cibumcupio

I'm not sure I understand the concept of the Solarium. Is it a glass-roofed pool and lounge area that's adults only? I don't think I've seen this described on the Celebrity website, and I can't even get on their site this morning. We've sailed on Carnival, where they have Serenity areas and Princess where they have Sanctuary (for a fee). Is Celebrity's Solarium kind of like that? Is it free?

Yes, it is exactly a glass roofed pool and lounge area that's adults only. And it is free. Kids are allowed very rarely, when there is bad weather and the main pools are closed. The pool itself is very nice. Like an enormous jacuzzi with waves, bubbles, salt water. I remember feeling sorry for the kids because they can't use it. Kids would love something like that.

Also, I'm wondering if there are other places people would recommend to just relax and read a book or spend time with my wife in comfort and relative quiet. We don't dislike kids, but we did find the Serenity area on our last Carnival cruise to be relaxing.

There are lots of nooks and crannies and lounges to do exactly that. The chairs in the Solarium are actually very nice for that. Cafe Al Bacio is nice too, and you can nibble on pastries while you do. Also the lounge on deck 11 has a great view of the wake and was never very crowded. The area by Cellar Masters and Bistro on 5 is also usually very quiet.

The new Summer train timetable will start in May.

Why search for March, when Infinity won't be doing Iceland and the Fjords until the summer?

Because the dates right now on the website don't go past April. So do you think the summer train timetable will still have the direct train on Sunday night?

Here's what I would suggest...

 

There's a direct train from Cambridge station to Harwich International. It leaves Cambridge daily at 7:44 PM. There are other trains leaving at different times, but they all require transfers. The 7:44 train is direct.

 

This will put them in Harwich at 9:30 PM.

 

You can book the tickets through: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Then, they can stay the night at a hotel near the port. Premier Inn Harwich is within walking distance of the train station and port (about half a mile though -- so a taxi may be needed if there's significantly luggage).

These are all great suggestions. Very thankful to everyone for the responses.

This particular option looks really good! I did a couple of searches, and noticed that this train did not run on all of the Sundays, one of them being March 9th. So do you know if this train is a regular thing?

Stay in Cambridge for the night and get a taxi to Harwich in the morning. It's not that far away.

 

Regards

Susan

Do you have an idea of how much the taxi would be? On google it looks like about a 1.5 hr drive.

So my parents will be on Celebrity for the first time and are taking the Infinity Iceland and Fjords cruise from Harwich this summer (lucky them). They're trying to figure out the best way to get from Cambridge to Harwich; they'll be in Cambridge for a wedding the day before the cruise. So first of all, does anyone know a good way to get from Cambridge to Harwich? They could possibly get friends to drop them off in London again that night, and it seems like there are more options from London in the morning, including this shuttle bus that picks up passengers from London hotels around 9am straight to the ship at around 12:30pm. This sounds good for the peace of mind, but is there a better way? This will also be their first time in the UK.

There's a line, but there shouldn't be a gap. If there is, then you got a faulty bed. They have this thing that goes over both mattresses and ties them together so that they never separate. If this happens again, just tell your stateroom attendant to fix it.

In terms of the line, I think of it like this: http://xkcd.com/335/

I would say it's not even about the cruise insurance. Losing money sucks, but losing half of your vacation because you didn't fly in at least a day early when coming from the northeast in the winter is just asking for it.

I'm still trying to put my finger on the exact reason I didn't live my latest cruise. Part of it related to some stress related to our travels (missed flight, toddler not napping etc). Obviously, those things aren't RCIs fault, but they contributed to the overall feeling.

 

Both DH and I found the new menus left something to be desired. On the first night, neither of us really were excited by any if the selections, then on the second night (formal), everything we liked seemed to be on the menu.

 

We wanted to try my time dining, but couldn't get a table before 8:30 pm on the first night, so reverted back to early seating (8:30 for us would have been manageable, but not possible with a child). Had I read the menu, I might have decided to just go to Windjammer.

 

Finally, we didn't feel that the level of service was the same as we had previously experienced. As an example, after the first dinner on our lady cruise on Liberty, our waiter made sure to have a little fruit plate on hand when we arrived in the dining room. This kept DD busy until he could get her dinner delivered (always with our appetizers). This time, there was none if that kind of initiative or recognition of the need for some extra attention. There were other things, but that was one example.

