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talljules1

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Posts posted by talljules1

  1. 5 hours ago, Gilly said:

    Don't forget to request a glass of Sauternes from the Sommelier to accompany it if that appeals 😉 

    That they have dessert wines available and included in the fare is a big win, I think. Disappointingly these have disappeared on Celebrity. I do like a glass or two of dessert wine when on a cruise!

    • Like 1
  2. Uh oh - me again.

     

    My understanding is that *almost* everything is included on board.  We also know that if we want to do the cookery classes or some of the excursions there is a fee. (We've booked a cooking class.)  We're not likely to want them, but know that cigars in the Connoisseur lounge are not included. I get that some top shelf drinks might not be included, but what counts as top shelf?

     

    What else is **not** included in the fare? (Is there somewhere I can find a comprehensive list?)

     

    Thanks :))

  3. On 11/18/2023 at 11:01 PM, flare3192 said:

    Thank you I am reading all your comments and appreciate each one.

    Has any one done Iceland?

    We've cruised to Iceland several times (but not on Regent, yet). I love it.  It is not a populous country (fewer people in the whole country than the number of people in the city I live in). Places are, therefore, small (and interesting). Reykjavik is a good jumping off point for the Golden Circle and/or Blue Lagoon (but keep an eye on Blue Lagoon - it is a bit volcanoey there at the moment!!!). Akureyri is good for Jewels of the North. We saw the Northern Lights cruising from Akureyri to Reykjavik, but that was in September. In July we're in Land of the Midnight Sun territory. 

     

    Iceland is often cold, and the weather is changeable. Pack layers, including a waterproof/windproof layer and all will be well.

     

    We're going to do the one before the cruise the OP is interested in, to Greenland. Looking forward to some amazing scenery. 

    • Like 1
  4. 10 minutes ago, cwn said:

     Check after final payment is due . There might be a  few that free up. If not , check when you board as again there might be no shows.  If there is something that you really want to do go to the theater the morning of the tour to check on no shows.

     

    But anymore we just do our own thing when we want too. These are small ports but sometimes we are surprised at what the locals have to offer. Greenland is beautiful and we had fun just walking around on our own….be sure to go to food market… grocery store and see what is for sale.

    Thanks, CWN - that has put my mind at rest.  We're perfectly happy just pottering in port - and don't like feeling like we have to work to a schedule every day. This sounds like it will work well for us.

  5. OK - so I think I have my answer. You all seem to think the answer is NO.

     

    At least one comment was rude and uncalled for. I am not a child.

     

    I was deeply skeptical about the whole cruise ducks thing for a long time. Staying in a Royal Suite on Celebrity on our last cruise I was actually delighted to find several ducks on our last cruise - and at the joy they can bring.

     

    But if it is not a thing on Regent, it's not a thing. And that's fine. There was no need to be rude to say so. That says a lot more about you than me, or cruise ducks.

    • Like 5
  6. 3 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

    Put yourselves on a waitlist, which hopefully will clear before your cruise

     

    Yes, of course you will be able to do your own thing

     

    No difference in clearing excursion waitlists or boarding tenders for any suite grades

     

    Thanks, Flossie! 

     

    So long as we can get off and wander on our own, that's all we ultimately need - these are tiny places and what I really hope to see (icebergs, glaciers, whales) are things we would see from the ship.

  7. Oh no - me again.

     

    We've just booked to cruise to Greenland in July. Alas, having booked it turns out that in some ports (all tender ports) all of the included and for a fee excursions are sold out.  Booo!

     

    Am I right to think we will still be able to get tenders ashore and potter about on our own? (We're quite happy with this and don't really like being frogmarched about everywhere.  We're in a Penthouse A Suite, should that make any difference)

     

    Ta

     

  8. Hi all

     

    Well, now I am sick with excitement. Have booked our first ever cruise with Regent, sailing to Greenland on Splendor. We got rather tired of Celebrity.  What we have seen on videos etc of this ship, she looks AWESOME!

     

    A question. Do people hide ducks on Regent ships? We're new to the phenomenon, but found several on our last Celebrity cruise (first time finding any) and am wondering if it is worth me bringing some ducks to hide.

  9. We did an MSC YC cruise on Virtuosa earlier this year (in a Duplex suite), 3 Sky Suite cruises (S and E class ships) with Celebrity last year, and this week we're off in a Royal Suite on an M Class ship.

     

    Our impression was that MSC is excellent value in the YC. We would not sail with them outside the YC, but we really enjoyed our cruise. The service was great. The food was perhaps not quite as good, but we had superb service in restaurants and bars - and enjoyed having the rest of the ship to explore if we wanted to. We did spend most of our time in the YC, though!  Like that the YC restaurant and grill are open on port days as well as sea days. We'd happily sail with them again, and think they give X a run for their money.  We booked with a TA, and had no issues either with that or with the app/website. Despite being in the second largest cabin on the ship, our 2 week cruise cost less than 1 week in a sky suite (and comes with more perks than a sky suite) sailing at the same time of year from the same port.  MSC's excursions were also good.

