kearney

We were on just after the refurb..which had been cut short because they had to have it done in Europe instead of the Bahamas (crane fell on Oasis in Freeport)... taking more days at sea and missing supplies. At the time our cabin had new curtains and bedding and pillows in the new bluish gray... Edgish colors.. the carpet was the beige and rust colors and same in the bathroom. When we sailed on her this past April.. the cabin looked much the same in terms of level of refurb..... and I noticed that many of the hall carpet colors were the same..but in main public areas they were all the newer scheme. It is difficult for them to find the time and resources to finish the job. As profitability improve they will likely finish or use whatever the latest scheme is... who know..maybe by then we will be back to the rust and other earth tones. It did not impact our cruise... I only noticed..because I made a point of checking.

Try another browser if online.

We were on Equinox back in late April. We had the weirdest boarding experience we have ever had. Now I did all the planning for the cruise... filled in all the paperwork .. used my credit card etc. DH needs wheelchair assistance in boarding. When we arrived at port Everglades terminal... we had a fabulous pusher. She took charge and brought us to the first stop for check in.... the woman with the I pad..looked at DH in the chair and said "Mr Kearney are you sailing solo today?" I was thinking..hey I am standing here!.... Anyway .. she did not have any record of me... I showed her the app and the pusher immediately took charge and announce we were heading to the counter to see a port agent. The folks at the counter were all very pleasant but seemed perplexed. I had hard copies of everything and after 10 minutes or so... they told me that I was in one system..but somehow was not in another... I was told my key card would not be at the cabin and I would have to go to guest relations. Onward and upward... we than had our crew pusher who took ups to our cabin...on Deck 8. Which was a surprise since...like OP I had specifically selected a cabin near the elevators on deck 6. Knowing the moving quarantine situation ... when I went to get my key I asked if we were moved due to quarantine reasons...and the answer was..yes. After getting my key card.. we headed to the Martini Bar to recover from the odd check in.... later up to the Sky Lounge. Staffing was a bit short up there..so I went to the bar to get DH and myself a cocktail... the bar tender noted that while DH card noted the classic package..there was no such notation on my card..... so back to guest relations for a new card.... and the next day after noting a charge from the Martini Bar..I was back again to get the charge removed. As I say it was the oddest start to a cruise... the final frustration was...as OP experienced...the missing luggage. So I showed our steward a photo of the luggage... (I usually do this to aid in locating lost luggage)... and suggested that the bag might have been delivered to our original cabin.... Just before 5 the bags showed up.... all was right with the world. It was still a great cruise... just got off to an odd start.

I try to book Tuscan grill around sunset on evening. It is nice to sail out of Ft Lauderdale...watching the sun set with the Florida coast in the back ground. However, lately instead of doing this the first night... I look for a port where we are leaving near sunset...so that we can replicate this experience. I do prefer Murano... but you can't beat the view out the aft windows of the Tuscan Grill. We just turned 70 and began sailing Celebrity about 6 years ago. It is a laid back atmosphere. They do have fun activities like silent disco... but it is not as active as a Royal or other cruise line...which is fine by me. During the fall school season we have seen very few kids.... There are some younger couples..but the age is generally older than Royal and families tend to be adult children with the occasional grandchild.... but I don't think that would have bothered me back when I was in my 30s to be with an older crowd.. I was never big into belly flop contests and doing shots... There is some smoking on Dec 5 outside... can't recall if it is port or starboard... and by the Sunset bar on deck 12 or 14... You can't do it on the balcony and someone will report it if they smell the smoke. Also I am pretty sure the casino is smoke free... it is not really isolated from public areas ... so smoke would travel everywhere if it was allowed there. My husband needs wheel chair assistance so we always bring extra cash for the pushers, porters, various drivers and tour guides and extra tips for room steward, wait staff and periodically type bar servers. I usually make a list and estimate needs... I am particularly mindful since most of the crew were without work for well over a year. You can always hit the ATM near guest services...there is a $6 fee to do so. I believe the gratuity money that is part of the AI package is spread out amongst the crew.. I am sure you will enjoy Celebrity...

Our first cruise was in '91 on the Constitution..one of the two ships of American Hawaiian cruise line. We flew in a few days early... spent one of those days at Pearl Harbor. The islands are so different..that a 7 day cruise of the islands is a great way to sample Hawaii without having to pack and repack every few days. In later years we came back on several trips spending more time on different Islands. If you want to see Hawaii and don't have the time or money to sail celebrity and spend additional time island hopping... the NCL is a great way to go. I haven't sailed NCL since our Noro experience...not that I blame them...but it does impact your view of a cruise line. Regardless of my preference for Celebrity... I like the island hopping that you can do with an American flagged ship.

We sailed on a post Thanksgiving cruise and for several mornings we woke up to more decorations... it was quite nice to see the ship decorations evolve.

Given flight issues... some of the missing passengers might have been still sitting at an airport someplace... eg Amsterdam's airport has been a mess from what I have read.

I found this link a few days ago..it is a 360 degree view of one of the forward facing cabins with the square windows http://thecelebritycommitment.com/360/EDGE/Deluxe_Ocean_View/Deluxe_Ocean_View.html

Personally I think the Ensemble lounge is just what you want...they usually has a trio performing more quieter music than what you will hear in the Grand Foyer. Nice place for an after dinner drink. Before dinner we like the Sky Lounge which is also quieter than ..say the Martini Bar. But after the shows... I think it may have louder dance music... the Passport bar is not as noisy as the Martini bar...but the seats are more comfortable and a bit out of the flow of traffic... so you might also consider that..and see if the DJ music in the Grand Foyer, post shows, is too loud. Haven't tried the World Class bar..but it is located in the main flow of traffic on deck 5 and the bar stool set up doesn't seem as conducive for a relaxing drink..but others enjoy this bar... so I defer to their judgement.

