H2O_traveler

Picture of Bar in Equinox Retreat Lounge

Long detailed answer of our experience: Just got off the Equinox last week, where we moved up from a Verandah to a Sunset Sky Suite on a move up bid. We did NOT have a drink package, premier access, or WIFI packages purchased. So this information is for those who move up with no extras. (We are however elite status so there are a couple perks that come with that) Beverage Packages - Liquor and beverages in the retreat lounge were free and the selection for alcohol was premium level, not classic. Because the retreat lounge concierge hosts are posted at the front door, ensuring only suite guests have access, once you are in the lounge you are not asked for your room card at the bar located inside. The bar in the retreat lounge did not serve the specialty martini's you'd see at the martini bar but, the the liquor selections were vast and beyond the classic package. I'll attach a picture. Additionally there was an automated cappuccino machine that was accessible anytime the lounge was open so we went in and made our own coffee throughout the day. There was also a fridge with a selection of sodas and upgraded bottled water you could grab anytime. (also snacks during various times of the day). So, moving up to the premium in your beverage package will depend on what you are looking for to drink above the classic package and where you're looking to drink it at. On the sun deck for the Equinox there is no bar on that level. As such, the attendants had to go down to a different lounge to bring drinks back. I saw them asking for people's room card keys when they went to go get drinks so I am assuming they charged for them, if they didn't have an added drink package already. Because we never had a drink package, we never ordered drinks on the sun deck so we never tried it out. I've heard whether or not you get charged for drinks on the sundeck depends on the server and whether or not the ship you are on has a dedicated bar on that deck. I'd guess whether or not you are charged extra for premium drinks would be along the same line. Dining in Luminae you had to pay for your drinks if you ordered something and didn't have a drink package. I had ordered a martini one night that we paid for, as well as a bottle of wine. We had treated 2 new friends we met on the cruise into luminae to enjoy a dinner with us so ordered a bottle of wine that night to share. (BTW - Luminae was very accomodating for the two guest we invited, we just had to pay an upcharge for them). For ourselves, we never bought the drink packages because we were going to (and did) bring two bottles of wine the day we boarded, had preorder two martini flights on sale, and with Elite status were going to have access to elite happy hour. Having paid for beverage packages previously, we knew we wouldn't drink enough to justify the cost difference and decided we would just pay per item for anything extra we wanted (including premium drinks). That said, with the move up offer, our final bill for 12 days of sailing only included that one bottle of wine and a single martini from Luminae. We would just make our way to the retreat lounge before dinner, going up on deck, or on our way to activities to grab a drink or two to go. We never found it inconvenient as we enjoyed the quick visit with the retreat crew and other suite guests while we ordered the drinks. Plus, my husband said right from day one that the bartender in the retreat lounge made the best old fashioned anywhere so why would he order at another bar. In the end, we also actually never once had to use our elite status to take advantage of elite happy hour or the elite continental breakfast to get our morning lattes. The retreat lounge was more than what was needed. For Wi-fi, elite status gave us each 90 mins for a total of 180 min combined. There were no other minutes included as we had done the move up bid but, the 180 min was more than what we needed. For extra internet time, once we were in port, we either found free Wi-Fi on shore or just purchased cheap e-sim packages to catch up. The e-sims allowed us, once we were back on the ship, to spend additional time until we'd start sailing again. E-sims also worked great for having access to uber, communicating with tour operators and searching maps on shore. This was a better option for us than paying for ship Wi-Fi. Embarkation, Reserved Theater Seating, and Disembarking - No need to but any kind of additional premium access package. We arrived at around 11:45 am and were literally the only suite guests walking on at that time so had about 6 different celebrity employees guiding and checking us in. It was beyond smooth and made us feel quite VIP. Disembarking was not so private, as the retreat lounge can get crowded with other suite guests and the luggage people are walking off with, BUT... It was still super comfortable with access to breakfast and whenever you wanted to leave, an officer would escort the suite guests off privately through a secret door that bypassed the lines and dropped us straight at the gangway to sign out for a final time with our sail and sign cards. This particular sailing had issues with winds and the gangway so regular guest were waiting for anywhere from 20 min - an hour to walk off where we just left direct. It was a really big perk. For theater reservations, on the two chic nights suite guests had reserved seating. It was on the second level but was the center stage. Additionally, once we sat down our butler came right over and asked us by name if there was anything he could get for us from the bar (we were never charged for those drinks). There were not any other nights with reserved seating for the entertainment but it wasn't a problem as we never had trouble finding seats (may be different on another ship). Final notes: In our room the mini fridge was full of drinks which we would have been charged for if we wanted to drink from there. We asked to have them removed and then just brought up our own from the retreat lounge occasionally to store in there. There was also both glass and plastic bottles of water on the counter in our room. Our room attendant told us the plastic bottles were free but we would be charged for the glass bottled water. He continued to replenish the plastic water bottles throughout the cruise. For the the bottles of wine we brought on board... We invited friends we had made on the cruise to share in the wine in our room. As such, we asked our butler if he could chill the wine and bring extra wine glasses. He went way beyond that and arranged for three different horderve plates to be brought in and offered to bring any other types of drinks our friends may enjoy more so than our bottle of wine. During our little party he made a point of stopping by personally to see if everyone had everything they needed and again offered to get anything more one would want. I'm fairly confident we would not have been charged had we asked for additional beverages. Conclusion - Suite cruising is awesome and more than we could have hoped for. The minor perks you don't get utilizing a move up bid were very minimal and never made us feel like were anything less than if we had booked originally as suite guests. For us, the extra costs to have added on with beverage packages and premium access would not have been worth it but... if you are a heavy user of Wi-Fi, or want the convenience of just ordering any type of drink wherever you are on the ship, then pay the extra. We definitely made sure to tip extra (beyond prepaid gratuities) to the retreat bartender, concierge hostess, butler, etc. at the end of the cruise because they really made the cruise more special than we could have imagined. Enjoy your cruise and I hope the move up bid experience is as great for you as it was for us. It would be very difficult to go back down to not-suite cruising now that we've had a taste.

We are booked for an April Transatlantic cruise leaving FLL that ends up in Portugal. This will be our first transatlantic crossing and the first time we will be in a sunset veranda so are looking for information from others who have sailed similar before to see if you'd do it again. Completely understand that the weather is unpredictable, which is why we're hoping to get some insight on past experiences. I have an image in my head of lounging on the balcony, while enjoying the sunshine, with a book and drink in hand while randomly looking up to admire the wake every so often. Then during the evening, taking in the amazing sunsets with a glass of wine and our canapes.🍷🌅 Please tell me we made a good choice and the experience is everything imagined!

Has anyone tried the Blendtique Craft Wine experience on Celebrity? It sounds like fun but I’m curious on what the selection is for crafting a white blend and how much the bottle of wine is to purchase after? As much as I’d love to be able to drink reds, I can’t. I do however love the whites, particularly the reislings and gewürztraminers.