Jim_Iain Apex Key West, TansAtlantic and British Isle with a Week in Amsterdam

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

We also were lucky enough to be on board with Cranston on the Reflection.... wonderful bartender!

 

I have a question that someone had on the TA roll call.  Have you had a chance to see if there are any music channels on the TV in your suite?  When we were on Apex for the TA last fall there were none at all which was disappointing, we are used to S Class which offers a few of them.  I'm hoping that has improved since our sailing last November.

I’ll take a look.    I usually use my iPhone and Bluetooth speakers. 
 

 

yiu reminded me I need to do a video.   They have a new item on menu to stream from phone or pc wirelessly.    Really works well and no need to get to the HDMI ports. 

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, jwlane said:

@Jim_Iain, I hope you caught/catch Andrew's show!

We missed it.   Carolyne said the same last night but it was already 8:30 and she were going to dinner at 8:45.  

[Jim_Iain]

Cancun.   4/19/2023

 

Sitting in Retreat having breakfast.   Love the sea colors. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Jim_Iain

[jwlane]

12 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

We missed it.  

Be sure and hit his club show. I suspect he'll be on the TA. 

[DaKahuna]

Jim, I agree - most of the time it is a case of damned if you do or damned if you don't.  However, like you I like to point these things out early so that there is time in the cruise to get it corrected or to ask for changes in personnel. 

 

We have only one time had a butler we were dissatisfied with, and that happened to be on Edge, and we just let it go.  We only saw her on embarkation day when she introduced herself to us, twice during afternoon service in the Retreat, and once at the theater where she did not even recognize us.  

 

Looking forward to seeing how bar service in the Retreat Lounge will be on Milli as well as what service is available on the Retreat Sundeck.  I know there is not a bar up there but hopefully we can get a drink and a snack while when we are up there relaxing.  We're hoping that it will be able to take the place for activities we normally do on our balcony since the Sky Suite balcony we have on Millie is so small. 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, CTSandy said:

So late to this, but was cruising on Solstice.  I spent a couple of hours catching up on this review today.  I love your live reviews, Jim, thank you for taking the time to share your comments and wonderful pictures!

Thanks Sandy.   Hope you are enjoying Solstice. 
 

curious if they are still doing the Ca Costal.   Must be close for Alaska season to begin. 

[swigso]

41 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I’m glad mentioned it to them.  Better than waiting and them make the comment in the survey. 

one problem with a multi segment cruise is you hold back a bit bit to keep good will.  I have however say have also complained about the poor service of a Sommelier once, to Iain horror. 
 

 

Hi Jim

I know it is unpleasant to complain but we had a situation on our last cruise which was not really acceptable. We or rather I did, again much to my Wife’s reluctance, complain. However it was done quietly on a one to one basis with the host at Laminae.it was sorted never happened again and was forgotten. But it should never have happened at all. I never complain but I expect civility and good service and when not delivered I will make my feelings known, but in a quiet and private way.
I am happy to say that the service on celebrity is top notch, we just love our time on their ships. We cannot wait to fully retire and take more cruises like you. You and Iain are so very lucky, safe sailings.

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by swigso

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, garyl62 said:

I'm sure Jim will give you some insight on his experience, but a month ago while on the Apex I wanted to do a live thread, but also not have it become anything laborious. I'd say I spent less than 10 or 15 minutes a day making one or two posts with a few photos.

Wow.  That sound terrible.   Most of my big posts load in 1 minute or less

[garyl62]

17 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Wow.  That sound terrible.   Most of my big posts load in 1 minute or less

Sorry I was misleading in that post, I meant the total time I spent in a day to keep up with the live thread I did recently was 10 to 15 minutes.  That was to answer a few questions, write up the days activities and add a few photos.  Actual time to upload was like you said just a minute or less.  You put so much into your threads I'm sure you spend more time than I did (and it shows!) but even with just a few minutes a day it's easy to keep something going.  I'd love to follow along on a 94 day trip with @Cruising Is Bliss so I hope you'll give it a try!

[Stem to Stern]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Or maybe they read my comment here --- Oops...   Iain does say I have no filter button at times.

As inspired as I am by all of the great bloggers here including yourself, I am somewhat reluctant to do a live for fear of backlash from the cruise line and or the crew.  I know this is ridiculous as I can see the possibility that their reading may be triggering positive adjustments in service.  I appreciate your honest and unfiltered approach.

 

@garyl62For what it is worth, regarding your "method" I try to appreciate all of the different blogging styles and varying opinions that all of you bring to the table including you.  Thank you.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I’m glad mentioned it to them.  Better than waiting and them make the comment in the survey.

YES! I wish more people got this. Take a moment (or a few) to address issues while on the cruise so that they can work on correcting things. After the fact, there is nothing they can do to help you.

[Cap_D]

14 hours ago, garyl62 said:

Glad to hear that, when we sailed they were very engaging with us, maybe not always wandering around, but they did come and talk with us often enough that we felt they were paying attention to us and interested in how our cruise was going.

On our recent sailing by about Belize was when the hosts were able to engage and work the room, and within a day they were greeting us by name, and had facilitated a request by my young son to meet magician Jessica Jane (who was generous with her time and sharing) (priceless really).  So, that involved coordination of the hosts, Brittany, and others.  

 

Jim, if you don't mind, can you report to the hosts that you heard "Young George" of two weeks ago and to whom they arranged for the meeting is doing 30 minute magic shows for friends and family.  That was spurred by the meeting they facilitated.  

