jam19872016

4 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Another consideration in addition to the venue is what other activity gets axed so that Quest can take place? The Fun Squad was going all out all week as was the CD and the entertainment schedule was jam packed. From what we saw everything was well attended so choosing which one to eliminate raises its own set of problems.

Adult game night if it hasn't gotten any better. I was on one of the first sailings to offer it (maybe the second or third) and I overheard the beards who were on the ship  mentioning it was getting terrible reviews from guests. It wasn't any better that night.

If I'm ever  fortunate enough to get on the Excel class again I will give it another shot, that was back when Celebration was brand new, perhaps they have worked the kinks out of it.

7 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

The idea of being crammed in a tiny space like that and being forced to participate is enough to make me cringe. A lot of people like to watch Quest and not having room for them is a good reason not to have it.

Perhaps I misspoke, nobody was "forced" to participate (although it was suggested it was not for spectators by the CD).

I think rather that the intimate venue led to more people feeling comfortable to participate. I'm sure not everyone did.

I would say you can't please everyone, but should everyone have to miss Quest because the venue is too small, or just a few people who are uncomfortable in a small venue or turned away if it's at capacity?

I feel like one way leaves more people satisfied than the other.

This CD also bragged about being the #1 rated CD in the fleet that past month based on the surveys we do.

Plenty of other things to enjoy on an excel class, but I do wish they would try Quest and see if it could work.

On Freedom it was held in the tiny lounge on deck 4 that used to be the cigar bar. 

Very tiny room and seemed like a terrible setup. Then once it began, it was a very intimate experience and turned out to be the best Quest I've ever attended.

Everyone had to participate, nearly impossible to be a spectator in such a small space and a genuis move by the CD.

So yes, saying there is no venue big enough on Excel class is an excuse. The adult game night they hosted instead was very cringe and hard to watch.

3 hours ago, Salt Lifer said:

Dinner tonight was s-l-o-w. More on that in a bit. Here is the menu for tonight, in Tuscan:

 

 

I had my favorite Tuscan shrimp soup, along with the baked Brie from Normandie, and the duck for dessert.

 

The soup was as good as always.  I may very likely order it most nights.

 

I had the baked Brie last year on Beyond and it really stood out.  I was not as impressed with it tonight.  I think the difference was last year it had a blue berry sauce, and this year it just had more like a couple small baked apple slices on it.  The pairing of the brie with the berry sauce was really a better balance.  

 

The duck dish was excellent. The duck was cooked well, the orange sauce was plentiful but not overbearing, and the accompaniments of the rice and greens were a good fit and cooked well.

 

By the time I was done with the duck I was stuffed and dessert was really not sounding good to me.  On top of that, because dinner service was so slow we were in danger of being late for the 10:30 Elton John show, so for both reasons we passed on dessert.  Our server was very apologetic - she had another table with a large group, and they were very difficult and drunk, which caused her to be distracted all evening.  We assured her that it was not a big deal and we were just too full to eat more at this point and were looking forward to heading to the show.  I had mentioned before how I love cannoli, so she insisted that she send some up to our room for later.  So when we got back to the room tonight I found a tray with four cannoli set up in our "sunroom" (i.e. Infinite Veranda)!  Since I am still stuffed I am saving one of mine for breakfast.  Anyway, that was a nice touch and makes up for the slow service.

The duck is another Celebrity favorite. I tried duck so many times on various cruise lines, including "

Cunard, and found it to range from didn't care for to just OK. 

I'd pretty much just concluded I didn't like duck but tried it again anyway and was blown away by how good this dish was! 

8 hours ago, Salt Lifer said:

Good time sing along!

Excellent news!!

19 hours ago, Salt Lifer said:

Piano bar performer, Tom McCormick is very good!  I have a special love for piano bars, so I am pleased to see Celebrity adding this to the entertainment lineup.

 

 

I love the piano bar and always sorely miss it on Celebrity. Any piano bar is better than no piano bar, but I have to ask, what style is it? Is it a rowdy, jolly good time sing along style piano bar music, or is it mostly just a guy playing music on a piano? '

19 hours ago, Salt Lifer said:

Tonight's dinner was good!

I had the Tuscan shrimp soup (a favorite of mine from the Beyond last year), and escargot for my starters; the trout for my main course; and the panna cotta for desert.

