Redking

I think they may be standard on some suite categories on Edge Class. We requested and received one in our Royal Suite on the Eclipse. Friends in a CS asked for one and were told they were only provided to upper suites. I think they have limited numbers of machines?

Hi Charla, really good to know that you've received this level of contact from shoreside. We had really poor service for our last cruise in Royal Suite which I have provided feedback on to the CEO's office. Hopefully they are onto it and are lifting their game. 🤞 the connection is good between shoerside and the ship. Wishing you both a wonderful cruise and looking forward to following along.

Yep, Lawn Grill!

I'd be very interested in your thoughts. Like many, the current X pricing on upper suites is prompting us to look at other options. I even set up a spreadsheet yesterday in an attempt to compare X with equivalent suites on the smaller luxury lines - still a work in progress, any suggestions gratefully accepted. I find that everytime I start this exercise I conclude that the "look and feel" of these ships is not to our taste. We've yet to sail on Edge class but like the look of them but not the prices! Thank you for taking the time to do this.

Do it!

Interesting read. We saw a lot of Chinese investment in Fiji and Tonga on our recent cruise. As you say politics aside, an interesting observation.

Thank goodness you made it out of Auckland. That would really have made it a holiday to remember. So good to hear that you were able to enjoy American Samoa and Tonga. We're feeling better today. I have respiratory issues though not asthmatic. Using my preventative inhaler has really helped. What I hadn't anticipated was a flare up of my Psoriasis, I look like the elephant man - promise, no photos of that! Be well and happy future cruising!

So sorry to hear this. Whilst we all know and accept the risks, it's not much fun when it disrupts your cruise, especially when you've travelled a long distance. I hope you weren't too sick? A rough calc tells me you would have been "free" after Fiji? In my view that was the least appealing part of the itinerary, so hopefully you were well enough to enjoy the remaining ports? Where are you now? Not stuck in Auckland?

Thank you @chemmo you were very much in my thoughts whilst on the cruise. I hope you are travelling well through the waters that lie ahead for you. Looking forward to read of your return to cruising. Take care.

It seems the jockey has gone awal on the home straight of this Live review! I had fully intended to finish the review and do a wrap up when I got home. Best laid plans and all, I've arrived home with a departure gift. After 3 years of dodging the Rona, Fin and I have finally succumbed. At least we didn't come down with it during the cruise and let's face it we could have got it at the airport or on the plane. At least we haven't been flooded like the poor folks in Auckland. I hope to come back in the next couple of days to complete the review and answer any outstanding questions. In the meantime, another sleep might be in order. Stay tuned.

Thank you so much for sharing this Charla. We're just off the Eclipse in a Royal Suite and in my view the more limited number of locations for unlimited speciality dining on the older Soltice ships is a miss, especially for more casual dining. Only so many times you can eat at Murano, in our case four 😯 Just need to plan a cruise on Silhouette and max out on our RS on the Edge TP next year. Thank you once again for a wonderful review, just playing catch up now.

We haven't actually been to OVC but @nz1has been doing a fantastic food thread for our cruise, including OVC. Check out post #80 for OVC feedback. Have a great cruise.

Booster for the WiFi in our suite. Marlene, the Retreat Concierge, proving once again that she's a magician. Fin tells me our download speed has been as low as 3.15 Mbps with upload as low as 0.36 Mbps. Our home internet is 315mbps and 110mbps respectively. So much for Starlink!

Two birds one stone. Combined some exercise with a tour of the artwork on the stairways this morning. Photos of some pieces that took our fancy. Apologies, it was hard to get great shots with the lighting and reflective glass.

Sushi for lunch and a Brandy Club Cocktail in our home from home coz you can when it's a sea day and we're on our way to Tonga.

Um that would be Starkist not Sunkist Tuna!

