FlamingJune1967

October 12, 2016

On our last 4 cruises we've had large OBC, so opted to book specialty dining once onboard. We generally book first night since they usually offer a large discount that night, and have not found a problem getting reservations on the nights we wanted in the restaurants we wanted. As the cruise goes on the discounts have gotten bigger, and we've gotten great deals. In fact last cruise in Feb. (Caribbean) we did better than the package and ate in Murano2X and Tuscan once. They will book you on the package into Murano only once since it is the most expensive. If you want to book it for your anniversary dinner, do it as soon as you board first thing. There's usually someone from each of the specialty restaurants right in the center of the ship on embarkation day. Happy anniversary and happy travels. 61 days to go....I think we're shipmates. (Think I saw your posts on the roll call.:) The lobster flambe is awesome and prepared tableside for a little drama and the service is wonderful.

Yes, we are shipmates! I've been a little obsessed with CC ever since we booked - lol! Probably over preparing, but I find a lot of enjoyment in the planning. The more I see of Celebrity, the more excited I get. The Eclipse appears to be a beautiful ship!

October 11, 2016

Thanks Cruise Radar! That is extremely helpful! I will take your advice and book as soon as we board.

October 11, 2016

We are celebrating our 30th anniversary on the last day of our December cruise onboard Eclipse. We would love to dine at Murano on that night. I have 3 questions for any of you with experience:

1) Is the last night a popular one for specialty restaurants? (i.e. would they run a special for that night?)

2) We are considering the 3 dinner package, but I understand that the first one is chosen for you. I wouldn't mind if it was Qsine or Tuscan, but if they schedule us for Murano, can we swap for one of the other restaurants? I know I have read on CC that you can, but has this actually happened with any of you?

3) Does booking the 3 dinner special on board allow for more flexibility? (i.e. choice?)

oh - and bonus question(s) :rolleyes: Do we pay taxes on pre-purchased dining packages? And does the listed price include gratuity?

Thanks for taking the time to answer!

October 10, 2016

The most interesting part of this poll so far, to me, is the number of us that do not have children! Maybe that should be X's target market (DINKs and the like). Whether it's affluence or disposable income, I think most of us here seem to fit that demographic.

I am in my 30's, FTR, and have been cruising X since my late 20's. :D

We have children, (6 of them, in fact) We just wouldn't cruise Celebrity with them. We take Royal or Carnival when the kids are with us. That's what I interpreted "50s no kids" to mean. Just as I imagine most of the 60's and up have grandchildren but don't take them when they cruise.

October 9, 2016

Sorry for the late check in this week. We were in the storm path and life has been massively complicated :) No damage, but were without power/water for a bit. Many in our town still are.

Anyway, I was down 1.4 at weigh in (Yea!)

However, really fell off the wagon during the storm. Too much Junk+anxiety is not a good combo. Hoping to make up for it before next weigh in.

Congrats to those who lost!

October 7, 2016

Since I live in a place affected by this hurricane - and always drive to port when we cruise - I have been very interested in how Cruise lines are handling the shut down of ports and evacuation of residents as per upcoming cruises. For example - even if the port of Miami reopens today, I would not be able to travel there due to all major roads being set up for evacuees only and not accessible for travel towards any evacuated area. Plus - there are no hotels available within 200 miles of where I live (S.E. Georgia) - and I imagine all of Florida.

I've been checking Celebrity, RCCL, and Carnival websites, and by far the best response has been from Carnival. From several days out they were anticipating port closures, offering cruisers full refunds or prorating cruise fares for delayed ships.

Royal Caribbean's website info has been much more limited, and late to the punch. For example, 2 ships leaving from Miami today are having their boarding delayed - but how in the world are folks supposed to travel there during a major Florida hurricane? And if I were smart and traveled there before the storm, where would I have spent the last 2 nights with a mass exodus and no hotels?

Celebrity's website has no information. none.

Maybe Royal and Celebrity have been in touch with all their cruisers privately and are making accommodations, but you sure can't tell that from their website. (And websites can be run from anywhere, so no excuse for that.)

And yes, I know about travel insurance, I'm not talking about the cruise line's responsibility, just noting who appears to be handling the situation in a more customer friendly way.)

October 4, 2016

Hi Gary,

Looking forward to reading your review we will be on before the end of the year.

Enjoy your cruise

We will be cruising with you in December! I'm beyond excited to be trying Celebrity for the first time! The days aren't going by fast enough:rolleyes:

October 3, 2016

Many thanks! If you look at one of the lifts in the library photo you'll see my trickery ;)

ah-ha! Stitched photo :) Very cool effect!

October 2, 2016

They get cool, but not icy cold.
If you leave the door to the cabinet open (not the door to the fridge itself, but the door to the cabinet in which it resides), it does keep the items inside cooler.

