CruiseRQA

What is the current price for the specialty restaurants? Did you book them ahead of time or after boarding?

Back in the day on HAL, a staff member greeted you at the door and took your luggage to the room so you could carry your glass of welcome (and cheap) champagne.

Mer Soleil is a $15 Monterrey chardonnay. It isn't going to match a good French white. You need to try a good Napa or Sonoma chardonnay, a Napa cab or a Sonoma zin. Saying you don't like California wine because you didn't like Mer Soleil would be like saying you don't like Kentucky Bourbon because you tried Old Crow and didn't like it.

My sky suite cruise will be $2000 less this year than last. Last year I got OBC and tips. This year no OBC or tips. I think I am still coming out ahead

So the whole category of California wines just aren't very good? 🤣

I'm sure you will get a variety of responses to this question and I predict most will be negative. My wife and I have cruised Celebrity both pre and post pandemic. The positive? We love the new Edge class ships - great food options, live music, relaxed vibe, nice selection of specialty restaurants. Service has been great, cabin, bar and restaurants. Negative? Others will weigh in here. For as long as I have been reading this board people have been complaining about "CUTBACKS!". You would think by now there wouldn't even be a cruise because of "CUTBACKS!". Last year the main complaint was food at the buffet. This year the main complaint seems to be drink selection (and pricing) of beverages on the different drink packages. For sure prices are higher but what prices aren't higher?

Let's be clear, your dog didn't know you were saying goodbye to her. When you left on your cruise your dog didn't know if you would be back in 5 minutes, 5 days or 5 weeks. Did you have this conversation with your dog poolside or in the privacy of your cabin? It is amazing to me that people can't accept the concept of simply being courteous to their fellow passengers.

You're on a cruise ship and your husband is thousands of miles away. There is no emergency that he can you can help him with.

Have not been on the Ascent but have been in suites on Apex and Beyond and would expect a similar experience. My answer? It depends. If finances are not issue then yes, go for the suite. We like the Luminae and the lounge and spend much time lounging in the outdoor spaces of the Retreat. The pool and hot tops can get busy just like in the regular part of the ship. If finances are a consideration then it would depend on the price difference. I think if you are comfortable with the price difference than it's worth it. If it is a stretch financially then I don' think it would be worth it. The Retreat is nice but it isn't a life changing experience as compared to the rest of the ship.

It's just not a "feeling" of extra space. It is actual extra space!

Agree with this. The steaks at Fine Cut do not measure up to a good steakhouse like Ruth's Chris or The Palm. Eden is terrific.

Trying to decide between a cruise on the Apex (1/20) or the Ascent (1/21). Both would be in a sky suite. We have cruised previously on Edge (aqua), Apex (skysuite) and last year on Beyond (skysuite). Itinerary doesn't matter too much. The Ascent would be about $800 more. Are there improvements on the Ascent that would be worth the extra $$? Thanks in advance.

And of course "sea bass" is a bit of a made up term for a fish that used to be named toothfish.

Branzino = farmed fish, Good! Tilapia = farmed fish, Bad! At least according to most around here.

All things in moderation AP. I love fried chicken (do you know what they eat? Talk about bottom feeders) too. But like my wine, cocktails and desserts, moderation is the key. And I am a healthy one.

That was 6 years ago ...

Plus maybe a name change. After all Orange Roughy and Chilean Sea Bass used to be Toothfish and Slimehead. 😂

What is a "junk fish"?

https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/?page=7 I did find this. Tilapia comes in with one "green" rating and one "yellow" rating which puts it about in the middle of a mostly sustainability index. Much better than many species that our Celebrity cruisers voice preference for.

So there are no fish ratings. I love fish too. What seafood lover doesn't enjoy fried catfish?

Where can I find these fish ratings?

Tilapia is a featured subject in a few threads on this board that center around cutbacks, first in the OVC, then MDR and now Luminae. Posters are complaining that Tilapia is being substituted for other more desirable fish. I love seafood of all kinds. Shellfish - yes, look for me in Raw on 5. I probably go with the seafood selection 5 nights on a 7 day cruise. And yes I miss some of the seafood selections I used to enjoy like a smoked trout appetizer. Heck I remember having Dover Sole in the MDR on HAL. Which brings me to Tilapia. We have a go to fish taco recipe that we make at home that we got from our local newspaper from a column called "Healthy Table". This recipe came from a dietician at a local hospital and she commented as follows on tilapia. "Tilapia got a bad name years ago because of unsafe farming practices. Today, it is farmed safely and the EPA and FDA have identified it as a good choice for children and breastfeeding mothers because of its low levels of mercury. As a bonus, it is inexpensive!" Like many white fleshed fish Tilapia is not strong flavored and will do best when cooked properly and incorporated into a sauce or other ingredients. I wouldn't call it a "trash" fish as some have. It isn't Dover Sole but makes for a tasty lunch or dinner when presented properly. Which I suspect Celebrity knows how to do.

According to actual business reports (Value Line for one), RCL as a company has record bookings at record prices for 2023 so what should Celebrity conclude other than the people are happy with the product?

A few years ago we hosted our daughter's wedding reception at a very nice local restaurant. We were able to put 3 entrees on the menu but for each extra we had to pay extra $$. After much discussion and review we had 5 entrees on the menu for the guests to choose from. 75% (that's right, 75%) ordered filet mignon. 90% ordered one one the original 3 and only 10% picked one of the two extra entrees we ordered. If I had to do it all over again I could have saved $$ by sticking with the 3 original entrees. I am sure the 20 out of 200 guests that ordered from the extra two entrees would have been happy with one of the first 3. Especially if they didn't know what wasn't on the menu. Perhaps Celebrity is thinking the same way?

It was like that when we were in Aqua on Edge in January 2020.