Markanddonna

I generally agree with the above thinking, but "many" is not exactly accurate. On our several cruises in the past few years (maybe six times), the nondrinker is quite rare, considering that the vast majority of people buy or have the drink package. Knowing this, it is something you just have to get over and not let it bother you. We enjoy dancing (the kind that takes just a bit of skill) and I wouldn't be able to safely do so if I drank. We drink so rarely and can't justify the expense of a drink package or the cost of a single drink anymore.

I've been looking at Med cruises for this fall since the spring. We usually book early, so this has been unusual for us, but we were waiting for our daughter to make up her mind (she has lots of things going on in her life.) We have seen the prices creep up with even insides disappearing. Our only last-minute sailing was about two years ago, during the end of the pandemic, when we snagged a 13-day TA balcony for about $350 on RCL. The flight was reasonable, and it was a great experience. I can only conclude that the cruise industry is alive and doing very well and that those great last-minute discounts are quite rare.

We enjoy dancing to a lot of different styles. On our most recent Celebrity cruise, it was difficult to find a band and space that worked. The best area for dancing was taken over by game shows and some pretty awful karaoke and the bands played in area that were also walking through for the persons getting around the ship. The bands played mostly music to listen to rather than for dancing. Silent disco is okay for one time but isn't for people who want to dance as a couple. I have heard a few talented people do karaoke but some is painful.

Lately, many cruise lines allow you to drop off your luggage in your stateroom right after boarding. You could easily be pretty hands-free right after embarkation.

Skip the House of the Virgin Mary unless you are a Roman Catholic. Read how it was discovered.

These receptions are for the status guests only, not the entire ship. I didn't realize that a good part of it was to honor their top status guests. Usually, it is just a champagne, wine, snacks event to meet the officers in a nice setting. We don't go anymore.

You should listen to MSC's hold music. Argh!!!

Historically, M&Gs have been more common on cruises longer than 7 days. I never received anything for organizing, but was aware that some perks were previously (10 years ago+) given. On the last one I organized, one disorganized woman used the meeting to get things off her chest and just complained about things unrelated to the M&G. I thought it was rude and have vowed to not organize them anymore. Once onboard, people find all sorts of reasons to not show up.

I don't anymore after learning what is going on. Why are you asking why I bother to go to the events? To be honest, that's a pretty rude response. You are historically a better person than that.

I personally never met a snobby person on any of my cruises, but Celebrity is about as high up as we go. What rankles me are the silly ceremonies to honor the highest-ranking loyalty members. Really? I'm clapping for a person who has so much money and free time that they have cruised for 3,000 days with that cruise line? If it were me in their place, I'd forego the event.

I don't consider any review or comment unless I know the type of cabin they booked. Many excellent reviews are from upper level cabins that have access to a special dining room. Their food might be excellent while the mdr is average. You set yourself up for disappointment unless you are aware of these not so subtle differences.

We were on the Apex in May on a TA. It was okay. The passengers, like on most TAs, skewed older- average maybe 75, the food was mediocre, the crew was excellent and we enjoyed our cabin. The entertainment was mediocre. We have about 30 cruises under our belts and many TAs.

Things with dining have changed recently on Celebrity. We signed up for early dining to share a table but discovered our assigned table was changed from the one we were told when checking in. Our new table was for two and NO ONE was seated next to us until 5 mins before we left. It seems that the four main dining rooms are a combination of fixed and flexible dining. So, we went to the concierge at the restaurant, who suggested we just show up at any of the restaurants whenever we wished and ask to share a table. That worked quite well until we discovered that we got weary of starting with a fresh group of people each night. The conversations never got beyond where are you from, are you a regular Celebrity cruiser, what are your plans for the other ports, etc. On the last two days out of 13, we chose to eat in the buffet since the experience was not great. We never made friends with anyone we met at the MDR. We also learned to sort of scope out the people at the table we were being led to. We had endured two nights seated with a couple who didn't talk. She had severe dementia, and her husband was frazzled by her outbursts. We looked to see if the people were talking or just sitting silent looking at their silverware. Celebrities' efforts to expand open dining were rather a failure in our eyes.

