chemmo

I find your remark a little offensive. I follow the dress code on Celebrity and in any venue or country I visit…I never remove gratuities or taste food at the buffet. Just because my view on this topic is different than yours why do you have to assume I am a nonconformist? I accept that others may have a range of views that differ from mine…I totally respect the views of others. This post was not about allowing children into the Solarium all the time, simply about them having access some of the time…

Firstly not all children are the same…many children and teens prefer the ambiance on board a Celebrity ship to a RC one. I speak from experience. Also many people sailing are multigenerational groups. They are looking for a cruise line to suit every family member. To be honest none of this is relevant…What is relevant is that Celebrity is not an adults only cruise line. As you have said families could move to RC they could tell you to book Virgin! I honestly simply think that it is not unreasonable to open a facility (Solarium) for families to enjoy at a time when the people who have the facility the rest of the time are rarely using it. As I said in my first post I cruise with a family at present who are all adults so I have no personal axe to grind…I simply feel that begrudging access for families at a quiet time is no big deal!

I would at times say the outdoor pool is not friendly to families…There is always the ‘serious swimmer’ who feel it is appropriate to do full lengths in a pool regardless of swiping out of the way two six year olds and a grey haired elderly lady (me). To say nothing for the clique of elderly ladies (not me) standing in one area unwilling to move even when they are blocking access to the steps… Also there is that temperature issue…There are many cruises where the outdoor pools are only for the hardy! The Mediterranean end of season, The Far East isn’t consistently hot and both TA and TP cruises can have many inclement days… All I am trying to say is that I cannot see the hardship for most adults to have the Solarium open to families for just a couple of hours a day…

No, but the Solarium is often empty so why not let families enjoy it?

Gosh, I feel a bit on my own but I think families should be allowed to use the Solarium between set times (5pm to 7pm?) daily no matter where in the world the cruise is… Most adults by then are either getting ready for dinner or already enjoying an early evening drink. It is years now since we have cruised with a child but as long as Celebrity is taking the money off families then I do feel that their needs/wishes should be taken into account….

Also looking forward to your review. We are on Infinity, also in a suite so interested to see how you find the suite experience….

Safe and pleasant journey home, thank you for a wonderful vicarious vacation!

Agree plus drink, drink, drink…anything nonalcoholic. Also agree…This is especially important if the ships doctor (unlikely but possible) suggests a quick visit to a hospital at your next port of call. Request and save taxi receipts etc as well as cost of prescriptions, scans, consultation etc. Sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I’ll bet whatever suites they were in their minibars were stocked…I would also bet if any of them were in standard balcony cabins they didn’t get charged for room service… Seriously, I do hope a few people they talked to on the cruise expressed concerns about some of the recent changes. I sincerely hope that they are continuing to follow threads on CC that genuinely express concern about maintaining the standards and ambiance that has made Celebrity stand out from it’s competition….That should have been the focus of their fact finding cruise…

What a fantastic day you have had! I have a sneaky feeling you will both be enjoying a couple of weeks in Italy (minus a cruise) in the next year or two…Your love of wining, dining and soaking in the atmosphere of the places you visit shine through… We have been lucky to enjoy several land tours in Europe over the years and along with the history, architecture and art the highlights for us have always been the little local restaurants in the back streets off the main tourist areas…I fondly remember one little restaurant we wandered into in Crete…We ordered a drink then saw another table getting some very tasty looking little plates of assorted starters and decided to ask for the menu. As we spoke no Greek and our hosts spoke very little English at first there was some confusion…We finally worked out there was no menu it was ‘Papa’s choice of the day’ (a set three course menu)…The wine was house wine and at the end of the night Metaxa came without being ordered…We arrived at about 8pm and left at midnight….One of the most magical and romantic meals ever. Much as we love cruising and find it a great way to get a flavour of a country you do really need to revisit your favourite spots on a land tour…I think you will need to do some homework when you get back home…

Thanks for a clear and factual review and some pictures that show both the look and the practicality of the suite. Enjoy and please keep posting!

What a lovely breath of fresh air your adventures are bringing! Looking forward to the next instalment….

Enjoy, all of you!

Looking forward to following your adventures…Between my favourite live travellers at the moment I may need to start my morning coffee time early… Time for you and your husband now to switch off from the ‘real world’ and enjoy some couple time… We have visited many of your ports of call either on land based holidays or on cruises….Enjoy!

Agree. The only thing I would add is if you are travelling in a suite then there is no suite deck on Reflection, a basic one on Equinox (one level no water feature) and a much nicer one on Silhouette (two levels, jacuzzi, very nice seating and bar area).

Enjoy your cruise, following along!

We have always been escorted onboard in a RS or PH although not really necessary. I always do appreciate someone carrying my hand luggage though. However, this has been on S and M class. With more higher suites on E class perhaps that makes a difference…

Like emmas gram I have some concerns about you embarking on a cruise on the other side of the world at present. Nothing to do with viruses or politics or war…more just how much anxiety/stress it may cause you. All of us as we pass through life have times of confidence and times of doubt. Times where we feel no matter what went wrong with our holiday arrangements we would cope and then times where we feel that going away could be very stressful and all those worries and doubts creep into our minds. I agree with others that Australia and New Zealand are safe destinations, I also agree with others that one thing the last few years have taught us is life is for living while we can…However, your level of concern of ‘what could go wrong’ is really high…Do you think after not travelling for some time you may feel better doing a cruise more ‘local’ this year may suit you better? You may feel less stressed doing a Caribbean cruise or an Alaskan first where your travel arrangements would be much easier and home not so far away….Just a thought…..

Exactly…We used to do two a year and always have 2/3 booked well in front. Presently one only booked for next year.

When we were first ‘Elite’ it was in the pre suite perk days and pre drinks packages. The perks at that time were well worth having! Free evening cocktail drinks in the Sky Lounge with entertainment and tasty little nibbles in the company of other regular cruisers. At breakfast Bellinis and specialty coffees and the presence of the Captain’s Club host. With no suite Concierge to help with any difficulties or arrange any treats the Captain’s Club host was the only alternative to queuing at guest services. Now the only Elite Perk we seem to use is the Elite breakfast….I am a real fan, especially on S class…I always find the Luminae breakfast takes too long and finishes too early…

My thoughts exactly…Handbags are nice but cruise memories are priceless!

I feel your pain…So frustrating when you find somewhere special. We once drove around the rural county of Cheshire, UK for hours to find a curious little castle we had once spotted and meant to revisit one day…We couldn’t initially spot it on the internet and resorted to driving around. It was quite magical when we rounded a bend and spotted it! A road trip to Italy needed perhaps?

Couldn’t be Villa Del Sol could it?

Sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery, so pleased you are at least out of hospital. Hope it isn’t too long until you can return to cruising!

Thank you for taking the time out of your holiday to do a live review. I know from experience they do take up time. Your attitude to cruising is perfect…Things aren’t always going to be perfect but if you value the good you are guaranteed a great voyage! Remember on nights you are really tired the buffet is a good option… Looking forward to following the remainder of your live post…