chemmo

I wonder how long it will be before someone posts that E and E+ should get tokens as an option to bags! It could put top suite guests ‘in a spin’ if they had to shove their own smalls in a machine! Thanks for your positive input to this thread…

We are discussing things we may enjoy resurrecting or introducing into our Celebrity experience and if it makes X a $ and stops them cutting corners on other things we are all winners!!! A bit of a more light hearted thread to my mind is needed sometimes to keep our perspective on life in general and cruising in particular…

OP here Mike, Not offended in the least. I do understand where you are coming from. I am just attempting to leave the doom and gloom behind and consider a few things some of us may enjoy and be willing to spend a few $$ on… I must confess the two things that have been mentioned so far that really appeal to me are the midnight buffet. I think that could be a really special event if Celebrity put the time and effort into it. The second thing is the buffet special dining, especially if it could involve some local produce…

You know it is a big area. If they can have hot glass classes on some ships you would think they could arrange a venue for cooking classes…

Sometimes red tape stops play…you would think there was some way around it?

I can’t remember ever seeing but you only notice things like this if you are looking. I will keep my eyes open next cruise! Perhaps it could be a sit down meal but a brunch menu or perhaps it could start at 10.30am in a section of the buffet…

That would definitely go down well on sea days! Book me in! It could easily be done in one of the speciality restaurants or again in a section of the buffet….

I think some of the music charters are adults only? I could be mistaken…

But not everyone has access!

They are open daily and the evening menu is more popular. I think a burger venue on ships without Lawn Grill (all but two) could find this popular…

Keep thinking! Inspiration needed! Whilst we are all budget conscious I was hoping that, like me and a few others, we could identify a few things that when we cruise we could see missing gaps, the decent burger being an obvious… Another thing I have thought of is cooking lessons. I don’t mean the quick demo of how to cook a steak sometimes shown on sea days. I mean a quality training session for perhaps 20 people…

I could enjoy that! Perhaps just once or twice per cruise…It could even involve a pre buffet live music event… You could just pre book as you would for a speciality restaurant…Might be a good event/option on overnight stays…

Thank you for understanding the concept of the thread…

Yes! I think this would particularly go down well on sea days….

Yes, if they could create a bit of that casual but special ambiance it would be lovely!

I remember the previous Buffet dining too and the picnic boxes, obviously with more enjoyment…

Several recent threads have focused on Celebrity ‘downgrading’ the product in an attempt to save money…I thought it might be fun to start a thread about things they could do and charge for which could enhance our experience and make them extra $$$. So what would you be willing to pay a bit extra for? To start, my ideas… Do a pop up speciality in part of the buffet every night. Each night a different theme, a focus on relaxed dining but a change from the MDR or the speciality restaurants. Not a ridiculous price, perhaps $15? This would be especially nice if they could incorporate some fresh produce from ports of call…This would be really appreciated on the M class ships with limited dining options. Give those with drinks packages ‘deals’ on full bottles (yes, I know you can order) but make a real feature of it. ‘Tonight’s special wine options are’…Celebrity would up their income, those of us on wine packages would get a bigger/better choice. If the up charge was too much then guests would choose to simply look at the wine menu but I am sure they could find a sweet spot where they would feel they had made a $ or $$ and we would feel happy with the deal… How about, now they are charging for room service, some special lunch options on sea days. A picnic basket or an all day English breakfast special…Things that you could really enjoy on those days you don’t want to do anything other than enjoy your balcony… So what would you enjoy that you would be willing to pay a bit more for? I really don’t want this to turn into a negative thread so no comments on ‘room service used to be free’ or ‘there should be more choices in the wine package’ please! Just let your imagination run to things you would enjoy and be willing to pay an extra $ or £ (in our case) for?

Costa Lotta!

Surely that isn’t everything?

