BrusselsGirl07

We were in this cabin on Infinity through the Panama Canal. We loved it! It was very large and we loved the extra space - much longer and I think a little wider as well.

We sailed from San Francisco to go around through the Panama Canal. On the way we ran into a storm that cancelled one of our Mexican ports, but I don't remember feeling the rough ocean in the room more as opposed to other places on the ship. But I rarely get sea sick (twice in the time we have been cruising) so I guess I was not too concerned with it.

It is a great room though!

More great stories! I love the photos - you are making me pine for the three years we lived in Europe and I would pop up to Paris for the day, or with girlfriends for the weekend, or with my husband to meet up with friends and explore. I really loved Paris, second only to my beloved Brussels. I have the same photo of you and Tyler (but of my husband and I!) taken from the top of the Arc de Triomphe as the sun was setting!

We are leaving for a Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Summit on Friday morning, can't wait to explore another new part of the world for us! Will have to catch up on more of your posts after I get home!

I will definately find the real one, and make a little toast to you!!

Another great installment - thank you! Dubrovnik would have to be in my top 10 of places we visited when we lived in Europe. We spent a week there, and I just adored it. I had to keep pinching myself as well - the veiws from the top of the walls are to die for. But I never found the hole in the wall, and now I know where it is, I will be visiting it on my next trip there (which sadly won't be until 2014!!)

I think those shiny white streets are made of travertine stone from memory - I thought it was marble at first! And where you mentioned the tiles and some were new and some were old - they were actually destroyed by bombings in the Croatian War of Independence which started in 1991. It is amazing how this city has come back after so much damage was caused during the war. It is such a beautiful place to visit.

Really enjoying your review! We went to Santorini on our very first cruise, and it was the most beautiful place, so your photos are bringing back lots of fun memories!

Your review is fantastic - I was lucky enough to live in Europe for 3 years, and my reactions where exactly like yours the whole time. Before we left Australia for Europe the two main things I wanted to do were see the leaning tower of Pisa and Pompeii. As we lived in Brussels, we could easily go and spend weekends/long weekends and vacations all over Europe. So we were fortunate to have more than just one day to enjoy all of those beautiful places. We were so lucky! That statue of a pig you are patting in Florence? He is actually all over the place, I have photos of me patting him in at least 3 different locations - the first place I saw him was at the Palace in Brussels. Anyway, you are bringing back lots of fun memories for me. I can remember I cried with happiness when we finally visited Pompeii and Pisa! Plus lots of other places! Can't wait to see more of your photos.

The Martini bar is where we hang out all of the time - I love their range! But they do have a menu and all the Martini's are set prices, so I don't think they could make you one cheaper than the price. Mostly they are $10 to $12 from memory, can't quite remember.

However, I have read many times that if you order a more expensive drink than your package allows, you then just pay for the difference.

This is slightly off-topic, but really amusing (to me). I was looking at a menu for a local restaurant we're thinking of trying tonight, and one of the entrees is "Chimay braised short ribs"...not being a beer afficianado, I made a mental note to look up what "Chimay" was...a wine? A spice?

 

Thanks to CC I now know it's a beer!

After living in Belgium for 3 years, we now have a cat called Chimay! My husband has his own brewery at home now, so is looking forward to having those beers on tap for 2 weeks, although he has tried most of them. I hope they have the full range avalable on the Summit.

We needed to be home by the end of November, so have cancelled 25 November 2012 Celebrity Xpedition Galapagos and 5 December 2012 Celebrity Reflection Miami 3 day inaugural.

But replaced them with back to backs:

November 10 2012 Celebrity Summit 7 night Southern Caribbean and

November 17 2012 Celebrity Summit 7 night Southern Caribbean

They only repeat one island out of the 10 visited! Looking forward to exploring new places, and also trying Aqua Class and Blu.

Hello, I know you have had a lot of responses, but just thought I would post my thoughts as well. Definately go to Murano at least once! We were on Century for Christmas/New Year and then back on again a few weeks later for another cruise. We ate at Murano once on our Christmas cruise and it was so good we ended up eating there another two times. On our second cruise of 18 nights, we went 5 times! Not only was the food very, very good, but the staff were also amazing! They welcomed us and made us feel so special every time we went. The service was attentive and the staff could also be quite playful in their service such as when they prepared some items of food tableside. You could order any drink in there, such as Martinis which my husband likes, and it was the same price as if you got the drink elsewhere on the ship. We loved it so much!!! I wish we could have eaten there every night.

Found these great photos of the larger angled balconies for 7080, 8046 (concierge class) and 9038 (aqua class). I have booked 9038 on our November Summit sailings, after deciding the balcony roof of the Aqua Class rooms on deck 11 did not provide enough shade cover. The Aqua Class on deck 9 have plenty of shade cover! Thanks to the original poster Capecodrealtor.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1581483&highlight=summit

Hi there - we always pre-pay our gratuities as it means we then don't have to worry about it at the end of the cruise. If you cancel and don't travel and it is before final payment, then the deposit, gratuities and anything else you paid for would be refunded to you by Celebrity.

