ljk76

Did you redeem the points on line or did you call Celebrity?

A related question…are specialty coffees no longer included in the basic drink package? Are they included in perks for Elite+? Thanks, addicted to Cafe Al Bacio!

On 1/25/2023 at 5:32 PM, TopoChico said:

Our kids chipped in and bought and paid for a cruise to Bermuda in June for my husband and my anniversary, and a big birthday milestone for moi.  They gave it to us over the weekend so we could plan.

My husband knew but was afraid to say anything as he knew I was kinda not into the cruise thing right now because of the recent cutbacks… they were so excited. So now I am too. 
 

What is it like having three days there?  What should we be planning? We’ve been to lots of islands but never Bermuda. Will we be spending the 2 evenings in Bermuda dining off the ship? If so, where?  Should we rent a car for those days? 
 

 

We sailed to Bermuda on the Summit from Bayonne. If schools are already out expect MANY more children than typical of a Celebrity cruise…our sailing had 600 kids, and it did impact our experience. Bermuda is just so lovely though. 

4 hours ago, soniam said:

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like every cruise forum has complaints about noise or rocking. People complain to no end on the DCL forums. I am a sound sleeper and absolutely love the movement of the ship, even in somewhat rough seas. Maybe I would just never notice things like this. I haven't been on Beyond yet though.

Listen to some of the recordings in the other thread…sounds like a machine gun at times! In 30+ cruises of course we’ve had the creaks and bangs but this is a whole new level of pain.

On 11/29/2022 at 12:50 PM, RichYak said:

If it were me, I'd be posting that video on social media sites, tagging everyone I could think of that could effect change.

On 11/29/2022 at 9:21 AM, RobertoF said:

Finally had time to upload a video of what our cabin 6176 sounded like.  I unfortunately did not take a video of the first night leaving Port Everglades, since it was late and we were trying to sleep.  But this video of us leaving Nassau in calm conditions will give you an idea of what we endured:

 

https://youtu.be/W8kbP54Jj9c

OMG!  I think Celebrity has a major problem on their hands if others are experiencing noise like you did. This was the cabin they moved you to, correct? The audio is worth a million words. Forget sleeping, I don’t know how you enjoyed any time in your cabin. 

On 2/8/2023 at 9:13 AM, drakes2 said:

My sister and I are doing a 15 night TA on Apex in April. Requirements for this cruise is self administered testing 2 days prior. 

We are on this cruise as well. Are you doing a proctored test or just a self administered? 

On 2/7/2023 at 5:13 PM, judla said:

Does X still require a proctored covid test 2 days prior to sailing?  We are scheduled for a TA in April and want to know if I need to order the kits or not.

Me too! We are on the Apex 4/22 crossing. While looking for a link to the proctored tests I discovered this

Pre-Arrival Covid-19 Testing

All guests ages 2 and older must present a digital or physical copy of a negative COVID-19 test result at check-in to board their sailing.  

Guests must present a negative antigen test result taken within 2 days prior to sailing and no more than 2 days before their sailing.

Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests taken in person, supervised virtually, or unsupervised self-administered. Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of your self-test result, or your actual self-test in hand.  

not at all sure how I feel about relying on the self administered test…how do I prove the date or even that it’s my test, actually? Wouldn’t mind saving the $ and hassle of the proctored test. Trying to find out what others are doing.

We’ve cruised everything from Carnival to Regent. Have a future Med  cruise on Norwegian with some friends. Have not cruised with Holland because of their reputation of being too quiet.
 

if we were cruising with kids we would choose Royal. We find the Princess rooms cramped unless you go with a mini suite. No sofa in a basic balcony room. 
 

Celebrity is definitely our sweet spot. We have enjoyed cruises on all three classes of ship. The newest Edge class is stunning. We actually like the infinite veranda and feel it adds extra functionality to the room.  The food, the service, and the entertainment have been consistently good. Booking well in advance has gotten us the best prices. At this point we do have loyalty perks like free laundry but it’s not a deciding factor. If you can find an itinerary you like at a competitive price I recommend you try them. 

Also went in as a sceptic and ended up being a convert! We are on a 15 day transatlantic on Apex this spring and the infinite veranda really grows our space for this crossing. 

Just loving the details of your review! Looking forward to a 15 day transatlantic at the end of April on the Apex.  We were on the Apex last January and a week wasn’t enough! And reading your review I see I missed several outstanding martinis! 
 

we are in a Aqua infinite veranda as we were on our January sailing. I felt it gave the sense of more useable space, which I think will be helpful for 15 days, some of which will be cooler. Some day a suite! Not in the budget for this trip. Once in Amsterdam we hop on a river cruise.

