Georgia_Peaches

It was the first time I had seen caymus by the glass. But the bottle was $175. We opted to go by the glass and each had three good pours (don't judge 😂) over the course of our meal. So the bill was around $110.

The only chic night on our 4 night cruise on Ascent was the first sea day...so second night.

We not only found that several wines had increased from $17 to $19 or more, but the same wine was priced differently in more than one venue. For example, we paid $17 for an Opulence Cab in Craft Social but $19 for the same cab in Fine Cut. For a decent glass of wine, we splurged on the Caymus at $35 a glass minus $17 for the premium package...so $18 net. This was cheaper than buying the bottle outright. But, yes, the wine prices are up!

Funny you say that. One of the desserts we had on Ascent the other day was a chocolate tart like the ones in cafe Al Bacio.

You will absolutely end up with a piece like the sample on display with the difference bring in the colors you choose. It’s a no fail endeavor…the pros make sure of that.

It is now one 750 ml bottle per adult person upon embarkation. Some say they put one in their luggage and carry on one as well, thereby bringing 4 with a double occupancy cabin. It used to be 2 bottles per adult but that recently changed.

Yes.

Yes! Drinks come from craft social just outside the casino.

My final thoughts were that the Retreat is very nice. But we’ve been booking suites on Celebrity for the last 8 sailings because we thought it was an elevated experience. And in many ways it is! But the Sky suite compared to the porthole veranda left us wondering why? We had exceptional service outside the Retreat and so-so service inside.we’ve concluded that the money saved for booking a regular veranda does not sacrifice quality. Our stateroom attendant outside Retreat was exceptional. Our dining experience outside Retreat was very good to excellent. We are scratching our heads now…why book a suite on Celebrity when we are just as happy, if not more in a different category. Our next stateroom category will be a sunset veranda.

What deck are you on and how much shade do you have? Thank you!

Though the menus in Blu were more appealing than Luminae on our recent cruise, I wouldn't pay extra to eat in Blu. I found the MDR to be nice with options that were very pleasing.

I will be following your journey, CS. I know this is a significant one for you and I am wishing you much enjoyment mixed with a little bit of nostalgia. PS..I think you mean 2023? 😊

Absolutely! There are benches in front of the glass blowing area set up for viewing.

Much better information than what we were given when we toured the space! Thank you!

We were told you can book via guest relations. Minimum amount of time is 2 hours and the max number of people is 15. Sorry, I don't know about pricing.

Yes, the fee includes a piece to take home. It's really a base price that can go up depending on what you choose to make. I believe the paper weights are the entry level and it goes up from there. I made the tidal wave vase and I think it was $140 and then we had another piece commissioned by one of the artisans. A great way to use up excess OBC!

The retreat was very nice! It's just not for us anymore. There are so many beautiful venues around the ship that we preferred to spend our time instead of the retreat. I'm not quite ready to book our next cruise but when I do, it will be on E class and in a sunset veranda!

I also really liked the space. I thought it was unique and different. Much better than the pass through hall on deck 5 leading into the Ensemble lounge on S class ships!

One of my favorite experiences! It results in a piece of art only you will have. Totally worth it, imo.

Agreed...I guess the streak had to come to an end at some point...😌

Lol...You HAD to go there, huh? I would just like to mention that your guy was given a TD when after further review, which the refs failed to do, but I digress...after further review, was not a TD at all! That, coupled with two unnecessary false starts on the part of the Dawgs, cost us the game! But in all fairness, your guys played the better game, IMO. ☺️ Hate it for my Dawgs though. Then add to that, they didn't make it into the finals. I know they didn't pull out the SEC but you can't tell me they aren't the best team in the country...I won't hear it! 😆 Am I right in assuming you will be glued to the TV this coming Saturday for the Army/Navy game? This game, in the world according to Dh is the only one that matters...I give him this 🙄 every time he says it!

They said is was special for the previews and the maiden voyage. I hope they keep it. It was the best buffet! Lobster tails, shrimp, crawfish, calamari, all kinds of carving stations, lobster Mac n cheese, crab ravioli… truly amazing and very well attended during the lunch hours in the OVC.

Pretty friendly sort of people...to my knowledge.

hope your return to Celebrity doesn't disappoint. Sorry, but what is SD?

So sorry, I wasn't meaning to imply that you weren't...I will admit that it has taken me a while to come around to your point. I have been fixated on Celebrity pulling the rug on what they advertised. But after spending 7 nights on Ascent last week I realized that I really like the size of the Sky suite but am nowhere near enamored by the Retreat or Luminae. I feel like I could easily let those go but boy oh boy did we love the space in the Sky suite!...especially with the bed facing the ocean. So nice!