Nashna

Couldn't agree with you more. HAL seemed very dated. Loved the Edge and the beautiful entertainment spaces. We dined in Blu and it was so refined compared to the MDR noise and rushed service on HAL. We are taking our 58th & 59th. cruise on the Apex & Edge n January. We have sailed on everything from Seabourn to Carnival. HAL is just not for us.

We were not alone in our complaints about this sailing. Many longtime HAL passengers we spoke to were also unhappy. We always try to arrive at least 15 minutes before the show begins. My complaint is that one shouldn't need to rush through dinner to arrive 45 minutes in advance to see a one-hour show. The food did get cold. We grabbed a burger at the outdoor grill as we were in our bathing suits. The tables by the grill and alongside the windows were all mostly taken by folks playing cards and not eating. We have been on sailings where a note on the table requests that the tables be used for dining during the lunch hours...especially on sea days. If I recall correctly, we ended up walking to the aft pool area and sat at a couch to eat. Our main complaint was the service and food quality in the MDR. For this reason, we no longer sail on HAL. Our next two cruises are on Celebrity where we have enjoyed the food, service and the shows. Obviously, HAL is the cruise line of choice for many people...it's just not our cup of tea.

There was a huge difference between Holland America and Celebrity as far as I am concerned. We were so disappointed in Holland America. The dining room was crowded, noisy and disorganized. In spite of having dining reservations each night, we had to wait ten to fifteen minutes in line to be assigned to our table. The food was not up to par and the dining room staff was the worst we have experienced at sea. Our main entre was served before a wine steward came to our table. Dining poolside was almost impossible as groups of people played cards in the dining area at noontime. Our grilled hamburgers were cold before we found a spot to sit. We missed several shows as most cruisers got to the theatre 45 minutes before the show to get a seat. The only bright spot was amazing night club type shows for rock and jazz.

We are sailing into GCM on January 25th with four other large ships arriving as well. The Edge is offering the Coral Beach excursion for $70.00 per person. We are concerned that with 14876 people in port and very few beach club/resort for the day options, that perhaps we should just buy the excursion. Public Beach looks more appealing to us, but I'm afraid we might not be able to secure a spot on the beach with a chair and umbrella. Has anyone had any experience with this? We have the benefit of being the first cruise to arrive as we are docking at 7:00am. If we decide to wing it, we will plan to be off the ship by 8:30 and head right to Public Beach. Suggestions are very welcome.

My Edge cruise is in 99 days. When I checked the Move Up option, it says that the cruise should be within 21 days. Breezer was able to place the bid much earlier. Should I keep checking?

You got a bargain! You will love the ship and the veranda. Happy 70th!

Are the Edge Class Persian Garden restrictions a recent development? We were in Aqua Class on the Apex in January. I recall being amused that we received one free day as Elite when we already had unlimited access in Aqua. Now, that most people have the drink package, it does appear that Celebrity might need to up the benefits a bit to make them more attractive.

The younger generation has embraced mocktails and non-alcoholic beer and wine. This is a positive step and much appreciated by folks who cannot drink alcohol for medical or religious reasons.

Thank you, Lisa. My husband can't drink alcohol for medical reasons. The popularity of Mocktails makes it much easier to enjoy while abstaining. I have copied your list to bring on our January cruises. It was sweet of you to share.

I just found it... Best Celebrity Cruises Mocktails: Zero-Proof Drinks to Love (wavesandcobblestones.com)

We were delighted to be able to enjoy Fre' on the Apex last January. Our next sailing was on Princess and they offered no NA options. Fre' isn't the best NA Merlot wine; but it does give one something to enjoy with a steak.

We have never had an issue obtaining seating in Blu without a reservation. A few times we were unable to sit in our favorite waiter's station. This occurred when we changed our usual dining time. If we arrived around our normal dining time, we always secured our regular waiter.

I was used to traveling with my dad who knew "the score". My husband had not been exposed to this type of behavior. Fifty-four years ago, on our honeymoon in NYC, we went to a jazz club. We were among the first ones to arrive. In this huge room, we were placed at least 30 tables from the front at the very back of the room. I explained to my new husband, that we needed to tip to get a better table. He was incredulous. For the rest of the evening, we watched from our high perch a parade of customers "grease" the maître De's palm. It was amusing to see how deftly the man sized up the bill, without being too obvious, before he showed the customers to their table. My dear husband got an education in tipping that night. We still chuckle about it.

What a great idea! I bring my own and it can be a pain as there never seems to be enough room.

We enjoy dining in Blu. On our January Apex cruise in Aqua we found that the Infinity Veranda was just not for us as we enjoy sitting and reading on the balcony. Our next two cruises are on Edge class ships, and we have opted for Sunset Veranda staterooms. While on the Apex, we spent one night in Tuscany and enjoyed the experience. If we go on any ship other than an Edge Class, we will book Aqua Class.

Not sure why...but, my TA is not offering anything special on Explora. Typically, he offers shipboard credit or specialty dining. This time...nada! I wonder if this is because they have not established a relationship with all agents or since it is a new cruise option their commission is low. Has anyone else had this experience?

Thank you, we have considered Dora The Explora Tours....just not sure we want to spend that long touring.

The only one we found was the Holiday Inn. We passed on this because their beach is not good. The $60.00 cost reflects the beach conditions. We opted to go to Coral Beach instead as it is on SMB. George Town, Grand Cayman (resortforaday.com)

Thank you Bookbabe! I just made a reservation for our January Edge cruise at Coral Beach. There are 5 major cruise ship in port that day, so beach space is going to be at a premium. I appreciate your taking the time to let us know what is available. We have spent many weeks on Grand Cayman and have been to Hell and String Ray City. We were looking for a beach/beach lounger and an umbrella to park ourselves under while we enjoy a good book!

We will be in Cartagena on our January Edge cruise. We are considering taking the Hop on/Hop off bus via Celebrity. We wanted to take the Catamaran/Walled City Tour, but it is listed as strenuous. We are seniors who regularly walk two miles. However, reading the many "hot and humid" comments, we don't want to get stuck on a tour. The Hop on option includes transportation from the pier and it appears that it would give us the flexibility that we need. Would love to hear from someone's recent experience.

This sounds reasonable to do. We have no interest in spending $130.00 pp for an all inclusive day pass with food and drink that we don't want. Thank you so much for posting.

If I recall, the in room refrigerator had some really great chocolate covered peanuts and some other goodies.

The Explora dining options are impressive. The culinary description shows Anthology charges 100 Euros per person. Does anyone know what the fee will be for the Chef's Kitchen? Plus, am I missing other dining venues that have a charge?

We asked our butler for a cheese tray along with Gluten Free crackers. He had some difficulty finding the crackers and left us with three boxes to make sure we had enough for the entire cruise.

I booked on the Explora website and received an e-mail within the hour offering to help with any issues I might have. I replied that I would be turning over the reservation to a TA, and they responded that Explora would prefer to work with a travel agent.