keesar

19 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Memorial Day and Fourth of July might be good times to watch for a good flash sale.

We have been lucky at those times in the past.

There is a flash sale thread you can follow on here.

Gee, I just got an email saying they are having the biggest sale of the year now. Better not wait. 😃

21 hours ago, hcat said:

rooftop  lawn by day is often taken over by picklball on some ships..plink plink plink..

I  thought rooftop was near Sunset bar?

Yes, the Sunset bar is just around the corner.  Was empty there as not especially attractive as compared to newer E class ship.  

On our Apex cruise, the only way to get rid of the plinkers was that the Activities Staff removed the net so we could eat peacefully at the RoofTop.  

Some of the equipment is located in the closet.  If you need specific items, then ask your stateroom attendant.  Worked for us on Apex and Ascent.

9 hours ago, TequilaJane said:

Seems a bit dramatic.

Agreed that it is an overreaction.  There is an easy alternative.  If one wanted to avoid the casino, then travel on another deck.   No big deal.  

57 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Curious, what did you like about the Apex  vs the other E class ships.  We have been on the Apex once and enjoyed it.  Just didn’t WOW US.

 

We like the Beyond and Ascent better than Edge or Apex, mainly because of the changes to the Sunset Bar, adding plunge pools and LeVoyage plus the enhancements to the Retreat.

I agree with you.  Beyond and Ascent have incorporated improvements to the other E-Class ship.  Besides the Sunset Bar and others you mentioned, there are improvements in the Craft Social and Martini Bars.

7 minutes ago, bubbachief said:

I agree. I won't sail on a E class ship due to the infinite balcony and won't pay for a suite. Have close to 50 cruises and a outside balcony is a must for me.

I also would also stay away from E class.  For your first experience, I would get a balcony on an S-class ship such as Silhouette or Reflection.  We have been on all classes and would lean towards S-class for you,

My favorite was Julie McCoy.  😀

3 hours ago, cruisegal40 said:

The price dropped on mine. However, the website won't let me purchase. It is grayed out. 

Now that is one heck of a sale!

On mine, there was FREE Premium Internet.  It was FREE until you to check out and the cost appeared.  No sale.

On 3/28/2025 at 4:47 PM, GORDONCHICK said:

I can't believe it's been almost 29 years since we were last on X!  Anyway, we are booked for a cruise in May on Reflection and don't plan on any specialty dining (that could change).  I would love to hear what's always available on the MDR dinner menus.  I'm somewhat of a foodie and kind of adventurous as is DS (24 by that time).  Hubby, not so much.  DH would love nothing more than shrimp cocktail, french onion soup and steak every night.

 

I would also love to hear your favorite dishes from the MDR.  Like I said, it's been a while and we are looking forward to it!

 

And before anyone suggests the app - there aren't any MDR menus there.  Yes, there should be, but this seems to be a problem specifically with Reflection because it szeems to work for other ships.

There was another thread not to long ago asking for favorite  food items.  You should do a search and read those responses.

2 hours ago, RhondaC said:

We’ll be in a 7-night sailing at the end of September. Which nights are typically the “chic” nights?

I see there are 4 main dining rooms. If we have a set dining time (early) will we be assigned one of the dining rooms for the entire sailing?  Would it be possible to try the others?  Or would we need to book Celebrity Select dining to try them?

The Chic nights on Beyond are typically 2 and 6.

Just show up where and when you want to eat on Beyond.

You will be able to view the menus in the App and order what you want in whatever dining room you are in.  Easy.  

25 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

My thoughts are that an SV and specialty dining is better than Aqua if the price is right.

 

The two tops in Blu are too close together...  Good if you want to have a group dinner.  Not so good if you want to pay attention to your DW.  The food and service in Blu are good.  I would be happy with better seating.  On our last Aqua cruise we ate in specialty dining on most nights.

The 2 tops were not close together on Apex in Blu.  The seating on the Reflection was really  too close.

46 minutes ago, RICruisegal said:

We are planning on hitting the beach as early as we can in Aruba - we dock at 8am. Then get back to the ship for an afternoon tour which is listed for 2pm.  Is that the time you need to meet for your tour or is it a half hour earlier than that? Just wondering if we should do a morning or afternoon tour. 

