red919

Thanks...so many have chimed in with such helpful and thoughtful posts for which I'm greatly appreciative. 

A few thoughts:

1.  I do find it ODD that there have been NO posts from anyone who has actually missed the ship on a port day, but then again, perhaps they're too embarrassed to post....

2.  I find it even MORE ODD that after THREE tries with Celebrity, I could not get a definitive answer.  

I emailed the Emergency Team who came back with the following reply:

Thank you for your email… We’re sorry to inform you that we will no longer allow cruise passengers to pre-plan early debark or late embarkation for any of our ships.

 Many countries continue to implement travel restrictions like denying non-citizens from entry, closing their borders for the safety and security of our guests, all requests to modify the guests port of embarkation/disembarkation will be denied.

I responded by thanking them and then restating I was asking about "ACCIDENTALLY missing the ship on a port day" and was told it would depend on the EXACT ship, date and port.

And when I gave them the EXACT ship, date and port, they STILL could not give me an answer.  

I then wrote back to remind them the port in question is in the SAME country as port of debarkation and they still did not have an answer. 

I find this hard to believe.  There must be some sort of rules in place should this happen.  

I might start a thread with different wording, hoping of course to hook a few pier runners...😉

Thanks again!

Thanks to all for your very helpful responses.  It definitely gives me something to think about.

As far as the private excursion, we wanted a day off the ship for just the two of us as we would be spending a lot of time enjoying our traveling companions both onboard and in other ports.  The tour operator practically laughed upon hearing my worries about not returning to the ship in time.  They come well recommended and have never had this issue, meaning they've always stayed up to date on road conditions, etc so would end the tour early to head back to the ship at the first sign of problems.

 And yes, even agreed in writing to cover all hotel/transportation expenses should we not make the ship in time. 

That's all well and good as all bases are covered on THEIR end...I just wanted to know what to expect on Celebrity's end as like many of you, I've seen with my own eyes those poor fellow passengers standing sadly on the pier as we slowly sailed away.  My heart went out to them and I always wondered how the cruise line handled it.

Thanks again!

We are considering a private shore excursion while on a Med cruise around Spain. They promise to get us back to the ship in time but it will be close and things do happen so wanted to see if anyone here has experience with this...

1. IF we should arrive back to ship after it has sailed, can we just meet the ship at the next port which is two days later and a mere train ride away?

And if not and as far as items left in our staterooms, thankfully we have friends on same trip who could carry them off when the cruise ends a few stops later in Barcelona so at least we have that.

2. Another worry is that in either case, will Celebrity charge us a penalty fee for not returning to the ship in time? 

We of course would alert the ship if we knew we were going to be too late to make departure so as not to hold things up on the ship's end...

Wondering if anyone here has any experience with these scenarios and what we should expect from Celebrity?

Thanks in advance!

7 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

That's up to you - you can request whatever you want (about 2-3 weeks out) via rcldining@rccl.com or on board.

Good to know...Thanks!!

Just now, flamingos said:

We have early seating, and it seems to be in dining room 3 and 4. Late seating, according to the app, is in Dining Room 4.  MyTime Dining is in Dining Room 3.

Thanks!...do you know if traditional seating includes being placed with other cruisers for the duration of the cruise or would you simply be assigned to your own table without other cruisers?

Enjoying your review and loving all these great photos.

I have a few questions about the ship itself..

1.  Does Voyager provide electric kettles in your stateroom?

I've heard RCL provides them on cruises out of England and northern ports so am hoping to be able to make coffee/tea in my stateroom on my transatlantic in September.

2.  Do you know if they have reinstated traditional early and late seating?

We prefer traditional late seating where we are seated with fellow passengers for the duration of the cruise.  It's a great way to meet people and having the same waiters every night is a big plus.

Thanks in advance!

1 hour ago, misterkevin said:

Something like that is available self service afternoon at a buffet both in the Retreat Lounge and Oceanview. It's not the same as table service with tea and finger sandwiches, but the scones and clotted cream were there. 

You're right...normally it is served in both but unfortunately, not in the Oceanview on my recent Edge cruise which is why I posted.

