Host Anne

2 minutes ago, sprowlie said:

Thanks-that's a good idea. I will be starting a list. May be good to email me directly to sprowlie@aol.com with cruise critic name, your name (first is fine), amount in party, where from and cabin-if you like. I can put it on the roll call as we get closer to the trip

 

I suggest you add this to your roll call.  You will get far more participation there than in this thread.  ENJOY!

We often travel with our daughter (dairy allergy) and our son-in-law (gluten free) and dined in Luminae on Summit last year.  They were offered all the menus every night (yes, the need to order the evening before).  The crew went out of their way to make wonderful items for them.  And when we dined in Tuscan, the chef actually went out of his way to make our son-in-law gluten free gnocchi!  We went back a second time because it was a special treat.

But believe it or not, I think the best dining experience for them has been in Normandie on Edge.  Because it's best for them to typically have the same wait staff, we mostly ate in Normandie.  The chef on that cruise (in 2018) went way over and above for them.  Typically, dessert had been sorbet on previous cruises but on this cruise, they had amazing desserts every evening. They had wonderful sauces with entrees. It was noticeable that the kitchen staff cared.  We were so well taken care of that I actually asked the chef to visit our table the last evening so we could give him and his staff an extra tip.

My recommendation, ask to see the head waiter when you board and review your needs.  Remind your wait staff (I find it much better to try and stick to the same wait staff that understands your needs) that you are gluten free and know that the specialty restaurants typically hand food allergies very well, especially if you visit with them prior to your dining evening.

Here's a link to the information on Celebrity's website.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/health-and-safety

Keep a watchful eye as these protocols are changing frequently.

7 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Thank you for responding to this post....we're taking our first Transatlantic cruise and concerned we'll not have much to do that interests us during the day. In the Caribbean we're on deck most of the day.  Will the weather, East to West, be too cool for 'lounging' in the hoped for sun? 

Oceangoer2 ~  our weather was perfect when we did the last transatlantic but it's impossible to know what the weather might be like for any given transatlantic.  We don't lounge in the sun on ships typically but we live in Florida.  Being from Canada, I can see why you'd like to do that.  Your tolerance for "cool" weather far outweighs mine  🙂.  Depending what month you are sailing, you could be found lounging on the pool deck in the sun.  Plus there is always the solariums....you can still get some sun but avoid cooler weather if needed.

ENJOY

36 minutes ago, cruzer0007 said:

 We sailed on the Equinox about 5 years ago, and really enjoyed that, everything was great, my only "want" for that ship class/cruise was a piano player 😐

We could talk for hours about a piano player!  When the S-class ships debuted back in 2008, there was a piano in Michael's Club (now the retreat lounge on the S-class ships).  I loved it.  However, I believe over the years, Celebrity has been trying to appeal to a different, younger demographic and they eliminated things like the piano, a cappella groups in lounges, etc.  Years ago, Perry Grant was a very popular piano player on Celebrity ships.  Much has changed.  I'll try to finish my review of Equinox last week and I'll provide more detail.

That said, the individual entertainers and bands on Equinox last week were all very good.  My biggest issue was how loud it was, especially in the atrium (you literally could not talk to the staff at Guest Relations it was so loud) and even in the main dining room.  Even if we didn't care for all of the individual performers, there were definitely some that we would enjoy hearing every day.  

For me, one of the best entertainment we had last week was when Cruise Director Pete and guitarist, Bryony Drake  https://www.bryonydrakemusic.com/, combined to do an hour of the Beatles music together.  They had never done this before (Bryony had only been on the ship two weeks).  Pete talked alot about the Beatles history and showed bunches of great photos as they sang Beatles songs.  It was terrific.  I would have loved for them to do this in the Sky Lounge versus Celebrity Central (it was overcrowded) and held it in the evening instead of 3:00 on a sea day.  But it was great!  

We also like the entertainment at the Sunset Bar on the S-class ships for sailaway.

I'll be closely checking the Celebrity website regularly and ask my agent if they might be able to get accurate information.  I'll be sure to post anything I can find out.

