LIVE with Georgia Peaches on the Brand NEW Ascent...B2B November 22-29 Pre-Pre-Maiden Voyage!

[TourDeCruise]

3 hours ago, Cruise Gopher said:

It was never open. They had tables out there though. 

 

Maybe it will open by the December 3rd Maiden Voyage. I will check. 

 

3 hours ago, Cruise Gopher said:

Nope, slight warmth and nothing. I stood in there for a minute to see but no. No one ever was in it. 

 

Not good. Why have the room if it is not going to work?

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, Corgidawgga said:

I would suggest waiting to tour it if you are not familiar.  

Excellent tip!  After our tour we decided to pass. It looks lovely but for us, the value isn’t there. 

[jcpc]

@Georgia_PeachesI'll be very interested to read your take on Luminae and the Retreat Lounge.  On M and S class ships, I love Luminae because I always felt like I had personalized service (i.e., the wait team really gets to know you and your likes and dislikes.  Nothing "over the top" but I always felt like I was very well taken care of in Luminae).  However, on E class ships I felt that Luminae was just like another "main dining room".......especially on Beyond.  WIth the amount of suites the E-class ships have I never felt like you got personalized service in Luminae.  And the same goes for the Retreat Lounge.  When on an M or S class ship just about every time you walked into the Reterat Lounge (or Michael's Club, as the case may be) the Retreat Concierge just about always greeted you by name and said hello.  Not a big long conversation by any means (which is fine with me) but always a "hello Greeting".  On E class ships usually the Retreat Concierges don't even know who you are or that you are in the Lounge (even when staying in PH on Beyond!).  The whole Lounge (and Luminae) just had a "cold" feeling to it.  So, very interested to hear what you think about these 2 venues on Ascent.  Enjoy!!!

[hozelovr123]

2 hours ago, Corgidawgga said:

 

You can order ahead on the app or website .   A little over $200.   Onboard I think you can purchase a day pass for $89

 

I would suggest waiting to tour it if you are not familiar.   I love it but find it second place to The Enclave on Princess.

I have tried to order on the app and the website, but there is no opportunity to do so. Am I missing something?

[Georgia_Peaches]

So a few hiccups on the b2b process that left me less than impressed. 
 

First, the easy peasy impression that we got from yesterday’s meeting didn’t materialize as expected. We met in Eden as directed but there was no record of us being on a B2B. That is to say, we got a letter to attend the meeting but then the ball was dropped on the prep of our new room keys, which were necessary to return to the ship. We were assured that keys were being printed and that we should follow the crowd off the ship and through customs. My earlier impression that we wouldn’t be doing this was incorrect. 
 

We went through a quick customs check and then we’re corralled into the embarkation holding area where nobody seemed to know what to do next. No organization. No lines for new pics.  No mic to hear directions being given. Perhaps they were overwhelmed by the number of b2b passengers (at least 200 of us). 
People crowded around the personnel taking pictures. Was really surprised by the behavior of some, frankly. 
 

After a successful pic and quick scan of our passports we headed back up the gangway only to be stopped by security and pulled aside bc we didn’t have new cards to scan to return to the ship. At that point we were being told to return to the embarkation lobby bc the current boarding was only for b2b passengers. I explained that we were b2b and we were once again pulled aside for further processing. Meanwhile, everyone else filed on through. Once we were cleared, we had to head to Guest Relations for a new key card. Annoying but finally sorted. 
 

First impression of the Retreat did not disappoint. 
 

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches
Typos galore

[Georgia_Peaches]

6 minutes ago, jcpc said:

@Georgia_PeachesI'll be very interested to read your take on Luminae and the Retreat Lounge.  On M and S class ships, I love Luminae because I always felt like I had personalized service (i.e., the wait team really gets to know you and your likes and dislikes.  Nothing "over the top" but I always felt like I was very well taken care of in Luminae).  However, on E class ships I felt that Luminae was just like another "main dining room".......especially on Beyond.  WIth the amount of suites the E-class ships have I never felt like you got personalized service in Luminae.  And the same goes for the Retreat Lounge.  When on an M or S class ship just about every time you walked into the Reterat Lounge (or Michael's Club, as the case may be) the Retreat Concierge just about always greeted you by name and said hello.  Not a big long conversation by any means (which is fine with me) but always a "hello Greeting".  On E class ships usually the Retreat Concierges don't even know who you are or that you are in the Lounge (even when staying in PH on Beyond!).  The whole Lounge (and Luminae) just had a "cold" feeling to it.  So, very interested to hear what you think about these 2 venues on Ascent.  Enjoy!!!

Heading to lunch in Luminae. Will definitely report out. So far we have been greeted by name but that could be because the Retreat concierge  was made aware of our re-embarkation troubles and was apologizing profusely. 

