sdbart

I'll be taking off for Venice tomorrow to catch the Norwegian Jade to Rome. Look forward to seeing all you guys in Rome or onboard! Anyone interested in doing drinks or dinner in Rome sometime the week before departure?

Definitely! I'll have my iPad with me and we have WiFi in our apartment, so email works. My email is bart@cox.net

Walter: YES! I got this year's flu shot same day I left on the Solstice America's cup cruise last month (literally on my way to the boat I had a Dr. checkup, lol). AND I always carry a prescription of Tamiflu on cruises just in case, as well as being routinely diligent about hand washing. (I think carrying the Tamiflu is a good idea, as in order for it to be effective you must start the regimen very soon after onset of symptoms.)

 

And Bob and Bart, I'm always fascinated by the great variety of "virgin" drinks that the cruise ships serve up to still make the bars fun for those who avoid alcohol...my liver wishes I was one of you guys, but I'm not....lol

Randy, I've been drinking soda water in bars for years, with no ill-effects on my having a good time. Ginger ale works fine, too. Trust me, I can still be the life of the party. :D We got our flu shots a couple of weeks ago, so that's one thing out of the way. The Solstice TA two years ago was code red for Noro; lots and lots of sick people. Someone came back from exploring Dubrovnik two cruises before ours and it was very serious by the time our TA started. If i remember, it took another four cruises to get it under control. We took hand washing very seriously. Keep your fingers crossed guys that there is no outbreak on the Reflection.

Bart -

 

I have copied the link to the LGBT thread for the 2013 Marina westbound TA crossing. They are slated to embark the Marina about 3 weeks after we set sail from Rome. Only 3 pages; a bit of a short read. Hopefully they may be inspired to come sail with us next year.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1721065

 

 

 

Walter

Thanks, Walter! I read on another forum, that sometimes up to 30% of the pax on any Oceania cruise are gay. Because the ships are smaller, the roll calls aren't that active. I saw that one straight couple was on last year's Marina Rio TA, this year's, and are doing ours next year, too. Guess they like it. :) Maybe some of the gay men will be repeaters, too.

Kim -

 

I am guessing you must be the other half of "rockmartian"?? Nice to meet you and will be seeing you at the Qsine group dinner. I am also one of those types that prefer to stand vs. sit. If I am ready for another adult beverage, it is easy to get up and visit the bar as needed. And, if we are bored, we can easily take off and wander around the ship, visit another bar to people watch, etc.

 

Until the cruise Iain and I took last year on the RCCL Adventure of the Seas (westbound TA from Spain to Puerto Rico), we never really went to any of the LGBT happy hours. Iain doesn't drink and sometimes we just feel that if the groups of conversation have been formed, we don't put extra effort to break into any circles to socialize. That is one of the reasons why I wanted to schedule the group dinner.

 

In any event, I hope the groups are "porous" enough to easily interchange among them all as the mood strikes.

 

 

Walter

Bob and I don't drink, either (other than maybe an occasional beer or wine with dinner—Bob is not supposed to for medical reasons, though he'd get upset if he knew I was saying that!), but we still have fun and like joining in the groups. So Iain will have company. We are really looking forward to meeting everyone.

Yes we do remember the guy in the kilt, on formal nights. His name is Richard Hunt, and he was very nice to spend time with, always active and interesting. Ted and I are also thinking about just taking the tram up to Laguna, when we are in Tenerife. I have been there before, as almost all Scandinavians spend a couple of weeks in the Canaries each winter. Now that I live in Atlanta, I no longer have a desire for sunny beaches, the way I used to, when I lived in the Arctic. lol

thank you! that was his name. Richard had me take his photo on one of the formal nights and i emailed it to him. It was the one time I remember seeing him without his camera.

If we all decide to take the tram up to La laguna, maybe we can go together, along with any of the men who decide to go. We've never been to Teneriffe, so it's all new to us. Growing up in Southern California, we (mis)spent our youth on the California beaches, roasting ourselves in the sun. Now we have to watch how much sun we get. I don't know if we'd consider the current temperatures on Teneriffe exactly beach weather as it's going to be around 22° celsius this week, as compared to the 26° celsius in San Diego today. We bcome such wimps living in a warm climate. :) We are looking forward to the beaches in the Caribbean, though.

Our plan is just to stroll around and have a slow lunch but I think Walter and Bart each have structured tours planned.

Sorry, Lee, but I think you have me confused with someone else. We don't usually do structured tours and aren't doing any this cruise. Like you, we either plan to just walk around or take the tram up to the old colonial capital of San Cristobal de la Laguna and stroll around. Supposedly, it was the inspiration for most of the colonial architecture of Spanish America.