Just a quick thank you for a wonderful vicarious cruise! For a variety of reasons I am not at sea this year so I have enjoyed the detailed reviews of others all the more! I loved the balance of sightseeing, family life and factual information…There seems to be a lack of reviews from those in inside cabins but, as you say, if you are only using the cabin to shower, sleep and dress in then they really are an affordable option. I think there is also a lack of family reviews too, I hope your review inspires other families to try a cruise!

Mixed opinions. We usually cruise RS with the occasional PH so my opinion may not be general. Pre revolution, S class the RS soft furnishings were dated but were improved by the upgrade. The balcony furnishings were a downgrade in our opinion. The wooden table and cushioned chairs were replaced by metal ones (no cushions). The really comfortable sun bed was replaced with two recliner chairs with footstools. Again no cushions. The irony was the suite was full of cushions!!! Unfortunately none of them fitted comfortably on the outside chairs. Pre revolution, S class. Inside the PH looked classy with its piano which was useful for putting your room cards and a box of chocolates on if nothing else! Post revolution the table changed direction and there was an odd storage unit. A pity they didn’t add a couple of sea facing lounger chairs, plenty of space for them. Post revolution on the balcony there was the same table swap as for the RS and the addition of two very odd chairs it was impossible to sit comfortably on plus a couple of nice cushioned loungers. To be perfectly honest I don’t have a preference between pre and post revolution, the decadence of light and space in all the S PH suites make them a pleasure to be in. Other features. On Equinox there was a sun deck with comfortable seating and good service but very limited shade. On Silhouette the deck was over two floors with a jacuzzi, a bar and a bigger range of seating. Generally around the ship there were more changes than on Equinox too including more seating in the sunset bar area. Over all I would prefer the Silhouette over other S class ships for the sun deck and the extra dining options (nothing to do with the revolution). However, I would be happy cruising on any S class ship. M class I can’t compare as I have never done a revolutionised ship. However, I loved the pre revolutionised ones enough to have one booked for next year!

Equinox only completed a part revolution. No where near as nice as Silhouette. There are three different classes of ships with Celebrity. M class, the oldest. As mentioned two of their ships have been revolutionised. S class are the next. Mainly similar layout but the Reflection is slightly bigger and has more suites. Silhouette has been revolutionised, Equinox has been partially revolutionised. E class are the newest. You can find all the ships listed with their categories on the website. Be aware as you research different people have different views. For example, some love the E class, others (me included) find S class our sweet spot. Others love the size and layout of the M class despite their age… Also be aware that it can depend on what room category you are looking at as to what suits you best. For example, if you are looking at a suite only E class and the revolutionised ships have a suite deck. Then within the suite decks there are real differences… I strongly suggest you do some ship tours first of all ship types, then look at itineraries. After that consider the rooms you are considering and which ships can offer you the best overall experience…

I personally don’t mind being called a cheerleader. I wouldn’t be booking my holidays or posting on this site unless I thought they had a really good product. I, like many others, have concerns about recent changes and lack of communication about the changes but it because I genuinely care about the product and want it to continue to offer what I want out of a cruise vacation… However, I have been wrong about changes before! I thought changing the dress code would be an issue….Nooooo, I much prefer evening chic! I was concerned about ‘having to have’ a drinks package but actually I enjoy it…

I guess the next real episode in this saga will follow in a couple of weeks when we see how it does work out… I genuinely hope for all of you travelling in Sky Suites as the changes happen do find that your Retreat experience is as good as before if not better. Perhaps for some it could be significantly better…Those, for example, who have never asked for their minibars to be restocked…It could be a nice bonus perk… My glass is always half full…hopefully the butler team will keep it topped up!

We only ever send in anything we would put in a mixed load at home… For mixed weather/colder cruises most people pack layers. If you pack plenty of T shirts and only a couple of sweaters/sweatshirts your sweaters/sweatshirts will stay fresh if you always wear a T shirt underneath. You won’t want to wear your sweaters on board either so literally one or two will do. We tend to take pleasant but not over expensive T shirts we are happy to stick in the laundry…Worse case scenario they look a bit tight and faded by the end of the holiday!