akowilm

Maybe some 6 night itineraries for those of us that get 1 week of vacation at a time. I get 6 weeks a year, but can only take them in 7 day increments. I am allowed one 8 day per year for my annual 7 night cruise. 6 nights would give many of us that are still in the work force a lot more opportunity to cruise. I would choose a 6 night on Celebrity over any all-inclusive every time!

They offer a wonderful display of cheeses on the buffet. I always stop in for a plate of cheese and fruit, then put it in the very top of my cabin cooler (it fits) and save it for afternoon wine and cocktails on the balcony.

If you are a 'Foodie', go with the Ultimate Dining Package. Then, pack extra clothes in the next size, you'll need them!!! Seriously, I would absolutely visit the Lawn Club Grille and Murano, have cocktails and Molecular, and after dinner drinks at the Martini!!

I would switch to 2 connecting cabins so that she is close enough to be safe and still afford you some privacy. Dine in the specialty restaurants instead. I think both the Tuscan Grille and Ocean Liners are special and would be nice for celebrating this new family!

7208 is a very nice concierge cabin that has ONE inside cabin across from it, 7210. You could try to book those, and on the M-class ships, 7208 has a bigger cabin and balcony, so you could even have breakfast delivered for all 3 of you out on your balcony! Good Luck!!

WE always get the premium package. Yes, it costs more, but the peace of mind is SO worth it. It includes all premium beverages, bottled water, gourmet coffees, sodas, smoothies, most wines by the glass, martinis from the martini bar and cocktails from the Molecular Bar.

Attached is the most recent drinks calculator. Hope this helps!!

Drink Calculator.xls

We just did this excursion on Nov 2 and had an amazing time! We had originally requested Capt. Bob based on the many positive reviews but unfortunately he wasn't feeling the best that day so our guide was "Fab". Fab was absolutely fabulous!! The weather on the other hand not so much. The dark clouds rolled in giving way to heavy rainshowers. We ended up soaked to the bone before even going snorkeling. There were only 4 couples on board and we laughed like crazy as we were tossed around in the choppy waters. Snorkeled twice and managed to see a few sea turtles and a variety of fish although the visibility wasn't the greatest that day. We enjoyed stopping at Pinel island and shopping for souvenirs. Lunch was so delicious! We also were lucky to see a plane take off and another land right overhead at Maho Beach. We made it back by 4 pm and Fab was nice enough to drop us off at the water taxi stop near our pier. We can't say enough good things about this tour. We would like to do it again when we are back in St Martin ... hopefully the weather will be nicer to us!

Glad to hear that Fab is still working with Capt. Bob! We hope to have him again in Jan 2015, our next trip down. We were in St. Maarten via the Celebrity Reflection in April 2013 and I will say that this excursion was one of the best in ANY location! We cant wait to do it again, and we are bringing friends!!

I just wish they could alter the portions so that couples could get beyond 3 courses. We did the same thing on the Reflection, and I SO wanted to try more things, but we were at the 'miserable' stopping point, lol! We plan on going as a group in April and trying the items we missed!

Wow, you have a tough decision to make! While I am a huge fan of Celebrity, I think the itinerary for RCCL better suits your needs. I have done both. For the Eastern, we zip-lined in St. Kitt's and took a wonderful boat excusion in St.Maarten, but the best part of that cruise was the time I got to spend with DH, a lot of relaxing, spa visits, specialty dining, Molecular bar, dancing; a great couples/adults experience. The Western itinerary has much better snorkeling, good dolphin excursions, more family activity and excitement. I think the RCCL ship would be a better fit for teens as well. I hope this helps, and just know you will have fun on both!!

Yay! Thanks for this!! Added to my bucket list, and at the top!!!

I have stayed on before in a port that I had been to many times on land, and I loved the discounted spa treatments and long lunch and cocktails by the pool!

I thought this was too funny, and then I read this:

 

 

There are some very creative people on this forum! :D :D :D

Funny stuff! This reminds me of the 'Things that can spoil your cruise vacation' thread started by drfun48. Read it for a great laugh(s)!!!

We did a snorkel excursion and would NOT book again. Very unsafe....

On the Reflection, the SUNSET BAR!!!!!

Do you happen to know what the cost would be for a week-long pass to Persian Gardens? We're dedicated Aqua Class cruisers but we're doing a family cruise in January and opted for three adjacent hump balconies instead. I will miss Blu but getting use of Persian Gardens could ease the pain:rolleyes:.

I believe I paid around $120 last April for a week's pass. Worth every penny; I spent an hour a day in the Persian Gardens and it gave me time away from the group, time to decompress, time to JUST RELAX!

We were aft on Reflection this year. Nice view and plenty of sun, but much smaller that the M-class aft balconies. As long as we didn't lean on the rail, we had privacy. Long walk, but not a big deal. A hump balcony would be bigger, but ours suited us just fine. So much to do on the

S-class ships that we didn't spend as much time on the balcony as we did on the smaller ships.

