Jump to content

CHICAGOPAUL LIVE!!!!! 15 Night Bering Sea & Japan TRANSPACIFIC CRUISE - LIVE BLOG


chicagopaul
 Share

Recommended Posts

Just realized I never posted the Daily for today, Thursday so before I head off to Martini Bar here it is! 

 

Fyi for for those who asked still haven’t seen anything regarding drink coupons for purchase as of yet. They have however been offering wine bottle specials, 1 for $25 and 2 for $40. If I see it again I’ll snap a photo of what’s available. It looked like they had a couple reds, a couple whites and maybe a rose but I couldn’t tell the exact varietals. 

 

5DAE7FBF-CA4D-4023-BB28-6292525974C8.thumb.jpeg.59fac5e8b43eb34ed9a11630fd2ebd26.jpeg

 

0FEE76CF-0A98-4366-A319-CA6464FAA0B6.thumb.jpeg.efa50a8a5045a90d44b4ef4c8bd7c0b9.jpeg

 

4B945980-B56A-4CA7-8F6E-DA54D2FE3A5D.thumb.jpeg.e925211735c5a408a74b3541f1809e27.jpeg

 

BE6D8874-4330-43A6-9D52-200A08FA88BD.thumb.jpeg.acc5dad5eb0ef4dd413504da7b6f3a06.jpeg

 

109822A6-26B2-4CC2-995F-593E446033E1.thumb.jpeg.554394508f98918be8fd063196b3f27f.jpeg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

Ok we have a verdict in the free movie debate. 

 

Currently, on the Millennium, Free movies still do exist! The first line of movies are free and you simply scroll left or right to view the selection. I counted and there are 50 total free movies. It does make it appear like you’d have to pay for them but you don’t. See photos below. 

 

C3675200-DFED-4200-AAFB-49DAA6BB1F80.thumb.jpeg.8bbb772beb7d7fcc39639fbaed6ded4e.jpeg

 

0B9FBB59-48CA-4DE4-9560-945576BAE705.thumb.jpeg.973248e7b1172807a5e59d317292fa56.jpeg

 

7391A76A-43E1-4C14-AF4F-CF0CBDB9C26F.thumb.jpeg.f607a2e26f24667dd9a0837ef7ea95a1.jpeg

 

 

Thank you for the most excellent review.   It takes a lot of time on vacation to post these reviews and I really appreciate it.

 

Unfortunately those will disappear as well per the guest services rep I talked to on the phone.  The contract for movies appears ship dependent when it will be up.  The newer revolutionized ships seem to holding onto them longer, but they will all be phased out eventually when each ship contract runs out.  If you like them please mention it on your survey at the end that elimination of the movies “adversely impacts the guest experience.”  Those words seem to be the key words per the guest representative.  They seem to take that more seriously than other complaints.

 

Maybe they are doing a 180 on the movies with all the complaints,  but the guest services rep on the phone seemed just as upset about it as I was and that was yesterday.

 

Thanks again for the live review.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know that you don’t spend a lot of time in the casino,  but are there usually a lot of people in there at night after dinner? Typically on a Caribbean cruise we do see a lot of people, but we are doing our first TA next month and wondering what’s it’s like on a longer cruise. My husband plays craps and I play other table games so hoping we won’t be the only ones there 😂.....keep enjoying your cruise!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/6/2019 at 3:02 PM, chicagopaul said:

 

Simple to do. Start by creating an account with MLife and get an MLife number. It’s free you can do it online. Then call MLife and say you want a reciprocal match with your Captains Club Celebrity Cruises status. They’ll do it over the phone. Then you will have Platinum status with MLife. Login to your MLife account and I believe you should see something about Hyatt listed online and you can match it blind. Y entering your Hyatt number. Don’t do the reverse since the reverse (going through Hyatt to match your Hyatt status) will downgrade your MLife. Then once you get that Hyatt explorist you can take it one step further and look for an American Airlines match if you want American status. They’re doing a 120 day or 90 day gold status match with Hyatt and if you meet a low level spend / mileage requirement you’ll have gold on American for the following year. 

Thanks a million for these easy to follow directions. Just completed it and now have Gold MLife and Explorist Hyatt. Have a great cruise. Love your Live Blogs!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/6/2019 at 12:02 PM, chicagopaul said:

 

Simple to do. Start by creating an account with MLife and get an MLife number. It’s free you can do it online. Then call MLife and say you want a reciprocal match with your Captains Club Celebrity Cruises status. They’ll do it over the phone. Then you will have Platinum status with MLife. Login to your MLife account and I believe you should see something about Hyatt listed online and you can match it blind. Y entering your Hyatt number. Don’t do the reverse since the reverse (going through Hyatt to match your Hyatt status) will downgrade your MLife. Then once you get that Hyatt explorist you can take it one step further and look for an American Airlines match if you want American status. They’re doing a 120 day or 90 day gold status match with Hyatt and if you meet a low level spend / mileage requirement you’ll have gold on American for the following year. 

