dln929

Love the beer report, Sandi! I actually wrote to Michael Bayley about the state of beer on Celebrity ships. We're not boarding the Sillhouette until another 11 months, so he has plenty of time to fix the problem of stinky hours and a lack of entertainment. Our beer-drinking hubbies deserve no less! ;)

We have been to Paris a number of times spending more than a few weeks at a time there (thanks to a daughter who did study abroad at the Sorbonne).

 

I couldn't even imagine just spending 5 or 6 hours in Paris - especially after such a LONG bus ride to get there. Would not even begin to do it any sort of justice.

 

BUT - if you think that this will be your ONLY chance to get there - GO FOR IT.

 

We were on the same RCCL cruise as dln929 and our table mates told horror stories about their excursion....someone got sick on their bus and spent 2 hours waiting for medical help before they even got to Paris. That could happen in any situation but what a shame.

 

We rented a car in LeHavre from Hertz and spent a lovely day touring/getting lost around the country side. Went to Fecamp and took in the cliffs at Etretat.

I remember! I took my daughter on the Brilliance with me, and we walked into town in Le Havre (very easy as there's exellent signage) and caught the local bus to the charming fishing village of Honfleur. We had lunch there and wandered around for the day.

To the OP, if you don't want the lengthy day in Paris, Normandy is full of other opportunities for a perfect day. BTW, we didn't think Le Havre was as bad as all that. There's still significant evidence of the damage WWII wrought upon the city but it's really more poignant than anything else. We walked down many streets where we saw beautiful old pre-war buildings side-by-side to nasty post-war buildings and/or vacant spaces, but it didn't bother us. We just put our imagination to work to conjure up what used to be there rather than what's presently there. ;)

If you are not in search of an extra point to boost your CC standing, it doesn't appear the concierge class will offer you anything better than what you could get in a standard balcony. We always cruise concierge class or Aqua but that's simply because I like the flowers, I like seeing a bucket of bubbly greeting me when I first open the door, and I like having that footrest. YMMV ;)

Do you know if they still have "free" on demand movies in the staterooms?

Not to horn in, Sandi, but to answer the question, yes, there are free movies. Sometimes we're so tired after port days that we turn in early and watch the movies in bed (nothing we pay for ;)). We saw The Hunger Games and Dark Shadows on the Equinox last month. The latter lulled us into a very good night's sleep. :cool:

Sandi, what cabins did you see on the crawl? Anything interesting? (and tell Scott the "P" for Purdue is fantastic!)

Not on Celebrity but on Royal--one of our ports was Le Havre. I didn't do the bus excursion because I've been to Paris dozens of times already. However, most of our dinner tablemates did. They all said it was a really, really, really long day but even still, they were all so happy that they were given the chance to see Paris.

I think you get about 5 or 6 hours in Paris (look at your excursion details and it will tell you). If you've done your research beforehand, that's enough time to give you a pretty good taste of Paris. The Metro is certainly easy to use and you could see the Left Bank, the Right Bank, and Montmartre. You'll be tired but hey, you can sleep it off on the bus back to Le Havre. One thing everyone told us is that there are lots of scam artist type people lingering around the bus stop where you're dropped off--and that's typical of many world cities. Don't fall for the tricks; walk by and you'll be fine.

It depends on you if you want to go for the crazy long day. If I had never seen Paris before, I'd go for it. Why not? There's only one magnificent Paris in this world. ;)

Got to bring your own travel games Deirdre (I know you can spare the luggage space;)). How long before they start" Reflectioning" the "old" S Class ships I wonder!! I would like to see the Sunset Bar, Hideaway and Game On added to all the ships.

Ha! I have games loaded onto my Kindle in preparation for our Equinox TA. (btw I still won that Scrabble game even with the extras :D). I would think that tweaking the other S class ships to include the Hideaway and Game On wouldn't be too much trouble, but wouldn't altering the Sunset Bar be a different story? Wouldn't that involve a new staircase and floor configuration?