If you have the first or second seating dining, then you would have the same waiter and waiter's assistant each night, so you would then pay them the gratuities at the end of the cruise if you had opted not to prepay.

With open dining, you would be at a different table each night with possibly many different waiters. So they ask you to prepay the gratuities and then they are distributed, rather than you trying to remember who served you and working out how much to tip them.

The 11 November 2011 sailing Honolulu to Sydney 18 night cruise on Celebrity Century (her first time into Australia!) is only AU$3199 total for 2 people including taxes and gratuities in an inside room. That us less than $89 per night per person! My parents-in-law are on this one, so keeping an eye on the prices for them in case there is a drop.

There is also a guarantee suite on this cruise for AU$5998.94 (just under $167 per person per night) but still a great price for a suite on an 18 night cruise. However that guarantee has been coming and going for a few weeks now, so you have to catch it while you can.

Hi Mtierney - on page 13 post #246, there is the latest list where most of the Australians who frequently use critic post the cruises they are going on.

Whoops! I should have said 'Australians and New Zealanders' !! :o

My sister and I, Minnesota and Michigan residents will be cruising on the Radiance of the Seas November 20, 2011. Looking forward to Australia and New Zealand sites.

We were just in Minnesota in February, we have good friends there in Eden Prairie. I hope you enjoy your visit to Australia and NZ!

Anybody going on the 10/24/11 HAL cruise to Australia and New Zealand aboard the Volendam? We're coming from NJ, so we have some concerns about the air travel to Auckland. How many hours? We do have a day layover in LA coming and going. Would appreciate suggestions,tips on packing - we always bring too much and yet find we left behind important stuff! I hate doing laundry on sea days - there's too much else I'd rather do on those days. It's an overall 27 day trip (cruise is 14 days), so an overnight bag won't do it.

Hi Mtierney - on page 13 post #246, there is the latest list where most of the Australians who frequently use critic post the cruises they are going on. But no one has said they are going on the cruise you mention. It is around 15 hours on a direct flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. As for packing, I always take too much as well, but we recently did a 7 week trip that included a 1 week cruise, and managed on one bag each. You just need to pack lightweight things that don't crumple, layers, and things you can mix and match. Good luck!

The latest list is post #204 on page 11. I think David does a new one each month. I look forward to seeing where everyone is cruising to!

Thanks Kiwi Kruzer - what an amazing job you do! It is great to see where everyone is going.

Please add a new one for me as well - shows you what happens when you have a sick day at home and are left alone all day with the internet!!

Celebrity Century 24 December 2011 Sydney to Auckland Christmas and New Year's Eve Cruise! It is to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary on NYE!

Not a 'bargain' as such, but Celebrity Century 17 Feb 2012, 18 night half circumnavigation from Perth to Sydney has had very big price drops from what the prices were previosuly - the prices changed last night on their website.

I have just upgraded from a guarantee oceanview on the lowest level to a Concierge Class Balcony for just under $500 each.

At the moment, the cheapest inside would set you back abouy $222 per day for a couple.

Very excited, as this will be our first balcony!!

We were booked on the 19th Feb 2012 Radiance Sydney to Perth, but we have swapped to the 17th Feb 2012 Celebrity Century Perth to Sydney.

Have also booked another Galapagos cruise with Celebrity Xpedition for 25 November 2012 and the 3 day inaugral Caribbean cruise from Miami on Celebrity Reflection on 5 December 2012. Very excited!

We are on the 19 February 2012 - RCI Radiance of the Seas 16 night Australia Top End cruise! Can't wait!

Yvette, what kinds of cabins did you have on those two cruises? Junior Suites and above get more credit.

 

If both were in regular cabins, you currently have 22 cruise points. (as per the chart above: 3 cruise credits converted into 22 cruise points) You are Gold.

 

That is now your starting point.

 

When you add 16 (again, if you are in a regular cabin), you will have 38 cruise points after your cruise in 2012, which would make you Platinum.

Yes, they were regular cabins, not suites. A bit sad about my missing 4 points though! Oh well, not much to complain about when you are able to cruise!! Thanks for your help!

Hi there - I agree that people in coutries other than the US can't access all the features available to Americans. Apparently Americans can actually see how many points they now have? I am unable to see this information, so can someone help? Our first (RCI) cruise was a 17 night around New Zealand, and our second was a 9 night South Pacific Cruise. So I would presume I now have 26 points? I am booked in 2012 to do a 16 night cruise with them, so that then would take me up to 42 points and Platinum (and therefore Select on Celebrity)? Does that sound right?