I see you have mostly been “loyal to Royal.” What do you like best about their offerings? I think if we were traveling with our family, including grandchildren, I would think in that direction. 

Last January in Blu we were able to order from any of the main dining rooms…it made for a wonderful selection!

On 11/11/2022 at 4:24 PM, jelayne said:

We use the wash & fold for workout clothes, jeans, denim shorts, tee shirts, socks and DH underwear.  We have some Columbia travel shorts, pants & tops that easily wash n the sink and dry very quickly.  I also wash my undergarments and swimsuits in the sink. 

We also each use the Elite free dry clean item & pressing of 2 items and we pay to have a few other items dry cleaned or washed and pressed.  Last time we were on the ship for 28 days our laundry bill was less than $80.

That is so good to hear . We have a transatlantic cruise this spring that delivers us to Amsterdam where we begin a river cruise. I’m hoping to leave the Apex with as many clean clothes as possible because I don’t think the river cruise will even offer laundry.  The trip will be a packing challenge for sure!

Thank you so much for posting! This spring we have a 15 day Apex transatlantic cruise followed by a river cruise.  We did book trip insurance through the trip insurance store, but reading your story I am definitely layering Med jet on top of it. 
 

I hope you recover quickly and are soon well enough to be cruising again with confidence!

Sailed the Apex last January. We loved the ship so much we are doing the transatlantic in April. We were, and are, in Aqua class on deck 9.

the ship is beautiful, the many dining rooms are lovely and offered a huge variety of great food. The spa area is stunning. Lots of entertainment options, and the theater is spectacular. 
 

The infinite veranda is a toss up for us. Liked the extra space and light, but it doesn’t have a classic veranda feel. 
 

any questions please ask.

I’ve done it both ways. Next spring we have a transatlantic followed by a river cruise, with six hotel nights as well.  I still will pack our roll aboards as if they were IT because the idea of losing luggage rattles me. I’m hoping one full size case will be enough for the other “would be nice to have.” Plan to utilize the ships laundry on the Apex crossing, and leave with all clean clothes. But that still leaves 17 nights to go! No laundry on river cruises I’m assuming? I guess there will be some in the bathroom sink! Reading this thread for tips as much as anything!

We once did a Celebrity cruise from Bayonne to Bermuda in August…600 kiddos! Usually we rarely notice kids. We’ve enjoyed many multi generational trips on Celebrity starting when our youngest was six. He loved wearing a tux on formal nights and eating escargot. I think those kind of trips grow future cruisers. Nothing would be gained by going Adults only. But beware of summer cruises, especially any that are departing from big population centers, where air fare can be eliminated for families. We still had a great time on that Bermuda cruise but we never even used the buffet for example. 

Received this morning at 11:30

safety and security of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our top priority. Due to the escalated situation between Russia and Ukraine we have made the decision to modify the course of your upcoming voyage and will be removing St. Petersburg, Russia from the itinerary.  We are currently working to confirm a revised itinerary and will provide updates once we have more information. 

On behalf of our entire Regent Family, we want to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for your continued patronage, loyalty, and understanding. We appreciate you choosing to cruise with Regent Seven Seas Cruises and we will continue to keep you updated with any developments as they arise.  

 Rebui

Sincerely,

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

we will be canceling this cruise. Not just because of St Petersburg but because I fear Putin is trying to rebuild his empire and several ports may be in his long term plans.  I’m mad at myself for not taking this trip several years ago. Life kept getting in the way. We had bad timing on Cuba as well.  

4 hours ago, miched said:

What is your  reason for not wanting to dine in the buffet?   If it is the crowd I don’t think there will be any. 

 

There will probably be around 1100 passengers as that has been the norm lately

 

The suites are sold out so that is about 1/2 the passengers and most will be in Luminae.  Those that are in CC will have the MDR for their embarkation lunch as will those doing a B2B 

 

The designated boarding times will also control the flow.   

I would say that the buffet will look empty,   There is a nice variety to choose from that changes every day 

It is worth investigating 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅
 

 

That was our experience last week! I’m it a buffet person either, but it worked out fine! I think it was our only buffet meal. Don’t know if Raw on 5 is open that day but the food was great, and plenty of cooked options…surprisingly generous portions for this type of restaurant as well 

We also liked 40% off photo packages since we were traveling with others. 
Will never make Zenith, but moved to + with some of those power up activities. 