Oh, I know you did! I was responding to other memories. We have a friend we travel with on and off who also hectors us for not attending "the meeting!" It feels a bit like he's an AA sponsor, but for the gay meetings.

Ugh. "Meeting" does make it sound like a 12-step program. The ships are so big that it's very easy to miss people you want to socialize with. So it's easier to know that if you show up at a certain time at a certain place, when you're in the mood, you have a decent chance of running into friends. No one should feel bad if they would just as soon not join in.

We had one of those once. He was self-appointed busy thing from Toronto and he would literally come to us in other bars and say loudly "we are ALL in the wine bar, should you care to join us." Not cute. The part that made it awkward was that he was the reason we started avoiding the gay gatherings. He was rude/lewd to the staff who cannot fight back and we found him embarrassing.

 

Also, I don't think I deal well with authority so if someone told me that such and such was the place the gays MUST gather, I'd organise a party elsewhere. :)

I meant a nice, POLITE director. Maybe it's better to avoid situations like that altogether.

Interesting. On our Eclipse transatlantic, there were three nearly distinct gay crowds. The Canadians, Americans and the Australians hung out together, the British were their own sizable group, and the Europeans hung out together. The groups rarely mingled except for one night when one of the Brits arranged for Michael's Club to be closed for a private function for us all. It still intrigues me how we all ended up in these groups.

I think sometimes we need a social director. ;)

Actually we were always sitting in the Martini Bar, every night before late night dining. As I am trying to think back, I seem to remember that all the people that were sitting in that corner, were Europeans and Canadians. I wonder why? The only the only thing that comes to mind, is that in Northern Europe we don't really stand up and mingle, we tend to sit down. So partly it is just a matter of cultural difference I suppose. I am not fond of sitting at the bar, I do however like to walk around and socialize that way.

On the TA in 2011, there were some swedish guys and I was excited to practice my swedish, which I hadn't done for over 10 years, at the time.

Ted & I are really looking forward to this trip and to meeting all the guys on this Roll Call.

It seems to me that most of the Canadians and all the Americans were either sitting at the small Crush Bar or standing. We did both and circulated. The last night, a bunch of us were sitting in the chairs by the railing next to the atrium laughing before dinner, along with a couple of straight friends. Do you remember the man with the beard from St. Louis? He almost always had his camera with him and on formal nights was dressed in formal Scots garb, with kilt.

We have European friends and like Europeans, so it's a shame we didn't get to meet; hopefully, we'll all become friends on this cruise.

OMG Bart! I think you are going to make me go to confession before I even get to Italy! I think we were in that group. :confused: Hail Mary! We were a group that had met before the cruise on CC and established our own Facebook page as well and got to know each other before the cruise started. Forgive me father for I have sinned...

(maybe thats why I felt "stuck" as I mentioned before)

No one of that this time!

All is forgiven, my son. From the way those chairs were so tightly together, you couldn't have gotten out of that circle if you'd wanted to! Actually, I tried to be friendly with a couple guys in that group out on deck, etc, but they never seemed interested. Like Kathy Griffin, I must be on the D List. ;)

That is exactly what we experienced on the TA on the Solstice in November 2011, All the guys met in the Martini Bar, before going to late dinner, after 20:00.

That's because we were on the same cruise! Do you remember the gay group who drew their chairs into a circle every evening in the Martini Bar, pretty much excluding everyone else? It reminded me of settler's drawing the wagons into a circle as defense against hostile natives.

The FOD usually gets slated for their at first and then migrates to the martini bar. I love both. My favorite so far was a margarita with chipotle foam. They are not speedy drinks but they are tasty drinks.

 

I'd be happy if the FOD cycled between the Martini, wine and molecular bars. I like variety. That said, we rallied the troops the last time and arrived at the wine bar with 20 people and it took a full hour before folks all had drinks. That guy was overwhelmed.

On the Solstice TA two years ago, the Molecular was always empty; I never saw more than 2 people in there and they looked bored. Cellar masters was pretty dead, too. The crowd from the Martini Bar spilled out into all the adjoining spaces, with the entire forward half gay men and their friends

I really like the idea of using post-it notes to leave a message for the butler or room attendant. I also thought the idea of having a candy dish full of miniature chocolate bars was also good to reward the staff... especially with a single bill wrapped around it for room deliveries. :-D

 

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Last cruise, our room attendant and his assistant were really great. They each received a big fat envelope for going that extra mile for us. I like the chocolate idea, too. BTW, as someone on the main roll call posted many pages ago, the cabins are all metal. I'm bringing a couple of refrigerator magnets to use to hanf stuff where we can see it, like notes to ourselves, etc.

