catugirl

You should post this on the Roll Call for your 10/17 sailing. Your fellow cruisers will respond there. We'll be on the 10/10 sailing on Regal. Have a great cruise.

We have had great experiences with Anytime Dining. We enjoy the flexibility. On one cruise we were a party of nine for dinners, and we found a waiter we really loved, so we requested to have him every night, and it was no problem. With ATD you can call and make reservations (reservations phone #listed in the Patter) or you can just show up. We never had to wait. We like to eat about 7:15 or 7:30.

 

The MDR is formal on formal nights; whereas, the buffet is not. There are two formal nights on a seven day cruise. If you want to have dinner in a specialty restaurant (for a fee), both Crown Grill an Sabatini's are good.

 

Alaska varies greatly in temperature from south to north. When we were at Hubbard Glacier, it was about 40 degrees. By the the time we arrived in Vancouver, it was in the 70's. Take layers, including a waterproof windbreaker. You will love Alaska...such beautiful scenery.

My friend did a Canada/New England cruise in late September and saw little color, so we decided to go in October. We're booked on the Regal this Oct. 10-17.

We did a north to south route on RCCL, from Seward to Vancouver. When we arrived at Seward it was in the 50's. The day we were at Hubbard Glacier it was 40 degrees. I was not prepared. I had packed light layers, and they were not adequate for the northern part of the cruise. I had to purchase a fleece, hat and gloves onboard. The waterproof windbreaker I had brought with us really came in handy. It can be really damp and/or windy. The southern portion of the cruise it was in the mid-60's. Have fun. It's amazingly beautiful scenery.

Our first cruise was on Island Princess. We loved her. What changes are they making besides adding more cabins? What space are they sacrificing to add those cabins?

If I had to choose, I'd choose Crown Grill. However, having said that, last year we were on Crown Princes and had a delightful meal at Sabatini's. DH and I would definitely try Sabatini's again. Have fun.

If you choose to eat in a specialty restaurant (Sabatini's, etc.), there is an up charge, which they will charge you by swiping your seapass card when you're done with your meal. Otherwise, MDR, Horizon Court, or eating hamburgers and hot dogs by the pool is included in your cruise fare. BTW, the pizza in the pool area is wonderful.

Your first cruise will be an amazing experience, and then you'll be totally addicted to cruising like most of us here on CC. The first time I cruised our friend talked us into it. We had never even thought of taking a cruise and I was a little apprehensive about it, but we went anyway. We were on Island Princess for a ten day Panama Canal cruise. We were both blown away at how wonderful everything was, from the food to the service to the ship's decor to the ports. It was great being treated like royalty for ten days. After that, we were totally hooked. Now, if we're not taking a cruise, we're looking for one to book! Hope your cruise will be the first of many.

We were in that cabin on Crown a year ago. Don't know if OP has ever stayed in an aft cabin, but you feel every single ocean movement there. Even when the ocean was calm, we felt movement in our cabin. One night the seas were rough, and it was like a rollercoaster in our cabin. DH and I didn't get a minute's sleep that night. The cabin, balcony and view are awesome, but for us the movement was a deal-breaker after that cruise.

We've been in AQ on both, and we prefer Silhouette. The ship overall seemed less crowded than Reflection. Blu on Silhouette was less crowded, and the menu had less funky choices than on Reflection. There were at least a couple of nights on Reflection we couldn't find anything on the menu that appealed to DH or me. The service in Blu was superb on both ships. Both ships are beautiful. The Port of Miami is a dream to get in or out of...no so much at Port Everglades. Have a great cruise, whatever you choose.

Oh, I was under the impression that if you book your flights through X you wouldn't lose any money for cancelled flights. If that's not the case, I don't see much advantage in booking flights through them.

Just take Celebrity's website with a grain of salt. It rarely works properly. If you have questions or issues, just call their customer service. Sometimes in high season their wait times are long, but they can usually answer more questions than the website. Fortunately X's onboard experience is not like their website!:)

If you're in Aqua Class, your assigned dining room is Blu for breakfast and dinner. I have read on other threads that you need to talk with the maitre d if you want to eat in MDR instead. For us, Blu is great (except for a couple of dinners on Reflection when the selections were too goumet for our taste). We also enjoy the other amenities that are included in AQ. The flowers, fruit iced tea and bottled water are nice touches. We even like the canapes (although many people don't). You can request cheese and crackers if you don't care for the canapes. We really enjoy having complimentary access to the heated loungers in Persian Gardens. Also love the upgraded toiletries and the shower with all the jets. Of course priority embarkation is also a perk we really appreciate.

DH and were on Reflection in November, and we had a wonderful cruise. The only two things we could criticize at all were that the food selections for dinner in Blu were not so great this cruise, and the shopping area just outside the casino got really crowded on sea days. Other than that, we couldn't have asked for anything better. Cabin was spotless, service was great throughout the ship, the ship was beautiful, the food was good (for the most part), entertainment was enjoyable, the captain was very accessible to the passengers, the ports were great fun and we loved having a drink package for the first time!

