mikeysed

You can order any exclusive dishes from any restaurant at any restaurant? I assume you can view the menus on your app. 

What does this cost? I haven't seen this anywhere

I have my lobster bib packed and my swim trunks lined with ziplock baggies for road urchins

1 more sleep

2 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

Will do. I will post the daily program too.

 

mac_tlc

You will be the first to post these. That would be a huge thank you from so many awaiting to try the new ship. Would love to see the show times and names in the theater, Eden, and other cool happenings around the ship.

16 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

Our journey will begin tomorrow with a flight from CT to Orlando. We will spend a few days at our house there and then “enjoy” the “E-ticket” ride known as I-95 on Sunday morning. We will rent a car one-way down and then again back to Orlando after the cruise. 
 

Gives us a little time to unpack and then unwind afterwards .

 

mac_tlc

Can you please kindly share the evening chic nights (I believe should be Day 2 and 6 for this itinerary). Thank you!! Enjoy and have fun

On 1/8/2024 at 1:16 PM, mrgabriel said:

We were on Ascent for the December 24-31, 2023 sailing. This was our first time on an E-class ship but it was also our 20th Celebrity cruise and fourth since the restart after the pandemic. This will be a quick review. Happy to answer any questions.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation: We arrived on-time for our 12:00 boarding time. Check-in was easy and we were onboard in minutes. Same with disembarkation.

 

Cabin: AQ 9425 - deck 9 - about 5 cabins back from the Aft Elevators. Super convenient location and very quiet. The bed is by the window.

 

Loved the new bathroom with the fancy shower - so much more spacious than on S and M class.

 

Also very much liked the design of the stateroom. There is dramatically more storage space and for once, our counters weren’t strewn with papers, chargers, and generic ‘stuff’ all the time because I could put everything away in the cubbies by the closet. This felt more like a nice hotel room than a cabin.

 

We didn’t like the infinite verandah at ALL and wouldn’t ever again book one. For us, it was a complete waste of money.

 

Our cabin steward was fantastic and stealth-like. Leave the cabin for 10 minutes and it would be serviced!

 

Food: We ate in Blu most nights and for breakfast most mornings. Surprisingly, it was never full. Our waiter told us that it was very busy after about 8 pm, but also that a number of AQ passengers were eating in the main dining room because they were travelling with family who weren’t in AQ. (More on that later.)

 

Food in Blu was excellent, as was the service. No complaints. Very much like what we experienced in AQ pre-2020. (This is in contrast to our experience on Solstice in September when the place was jammed, we waited forever for food, and the servers were overwhelmed.)

 

Specialty Dining: We ate in Eden once (fabulous on all counts), and also in the Rooftop Garden Grill (very good). Specialty dining is too expen$ive, IMO.

 

Buffet: Really good. Many options and we were always able to find seating.

 

Entertainment: We went to one show in the theatre and a couple of game shows in The Club. Liked the concept of The Club. It’s well laid out and easy to see what’s going on.

 

Everything certainly seems to centre on the Martini Bar and yes, that’s where we spent a lot of our time. And in Craft Social watching football games.

 

Drinks Package: We received a Basic package with our booking and I upgraded it to Premium when there was the flash sale in the fall. We are not wine aficionados and were able to always find something that was acceptable for under $17. Some bars, like the World Bar, have priced themselves out except for a couple of choices.

 

Ports: We have been to all the ports before and because this was our first time on this class of ship, we decided to spend most of our port days onboard. We were in Nassau on Christmas Day and took the ferry over to Atlantis for about an hour. In Cozumel we just walked around the port area for a bit. Gosh - the vendors are so annoying that they drive you back to the ship!

 

In George Town, GC we had booked a beach day but there was a Red Flag warning and Celebrity advised that we could cancel our excursion since we wouldn’t be permitted in the water. (Thank you, Celebrity!) Instead, we took a tour and it was not great. Next time, we’ll stay on the ship or just take a taxi to the beach. (Interestingly, the public beaches were open but excursions weren’t allowing people in the water. I understand safety first and all .. )

 

Things we loved:

• The walking track, the general layout with the Martini Bar in the centre, larger CAB, the buffet layout and plenty of seating, the Rooftop Garden, Eden, having a drink on the Magic Carpet, The Club
• The general layout and design of our cabin.
• The hand washing stations outside of the buffet.

 

Things we disliked:

• The infinite verandah. We disliked absolutely everything about it. Yeah, the cabin felt a tiny bit larger but you lost a space that could be used by one person while the other slept or watched TV.
• Ridiculously sensitive elevator control panels. If someone breathed on them, floors would be selected. This was super annoying and became a joke in the elevators!

 

Final thoughts:

 

This was our fourth Christmas cruise and will likely be the last. There were many families/very large groups (like families of 30+ people) on this ship, and while it is wonderful that people spend the holidays with their children and grandchildren, holiday cruises are expensive and we prefer a more subdued environment. 

 

Overall, this was a fantastic cruise and we absolutely LOVED the ship. It’s just beautiful and has so many unique little corners and spaces. We barely got to see everything! We would definitely sail on an E-class ship again - for the right price, and not in an infinite balcony cabin.

Thanks for the review. On this itinerary were evening chic nights 2 and 5?

Will be curious to see your review on an E Class ship. I have cruised on several Celebrity S and M ships and taking the new Ascent next month. I hope the entertainment is better and will love the newness and modernness of the new ship. I am also interested in exploring VV cruises so this was a good read. Wish you had already gone on an E-class ship to compare.

