OF EVERYTHING by Ann Partenan. I found it a really interesting comparison between life in Finland and the US.

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. The SS package for our 3 week+ cruise is $518 pp, which I thought expensive considering we might like the included dinning wines just fine. I thought we should try out the included wines prior to buying the package. We enjoy a glass prior to dinner so will just purchase that. Further question about purchasing wine on board without a SS package----will we be able to select wines to purchase that are included in the SS package or will only be offered the generic included wines? We are not wine snobs but both have our likes and dislikes in different varietals.

Assuming we don't have a Silver Spirits drink package, is it possible to purchase other menu wine if we do not care for the included wine with lunch or dinner on any given day? Can the Silver Spirit drink package be purchased on board if we decide we would prefer those wine options compared to the included wines? Thanks.

Yes, no luck signing in this morning-----just the big white X flashing at me.

I remember that very questionable duo.

😩🦶yikes, I understand. My husband wears size 11 and complains about the space his shoes take up in luggage.

I agree. No checked baggage ever again for us. In April we spent 2.5 weeks in Ireland with carry-on luggage just fine. Flying to Kenya in a couple days with only carry-ons. I don't think it will be a problem for 19 days. Our next cruise is not until October and we plan to use only carry-ons for that 2 week trip. Cruise packing is much easier since formal and dressy wear is not required for dining as it once was.

Thanks for this thread and good reminders about health safety habits. The coughing and covering your mouth issue goes way beyond cruise ship venues. We see it every day in public areas. That is why we still wear a mask while out and about. Jan

Yes, the discount on upgrading beverage packages has increased, from 10% to 15% for elite+ but they have now also added a mandatory 20% tip fee when you upgrade. Yesterday on the phone I was given the quote of $126 pp to upgrade my drink package on our 14 day cruise, but it became $151.25 with the mandatory 20% gratuity charge.

In Barcelona we like the Hotel Continental Palacete. It is an older building with comfortable public areas; about a 3-4 block walk from Placa de Catalunya. https://www.hotelcontinental.com/hotel-continental-palacete Rooms inlcude a complimentary 24 hour buffet.

Hmm, didn't know this. Thanks.

Thanks to everyone for replies to this OP's question. We are in the same situation, trying to decide whether to cancel our Viking air before final payment. I think we will go ahead and cancel with the hope that we later don't decide to add it back on at a much higher price. I really think we will much prefer to book our own airfare. Reasonings--Because we would add both air plus and air deviation our price goes up $250. Viking tells me we can only book economy or business/first class with them, neither of which we want. And, yes, I know I could then go on to my airline website to up grade seating but since Viking won't book until 120 or 60 days out (a Viking agent told me this) the Econ + or premium seats we want might be filled. I just don't like to wait that close to flight time to book international tickets. I do know that we will lose transfers with the inbound travel but we have booked a post cruise extension with Viking and I was told that the transfer to the airport will be included even if we book our own flights. Thanks for listening to what is going on in my head about Viking air. Is my reasoning valid? Mostly, I guess I am just uncomfortable waiting so close to departure time to book our airfare. question for CNPOLAR---When you say you have already bought your air for the December and next March------do you mean with Viking or on your own? And if purchased with Viking, how did you get them to book it so far before your travel date? Jan

Speaking with a Viking agent this week about adding air plus and air deviation to our air booking, I was told that air plus price had gone up to $150. Air deviation is still $100. We have taken only one Viking cruise, November 2021, and at that time adding air plus was only $50. Is the agent's quote of $150 for adding air plus correct?

Hi Lew, Yes, we have signed up for the connection party on the cruise. Will look to meet you on the ship. Wow, a 55 day cruise! Our Viking Orion cruise, Oct.24, 2023 is 27 days. This will be the longest we have ever sailed in one go. The last Celebrity cruise we have booked is an Antarctica two week itinerary in February 2023. We have enjoyed this cruise some years ago and look forward to repeating it with friends. Off the sea, we have a couple safari's planned, delayed for two years-----Kenya this August and Botswana next June. It is so, so good to be traveling again. Hope you had a very happy birthday! Jan

Good luck staying negative throughout the rest of your tour. We were on a Rick Steves Ireland tour three weeks ago. 24 travelers. Only one person tested positive, the day prior to departure. I was pleased that masks were required on the bus.

Hi Lew, We are on your Celebrity Edge, October 24 TA cruise. Fred and I have been dedicated Celebrity cruisers for the last decade or so. I have not listened to the podcast your referenced, so can't comment on that. However, we took our first Viking Ocean cruise last November (Central America, Panama Canal) and are hooked. We will stick with Viking Ocean in lieu of Celebrity cruises unless an itinerary arises we can't refuse. There are so many reasons why we prefer the Viking sailings---I'm sure you have heard them all. Primarily we enjoyed the emphasis on lecturers and learning, not really into big production shows nor casinos, enjoy the lower density of cruisers, and the truly all-inclusive nature of the cruise. What cruise do you have booked for fall 2023. We have the October 24, 2023 Hong Kong to Bali cruise booked. Jan