[DaKahuna]

11 hours ago, TourDeCruise said:

Blu supposedly has an outdoor area for eating on Ascent. Does anyone know if the outdoor area is open for lunch on sea days or just breakfast and possibly dinner? If open for lunch, can anyone go there or just Aqua Class guests? Any cost associated with Blu lunch if available?

 

On the other ships, there is no outdoor Blu area and no lunch in Blu at all, except for special events.

 

Lunch is never offered in Blu.  It's breakfast and dinner only.  

Blu is limited to Aqua class only.  Guest traveling in the Retreat can dine in Blu on an "as available" basis. 

 

[TourDeCruise]

5 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Lunch is never offered in Blu.  It's breakfast and dinner only.  

Blu is limited to Aqua class only.  Guest traveling in the Retreat can dine in Blu on an "as available" basis. 

 

We primarily do Aqua Class and lunch was never offered except for special events such as a Zenith lunch; however, I read in a few advertising articles that Blu would have an outdoor dining area on Ascent that is available for dining and it did mention lunch too. I will be on Ascent a week from today, so I will check.

[Lastdance]

2 minutes ago, TourDeCruise said:

We primarily do Aqua Class and lunch was never offered except for special events such as a Zenith lunch; however, I read in a few advertising articles that Blu would have an outdoor dining area on Ascent that is available for dining and it did mention lunch too. I will be on Ascent a week from today, so I will check.

I remember hearing about this on Beyond too, but do not know if it ever materialized.  I also remember something about the wind being too strong, but correct me if I am wrong.

[depplep]

On 11/25/2023 at 12:49 AM, DaKahuna said:

We always try and grab lunch at Pancho’s Back Yard when we are in Cozumel.  

I'm late to this discussion but we were in Cozumel 3 weeks ago and the street is tore up and you can't get down to Pancho's Backyard. We did find a place called Wet Wendy's and had fantastic margaritas. Off the square also.

[jcpc]

@Georgia_Peaches The Retreat Deck and the layout of the SS looks to be the same as on Edge and Beyond.  The Retreat Deck is absolutely gorgeous but I'm not a "sun" person so I really did not spend all that much time up there on any of my E-class sailings.  The SS is, however, a perfect cabin.  Yours doesn't look much different than the ones I stayed in on Edge.  I did find, however, that it was difficult hanging clothes in the closet as I'm on the "short side" and had to stand on my tiptoes to properly hang things.....LOL.  

 

Too bad the turnaround wasn't as seamless as it is supposed to be.  Funny......we had the exact same issue on Beyond.......our keys weren't ready and we had a heck of a time getting back onto the ship without any keys!!!  What saved us is that we were accompanied by the Retreat Concierge and the Captain's Club Host so those 2 guys stayed with us until all was settled.

[DaKahuna]

25 minutes ago, depplep said:

I'm late to this discussion but we were in Cozumel 3 weeks ago and the street is tore up and you can't get down to Pancho's Backyard. We did find a place called Wet Wendy's and had fantastic margaritas. Off the square also.

 

Thanks for the info.  Surprised that the main street would be closed but we're not there until February so hopefully the street will be repaired and open by then. 

 

[PTC DAWG]

Now I’m looking forward to the show…great pics, we have this cabin booked for Jan 21 sailing…

[ladyjade3]

12 hours ago, nimiq said:

We did Le petit Chef on The beyond and also thought it was just ok. For us at the price other specialty restaurants are much more worth it. 
the show is cute the food ok and service unfortunately for us was inattentive and we did not even get asked if we wanted coffee at the end. It was a bye bye and that’s it. 

What they should do to improve it is let people order from 2 or 3 choices, pass out headphones and let the animation be more customized to individuals and different dishes. We don't eat seafood and to switch the cod to chicken pasta just kind of messed up the flow of the experience. Why do you even ask about allergies or substitutions? You should get the menu in advance and be warned that if this menu isn't to your liking, the experience will be off. It needs an overhaul. 

[ladyjade3]

Getting off the boat for us was super easy. 
 

That show Awaken last night was mind blowing! We loved it! Don't look for a plot. Its not a play. It's Cirque du Soleil with state of the art technology. I walked out of Shimmerbox which was standing room only and good cabaret style dancing and tricks. Went to the end of Funkified . We liked that show better and there was plenty of seating. 

[depplep]

21 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Thanks for the info.  Surprised that the main street would be closed but we're not there until February so hopefully the street will be repaired and open by then. 

 

It was pretty far down, passed the Forum Shops. It looks like they were putting in new water pipes.