[hcat]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

I'm not sure what you think you're seeing but on Celebrity's own website Cabin 9303 is classified as a P1 Deluxe Porthole View Stateroom with Veranda as are the others you're on Deck 8 you're claiming are traditional verandas.Please don't give out wrong information. You do a disservice to all who read these posts. The Apex is a ship that thousands of people, including myself have sailed on. You're not some special person that 'discovered' some kind of secret cabin category. That's utter nonsense. 

 

folks....

 when looking at SVs on my phone, the deck plan I saw for deck 9   did not have the symbol usually shown for an IV so I asked if it was  reg balc and I was told YES by a Cert Vac Planner... It appears she was wrong .

 

I repeated  that info of what she  offered   She  gave 3 sep cabins one on 9 and 2 on 8, which  she said were balconies based upon her info.. As to these cabins, she gave  obstruction percentages and pricing. I would have been quite annoyed if we had booked on of those based on her info. luckily we did not...

 

.. It appears she was wrong    Can you now  please give it a rest my friends!

[westcoastsue]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks Sandy.   Hope you are enjoying Solstice. 
 

curious if they are still doing the Ca Costal.   Must be close for Alaska season to begin. 

We are leaving this Saturday on the last two coastal cruises before the Alaska itineraries begin on May 3rd.

 

Really enjoying your review/blog. I am from the UK also and totally relate to Iain’s tea preferences!

[Jim_Iain]

15 hours ago, Cap_D said:

Gary and Jim, do either of you transfer or duplicate your reports in your cloud photo service or albums for the trip?   I realize menu, cruise planners, etc., and all the photos dont start here on CC, but I'm curious about your narratives (and how you keep your photos). 

I have a Pro Max with 512B storage.  It auto uploads to iColud (1.99/ mo) and also use Family Share.   It keep a smaller image on your phone for most of your archive and download to view.

 

I just checked and I have 25,000 photos and still have available capacity 378 GB.   I have about 90GB in Audiobooks on my phone -  and delete them as I listen to them.   

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

15 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

We arrive on May 11th, and then take a train to Germany for a couple of nights.  Back on the 13th and sail out on the 14th.  Perhaps we will cross paths on the night of the 13th. 😁 

 

Your AirBnB sounds nice.  The last time we were there before a cruise, we rented one for 4 nights. Something we had not thought of was lot's of stairs with our luggage.  No elevator. 😯  This time, we will do nights at two different Hilton's before and after while in Amsterdam.  Also a Hilton for 2 nights in Belgium.  A privately owned hotel in Germany that we have stayed in before.  I do love the quaint places the best.

 

Have a great trip!!!

Sounds nice -   We found a perfect place for us and booked 9 month ago.  It is a two Master Bedroom unit with a large rooftop patio.     Iain's sister will be meeting us there about mid-week and join us on the British Isle cruise. 

 

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Sounds like someone at corporate is reading this thread  and making needed changes .

 

Ill have to watch what I say..... ahh.. you know me I open my mouth and the filter goes off.

[hcat]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Cancun.   4/19/2023

 

Sitting in Retreat having breakfast.   Love the sea colors. 

gorgeous..

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, garyl62 said:

There are several other members who have done many more and better live threads than me so my simplistic method may not be the normal for others. All I did was open the thread on my phone, dictate my post and then added photos in the same order of my comments. I usually needed to make a few adjustments and then I submitted the post. I didn't do anything with cloud services or other ways of organizing my thoughts or photos.

Gary -  I love your threads and you writing style.   

 

I have a tenancy to to type all of my posts on my laptop and then go to my phone and do an edit and insert the photos.  

 

I usually do photo cropping and exposure correction on my phone.   With the new Pro It shoots in Live mode and then blends a mini movie into properly exposed photo.   It can be handy if someone blinks as you can select a different key image you like.

 

So far I've been impressed with the internet speeds.   We do have a router in our room which may be the reason.   Its located on the ceiling between bedroom and living room.   Also since we are next to the bridge we may have a strong signal.

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, Dar & Bob said:

@Jim_Iain  I have a silly request.  If you happen to pass through the gym on your walks can you see if they have foam rollers?  (the kind to stretch legs)  We board on May 7th and I have been using one recently and really don't want to take up space for one if I don't need to.  Thanks

Loving your report so far and glad to hear the Retreat Hosts are back to hosting 🙂  We just can't wait for our cruise.

 

I will take a look.   The Gym is close by.   

I've never heard of one so googled on it

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

thanks for posting..no longer in the dailies.  hard to locate and difficilt to get in print!

Yea and you also can't stop the popup with names as you scroll over

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, VitaminSea53 said:

Wishing you both a safe journey.  Given your experience with Covid on a prior cruise are you taking Paxlovid with you?

 

I do have some.    Shhh... don't tell my Doctor.    I found a way -  Faked a positive Test -  you know how on the monitored test when the rep says do you see two line..... I just said yes.    They then directed me to a California Site and could pick it up for free at my local CVS

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, countess5 said:

Wow!

I am so glad you met Carol and Andy. A great couple we cruise with and will be in Japan with next May! Sorry for the pics I shared, all I had at the time but it does express your great personalities! 

 

The pic they sent us of you guys is a lot better! 😂

 

Cheers! 

 

 They really are sweet -  We ended up chatting for about 10 minutes.   Thanks for being a match maker.  LOL

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, countess5 said:

Well said, we do not do cruise tours because I always say the only person I’ll wait for in a bathroom break is my DW! 

 

Cheers! 

We rarely do ships tours.... have had some good ones but all too often --- Ugh..

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, jwlane said:

Be sure and hit his club show. I suspect he'll be on the TA. 

Just looked and he is staying aboard for the TA and I just put in my calendar for Day 3.

I'll have to check he may have two performances.   They haven't published the full schedule yet and maybe the one posted is incorrect.