One thing I think they could "De-Reflect" would be to return the lawn to its original Solstice layout, minus those silly unused Alcoves!

Thanks for the photo of the atrium tree. I don't know why but I love atrium trees!

If I were on the Reflection transatlantic with all those sea days, I'd be in the Game On room all the time. We really enjoy board games but the pieces go missing so easily. We once played Scrabble on the Solstice with 3 Qs. :eek::eek: I like the idea of games imbedded in the table top.

Hi Sandi! You did well with that hotel. Good thing you were going on the Reflection because I bet it would have been hard to drag you away from such a gorgeous view!

Jo, last month when we were on the Equinox, we ordered two Irish coffees after our dinner. The bill was for $13.80 ($6.00 each plus $.90 gratuity @ 15%). So that means, yes, your Irish coffee is included in a Classic package. ;)

Ship: Equinox

Cabin #: 1554

Deck #: 11

Class: Aqua

Area: forward

Bed near: bath

Quiet?: yes

Balcony view: obstructed by window washing equipment

Balcony size: nicely oversized

Wind a problem?: no

Soot a problem?: no

Problems/comments:The window washing equipment is really in your face so if you take lots of photos from the balcony, you may want to choose another cabin. It's going to be in every shot otherwise! We weren't bothered by it because the compromise was a nice big balcony, which we thoroughly enjoyed. It's not as big as #1552 on the north side, however. We occasionally heard chairs being moved upstairs but the noise never lasted more than a few seconds at best, nothing to worry about. As you walk into the room, the bed and the bathroom are on the right wall.

Very interessting I usual book one of those hump´s , great as mentioned before. Does anyone know why some have footrests and some not?

Thanks

Greetings

Michael

Michael, non-Concierge and non-Aqua class balconies do not have foot rests. The balcony photos shown are 1B class. If you moved down the hump a little to connecting cabins 9296 and 9298, you'd get the footrests because they're C2s.

cruisetrail, I have the sneaking suspicion that our Equinox Aqua cabin is going to make your "do not book" list as it's obstructed by the window washing equipment. However, forewarned is forearmed--we have an over-sized balcony in compensation so we're okay with it. ;)

Please help, I'm new at this.

 

I thought if I purchase stock in the parent company, RCCL, I would get OBC credit with either Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, or Azamara. Not true? Do I have to purchase stock in the individual company to get OBC on that particular cruise line? :confused: How do I purchase stock? How many shares? How do I collect shareholder's OBC?

You are correct in saying you have only to buy shares (100 minimum) to reap the OBC on either RCI, X, or Azamara. There are many ways to buy shares--we have our financial advisor do it it for us but you don't necessarily have to go that route. Here's a website to get you started if you're interested in the stock. http://quote.morningstar.com/Stock/s.aspx?t=RCL You can probably tell from this thread that getting your OBC is not always a sure thing as there are many conditions, but that's laid out on the RCL website (follow the link from the morningstar website).

I love to hear about the smoking policy. Especially since I am a former smoker myself..

With pleasure. This is what you should expect (cut and pasted from the Celebrity website):

For the comfort and enjoyment of our guests, our ships are designated as non-smoking; however, we recognize that some of our guests smoke. Therefore, cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking is permitted in designated outdoor areas of the ship. Smoking is not permitted in any dining venue, casino, theater, lounge, hallway, elevator or corridor. This policy includes smoking-like products such as electronic cigarettes. Smoking is not permitted inside any guest stateroom, nor on any guest veranda. If a guest is in violation of this policy, a cleaning fee of $250 USD will be applied to their SeaPass account and the guest may be subject to further action pursuant to the "Consequences Section" of the Guest Conduct Policy. Cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco must be properly disposed of and never thrown overboard. A guest must be at least 18 years of age to purchase, possess or use tobacco onboard.

Additionally, there is a non-smoking policy on all components of the land tour portion of all Celebrity Cruises cruisetour products. We appreciate your understanding and adherence.

