FTLcruisers

We just got off the Majesty on Friday and we booked one of the caba-nettes which are now $50. We thought it was worth the money for a couple of reasons - most importantly my husband needs the shade. But we especially enjoyed the peace and quiet of the area - no kids running around, no bartenders passing by pushing drinks. Like anything else that costs extra on a cruise, it is personal preference on what is worth spending the money on. We are going on the Oasis in April with family - which includes 2 small children - and are going to check into getting a cabana on Labadee.

Marianne

We went to the Chef's Table in July on the Allure (and paid for it) and it was wonderful. Each dish was excellent - I don't drink wine but my husband enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the soup and salad so kind of surprised those 2 items were your least favorite.

Marianne

What a great review! And I actually did learn something about some of the ports we will be visiting later this year!

Marianne

Would that apply to any ship? I am also overnighting in Venice the day before disembarkation. My TA is trying to tell me he's seeking permission from RCCL for us to get off at 6:00am the morning of disembarkation so that we can get our (pre-arranged) ride to the airport for our 9:40am flight. I'd seen others say we could come and go as we please, so I went ahead and booked that flight thinking that we could get off at whatever hour we wanted. I told him I didn't think we needed "permission" since we'll be docked overnight, and I'm sure since we'll be docked overnight other folks will also have an early-ish flight. I could be wrong though...

You normally don't need permission to do self-disembarkation. Not sure how early your ship will start that process.

you can come and go as you wish....you do not even have to return that evening if you don't want to! Enjoy Venice - we'll be there in September.

If so inclined to not deal with the "breakfast crunch" for breakfast, another phenomenal choice is to go do Blue Heaven at the corner of Thomas and Petronia. AWESOME Benedicts, and other breakfast items. They open at 8, and there's often a wait...but definitely worth it. Leisurely breakfast, then you're good to go for the wander along Duval.

Blue Heaven gets my vote too! Its only a short walk from the ship and it is just an awesome place to have breakfast. By the time you walk there and eat, places will be opening up.

We are sailing Jan 23th on HAL Noordam on a Smooth Jazz Cruise - although its a cruise, its really not about the ship or the ports (although we'll enjoy both) but all about the music! Can't wait. Last time we did one of these we were up to 2 AM every night and needed a vacation when we came home.

8 days until cruise but only 3 days until we leave for a few days in Barcelona pre-cruise!

One thing to keep in mind when going to the specialty restaurants is that the cost is not just for the food -- it is also the tip for the waiter. When we were on the Solstice in February, our waitress in the Silk Harvest (Asian food) told us that of the $25 charge, she got half. Without the extra charges, there would be no way for these servers go get tips.

I think threads like this show exactly why the cruise lines offer so many options - in dining and activities - not everyone likes the same things or are willing to pay the same prices. The best part is that if you don't want to pay extra fees, then you don't have to. Options - that's what I like.

The only thing "special" about NCL's speciality restaurants is that they specialize in one specific type of food. The food and service in Celebrity's specialty restaurants are well worth the money. Also, not all are $35, some are $30, some $25. We loved Tuscan Grille.

make sure you get signed up for the Captain's Club on Celebrity. You can go to their website (celebritycruises.com) and you'll be able to see the entire list of benefits under the tab Captain's Club. I think perks used to be better on RCCL but are now better on Celebrity.

Marianne

We're on the cruise with you - we did a late Nov/early Dec TA in 2008 from Barcelona to Miami. It was very chilly in Barcelona and the first few ports (take into account we are from South Florida so anything below 65 is chilly :D). But I have to agree what was said - layers is the way to go - bring some short sleeve shirts, a sweatshirt, jacket and you're ready for the trip. We were in t-shirts and shorts towards the end of the cruise.

Marianne

hmmm... Not on our Solstice in Feb.

We were on Solstice for the 2/14 sailing and we got the champagne, towels and water/punch mentioned here.

We'd done over 50 cruises and for the first cruise ever actually looked forward to the noon announcements. I agree that his introduction of officers was hilarious - better than the late night comedian! Hope we see him on another Celebrity ship (we'll be on Connie in November).

Deck -

We just got off the Solstice this morning and were in cabin 1229.

Cabin # - 1229 - deck #10

Class – concierge

Starboard or Port Side - port

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – bath

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) –

nice quiet cabin

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. –

this cabin is at the beginning of the bump out on the ship - the bump out prevents you from seeing the back of the ship but that's about it.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -

we thought the balcony was a little larger than the one next to us because of the angle but we could be wrong

Was wind a problem?

it was windy on a few days but not so bad that we couldn't sit out there

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem?

Any specific problems with this cabin?

Any other comments?

cabin is located very near the library - not sure if that was why it was so quiet but we never even heard people walking down the hallways. It was a great location - very close to the elevators.

here is a site that somene created for Celebrity Solstice and they have copies of the Celebrity Today newsletters from their Caribbean cruise.

http://web.mac.com/thecruiseguys/The_Cruise_Guys/Solstice_Information.html

And some of us have no choice. We originally booked a flight on Continental leaving Rome around 1:30 PM -- well, guess what - with all the changes going on with airlines (eliminating/consolidating flights) we now have a 9:50 AM flight with non-refundable tickets. So, we're not happy but we are dealing with it by getting off the ship early and using a private driver to get to the airport - found some folks to share the ride and cut the cost.