IslaSarah

I was also on the 12/26 sailing and disembarked yesterday. It was only my 2nd Celebrity cruise, but I was a little surprised in the lack of variety of the shows and that there weren't any big "production" shows. NYE there was not a show at 7 and 9 like other nights, just a single 9:30 show of the same comedian from the first night, but I thought maybe it was because of other NYE festivities. The last night was a second set of December 63 shows that had played earlier in the week. I didn't see their first show but thought they seemed a little tired and under-rehearsed that night. 

The last evening I happened to overhear one of the activities staff telling other guests in a loud whisper that we hadn't had any production shows because several of the dancers where in *isolation*. So I think perhaps we had reruns because of unavailable performers and this isn't typical.

We’re boarding on the 26th so had to test on the 24th. I’m sure that was a huge testing day in general with all the travelers and people testing before gathering with family. I did mine at 12:30 am CST and had virtually no wait. My husband did his test at about 8 am and had about a 10 minute wait. Others on my roll call reported much longer waits later in the day. It’s probably worth thinking about when US demand might be high when deciding what time to test. 

With known covid and other illnesses among your guests, I don't think it's unreasonable to cancel in-person Christmas at this time not even counting your cruise concerns. No one wants to be the vector for spreading illness among their loved ones!

I did a 14-night Norwegian fjords cruise on HAL out of Amsterdam in 2019, and it was stunningly beautiful. We also lucked out with gorgeous weather, in the 50s to 70s F and sunny much of the time. My Iceland comparison was a land trip in 2016, I would like to go back to see more of that amazing country! I'm still working on a trips to Scotland and Ireland.

In your shoes, I'd lean toward the Norway cruise, especially since you have better opportunities for land-based trips to Scotland and Ireland (compared to me in the Midwestern US). However, I don't think you can go wrong either way!

You can see the Cellar Masters menu in the X app, if you search for a current or upcoming Reflection sailing.

How are you counting fully vaccinated? From Celebrity's FAQ: "Celebrity Cruises will require vaccine eligible guests to be fully vaccinated with all initial doses administered at least 14 days prior to sailing."

Since the vaccine was only approved in early November, no under-12s would have time for two shots at least three weeks apart plus 14 days post-second shot by November 26th. 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/faqs#testing-and-screening-faqs

I'm on a December 26th sailing and am hoping I'll be able to test at one of the local quick testing sites on 12/24, but want to have home test kits as a backup. However, I'm afraid to order since they all have the warnings that they may expire too early. I wish there was better availability!

How far in advance do you all send it in? This will be my first time claiming it, bought stock at the low point last March.

On my three Alaska cruises (though to or from Vancouver not Seattle), I've only been sick once in high seas when we were out of the Inside Passage into the open Gulf of Alaska. If you're not typically seasick in calm to moderate seas, I wouldn't risk the side effects for a drug to treat an unlikely problem. 

Thanks @sassyf. I'm booked in 4037 this summer and haven't been able to find any reviews about those 4 cabins with full length windows. From exterior pics it looks like 4037 is less obstructed than 4039, do you think that's true? 

It appeared a couple of days ago for my July Norway cruise. $9/day does seem to be the rate for Europe. Wonder what makes laundry cost more based on which side of the atlantic you're on.

I wouldn't bother with bringing special dish soap, I'd just wash it in my bathroom cabin using bar soap or shampoo. They're all soap!

Thank you for all the pictures and updates! I have to count down until July!

I usually book independently to save money and get other options, usually in smaller groups. We've ended up with private tours when we were the only ones in the group on a couple of independent excursions. It was a ship tour (a different line) a few years ago where the guide kept telling us we'd get extra time at each stop and in the end we only had 10 minutes instead of 90 at the beach because he'd gotten the all aboard time wrong.

I also like to know I'm supporting a local business rather than it being funneled through a huge multinational corporation. I feel like there's more opportunity for real interaction with locals to learn the truth about the destination when it's owner-operated or a very small company with smaller groups.

And think of all that money you just saved and can now use elsewhere on your trip.

I keep wondering if that's part of the psychology at work behind their program, that people will decide they saved money by not winning something they didn't buy in the first place, but instead splurge more onboard.

I'm sailing on the Navigator next week. I'd like to see the ice skating show, but tickets haven't been reservable online. Do I need to get tickets on board, or is it first come first served seating without tickets?