CruiseNYC

5 minutes ago, RRFPresident said:

Decided on a whim to go early for afternoon general knowledge trivia and ended up winning music trivia because it was country music themed. Pop sockets for all! And free ice cream from the Ocean View cafe for the rest of the cruise!

 

Rooftop Garden Grill - waiter was adamant that the Rooftop burger was the way to go when I asked which he’d choose between this and the ***** burger. Didn’t like the thick bacon and only made it through 1/3 of the burger. I think I’m just tired of red meat at this point after so many steak dishes. I did get a little too giddy wanting to play with the giant dowel stuck in my burger.

 

We sat waiting for the second half of our meal so long, a lemon tree grew out of his head. 

Mason jar s’mores

 

 

warm chocolate cookie with vanilla gelato - don’t know why this pic loaded upside down. Must be the fancy new gravity defying desserts.

Got picked to participate in Make a Match and helped my team win tshirts. Then it’s back to the cabin to relax and watch my Ravens play in Sunday Night Football

 

I was at the Rooftop Garden Grill tonight too!  I also had the burger and totally agree about the bacon - and the size of the burger. Took it off the bun and had about half - without the bacon.  I really like the venue, though. Beautiful sail away out of Aruba!

RRFPresident - I truly don’t want to hijack your excellent review but we are on the cruise with you in a Penthouse Suite, so I guess just down the corridor from you.  First time for us on Edge Class.  The ship is beautiful.  We have an amazing Retreat Host, Lobo, except we honestly don’t ask for anything in particular.  We have dined in Fine Cut, Le Voyage, Eden, Raw on Five and Rooftop Garden Grill.  They have all be outstanding - truly exceptional - and we have not been charged at all.  The only restaurant we haven’t tried for dinner is Luminae!  Although the weather was challenging for the first few days, as RRFPresident mentioned, it has not taken away from this lovely cruise.  We did the Local Experience Jeep Tour today and it was a hoot.  We’ve been to Aruba several times before but had not done this excursion.

We cruised many times on both Princess and Celebrity.  My DH was on PD for quite a few years.  When we cruised, he always did manual exchanges as we felt more secure in case of any power outages or machine glitches.  At home, he drained into the commode; not sure you'd be able to do this on the ship - depending on the size of the cabin - without an extension line.  You'd definitely want to drain into the commode.

Safe travels!

Thank you very much!

Would very much appreciate if anyone has contact/email for Executive office - Laura Hodges Bethge.

Thank you for your help.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

We will probably meet them this morning when we go up for a light breakfasts 

 

Last night we also saw Lyle from South Africa.  They extended his contract and said he was helping the butlers as they were short staffed.  He end his contract at end of this cruise

Please say hi to Lyle from Carole and Aubrey. He had mentioned that he was supposed to return to South Africa this past Jan or Feb.   

Real nail- biter til you got to FLL. I kept checking on my phone!

Thank you,  Charla!  Another fabulous virtual cruise for me 😆

15 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

Jim, Good luck.  The Grand Hyatt is a really nice airport hotel if you take that option.  Getting to Dallas is always a good strategy when flying on AA as they have so many flights options.  
 

I have had two long haul flights messed up in the last year.  One from Maui to ORD and then ORD to Lisbon.  Since flights do not have a lot of empty seats, booking a good replacements is a challenge. I take what I can get and keep checking to see if I can get something better.  
 

Best of luck.
 

Totally agree about Grand Hyatt DFW  It has always been my go-to for overnights at DFW.  Clean, decent bar and food - and runway views are fun!

Thank you, as always, so much, for taking us all along with you and Iain!  Very much looking forward to following this new adventure.  You have given so many terrific cruise hints and helpful Celebrity info, particularly for those of us who are Celebrity newbies.

We leave on Equinox B2B in June - so, meantime,  really love sailing the high seas virtually with you (and Charla, too).

Safe travels. 

Carole

4 hours ago, GenerationX said:

About First Night Dinner in Eden:

 

I had a wonderful server named Michelle from the Philippines who was so good I made a point of asking the maitre d if I can be placed in her section when I come back to the restaurant on night 7.

 

For food I started with one of my Eden favorites, the Bazaar Bowl (served with warm, fresh baked naan brushed with olive oil and sea salt. Heaven.) but otherwise decided to try some new things and happily stumbled upon real hits.  

 

First of all, let’s talk about the goat cheese Gnocchi appetizer. For my fellow cheese and bacon enthusiasts, this dish will not disappoint.  The gnocchi are so light and fluffy and cheesy and the bacon and pancetta cream sauce adds so much depth of flavor and texture.

 

It took a lot of will power for me to pass on my favorite Canadian lobster casserole, but there was a Thai-style fresh grouper dish on the menu that I hadn’t seen in the app (more on Celebrity app menus for Eden in a sec) and sounded interesting. Trying it was also an excellent call. The fish was perfectly cooked, juicy, flaky and and well seasoned on its own with a slightly spicy chili powder blend.  But then when I swirled it in the edamame purée and curry lime peanut sauce underneath it was a whole other level of delicious. 