Have twice done the monitored at home testing procedure for Celebrity sailings and have found the task straightforward.  (If you had a positive you are still in the comfort of your own home.)Very quick boarding with negative tests in hand, and I imagine this will speed up boarding for Regent as well.Three days for European cruises is reasonable as well, but probably limits how many days prior to cruising you wish to arrive. 

Just up at the buffet. Someone was promoting a dinner package and I mentioned I was part of a group of 12. A few minutes later he dropped by. I had called him a bit earlier to ask about a seating area for us. 

Just finished our 30th cruise and one of the best! Apex is visually stunning, original in aspects of its layout, and easy to navigate. The I V rooms on deck 9 were light and airy. We found we really enjoyed the layout and use of the space.  The bathroom felt spacious and we loved the shower options…and the roomy glass door. The bed was very comfortable…firm but not hard. 

we were blessed with wonderful service in every aspect of the cruise. The best stateroom attendant ever… I asked for ice every night so I could make an ice pack…she actually set one up every night in the sink. Little extras I don’t recall before…surprise bottles of wine as one example.

we were a group of 12. The Blu manager actually sought me out at lunch the first day to show me where he thought we would like to be seated! He then assigned us a wonderful waiter and assistant.  Our original plan was to eat in the each of the other four dining rooms. But the Blu service was great and we found we could eat from any of the other menus any night! That gave us as many as 20 entree choices each night!

The thermal suite was enjoyed by the spa lovers in the group. Much better even than S class. The stage in the theater was unique with the wrap around screen and we enjoyed many performances there. 
 

it certainly helped that the passenger count was so low. No area of the ship was remotely full. We often had elevators to ourselves. If you can get over your Covid concerns, which was a big issue for us, you have a unique opportunity to sail on the most lovely Celebrity ship and feel like it’s your own paradise.

will be happy to answer any questions although there are many wonderful live threads preceding this commentary. 

Just finished our 30th cruise and one of the best! Apex is visually stunning, original in aspects of its layout, and easy to navigate. The I V rooms on deck 9 were light and airy. We found we really enjoyed the layout and use of the space.  The bathroom felt spacious and we loved the shower options…and the roomy glass door. The bed was very comfortable…firm but not hard. 

we were blessed with wonderful service in every aspect of the cruise. The best stateroom attendant ever… I asked for ice every night so I could make an ice pack…she actually set one up every night in the sink. Little extras I don’t recall before…surprise bottles of wine as one example.

we were a group of 12. The Blu manager actually sought me out at lunch the first day to show me where he thought we would like to be seated! He then assigned us a wonderful waiter and assistant.  Our original plan was to eat in the each of the other four dining rooms. But the Blu service was great and we found we could eat from any of the other menus any night! That gave us as many as 20 entree choices each night!

The thermal suite was enjoyed by the spa lovers in the group. Much better even than S class. The stage in the theater was unique with the wrap around screen and we enjoyed many performances there. 
 

it certainly helped that the passenger count was so low. No area of the ship was remotely full. We often had elevators to ourselves. If you can get over your Covid concerns, which was a big issue for us, you have a unique opportunity to sail on the most lovely Celebrity ship and feel like it’s your own paradise.

will be happy to answer any questions although there are many wonderful live threads preceding this commentary. 

We are on the far side of the pool…no one would ever recognize us, lol. 
 

if you do go to Blu on night we are the group on the far right wall. Just say you’re on Cruise Critic and looking for Linda! 

We are enjoying this same cruise immensely! We are six couples, all staying in Aqua. In fact the ladies in the group are in your pool shot! Can’t ever remember having a front row lounger…in 30 cruises!  Especially after arriving at 11…

Surprises for us…we LOVE the infinite veranda, we were not expecting that!  makes the whole room seem more spacious and light filled.

Eating in  Blu! Fabulous! We can order off all 4 of the dining menus…so many choices.originally we were going to sample all the dining rooms but we love our servers and the great location they set aside for our group all week. No doubt another benefit of cruising with a less than half full ship. 
 

lots of other fun little surprises too…yesterday a unexpected bottle of wine,today canapés delivered. 
 

so if you can’t quite swing the Retreat you may find Aqua class does very nicely. The ship itself is simply stunning. And the staff is spectacularly accommodating.

We. almost cancelled. Didn’t really decide until last weekend.So so glad we did not! Covid or not these are the Halcyon days of cruising.  All ports are open, by the way, even St. Thomas.