maljeff

I apologize if this has been covered already but how late does the Spa Terrace stay open?

thanks

mj

I think Luvcrusn makes an excellent point.  I just read the overview for Edge and the reviewer says this:

And you probably won't be traveling with your young children; this is a grown-up ship.

And yet kids sail free is being promoted for Edge and Apex sailings.  Just seems like they aren't sure who they are trying to attract.

We have only dined in blu on one cruise but will be there again this Sunday on the Silhouette. Our (limited) experience was that getting the same table and/or the same wait staff for dinner was optional/not guaranteed but in our case, we got the same table and wait staff each time. All we did was mention to the host on our 1st night that we loved the table and the staff and it was always open whenever we showed up. I'm not banking on that this time but in my experience they do try to accommodate you.

For breakfast, it felt like it was pretty random and we never did ask for a specific table etc. We just sat wherever they put us!

In St. Croix, we took a cab to the Christiansted Boardwalk and did a little shopping, had lunch and did a mini pub crawl along the boardwalk. It was a good day.

we just saw those change as well. We've only been to Antigua and St. Croix once so we are actually very pleased with the changes.

Happy cruising!

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this but here is my summary of our self-disembarkation experience. We were on the Equinox. Our arrival date at Port Everglades was Jan 30, we were the only ship in port that day, we arrived on time and we were at terminal 18.

We embarked and disembarked onthe 5th floor

The line started on the 5th floor and we got to the line at 655 am. The line started at the theatre entrance and we were pretty far back. For those of you familiar with the ship, we we just back from the point in the "hallway" where it open up to the photo area. For another reference point, we were right beside the 1st exit to the deck.

The line started to move at 720.

We were in the customs line at 730.

We breezed through customs, jumped in cab and were through airport customs and in the Starbucks line by 810.

Caveat - We were the only ship inport that day, we arrived on time and we were at terminal 18.

The ship did not provide detailed info prior to disembarkation. The info said something to this effect:

"Self disembarkation will start at 730.Please wait in the public areas to find out where to go".

However I went down to floors 5 and 4 at about 6 am, scoped it out and knew exactly whereto go. I assume many people do this. We were almost off the ship when I heard them formally announce self disembarkation. So if you want to get off early, don't wait for the announcement.

If you have any questions, I happy to help where I can.

heres a thread with pics of the menu:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2051239

On the Equinox the Gastropub has replaced cellar masters. More taps would be great but DW and I really like it and spend time there every day sampling beers and relaxing.

If you want to stay in FLL we always stay at the Crowne Plaza. its really close to the airport and Port Everglades. It has a full restaurant which is really handy as well. We've never had a bad stay.

Interesting. I interpreted Bootstrap's post differently given that they "are respectful to the level of noise they emit..." I took that to mean that they keep the volume down so they are not bothersome to other cruisers.

We always eat a late breakfast or early lunch so we're not hungry (and grupmy) when we 1st get on. We grab a mimosa and explore. We stay away from oceanview and instead eventually make our way to the Mast Grill. It's usually completely dead or not very busy.

We tried to use them but had limited success. for the most part we just used the "call" feature (with the volume turned down) as signal that we should all meet at a pre-arranged place.

But I agree with the other posters that some people have them on full blast and it's not very enjoyable to listen both sides of a conversation over a walkie talkie.

We have used them more on port days for when we split up at a shopping square etc.

Just checked and 1110 am is still our flight time out of FLL to YYZ

We have only done aqua once and we loved it and the best part for us was blu, hands down. We loved the menu but I think the staff is what really made it memorable. The maitre d' managed to save our quiet table for 2 every night. Which meant that we had the same wait staff the entire cruise and they were amazing. Perfect in fact. I think for the final 2 or 3 nights we pretty much just told them to bring us whatever they recommended. My wife casually mentioned on the 2nd night that I'm a pasta guy so he just brought out the pasta dish every night as a 3rd entree as a "share" plate for us.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We have never had a bad stateroom attendant. They have always been good to amazing. So we tip each day before going for dinner. We get extra envelopes from guest relations and tip b/t $5 - $20 per night and leave it on the bed. In a few cases we have left an additional tip on our last night.

I know on our last cruise there was 20% coupon that was included in our embarkation "package" of information and offers that were placed on our bed when we 1st got to our room. But I don't remember if that was b/c we are Elite and/or were in Concierge Class.

We have always stayed at the Crowne Plaza. It's really close to the port and has a restaurant, which is handy. I think the shuttle to the cruiseport is about $8 if I remember correctly and the airport shuttle is free. We have never had an issue with this hotel.

We have always stayed at the Crowne Plaza. It's really close to the port and has a restaurant, which is handy. I think the shuttle to the cruiseport is about $8 if I remember correctly and the airport shuttle is free. We have never had an issue with this hotel.

We have always stayed at the Crowne Plaza. It's really close to the port and has a restaurant, which is handy. I think the shuttle to the cruiseport is about $8 if I remember correctly and the airport shuttle is free. We have never had an issue with this hotel.

We have always stayed at the Crowne Plaza. Free shuttle from the airport and $8 to take you to the cruise port. They also have a full restaurant. We love sitting by the pool watching planes land the night before our cruise. We love it.

Please post when you return from your cruise to let us know how it goes. I'm on that flight in April and also plan to self-disembark from Silhouette.

Will do!

Our flight leaves at 11:10 and we are flying Air Canada.

Thanks everyone for the info.

One last question. We have always paid for and taken the celebrity bus/shuttle so my experience with taxis is zero. I assume once we exit the terminal there will be a taxi queue we can get in to get a cab to the airport? Or is it a free-for-all?

Just want to prepare myself for what I should expect.

Thanks again.

We had 1625 on a Jan 2016 sailing and had no issues with noise or movement

DW and I want to try self-disembarkation for our Jan 2017 cruise. However, we only want to do this if we get off the ship earlier than than the "traditional" disembarkation. Our flight leaves a little earlier than previous cruises so this is why we want to self-disembark.

Does anyone have experience with this? Do self-disembarkation folks always get off 1st? Or does it depend on on the ship, port, etc?

We've always stayed at the crowne plaza. They pick us up at the airport and take us to the cruise port for $8 each. They also have a great restaurant. We've always had a great stay and it's so close to both the airport and the cruise port.