CDJcruiser

I am going to be traveling on the Brilliance of the Seas  next month on a 5-day itinerary and am wondering what night is best to go to Chops. My last couple of RCI cruises, I have had the Ultimate Dining Package, but this time we are only going to Chops one evening and eating in Main Dining Room the rest of the time.  I don't want to miss the tenderloin meal in Main Dining Room or any of the other better food items.  Any advice is helpful.  Thanks!

Celebrity offers an excursion option at Resorts World Bimini that for about $20 per person, you can have lunch off a special menu at a resort restaurant and an additional free drink.  Has anyone done this or does anyone know what is on the menu?  I am interested to know what the lunch food options are.  Having been to Resorts World Bimini before, I know the food and beverages are not cheap.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

I am very interested in learning more about both the Bimini port stop and the Puerto Plata one.  I am booked on this itinerary later this summer.
 

When in Bimini with Crystal last summer, there was a tram from the ship that made a few stops around Resorts World and the beach.  Did this happen for the Celebrity ship?  Also, there has not been an options online to book a day pass at the Resorts World Beach Club, only an excursion to Paradise Beach.  Was that offered as an option on your Celebrity Cruise?  Doesn’t the tram stop at Paradise Beach as well?

I have never been to Puerto Plata and am wondering if it is safe to go out on your own or if we need to book an excursion.  Most of the excursions that I am interested in include long bus ride (which I am not interested in).  I saw the beach break and have looked at the falls.

Thank you for any information you can share.

I am hoping to get from St. Thomas to St. John in June.  I would love to hear a report from the OP of how their trip to St. John went.  I am going to be on the Celebrity Equinox which docks at 9 and all aboard is going to be 5:30 pm.  In the past, I have taken the ‘St. John on your own’ excursion but as of now, it has not been posted on the cruise planner.

I am currently booked on an 8-day Equinox sailing to the eastern Caribbean in June.  When looking at the shore excursions on the Celebrity website, the St. John on your own excursion is not listed.  When in St. Thomas in 2017, my husband and I took this excursion and we were looking forward to doing it again.  For those of you who have sailed in the eastern Caribbean over the past couple of months, has this excursion been offered on your sailing?  Have they had to postpone offering this excursion?  If this is not offered, has anyone taken the red hook ferry on their own recently?

Thanks,

CDJCruiser

I would love to hear any feedback from anyone who has either stayed at the Warwick Paradise Island Hotel or has gotten the day pass there.  I am considering it as a day pass option while on a cruise to Nassau next month.  Thank you!

I was on the Celebrity Reflection last June.  When it was time to book a private excursion from LeHavre to Normandy, Overlord was full.  Overlord recommended Jonathan at All About Normandy and he was available on one of the two days we were in port. We were a group of four couples traveling together so we were able to fill his 8-passenger van.  He picked us up at the cruise ship and spent 10 hours with us.  We went to Sainte Mere-Eglise, Ponte du Hoc, Utah and Omaha beaches, and the American Cemetery.  We had a very enjoyable and educational day and would definitely recommend him.  The trip cost just under 1,000 euros, but when splitting it four ways, it really was a good price. You can find the website at

allaboutNormandy.com.

I am also going to be on that sailing!  This will be our 4th time on a Christmas cruise that stops at Key West on either Christmas Eve or Christmas (Enchantment 2017, HA Oosterdam 2016, Celebrity Constellation 2015). Everything will be open.  It will be festive and fun!  One of our favorite memories of Key West at Christmas is listening to music by a singer in a Santa suit outside on the deck at Kelly’s (now First Flight Brewery). We have cruised Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter.  Love holidays at sea!

When giving cash tips to ship employees when sailing in Europe, do you know they prefer being tipped in euros or dollars?  When sailing out of Florida, I always have $2 bills for bartenders, etc. I have been given different pieces of advice on this, and so I pose the question here.  Sailing on Celebrity Reflection out of Dublin in June. Thanks for the input!

My husband and I are going on the Celebrity Reflection in June 2019 with three other couples and the men want to play golf on our second day in Cobh/Cork while the ladies head to the Waterford factory.  Since we have an overnight in port, getting off the ship first thing in the morning will not be a problem and we are in port until 7:00pm that evening.  We have already looked into Old Head, but does anyone have any other suggestions?  Is there someone out there who has golfed in that region who may be able to answer questions?  Thanks in advance for your help!