 

After dinner I got to speak with the head chef for the restaurant and he told me that the Celebrity app menus for Eden are sometimes different from what’s on the physical menu on any given night because of the commitment to only use the highest quality, freshest ingredients for each dish.  

 

It’s not uncommon for dishes to be added or removed from the menu on only a few hours notice if the provisioner is able to source something special (as was the case with the fresh caught grouper) or the chef inspects a container of fish/meat/produce for the evening and doesn’t think it’s up to standard. And we all know how good Celebrity’s IT systems are with keeping up with such last minute changes.

 

To spend a little OBC, the sommelier Adrian brought me a bottle of one of my favorite Napa red blends.  He also gave me a sneak peak of the plan for the wines and cheese pairings for the premium wine tasting on the last sea day and got me signed up.

 

It’s about 11:30 and the Retreat pool deck seems pretty busy but there are still a few shaded chairs available here and there. It looks like the crew is also actively monitoring for chair hogs.  If you’re having trouble finding a spot on the retreat deck look for Faith and/or Fortune, two beautiful ladies from Zimbabwe on the retreat deck crew and they’ll not only find you a great seat but set your towels up just right and send a drink server over ASAP.

 

I’m currently sipping some bubbly watching MSC Meraviglia come in to port next door and what looks like a nasty rain cloud rolling this way. It’s a busy day in Nassau with 5 fairly large ships in  port (including carnival Mardi Gras and our sister Reflection!)

 

After I finish this cocktail I’ll head down for some A/C time and my lunch at Raw on 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Always love following along with you, Charla.  Toes look marvelous!  We're on Beyond in December.  Do you have any other spa appointments booked for this cruise?  I've found that some of the spa services on other ships range from outstanding to meh.  Please be sure to post reviews of the spa whenever you've been.

Thank you!  Much appreciated.

21 hours ago, GenerationX said:

The tracker bracelet seems very cool.  They sell them in the shop onboard where you can buy Celebrity t-shirts, cups, etc.  The beaded bracelets come in various colors and on the package once you buy it there’s a place to pull it open and there’s a photo and name of the shark you’re tracking and a QR code you scan that takes you to the location tracking site.

 

Gen Z has been begging to go to NYC for some time now. She wants to see a show on Broadway, stay at the Plaza like Eloise (she loved those books when she was little), shop on 5th avenue and visit the Statue of Liberty.  In other words, it won’t be a cheap trip, so I’ve been holding off on it for a big occasion.  I’m thinking maybe summer after she finishes elementary school. Maybe throw a Bermuda cruise in with it for mom 😁

Hi Charla - another wonderful read. Thank you, as always!  
If you stay at the Plaza, please be sure to take GenZ to Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court.  It’s a lovely experience

Charla - as always, loving your review/diary. I had a good chuckle about the kids club and its charms. It brought back memories of our wonderful cruises on Princess when every free moment, our daughter would ditch us and spend as much time as possible with her new cruise friends.  Enjoy every moment with GenZ. She is beautiful and a wonderful reflection of your loving parenting. 
Our amazing daughter, who so enjoyed all those kids club cruises, is getting married end May - and DH and I are celebrating on the Equinox in June! 

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

We did a late Jan sailing in Equinox this year.  Luminae was excellent.  We dined in Tuscan Grille and Murano, also both excellent.  We could not get the right times (for us) for these restaurants pre-cruise, either online or by using the shoreside Retreat concierge (when she contacted us prior to the cruise).  However she told us that they hold back perhaps 50% of the dining slots and times at Specialty restaurants until embarkation.  We went directly to Murano once we boarded and booked it and Tuscan too.  You can also do this with your butler or with the Retreat concierge.  Have a great time on Equinox- we certainly did!

Interesting!  Hoping to avoid doing this but, of course, will do so if dining slots are unavailable. We are pretty flexible and don’t mind eating late. In fact, if I have a busy “activity” day, I much prefer going at 8:30 or 9, when the restaurants are usually a bit less busy.  Will absolutely keep this as a Plan B - thank you very much!

11 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I recommend you don’t book in advance as they hold out reservations for PH and RS specifically. When your shoreside concierge contacts you just tell them where you want to dine and when. Also ask them to cross reference with the ship to ensure that none of your dining venues have been booked for a private event. If they have (commonly occurs in Tuscan Grille) then you can pivot without being surprised when you show up for your reservation. This happened to us recently and since shoreside concierge wasn’t communicating well with the ship concierge there wasn’t a lot they could (would) do to accommodate us on that particular night. One of the perks is included specialty dining and you shouldn’t have to forego it because of a mix up. It may seem uncommon but it has happened to us twice, most recently on Solstice and also on Silhouette… both due to private events in Tuscan. 

Thank you for letting us know. That would definitely not be pleasant. I will be sure to ask. That’s why I love Cruise Critic. Great input from members!

