DENIE

Gary, we used your Butler Letter suggestion from one of your original posts, and it was awesome. I don't think our butler had seen one of them before, and sounded like he was afraid of what we were going to ask. But upon meeting him and giving it to him, he nodded and said, yes, he could do all those things (and did!). In fact, a couple times during the cruise he found us because he had a question...he pulled our letter from his inside pocket! Great experience for us!

We may have had 1 or 2 random calls when we first signed up to receive mailings and emails. However since we use a TA, I don't recall that they have called us.

Thank you for a wonderful review! We really enjoyed Vista in January (out of Miami) and have a November 2025 transatlantic (Barcelona to Miami) booked on her. Looking forward to the sea days!

DoulaAnn - we had an added "challenge" that my sister-in-law was traveling with us as well. I had a chance to go to the room and happened to meet him in the hall. I told him which suitcases were ours, and which suitcases were my SIL's. He had a very logical, organized manner in which he unpacked, and I think we only moved a couple things. One side of the closet was for my wife and I, and the other side was SIL's. Shoes were divided evenly as well. T-shirts, daily wear, undergarments, etc were also divided between the available drawers, with nothing mixed together. He did a great job. We ended up packing ourselves before disembarking since we already had to pack our evening bag. We will have them unpack on our next cruise too, I think! 🙂

We did Concierge on Riviera in June 2022 (Mediterranean), and PH on Vista in January 2024 (Caribbean). We loved having the butler, but perhaps didn't make full use of their services. We had him unpack for us (very nice!). We also had him bring fresh coffee each morning to our room at a designated time (15 minute or so window), and probably had about 4 breakfasts brough to us. This was much better than standard room service, in that he set our table, and our breakfasts were in individual plates and not just thrown together). One night we did specialty dining after a long, exhausting shore excursion. It was amazing. He also served us our sparkling from embarkation day, which we had been saving. A great experience overall! 🙂

We usually book specialties for 6:30, when they open, and tend to be at the check-in stand about 5 minutes before, even if the door isn't open yet Never later than that. Even if our reservation is a bit later, we usually check in around 5 minutes prior. More times than not, we are taken right to our seats. We do not believe in waiting 10-15 minutes past our designated time. It's interesting that on Vista in January, we secured an embarkation day "extra" reservation for 6:30 at Red Ginger. The reservation desk reminded us 3 times to not be late. Wonder if that has been a problem in the past. They did not have to worry about us being late. 🙂

Our TA found "The Cadillac" (Marriott Collection, kind of boutique) in Miami Beach. It was wonderful, and not as pricey as some other places we checked out. Our Bonvoy got us an upgrade to Ocean Front, from an Ocean View. I don't recall the Uber ride to the port being too pricey, and the driver got us there in maybe 20 minutes.

Always love the strings and try to catch a few of their sets in the Grand Lounge as well.

We were in 7017 (Penthouse) aft in January 2024. We didn't hear any one next to us or any televisions.

Love your posts, Gary! Also wanted to let you know that I borrowed your butler letter idea on our January 2024 Vista cruise, and our butler really liked it. In fact, a couple times when we ran into him in the hall, he pulled it out of his coat pocket to get clarification. 🙂 We too booked a 11/2025 cruise and a FCC for what we hope will be a 2026 itinerary that hasn't been released yet. It is too far away, so we also dream. As for our dream: the 2025 cruise is the transatlantic on Vista from Barcelona to Miami. We loved the PH so much that we booked one that has the wide balcony (deck 7, rear). With 14 days and lots of sea days, we "dream" of staying "in" at least a couple days, enjoy the veranda, and having specialty dining brought to us by the butler. 🙂

On Vista in January. It's correct that you can't use magnets on the walls where the bed is. We did find the door and the exterior of the bathroom walls were metal, so that is where we posted our schedules, etc.

Agree! Nothing is perfect. But I always say a day aboard a cruise ship is better than just about anything else. 🙂

On both of our Oceania cruises, we got an extra reservation in Red Ginger on embarkation day at our preferred time of 6:30 p.m. (right at opening). This was for a table of 3 (me, my wife, and her sister). On the Riviera cruise in June 2022, we were in a concierge room, and on the Riviera cruise in January 2024 we were in a PH suite. Not sure if either of those had any effect on the availability.

We were just on Vista in January 2024. Was everything perfect? No. There were a couple meals that weren't as good as we thought they could be. But we didn't feel the need to complain to the maitre' de. Most everything in every venue was excellent. We had been on a larger mass-market line (friends chose that cruise) a year before and the food was not nearly as good. Just our experience....no more, no less.

We were on a January sailing in that unusual PH3 on Deck 7 (#7107). We did pay attention to what was below us (the entry to the Grand Dining Room) and of course above us were just more staterooms. I have to say we were not bothered by any noise on either side of us, or out in the hallway. My SIL (our 3rd passenger) had a white noise app playing crickets at night, but if there were TV noise I doubt that would have stopped it. Maybe we were lucky?

We stayed in 7107 (next door, with the short balcony). Yes, I understand that it does get a bit more breeze because it sticks out. I can tell when we were on our 7107 balcony, you would have a fantastic view looking forward.

We booked this room for the 2025 Vista transatlantic in November. In January we were on Vista in #7107, which is the narrow balcony next to the #7109, which definitely had loungers.

We were in PH 7107 (narrow deck) on Vista in January. We did not hear anyone in the adjoining rooms, nor did we really hear anyone at night in the hallways. My sister-in-law had a white-noise app on her cell phone that she turned on at night, but if were were loud conversations next door I doubt it would cover it up.

Just on Vista in January in a PH2, which was a room right next to the extended balcony. It definitely had loungers.

Hi bbqoug. Not sure about that, we've only been on the Riviera and Vista, but I would suspect it would be in the main lobby where all of the other guest services are.

Just off Vista in January (10-nights). The Waves system where you get a number and go to a table worked very well. One night we even took our number to the air-conditioned Terrace Grill and they found us easily. As others have pointed out, being on a 10-night cruise meant all dining opened at 6:30.

I second Oskidunker. Check to see if there is a Tours by Locals guide for a private tour. If not, check out other private tours. Although we have been on some very nice ship-sponsored tours, we always love private tours when there is a good option.

If on a 10-day or so cruise on one of the ships with 4 specialties, you can often get an "extra" specialty by going to the reservation desk on embarkation and inquiring. On our Riviera and Vista cruises the last 2 years, we snagged an extra Red Ginger restaurant on embarkation day because they had availability. No guarantees, but always worth asking.

After several Celebrity cruises pre-Covid, we decided to try something different and booked an Oceania cruise in 2022. We've not looked back. Just completed our 2nd cruise (Vista) last month, and booked a 2025 Transatlantic (Also Vista - Barcelona to Miami). While on-board the Vista last month, we purchased a FCC for a cruise itinerary we are looking for in 2026. I have to say Celebrity did nothing to "lose" our business, but we have come to really appreciate the smaller, more intimate ships and the amenities they offer. We sailed on HAL (Koningsdam) a year ago December with friends (they picked the cruise), and we found ourselves preferring Oceania.

Look for Culinary Classes under the Other Options on your online reservation. If you see something you like, book it ASAP. These classes are popular and do sell out (there are only about 24 cooking stations (at least on the Vista) - I believe about the same on the Marina.