Max Circus

Thank you both for the quick replies.

We're on Getaway. So we'll be able to order beverages by going to that lounge or order from a bar waiter. I wasn't clear if that lounge was open all day - even port days.

I've searched the deck plans and posts and couldn't find an answer to my questions. We'll be Haven "newbies" in November.

Does the Haven Courtyard have it's own bar where you can go and order beverages when you're at the pool? Or are there waiters? Both?

Also, is there any food offered in the Courtyard? Or do you go to the main buffet and bring it back? Call our butler?

On 3/14/15 Summit, they had them consistently at the Martini Bar. I think they only brought them out if they realized you were staying for more than one cocktail. I don't recall seeing them at other bars.

On the December Equinox, they had snacks at the bar outside Murano's (can't remember the name). They would bring them to you as soon as you sat down and refilled without asking.

Both times they were a mixture of pretzels, sesame sticks and wasabi peas. Don't recall getting any corn nuts.

Reservations open up 100 days ahead for suites, 90 days for everyone else.

Thank you!!

Are you able to make show reservations in advance of your sailing? We have a booking for 11/29/15 and don't see any options for that online (plenty of options for excursions). Maybe it is only available within a certain number of days of sailing?

Thanks for the information.

We have a Haven cabin booked for the week after Thanksgiving. We'll have the UDP so are looking to see what nights we want to book the restaurants and not miss the magic show or Legally Blonde.

Do you know what nights those shows are happening on your sailing?

I welcome the specialty menus. It would also be nice if the specialty restaurants had a signature cocktail list.

Should have been handled better by Celebrity. Our comments in this excursion and the cave tubing in Belize were similar. That Celebrity needs to take a longer look at the vendors they are using. The quality is lacking in some cases - and not just with the food.

I can "see" right through this one. ;)

It will depend on the type of gin you want and whether you are okay with the beers available in the classic.

For example, Tangueray Ten is only in Premium. I think it is Beefeater and regular Tangueray in classic.

For beers, your staple American beers are included such as Coors Light and Bud. Do you like those?

You'll need to answer those questions first and then you'll have your decision.

We were on the Summit 3/21/15. The Solarium and T-pool were closed the first day in San Juan. They were painting, including the inside of the T-pool. It looks like they are trying to keep things looking good.

Thanks for the update!!

We were on the Summit 3/14/15 for the third year in a row. All great cruises. I did notice a lot more "wear and tear" since our first cruise especially in the Solarium where it needs some paint and the pool had some staining. Didn't ruin my cruise, but I hope they can work on these items in the future.

We had lunch at Tuscan Grill on one of the Equinox sea days but it was very price ($25) for what we got. The menu was about half of what they offered for dinner, and I don't remember seeing any pasta entrees which I thought was odd.

The steak tartar was very good. And they had a great wine which we only found in that restaurant. Later in the cruise we asked the Blu sommelier to see if he could get it for us (it is just around the corner) - and he was able to.

I don't think I would pay $50 to dine here. For that amount, I'd go back to Murano.

Great addition!! Forgot about Aqua Spa. Some great choices there and somewhat of a hidden gem.

Last three cruises (Summit, Equinox and Summit), no bill under the door on last day. I do remember our first Summit cruise where we had the drink package and we got a multi-page bill showing all the zero-rated charges. It was a waste in my opinion since I have always been able to review on the TV during the cruise.

In addition to what you listed:

Mast Bar and Grill (one deck above pool). Open from around 11AM to 6PM. Has burgers, hot dogs and (sometimes) sausages.

Café El Bacio has complimentary pastries every day (even if you don't buy coffee). They are early (I think 7AM) and close late.

Max- yes' date=' we got that same letter the day before Panama. But it didn't say to "avoid food provided by our shore excursion partners" on it. If they are warning us that an excursion SOLD by Celebrity might make you sick, they should say so before you buy the ticket. When my wife reported to Medical at 7am, they had already had 4 cases of illness from this tour. They volunteered this info to us.[/quote']

 

So sorry your wife got sick. I certainly didn't mean to imply that you should have read into the letter that you shouldn't have eaten on the ferry. I agree that all excursions should have food that is safe to eat - even if it is not up to Celebrity's "Modern Luxury" standard (whatever that means).

We took this in December 2014. Fantastic cruise and the Panama Canal was the highlight for me. Take the ship's excursion. There are so many variables with getting through the locks that I can't imagine the stress of taking a private tour.

The buffet lunch isn't that great so you will want to plan ahead. They had a bologna-type sandwich, a rice dish and some muffins served in a very casual style. That didn't impact my complete enjoyment of the excursion. Seeing (and feeling) the canal was amazing.

It is impossible to know when entertainment is switching up, but on 3/14/15 sailing of the Summit there was a duo who sang light pop songs in the Sunset bar a few evenings before early dinner and another solo guitarist who was also out there at that time. I also saw in the dailies a few times where they had someone out there later in the evenings after dinner. It is our favorite place to grab a beverage while we are headed out of port!!

I can speak from experience. We had a group of 18 of us on Summit last year. One of the couples was in AQ so they were in Blue each evening but the 16 remaining were in MDR each night for late seating. We had one large table of 10 and another of 6. It is possible to do this.

On both Equinox (S class) and Summit (M class) the Solarium pool was heated. Didn't notice any variation in temperatures during my sailings. I will say it can also be extremely salty, to where it stung my eyes on this years Summit cruise. I realize the water is source from the ocean, but it seemed much saltier than the regular pools. Maybe when it is heated there is more evaporation?

It seems like a smart move to serve smaller sized items in a departure lounge. You never know when you're going to be called to leave, and rather than having people jump up and abandon half-eaten danish and large cups of coffee, a small danish can be eaten in a few bites. I'd think you could help yourself to more if you were still hungry. I might be wrong as I'm not Elite yet.

Great point and I agree!! I also imagine having the flatware and plates be disposable makes it far easier to clean up since the majority of the crew has much more important duties on disembarkation day than cleaning up dishes.

Does the Equinox have the Solarium Adult pool like on the Silhouette?

Yes. Equinox has the Solarium. The pool is not as nice as the one on Summit. The heated pool is just that - heated. No "waterfall" overhead jets and no Jacuzzi recliners in the pool.

We were on the opposite itinerary this year. Formal nights were Sunday (St Croix) and Thursday (sea day).

We did this same itinerary in December 2014. We did that same Panama Canal excursion and while we didn't get sick, I would agree the setup of the food left a lot to be desired and left me wondering about the sanitation. Maybe because we had a few of the local beers, the alcohol cancelled out the salmonella. ;)

I would be curious if you received a letter in advance of that excursion stating that the food and transportation were "not up to Celebrity's standards". We got that letter and found it very odd since the transportation was a normal excursions bus - nothing unusual. The food was basically Bologna sandwiches, muffins and some sort of rice dish. Not terrible, but my standards of excursion food are low (we always bring some type of granola bars as backup).

What was stranger is we also booked the cave tubing in Belize. Didn't receive a letter for that one but should have. We were picked up in an old school bus for the 90 minute ride to the cave tubing. And the food there was scarier to me than what was offered on the Canal excursion. We made note of that with the excursion desk and on our disembarkation feedback.