lawgeek

Was on board in AQ last week and water was semi daily. It was there most days, but some days not. Did not matter as we had free water with bev package. I did notice, that housekeeping carts had large stores of water on them all week long, so I believe intent is every day.

Good timing for this thread to pop up again. Looking forward to 1138 next Sunday! Thanks to all for contributing.:)

Is it time to stop building swimming pools on new Celebrity cruise ships ? Are kids waterpark attractions (the buckets, the fountains, the water guns, etc.) better for safety than a pool ? And for adults, instead of a pool what about a meandering deck paths of misting machines, tunnels of rainforest showers, and other tech alternatives? Should traditional pools go ?

Ummmm...NO!

Hello Lawgeek, we have 1140, so we will be neighbours!

Wow Vivi9909, that great! Look forward to meeting you! We originally had another AQ1 cabin, but I was dilligently monitoring aft cabins that were all booked. 1138 popped up as available one day and I had TA snag it. It looks like we have some of the same tastes in cruising as we were on Equinox Eastern Med in June 2010, I think. :)

1138 was my favorite cabin ever... 1130 was good. I'm very sensitive to smoke... Couldn't do the ones on the smoking side. We smelled smoke even on the nonsmoking side

Sounds good! We have 1138 on Summit in three weeks!

Look at the Doubletree in Jersey City. Google Jersey City Newport restaurants for the choices there. On Hotwire either the Hyatt or the Westin is the 4* Jersey City hotel for $185 - my guess is the Hyatt.

 

Here are some videos from Post Captain.

 

PostCaptain

 

Here's a brief video showing a glimpse of of the Westin, which is located right across the street from a pleasant marina. (And there's a fancy restaurant on the marina property.)

 

 

And here's the Hyatt Regency and environs:

 

 

 

Another view of the Hyatt--as seen from the Hudson, starting at about 2:45 into this video:

 

Carol, thank you so much! You nailed it for me. Either the Hyatt or the Westin is exactly what I wanted. Now I have to choose! Like the marina at the Westin, but like the way the Hyatt is right on pier/water. I'll let you know which one we book and how it goes! Thank you again! Brendon

£*^#^€€. I lost my reply. Short answer - look at Glimcher Realty Way hotels at the airport or the Jersey City Newport area hotels.

 

If you can give a budget range for hotel and transportation that would help me give you more realistic advice. Don't get hung up on port shuttles - they can be a PITA. Getting to the free hotel shuttles at the airport can be a PITA as well. Private car serviced from the airport to Jersey City, or from the airport to the port runs $55-60 as does the trip from Jersey City to the port.

 

The airport hotels are airport hotels. The Jery City hotels are on the Hudson River with views of NYC and dining options.

Probably $150 to $250 is a reasonable range. Airport area does not sound to appetizing. Given what have read, shuttle idea has lost luster!

Have you tried asking your question on your roll call thread for the cruise? Or possibly at the U.S. East Coast Homeports section of Cruise Critic?

 

A very easy/quick search of this part of the forum brought up a thread that I didn't know exist and may very well be your best bet for getting a variety of options/answers that can help you in your planning. It's called the "Cape Liberty 411 (and NYC too) Version 4" and here is a link to that thread.

 

Hope this helps and enjoy your cruise! :)

Thanks! Looks like the proper thread to find what I am looking for!

So you got moved to the East Coast board. What is your budget? What is your date? How many people? Are you driving or flying? If driving, where are you coming from or what highway are you coming in on?

 

What do you consider decent dining? Quite frankly, there are almost no dining choices at the airport. Many hotels have no restaurant at all. Only the hotels on Glimcher Realty Way in Elizabeth have the dining choices of Ruby Tuesdays, IHOP, Applebee's, Johnny Rockets, and a food court.

 

There are very few hotels with shuttles to the port and many of them we don't recommend. Most folks arrange a car service.

 

If you're driving, we often suggest you stay about an hour away to be in a more relaxed suburban setting with dining and shopping choices.

Yes, I was punted here. I was in a hurry this morning when I wrote the OP and did not search elsewhere for my answer. It is all good though as this board is more likely to benefit me.

We arrive at about 5:00 pm night before cruise. Looking for a close hotel, but anywhere from EWR to dock is fine. Cost not the biggest issue and would prefer to eat somewhere that has local flair as opposed to chain. All around, we need to eat and sleep and get to dock next morning, not much else.