 

Sorry, my soup was half eaten before I remembered to take a picture!  I was just so excited to get to eat it again.  😉

 

The escargot were a really nice size.  Much better in size and taste than those I ate on Beyond last year.  

 

The trout was good.  The grapes on top seemed like an odd pairing, but the flavor contrasted perfectly with the fish and other items in the dish.  I may seriously have to start slicing grapes and putting them on all my dishes at home.

 

The panna cotta was a nice light and refreshing ending to the meal. 

 

Our server in Tuscan was very personable, so we ended up making reservations for the rest of the week so we could sit in her section.

 

 

The trout is one of my favorite dishes on Celebrity. I was like you the first time I tried it, grapes seemed like such an odd choice. They paired with the fish perfectly and now I order it every time I see it on the menu and it has never disappointed. Yummy!😋

It's getting hot in here

2 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

This is exactly what I do. Yes, I'm on WW but that is a program for living, not dieting. I will do stairs as much as possible and use the walking track, and I'll be aware of what I'm eating and do some things like ask that my servers not bother with heating up gluten-free bread for me at dinner (easy since I'm usually solo...or with my parents who are gluten-eating, so they can have their bread and I'm not tempted), but I don't deny myself.

 

One week (or 8 days in the case of my last and next cruises) is not going to make or break me. I know how to get back on track.

Yea I don't bother behaving either on vacation but I still track it so I don't get too bad of a shock when it's all over. I gained 18 pounds last cruise, which sounds so much worse than 1-2 pounds every day for twelve days.

5 minutes ago, Salt Lifer said:

They did today. Three kinds: a turkey sandwich, a brie sandwich, and the salmon sandwich that I had.  They are more like mini sandwiches, but a nice size for pairing with the chocolate tort for a snack or to mix and match for a larger meal.

 

I'll keep you posted if this is a daily thing.

Yummy. I would try all three and then go back for seconds of any real standouts along with some dessert. That and a salad upstairs, I think I would be set. Then head back for tea time at 3 so I can make sure my scale insults me consistently 😅

1 hour ago, Salt Lifer said:

On the ship by 11:08. The guys who work in the pier waiting area in the teal shirts did a phenomenal job.  This was literally the smoothest process of getting on the ship I have experienced at this pier.

 

First stop our room, then to the muster station, then to Cafe Al Bacio for a pre-lunch snack!  I got the chocolate tartlette and the salmon sandwich.  Both were delicious.  

 

Next stop is our Concierge lunch....

 

 

So they do have sandwiches now! That is awesome to see. I hope they continue to be delicious, I could see myself making a lunch out of it as I just don't usually find much I care for at the buffet.

4 hours ago, Salt Lifer said:

Good morning! Today is the day!  

 

Our check-out is at 10am and our boarding time on Ascent is 11:30am, so we are taking a gamble and heading straight to the pier and hoping we can at least get through security and into the lobby to wait.  With luggage and no car we really don't see any other practical option.  See you on board!

 

I've recently lost some weight and, while I intend to eat ALL THE FOOD this week, I still want to be held accountable for keeping my step count up in an attempt to burn some extra calories.  So I think this trip I'll do as @jam19872016 did in the last live and post my daily step count.  This is from yesterday.  

DId you bring a scale also? Mine was pretty mean to me. Two weeks back and I've still got 3 lbs to go before I get it back off. Terrible. Totally worth it though 😄

Following along!

Can't wait to see some Al Bacon goodies to remind me what I'm missing as I am back to fasting trying to take those cruise pounds back off.

8 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Trust me to get the name of the ship wrong. Apologies. Anyway, it did seem very nice, apart from being so much turned inward. Incidentally, QE is apparently going to be based in Miami for some of winter 2025-6. 
 

I think one’s appreciation of soon varies with age. Do you remember how almost infinite six weeks to the summer holidays seemed when you were first at school? Then, as one gets older, there is a strange double effect. Six weeks seems very soon, as time seems to go quicker. Yet 298 days is a rather larger portion of time remaining for me than for you, so not soon enough. So get yourself another cruise  before then. Meanwhile I am off on the new Cunarder in May. I hope it is as enjoyable as following your voyages. 

Many thanks again.

I'm just trying to convince myself that the next cruise is not so far far far away 😅

My mom called me today. Seems Cunard has sent her a brochure with some lovely rates. I am quite tempted and the wheels are certainly turning. One of them was the Alaska trip I was already eyeing, the flight costs all the way to Vancouver are really what is holding me back from booking, as the cruise fare is an absolute steal, 10 days for $699 plus taxes. 

