chemmo

I seem to have more faith in people than you…Personally I will continue to keep out of the way of those who ‘need’ to disembark, I can live arriving at an hour later at my hotel/airport even if you can’t wait an hour to get home. Hopefully others feel the same too.

To use an old English quote “There’s nowt so queer as folks”… With a butler topping up his bar regularly you just can’t understand it. However, I do remember some years ago experiencing a fellow Retreat guest taking six bottles of water last evening of the cruise to “put in the luggage so we don’t need to buy any in our hotel”. Bearing in mind he had paid a lot of $$$$ for his suite toting six bottles of water (with a risk of leaking) in your luggage to save spending $1 at your hotel…

Generally service in Luminae is quite slow with them offering pastries, coffee and the menu. If you need to get out quickly simply let the M’D know as you are seated and they will immediately call over a waiter to take your order but there will be a short wait for hot items. On excursion days we tend to preorder a continental breakfast with coffee in our room, slightly earlier than we really want (7.45 rather than 8.00) so if there is a delay we will still have time to eat leisurely…Personally this suits us better than trailing down to the restaurant and back for what can be quite a heavy meal.

So pleased everything has worked out for you… Over the years we have mostly had excellent service from the shoreside concierge service with them contacting us pre cruise and our requests all being sorted. However, we have occasionally had hiccups where we have boarded and there has been a breakdown somewhere in communication. Nowadays we always take on board a copy of our requests (including speciality dining) so that if communication has failed our butler has our requests written down rather than him having to scribble down ‘tea tray, fruit bowl, Murano tonight…’. Thank you for coming back to report, hopefully it will reassure other cruisers with concerns about shoreside contact that once on board everything will go smoothly! Whilst Celebrity no longer comments on this board it does follow it. Hopefully someone from Celebrity will note that inefficient shore side contact does set a bit of a downer in the lead up to a cruise even if once on board everything is rectified… Enjoy your cruise!!!

I think you are right…expecting guests to be out of their room early puts pressure on all areas and does make many think “If I am going to be out of my room with my hand luggage I may as well be out of my room with all my luggage queuing to get off..”

Whilst the speciality restaurants are not open at breakfast on any ship remember you can order room service. The menu is good. Visit the buffet to take food back to your room. We often get chunks of French bread and a plate of English/Canadian bacon and take them back to our room to make delicious sandwiches. Visit the buffet and have a real graze! Pick up an English, continental or totally random breakfast and enjoy…The buffet usually has the longest opening times. On S class there is the Spa Cafe, I assume E class has an equivalent? One mistake suite guests can make is to ignore the ‘open’ offerings available to all. Much as once or twice per cruise we will enjoy a Luminae breakfast we will also enjoy other options.

I am sure that lots of people genuinely need to debark for a variety of reasons early (like yourself on this occasion)…It just would make life so much easier if only those who ‘needed’ to disembark did so and those who ‘chose’ to do so would be willing to wait just a bit longer… I have no personal axe to grind…If we are flying out we will be able to take our time, if we are driving to another location one hour later leaving is no issue…

Yes, it always seems sad to me that one or two ‘greedy?/entitled?’ guests push the boundaries and then it can result in the reduction of flexibility of the staff to offer a bit of ‘above and beyond’ to others…

Totally agree! Moderation is a key word for all cruisers when it comes to cruising and staying healthy with or without a specific condition… I tend to stick to the following…. Don’t fill up on bread before the starter even arrives. Don’t ever feel obliged to empty your plate. If you expect a sauce to be rich or salty ask for it to be served on the side. Either have a substantial breakfast or lunch but not both. Don’t feel you need to always have three courses. Avoid ‘in between’ fillers like cakes and cookies. Make some beverage choices nonalcoholic. Swim and walk as much as you can, even with mobility issues. I always board planning to enjoy anything I want but with my little rules in the back of my mind!

