Celebrity Quest

[jellomon]

We just booked the 14-night 01/08 Caribbean cruise on the Quest. Cruise Critic says "Aside from the cozy cabins, the only other downside to this ship is that it doesn't handle very well in rough weather". Anyone out there who sailed on one of these ships under the Renaissance flag have any comments regarding the handling of the R-6 class ships? I get seasick and this could determine whether or not we sail on one of these vessels.

[tuggers]

It's the shape of the hull that will allow for a little more 'roll'. If I were you I would book down and midship. that's going to be your best bet!

[jellomon]

Tuggers, We're mid-ship on Deck 6. Think that will work? Of all our cruises, the roughest were on NCL Wind in December and Celebrity Horizon in January--both obviously a few years ago. Thanks for your help.

[Jancruz]

That should be fine..I have been in many storms on Oceania and didnt have a bad time at all..

If you have any questions I was On Ren 4 times and have been on Oceania 14 times..so know the ships well...

Jan

*****

[rebeccalouise]

I just got of Oceania Regatta and there was motion but nothing troubling. I was with a group of eight people and no one got seasick. There was no trouble in the staterooms at all with motion. The only places that I noticed the motion was at the back of the ship in the specialty restaurants.

I think Quest and Journey are going to be wonderful- the Regatta was a big hit with my family- most of them experienced cruisers.

[Gimpster]

Jellomom, we'll be on the Quest with you. We're really looking forward to it!

[Druke I]

I've been on R class vessels three times:

 

Pacific Princess, 11-03, Papeete to Sydney

Regatta, 8-05, Baltic

Nautica, 11-06, Istanbul to Singapore

 

All three times we had smooth seas, including across the Tasman Sea, which has a reputation for being rough, and the ships rode fine.

 

I would imagine that in rough seas, there would be noticeable bounce/pitch, as the short hull crossed waves' troughs.

 

You have to be aware that the R class vessels do not have "liner" hulls!

[swigso]

Hi,

We have booked to sail next Feb and I am wondering if anyone has any info as to where and when the Blue Moon will be transformed into the Quest.

Does anyone have an idea as to the budget that has been allocated for the refurbishment.

 

By the way the roll call for the Feb 16th sailing has been started already

happy cruising

Steve

[SandyR5]

Just letting you know we have a roll call for the 1/5/08 Caribbean sailing of Quest. C'mon over. :)

[Jancruz]

Just letting you know we have a roll call for the 1/5/08 Caribbean sailing of Quest. C'mon over. :)

 

I would like to post a roll call for the Journey for 9/1 can you tell me where to go..whoops better make that where to post.. :-)

Thanks,

Jan

*****

[SandyR5]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=206

 

This is the general Celebrity roll call board. Choose Journey and first look to see if there is already a roll call going for your sailing. If not, start one.

 

In case the link doesn't work, just go to cruisecritic.com and scroll down to roll calls and then Celebrity connections. That should take you to the page I left the link for.

[mscott]

Hi,

Does anyone have an idea as to the budget that has been allocated for the refurbishment.

Steve

 

According to a past announcement, or press release, the budget for both Journey and Quest combined (it appears), is 35 million. Seems pretty substantial for ships of that size.

[SandyR5]

When will the refurbishment take place? I think it will be after a number of sailings. Will it be before ours????

[swigso]

When will the refurbishment take place? I think it will be after a number of sailings. Will it be before ours????

 

When does the ship leave Pullmantur, I would think that it will be refurbished prior to joining X as Michaels Lounge/Martini Bar need to be in place as well as the new Sky Suites.

Does anyone have any info?

[Charles4515]

I would like to post a roll call for the Journey for 9/1 can you tell me where to go..whoops better make that where to post.. :-)

Thanks,

Jan

*****

 

Hi Jan, there is already a roll call started for the Journey Sept. 1 sailing.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=443062

[Jancruz]

Thank you, I will check over there immediately!!My 3 daughters and myself are going and it should be great!!

Jan

*****

[Rev22:17]

SandyR5,

 

When will the refurbishment take place? I think it will be after a number of sailings. Will it be before ours????

 

I have great news. You guessed wrong!

 

Celebrity has announced a major reconfiguration of both vessels that will take place before either of them sails for Celebrity. To give you an idea how extensive this is, Celebrity is replacing forty-eight (48) standard balcony cabins on the aft half of Deck Eight with thirty-two (32) sky suites. That part of the project requires reconfiguring all of the plumbing and wiring for these cabins as well as removal and replacement of the bulkheads between them, relocation of doorways, and other fairly extensive changes.

 

The reconfiguration also will change just about every public space on these ships. All public spaces will get Celebrity's names and features -- the Internet cafe will become Celebrity@Sea, the spa will become an Aquaspa by Elemis, the upper level of the lobby area will become a Cova Cafe di Milano, the shops will take on the identity and lines of Celebrity's shops, etc. This requires removal and replacement of all signage throughout the ship as well as reconfiguration of the affected spaces. As a result, these ships probably will look brand new when they enter service for Celebrity.

 

Norm.

[SandyR5]

Thanks for that information. That sounds great to me! We're sailing on the 1/5 and it will be almost new at that point. :)

[Rev22:17]

Sandy,

 

Thanks for that information. That sounds great to me! We're sailing on the 1/5 and it will be almost new at that point. :)

 

BTW, bear in mind that both MV Celebrity Journey and MV Celebrity Quest will be "Celebrity Expeditions" ships rather than "Celebrity Cruises" ships. Among other differences, the company has stated that they will have full butler service in every cabin (we'll see how long that lasts...), open seating in the main dining room, "casual" dress every evening, and much simpler shows (the show rooms do not have the elaborate stage elevators, etc., that one finds on the "celebrity Cruises" ships).

 

Just thought that you should know what you are getting....

 

Norm.

[cruzholic]

Looking for more info..... who, what or where is the ship now, that will be called "Quest" come fall of 2007? I thought it was a ship already in Celebrity's fleet.

[Downdie]

Hi cruzholic:

It is currently sailing as the Blue Moon for Pullmantur Cruises ( a Spanish subsidiary of RCI ) in the southern Caribbean out of Aruba I think, then from May to September it will be doing a Baltic Capitals itinerary before transferring to Celebrity. I sailed on a Pullmantur Cruise ship two weeks ago, a nice little affordable all-inclusive 7 day cruise. After the Blue Moon and the Zenith have been transferred, Pullmantur will run with a fleet of older classic premium cruise ships mainly for the Spanish market.

[*oceanlvr*]

Jellomom - I too am very sensitive to motion. My DH doesn't even feel the ship move but I do. Sort of like the Princess and the Pea LOL. I personally think they move a lot but deck 6 might be low enough for you. HOpefully you are midships as that helps.

 

I have been on two R type ships (Tahitian Princess and the R4) and am off on the Regatta this week. I always feel motion and I got sick on both of those ships in French Polynesia. The fore and aft areas (where the dining rooms are) seem to be the worst.

 

For this tripI have bought the Scopace tablets (I've read promising reviews) to try instead of the patch and have even visited the acupuncturist (which on board the other X ships they have their own acupuncturist and I've read people successfully treat for motion sickness by this means). We'll see.

 

I've tried all the over the counter products, plus ginger, the Relief Band and you name it. But - what didn't work for me may work for you, so just have a variety of options with you.

 

But I love to cruise so I just do whatever I can to feel *good* and enjoy the trip. Happy sailing.

[cruzholic]

Downdie, thank you for your info. I had been doing research on the ship and was confused since the ship was built a few years ago, but not doing Celebrity sailings until this fall. I didn't know where to look for its history. Thanks again.