As if there wasn't enough to confuse all of us, the new cabin categories will make it more difficult to figure things out.  I think the bottom line is that they are now pricing cabins according to what they consider to be the best location, have a slightly better balcony, sell the quickest, etc. 

It's always been somewhat this way, but they've taken it to a new level, further complicating the understanding of cabin selection.  With the exception of suites and insides, the majority of the rest of the cabins on the ship are very close to the same size.  So the new system is more about which cabins sell quickly and their location on the ship (i.e. hump cabins on the S-class ships, for example).  At least that's my guess.

I love transatlantics.  I don't think you can go wrong with any Celebrity ship.  I like them all.  I'm a bit different than many cruisers and actually prefer the Solstice class (Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette & Reflection) and the M-class ships (Millennium, Summit, Infinity and Constellation) over the Edge class ships.  

We've been cruising for many years, so the entertainment differences that might exist aren't important to us.  We don't go to many of the production shows any longer but we've always found great entertainers in the lounges on all the Celebrity ships.  In fact, I much prefer the smaller, more intimate lounges on the S- and M-class ships to the Edge class ships. 

Entertainment doesn't typically change because of the transatlantic.  Entertainment changes when contracts are up and that varies widely.  You'll still have main theater entertainment every night and plenty of entertainment in lounges.  The lower cost doesn't have anything to do with the entertainment.  It has to do with supply and demand of filling the ship.  People tend to like newer ships so they tend to fill more quickly.  

One of the best cruises we've ever been on was on Summit last year when Celebrity's first started sailing out of St. Maarten.  There were only 270 passengers on board (it was like having a private yacht).  Yet Celebrity didn't make any cutbacks.  All of the entertainment was in place as if the ship was full.  Some evenings, it was just my husband and I in a lounge listening to the band or entertainer.  

From an entertainment standpoint, I don't think you'll see a difference in the amount of entertainment offered.  For me, I'd save the money as I like all of the Celebrity ships doing a Fall transatlantic!  

Good luck with your decision and have a great cruise regardless of which ship you select.

6 minutes ago, crimsonbird said:

Thanks.  It was so awful just clouded the entire cruise

I totally understand.  We recently had a neighbor on our Celebrity cruise that blasted a boombox for the first two days.  Fortunately, security discussed the situation with them and the noise stopped.  I can't imagine having a loud noise the entire cruise.  

Things are happening very quickly at this point.  Like many companies, Celebrity is having issues keeping up and ensuring the current protocols are easily found and is consistent across their website and emails.  I have a feeling that the emails were autogenerated for a specific date and time and were not updated with the current testing that changed in the past day or two.  

My best suggestion is to take a screen shot of the testing protocols three days out if that's when you choose to get your test and print it out to take with you.  I am a big fan of printing things out with dates and time and taking that with me to the ship.  Having things electronically is great...except when something doesn't work (like the ap).

I wish everything was accurate everywhere.  I know it creates stress.  

Thanks to Helen Haywood for posting the link.  I'm going to keep my eye on that link in the coming days/weeks.

47 minutes ago, crimsonbird said:

We just returned from the August 6th sailing and endured cabin 6109 for the 7 nights. It is a large accessible balcony cabin mid ship.  The problem was it had a continuous motor sound coming out of the ceiling.  Housekeeping and Engineering came to the cabin and heard the constant noise.  Some remedies were tried but nothing worked.  The cabin was never quiet, the air con never stopped and there was an additional motor sound that was undetermined.  Question is...has anyone else ever experienced something similar? There was no cabin for us to change to  Truthfully, we have cruised many times and never encountered this problem. 

crimsonbird ~ I moved this to the Celebrity board so you might receive some responses.  I have never heard of this before.

Denny ~ I've had multiple business meetings on ships and I'll be happy to share (many have already recommended the event coordinator and that is the correct person).  I'll respond more over the weekend.

A reminder to all that when responding, please stick to the topic at hand only.

Thanks so much to Kwis29 and MR.Kwis29 for sharing  your cruise experiences with everyone here on Cruise Critic.  So glad you had a great cruise and enjoyed that corner aft Sky Suite.  Your photos were great, too.  I know it takes a lot of time to do a LIVE FROM thread.  Everyone here appreciates it.

Sorry we never got to meet.  Hopefully next time...

