the penguins

16 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I’m not questioning the accuracy of this statement, just wondering how you know?  

 

Also, those pics are spectacular!

After The Costa Concordia disaster we attended a number of onboard presentations where the Captains explained how X’s way of operating was different to Costa’s including the point about all the Officers having to sign off on the route every day. On our Solstice Transpacifics we had a number of “coffee break” discussions with the Environmental Officer which covered a whole range of topics including how each days route had to include/allow for dumping of waste water/ only using lighter fuels in some areas/avoiding certain areas etc. 

Glad you liked the photos - the trip was our retirement gift to ourselves 90 days total including 60 on Solstice.

12 hours ago, CruseKrazy said:

There is a contextual thing about this event that may have been discussed above.  Some of us who booked this cruise long ago were slated to go to Lahaina. We were really disappointed when the sail by Kauai was announced in lieu due to the tragic fire in Lahaina.  Not X’s fault for sure but we saw the substitute as just another sea day after 5 in a row.  I asked Celebrity for compensation for the lost port and they denied it.  
 

Other ships like the Solstice got another night somwhere (on the big island?) but not Edge.  Several RC ships were accomodated it seems with an extra port night too but not Edge.  Hence our disappointment was high and our expectations low about the Na Pali coast sail by.  We thought we would be 5 km out and say to each other “Which island is that again?”.

 

Another thing is Captain Matt’s personality - extremely confident, almost cocky. He said in the talk on board about his career how difficult it is becoming captain.  The years of study, the personality vetting, the understudy work etc..  But one thing he made very clear is if he deviates from the approved cruise plan significantly he would be relieved of his duties at the next port.  Hence I find it hard to believe he knowingly violated the cruise plan or safety regulations etc. by sailing too close to Na Pali.

 

So perhaps he just wanted to exceed our expectations and give us a thrill. The whole cruise from Sydney to Honolulu exceeded our expectations so why not end it with a bang!  Ironic too because X’s new slogan is “Nothing comes close” (except the Edge lol!)

 

Our expectations were greatly exceeded.  Sorry those currently on board suffered the consequences by staying an extra night in Honolulu which is ironically what we had hoped for before the sail by.  Expectations have been increased.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been following this thread and have the following observations on several of the issues raised:

1) The detailed route to be followed during the next 24 hours is agreed every day and that route has to be signed off by every Bridge Officer from the most junior to the Captain and the Environmental Officer. The "signed off route" is then submitted to Corporate. If there has been any unauthorised deviation that will be investigated and action taken - in the meantime everything else is speculation.

2) There are 2 totally separate engine rooms on the ship each with it's own control system - the ship only needs one of the engine rooms to function. 

3) Changes of itinerary/ports of call happen regularly and we all accept this when booking any cruise. 

4) Celebrity has done this sort of scenic cruising for years. In 2013 on Solstice our sailing was delayed until after dark so we could sail along the coastline for a couple of hours to see the magical affects of the lava meeting the sea.

How close did we get? I don't know but it looked close and as you will see below the affect was spectacular.

Earlier in the day we had a private flight to the volcano and the waterfall plus a birds-eye view of the ship.

On 5/2/2024 at 1:53 AM, avic77 said:

Which would be better? I can pick my own cabin regular Veranda or take a guarantee Aqua class. Biggest worry is noise. I usually pick aft cabins but have been in forward. Motion doesn't seem to bother us. 

Ship is the Celebrity Reflection. The spa doesn't have a hydro pool so we probably won't use it as much as we did the spa on Princess.

for us the regular balcony every time.

Aqua has no appeal for 2 main reasons:

1) the cabin locations. We like central locations ideally on Deck 7 and no higher than 8. 

2) the dining. One of the highlights of every cruise is sharing tables in the MDR every night - we eat at a table for 2 every night at home. We always book Anytime Dining pre booked for 6.30 and share a table of 6.

17 hours ago, avic77 said:

Do you have to eat at Blu if in Aqua?

yes or the buffet/speciality restaurants

5 minutes ago, kabmab said:

While we like having the option to be on the balcony, in reality we use a balcony less than an hour a day.  Never would sit in the sun that long (worked in dermatology).

We don’t sit in the sun just out on the balcony. We also have lunch on the balcony every sea day. 

4 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Thanks for sharing this.  Was this onboard a cruise?  I've never proactively spoken to management onboard any ship about an outstanding employee.  I've relied on surveys for this.  Perhaps I should start?  Two lessons that I get from your story:

 

1) One person can make a BIG difference in someone's life

2) Sometimes greatness isn't obvious; sometimes it needs to be pointed out by someone who notices and cares.

Silhouette out of Southampton.

To give you the full story. The Assistant Waiter originally allocated to our table had had to be moved from day 1 because his ability to speak a particular language was required at another table for a passenger who didn't speak any English.

