What A Market

45 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Oceania -   Istanbul - Barcelona  -  Oceania Vista Nov 9, 2025   10 Day

Booking includes $600 OBC, Free Champagne, Free Specialty Dining , Free Wif,  Free drinks with all meals and a cocktail hour.   They do sell a premium upgrade.

 

We booked the Owner Suite  which is larger than a PH so that can be used for comparison -  $24,000.   To us it was an incredible deal-

You will love this suite.

I’ve been fortunate enough to book twice (once on the Marina and once on the Riviera’s maiden voyage).  Threw some great parties there.  

Just got off cruise last month.

Per my TA and confirmed with Shoreside Concierge, Celebrity is no longer selling Retreat Passes.  We could pay though a set per person fee if our friends wanted to join us in Luminae for breakfast or dinner.  There did not seem to be a limitation of number of times we could do this. (Not 100 percent certain on this.)  We were sailing in an RS for this latest cruise.

Yes

18 hours ago, wiredforflight said:

Is that $29 for 2 bags per person or for 2 bags per room?

Good question.

I wasn’t really sure what I would be charged. (Other than I knew it was $29 for something….)

Looks like I was charged $29 for the two bags.

Other airline charges, per bag, were applicable.

There were exemptions from the added fees.  One of them was flying First Class.

This service at $29 was awesome.

I will definitely use again wherever available.

12 hours ago, buzz031 said:

Was this easy to find?

Yes and no.

No for me because I hadn’t even considered this an option, so didn’t know what to look for.

This is for Terminal 29.

These vans (large newer Sprinter vans) pull up to curb area on the left as you exit terminal.

They are parked at the very end of the awning before you walk out to the taxi stand.

Basically where the Uber drivers start lining, but again, left side.

Not sure if some people had made reservations or not.

When I finally figured out these vans were shared taxis, I asked driver if he had room for two more. He said “Yep.”  We were last two in the van.

3 hours ago, cocosmum said:

Thanks for your thoughts and photos. We board in April so all very relevant and much appreciated.

When we disembark, we're staying at hotel in FLL for a few days. The plan was to grab an Uber/Lyft from the port but it sounds like they may be hard to come by???  If we pre-ordered for a certain time how do you make sure you're actually off the ship at the right time? 

Great question. 
I guess I would normally pre-order. But it did take longer to disembark than I thought it would. Really long line of passengers backed up to get out. That said it probably only took 20 minutes. Next time I will pre-order car, but the airport shuttle was a great option. Only $11.00 per person. 
 

Sitting in FLL waiting for flight. 
I gave up trying to order Uber/Lyft for quick trip to airport.  I did not pre-order, which normally I do. I thought disembarking at 9:00AM would mean things were quieter. Big Nope. 
 

Instead grabbed a shared van. $11.00 per person. They seemed to come somewhat regularly and you didn’t need to stand in really long taxi line. 

Perfect day for disembarking. 
At least weather-wise. 
A big BOO otherwise. 
 

Taking our time getting off the ship. 
Flight from FLL is at 11:36am. 
 

8 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Not to sound ridiculous, but you are right—Luggage Valet is awesome unless, in the very rare event, your bags are missing or lost. We’ve used it a couple times and it was great. I’ve read only one account on Cruise Critic where bags were lost.  You won’t know of the problem until you arrive at your destination airport and because of the multiple players involved, it was an accountability nightmare. AirTags would be helpful here. 

I forgot that I have Apple AirTags in each bag. I guess I’ll know if the bags make it onto the plane with me at FLL. 
 

13 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

What is the cost of this service?  Please report on how you like this process when you have a moment.
 

I really enjoyed your live review. It has made me even more excited to board her in a few months. So sorry your final sea day’s weather didn’t cooperate but I’m sure you found great ways to pass the time!  Safe travels home!

Luggage Valet is $29.00.  I think that’s up to two bags.

Hoping I see bags next in Phoenix.

If I see them, then the Valet service is awesome!  If not, then….. 😠 

One last night for being spoiled by the amazing staff on the Reflection. Time to open the welcome aboard bubbly because it wasn’t going to drink itself!