Thank you for your help!

We are sailing on Summit next month and need to find port close hotel with shuttle to port. We would prefer an area where there is not a high likelihood of being mugged...or worse:eek:...and has decent dining close by. I know it sounds like we are picky, but open for suggestions. Thanks!

Some people say they like to play on "feeling". Others say that these people ruin the game for everyone else. Mathematically speaking both are wrong. Playing on "feeling" will always lower the probability of you winning, but it is just as likely to improve everyone else's chances as it is to lower them.

 

Anyone who complains loudly about someone playing on feeling is also playing on feeling. It's these people who should banish themselves to the video machines because obviously they don't have the temperament to play properly with other people.

 

Poker, on the other hand is a completely different matter. Sitting at a table with someone who is relying on feelings is a joy for any half-decent poker player.

Speaking of poker...does anyone know if Summit has one of the "automated" poker tables?

This is a fun thread that hits close to home. My experience of Blackjack on cruise ships is that you often run across people who play like the OP. So what, if you don't like it move on. There is never a reason to impart your gambling wisdom on others through insults. I play consistently and "by the book." I have found playing with people like the OP has, if anything, increased my winnings (so long as it is not every hand or downright crazy play like splitting 10's).

At Bellagio one evening, I was at a table with a buddy. The table was $50 minimum, but the other two players were "grandfathered" in at $15. The girl at the table made a few suspect plays, but we were winning and could care less. After letting a few winning hands ride we had significant bets out, me about $700 and my buddy $1,250. Dealer turns a bust card (6), we are both safe with 18 or 19. Our female playing partner is consternating over her hand and when asked shows a 17. My buddy freaks out and tells her she has to stay, I tell her to go with her heart. My buddy offers to pay her hand off as long as she stays, I tell her not to listen to him. She hits, busts, dealer turns up a 5 for 11, hits with a four followed by a face card...BUST! If you look at those cards, not only was she punished for horrible play, but the table was literally saved and we profited nicely.

I don't want to encourage what is truly stupid play, but the reality is there is an element of luck involved. Instead of storming off and insulting the person, we stayed (bet more conservatively though!) and walked away later after having fun with some nice people (and with a pocketful of black chips), which is the whole reason i play in the first place!

While no moral to the story, we should be tolerant of others, especially on a cruise where life is meant to be laid back!!

Good luck all!

Thank you for the great review. Too bad the photography vendor had to cast a dark shadow over the trip:( We are looking forward to our 25th anniversary onboard this June. I will boycott the photo shop in solidarity:D Not that I would buy any pics there regardless. I have always found them too expensive for what you get.

Yes she is bigger then the rest. She is 7 feet longer than Eclipse, and 2 feet wider than Eclipse. The extra 7 feet in length and 2 feet in width does nothing so far as adding cabins. It boils down to an extra 14 sq. ft. per deck. These extra measurements seem "immaterial" to me considering the ship is 1047 feet long.

 

Both Reflection and Eclipse have 16 decks (will assume all S class do), it's just that decks 12-16 have been reconfigured in order to add cabins within those decks on Reflection. The pools have been moved 1 deck up on Reflection, and deck 15 on Reflection is a complete deck, whereas on Eclipse, it's a partial deck forward, open mid, and partial aft.

 

As to crowding, They didn't add any additional public space, seating space in restaurants etc. They removed the nightclub Quasar to make it conference space. 1/3 of Reflections' Sky Lounge is missing as it is part of the Reflection Suite. That pubic spaces remained the same size (smaller with loss of Quasar versus Sillie) there is certainly less space per passenger than other S-class ships, as a practical matter, even though the ship is indeed a little larger.

 

Some even post in other threads the pool is physically smaller, and that they experience dramatic waits for BLU and other things on Reflection versus other ships. So it's a bit odd in this thread all of a sudden everyone doesn't think reflection is crowded at all.

Actually an extra 2' of beam would result in additional 2,094 sq. ft. per deck and an extra 7' of length adds another approx. 861 sq. ft. for a total of 2,955 sq. ft. per deck. This is calculated by multiplying the 2' added beam by the overall length (1,047') and 7' extra length by the overall beam (123').