As a result we were allocated an Assistant who was still relatively new which meant they were working their way up i.e. working as a "floater" and not allocated to a particular table/team. From day 1 it was obvious that our new Assistant was more than ready to be assigned to their own table/team and that is what we told to Maitre D.  We were delighted that our actions helped the person concerned get a quicker move up.

On the other hand we also reported a waiter who assured us 3 times that the "special drink" they were offering free to all diners was alcohol free when in reality it wasn't. On taking a sip it was clearly not alcohol free at which the waiter said it contained only a little alcohol and laughed - unfortunately for me "only a little" is medically too much. The Maitre D said that the Waiters actions were totally unacceptable, he was forced to apologies, was removed from our table and was sent for retraining.

On 4/28/2024 at 6:28 PM, TravelingCircusof5 said:

Hi all, as the title says, I am about to fill out my post cruise survey. I would like to give honest critique, but most of my issues seem like they are Exec level cruiseline decisions (ex: poor food quality) but not the fault of the staff/ server bringing it out. I want the top brass to hear our opinions, but not the server and room attendant to be held accountable for it. Help?

Be honest. The survey differentiates between “service” and “quality”. If you mark the staff are good marking the qyss as quality poor has no affect on the staff.

If the quality is poor or excellent we tell the Maitre D on the day.

Good staff reports help with promotions (we had an outstanding Assistant Waiter who we spoke to the Manager about. A few days later the Manager came back and told us he had checked the person’s assessments, watched their performance for 2 days and they had now been offered a place on a training course to be a  Waiter - The Assistant Waiter was on tears when she found out. 

1 hour ago, kabmab said:

We have cruised non-E class with regular verandas, E class with SV, DPV and IV.  Although we both prefer SV, if SV too pricey DH prefers DPV and I prefer IV.  Was great on our recent Ascent TA when we would have rarely sat outside.  Never closed the shade or frosted bifold doors.  Ocean sounds and breeze with window down, no need for AC.  Only minus was ocean mist/salt on window.   Was never cleaned on 12 night TA.

we have sat out on our traditional balcony for 3 to 4 hours every day on every TA East or West bound. 

7 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

We have an upcoming cruise on the Edge in a Concierge Cabin with a VV.

 

I have heard they are a love/hate thing and it is our first time to get one.

 

What do you consider the pros and cons of them?

perfect for those who like the idea of a balcony but don't actually use it.

useless for:

anyone who uses a balcony a lot ( in our case 3 to 4 hours on every sea day) and needs comfortable chairs ( high backs/recline) in which to relax.

uses the balcony for meals as the table is far too small

Opening the window turns off the aircon.

On 4/15/2024 at 3:54 AM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

The problem on many cruises is limited or virtually no participation on roll calls.

 

I don't believe that's the reason.

The parties were always subject to a minimum number.  Parties were simply not restarted on any ship after Covid regardless of the size of the Roll Call. I believe they were restarted on Royal so presumably X decided the cost/effort wasn't worth it. Very disappointing.

On 4/27/2024 at 9:58 PM, jelayne said:

There is no early boarding for Concierge class.  When you do on-line check in (opens 45 days pre sailing) you select an arrival time from the slots available.  
 On E class ships only Suites and Sunset veranda cabin have an actual balcony.  
 

The floor to ceiling window has a tinted glass.  The top portion can be lowered but only pat way down.  If you stood at the lowered window and were facing the sun you would get some sun on your face and arms, but these cabins are not conducive to sunbathing.  

The chairs aren't "conductive to sunbathing" either. OK for a few minutes but with the low backs, no recline and no footstools relaxing on them would, in my opinion, be impossible. 

5 hours ago, workinmom3 said:

I was pretty much decided on an 8 night cruise on Reflection with ports of Grand Cayman, Aruba, & Curacao. Then I saw we could do an oceanview cabin on the Beyond for the same price & essentially the same itinerary. This will be our first Celebrity cruise. We have always cruised with RCCL and I’m a little hesitant to do an oceanview since we love our balcony cabins but the Beyond looks beautiful. Any advice on which to choose?

For us the balcony but we use it a lot - several hours a day on every sea day.

13 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

We will be doing the same on our own in November 2025.   Little too early to start planning bu may ping you when I get closer for details.

 

 

Hi Jim and Iain - glad you are enjoying your Transpacific -  a route we did on Solstice's maiden crossing to celebrate our retirement. I have used the e mail link on your original post to send you some notes I did in response to an earlier enquiry. Please don't hesitate to email if you have any queries. Geoff

1 hour ago, cruisegirlppp said:

Really appreciate the very valuable information in these posts. We missed a trip to the Falls when we were in BA for a prior cruise and now want to return and include the Falls but the planning seemed a bit overwhelming. Thanks to the these posts I feel like and now I have some ideas that would make it a feasible for people who's age begins with a 7!

see Post 3 - last pic - this was one day before the Boss's 71st Birthday and 2 days before our Golden Wedding Anniversary.

