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In our experience on the S class ships, Murano is the one that tends to book up very quickly. Lawn Grill is also popular. When we cruised on Reflection (pre covid) the other restaurants did have discounts but not these two. I think the reason why the speciality restaurants are filling up quickly at present is the amount of OBC many guests have…Many are using this cash to pre purchase dining packages. Suggest you do go for that first night discount….Personally, first night, although Murano is definitely our favourite restaurant, I would opt for the more casual Lawn Grill after a tiring boarding day…

Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise, Dianne…

The S class PH suites are wonderful, simply a decadence of light and space, enjoy!

Before contacting anyone else at this stage this is exactly what we would do… If United can’t sort you then find 2/3 flights that would be acceptable to you then contact FBC, copy in the CEO with a brief summary of your experience (bullet point). Request a response within 2 days. Asking you to turn up at the airport with no flight!?!?!? Words fail me…One of the ‘selling’ points of FBC is the additional ‘security’ of having your flights and cruise linked…

That is a significant cut to the cost of a meal for two…Any discount is worth having!

Jim, just had some surgery and I am fairly fixed to a chair for a few weeks, so looking forward to vicariously enjoying your cruise! Sincere best wishes for a fantastic adventure!

The only place you need closed toed shoes is if you are invited to a helipad sail away.

In the UK you can make a change (any change) at £75 each for guests one and two. This change is free if you are Elite or above. In your case you are changing the full cruise, it should not be a problem. You pay £150 and your deposit will be transferred. The only other thing you need to do (if you booked through a TA) is if they have an additional admin charge. If you did book through a TA you will need to make the change through them, not directly with Celebrity.

Where are you from? T &Cs are different in different countries…

If you can make your product appeal to the widest market possible then you should ensure more full ships… By having some facilities for children families are welcomed. By not having the bells and whistles children facilities those who do not want lots of kids on board are not put off. Marketing to the younger affluent but then excluding them once they had children would not make sense. Multigenerational holidays are gaining in popularity, excluding children does not make sense. Children who cruise young on Celebrity are the next generation of cruisers. Our son was E+ at 21… Having recently seen the TV program on Virgin cruises I am quite shocked as to what they ‘think’ adults want from an adults only cruise…Loud, brash a focus on drinking….put us right off. Give us the quiet sophistication of Celebrity any day.

The day I am tempted to book a cruise based on the luxury level of their self service laundry is the day I will decide I need to cruise no more and spend my leisure time in my utility area…

I had the most wonder cocktail in Sushi on 5 last cruise…Mango based. I am not usually a lover of mango but it was really refreshing and complemented my meal selection (lots of bits) perfectly! There are usually two different LPC menus. When we last cruised it swapped mid cruise so worth finding out which menu is on which half of the cruise as you board…

This is exactly why choice is important! We find Celebrity suits us perfectly because we enjoy the ‘club’ atmosphere in the Retreat areas but then enjoy also having a big ship to explore. Re tenders and anything else that usually involves queuing on a big ship the concierge can usually make much easier. Much as I don’t particularly like the pretentious red carpet on returning to the ship in a hot Med or Caribbean port I will enjoy my queue jumping perk! Totally agree, it is the little things that add up to make an experience special…

In our experience most X class have a couple of chess sets a couple of scrabble sets and a couple of mahjong sets. There are some great games compendium sets available on line and in many stores…If we are on a cruise with more sea days we will take our own chess set with us.

Yes it is a must not miss port but you can enjoy it without a tour… Suggested itinerary… Eat breakfast outside the buffet, whilst the tenders are busy and enjoy the view. As the mass exodus finishes take the tender to the gondola and buy a return ticket. Head up and bear right keeping to the cliff side. Take your time, browse some of the craft shops, enjoy the stunning views. Continue right looking for signs of the archaeological museum. It contains many of the objects dug up from Akrotiri. Big enough to be fascinating but not so big it is overwhelming. Remember all the stories linking Santorini to Atlantis… Now this is where you need the input of someone else…You could do with being recommended the bar with the best views…I remember us finding one some distance the other side of the gondola which had fantastic views, ice cold beer, great service and we enjoyed pizza and Greek salad…(typical blue and white). Unfortunately I can’t remember the name or directions. To be honest, though as long as you stay near cliff side you should find it or similar… When you are ready to return to the ship if you feel brave you could go the donkey route, personally I would take the gondola… On arriving back at the ship head for the mast bar. The ship gently moves so the view does change. Enjoy looking at Nea Kameni (New Burnt Island) the new volcano and remember you are sitting inside an enormous caldera…

So pleased for your upgrade…you deserve it after your last cruise experience.

Den, I also sometimes feel like a broken record repeating the same advice and anecdotes…I remind myself they are hopefully new to the original poster and the old stories are usually the best!

We usually now book RS and PH so have free laundry, we are also E+ so get free laundry and frequently only put in 1 or 2 bags of bits and pieces per cruise. I guess all the years of needing to pack carefully have paid off…We tend to have darker coloured evening wear, our ‘cruise wardrobe’ only contains fabrics that don’t crease, we only choose lightweight fabrics… Perhaps next cruise I should pack unwisely to get my ‘money’s worth’ from my suite and Captain’s Club status!