To me, the biggest (and best) difference between the two lines is the smoking issue. I appreciate that there's absolutely no smoking allowed on the balconies. We had an incredible corner aft when we sailed on the Indy earlier this year, and it was ruined by the two smokers in the balconies below us. It was the only time it ever happened on a Royal cruise for us, but you know what they say about "it only takes one time..." :mad:

Thanks for writing and adding photos, too. We like Med cruises so I am really enjoying reading your report. Keep it coming!

DW and I were just discussing this entire thread and my earlier post where I mentioned that both Michael's and the Wine Bar (Cellar Masters) were always empty during our 12 day Silhouette cruise. We think both of these venues are terrific ideas but few passengers ever use these rooms. DW think much of the problem is very bad onboard marketing by Celebrity. They need to do some promoting by having special Happy Hours or similar functions. Offer 25% off in Michaels, promote it, and they will come (and perhaps later be willing to pay full price). In Cellar Masters they can have a promotion where they discount the wine cards (you need to purchase these to use the automatic dispensers) during certain limited hours to get folks to try some of the wines. As wine lovers we were really impressed by Cellar Masters and its excellent wine selection (but less impressed by the pricing).

 

Hank

P.S. Are you listening Celebrity?

Hank, I think a lot of it has to do with when the darn place is open. My husband and I love a good craft beer. Normally we crack open a beer in the evening but that's during the work week. On a cruise we might be persuaded (hahaha no arm twisting necessary :)) to have a beer at lunchtime or any time in the afternoon. We'd love to go to Michael's Club to have a beer--a good beer--but noooooooo. Ain't happening. We have to make do with a draft Heineken somewhere until Michael's is open at dinnertime. Or maybe later. I don't get it!!! We'd happily traipse downstairs to get a good beer so why does Celebrity make it so hard to do??? :(

http://beyondships.com/files/Michael_s_Club_Menu.pdf The prices are current for Michael's Club. The drink specials are still offered but I think the price has gone up to $6.50 (though I'm not entirely sure).

Hi Sandi, great pics of you and me and the beer and the couch! We didn't spend half as much time in there as we should have. ;)

___________________________________________________

Deirdre (who is drinking a perfect IPA as she types this post)

I enjoyed Michael's Club how it used to be, but think the idea of a craft beer lounge is a good one. But it does concern me that people are finding the venue empty. Yes, that's good for relaxing, but it does not bode well with keeping the concept in the future. I was very surprised to hear of how late it opens. They are missing out on alot of revenue by not opening in the afternoon on sea days especially IMHO. If they could get some customers interested in the afternoons, they would possibly come back in the evening (or other evenings) as well. Sounds like a good idea that needs some tweaking.

I wouldn't say that Michael's Club is empty in the evenings but I most certainly agree with you about needing longer hours. My husband and I would be over the moon if Michael's Club was open in the afternoon. It's one of the few places on ship where one can be guaranteed a good beer, so why make us wait until AFTER happy hour to open? Open AT happy hour~ or earlier. :D

A million thanks for this very special review. You've brought back a flood of happy memories for me! Our very first cruise was on the Voyager out of Venice. Like you we stayed at the Hotel al Ponte Mocenigo. Isn't that a darling hotel? And the location is perfect. Just close enough to everything but out of the way of hordes of tourists. We found and owners and staff delightful. And Venice~ your photos capture Venice so well. It nearly brings tears to my eyes looking at them. You and your family obviously had a great time there, just like we did. Your photos and trip review make me happy.

The captain of the Summit told me he is moving to the Equinox in a few months.