Thanks for the tip! I'll try that, as well as "using the heat from the fridge to help dry stuff" tip from the first page. And since this is a longer cruise, I'll be more insistent about the mini-bar purge. I already bring snacks and water aboard with us, and I've noticed that Eclipse cabins seem to have less storage than other cabins I have been in.

October 2, 2016

DYKWIA: I have to say that your photography skills are top notch! Those photos of Topper and the Library are good enough for Celebrity literature!! And I enjoyed reading your review as well!

October 2, 2016

On my very first (RCCL) cruise - after reading CC extensively for about 8 months - I shook our cabin stewards hand and very nicely asked if he could empty our refrigerator. He told us "no". Said there wasn't any place to put it. I was dumbfounded.

On a subsequent RCCL cruise my husband did the asking - and got the same response.

On our first Carnival cruise, my husband asked the room attendant to empty the fridge and keep our ice bucket filled - then passed him a tip. He smiled and said yes - and he certainly kept our ice fresh - but not a single fridge item left our room.

I gave up asking after that.

So... anyone else have similar experience? And is Celebrity more likely to comply with our wishes?

Also - the refrig. temps on RCCL and Carnival were barely below room temp. Are the fridges on Celebrity any better?

October 2, 2016

HI all!

June ~ I've heard of the 5/2 diet which I guess is similar. What do you eat on the low calorie days please?

~ Jo ~ :)

Thanks for the welcome, Jo! Yes 4/3 is very similar - I just added a day for quicker weight loss. Low cal days are usually a yogurt, small salad and small bag of popcorn. This past week was hard because It has been a very long time since I have experienced actual hunger. But I can tell that each day is getting easier. We'll see..."

shootr: Is that dish a cold shrimp salad? Or did you cook it?

I've got a cruise planned to in Nov. b2b Mexico and Hawaii
and I want to lose just keep staying the same. Know some

is because of stress. Things left out of trust, need lawyer,

paperwork, more forms, spend money to get money. Crazy!

Hate it.. don't want to do it. Need a break! Need a cruise..

Doesn't that sound like the best medicine? I think so! :) LOL

I find that stress is like the anti-diet! - lol - I wish it was easier to eliminate stress - but that is hard to control.

Last Saturday I reached my goal of running a km in under 4 minutes. I weighed in at 219 after that run....total loss of 81lbs. I was on top of the world!

What an awesome time!!! I'd be proud of that too!!!

September 29, 2016

I just found this thread while exploring CC and would like to join. My husband and I are going on a cruise to celebrate our 30th anniversary in 72 days and I would like to lose at least 15 of the 20 lbs I have put on since our last cruise.

I know it will be tough, but I'm pretty determined! I'm almost a week in and - so far - have been very committed!

I'm using the 4/3 diet (4 days of eating "normal" and 3 days of < 500 cals.)

Starting weight = 162.4

This is my highest weight in many years - brought on by stress and a lower activity level. My husband and I are runners, but we basically quite running last spring after he fell and injured his ankle during a marathon.

But we are back to running - so that should help a lot.

Glad to join y'all!

September 27, 2016

I am elite plus and enjoy sailing on Celebrity. However, it seems that regardless of where I sail, the cruise experience on the ship remains the same. Same shows, same menus, same trivia, same music, etc. It's like Celebrity ships have created their own country. It needs some connection to the region that the cruise visits. For example, I did 2 cruises this summer (not on X) that took advantage of local experiences. In Norway, I ate local salmon that was prepared many ways. Some people went with the chef to the market to shop for local foods. Every port had some menu items that were local. In Germany, local sausages, pretzels, and wine were great. Also, local talent is also a treat. I got to enjoy a local choirs, traditional dancing, and local cooking techniques in several ports. It's time for celebrity to branch out and include local experiences on the ship. It would make cruising a more enriching experience.

Brilliant!

A ship is usually in the same home port traveling to the same places for months (or sometimes years) at a time. Why not use more local talent on board for entertainment? Or add local specialty dishes to the menu as each port is reached?

September 26, 2016

Hope you have a wonderful Celebrity cruise!

If you can't afford a balcony on booking keep a look out...you never know and let Celebrity or your travel agent know you would love to upgrade if the price was right.....

If you can manage it book in a meal in Murano's to celebrate your anniversary. It is expensive but the table side preparations and the service really do make for a memorable experience.

Sincere best wishes!

Thanks chemmo! What you said earlier about coming back from your cruise rested or tired really resonated with us! It's sooo easy for me to overplan a vacation!

