chemmo

OK…I enjoy the quiz activities… Retired, presently limited mobility and sick of crossword puzzles! I love to see how many questions I know the answer to before reading the ‘information’….We are E + with little chance of getting to Zenith but you never know….we may win the lottery we never enter!

Congratulations on being top cruiser! Nice flowers!

I would think your shopping sums up your characters well! I assume most friends say ‘Yes’ to dinner party invitations…

Sometimes simple things are best… olives and feta veggie bits and a dip a couple of chocolate strawberries as a sweet change Methinks they overthink, try too hard and as a consequence produce the inedible to the incredulous….

Thanks! It looks like the only ingredients I have got in are gin (wrong brand) and egg whites (presently still in shells) and a lemon. Makes you appreciate the mixology skills! Hmmm, do I go shopping or wait until my next cruise? Sincere thanks both to you and Joseph!

Forgot the signature suites…

Fingers and toes crossed for you…

If I read correctly the OP was initially upset because she was worried some wire could have been ingested and then secondly the fact that it was not escalated to the management team. She was not looking for compensation or grovelling, she was looking for the incident to be investigated. She wanted the incident investigating in the same way all of us who may fall over a trip hazard would want it investigating to ensure it didn’t happen to others. Having the attitude that ‘mistakes happen’ so don’t worry results in careless procedures and more mistakes happening…

So pleased you are having a wonderful cruise! Next time you are in sushi can you find out what the cocktail I had was…All I can remember is it was based on mango…If you can round up the recipe it would be even better!

The Royal Suite and above technically have laundry twice during the cruise. In our experience it is unlimited. They brought in the phrase ‘twice per cruise’ when one or two guests with extended family were sending in bagfuls! This includes pressing and dry cleaning. Sky Suites and Celebrity Suites do not have this perk. Elite or over have 1 x laundry bag (per Elite guest) per cruise. E+ it is 2 laundry bags per cruise. Zenith level have unlimited laundry.. Cruises often have a bag offer mid cruise. B2B cruisers have occasionally reported a free bag.

Beautiful!

No, I have read relatively few, I do not think there have not been that many as yet…. However, I do value the opinion of the OP… In a previous post I did suggest it would be useful if more people reported (from all ship categories) about their recent buffet experiences. Re noise levels, I seem to remember a couple of posts re noise levels in speciality restaurants on Edge class. As yet we have not yet traveled on E class so have no personal views or opinions.

You brought back great memories for us too… Santorini and Valletta must be two of the most striking ports in the world. There is something so refreshing about visiting a port two or more times. First time you almost feel ‘obliged’ to ‘do’ the highlights, second time you feel more free to simply walk the streets, sit and people watch, enjoy the local cuisine or visit one or two of those sites with brief mentions in tour guides.

We have found everything a bit more hit and miss on land…some restaurants/hotels as good as pre covid but others having reduced service, reduced menu options, increased cost or kept cost similar but then certain things that were previously included (breakfast, parking) are now add ons. When we next board Celebrity there are issues I can be tolerant about….a slightly longer wait for service, some issues with certain wines or spirits but I would expect the OV to supply decent potato salad and have fries ready! I would also not expect a piece of wire in my food. For me, I felt a degree of alarm about the reported noise levels. I like noise sometimes but it is the quiet ambiance of areas of the ship that tend to be our go to places…

Welcome aboard! Did you feel that wonderful ‘At last’ feeling as you sat down in a chair with your first drink but magnified about 100% after all the pre cruise worries? Looking forward to following your adventures (drinking and otherwise…).

Dani, I saw your review heading and went to it with interest as we haven’t cruised an E class ship yet. Your what I liked/didn’t like matched pretty well the views of friends of ours…. Shocked by your experiences in OV. Whilst we only generally use the buffet for a grazing lunch I frequently have extolled it’s virtues. Like you said, usually you have so many options that look tasty you can end up with a real plateful. Waits for fries and undercooked potato salad simply indicate poor control of both the preparation and service side of the operation. Throughout the hospitality industry there seems to be a real issue getting back up to speed with standards of preparation and delivery….I understand your husband’s frustration with served salad, sublime to the ridiculous springs to mind…We only visited the buffet on one occasion on our last cruise and I asked for cucumber and got a plateful! Re the wire incident…I had similar on RC when I took a spoonful of prawn cocktail and had a mouthful of glass. The M’Ds comment of ‘So sorry, these things happen..’ did nothing to comfort me. I was grateful that my mouth wasn’t cut and that I was fairly sure I had spit it all out (very glamorous). We didn’t get the wine or strawberries…I honestly think that ‘major’ incidents like this should result in formal documentation like they would do if you slipped and hurt yourself somewhere. It presented a serious risk to health. The M’D should definitely forward an incident like this to the health and safety officer and he (or one of his staff) should request an interview with you. It would be interesting if those on other E class and S and M class ships could comment on the present standards in OV at present… So, would you book E class again?

You could ask on your roll call next time if anyone else is interested. If a group of you book together less chance of cancellation. Yes, agree, we enjoyed one nice experience and then we dined with Mr Knowitall and Mrs Drinkitall…Whilst now we laugh about the experience at the time we felt we had spent a lot of money to sit at a table we couldn’t wait to leave. If we were to do it again I think it would be when we were cruising with friends. Really fancy the market tour. Friends of ours tried it and really enjoyed.