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
  10. 6 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

     

    I'm really not sure why there's so much random guessing going on in this thread.

     

    If you buy it at Manchester airport, make sure that it's sealed into a compliant STEB (remembering that compliance requires that the receipt is sealed in the bag but is visible). A compliant and intact STEB will be accepted at security at Paris before you onward flight, if you're required to clear security there.

     

    If duty-free at Manchester won't do you a STEB, and you're not sure whether you have to re-clear security in Paris, then don't give them your money. (That, of course, generally gives duty-free shops an incentive to do STEBs properly.)

    Thanks, Globaliser! That's what I needed to know!

     

  11. I obviously don't do enough flying any more to remember (or don't by enough duty free)!

     

    We fly from Manchester (UK) to our Celebrity cruise departing Barcelona via two flights: Manchester - Charles de Gaulle and Charles de Gaulle - Barcelona.

     

    As we're cruising for Christmas and NY, thinking it would be nice to take some wine with us. I know we can each take a bottle of wine on board. Will pack a bottle of Ice Wine in my suitcase. I'd quite like a bottle of champagne as well, and would rather not put that in my suitcase. If I buy a bottle in Duty Free in Manchester, am I likely to have any problems taking it through security in Paris?

     

    We have a couple of days in Barcelona before our cruise, so will remember to put the wine in hand luggage before boarding the ship. (And, if pushed, it means I can buy the champagne in Barcelona.)

  12. Hi all


    We've cruised multiple times with Celebrity, but this month will be doing our first cruise over Christmas and New Year (on the Infinity - the first ship we ever sailed on).

     

    Wondering what to expect - as in, what if anything will be different to a cruise at other times of year?  I gather that they decorate some of the public areas, and we're mindful that there may be quite a lot of children on board (we don't usually cruise during school holidays). Anything else we should expect/look forward to? (I'm looking forward to not having to cook Christmas dinner!!)

     

    Thanks in advance

     

    Jules

     

  13. Perhaps similar to your daughter I am somewhat intolerant of wheat/gluten but I don't have coeliac disease. Generally if I sub out bread, pasta and pizza with GF alternatives I am fine. I always report it before we go, but have never had any problem. The gluten free bread is fine (maybe not as good as what I have at home, but adequate). I usually take a box of GF crackers with me for cheese. Otherwise, always a good selection to choose from, with things clearly labelled, so I can decide what I might risk and what not.

  14. On a 7-night on Silhouette we'd likely visit Murano x2 and Sushi on 5 x2 (and perhaps a third time for Taj X) and use Luminae for the rest.

     

    On Beyond - really didn't rate Luminae AND it was hard to make use of our 7 night dining package, despite trying to book everything as soon as we boarded, and only got to use our 7th night on the very last night, by camping outside Lawnclub grill and begging for a table when it opened. Le Voyage was good (we did the menu with the paired wines and enjoyed that). Never got to try Eden (and disappointed about that). Raw on 5 was good (but they hardly had any oysters and we were only allowed to order a half dozen). Didn't think the steakhouse was good at all - food nothing special, service very inattentive. Overall, really quite unimpressed by the dining on that sailing (and not a glass of sauvignon blanc to be had anywhere). That sailing is the only time we have struggled to use a dining package. Really wouldnt rush back to the Beyond.

     

    For Infinity we will make a lot of use of Sushi on 5, some use of Tuscan, and zero use of Le Petit Chef - it's really not our thing so I expect we will spend more time in Luminae.

  15. I think this is a question only you can answer.  We all have different preferences.


    We've sailed on E, S and M class ships - and whilst we thought the Beyond was nice, and whilst we had a good cruise, we're in absolutely no hurry to rush back to E-class ships. I really like the Silhouette. Our next cruise is on Infinity. And we're going to see how that goes before booking any more.

     

     

  16. I think the comments in this thread neatly explain why I am feeling nervous about our forthcoming Christmas/NY cruise on the Infinity.  We have reached the sweet suite life and generally sail in Sky Suites, but pushed the boat out an booked a Royal Suite. We got a good price, having booked over a year ago (about £1000/day for the two of us) and I am excited about being away for Xmas/NY for the first time. Infinity was our first cruise ship but, until now, we've not been back, so was excited to see it again.