We have been on cruises where we (or our son) has been told something (we have tried to book last minute) has been sold out only to find that they have managed to accommodate us. I would add we usually cruise RS or PH so that may make a difference in putting us nearer the top of a waitlist… As a general rule of thumb I would suggest that helicopter trips, sea planes, boat trips probably do sell out and the only way to get one last minute is if someone else drops out. However, coach tours etc, I would think that as soon as enough interest is registered on a waitlist they will try to add an additional coach. If you are unable to pre book, as someone else suggested, head for the excursion desk on boarding. If you list your ports people may be able to recommend things to do either walking or a short taxi ride away…It is amazing how sometimes there are local museums, churches, shops, restaurants etc that are worth visiting in their own right but often get missed as everyone heads to the coaches… Hope you manage to get sorted…

Zitsky, you are about to visit one of the most beautiful and amazing cities on the planet. We spent two weeks in the city and still came back not having done everything on the list. You specifically mentioned ship tours so I will stay with your brief. I do suggest you go for a ‘glimpse of it all tour’ with an add on. The one you mentioned is typical…you will get a taster (drive past) the main sights with photo stops and then a ‘something else’. The tour you mentioned is typical. Cape Sounion is beautiful…so don’t write off this option. Also if you are there in the Summer there is a breeze! Some years ago we did a ship tour labelled something like ‘Highlights with time on your own in Plaka’. This again is a great option. You had a glimpse of the obvious sites and then had time in my favourite area of Athens. Whilst Plaka initially looks like a typical tourist area just meander upwards and you will be in a maze of little roads with bars, pussy cats, tumbling buildings and a sleepy atmosphere hard to describe….then you will hit something a bit more touristy and repeat. It gives you a chance to sit with a drink and Greek salad and soak up the sights, sounds and smells of this amazing city. I can guarantee you will remember this part of the tour more than the official ‘highlights’ bit. Never done it but I am aware many ships do offer an ‘Athens on your own’ tour. You are simply paying for a drop off (usually near the parliament building with the silly walking guards) and pick up later. Whilst in one way you could see this as paying a lot of money for little it does offer security. I haven’t seen much on the present political situation in Athens recently but it a city renowned for last minute industrial action which can hit both buses and taxis. Obviously, you would then need to prioritise what you wanted to do. You could simply decide to spend time in the museum (fantastic) and have a meal… Loads of great suggestions from others re private tours…Seriously, it is such a wonderful city you will love whatever you do….Final point ‘Mad dogs and English men….’ The midday sun really is melting and the city is hot and the air can be polluted so look for an early tour for ‘highlights’ and pace yourself…

A RS on a cruise where ‘the ship is the destination’ sounds ideal after your recent stressful time. Remember to let your butler know your focus is on rest and relaxation. It is wonderful to have time for relaxing balcony breakfasts, leisurely balcony lunchtimes…Ask your butler for some lunchtime suggestions for port days…With prior discussion they can often offer you something not on any menu… Love your idea of Grand Marnier with champers to make a grand mimosa!!! On cruises where we intend to crash out more we will ask our butler to add items to the bar set up including sliced lemon and olives. Never a problem. We also tend to ask for a real fruit bowl rather than the usual lonely apples on a plate. Nice to garnish drinks with. Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise…

You can also ask your room attendant to bring ice to your room twice daily. As it begins to melt just top up your water bottle.

We were in a RS on Equinox just after the partial refurbishment. We had new bedding and hundreds of cushions littering the lounge and bedroom. Sofa, curtains, carpet were not changed but were still in excellent condition. The biggest letdown for us was the balcony furnishings. Uncushioned dining chairs and partially reclining loungers and footstools but totally hard. Not one bit of padding. Our butler rounded up a few cushions for us but not ideal, you certainly could not get comfortable enough to enjoy an afternoon siesta the way you could on the previous rattan furnishings. Disappointing.

Really looking forward to following your adventures! Re Luminae. One of the problems with Luminae is you can read the menu and not really have a clue about what the dishes will actually look like! On our first few cruises we would ask what was actually in each dish. Some waiters were great and would describe the dishes well, others were a bit more dismissive and would simply say ‘try it’…Also veggies can be more of a garnish than a portion so ask if you would like a side of salad or greens… Re Speciality restaurants. When we were last on Equinox we had great service in both Murano and Tuscan, also the sommeliers were great at matching wines (within the premium package) to each course. Re Blu…I would think the present restriction is regarding spacing. If you really want to dine there one evening I suggest you have a quiet word with the Luminae M’D saying you would be happy to go very early/very late and they may be able to liaise with the Blu M’D and organise…

Think of Celebrity having a focus on rest and relaxation in elegant surroundings with good food and excellent service… No ongoing announcements of activities, if you want activities they are there but you need to look them up. We often mark up activities on the daily planner and then can’t be bothered to go because we are simply happy sat comfortably somewhere people watching… Shows on Celebrity are less spectacular than on the mega ships but fine. We rarely go now preferring the duo, small group musical events that move from bar to bar during the day and evening. If you board looking for what Celebrity has to offer rather than board looking for things you have experienced on other ships then you will open your mind to new experiences. For example, Celebrity usually has some cooking demonstrations and lectures on sea days. May not sound enthralling but give them a go, we have enjoyed them. Also recommend you give the speciality restaurants on Solstice a go. Murano is lovely with an elegant atmosphere and table side preparation whilst Tuscan is more relaxed with stunning wake views… Sincere best wishes for a wonderful first Celebrity Cruise!