chemmo

Fortunately we started our travels as soon as we had an income! Many years later we recently had to cancel/postpone our October cruise owing to health issues. The ‘sting’ of the cancellation was eased by knowing how much we have already seen and done! Much as we hope to be able to cruise again soon we are very aware how blessed we have been to have seen and done so much… Looking forward to enjoying the rest of your adventures!

Really enjoying reading your review. So many people are always going to visit Alaska (or Norway for that matter) when they are older not realising that often the best tours in these regions are on foot, kayak or bicycle and need a good level of stamina and mobility. You sound very much like ‘my glass is half full’ people, many would bemoan that their first choice excursions had been cancelled rather that be happy there were other options. I am sure that Shore Excursions appreciated your understanding, I feel for them when cruisers get grumpy about something they have no control over.

I can’t say it better than the Queen ”The price for love is grief…” Rest in peace Ma’am.

Calicakes, we were on a half full post covid British Isles cruise last year and I took an early morning walk around the ship. At 7am someone had saved two beds in the Solarium and the two ‘big’ loungers on the Retreat Deck had also been saved as had several beds poolside. The ship was so empty everyone could have a bed in the sun and another in the shade and there still would be plenty over. It would have been odd enough in the Mediterranean or Caribbean but we were heading to Belfast in thick cloud…. It will be interesting to see how chair hogging is managed (or not managed)…Hope you enjoy your day.

I admire you efforts to keep the weight off. On our first few cruises we did eat full breakfast, lunch and dinner and found that we did gain weight despite lots of exercise from strenuous excursions. Now our exercise is more limited but we don’t gain weight. We do follow some simple rules… Either a big breakfast and a light lunch or light breakfast and more substantial lunch. We avoid any between meal snacks (Retreat lounge, Cafe…). We feel comfortable leaving food on the plate (your idea of asking for half portions is better). We are not big dessert fans, we may just ask for vanilla ice cream or sorbet end of meal. If you love desserts then look for the salad starters. Our philosophy is we can enjoy anything we want to eat on the cruise but not all on the same day!

As others have said pre revolution the biggest difference was the extra deck and the addition of a Reflection suite and Signature Suites on Reflection.

We find the biggest problem with Luminae is that you can read the menu and not really have a clue what you are ordering. Also the veggies can be (in our opinion) a garnish rather than a portion. We tend to ask specific questions from the waiter about dishes we haven’t had before, request a side salad or extra veggies and if we are unsure about a sauce we ask for it on the side.

We miss it too. We generally have a beverage package and cruise in suites but we still would enjoy one or two evenings at the Captains Club cocktail hour…Always such a ‘social event’.

You know it is that sort of thing we enjoy too… Perhaps people are balcony people or they are not.

Yes, we would probably enjoy the extra space more too although we have used the jacuzzi occasionally! We have at least found the S RS balcony useable, it’s size wouldn’t stop us booking again. Whilst not spacious compared to the E Class RS balcony it is massive…A dining table two chairs and two lounge chairs compared to two chairs and a drinks table!?!?

This is exactly the criticism some make of the RS on S class, there isn’t space for a decent table and two comfortable lounge chairs. You chose a suite which was right for you, exactly the point I am trying to make…For some people a balcony is important for others it is not!

We like sun beds on the balcony as well as chairs. Not so much to do with the ‘sun’ part but definitely the ‘bed’. We are older now, have limited mobility and a comfortable place to sit/lie and enjoy the view day or night is an important pleasure for us. Our ability to enjoy excursions has become more restricted but we can choose a room that fits what we want. I totally understand what is important to us is not important to you…As I previously said, all about choices.

All about personal choices…highlights of our cruise include… Standing on our balcony as we enter a port. Eating breakfast on our balcony. Afternoon read or nap on the balcony. Sipping a glass of wine on my balcony as my hair dries late afternoon rather than fight a hairdryer. Watching a port slip into the distance from our balcony early evening. Taking a last drink back to our room and lying on a sun bed star gazing. Occasionally sitting out in the sun or enjoying an occasional jacuzzi. Whilst the balcony isn’t a deal breaker to you a small or overhanging balcony is to us…

Worse ways to spend an evening!!!

In our general experience all restaurants (including Blu, Luminae, MDR and speciality restaurants are easier to access/book before 6.45pm and after 8.15pm. As we have travelled world wide we have seen some variations (in the Med if more Europeans on board skewed busier slightly later). As mentioned in a previous post, if you don’t want a wait or to be sent away with a buzzer ask the M’D for his time recommendations. He will after the first night or so be able to predict the crowded times.

My apologies if I misread your post…on one of my previous posts I mentioned I had rarely experienced drink induced poor behaviour on Celebrity. My query was on how many Celebrity cruises you had experienced drink related poor behaviour.

How many Celebrity cruises have you been on where excessive drinking has been a problem?

