SHIP TRAVELER

I like the fact that Aqua cabins are limited to two people. We have only dined in BLU on one cruise and it was OK. We have dined in Luminae on multiple cruises. We have been on several on those Luminae cruises where there were big family groups with unruly children. I can see that it may be a good idea to sleep several children on the fold out sofa in the living room of a Royal Suite compared to having them in drop down bunk beds in a veranda where ladders and kicking the walls are fun. I realize that one adult and one child might share a cabin and dine in BLU but they would be quieter to dine with than two children. I remember our request in Luminae was to be as far away from the families as possible or to try to avoid the times they dined. Unfortunately the best family table is halfway between the two sections of Luminae on S class so the noise goes both ways. Just some thing to consider if you allergic to children not related to you.

I liked the effort to listen but I heard nothing about correcting service issues for the MDR. The very long times to finish a meal and the very long times to be seated in MTD are service management issues. The food not served hot is a service issue. My DH is easy to please at home, hot food served in a reasonable amount of time, he doesn't even care if it is just tilapia.

We have a cruise on the Brilliance in May and are concerned about the reactions here. Many say their service was good but I submit service can't be good if food is cold and there are long waits between courses. Food gets cold waiting to he picked up in the kitchen or setting under a cover in the MDR service stand. This may come back to dining room service MANAGEMENT but it is still a service problem. The MTD tables do not turn so that new people can be seated. When the MTD people are seated at empty tables in the traditional set time dining area it greatly interrupts the service of those already being served there who are are totally different course. This causes delays and cold food and makes the tables slow to turn compounding the stress on both the diners and servers. I think the managers of the dining service came up (were promoted) in the old system and they have no idea how to make the bean counter ideas work. That's my two cents as a former manager.

We have booked the SS Victoria for August 2nd 2024 and I have signed on to the travel portal but do not see a date when the shore excursions can be booked. I know I am far in advance but it seems unusual that a start date is not shown. Maybe there will just be availability for the entire ship and I am concerned about nothing. We are obviously more used to ocean cruises. Thanks for your input.

We booked a cruise yesterday for August of 2024 on the SS Victoria. It is in place of the River Queen on the Moselle. We viewed the Crystal Bach videos and are really looking forward to this ship. The cabins (base) look to be larger for one thing and there will be fewer passengers for another. The base cabins are above the water line and have a full wall french window. The bar on the top deck looks very cool.

Off the topic of Elite but I am adding a suggestion for anyone without a drink package that gambles. The casino has free drinks (well quality) for those actively playing in the casino. This is a little hit and miss but we found that if you tip a bit the server will keep an eye out for you in the future. There are no strings attached (no blue chip club or Captains Club status required) except the obvious Vegas one that tipsy people gamble more and might lose more. We could usually play a little and pick up a drink (or water) to carry to the show after dinner.

Speaking of trying other lines, I just got the most hysterical photo as part of a Silverseas promotion. It showed four people in their early 30s that look like the came out of an upscale perfume ad with an arty leaning. The women are pencil thin in slinky long sheaths and very tall stiletto heels and the men look like buff male models and are in Tuxs with the ties undone. They are sitting by the swimming pool drinking champagne. This is not the image of I had of Silverseas. I think a more appropriate photo would be of a 60s very rich, very country club casual couple with a little silver in their hair (at least his hair). They are on their balcony, gazing into one another eyes while toasting a perfect sunset. They might be enjoying a well earned retirement. I would not even want to cruise with the people in this ad. The guys look like they might light up a cigar at any second. LOL. I guess Silverseas doesn't want older cruisers either.

Yes, all is well, I sneak a peak at your "Sillie" roll call with Schmoe regularly. LOL

Bon Voyage....looks so exciting. I was the planner at your first ever slot pull on the Solstice. I am glad you continued attending "slot pulls" and can see the "savings" of an hour in the casino for a dollar or two plus or minus. Phyllis

Thanks to the OP for posting the menus, at least we know what to expect now. I agree that there is a lack of appetizers. I remember the hot egg rolls, pastas, and onion tarts of the past. I think X has decided to make a new category called "starters" where all items including soups and salads are lumped together with any easy traditional appetizers with the idea of each diner ordering one item before the entree. This will obviously save time and money and make the service easier for the staff. It is not the experience we have had in the past where it was usual to order two items (hot appetizer and then a salad/soup) before the entree. Some will still order a salad and a soup from this offering but it will not be the same fun luxury experience for sure.

We have recently booked on Uniworld (river) and Regent to see what all included cruises might really look like. We would never have considered either before recent changes to the Celebrity Program. We are Elite Plus and will never make Zenith so there are really no enticements to stay with Celebrity. We feel like it is an excellent time to look outside the usual.

I call the Celebrity Black Jack Tourneys a "go for broke" format. It is definitely winner take all and you are not just competing against others at your table but against the total field. The strategy used on mini Black Jack tournaments in Las Vegas does not work here. In my opinion these games are a luck situation.but of course someone will win and it could be you.