Just completed this, too, matching my Celebrity Elite to mLife Gold (phone) to Hyatt Explorist (online).  Does this expire or do I have to do something to keep it active/renew it?  I couldn't find any mention of this and neglected to ask the mLife CSR.

 

Thanks for the tip.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I’m currently sitting at the sunset bar (ocean view bar is the technical name on this ship) having my morning beverage waiting for Edward. Reddy the bartender and I are mostly alone with the exception of a few other crazy people who want to be in the cold. The seas are calm but the sky is cloudy and a dense fog is starting to roll in when Reddy spots what appears to be dolphins. His eyes light up and he runs from behind the bar to show me where they are. I search looking for them, can’t see them, until I spot a few spouts in the water and see some tails of what look like dolphins or small whales. Our eyes stay pealed looking for more until we give up and go back to our respective positions at the bar. Exact moments like this, so innocent and simple, are what I love about sea days like today and the crew on the ship. 

  • Like 14
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, chicagopaul said:

 Exact moments like this, so innocent and simple, are what I love about sea days like today and the crew on the ship. 

Agreed! Seeing porpoises and green sea turtles from our balcony during breakfast this spring coming up from South America was one of my favorite experiences onboard.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Paul,

Thank you for another live cruise. We got back last week from an Ama Danube River cruise and am missing being on the water. When you finish this cruise would you please comment on if you had to choose between a Trans-Atlantic and a Trans-Pacific, which would you take? We have not done either but when I retire...

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those asking about room photos here are a few I took today. 

 

As you can see there is a full length mirror in the wardrobe. Magnetic hooks work on the walls and shower walls as you can see from the photos where we have some shirts hanging. 

 

BD17FEE1-B363-4ACD-A6DA-DE39A08EBE0C.thumb.jpeg.b400eabc3c0fe7907d0b20088671f00e.jpeg

89CCBC99-5852-4A38-A37A-1FCF8A840903.thumb.jpeg.cd29df844a87394fc47c32e763704aea.jpeg

 

9BD29EFB-9F70-483D-9296-BF72C0E03E9A.thumb.jpeg.dddd3aa42b84bd5bbcece852eec248dd.jpeg

 

CE9E3E90-26C7-410C-90ED-B3D046CF7BD2.thumb.jpeg.1f3864a4bc1c19dfe9aa0c1577ae1afe.jpeg

 

46C38D43-0E43-46E2-A2B7-B5E7E8D31CE0.thumb.jpeg.0fabc605d282346659b2ce0aab930c44.jpeg

 

0ED4BC6E-82EA-4AE4-B3D3-7E63175A2F4E.thumb.jpeg.8427433b6f19bd31d849f5b8f2870dfd.jpeg

 

 

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dinner last night I’m Blu was very good. Here is the menu and some photos. We dined with our friends again last night. 

 

9F9B8A2D-4833-4B97-AF87-F01FA4D68F06.thumb.jpeg.e242634222acc4dc8ec10f5b065115d2.jpeg

 

203D01A9-A495-4179-A03B-CA280A0C5F13.thumb.jpeg.0060d9ddc3bf2e5be0ad174081baf854.jpeg

 

2BC1A12C-909C-4EBF-8189-A6D97879A0FA.thumb.jpeg.8e45c2470ad1addd15490cc8317051f5.jpeg

 

45CA4E2A-59DA-4DD5-ADD3-6147DD0D7E81.thumb.jpeg.b639c42b35e9890eab87f167e2c7477f.jpeg

 

DB7F62B4-D3BE-42D3-932A-4313597344A0.thumb.jpeg.5776e0a4382a71587f5889405861bf4f.jpeg

 

D90BB608-6367-49EF-B35D-DCDC555ADD34.thumb.jpeg.7710f29b384d31815dc773595fe5a864.jpeg

 

E883F32C-DDAE-47CB-B553-7C2B8D0DDCC4.thumb.jpeg.958fb972cd5d80196c8a326b336b48b8.jpeg

 

AD8E9177-8A21-499C-B062-8268F7E85D1D.thumb.jpeg.c5599866a36a97c13937029dbca27b4e.jpeg

 

per the usual I forgot to take a photo of dessert until I started it! 

