CruisinNewb

We've been pretty loyal to Celebrity since we started cruising in 2008 and can honestly say we have enjoyed every single cruise we've done with them. Granted there aren't any amusement type venues like on Royal but since we aren't looking for that it doesn't make a difference to us. We always get a premium drink package usually as an upgrade to the classic beverage package. The food ranges from good to very good for the most part. Café al Bacio is excellent. The martini bar is our favorite place to hang out on the ship. There is a lack of nightlife on the ship as once the evening shows are done people tend to head back to their rooms. We do like to dance and wish the DJ's provided a better variety of music but we still have a good time. We are quite bit older but our 20 something daughters both love Celebrity. We will doing the Silhouette to Norway in July and I may be doing a live report so if I do I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about the cruise and the ship.

Thanks so much @kcmo74 for a great review. Alaska was our first and favorite cruise. Just for your info, we cruised 6 months after our Alaska cruise on Disney and our kids prefererd Celebrity to Disney. Our youngest though was 11 at the time and might have different opinions if she was still 4! We liked the bigger cabins and thought the food was better on Disney. The shows were far superior but of course all Disney themed. Hope you enjoy your next cruise as much as you did this one.

Our very 1st cruise was on Celebrity to Alaska with our daughters who were 11 and 14 at the time. Both of them had a great time. They joined some of the organized kid events and made some friends. The teen lounge isn't anything to write home about nor is the arcade. They enjoyed spending time with other kids their age, the shows and the times we spent in port. After that cruise we always gave them the option of traveling on Royal Caribbean where there are more kid-centric things to do. They always chose to cruise on Celebrity.

Certificate of Recovery is good for 180 not 90 days for cruises departing from a European port. https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/europe-travel-requirements

Thanks for posting both. I can see why you were hesitant to rely on the "wishy-washy" letter I don't know why your doctor felt the need to provide all the extra verbiage.

My letter of recovery from my physician was brief and to the point. It said: "Patient notified us of a positive home test. Patient had a PCR test performed at xxx with a positive result. He has completed the recommended quarantine period and is free of symptoms and cleared to travel. Please contact our office if you have further questions." The letter was on his letterhead and was signed, dated and stamped. We haven't had to use it on Celebrity yet, but it worked just fine with United Airlines when we return to the US from Switzerland last month.

Enjoyed your video. Well done! Glad you and your family had such a good time. The Reflection is a great ship. Happy Anniversary!

Thanks for the info. We are going R/T from Southampton- Norway- Southampton so no testing requirements until we return to the U.S. We took a Walgreens NAAT PCR test which United Airlines recognized as a valid PCR test when we flew back from Zurich last month so Celebrity should accept it as well.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/southampton-travel-requirements This seems to support the 180 day pre cruise date exception to testing.

Most of what I have read states a Certificate of Recovery needs to be accompanied by a positive test within 11 - 90 days pre cruise. I also saw mention that for cruises which depart from a port in Europe the period of time was 180 days pre cruise. On RCCL site it states the Certificate is valid up to 180 days pre cruise but then states the documentation (Doctor's letter and positive test result) need to be within 90 days. I recall reading 180 days on Celebrity's site at some point. Can anyone report their personal experience? Thanks.

Although AMA does include wine and beer at meals, the only spirits included were at happy hour. Our personal experience with the spirits on board the AMASiena were that the liquor selection was small and lacking in quality. If you are a bourbon or scotch drinker or you like "full proof" liquor you might want to bring your own on board. Have a great cruise!

It's possible and extremely likely that people who boarded the ship and tested negative were positive. Even if you took the test at the dock before boarding and 100% tested negative, there would still be people infected. Covid infection rates are up in many places in the US and worldwide. Many people have no symptoms. Tests are not 100% reliable and yield false positives and negatives. Masks are not 100% effective at preventing spread. People aren't masking when they eat or drink and will spread it. Not to mention other locations people can get infected before and after such as airplanes, airports, trains, taxis, etc. The list goes on and on. The expectation that some people have that if we all just do A, B and C no one will get it is not reasonable. Even if 10% of the passengers get it that is still 90% that aren't. The ship infection rate is probably very similar to many cities and towns in the world. We need to stop blaming, criticizing and finger pointing at others and saying if they did this, or didn't do that we'd be safe. If someone decides to cruise they are making a choice. The choice comes with risks.