15 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

Oh wow! Can you imagine? Yes I will be looking for another Celebrity cruise in the future.

We set sail on Oasis this Sunday! Can't wait 😁 Thanks for all your info!

Just a few days to go! How exciting! Enjoy Oasis, it is a wonderful ship even if Café Promenade is nowhere near as good as Al Bacon 🙂

On 3/31/2024 at 5:17 PM, TommyD3 said:

Wondering what your casino cruise fares are? We were onboard and paid about $75 pp/pd cruise only for an inside plus port charges. From what I have seen the casino prices are virtually free? I know that the higher level cabins are quite steep now - $300 pp/pd for AQ and $500+ pp/pd for the lowest suite !!! We are Zenith and get free premium beverages, WiFi and laundry.

My fare for an inside was 100% comped. I paid just the taxes ($170 ish) plus gratuities. Of course somewhere along the way, I lost a lot of money in their casino so it was prepaid. I would like to think I have regained what I've lost but I am sure that I have not broken even yet. I still have offers, they haven't gotten tired of me sailing without dropping much more money in their bank but I expect it to stop any time now. I'm sticking with Royal's casino program as I prefer their product better overall.

I matched to Elite thanks to status with Royal, doubt I will ever see Zenith since I prefer an inside cabin which gets almost nothing in loyalty points. Free premium drinks and internet would be nice, but I can't complain I do appreciate the Elite happy hour drinks and the 30% discount on wifi. At those costs, 30% is a nice savings! 

On 3/31/2024 at 8:15 AM, Altamar said:

It was fun following your live review, thanks so much, happy Easter.

On 3/31/2024 at 12:49 PM, Mike981 said:

Thank you again for your great review.

Thank you both for your kind words and for reading along 🙂

On 3/31/2024 at 7:13 AM, exlondoner said:

Thank you for this. I always enjoy your reviews very much. You will remember I’m a pretty much diehard Cunard Grills passenger about the same age as your mother. Yet from your reviews, the ship I have most thought I would enjoy was Icon, probably because of the excellent meals you were able to enjoy with the dining upgrade you paid for. I also thought the ship seemed well run, with so many different choices that even passengers like me with conservative tastes would find things to enjoy. And, if I had a large balcony cabin, that would make up to quite a large extent for the lack of contact with the sea. While I have read many comments on Cunard saying it comes a poor second to Celebrity, this does not seem the case from your review, except perhaps in the cruet department.

 

Thank you again, and please cruise again soon.

Oasis not Icon, but I knew what you meant. Icon's pricing will leave me on the outside looking in for a few years at least, and with the exception of the dueling piano bar, there isn't really anything that excites me that much more than Oasis class, they really set a hard bar to beat with that ship.

Yes I agree the ability to upgrade the dining makes a wonderful difference with Royal. I hope to do a review soon without the dining plan to showcase more of the included options, it is quite a difference and I think you would definitely need to purchase the dining plan to enjoy similar quality to Cunard. It is nice that there are options though, as I will have to find a bargain again in order to sail on one of the lovely Queens again since that cost is baked in already.

I can't think of one area where I would agree that Cunard places second to Celebrity. Pricing, perhaps, though Celebrity is no bargain by any means. Entertainment (this trip excluded 🙂) is probably more diverse, but I think the entertainment options on QE were perfectly suited for the demographic. There were certainly no gaps in offerings, just none that were particularly exciting for a thirty something American.

Soon is a relative term. Compared to a typical human lifetime, 298 days is soon so in that  sense, I will be cruising again soon. Of course, I hope it will be even sooner than that as right now that many days certainly feels another lifetime away 🙂

On 3/31/2024 at 6:29 AM, bluewater1298 said:

Thank you for your honest review. Even though I enjoyed sailing along, I agree, I would probably not choose this ship. I did enjoy our sailing on Reflection and would do another one on her or the Edge class. To be honest, if the itinerary was good, I would sail on Celebrity again just to enjoy Al Bacon 🤣 

Thank you again! Hope you have a beautiful Easter!

Until we sail again.....

