Celebrity Reflection - Nov 1, 2013

[AndersonIslander]

[quote name='Schplinky']Randy,

We have a transfer to the port arranged and have room for others. If we have 5 people (including us), the transfer will be 170E; if we have 8 people, it will be 200E. You'd have to get yourselves to our hotel in front of the Pantheon and the transfer leaves at 9 a.m.[/QUOTE]

Lee: Don't know if you might be inclined to change, but I believe the service we used in the Spring is somewhat less expensive and has lots of good buzz on tripadvisor. It's Bob's Limousines (you can google "Bobs Limousines Rome") and our experience was absolutely terrific...Immaculate Mercedes van and great driver very fluent in English. They also allowed us multiple drop off points and assume they would do the same for pickup. From my experience in Europe, I would avoid booking 8 people to a van, probably 7 max, because we Americans pack heavier than Europeans, and 7 is also kinda the maximum capacity still comfortable in the vans I've seen.

I would also think it would probably be wise to avoid getting to the pier early. The facility there is very rudimentary... just an outdoor tent without seating and creature comforts, definitely not someplace you want to spend time in, although my only experience there is coming INTO the pier, not departing, so maybe you have more experience than I.

Randy

[AndersonIslander]

I am debating whether to bring my tux or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I just bring a black blazer and slacks to save packing space as a tux always proves useless on the non-ship portions of the trip. On my Reflection TA this spring I decided to just pack some fab bow ties and rent both a tux and a white dinner jacket through the ship's service, but found them to be very disappointing in fit and quality. (I do own both tux and tails...lol)

Is everyone dragging along tux and associated accouterments?

Randy :confused: Edited August 14, 2013 by AndersonIslander

[Schplinky]

No tuxes for us. We've rented twice and got brand new ones once and really shabby ones once.

We'll be wearing suits on formal nights, of which I will guess there are three. There always seem to be on longer cruises, despite the website saying two.

[AndersonIslander]

Yes, there are three. On the Eastbound TA this spring there were four because it was 16 nights. (although as an interesting aside, the cleaning/laundry (shirt) and pressing for the rental stuff was comped)
Randy Edited August 14, 2013 by AndersonIslander

[vulcan1971]

[quote name='AndersonIslander']I am debating whether to bring my tux or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I just bring a black blazer and slacks to save packing space as a tux always proves useless on the non-ship portions of the trip. On my Reflection TA this spring I decided to just pack some fab bow ties and rent both a tux and a white dinner jacket through the ship's service, but found them to be very disappointing in fit and quality. (I do own both tux and tails...lol)

Is everyone dragging along tux and associated accouterments?

Randy :confused:[/quote]

Randy -

Iain and I did the tux rental thing last year on board RCCL Adventure of the Seas. For the most part it worked out okay. We were able to have a few nice pics taken along the cruise. We had some small issues with fit and tailoring, but the tailor was willing to work with us to make adjustments. Some of the tux for Iain was the wrong size so we were able to get a refun on part of the rental. Not something I will be doing again as I would prefer to bring my own tux for future cruises. For this cruise, no formalwear for us.


Walter


[quote name='Schplinky']No tuxes for us. We've rented twice and got brand new ones once and really shabby ones once.

We'll be wearing suits on formal nights, of which I will guess there are three. There always seem to be on longer cruises, despite the website saying two.[/quote]

I agree with Lee.


[quote name='AndersonIslander']Yes, there are three. On the Eastbound TA this spring there were four because it was 16 nights. (although as an interesting aside, the cleaning/laundry (shirt) and pressing for the rental stuff was comped)
Randy[/quote]

On our RCCL 15 night cruise, we had 3 formal nights. I think that is pretty standard if you are on voyages of 12+ days.

[AndersonIslander]

Another thing to know that many are unaware of is that EVERY night is Smart Casual and above in Blu and ALL of the specialty restaurants, regardless of the dress code for the night (even on formal nights). (in other words, the formal night designation really only applies to the MDR, although some people probably expect those at the show to be dressing)

And although most passengers do observe the code fairly well on Celebrity, the crew are not ****s about enforcing it either.

