mdv31616

On 8/1/2022 at 11:29 AM, Jim_Iain said:

 

Well you could also got the the Fiends of Bill gathering.   All are welcome but few attend.  You may have to google that one also.

I made that error on my very first Celebrity Cruise.  Took my partner to "Friends of Bill" thinking it was "Friends of Dorothy".  So glad we have graduated to LGBTQI+. Hope to run into you and Iain on the B2B Iceland cruise in 5 days.  Perhaps not at the martini bar.

First cruise ever, booked a guaranteed suite and was assigned the Royal Suite on the Constellation.  In St. Maarten the rental cars were all booked so we rented one ATV for 2 people (both female).  We got rained on driving towards Simpson Bay. Stopped at a rum hut for cover.  Continuing on just past the airport, a road sweeper pulled out in front of us, kicking up lots of dust.  We were still damp and now caked in a layer of mud.  Stopped in Grand Case at an upscale French restaurant for lunch.  They were very kind.  We attempted to wash up but still sported a helmet head hair do. Driving near Orient Beach, a car that was so anxious to pull out in front of our ATV,  pulled out in front of a police car who barely avoided hitting him.  We did not wave to the police and the stopped vehicle as we drove by.  Back on the ship, we decided to make use of the hot tub on the deck of the RS.  We were starboard with only the mountains as a view, no other ships.  Until... we heard the ship horn.  Time to leave, we thought. Then Adventure of the Seas, slowly......backs out past our stateroom.  We scrapped the idea of standing up in the hot tub and waving back.  We just hunkered down with towels.  Such a wonderful trip and Celebrity had us hooked.

The Edge is being moved to refuel.  Equinox is finishing repairs.

I am considering the transatlantic on the Silhouette from Southampton on Nov 1 this year and am a solo cruiser. I will be flying in from the US and know that I am required to have a PCR test 3 days prior to flying and also boarding the Silhouette.

Two questions.

1. I have read on the UK gov't site, I am required to book and pay for another test within 2 days of entering. By then I will be on the ship. Is this a requirement? Do I have to do this before I can even enter the country?

2. I will book the flight and the transfer to Southampton through Celebrity. I am thinking of flying and going directly to Southampton and not staying over night. Celebrity can book me into a hotel near the airport as well. Thoughts as to the timing? Have you ever flown in and not stayed over? Is this a possibility?

Thanks.

A late booking for me also. I may be representing the only "L" on board.

I just booked the Summit for June 5 as a solo cruiser. I spoke with Celebrity twice as well as two other internet discount Cruise sites multiple times. I was not able to book a guaranty AQ rate for one person.  Their single rate was several hundred more than the guarantee rate plus I would have to pay double if I wanted perks. After many calls, one internet cruise site was able to provide a solo rate equal to two times the guarantee rate by using a friends and family special. However I did not receive the OBC their company was giving as a perk for booking with them. IMHO, Celebrity is discouraging solo cruisers.  I don't mind paying a double rate as essentially you pay for the room, similar to booking a hotel. However, not being allowed to book any discount fare and having to pay double for perks is a bit discriminatory,  particularly when passengers 3&4 sail free. Spending $ beyond the fare seems to be the driver.

The "T" pool (thalassotherapy). Warm salt water/mineral water which is very relaxing and soothing. This is the indoor pool that is adjacent to the Spa café. The spa café serves healthy, smaller portion alternatives for breakfast and lunch.

Does anyone have an update as to whether the trolley is running in Old San Juan? If so, do you know what the schedule is or where to find it? Thanks!

The staircase is used by crew when/if going through the locks in the Panama Canal. They fasten ropes forward and back to the "mules" on the tracks that guide the ship through the locks. The crew uses the stairway to facilitate.

It's been a few years since I've booked a suite. We are on the 12/2 sailing on the Summit in a Sky Suite. Will I receive a call from Celebrity in the next few days as a courtesy pre board? Seems as if they used to. My travelling companion drinks NA beer and wine. I heard that they will stock Michael's Club with something other than O'Douls if you ask. Who should I ask pre board. Thanks.

The rental car idea is really good. I like it! Better than sleeping inside at the airport.

I haven't received a cancellation yet from Intercontinental. Thanks for the heads up. Double Tree San Juan on Avenida de Diego. Seems as if you can book 2 nights, Nov 30-Dec 2.

Thanks for the Information on the Intercontinental. Good to hear. Metropol is close by, I believe. It's a great authentic PR restaurant if you have never been.