1 hour ago, cruisegirlppp said:

Really appreciate the very valuable information in these posts. We missed a trip to the Falls when we were in BA for a prior cruise and now want to return and include the Falls but the planning seemed a bit overwhelming. Thanks to the these posts I feel like and now I have some ideas that would make it a feasible for people who's age begins with a 7!

14 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

We also did this tour using Tours by Locals guide and making our own flight arrangements.  Our guide was Francis Almeida Barros.   I highly recommend staying in the park at the Gran Meliá Iguazú.  Of course you have to visit the Brazil side as well as I think those are the better overall views.

same guide - highly recommended

7 hours ago, Arubamoose said:

At pandemic lows we bought 100 shares of RCCL, CCL and NCL.

Since then the RCCL stock price has gone through the roof.  We have also had a nice "dividend" of at least $1000 of OBC.  

We haven't cruised the CCL or the NCL ships but will be in the future.

 

 

Would you spend close to $14000 now to get the same OBC?

2 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

Thanks for the info on the falls and the excursion.  We are considering a land/cruise option that includes a trip to the falls. This was very helpful.  Thank you 😁.

we did the Falls as a private tour pre cruise sharing with one other couple who we met on the CC Roll Call. We had a private guide for 2 days as it's imperative that you see the Falls from both sides - Brazil for the Panoramic Views and Argentine for the close ups standing right above the Falls. Our Guide enabled us to bi pass all the lines at the Border Crossing even getting one Official to come out to our vehicle to save us from getting soaked - the bus group ahead of us were all made to alight to have their documents checked. Ideally you want a huge rainstorm the night before your visit as this can increase the volume of water by several hundred percent.

the pics will give you some idea of the views - look closely at the first pic and near the top you can just make out where the people on the Argentine side are standing above the Falls.

21 hours ago, Tom and Ingrid said:

...that I stumbled upon this year is the "Shareholder Benefit" program through Royal Caribbean.

 

At the start of the COVID pandemic, stock in cruise lines plummeted, and I saw an opportunity to invest a small amount in something I knew would recover. In any case, if you own 100 shares of RCL, anytime you sail on their ships, you get additional onboard credits.  For me, that's 2 x $100 for the sailings I take this year. Sadly, I was unaware of the credit LAST year and didn't get it for the two sailings we did in 2023.

 

 

1. Who is eligible for this benefit?

·      This exclusive benefit offer is reserved solely for shareholders owning a minimum of 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) at time of sailing.

 

2. What is the benefit?

·      $1,000 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on a World Cruise

·      $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights.

·      $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6-13 nights.

·      $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less.

·      Applicable on any eligible Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises or Silversea Cruises sailing.

·      Excludes any charter or Galapagos sailings.

A great perk when shares were $20 each and dividend was 4 times a year.

Now with shares close to $140 each and no dividend it's a very expensive way to get a few extra $ of OBC.

9 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

We haven't been as lucky.  Mistakes happen, no biggie, but in both cases, we were told they'd be crediting it (we never even signed either receipt) and in both cases, they never issued one.  They might as well tell you "Our bad, to receive a credit go to guest services"

Once the error has been made its always simpler just to pop down to GR to get the credit/refund applied. Do it early in the morning or late in the evening when there are no lines- just takes a couple of minutes.

12 hours ago, gatour said:

Somewhat related question.  I have never taken a Celebrity cruise.  If I book a Celebrity cruise does my RC ststus mstch start on the first cruise or the second cruise.

 

At one time you weren't considered psrt of thrir loyalty program until you took your first cruise.

Your first.

You aren't 'part of their loyalty programme" you are getting a "status match" so you have in effect  already done the cruise.

47 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Fascinating..

and accurate - mind you the Boss (Anita) likes the chocolate and the tea in the triangular packets.

On 4/16/2024 at 1:22 PM, BadgerFBfan said:

Wife has indicated she really would like us to rent a car pre-cruise, so very likely we'll go outside Reykjavik and possibly the Golden Circle. Thanks for the input - appreciate it!

Easy drive and a great day out. At the car rental office the lady put all the major stopping points into the Sat Nav in order followed by the useful advice of " the clue is in the name you will be driving in a circle".

9 hours ago, Newsgal77 said:

I know about dress codes but should I be dressing for spring or much warmer wear? Im starting to think I should be packing my cashmere sweaters and a jacket. Thoughts?

thanks!

East bound or West Bound the answer is the same - layers with the outermost being light water and wind proof.

Enjoy the cruise.

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We are Elite+ and my DW will be so excited when she hears hot chocolate is free at Al Bacio, as we will no longer book a cabin with the All Included package and get our bottled water and glasses of wine during Happy Hour!

pleaseed to have helped make your DW happy.

2 hours ago, gfkcruiser said:

We are sailing out of Dover next May and need to discover the best way to get there from London.  Will fly into LHR at least a day prior.  

If the rail strikes are over (no sign of it after well over a year) then the train.

Bus/coach from Victoria Coach Station gives you a guaranteed seat and bags at a reasonable cost. Book early for the best prices.