succeed_2

Thanks for your replies. I saw a lady at a wedding 2 days ago with a thick infinity scarf (I googled it) wrapped around her shoulders, and oh, she wore it so well. However, I don't think I'm fashion savvy enough to get that "look" right, so I guess I'll look for a couple of dressier cardigans (that might be easier). Also, the pictures showing how to wear a pashmina look attractive - maybe if I practice in advance I can learn how to drape and/or tie them with flare. I recall being given one about 15 years ago as a gift - l guess it's time to finally dig it out and put it to use. Thanks for all your great ideas :)

When I was on the Equinox last week, I heard that the Wonder Woman slot machine was very "giving" :)

I'm not sure from first hand experience whether this is true or not. . . .

We are on the equinox on April 14th.

In your opinion, how was the solarium?

I absolutely adored the Solarium on the Equinox and am hoping the Solarium on the Constellation is as nice on my next cruise.

On the Equinox, it was a spacious, bright area, that was fairly quiet with ambient music playing in the background (and no children allowed). And depending on where you sat, there would sometimes be delightful fragrances wafting in from the AquaSpa. Lots of people would read or take a dip in the pool, or use one of the 2 hot tubs. Some even napped.

The AquaSpa Cafe was just off to the side, so it was easy to go get something light to eat or a beverage (only until 2pm). Lounge chairs were relatively easy to obtain, because most people preferred to be out by the main pools, in the sun, where all the activity was. However, on sea days, with rain, the Solarium would fill up fast.

I would usually read in the Solarium (or do the daily crossword or Sudoku) for a couple hours in the morning, but by 11am, there were so many activities going on around the ship, I was off doing other stuff.

Thanks for your suggestions. Actually I'm so "fashion-challenged" that I had to go to Amazon to see what a "shrug" was. I cringe at the idea of having to find fashionable pieces that will go well with my other pieces (I'm not good at pairing clothes). But at least I have enough time to start trying to put different combinations together and to make sure that everything coordinates so I won't have to over-pack.

My MDR server did move us to another table, but it was still within her area, and was still cold. We had really enjoyed her presence, and I don't think she or us would have wanted us to go to a new server.

I agree that if I had been out in the sun, then the shock of coming into air conditioning would be noticeable (or even appreciated), but the weather for the first part of the cruise was cool and overcast (really rocky seas), I never sit directly in the sun (I usually sit in the more moderate Solarium), and the cold temps on board were just as noticeable (if not more so, after dark).

Anyway, I guess I'll have to start shopping, for some "just in case" items.

Thanks for all your suggestions and encouragement :)

I just got off the Equinox - it was our first time cruising with Celebrity. We've cruised previously with HAL and Princess.

On the Equinox, I found the air conditioning to be turned quite high in the MDR and in the hallways. Our MDR server also admitted it was cold. Other public areas like Celebrity Central and the Theatre were also cool, but a touch more reasonable.

I had only brought one sweater with me (for the airplane), and never expected to have to wear it every evening on the Equinox, but I did. I didn't even wear the lovely clothing I had brought to wear for dinner - it was simply too cold to do so. I was disappointed that I looked so shoddy each evening, but I was just trying to keep warm. I probably should also add that I'm not a drinker of alcohol - maybe if I was, I might have appreciated the high level of air conditioning.

My next Celebrity cruise is on the Constellation in a few months. So I'm wondering if all Celebrity ships tend to be on the cooler side and if I need to start looking now for warmer clothes for my next trip?

The biggest (potential) downside to keeping your phone on to receive texts, even if your package allows receiving for free and you have data roaming off, is that if anyone calls you you'll be charged a couple of dollars (up to six dollars if you have T-Mobile) even if you don't answer. Whatever the per-minute cost is for cellphone calls on a ship with your carrier you'll be charged the one minute minimum. If you don't answer and your call gets forwarded back to the US for your carrier's voicemail you'll incur another minute's charge (again, another couple of dollars up to six dollars for T-Mobile).

Thanks for mentioning that. I should have also added that I had turned off my voice mail.

And for those without free minutes or who did not purchase the expensive unlimited Internet for the cruise, it will be a costly thing even to just check in without printing the boarding passes.

 

With paying by the minute no longer being offered, the minimum cost to sign on is $24.95 which allows one hour of continuous use.

