Redtravel

Travel agents love all cruises.

3 weeks. Frustrating!

They add 20% plus any local taxes. Just off Summit. When we were in Charleston, they added 29%. 20% tip plus 9% sales tax.

We enjoyed the cruise too. We also were very annoyed at the shortages. We never asked for anything exotic. Often were told no. Canadian club, Aperol, diet ginger ale, cranberry juice, cookies, most varieties of Tea Forte in Cafe Al Bacio.,etc. there were so many times that we were told that they didn’t have what we wanted. Add to that the awful internet and crowds. Laundry service was bad. I could go on and on. Perhaps it was too soon to return to cruising. Our next cruise will not be in Celebrity.

Oceania guests usually dress with style. Some Celebrity guests don’t.

Just off Summit. Chic was 2nd night and next to last night. Many people were extremely casual every night. Saw people in MDR in shorts every night. There were also people who dressed up on chic night. Seems that you can wear whatever you want. Have a great cruise.

Off Summit today. Just finished reading the comments on this thread. On ship, getting internet connection was extremely slow or no service. Yesterday when I went to Guest Services to cash out my refundable OBC, I asked about capacity. I was told that were 2300 guests on the ship and full capacity was 2500 guests.

Any doubts, don’t cruise.

I travel on both lines. Both have food that is excellent. Windstar has better service.

I had ultimate confidence in Viking because they tested daily. It made me feel safe. Now that they no longer test, I may not be so quick to book on Viking.

On Summit now. Many tables are very close together. We don’t like that. We insisted that we wanted a table for 2 alone. On first day, make it known and they will accommodate. Dinner we got an assigned table for 2. Lunch and breakfast can be tricky. Just tell them what you want. We did sit inches away twice and hated it. While many people like share tables, we don’t. Not comfortable eating close to strangers especially during a pandemic.

Update. On Summit now. Wine on classic plan is good. Liked the Malbec. Bar drinks vary in size, availability, and liquor content. Best bar is Sunset. Worst is pool deck. Often bars run out of liquor. No Canadian club in Sky lounge? Was told sorry none on ship. Next day, got it in Rendezvous Lounge. Crew is overwhelmed and won’t go to get more stock. All in internet usually doesn’t work. I use my Captains club minutes. In port I used my phone.

On Summit now. Al Bacio has cookies.

Lobster last night was excellent. Food has been good. Have used my veranda more on this cruise than ever before. Enjoy Bermuda. Have been there many times. Was disappointed that our stay was cut by a day. It was weather. It did give us an extra day in Charleston which was good. Sailing has been calm. Loved not cooking. After constantly cooking during the pandemic, not cooking has been the highlight of the cruise. Crew is very nice.obviously they are short handed. They need enough help to service the ship. Entertainment is nice. Especially liked Ocean Beat.

Vaccinations are a must. Testing is a good thing. At least you have some reassurance that most people are negative at the start of your cruise. However, since Celebrity doesn’t test or scan temperatures after that, it’s likely that Covid has made it on to the ship during the cruise. Also, people on the cruise are less likely to keep distance or be Covid cautious. Crowded elevators, shared tables, pushing in lines, etc. happens. Celebrity has its protocols which are good. Sadly, not being followed by many passengers. Sailing now and will test after I disembark. Just hope that I haven’t picked up Covid.

Same old menus. Buffet has fewer choices. Food is good, but dull.

crew is trying their best . They are very nice. However they are shorthanded. Bar service is slow and often don't have what you want. WiFi is slow or non-existent. Not enough crew to accommodate a full ship.

On Summit. I am shocked at the crowds. Reduced capacity? No way! Even though there are signs for distancing and capacity, people jam together. Pool sign capacity 10…counted 25. Often fully elevators as people push into them. Reminds me of filling a phone booth as a college prank. Table for 2? Almost impossible. Unrelated guests sharing. When I booked I believed the info about safety and Covid protocols. The only place you must wear a mask is in the show lounge or casino. All In isn’t. WiFi basic often doesn’t connect. Using my elite plus minutes to connect. Drinks? Lots of water. Liquor choices….ran out of many.

testing is the norm now. If you want to cruise, accept testing. The hassles of fulfilling the requirements of each port can be tough. Even though I knew what was expected, actually fulfilling them in a timely manner can be a real hassle. Will not plan anymore foreign travel or cruises. Staying in USA.

bermuda changed their requirements last week. While you will still need testing, you no longer have to send it to Bermuda to get the travel approval document. Makes the process easier. Apply for the Bermuda travel authorization online 2 weeks before your cruise. Fill in form, attach vaccination records, and pay $40pp. A few days before sailing, you will get email with the Travel Approval form. We got ours a week before. You still need testing. However, you no longer need to send it to Bermuda before sailing. Bring your travel approval, test results, vax records, boarding pass, and passport to the embarkation. Your credential will be checked at the dock. Testing for Bermuda can be a supervised PCR up to 4 days before cruise or a supervised antigen test 2 days before cruise. Celebrity requires test 2 days before cruise. You can use the antigen test for both Bermuda and Celebrity. Plan ahead and schedule your testing. I did rapid antigen test at CVS. Had results quickly. Have screenshot and also printed hard copy. Good luck getting the before cruise stuff done.

Sell cruises with All in and then not deliver. Shame on Celebrity and their suppliers. There’s lots of good wine available. Wine was one of the few things that I never found in short supply. What’s next? Check in and don’t sail. Gas supply low? If you sell drinks included, have the drinks available.

That space is good for wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters. Old people take cruises.

picking cabins that suits you can be a challenge. My choices may be different than yours. Location is important for me. I prefer cabins midship on decks that are sandwiched between 2 decks of cabins. I try to avoid cabins way forward or aft. Too much vibration. Never pick a cabin under the pool deck, close to the show lounge, above a cocktail lounge or close to the casino. I’ve booked those cabins and went crazy from the noise. Also, avoid being in hallways that get lots of foot traffic. I like a veranda cabin. Open the door and let fresh air in. It also allows you to sit on deck without sitting close to other people. Especially good sailing during pandemic. Size does matter. Check cabin dimensions and layout. I prefer bed near bathroom and sofa near window. Nice to sit and look out at the sea. Bed near bathroom is safer at night when the ship moves faster. On M ships, I pick concierge because cabins are larger than regular verandas. On S and E no size difference. Tried aqua class once. It wasn’t for me. Prefer food in MDR. I avoid sky suites because they have a shower/tub combo. Also, cost is too high. I have booked suites on other cruise lines when I needed space or that’s the only type of cabin available. if you don’t care about the things that I listed, save money and book a guarantee cabin. just being on the ship is good,. Enjoy the ride.

Then maybe there are too many people on the ship. Avoiding testing makes cruising dangerous for everyone. Viking has the highest number of registered Covid cases. They test everyone daily. Does Celebrity test anyone on the ship? Probably only people who exhibit symptoms. No testing allows Celebrity to report low number of positive cases. Sadly, it allows the virus to spread. This is probably to ensure a more “relaxing vacation.” That was what was given as the reason for rearranging ports or skipping ports on the present Bermuda cruise. Skip Newport allows guests to enjoy a relaxing day at sea? What are they thinking?

Before pandemic, getting ready for a cruise was easy. On previous cruises, there was always timely info that was clear and easy to understand. Call Celebrity. You got connected quickly and agents answered questions and were usually helpful. For my upcoming cruise, the lack of timely info, instructions that are poorly written, missing info, undesirable itinerary changes, etc. have been frustrating. Sadly, the Celebrity that I remember seems to be a vanishing memory.