groryjm

sorry but the luggage tag says 20kg so your 23 kg is over weight

@Victoria2 I found this while doing some research online which is why I was worried our big suitcases might not be allowed It gives the impression that there is a 20kh weight limit per bag

When we fly BA business we get 2 X 32 Kgs bags hold baggage per person plus carry ons. Is it general consencus that this is greater the Cunard allow? When we sail Celebrity out of Southampton we usually have 2X large (upto 32kgs) suitcases per person does Cunard have a lower limit 😮

Re Robes / PJs Last summer just after the return to sailing we had 3 cruises in the revolulionised Silhouette in RSs and a PH. the first sailing in July we did get Robes but were told that due to quality problems there was no embroidery. The next two sailings that summer including a PH we only got unembroidered PJs. in April this year in an RS again on Silly we also got PJs but last month in and RS on Refkection we didn't get a thing. I do have to add for the OP that in all 5 sailings we've taken since the pandemic, 4 in RSs and one in a PH we have had the faboulose Lavaza coffee machines in the suite. Also don't forget the special room service breakfast items. Nothing beats Eggs benedict and a bloody Mary delivered to your suite for a morning wake up😎

Similar happened on our sailing in an RS on Reflection last month. We were total awe struck to be top cruisers as we are not yet quite Zenith. the CC gathering was quite small and no Zs onboard for that sailing. The flowers and wine were a lovely gesture but the thing we were really looking forward to was a copy of the photo to take home for the mantle peice as we doubt we'll ever get the houner again. By the penultimate day it hadn't turned up so in desparation I went to the photographers to see if we could buy it but they said no it wasn't on thier system. I eventually asked the CC host and she said she thought it had been sent on the day after the presentation. Well long story short our butller brought it to us on the last night after we had packed our cases. Lovely as it was to finally have it I was some what surprised that it was not even in a mount.

No @wineoclockyou are in fact wrong The unlimited speciality dining, premium beverage, wifi, unlimited laundry, bar set up etc are a part of the suite for upper suites so you always get these in an RS or PH regardless of how you got there be it move up, free upgrade or actual booking. I can say this from recent experience. Since the pandemic we have booked dirrectly in to PHs and RSs but also had a couple of succesfull moveups from CS to RS

An Edge villa is an upper suite so WiFi, premium drinks, unlimited speciality dinning, unlimited laundry along with an in suite bar set up with two bottles of spirits and constantly replaced beers, ciders and mixers are all included..... You can't upgrade that😎

@Stu UK Thanks for the up date. I noticed the only brandy listed is Spanish and there is an asterix. What is that for? Is a Cognac available?

but Spoons is Spoons the UK over, the home of students around the uk.... cheap food and cheap drinks.. not to bad I'll grant you but no representation of the best of british quisine.

Ahh Weatherspoons....... the UK equivalent of Mac Donalds with a licence😎 😎🤣🤣

Havent seen one of those since the 1990s . Do they sell them in the US?

Sadly not on their menu now. dukemenufront-combined.pdf

I was looking through the X web site and found this on move ups... I hadn't realised that improved moveup ranking was a Captins club benefit... Did every one else know? https://www.celebritycruises.com/captains-club/program-changes MoveUp Priority: Looking to take your vacation to the next level? You’re in luck. MoveUp allows you to bid on a stateroom upgrade after you’ve purchased your cruise. As a valued Captain’s Club member your bid gets a bonus boost based on your tier. So, you get more value than what you bid. Classic members get an extra 1% multiplier, Select members get a 2% multiplier, Elite members get a 3% multiplier, Elite Plus members get a 4% multiplier, and Zenith members get a 5% multiplier.

I just received an email from Celebrity with a link to the Southampton port guide and could not believe the description of English food . I know Xs IT is not great but do they ever check what they publish? What food should I try in Southampton? For a quintessential English dining experience, look for menus with the following items: Bakewell pudding, a dessert with a pastry base that has an almond filling and is topped with jam and icing; spotted dick, another dessert pudding featuring currants and raisins; Cornish pastry, a savory pastry filled with meat and vegetables; Lancashire hotpot, a stew made with lamb and potatoes; fish and chips, with battered, deep-fried fish served alongside fries; and curry, since England is known for its Indian and Bangladeshi food, particularly chicken tikka masala. When you’re in England, don’t miss the chance to savor the country’s iconic traditional breakfast of bacon, sausage, fried eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, black pudding, a roasted tomato, and toast. Afternoon tea is also a popular way to get a taste of England. A traditional English tea usually has scones with jam, butter, clotted cream, and tea. A couple of the best places to get tea during your Southampton cruise port of call are at Grand Café, which offers two different types of afternoon tea, and Elsie’s Tea Room, which has a vintage feel. It at least it gave me a bit of a laugh. Since when has a pasty been a pastry? I doubt you’ll find spotted dick on any restaurant menu outside a private London club or public school like Eton or Harrow. I'd be surprised if youl'll find a Bakewell pudding, rather than a tart, outside of Derbyshire and as for Lancashire Hotpot, not exactly local, may be in Liverpool, but this is supposed to be a guide of what to eat in Southampton🤣 https://www.celebritycruises.com/gb/ports/southampton

