smdubowsky

Thanks for your response. We did not cancel so FCC did carry over. We also anticipate that fares may come down, but they should show good faith to those whose cruise was cancelled by them.

My DW and I are Elite Plus members. About two months ago we cancelled our January 2021 Summit cruise out of San Juan and changed it to 2022. There was no problem and the price and perks were the same. The cost  for Aqua Class was around 2K pp and I had several perks including drinks and tips plus onboard credit. Now we are informed that this cruise is cancelled. Apparently no ships are sailing out of San Juan.  The least expensive cruise of equivalent length for January of 2022 is around $500.00 pp more. I understand the financial strain of the pandemic, but in my business we are also feeling it. When Covid 19 is in the rearview mirror, Celebrity might be finding a smaller customer base anyway. These prices will not help.

To give you a background, my DW and I have taken 20 Celebrity cruises and have sailed on every ship in the current fleet except for the Eclipse and the Flora. We have also cruised on Princess, RCL, Azamara and most recently on MSC Yacht Club. Last week we were in the Western Caribbean on the Edge in Aqua Class. The ship is beautiful. The staff and crew were wonderful. The ship was in tiptop shape. The food in Blu was the best we have ever had in Blu. There were several small ideocyncracies that were different than other Celebrity vessels but there was one deal breaker and that was the "infinite veranda."

As others have stated it's really just a cabin with a window that opens. When we first got into the cabin we noticed that there were just two tiny chairs and a very small table in the "verandah" part of the room. We asked for them to take them out and put in one regular lounger. It didn't quite fit (the size of the "veranda" is small than the real veranda on other Celebrity ships). At least we thought one of us could read out there. Our surprise came when we were in Costa Maya and it started to rain. The breeze was coming from the other side of the ship so no rain was entering our cabin but someone on the bridge decided to close the windows and all of a sudden the window just closed. This happened to us on several occasions and on the last sea day the window was shut tight by the bridge the entire time!

Now I did enjoy the hi-tech influences on the ship even though it took me around ten minuted to figure out how to turn the shower on. The built in tablet that controls the temperature and lighting in the room worked well. We enjoyed the shows. The food was excellent including the OceanView and Il Bacio. WE dined at The Fine Cut specialty restaurant. It was nice but not worth the upcharge. BTW, if you want to dine in Fine Cut, book when you get on the ship or before. It fills up early. The shops were very upscale and no bargain. A bottle of coconut cream liquor that sells for $20.00 in Costco was $35.00 on the ship. You can buy a $20,000.00 Hublot watch but they don't sell a Celebrity windbreaker jacket. I will say that the retail shop staff were very nice.

All in all the Edge measured up to the Celebrity experience that we like except for that darned window that they call a veranda. Celebrity. if you are reading this, think about it before you build more E class ships.

Thanks for posting this. We have been stockholders for years but that had discontinued combining this with other OBC Years ago. We are on the Edge this Sunday so I quickly sent the necessary docs to RCCL on New Year’s eve and I already have the OBC credit! Often people complain here about the response from RCCL offices but they were great for me.

We are Elite Plus on Celebrity but we did try MSC last January on the Seaside in Yacht Club. The cabins are wonderful. They are the size of a small Celebrity suite and very comfortable. The staff was excellent. The food was fair. Some hits and some misses. I learned to stay away from the seafood. Strangely there was a lack of chicken dishes which I found odd about an Italian kitchen. The lounge and pool area were nice. There was never a lack of available lounges on the pool deck. The price was not much more than an Aquaclass cabin.

Having said that, we did not enjoy the rest of the ship and towards the end of the cruise we became a little claustrophobic about being stuck in the YC. The ambiance of Celebrity ships is much better. Part of that feeling is that the Seaside has 5500 passengers and when you venture out of the YC, you feel it.

Next week we are taking the Summit to Bermuda, I will get back with further comparisons.