 

Service yesterday in Blu was prompt. Two of the dishes at our table came out Luke warm to cold. They were quickly taken back and new ones brought out on very hot plates. I tried some of the pork not pictured here and it was excellent. The risotto I heard however was not that great.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We crossed the international dateline last night so we had a celebration of losing a day so we went from Thursday right into Saturday skipping Friday. Kind of a cool thing to check off the bucket list. At 10pm there was the live band who in the foyer who is really very good. They played and people danced and it was a great turn out. At 11pm there was the balloon drop. I do have video of this so will upload it on quicker internet when I’m home. It’s always interesting to see grown adults pop balloons while little kids try to collect them haha 

 

 

3992A51F-C2B1-4E46-80C6-8B3E414B30C8.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding the free movies thanks for the additional information. I don’t want to side track this blog into a movie blog but went to give my two cents. 

 

While I don’t watch many movies on the cruise we sometimes do watch them or at least want them on while getting ready. 

 

While I understand some people feel nickel and dimed by them being removed I think the greater issue is taking away something that has become part of cruise memories for so many people. It’s strange to say that something like a movie can illicit fond memories on a cruise but it’s true. We all have our routines and for some a lazy sea day in the room or watching a movie while getting ready for the night may be one of them. Removing something like the free movies is not so much about people feeling nickel and dimed as much as it’s removing a fond / romanticized memory that many people hold dear. That’s my two cents!  

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, jc719 said:

Just completed this, too, matching my Celebrity Elite to mLife Gold (phone) to Hyatt Explorist (online).  Does this expire or do I have to do something to keep it active/renew it?  I couldn't find any mention of this and neglected to ask the mLife CSR.

 

Thanks to Paul, we signed up for mLife last week as well. The person I spoke with at mLife said that they "reset" these once a year and we would be downgraded by mLife to whatever we earned without our Celebrity partnership. She said that we will have to call mLife again after October 1 to re-establish our mLife level with our Celebrity status. We'll find out in a few weeks if this is accurate.

ps. thanks for the great reporting, Paul... always enjoy your posts.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

While I understand some people feel nickel and dimed by them being removed I think the greater issue is taking away something that has become part of cruise memories for so many people. It’s strange to say that something like a movie can illicit fond memories on a cruise but it’s true. We all have our routines and for some a lazy sea day in the room or watching a movie while getting ready for the night may be one of them. Removing something like the free movies is not so much about people feeling nickel and dimed as much as it’s removing a fond / romanticized memory that many people hold dear. That’s my two cents!  

 

I'll see your two cents and raise you a nickel.  I never thought about it like that, but I think you're 100% correct.  The fond memories are far more valuable than a few dollars.

 

Thanks for the review and enjoy your cruise.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Mike981 said:

Paul, how are you liking all the sea days?

 

I am loving it! They’ve gone by pretty quickly so far but we have three more to go before we hit Japan. There is something so wonderful about waking up, having such a relaxed routine and seeing everyone else doing the same. Truly heaven. 

 

22 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

I know that you don’t spend a lot of time in the casino,  but are there usually a lot of people in there at night after dinner? Typically on a Caribbean cruise we do see a lot of people, but we are doing our first TA next month and wondering what’s it’s like on a longer cruise. My husband plays craps and I play other table games so hoping we won’t be the only ones there 😂.....keep enjoying your cruise!

 

The casino has not been too busy. There is a decent crowd after dinner say around 9:30 to 10:30 but then dies out quick. The Texas holdem table has always been packed. On the first couple of days I saw a few people at the crows table but besides that I haven’t seen anyone there. It’s really hit or miss. On our last TA for instance there were a handful of regular craps players and the tables were regularly full. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, CeeeKr said:

 

Thanks to Paul, we signed up for mLife last week as well. The person I spoke with at mLife said that they "reset" these once a year and we would be downgraded by mLife to whatever we earned without our Celebrity partnership. She said that we will have to call mLife again after October 1 to re-establish our mLife level with our Celebrity status. We'll find out in a few weeks if this is accurate.

ps. thanks for the great reporting, Paul... always enjoy your posts.

 

It is my pleasure! And yes, to comment on what you said and to answer the previous question you do need to update it yearly. Just a simple phone call will do. I took care of reconnecting / re-establishing mine a couple months ago and it was pretty quick and painless. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s 1am here but I suppose it’s actually midnight as we gain another hour tonight. Today we skipped breakfast as we were hungover. Today we were good and only had one night cap and drank lots of water. 