 

Travelling without DD, I'm sure will make any line more relaxing and enjoyable. I guessing wondered if there was anything specific about the Constellation I should know about...

 

 

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It sounds like you are looking for better food, better service, and less crowded ship. All of which are very good reasons to go from Royal to Celebrity. I thought our meals on RCI were good, but Celebrity was excellent.

If your kid loves food and is willing to try new things, then go for it. If they have difficulty with restaurant meals and would rather be out playing, then maybe wait until they're older. Personally I think I would have appreciated Qsine after age 10 or so.

You know what, though people have preferences really the rooms are all very similar. In terms of what is officially better, A is better than C. But a lot of people have their own opinions on these too. Just look under the sticky thread for any specific problems a cabin might have. But if it isn't there, you're probably fine.

A lot of people think that Concierge might be worth it if the difference is less than $100 per person, and I agree. On our last cruise that we booked the difference was only $15. The main perk is that the best locations tend to be Concierge. That's how we ended up with the first one. And I actually do like the fresh flowers, the priority embarkation, the bigger breakfast menu, and the afternoon canapes. Lots of people think the canapes are dumb, but I think they're fun and it's nice to munch on something when we go back to the room to change for dinner. Oh, and the champagne is nice too if you don't have a drink package. None of the perks are things that I would pay good money for, but definitely nice if it isn't too expensive.

We're looking at going the last week in May/First week in June.

Oh, just noticed this part. I know it's your anniversary so going at a later time might seem weird. But just know that Alaska will still be very cold then. We had friends who were there in May on a babymoon and a lot of excursions were canceled, and even some ports were canceled due to the bad weather. They still had a great time, but they said it was COLD. Their pictures showed them in heavy winter coats the whole time, and hiking trails were still snowed over. We were there in July and a light jacket was enough.

I remember making the same choice two years ago. It was our first cruise as well, and it was our honeymoon and I remember thinking all the choices were so confusing. In the end we were deciding between Celebrity and Princess, and we went with Celebrity. It depends on what you think is important. For us it was food (we're big food people), then itinerary, cabin, and price. After reading these boards for a while, it seems like the general consensus was that Celebrity had the best food, followed by Holland America, then Princess (people seem to think Princess has gone down in recent years). I haven't much to compare it to, but Celebrity dining really was amazing. I've had some of the best meals I've ever had on that ship, and I live near NYC so I've had some pretty amazing dining.

As for itinerary, the main choice is Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm Fjord. Again, searching these boards show that people give Glacier Bay an edge, though Tracy Arm has its own merits too. Since we hoped that one day we go back to Alaska and do a longer trip with a land tour, we just picked one hoping that we would do the other someday. We ended up with Tracy Arm and it was absolutely beautiful. Nothing like sailing through a fjord in the early morning with the sun streaming in while sitting on your balcony eating breakfast. As for one way vs roundtrip, it depends on how much time you can take off. If you do one way, you really have to tack on a land tour at the end, and at least spend a few days in Alaska. Flights from Anchorage also aren't cheap. Roundtrip is easier and cheaper, but you will see less. We ended up with the roundtrip option to save us time on planning because we were also planning a wedding. And roundtrip flight tickets are much cheaper too. Again, hoping to go back one day and see more.

As for cabin sizes, the balcony cabins on Celebrity are bigger than Princess. This was another tipping point for us since it was our first cruise and we weren't used to ship cabin sizes yet. I was surprised by how roomy our Celebrity cabin was. Princess cabins are among the smallest.

Since the prices for Princess and Celebrity were about the same, we just picked one, and ended up very happy with our choice.

All in all, any of those choices will probably be great. In terms of ages on board, Holland America will likely have the oldest crowd on board, followed by Princess, then by Celebrity. Though the time of sailing will affect this a lot more than the cruise line. My in-laws did the Princess Alaska cruise last summer, and though they loved it, they did complain that the people on the ship were so old (and they're not young themselves, haha).

If the prices really are that similar I would go with Celebrity. Much more is included. A glass of champagne on boarding, hot chocolate as you get back on the ship, much better dining, better service and higher crew to passenger ratio. For NCL, there are a lot of things to pay for once you get on the ship. That is part of the freestyle concept. You pay for what you want, and don't pay for things if you don't want them. That is also why NCL base fares tend to be much cheaper than Celebrity.

Also note that the in room babysitting is not a guarantee but is based on crew availability. I would look into how that works some more on the Celebrity boards if that is a big motivation in booking, just to make sure you are getting what you expect.

