mrgabriel

So even less of a deal then! I definitely can’t drink $1100 worth of booze in a week. Even when drinking only my fav Chablis.

I noticed this when I booked yesterday. OV was $1,319 ($CAD) pp. AI was over $2,400. I know that gratuities are includes (so $300 pp) but almost $800 for drinks and wifi? I always do a calculation of the cost and for us (E+) there is no way we get $800 value out of the AI deal. We already get drinks over happy hour, coffees, laundry, and 240 min of wifi. If a friend asked, I'd tell them to spend a few minutes doing that calculation. I know that some people enjoy being completely carefree on vacation and not worrying about the cost so for them, there's value. I just can't see myself drinking $800 worth of drinks.

We have not seen a repeat of the evening performance but more than once there has been a 'variety' show with all of the performers doing new pieces. Usually on one of the final sea days.

And it's part of their job! If they don't want to be stuck with the chore of talking to passengers then there is always the option to captain a cargo ship 😜 PS - never found them stuffy. They were always a lot of fun with plenty of laughs. Yes, there was often someone who was out to impress everyone else at the table but it was the same when we all ate at tables of 8 in the MDR.

I don't understand the hand wringing. It's absolutely corporate spin and a PR exercise and I never thought it would be anything else. I agree with @canderson that the marketing intern should have thrown in a line that they're going to improve training/communications/blah blah blah. And same Marketing intern should be preparing a report that tallies up all of the questions so that perhaps one day in the future they'll get 5 minutes attention in an executive committee meeting. But why are people so upset about this? I know that we all feel ownership of the brand (as I said in my question which was answered with corporate speak) but we are not owners - even if we're shareholders. If you don't like it - the answers or the way the ships are being run - then we have the option to book elsewhere.

Thank you! I was about to pull the trigger this afternoon. Appreciate the head's up.

We have had a semblance of afternoon tea in the MDR on longer cruises. Sandwiches, scones & sweets were served. No three layer trays.

And you didn't need a beverage package to partake - lol

You're not going to get an Oceanview or Balcony cabin next to an Inside cabin (like this) on Celebrity ships. BUT you can get Balcony cabins that have doors like this with an exterior door that closes off so you can move between the two cabins without going into the hallway. Here's one (old) thread with some info:

I suspect the CC hostess had something to do with it at least a couple of times. Never hurts to be pleasant to whoever you encounter!

Inside cabins are going to be across the hall from Oceanview. There are no cabins without windows on the Oceanview/balcony side of the hallway.

And you can edit out as many wrinkles as you want! 🤣🤣

We've been on 5 cruises post-pandemic and there are far fewer photographers. Last cruise we had pictures taken in restaurants about 3 evenings and nothing else. There may have been one in a port or two but their presence is nothing like it was 5 years ago.

It really depends on the sailing. We have been on cruises when they could barely seat all of the AQ guest and we heard the hostess tell Suite guests 'NO' several times. It's AQ's dining room so AQ takes priority. EDIT to add for those who question why there wasn't easily space for AQ ... tables sitting for a long time and chatting with neighbours.

I think the Captain's Table disappeared when they went to anytime dining. I haven't seen one since maybe 2016? We have been fortunate enough to sit at that table about half a dozen times. It was never in recognition of a birthday or anniversary, we usually just spoke to someone who thought we would be delightful company (hahahahahaha). Seriously, no idea why we were invited. Once it was because we were travelling with a couple that was staying in the Penthouse Suite.

The biggest perk for AQ is Blu. Take full advantage of it and have breakfast and dinner there. We usually also request to sit in the same server's section. Ask your stateroom attendant to bring you your bottle of sparkling wine on a day or evening that works best for you. Enjoy the Persian Garden whenever you like. I find that pre-dinner is nice. Likewise, sign up for your free workout classes early because they get filled up quickly.

Thanks for your review! We are on the Connie in September and will be visiting several of the same ports. And we'll also be in Rome - which we haven't visited before.

No wrist bands for me. I pick the jewellery I want to wear and it isn't an elasticated band ...

If the price is right, we would always pick Aqua simply for Blu. But we’re now comparing prices and if AQ is more than $300 pp more then we’ll go with a balcony and specialty dining. The only time we really use the Persian Garden is on TAs when the weather is wet and cold.

I appreciate the response from @Laura Hodges Bethge We’re invested in Celebrity & hope to have many more wonderful holidays in the future. Also appreciate Celebrity taking the time to respond to questions.

You can pull up available cabins on some websites (which we can't mention). But that's not foolproof because there's a domino effect if someone in Concierge moves up to AQ or a Suite. It's a throw of the dice!

It's only the 17th ... someone in Public Affairs is still probably vetting answers.

Like others have said - it varies. If there are a lot of cabins available on your sailing, you'll likely get notice sooner. The one time we were successful we received a notice about 10 days before.

I think you may be able to but will let others give a more definitive answer. What I can tell you is that you can get everyday favourites at Blu (Caesar Salad, French Onion Soup, Escargot, Grilled Chicken Breast, and I think Grilled Salmon and Sirloin Steak).

There's an old adage that is VERY true and I'm paraphrasing here. If you have a good experience, you tell one person. If you have a bad experience, you tell ten. And that's SO true when it comes to reviews of restaurants, hotels, and cruises. If someone has a complaint, they'll scream it all over the place. If someone is happy, they might mention it to their mother. They're likely not going to post it on Tripadvisor. We have not sailed on Apex but did sail on Ascent at Christmas. And we've sailed on Celebrity about 23 times. Sailing on a Celebrity ship is not the same as sailing on a smaller ship like Silversea or Oceania. But you're going to be paying about half the price. Except for one sailing on Solstice last September, we have always been very pleased with the service, the food, and the ship. And even on the Solstice sailing, we didn't walk away feeling like we had a terrible time. We don't like the infinite balconies so we prefer the older ships. And if my sister or my boss or a stranger asked me if they should take a Celebrity cruise, I would say yes.