May B

That’s what we did. Many really good serving teams. One night we asked for the server from the previous night but it turned out he didn’t have anything available.

I wish the trifles in Waterside came in those little glasses.

I remember being impressed that they’re small! Avoiding them altogether is easy when I love to eat everything else there. Often get ice cream, though! It’s on the way to wherever I’m going. Now gelato.

I loved every dessert I had in Waterside. I can’t say I ever noticed jello. Seriously, that was on the menu? Perhaps I didn’t notice it b/c I would never order it.

Chag Sameach, Bill! Thx for this thread. Wish I were there. 😉

And he looked marvelous! As did you. 😁

And at the reception desk, you can get the full copy or just the inside. Nice touch, I thought.

Rob and Jim! Bon voyage!

Have a wonderful cruise! 🥂

I agree, except please define “made peace”. Is it an equivalent of “tolerate it” … and what about “begrudgingly tolerate it”?

Look up top. It says Follow.

Book a category that doesn’t have one.

I think it might depend on where the gangway is. It night also have to do with only the one entrance into Stardust, so somebody can check everybody in. Also, there are restrooms right outside the door of Stardust.

The big redo was scheduled for spring of 2020, which of course didn’t happen. Before she came back into service post-pandemic, the public areas got new soft goods, and I thought it was quite lovely (Dec. 2021) in the public areas. I generally don’t notice the physical as much as I notice the crew, the food, the entertainment and the activities. Those things were fine in 2021. In 2022, the food had slipped a tad, then a bit more in March of 2023. When I board in 3-1/2 weeks, I expect the food to have bounced back a bit and the crew and staff to be happy when we show how happy we are to be cruising over Xmas.

Both my excursions met at 8:15 am in Stardust. I was surprised I booked such early tours, but it was fine. One of them we were the last cruisers back on board, right before sailaway! Long and wonderful excursion, with lunch, on St. Lucia.

Have you read recent reviews? I just glanced, but they’re mixed with lots of positives.

Of my 21 Celebrity cruises, eight have been on the Connie, since our first one in 2008. Always loved the ship, the crew, the dining, the entertainment, until Dec. of ‘22, when things started slipping. Food was not quite as good. In March of ‘23, food had slipped a bit more. We chose to have dinner at OceanView, a few nights, and ate breakfast in MDR. Crew still seemed to be a great asset. We still had a great time. We now will board on Dec. 22nd, and will see how it goes. I think we can work around whatever might not meet our expectations. I think OP that you will do fine as long as you keep your expectations reasonable. Actually, there’s a dry dock before your cruise, so the ship will look better than now. I just hope for your sake (and mine, since Connie sails out of my backyard) the crew stays great and the food bounces back!

Your photos are THE BEST! That was a nice synopsis bEwAbG gave. Gotta love Cruise Critic and how helpful folks can be. We are shocked, shocked that you didn’t find body lotion in your suite. You’ve hit more than the average number of glitches in this cruise. Screwed up wine tasting, inadequate service at Le Petit Chef, aargh!

You will have no trouble getting your reservations but together, when you board. When I went to Osteria d’Ovideo after lunch on embarkation day, to request reservations for the Supper Club, Mario noticed that our reservations for Umi Uma and O d’O hadn’t been paired, so he did it right then. Knowing your friend’s cabin number will be exactly enough. Have a blast!

Whoa, Nellie! Thx for taking us with you! Have an absolute blast!

Or a golf cart. 😉 You can’t lump all Caribbean ports together. Mr B and I actually had a wonderful lunch in Bridgetown, Barbados, a few years ago. Just twelve days ago, our Crystal tour at St. Lucia had a nice lunch. And we’ve had others in the past, cruise line, Distinctive Voyages, and booked through a local tour company.

I have forgotten to mention the religious component of our cruise. A priest was on board who held many services or offered Mass, not just on Sunday. He also did non-denominational Protestant services on both Sundays. He assisted Raphael in planning and leading the Veterans Day observance, which was so important. The Cove piano player participated as well. Crystal does a wonderful job with Friday night Shabbat services. We had a nice turnout. The second week conflicted with music trivia, but we still had a better turnout than the first week. Happy Thanksgiving to all who observe. I bet it’ll be truly wonderful, onboard Crystal Serenity!

On occasion, I’ve ordered several starters but no main. I can’t recall where I was. It was a land restaurant, possibly California.

I wonder why I didn’t have the lamb, as I had originally planned. I had the veal chop, which I found a tad bland. Next time, lamb for me! I’ll try for photos.