Good afternoon all, just found this site. My wife and I never took a honeymoon as young poor newlyweds, then kids, blah blah blah, so I booked us a 6-night cruise on the Equinox in October ‘23 for our 15th Anniversary. We have one of the veranda rooms with the larger veranda. It seemed like a reasonable ‘splurge’ for the room without going too big on our first time. This will be the first cruise for either of us. Well, kind of. I’ve been Active Duty Navy for 15 years, so I’ve done plenty of long cruises, but I assume this particular one should be a little different than what I’m normally used to. I’m reading through the posts and enjoying all of the great information. I do have a few questions, though.
1. ‘First Night’ discounts for dining? Is there any reason not to choose this? The only option I found to book Murano was on the first night. We also booked Tuscan for the 5th night.
2. Ages? I hear that Celebrity trends older, and honestly, this is a reason we chose it. I’ll be 40, she’ll be 38, when we cruise. We are NOT looking for a spring break style atmosphere full of passed out drunk 20-something’s, but still a lively but laid back atmosphere and good drinks.
3. Smoking. Yes, I know, bad habit….but hard to quit. We both do, but don’t like to offend others that don’t. Where can you smoke onboard? Specific areas? Our balcony?
4. Tipping. We booked the indulge package that said all gratuities were included. Is that everyone? Room attendant, waiters, bartenders, everyone? If so, is tipping extra common? We both worked in the service industry before beginning our careers and want to make sure we are tipping well (but appropriately).
5. Dining times? Pros and cons of scheduled v. anytime? We chose anytime…but I’d like to hear the negatives of choosing that.
Thanks in advance for any and all advice. Looking forward to it, and will continue to peruse these boards in the meantime.