You will receive instructions on your ticket in your room.  It will tell you what time to meet and the location.  Our recent tour said to meet 15 minutes beforehand.   Remember that times are subject to change.  Our morning tour was moved to the afternoon a couple of weeks beforehand.

It was surprising to me that nearly all crew I spoke with knew the numbers from their country.  They loved us sharing stories of living in their country years ago before they were born!

16 minutes ago, UK-Couple said:

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2025/03/celebrity-cancels-visits-to-labadee-in-2025-and-2026/

 

I guess the term "to provide guests with a better experience" is better than "to avoid getting shot" 🤣

 

“Instead, we’ll visit Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM,”

 

Interestingly, Royal Caribbean still plans to stop at Labadee - I guess their guests are more disposable.

 

Our Apex cruise recently substituted Grand Turk for Haiti and we liked it.  The seas were very rough.  Thankfully we did not get Nassau as a substitution.  

3 hours ago, Ellaleah said:

This service is very attractive to me.  I am sailing into FLL, but will be flying out of MIA.  Would this work for me.  I am flying on American and have an AA credit card.  Is the price $29. No matter where you are headed in the US?  Do I arrange this with Celebrity?  
Thank you for any assistance.

Your flight out of Miami must department between 2 pm and 11 pm that day.  Any destination in the U.S.  You will be assessed any baggage fees charged by your airlines.  The forms will be available during the cruise and be on the lookout for information on the program.  Great program.

7 hours ago, USAFA1980 said:

My wife and I will take our first Celebrity Cruise in the Fall of 2025. Can anyone tell me the Housekeeping and Dining Staff countries of origin?  In the past we've spoken Indonesian and Tagalog to the staff and they truly appreciate the gesture.  If it's neither of these languages, we've got some serious studying to do in the next 6 months!  Thanks in advance for replying!

The largest group on board are from Indonesia.  The next group are from the Phillipines.  Those from the Phillipines appreciate when we talk about having grown up in their country and sharing stories.  Your gesture will be appreciated.

4 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

it always depends… we have had occasions where it wasn’t a problem and we had other cruises on E class where the maitre said no ordering off MDR menu

It was a definitive "NO"  on the Beyond.

13 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

As for the balcony 'style' or 'type', we have no allegiance to, with the exception that IV's do offer more usable area over traditional balconies, IMOO...

 

Yet, just as long as I Am on an X ship, all is good!

 

bon voyage

The food is excellent in Blu.  It comes out hot and special requests have been honored.  Ever wonder why guests leave Luminae to eat there?   Easy to figure that one out.

Depending on the ship, you can order from the MDR as we did on Apex and Ascent.  

53 minutes ago, DennysDad said:

Bought ear plugs that mold to the shape of your ear. Thanks.

I felt bad for people we met who paid lots of money for fancy suites that were very noisy.  They complained of the sounds interfering with sleep.

1 hour ago, DennysDad said:

So many reports are specifically about Beyond. Has me concerned for this May.

Bring along some noise cancelling headphones.  Especially on the Beyond.  We did but fortunately did not need them.  

2 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Hello all - reaching out to find out thoughts on likes/dislikes about Aqua Cabin (not suite category) on E-Class ships.

 

What were your likes or dislikes about this cabin level in terms of amenities and services for Aqua passengers.

 

Things/items of note to know upon boarding or during a sailing to further enhance the sailing or comfort?

 

Eleven (11) days So. Caribbean, if that makes a difference...

 

TIA and bon voyage

The location of the Aqua rooms are improved over those on S-class.  However, the views from Blu are a disappointment unlike those on S-class.  Loved the shower in the room,   You must ask for the free bottle of bubbly in your room. You still get the 2 bottles of water daily.

19 hours ago, JEDIKNIGHT said:

 

 

On a 7 nighter I'll do one Murano for sure.   I heard that in Luminae the burger is good, as is the filet which sometimes they'll do if off menu.  With stuff like that we should be fine.

 

 

For lunch on day 2 and 3, the Buffet had the same burgers that are served in Luminae.  Very good.

Go there for the view.  Food is hit or miss.  Usually a miss.

Murano has been very consistent.  

Eden is also my choice.   I would book beforehand if there is a particular day or time.  This restaurant is rather popular and discounts on the ship are not guaranteed.  

Using Facetime on Basic, I could often have audio but no visual.  Better results but not consistently good connections on Premium.