Georgia_Peaches

This is all very encouraging. Thank you for the information! I will double check but DH said he read that they closed the counter in ATL.

We fly out of ATL to SEA in May for a 7 night cruise to Alaska on Celebrity Edge and are beginning to look at flights. We want a non-stop, first class fare and usually only fly with Delta. However, Alaska Air popped up in my search for non-stop flights and the current first class fare is less than half what Delta is asking at the moment. The last time opted out of a Delta flight in favor a something cheaper, we almost missed the boat due to flight delays...even though we gave ourselves a pre-embarkation travel cushion of an extra day. Alaska Air only has three flights a day out of ATL...and they don't have an actual ticket counter with live humans either. Baggage drop off is at a kiosk 😳. I just don't know enough about Alaska Air to determine if it's a reliable airline. Any personal experiences with Alaska Air is greatly appreciated! Specifically, I'd like comments on service, timeliness, and reliability. Oh...and did your luggage arrive?

Happy New Year! Ive shifted my attention to planning our cruise to Alaska for May, 2024 on Edge. We are in a Magic carpet SS which we booked before the butler/various changes. We got a great deal on a 7 night cruise out of Seattle…$5200 all in plus $1225 obc ($650 from Celebrity before they dropped the auto OBC for booking a suite). We considered downgrading but we’d lose all the perks so it just doesn’t make sense. I am also looking into the Summit after your live but it won’t be in a suite. I think I can stay mostly content with the Celebrity product in a standard room as long as we are on a newer or refurbished ship. For us, this new outlook is still unfolding. Can’t think of a better way to find out than through trial and error 😊.

Between your review and the one just completed by @Stem to Stern, I am ready to book on the Summit! The 5 night itineraries are especially appealing because I’d like to bring my mother…and 5 nights is the perfect length for her. Merry Christmas!🎄🎁

We booked a Suite gty and our room was assigned immediately upon booking…got the cabin assignment in our confirmation email.

So were they taking people’s room cards to apply the up charge? That rate change is ridiculous!

We were forward on deck 8 in a porthole verandah and I listened out for any of the noises described in the Beyond thread. We heard nothing. Then we were midship on deck 10 in a sky suite….again, we heard nothing unusual. Weather was calm the whole time. I will also note that the doors to the balconies latch differently than on S class. There is not a lever that is pivoted up and down. It would be very, very, perhaps even impossible to close the door incorrectly. So I doubt unusual noises are coming from doors that weren’t shut all the way.

That steak looked perfect! A nice pink in the center…char on the outside…yum! 😊

That shouldn’t be a problem. As long as there is a legal adult booked in A room with a minor, their requirement has been met. In my daughter’s case she was booked into a room with her stepsister’s stepdad. Her stepsister was booked into a room with her mother. Once on board, mom and stepdad took one room stepsister and my daughter took the adjoining room. Adult relationship to the minors were never asked for/about.

When we sent our child on a cruise with a step sister and family, we sent along a letter of consent to travel along with an authorization letter for treatment in the event of a medical emergency. Both docs were signed and notarized. There were no issues. This was on an RCl cruise.

We have a MC booked on Edge,deck 9. As far as i can tell, there is very little visual interference from the MC itself. Congratulations on the upgrade.

Conundrum red blend is what went up to $19 a glass on Ascent....never saw a Conundrum white on board our most recent cruise so not sure on that one.

So not all E class ships have a WCB? Huh...I didn't know that!

It's a bar on S and E class that specializes in craft cocktails...some are smoked, some are muddled...very nice menu.

I've never sailed Princess but was talking to my mother yesterday about her upcoming cruise in March and she mentioned the add on package. Will get the name of the package and report back. She said it was an add on to their suite which is one of the higher level suite categories.

They briefly had a premium plus type package that you could add on. It even included items in the minibar. Then it went away. Maybe it’s coming back. On Princess they have an add on package that has no restrictions or up charges. You get it all…this according to my DM who had it added to her upcoming cruise for $17 pp/PD.

I would definitely go! Where is the Beyond porting? Is it feasible for you to get there with relative ease? I’m not familiar with a “Mystery”cruise. How does it work?

Thank you for posting. Following with great interest. Safe travels!

One thing I have found to be very consistent is that you can’t base a travel decision (in this case a booking on Reflection) on the experiences of others on cruises either before or after yours occurs. I look at each sailing as independent of the previous voyage. Each will have its own unique nuisances. Your stateroom attendant may be a go getting perfectionist who loves to go the extra mile while the attendant a few doors down, not so much. Your server in the MDR could be top of the line while someone else may get a newly arrived and jet lagged novice. Each experience will be unique. It’s why the reviews are so varied from ship to ship and voyage to voyage. While I respect OP’s experience on Equinox, I sailed her in July in a Standard veranda and had a fabulous cruise…even though they were testing vaping in the casino at the time. My point is, keep looking forward to your upcoming cruise with no booking regrets. Your experience will be largely what you make it and will undoubtedly be different from the next person and the next and the next. Reflection is a great ship!

While I'm sure it makes for good people watching, I've never personally seen that happen. OP said he wasn't aware that the WCB only served from a set menu and if one isn't familiar with the craft cocktail concept of the WCB, they wouldn't know. The customer service oriented bar tender would politely explain and advise of a different bar. JMO

It wouldn't be appropriate for me to repeat what DH said it reminded him of...to clean it up, it was the French word for dairy air...oops!

There seems to be a certain type of arrogance associated with the bar tenders at the World Class Bar. They only make what’s on the menu. Like you, I found them to be unfriendly. The WCB on E class (at least on Ascent) however, is a full service bar. They make the craft cocktails plus whatever else one may desire. We also find the Ensemble lounge to be dark with a heavy atmosphere. It’s funny because several years ago, like in 2015, I thought it was very posh, with almost a speak-easy type of vibe. My taste has changed but Equinox is stuck in a design time-warp and is in need of a refresh. Your dining experience is disappointing. While style and decor are out of the hands of the chefs and servers, presenting quality, hot food can be controlled and can also go a long way to make up for shortcomings in other areas. Im glad you made your thoughts known to Celebrity. I doubt you will hear from them. Thanks for sharing!

@Stem to Stern there is another thread indicating that the Retreat Lounge is now up charging passengers for wine/drinks that exceed the premium package limit. The post was made on a different site by a passenger currently there with you on Summit. This could be a misunderstanding, nasty rumor, or just complete misinformation. Can you confirm? If I missed where you already addressed this, please forgive me 😊.

I'm impressed with how the Summit looks in the pics you've posted. Her décor seems pretty and fresh. How's your butler/Retreat Host service been thus far?

I’ve found smoke in that area while passing by at a brisk pace to be ambient. Not something that hindered my exercise routine.