chemmo

Thank you. A few health issues at present. We have moved our cruise to a similar one next year and have a Caribbean one to look forward to in March so we hope to be back on board soon. Makes enjoying reading the live blogs of others even more pleasurable!

Laundry perks start at RS level. Technically there is no discount for SS or CS. Usually just the stuff a bag offer available to all. However, perhaps, PRH are allowed to offer laundry regularly at the ‘stuff a bag rate’ on longer cruises? Just an idea. I do know friends of ours in a CS on a TP (17 days) were given one free bag mid cruise…It would be interesting to hear the experiences of others.

Enough to make you need a drinks package….

You never know, we had fabulous weather in Alaska in September a few years ago and managed a balcony breakfast! We had purchased all the ‘layers’ of clothing and struggled with the packing only to need T shirts and light fleeces most of time. Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise and great weather!

We ask for this every cruise. We put this request on our email to the shoreside concierge. I think contact with CS can be a bit hit and miss so if you aren’t contacted ask your butler on boarding. We have had some set ups fancier than others.

Don’t do it! You will switch out of holiday relaxation mode…Go on a tour or enjoy a day on the empty ship enjoying sipping a cocktail or three. Remember, if you are both Elite that is two bags. In suites (as you know) they usually give you those big fabric bags, you can stuff loads in them! If you have a paper one just ask your butler for a fabric one.

Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise! Congratulations to Julie on her retirement! A cruise is a great way to celebrate retirement and an anniversary! Can I suggest you declare one night of your cruise your ‘anniversary night’, even though it is technically after your cruise? Murano would be my recommendation. If you are planning an anniversary gift Murano staff will deliver it under one of their big silver food domes. We have seen them do it a few times. One of my favourite items of jewellery is a ‘mini-mosaic’ necklace set in silver we bought in Rome. Making these miniature works of art is a traditional Roman craft, you will see them in lots of shops. Just an idea! Luminae, as I think you are aware, has a menu that may not appeal to Julie. However, one of the problems of the menu, in my experience, is the way it is worded. When we first cruised there we would ask the waiter to describe what certain dishes actually were…Many dishes are not as fancy as they sound. Also, remember the MDR menu is available in Luminae on S class ships. We loved the extra dining choices on Reflection. Both Lawn Grill and The Porch are great places to dine in warm climates. Also if you have had a really strenuous port day the buffet is very different in the evening than at breakfast and lunch. Much quieter, made to order meat and fish dishes and obviously pizza! Recently had to cancel our October cruise so I will be enjoying your adventures with my morning coffee daily. We have done part of your itinerary and would love to do it again! Enjoy your stay in Rome. Your accommodation sounds ideal! Looking forward to your next post… PS…Lovely dogs!

I think it depends on how much free laundry you have! If you pay for item by item it is very expensive. When we cruised without free laundry we would send it out once per cruise when they had the ‘stuff the bag’ offer. Then when we became E we would usually send in a bag day 3 which would include bits from pre cruise overnight and then about day 6. When we became E+ we often sent another bag the last day possible so we were returning with less dirty laundry. Now we tend to cruise in higher suites we just send it in when we want… The laundry is great for items that you would happily put in a mixed wash at home but we never send in delicate items so no matter how much free laundry you have there is a limit to what most people send in. There is a dry cleaning service but we rarely use it..

So glad you found it useful. When we first cruised in a suite we didn’t know what to expect. We asked several questions on CC and were very grateful to find out a bit before boarding. Now it is time for us to try to ‘give a bit back’. The two main points I hope came through were that you do need to communicate your wishes to staff and that there are some differences between ships.