I never saw any temperature checks done. Not even when we boarded.

On board the requirements were: Any time you were in transit, walking down the hallways, walking across a room or dining area you needed to be wearing a mask. The requirement was for a medical grade or N95 mask. The type of mask was not enforced. Some of the crew didn't have the "required" type of mask. Any time you were seated in the lounge, seated on the deck or eating or drinking, a mask was not required. In addition, masks were required if you were dancing. I would say that mask wearing compliance was 100% among the crew and about 95% among the passengers. The program said that masks were required on tours as well. The guides doing walking tours mostly complied. About 50% of bus drivers and bus tour guides complied. Most cruise passengers on buses didn't wear masks. Hope that helps.

Day 3 - Cologne One thing I forgot to mention last night was the entertainment. We picked up a guitar/violin duo along the Rhine, La Strada. They played beautifully. I them up and saw they played as a trio in 2021 but this year they were a duo. We left Amsterdam in the afternoon and arrived in Cologne about 2:30 the following day. Todays’s excursions were a choice between a Cologne Holy City Walking tour, a walking tour and Kolsch beer tasting or a bike tour. We opted for the Holy City walking tour. Each stateroom has two QuietVox audio devices which you bring on the tour. You sync each device by holding it up to the guide’s “lollipop” sign. They worked well although some devices wouldn’t function but usually the guide or the cruise manager had spares on hand. Each walking tour was broken up into active and regular. The active went at a faster (not fast) pace and left less time for photos at each stop. We had an enjoyable guide who took us through the streets of Cologne telling us of its history and showing us historical sites the most impressive of which was the Cologne Cathedral. It was an enjoyable tour but again too short. The tour was advertised as 2:45 - 4:45 but it ended close to 4:15. One thing I learned was that the locals there always order the local Kolsch beer in .2 liter classes. The larger sizes are for the “tourists”. Every time you order a beer, they mark your coaster with a black mark. Once you finish your beer they will automatically replace it and keep doing so until you place your coaster over it as a sign that you are done. Afterwards we explored on our own and visited the Hohenzollern Bridge where lovers initial locks, secure them to the lower railings and then throw the key into the Rhine river below as an expression of everlasting love. We returned to the ship for dinner and then headed out in the evening for a few Kolsch. The ship departed that late that night for our next port https://postimg.cc/gallery/GYGPFnX

To fulfill the US requirement for Covid testing a day before our flights home we plan to purchase several monitored tests so we can test the night before while on the ship. We already have the Surf internet package included. Does anyone know if that would have provide an adequate connection to do a monitored test? Thanks.