55 minutes ago, Redokie said:

WE HAD THE AFTERNOON TA-SCONES, CUCUMBER,SANDWICHES ETC on the Millenium on sea days at 4pm.   I miss the time it was in the dining room with service, but at last they had this.  You have to read your daily very well to find these kind of things!

 

Glad this was available on your cruise.  In fact, I'm a bit jealous.  I do love those scones.

And I miss having it in the dining room with service, too!

41 minutes ago, Alakegirl said:

Afternoon tea was there on Reflection in February (Oceanview Cafe)

Good to hear.  Thanks!

49 minutes ago, blueboro said:

We had the afternoon tea / snacks on Constellation a couple of weeks ago...not every day but I believe on sea days IIRC.  So it may depend on the ship.

Good to hear...hopefully this will be the case on my next cruise as well.

Thanks!

35 minutes ago, kabmab said:

We had chocolate croissants for breakfast at OVC last week on Edge.

Glad to hear they are available up there and assume they did not come with a fee...

Still missed having them at Cafe Al Bacio as I find that area much for relaxing for breakfast.  Love the chairs and ambiance there.  Guess I could always get them up on OVC and bring them down to Cafe Al Bacio.  Oh the lengths we'll go to enjoy our favorite pastries...LOL

I was pleasantly surprised when the benefit was automatically applied to my wonderful lunch at Le Grand Bistro while onboard Edge earlier this month. 

Lucky for me, as I am Elite+ and had totally forgotten about the benefit. A great lunch and one I'd highly recommend so it was win-win all around. 👍😊

.

Just now, MarKay525 said:

They now have a French bistro, so they can. Revenue rules!

☹️  I miss the good ol' days when such things were included

and wish Bistro on 5 was still around. 

The Cowboy crepe followed by a Spanish for dessert remains my favorite boarding day lunch ever! ☺️

18 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

I've sailed on both Edge and Reflection since the cruise re-start; there was no afternoon tea on either cruise.   If I need an afternoon snack (and who doesn't), a trip to Cafe Al Bacio does the trick.

Thanks for your reply.  I agree, Cafe Al Bacio has some lovely offerings for which I often partake but I do miss my beloved scones and cream.

Speaking of Cafe Al Bacio, one other thing different on Edge is my beloved chocolate croissants, past favorites for breakfast, were missing, only to be found across the way at the French pastry counter for a FEE.  What's up with that?

On previous Celebrity cruises, I'd always enjoyed the scones, finger sandwiches and other "afternoon tea" goodies previously offered in the Oceanview Cafe.  It became part of my afternoon ritual and something I looked forward to each day.  That was on solstice class cruises prior to the pandemic.

I've just returned from my first Celebrity cruise since the pandemic which happened to be on the Edge and there was no afternoon tea at all in the Oceanview Cafe.  Instead, it had changed to "afternoon snacks" so no scones, no cream, no wonderful finger sandwiches...   

I understand there was a wonderful afternoon tea served daily in the Edge Retreat Lounge but as I was not is a suite, this was not available to me.  

My question is this....has afternoon tea in the Oceanview Cafe been canceled fleetwide or is it only unavailable on Edge class ships? 

.

2 hours ago, tjcox9 said:

If you have a cruise booked on HAL or Seabourn and are looking at prices, you could go to Princess sight perhaps and find a cruise with same date and port. Then, on Princess, you can look at air prior to booking. Just a thought and may be difficult to find same port and date.

Great suggestion...will definitely try that.  Thanks!

Out of curiosity....as Holland America, Princess and Seabourn all use FlightEase, are the flights/fares offered to each cruise line the same or is there a fare difference? 

In other words, if two of us booked the same exact flight to the same port on the same date where one would be meeting a Seabourn cruise and the other a Holland America or Princess cruise, would we all be offered the same price for the same flight or would that price be different between the three?

One would assume they would be the same price, the only exception being Seabourn who offers free transfers. Answer might be obvious but had to ask.  Thanks.

Out of curiosity....as Seabourn, Holland America and Princess all use FlightEase, are the flights/fares offered to each cruise line the same or is there a fare difference? 