Probably some variety in different ports but after cruising world wide generally there is a luggage drop off point, usually in the open. Porters load onto cages, as cages are full they are moved towards the ship for screening and loading. Suites have a separate drop off point and have priority for delivery so I would assume they also get priority for going on board…Sometimes luggage processing is smooth and suitcases spend minimal time in the open (and possible rain) but on other occasions if we have boarded early we have seen cages waiting to be loaded. Porters, themselves, are responsible for one aspect of the process. Those who receive luggage, cage movers, then Celebrity staff who actually are responsible for the luggage going on board. It isn’t like at a railway station where you can tip a porter to take your luggage right through the boarding process.

I totally understand and support your rant… Most of the time we have a drive or journey ahead but opt not to to try to get off asap… For ourselves why would we? We can let someone else get our suitcases to near the exit, have some breakfast and avoid busy corridors and queues. Yes, we may arrive at our next destination a bit later but so what? However, consideration for others also comes into play too. If those, like us, who don’t have a tight schedule keep out of the way then those who have perhaps have a less stressful time… Much as I sigh when I see the regular posts with the usual “Can I get from port x to airport y for a flight at z hours…” and feel little sympathy for those who really cut it fine there is a significant group of cruisers who have picked a very doable flight as long as they self disembark. This group of cruisers may (if they don’t go for this flight) need to make a connecting flight rather than direct or have a looooong wait at the airport. I think they deserve to be supported by those who don’t really need to get off fast keep out of the way. On our last Equinox cruise we excused ourselves in a bar from a conversation with an elderly couple saying we needed to put out our suitcases. The elderly lady said they were self disembarking so they would be able to drive and be home well before midday and have their washing on. Much as I understand this sentiment of wanting to get home (and get the washing on!) after a holiday I don’t understand the ‘need for speed’…I also worried about the elderly couple struggling on corridors and stairs with their luggage even if it was minimal. One of the beauties of cruising to us has always been the wonderful people we have met! Perhaps many who opt to self disembark when they don’t ‘need’ to simply don’t consider the impact on others. Also the increasing number of guests travelling with smaller (and easier to manoeuvre) suitcases, perhaps, adds to the number of guests getting off with their luggage rather than put it out at night…

Honestly, I would invest in new suitcases. Regardless of port luggage is generally piled onto cages and pushed on board. Even if the cages are covered before moving they will be open as they are filled. If it rains heavily the process will continue and some luggage will inevitably get wet…Once on board it may sit wet before delivery to your room. Unpacking damp cases isn’t a great way to start a cruise! Singapore we found very efficient, we have not boarded or disembarked in Bali so can’t comment.

I can understand the appeal…Our longest cruise/vacation to date was a TP of 18 nights plus 8 nights pre cruise in Hawaii and 5 nights post cruise in Sydney…Our best vacation ever but I was glad to get back home… I think all of us have a tolerance level to time on board and commitments at home… Personally, I become cruise ‘fed and drank out’ at about 10/14 days…If we are still on board after 12 days even if we have unlimited speciality dining I will find I just want to graze the buffet for comfort food in the evening…. We have usually gone for cruises of 8/14 and added land stays at start/finish/both and that seems for us to keep the ‘magic’ of the cruise part… Like so many adventures it has to be each to his own…

Yes, us too to the point where we are yet to try E class. Historically we have mainly booked RS or PH on S or M class. Quite simply the layout of the RS E class (especially the balcony size and overhang) puts me off and the PH is soooo expensive. EV no good as I have some mobility issues and iconic beyond our budget… At some stage I am sure we will try E class and enjoy the experience but our next cruise is 10 nights back on Reflection. We have never been big fans of the Luminae menu so, as you say, at least you have other menu choices and on Reflection and Silhouette you have the additional speciality restaurants. We are not big sun lovers and tend to swim in the Solarium so the loss of a suite sun deck is no issue…At least we have a decent balcony to enjoy…. As you said in your earlier post it is good to have choices.

