marieps

Celebrity is SOOO much easier than RCCL in this regard.

We rented a car (free shuttle from port to airport to get it) and drove to Volcano Nat'l Park. Ran into the ship tour, but got the impression we had more freedom and more time being on our own. We saw no ship tours make it to the Holei Sea Arch, which was stunning. It's an enjoyable drive down to the ocean. The steam vents and the main caldera were also impressive.

It was Paul Baya. He went on vacation November 17.

Just off Regatta in Papeete. I thought Paul was a very good CD. Visible and pleasant. His trivia in Regatta Lounge was entertaining and very popular. His production staff did an outstanding job doubling as the cruise activities staff. Anabelle, Mark, Channing, Alex, Jamie and Kendra were enthused and vibrant. You will enjoy them when sailing Regatta over the next few months.

How 'bout the Benita? You seem to be charmed.

Curious as to why not the Magna. We just booked her for 2021 as that schedule just dropped two days ago. She seems stunning.

That's a riot.

We were on Edge in March. It was 6:30-8:00. You didn't mention whether you're talking about a voyage in Europe or the Caribbean.

We are regular AQ S class cruisers. We always sail forward, starboard side, under the hair salon (On Reflection it's on port). Cabins more mid-ship have two negatives for us...deck chair noise and the overhang. Also, be mindful of port side forward on most S class, as you may be stuck under the Aqua Spa, which is known to have clanging pots at early hours. All that being said, if you have never sailed AQ before I'd say Blu and the unlimited PG access is worth any risk of noise.

Try posting in the sailing's roll call. As I see you are new to our Cruise Critic family, here's a link to help:

We chose to pay $550 for flts we wanted. We got ATL-SFO non-stop the day before cruising (we NEVER fly day of departure). We also wanted to delay our return from PPT to ATL for 5 days as we were flying ourselves to Bora Bora post cruise. The credit they offered to book our own air throughout was way too low, so we bit the bullet.

We are first timers in a Concierge A-3 on regatta in November. I just learned on this thread that level gets three bags of free laundry. Thanks for the tip. I also read on the O website that there's free pressing upon embarkation. May I assume there's a limit of a few garments per passenger or per room? Thanks for any info.

We booked in advance at Park N Fly 2200 NE 7th Avenue. SO EASY.

Thanks for the advice. We are Elite Plus on Celebrity, but as this is our first O cruise we have no loyalty built up. We do have a Regent cruise in our history. Perhaps that is reciprocated? In any event, we view beverage packages as a convenience, not just a "cost saving." Having once sailed Regent, being able to walk up and order whatever and not worry about each nickel and dime has an appeal for us.

Is the taxi stand by the rock outcropping still busy, or must we walk to the bikini beach stand to cab back to the ship?