TeaBag

Silhouette, since it has the Lawn Club Grill.

23 minutes ago, jwlane said:

You'd be surprised how much one can stuff into it.

Especially if you roll the items tightly.

We have sailed on Celebrity for 29 years with a few other cruise lines in between.  We began to feel the decline when Celebrity introduced the AI pricing.  Someone is gong to say you can book cruise only.  I haven't found it for Aqua class.  I also dislike the way part of the ship is only accessible to suite class (Retreat area).

Lowering the standard we have become used to (yes even the TP someone wrote about) and raising prices chases us away for now.

We have enjoyed Celebrity in the past on our 35 cruises but we have no more booked.

We loved Azamara in July and have 3 more booked.

On 12/30/2022 at 8:17 AM, Aardvaark said:

Next cruise Quest Spice Route, Singapore to Athens.  If it weren't for some accumulated airline points, airfare would be more than the cruise.  Humph.

We will be on the Spice route cruise with you.  I agree with the cost of the airfare.  We booked our non stop Vancouver to Singapore end of Nov and got an email the other day that the company we booked through has gone bankrupt.  We phoned Singapore Airlines and they told us we are fine as our tickets were confirmed before this happened.  I hope they are right.  i am nervous too, abut those 16 hr flights as I'm positive my grandmother died of DVT. 

We are really looking forward to transiting the Suez in our aft cabin.  We have only sailed on Quest so far.  We have two booked next Dec on Journey, Singapore to Perth B2B with Perth to Melbourne.

We have been cruising Celebrity for nearly 30 years.  The TP in years gone by was always acceptable.  I think this thin scratchy sandpaper is a cost saving measure.

It was always in the room, on ice, in AQ class (concierge too, I think).  It disappeared when the AI was introduced.  People who have the beverage package don't bother about it and it becomes another saving for the cruise line.  However, if you do ask for it, it will be provided.

I agree that the TP is thin ply.   We have thought of packing our own.

Yes, crazy.  Aren't you glad you nabbed the lower price.

Happy holidays to you.

Welcome to Celebrity TravelingCircus.  I don't think the majority of people on Cruise Critic are whiners and gripers.  I have been on this site for some time and I have learned a ton of things from the posts of others.

So, what are the benefits of boarding early?  If you want to take pictures of this beautiful ship it will be less crowded.  I love the way you can go to your cabin and drop off your hand luggage (they didn't use to do that).  Then you can go to the Oceanview cafe and being among the first on the ship, you will have no trouble finding a table.  It does get very crowded as more people board.  

If you want to make reservations for a speciality restaurant, your chances will be better for booking. I was told once that they keep 50% of the capacity for people booking on board.  i don't know if that is still the case.

At the end of this cruise you will belong to Captains Club and you will be Classic.  You will get 3 points/day for your sunset cabin which, by the way, is a great choice.  Sitting looking at the wake is mesmerising. I would go to the Captains Club host and ask her about getting your Captains Club numbers.

Your husband should contact Celebrity and ask to be put on the email list.  My husband is not on the email list and it doesn't seem to matter, he gets his points the same as I do.

I wish you a great cruise and many more to follow.  if you book on board for the next cruise, there are perks.

You might be interested in this live review of Beyond by stealthdog.  I hope I can post the URL to save you looking for it.

In Sept, we had to stop in Calgary and board a bigger plane for our flight to Gatwick.  No more non-stop Vancouver to Gatwick.  Goodbye WestJet.

We got off Silhouette Nov 3 and the only rough seas we encountered were between Southampton and Lisbon where it is often rough.  This was a TA and was quite smooth.

As for Blu, we love lamb and order it whenever we see it on the menu.  I would say the menu was varied with lots of good entrees.  In all the times we have eaten in Blu, we have never ordered from the MDR because we feel it is more work for the waiters and they work hard enough.

I don't know where you are coming from but if you live in the US, everything in Vancouver will be 40% off since the CDN $ has a brick tied to it at the moment!!  If you are flying in, you could stay in the airport area or Richmond at more reasonable prices.  Just make sure your hotel is close to the Skytrain which will take you right to the pier.  if you ride it from the airport there is a surcharge of $5, I think.  Even still it is only $8/pp to the pier.

Hope you find something that pleases you.

People rave about the Fairmont since it is right at Canada Place.  The Marriott is walkable from the pier.  Pan Pacific is right at the pier, even closer than the Fairmont.  It would help if you gave a little more info re your budget etc.

We are not prone to seasickness but great to know the aft is smoother.  We have 7116 booked for 3 cruises and can't wait.

We are early diners also and we line up hoping to get a window table.  Our last cruise there were 3 couples who must have come down really early and they took 3 of the 5 window tables.  That left only the two on the banquettes, (where we usually sat) one at each end of the room.  We did get the same waiter who remembered us from another cruise.  I would think if you came later, your chance of getting the same waiter each night would not be so good.

We had to cancel a B2B 28 day cruise a month before sailing.  We had insurance through the cruise and we got back every penny.

2 hours ago, jelayne said:

Chiming in!  I went to Al Bacio to get my guilty pleasure Carmel Macchiato and a muffin.  The good news I will gain less weight on this cruise than.  The bad news the muffins have been downsized, as have the donuts and danish

 

The solution to the muffin problem is easy, Jelaine.  Just have two!!

Congratulations on your first cruise, mhoffrob.  I hope you enjoy it so much that you book another while on board to get the perks of booking on board.

You can have the pastries free at Al Baccio without buying coffee.  The almond croissants, lemon tarts and fruit tarts are amazing.

Bon voyage!

Great picture.  Who looks after kitty?

What a lovely story!  Isn't it wonderful when people (like your bus driver) go out of their way to help.  I think those are the people who enjoy their job instead of just putting in the hours to receive their paycheck.

Glad your cruise ended well.

You guys are too funny!  I would think the reason there is no deck 13 is that no one would book a cabin on it.  Whereas with lifeboat #13, life would be in danger and no one thinking about options or superstitions.  May we never have to use one except for tenders.

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Duhhh..   Your are of course correct.    Where is my head this morning.  I need to pack you in my suite case to keep me organized.

 

 

Packing does that to you Jim and the more you pack, the worse it gets!😀

So there's a new Louise Penny out?  Our local charity book sale started today (60,000 books, old/new, hard cover/pocketbook $3 each) and I'm not there as I have viral pneumonia.  So glad we don't have a cruise booked till May.

I'm still reading and enjoying your blog.  Your pictures of Tenerife were so different from what we saw because we didn't go on a tour having been there before.  We loved Madeira and would love to go back and maybe get better weather. It would have been so nice to get a good picture from the peak but we were socked in like you.

Me too.

I was interested in a cruise from Japan that had the yellow banner over the verandah category advertising "balcony for an inside price + OBC".  When I clicked on it I just got the usual verandah price + the OBC.  I phoned them and the response was that it shouldn't have been there.  I do wish people would pay attention to their web sites or honour their mistakes.

Bon Voyage Jim and Iain.  i am looking forward to your comments about Mexico as it is a destination that has never interested me so maybe you can change my mind.

Wonderful that you can throw away your glasses after cataract surgery.  Same thing happened to me 5 years ago after wearing glasses for 40 years.