AstoriaPreppy

Again, if you close the accordion doors to the room while the infinite verandah is open, the room AC stays on.

2023, less than two weeks ago. We were *fully* expecting a sky-is-falling experience based on the reports on cruise critic.... and were shocked when it didn't happen. The only thing that was tangible as a change from the past was not having the room service scrambled eggs included for breakfast without a charge. Knowing how hit/miss these can be, we decided not to risk it. Otherwise, things were great: bars were fully staffed by competent crew, our room steward was excellent and meticulous (wrapping up usb-c cables on the desk, etc), and the entertainment staff was all over the place making sure people were engaged/not.

TBH, I'm completely perplexed by all of these panic-inducing posts about Celebrity being markedly worse in every way. We just disembarked a few weeks ago, and nothing (nothing) was a deal-breaker in terms of comparing Celebrity's current offerings with other lines. The MDR was fully staffed, food was hot and well-prepared, and there were plenty of options. We ate in both Tuscan and Murano. Murano, specifically, was spectacular... both the food and service were excellent, and not noticeably different from our past experiences there. At breakfast and lunch, the buffet was fully staffed and serving a full range of dishes... there appeared to be almost no cutbacks there. We didn't do the buffet for dinner, but it appeared to have a range of options.I can't speak to the very specific issue of getting a cooked to order steak for dinner in the buffet, which seems to be a deal breaker for the vast majority of people posting here. The only place I noticed a staffing issue on the ship was in the casino, where they now offer free drinks while playing. There was only one drink server working the room for the entire casino, and he seemed quite busy.

You can order drinks via the app, which is linked to your account. If you order using the app, the medallion allows a server to triangulate and serve you... so the medallion tells the server you're sitting at X location in X venue. Then the order is sent to the nearest bar/service bar for quicker delivery. Alternatively, you can order drinks traditionally, either walking up to a bar, or with a server. If you walk up to the bar, the medallion triggers at that venue automatically. Wandering servers have handheld devices. Instead of telling the bartender or server your room or folio number, or handing over your card, your image just pops up on a point of sale tablet because of your proximity. Usually, the server will say "John, right?" just to make sure they're charging the correct account.

Compared to the MDR, the food and sauces are definitely lighter. Lots more fish, shellfish than the MDR, and more veg-forward than Luminae. Still a red meat option each evening, and certainly most cruisers can find options on the menu to enjoy. If you're looking for a steak-forward experience, you'd probably need to be dining in Tuscan on most ships or Fine Cut on E-class.

If you want ordering drinks via an app, you'll need to head to Princess... although if you talk to most of their (older) passengers, no one can figure out the system and they just end up screaming their cabin number at servers.

MoveUp has been wonky for me lately. My email to unlock one upcoming voyage took them more than a week to respond to.

It's also worth pointing out that Blu is a "clean cuisine" restaurant. They generally offer lighter, and more veg/healthful options than what you'd get in the MDR/Luminae.

This hasn't been my experience with the medallion (at all)... we never told a server our room number once on our Princess cruise last year. The technology is spectacular: you can order food/beverages/alcohol anywhere on the ship via your phone, and a server will find you, wherever you are. This includes your room. When you walk up to a bar, you don't hand over anything... your face just pops up on their POS system and you get your drink. The WiFi coverage is spectacular... solid, and FAST. It actually flags the room attendant when you're out of the room, so they know when to do housekeeping/turndown. It's really some of the most impressive technology I've ever seen on a ship, and you're doing it wrong if it's just an alternative keycard.

Sorry you were disappointed, but I tend to take "it's like Carnival" feedback on CC with a grain of salt. Carnival has easily the best burgers, tacos, barbecue and fast casual food in the industry, hands down. While the product may not be for everyone, it's literally the one thing they're known for.