Day 8 Pago Pago, American Samoa This was probably the port that I was most looking forward to and it did not disappoint. The most amazing towering peaks rising from the natural harbour of Pago Pago (think Bora Bora, St Lucia and I’ve been told Honduras for points of comparison). We were the first cruise ship to arrive in port since the reopening of the border to cruise ships. We received another warm Polynesian welcome from the wharf which continued throughout the day on our travels around the island. After a quick walk into town and walk around the markets, we hailed one Aiga (local buses). Didn’t realise until after we’d hopped on that the destinations for the bus are displayed on the front, so it pays to know where you want to head to. In our case we were on the Aiga that takes the workers to the Sunkist tuna canning factory! The driver then agreed to take us around the eastern side of the Island. We thought he was going to take us up to Rainmaker Mountain, but alas not. No matter the views were stunning. Back in town we planned to find a taxi to take us over to the mountains to the village of Vatia. Whilst we were looking for a taxi, we were approached by a local couple (She was originally from the US and he is Samoan. Against all advice about stranger danger we took a leap of faith and spent an interesting afternoon with them starting with lunch at DDW (Don’t Drink the Water!) before we headed off to see the western side of the island, including flower pot rock. It was really interesting to hear the local perspective and customs. All too soon it was time to head back to ship for a stunning sail away. From our experience it is very feasible to get around Tutuila island on your own. The Aigas are a great experience and only cost about US$1. I’d probably try for a taxi if you want to head further out of Pago Pago for example Vatia. We’ve be hopping back and forth across the International Dateline for the past couple of days. Samoa was once on the same side as American Samoa (Eastern or American Side). For commerce reasons and connections with the Asia-Pacific region, Samoa decided to switch to the western side over ten years ago. Our arrival in Pago Pago therefore took us back 24 hours and our departure on 20 January has seen us lose a day – we’ve woken up to Sunday 22 January and lost Saturday! Today is a sea day as we head for Tonga.

They most certainly are. Having bought four handbags on board I struck a deal with my husband that I wouldn't book a massage on board. There was no deal about having a much more cost effective treatment at a resort🤣

Day 7 Apia, Samoa Talofa! We received the most beautiful welcome to Samoa yesterday. The warmth and beauty of Polynesian cultures always stirs emotions in me. We shared a taxi with our new cruise buddies to the Robert Loius Stevenson Museum. Stunning grounds and beautiful house largely restored after being damaged in two cyclones during the nineties; only the staircase escaped damage. We had planned to walk up the mountain where Stevenson is buried but decided against it because of the rain and slippiness of the track. First editions of Kidnapped, Treasure Island and Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde. We then headed further into the hills to see a beautiful water fall. In follow up the handbag situation, the solutions for the massage dilemma was to have one whilst in port. In this case a lovely facial at the Taumeasina Island Resort which also had beautiful views back over the island. Our delightful taxi driver came back to pick us up for the return to the ship. He does seasonal agricultural work in NZ close to where we live, so we hope to meet up again. The people in Samoa were so friendly and eager to help. Having arrived in the rain we departed in glorious sunlight. This island is most definitely going onto my must return list.

The macaroon was delicious!

By some miracle there is another Mary Frances bag in our stateroom. No idea how that happened 🤔 I'm sure there's room on that shelf for at least one more 🤣

Playing make believe we're in an Iconic Suite whilst they service our stateroom 🤣

Day 5 Suva, Fiji. We were welcomed to Suva with a beautiful sunny day. I was quite taken with all the fishing boats standing to attention in the harbour. We left the ship at 8.30 to pick up our private tour to the Uprising Resort, a 45 minute drive to Pacific Harbour which is billed as Fiji's action capital. From here you can take tours on the Navua River or head out to Beqa Island. There was a bit of a glitch with our tour because Celebrity had booked out the resort, so we headed next door to the pearl resort where our $50 day pass included food and drink to the value of $40. We managed to book an amazing back, neck and head massage on the beach front. No need for piped rainforest music when you've got the mesmerising sound of the waves lapping on the beach. Feeling totally chilled we heading off to pool for cocktails and spot of lunch before the drive back to Suva.

I should add that the driver himself was lovely and keen to show us around.