Interesting responses and I actually agree with most of them. The one thing that I mentioned that no one commented on was the overall ship experience. I agree that the YC is a great experience and provides more exclusiveness than Celebrity but my point was that the S Class ships were smaller and we enjoyed experiencing the whole ship in contrast to a Mega ship like Seaside.  We almost never experienced the "crowds" on Celebrity like we did on Seaside. Having said that it was a joy to go up to the pool and just pick out a chiar wherever you want.

I have to disagree with those who have said that all of the fish is frozen on Celebrity. The seared tuna, for instance, on Celebrity was not frozen and was only offered at the beginning of the cruise.

You are right about Blu only serving breakfast and dinners but the breakfasts were better and the the dinner dishes were not drowning in sauce like some of those on  the YC. . Getting lunch was easy at the Oceanside or at the AquaSpa cafe although the AquaSpa did go downhill a bit.

Comparing the two lines is like comparing apples to oranges. My DW and I are going on Celebrity this summer and back to MSC next year. Some of you did get a little defensive about MSC. My intention was just to point out my observations.

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 

My DW and I just cruised on the MSC Seaside and disembarked yesterday from an eastern Caribbean 7 day cruise. We are long time Elite Plus cruisers on Celebrity and this was our first time on MSC., so we are Black card members on MSC. First let me say that the experience on both lines is different.  We usually travel Aqua class on Celebrity and we were in the Yacht Club on the Seaside. WE are not usually fans of mega ships. We were once on the RC Quantum and did not enjoy the experience. Booking in the Yacht Club partially solves the problem since it is a self contained portion of the ship and being in the Yacht Club affects many elements of the cruise from embarkation to disembarkation.

Embarkation

There's a white tent for Yacht Club guests. Once about eight of us were assembled we were led to a special lounge with Mimosas in hand. In another few minutes were onboard in the Yacht Club (YC). Our butler was very friendly and accommodating through out the cruise.

Yacht Club

The YC suites are excellent with plenty of room and storage space. Much bigger than an Aqua Class room on Celebrity. You would need a suite on Celebrity for this much room. The balcony was also bigger. One hint is you can ask the butler to add a chaise lounge to the balcony since there are normally only chairs. We picked a cabin on the lower deck (16027). It was super quiet and convenient. Going forward on 16 gets you to the Topsail Lounge for the Yacht Club. This is a very spacious and comfortable space with a bar and where light food selections are available all day and evening.They don't have included champagne anymore but the proseco was fairly dry.

One deck up (18) (17 does not exist for some reason) is the restaurant.

Yacht Club food

Overall we found rhe food to be disappointing verses Celebrity. I'll go into detail for those interested. First of all, our experience with Celebrity has been in Blu. Breakfast in Blu was our favorite meal. The breakfast in the YC was fine but nothing out of the ordinary. The OJ was fresh. The omelettes were fine. I will say that the lox was better than Celebrity but still not like Fairway or Zabar's (for NY or NJ cruisers).

Lunch in the  YC dining room was  more for the European market with heavier selections. We often ate at the grill on deck 19  by the pool. Again, the selections were heavier but there was always something else like burgers or pasta. BTW, the pasta on the ship was very good.

Dinner

Many of the dinners were disappointing. The food was often very salty. The fish dishes were often tough and drowned in sauce. My guess is that the fish was frozen.  My DW's filet mignon had to be sent back. I will say that rhe staff was very accommodating. Our waiter, Drago, was excellent. I will say that the standard "every night" dishes like salmon and chicken were okay.

We did have a dinner at "Butcher's Cut." The food there was at a higher  standard. I had wild salmon which was excellent.

As an aside, we did visit the regular buffet twice. The pizza was fine but not as good as a good NY/NJ pie.

The main part of the ship

I would not travel on this ship if it were not for YC. There was always just too much of a mass of humanity in the main part of the ship. Others may not mind it or maybe enjoy the "Times Square" like environment. 7000 passengers and crew is a lot! We rarely ventured out except to go to the shows. The entertainment was good and the performers were talented. The shows did get a bit redundant as time went on. As an aside I was shocked at the prices for liquor in the store. If you want to buy booze , go ashore.