As @CeleryCruiser said we anchored nearer to the old harbour and tenders with people on ships sore excursion were take to the new harbour to catch coaches etc. the normal tender operation was taking people to the old port to walk up the hill or catch the cable car. Whether the tenders going to the new port were taking passangers not booked on Celebrity tours I am unsure of and the only way to be sure is to ask at the shorex desk once you board then comunicate with your tour guide. If you can't get to the new port independantly you will need to allow time for the cable car unless it is a water born tour from Santorini.

Unfortunately that menu is missing page 20. @rakkordo you have a complete copy?

Thanks.... That is good to know

@DisneyJen I love the idea of Grand Mimosas 😎 . We have often found that when the provided bottle of PJ runs out our butler replaces it. We always bring a secure champange saver so the not quite empty bottle can go back on it's side in the fridge. have a wonerful time enjoying the suite life. 🍾🥂

OK so on our last three cruises we have probably only eaten in Luminae on two or prehaps three occasions. We have however on all those cruises spent much of the evenings in Michaels/ the Retreat Lounge. We are not Blue Chip ,members and still a few hundred points shy of zenith..... Where does that put us?

My Gastrgnome and I are new to Cunard but not cruising. We usually cruise Celebrity out of Southampton and if anything probably over dress for that line but we dress for our pleasure not others. We are taking a cruise in Oct to the Northern Lights on Queen Victoria in a Q2 and the dress code is confusing. If it was Black Tie or White Tie as in the heyday of crusing then I we would have no problem and the gala nights seem fairly straight forward. I assume a white dinner jacket would be ok for "Black and White" and a black dinner jacket with a Masqurade themed waist coat and tie would work for "Masqurade" For "Roaring Twenties" could I get away with my marroon paisly velvet dinner jacket? The smart atire is where I'm unsure. Mostly I would wear a waist coat, so as to wear my watch, and probably a jacket but on occasions when I don't wear a tie, which the code seems to say is ok, I would choose a collarless shirt. Not a tee shirt but a white linnen buttoned shirt or a Nepalese style shirt..... .....are these ok for smart atire or should I not pack any of my collarless shirts and pack only collared ones for these evenings? Also is black tie acceptable on nights designated as "smart". I am afraid this will probably be the first of many questions on this board over the next couple of months as while we are comfortable with cruising and very much like to dress in the evenings we are new to cunard and very much looking forward to a new experience. My Gastrognome is less worried as she always seems to look good but wants to know what I will pack so as to coordinate her dresses and trouser suits to my attire.

Captain Nikolas Chistodoulakis Manuel Fragoso

Our last day on board was in Naples and after a quick coffee on our deck we wandered in to town to visit Christmas Alley and some amazing churches We had the best pizza and then back on board for our last night and true to our tradition dined in Tuscan. In the next day or two now that we are back I will try to give my thoughts and conclusions of the pros and cons of a revolutionized Silhouette Vs an unrevolutionized Reflection

After the show we headed to Murano for another excellent meal with the miniature salt and pepper Our return visit to Stromboli

For the last sea day I went to the mixology 101 at the World Class Bar lead by Joseph and Milica which was fun and more so as for the first time since the pandemic we were allowed behind the bar to “have a go”. Joseph paid me the complement by including as one of the four drinks we made one I had introduced him to at the beginning of the cruise. A twist on the Corpse Reviver No2 called a Corpse reviver no blue that switches out the Cointreau for Blue Curacao. The drinks we made started were a Vesper….. 'A dry martini,' he said. 'One. In a deep champagne goblet.' 'Oui, monsieur.' 'Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?' 'Certainly monsieur.' The barman seemed pleased with the idea. 'Gosh, that's certainly a drink,' said Leiter. Bond laughed. 'When I'm ... er ... concentrating,' he explained, 'I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold, and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I think of a good name.' — Casino Royale, Ian Flemming 1953 A Corpse Reviver No Blue, Equal parts of Gin, Lillet, Lemon juice and Blue Curacao and the glass spritzed with absinthe . A Bee’s Knees twist of Josephs devising using Gin, honey, lemon juice and a twist of orange zest. And lastly a whiskey sour twist with bourbon, lemon, cinnamon syrup and a couple of drops of Chocolate mole bitters garnished with a smoking cinnamon stick. The show this evening was Euphoria and one of my favourite shows on board. The show heavily features the aerialists with big blow up creatures between each performance.

We have been on the helipad many times and they are very strict about not allowing open toed shoes or high heels. I personally only ever wear sandals except in the evening and our first helipad many years ago was sent back to the room for my black leather lace ups. Ever since on a cruise I always pack a pair of closed toe deck shoes just in case of invitations