OP, you don’t say what ship you are sailing on and I think it matters as CS suites on the different classes of ship are very different. We disliked the one on S class, enclosed bedroom (small) and lounge (small) and bathroom (small with shower over tub) are to my mind less pleasant for a solo cruiser than a nice open lay out Sky Suite… M class, the bedroom is again enclosed but the living area is nice. The balcony is narrow but okay but the killer is the shower over tub bathroom it is really high to access. Can not comment on E class as I haven’t experienced, perhaps someone else will comment. Re suite perks…CS suite perks are the same as for Sky Suite so no gain. Points for Elite…As others have said the perks of being Elite doesn’t seem to have the same value now most guests have drinks packages. Basically a bag of laundry and Tuscan breakfast. However, if you plan on looking at cruise only rates in the near future and are not a big drinker then those points will keep your overall holiday cost down. OP, your choice, if you fancy booking a higher suite then go for it but do some research first and make sure you won’t be disappointed with the room…They are the marmite suites on Celebrity, you either love them or hate them!

I agree but equally we have found that forwarding requests early can also mean they disappear between initial contact and booking. I guess the best thing to do is request early, check they have the request shortly before you cruise and then on boarding check again! The irony is most evenings, as long as you are flexible with your dining time, Tuscan can easily accommodate a group of 8 booking on board but totally understand the OPs perspective, if you are organising a special meal you want it to go according to plan!

Strongly suggest on boarding you head to Tuscan to ensure your request has gone through.

Congratulations!

Don’t forget the Bellini, my favourite!

I guess it depends how close a family you are…We would not consider sharing the PH with anyone other than immediate family although I have known people who happily have. Having holidayed together many times in apartments, small lodges etc we understand how to happily share space… Personally we cruise as a family get together. Whilst we may not always eat together or go the same bars we have the option to do so if we want to. If our son and his GF were in a balcony cabin then they would not have access to the Retreat Lounge or Luminae nor would they get free speciality dining and they probably would only have a classic drinks package rather than a premium. They would have less storage and a smaller bathroom too. All about what fits your family best…

When our son hit 18 and started holidaying with friends we thought it would be the end of our higher suite excuses but somehow if we booked a cruise he still came although he didn’t join us for other holidays. Then came the steady GF, now our excuse is gone we thought…No, now they both come and it has to be the PH, not the RS as we need a second bathroom! I guess they may as well continue to come with us, it is their inheritance we are spending!

We generally book RS or PH…This bad habit started when our son was a teen. We wanted him to have his own space but still be part of our room…It has worked perfectly for us for years! Yes, there is a big spend for guests one and two but then guests three and four are relatively cheap and they still get all the upper suite perks including speciality dining and premium beverage package… For the party as a whole there is wonderful daytime space but two separate sleeping areas at night and an extra 1/2 bath in RS on S class and full bath in the PH on both classes. Lots of positives not even related to price. OP, can we keep this as our secret? We have two PH cruises for us and our son and GF and hope to book many more…

Izzywiz…How I wish I had kept a daily diary when we toured this part of the world, it has brought back some happy memories!

Celebrity food is, in our experience, well above RC. We generally book suites with access to the suite restaurant and the speciality restaurants but still thoroughly enjoy the general dining venues…We are D+ and E+ so are well experienced with both lines. In addition to the MDR consider the buffet. Look for speciality lunches. They often have themed days. Also the Indian selection is fantastic. In the evening the buffet area is quieter, they offer made to order steak, salmon etc…Great if you have had a busy day… We do love at least once per cruise enjoying the burger bar…reliably tasty! Dining isn’t all about the food, service comes into it too. We thoroughly enjoyed our RC years and staff were always lovely but we do find Celebrity better, often just those little attention to detail things… If you do fancy a treat book a speciality restaurant. You won’t be disappointed. Name the ship you are cruising on and you will receive lots of advice on the experience you will probably enjoy the most. Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise…

You don’t forget touches of kindness like this…

It is all about doing your homework… I remember when we tried to book the Flam railway trip. If I booked through Celebrity or a local tour guide they could not secure a wheelchair space with companion seating but if I booked directly I could and cheaper! On the same cruise at a different port (sorry can’t remember the exact port) you could book a disability friendly local tour but you had to get to the port gate first. If you couldn’t get on a shuttle bus you had to wait in line (in the cold) for one minibus with accessibility for wheelchairs which you couldn’t pre book a time slot for. Pre planning excursions has always been a highlight of pre cruise pleasure before cruising. In our experience you just need to simply be a bit more alert when travelling with mobility issues. Googling the local roads and pavements as well as described tours we have found useful.