$50 last April, beautiful book! Worth it, and a great gift!!

Best thread EVER

Helaine

Right?!?! Love EVERY photo!!!!

I had been passionately following the building of Celebrity Reflection, and booked a 7 night cruise pre-construction, almost a year out. As I followed its progress, I began to search the roll call for my date, excitement building everyday!!! Then I noticed so many people asking about kids' activities, and I thought that odd, as there have never been many children on board, especially during the school year. Much to my shock, I had booked our first Reflection Sailing on EASTER!! My husband and I both operate giant family restaurants and Easter is our second busiest weekend of the year! NO WAY the owner was going to let us have this time off! Blessed be my wonderful travel agent that took my frantic call, re-scheduled our cruise and got us a better cabin AND the 123 Promotion to include drinks! All's well that ends well, but now I know to check the next year's calendar before booking any cruise!!

ps. fabulous cruise!!!!!

We loved the Lawn Club because of the upscale casual vibe and that it was outdoors. Oscar, our waiter both nights, was terrific and very entertaining. The food was as imagined, from the grill, but clean and seasoned well, with tasty sides. I ordered the filet and added the veggie skewer and the shrimp and scallop skewer. DH shared a flat bread with fellow diners as an appetizer(no bread for me, personal rule..) and everyone enjoyed it.

Also LOVED Murano! The service was superb, they actually doted on us, and the food simply delicious! We ordered Chateaubriand for 2 with tableside lobster tails to create our own surf and turf, then finished the meal with Grand Marnier soufflé. We visited Murano two times as well.

Our meal in Qsine was fun, but the food was average, fried items tasted as if it was time to filter the fryer, and we, too were ignored because of larger groups in the venue. Service aside, we wouldn't return for a second visit, too 'gimmicky'.

Tuscan Grill was good, actually the food was great, but the service was SLOW....My wine finally arrived with my crème brulee. We did not return for a second visit.

We loved the Bistro and The Porch, which were included(unlimited) in the Ultimate Dining Package.

Hope this helps you, and let me know if you have any other questions about the menus in any of these venues!

Fellow North Carolinian! We also get enough of the beach since our families have places on the coast. We LOVE to snorkel and have our own gear.

 

Last month we just took a cab to money bar ($9 each way) and chilled out at a table and ate, drank and snorkeled. We saw several boats come and go and various groups through the water. It was so much better to just DIY.

 

Snorkeling is not bad there but the reef is not quite as good as it was in Grand caymans. We still enjoyed it though and the food there is delicious.

Actually, that sounds about right! It would work for the foodies, the beer drinkers (all the husbands....)the land-locked that need to swim and me, who is going to need a good massage after planning a trip for 10 hard to please people!!!

We have considered the bar hop. I think it would be a blast. We are mostly from the Carolina coast, so we normally have plenty of boating and beach time, but a few in our group are landlocked and really want to swim and snorkel. Is there time during or after the bar hop to enjoy some beach/snorkel time?

We booked a snorkel tour with Eagle Ray a few years ago and were very happy. More recently we just cab to the Money Bar (about a $10 cab ride for up to 4 in a cab ;)) and snorkel from the shore - great snorkeling, rental gear if you need it (we only bring our own mask/snorkel to save space/weight in our luggage), good facilities, good food/drinks, tours available, etc. Check it out! :)

Thanks, John! Money Bar was on my list of options, just hope it isn't crazy crowded! How many people on the Eagle Ray tour, approx.??

Visiting Cozumel in April on the Celebrity Constellation. On the last trip, we booked a snorkel/'private island' tour through the ship. While the snorkeling was good, the time spent on the boat was mostly listening to annoying repeated dance music and the crew reminding us CONSTANTLY to tip them. This trip, we are either going to book a private excursion or just go out on our own. We would like to snorkel, relax, enjoy good food and cocktails, etc. The only problem is that there are FIVE ships in port that day! Any suggestions on what/where/how without being in a constant crowd?? There are approx. 10 of us, and we are willing to spend around $80 per person. Thanks for the help!!

Can you tell me how much it was

The package was $29 per person per night and included all Specialty restaurant dinners and lunches on the Bistro or Porch and also included one Specialty lunch on a sea day, which we did not attend because we are huge fans of the Mast Grill burgers!!

We did this on the Reflection and we loved it! You can only book on the ship, and we did as soon as we boarded. There is a finite amount of these packages, so book quickly. We LOVED Murano and the Lawn Club Grille and the 2 were totally different. We tried Quisine once and it was 'fun' but not a stellar meal like Murano. The Tuscan Grill had great food but a few issues with service (no wine at all throughout the meal....it finally came with my Pop Rocks crème brulee). My best advice? In Murano, order the Chateaubriand for 2 then add tableside prepared lobster tails to go with!!! The best surf and turf you will ever try!! Also, the Grand Marnier soufflé is ridiculously good!

Lunch on the Porch has fabulous views, and the Cowboy Crepe in Bistro is to die for. We will be booking this package from now on when we are on the S-Class ships.