I enjoyed Reflection as well. That class of ship is simply stunning. I was reading a review today where sandwiches were spotted at Al Bacon! Oh my, that has some serious potential if it is as good as the sweets. I could skip the buffet all together 😄 

1 minute ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Thank you for this review, I’ve enjoyed following along and glad you and your Mom had a good time. Celebrity works for us but I can see that it doesn’t for everyone which is fine…lots of choices for everyone!

 

I appreciate the pics from Cartagena…last time there we did the Dora tour and afterwards headed straight back to the ship. I am determined to check out the Aviary next time I’m there, def would love that, thank you! Hope your Mom feels better soon! 

Thank you for following along! The aviary is such a nice treat. I could go back time and time again and never tire of seeing it.

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

Based upon your overall review, we are not rushing to book Connie out of Tampa..too spoiled by newer ships. But might look for Cartagena on another itin..

 

In contrast to your views, we've had great luck in Port Ev with porters post cruise..They get all your stuff, get the shortest lines and put you quickly into a taxi if you need one.. In your case we would've bagged the hotel shuttle and grabbed a cab..esp with your mom and the rainm

 

In Jan for ASCENT, we were parked in the garage & overloaded with bags and carry-ons.  Porter took it all up into the garage & even loaded it all into our car!  He was the best!

 

Thanks for a great review!

I'm also spoiled by newer ships. I don't need the newest flashiest toy out there, but this ship was a little older and smaller than what I typically look for. So part of the problem is on me but I loved the itinerary which more than made up for it I think.

I was certainly tempted to use a taxi they seemed plentiful! My mom was doing ok she got a nice bench to sit on (and could have sat on her scooter if she had needed to) but we stuck it out. I meant to check times so I could describe how long everything took but in the chaos of the morning I failed 🙂

I would probably still use them again but definitely stick to my plans of being to port early just in case they get backed up like this every time. It's one thing to wait to be picked up, don't make me wait to board 😂

Thank you all for following along with me as I rambled on for three weeks 🙂 Right now the countdown is at 300 before the next cruise 😮 but I will be sure to come back and post a link if I sail away again before that time (fingers crossed)! 

One other thing I forgot to mention, my mom's scooter.

She called about sending it back as it was still under warranty and she was asked to turn it on so they could hear the beeping sound it was making to try and determine the problem. When she did so, it worked just fine. My thought was perhaps it could not get a charge on the ship, but she did not charge it at home at all before turning it on for the scooter people. It seems to be working now but she does not really use it at home so it is hard to really test it out too much.

She thinks maybe she had a safety switch cut on. I'm not sure? Hopefully it was just an operator error and she will be able to use it in the future as I think it helped her enjoy her cruise a little bit more.

Service: 

I was happy with the service I got from my room steward. He was a little odd and awkward in the hallway but he did a great job keeping the room clean and fulfilling our needs.

I enjoyed our dining room team although my mom was no longer a fan by the end of the cruise. 

Service in other areas was always pleasant and while not as friendly as I have seen on other Celebrity cruises where you can't walk past a single crew member without a smile and hello, they were all still very friendly and I had no instances where I was unsatisfied.

Overall:

Despite the negative tone this wrap up still took, I really did enjoy the cruise. It did not have what I wanted out of the nightlife but I enjoyed the time with my mom and she seemed to also enjoy herself in her own way. I think the scooter helped with that as I could detect a shift in her mood after her day walking around Cozumel. I also loved the longer itinerary and the chance to really get settled into the ship a little better than you do on a week long cruise.

I am not sure I will have another Celebrity cruise any time soon though. I will be scaling back my cruising for now and so I need to be more selective. Nothing about the Celebrity product really jumps out at me and that is ok because there are plenty of options for everyone to enjoy exactly what they like. I would still like to try an E class ship, and the quick trips on Reflection to Coco Cay might be nice for a quick getaway. Celebrity is also moving to Port Canaveral soon, that would be a nice new option close to my mom although Princess is also moving there and I still have yet to try them. Other than those options, I would need to see a cruise "priced to move" in order to try them again but they will certainly be a consideration for a nice price and itinerary, and the Elite perks would be icing on the cake since refilling the mobile bar would be cheaper!
 

Entertainment:

Phew, I seem to recall saying I was trying to not be too negative in my summary 🙂 I'm not succeeding thus far, and this category is not going to change that tone. I think I touched on most of my points throughout the review but I do wonder where the fault lies here, Sue, whoever plans the activities, or the passenger demographic? 

