RRFPresident

On 3/1/2024 at 3:02 PM, CarolynFH said:

@websailor and @DaveinCharlotte
In April 2022 when we sailed Portland to Clarkston, we planned to take a taxi or rideshare to the Holiday Inn, but when we got to baggage claim we found out the ship had a bus there to take us and our luggage, free of charge. So you might want to check with ACL (and might need to check again as time gets closer).

We booked the same Portland to Clarkston route for this April and are trying to figure out flight options. Could you share what airport you flew into and out of on each end? Did you fly in on the first day of your itinerary or before then?

Changed to this cruise a couple weeks ago when American Queen Voyages ceased operations. Thankful that we hadn't gotten around to booking flights for their trip yet. We've done one back to back ACL cruise but it left out of our hometown so we only had the one flight back home and no hotel stay. Thanks!

1 hour ago, CypressCajun said:

Question: Do you know if the edge villa pool can be heated? Debating on upgrading for an Alaskan cruise but it seems silly if you cant use the soaking pool.

Yes you can make it as warm as you like using the control panel.

On 2/5/2024 at 8:18 PM, luckyinpa said:

also my pdf shows tips included but i dont see tips included today. are the perks when i reserved what i get or when they change things must i give up the perks?

 

We booked while gratuities were still included. Then sometime last October Celebrity announced that they were taking that away from the perks for Retreat/suite bookings. Since we booked before then for this sailing in December, our gratuities were still included on the sailing. 

As far as the restaurant wording, I think that's just an effort to generalize things to include both specialty restaurants and the venues that are included for everyone like the MDR and buffet. All restaurant cover charges and upcharge items were included for us. Our first server in Eden did say that the tasting menu wouldn't be included but the regular menu was. I'm not sure if she was saying that in reference to the cover charge or us being in the Villa. We had no interest in the tasting menu so I didn't question her further.

48 minutes ago, WhenIam64 said:

It has been several years since I was on a Celebrity ship.  When I was, in a Royal Suite, I was disappointed to learn that the king bed could not be twinned.  This was on a Millennium class ship. Is that still the case for Celebrity suites?  What about for the ships that are newer than Millennium class?

 

TIA

Was just on Celebrity Beyond and when we were first considering upgrading (originally had an Aqua Sky Suite that does split into twins) we were told anything from the Royal Suite on up would not separate due to the design of nightstands built into the wall versus one you can pick up and move in between the twin beds. 

25 minutes ago, serene56 said:

does this menu change each night?   and can you mix and  match from the different areas?    I may have to rethink this choice 

Not each night but I've read reports from past cruisers that said they had different menus the first half of the cruise versus the last half. Or it could change one week from the next if you have a longer cruise.

In our case, the animation was based on seasons of the year and seasons of life so for each course you could either have the first option for each season that were the dishes matching the animations or you could choose from "The Other Menu" option on the back. For example, for the first course, you could choose the spring pea soup or the crispy lamb and asparagus salad. However, you could then decide you'd rather have the slow roasted duck breast from the other menu instead of the crab farfalle pasta for the second course. Basically an either or situation for each course, just depends on what dish is more to your liking.

We ended up sticking with all the animation matching options simply because we liked the food options better. 

This was our menu on Beyond last month:

21 hours ago, danceswithphones said:

Thanks for that image of the sofa bed. Sitting on one now but couldn't figure out how it works. Should have asked the butler (duh). First night out of Port Everglades was rough and we camped out downstairs until well out to sea. 

We had some rough nights as well as days at sea. Heard that we left Ft. Lauderdale the day before several ships couldn't get out or in due to the weather. Hope you have smooth sailing the rest of the trip!

24 minutes ago, voyager1964 said:

Thank you for your excellent blog type review!

I am tempted to book an EV on either Beyond or Ascent, but have a couple of concerns and would appreciate your advice.

1) On these newer ships, they put a Retreat sundeck on Deck 17, and I can see some loungers right above the villas. Do you think the folks on the 17th could look down at your balcony? At your plunge pool?

2) Do you think all six EVs are equally private? 

3) If you could select, which particular EV would you choose and why? Same question if your SO would need to use the ship elevators to move between the villa's floors.

 

Thank you in advance.

1) I don't think they can look down, at least not on to the plunge pool area as there is a covered awning over that corner of the balcony. 

2) Not all of the EVs have the porch area outside of the top level. I also just learned that the porch concept stopped after Beyond so if you book Ascent, this may not even matter. Those that do have it completely visible from anyone walking by. I was personally a little surprised that there wasn't anything preventing someone else from hanging out on your porch like a key carded gate. As far as the balcony space, I'd say that yes all of the six EVs should have the same privacy on the sides and from above. 

3) I expected to use the porch area a lot more than I did so booking one with a porch was a big part of our choice. I'd question whether your SO can handle moving around in the small porch area to get inside the top floor of the villa. If you need to be able to move a wheelchair, one without a porch would be better versus needing a cane or walker. I'd have to double check the deck plans but there was one villa as far in from the sun deck as you can go that had the porch sideways so the door to the cabin was a straight walk in from the railing opening. I'd also choose the one we had 15102 again because it was steps away from the doors off the elevator bank and steps from the Retreat Lounge doors. No long hallway to make your way down and Luminae was directly across the hall from our upper floor. You could easily step out from the upper level, go inside to Luminae, or go through Luminae's entrance to the elevator bank to get back to the lounge, the main level of your villa, or anywhere else.