1 minute ago, DCPIV said:

 

Tuscan Grill looks just like the Tuscan Grill on other S-class ships with the lovely aft view.

 

I also must say, though, that Luminae was very good back in October.

We have not been on the Equinox in many years and the last time was in Aqua - which we loved. We were in Retreat on the Summit last summer and we thought the food in Luminae was just ok.  However, we were able to order from the other dining rooms, which was very nice. Believe me, we did not starve!   We had unlimited Specialty dining and ate in Tuscan Grill a couple of evenings. We really enjoyed the meals we had there. 

On 3/15/2023 at 5:44 PM, DCPIV said:

We had a fantastic dinner in Murano on Equinox last October. I would not hesitate to go back there. 

 

We also enjoy Sushi on 5, and that also is fully included. 

Thank you!  We will plan on Murano for sure. We have enjoyed Tuscan Grill on other ships. I assume it would be very much the same on Equinox. DH is not a sushi fan but I enjoy having lunch there on my own - with a good book

9 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

If you book in advance you need to pay up front.   Once on board the Retreat Host will have a credit applied.

 

You can also ask the Shoreside Concierge to book reservations for you and if use this method you will not be charged in advance.

Thanks, Jim!  Looks like we'll definitely wait to book with Shoreside Concierge.  I believe you had mentioned it when you did your Equinox review but which was your favorite restaurant?

Thank you!!

29 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

 

Just in case you don't hear from anyone by email or phone, you always can call 1-877-RETREAT and speak to a shoreside concierge (I believe option 3 and then option 2).

Thank you very much!  I seem to recall that the shoreside concierge did phone a few weeks before our last Celebrity Cruise.  I have been catching up on Celebrity (our last cruise was on Enchanted Princess) and had read that a lot of the specialty dining venues were fully booked on recent cruises.  We enjoy Luminae but also like to try the other restaurants.

Just now, DCPIV said:

 

Yes, you will be charged.  I suppose you likely could have the refunded once you get on board, but you shouldn't have to do that. 

 

You will be contacted by a shoreside concierge roughly 2-4 weeks prior to sailing, and you can give your desired reservations then.  We've never had an issue getting the reservations we want when we've asked in that manner in advance.  You probably will get a nice table, too. 😉

Excellent!  Thank you very much.  We'll wait for the shoreside concierge to contact us.  We are looking forward to getting back to Celebrity.

Sincere apologies in advance.  I know I've seen the answer to my question somewhere here but can't seem to find it now.

If you're traveling in a Penthouse Suite or Royal Suite, are you charged for specialty dinner reservations when booking in advance of the sailing?  I tried to reserve a few dinners for our June Equinox sailing but it appears that I will be charged.

Would very much appreciate your experience with this.

Thank you, as always, for your help, fellow cruisers.

Hi Charla!  Looking forward to following along with you and Gen Z. It was a real pleasure meeting you in person last summer on the Summit.  
Somehow I missed your last Apex review (with Jeremy). I’ll need to go back and find that one. 
Safe travels - can’t wait to read along. 

We were in a Sky Suite on the Enchanted Princess last month for 14 days.  (We've also previously sailed in Owner's Suites on Regal and Royal.)  The service on Enchanted was excellent - no complaints.  I know that food is very subjective but we thought that the food in Club Class on Princess was just ok at best.  The buffet was probably less than ok.  Specialty restaurants on Princess were fine.

We've also recently cruised on Celebrity Millennium and Summit in the Retreat.  Luminae is a very nice step up from Princess' Club Class; Oceanview Cafe was very good on both Celebrity ships.  We haven't really used the services of the butler on Celebrity but the Suite Experience Manager in the Enchanted Sky Suite was very special.  Specialty restaurants on Celebrity were very good.

Would we sail again on Princess?  Absolutely.  That said, we have 4 more cruises booked on Celebrity and none on Princess.

We’ve used Scootaround for years with no problems at all - until last month. We were on Enchanted Princess on a 14 day cruise. DH rented a mobility scooter, which broke down twice. Staff very quickly brought us a wheelchair each time and attempted to figure out the problem but, after the second time, they were able to locate a back-up scooter for him.  
Wonder what’s going on with them.  We may have to try SpecialNeeds next time. 

Hi Jim. What a lovely surprise to see you and Iain back on the high seas!  I must have been off Cruise Critic for several weeks. We were on a 14 day cruise from NY to Caribbean on Enchanted Princess a few weeks ago - Wi-Fi was terrible - and when I logged in this afternoon, I was delighted to spend time catching up.  Love that itinerary, by the way.

Can’t wait to follow along with you. It’s not only fun but I learn quite a lot from your posts.

Thanks so much. 

Carole

Just returned from 14 day Cruise out of NYC. We were able to bring the full cartons directly from home.  However, when we’ve had to fly to the port, we bring a couple of bags in our rollaboard and the rest is delivered directly to the ship in original cartons. 
TSA usually does look at the open bags in the carry-ons so please be sure to bring a letter from your dialysis center stating that you’re a dialysis patient.