MattInFLL

So here is the Qsine experience. If you have had the pleasure of trying Wonderland on Anthem or Harmony, some might tell you that Qsine is similar. Personally, I don't think so. Wonderland is more like "molecular" food like the liquid olives, vanishing noodles and the incredible "entrees". It's a true taste journey but a bit on the wild side.

Qsine is wonderful too, but just in a very different way. To me, it's very imaginative tapas. But I would do it over Murano any day.

And one word of advice - you will be full! We had 8 courses for the 5 of us and we were all stuffed by about the 6th. They look small but you totally fill up.

First - your menu is an iPad. One person will be the Captain of the table and actually select the table's selections.

You can "drill down" in each of the categories such as here in the retro cocktails section

This is the main food selection menu

Each one opens up to a page like this and some pages have a very humorous kitschy video option.

Getting to food selections - the Disco Shrimp. Very tasty

Glad everyone enjoyed this review. I know I promised my last set of pics and a wrap up yesterday but a work emergency intervened. And I'm pooped tonight :) so bear with me! It's coming.

Disembarkation was fairly easy - despite being at pier 25. I'm still not sure why they can't figure out a way to get to customs without that crappy having to get down to deck 2 and do a long walk outside.

I found my luggage easily and while there was a sizeable line to get to the agents, once you got into the main area, if you have Mobile Passport you get your own line. There was no one it. That saved at least 10-15 minutes. For truly speedy entry, I suggest getting Global Entry. They have no lines at all.

I left my cabin at 8:05, and was in a cab by 8:30 and home by 8:45. Not as fast as my ambulance ride last time, but certainly quick. And I don't have to spend a week in the hospital lol.

I'm going to nap and will post more pics and final thoughts later today.

No worries Goodycruising. I always enjoy the additional view points. And no worries Fletch. I'm just glad it wasn't me being tipsy or sleep tapping.

Ive met some very nice folks on this cruise. Shout outs to Wayneair and Joey1. So glad we all got to finish our cruise at Qsine.

I've got a lot of Qsine pics to post but will do it tomorrow from home. The internet speed in the Sky lounge is not as fast. Again, since we are on a short weekend cruise the "nightclub" is hopping. Oh to be young and able to go on a few hours sleep again. I have to call it a night in a few.

We did love Qsine and the experience is definitely way cool. But other than the small plates and interesting juxtaposed flavors, to me it is way different than Wonderland. If I were coming back or had another day I would also go to Tuscan Grill.

Oh. And so the trick to the internet is to find the sweet spots for reception. Then it is fairly decent. There just seem to be fewer sweet spots than on a Royal ship. My Speedtest is marginally better in the grand foyer and the Lawn Club.

A very nice way to end the day. Sunset Bar cocktail, chair on the lawn, and an actual sunset.

So I always make friends with bartenders. Always. But I really do not know any bartenders on this ship by name. Don't get me wrong, bar servers are great. But I find myself wanting to be at several different bars on this ship. Unlike Royal where I tend to just favor one.

By the way the Windjammer errr... Oceanview Cafe has a large out door seating area. I've never found the buffet to be crazy. And I think the ship is full. There just seem to be fewer people who are trying to get every last nickel's worth out of the cruise.

The outdoor area and the Sunset Bar is above.

Tuscan Grill has a great location at the back and a menu very much like Giovanni's. But still has the filet option.

Here's the Blu menu

And this is Qsine

I'm having my daily dose of hand made ice cream. Yum.

Some other things. The shops feature generally nicer items and there's a Bulgari.

Here's today's "sale" display. A little different than the Royal Promenade 2 for 10 bucks free for alls:

The casino is to the right. That's deck 4. Also the home of the always busy Martini Bar.

And deck 5 is all about more consumption. The higher end boutiques are there. And then more food and drink.

The Sushi restaurant is off the foyer.

And Here is Cafe La Bacio. Free desserts and premium coffee for a charge (I believe). There is also a pay gelateria here. Elites get a free scoop.

To the back are the Ensemble lounge. It's very dark. I couldn't get a pic. It seems like a private club but it's not.

Then to the back are Murano, Tuscan Grill, Blu (Aqua Class only) and Qsine.

Oh. Whoever asked about the shaded loungers by the main pool. They're totally open to anyone for free.

Only the Alcoves in the Lawn Club require a fee and reservation.

And here was a nice little area I stumbled upon. The Solstice sun deck. All the way forward. Definitely quieter.

So the Celebrity experience to me is all about chilling and relaxing. You have about 6 specialty dining options. There are bars tucked away everywhere, or so it seems. Lots of crew to serve you and pick up after you. A main pool that is not chaotic on a sea day. Food that in my subjective opinion is a notch better than Royal, including things like the Mast Grill by the pool. A really great all beef hot dog and burgers and fries.

But on the other hand no rock wall, no Quest, no game shows, no pool games etc. well, there was a crew guest water volley ball match today. Very few announcements. Very few sales pitches.

There is an extensive kids area on deck 15 but I don't have kids so I can't comment.

Ok so it's my last night. Those of you who follow my reviews know that on my last cruise I had a fateful last night where I ended up departing the ship by ambulance the next morning. Just a little internal bleeding. :)

So I'm knocking on wooden everything that tonight is uneventful!

Kidding aside we are doing Qsine tonight. It's supposed to be like Wonderland on Royal but not as "stuffy." I did not find Wonderland stuffy so I'll wait and see.

I logged in and thought have I had too many cocktails and accidentally posted my Allure pics? Lol.

Anyway, back to Silhouette.

Last night the designated night club venue (it seems to change nightly) was jumping until about 3 am. It's a short and well priced cruise so it's a younger crowd. The poor bar staff didn't know what hit them. They had to bring in lots of extra help.

