BACON227

4 minutes ago, Texed said:

 

I am not trying to be argumentative, but I have to disagree with you.  The umbrellas have a pulley system.  You have to lift up on one side to access the rope.  There is a slot to secure the rope while you tie the rope at the bottom of the pole.

 

But, I do not suggest folks not do it themself.  While I was securing the umbrella, one of the pool attendants came to assist.  They probably knew I didn't know what I was doing.  😂

You must have had different umbrellas, there was no possible way for the passengers to put these umbrellas up.  See the earlier posts that agree with me and pictures posted to prove it.

17 hours ago, zitsky said:

I'm sorry, really.  I had to stop at the umbrella story.  I've only been in Retreat once so I'm not a frequent cruiser.  These umbrellas?  Were they that complicated and unsafe that you couldn't just reach up and open it yourself?

I'm guessing you didn't spend much time on the pool deck during your one time in the Retreat.  If you did you would know that the passengers are unable to open the umbrellas themselves.  The only way to get the umbrella open is to ask a pool butler.  They then bring a crank that they attach to the umbrella and then open it.

I'm more than capable of opening a pool umbrella and if I was able to I would have done it myself.  Now that I've cleared that up for you feel free to read the rest of the review.

Let me start off by giving some information on my cruising history.  I have sailed in the Retreat 7 times, have done the NCL Haven Twice and the MSC Yacht Club once.  Our Retreat experience has always been fantastic, until this sailing.  I took the same exact cruise last year and paid half of what I paid this year.  What did I get for double the price, no butler (When I reserved the cruise it was advertised I would have a butler), was told that the two bottles of Evian water that were in our cabin on embarkation day were all we got for our 10 day cruise, and pretty much non-existent service on the Retreat Pool Deck.

Let me start with the Retreat Pool Deck, on our previous Retreat experiences you pretty much never had to leave your chair for a drink.  On this cruise over the course of 10 days I was maybe asked if I wanted a drink by a server a half a dozen times.  For the most part, if you wanted a drink you were bellying up to the bar like your were on the regular pool deck.  My wife loves the umbrellas on the Retreat Pool Deck.  On our first sea day we had two chairs with an umbrella in between.  I asked one of the pool attendants if they could open the umbrella and was told that he would check to see if it was allowed.  Within a couple minutes the pool attendant returned and said that they were not allowed to open any of the umbrellas.  I bought to his attention that not even 5 feet from where we were, a couple had their umbrella open, his response was "yes" and he quickly walked away.  I'm guessing that the couple that had their umbrella open must have been staying in a higher category suite than we were, if you book an entry level Sky Suite prepare to now be treated like a second class citizen.  We spent our day in St. Lucia onboard.  We went up to the Retreat Pool Deck which was pretty much empty.  I asked another pool attendant to open the umbrella and was told that all the umbrellas were broken.........................but you don't say, the couple that had their umbrella open (obviously not in an entry level Sky Suite) on the first sea day again were enjoying the shade of the umbrella.  At this point I had enough and went to the Retreat Lounge to speak to the concierge.  Within minutes of speaking to the Retreat concierge a pool attendant came and opened our umbrella.  Why did it have to be that difficult, when you pay the price for the Retreat you expect top notch service, it was far from that.

On our first night in Luminae there was nothing on the menu I wanted to eat.  On our previous 7 Retreat experiences filet mignon was not on the menu, but was available every night................so I asked for a filet mignon, I was told that Filet mignon was not on the menu.  When I mentioned that on our previous cruises it was available every night, the waitor answered, yes we stopped that a few months ago.  Again more cuts, but alot more money out of my pocket.

This was the first time that we did not book another cruise while onboard.  I'd be willing to pay the high Celebrity prices if the experience was the same as years past, but Celebrity has now cheapened their product all the while sending their prices through the roof.

Will I sail Celebrity again, probably not.  This experience left a really bad taste in my mouth.  I will be spending my money elsewhere.

Does Celebrity care, I'd have to say no.  Does Celebrity actually read the surveys at the end of the cruise, I'd have to say no.  It's been nearly 3 weeks since I submitted my review of my sailing.  I simply put in the comments section, this is probably my last Celebrity cruise, if you care to know why please call me and I provided my phone number, I haven't heard from anybody.  Deliver a message to Celebrity, do not book their cruises anymore.  My experience in the MSC Yacht Club a few months prior to this cruise was far superior than any of my Retreat experience for less than half the price.

You've been warned, now take a stand!!!!!!!!!!!

I am also on the current Beyond sailing in The Retreat. With nearly 100 cruises under my belt, about half a dozen of which has been in the Retreat, I will no longer be giving Celebrity my hard earned money, and I’m saying that only half way through the ten day sailing.

The price has doubled and the quality of the product has plummeted.  I will be composing my own thread of my current Retreat experience, and it’s not good.

Thanks for all the responses.

Anybody have an answer...........we leave tomorrow.

Can anybody advise the type of spinning shoes needed to use the Peloton bikes onboard the Beyond.  More specifically do you need the Peloton shoes and clips or will regular spinning shoes work.

Thanks for any answers.