[brockmom]

17 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We were invited to attend a B2B meeting this morning where we received instructions on the process for tomorrow along with passes that indicate that we are authorized to remain on the ship. The process includes reporting to Eden by 9;30 where we will surrender our current sea pass cards and receive new ones. Additionally, we will show our passports and have a new pic taken. We also completed a paper health questionnaire. Seems easy enough. Our stateroom attendant will move our luggage and hanging clothes to our new room. Everything was very clearly laid out in written format. We were confused as to why people were staying for a power point presentation of the same information. I asked one of the officers if we were free to leave if we didn’t have questions. The answer was yes. So not wanting g to waste any time in a meeting, we left… me to the casino….DH to craft social to watch the game. 

Loving your review!

thank you for sharing.

I hope in leaving early, you didn’t miss the raffle draws they generally have at these meetings.

I bet they had some great gifts on this sailing.

on the Reflections last month it was a raffle for specially dinning

and bottles of wine. 🙂

 

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

So a few hiccups on the b2b process that left me less than impressed. 
 

First, the easy peasy impression that we got from yesterday’s meeting didn’t materialize as expected. We met in Eden as directed but there was no record of us being on a B2B. That is to say, we got a letter to attend the meeting but then the ball was dropped on the prep of our new room keys, which were necessary to return to the ship. We were assured that keys were being printed and that we should follow the crowd off the ship and through customs. My earlier impression that we wouldn’t be doing this was incorrect. 
 

We went through a quick customs check and then we’re corralled into the embarkation holding area where nobody seemed to know what to do next. No organization. No lines for new pics.  No mic to hear directions being given. Perhaps they were overwhelmed by the number of b2b passengers (at least 200 of us). 
People crowded around the personnel taking pictures. Was really surprised by the behavior of some, frankly. 
 

After a successful pic and quick scan of our passports we headed back up the gangway only to be stopped by security and pulled aside bc we didn’t have new cards to scan to return to the ship. At that point we were being told to return to the embarkation lobby bc the current boarding was only for b2b passengers. I explained that we were b2b and we were once again pulled aside for further processing. Meanwhile, everyone else filed on through. Once we were cleared, we had to head to Guest Relations for a new key card. Annoying but finally sorted. 
 

First impression of the Retreat did not disappoint. 
 

 

Unlike your previous cabin, the SS has the original full length mirror behind the desk, so I'm assuming that the desk slides into the dresser as it does on the previous ships? If so I wonder why the other cabins have a different setup? 

 

[ladyjade3]

Loved our cabin right under the magic carpet 12184. Obstructed view from it but we could watch it move and that was fun. 

[1Virgo]

15 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

I would not trust Diamonds International.  I strayed from my usual store in St. Maarten and bought a ring at DI in Grand Cayman.  The next year the entire ring had yellowed and the tiny diamonds dull.  I took it to my jeweler in St. Maarten and he shook his head.  He actually took it as a trade in and gave me almost what I paid for it.  I have never strayed again and been going to same place over 20 years.  

agree.   Went to buy a tanzanite ring with diamonds.  I took a close look at the stone and it had a crack.  When I pointed it out, they wanted to know if I was a jeweller as their person “missed” the crack.   They brought me another from a back room and it was perfect   I kept an eye on the defective ring and sure enough, back into display case

My appraisal at home was for double what we paid, so I lucked out

[ChiosFan]

1 hour ago, hozelovr123 said:

I have tried to order on the app and the website, but there is no opportunity to do so. Am I missing something?

Sign into your account on www.celebrity cruise.com, go into manage reservation.   Scroll down to spa, past the drink packages, WiFi etc. to the spa section.   There is a drop down menu where you can choose thermal treatments.   Select and pay….

 

You will enjoy.  I am nursing allergies and can’t wait to get in the salt room.   

 

1 hour ago, hozelovr123 said:

I have tried to order on the app and the website, but there is no opportunity to do so. Am I missing something?

 

[blueslily]

48 minutes ago, ladyjade3 said:

Loved our cabin right under the magic carpet 12184. Obstructed view from it but we could watch it move and that was fun. 

IMG_8094.mov

 

Awesome, thanks so much for sharing and letting your sons know how valuable your video and information is.

 

Question: was it noisy when thr Magic Carpet was above you. I would guess that when you had your window open, you could hear the sounds from above. Just my guess.

 

Thanks!

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

Unlike your previous cabin, the SS has the original full length mirror behind the desk, so I'm assuming that the desk slides into the dresser as it does on the previous ships? If so I wonder why the other cabins have a different setup? 

 

Yes, the sky suite has the full length mirror with the desk that slides in. Not sure why the other cabins do not. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, brockmom said:

Loving your review!

thank you for sharing.

I hope in leaving early, you didn’t miss the raffle draws they generally have at these meetings.

I bet they had some great gifts on this sailing.

on the Reflections last month it was a raffle for specially dinning

and bottles of wine. 🙂

 

Ohhh!  Well darn! No doubt we missed the raffle. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Thanks for the info.  Surprised that the main street would be closed but we're not there until February so hopefully the street will be repaired and open by then. 

 

Main Street was not closed during our visit.