Day 2 Amsterdam We overnighted in Amsterdam. The next day excursions were either the Kuekenhoff which we had already saw, a canal cruise and tour of Amsterdam which we had also done and the Floriade which is one of the reasons we chose this cruise. The Floriade is a billed as a horticultural show which occurs every 10 years in a different site. Before our excursion we first had breakfast. Breakfast has been my favorite part of the dining service so far. There is a choice between omelettes, eggs to order, french toast, cereals etc. There is also a small cold buffet at the other end of the dining room that has yogurt, cereals and pastries. The chef or chefs must be working really fast because the time from me ordering to it arriving in front of me is usually under 2 minutes. They also like to garnish the eggs with lettuce with salad dressing which I found bizarre. I also had to tell the waiter I wanted more than 1 piece of toast. The coffee did flow freely. We boarded our bus for the 30-40 minute ride during part of which we saw the countryside and the guide gave a description of the Floriade. Upon our arrival we were escorted in by our guide and then given a few hours to explore on our own. There were some flowers displays (more inside than out) some garden sculptures of various materials and design and a cable car. It seemed more about sustainability than anything else. We toured through some of them and made the hike to the cable car which the guide had recommended. We took a leisurely walk, stopping to take some photos and made it there in about 20 minutes. The ride was ok and relatively short (less then 10 minutes) and took us near the river. We figured our way back to where we started and saw some displays (many were closed). We didn’t really have enough time to read the signs on the displays and it wasn’t really what we expected. After seeing Kuekenhoff, it was disappointing. Our favorite part of it was the greenhouse at the end with their floral displays. In retrospect, we would have skipped the cable car and spent more time viewing the nearby displays and greenhouse. We met our guide and returned to the ship. That night for dinner we had booked the Chef’s table which is a small dining room at the back of the ship which accommodated about 25-30. The menu is specially curated by the ship’s “executive" chef. Wines are selected to be paired with each course. The room itself is very nice. Big floor to ceiling glass windows, a view into the Chef Kitchen although we didn’t see too much cooking but more plating going on there. Since we were a group of eight, our table was right in the middle, away from the windows but I think most tables have a pretty good view. The presentations looked nice but unfortunately the food fell short. We started with a caprese salad. Two rounds of mozzarella cheese each the size of a US nickel with two tiny peeled cherry tomatoes. The appetizers were tiger prawns or I should say tiger prawn as there was 1 shrimp. It was butterflied so I guess you could call it two. The soup was good although I can’t recall what it was. My wife enjoyed her meat dish. She said it was very tender, very tasty and very small. For perspective my wife is 5'4 and weighs about 110 lbs so if she calls something small, it is small. My fish dish was not memorable. The staff looked put out that we wanted more bread. My table mate asked for a beer and was told him there was no beer available. Eventually the Maitre’D intervened and he was given the beer he requested. I guess my seat was directly over the engine as my water, wine glass and my chair were vibrating throughout the meal. I would recommend asking for a table near the window on one of the sides of the restaurant. One of two people at other tables were celebrating birthdays and they bought each a cake and served them not only to their tables but to the entire dining room. The cake was some type of chocolate and very good. Some of our friends retired to their staterooms after dinner and my wife and I and another couple headed to the lounge for some music and dancing. The piano/keyboard player also doubles as the DJ and was usually playing a good selections of songs. We always had issue with the music choices on our ocean cruises (how many songs by the Bee Gees can one listen to) so we were pleasantly surprised. Although masks were not required in the lounge, if you chose to stand up and dance they were required. We had a few drinks and my wife and her friend had a good time dancing. Let's get back to the bar. The bar is a small affair by necessity at one end of the lounge. I’m a bourbon drinker so I was hopeful that they’d have 1 or two good bourbons. I asked the bartender and I knew I was in trouble when he brought out a Tennessee whisky: not a bourbon. Ok ok bourbon is am American creation but hey, he is a bartender serving a predominantly North American clientele.The other two were both lower end brands. I tried one and that was the last bourbon I tried that week. I initially attributed the poor taste to that it was a lower proof bourbon than I was use to, but after I switched to vodka I had the same reaction. Each liquor I tried tasted either watered down or some other liquor than what the bottle was labeled. Now of course I can not state with any knowledge that it was and I’m not saying it was but I can tell you after 3 or 4 drinks, I felt liked I hadn’t drank at all. My friend had a similar experience drinking scotch. They only served two types of beer. Either bottled Heineken or Bitburger beer on draft. My friend is a beer drinker and after many beers he came to the same conclusion that I did. The pricing was reasonable but after several days I gave up trying to get any buzz from on board alcohol. So at 10:30 out came the “savory late night snacks” I was really looking forward to them because, to be honest, I left dinner hungry. Now at that point in the evening the lounge isn’t very crowded maybe 15 - 20 people. One chafing tray was brought out. The snack was, meat on a skewer. Not a shish-kebab but more like hamburger. A rectangular shaped piece of ground meat on a stick. Really? Now I’m a pescatarian so I couldn’t indulge but am I expecting too much here for there to be something a little higher end or slightly more variety? Maybe some cheese and crackers and fresh fruit? There was also some chocolate cake that looked remarkably similar to the cake we saw at dinner in the Chef’s table restaurant. https://postimg.cc/gallery/2BLtMjr

