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Shame on me for not remembering the chef’s name, but I believe our sailing was his first. It certainly bodes well for Star Legend to have two chefs in a row who knocked it out of the park! I have five more Star Legend sailings booked so I’ll have plenty of opportunities for further culinary study 😉

The food on Star Legend last month in the Med was truly exceptional--the best I've had on any cruise. In my opinion, it exceeded the cuisine I've previously enjoyed in Celebrity's Luminae as well as on Crystal Serenity last fall.

I booked it the day it went live! I had such a wonderful time on Star Legend last month and I'm certain this will be a wonderful sailing. I noticed that all of the upper suites were gone a few days after it opened for booking, so I imagine there will be a lot of die hard Windstar sailors on this one. I am hoping this concept becomes a mainstay for Windstar!

From the website: Terms and Conditions *[Crystal Explorer Fare] (“Offer”): The Offer is available commencing February 8, 2024, on bookings made at least twelve (12) calendar months prior to the sailing date. Non-refundable option: Guests selecting this option will receive twenty percent (20%) off the cruise-only fare. Full payment of the reduced fare will be due at time of booking. Guests may cancel prior to one hundred eighty (180) days of the sailing date and receive a future cruise credit equivalent to the reduced cruise fare paid less applicable administrative fees. The future cruise credit can only be applied towards the then prevailing cruise fare on a sailing departing in the same calendar year as their original cruise. The administrative fees are USD 250 per guest for voyages of 39 nights or less, and USD 500 per guest for voyages 40 nights and above. Refundable option: Guests selecting this option will receive ten percent (10%) off the cruise-only fare. Full payment of the reduced fare will be due at time of booking. Crystal’s standard cancellation terms apply. Any guests who booked prior to this Offer being published may retroactively benefit by contacting Crystal and paying any outstanding balance by no later than February 23, 2024.

Is the entertainer still Joel Spire? He was onboard in November and we had the opposite problem with him...it sounded like he was whispering the lyrics while playing piano over recorded music. Maybe they turned up the volume to try and compensate for his quiet singing?? In my opinion, he was definitely nowhere near the level of the other entertainers onboard, but maybe he wasn't feeling well on that particular sailing.

Well, the “Elevated” wines look to be official now. The app is showing Classic, Premium, and Elevated offerings in MDR (though not in Luminae, which seems odd) for my Saturday Summit sailing.

If you're looking for entertainment, I'd highly recommend Crystal! The entertainment and enrichment (lectures, classes) on my November 2023 Crystal Serenity sailing was exceptional.

That’s promising! Was it the big bottles of Evian or were they the plastic ones?

I have also moved on to other lines, and after my Summit sailing this weekend, I only have cruises booked with Silversea, Regent, and Windstar. My 5 night Summit sailing in a Sky Suite for two was about $4500 ($900/day), booked last summer. Thankfully it includes PDP, wifi, and gratuities. For comparison, last fall, I booked a 7 night Alaska cruise in mid-June on Silver Muse for two for $11,000 ($1,375/day including the pre-cruise stay) in a Verandah stateroom. That fare includes: - a private sedan from my home to the airport (and the same for my friend traveling with me from her home in another state) and a private sedan from the airport back home post-cruise - economy flights to Vancouver and back from Anchorage for two (during the summer when those airfare prices are outrageous) - a pre-cruise hotel stay at the Fairmont in Vancouver - transfer to the ship - 7 nights onboard with butler, gratuities, wifi, and true premium beverages (actual Champagne from Reims/Epernay) - one excursion on each day in port - railway transfer from Seward to Anchorage For me, there's just so much more value in going with a truly all-included luxury line. I cancelled a November Summit sailing to try out Crystal last November, and it definitely convinced me Celebrity would be a thing of the past for me. The minibar was stocked with a beautiful bottle of red, white, and Champagne. My stateroom attendant was not overworked and came to my room at the same time each day, also getting ice for me twice a day (which is certainly impossible in a Sky Suite these days). Service was quicker all around due to no one having to charge anything. I used my room key only to get into my room...and that made my mind up. I was already fully paid for my sailing this weekend, but I chose to loose my $400 NRD and cancel my February Summit cruise because I couldn't justify the cost. Duc du Valmer is trash. Period. The fact that they can't even put the decent Haslinger champagne in the room is sad. I'm very much looking forward to taking my carry on suitcase down to the Lounge to load up on water for the week when I board on Saturday (said with serious sarcasm). I am in my late 30s and have no concerns about sailing on luxury lines with folks who are older than me. On my Crystal cruise, I met the greatest group of folks, and the oldest one in our group was the one who got me out of my shell and convinced me to sing karaoke!

I stumbled upon a website that lists cruise ships for sale and was surprised when I saw two ships with a very recognizable livery. It looks like Constellation and Infinity are currently for sale. Maybe this has been discussed before and I missed it, but if not, I thought folks may be interested in this news! Infinity and Constellation

I'll be on Summit in under two weeks and will report back on my findings. This wine nonsense is unfortunately par for the course for Celebrity these days. I am not confident in what will be available, but I'm praying they do not run out of the Haslinger champagne as they did on my last two cruises (June and September). I'm grateful this will be my final Celebrity sailing. Paying nearly $1k a night and never knowing what I'll get when I board will soon be a thing of the past for me. I don't expect Celebrity to care that I'm done, but it still makes me sad to see how much changed in my one year of sailing with them.

I love reading this! Cruising is such a wonderful forcing function to pull you away from work and allow you to focus on the present. I haven't yet done a full two weeks off, but my sailing on Navigator next November will be. I still feel (misplaced) guilt for taking two weeks off of work, but I continue to remind myself that annual leave is an earned benefit and I'm allowed to take it! Thanks for sharing your cruising journey with us. Wishing you many wonderful long sailings ahead!

@cruise_loverinlaval This made me smile big! I’m still 20+ years away from retirement. I started cruising about a year ago after too many years of “I’ll travel when…” Cruising has become such a nice rhythm in my life and I’m so grateful to get to go as often as I do. I’m especially grateful for lines like Crystal, Regent, and Silversea who offer great rates for “independent travelers” like myself. What a treat it is to get a little taste of retirement while I’m still working ☺️

@Stem to Stern I'll be on Summit in just under a month. Can you let me know who the Concierges are on your sailing? Is Rafael still the Maitre d' in Luminae?

I absolutely LOVE seeing all the former Celebrity loyalists on this thread! So many of us said we were done, and clearly we've voted with our feet. I have my last Celebrity cruise on Summit in January, which will be fine, but I'm so excited for new adventures ahead on Windstar, Silversea, and Regent!