I have never been on a cruise yet when Luminae has not been open lunchtime on boarding day and on all sea days. I would be very surprised if this was not the case on your cruise. I would also guess the days one or other of the other restaurants are generally open at lunch are sea days too. So, if on port days you don’t fancy the standard on board offerings, just a few alternative ideas… Go on the roll call for your cruise and see if anyone has any ‘foodie’ ideas for the ports where you are not planning on doing much. Many posters will be seasoned cruisers who can offer advice on anything from a local ice cream shop to a wine tasting and gourmet meal and all in between. They may already have some plans you can join in. Look at the Celebrity itineraries and see if there is a Chef’s Culinary Tour. Not available always but friends of ours have really enjoyed this. You go to the local market with a chef and then return to the ship and the group enjoy a special meal, usually using some of the ingredients seen. Go to the port of calls section and look up a variety of bars and restaurants and gather a few ideas…If you look for a variety of venues (bar with a view, snack bar, full meal) then you can simply decide on the day what type of dining you want. Simply walk off the ship and enjoy some local food and ambiance… We do have limited mobility now and what we can do on a day often depends on how we feel. If you pre plan and then settle for a snack on the Retreat Deck on a port day it is no big deal but if you don’t plan then fancy something and just walk of the ship with no ideas you can often end up missing something special and paying a lot of money for a poor experience. Enjoy your cruise!

Thoroughly enjoyed reading, thanks for posting!

We were in a RS after the Revolution, the Autumn before lockdown. The suite looked fresh with new bedding and new sofa and chair. Carpet and curtains remaining the same (good condition). It is a well designed room, no issues with layout, storage etc. Our only real gripe re the room was the balcony furnishings. Two recliner chairs with footstools with no cushioning. Whilst they looked nice they were no where near as comfortable as the previous rattan furnishings. Outside table chairs also had no cushions. To be fair there were loads of cushions in the suite but none really fitted comfortably or safely on the recliner chairs. The lounge deck was an asset. Comfortable furnishings and excellent beverage service. There was a snack menu which was also nice. Unfortunately it is both hot and breezy with limited shade and has no water feature. The newly refurbished Retreat lounge had some odd sized chairs and some rather sharp cornered low tables. Service very good. The highlight of the cruise for us was the unlimited speciality dining. Both Murano and Tuscan were outstanding on this cruise in terms of food quality and service level… Hope you enjoy…

Hello again, I am following your posts! I honestly think you may not know until you board and then even then things may change part way through your cruise. I would think a lot will depend on % occupancy, staff possibly in quarantine…Please note my comments are general, we haven’t traveled on E class yet. Historically, in our experience, there are few options open on port days in the Med. Quite simply most guests do go on excursions or at least walk around the ports. Sushi on five on a couple our cruises on port days opened at 2pm and was the busiest we ever saw it at about 4/5pm on those days. I guess a lot of people had returned from excursions tired and hungry and decided on having a late lunch early dinner (Lunner?!?)…A lot to be said for this strategy…head there as you return, enjoy a few nice cold beers as you wait for your meal then later bathe, rest, enjoy a bar and dine late if you want or just grab a late night snack… On sea days I would expect Luminae and Raw on Five to be open… One option you have not mentioned for lunchtime is room service…In our experience the standard menu is fine for a lightish lunchtime balcony meal. Mix and match…chicken noodle soup, Caesar Salad, Club Sandwiches… Whilst you are not fans of the buffet I must confess that once or twice per cruise it is nice to graze….Move from station to station putting bits and pieces together or head for a reliable favourite like the Indian selection…

At least with Lufthansa there are later options…Budget lines are frequently one per day. Next flight we are on (next year) we will be wearing masks and I will have antibacterial wipes for tray etc…I used to wipe down my ‘personal space’ before covid to try and avoid noro… As I am sure you know, early excursions in the Med are almost a necessity at this time of year. You can always compensate with a well deserved siesta…However, I do think you have done the right thing not to book excursions every day, you do also need time to relax, unwind and enjoy the ship…Santorini is my favourite port too. I would definitely recommend an early excursion there (partly because of the heat) but also so you have extra time to perhaps visit the local museum (well worth a visit and easily walkable from the cable car) or to simply enjoy the view from one of the many bars… Enjoy!

Much easier said than done….So many people this year have booked early, paid a premium for direct flights or ones with good timings only to have things totally changed near to their vacation. I must confess with age and a few mobility issues against us we chickened out of flying and opted for a Canary Island cruise from Southampton. Not our favourite itinerary but definitely less stressful this year. Focus on the drinks package as you board, blue sky and sunshine ☀️…. Looking at things from the glass is half full perspective at least you have decent flights out 🤞 Sincere best wishes for a great cruise!

As you say, all about choices…Your post bizarrely reminded me how much we enjoy the AI… Picking up a drink (alcohol or otherwise) anytime of day. Trying a drink I don’t know if I will like but it doesn’t matter, I can just leave it and try another. Asking the sommelier to pair unknown wines to my food. Browsing the internet, having ‘conversations’ with friends and family at home. Enjoying sharing experiences by doing a live thread. Even spending that OBC…nice to treat yourself or a family member. Knowing my general tips are paid and I just need the extra ones. As you say all about choices… What I would like reinstating are some special events…Even with access to the Retreat Lounge we did enjoy a few times a cruise going to the Captains Club cocktail hour…It would be nice if they had an event for E+ too.

Look forward to following…A few months yet until our next cruise….