 

Or do they offer any last day special at low cost just so people can check-in for their flights?

Yes, they now offer 20 minutes on the last day, so you can check-in and print your boarding passes. It's just $10.

You may want to plan to do so when the iLounge is staffed. When we were trying to print our boarding passes (just a few days ago), the printer went down. Thank goodness 2 staff members were there, and were able to get the printer working again before our 20 minutes expired. The staff take a break between 5pm-7pm, so plan accordingly.

Just got off the Equinox. Seems Celebrity has improved this. On the last day, they now offer 20 minutes of internet time for $10, for checking-in and printing boarding passes. One word of advice - if possible use the computer in the iLounge when it is staffed (not when they are away on break from 5pm-7pm), because the printer refused to work while we were there, and fortunately two of the staff managed to get it working again before our 20 minutes ran out.

I'm a little confused by the responses here. I just got off the Celebrity Equinox yesterday, with my Samsung phone, and did a LOT of researching before leaving on my cruise. The phone charges I incurred amounted to $0.60 (and that was for sending one text).

Here's what I found out in advance, and what worked for me:

I did not get an internet package. I was not planning to use the internet on the ship at all, so I made sure data and data roaming were turned off (in my phone settings) for my whole trip. Instead, while leaving data turned off, I just turned WiFi on when in port, and took advantage of free WiFi wherever I found it on land.

As for texting, even though the signal goes through the Celebrity ship tower (I'm guessing to the satellite), texting is not charged by Celebrity. Texting is managed/charged by your cell phone provider. Go to their website (or call them if you have a lot of time to wait on hold) and confirm this with them. My cell phone provider charges nothing for me to receive a text (either on land or at sea), but DOES charge me to send a text. That cost is $0.60 for any international (including at sea) texts. However, I could have purchased a texting package in advance for $15, which would have allowed me to send something like 1000 texts. Because I was not planning on making a lot of texts, I chose to just pay-per-text.

As it turned out, I received one text (unfortunately someone (not close to me) died and I was informed by text). And I sent one text (in response).

You don't need an app to send and receive texts - that function is already on your phone. And you don't need to go through the internet to send texts (so data and WiFi don't even have to be turned on when you send/receive a text). And you don't need to have data turned on in order to get WiFi.

Be sure to triple check your phone settings BEFORE you leave home. If you do it once you leave your home base you will start to incur roaming charges and that can get ugly. If you want to save having to recharge your phone so often, you can even leave WiFi off (seeing as you won't be using it) until you find a WiFi location in port (but be sure to leave your phone on, to send and receive texts).

This worked for me.

I'm curious as to whether there might have been activities going on that you were not aware of. I just got off the Equinox, and yes, at 10:30 everything LOOKED dead, BUT that was because all the partying was going on upstairs in the Sky Lounge on the 14th floor or the Party Zone down in the Quasar Lounge (I guess having loud music in those 2 places keeps it away from the people who go to bed earlier).

Every night in the Sky Lounge there was a huge party and bar scene - the place was packed - it was hard to find a seat at a table or at the bar. Almost every night, the Celebrity Dancers were up there too, giving a short performance (in costume) to get everyone warmed up. And either the house band or the DJ played. You might never have accidentally stumbled across any of this, unless you knew where to go looking.

Twice we also had Silent Disco in the Martini Lounge (which is great fun and something not to be missed), and it too was jam packed. And every night there were also other late night activities like the Newlywed Game or a trivia challenge or karaoke party.

During the day, there was water volleyball, drone racing, line dancing, salsa dancing, basketball or soccer (in the upstairs outdoor sports area), golf putting challenge, fitness classes, XBOX challenges, beer/wine/whisky tasting, daytime trivia challenges, and daily live music performances by the pool.

During the evening, there was Wheel of Fortune, Friendly Feud, and live music between the live shows in the theatre (which you might miss if you had an early supper seating and didn't happen to pass by).

And yes, there were a whole lot of other, quieter activities I have not even bothered to mention here (like bingo, the Behind the Scenes Galley/Kitchen tour, travel presentations, shopping seminars, ping pong, massage, casino, etc.)

Our Activity Manager told us that even though the activities are planned before the cruise, they will often make adjustments during the cruise, based on demographics and what the group seems to enjoy. So some cruises you might have one karaoke party (which is a flop) and on some other cruises, 5 karaoke parties might not be enough to keep the crowd satisfied.

