phoenix_dream

Not sure why you had to shout it, but you are not limited to embarkation day for soft drinks. You can bring them on at any time while in port. I have not cruised extensively outside of US ports or Caribbean, so perhaps a particular port may have a different restriction, but generally speaking you can bring on soft drinks or water any time

Lately, there are many more kids on Celebrity, period, as they are trying to attract a younger crowd. Will definitely be more on shorter cruises.

I do have kids - three of them, now grown into fine young men. I was always a very careful, watchful parent. Actually probably over-diligent. But sometimes stuff happens. If you had kids you would know this. Off the top of my head I can think of three instances where despite "watching kids" if not for a very quick interruption very bad accidents could have happened. So scary I remember them to this day and they were NOT due to negligence or lack of being a caring parent. Parents are human and even with extreme care and careful attention all it takes is literally a split second for things to change. No one, no matter how careful, no matter how caring or diligent, can ever 100% 24/7 every single second of the day ensure no accidents happen. Please don't preach to parents until you have been one.

Actually, from what I have been told numerous times, including by staff members I have come to know and sail with many times, you are incorrect. Marking the food as poor definitely has a negative affect on the staff. I do agree with you that the best approach is to address the situation promptly with the correct senior staff person. And in response to some of the other posts on this thread advocating answering honestly or why answer at all - yes, normally I would agree with that. But not in this case. I 100% refuse to allow a great, very hardworking employee to suffer because of situations out of their hands due to the unfortunate way that Celebrity designs their surveys. I honestly don't think Celebrity really wants to hear anything about improvement. If they did there would be a question (like there used to be years ago with their written surveys) about how they can improve things. There is no such question. The only place to add comments is written such that it is asking for compliments. I always use that space to specifically name and extol the great employees who served me on my cruise. That is the one and only reason I bother to do these as those mentions definitely get management's attention. If I have any issues I address onboard, and if they are not resolved and are serious I follow-up with Corporate.

I hesitate to agree with the whole be honest philosophy. Why? On more than one occasion I've had wait staff tell me that they get dinged if you say anything bad about the food as it is their responsibility to ensure you are happy with the food. Doesn't seem fair or even logical for that matter but more than one person has said that to me. Personally I would express any concerns of that type by an email to corporate. If you give a lower grade but put notes in a comments area is that enough to mitigate the damage of a bad rating? Honestly I don't know.

Agree. If they can remove footstools and loungers from balconies claiming they are hazards, how come they allow (or encourage) people to dump their dirty dishes in the hallway!!

same here. It seems so simple, and yet..............

I don't use a scooter but I totally agree. Sometimes people leave them sticking out so far in the hallway they are a tripping hazard for everyone.

Actually, at least on some ships, higher level cabins have an even more exclusive brand of toiletries, whose name escapes me at the moment but when I researched them on Amazon they were very expensive and very nice. I've only been able to afford to sail a higher level cabin once, but as I am also lucky to be at Zenith level sometimes they will let us use those as well (and sometimes they claim they can't - consistent inconsistency as is common on Celebrity)

I guess a lot depends on how you would quantify a lot of spring breakers. As I mentioned, my two cruises had around 500 kids of various ages each. Definitely less than on lines like Disney or Royal, but to me it was a lot. We will specifically be avoiding any March cruises next year unless we could find one with more than 7 or 8 nights. Wondering if you have sailed Celebrity recently, particularly on E class? I am finding the age demographic even on non-spring break cruises is definitely not like the Celebrity I have come to know and love for 30+ years and 80+ cruises. I am honestly not trying to be argumentative. Just talking about how different things are than just a few short years ago. So I think there is already a lot of "catching up" sad to say.

I did a quick check for spring break for colleges in 2025. Your timeline fits right into their schedules, and it includes lots of Florida colleges. To those who say it's not an issue on Celebrity, I say you may be speaking of the Celebrity of a few years ago. These days Celebrity is deliberately going after a younger crowd and that is evident on my recent sailings. I sailed two Celebrity cruises this March (one 6 and one 7 nights), beginning March 3, on two different ships. There were around 500 young people onboard each cruise, primarily teens and young college age adults. They were generally well-behaved and often traveling as groups with their families. Years ago I sailed a 5 night during a college spring break and it became infamous for the outrageous behavior. There were 700 college kids from 2 different Florida colleges on the Connie. They were loud and drunk and causing chaos everywhere such that the Captain held a meeting with the senior officers to "take back the ship". I am not exaggerating. So I would say overall yes, you will have some college age kids in particular on an early March cruise. How many depends on many things, including the number of days. Shorter cruises always equal more kids during March. Will there be as many as other lines like Carnival or Royal? No. Will they be well-behaved like those on my recent ones, or drunken morons like those on my 5 night sailing? No one can say for sure.

100% agree! Sometimes at public places like stores or the like someone will walk by me and it literally chokes me because they smell so bad. So as not to direct this exclusively at smokers, the same thing can happen when some people (usually but not exclusively older ladies, and I am one so I can say it without prejudice🙂) seem to take a bath in perfume and just REEK of it! Our relatives (may they rest in peace) were lovely ladies but loved their perfume. I distinctly remember walking down the hallway one day towards their cabin and I could literally smell their perfume at least six doorways away. They used it so much they were immune to the intensity of it.

I did as well. Another example of their fine IT service. Thank goodness the onboard experience is nothing like their other automation!

Another option is to bring a small plastic soap holder - the kind that drains the liquid so the bar soaps don't get all "ooey and gooey"

Agree. Have seen it a couple times on my cruises.