Though people do say that given a choice Glacier bay is more impressive, a lot of people really enjoy Tracy Arm as well. We went in July and it really was so beautiful. We also got really close to the glacier and watched some calving while they rotated the ship for a while to give everyone a good view.

Well...you can have breakfast in bed...why not dinner in bed. And instead of wearing a suit and tie, we could don birthday suits.

 

I think maybe we will forgo formal nigjts altogther. The only reason I would want to try is if they had something great on the menu. But, if I can order room service...that would take care of that.

 

We could also go ask at the dining room in the first night and see what they say.

 

We have done formal nights before...it is just not what this trip is about for us.

Don't forget that the food on formal nights is better. Not just higher quality ingredients like lamb and lobster, but the preparations is more gourmet and they serve things like red wine sorbet as intermezzos...which might not work in your stateroom. Bringing a shirt and a tie (just borrow their jacket) is a small price to pay for the amazing food on formal nights. Just sayin' because I didn't know this when I first cruised Celebrity. I thought it was formal just to make people dress up on certain nights, and not about the food. But formal nights in the MDR is an amped up experience on all levels.

I LOVE creme brulee--but I prefer a custard-style brulee as opposed to the thicker pudding-style brulee. (a tough one to find, to be sure)

 

Could you enlighten me as to which style Celebrity serves?

 

THANKS!

I'm not sure I understand the difference between the two, but the Celebrity creme brulee is pretty thick. As in, you cut through and it doesn't jiggle. Similar to a posset. Does that help?

How much you want to spend is soooo different for each person. And even for each cruise. One one cruise, we might want to really splurge and do the craziest excursion at each port. And the next one we just want to relax and enjoy what we can get for as little as possible.

But to give some estimates for a typical 7 day cruise, on board:

$168 - gratuities for 2

$80 - we share one drink a day, and maybe get 1 bottle of wine at some point during the cruise. at home, we just drink water, tea, coffee, wine, and beer anyways so we don't need soda. Ship's water is fine, so don't need bottled.

$80 - one specialty restaurant

$20 - extra tips to hand around

Total on board spending - $348 for the week, or $50 a day for 2, including gratuities. Of course with OBC, we will pay much less than that out of pocket.

We don't like spas, casino, or photos. We don't buy anything on the ship unless there was something we forgot to pack. We don't use ship internet, as the cruise is our way to unplug. If we need to check something, we find internet in a port.

Now as for on shore spending, it really varies depending on where we are. But a cheap day would be get some public transportation, going to a beach, and hanging. That would be maybe $10 for the day. We don't buy food on shore since are meals are paid for on the ship, unless the area was known for something. For example, we did get king crab in Alaska. We usually just eat a really big breakfast, and eat again after we get back to the ship for dinner. For a splurge day, we've done helicopter rides, all day tours, and these can be well over $100 per person for the day.

Total on shore spending - depending on the ports, anywhere from $50 (Bermuda) to $1000 for the whole 7 day cruise.

Thanks for letting me talk this out. This was a good exercise for me too to calculate it all.

In terms of music and shows, I think Celebrity would do better. This is only from one experience on each, but I feel like the music on Celebrity was more musical theatre, classical, jazz, acoustic guitar, etc. And Royal was more strictly 60s, 70s, and 80s dance music. Of course Oasis and Allure would be the ultimate musical theatre ships. But I think if they are musicians, they would enjoy what Celebrity would have to offer more. The musicians on the Celebrity ship were really very talented, and though the RCI ones were also very good, it was more about getting people amped up than letting them appreciate the music.

In terms of stuff for teens to do, the Royal rock wall is not open that much, and so it's nice as something to try once. But it's not open on port days, and only during good weather on sea days. So I would not pick Royal for the rock wall (we kinda did... was really excited about that rock wall, but it didn't pan out). The mini-golf was fun though. But the ice skating rink was also not open much. And again, on a Mediterranean cruise the activities on the ship are not such a big deal. You just want somewhere that has a good meal and some good shows to go to after a long day in port. Celebrity provides a more seamless experience, in my opinion.

The Reflection is also the newest ship, so that's just NICE. It's clean, modern, will have lots of new cruisers wanting to try it for curiosity's sake. I would say if any ship would have a younger demographic, it would be the Reflection. But again, don't pick based on that. The demographics are more predicted by the itinerary and the time and length of sailing than the cruise line. A cruise during the school year on RCI will have a much older passenger base than a Celebrity cruise during the summer.