I'm not saying that all Celebrity ships are the same, or even that all Celebrity guests are the same. A lot might have to do with the itinerary and the time of year - or just luck of the draw. And no, I would not likely plan to take my 20-something year old kids on a Celebrity cruise with me, because I think they would want even more activity than this. All I'm saying is that there is a lot to do, you have to read your daily bulletin carefully to see what will be happening, and to not be shy about asking the Cruise Director or the Activity Manager for suggestions - they are VERY approachable.

Have a wonderful time!! And let me know what you think of the coffee :)

Thanks - I loved the Lavazza coffee that was offered in both the Oceanview Cafe and the AquaSpa Cafe. There was a charge for the Americano in Bacio, but I was more than fine without it. And yes, those desserts and pastries and cookies at Bacio were excellent (it's one of the first places I headed when I first boarded the ship :)

Anyone ever do this just as a couple or is mainly for families and groups? If you don't speak a word of Spanish, does that matter?

My husband and I did it as a couple, we don't speak Spanish, and I'm proud to say that we got medals for coming in 3rd place.

Just know that it will be really hot, and if you're in pretty good shape it will help, because there is a lot of walking. We were over 50 years old when we did it, so it is do-able even for people who are a bit older.

It was one of the best excursions we've ever done, and I highly recommend it.

I was there. And I probably should just leave well enough alone, but . . . .

There were relatively few of us on level 15 and level 16 for sail-away because the weather was not favorable. And also because we were late leaving port.

I watched from level 15, which is a higher vantage point than the captain's.

I saw as we entered the turn, and commented to the people beside me that we were getting too close to the shore/beach. Sure enough, we could see that a great amount of sand was being stirred up from the bottom, and again I commented that that seemed irregular (I've departed from Port Everglades previously), and that there had to be a reason for so much sand to be stirred up. The sand had not been visibly stirred up previous to our turning.

We had been moving slowly when all this happened. There seemed to be a slight pause, and then we backed up a bit, and then continued into the turn, and finally completed it.

We saw the homeowner on shore, waving his arms (by his other gestures as well you could see he was quite concerned). We saw the lady filming us from her doorway. We saw the 4 dogs running around their yard (we think we caught sight of a smaller 5th one for a second).

I had seen the pilot boat, on our port side, forward for most of the departure. However, when we started churning up the sand, I specifically looked for the pilot boat to see why he was allowing this to happen, and the pilot boat was no longer visible from my vantage point. At that time I thought that the pilot boat might have moved away too soon, and might not even be aware that this was happening.

After we finally completed the turn, the homeowner seemed to relax a bit and actually waved to us (in a more friendly way).

Towards the end of the cruise, one of the navigation officers told us that technically we had not "run aground". By that definition, we would still be there (he said).

However, even if technically we did not "run aground", I agree with the homeowner that we came incredibly close to shore, and that a lot of sand from the bottom was stirred up when we did so.

IMO I would ask this on the board whose line you are cruising from because they can vary a lot in what they offer!

 

Needing and wanting to stay connected isn't a bad thing like some say! There are always circumstances where you might need or want to be able to stay connected. On our 20th anniversary cruise, I will have to buy a good internet package from MSC no matter what.

 

Like was said it all depends on your provider also. I <3 my T-Mobile and the fact I can go pretty much anywhere and not have to worry about spending $$$$ on extra charges!

But that is my question exactly - isn't texting OUTSIDE of the ship package? I understood that the packages provided by the cruise lines were only providing data, wifi, and voice (in varying amounts). That text, itself, was under the jurisdiction of your cell phone provider. Hence, I'm not intending to get an internet package on the ship because I don't really plan to use internet. Nor do I intend to use my phone for calls. But I want the ability to text, like you said, in order to receive texts if there is an emergency back home.

The website of my cell phone provider says in multiple places that I will not be charged for any texts I receive on land or at sea, but I will have to pay THEM (not the cruise line) a charge for any texts that I send. I'm here asking to find out if anyone else has had experience with texting (while not having a cruise line provided internet package), to make sure this is so.

I txt who I want on board using the ship tower. I only get charged once by my provider, but it is more expensive than on land, about 0.70c per text. But I only txt a few times, to let family know I am on board etc. But be warned you have to have data disabled, or when you turn phone back it will do an automatic download of what ever apps you have. The cost of data over ship tower is horrific.