On 1/19/2024 at 6:32 PM, lasvegastraveler said:

Wondering is The Retreat area has a mini buffet area serving snacks and hot food? This is such a great option when you want a quick breakfast/lunch or snack without fighting the buffet crowd.  ( they have this mini buffet setup in MSC Yacht Club ).  

Here is what The Retreat Lounge offered at breakfast time - cold deli meats and cheeses, lox, fruit slices, yogurt parfait, assorted pastries, and warm cinnamon rolls.

On 1/10/2024 at 3:26 PM, Lastdance said:

So, did your Butler and suite attendant set you back quite a few hundred dollars?  We really do not have a big need for the butler at all.  Factoring in everything is important when making a decision as big as yours, at least for me it is.  

 

Glad you enjoyed your villa!

 

 

I totally agree that one should factor in everything. We originally had an Aqua Sky Suite booked before the change in butler assignments because we figured that was good enough for getting the suite perks and we had booked with a ton of OBC that we had planned to use on specialty dining etc. Then we stayed in an Aqua Sky Suite on Equinox in May and hated the bathtub/shower combo plus we noticed a definite difference in service compared to our last suite experience (RS) on Equinox. Granted that was back in 2017 so a lot of factors could be the issue. We booked the RS then because it was right after Celebrity had pulled the Equinox back to the Caribbean and canceled everyone's European sailings so they were offering some great prices to book the Caribbean sailings. Then it ended up being the Jazz Fest themed cruise that had us docked in New Orleans for three days straight so we had a unique itinerary and a nice cabin.

We tried a move up bid for the Iconic Suite for this cruise and got rejected twice. The second higher bid was the max we were willing to bid and they finally told us we were rejected two nights before the cruise. We briefly considered bidding for the Penthouse Suite too but then thought the balcony would be better on the villa. I think for us while we still have the means, a Penthouse Suite would be our go to since it has two bedrooms and bathrooms. Would I sail in the Retreat on Beyond again? Absolutely if the right deal came along. We've tried a lot of new to us cabin types, cruise lines, and itineraries because the right deal came along.

On 1/10/2024 at 12:13 PM, Monthend said:

What nights are the more formal nights on the 10 night cruuses.

Our formal nights on this 11 day itinerary were night two and night nine, both sea days. For a 10 day cruise, I'd guess they'd be night two and night seven or eight. Usually they plan them for a sea day or a day when the port day ends earlier than the rest.

1 hour ago, smeck said:

How’s your experience in the Retreat?  Crowds ?  We were in the Haven on  NCL and had a great experience if Celebrity matches 80% of that experience it’s a win. 

The experience was pretty good. It was nice to be so close to all of the Retreat spaces. Lounge was good space wise except when they had an event. Service was superb in the lounge though. Pool and nearby lounge chairs were pretty full especially on sea days but the chairs on the lower sun deck were plentiful. Luminae was rarely ever crowded but we did routinely end up dining near the end of service. 

Thanks for following along everyone! Been super busy since we got home so I haven't had much time to work on the blog. I wrote up a photo walkthrough and review of the Edge Villa cabin to start off the trip report. Hopefully it helps anyone considering sailing in these cabins. www.dl819cruiser.com

14 hours ago, samplecd02 said:

I was advised by a Celebrity representative that yes for the regular menu but the tastings menu is extra.

We ate in Le Voyage last week on Beyond while staying in an Edge Villa suite and this was the same answer told to us that evening by the waiter. We only wanted items on the regular menu so we didn't incur any charge during that meal.

I had someone ask about how they handle food allergies and dietary restrictions. There are coded signs on the buffet signs and on dining menus that let you know what dish is ok to eat. Each waiter has also asked us at the start of each meal.

Eden cocktails

4 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

in another thread i read about a slamming door but forget how to fix it. i only have a year before the cruise so i do need to assemble a spreadsheet of tips and tricks so hopefully someone can post how that door problem was solved.

 

are you making use of the secret door to the lounge and the door to the retreat. those are 2 very cool features i am hoping to make good use of!

 

also have you used your patio at all (if you have one)

Yes I love using the secret door to the lounge. We’ve used our patio a few times because it’s directly across from Luminae and easy access when we have been using the outside decks.

Craft Social Bar - food costs extra even if you have unlimited specialty dining since it’s considered a bar and not a restaurant. 

Just now, Ex-Airbalancer said:

🤔? 

This was in response to the past passenger who left behind their iPad on the previous cruise.

20 minutes ago, peanut head said:

What do you like least about the villa?

Probably the steps. It gets taxing if you have any joint issues to constantly go up and down. Have had a couple moments in rough seas when I had to stop and give myself extra time because walking down while the ship is rocking makes you feel like you’re pitching forward. Second least would be the way the upstairs toilet is in its own little room. Not fluffy friendly and the door tends to swing and bang when the ship is rocking. 

Cafe Al Bacio menu

Here is the menu from The Martini Bar in case anyone is interested. 

On 12/20/2023 at 8:57 AM, CCinTV said:

Wish I was with you. Someone in that lineup of officers could have told me they have my iPad, left behind from the previous cruise.
 

Very surprised Celebrity has ignored me. 
 

RRFP, can’t you inquire on my behalf. You are obviously the chief executive of this cruise. 
 

Can anyone ask about my iPad??? Left in The Club , pink case, iPad Air. 

I talked to Guest Relations Officer Ken and he said the same thing you probably heard yourself about going to chargerback website and creating an account to match with the product. 

19 hours ago, copi2boys said:

Do they sell Men's Depends in the store? 

Depends on the ship.

I usually see someone ask in reviews what sweetener is onboard. I had nothing better to do while waiting for breakfast to arrive so enjoy my sweetener arranging skills.