babydates

We just did a back to back on Celebrity Ascent. We had a Sunset Sky Suite on deck 9 the first week and moved to Sky Suite by forward elevators deck 9.  Yes there was a lot of creaking, banging and noise coming from ceilings and walls in both locations. It had nothing to do with doors being open, etc. Many other guests complained about it also. And this ship rocks more than any other ship we have been on, even when the ocean was calm.
 

We have been on 42 cruises, so we’re not new to this.  My husband got seasick the first time ever. We love Celebrity, but have decided not to go back on Ascent again.

The good news though is they have the best chefs!  The food was flavorful, moist, tender, the best we have had on any other Celebrity ship. We occasionally go to the buffet and was pleasantly surprised by the food there also. The staff and bar tenders were excellent. The ship was absolutely beautiful.  They made a few changes on this ship over others in its class that were wonderful.

I say suites on the EC ships are absolutely worth it. We love the Retreat. The Concierge is wonderful and can get things done when no one else can. I couldn’t go on an excursion we paid for (my husband went though) because I had hurt my foot.  The day after the excursion we asked the concierge if we could get a refund for my ticket and she got it done. That is just one example of the value of the Retreat Concierge. I hardly ever found the Retreat lounge area crowded. I always found a spot on one of their couches.  I was by myself most the time reading on the sectional. But I also love being pampered on a cruise and I feel extra pampered in a Suite.  So that’s all we book now.

We have found the newer, bigger ships have the best entertainment.  Royal Caribbean on Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas were all some of the best entertainment we have seen and we’ve been cruising for years.  We only sail on Royal and Celebrity and it is definitely a more mature group sailing on Celebrity.

We sail both Royal and Celebrity, but the perks with Celebrity are so much better then Royal, at least they are through my travel agent. We get prepaid gratuities, free drink package, free internet, and shipboard credit, usually $300 or more. Royal used to give a lot more years ago, but not so much now. 

Araceli <sp> was our Genie on HARMONY in January (1724)

We will be on Harmony in 2 weeks and Araceli is our genie. How did you like him?

When do the cruise lines (Celebrity or Royal Caribbean) offer guaranteed suites? Is it so many days or weeks from sail date? An is there an easy way to search for the guaranteed suites without looking at each cruise date?

A year ago I booked while on board Celebrity for a future next cruise. We paid a deposit of $200 for the open end booking. When I booked my cruise this year, it gave me a reduced deposit and $200 ship board credit. I just don't see the advantage to booking on board. The reduced deposit is not that big of a deal to me because you still have to pay it now or later. I'm confused that I paid a deposit of $200 while booking on board to get $200 shipboard credit on my next cruise. So I'm just paying for my own shipboard credit, right? Can someone tell me the advantage of booking on board.