*Photo Review* Pacific Coast Cruise 10/1/17

[FlorenceItaly]

It is very disheartening to hear about the condition of the ship especially the sewage smells! We are cruising with dear friends who mainly cruise Carnival, and this is their first Celebrity cruise. We are doing the full transit Panama Canal and board on October 24. Dh and I have cruised the M class many times and know what to expect. My fear is they will be disappointed, and rightly so. As I said, we cruised on the Infinity as recently as May. Dh and I have a wonderful cabin(corner FV) and the drink package, so I am sure we will have a good time, lol. If I don't have hot water and AC it will be a problem. We are on Deck 8. We have two couples on Deck 6, and one on Deck 7.

[DENIE]

We were on the prior Pacific Coastal on Infinity that left on 9/24 - same itinerary as this. We loved it! We also stayed on the Queen Mary the night before and had a ball - but, we are history buffs!

[alainamarie]

We were on the prior Pacific Coastal on Infinity that left on 9/24 - same itinerary as this. We loved it! We also stayed on the Queen Mary the night before and had a ball - but, we are history buffs!

 

 

It was a great and unique itinerary, for sure! QM was an interesting experience and I don't regret it. I'm glad heather pushed me outside of my comfort zone!

 

It is very disheartening to hear about the condition of the ship especially the sewage smells! We are cruising with dear friends who mainly cruise Carnival, and this is their first Celebrity cruise. We are doing the full transit Panama Canal and board on October 24. Dh and I have cruised the M class many times and know what to expect. My fear is they will be disappointed, and rightly so. As I said, we cruised on the Infinity as recently as May. Dh and I have a wonderful cabin(corner FV) and the drink package, so I am sure we will have a good time, lol. If I don't have hot water and AC it will be a problem. We are on Deck 8. We have two couples on Deck 6, and one on Deck 7.

 

 

Fear not, you will enjoy your cruise no matter what the minor details may reveal. The beverage package helped me forget those minor details!!

 

The AC was mostly a problem on the last day- almost as if the ship lost power (but it didn't). Water temperature can depend on where your cabin is on the ship. I had the same exact issue on Connie in 2014, but they couldn't do anything about it. I never took a cold shower, just warm (and I like it hot!).

 

Enjoy time with your friends who will unlikely sail Carnival again!

-Alaina

 

 

 

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[alainamarie]

Before I walk you through each port day, let me show you some of my favorite places on board.

 

Celebrity Theatre - we did not attend a single show, but wanted you to see how large the theatre is. This was during our muster drill.

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite place - Cafe al Bacio! I miss this place everyday!

 

 

 

 

This is my least favorite place - IT WAS EMPTY the entire time - it's ridiculous that they took away a great place to eat and they try to nickle and dime you for sushi now. I also miss my buffet sushi at 530. :(

I know, I'm frugal.

 

 

 

[TFLG]

It is very disheartening to hear about the condition of the ship especially the sewage smells! We are cruising with dear friends who mainly cruise Carnival, and this is their first Celebrity cruise. We are doing the full transit Panama Canal and board on October 24. Dh and I have cruised the M class many times and know what to expect. My fear is they will be disappointed, and rightly so. As I said, we cruised on the Infinity as recently as May. Dh and I have a wonderful cabin(corner FV) and the drink package, so I am sure we will have a good time, lol. If I don't have hot water and AC it will be a problem. We are on Deck 8. We have two couples on Deck 6, and one on Deck 7.

 

I thought the ship was in pretty good shape for it's age. We were on the Millie last year and it was in much rougher shape. I only caught a whiff of the sewer smell a couple of times on this cruise. Usually when getting off the ship on deck 1. The only time I smelled it on the upper decks was when a maintenance guy was working on the plumbing outside one of the cabins. One day we got a notice telling guests to not put stuff down the toilet (other than last nights dinner). So it seems we had some guest flushing stuff they were not supposed to which may have contributed to the "perfume" smell in some areas. We had a couple of minor issues. Our AC was weak but it worked and our safe would not lock. But our shower was bomb-diddly, it worked great. Hot water not an issue in cabin 9131, that water could go to nuclear hot if you wanted.

[alainamarie]

Oceanview Bar - even though I keep calling it Sunset Bar! The best bartender is here - Gareth, he took great care of us and made extraordinary drinks. See if you can find Heather, Dan, & Lenee!