I use both CC and FB and also appreciate that CC doesn't shut down different opinions. I've come to see that FB groups related to travel, including roll calls, are often started and then controlled by someone in the travel industry. Anything that implies a specific cruise line has an issue isn't tolerated and removed by these people. With FB's growing popularity and competition with CC, I now see the good old days of roll calls and small private excursion groups as greatly diminished. With pre-pandemic rolls calls on CC, the group was much more cohesive and stable and "bonded" on the ship. This has been falling apart for us lately, making cruising not as much fun for us.

You will have a slightly better situation than we had on deck 6 as our view looking down was slightly obstructed. I thought it was a wonderful room, but then we are just thrilled to have the privilege of traveling, not cooking and cleaning. You can sit out and enjoy the veranda, enjoy the fresh ocean air, see the weather outside, use your balcony to dry clothes (carefully), etc. The room was lovely and we had no problem with any movement that is sometimes described in a forward cabin. I think you will be very pleased. I would snatch one of these up in a heartbeat.

We had assigned dining but were placed at a two top with no one around us. After that, we chose to go to any of the four dining rooms whenever we wanted. It worked out fine but to be honest, we tired of the need to introduce ourselves every night. Much prefer dining at a 6-8 top with the same people.

It depends on where you are going. We are in our early/mid seventies, and that was probably the average age on the Apex transatlantic. Lots of canes, walkers, scooters. The one comedian referred to the passengers as "dusty," which was a pretty good description. Most just sat in the lounges at night, listening to music and staring into the air as they enjoyed their drink package.

Ephesus: Book a tour with a private company. There are several to choose from. We have been there twice, and the ship tour was fast-paced. The guide was ignorant, passing off myths and inaccurate information to those who didn't know better. (I study Biblical history and archaeology, so I was aghast.) I assume you will go to the ancient city of Ephesus. Unless you are Roman Catholic, try to skip the House of Mary, which has little/no historical basis to it. Avoid the carpet and jewelry salesmen at the port. Just walk past and don't allow yourself to engage. I would also use a private company in Santorini. To see how busy the port will be, check a website that tells you how many ships are in port that day. In Naples, you can take the train to Pompeii or Herculaneum. We took the Red Sightseeing Bus Company's special bus that goes to Pompeii, and it worked out great. Plenty of time to see the site. Don't feel like you are a cruising newbie who must take ship tours. While cruising is somewhat different in Europe, I think your experience will be superb, and you will be hooked.

We always get it. A cruise that ended with COVID and two trips to an ER in Europe resulted in a premature trip back home. Our travel insurance paid for everything, including the $2,000 flight adjustment for the rebooked flight.

I'd say some folks are perfect candidates for a two-top. We're all different, and your preferences should be respected.

We were in 6114 on the 2024 TA. We were in a veranda but it was the "port hole view" which was very nice. Your location is a good one- mid ship and close to a lot of venues.

Whew, pretty negative, but I agree with the more relaxed dress codes. To us, it is more of a luggage issue. I don't recall seeing men or women stuffed into their tuxes or dresses. How awkward is no conversation at a table. It is only problematic when one or two people monopolize the conversation. Generally, the people we ate with for 7-23 days have met have positively added to our lives. You don't get the same vibe on the cruises for less than seven days. We have only once asked to be moved from our assigned table: one couple was a no-show, two French Canadians who said they spoke no English, and an elderly couple where the woman was angry/crabby and her husband was silent. I wasn't going to tolerate that for 23 days on a TP.

This was on a Celebrity TA.

Yes, you can still share but with different people every night. We became weary of giving our summaries each night. With a fixed group, you can talk about your day, tomorrow's port, family, other things.

I think you will discover these things: - passengers have isolated themselves more and are often on their electronic devices. The cruise lines apps are partly to blame. - rules and guidelines are now made to be broken. You have a hard time keeping up with them because they are always in the state of flux. The old rules may now be just suggestions. The MDR experience is often disappointing, not just with the food but also with the idea of socializing. Many passengers want to avoid interacting with other passengers, so you will likely see lots of two-tops. - the dress code is just a suggestion. We have seen some pretty outrageous things in the past year. One cruise had a single male furry (had no companions) who walked around the entire Caribbean cruise in his hot skunk furry costume. The staff made him take off his mask as it was scaring people. People increasingly wear their bathrobes to breakfast (Celebrity...) and swimwear with no cover-up to lunch in the buffet. No one says anything. The positive: more choices