In other words, if two of us booked the same exact flight to the same port on the same date where one would be meeting a Seabourn cruise and the other a Holland America or Princess cruise, would we all be offered the same price for the same flight or would that price be different between the three?

One would assume they would be the same price, the only exception being Seabourn who offers free transfers. Answer might be obvious but had to ask.  Thanks.

8 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Yes, it does include the same Retreat amenities.

Thank you!

Thank you to the OP for starting this thread and thanks to others who've chimed in to explain the differences between "perks" and "amenities". 

I basically have the same question but instead of a CS, I'd like to bid for a Sky Suite. 

Does a MoveUp offer for a Sky Suite include the same Retreat amenities as a CS?   I would assume the only difference between the two is the size of the cabin but wanted to make sure.

On 2/28/2022 at 6:43 AM, kwokpot said:

Yes to both of your questions.

Thanks😊

Will be boarding Edge for first time next Sunday and had the same question. Le Grande Bistro, as mentioned above, sounds wonderful. 

On S class ships, I’ve always enjoyed the Indian food at the lunch buffet and am wondering if it’s offered on the Edge as well?
 

Also, does the Edge buffet include the same wonderful ice cream as on S class ships?
 

Thanks!

58 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

It "might" be a Snowflake Martini.  I can't remember!

 

Full menus here:

 

https://www.celebritycruisespresscenter.com/press-kit/10/celebrity-edge-menus/

 

Thanks!

On 2/5/2022 at 7:47 PM, twangster said:

 

To the Martini Bar! 

 

Gangster Martini.

 

 

Another martini.  This could get dangerous.

 

Loved this report!!❤️

Thoroughly enjoyed it when first posted and enjoyed reading again as I’ll be boarding Edge for the first time next Sunday…..all the more excited for my first time on an Edge class ship.
 

You hit on basically all of my questions, including photos of menus/food items…even upgraded myself to a sunset veranda due to your gorgeous  shots. 😊👍🏻
 

One question…what is the name of the martini in the second photo? 🍸

…looks yummy and wondering what is sprinkled on top!!

Thanks!

16 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

 

I was onboard earlier this month (after having been on Oasis, Harmony, Freedom, Adventure, Mariner, and Indy) since cruises resumed in June. 

 

I thought the staterooms were actually in good condition (our group had two balconies and an OV). The ship is going in for drydock this spring after leaving Tampa and it shows (mostly needing a fresh exterior coat of paint, some windows and lights need replacing, etc). She definitely could use some TLC compared to the other ships we were on this year, however, its a beautiful ship and we enjoyed it. I will be returning in early March. 

Thank you for posting as I will be boarding this Thursday.  Always loved Brilliance and understood she's an older lady but did wonder about cabin conditions so am glad to hear a positive review.  Do you recall if cabin tv's were on-demand?

Also, were all bars and venues open during your sailing, especially those with close quarters such as Chef's Table and the movie theatre?  Always enjoyed Chef's Table on Brilliance with it's dedicated space and who doesn't love watching a movie at sea 😊

18 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Global Entry has been rendered obsolete since they are started using Facial recognition for CBP reentry. All you do is go to one of the several Queue lines and step up to the Video Camera mounted on a pole. You look into the monitor, drop your mask, and in two seconds it will confirm your identity as a US Citizen and you can proceed. No need to show your passport. Best thing to ever happen at a cruiseport!

Excellent!! 

This is great news. Thanks so much. 😊

10 hours ago, jwlane said:

Maybe 7:30 on earliest???  We walked off yesterday at about 8:35 and got to the airport before 9 ($20, taxi).  Spent less than 10 minutes going thru TSA.

Excellent news as well!  

Thanks so much. 😊

Just now, red919 said:

😃   Hands down, my favorite drink on any cruise ever..... 🍸

 

Elderflower Fizz in the Ensemble Lounge on S class ships!

 

Will be on our first Edge class ship in March and fear my beloved Elderflower Fizz is off the menu so if anyone knows of a similar Edge class offering, please do let me know!!  Thanks!