I think it's important to remember the niche of the niche of cruisers that Cruise Critic boards ends up being. A great example of this would be Infinite Verandahs. Reading CC, you'd believe them to be like living in a cave, a total miss, and sure to bring down the cruising industry. Oddly, this has not been the case with the general public, who tend to love the rooms. They've been so successful that Royal Caribbean is porting them over to their next new build... the general public loves them, and ~250ish frequent posters on CC hate them! You do the math. As I've mentioned before, I've talked to celebrity execs at some industry events, and CC tends to get a big eye roll, exactly for those reasons. The thing they *do* take seriously are comment cards, and unless passengers provide feedback on those surveys on issues onboard, things are unlikely to change. In many ways, these boards are the long tail of cruising... a tiny segment of a wide audience. Until these concerns reach that wider audience, it's a moot point.

I have the same reaction every time. We’re line agnostic (actually really enjoy Carnival), but the cloth hand towels always seem so ridiculously extravagant on Celebrity/Holland America.

Healthy ones? 😇

This is a bad idea. Is your goal to eat with the family in Blu, or are you just trying to get access to the thermal spaces? If you’re looking to dine with the family in Blu, you’ll almost certainly run into issues on board with the hostess/maitre’d. Celebrity limits AQ rooms to two passengers, essentially to keep kids out of AQ and Blu. The only exceptions for children in Blu is when an adult takes a child on a solo trip. Or one-offs for suite guest who want something other than Luminae for the evening… otherwise it’s kind of a no-kids space.

The reason tilapia is inexpensive is because it’s incredibly easy to farm. You can’t dig a pit in the ground in the middle of a field and raise most kinds of fish… but tilapia thrives in that sort of environment. It’s the same with shrimp, which is why in a the past 30 years shrimp has gone from a luxury product to an inexpensive everyday item in supermarket freezer cases.

I'm only budgeting 50 sleeps... the red eye down to Santiago is going to be brutal.

That makes much more sense!

We both have MGM rewards cards, but again, low level gamblers. Our trips to Vegas have been much more clubs, bars, brunches, dinners, shows focused... not hours and hours at the slots or tables. Maybe they're taking non-gambling revenue into account?

Not sure I'm following this... generally the system doesn't send you an email for lower categories than what you're booked into. ie: If you're booked into a Sky Suite, you absolutely should not be getting a MoveUp offer for AquaClass or lower. Maybe a glitch? Are you sure you're in a sky suite?

TBH, I'm fascinated to know what algorithm have targeted my husband and I. We're dual income, no kids, and cruise regularly. We've also done one or two trips to Vegas, and I go for work on the Strip sporadically. We are not gamblers in any real sense. We'll budget around $100 each in casino loss for a seven day cruise. We also tend to walk away once we have any level of winnings, unless we're playing roulette and being social. If I'm in Vegas for work, I'll bounce around and play some slots if I have downtime, but again, very low level stuff. Since the restart, we've been targeted for comp casino cruises by both Carnival & Celebrity... and we can't figure out why! Is it because they're trying to cultivate new high-level gamblers? Some sort of formula in a database we'll never know about? Just trying to fill up the ship? A combination of all of these? I'm not complaining, but still can't figure out why!

Going on a Blue Chip comp cruise on the Solstice in a few weeks. I called Blue Chip to add a beverage package, and per the rep they're only discounting bev packages based on Captain's Club level now. We're in a comp verandah, and had the same experience. AQ was a $1,300 upgrade, which I politely declined.

Your review has been amazing, and I'm really looking forward to being on this same sailing in March! Hoping our shoulder season weather holds up as well as your's did. That said, I can't believe the flight to Iguazú Falls departed from EZE, when AEP is about five minutes down the street from the port. That would have been very frustrating to me at 6 in the morning.

It sounds like we’ll be lucky to make it back? Fingers crossed!! It’s why we’re planning a trip to Amsterdam next year. Support small businesses!

That’s actually pee 😉

You have clearly never been seated with me in the MDR. 🦞🍸😋