The Fun Researcher

I think you missed the fact that I said, including gratuity. However, to be fair, you are not wrong, cocktails can easily ring up at $14 before gratuity as well depending on how fancy you get . 🙂. . My cocktails were pretty simple. Most beers are consistently $7.49 to $7.99 before gratuity.

Correct, that is a center hallway, and the inside rooms face each other.

Maybe it fluctuated by ship, but last month on the Anthem simple mixed drinks were $14 including gratuity and beers around $9 including gratuity. I think there are two factors that come into play with the drink package: The straight up economics. Do I drink enough to at least recoup the total price paid? The stress free factor. It's paid for, I don't need to think about it. I can drink as much or as little as I want and don't need to fret about it. Personally we've never purchased the drink package on Royal. We are moderate to heavy drinkers on a cruise but we've always saved a lot by not getting it. We tend to ebb and flow with our consumption during a cruise. Hit it hard one day, then the next hungover day it's just not as appealing... 😄 Repeat.

Thank you. Haven't been on a Celebrity ship that has Eden yet.

I relate it to Wonderland on Royal ships. A fun gimmicky meal. We did Wonderland for the first time last month and loved it. Having said that, I don't need to do it again for a long time. We tried pretty much every dish and saw all the cool things that come along with the experience. I'm debating Le Petit Chef for our upcoming cruise on the Equinox in December as well. Problem is, Celebrity's food is so good in the MDR I don't feel as much of a need for specialty. If we do it, it will be for reasons of "you only live once". Maybe a special "Christmas treat"

My FIL and MIL both tested positive a couple of days after our March Anthem cruise. Both were fine on the ship. They are fine now. It is what it is. Not really news anymore. They only tested so that they knew to be careful about not spreading it. Dan

Those issues were resolved

Yeah that’s exactly what some people are saying LOL. Exaggerate much?

Correct. That indoor space was nice last month on the Anthem out of Bayonne. It was in the upper 30’s when we boarded.

Thank you. It’s a five night right before Christmas. Two sea days and a day in Cozumel and Nasssu.

We've sailed Equinox only once before and I don't remember if the specialty restaurants were open for lunch. I don't see anything I can prebook online before the cruise. I do remember Sushi on Five being open for lunch, but I'm particularly interested in Tuscan Grille. Thanks.

I don't believe so, but whatever you purchase in the Duty free shop gets delivered to your stateroom by 7pm the last evening of the cruise. If you found something you really like you could maybe crack it open that last evening and take the rest home with you.

...and as of last month they were still doing twice a day service.

Well, EVERY cruise ship, across all cruise lines, is smaller than the Oasis class ships. 🙂 The Odyssey is the largest Royal class right behind the Oasis class. They are still huge. My personal opinions is... if teens can't find enough to do on either ship then cruising isn't for them. Both classes have plusses and minuses and I'd have a hard time picking a winner. I actually might like the AMPED Freedom and Voyager classes better, and our teenage kids love them all.

Good choice. Tons to do on both Odyssey and Oasis class. Hard to go wrong with either.

I must have drank enough to not notice on the Anthem last month. These comments have me wondering about our Alaskan cruise on the Quantum in July. I detest blow up mattresses (can't deal with the springy feel) so I guess we'll just deal with it. Would love to bring a nice polyurethane expanding topper but doubt it's worth the hassle. Dan

Yeah, I'm not expecting anything soon, if ever. It was nice to take advantage of it while it was being offered.

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports I use this one. Search for the port you want, then click schedule, then find the date you are looking for

Off topic, kinda, but I wish they would bring back the drink tickets that they would sometimes start selling later in the cruise.

Just like anything said these days, just filter it through your own belief/political/scientific system. Unfortunately humanity needs to have a thick skin these days with how polarized everything has become. I don't want to derail this nice thread so that's the last I'm saying on the subject. 😊

Please send some magic excursion dust our way. 🙂 Hoping we have something even remotely close to what you experienced. Here’s hoping!

Yes 3rd party. Yes sounds extremely familiar 😉. We’ll be on the tour in July.

OP, I think you'll have a good idea which one you will want to eat at once you see each of them. Both are casual food, but very different atmospheres/vibes. I think one will stand out for you once you see them both in person.

Yeah, we have an excursion booked that is a Mendenhall Glacier/Whale watching combo. Will be a full day but can't wait.

Playmakers is great for a late night snack too. I loved being able to get some delicious chicken wings after 11pm out-and-about on the ship, unlike other ships that don't have a Playmakers.