drychi

My wife and I ate in Qsine on our last Celebrity Cruise in June, 2016. It was our first experience and we like it. Don't be afraid to order as many different dishes as you wish. If you don't eat them all, so what! Our meal was served in courses as they were prepared by the cooks they would be served. You are in this restaurant for the "experience" of trying new foods and different food presentation. Enjoy and we suggest you try the "Silver Bullet" for dessert. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Thanks for taking the time to live post. My wife and I are on Silhouette's December 30, 2016 cruise and hope you have a wonderful passage! Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

You might also want to check out the Grand Cayman Port of Call board for more information. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

While typing my post, Tommy3putts beautifully illustrated my point for me! Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

My wife and I enjoy cruising and have learned many things from reading Cruise Critic. We always appreciate a review that gives honest feedback about what THAT PERSON experienced on their cruise. While the person's experiences do not always agree with ours, I think it is important for everyone to have the right to state what they wish to say about their cruise.

Unfortunately, the OP's review is written somewhat defensively because the OP is expecting negative comments about his opinions and experiences. That is a shame for all of us Cruise Critic members, but having read these boards for years my wife and I have noticed an unwelcome trend of "flaming" people rather than thanking them for their views. We hope people will post their opinions and views about their experiences without criticizing others on the same cruise or with past experiences on the same ship.

Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

G'Day AussieGirl2. My wife and I were on Summit in June of this year in aft cabin 1140, which is located directly under the new Summit outdoor theatre. We did not watch any movies, but we could usually hear what was playing if we were on our balcony. The only movies I remember for sure were the new (at the time) Star Wars movie and the Hundred Foot Journey movie which they paired with food and wine for an additional fee. I also heard a few concert movies and some Celebrity Cruise advertising. It was never particularly loud or annoying. We were out and about alot, but I think the movies were primarily run in the afternoon and evenings until about 11:00 p.m.

Since we were on an M-Class ship, no lawn club, so can't help you there.

Hope this information helps. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Good morning KDance and welcome to Cruise Critic. What a nice idea for a christmas cruise. My wife and I are taking our first New Years Eve cruise in December from Fort Lauderdale. We have never been cruising over Christmas.

As to the Walkie Talkies I don't believe they would be of much use on Celebrity ships. Strong magnets or magnetic chalk/note board would probably work better for keeping in touch. I suspect many persons will decorate their cabin doors with a Christmas theme. Magnetic stick on characters, small wreath, a red bow, etc. You might also consider some holly or other decorative material to go around your balcony door or porthole depending on your room. I would stay away from any lights that you have to plug in. Security at the port may not like that idea and plugs are at a premium in the cabin.

Another small gift you might like to include are earplugs/masks for sleeping on plane or ship, spa or specialty dinner certificates which you can pre-order on some cruises or a written promise to underwrite a purchase at the T-Shirt/Novelty sale which will occur onboard at some point near the end of your cruise or perhaps a special group portrait for Christmas.

I am sure you will have a great time with your family at a wonderful time of year. Happy Cruising and an Early Merry Christmas! Bob and Linda

My wife and I were passengers on Infinity several years ago on a cruise to Alaska. It was a lovely ship crewed by a professional and friendly crew. You will have a great time.

We sailed from Seattle and arrived at the pier at approximately 10:30 a.m. We had a smooth embarkation and were on-board before noon. We did not have any loyalty or room embarkation status on that cruise. If you have them your embarkation may be a little faster.

On boarding the ship your dining choices are normally the Oceanview Cafe, the Mast Grill and/or the Spa Cafe on some Celebrity M class ships, and Sushi on Five. If you have a concierge class cabin you will also be invited to a lunch served in the main dining room is my understanding under a fairly new policy on Celebrity ships.

We cannot help you with the "kettle" question.

Our favorite places for coffee and light refreshments are Cafe al Bacio and the Gelateria on what we fondly call the "cookie deck" (Celebrity calls it deck 5 for some reason) and the best seats in the house for Alaska in our opinion is in the forward lounge on deck 11.

Dress code information is on the Celebrity website and hundreds of threads on this forum over the years.

Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Thanks for posting Fishkillbill. I hope you enjoyed your first cruise. My wife and I sailed with Capt. Kate on Summit to Bermuda in June of this year. We saw her several times during our week onboard. We met her at the Cruise Critic meet and greet, during photos on formal night, and walking on deck one afternoon she recognized us and stopped to chat a moment. Captain Kate was always approachable and patient with the many passengers she ran into during each work day. She seemed to really enjoy this part of her job.

We have been on many cruises over the years with a variety of captains. Some have been very visible around the ship and seemed to enjoy the contact with the passengers and others were seldom seen and if they were they were intent on getting from point A to point B. In my opinion, Capt. Kate sets the standard for open and approachable as a captain, but I have also had brief conversations with other captains during the years at various ship activities and always found all of them to be polite, if not as excited about personal contact as Captain Kate seems to be.

