murph219ca

We've done this several times on NCL, and yes, you get your purchase at the completion of cruise 1. Same with port purchases. In fact, most recently DH made his purchase the night before cruise 1 ended and was allowed simply to take it away. However, on other occasions he had to get up early on debark day to collect it. YMMV with MSC, but I'd be surprised.

Keep going! Keep going! We board next Saturday and I can't wait to hear more of your experience!

Hi there - we've sailed in both Divina YC Royal Suite and Celebrity RS and the cabin experience is not remotely comparable. Celebrity clobbers MSC by a country mile in cabin amenities and comfort. Divina's Royal suite (YC 3, I think) is very small (by comparison), quite dark, uncomfortable sitting room furniture, (brilliant bed) and the bathroom is cramped. Apparently their new ships will remedy this. Having said that, We loved Divina. She's a stunning ship, and we found her YC resto spectacular, and ate most meals there. We sidelined into the Eataly pizza a couple of times, lol, but even the buffet was quite good. YC bar and pool area were lovely and service was fantastic, though we were told the passenger load in YC was way down when we were there last November. A niggle is that booze is only included in the YC specific areas., but overall a better bang for your buck than most top suites on other lines... other than the cabin.

Can't comment on the entertainment as we didn't bother.

- Lisa

On our 2013 Silhouette cruise embarking in Venice, we were not allowed to bring our rollaboards by ourselves (and yes they fit through the scanners; have travelled/cruised with them many times). We actually argued a bit, since we hadn't done the split packing thing, but were advised it was port/ country regulations. Can't speak to Civitavecchia port, but this was our experience.

Lisa

Terrific review OttawaMom... We're sailing the Reflection TA in a few weeks and you've helped really amp up the excitement!

Am enjoying your review (and sense of humour) immensely, and can't wait for the next instalment. DH and I are Divina in a few weeks - hope that margherita pizza is still "sweet fancy Moses" fantastic :-)

Hi Mike! Loving your live feedback - thanks so much. While you're status-checking cognac, could you ask about Ron Zacapa too? DH and I are aboard in 16008 (!) in November, and it's really his only poison. I see it on the regular menus with a little red asterisk. (What the heck does that mean anyway? Is it included in allegrissimo premium?) Any Zacapa intel would be much appreciated!

I have an absurd question for those aboard now (or with great memories) - is the Zacapa 23 rum ( priced on one of the menus at 8.25) available in the YC? Is it chargeable? Would it be included in Allegrissimo Premium? We're in 16008 in November, and Zacapa neat is my husband's 'thing'. As he has very few vices (and I have many), I like facilitate this one where I can!

I'm thinking that Project_gal may have answered my main question, but I'm interested in the logistics. We're taking a family med cruise on Silhouette this summer - all adults; all new to Celebrity, though we've been 'butlered' on other lines - in part to celebrate my BIL's 50th. dH and I have booked an RS and want to host a kick-ass birthday party in our suite on the day. (It's a port day, as you might expect.). So how would we arrange that? And what do we need to pay extra for - the cake? Packing the bunting and party hats is a good idea. But basically, who do we talk to and when? The birthday is fairly late in the itinerary. Thanks for any ideas! So looking forward to this...

Thanks cruisetrail. You rock. (And my friends are not going to be very pleased, but at least they know what they're dealing with, thanks to your hard work)

Cruisetrail,

I think this has been an outstanding thread; as another poster here said, you've become the S-class guru. I find myself repeating all I've learned to our travel companions, who marvel at the depth of my knowledge, lol. (Then I confess...)

I think dh and I are pretty well off on our Adriatic cruise this summer on Silhouette (RS 1116 :D) but our friends are in 6174 (balcony gty) and are worried sick about the obstruction. Could you share a photo and ease their minds - or at least give them some clear evidence of what they'll face?

Thank you for sharing all this with us - I've lost hours and hours to this thread and loved every minute. This will be our first Celebrity experience, and I've become a bit obsessive.

Lisa