LOL....I may be in the minority and that is fine:) but I usually pack

most of my stuff that morning or start the day before, but it

is all always finished before I go to dinner on the last evening.:)

 

I sail solo so there is never anyone else to worry about;)

We need you to give us lessons. We went to dinner on the last night and to the show after and the first thing the Cruise Director said was "Okay, we're going to separate the mice from the men. How many of you have suitcases by your door already and how many of you haven't even started packing?" That got a big laugh from the audience. Rob and I just squirmed in our seats. Ooops! Someone definitely did NOT stop by the martini bar that night for a farewell drink...;)

______________

Deirdre

On the Solstice, we were arbitrarily given a debarkation time of 6:30 am which would have been wonderful had we a plane to catch but we didn't! So my husband went down to Guest Relations and had it changed to a more civilized 9:30 am. We had a leisurely breakfast that morning. The cafe will stay open til about 9 am if I remember correctly. BTW, when you're told to have your luggage out in the hall the night before at a certain hour, you'd better listen! They mean business when they say it's going to be collected. I never packed so fast in my life! :o

_________

Deirdre

We are going Aqua so what are the differences?

This is what the Reflection offers (from the X website release)

The Celebrity Reflection will present an enhanced AquaSpa by Elemis allowing guests to create their own circuit of sensory experiences as they move from room to room and experience hot and cold, wet and dry, and peace and tranquility throughout.

The AquaSpa’s expanded, 883-square-foot Persian Garden will allow for six more in-demand curved, heated tile beds (15 total) with soothing sea views, and six entirely new experiences:

• The Hammam: A modern twist on a traditional experience, the Hammam is a cool, calm and quiet space designed to loosen muscles and joints while relaxing on a heated stone slab. The relaxing, regenerating experience can be enhanced with a massage or a soothing, custom salt scrub.

• Infrared Sauna: Infrared heat offers distinct advantages over traditional steam heat saunas, as it provides many of the health benefits of natural sunlight without the dangerous effects of solar radiation. The heat within the infrared sauna penetrates deep into guests’ joints and surrounding tissue to increase blood flow, reduce inflammation and decrease pain versus purely heat the skin, as in a traditional sauna.

• Aromatic Steam Room: Warm steam and aromatherapy combine to melt away muscle tension and toxins, and to relax the mind, and leave the entire body feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.

• The Cold Room: Guests can ‘chill out’ completely in this space, whose seats, walls and floor are icy cold (52 F). The room is designed to tighten pores that were opened and cleansed previously in the infrared sauna and aromatic steam room.

• DIY Scrub and Salt Bar: This new do-it-yourself bar allows guests to create custom “body cocktails,” or scrubs, from an array of salts, sugar and herbs. The scrubs can be purchased individually, or as a package of five scrubs for $45.

• Sensory Showers: Guests can complete their journey through the Persian Garden by selecting either warm, tropical rain infused with mild, fruity fragrances, or an arctic cold mist enlivened with eucalyptus essences. Creative applications of soothing sound, scent and light will further tantalize the senses to leave guests invigorated and refreshed.

The Persian Garden experience will be complimentary for guests booked in Celebrity’s spa-inspired AquaClass accommodations. All other guests will be asked to pay $35 for a one-day pass.

Additionally, the AquaSpa will introduce “Girlz Night,” a social spa night for women, complete with access to the Persian Garden, and “Couples Night,” offering couples an intimate evening in the Persian Garden.

Celebrity Reflection’s AquaSpa also will add to the extensive menu of treatments a new therapy, “Rhythm and Bliss,” a rhythmic rubdown conceived and choreographed by the New York brand, bliss, designed to give guests’ tense spots a ‘tune-up,’ while they ‘tune out’ with noise-canceling headphones playing their choice from four music mixes: classical, world, electronic and rock.

Consistent with its focus on wellness and life balance, the AquaSpa on Celebrity Reflection will offer “Acupuncture: The Point of Well-Being,” an integrated solution for chronic symptoms ranging from severe muscle and joint pain to insomnia, in addition to Botox® and Dysport® injectables, and Restylane® and Perlane® dermal fillers.

The salon within the AquaSpa on Celebrity Reflection also will present a new service, introducing the popular Keratin Complex hair smoothing therapy.