blueslily

On 1/21/2024 at 10:56 AM, pjhootch said:

I started this thread a year and a half ago and I am still hoping a dive bar pops up somewhere to replace Calico Jacks.  In the meantime, we have been to "Public Beach" many times and it is a lovely way to spend a day.  It can be crowded, but that is the nature of going on a cruise ship.  It is a cheap/safe group cab ride from the cruise tender port.  There are always plentiful cabs picking up at the beach to go back to the port.  There is always someone there to sell beer.  It used to be a guy with a cooler.  Now it is a bit more permanent.   If cruises are in port, there will be drinks available.   I will be back in GC in a couple of weeks am going to try Coral Beach for the first time.  But all the cab drivers know where to take you if you say "public beach".

 

Hello, how was Coral Beach? Do you recommend it more than Public Beach?

I'm currently on Ascent now as well. Awesome ship. No significant noises. In an SV. A bit of rocking earlier in the cruise so I got a bit concerned about noise at night (based on comments here). Luckily for us, no noise issues at night so far. Today is smoother sailing so far. Looking forward to a great day at sea to explore the ship more. 

On 1/26/2024 at 3:04 PM, pfdaxe358 said:

They recently raised their day pass from $110 to $160pp. OUCH!

Oh, I was looking forward to this option u til this price was posted. No thank you. 

Same question. Any8ne do this recently? You can also call Blue Lagoon directly. Thier number is on their website. 

2 minutes ago, hcat said:

The Cap Club Welcome Party was in the morning..Cruise Director Luigj is a ball of energy and the Capt is so clever and personable.  They gave out awards to outstanding staff.. And recognized top Cruise Couple..double Zenith!

 

It was a lovely party!

Wow, a morning welcome party. Is that a norm? 

8 hours ago, paulh84 said:

 

I do not have the right answer to solve the problem but if that's the intent it just seems to be creating more inconsistency and frustration. Our cabin neighbors did not know of the butler changes and were not very pleased. Her last cruise was when Butlers had been renamed Personal Retreat Host. On day 1 she was wondering why the Retreat Host was dressed so casually then learned they were really just the Cabin Attendant.

 

They have gone from Butler to Personal Retreat Host to Retreat Host to Head Butler now (maybe?) back to Butler but only for some people. More communication and a clear expectation of who does what role is sorely needed. Until then it's back to the cheap rooms for us and I'll save my $800 per day. 

Man, an extra $800 per day is just mind boggling to me. I would definitley nit pay that either.  I'm with you on that. Just a waste of money. 

I hope that the Awaken show returns this week. On the prior cruise, they said it as canceled due to technical issues. I hope those are fixed so you can enjoy the shoe this week. 

16 hours ago, cj_one2000 said:

Well back before they had that service fee we’d just order a small plate of cookies or a sandwich something, not a large order. It made sense no fee and tip generously back then. Now they charge that fee for room service, of course you’re going to see people order a lot of food 😩 it’s the way people are when they are charged for something they will make the most of it. 

Oh, I was saying that prior to the fee, we would see folks ordering a lot and not eating it. So, high amounts of food waste. The amount of ordering and plates left with lots of uneaten food seems to have declined since then as some folks refuse to pay a fee for ordering so they don't order.  But, yes, I get it. If you do order and pay the fee, some folks will choose to order a lot since they had to pay a fee. 

Similar to what some cruise lines reported about midnight buffets. Lots of food waste. 

Thanks 

2 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

I use the “CruiseMapper” app. It lets you pick a ship and find its current location. 
 

It’s also good for checking itineraries or how many ships may be in a port on a given day. 
 

Also, couldn’t get any info on when Blue lagoon excursions may be offered again. 
 

mac_tlc

Thank you! 

26 minutes ago, cj_one2000 said:

In recent years, the charge for room service food. Prior to RC’s change to having fee, we would tip generously when our order arrived because there was no fee. Then the service charge came along really made us cut back on late night treats. I read reviews that although the room service menu expanded a bit with the service charge, it really added up with gratuity on top. Reviews that had that bit included also complained that the complimentary late night food options were slim so the pressure to pay room service charge was greater when the only other option was pizza at Sorrentos. 

I think we were in the minority that thought that it was fine to add some type of fee for room service so that folks would stop being so wasteful with ordering so much food and then not eating it. The amount of food we used to see on plates in halls was crazy. I'm not a fan of a high fee, but just something that would reduce thoughtless ordering just because it was at no extra cost. 

Now, we are in the camp with folks that are saying hey, that's enough raising of prices overall (on everything), hahahaha. 