I booked at the AC Marriott for 1 night (12/1) prior to Hurricane Maria. This hotel is reported to be up and running on generators so I wasn't worried about the reservation until last week. Other cruisers indicated that the hotel had cancelled their reservations of Oct 26/27 although they confirmed a week earlier. It seems that if FEMA or rescue workers are still occupying rooms in the hotel, they will cancel the other reservations. This is occurring in other hotels as well. Since then I booked the Intercontinental as they accepted reservations. Then found the next day that they were cancelling reservations booked through Nov. Next I booked the Hyatt Bayamon. I know they are up and running with electricity. The company I work for is renting space in the hotel so that our staff in PR has a place to work. Bayamon is a suburb and not close to the Port though. So... hotel reservation #4 is now at the DoubleTree. I stayed there before. They are running on generators but also renting out space for workers. Appears to be stable. However I had to book 2 nights 12/1-12/3. Expensive for 1 night. I did not have to pay in advance for any of these. I regret double booking but believe that 1-2 will cancel my reservation by mid Nov. I will cancel the others as soon as I have a verified place. I have heard that the hotel Casablanca is accepting reservations. They are running on generators. Good luck.

I apologize for being out of touch for a bit. We are both from Raleigh, NC. As I have only sailed with Celebrity, I can only vouch for their level of service and style. They have always treated me well. Very attentive and willing to please, particularly with room attendants and dining venues. The "S" class ships are smaller than some, with fewer options for specialty dining and entertainment. Celebrity has one of the highest ratios of public space per person and except for the pool areas, it never seems crowded. I love the "T" pool in the solarium as it has heated mineral/salt water. Looking forward to the trip.

Rent a 5 pas car from Hertz for $60 USD total per day, right inside the port Look at Le Testavin. in Grand Case Not inexpensive but worth the price. Right on the water with open air windows that bring the ambiance inside. I have dined here 3 times and enjoyed each visit. It is an easy drive.

You can rent from Hertz from within the port. Contact them and ask if you can park it on their lot overnight.

rent a car! You can rent a Hertz 5 passenger for $61 USD total. St. Maarten is easy to drive. Just congestion in Phillipsburg. If you travel clockwise, you can stop at Simpson Bay, Maho, Marigot, lunch in Grand Case and there is a lovely more private beach just north of Orient. Room enough to share if you find another couple. We have done this 3 times. Once on an ATV, that I don't recommend.

Dominica is the only place I have actually seen whales after 5 attempts (2 in Canada, 2 in Carib). The rib boat is inflatable and bounces around quite a bit over the waves but fewer people. Our tour was on a larger boat with 2 decks and 50 people. Didn't seem that crowded. Saw 4 different whale, one dove under the boat. We did the tour through the cruise (Celebrity) for around $80 USD.

I have only cruised with Celebrity. Just booked #19. I have always found Celebrity to be welcoming to my partner and I with only postive experiences with the staff. A few longer cruises (Silhouette to Caribbean out of NJ in Nov '12 and Panama Canal from FLL in Oct '12) had very active Friends of Dorothy groups with double digit attendees. Not much lately.

We are two mature (lol) women. My travelling companion is a friend (also an ex) who has only cruised once before. Looking forward to this itinerary.

Less expensive a bit inland. For example, Plantation, which is west of Ft Lauderdale. Your children may enjoy an airboat tour through the Everglades. We went with Coopertown Airboats, about a one hour drive west.

http://coopertownairboats.com/

We were in a Sky Suite on the Summit a few weeks ago and dined in both Luminae and Blue. I found the atmosphere, food and staff in Luminae to be top notch. However I would not suggest that it was better than the service and food in Blu, just different. After a few breakfast days in Luminae, we opted to switch to Blue for the variety and preparation. The pancakes in Luminae were small. It wasn't the quantity that mattered but they were dry. Same for the french toast in Luminae. I am sure some guests would find that better. We opted for more moist and what we found to be more flavorful in Blu. I do wish that Celebrity would serve real maple syrup. The fruit compote is delightful but the syrup is like IHOP. Not what I would expect in Blu or Luminae. We found dinner in Luminae to be consistently well prepared with excellent execution. On our voyage to Bermuda, we dined around 8:30. We were often the last one's seated and were a bit uncomfortable with holding up the staff. Since 8:30 is late seating, it must have been the demographics of the suite guests on that sailing. The night we ate in Blu, we found there to be more people dining late so it seemed a bit livlier and friendlier between guests.

Must be something or someone special on board. We were on the June 14 sailing and headed straight for Bermuda without any diversions to NYC.

I have read a few press releases regarding the new class of ships that Celebrity has on order, called Project Edge. I was wondering if anyone had insight into whether Celebrity would bring back a version of the "T-Pool" on the new class? IMHO, this is a feature on the S-Class that I find is sadly missing. The M-class T-pool has been cited as one of the 10 best cruise ship pools. The warm, mineral water is such a nice option. I am hoping that a heated indoor pool is in the plans.