Sounds nice. I did a large suite on the Norwegian Pearl for my 40th. My absolute favorite perk was the cappuccino machine located in the dining room.

 

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I'm surprised you guys want to associate with the unwashed masses like us, ;-)

Mel & Paul -

 

Welcome to the thread and the ship... quite exciting as it is fast approaching. I'd be interested in know the formal nights as well.

 

Most of the LGBT travelers that have posted here have all commented in the past 20+ pages that they have booked in Aqua... so to answer your question, Blu will be overrun with us boys (and ladies).

 

Not sure what your other question is getting at... if you clarify, maybe we can help you out. Are you in a GTY room without your room number assignment? Once that assignment has been made, you can look to see where you are on the ship (which deck, forward, center, or aft) and if other rooms in the same category are available and more to your liking, you can work with Celebrity (or your travel agent) to request moving to a different room. I hope this helps some.

 

There is the main roll call thread that is worth visiting, but over 255 pages as of today. Lots of information to catch up on if you have the time to read through it all. Also, there is a special website for the cruisers that has some really good information available.

 

Don't forget to sign up for the Celebrity "Connections" meet and greet. There is also a "sailaway" planned for the group that will happen immediately after the muster drill on deck 15 aft (Bart, correct me if I am wrong).

 

Walter

Good answer, Walter! You're right about sail away. It's at the Sunset Bar, aft on deck 15.

If any of you have dined in your stateroom or suite while on a cruise, I'd be interested to hear what comments you have had (positive or negative). Also, if you have used a butler before on Celebrity, I would like to hear your thoughts.

 

I have experienced butler service on Norwegian (in a Haven suite) and it was quite nice. The butler on our Norwegian cruise was part of a team of butlers that provided servcie in the Haven and the service was excellent. Until recently, I did not know that for each suite on a Celebrity cruise ship you have a dedicated butler for your suite. If you have knowledge or experience with that, I'd enjoy hearing your comments and perspectives.

 

 

Walter

Walter, friends were in a Sky Suite two years ago and we stopped by one afternoon for afternoon snacks. In our AQ2 cabin, our room attendant brought Bob shrimp cocktail every afternoon. Our friends' butler brought sandwiches, cakes, pastries, coffee and tea. He brought them cappucinos in the morning, too and if I remember correctly, room service meals were served course by course. I think they only did that once, though. We had no complaints with our room attendants; they smilingly fulfilled all our requests. I just left post-it notes on the mirror and it was done!

Bart -

 

All previous cruises for me have been traditional MDR late seating, usually at 8:30 pm (except on Norwegian, where you have "anytime dining" throughout the ship using their reservation system for each dining venue). I'm really looking forward to a flexible dinning experience on Celebrity. I may find myself never wanting to go back. :D

 

Between our dining package and free specialty dining certificates, Iain and I will be in Blu for 8 of the 15 nights at dinner. That does not account for any dinners consummed in the MDR. Assuming that I enjoy the Blu experience, I can see future bookings in Aqua without feeling the need to dine in a specialty venue.

 

Anyway, I think I am drifting off topic.... being able to "go with the flow" will be nice since this vacation is all about not wanting to be confined to too many plans or being anywhere at a certain time (except specialty dining timeslots).

 

Iain and I also like to attend shows if they sound interesting. Having flexible dining will assist in flowing from a show to dinner, etc.

We love Blu, Walter, for a couple of reasons: it's a beautiful room, it's fairly intimate (like being on a small ship), the service is very personal, and we really like the food. I know that food is a personal thing, but we thought it was very, very good (except for one unfortunate pork chop!). We like to eat in the MDR for lunch on sea days, but Bob dislikes the MDR, as he finds it too loud, too crowded and too hectic. There are little things in Blu, too. Food is cooked to order, as opposed to mass produced as in the MDR. Each dish is brought out individually, as opposed to a bunch of those covered stainless things on a big tray. And the non-liquid ingredients in your soup arrive in the bowl, while the liquid is in a small carafe shaped like a bud vase. The waiter pours the soup liquid in front of you. We've eaten in good restaurants all over, and the food in Blu was mostly right up there. I'm hoping Blu on the Reflection maintains those standards.