We too are close to D+ on Royal.. one or two cruises away... but switched to Celebrity a few years ago.. we tried for the longer itineraries and stayed because we really liked Celebrity. Not knocking Royal.. it is just Celebrity was just right. Anyway..if you are D+ on Royal... you will still be considered Elite on Celebrity. For that reason...we didn't bother to take the additional cruises.. and after a few years .. we are now a legit Elite on Celebrity. Likely won't be cruising enough to get to a higher status..but no matter.

For our Aug 29th... right on day 45 on the dot

True and but something to consider... may not be a big deal to you... but could impact someone who thought they were being discreet.. Bringing weed on a ship

An iron gets confiscated...but drugs... even weed can get you kicked off the ship and arrested...

Looking at the latest 30% off sale..which technically works out to be the same as 60% the second guest... anyway.. for my 1A cabin the gross price..before discounts is up 62% vs what I booked it at in Jan and up 12% from last week's sale. the net is now up 43% from what I paid (factoring out OBC differences). So inflation impact is clearly seen here. Glad I locked in the Aug cruise when I did.

Do contact the CEO... this is the kind of thing she wants to nip in the bud...so to speak... I suspect the pot smoking is an even bigger concern for cruise lines than smoking..which is still a big deal. Having drugs on board a ship is a big no no.

I started thinking about this when I realized that there were issues with 4 of the drugs I take... statin, blood thinner, anti-arrhythmic and calcium channel blocker. Some need to be stopped for a time and others the dosage needs to be modified and in any event I would have to be monitored. Based on FDA info and information from cardiologist. So my issues may be unique.

Talk with your doctor... not cc. They know your history and they know what adjustments should be made to your medication..if necessary. From what I read the initial studies done for approval were done on unvaccinated. So they assume the impact will be the same on vaccinated. I assume those tests are being done...The point I clumsily was trying to make is that Paxlovid is not Tamiflu and should not be treated as just something OTC you take at the first sign of symptoms. Once you are on the ship it is a bit late to discuss your options with your doctor.

I had a short conversation with my pharmacists about pharmacists being allowed to prescribe..not just dispense, Paxlovid. He was on a call about this...the pharmacists were not enthusiastic because it takes a lot of time to determine which patients can take it. Often the patients aren't that familiar with the drugs they are taking and as I noted earlier and he confirmed... with many Cardio related drugs the patients need to either stop taking their meds or in some case doses need to be adjusted and in all cases the patients need to be monitored..for what he called a small benefit. He told me that the pharmacists were concerns that the screening process alone would take all day and take the time away from the regular jobs. I just can't see this ever being handled on a ship.

I have a number of concerns about Paxlovid being given by someone other than the passengers physician. From what I have read there are significant drug interactions with many different medications...particularly those for Cardiovascular issues. For example it interacts with some statins, blood thinners, Calcium channel blockers, anti-arrhythmics among them. In some cases you need to stop the drug you are taking, in others the dose has to be adjusted..and in general the patient should be monitored while all this is going on. So do we really expect the ships physicians to be in a position to make the call for you on how to handle your other drugs? What really concerns me is that they are now allowing pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid... When I first heard this... I wondered if pharmacists were worried about potential malpractice issues should something go wrong... Then I discovered that sometime in 2021 they passed a law protecting groups like pharmacists from liability associated with Covid treatment. So as a patient you should be aware of the issues associated with getting this drug. The irony is the intent of Paxlovid is to prevent poor outcomes among those at high risk... yet it is likely this group is taking a medication that has an interaction with Paxlovid.

moved

We ususally tip shuttle drivers, porters, two people who wheel DH onto the ship and off, excursion guides and drivers, periodically bar servers and coffee servers, even though we prepay gratuities a bit for hostess, waiter and assistant waiter. How much depends upon what is done and how long the cruise is... we bring about $350 and then hit the ATM on the ship...near guest relations for additional. the charge at the ATM is $6.. I try to layout my estimated needs ahead of time so I have an idea on how much to tip. Last cruise I also tipped the Maitre 'd .. and at dinner he poured us what I believe was a premium red vs the classic. I didn't give him much...but he appreciated the recognition. some people have suggested the staff in the rest rooms.. so I may bring a bit more next trip. These people went without work for a long time and many are still trying to make up for past loses.

I think that the more formal feel for Celebrity...may have more to do with the way the dining room is set up with nice table cloths and nice glassware. I haven't sailed other lines in recent years..but I thought some cruise lines dispensed with table cloths... does anyone know if this is true? I like the Riedel glassware they use with the thin edges vs the thicker types you often find...just makes the wine taste better. If you notice.. in the Ocean View the plates aren't plastic like on Royal..although the glasses are... but perhaps this is to avoid glass being carried out to the pool area.

That is a good question..with hard drinks DH usually orders a double.. and hasn't had a problem..but the is usually later in the cruise after he has been tipping the server. 🙂 They probably have to ring them up separately.... perhaps if he ordered one and when it arrives immediately order the second... hopefully someone has an answer based on experience.

Okay... I found another link which shows the inside of a forward facing cabin with square window..in this case bed is by the window...my guess would be that the cabins you are considering will have the bed by the bath.. just a guess.. Hope this helpshttp://thecelebritycommitment.com/360/EDGE/Deluxe_Ocean_View/Deluxe_Ocean_View.html here is the link..where you can see what other categories look like inside http://thecelebritycommitment.com/360/EDGE/Edge.html

This link should help you get an idea on how obstructed various cabins are http://thecelebritycommitment.com/360_Millennium_Class.html Boy this is an old thread