     

    I should be excited about having a RS. But all the changes mean that I am more anxious than excited.  Will try to go with a positive attitude and to roll with the punches. Maybe being in a RS will insulate us from the changes. Not sure. Would have liked to have lots more Celebrity cruises booked, but this ongoing sense of insecurity means we haven't. This might well be our last X cruise for a while, I suspect. As many others have said here, the price:value ratio is no longer favorable on Celebrity and unless our Xmas cruise is up there as one of the best we've done (as it should be as it's one of two RS's we've had) likely won't book with them again.  Already looking at other lines.  We've done 2 weeks in a YC Duplex suite on MSC Virtuosa this year and had a great time. Oceania, Regent etc look interesting too.  Celebrity never advertised itself as a premium line like Oceania, Regent, but now their prices are as high or higher than the premium lines, and the offering doesn't match. I am royally fed up with paying more and more and, every time, finding out that something else is no longer included. Also realising we could go far away with Business class flights, stay in a nice hotel and pay less than a Sky Suite (even when factoring in food and drinks etc) so also thinking about land-based hols for a while.

  17. On 9/25/2023 at 12:43 AM, Gia2cats said:

    Hopefully, you were able to clear this up without much hassle. If so, I’d just consider it a clerical error. But a good idea to keep an eye on one’s account.

    Agreed - likely clerical error, but amazing how often this happens.  It's happened to us multiple times (i.e. most cruises) so yes, always keep an eye on your account.

  18. Yes.  We had done one YC cruise (on Preziosa) pre 2020. Prior to 2020 most of our cruises were on X in standard or concierge class rooms. Since cruising came back we have done four cruises in the retreat (1 Royal, 3 sky suites). Most recently we did a 14 night cruise in a YC Duplex Suite on Virtuosa (a room about the same size as an X Royal Suite, but split across two levels) to Iceland and Norway, a superb itinerary.  Loved it and had a great time.  There are similarities to the retreat, and differences.

     

    Price - YC is way cheaper (and we were in the second largest suite category in YC) than X

     

    Service - Very attentive on both. Very little between them, but having your butler escort you to beat the crowds (and having priority access to elevators) gives YC the slight edge. That said, it is more needed/helpful on MSC than on X.

     

    Dining - Difficult to compare - MSC has more european menus compared to X's US style. We have had good and bad food on both. So, on food quality, I'm going to say it was even. MSC wins the category for having it's YC restaurant (and sizeable pool deck grill) open on port days as well as on sea days.  Be aware that MSC is more relaxed and casual re what you wear to dinner. Perfectly OK to wear a t-shirt and shorts to dinner (and I did a couple of times. No one seemed fazed by that)

     

    Drinks package - you get a top level drinks package in both YC and Retreat, so that bit's even.  ALL rooms in the YC get an included minibar (in which water, soft drinks and beer are replenished daily) plus a 70 CL bottle of spirits per room per week.  You'd have to be in a RS or above on X to get this. Whilst the choice of spirits is fairly limited for this in YC (I got standard Jack Daniels in YC, but in a RS got Single Barrel JD), the fact that all YC rooms gets this gives YC the edge (and you are paying a LOT less for the cruise). In YC you can have a daily newspaper delivered (something you don't get in Retreat).

     

    Ship excursions - same sort of things at similar prices on both. However, if you want a behind the scenes tour, we found these much better on X than on MSC - less crowded and less expensive on X.

     

    Atmosphere - YC lounge wins out over retreat lounge (but only on S-Class ships) - larger space, more vibrant. Similar to Retreat lounge on Edge class ships.

     

    Nickel and Diming - about the same on both. We didn't notice anything obtrusive on either.

     

    Layout - MSC YC is all together. X Retreat is spread throughout the ship. Pick your preference.

     

    Spa - not something we spend much time or money on. Comparable prices on both. Less upselling (in fact, don't think there was any) on MSC.

     

    Rest of ship - both lines have beautiful ships. More going on on MSC - and more people. Rest of ship is certainly more crowded on MSC. We had everything we wanted in YC but did occasionally venture out ('going on safari') into the rest of the ship. Not overwhelming, and the Virtuosa is huge.

     

    We have one more X cruise and we're going to see how that goes. We noticed a steady decline across our three cruises last year with X, and of course we've observed the marked hike in their prices. So, we will see how our Christmas cruise goes before we decide what to book for next year. We would certainly cruise in YC again (note: we wouldn't cruise MSC outside the YC). Not sure about X - I think that, for us, their retreat prices are at the point where they exceed what the experience is worth to us.  Also looking at lines such as Oceania etc.

     

    TL:DR - YC is comparable (with differences) to Retreat, and outclasses X standard balcony/concierge class.

     

     

    • Like 1
  19. It really is whatever floats your boat. Some people will dress up, and some won't.

     

    We didn't always dress for dinner on our recent Virtuosa cruise in YC - sometimes went in shorts and t-shirts. Was no issue. Lovely and relaxed cruise.

     

    • Like 1
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