We were never rushed and prefer to linger over dinner. But the waiters always seemed to know what pace we wanted. When Bob got up to use the men's room, the staff noticed and upon his return, his chair was pulled out, he was seated and his napkin placed on his lap. We celebrated our anniversary on the Solstice two years ago and a friend surprised us with a very large and very fancy cake. Then all the waiters and the assistant maitre "d sang Happy Anniversary. We shared the cake with many of the diners

As for going with the flow, it's nice knowing you don't have to stop what you're doing to rush off to dinner. There are tables of varying sizes (though most are for two) so if you want to dine with others, the staff will accommodate you. And be sure not to miss breakfast in Blu; it's wonderful, IMHO (love the chocolate danish!).

Mel & Paul here. Will be cruising with you folks.

Has anyone heard about the formal nights - dates?

Anyone traveling Aqua Class - wondering about the suites and if they are worth being on a busier deck?

Welcome aboard, Guys! A whole bunch of us are in Aqua, so you'll have lots of company. I don't know if anyone has been in an AQ suite before, as they are only on the Reflection, but a couple of the guys are in suites. People on the main boards say they weren't bothered by noise.

Yeah, I have never flown Lufthansa before, but have usually heard good things about them. But when I booked this trip I never DREAMED that the Business Class intra Europe segment would be a 30 inch pitch! Sheesh, even Southwest usually has 31"! And business class 3x3 in a narrow body plane!! UNEFFING BELIEVABLE!! I wept when I checked seat guru after I was already ticketed. (the seat selection diagram on the LH site does not show the center seat that they don't fill so it looks like 2x2) I guess since they leave the 3X3 center seats open in Business I can kinda stretch out into the middle seat's leg space. But after the flight I do plan to express my displeasure to LH if all comes to pass as the internet says. For that to be a business class product is a disgrace. (and there's no 1st on intra-europe) Now on the long haul nonstop from Seattle to Frankfurt I'll have a 6''4" flat bed (actually I got the one seat in business that has even more inches on top of that 6'4, thanks to a tip from a frequent LH traveler.)

 

When I go to Europe I usually take the wonderful high speed trains intra-europe rather than fly. Live and learn!

Here are a couple of links that describe Lufthansa intra-Europe Business Class and have photos:

http://boardingarea.com/onemileatatime/2013/08/05/review-lufthansa-business-class-frankfurt-to-nice/

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=743808&page=4

On the RCCL Adverture of the Seas westbound TA, one of the ship bars was heavily focused on Champagne and specialty cocktails. I particularly liked that bar in the late afternoon. Also, our cruise friends Jonathan, Randy, and Russell spent time there before dinner.

 

I'm probably quite likely to be found in many different locations around the ship as the moment strikes me.

Last cruise, it seemed that most of the guys either had late seating in the MDR or were in Blu and went to dinner after 8:00 PM. So we all sort drifted off to dinner from the Martini Bar together at around the same time.

Randy -

 

I deliberated on this topic for a long time. I was inclined to delay getting the package until I was on the ship and maybe purchase after Tenerife. Then the "Celebirty Cruises" representative came on to a thread here on cruise critic and posted some information that indicated that it would cost more if you waited to get the package on the ship. After several weeks, the "representative" came back and made a new posting to correct some mis-information originally posted... the new information indicated if you have a Classic package and want to upgrade to Premium that this can be done pre-cruise or on the ship for the same price ($10 + 15% gratuity) per person per day.

 

Since I did not have a drink package as part of the promo, I bit the bullet and went ahead and purchased the Premium package for all 15 days. If you buy the premium package, here are the prices:

 

pre-cruise: $54 + 15% graturity = $61.20 per day, per person.

on board ship: $59 + 15% gratuity = $67.85 per day, per person.

 

Not sure what you drink preferences are, but maybe it would be worthwhile for you to buy the classic package (pre-cruise) for all 15 days and decide if it makes sense for you to upgrade to the Premium package during the course of the cruise.

 

For me, I like champagne and wine by the glass and the selection below $8 is not very wide ranging. I like the occasional martini and so the premium package will cover most or all drinks I would select at either the Martini Bar or the Molecular Bar. If the drink is more than $12, I only pay the difference. Also, if I decide to buy a bottle of wine or champagne, there will be a 30% discount if you have the Premium package. My one disappointment about the beverage package is that it does not allow for you to try wines at Cellar Masters from the dispensary. I hope that is the only restriction and not all of Cellar Masters.

