AstoriaPreppy

Only speaking from conversations with a few execs at a thing last year... the surveys (and quantifiable numbers) make differences, rants on CC don't. 🤷‍♂️

As I posted in the roll call for this sailing, there's not any US news reports of current issues in Mazatlan, only that one story from the Canadian wire services. From everything I've read and seen in the states, yesterday's violence was primarily centered in Culiacán. I always check out the US State Department reports for wherever I'm going, and in this case Mazatlan and Sinaloa state have been listed as "do not travel" for quite a while, with some notes for federal employees visiting the tourist zones. From the website: Travel for U.S. government employees is limited to the following areas with the noted restrictions: Mazatlan: U.S. government employees may travel to Mazatlan by air or sea only, are limited to the Zona Dorada and historic town center, and must travel via direct routes between these destinations and the airport and sea terminal. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mexico.html#/

They look absolutely look at guest surveys. They absolutely roll their eyes at forum posts on CC.

Loving your review... I'll be on this sailing in March (along with many others), so you're basically acting as a surrogate vacation planner for all of us right now. Re: Crush. That's actually the vodka bar/high top to the left of the Martini Bar. There's a big wall display that they usually fill up with crushed ice and bottles of vodka and gin. Picture below of a chic night display from a recent Summit sailing. Also, thanks for your fair assessment of the ship. Booking a non-revolutionized M-class ship was absolutely a concern for us, when we're only done Millennium and Summit lately. It's disappointing that Infinity never got the refit, but we'll make the best of it. Any thoughts on the passenger mix on the cruise? Curious to know the vibe on board.

Didn't realize that! Also fascinating, since that's how the ships/kitchens were originally designed... until the disastrous rollout of "dynamic dining" on Quantum of the Seas seemed to scare the company off from full implementation.

Wait, they removed assigned time dining from Edge? When did that happen? When we sailed we absolutely had traditional late dining in Cosmopolitan with the same table/waiter each night.

Each cruise is different, and a decision by the officers on one ship doesn't mean it's a fleet-wide implementation. Per another guest on this sailing, only 50% of balcony and concierge cabins were booked a week ago, so there's a good chance the passenger load is low! I'm glad you mentioned nighttime shows: when we started cruising again post-restart, Celebrity would often do a single show each night... there just wasn't demand otherwise. To be clear, if a ship is sailing at 100% capacity and is only serving late night snacks during dinner in the Oceanview cafe, it's going to be an issue. However, at this point there's no indication this is the new normal, just a lot of hand-wringing without a full picture of why this is happening on this specific sailing.

We caught Karen Grainger on the NJ-Iceland cruise this summer, and were shocked at how good she was. Highly recommend.

Or... they know that the cruise is running at reduced capacity and a certain (possibly high) percentage of passengers already have assigned time dining? Not everything has to be a sky is falling moment.

I'd reframe that by noting that all cruise ship cooking is volume, not selection. In this case, they don't have the volume of passengers to warrant offering a full selection of buffet dinner options. With cruise ship cooking (especially the buffet), they're not making a single steam tray of X, they're making 20. They're prepping 100 steaks, not 5. So if there's not a critical mass of passengers on this particular cruise to warrant full prep/staffing, it makes sense they'd scale back.

Not to be ridiculous, but I would surmise this is more capacity-related than anything else? I'm guessing they're not running a full buffet service for dinner because there's a notably decreased passenger load onboard. As another user pointed out, there was extensive booking availability a short while before departure, so it stands to reason that there are not even close to a full passenger load... and Celebrity (knowing this) realized a modified dinner buffet service was a better option. In this case, it wouldn't even surprise me if they shut down one of the MDRs because of overcapacity.

When we sailed Edge in the summer of 2019, they were actually doing dry-aged steaks in Prime Cut, which were spectacular. Not sure if those still exist, but this was by far the best steakhouse experience I've ever had on any cruise ship, rivaling the best venues in NY or Vegas.

Does anyone know if Blue Chip offers are MoveUp eligible? Or is calling the Blue Chip desk for my booking the only way to figure out upgrade options?