I kind of feel like part of it is one of the first two. Looking at any given night, at 6-8 when this age group is enjoying their early bird dinner, there would be 3-4 musical acts performing as well as a show in the theater for the late dinner folks. This was very much a traditonal crowd that loves to do dinner and a show, or a show and dinner. 

Then after 8, there was literally nothing going on. I mean nothing, anywhere, except sometimes a movie outside and a sales pitch in the shops. This is the time most people are done with dinner and are looking to be entertained, and there is nothing going on until the 9 show.

Then the late show starts and the traditional dinner and a show crowd is happy. That is not me and it takes a pretty good show to hold my interest. So I would like to go see one of those musical acts, of which 3-4 were playing earlier, except none of them have an evening set except the party band and they don't go on again until the 10:15 party of the night. Occasionally another act would do a set at 11, I only went one time to check that out, and in fact the venue was empty and there was nobody playing. That might be on the crowd though, if nobody showed up maybe the band closed down. 

I have never really heard of ship performers only doing two sets a night, but if that is a thing, wouldn't it make more sense to stagger the sets? Instead of them all performing at 6 and 7, maybe half perform at 6 and 8, and the other half 7 and 9?

Most of the music was not to my liking so maybe I still would have been bored but I could attribute that to the demographic on board, by simply not having anything on the schedule at all, that feels like poor planning.

Most of the 10:15 parties were not to my taste, but some were more enjoyable than I expected, especially the St. Patrick's day party. The nightclub was dead by opening at 11:30 and they did not help matters with the songs they chose to play. By the end of the cruise nobody even bothered showing up. I would show up to an empty venue. The karaoke night I was not ready to give up and tried again at midnight, and they had actually closed down since nobody showed up.

I loved silent disco. Three times in 12 days was kind of poor compared to the three times on my six day Reflection trip, but still way better than the one time in 26 days on Carnival Magic.

Karaoke was an unexpectedly good time. That was a fun bunch. I wish they had come to the club. I went back down and they were all still hanging out there in the now closed venue instead of bringing that energy up to the club which was now also shut down since nobody came.

I think that was the general theme of this trip, it was meant for people in large groups who

enjoyed sitting around with a glass of wine enjoying each other's company. It was not really a group looking or needing to be entertained. I would have been quite content with a decent selection of on demand movies, even for a fee, but that was not on offer either.

If you love 50's and 60's music, this may be a great ship for you. Sue was trying to sell the 80's party (on the last night so I couldn't stay up for it) and started by asking how many in the audience were over 80. Thunderous applause. No wonder the music was not geared to me 🙂

She followed by saying  "and forty years ago you were listening to Freddie Mercury so don't tell me that you are too old for 80's rock." I wonder if they really were? My 67 year old mother was most definitely not 😂
 

Public Spaces and Cabin:

The ship was very well maintained for an older ship. I did not really notice any wear and tear that you would expect on a ship this age. The only issues I noted were the elevators which I previously documented and they seemed to be working again by the end of the cruise.

The other was the temperature inside the ship. It was slightly warm in many of the public areas. As I tend to run hot I would often think, ok it's not that warm, it's just me. Then I would walk into the next section of the ship and be blasted with cold air and go nope, this ship is a little too warm. The only spot that crossed "warm" and into "hot" was Reflections Lounge. During the daytime it was too hot to sit in there for more than a couple minutes. Then by the end of the voyage I went in there and it was an absolute ice box! So who knows?

The design of the ship was a little clunky. The biggest spot I noticed it was the pool deck and inside the buffet. Instead of buffet stations it was mostly one big line and no real clear start point so it was not uncommon for people to just butt in. On the pool deck you could not cross from side or the other without climbing through the pool area which was of course always slippery. Then there was the pool bar in the middle of the walkway on the port side that you had to squeeze past, don't bother trying to cut across because you will need to cross through the pool. 

That said, as there are not a lot of people onboard, it rarely felt too crowded but you can definitely see where ship designs have gotten smarter as they have increased capacities.

The cabin I can't really find anything nice to say. Other than the Majesty of the Seas, I can't recall ever having a more cramped stateroom than this one in all my travels. It was tiny and non functional at every turn. Very little storage space even considering how light I pack and I would not call my mom an over packer. The AC worked well, which is very important to me, so it did have that going for it.