 

 

 

You guys are wonderful and generous! :D

On our last TA, a couple of the guys were wine drinkers. They had one of the drink packages, but didn't like the selection of wine by the glass at most of the bars. They used to go over to Cellar Masters and have the bar tender there pour them wine. They said it was not only much better wine than was available in the bars, but the glassware was superior, too. it was only a few steps to Cellar Masters from the evening gay gathering in the Martini Bar.

Yeah, I have never flown Lufthansa before, but have usually heard good things about them. But when I booked this trip I never DREAMED that the Business Class intra Europe segment would be a 30 inch pitch! Sheesh, even Southwest usually has 31"! And business class 3x3 in a narrow body plane!! UNEFFING BELIEVABLE!! I wept when I checked seat guru after I was already ticketed. (the seat selection diagram on the LH site does not show the center seat that they don't fill so it looks like 2x2) I guess since they leave the 3X3 center seats open in Business I can kinda stretch out into the middle seat's leg space. But after the flight I do plan to express my displeasure to LH if all comes to pass as the internet says. For that to be a business class product is a disgrace. (and there's no 1st on intra-europe) Now on the long haul nonstop from Seattle to Frankfurt I'll have a 6''4" flat bed (actually I got the one seat in business that has even more inches on top of that 6'4, thanks to a tip from a frequent LH traveler.)

 

When I go to Europe I usually take the wonderful high speed trains intra-europe rather than fly. Live and learn!

Randy, when I started playing the milage game, I started reading FlyerTalk and subscribed to a couple of milage blogs, my favorites being Million Mile Secrets and One Mile At A Time. Lots of reviews with photos and good descriptions. We are now able to do almost all our travel on reward miles. But I've also learned about the good and bad of the various airlines.

Don't waste your breath complaining about LH's short haul business class. ALL European airlines J seats and service are the same. NONE have a separate J cabin, just certain seats with the middle blocked off. You may have two rows of J and the rest Y or six rows, depending on how the flight sells. There will probably be no curtain separating you from the unwashed masses. These seats are intended for short business men who are paying for the privilege of being first on/first off the plane and the use of the business lounge. No European expects International Business comfort. To add insult to injury, your plane will probably be at a remote stand, so you will be herded onto a very crowded bus and driven to the plane. We've had this happen at several European airports, even on international flights. We go with the flow, just as we don't expect European hotel rooms to be anything but cozy. Hey, we travel for the experience.

Along with Walter and Iain, and several others on the Reflection, we're doing the Oceania Marina Lisbon to Rio cruise next year and you should think about it. Our next trip after that will be a land trip through southwest France and we'll go back to riding the TGVs and driving. Yeah, I know, these are first world problems. :) When we meet up, we can exchange airline war stories. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

I wish I was able to travel like that! :-P

 

I noticed a few more people that have recently signed up for the cruise on the main thread and have advertised either sharing a ride from Rome to the port on embarkation day or they are looking for a few more travelers to fill a van that is already booked from central Rome to the port. I hope one of those offers will work for you so you don't have such a large expense to get to the port on your own. That money would be better spent to cover the cost of many cocktails or glasses of champagne while on board the ship. :-D

 

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You are so right, Walter!

Thanks Bart, but I checked and that hotel is about 7.5 km from my hotel, involves toll roads, and frankly I don't want to leave quite that early... I'm not one of those that loves to get on the boat before the cabins are ready...lol

 

I did post a message on the main cc board to the other party you mentioned to me...I'll see if they respond. If all else fails I'll just do a private transfer for myself only...already booked a private solo from FCO to my hotel with Bob's Limos ...figured after ferry to the mainland, driving up to SeaTac airport, flying to Frankfurt (at least it's business class with a flat bed) then the glorious Lufthansa intra-continental business class with a 30" pitch!!! (can you believe that? Their business seating on the continent is the same 3x3 30" pitch as economy but they just don't fill the middle seats! But they DO give you a hot meal, even on short hops, as if that could make up for cattle car business class) to Rome (2 hrs 10 min I think...and I am 6'6" tall 220 lbs) so by the time I finally arrive at FCO I may be rather cranky.... so I just decided to pony up for a private car for just me, so won't have to deal with rendezvous nor intermediate stops...

Randy, I didn't realize Lufthansa's seat pitch was so tight. I don't notice so much as I'm 5'8" and 150 lbs, but it still can be uncomfortable. The most uncomfortable seats we've ever had were on a brand new Continental 777-200, IAH to CDG. The leg room was OK and there was no one in the middle seat, but no matter how we contorted our bodies, those seats were painful. A seat on a bus would have been more comfortable. Oh for the good old days, when planes were half full, and you could get a row all to yourself, lift the armrests and stretch out! Good luck on the ride!