This takes me back to the reports in late 2021 that Royal Caribbean's private port of Labadee was being abandoned by the line. Per CC user posts, officers and crew on board other ships reported that Labadee had been taken over by squatters during the pandemic, and the line would never return. The entire resort had been burned to the ground, the dorms stripped by looters, and the beaches overrun with pirates. Our February 2022 Anthem of the Seas roll call was in full-on hysterics mode... we were only the second ship scheduled to stop at the port. Imagine our surprise when docking when we found the entire resort in pristine condition: freshly painted, new pathways, and in tip-top shape. It was a great reminder that CC is still the internet, and trolls are gonna troll (even on this dopey message board).

Ack... we're on the 23 March sailing this year, and these wakeup times seem brutal for scenic cruising. Maybe they'll just keep the disco going all night in the observation lounge and we'll get to see them on our way to bed in the morning? 😉

As others have noted, the Rendezvous lounge on the revolutionized Millennium/Summit is greatly improved. It's now a great place to hang out and read daytime, bright and full of light. Also, the buffet design was greatly improved in both seating and passenger flow. I'd recommend the martini bar staff on Millennium. Most of them chose working on the M-class over the S/E class because of the lower passenger loads and increased interaction opportunities... lots more chances for them to get to know you and your beverage preferences. Also, keep an eye out for Satoko in Cafe al Bacio. She's a Japanese barista, and possibly one of the most lovely ship staffers I've ever encountered.

TBH, if you're remotely prone to seasickness, this is one area of the world you'd likely want to avoid. The Drake Passage (south of Cape Horn) is notorious for rough seas... wikipedia has full details on how/why this happens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Passage . Summer tends to be calmer in the area, but the end of March/April is shoulder season and prone to more activity. If the kiddos are prone to motion-sickness on a catamaran in the Med, this would probably be a deal breaker. I'd also recommend you read up on the Viking Polaris ship that was just hit by a rogue wave in the area. They were hit by the rogue wave while returning to port for a medical evacuation... because a passenger was seriously injured the day before on an excursion due to rough seas.

My one experience arriving into EZE moved pretty quickly (probably 20 minutes or so), but 8 am is when the airport gets busy and you may hit delays. I just took a flat rate taxi booked at the arrivals hall counter into Buenos Aires, but it's my understanding that the flat rate no longer exists? As another comment noted, any pre-booked service will monitor flights arrival and will wait for you... it's why you're paying more for the service, and not just taking a taxi.

You think a $2 bill is the best attention-seeking tipping move? No way! I prefer to dole out my tips out in $1 Sacagawea dollar coins of my favorite Presidents… both educational, and as frequently confusing to Western Union tellers when the crew tries to cash in tip money to wire it home! Will it work in a vending machine? Who cares, it’s just fun to give out! (Sarcasm intended)

Not sure about NCL's production, but there was an Argentine dance troupe on America's Got Talent several years ago that almost won the entire season. Drums, lasers, sweat... it was absolutely insane.

My favorite remains the "official" Vatican City gift shop, which was clearly across the street from St. Peter's Square and not in any way official. We purchased several Vatican fridge magnet bottle openers as gifts, confident that they were sanctioned products blessed by the Pope 😂

TBH, a lot of AquaClass diners tend to eat early. We're in our 30s/40s and never had issues getting a table for two (usually near the windows) going for dinner at 8 or 8:30. Also, you should ask your friends what time they like to eat so there's no surprises onboard. From my experience, you can absolutely order off the MDR menu in Blu on Solstice-class ships (like Reflection). Escargot as an app every day!

Your point is well-taken… lots of old-school Celebrity cruisers were annoyed when the line went to all-inclusive pricing. They’ve since gone back to cabin-only pricing for anything other than the Retreat, which is always all-inclusive, including OBC. Still, an $8k difference seems very itinerary-specific. From my experience, Haven/Retreat pricing is more often similar than not.

Please note that I didn’t say “free.” Celebrity builds gratuities, Wi-Fi, a premium beverage package and OBC into the cost of every suite booking. NCL has decided not to.

I never could figure out how/why those made it past the bowling alley removal. They did an amazing job refitting the entire lounge, but then kept some random, old slot machines in the corners? It was a head-scratcher.