In November we were on Reflection out of Miami. We had sailed out of Ft Lauderdale a number of times, but this was our first experience with the Port of Miami. We stayed at a hotel on Brickell Ave., and on embarkation day we just went to the hotel entrance where we tried to get a taxi. The taxis were very busy and we waited for awhile, but a limo came along and offered to take us and another couple to the port for $20 per couple. The hotel was close to the port, and we were there in minutes. If we had to do it again, I think we would have arranged transfers ahead of time. The Port of Miami signs were easy to follow, and we were onboard in a few minutes. The port was so much easier to navigate and more organized than Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Have a great cruise! You will love it.

DH and I did a ship excursion which took us up to Mountain Top. Mountain Top is jot what it sounds like. It's just a large souvenir shop...a real tourist trap. That was our first trip to St. Thomas, and I wish we had gone to a beach instead.

We love Aqua Class and Blu. Blu is quieter and more intimate than the MDR. IMHO the food is better and more creative in Blu. The amenities in AQ are also nice. Having complimentary access to Persian Gardens (heated loungers) is great and so relaxing. We love the shower with all the jets, the magnifying mirror, the upgraded toiletries, free bottled water and iced tea provided in your cabin daily, fresh flowers, fruit bowl, bottle of spatkling wine, and even the canapes brought to your cabin before dinner. If the canapes are not to your liking, you can just request cheese and crackers. Priority boarding is also a nice perk. I hope you will love AQ and Blu as much as DH and I do.

DH and I checked the liquors included in the Classic Package, and all our favorites are on the list. So we'll be sticking with the Classic. Our upcoming Nov. cruise will be the first time we've ever had a drink package. We're looking forward to experiencing how it works.

OP mentioned possibly looking at an aft cabin. An aft cabin does have a beautiful view of the ship's wake; but if you are sensitive to motion, be aware that you feel LOTS of motion if you're aft. We had an aft cabin in January and one night when the seas were a little rough, we couldn't sleep at all because we felt we were on a roller coaster! Even when the seas were normal, we felt motion in our cabin. Love the view, but the motion is a deal-breaker for us now.

Blu is anytime/Select dining, it used to say either traditional

or late till the we page was fixed. You can though also book

a table in Blu at a set time if you wish

 

I was under the impression that Blu does not take reservations, just first come, first served. If you can make reservations, I'd like to do that for my upcoming 11/8 cruise in AQ. Would someone weigh in who has actually done this? Thanks.

[quote name='Lois R']Hi Beth:) just wait till we sail though.....the on board experience is
really great:D......and look at all the nice folks on our roll call too;)[/QUOTE]

Hi Lois,

I agree the onboard experience is great, and I'm really looking forward to our upcoming cruise. Sometimes it gets so frustrating, though, dealing with their website. Makes me stop and think, Princess has a great onboard experience, too...AND a website that works! :)

We have cruised with Princess and Royal Caribbean, and their websites are great to navigate. We've never had a problem. On the other had, every time I try to access Celebrity's website, there's a problem. Seriously considering moving back to the other two lines. :(

Being in the Aqua Suite, I understand we can dine in Blu. We also have Select Dining indicated on our reservation. Does that mean we have the option to eat in the MDR whenever we want if we decide not to eat in Blu on a particular night? Anyone have experience with how that works?

 

If you're in an Aqua Class Suite, Blu is your rassigned dinig venue for breakfast and dinner. If you want to try the MDR, you need to ask the Maitre D for permission and availability. We love Blu. Give it a try before dismissing it for the MDR. Blu has better and more creative food IMHO, a quieter atmosphere and better service, although we've never tried it on Reflection. We'll be in an Aqua Class Suite on Reflection in Nov. and can't wait. :)

Thanks so much, I don't seem to be able to find any review from anyone who has stayed in 1216 :-( I was wondering if the bed was by the balcony? I will be on it in 3 weeks so not long to find out, can't wait! Do you feel more sea motion being aft? I will remember for next time to book 1222 for bigger balcony but like separate entrance in photo. Maybe I'll save up for a suite!

 

 

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We were in an aft cabin on our last cruise, and even when the seas were calm, we felt motion. The couple of days that we had rough seas were unbearable in the cabin. We couldn't sleep at all during those two days. Of course, the view of the wake, as well as the view of sailaways are great. I know there are many aft cabin fans, but all the motion is a deal breaker for us now.

We love Blu and Aqua Class. Even my picky DH loves Blu. We have experienced superb service, a quiet and intimate dining room and great and creative food choices. We tried the MDR one day for lunch on our last X cruise; we were so disappointed. The food was mediocre, the atmosphere was chaotic and our waiter was not friendly at all. Then we knew we chose correctly when we booked AQ.

 

We also like the other amenities in AQ. Love the Persian Garden; those heated loungers with an ocean view are so relaxing. The shower with all those jets feels great. We like having bottled water provided, as well as iced tea every day. We even enjoy the canapes, although after a few days we asked our cabin steward to bring us cheese and crackers instead. The special bath products are nice. The fresh flowers are a nice touch. We could do without the fruit bowl and the sparkling wine, however.