2 hours ago, sidari said:

We sailed on the Inaugural Seaside sailing out of Miami in one of those Aurea Aft Suites as they were then called on Deck 14 on the Starboard side, the cabin was great with lots of storage space with great views from inside and outside the cabin. These ships are the only ones sailing that have a Seaview from the bathroom when the door is open via the ceiling to floor narrow window. The bridge above was never an issue though the ladies should be sure to wear trousers or jogging bottoms while standing on it LoL. The only downside was the window washing machine is anchored on Deck 14 but to be honest it did not spoil the view.

Thanks

8 hours ago, thespartyof3 said:

Just returned from a 2 week sailing on the Seaview in the same type of cabin (2 adults + 1 toddler)… we loved it. We booked on board for the same suite for Christmas/NYE on the Seashore.

 

Room itself is larger then a standard balcony. There is a long hallway in the entrance of the cabin (which was great with a toddler who likes to walk around) and much larger bathroom. Balcony was just amazing… great views. Always usable even when the ship is at sea. No issues with noise. Great location…. Next to aft elevators with easy access to the buffet/pool decks. 

Aurea benefits kinda suck now. For us, having access to the Top 19 deck was nice but could have lived without but the My Choice dining really helped with a toddler.  

 

Thanks for the info

12 hours ago, Gatrcruzer said:

This is one of the videos I watched: 

 

The Seaside is the same ship class so I think it will be nearly identical on Seashore.

Thanks Gatr

13 minutes ago, Gatrcruzer said:

So, awhile back I had been looking at booking one of those staterooms, and did a bit of research. I was able to find Youtube videos that were super helpful (check the other ships in class - it is a similar set up), including one that had a full review. It did not seem that the walkway was an issue. The bigger issue could be the pool area below. I had some concerns about overlooking that area rather than directly out to sea, but you do have the side balcony. Overall it looked like a great stateroom, and if we had gone on that ship I would have booked such a stateroom. I believe the higher the deck the better off you are. 

Thanks Gatr, I'll check out the YouTube videos, I was thinking the same , higher deck would be better, it looks like a really cool cabin.

37 minutes ago, Gatrcruzer said:

Which ship?

Sorry, that's a little important.....lol, Seashore

Can anybody post their experience with this category suite.  Are there privacy issues as a result of the see through walking bridge above.  Pros\cons of the cabin itself, any info will be greatly appreciated.

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We had a suite on the Equinox in August with the better Wi-Fi stream package and I found it terrible to impossible to watch FUBO or Prime on my tablet, not sure your firestick would work any better.

Fingers crossed, maybe it will work.

5 hours ago, hoklun said:

On the remote, press the CC button, then Menu, scroll down to support, scroll down to source list, and u can choose HDMI, or Bluetooth audio input. The HDMI doesn't need to be plugged in on on before doing the above. 

 

If you have a Samsung Andriod with Andriod 12, u can also hotspot your wifi connection (good for re-sharing the premium with multiple devices), or get a mini travel router. Wifi hasn't been bad on this cruise, even with the surf one (we have 1 surf, 1 stream). It's only the ping times that were high (but to be expected with satellite internet).

 

Side note, the mens change room for the gym/spa had the door ajar to the steam room, rain things, and loungers on the multiple occasions I went to the gym. 🤔🤐

Thanks for the info…….hopefully I will get it to work!!!!

On 1/11/2022 at 3:25 PM, hoklun said:

On this sailing as well. Both sides of deck 6 aft seem to be closed off for quarantine rooms. Deck 8 forward also is out of bounds. Haven't heard any announcements, but it may be more for staff from the week prior rather than guests (the activity manager (Kate?) Seemed to be sick after her first day. Hope she's doing well).

 

Mostly everyone wearing masks and social distancing (except for a couple who decided to sit right next to us at the theatre without masks and started to cough away). Staff at showtime also seemed to individually social distance with each other. 🤷 Maybe scared of contact tracing and having to quarantine?

 

As for TV/HDMI input Jim_Iain's instructions worked. Press CC button (hear gibberish), then Menu button. Thanks!

Hoklun, my wife and I will be on Edge back to back boarding on 1-23-22, can you elaborate on using the HDMI input on the TV, would love to bring our Fire stick with us, thanks for any info you can share.

Thank you, how about the mini suite showers?

I have not sailed on the newer ships in the fleet and was curious to know, has Princess, in particular the Regal, upgraded the showers from the attacking curtain to the more modern glass doors?

Thanks for the replies. Glad to hear it is still offered.

Does anybody know if your elite status still gets you the coupon for a free wash and fold of thirty items.

Awesome.....Thanks for the answer

Leaving in a few hours.......can anybody answer this?

Does anybody know if the FlyWheel brand bikes are used for the spin classes?

Was at the right of De Palm pier and was nice and quiet at 9:30 AM by 12 it was a zoo so we left.

Would love to know what hotel the person went down to and found chairs being rented. I would not do this area again, over the last 20 years it is just a mass of bodies.

It was from a vendor in front of The Occidental

We were at Palm Beach 2 years ago and were in the vicinity right of the RIU. It had a big dropoff into the water (hard to access and leave). Also was crowded. How close is Eagle to Palm by bus? It sounds like we would like this better. Less crowds, cleaner water along with shade, chairs and bar nearby? any thoughts? thanks.

I don't believe it is very far. The bus I was on was going to Palm first then to Eagle. The driver made it seem like they were close. When we were at Eagle there were chairs and umbrellas for rent and places for beverages. I will definitely be going to Eagle on our next stop in Aruba.