Has anyone taken the train from Amsterdam Centraal Station to the airport?  We are staying at the Doubletree Amsterdam Centraal Station for 1 night after getting off the Celebrity Reflection this summer and it appears it is pretty easy to take the train rather than a cab.  Flight is at 11:00am.  Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

CDJCruiser

Thank you!

The itinerary from the travel agent says Dun Laoghaire but I will investigate that.

Does anyone have experience taking either a cab or the cruise line transfer from the Dublin Airport to Dun Laoghaire cruise terminal? I booked my flights today for my June 2019 cruise on the Reflection and declined the transfer from Celebrity. But, now that I realize the terminal is not centrally loacated, I am starting to doubt that decision. Any advice or thoughts on this subject that could be helpful is welcome. Thanks!

I went on this excursion while sailing on Celebrity Equinox last month. I loved this trip with the only downside was the amount of time spent on the bus to/from Bacalar. The description in the shore excursion guide said the bus ride was an hour but it was actually 90 minutes. There is not a lot of scenery to see, so I would suggest bringing a book or something to help pass the time. I slept on the way back. The bus was very nice and the tour guides were friendly and helpful.

We spent about 20 minutes at the fort, which also included a restroom stop. You then head to the resort where the pontoon boats are waiting and where you have lunch after the lagoon experience. We stopped at three different swimming locations. The first one you cannot touch the bottom of the lagoon, but the other two you can. It was challenging to get back into the pontoon boat at that first stop. There were people on the excursion that were not happy with the condition the pontoon boats were in and were not happy with swimming off the boats. That did not bother me. Once we finished the lagoon portion of the excursion, we had an excellent buffet lunch. The entrees included chicken fajitas and fried grouper. The guacamole was delicious. You can purchase beverages.

The excursion is expensive, but I felt it was worth the cost. We had OBC to spend, and used it to pay for the trip to Bacalar. I felt it was one of the best options for an excursion in Costa Maya.

Update....there was only one cruise ship in port on this day (Celebrity Equinox). The seas were very rough at the dock, and you really felt the ship move while it was docked. I had heard that other cruise ships skipped the port stop, but I do not know this as a fact.

We ultimately booked an excursion to Bacalar through the cruise line. It was awesome! The only down side was the 90 minute bus ride each way. The lagoon in Bacalar is fresh water and the water is stunning.

There were a lot of warnings about the seaweed at the beach in Mahahual. The shore excursions desk at Celebrity even offered refunds if you got to the beach and it was not to your liking. They did a good job preparing passengers about what to expect at the beach. Since we had OBC to use, we decided to spend our day doing something that did not involve the beach. We spent our time in Cozumel at Nachi Cocom and in Cayman at Calico Jack’s instead!

My husband and I will be in Costa Maya in June. Our ship (Celebrity Equinox) will be one of 5 ships in port that day. We want to explore Mahahual and then find a beach club/restaurant to hang out at for a couple of hours. Will we be able to play this by ear or will we need to make a reservation at a place like Yaya, Pez Quadro, or Tropicante? We will be going to Nachi Cocom while in Cozumel so wanted to take some time to explore in a new port for us as opposed to booking an all inclusive. With 5 ships in port in Costa Maya, will Mahahual seem super crowded? I appreciate your advice and feedback!

Does anyone know if Corona Light or Sol are on the menu?

Does anyone have a beer list from Maya Chan? Do they have Corona Light or Sol?

Hello all...This will be my second trip on the Equinox. Last summer, we sailed on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary and had a wonderful time. We are now going to experience the Western Caribbean on this ship. I have a question about shore excursions booked through Celebrity. We will have some OBC to use and would like to use it on an excursion in Grand Cayman and possibly one Costa Maya as well. Any suggestions? Are there particular Stingray City excursions that people have enjoyed in Grand Cayman? In Costa Maya, has anyone done any of the beach excursions through Celebrity? Or, is it better to go to one of the beach clubs on your own (I have read about Krazy Lobster, Yaya, etc.) Thanks in advance for your help!