Itinerary

The itinerary was awful. We didn't care but first time cruisers beware. The ship docked in San Juan at 5pm. St thomas was fine; a full day; St Marten was only til 1:30PM and we didn't dock in Nassau until 12PM. Even the crew did not know why the itinerary had been changed like that. If you want to go on Seaside. I would advise to go on the western Caribbean trip.

To sum up, we did have a good time and would go on the Seaside again. We loved the Yacht Club and thought that except for the food, it was a very positive experience, but we also liked the ambiance of the entire ship better with the S class ships of Celebrity. The layout of the Seaside was very "choppy" and did not have the flow that we were used to on Celebrity. We missed the leisurely strolls we would have through the S class ships. Walking around the Seaside just seemed more like a challenge than a stroll.

Disembarkation.

Being on the Yacht Club mad it easy as the butler escorted us past all of the long lines. We were off the ship in about 15 minutes after the ship was finally cleared.

To sum it up, Celebrity  Aqua class and MSC Yacht Club are two different experiences. Both have their pluses and minuses and it's sort of a trade off. I've rambled on too long but would be happy to answer any questions.

MY DW and I will be in YC on the Seaside next week. We look forward to your review. Let us know if you are impressed with any particular crew members and any special things you discover along the way

You must have not been in AQU for a number of years. The muesli cart has been gone since 2015. It had to do with a health code issue. At the time (3 years ago) they told us they were working on a redesign (with a guard), but that never happened. I do miss the cart but was able to order the muesli and various other ingredients to mix such as dried fruit.

 

 

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We have been on Celebrity at least once every year for the past 16 years. Last January we were on the Summit and they did have the meusli cart. We were also told that it was discontinued because of the health code, really? How do they then allow the buffet?

My DW and I are back from a Western Caribbean cruise on the Silhouette. We have been on most all of the Celbrity fleet multiple times and this was our fourth cruise on the Silhouette starting with her inaugural year out of Bayonne in 2012.

While new cruisers may not be aware of changes that have been made by Celebrity, we certainly have. While the ship was in excellent shape and the crew was as good and as accommodating as ever, corporate decisions, especially about the food , were disappointing. It is also interesting to note that onboard we were told that we would receive a passenger questionnaire by email; we never did.

We have always been on Aqua Class on Silhouette and were previously pleased with the food. This year, not so much. The quality of the entrees have definitely declined. In fact, we ate in Tuscan Grill twice because we felt that we were no longer getting the same grade of food that we have received on previous cruises. The menu change also now guides guests to only a three course meal as all of the appetizers, soups, and salads are listed as "Starters." To be fair the staff will bring as much and as many as you want, but the menu now guides you in the other direction.

Blu for breakfast was always our favorite but even that has changed. They used to bring out a rolling table with all of the ingredients to make muesli and then have it custom made at the table. That is no more. The meusli is now pre-made, but they will make it for you on demand if you request. Sorry but it is not the same.

The AquaSpa was also a big disappointment. They no longer vary the menu there for lunch and they no longer have the option of hot lunch entrees like tuna or salmon. After two days the selections became very boring.

Lunch became an even bigger issue since my DW has some medical issues. Besides the buffet, the other options were limited. Bistro on Five became Sushi on Five awhile back and the Porch has turned into a clam bar. This left us a little frustrated with our options.

I will say that we enjoyed the Tuscan Grille. I personally liked the old menu a little better but the meals there were excellent and so was the service.

As I mentioned in the beginning, we are long time Celebrity cruisers. I think we have been on close to twenty Celebrity cruises but now I think we are going to take a break.

title should be BLU vs MDR gluten free

I have Celiac and need 100% gluten free food. I hear that the MDR kitchen has a dedicated section for preparing gluten free items. I am considering Aqua Class and am concerned that the smaller BLU kitchen would not be able to offer the same protection.

