Evertything we know about Journey & Quest

[florisdekort]

Hello,

 

I thought it might be a good idea to start a new topic with everything we so far have confirmed with regards to Journey and Quest! After reading all past topics on both ships, this is what I have got so far...

 

In general:

- No formal nights, no casual nights. Informal nights only (country club casual).

- Butler service for all cabins.

- Open seating dinner!

- 2 speciality restaurants.

 

As for cabin selection:

- The Sunset Verandah cabins have either an aft or forward facing balcony!

- The aft Sunset Verandah cabins on deck 6 have a slightly larger balcony as those on decks 7 and 8.

- According to those who have sailed R-class ships on Oceania and/or Princess, the forward facing Sunset Verandah balconies are windy. Also, there is noise from the anchor and the rudders. (And lots of rocking in rough weather.)

- Cabins forward on deck 6 might experience noise from the Theater below.

 

Does anybody miss anything?

 

Cheers -

Floris

[Druke I]

I don't think the rudders are going to affect the forward cabins - as the rudders are aft!

 

You may well experience noise and vibration in the foreward cabins when the thrusters are being used.

[Sky Sweet]

There have been a number of posts alluding to the fact that Journey and Quest do not handle rough seas well, which is a bit of a mystery to me. It is not their size alone that creates that problem because I was on a similar sized ship during the seventies that handled rough seas well because it was built to cross the Atlantic and designed accordingly. Since Journey and Quest were built as luxury ships for an upscale population, why weren't they designed to handle rough seas better?

[sad mama]

In order to provide a Butler to every cabin there are now no room stewards on this ship and the Butler will perform this function with the former assisitant room stewards.

 

So in effect all the old room stewards are now being referred to as Butlers.

[krusin']

I wonder if they got a raise in pay?:p

[Jancruz]

INHO..the only thing that changes is what they wear...

LOL

Jan

*****

[jumponboard]

Does anyone know what the themes will be for the 2 speciality restaurants and what the per person fee will be?

[hcat]

aren't the seas to Bermuda always just a bit rough? maybe not a good choice of itin for this ship!

[Cathy Maneri]

Hi hcat, Cathy here from Miami....

 

I went to Bermuda from NY in May on the Horizon a couple of years back and even though we had great weather, the seas were a little rough the first day and last day coming back in the Atlantic.

 

It's hard to say how the seas are going to be. If the rocking does not suit your tummy, I would get a cabin in the lower mid ship area and if it's rough just stay in the lower desks during the day. I drank a little ginger ale and I was fine. I don't do the wrist band or behind the ear thingy. I like that it's a part of sailing and grin and bear it.

 

I just came back from a R/T 14-night to Hawaii on the Summit in December and those seas were rough. I had a CC on deck 9 and felt the rocking. But I didn't get sick, just drank lots of ginger ale. I brought Bromine, but didn't wan't to take it. Sometimes pills don't agree with my tummy.

 

Bermuda is fabulous, the beaches are the nicest I've seen...even better than Hawaii, my opinion. It's a cruise everyone should do at least once, if not more. I would suggest going in May...no hurricanes to worry about. It was in the high 70's low 80's when I was there and no rain the entire trip.

 

Celebrity has the best itinerary and I might just do this one again on the Quest in the future.

 

Don't let the possibility of rough seas hinder going to Bermuda, everyone needs to go at least once.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Informal nights only... This translates to jacket and tie every night for men, doesn't it?

 

An odd choice, I think. It is obvious looking at the product that they are trying to emulate Oceania, but their evening dress code is the equivalent of Celebrity's "casual" (no shorts, t-shirts, jeans, sandals, sneakers).

[ECCruise]

Informal nights only... This translates to jacket and tie every night for men, doesn't it?

 

An odd choice, I think. It is obvious looking at the product that they are trying to emulate Oceania, but their evening dress code is the equivalent of Celebrity's "casual" (no shorts, t-shirts, jeans, sandals, sneakers).

 

Can just about guarantee it will NOT be X "informal" but rather casual.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Oh... As for cabin selection, in addition to the thrusters, you might get anchor noise in forward cabins. Of course, this only applies in places where the ship anchors (not Bermuda).

 

Rudders don't usually make noise. What do make noise are the propellers. Those are at the stern of the ship too, right next to the rudders. (There are also ships - not these - which have pods, instead of ruders, but they still have propellers which can still by noisy.)

 

The worst (bounciest) ride is usually at the bow, followed by the stern. The middle part of the ship usually has the smoothest ride. It's also usually the quietest place, since you don't have engine/propeller noise as you would at the stern, or anchor/thruster noise as you would at the bow.

 

All this applies to all ships, not just any in particular.

 

If you are on a ship or an itinerary where rough weather concerns you, take a cabin as low down as you can, and somewhere from the middle of the ship to perhaps two-thirds aft. (Modern ships tend to have their center of gravity a bit aft, since the engines are aft, and they're the heaviest parts of the ship.)

[dougnewmanatsea]

Can just about guarantee it will NOT be X "informal" but rather casual.

I would think so. As I said, informal every night would be a very odd choice.

 

In fact, informal is dwindling away altogether - HAL just eliminated it.

[florisdekort]

Hello,

 

You guys are correct, I phrased some things incorrect.

 

Here's a recap...

 

In general:

- No formal nights. All nights will be "country club casual". (I assume no jeans, jackets required, but no ties for men.)

- Butler service for all cabins.

- Open seating dinner.

- 2 speciality restaurants. No word yet on what these will be.

 

As for cabin selection:

- The Sunset Verandah cabins have either an aft or forward facing balcony!

- The aft Sunset Verandah cabins on deck 6 have a slightly larger balcony as those on decks 7 and 8.

