Silkroad

I understand your frustration. Like yourself, I was summarily tossed off the spring TA and the subsequent cruise on Beyond. I moved to the Ascent TA and ditched the other booking. Regarding the Amsterdam cruise port, I wouldn’t panic. The news flash, which has been widely reported since last night, is remarkably short on details. I’ve seen no cruise port closure date. There will be thousands of details- including contractual obligations- to sort before the port is closed. FWIW we’re about to depart for a b2b that was meant to sail from Amsterdam. Months ago, I received the news that we’d sail from Rotterdam instead. This change doesn’t affect our flight plans.

This is an eight week trial. It won’t end until 20 August.

I’m enjoying your review very much. We sailed the same itinerary aboard Apex in early December 2022, and we board her again at the end of this month. It’s lovely to revisit some of our favorite areas through your photos and observations.

Yay! Thanks for starting a live. We’re sailing with you and I’d toyed with the idea of starting my first live, but you’ve got me off the hook😂 That curry looks tasty. Wishing you smooth travels to Europe.

Thank you! Would it be possible for you to also post the link here?

Please ignore any wailing you may hear from the east. It’s only me having an acute attack of envy😂

Great review, Charla! I’ve enjoyed following along with you and Gen Z on your MSC adventures. I’m looking forward to your review of your suite and the rest of your summary. Once you’ve had time to process this cruise experience, I’d love to know which ship (Divina or Seaside) you’d choose for another solo cruise (or a cruise with Jeremy).

We too prefer the shoulder seasons, but should you cruise in Europe you’ll find that European school breaks may differ from ours.

Thanks for another wonderful GSJ, Norris. This one is helpful to us in the near term because we board Apex very soon for both the Norway and the Iceland itineraries. Many thanks to both you and Carol for your dining and layering tips. Based on your recommendation, we’ve booked Welcome Pickups. Your experiences departing Schipol have increased my concern about our flight departing from that airport. We’re flying UA, though not to ORD, and it looks like our gate will be near yours. I’m seeing some late arrivals and departures for our flight numbers. Thanks to you, we know we should allow more time for a passport check and the trek to the gate. Cheers! Michelle

I hope Robert feels better very soon. Lovely photos!

Good idea, but no. I can’t imagine booking one of those enormous suites unless I had a much larger travel budget, and I intended to host a wild party😈 In that eventually you - of course - shall receive an invitation😎

I should have also said I’d want the title to the property😜

Holy cow! I enjoy fine wines, but for 100k I’d expect to receive a home with indoor plumbing🤣

@D. B. Thank you for your response! We seem to be on the same page. We book both Verandas and Sky Suites on Celebrity. If we sail O, we’ll book a veranda cabin. Whenever we’ve done a cost/benefit analysis of Celebrity vs Oceania (ranking the aspects of a cruise that are most important to us) we’ve been unconvinced that O would give us a superior experience. As you said, you get what you pay for, but that’s only true if you’re paying for something that provides you more pleasure or utility than the less costly option. Now that O has rolled out the new “Simply More” program, we’re waiting to see how O loyalists react to the changes. We’re also waiting for Celebrity’s decision on vaping in the casinos. Meanwhile, we have six cruises booked on Celebrity.

I’m so thankful you’re home, Norris. I hope you enjoy a restful night’s sleep in the comfort of your own bed. Please don’t overdo tomorrow. We can wait a bit longer for the rest of your GSJ. Sending another big thanks to Carol for keeping us updated on your unplanned medical adventure🌻

Thank you for taking time to post here during your cruise. I’m sure I’m not the only one who appreciates it. I know you said you’re not foodies, but how do you like the food? Do you find it enjoyable? How do you like your veranda cabin? Is the layout of the room and bathroom appealing to you? How is the service?

We have had similar experiences on some of our cruises. Fortunately, the occurrences have been infrequent. If I can ascertain where the smoker is located, I contact Guest Services. Otherwise, all I can do is shrug and be thankful they’re not on one of the balconies adjacent to ours.

Well this is disappointing. Did she happen to say that everyone could have their non refundable deposit refunded?

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of information I’ve been seeking. Due to recent Celebrity decisions, we’re seriously considering other mainstream lines. Having only sailed Celebrity, we haven’t the experience to separate the reality from the hyperbole when assessing posts about other lines. We don’t want to waste our time and money on a cruise that doesn’t have a lot more pros than cons. I’m having to rely on the thoughtful, even handed posters like yourself for my information. Looks like I’m going to owe you a few cocktails🍹😜

Nope. On June 17th, the OP had time to start a thread on CC the night before their cruise! I leave for a b2b in two weeks and I guarantee that - despite careful planning, a good packing list and a test packing session - I’ll be running around like my hair is on fire the night before departure. I won’t have the time or inclination to post a free association exercise in pessimism on social media. They’ve been off the ship for at least a few days, perhaps weeks. Now it’s time for them to consider giving back to the community by telling us how they liked their cruise.

Has this happened on lines that have always allowed smoking in the casinos?

You’re welcome toutou. Please keep in mind that I’m not positive they can be opened, but the odds look good. I toured one of these cabins when I sailed aboard Edge, but unfortunately I took no photos of the partition.

Like @cruisestitch I believe it’s possible one could open the partition between your cabin and the adjacent cabins. Based on the Beyond deck plan for deck 8 (snipped from the deck plans on Celebrity’s website) there is no firewall between 8116 and the adjacent cabins. My blue arrows show you the closest two firewalls, and I’ve placed a green dot near your cabin. I hope it works out for you. It looks like there’s probably a firewall between 8108 and 8106 also.

I hope you’re well enough to go home soon, Norris. Though they mean well, hospitals are no place for a gentleman seafarer. By the way, Mimi and Rodolfo would like a word. They want both their humans at home to adore them. Rumps are turned. Tails are being lashed.

Wishing you a wonderful birthday cruise!