chemmo

I can simply sit in a cafe in both of these cities and simply watch the people (and the fashion) go by!

Infinity verandas are loved by some and hated by others. There have been numerous posts listing the pros and cons. I strongly suggest you do some reading. Just use the search… Prices can be cruise only or cruise including the classic drinks package and WiFi. It does depend on how much you drink as to if you will benefit from a drinks package. Remember the cost of decent coffee and water needs to be calculated in as well as alcoholic beverages. Also if you are D or above on RC you will be Elite on Celebrity and get some free drinks (menu) from some bars for a couple of hours each evening. In my experience the ambiance on Celebrity is different than on RC. There is more of a focus on Rest and Relaxation on Celebrity compared to Action and Activity on RC. There is definitely plenty to see and do on Celebrity ships but without the constant announcements there are on RC…Unless it is vacation time usually a lot less children on Celebrity. For a group of 50th year olds I think it may suit you well.

So enjoying your adventures…So many people visit the great cities and sights of Europe and forget to leave time to ‘Stand and Stare’….They come away with a long list of ‘been, seen, done’ but totally fail to capture the feel or ambiance of the places they visit. Coming from the UK we have been blessed with being able on relatively short flights to enjoy many week/two week holidays in the Mediterranean which is definitely far more relaxing. However, I think your focus on food and wine has helped you on a short visit to Italy to really soak it up….I think many reading your review will learn from your planning which has really been excellent. Looking forward to your next instalment!

Sincere best wishes for a wonderful free cruise!

Oasis of the Seas, in an Aqua Theatre suite…We believe on the same cruise (2017ish?) others complained about the service. We didn’t as we had never had a genie and believed the popping back in the bottle was usual. It was our one and only Genie cruise. I am aware others have had a much better experience. On the same cruise as the suite lounge was full every evening with pinnacle guests we decided to try out the Diamond Lounge…I was very rudely challenged by an elderly lady who told me “This lounge is for Diamond and above, you can’t be Diamond as you are English”. I think I sort of spoilt her day when I politely said I was Diamond Plus… We haven’t cruised RC since….The suite lounge was, as said, hard to get a seat in, Diamond Lounge very cliquish….I think it was the tipping point for us, up to then we had mixed and matched Celebrity and RC. Moral of the story…Some cruises are definitely better than others!

Must confess I have just enjoyed a very nice Mediterranean AI…It is the time of the year we would usually cruise…We dithered looking at a few options but as we wanted a crash out break rather than an intensive port holiday the significantly cheaper price of AI (fraction of the cost) won the day! I can see us continuing to cruise but perhaps less frequently….

I agree that the ‘individual’ is often more important than the job description… Some room attendants/butlers/concierge/suite managers are outstanding. They are genuinely focused on making your cruise experience the best it can be. It doesn’t necessarily mean the others are bad they simply follow the script of their job description. My worry for the Sky Suite room attendants/hosts is the time it takes to ‘lift’ the experience has to come from somewhere… Worst service experience ever was on RC with a Genie who didn’t appear from his lamp until the end of day two of our cruise. He then phoned to ask if there was anything he could do. He told us to phone room service ourselves to arrange in suit snacks and said it would be easier if we phoned one of the speciality restaurants ourselves to arrange a change to a booking as they could ‘discuss all options’. He then tried hard to persuade us to book private photos bookings and an in suite demonstration of some new jewellery line…He acted as if we had let him down by giving a firm no…He then disappeared back in his lamp…

We have tried many and always seem to find the Embassy Suites is the best option for a pre cruise stay…

I have visions of ‘Reflection’ being crossed out on the hull and being replaced by ‘Enterprise’…

Just back from a sun filled holiday to a very wet and miserable England….Just what I need a vicarious cruise narrated by yourself! Looking forward to many morning coffee reads!

Nice photos, thanks for sharing!

My son had to push up the bottom a bit just to check…he got wet feet!