2 hours ago, blueskadoo said:

We’re currently on the Ascent for the Christmas sailing. Ship is lovely in all regards except there is a glaring design flaw in the cabins…

 

Those evil couch legs!! You know the ones that are pure metal with no padding or protection for your toes? I had hoped that maybe they would find a way to improve these. 

My post is half in jest but last month on the Beyond, I managed to break a pinky toe on day 2 of 11. My husband stubbed and sliced open his toe on day 3 on this current cruise on Ascent. Perhaps we’re just incredibly clumsy, but has anyone else found those wicked little legs to be sharp too?
 

I want to start a campaign to wrap the couch legs in pool noodles. I doubt Nate Berkus would approve…until he ran into one of them too. 

@blueskadoo can you please share the days of evening chic? This is the first Western itinerary on ascent. I am on it in February. That will help so much for restaurant selections. Thank you!

Do they still charge for any extra tails and if so what's the current price for each additional?

4 minutes ago, sun bum said:

Sailing the Ascent in January 2024. Wondering what night the new "Shine the Night" deck party takes place?

 

Do you have anymore information of what this party is and is it because its a new ship? I sail 2/18 on Ascent. TY

Some of these prices for a glass are ridiculous based on bottle costs. I normally don't mind a couple dollars here or there, but the exuberant price they charge for drink packages to nickel and dime me over $2 upcharge - for a "luxury" cruise line is pathetic IMO.

14 hours ago, natshala said:

Why?

I typically like the offerings those nights so would rather go specialty on a night I don't prefer the menu as much.

Now that its sailing anyone know? Trying to book specialty dining and want to avoid the evening chic nights

46 minutes ago, niksmom630 said:

- sommeliers in the dining rooms are much appreciated. Nice having your wine glass refilled often without waiting for a bar waiter. 
 

- DH  said he hasn’t once felt like the ship was crowded. 👍 I agree wholeheartedly. 
 

- DH misses his D+ cookies on boarding day 😂 

 

- finally, (BUT PLEASE-no opening up smoking debates here) the non smoking casino is AWESOME! 👍👍👍👍

 

now, that said, I am not a smoker,  but DH is. Celebrity does a much better job of making their outdoor smoking venues “comfortable”  I have never seen the Celebrity areas overcrowded, they are well ventilated, and completely avoidable (at least on this class of ship). The areas on Oasis class are crawling with people, hard to avoid, and in my opinion make the casino an attractive smoking option… again, these are just my observations 🤷🏼‍♀️

Is it a full sailing do you know?

Looks like the Ascent is doing some repetitive Caribbean cruises.

What days will evening chic be based on the below? 

2 and 6 or 3 and 6? Last day is a sea day so I believe it won't be then. Thanks

1 Sunday 18 Feb 2024 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 3:30PM

2 Monday 19 Feb 2024 Nassau, Bahamas 7:00AM 5:00PM

3 Tuesday 20 Feb 2024 at sea

4 Wednesday 21 Feb 2024 Cozumel, Mexico 8:00AM 7:00PM

5 Thursday 22 Feb 2024 at sea

6 Friday 23 Feb 2024 George Town, Grand Cayman 7:00AM 5:00PM

7 Saturday 24 Feb 2024 at sea

8 Sunday 25 Feb 2024 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 7:00AM

Explaining what you plan to do and a $5 bill will probably get you what you want. Don't sweat it plus as others have said you can bring 2 bottles with you PP so you mind as well do that if you like enjoying wine on your balcony.

What is cost of martini at martini bar now? And what is classic cost up to?

Yeah, Jim_lain is correct. For these Caribbean sailings - Day 2 and Day 6

49 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

This cruise was a casino offer, aqua class, classic drink package, $600 shipboard credit, wi fi and tips, I   paid $678.46 plus upgraded to premium drink package and wi fi for another $346. around that price.  This cruise is under $1100.00 for us with everything and getting $600.00 in shipboard credit so in reality this cruise will cost us $500.00.

How does one get a casino offer? I haven't sailed since before covid. In the meantime I get several comp offers and upgraded status at a few different casino properties.  I play blackjack and will be playing a fair amount when I sail next month. 

@Sqrbeachgirl - any new drink menus with the updates pricing? 

How are you finding the wine offerings around the ship and MDR?

2 minutes ago, kguerriero said:

 

Wild if this came from top-down. I wonder if kid's menu ordering shot up after food changes and caused a snafu in terms of estimating ingredient usage. It would be hilarious if the kid's food was more expensive than the new adult menu items and was eating into expected cost savings.

As someone who craves chicken nuggets once in a while, this seems like a miss to me. Guess it's pork and beans for everyone!

What if I identify as a 'kid'? They surely can't tell me to grow up 😂

On 1/22/2023 at 6:44 AM, cruisestitch said:

Currently on EQ and it isn’t on the kids menu but I will ask tonight at dinner if it is still available

Hi, did you ask about it last night?

6 hours ago, Sussex Cruiser said:

 I agree with the others.  After resumption of sailing there were severe shortages of everything, even down to cans of coke on one cruise.  It has got much better for sure, but some ships are still missing some items, only one or two mind.  I'm still very wary of getting a premium drinks package as a result, as those missing items are usually ones I want, and I feel rather shortchanged as a result. Plus the menu changes at the world class bar, and removal of my favourite drink, seals the fate for me.

What did they change regarding the menu at the World Class Bar?

14 hours ago, hcat said:

nice bar( shaded) and lunch at the hilton..easy walk..small beach..views of sll the ships!

 

the day pass is not worth it..pool water not heated...

Can you just walk onto their grounds? If so, do they offer beach chairs or umbrellas if one were to tip or purchase from Hilton?