chemmo

Another vote for Murano. Not only for the food, they are used to making occasions special! On a couple of occasions we have seen them produce arranged gifts from under those silver domes! They will also arrange for the ship photographer to be around to capture special moments if you speak to the M’D…

We have cruised and enjoyed holidays in this region at this time of year and the weather is very mixed. You can have pleasant sunny days or torrents or rain and a strong wind…In our experience you would be very unlucky if you saw no sunshine but very lucky if you saw no rain…As rain is often accompanied by wind and the temperature is still warm you are much better with a light showerproof jacket or a $ poncho than an umbrella. After saying this we do love the region at this time of year. Much less crowded and much less hot. Again in our experience the major attractions of each port will still be open, although, if I remember correctly some close earlier from the 1st November. I suggest you look on line at opening times for the places you want to visit. Also if you look at Celebrity excursions (even if you don’t intend booking them) it will give you some ideas… The only thing we did find was some of the tourist shops and bars were either shut or shutting for the season. Never a problem as there were always plenty still open…

I suggest you pop into the area as you board, they will show you the facilities.There are tiled loungers, sauna and steam rooms and a large rain shower. In our experience first day of cruise they are unlikely to be fully booked. If you do like it you could then decide. The area is include at no additional charge for aqua room guests. All other guests pay. You can book a pass for the cruise or just book day passes. As you say, sea days tend to be busy so you may prefer to simply book a port day near the beginning of your cruise then if you do enjoy book another one… Re worth the charge? Most people who book Aqua rooms do so to get entry into Blu, the restaurant for Aqua guests rather than just for the spa access. Personally I enjoy for an hour or so once per cruise and that is enough…

So pleased…Mistakes happen, nice when they are sorted without any issues.

We haven’t had many poor holiday experiences but those we have seen as ‘sub’ were usually a combination of small cumulative issues rather than one major disappointment…I guess we all go on vacation hoping to switch off, relax and unwind and little niggles prevent that. So pleased you have had a better experience. I am so pleased you gave them a chance to ‘put things right’. Hope the rest of your vacation goes smoothly.

On boarding head to the two restaurants you have booked and explain your daughter is vegetarian and autistic. Not only will they arrange vegetarian options they will listen to you about your daughter’s sensory needs. For example, Le Petite Chef as you are probably aware, is a show with lights and sound. You may prefer to be nearer the door then if she is a little overwhelmed then it will be easier for you to take her out if she needs a break. In Murano service is slow paced but they will speed it up if requested. Also some seating is more central and if your daughter finds noise distracting your family may be better by a wall. That is my preference too! On the morning of your dinner just pop by and remind them of your special requests…

Was the cabin he booked capable of having 4 guests and they have moved him to one that only has 2 max…Only reason I can think of for Celebrity moving him

Yes! Hopefully we will.

There frequently seems to be a Mr and Mrs Grumble in the Retreat lounge…My favourite memory was of a couple complaining to the concierge that their visit to Lisbon hadn’t been that good ‘…because everyone spoke Spanish’…?!?! It would have been funny enough if the lady had said Portuguese! Sincere best wishes to you and your family for a fantastic cruise on Silhouette, our favourite ship. Such a pity she is not cruising from Southampton next year. PS please don’t send the ‘young at heart’ oldies like myself off Celebrity and onto Saga!

Sounds like fun, especially on longer cruises.

Photography classes and cruises definitely seem a good combination…Sea days learn something, port days put into practice what you have learned…

The only free cooking classes I have seen were more of the ‘demo’ type. I have never tried either of the others. Did you? Were they any good?

I think lots of people would be interested in different classes, especially on longer cruises with lots of sea days. The cooking one seems an obvious with the number of chefs on board. I also think iPad/phone ones could be popular. You could even get a discount for the class if you bought your iPad on board!

Any new ideas of your own? I started this thread, lightheartedly, to consider thinks that we payers may enjoy and that may give Celebrity a $ or $$…It is interesting that may are things that have previously been tried and discontinued. However, I think there are a few things that could be resurrected in a better way. A quality burger stand in the MDR (perhaps a full BBQ offering?) and Brunch on sea days in Blu both seem very doable with little additional outlay to X…

….and such a shame that breakfast finishes so early when many of us could enjoy a lie in and then a breakfast/lunch in a nice setting.

Perhaps on sea days Blu could be the venue from 10.30 - 2pm for the brunch several of us think could go down well. No impact on Aqua guests…It may also encourage guests who haven’t considered Aqua Class before to consider looking at it for the next cruise after experiencing the venue. A sales plug as well as a dining earner for Celebrity!

You know, I think you have expressed exactly what I was trying to ‘get at’ when I started this thread. Companies are driven by profit. They can either up their profit margins by making cuts (room service, menu items, butler service) or by upping their prices (with a real risk of out pricing themselves) or by offering extra facilities/services that their guests would feel were an enhancement to their cruise experience and a price they were comfortable with…Personally, I do prefer this last option….

I can see both sides…However, if you look most ships there are quiet areas that could be better utilised. Whilst for many guests it is the poolside location they want. If it is peace and quiet, a nice sun bed and perhaps a bit more attentive service then location is not important…The pool side guests would have less folks looking for spots and the ‘luxury bed’ guests would get what they want too.

Oh, I agree, add in a few basic toiletries too…On long haul flights to cruise, especially, it would be so nice not to take the long list of ‘just in case’ over the counter stuff with you…

We have been lucky enough to dine with officers on occasions. Always interesting…I agree it probably would have to be cruises longer than 7 nights.

I do know that X does read these threads, whether or not they take the comments/advice seriously is another matter…I just hope that if they read this they do get the message to ask their regulars about changes before implementing both positive and negative. This post has focused on positive changes they could make that we would even be happy to pay more for…

Yes, we enjoyed the first one we went to but the second was heaving…It resembled the one run by the Mad Hatter! The food went around fast but less so the tea! Also The Retreat Lounge/Michael’s offers afternoon tea of a good standard but not available to all. Perhaps, Blu could be a nice venue for an afternoon tea event? Keep the numbers to a reasonable limit leaving space for some live but not too lively music!

Another vote for an escape room! I remember a mystery dinner on a cruise once, RC I think…Certainly the ship will know it’s ‘quiet’ nights in the speciality restaurants and could try something…

Great, now we are thinking!

Thinking of the number of posts about lunch options on boarding this could be a winner. Bistro on 5 used to fulfil this role but somehow Sushi doesn’t seem to have filled the gap…