5 hours ago, itsanita said:

Thanks Anne,

You were right, nothing like the ones on the Edge.  Not at all what I was looking for!   

Hope you enjoyed your cruise.  

 

Happy to help, Anita!  All cruises are great although our ship was full (the fullest since returning to service) and it was tough for the staff to keep up.  But they did their best!

kwis29 ~ glad to hear you are enjoying the Sky Suite and your cruise.  Appreciate you taking the time to share.  I'll do a post cruise next week.  We are having slightly different experiences but still mostly good!

Keep on enjoying!!!!

On 8/1/2022 at 3:42 PM, itsanita said:

Thanks Anne!

Here you go....sorry it's take a few days to upload these....internet has no been great the past few days...

On 8/3/2022 at 6:38 AM, Belfast1916 said:

Hi we are going on the Equinox August 21st - first ever cruise.  Our preffered tipple is Irish whiskey, do they have any on board?  They mention Strongbow cider - is this the apple only or do they have the flavoured variety?  

Reading this report is making us so excited...😁

There are many things on the drink package list that are currently not available.  But for Irish whiskey, they do have Jameson's and Bushmills.  Don't know about the Strongbow.

On 8/2/2022 at 4:16 PM, MR.Kwis29 said:

My first food and bev commentary.  For the bourbon/whisky drinkers out there....There really is not much on the ship as others reported.  Makers, Buffalo Trace, Jack, Beam.  That is about it (maybe a couple of others in craft social?). If those don't cut it for you, you should probably cancel your upcoming Equinox cruise.  I am not a Scotch drinker, but there appears to be satisfactory selection in world class bar and the retreat lounge.

MR.Kwis ~ the World Class Bar has Bulleit last night and the Ensemble Bar has Woodford. At least that's a few more.

I'm on Equinox now.  The cabanas are on the Lawn Club behind the Hot Glass area and before the Sunset Bar area.  They are nothing like the cabanas on Edge.  They are small and have less furniture.  I'll take a photo later today and post it here.

Reflection is going into drydock on October 17, 2022 (the day we disembark her in Rome).  However, it's a short dry dock so I do not expect significant changes in the cabins.  I don't believe any of the S-class ships have had changes to the interior of the staterooms so I'm guessing (and it's a guess) that the overhead storage units above the bed (which are a challenge for me as I'm short) will be there when you board in January.

On 7/31/2022 at 7:44 AM, Corgidawgga said:

 

Can you share the SXM location?   We will be there in Dec and my Blanton’s is getting dangerously low.  Thanks!

We've been going to Gulmohar's for years..... Here's a link....  http://www.gulmoharsxm.com/  They do limit what  you can purchase for those things hard to get back home... i.e. Blantons.  But they are super nice people!!! Good luck!

32 minutes ago, countess5 said:

Not sure if it’s just my IPad but pics are not showing up. Just a blank space where the pic is supposed to be. 😩

 

Cheers! 

I'm not seeing the photos today, either.  But I could see them last night

7 minutes ago, kwis29 said:

Busy travel day and we are already in bed at the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort after enjoying a few cocktails and the gorgeous sea breezes. We enjoyed the vibe around the beach rather than our usual hotel on 17th St. So excited to board tomorrow! More details will be provided tomorrow after a morning run along the beach and some coffee. We started at Lona at the hotel with margaritas and guacamole (delicious). Looking forward to the sunrise from our room.

 

 

 

 

Just passed your hotel as we headed back from our traditional "pre-cruise dinner" 🙂  Happy you made it safely to Ft. Lauderdale.  Anxious to get your thoughts on the cruise and hope to meet you tomorrow!  

I've never had that issue or heard of that issue.  Could the cruise be chartered so a TA can't book it?  

You can book with CC and then transfer it to your TA but I have no idea when you could book direct but your TA can't see it.

I'm getting on Equinox tomorrow and would be happy to ask someone in the future cruise office if you'd like.

Good luck!

8 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

I am so tempted! Hope that you all have a marvelous trip.  Happy to know that you have enjoyed Equinox in the past - we have never sailed on her.

 

Mary

You still have tomorrow....Surprise us!!!!