If you speak to your waiter first night and explain your dietary issues they will advise you. We have friends with dietary needs and they are always well looked after. They will also, if you ask, show you the next day’s menu and see if it can be adjusted to better suit you. This is obviously a bit harder in E class if you choose to try all restaurants as you will get different waiters every night, there will not be the same continuity of service. On visiting the buffet again ask the staff, they should be able to advise or call over a more senior member of staff to help you.

Sometimes you just find a ‘sweet spot’…an ambiance and atmosphere that fits you like a glove…Not too quiet, not too busy, not too big, not too small…

I am only partially surprised…on a few cruises we have been a bit shocked with the ‘demands’ of one or two guests for products significantly over the premium price. The expectation being that they can ask for and receive any drink they like at no additional cost. Last time we were on Eclipse (a few years ago now) a man was arguing with the concierge that the bar had agreed to go and get him a specific whisky (sorry can’t remember it’s name) but that there would be a $6 up charge per glass. Unfortunately it only takes a few guests like this to result in staff having to be more strict on policy. There is a big difference between waiving the odd $ on a glass of wine versus someone expecting to consistently drink above the premium rate. Unfortunately when staff are told to enforce the ‘rules’ then it impacts on all guests… I clearly remember when the wording for laundry for higher suites was changed from unlimited to twice per cruise. This was done (we were told by the hotel manager) as they had experienced several PH guests travelling with none suite extended family really abusing the system by sending in the ‘family wash’! Fortunately discretion is usually applied and it is unlimited. Unfortunately in the suite lounge ‘fairness’ sometimes needs to be seen to stop complaints. If the $6+ whisky man has been told he has to pay his up charge you can guarantee he will be alert if someone else has one glass of wine $1 over premium price and doesn’t get charged too. I must confess to not being a ‘faddy’ drinker. Any spirits I have are drowned in mixers and my only request in the retreat lounge is for them to round up a bottle of sherry if they haven’t got one as i sometimes enjoy this as a pre dinner drink. As it is within the package there is never a problem. I do think that it seems a bit ‘tacky’ in a suite lounge to be billed but I can understand the reasoning…

It can be used at any bar or restaurant. If you fancy a wine at a slightly higher price you just pay the up charge + tax.

Sooooo enjoying your cruise. Thank you so much for sharing with us!

Must say that the 2 x laundry bags is the best E+ perk.

I have no idea what a W cat suite is…From past experience free laundry is for RS and above.

I think I noticed on another post you are in a RS. You have unlimited laundry including pressing and dry cleaning.

Chat with your waiter and they will go at a pace you are comfortable with. If you tell them you need to leave by a certain time they will try to speed up your order. If you do order all courses then obviously it will take longer. For example, in Tuscan you could order the charcuterie board then soup, salad, starter, mains, dessert and coffee…In Murano you could do similar and there is the option of a cheese course too. Not only would you be very full it would take a lot of time…You need to be selective. Personally, I often have a light starter and save space for the mains. Before now we have asked for our dessert to be delivered to our room if we have wanted to go somewhere or simply needed a break… Agree with others that on Silhouette Murano is a must do. If you are paying to go to a restaurant you may feel that you need to eat all courses to get ‘value for money’. In a higher suite with unlimited dining you do need to be realistic about how much food you can eat. In particular we tend to limit our lunches. We may go in Sushi and just have a noodle bowl or order a couple of starters to share…Alternatively we may just have a light snack on the sun deck. On longer cruises we do get to the point of simply wanting an Indian selection or a self selected salad from the buffet. Just because you can dine in specialty restaurants every night doesn’t mean you have to…Also there is room service, this can be a really nice option if you have had a busy day…

They don’t restrict you. Definitely share a flatbread…tooooooo filling. Sort yourselves a salad and then choose a few to share sides… There are far too many options for mains so choose a few with the understanding you are going to share…No issues at all calling the waiter over asking for another skewer of this or that… OK, I am the one CC poster who doesn’t like the cookie…Personally, I would rather enjoy the mains…

Just another thought…If you upgraded to a RS (move up) I wonder if your email from shoreside has gone to the original RS bookers? If you didn’t do a move up then again not relevant…