 

 

 

 

As much as I love Martini Bar, I didn't take many photos because we only went here for the silent disco.

 

 

Me, Lenee, and Dan with our martinis.

 

[TFLG]

 

This is my least favorite place - IT WAS EMPTY the entire time - it's ridiculous that they took away a great place to eat and they try to nickle and dime you for sushi now. I also miss my buffet sushi at 530. :(

I know, I'm frugal.

 

 

We LOVE sushi, but Sushi on 5 just blows! The sushi is mediocre at best. I've had better at a mall food court. Now the appetizers are quite good and the noodles are too but on this ship they didn't have noodles. Oh, the cocktails are the bomb! It's worth ordering an app and having a few cocktails if you are on the bevy package.

 

We just got home from our local sushi bar and this is what sushi is supposed to look like.

 

[alainamarie]

You heard me, silent disco! You get headphones with 3 channels on them and it's so funny to watch other people rocking out but you can't hear what they are listening to. We had the silent disco on 2 different nights - the second time we did this, I ended up with a ton of incriminating photos that I shall not post on here.

 

 

 

 

 

The four of us at one of the pool bars before we had to head to our muster drill.

 

 

 

I thought the Rooftop Terrace was really neat - they showed some football games up here as well as movies. I didn't take part, mostly because it was windy and most people had blankets.

 

 

[alainamarie]

Basketball courts -

 

 

 

 

 

OKOKOK Fine, I'll post some incriminating photos from the silent disco!!

 

 

 

 

Alright, that's all you get! I have the funniest video of everyone singing but you clearly can't hear the music. What a great night!

[FlorenceItaly]

How fun! I am loving this review. Thank you. Thanks for the tip about the OV Bar. Btw, I call it the Sunset Bar too, lol. We plan to spend a lot of time there. I wrote Gareth's name down AND a note to tell him hello from Heather, Dan and Lenee!

I am happy to hear someone had a bomb-diddity shower. This is encouraging. I like my showers hot.

 

How was the sommelier service in the main dining room?

[jeffb1062]

We took the infinity in sept to Alaska...my wife had an issue with hot water or lack of in the shower too.it seemed like the handle to adjust was worn out. We were in 7165

 

 

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[alainamarie]

How fun! I am loving this review. Thank you. Thanks for the tip about the OV Bar. Btw, I call it the Sunset Bar too, lol. We plan to spend a lot of time there. I wrote Gareth's name down AND a note to tell him hello from Heather, Dan and Lenee!

I am happy to hear someone had a bomb-diddity shower. This is encouraging. I like my showers hot.

 

How was the sommelier service in the main dining room?

 

We did select dining, so our table varied each night. We loved the Sommelier Ida in Trellis dining room, however, we were upset when we didn't get her. I didn't catch the name of the other sommelier that we liked less, but I remember she had braces and lacked the personality Ida did. The hostess for Trellis was Sokie and we LOVE HER. She's from Mexico and has a personality for MILES!

Please tell Gareth hello! Also go to Rendezvous bar and ask for Dejan from Croatia - he can make a great cocktail too! I didn't get any photos here. Too busy drinking! ;p

 

We took the infinity in sept to Alaska...my wife had an issue with hot water or lack of in the shower too.it seemed like the handle to adjust was worn out. We were in 7165

 

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I'm enjoying my hot showers at home, for sure! When I was in #7000 on Connie, I even had the stateroom attendant step into the bathroom and make sure I was using the handle correctly because it was lukewarm water. Someone chimed in on my review of that cruise and said it depends on where your cabin is on the ship.

On Solstice, I had no issues but was midship. Who knows!

[alainamarie]

We LOVE sushi, but Sushi on 5 just blows! The sushi is mediocre at best. I've had better at a mall food court. Now the appetizers are quite good and the noodles are too but on this ship they didn't have noodles. Oh, the cocktails are the bomb! It's worth ordering an app and having a few cocktails if you are on the bevy package.

 

We just got home from our local sushi bar and this is what sushi is supposed to look like.