Randy Edited August 14, 2013 by AndersonIslander

[Schplinky]

[quote name='vulcan1971']Randy -

Iain and I did the tux rental thing last year on board RCCL Adventure of the Seas. For the most part it worked out okay. We were able to have a few nice pics taken along the cruise. We had some small issues with fit and tailoring, but the tailor was willing to work with us to make adjustments. Some of the tux for Iain was the wrong size so we were able to get a refun on part of the rental. Not something I will be doing again as I would prefer to bring my own tux for future cruises. For this cruise, no formalwear for us.


[/quote]

To build on what you've said, I'd strongly recommend that if anyone is renting, try on your stuff the day you board (it will already be in your room). Although my shirts said they were the same size, they were not. My jacket's arms were also too short. We called right away and had replacements within an hour. On the first formal night, there were many people who were scrambling to get attention because they had just unpacked theirs and needed adjustment.

[AndersonIslander]

Although I might change my mind, I think I'll probably not pack my tux, unless I decide to get a new double-breasted which I always have loved and some designer friends insist are going to come back in style in the next season or two.

Since I tend to overpack as it is, it is just a lot to haul around considering I'll be gone from home for a month, and yeah, on the spring TA I did try on my rental stuff right away when I got onboard, but (perhaps foolishly) did not bother to try to have it corrected as I figured given my extreme height it would probably be futile... just too much experience with clothing not fitting over the years...everyone seems to think it is cool to be so tall, but it does have its downsides (like the suite showerheads on S Class...lol)

Now, when I cruised RSVP years ago and it was 98% gay men, it WAS very cool to see the entire dining room looking like penguins!

And lets face it almost ANY man looks great in a good tux.

Randy

[Oliver2309]

EEK...tux, no tux, tux, no tux, what is a girl to do??!!!:confused:

[vulcan1971]

[quote name='Oliver2309']EEK...tux, no tux, tux, no tux, what is a girl to do??!!!:confused:[/QUOTE]

Hahaha! :-P

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[Oliver2309]

Thanks be to Dog there are still 75 sleeps to mull this over, Walter:o

[AndersonIslander]

[quote name='Oliver2309']Thanks be to Dog there are still 75 sleeps to mull this over, Walter:o[/QUOTE]

I know!! Right? How in the world will I get ANYthing done worrying about this? LOL

[vulcan1971]

[quote name='AndersonIslander']I know!! Right? How in the world will I get ANYthing done worrying about this? LOL[/QUOTE]

Randy,

You have just quoted my friend Russell. He and his friends Randy and Jonathan all live in Vancouver and are on the November cruise. My partner Iain and I had the good fortune of meeting these three wonderful guys on our cruise last November. I look forward to seeing them all.


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[AndersonIslander]

[quote name='vulcan1971']Randy,

You have just quoted my friend Russell. He and his friends Randy and Jonathan all live in Vancouver and are on the November cruise. My partner Iain and I had the good fortune of meeting these three wonderful guys on our cruise last November. I look forward to seeing them all.


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COOL! They sound like my kinda guys! LOL I shall look forward to meeting them too! :D

[vulcan1971]

[quote name='AndersonIslander']COOL! They sound like my kinda guys! LOL I shall look forward to meeting them too! :D[/QUOTE]

It's just after midnight on the East Coast and I'm of to bed. Have a good night!


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[sdbart]

[quote name='AndersonIslander']Another thing to know that many are unaware of is that EVERY night is Smart Casual and above in Blu and ALL of the specialty restaurants, regardless of the dress code for the night (even on formal nights). (in other words, the formal night designation really only applies to the MDR, although some people probably expect those at the show to be dressing)

And although most passengers do observe the code fairly well on Celebrity, the crew are not ****s about enforcing it either.

Randy[/QUOTE]

We'll be eating in Blu and MAY wear sports coats, but nothing more formal. On our last TA two years ago, people in Blu were mostly dressed nicely, but not dressed to the nines. I like what the CEO of Oceania said:"You can wear a tux if you want, but you'll most likely be mistaken for a waiter!"

On that Solstice TA, there were only two formal nights.

[rhertzberg]

We haven't purchased the specialty restaurant package. Do we need to do so prior to the cruise. I thought we would wait, but now I'm not sure if they will still be available. We're going to be in the MDR other nights. I hope some of you will be there as well.