I like to post long detailed reviews as it helps me a lot when planning and I know some enjoy "coming along" for the trip. I'm always honest whether my comments are positive or negative. I hope you all take them in the manner in which they are intended: An attempt to be helpful and one person's opinion. Some background for perspective. I'm in my early 60s and my wife is in her late 50s. We've been ocean cruising since 2008 but this was our first river cruise. We were cruising with a variety of friends from late 50s to early 70s, everyone else with more cruise experience then us, and we were 8 in total. We had originally booked this trip for Summer 2021 but do to Covid and a recent move we rescheduled it to this time slot. Our friends picked a Rhine castle cruise and liked that we would also be able to visit the Floriade in the Netherlands and we agreed. We made our connection and traveled from Newark to Amsterdam uneventfully. We traveled on United and were required to wear masks on the the flight since there is still a mask requirement at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (as of April 25th at least). The Netherlands recently dropped their testing requirement so no pre-flight test was required. We had uploaded our passports and vaccination cards into United's travel ready system and were not asked to produce our vaccination cards on our inbound or outbound flights.. We cleared quickly through passport control and after an hour wait our luggage arrived. We purchased tickets for the train to Amsterdam Centraal Station at a machine located near the luggage carousel while we waited. We were waived through immigration without any checks or questions and proceeded downstairs to the train station. Signage was good and the train was there within several minutes. It was about a 15-20 ride to Centraal Station. We then had a short walk to our hotel, the Renaissance Amsterdam. Our rooms weren't ready so we spent some time in the lounge. We checked our luggage with the concierge and went for a walk with our friends. We stopped at Chocolaterie Pompadour, a small coffee/bakery/confection shop. It was a great way to start a trip as the pastries were superb. Our friends continued strolling and we continued to our reservations at the Anne Frank house. After our educational and emotional experience there we took a fun canal cruise nearby and returned to the hotel. Our first night In Amsterdam we dined at a small Italian restaurant called Momenti which was recommended by the hotel concierge. Very quaint with excellent service and even better food. Was a long day and we were glad to be back in our comfy hotel for a good night’s rest. On our second day in Amsterdam, we spent the morning on a tour of Zaanse Schans Windmills including a cheese shop and a clog making presentation. On our return to the hotel we learned that today was King's Day, a national celebration of the King of The Netherland's birthday. Everyone dresses in orange in homage to the House of Orange-Nassau, the reigning monarchy. An extra million people were in the city celebrating, mostly by drinking. Apparently the trash collectors had the day off because the amount of empty beer bottles and other trash throughout the streets were impressive. We were glad that we had a dinner reservation we made in advance on a recommendation of our travel agent at a fish/seafood place called Pesca's. Fortunately we gave ourselves extra time to navigate there as it took us 30 minutes for the 15 minute walk. A really interesting experiencing. You start by entering the restaurant where they give you a can of sardines with your table number on it. Then you are escorted to their “Theatre of Fish” where you select your appetizers, main course from the many different selections on ice. You proceed to the sommelier where you select your choice of beverages and then off to the table. It was a very unique and enjoyable meal. The following morning, which was the start of of cruise, we had booked an early excursion to Kuekenhof, also known as the Gardens of Europe located in Lisse. Beautiful collections of tulips which seemed to go on endlessly. I would recommend making alternate arrangements for a meal as the food there wasn't very good. After the trip to Kuekenhoff we collected our luggage from the hotel and took a short walk to the cruise port which was not very far from the Centraal Station. As it was already boarding time we simply left our luggage at the tent and proceeded onto the ship where they checked our passports and issued us our room key/ship ID. Our cabin was located on the Cello Deck or Deck 2. Our room had both a french and regular balcony. As this is a relatively new ship, everything was beautiful and in great shape. The room was smaller than our ocean cruise experience which we expected but we found we had enough closet and drawer space for the two of us. We had two large pieces of luggage and one carry on and we were able to fit it all under the bed. More than that would have been difficult. The cabin was comfortable if a little tight. The bathroom was large enough for us. The shower had both a waterfall head installed on the ceiling, as well as a spray head