Why not take your iPad on a fact finding bar crawl prior to your match day? Some locations on the ship definitely have better reception than others. Even if on a small screen you will then be able to enjoy with a drink in hand!

Just a little reassurance to the OP as there seems to be a focus on negatives of cruising with mobility issues. I have cruised a couple of times now whilst recovering from surgery that left me with mobility issues. Once needing a wheelchair and once on crutches and on the whole we have found the staff and fellow cruisers thoughtful and caring. Just a few examples… the Solarium pool staff were great and always available to help me in and out of the pool using the ‘ducking stool’. Our room attendant brought a stool to our room to use in the bathroom, not asked for but very useful. Restaurant staff could see I was struggling to sit comfortably (I needed to be forward) and rounded up cushions. Poolside when I was trying to access a sun-bed and was struggling as it was mid row guests around immediately rearranged the gaps to make things easier for me. On one occasion my son needed to go back to our room for something and our ‘poolside neighbours’ immediately assured him and me that they would ‘get anything I may need’ until he returned. Yes, we did meet the odd lift rusher and I still can remember a lady at the sun set bar tutting when I asked her if she could move her handbag so I could sit down but I think they are the exceptions not the rule. Personally, I think cruising is a fantastic way to enjoy travel when challenged with mobility issues. If I wanted to holiday again with mobility issues I would definitely go for a cruise! Re the wheelchair or scooter debate a think a lot depends on the physical capabilities of your travel partner. If they have the stamina to push you over carpeted areas or uneven ground off the ship then a wheelchair will work well for you. However, if your partner would find this hard then go for the scooter. The scooter has the added advantage over most wheelchairs that you can travel around the ship independently, you are not waiting for someone else to push you. We went for the wheelchair option but in hindsight I would rent a scooter next time. On the two occasions I have cruised with mobility issues I did need to set realistic expectations about what I could/could not do in ports. We did find the Celebrity tour descriptions useful in describing number of steps, length of walks etc. In a couple of ports we simply decided to enjoy an empty ship, we simply felt that the terrain would be too difficult and that I would ‘pay for it’ the next day. Never felt I had ‘missed out’ on these days, an empty ship is a wonderful luxury! OP, sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

Lovely to find what suits you! A great idea on any ship to get a few snacks to enjoy on your balcony. We spoke to first time Edge cruisers last year whose only complaint was they “were never really hungry enough to enjoy dinner”…I think this is always a cruise risk. As I mentioned in previous post, we tend to go for light breakfast and reasonable lunch or decent breakfast snack lunch…

Variety for us makes our breakfasts a pleasurable treat! We never use the MDR now, we found the breakfast and lunchtime service very slow. Luminae Room service Elite breakfast Retreat Lounge Aqua cafe Cafe Al Baccio Buffet Buffet take away (bacon and French bread to turn into balcony sandwiches, cover plate with another plate). Lunchtimes we again go for variety Luminae Sushi on Five Buffet (usually salad or sandwich to eat in or take away). However, at least once per cruise we will enjoy grazing the stations. Indian selection is yummy. Have to have a burger at least once per cruise Aqua cafe, great if you have had a heavy breakfast. I am aware my list includes a few venues that are suite or Captains Club only but even taking them out there are lots of options. We tend to try to balance light breakfast then a more substantial lunch or big breakfast light lunch… Re the buffet…I do understand the reluctance of some to use when it is busy but outside peak hours we find the food very good in terms of quality and choice and the seating very pleasant, especially if you sit by a window. Staff clean quickly, we have even had great drinks service there.