[AndersonIslander]

[quote name='rhertzberg'] We haven't purchased the specialty restaurant package. Do we need to do so prior to the cruise. I thought we would wait, but now I'm not sure if they will still be available. We're going to be in the MDR other nights. I hope some of you will be there as well.[/QUOTE]

It's a crap shoot. It really depends on their sales statistics if they will cut off sales of the package. What you CAN be pretty certain of is that you won't get a better deal onboard. With a 39% savings on the 5 dinner package, I think it's a great deal. For me, it's a no brainer to book it ahead. You can easily do that on the Celebrity website. If for some reason you decide not to use it, you actually can have it refunded onboard as long as you haven't used any of it.

Randy

[Oliver2309]

[quote name='vulcan1971']Randy,

You have just quoted my friend Russell. He and his friends Randy and Jonathan all live in Vancouver and are on the November cruise. My partner Iain and I had the good fortune of meeting these three wonderful guys on our cruise last November. I look forward to seeing them all.


Sent from my Samsung Note II on the T-Mobile 4G LTE network using Tapatalk Beta 4[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the kind words Walter. I know I speak for all 3 of us, that we are looking forward to reuniting with yourself and Iain...and man, it's coming fast!
Russell

[vulcan1971]

[quote name='Oliver2309']Thanks for the kind words Walter. I know I speak for all 3 of us, that we are looking forward to reuniting with yourself and Iain...and man, it's coming fast!
Russell[/QUOTE]

Yes it is! =-O

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[sdbart]

[quote name='rhertzberg']We haven't purchased the specialty restaurant package. Do we need to do so prior to the cruise. I thought we would wait, but now I'm not sure if they will still be available. We're going to be in the MDR other nights. I hope some of you will be there as well.[/QUOTE]

There have been quite a few reports on the main boards that reservations in the specialties have been lackluster and that crew members wander the ship offering big discounts. But it IS a crapshoot; you never know; it all depends on the pax on your individual cruise. We're among the group that wasn't that impressed with the Celebrity specialty restaurants and preferred Blu.

[vulcan1971]

[quote name='rhertzberg']We haven't purchased the specialty restaurant package. Do we need to do so prior to the cruise. I thought we would wait, but now I'm not sure if they will still be available. We're going to be in the MDR other nights. I hope some of you will be there as well.[/QUOTE]

Randy and Bart both have valid points, and ones I have also read about on cruise critic from other cruisers.

If you decide to do several of the specialty restaurants, the package is the way to go as it gives a great discount versus buying on an individual basis. I don't know your room type, but if you are in a suite, you will have two sets of complimentary passes to use in any specialty restaurant. Also, being in a suite gives you priority dining in Blu on a "space available" basis.

Many of us on this LGBT board, myself included, are dining in Blu as our primary dining venue. I have never been on an S-Class ship before, so I'm quite looking forward to trying each of the specialty restaurants. I will be buying a specialty restaurant package. I also have Select Dining set up so that we can dine in the MDR with friends of ours that are not dining in Blu.

I do expect that there will be staff wandering the ship offering specialty dining discounts as the ship wants to have those money making venues full for every night of the cruise. Good luck which ever option you plan for.


Walter

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[Schplinky]

[quote name='rhertzberg']We haven't purchased the specialty restaurant package. Do we need to do so prior to the cruise. I thought we would wait, but now I'm not sure if they will still be available. We're going to be in the MDR other nights. I hope some of you will be there as well.[/quote]


We bought the package. We like most all of the specialties on S class and look forward to it each time. On a weeklong cruise, I wouldn't do it but on a 15 day cruise, that still leaves you ten nights in Blu.

[rhertzberg]

Thanks for all your comments concerning the specialty restaurants. We aren't in the "blu" dining category so most likely, we will be purchasing the specialty package. Hope some of you will be joining us in the MDR some evenings.

This cruise will only be the second Celebrity cruise and first TA. It will be somewhat of an experiment as we haven't spent this amount of time cruising and days at sea. Prior to booking, I checked the boards to see where gay travelers were cruising this year when I found this thread and cruise. Many of you seem to be experienced TA cruisers, so we're looking forward to seeing what it's all about. Also, look forward to meeting. Is there a designated spot where everyone is gathering once we leave Rome?

We are planning one week in Italy prior to the cruise. We will be arriving from Sicily on the morning of November 1st.

Looking forward.

Bob and Bill

[Schplinky]

Might be fun to get a group together of those who might like to go to Qsine mid-cruise. It's more fun in a gang.