Morgsmom

Those of us traveling on the Equinox on 2 Jan (Monday)just got emails or texts regarding "intestinal illnesses" and "enhanced sanitation" at turnover.

Can anyone on the current sailing comment? Thanks in advance.

Wow, I didn't know that you could pre book select dining. I just did the same thing. Wish that "X" had made that known earlier but happy to have that option.

Hum, that's a hard one to answer. If you are flying in the day of the cruise I'd go with Fort Lauderdale as the airport is only 10 minutes and a $10-$15 cab away from Port Everglades. Pt Canaveral is a GOOD hour away from MCO airport and has much more expensive transfers.'

Tampa is also an easy port, however cruises out of Tampa are generally limited to just western Caribbean and the cruise lines don't usually put their newest/nicest ships out of there.

If you are flying in the night before since you will be coming from the snowy north, you will have to stay overnight, in which case a night in Orlando might be fun, with a drive to the port the next day. Or some folks drive straight out to the Cocoa Beach area and spend the night there.

Our first Celebrity cruise is next week but I will say that Disney does an OUTSTANDING job. Food, service, kid's programming is all top notch. As PP indicated they also do a wonderful job segregating "adults only" areas and programming.

Castaway Cay is a GREAT private island, again with a separate adults only section.

Biggest reason we've had to pull back is the pricing. We've been doing 2 or 3 "mainstream" cruises a year for what one on Disney would cost, even with FL resident discounts.

Oh, no, this is most upsetting... we leave on Monday on the Equinox. We have the Classic package and were going to upgrade onboard to get better wines. (The liquors in the classic package are perfectly fine for us). But if I paid the $140 extra I would expect to be able to find the "premium" wines that are listed.

I understand the statement about the sommelier in Luminae, but the cruiseline has more than made up for the $$ of the wine with the cost of the suite.

So the question is to upgrade or not. We have plenty of wines that we enjoy, but I agree that a KJ does not belong on the premium package.

Loved it!! Especially the "good mornings"!! Thanks so much for posting. We'll be on the Equinox next week.

Nice that you had a good cruise and want to tip extra. Many workers deserve more than the usual tip. Give them the extra tip out of sight of other workers. That way they might be able to keep the tip. If you tip them within sight of other workers, they must turn it over to tip pool. Be discreet.

I don't believe that this is correct unless you have removed your Auto Gratuity. Anything ABOVE that can be kept.

And the # of school aged kids really depends. A lot of schools don't start back up until Jan 4th so parents might keep them out for the few days of "overlap." Others won't. No way to know.

I'm happy to read this. DW and I will be in Falmouth in October. Part of the reason for choosing the itinerary we did was because DW REALLY wants to see the falls. We recently found out she is pregnant and will be around 22 weeks when we cruise. When looking at the excursions through the cruise line, they all say pregnant women should not do the excursion. Hearing someone else successfully did it while pregnant helps a lot! :)

From my perspective I would NOT do it while pregnant. I did DRF with my DD when she was about 8; I am 5'2" and was probably around 110" at the time. It was all that I could do to keep both of us upright while getting knocked around quite a bit by the water and I consider myself a strong mama bear. I would not do it personally while pregnant, but everyone has their own choice to make. I would certainly consult your OB before booking.

Travelling to falmouth Jamaica in Janurary and thinking of doing Peat Taylor's Tubing and Blue Hole excursion. I will be travelling with my eleven month old, will this excursion be difficult for my daughter and I.:confused:

You will NOT be able to do either of these with an 11 month old.

Look at either Pete Taylor or Coutney Taylor. They are both reputable.

and a new Hard Rock is opening in Montego Bay this week!

thanks for the live notes!! love it.. and it looks like we will bring on our own bottle of Dom!!

Ok, I regretfully disagree. Just got off the phone with the mis-nomered "Customer Service" who once again LIED TO ME directly to my "face" about the smoking areas sometimes changing. In short they said "tough luck, you lose" in no such words.

So hubby and I are now out a LOT of $ or we face being locked inside our balcony while others enjoy their "right" to smoke right under us.

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE X. Never again.

If there are any open cabins in your category, you can switch with no issue.

Unfortunately the ship is completely sold out. Lesson learned. First and, perhaps, last Celebrity cruise.

Thank you for confirming. I am now, officially, dreading my upcoming cruise. I wish that X had put such information on deck plans. Yes, I probably should have done better research. (thank you for those who will flame). This is turning out to be a disaster when it was supposed to be lovely.

OH MY GOSH.... so glad I found this thread but unhappy that the "1A" cabin we were assigned falls into this category. I called X but they can't confirm if the smoking area is, indeed, under my balcony. I am HIGHLY allergic to cigarette/tobacco smoke... Unfortunately the ship is sold out. Let's see what they say.:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

I've seen people take way too much smoked salmon on their plates from the buffet. I would rather that it be served from behind the buffet so that the ship doesn't run out (which I have along with bacon).

Ah, yes, the bacon brigade... When we were on the Fathom Adonia this summer there was an attendant serving smoked salmon "roses" (rolls) to combat such hogging of the yumminess. I think they did a good job of deterring those who fill their plates and don't eat it all (my #1 pet peeve)

I bring a battery operated tea light and put one in the bathroom at night. It glows enough to see when I need to get up in the middle of the night. It weighs next to nothing and packs easily.

 

Monica

I now do this, too! a 2 pack of the battery tea lights (your choice of flickering or steady) can be found at the dollar store.

Other life savers for me: pop up hamper, a few kitchen sized garbage liners (to separate dirties on the way home) and a few gallon sized ziplocs for excursions (to hold wet bathing suits, sweating water bottles, etc.)

Is this a common onboard offer? It's our first Celebrity cruise but I'd be enticed to plunk down some $ to book another cruise whilst onboard if this were the case.

wow! I didn't even realize that there were different room configurations with regards to this. May I ask how one might determine (in advance) how your stateroom is set up?

You will not be able to order a martini from the Martini Bar but the other bars have a small martini which should fit into the $8 limit.

 

However, for just $11.80 per day, why not upgrade to premium? You don't have to think what is or is not covered. Spending a few thousand on your cruise - another hundred or two isn't going to make a difference. The cruise is not a time to cheap out.

 

Enjoy life!

The more I read the more I think I'm going to upgrade Hubby to the Premium and I'll stay on Classic. That way we can "take turns" if we want something higher end.

So this will be our first "X" cruise and we do have the Classic Bev package. From what I can see of recent posts the wine selections are almost non-existant (from one post I see only one Pinot Noir under the price ceiling in the reds.) So here are my questions:

1. how many drinks can one guest get at one time? meaning, can I send Hubby with my card, too, and he can get 2? or can he order 2 with just his card?

2. which goes to the 2nd question, can only ONE person upgrade to the premium package? (see also, question 1 :rolleyes:)

3. and lastly, if we each order the same glass of wine at dinner will they just bring the bottle? or do we have to play the "where is our server" dance?

thank you in advance

yay for you! thanks for all you do

:eek::eek:This is why I plan every inch of every vacation we take! If my hubby booked us a room with bunk beds, he better be able to buy them and take them to his future home, because he certainly wouldn't be coming home with me!!! :D:)

rolling on the floor laughing....

I've only done one solo cruise and did have a challenge with the dining situation. I would up booking the specialty steak restaurant for 3 nights on the cruise because they took such good care of me. for the other nights I joined the traditional dining table that had been assigned to me with 5 other solo cruisers but it was TERRIBLY uncomfortable. We had very little to talk about and they thought that the incredibly delicious Indian Vegetarian entrée I selected was "smelly." To each his own :)