 

Worst dish- black salmon. Thankfully I switched with my Mom and ate her beef dish.

 

Agreed, there is something wrong with that black salmon. Or maybe just because I expected too much "salmon". Hmm.

But yes, the escargot and the beef carpaccio are my favorites for appetizers. I always end up ordering multiples of them, even though I know I should save some stomach room to try new things.

As for the entrees, I have always found all the lamb dishes to be cooked perfectly. Just as good as any high end steakhouse on land. The beef entrees can be great one night, and a miss the next. I was also very pleasantly surprised by that pork chop the first night. I'm a small person but I ate that whole thing, it was so good. From what I remember, the duck is also phenomenal. I say this as someone who grew up eating duck regularly.

Oh, and I LOVE the sorbet that they give you between courses on formal nights.

And as for desserts, Celebrity really makes the best creme brulee I have ever had. It's what I commonly get for my dessert when we go out to eat, and Celebrity still makes the best one. Maybe it's the type of vanilla or cream that they use or something.

Good to hear that you had an overall great time on the Infinity. Curious... how did SS United States compare to Murano on other ships? I always figured they were the same thing, with different names.

Wow, such negativity about the brunch. What's not to like about food beautifully presented, with smoked salmon, king crab, carved meats, pancake and waffle and omelet stations, desserts and all that? It's something that Celebrity does, and does it very nicely. Most people are appreciative, I'm sure. And if you don't want to eat that much, just go and look at the neat things they carve and dip something in the chocolate fountain.

If you don't want to go because of all those people, great. More brunch for me. :D

Remember that gifting is very culture specific. In western cultures, gifts are often objects that tend to have sentimental value. In Asian cultures, gifts are either rare food items or cash. Mostly cash. For example for Asian weddings, the appropriate gift is cash. And for every asian holiday, the gift is almost always cash. So don't ever think that giving cash is impersonal or not really a gift. That's a western mentality.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always assumed those were the menus for Blu, and not for the MDR.

Is it available in Blu? Wasn't on the menu spring of 2013.:confused:

Don't think so. I think the whole drowning food in butter thing doesn't fit with Blu's clean cuisine concept.

I fell in love with escargot on a cruise too. On the last night I got three orders all to myself. It's like lobster in melted butter, except a slightly different flavor and a silkier texture. Oh wait, I guess that's why Qsine does a Lobster Escargot.

I also find the MDR food to be strange sometimes. Some items are pretty terrible, and others are really really good. The comment you made at first about the bad food the first night, I tried those same dishes and they were all... not to my taste. Especially that shrimp. But the pork chops the first night is wonderful. If you haven't tried them yet, I eventually found the escargot and the creme brulee to be some of the best things on the menu. All of the lamb and duck dishes are done very well as well.

As for the drink prices, I actually feel they're pretty reasonable, maybe cheaper than what we have around us. A martini is around $10-15, and depending on the quality of the liquor can be up to $20. And coffee is around $4. I guess it's all what you're used to.

Have a great second leg and I hope you enjoy many wonderful meals with your sons.

The Whiffenpoofs were founded in 1909 so it could both in and from the 20s. And they are still going strong ;)

http://www.whiffenpoofs.com/about/

 

College a Capella groups may have gone in and out of favor over the generations but they are popular on many college campuses now, with both male and female groups. I attend a Capella concerts for college and professional level (like Straight No Chaser) and will miss them on the ship.

Thanks, just looked Straight No Chaser up and this is great:

I thought because of all the singing shows on TV in the past ten years like American Idol, Glee, and the like, being able to sing is a pretty desirable skill. I feel like ten years before that, it was playing a guitar. And of course that's still popular. But yeah, I've always associated a cappella with college.

I like it when cruise lines try to appeal to people of all ages. I mean, people say that if you're young you would only like Carnival, NCL, and RCI. But what if you're young and you like good food, wine, relaxing, no loud music, and you're not into partying? But you also don't get excited about certain eras of music? I appreciate that on Celebrity ships, the music is not just 70's and 80's music, which targets a very specific (though very common for cruising) demographic. I do feel like they have a little something for everyone, from the musicals, the piano player, the a cappella, the guitar player, the strings, the band, and all that jazz. Nothing is too over-represented, which is what I think they mean by appealing to people of all ages.