 

I have lots of catching up to do with all of you on the last day plus still need to write my mid cruise review as today was the midway point. However I’d like to give you a brief synopsis of how our evening started because I think it summarizes perfectly what I love about cruises but this cruise in particular. 

 

This evening we arrive a few minutes late to the Martini Bar, a couple minutes after 7 and find out friend Stephanie sitting at the bar. We say good evening with the obligatory kiss on the cheek. We order our drink and then Eric shows up. We exchange the same normal conversation about how our day was and what we did. We ask how each other is doing in the casino and what we enjoyed at lunch. A little while later more friends show up which then means more kisses on the cheeks followed by the same questions of our day. Then a few more people show up and the same repeats itself. The ship moves and some drinks slide slowly on the bar. We stand up from the bar and offer seats to our friends who have been standing. We share gossip of a few passengers we’ve seen on the ship. We discuss where everyone is dining tonight. Chat about our plans for Japan. We then head to dinner with some of us parting ways which leads to the obligatory well wishes for a lovely dinner. Others choose to dine together to continue the fun conversation. It’s simple. It’s lovely. It’s wonderful. Some nights feel like a fairytale and tonight for a couple of hours before dinner and during dinner it was exactly one of those nights. 

 

Just something short and simple I wanted to share with you. Now it’s time for some sleep. Gaining an extra hour while being rocked to bed by the wind and waves. I’ll follow up in the morning with much more review and info that I’ve been slacking on the past day! 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

Regarding the free movies thanks for the additional information. I don’t want to side track this blog into a movie blog but went to give my two cents. 

 

While I don’t watch many movies on the cruise we sometimes do watch them or at least want them on while getting ready. 

 

While I understand some people feel nickel and dimed by them being removed I think the greater issue is taking away something that has become part of cruise memories for so many people. It’s strange to say that something like a movie can illicit fond memories on a cruise but it’s true. We all have our routines and for some a lazy sea day in the room or watching a movie while getting ready for the night may be one of them. Removing something like the free movies is not so much about people feeling nickel and dimed as much as it’s removing a fond / romanticized memory that many people hold dear. That’s my two cents!  

We agree, thanks for describing the issue so eloquently.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

Regarding the free movies thanks for the additional information. I don’t want to side track this blog into a movie blog but went to give my two cents. 

 

While I don’t watch many movies on the cruise we sometimes do watch them or at least want them on while getting ready. 

 

While I understand some people feel nickel and dimed by them being removed I think the greater issue is taking away something that has become part of cruise memories for so many people. It’s strange to say that something like a movie can illicit fond memories on a cruise but it’s true. We all have our routines and for some a lazy sea day in the room or watching a movie while getting ready for the night may be one of them. Removing something like the free movies is not so much about people feeling nickel and dimed as much as it’s removing a fond / romanticized memory that many people hold dear. That’s my two cents!  

 

Great way of putting it!  Hope Celebrity brings them back.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

It’s 1am here but I suppose it’s actually midnight as we gain another hour tonight. Today we skipped breakfast as we were hungover. Today we were good and only had one night cap and drank lots of water. 

 

I have lots of catching up to do with all of you on the last day plus still need to write my mid cruise review as today was the midway point. However I’d like to give you a brief synopsis of how our evening started because I think it summarizes perfectly what I love about cruises but this cruise in particular. 

 

This evening we arrive a few minutes late to the Martini Bar, a couple minutes after 7 and find out friend Stephanie sitting at the bar. We say good evening with the obligatory kiss on the cheek. We order our drink and then Eric shows up. We exchange the same normal conversation about how our day was and what we did. We ask how each other is doing in the casino and what we enjoyed at lunch. A little while later more friends show up which then means more kisses on the cheeks followed by the same questions of our day. Then a few more people show up and the same repeats itself. The ship moves and some drinks slide slowly on the bar. We stand up from the bar and offer seats to our friends who have been standing. We share gossip of a few passengers we’ve seen on the ship. We discuss where everyone is dining tonight. Chat about our plans for Japan. We then head to dinner with some of us parting ways which leads to the obligatory well wishes for a lovely dinner. Others choose to dine together to continue the fun conversation. It’s simple. It’s lovely. It’s wonderful. Some nights feel like a fairytale and tonight for a couple of hours before dinner and during dinner it was exactly one of those nights. 

 

Just something short and simple I wanted to share with you. Now it’s time for some sleep. Gaining an extra hour while being rocked to bed by the wind and waves. I’ll follow up in the morning with much more review and info that I’ve been slacking on the past day! 

 

Paul, this is what I love about your reviews.  You always make the simple things in life become very special things.  It's a reminder to us all, especially in these times, to appreciate what is right in front of us.

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...