 

I have a good plan, so when I am on the island I pay a set charge per day. And get a small amount of data and free text and cheap calls. 😀 I also follow the crew as they always know where to get cheap or free WiFi in port.

Thanks, this is what my understanding was - that the ship would/could not charge for text.

I only want to use text while on the ship, and perhaps access email via free WiFi in port. I don't need a lot of connectivity.

Your cell phone provider gives you voice and text service as part of your package --- ordinarily going through the nearest cell tower. When you are on a ship, that nearest tower is the ship's,

So my texts will go through the ship's network, but only my cell phone provider will charge me for them. So if I turn off roaming on my phone, and am only using text, I can trust that I will only be charged for the texts, according to my cell phone plan? Am I understanding this correctly?

Check with your cell carrier and see what options they have (*). We have also texted each other and our teen son on cruises and it works nicely for us, with the exception of just a couple of places on the ship that wouldn't get signal.

 

(*) with our AT&T plan, each text sent was 50 cents. We texted as much as we wanted, usually a few times a day, and the total charges were less than $15.00.

So, am I understanding this correctly - texting will be charged by the phone plan, and has nothing to do with the ship's network? I understand that internet has to pass through the ship's network, and the cruise line charges us for internet, but I'm trying to figure out if I send and receive texts from home while on board, who will charge me for them?

Does texting depend only on my cell phone plan? I know on land that my cell phone provider lets me receive texts for free (anywhere), and I will get charged for any texts that I send (as part of my package), but I don't quite understand what happens with "on board" texts.

Shadow9612, thanks for mentioning that. I think I'll pack my insulated mug, and then I'll be ready to enjoy my coffee in a variety of locations around the ship.

And Xport, thanks for the heads up about the Spa Cafe. It sounds like a really nice option. I've just written myself a note to check it out on Day 1 :)

It sounds like I might be just fine without a beverage package.

Just 87 more hours to go. . . . and I'll be on the ship. Thanks for all your help !

Thanks. I will try the coffee in the buffet and check out Al Bacio on Day 1. DH sleeps later in the morning than I do, so I need somewhere I can run off to on my own, to get an early coffee - room service at that hour would disturb him. I'm crossing my fingers the coffee in the buffet will suffice, cause I hear the pastries/cakes in Al Bacio are extremely tempting :)

Thanks, but unfortunately, I read that there is not a Hideaway Lounge on the Equinox.

Please excuse my stupid question (I have not sailed with Celebrity before, and I have not sailed for a few years). Where will I be able to get plain black coffee (I'll be on the Equinox)? Will I need a special drink package for plain black coffee? I remember having to purchase a coffee card on another cruise line, maybe a similar set-up applies here? And will I be able to get hot water for tea somewhere?

happiesttours@gmail.com

In case anyone is still looking for a tour/transportation, Glory Tours offers a 3-4 hour specialty tour which includes the Nidhe Israel Museum and Jewish Synagogue.

http://www.glorytours.org/jewishsynagogue.html

Thanks cynbar, I really appreciate your insight. I think my husband and I will consider a different cruise line for a family trip, and just do a Celebrity cruise when we're on our own.

My husband and I are planning a Caribbean cruise on the Reflection next spring. We would like to consider inviting our adult children to join us (23, 25, & 28), but only if they will not be bored. We know some cruise lines are not really geared towards young adults, so we thought we'd ask here if we should consider bringing them along on a Celebrity cruise, or finding a different cruise line.

My husband and I have not cruised on Celebrity before, so we are not certain of the activities that are offered. We are hoping that the following activities are offered, that would help keep the younger generation entertained. Please confirm if the following would likely be available:

Pool volleyball? Zumba classes? Yoga? Art Classes? DJ playing CURRENT music for dancing? Basketball? Ping Pong?

We assume the Reflection will have the following (correct us if we are wrong):

Casino. Pool. Live show nightly. Hot tubs. Dance lessons. Golf putting. Bingo.

We're wondering if there are movies offered nightly on deck on Celebrity (or is that a different cruise line)? Is there a night club for younger people? Are there trivia contests or game shows?

And yes, I did call Celebrity to ask these questions, but the guy on the phone was not really helpful.

Thanks for whatever info you can provide. We appreciate it.