Do any of you have recent experience (since Dine Aware) on this topic? We will be on a S Class ship (Solstice)

Thanks.

My wife does not have celiac but has severe colitis and issues with soy and msg. We always go Aqua Class because the staff in Blu is so accommodating. Just tell the maitre'd on the first day orbetter yet, notify Celebrity before you go. Don't worry about the food issues at all. You will have a great time.

There are several amenities offered for Aqua Class such as an upgraded bathroom and use of the Persian Gardens but for us the main attraction is Blu. It's not just the slightly different food but also the intimacy of the smaller venue. For us, it gives us the best features of being a "ship within a ship." Over the years it has averaged around $200.00 per person over a 7 day cruise. That's about $28.00 pp/per day and we have felt that it was worth it.

BTW, just to add, Celebrity has replaced Bistro on 5 with Sushi on 5. Never saw anyone in there. The menu there is a la carte with each item running $10.00 or $11.00 dollars. My guess is that it will not last.

On Summit, Deck 7 is not obstructed by the lifeboats. Should be okay!

In reply, there are only two specialty restaurants on the Summit, Tuscan Grille and Q-Sine and Q-Sine is kind of quirky. I think Blu is your best bet and IMHO, Summit has the best Blu kitchen in the fleet.

They must have changed the recipe for the pizza since you were on board. I live in northern NJ and I know pizza. While this wasn't a "top line" pizza as far as NJ standards, it was decent and quite edible and much better than the chain store pies.

As far as availability of food, there were always light snacks,pastries (at El Bacio) pizza , and pasta available and we often survived for two hours until dinner without starving.

How was the service on the pool deck? Were you able to get a cocktail? Was there enough food? Another poster reviewed the summit and said she was starving.

I would be very doubtful of anyone starving on the Summit. When we were not in Blu we usually ate at the AquaSpa Cafe. BTW, on embarkation day the AquaSpa Cafe was empty while everyone was jammed into the buffet.

The buffet had different selections than I remember but they certainly had a big selection. The pizza was great. The drink of the day were good. I only had one or two. There was plenty of pool service. We only has one sea day so we encountered no problems getting drinks by the pool for this cruise.

As I stated previously, the food on this cruise for us was never better. We never had over or undercooked food. Our expectations were definitely exceeded.

My dear wife and I just returned from a Southern Caribbean cruise on the Summit. We are experienced cruisers having been on 22 cruises with 18 on Celebrity. The Summit was fantastic and we recommend it. This is the 3rd time that we have been on the Summit and this was our best experience. We traveled in Aqua class and ate in Blu with one night at the Tuscan Grill.

The ship was in great shape. The refurb was effective and appeared to be improved from our last time on the ship in the summer of 2015. It was hard to believe that the ship is 16 years old.

Blu was the best we have experienced on a Celebrity ship. While the menu was familiar and has not changed much, the presentation and quality were excellent. The staff was, as usual, very accommodating. Kudos to Fernando, the sommelier in Blu, and Edward, our waiter in Blu.

Rather than going on and on, please ask any questions that you may have.

I understand that since we have been in Aqua Class. I have read that the MDR was available but since there is no Bisto on 5 (our usual place when we get onboard) I was hoping that maybe they opened up an additional venue.

We will be sailing next week on the Summit. Does anyone know if Blu will be open for lunch on embarkation day? Asking because others have said that the MDR is open for Conciege and was wondering about Aqua.

I have found that the best prices for JW in the Caribbean to be St. Maarten. FWIW.

We have not been on the Summit since before her refurb. What locations are open for lunch besides the buffet? We will be sailing next week. Many thanks in advance.

We have not been on the Summit since before her refurb. What locations are open for lunch besides the buffet? We will be sailing next week. Many thanks in advance.

Have a great time! We have been on the Silhouette several times and she is our favorite "S" class ship.

Thanks for the information !