Enjoy your cruise…I hope we get some cocktail suggestions from you!

Come to think of it a cruise ship isn’t the best environment for those looking to eat healthier…

On S class the ambiance is definitely enhanced by the wake view… First morning after boarding everyone wants that extra hour in bed…So nice to actually feel at sea eating some nice light food sipping a Bellini knowing a substantial lunch will follow…

Ascent is newer and the cruise is longer… But having a new port adds spice, And having a balcony is always nice… With a free cruise, you are a on a winner whatever you choose! Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

So lovely to see a live post from you. You remain one of our ‘go to’ sources for factual information…I particularly remember your list of how to spend OBC! Looking forward to following you experience on board. It is several years now since we were on board Refection…The only real question I have is about maintenance. A few recent reviews on different ships have reported rooms and areas as being more shabby than chic…How would you rate the decoration, fixtures and soft furnishings on Reflection? Is she still in good condition?

We are confessed wipers of every surface too…

Whilst we usually get rid of stuff as we go sometimes our travel wallet has arrived home intact and been left for a while…When sorting out a few weeks ago it was lovely to find our TP cruise wallet from 2014 complete with cruise documents, hotel bookings, Pearl Harbour trip booking and our Australian hotel bookings and even details on our restaurant bookings and a bus timetable on how to get to Bondi Beach! Brought back some happy memories…

Us too. I also take paper copies on board of the correct final invoice and copies of any bookings, pre purchases etc. We did some years ago pre order and pay for an in room bar set up which they had no record of…Simply getting out our printed sheet saved a lot of conversation…

But according to recent reviews it doesn’t have good fish to go with it…

I think most of us understand the reasons for the delay in the full upgrading program but it seems that a bit of money needs to be spent ‘patching the cracks’ in the meantime…There have been a few posts in recent days about general lack of maintenance and ‘shabbiness’… After the Second World War in England a cheap white paint called distemper was in great demand. People were living in properties that needed some serious work but in the meantime people made them as fresh looking as they could… Perhaps Celebrity could learn a bit from this attitude…

I can’t deny seeing the pyramids is a real bucket list sight….We did a Nile river cruise some years ago and it remains in my top three holidays ever and it had serious opposition! Perhaps you could look start browsing something for next year or the year after. Seeing Cairo from a sea cruise isn’t the best way to do it… Much as I understand your disappointment with the Greek Islands they are always wonderful. Santorini remains one of my favourite spectacular spots on the planet. I never tire of visiting the wonderful little archaeological museum and then sitting in a white and blue bar thinking of the Minoan civilisation and its sudden catastrophic demise and the legend of Atlantis….Across the caldera the ‘New Burnt Island’ sits threatening future eruptions… Hopefully as you adjust to the changes you will find plenty to look forward to…In the meantime buy that lottery ticket, you must be deserving of a bit of good luck. Who knows your next cruise could be in the Iconic Suite! If you win I expect an invite!

Unfortunately one of those sad occasions where you can’t see what else they could do… Mark, you and the family don’t seem to be having much luck at present…try buying a lottery ticket. I hope despite the disappointment re itinerary you can still enjoy a fantastic cruise…

I thought exactly the same! Personally I think all these new management and board staff should have an induction of six weeks visiting all three categories of ships… Week 1…Room attendant/poolside/entertainment Week 2…Assisting in the MDR and bars also with time in the kitchen Week 3…Assisting in guest services. Week 4…Experience life as an incognito standard veranda guest Week 5…Re-board one of the ships and spend the full week finding out ‘how it works’. Listening to middle and senior management staff, those who actually know… Week 6…On the telephone answering queries and complaints from those who have asked to speak to a manager… It seems to be a growing trend in all aspects of life that ‘high flyers’ can zoom into any industry and almost immediately know what needs doing and how to do it! Utter rubbish in my opinion…There is a lot to be said for employing from the ranks…I think most of us would feel more secure for the future if some experienced Captains were on the decision making boards… Grump over….