We are definitely going to a specialty restaurant on the actual day - I didn't know about the tableside prep. That sounds intriguing! Our travel agent is keeping watch for a reasonable veranda upgrade. Right now there is a sale on with lots of extras for OV and up. While that doesn't make the cost of the actual room terrible (when you factor in the $300 onboard credit for example) it does mean that we have to come up with quite a bit more money up front than what we had budgeted (we are past final payment.) We are hoping that once the "sale" is over the actual price of the room will go down. I'm not sure if that is what happens on Celebrity - but that seems to be how it works on Royal Caribbean :)

thanks for your help!

September 25, 2016

I cannot thank you all enough for the helpful advice!

My husband and I sat down this afternoon and read all of the responses out loud and discussed all the pros and cons you guys gave. I know that most of this info is available online, but it is incredibly helpful to get real-time feedback from folks that have experienced 2 or even all 3 of these class of ships!

And the winner is... Celebrity Eclipse!

In the end it came down to the points you all repeatedly made - relaxation vs activity - and while, theoretically we could relax on a mega activity ship - I (personally) would not.

I would be constantly checking the Compass for something to do, afraid I was missing out, while my poor husband - who almost never gets a break from stress and responsibility - would feel obligated to tag along. This way, less choices= more opportunity to relax. We live pretty close to Port Canaveral, so the Oasis is definitely in our future - just not this trip.

Also - we realized we are mainly looking for a romantic cruise rather than an active, kid-filled one (we have 6 kids of our own - 2 still under 12, so less children and more time to gaze lovingly into each other's eyes sounds divine!

My husband is on the phone with our travel agent right now - he is hoping to find a way to afford a balcony - but even if he doesn't I'm fine with an inside. It's hard to miss what you've never had and hard to go back once you get it!:D

September 25, 2016

I cannot thank you all enough for the helpful advice!

My husband and I sat down this afternoon and read all of the responses out loud and discussed all the pros and cons you guys gave. I know that most of this info is available online, but it is incredibly helpful to get real-time feedback from folks that have experienced 2 or even all 3 of these class of ships!

And the winner is... Celebrity Eclipse!

In the end it came down to the points you all repeatedly made - relaxation vs activity - and while, theoretically we could relax on a mega activity ship - I (personally) would not.

I would be constantly checking the Compass for something to do, afraid I was missing out, while my poor husband - who almost never gets a break from stress and responsibility - would feel obligated to tag along. This way, less choices= more opportunity to relax. We live pretty close to Port Canaveral, so the Oasis is definitely in our future - just not this trip.

Also - we realized we are mainly looking for a romantic cruise rather than an active, kid-filled one (we have 6 kids of our own - 2 still under 12, so less children and more time to gaze lovingly into each other's eyes sounds divine!

Plus...duh - hard scoop ice cream for free! thanks micmacmissy

And thanks for the info on "Not so Newlywed" SpaceCoastCruisers! Glad to hear it!

My husband is on the phone with our travel agent right now - he is hoping to find a way to afford a balcony - but even if he doesn't I'm fine with an inside. It's hard to miss what you've never had and hard to go back once you get it!:D

September 25, 2016

(I posted this on Celebrity Board as well):)

I am planning a cruise in December (yes - just 2 months) to celebrate our 30th anniversary. I have a choice between:

7 day Oasis Inside Grty

8 day Freedom of the Seas Balcony Grty

10 day Celebrity Eclipse Inside Grty

All are similarly priced. All have (for us) desirable itineraries.

I'm having a heck of a time deciding!

We are a couple in early 50s

I love having lots of activities to choose from and especially appreciate quality shows/live entertainment and comedy clubs.

My husband likes those things as well, but would be just as happy to lounge on deck with a book all day.

Neither of us are foodies - and would not use the higher priced specialty restaurants - but we do appreciate variety of food venues.

Neither of us drink alcohol or use casinos, but we love to dance (loved The Crypt on Freedom and are sorry to hear it has been taken out)

We were on FoS for our first cruise 5 years ago and LOVED it - However, I'm looking for something really special for our 30th. I can get a balcony room for the same price as an inside on the other ships (which would be special since I've never had a balcony before), but I adore the whole experience of discovering a ship for the first time, and would not get that with Freedom.

I love all the entertainment value of the Oasis - but am worried that I will miss the "ship" feel - especially with an inside room.

As far as Celebrity Eclipse, both of us would love a 10 day cruise, and based on pictures, the Eclipse looks stunningly beautiful. But I am fearful that we will feel let down by the entertainment quality. I have found nothing to indicate any sort of game shows like "Love and Marriage" or "Quest" and the production shows get poor reviews on CC. I've read a bit about "lectures" and 70's 80's style music - neither of which appeal to me.

If anyone has been on both Eclipse and either of the other ships I would love your thoughts and comparisons.

thanks!!!

September 25, 2016