I was sad to see that the option to buy slot and table play was dropped a few weeks ago. We did buy that option at 30% off on the Forth of July Sale Flash sale so it has not been gone long. I doubt if it will be back under this administration but I will keep an eye out. I have OBC sitting on the sidelines on a future cruise just waiting.....

Another change. The discounted slot and table play that were offered on my three cruises is now gone. At first they showed sold out and now the offer tabs are totally gone. I had booked both slot and table on my October 2023 and February 2024 cruises to the maximum allowed. Unfortunately, I thought the program was BACK and did not book my January 2025 because it was so far in the future. The offer is now GONE and I am disappointed that I did not book immediately because I have a lot of OBC just sitting now. Just a reminder to do the deal when you see it because it may disappear. I think this is the new bean counting CEO of X because I know that the January cruise on the Infinity in Europe is not selling well and the casino will be empty.

We are trying Regent next year. We booked a guarantee window suite on a 7 day western Carib cruise. The price of $5800 for two includes shore excursions, all dining, premium drinks, tips, and $1500 OBC. The smallest room is 300 square feet with a separate tub and shower stall and a nice table. From my reading many are upgraded to a balcony when booking a window guarantee but we are not huge balcony users so the size is the big thing. Our latest Sky Suite on the infinity was much smaller. We like to play a little and there is a casino on board. We are giving Regent a try to see how it compares to the Sky Suite product which is now priced through the roof and does not include excursions or specialty dining. The Sky suite on all classes loses points for the high shower/tub combo and the lack of a decent table for in room dining.

On our Emerald cruise in Budapest had a night highlight cruise down the river that was wonderful. It went under all of the lighted bridges and it was stunning. I would have hated to have missed it.

Current flash sale on Celebrity (select sailings only) has 20% bonus for pre buy of either slot play or casino table chips (must play through to cash). This helps off set terrible 95% on video poker on board. We bought to the max allowed using OBC and credit card. The downside is that we will receive no points for the first play through but the 20% is worth more than to the points to us.

This was the exact scenario. I did have everything booked with OBC and my shore ex showed sold out but I got it in the cart in the nick of time. All is well but it was scary for a minute there.

Got the Flash sale on my Oct. 1 Eclipse sailing. The real surprise was 20% off on casino table and slot play instead of the usual 10%. I was lucky to get the two shore excursions I cancelled back. They both went sold out as soon as I did. Maybe you can book the new price and then cancel the existing, I don't know a work around but I was afraid I had lost what I had in cyber space for a minute there. All is well now with the new priced items in my profile as of now.

This may seem too easy but I always tell the room steward the first day that I don't want the colored coverlet strip or any of the colored pillows on the bed at all. Only white stuff on the bed...this saves him/her time making the bed and we don't reintroduce dust etc. onto the bed. I find a place for these items out of the way for the week. No one knows where those pillows have been, I think some use them to block light/noise under the cabin door from the hall which is a high traffic area. I have seen others ask for extra clean sheets to spread over the sofa/ chair to reduce contact with the upholstery. I know this is off the topic of a light wand but these are easy short cuts that help me feel the room the cleaner.

GP Thank you for the great even handed review. We have a blue chip cruise in our future and your feed back was helpful. You addressed so many of the items I care about right down to the AC and food quality. Now that Suites are so expensive and have such punishing cancellation policies many of us are seeing specialty restaurants as an alternative to Luminae. My DH has never gotten used to the Butler knocking when we are trying to get ready to go out either mid-morning or before dinner. There are many less intrusions in a veranda in OHO but I understand that Butlers need to meet the needs of more demanding people than us. Again Thanks for your time and input.

Oops my mistake August 20th is correct. So I will be post trial.

Actually gambling and cruising go together for me. I am Elite+ and I don't care so much about most of the on board activities anymore. The same old games standing in the hallway "entertainment court" and music trivia do not do it for me. I gamble for entertainment but there are land based casinos with non smoking policies( Blackhawk CO and New Orleans LA) that offer much better odds than cruises. I think I would give up cruising before I gave up gambling because I gambled before I ever cruised. I realize this is not a widely shared opinion.

I sent an e mail to the Exec office given and got a reply that the test on the Eclipse would end Oct 20th. Unfortunately our sailing is October 1st. I was really looking forward to gambling on board but I will not sit next to someone who is vaping. I guess I will get to see first hand how many vapers there actually are on board. "If" only 18% of Americans smoke (according to Alexa) and only 5% of Americans cruise (same source) a smoke free casino would seem to have very little impact on Premium expensive cruise company like Celebrity. I think there are a lot of us who gamble that put value on a smoke free casino. Certainly not all gamblers smoke. I may be cancelling some of my Blue Chip reservations if there is a permanent change.

It is back on my cruises. Sign in and check again.