Today was a very relaxing sea day. Our weather has been perfect.

Kay- since you asked here's the staff. I have not gone to any shows so I have not seen the CD. But my friends said the Frankie Vallee tribute show was excellent.

If you are in Suite Class you eat in your own restaurant called Luminae. This is one step higher than Aqua Class and the Blu restaurant. Here's tonight's menu.

Some more ship photos.

The Grand Foyer and atrium

Overlooking the pool decks from the top deck. That's the retractable solarium roof. Again, completely reminds me of Anthem.

The Solarium. I took this through tinted glass.

So I stopped in the casino (again). Wheel of Fortune almost immediately paid me a $400 compliment. I played back a hundred and then cashed out and put on my account.

Canyon Ranch paid for. Cha Ching.

A few more things before bed.

Yes someone told me The Porch is $30 for dinner. If you saw the menu you would shake your head.

The Mast Grill over the pool has really tasty burgers and hot dogs. With fries. I did enjoy it today.

And I've enjoyed the ice cream each afternoon. Interesting flavors and a full selection of toppings. We don't need no stinking soft serve lol.

(But soft serve is available).

Here is a sample menu

Oh. And almost forgot. My friends doing Anytime go down and request a table and they give you a beeper. So you can enjoy a drink at any bar and then get notified when your table is ready. Hello. Why doesn't Royal do that ?

Well of course Lisa wins. You haven't learned that yet ? :) :) :)

So we are not really getting the Elite drink thing this cruise or I've missed it completely. My new friends on board say that on a longer cruise they don't bother with the cocktail hour since it doesn't have the same festive atmosphere as the Diamond club. I'm sure that's all subjective though.

Since I always get the package I just don't pay attention. :)

As for service, I would say it has been as good as my best Royal experiences. They are friendly and attentive and there just seem to be more of them.

On night 2 of MDR I will say again that the food is a cut above Royal. And the staff is not spread as thin.

And of course if there's no Flowrider there is always Checkers in the Card Room :)

And I'm not sure if everyone gets a rose bud or if it's because I'm Elite. If for Elite, I would rather have my Royal chocolate covered strawberries :)

Day and night. Aft atrium looking into the two story library.

Of course the big feature of an S Class ship is the top deck Lawn Club. The lawn has some bare spots but the grass really does feel good on bare feet.

On the first S Class ships they had a Corning glass blowing exhibition. I would have loved to see that.

Here you can sit out or lay out and see Norwegian Escape.

This is the main lawn area with the Lawn Club Grill at the back - a specialty restaurant for dinner and lunch on sea days.

And these are called "Alcoves" with the retractable cover. They are available to reserve. Not sure if the cost.

And there is also The Porch which is a mostly seafood alternative restaurant. I believe it's no cost.

And then a more daytime overview of the pool.

Here's a sampling of drink prices.

They have packages too and unlike Royal there are still two tiers for the alcohol - regular and premium. Premium is $65/day plus gratuities. Regular is $55.

And this is one of my favorite bars, the Sunset Bar on the top deck facing the wake:

Just use Viber. Calls and texts go through wifi.

Sure, just like whatsapp. But the other person has to use the same app.

And you need a decent internet connection. I've found Silhouette's spotty.

Yeah it ain't cheap. :) Although on par with Royal. There are plenty of specials advertised too. And some unadvertised. For instance my therapist is giving me the extra discount even tomorrow because I booked a second treatment.

An update. Celebrity does not allow the ATT cruise ship plan on their ships. And I find the xcelerate to be a notch slower than Royal's Voom internet.

My solution for this trip was to add a $60 call text and data ATT "passport"package that I am using today in Nassau.

Oh then they'll enjoy some good perks that are like Diamond/Elite such as priority boarding.

I just enjoyed a great reflexology treatment. Spas on Celebrity are run by Canyon Ranch, which I last experienced on Queen Mary 2. It's a more refined experience than Steiner spas. Not nearly as "corporate" and "sell sell sell!"

Plus I have always had amazing Thai therapists at Canyon Ranch.

Celebrity has the Persian Garden with the stone beds and dry and wet saunas. It's free for Elite and up while in port. It's a great room with the big windows. Unlike the caves on Oasis class.

Here's an idea of prices and offerings. All treatments are 25% off in port. You get additional discounts based on your level.

I'm going back tomorrow :)

Pool deck is not too crowded but it is a port day. Another nice touch is that towels are placed neatly folded on every lounger for you.

Another nice thing to see again after the Royal cutbacks - bar servers *everywhere*. No need to pack into line at the pool bar.

So the cabin only has a drape. There's no separate sheer. I didn't realize that as I jumped out of bed and gave the people next door on the Summit a show :)

And I use the term "jump" loosely. But I do miss having a sheer so that you can have light and privacy.

I love breakfast food but I do not like getting up for breakfast. I'm very happy to report Celebrity has a "late breakfast" from 10 to 11:30. And it's not skimpy. Full selection of eggs, bacon, pancakes, French toast, meats, cheeses, fruits, pastries, toast etc. I can't remember if Royal had breakfast this late but I don't think so.

And to give you an idea of the daily activity differences, here is a port day sampling:

Nary a belly flop or sexiest man contest to be found...

The ship is full of really interesting spaces such as this one on decks 7/8, called the Hideaway. It even has coffee service. The ship is truly more about relaxing and not about rock walls.

And that tree is suspended between the aft elevators.

And look what I discovered (thanks to you all) - over bed storage

And thanks to Andrew - never in a cabin without a drape clip :)

Ship at night:

Solarium

Main pool

I usually download the largest size photos but like I said, connection speeds are a little slower and I do need to sleep soon...

And another little touch. Your beach towels for a port day are in your cabin. And what's that ? A chocolate?! Another thing from days gone by on Royal lol.