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OceanCruise

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  1. This is from the Celebrity website FAQ Retreat section: Can guests of The Retreat invite friends and family to dine in Luminae? Yes, only guests of The Retreat may invite friends and family to dine at Luminae for an additional fee. Reservations are based on availability only. Can guests staying in a stateroom that adjoins to a suite access The Retreat? No, only guests of The Retreat may access The Retreat.
  2. In Coastal Kitchen, is premium water (such as San Pellegrino) provided for free (as it is in Celebrity's Luminae) or do we need to use our Diamond drink vouchers?
  3. Are Diamond members entitled to the 4 free drink "vouchers" on embarkation day or does it begin at 5am the next day?
  4. For suite guests, lunch is available on the suite sundeck. A server comes around to take and deliver food and drink orders. The menu is small but has options like the Luminae burger, grilled chicken sandwich, shrimp cocktail and a few other items. Suite guests can also get meals through room service for free.
  5. Thank you, that is helpful info. We usually book Sky Suites on Celebrity but this will be our first suite on Royal (although we have cruised several times with Royal years ago). We are Diamond and not heavy drinkers so it sounds like the suite lounge and coupons will be more than adequate for us instead of having to buy a drink package.
  6. Regular rooms have basically the same access to the spa, entertainment, casino and specialty restaurants. The main difference with suites is that for the much higher cost you get a bigger room, a free drink package, wi-fi, a more intimate suite restaurant that has better food than MDR and more personalized service. When you book a suite you generally don't have to wait in crowded lines for most things. Suite guests have a much more relaxed embarkation and debarkation experience, a concierge that will arrange excursions and future cruise appointments, and a nice quiet suite lounge away from the crowds. We used to book ocean view/veranda rooms but are now at the age where we are willing to pay extra for a more comfortable room, better food, more refined service and an "easier" experience where we don't have to wait in line for a lunch buffet or keep searching for a pool lounge chair. We don't use the spa or specialty restaurants on a cruise as we personally can't justify the cost for those but those things may be a high priority for others. It just depends what is important to you and how you want to spend your money.
  7. On our recent Silhouette cruise we joked that the toilet paper seemed to be the tissue paper you use in gift bags😄 Don't remember it being this bad on prior cruises.
  8. I believe for the lower level suites you have to ask specifically for fruit or apps for the room. There was also a large room service menu available. This was the first cruise where we did not even set foot in the Oceanview Cafe. The Retreat lounge had continental breakfast several hours in the morning, "tea" and snacks from 3:30-4:30 (mini sandwiches, vegetables, scones, mini donuts/cakes, etc.) and appetizers around 5-8 (fruits, cheeses, breadsticks, chips, nuts, etc), plus beverages all day/evening. Between the lounge, Luminae restaurant and the Retreat sundeck lunch service, we did not need snacks for the room.
  9. We have been in 1665 recently and it was a great room with lots of storage. The room and balcony were very spacious and everything was in good condition. We did not hear any noise from pool deck. There is a pole adjacent to one side of the bed but that was not really an issue. There is a tub/shower combo in the bathroom and you have to be careful not to let the water come out of the sides of the too- tiny shower curtain. There is very little overhang on the balcony so the balcony can get very hot and sunny but there was a large table, several chairs and a footstool plus a fabulous view. Outlets for electronics are only on one side of the bed and you have to use the hair dryer at the desk (only other outlet in room) as it won't work in the bathroom. Be prepared to do a lot of walking as there are no aft stairs or elevators. The only weird thing we encountered was that every time we were headed into port there were terrible vibrations in the room for 30 minutes or so which caused the whole room and bed to shake. We never experienced that level of vibration before so it was a little scary the first time it happened.
  10. The Constellation is older and needs updating so I think you would be more satisfied on an Edge class ship or the Silhouette (which has been revolutionized). Our recent Silhouette cruise had more people in their 20's and 30's than I had ever seen on Celebrity (there were several wedding parties) and the music was definitely geared toward that demographic. There were at least 6 different trivia sessions daily. A Christmas cruise will definitely have more kids on board. If you want much better food and a more relaxed/refined experience, consider booking a suite on Celebrity. Also consider which ports are of interest to you.
