Georgia_Peaches

This is the category we have booked for July. There was a nasty rumor that specialty dining had been removed from this category. Both my TA and a Celebrity rep from the Ex O. both assured me it is in fact, a nasty rumor. Glad to see that your consultant also concurs with this. Please post pics if you are able. As our cruise is only 4 nights, I'm wondering if we will still get the spirits...

Excellent explanation. Makes perfect sense and it's certainly something I had not considered. Thank you so much!

Yay! This is awesome! We have cabin 9204 on Edge and I thought having an aft view as well as the traditional side view would be awesome! DH wondered about the privacy because others can see in from the side. I reckon if someone else wants to watch me watch the pretty Alaskan scenery while I sip my coffee or wine...so be it 💁‍♀️. Awe, thank you! Planning to! When we were on Ascent, we were in a SS1 that was about 3 cabins down from the MC's. The foot print of the MC rooms looked bigger to me....especially the size of the balcony...was that just an optical illusion or are they bigger?

Can you explain what you mean by this? I'm not so iphone savvy....which is why I'm attached to my current phone...though it has some bugs. I've had my 8+ since 2016...yikes.

OMG, YES! I am in the same boat, so to speak. I am rather attached to my iphone 8+ and also got the "time to update" message. When it took me to the app store, I wasn't allowed to download...I didn't know it was because my device is so old. Honestly, it's time for me to get a new phone. I've only dragged my feet because I'm attached to my home button. But many fellow CC'ers have talked me off the ledge. We have a cruise to Alaska coming up in May and I told myself I'd update my phone before then. All that to say, I am pretty sure Celebrity will still allow you on the ship without the use of the app to do things like the health and safety check...someone else can chime in on that point.

Love it when things work they way they should! Question… what is the best MC suite? We have one booked in 6 weeks.

Perhaps a dumb question but how is this done?

The cruise planner for eclass is very confusing when it comes to dining. Part of the intrigue was to move away from traditional assigned dining times/tables/venues. Instead, they created 4 MDR’s, each with their own theme and signature dishes..in addition to the other items offered in each dining room. Recently, they added the ability to order any of the dishes unique to a particular venue, regardless of where you happen to be dining. The other unique characteristic of eclass dining is that there is no assigned time… despite what it says in the planner. One simply shows up at a MDR of their time and choosing. IMO this is a fabulous concept and change to cruise ship dining. The problem lies in Celebrity’s failure to communicate this to passengers who are venturing into E class for the first time. TL;DR: ignore what is says in your cruise planner and show up when/where you want.

Each dining room has at least 1 large group dining set up already arranged and certainly others can be set up as well. I recommend you got to one of the MDR’s on embarkation day and speak to the M’d about the arrangements. They will likely establish with you a time/locale for your party.

We are also on the May 31st sailing to Alaska. Not really sure what to expect with regard to weather temps as it will be our first visit. But I recommend you do as others have suggested and prepare your granddaughter for a different type of cruise. She is old enough to understand. The app may never show the correct info 😳 bc it’s wonky. But definitely has a better chance of being more accurate the closer you get to embarkation. Regarding soda, I read in Celebrity’s FAQs that you can bring on as much as you can carry on embarkation day. see you on board!

Solstice will definitely be a more calm and peaceful ship experience compared to the other amusement park types. Frankly, my opinion is that Alaska itineraries deserve the quiet of the Solstice. Having said that, your children can have a ton of fun! Since they’ve been before, maybe this time around they can dig deeper into the beauty of their surroundings. Here’s a couple things I might consider doing if I were taking my kids: 1. Picture challenge: Who can capture the most wildlife photos? 2. Scavenger hunt bingo card (made in advance) 3. Experience Challenge: “The one new thing I did today…. Ate today…. Saw today.. since it’s summertime, the chances of your children meeting others their age are really good. I think you have the opportunity to make this a vacation they will never forget…the ship is just the vessel! Have a wonderful time!

Happy to be following along on your adventure!

Bimini has a dock. It’s quite a long walk from ship to “town” but the tram is free. It stops in 5 places along the way and you can hop on/off wherever you like. Also, check out YouTube for videos of the port. Not a lot going on here. I’m with @bikerunner regarding remaining on the ship.

Anthem holds 4900 pax at max capacity while Beyond holds 3200 at max. Not sure how the public spaces of the 2 ships compare but 1700 pax makes a big difference.

Thank you for the encouragement! 😊 I'm biting the bullet in the very near future! Jeez...when did old dog and new tricks start applying to me?! 🤣

Thank you for all the food pics! Do you recall seeing any sugar free desserts?

Love your pictures. I really need to invest in new equipment…ie update my phone before our cruise to Alaska. I’m still working with an iphone 8+ from 2016 which was state of the art complete with a home button and everything. I simply dread the prospect of changing over to a new phone and have no idea how I will function without my beloved home button….seriously. But alas, I will repeat, your pictures are lovely.

Oh what a nice looking room! Can’t wait to read more. I will be on Reflection in July with DM. Have sailed her once before in 2015. It was our introduction to Celebrity and honestly, I don’t remember many details specific to this ship.

So you’re saying they both appear at some point in your cruise planner? Are you able to purchase the USD package while it appears in your planner?

Omg I have to say we feel the exact opposite of this. We stayed in a “steerage” category and then in a suite on a b2b on Ascent. We felt the “steerage” experience was hands down superior to the retreat. The retreat areas are lovely but try as we may, we could not get a drink on the sun deck and our room steward was just ok. Luminae was crowded and loud and hot. In contrast, we had a eagerly attentive cabin steward in “steerage” who made sure we never wanted for anything. We enjoyed the flexibility of picking our dining room and the venues outside retreat were excellent. We were so astonished by the contrast that we booked a follow up cruise on Beyond, also in “steerage”. I guess it just proves that no two cruising experiences are alike…which is why we should all take reviews with a grain of salt.

I’m not sure I understand. Celebrity regularly has items in the cruise planner priced differently per region of the world in which the customer is making the booking.

Yacht Club is the only way to go on MSC in my opinion. So glad you had a great experience! And yes, the word is getting out as reflected in the increasing prices...still not as high as Retreat though.

Not to mention the 3% cc fee that is also passed along to the customer. The other day DH and I went into an ice cream shop and each got a cone. The little tip box you mentioned popped up...10, 15, 20% were the options...for the 30 seconds it took to scoop a cone! More and more, I've gone back to paying in cash for this very reason. Hats off to the young people behind the counter hoofing it to earn a little extra spending money...but I push back on the excessive tipping culture. I would never remove the auto grats on my cruise no matter how bad things got. Like you said, it's part of the cost to cruise. Not sure why removing the grats even came up...

@Stem to Stern I’m taking my sweet mother on her first Celebrity cruise on this ship/itin in July! Like you, Reflection remains one of my favorite ships. Can’t wait to show her off to DM. Thanks for sharing your experience. I thoroughly enjoyed your pics and hope Captain Kirk is still on board when we sail.

How does one have the option to book AUD vs USD?