- According to those who have sailed R-class ships on Oceania and/or Princess, the forward facing Sunset Verandah balconies are windy. Also, there is noise from the anchor and propellers. (And lots of rocking in rough weather.)

- Cabins forward on deck 6 might experience noise from the Theater below.

 

I know from experience (Tahitian Princess) that R-class ships rock a lot more then M-class ships. Cabins in the middle of the ship and on a lower deck are best for those who get seasick easily.

 

Does anybody miss anything?

 

Cheers -

Floris

[Jancruz]

Some more info:

 

Discover a comfortable sophisticated, upscale cruise experience aboard Celebrity's enchanting new ship, Celebrity Journey. With slightly more than 700 guests, Celebrity Journey offers a traditional Celebrity cruise experience in a more intimate environment. Enjoy well-appointed accommodations, Sensory Heaven spa treatments by Elemis and their award winning gourmet cuisine made only of the finest ingredients plus TWO specialty restaurants. Of course, Celebrity's unparalleled service with one staff member for every TWO guests ensures every wish is anticipated and effortlessly granted.

 

EVERY stateroom will have a butler and will receive the following amenities:

 

Fresh Cut flowers daily

Big, thick bathrobes for use onboard

Snacks brought daily

Upgraded bathroom amenities

Pillow menu

Higher end bedding and duvets

 

Your butler will:

 

Make reservations for shore excursions and dining for you

Bring your daily snacks

Be your concierge in general!

 

Dining is open seating. The ship also has two specialty restaurants ( a steak house, and a gourmet restaurant featuring wine at each course)

 

 

Jan

ruzunlimited

[dougnewmanatsea]

- No formal nights. All nights will be "country club casual". (I assume no jeans, jackets required, but no ties for men.)

I doubt they will require jackets every night. They could, but it seems unlikely.

 

My guess is that it will just be the regular "casual" dress code - no shorts, jeans, t-shirts, but otherwise nothing special.

 

That's how it is on Oceania and we all know how hard Celebrity has been trying to emulate that product...

 

EVERY stateroom will have a butler and will receive the following amenities:

 

Fresh Cut flowers daily

Big, thick bathrobes for use onboard

Snacks brought daily

Upgraded bathroom amenities

Pillow menu

Higher end bedding and duvets

Fresh cut flowers daily?

 

Are they going to accumulate enough flowers in each cabin by the end of the cruise that it looks like a flower shop? Or throw out the previous day's flowers every day?

 

How many flowers will they have to keep on board to supply new ones to every cabin on a daily basis?

 

I have to wonder how well they have thought this through!

 

It does sound like they are working hard to make this "a cut above" the regular Celebrity product, though. Which is good, really, because aside from the food and (sometimes) service, the regular product is really fairly ordinary. (Nice, but still fairly ordinary.)

[mringenoldus]

I have just booked he Journey and was asked to chose a dining time (early was 6:30 and late was 8:30)

 

I had also read that there was open seating - which I like. Wonder why the difference?

[JPH814]

So I am assuming there are no cabin stewards but there are butlers. How would this effect the amount I should plan for tipping? I thought that butlers are tipped more. Should you tip butlers the basic steward tip and then add on more for any extra services they perform?

This is not a small issue for me since I have booked three cabins for my family and I want to prepare the amount of cash I will need.

[JPH814]

and another gratuity question...if the Journey is open seating with different servers potentially each night, how do you give the waiter the gratuity - each meal?

[WooKeef]

I had not actually looked at the postings regarding the newly acquired ships. But after reading this thread I am VERY interested and it sounds wonderful. We always stay low on the ship mid-ship so motion usually isn't a problem.

I can't wait to hear of other's journey's on them.:)

[ECCruise]

and another gratuity question...if the Journey is open seating with different servers potentially each night, how do you give the waiter the gratuity - each meal?

 

Gratuities will, I would think, be like they are on all open seating lines (Oceania, NCL, Princess, etc.) and be automatically charged to your onboard account at $X per pax per day).

[rubrrick]

My DW and I used to cruise on these ships when they were owned by Renaissance, and loved them. They are our favorites and we look forward to sailing on them again with Celebrity.

 

I think that Celebrity has not thought everything thru........and once they have some sailings under their belt, so to speak, changes will be made to truly make this a better than average experience.

 

Rick

[SoBaycruiser]

and another gratuity question...if the Journey is open seating with different servers potentially each night, how do you give the waiter the gratuity - each meal?

 

When the R ships were under Renaissance, the tipping was done for everyone in a lump sum at the end of the cruise. They then dispersed it to the servers, cabin stewards, etc. If we thought someone had gone out of their way to be helpful, we gave a little extra on the side despite the ship's policy against it.

[mringenoldus]

I saw the gratuity break down on a website - but I can't remember which one. If I locate it again, I will post the amounts. I don't remember them as being more than typical.

 

Has anyone spent this much time in Bermuda. I am usually so port intensive, this will be very different for me. Is there a lot to do besides the beaches?

[sueclark]

I just received my copies of the new Expeditions 07/08 brochures. Even these new brochures give conflicting information.

 

In the main section for Journey and Quest it says: "Evening *As you pack evening clothes remember, on Celebrity Expeditions there is no need for formal attire. * For women we recommend pants and skirts or even casual dresses, with evening gowns and heels best left at home. Don't forget to bring along a sweater or jacket. * For men we recommend comfortable shirts and pants, along with a sweater or jacket. Ties and sport coats are not necessary."

 

In the "small print" section at the back of the brochure it says: "You will need two types of clothing on your Celebrity cruise 1) casual shipboard attire or day wear and conservative port wear; and 2) informal eving wear"... [further down] it defines informal as Jacket and slacks.

 

So... I guess we will all just have to wait and see what happens when the ships actually arrive in the fleet.