  11. Just off Silhouette in a Sky Suite. There was a card in our room listing the first name and title of Head Butler. However, we never saw the butler, not even in the Retreat lounge. Our room steward took care of our minor requests and handled our laundry. One day I did call the butler's number to have our laundry picked up to ensure it would be ready in time before the cruise ended and he answered the phone with "This is _______ your butler." He said he would take care of it but we had to call again several hours later. Laundry was finally picked up by an attendant about 5-6 hours after our original call.
  12. Just back from a 4 night cruise in a corner aft Sunset Sky Suite on Silhouette. We are Elite Plus but had not sailed since Covid and were a bit nervous because of all the Celebrity cutbacks and negative comments here. I am happy to report that Celebrity exceeded our expectations and we had an amazing cruise. We booked two more cruises while onboard. Here are some of our thoughts: Pros: Embarkation at Port Everglades was seamless. We were immediately personally escorted to the suite departure lounge where there were sweets, a few appetizers and hot/cold beverages. We were on the ship by 11am. Ship was in great condition throughout and has been revolutionized. Our room was spotless with no significant wear and tear. We LOVED the corner aft as it was well designed and spacious. Room steward emptied mini bar upon our request, replenished waters daily without us asking, and handled our laundry. He seemed pretty busy and didn't have time for chit-chat but took good care of the stateroom so we were very satisfied. Luminae was outstanding and, interestingly, was always 3/4 empty when we ate there (at opening times for breakfast, lunch, dinner). We had filet mignon twice, rib eye, steak frites and these were all excellent, as was the Luminae burger. There were lots of fresh vegetables and berries available (sometimes on request). We had originally planned on booking a specialty restaurant but didn't because Luminae was really that good. We always had the same waiter and he was amazing and anticipated our needs. Maitre'd was always visible. Retreat lounge was never crowded. Concierges and bartenders provided great service. The food offerings (at set times) had a nice variety of cold small plates and were plentiful. Entertainment: We are generally not fans of the production shows and usually find them cheesy but we really enjoyed the production show "Life". Those performers were extremely talented. Comedian did two shows and was good. Lots and lots of trivia daily, art auctions, spa/wellness talks. Debarkation was seamless directly from Retreat lounge. We got our luggage and were in our car in the port garage by 8:10am. Cons: -No champagne when entering ship at embarkation -We never saw the Butler, not even in Retreat lounge. There was a card in the stateroom with his first name and Head Butler title. -No prizes at trivia so no "incentive" to team up and make friends with other passengers. -Food demonstrations have a charge now. -No appetizers or fruit left in room but we did get pillow chocolates nightly . We did not request any room service. -No lobster main course. Was told this was due to it being a short cruise. There was a tiny lobster appetizer one night that was the size of a pinky finger. -Loud rock music in Grand Foyer all evening. I would be annoyed if I had a room midship. Classical or pop instrumentals seemed to only be scheduled a couple of times throughout the cruise. -There was an R-rated game show one evening on the ship and it was truly vulgar. We are not prudes and enjoy a good laugh but we were surprised that Celebrity actually allowed this. A far cry from the Love and Marriage show which is pretty tame. The adult comedy show was kind of what we expected but, again, more over the top than other adult comedy shows we have seen on our previous cruises. It is obvious Celebrity is trying to appeal to a much younger demographic. -Could not get a drink in the theater as there was only one or two servers on the lower level and we were on the top level. I am happy to answer any questions.
  13. Do the two-story Crown Loft Suites on Oasis of the Seas have an entrance to the corridor on the upper level or is there only suite entry on the lower level? How does the Suite lounge on Royal (Sky class) compare to the Retreat lounge on Celebrity in terms of food and beverage offerings? Is Coastal Kitchen as "good" as Luminae?
  14. While onboard a Celebrity cruise, is the OBC perk the same if I want to book a specific Royal Caribbean cruise? How much of a deposit is needed for a Royal Caribbean suite and does it depend on which level of suite? I believe in the past the Retreat Concierge arranged for private appointments in the Retreat lounge to book a future cruise. Do they still do this?
  15. Plus expend all that effort to turn on the faucet for a bath 🤣
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