 

 

Every time I walked by Sushi on 5, I was LIVID! We wanted Bistro so bad, at least 1-2 times is worth the low price. For $7, plus tip, so total of $10 you get a fabulous meal! They want $11 a roll which is crazy! That's why I was sure to take a picture of the menu with prices. I know it's a bad iphone photo, but nonetheless, SKIP IT!

[FlorenceItaly]

We did select dining, so our table varied each night. We loved the Sommelier Ida in Trellis dining room, however, we were upset when we didn't get her. I didn't catch the name of the other sommelier that we liked less, but I remember she had braces and lacked the personality Ida did. The hostess for Trellis was Sokie and we LOVE HER. She's from Mexico and has a personality for MILES!

Please tell Gareth hello! Also go to Rendezvous bar and ask for Dejan from Croatia - he can make a great cocktail too! I didn't get any photos here. Too busy drinking! ;p

 

 

I have made the notes and will pass on your regards. I really appreciate the recommendations. I will try to post to this thread while on the cruise. I have 90 minutes internet time. We have 6pm traditional dining so it will not be in the Trellis dining room. I will go by Trellis and give Sokie your regards!

[hcat]

Every time I walked by Sushi on 5, I was LIVID! We wanted Bistro so bad, at least 1-2 times is worth the low price. For $7, plus tip, so total of $10 you get a fabulous meal! They want $11 a roll which is crazy! That's why I was sure to take a picture of the menu with prices. I know it's a bad iphone photo, but nonetheless, SKIP IT!

 

Sushi place was a ghost town. It was a double whammy to lose our B on 5 lunch and brunch spot...with great paninis, soups, etc, AND also lose the late afternoon no upcharge sushi, soup etc. Wasn't the best but filled a nice afternoon craving...

[alainamarie]

Sushi place was a ghost town. It was a double whammy to lose our B on 5 lunch and brunch spot...with great paninis, soups, etc, AND also lose the late afternoon no upcharge sushi, soup etc. Wasn't the best but filled a nice afternoon craving...

 

 

 

I never thought about it like that, but you are so right!!! ☹️

 

 

Have a busy weekend, will write more later. Geaux Tigers & Who Dat!

 

 

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[alainamarie]

Day 2: Santa Barbara

 

Our first official port was Santa Barbara on October 2, 2017. I have a friend who moved to SB a year ago and she recommended the Sustainable Wine Tour. It was $150 per person and you needed 4 people to confirm a group. You also have to be prepared to place your lunch order to confirm your tour.

I must say, it was a time constraint doing this based on our cruise leaving at 4:30 (totally our fault). We had to lay this on our driver/guide right away and I could tell he was not the happiest (which I understood). I booked this tour MONTHS ago and didn't realize we would have to be back in port by 4 to catch the last tender to the ship. I had not considered the tendering process in with the actual tour.

 

We visited 3 wineries and 2 were really small and you felt like you were tasting right in the middle of their production area which was soooo neat! I've been to wineries and fancy tasting rooms in Napa and Sonoma, but I really enjoyed this small business expedition. I really learned more about wine and wine making in this one tour than I did collectively over several trips to wine country.

This is right when you exit the ship -

 

 

 

 

Bryan picked us up right at the cruise port in the Mercedes Sprinter.

 

Roark Wine Company

 

 

 

[alainamarie]

 

 

 

 

[alainamarie]

Next stop, Pence Ranch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alainamarie]

Our guide - Bryan - teaching us about wine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is this what you call double-fisting it??

 

 

 

Our group

[alainamarie]

Last stop, Dragonette Cellars.

 

 

 

 

De-stemming!

 

 

Syrah Grapes - yum!

[riclop]

The Queen Mary would be a perfect place to stay if you are leaving on a Carnival ship. We saw the Miracle leave on Saturday and the Inspiration come in on Sunday. Just note, this place is not in San Pedro, it's in Long Beach.

 

 

 

Onto our room - we booked a double queen room and it was actually pretty nice and comfortable. We paid right around $300 after taxes and the facilities fee.

 

 

 

 

What a lumpy bed.

[alainamarie]

What a lumpy bed.

 

 

Believe it or not, it didn’t feel lumpy. It was very soft which my back was not a fan of.

 

 

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[JaniceB]

Enjoying your review!

[alainamarie]

Enjoying your review!

 

 

 

Thank you! San Fran is coming up soon!

 

 

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