😜

Luggage Valet is available for our disembarkation and fight home from FLL.

The only reason I knew it might be available was from reading threads on our Celebrity Cruise Critic board. 
 

When I asked butler if available, he said “absolutely.”

Didn’t see anything noted about the service being available. (Maybe I missed.)

Anyway, giving it a go for the first time. 
Here is a photo of the special baggage tags they give you. Boarding passes also included.  Bags are to be placed outside of room like normal this evening. 

Well, the sailing gods decided we had had enough perfect weather and deemed today to be sort of crappy. Really strong winds this morning and then some on again/off again rain this afternoon. Way cooler as well. 
 

Winds calming now, but I can see more rain ahead maybe. 

15 minutes ago, fliprcruiser said:

Does Al Bacio offer the coffee house old fashioned on their drink menu?

Wow, you’ve got me on that one.

I think you’re talking about an actual cocktail drink.

I know they have some alcohol available to add to coffee drinks, but they don’t seem set up to make actual cocktails.

I’ll try to check.

47 minutes ago, Plato123 said:

Boo for you but Yea for us as we board the Reflection tomorrow.

It is our favorite ship and we are looking forward to our cruise in a RS, even if it is only for six days.

We are currently sailing in an RS on Deck 11, starboard side. Love the room and the location. I would gladly swap the balcony hot tub for two loungers. (I think the last time I got DW in a hot tub was on our honeymoon over 40 years ago….. 😂)

Last day of cruise. Boo!!!

It’s a Sea Day!  Yay!

I really like having a sea day at end of cruise. 
 

Now that the NCL Getaway has gotten out of the way, I can share some photos of the village and the fort. 
 

Everything to the left of pier is the tourist village. 
 

We are docked in Taino Bay.

The exit (and enterance) for the port is through an enclosed and contained “village.” I was surprised how big it was. Seems fairly new. Feels sort of like a cruise ship “private island” experience. 
 

On the way back to the boat we paid the local “tithe”by enjoying a cocktail and the local beer — Presidente. 

As noted, no plans here. Hiked out the Malecon (the street fronting sea) and backtracked for a hike out to the fort.  Warm, but fortunately, not humid. 
 

$2.00 to enter the fort, which includes an audio tour. 

No plans for Puerto Plata today. 
First order of business — get to pool deck and grab a readily available lounger while everyone else heads ashore!  Won’t be like this tomorrow, I’m sure, for our day at sea. 

Good morning again from the Reflection. 
Beautiful beautiful day. 
No wind to speak of and really calm seas. 
 

Heading for Puerto Plata with an 11:00AM arrival time. This is my third cruise where Puerto Plata was a port. The two previous times I had the port cancelled due to high winds. That doesn’t look to be the case today!

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Really enjoying your review and your pics.  Quick question, do you know what specialty dining venues are open for lunch on embarkation day?  I'm specifically interested in the Porch and wondered if it's open.

Hi GP

The only specialty open for lunch that I can see in the App for embarkation was Sushi in Five. 
 

Had another ship’s excursion today for our port of Tortola, BVI.  This was another snorkel/beach affair out to Norman Island. 
 

This was a far more subdued outing compared to the St. Thomas/Buck Island excursion a couple of days ago. Several things going against this one. Wind was howling. Dive sights were churned up a bit because of currents and wind. And the crew of the boat was not fun/engaging. 
 

Heidi also bailed on going. 
 

Anyway, you make do!
 

Given that I’m on the ship, I guess I can report on condition. 
 

Seems in great condition overall. It looks like a lot of the soft goods have been updated. 

Michael’s Club is for use of Retreat guests only. 
As Jim noted above, there is no dedicated Retreat Deck, but I’ve been on Revolutionized S Class ships before and didn’t think that outdoor space on Deck 16 was particularly nice. No pool. No bar. And basically no shade (depending on position of the sun.)

The main was the best course. 
The combo of a Filet and Short Rib was great. Very rich. 
 

This dessert was beautiful, but I couldn’t do it justice. I basically only nibbled on the breadstick thingy.