mounted on the wall. Both provided good pressure. There was plenty of hot water available throughout the cruise although occasionally the temperature would increase or decrease momentarily, probably when someone in a nearby cabin flushed or turned their water. It wasn’t anything more than a minor inconvenience. The shower looked brand new as did the rest of the bathroom. There was a small counter above the sinks for toiletries as well as several small cabinets underneath the sink. The shampoo, conditioner and body wash came out of pump containers in the shower. I forget the brand but they were sufficient. There were also robes available for our use. The bathroom has a window in it that you could make opaque with the flip of a switch. We didn’t use it. The rest of the cabin had a flat screen tv with remote that worked well. A closet with a small safe, an upper and lower bar to hang clothes and several drawers for storage. There were also small end tables next to the bed which held a lamp and several very small drawers. Since the attire was very casual on board there was plenty of storage for the two of us. We had a sliding door that led to a balcony with two chairs.The door was easy to open and worked well. There was a small alcove where there were two chairs and a french balcony. As we had the regular balcony we never used the French balcony except perhaps to sit when changing clothes. There was also two bottle of mineral water an ice bucket and a small refrigerator which worked well. The bed and bedding were comfortable. The ship itself was beautiful. I would say the decor was more sleek and modern and colorful. Off the main lobby was the main dining room if you walked down and the lounge if you walked up. The lounge held a piano, plenty of seating with couches, chairs and chairs with table toward the front. There was also a bar (more on that later), a coffee machine serving various coffees, lattes, macchiato, hot chocolate and a good selection of teas. The lounge served as the central hub for tea, entertainment, ship wide gatherings etc. The seating was plentiful and comfortable. There was also a very small dance area. Outside there was seating on the deck and more seating on the top deck. The top deck had chairs, lounge chairs, tables both in the sun and shade. There was a small pool with 4 bar stools and a “swim up” bar which was not open. I didn’t see anyone in the pool as the high temperatures were mostly in the 50s and 60s. We got changed for dinner and proceeded to the mandatory safety drill in the lounge. Listened to our Captain, Cruise Director and Hotel manager and then proceeded to dinner. We were a group of 8 and as soon as we entered the dining room we were escorted into one of the wine cellar rooms on both sides of the dining room that can sit 8. It was a private quiet space that perhaps pre covid they used for events? There was a large wine fridge in the back and a large oval table with some small windows that worked well for our group. We met our waiter and were handed menus. Rather than give a review meal by meal I will just say this. The food was okay. In addition to the selection for that meal there was an everyday menu. Steak, chicken and salmon. One of my stablemates got the steak 5 out of the 7 nights and another got the chicken almost every night. For the most part it was nicely presented, it just wasn’t very flavorful. The portions were usually small as they are on a cruise ship, river or ocean. The fish dishes all tasted the same to me. Supposedly they ran the gamut from trout (they liked trout a lot) to salmon to a red snapper like fish but I cannot say any of them wowed me. Other than a shrimp and a mussel for the appetizer one night, there was no other shellfish that I recall. My wife who ate meat every nights. said her meals were good but not great. Deserts was their strong points, especially the ice cream. We chatted for a little while after dinner then headed to bed after a long day. More to come. Sorry but I couldn't figure out how to embed the photos in the post. https://postimg.cc/gallery/Bn9kT1Y

On our cruise they didn't say BUT: I noticed several cabins receiving room service on the last day of the cruise after the offered Covid testing. This was unusual as I don't believe they offer room service. So my "guess" would be, yes, there were people who tested positive. My guess would also be that if you took a random sample of 125 people out in the general population several would also test positive.

We just returned from the AMA Siena Enchanting Rhine cruise Amsterdam to Basel. N95 or medical grade masks are required while transiting public areas on board. The reality was that people wore any type of masks, including cloth masks. The only time I saw the mask mandate enforced was when people went to the breakfast buffet. That said, most passengers complied. We were told masks were required on tour buses. The reality was that most people didn't wear them and it was hit or miss whether the bus guides did. On walking tours al the guides we had wore them. The staff on board always wore them. Masks were not required on the non Ama tours bus tours we did in both Amsterdam and Zurich.