9 hours ago, jelayne said:

We are in a SV on this cruise so I’ll a few comments related to the non suite experience on the Ascent.  
For those of you have had sailed on a E class where the chair was to high to fit under the desk/vanity that has been corrected and the chair fits nicely.

 

The small round stool that’s top switched to a hard surface is gone.  There is no place to sit a cup or glass except the desk or nightstand.  
 

We have ate in the MDR on 6 of the 7 nights, service has been excellent.  On night 2 we went to Normandie and had an excellent waiter, assistant waiter and sommelier.  We have returned to Normandie and they have served us every evening.  The food has been 85% excellent, 10% very good and just 1 dish that was a miss.  
 

I was very concerned by the changes to the wines under $17.  It hasn’t been a issue, we tell our amazing sommlier Windy what we are ordering and she has found some very nice wines with no upcharge, so there more options than those on the by the glass list but not in large supply.  1 we enjoyed on night 2 was gone by night 5.  
 

We have sailed exclusively in suites since the restart and booked this as an unplanned (unbudgeted)  cruise.  We downgraded our upcoming TP from a Suite to a SV as with the changes we didn’t feel the suite price was worth it.

 

We are now looking forward to our TP in a SV.  
Another comment- for those who like movies there are 21free on demand movies available.

Thank you so much. We will be in a SV next week.

Did you have any noise issues in your cabin? How was the uncovered part of the balcony?

We are so excited. This will be my very first aft balcony for my birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 

13 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

I little congestion on the commute this morning, as we round the west end of Cuba.

 

 

 

But a great picture of the moon!

 

 

 

Thankfully the ships are not as close as the first picture might indicate!!!😂😂😂

 

mac_tlc

Looks like. How can I access this also? 

Have a great cruise. We will board in one week foe a special birthday cruise as well! Enjoy!

On 1/25/2024 at 12:48 PM, laura.merks said:

Has anyone put wine in their checked bags boarding in Fort Lauderdale?

Same question. Hoping for some responses specific to Ft. Lauderdale. Thanks

Fun reading. Boarding the Feb 4 sailing. Will look for your hats 

9 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

I have a mission for the day!

@hcat, @countess5, @blueslily

 

I will try to get you some answers!

 

mac_tlc

Thank you. 

Hello, if you are willing, will you please ask the Excursions staff about the status of restarting the excursions to Blue Lagoon. We sail Feb 4 on this beautiful ship, and I would really like to go. My heart goes out to everyone impacted in November. My understanding is that the investigation is complete and Blue Lagoon is open again. But, it's still not in the Celebrity planner for booking, and I have called and the folks say they haven't heard anything. I'm just wondering if staff on the ship have any information to share as I guess folks are asking about their cancelled Blue Lagoon excursions. Thanks so much!

9 hours ago, twangster said:

On a Radiance cruise a few months ago the HD was talking at top tier.  He mentioned some of the challenges with getting things fixed in dry docks.  He specifically mentioned the broken or water filled windows in the Solarium.  They had requested funding to have them fixed during a dry dock but he seemed to suggest that corporate was denying some of these types of requests around the ship.  

 

I don't think it's safe to assume even basic guest area maintenance is a sure thing any more.

Wow! Why would they deny that? Goodness.

12 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

We have sailed on Enchantment and Vision several times in the past two years, and have had none of the issues mentioned here.  No complaints at all, and three more booked.

Thank you

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

 

It's a combination of the Martini bartenders doing their tricks along with a light show using the chandelier synchronized to music. It's less than 10 minutes on other E-Class ships. 

Thank you. I was looking forward to seeing what that's all about during our first Celebrity cruise in 2 weeks. I hope they do it sometime during our cruise.

5 hours ago, kruzerci said:

I hate to see this because I love the older ships, but this is on par with our last experiences with Royal. It is very disappointing and disheartening because they used to take such pride in their ships condition. The food I agree has become unacceptable also. 
 

I am surprised they offered anything- they are well aware of all of this and based on this being the norm for their older ships now, they don’t care. They’re betting on a new clientele with apparently next to no expectations or standards. 

Which other older ships look like what was shown in the posted pictures? Thanks so much!

What is the Martini Bar Light Show? 

Thanks!

It's past Jan 15, has anyone received any recent notification from Royal? 

1 hour ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I'm not sure what you're questioning.  EVERY item for sale is priced as high as the seller thinks will get the most profit.  If things don't sell, the price goes down.  Economics 101.  

Economics 101 is not what I was questioning. Have a great evening. Take care. 

Has anyone on any cruise line received any updates? I called Celebrity and they had nothing to report for an update.