I also agree that the attitude of a Captain affects the attitude of senior staff and through them the crew. I have always found the vast majority of staff on every cruise line we have been privileged to experience to be professional and trying to make our trip a wonderful experience. However, I do believe that ships with Captains who really enjoy public contact are more light-hearted and apt to "visit" with passengers about themselves etc.

Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

My family and I stayed at the Portofino Bay Hotel several years ago and had a very nice experience. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

My wife and I have stayed at the Intercontinental on several cruise vacations over the last five or six years. We have always had a good experience with our December - January cruise window. Great hotel. However, we are taking a cruise in May from Miami and found the Intercontinental to be more than we wanted to pay for a single night pre-cruise. We booked the Yves Hotel which is near the Intercontinental in location, but not the same class of hotel. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Congratulations on your impending retirement. I believe that some cruise lines have special cabins and public spaces just for single cruisers. I would assume they might also have special rates. I cannot recall for sure where I read this, but I want to say NCL and Carnival are places to begin looking. I would also suggest you take a look at the Singles Cruises Forum on Cruise Critic for some advice. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Hello Beshears. My wife and I live in Columbia, Missouri. We visit Kansas City from time to time for recreation. We both have family in North Missouri as well.

In my college days, many moons ago!, I used to live in Gladstone during the summers and worked at Worlds of Fun. Small world right. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Thanks bdshears for the congratulations. We are practically neighbors! Linda and I are excited to be exchanging some Missouri winter weather for some Florida and Caribbean Sunshine. Do you have any cruises planned? Happy Cruising (The other Bob and Linda).

Blu does not serve hash browns for breakfast based on our several cruises in Aqua Class on several ships. They do serve an asparagus and roasted potato mix with most breakfast items. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

My wife and I are retiring on December 23, 2016, spending X-Mas at home and leaving for our next cruise on December 27, 2016. Now that is great retirement planning in my opinion. Two more planned for 2017 since we love cruising. Only 71 days to go!!! Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Just thought I would add the Yves Hotel across the street from Bayside Marketplace into the conversation. Have not stayed yet, but the reviews both on Cruise Critic and other sites have been good. We have stayed in the Intercontinental several times, but for a one night stay in May, 2017 it was just to expensive. We have also stayed in the Mary Brickell area and enjoyed our time in that part of Miami as well. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda.

I agree with erinmarie424. My wife and I have stayed in that area on several occasions over the last five years awaiting cruises out of Miami. The Yves is directly across from Bayside Marketplace with a pretty busy multi-lane street out front, a fair amount of people walking in the area due to the bars and restaurants in the Bayside area and the hotels nearby. The area is also well lit by street lights. We have never felt unsafe walking in that area, but I have to admit I don't think we have done so after 10:30 pm. to my memory. Should be fine. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

This was taken from Boxerlover2's recent post.

"A 1 day pass is $25, 3 days/$50, and 6 days/$75. These prices are per person." We returned from an Alaska sailing on the Solstice a few weeks ago and the spa charged $99 for the week-long pass. "

Hope this helps. Happy Cruising! Linda and Bob

Packages are available for purchase on board for most sailings according to a recent e-mail from Celebrity. The information you are seeking has recently been posted on this board, so a quick search for posts on Persian Garden withing the last 7-10 days will find it. If I see it I will re-post. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

This is a dedicated area near the spa. It contains a heated tile bench with a footstool type area in front of it. Facing the bench are wet and dry heat rooms, and tropical rain shower stalls. This area is an interior room with no windows or natural light. This is a major difference with the S-Class Persian Gardens which are much larger and have large windows open to the outside world.

I enjoy this type of experience when I am cruising, so to me it is worth paying the price for access. Sometimes by being in Aqua Class and sometimes by buying a pass. The pass system is simply a daily or multi-day right to use the facility at any time that it is open.

Hope this answers your question. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Hello. We cruised to Bermuda in June of this year in Aft Cabin 1140. Absolutely wonderful cabin. Huge deck, great view, etc. Many reviews about this cabin on this thread and in the thread mentioned by Wallie5446. I also reviewed it in my review of our June, 2016 cruise review. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

My wife and I are more shopping, sightseeing, and spa/pool days onboard etc. than beach people, so I don't have much information for you on beaches. We also enjoy day passes at nice resorts when we do go to a beach, but have not done any on your list of islands. If you ever go to Aruba or Bermuda we could help.

I would suggest that you take a look at the ports of call portion of Cruise Critic. They have different pages for each of the islands you asking about which will provide lots of information and opinions about these islands and ideas for day passes, beaches and many more activities. Some of the posters actually live on the islands they post about which is really a good source of information about local things like horseback tours.

Some of our favorite ports/towns on the islands you mentioned are Maginot and Phillipsburg on St. Maarten on the Eastern itinerary and Key West, Downtown Grand Cayman, and Cozumel on the Western itinerary. We will be in Phillipsburg, Key West and Cayman on different cruises in 2017 the good lord and weather willing! Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Have been fortunate enough to have cruised to all of these destinations, some multiple times. You will enjoy any of the places you listed, but since you asked for an opinion, We vote Eastern. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

You may also find useful information on this topic on the Florida Departures Board on the main menu of Cruise Critic under Homeports. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda