goofysmom99

I don't own or bring a machine to mask noise. But I do have a phone with the White Noise app on it. I have a Bose Micro speaker I use for cabin music. At night it plays the music of the white noise app = no "machine" needed. It's especially useful for me in hotels to mask sounds of elevators and idiots in the hallways. Necessary for most sky suites on S-class ships, too.

The Aqua Sky Suite will have a tub. Sky Suite could be an accessible suite, so no guarantee. Bid on only the Aqua Sky Suite and you'd be fine. They have larger balconies, too.

Penthouse and Royal suites and Aqua suites #6145/6146 have separate showers and tubs. All other suites, except accessible Sky suites, have bathtub/shower combos. Any other categories (veranda, oceanview, inside) are shower only.

It's even more insulting to me than I thought. Same cabin for two. ($5456 solo penalty) So, OP, Celebrity definitely thinks I'm stupid.

Oops, my bad. X is doing that silliness about higher rate solo for this one. I need to always compare with 2 people in the cabin. BTW, if I were booking this myself thru their website, I'd just list a 2nd person who wouldn't show. FWIW, my TA just told me she sees the $10.5K rate

Jim, I'm going to try both wireless and HDMI connections to see if streaming directly from my phone will work as seamlessly as my Roku. I use Nord to watch local Orlando news on their apps. I have all the apps I watch on Roku on my phone, too. It'd be nice to carry fewer electronics. On Summit, my Samsung tablet (micro SD card w/100+ movies) connected wirelessly, thank goodness, due to zero wifi coverage in Deck 9 CS (the IT guys did try valiantly).

Those are what remain Now. They were much, much ($4K+) cheaper just a few months ago when I was considering one. Price ($16K) today for a 12-night sky suite is hilarious. So OP, I guess Celebrity thinks of us along the same lines as P.T. Barnum....

I look forward to your comparison of the Retreat seating on Summit.

You are so right about the M-class penthouse! I have a couple of upcoming cruises on Summit, traveling with dear friends and family who will be in the PH (it's a repeat of our cruises together last year). We're in three adjacent cabins and will again have cabin attendant open all the balcony dividers. It's a hoot to skip using the hallway and just knock on each other's "back doors." That is such an awesome suite - we all make use of every inch of it. 😍

I was just now checking Eclipse Oct 2025 TA cabin availability on a European website many of us use to quickly see what's open. It refers to to SS and AS categories as Junior Suites (ala RCI), although the X website does not. I wonder which company decided on that.

You know, I just looked at all my other cruises and I have a sneaking suspicion that they've pulled the larger packages in lieu of unlimited. On my 13-night cruise in Nov 2024, the 10-night package (25% off) was $356 total ($297+$59 [20% tip]). Now the 5-night is $251+$50=$301. And unlimited is a whopping $676+$135=$811!! Whoa, those are some pricey lunches! So I'm curious, does anyone who has a longer cruise booked still show an option for a dining package greater than 5 nights in your cruise planner on the website? Or is unlimited the only option above 5? BTW, I just recently discovered the gluten-free pizza in OVC is outstanding!! It was soooo good, I plan to have dinner there at least once or twice....with a GF beer. Something I haven't done in years. And reason enough for me to give Celebrity another chance. 😉

This past August, I was able use OBC to book a 10-night package for a cruise in November 2024 during a short-lived 25% off flash sale. Afterwards, I noticed it a few times at the regular price. Tonight it's gone (my guess would be sold out). Only options now are single nights, 5-night package, or unlimited. I repriced the cruise recently and was sweating bullets over whether I'd lose the package price because I lost much of the OBC. Happily, I got an email telling me to pay the difference with a credit card. Whew!

👍👍

M-class aft cabins are always the best (I booked one, too). 😉 FYI, the aft cabin immediately below yours (8185, longer balcony also) is still open. It might be quieter - it won't have the occasion chair scraping from above that I've heard when I book Deck 9. But then I use a white noise app for sleeping, so it never bothers me.

Even though I usually have an aft cabin, I normally head to the shady side of Deck 4 when going through the locks. It's so blazing hot, being in the sun just cooks me. I lasted less than 5 minutes on the helipad. 🥵

At least they left comfortable chairs In Rendezvous. Comfort wasn't a consideration in the Retreat makeover so we gather for predinner drinks in Rendezvous instead.

The difference between a regular verandah and Aqua on a 13 night Silhouette cruise that I priced today was $2923, making the price of Blu about $225/night/cabin. I'm not sure what would pay for Blu but it definitely wouldn't be $225/day. BTW, I booked the cruise and purchased a 10-night specialty package.

I priced a range cabins at base fare for two on the 2024 Silhouette 13-night TA out of Barcelona: Veranda $1610 Concierge $1908 Aqua $4533 S1 $11007 That's a whopping ↑$2923 difference between a veranda (V2) and aqua (A2), especially since the cabins are the same size! You gotta really like Blu for close to $3K. From my own experience, the larger S1 cabin, the Retreat, and Luminae aren't worth ↑$9397. Heck for the V2 price, booking two adjoining cabins (2-room suite with 2 bathrooms and double balcony) and dining every night in a specialty (Murano, Tuscan, Lawn Club, The Porch, Sushi on 5, Le Petit Chef) would still leave plenty on the table for airfare. BTW, those fares would be $200 less for vets. So yes, if I were still traveling with DH, we'd downgrade from a suite to two adjoining verandas. Doesn't work on E-class, and not as well on M-class, but it'd definitely be my sweet 'suite' spot on S-class.

That's one beautiful ship!

OP, I'm genuinely looking forward to your take on what has been my favorite ship in the Celebrity fleet (although it almost seems some folks don't want you to enjoy your cruise), Bon voyage!

This has happened to me several times when making a dummy booking on X site to check prices. However, once I've chosen something and contact my TA to book it, the bookings have always been the usual 200%. Maybe try a dummy booking on the big box website that begins with a C for comparison.

As a zenith, I can guarantee I received an entirely different level of service than most experience. Regardless, what I did receive was unacceptable. Everyone did their best but best wasn't all that good. F&B Director was well aware and I received so very many special deliveries it was comical (brought home four bottles of wine). Luckily, my cabin had a doorbell. My two experiences in MDR were dismal and didn't warrant a third visit. Tuscan was excellent as was OVC, especially the gluten-free pizza. Will I sail an M-class again? Unlikely. And unless it's on Silhouette/Reflection, it's unlikely it'll be on Celebrity.

Lucky you. If you'd gotten sick and had had to rely on room service for five days, as it presently exists, you might have had a somewhat less "great time." Agree, OVC was very good.

I was on your same cruise and also went in with low expectations. Unfortunately, my expectations were exceeded and not in a good way. Tied for worst cruise I've ever taken, only matched by a particularly memorable 2013 Brilliance OTS TA. At this point, Celebrity's bizarre management decisions have done the deed - not enough confidence in X to continue planning ahead with them. And their backpedaling just makes it worse. Who makes such remarkably stupid management decisions in the first place? I've kvetched and complained to the home office and in person on board since back in February (even before they decided room service would be free for zeniths). All year I've dreaded checking these boards to find out what else has been done to the cruise line I've loved since my first cruise on the Zenith in 1993. They've certainly done a lot. So yesterday I made a lot of cruise tweaks with my agent. Decided to keep my 2024 dirt-cheap C-2 cabin on Silhouette TA (has the three specialty dining options that work well for gluten free), but have canceled all other X cruises. Also booked two additional new cruises (suites) on other lines. I don't want come back home from a cruise feeling the disappointment I felt last week. Celebrity has drifted too far off course. Have finally, regretfully, accepted the reality that I can't change them and will, instead, change my own course.

I had a far below standards Constellation TA this month, wrote a long review genuinely trying to emphasize the positives, and after rereading it, decided to leave it unpublished. It was too depressing. Edit: Just now decided to send it to the home office instead.