Like others, we enjoy a drink at most times of the day. Bellini at breakfast, something fruity and icy poolside pre and post dinner drinks in one bar or another…Definitely a holiday treat, perhaps more pleasurable because it is ‘naughty’ compared to our usual life style just like the indulgent cake or three! It is nice to be naughty in your senior years! However, I am sure our indulgences have never marred the pleasure of others and that is the key. Agree… Generally agree, we have cruised Celebrity numerous times and rarely seen a problem. One very tipsy lady in The Retreat trying to encourage everyone to dance and one gentlemen observed walking crablike from the ensemble lounge to the lift but both added to our amusement rather than displeasure. However, nothing spoils any occasion (holiday or otherwise) quicker than someone who like fabby50 says… We also stay clear of short cruises in Europe and the Caribbean… A good friend of ours recently off a Cunard cruise after doing two cruises with other lines with drinks packages. They found the ‘pay as you go’ for drinks unsettling after getting used to order what you want without thinking about the price. Must confess when we used to cruise in the pre drinks package days I would tend to stick to wines and cocktails I knew I liked whereas with a package I am more comfortable to experiment. Let us know how you find your experience compared to Celebrity.

Yes, I think the personality and experience of the individual staff member makes a difference too. I also think how you act to your butler makes a difference also. We always try to remember it is a shared butler service and if we want something a bit special arranged we always try to give 24 hours warning. We also always ask if something is possible rather than expect….Much as we now enjoy having a butler do some fetching and carrying for us as our mobility is less good than it was we always try not to ask for anything we can easily do ourselves. For example, if we fancy a final drink on our balcony we don’t have in our suite we will bring it back ourselves rather than unnecessarily disturb the butler. Once or twice we have come across suite guests who quite simply are over demanding….A couple of examples… A RS guest complaining to the concierge that breakfast was served 5 minutes late! We heard a neighbouring RS guest yelling at a butler in the hallway that he expected the butler to get him a full breakfast despite the fact breakfast service had ended. A PH guest complaining to the concierge that he expected the butler to be in his room within five minutes of phoning. When the concierge explained that the short delay was during peak breakfast service and that the butler had apologised for his delay the response was “If I am paying Penthouse prices I expect my needs to come first”. It is sad that one or two people can put stress and pressure on staff with a hard job. Also sad that over demanding guests can impact on the service of fellow suite guests.

Thank you for sharing your experience, so pleased you had such a wonderful holiday. Totally agree, whilst you can not re do your day, hopefully feedback may improve the experiences for future cruisers. I am sure many future cruisers will be reassured about how easy it is to add Venice to the itinerary now the big ships no longer enter Venice itself.

Thoroughly enjoying reading along! We have the opposite time issue each time we fly to the US to tour. We call it reverse jet lag…We manage first night to slot into US time and stay up to at least 10pm but then next morning we are wide awake at 4am! No fooling our body clock. We manage the morning but then are on our knees by 3/4pm…Totally understand the plans you made and the second strategy of the Hop on bus…Sometimes in hindsight you realise you would have been better if you had given in gracefully and simply sipped a coffee or two… Food right next to major sights is frequently both disappointing and ridiculously expensive. Surprisingly just a street or two away there is usually a gem of a cafe/restaurant at a decent price. Asking someone in a shop or at your b&b where the locals eat can often be a good strategy. Looking forward to your next report!

I think several of those invitations may still be quite restricted at present. The bridge tours and invites to dine with the Captain or another officer don’t seem to have recently been reported. Helipad sail aways are usually for all suite guests. In our pre covid experience we were always were invited to dine with the Captain when in the PH and sometimes invited to dine with the Captain or another officer when in a RS in Europe and Australia. In the Caribbean (Reflection and Equinox) they had a different pattern of last sea day all higher suite guests being invited to a Bridge Tour and then a lunch with the Captain and several officers in Blu. Jim and Iain recently reported the Zenith lunch had returned (very similar) on Summit so hopefully some of these higher suite treats are being reintroduced. We do feel we get ‘special attention’ at the speciality restaurants but I think that is often because we are ‘regulars’ rather than in a RS or PH! They do listen when we suggest our preferred dining spot and have sometimes offered to make us things off menu. I do suggest that you make sure that the concierge knows you are travelling as a party and if you do receive an invite the rest of your family doesn’t always worth asking if it is possible for them to join you…. Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

A tip for future cruises, if the time you arrive is busy ask the M’D to suggest times when there is less likely to be a queue. Sometimes just half an hour can make all the difference. For example, arriving at 6.45pm rather than 7.15. As jaylayne says ‘peak time’ can vary from cruise to cruise. The M’D will soon spot a pattern and will be able to advise you…

We like our water and drinks cold what we don’t like is spirits and mixed drinks poured over a mountain of ice! For example, order a Bacardi and coke on the ship and the glass is filled with ice then the measure of Bacardi is added and then the glass is filled with coke. In the UK we are more likely to put about 2/3 cubes of ice in a glass then add Bacardi and coke. When we travel in the US and on board ship we find ourselves frequently saying ‘No ice’ when ordering cognac and sherry and specifying ‘Just a little ice’ when ordering mixed drinks. So you are right, if you order drinks in the UK generally there will be less ice in them. However, the point I was making to the OP is that even when you put water in the minibar it is cool rather than cold. Whereas, if you fill a glass of water with ice and put it by your bed you will have a lovely cold refreshing drink if you wake in the night.

I was so hoping our cancellation had resulted in a ‘bonus’ for you!