goofysmom99

See post #653.

Celebrity may not be paying attention to these boards, but Virgin certainly is. Good marketing.

It isn't only price and cuts driving me to other cruise lines. I wish Celebrity weren't so committed to 100% bathtub/shower combos in suites below royal. The tubs eliminate suites as an option. And I want a "real" balcony so there goes E-class and its better MDR food. That leaves few choices = Silhouette or Reflection and their three specialty restaurants. Sure limits itinerary options. All those things have led me to booking two other lines. BTW, are there any other suites on an X ship with a walk-in shower, other than 6145/6 on M-class? Are the Deck 12 sky/aqua suites on Refection all the bathtub combos?

Was just now checking Crystal and my goodness, they certainly have some interesting itineraries. I haven't given up on Celebrity altogether but am limiting future cruises to Silhouette or Reflection, in that order, and opting for specialty dining. Have you cruised Regent?

One of the things I suggested to X a few months ago was to have an omelette station in OVC in the evening. They'd probably need several.

Good choice if for no other reason than the Lawn Club Grill (my favorite).

Please do post about your experience. I'm still the chauffeur for two more cruises, but hoping to try Brightline for a spring TA. I'm really sick of the drive, one-way car rental, and always looking at "free parking" in hotel search.

Mine have always arrived hot and once I receive it, I dump it into an insulated mug. If I have lots of OBC, I'll buy one on the ship or prebuy as a gift. Otherwise, I take along a Yeti tumbler (it's an eBay knock-off so no stress if I lose it).

Not so far but I was already a zenith the first time I tried. I'm sure that helped. They may say no next time, too....then I'll ask for a fried egg, a slice of cheese, a meat, and make a breakfast sandwich. 😉

Since I have celiac, oatmeal isn't an option (but I make it a lot at home). Good luck with the deconstructed eggs benedict.

Every cruise line handles GF well in their dining rooms, giving you a menu the night before. Enjoying a hot breakfast in my cabin is something I look forward to when I cruise. One of the things X does very well (and I don't) is poached eggs. I can write-in two slices of GF toast, poached eggs (write-in to not put them onto the toast), a breakfast meat, and ask for hollandaise on the side. Then I assemble my jury-rigged version of GF eggs benedict for breakfast on my balcony. While I don't do that every day, I do order something hot every morning. It's my cruise indulgence. Being able to have GF hot breakfast from room service will make/break my cruise line choice. Although I'm not charged for this on X, even if I were, I'd still order it. And that, among other things, is what I'm busy researching on other cruise lines. (Not available on Princess.)

For room service breakfast? Eggs?

Huh?

Not giving X the courtesy of any notice in advance of the final payment date.

I'm stuck with upcoming Nov cruise (dreading MDR food for 16 nights) which was booked solely to use up $1000 FCC that'd been hanging around for two years. In 2024, four cruises booked on X = two (Feb/Mar) are set in stone, one in Apr could go either way (only $100 deposit and air is with miles), and a really iffy one in Nov. If I take the Apr cruise, it will determine if Nov is worth the money and/or effort. I probably should book something else for Nov (refundable) as a spare. For 2025, Celebrity is out and I've booked one Regent and have another on hold today. Meanwhile, continuing to research HAL, Cunard, Azamara, Oceania, Explora Journeys, Seabourn, and Crystal for more 2025 options. One of my primary considerations is whether a line can handle a gluten-free room service hot breakfast. X still does that pretty well and it's what made Princess a no-go. I did like an earlier poster's suggestion to just let X cruises with $100/$200 deposits lapse rather than cancel....if I decide against Apr and/or Nov cruises, I plan to do exactly that (but will let my TA know).

The few land-based resorts I've tried have not served "mess hall" food. BTW, back in the day, I was a Food Service Officer in the USAF and the food we served was significantly better than the current MDR menu quality.

Maybe Michelin Man starred. Your Greek lunch at Zizi looked wonderful!

There are a lot of zeniths who now agree, myself included.

Celebrity's new, current (cheap) menus are now a gluten-free minefield (a whole lot of pasta, breading, couscous, semolina, etc.). I just looked at MDR Night 7 of a current M-class cruise = Turkey Parmesan (spaghetti w/marinara sauce), Rigatoni Boscaiola, Toasted Israeli Couscous Cake, Steak Dianne, and the three classics (BTW, the beef classic is now Grilled Flank Steak). Carnival's menu certainly looks to be many steps above.

For now, I haven't cancelled any of my five Celebrity cruises. My next cruise, a 16-night TA this November, is paid for. The two immediately after that are locked in stone with friends. The remaining two in 2024 have nonrefundable deposits (one $100, the other $450) and my upcoming, long cruise will determine whether I take/cancel one or both. It's all up to Celebrity.

I would be reading the reviews from the main review section for late July and August cruises on the class of ship you'll be sailing. That's when the drastic menu and service cuts began. I've taken 14 Celebrity cruises over past 2 years but my experiences are meaningless. I want to know what's happening NOW. The few folks who've reported here on the main X board about cruises over the past month have not been very reassuring. I'm certain what the onboard experience might have been as recently as June is no longer valid in September. I just took my own advice and read the first four pages of Celebrity August reviews. Ouch.

Alternatives to Celebrity include many different-sized ships. I've found this particular thread to thoughtful, helpful and refreshingly "unsnarky," for the most part. What a change of pace from the usual comments we see.

If passenger #2 is a no-show, you're fine. And the port fees are refunded. (I've been traveling solo for 15 years.)

As everyone has mentioned, the only menus that can be remotely trusted are the ones for current cruises. When is your cruise? The Silhouette's current cruise menu probably isn't as accurate as other S-class ships because it's sailing out of the UK (some different entrees and sides). Try checking the current 8-night Equinox cruise which began today. I just perused the MDR dinner menus for all 8 nights....wow, I'm really depressed.

Especially on ships without access to that dessert.