More Observations From The Poop Deck

[morpheusofthesea]

Here is another tip when using suites with showers that provide two shower heads. One is the standard head that one can remove from the wall if desired and above that one is the waterfall type. Before one tampers with the shower faucet to preheat make sure the wall mount head is not pointed right at oneself. I got smacked right in the face with a blast of cold water. I rotated it 180 degrees to hit the wall in the future. The sly fox of a room steward rotated it back 180 degrees to 'get' me again.

 

[hcat]

15 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

A smart move for sure. We try to book months,  a year or two in advance. Hard in these times with all the cancellations. Next month we will try to report from the Edge in the RS, if all goes according to plans. "Gain aft agley" Robert Burns.

Beautiful cabin..but design sanafu ( no dumbwaiter? Or handicap access to upper level?) ..bad for the back! Porter or butler should carry  the bags upstairs...

Enjoy!

[morpheusofthesea]

7 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Maybe we'll be on the same cruise.

I like to keep a low profile and hide out in my cabin.

[morpheusofthesea]

For the Epicureans reading, this suite comes with Le Labo/Santal 33 toiletries. There is just one striking difference that we appreciate more on Edge than we experienced on Equinox. The CDC mandated, then recommended, that plates and silverware be presented individually by a server rather than allowing passengers to get their own plates and silverware and touching other's plates in the process. DW will no longer eat in the Oceanview Cafe on the Equinox because of this detail. She still loves the Equinox and we are waitlisted for a suite on a future cruise (our fall back booking is again on Edge).

[Travelexpert35]

Enjoying your posts. What a beautiful suite! The butler definitely should have helped you with your luggage. Enjoy all the pampering.

[morpheusofthesea]

Our shoreside concierge got back to me about our wine selections: 

Red Wine:

Castle Rock Pinot Noir
Kendall Jackson Pinot Noir
Cherry Tart Pinot Noir
Elegance Cabernet
Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon
Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Crest Merlot
Kiona Merlot
Terrazas Reserva Malbec
Tapiz Joven Malbec
Grant Burge Shiraz
Clarendelle Bordeaux

White Wine:

Celebrity Vintages Brut
Domaine Chandon Brut
Fantinel Prosecco
Corte Giara Pinot Grigio
St. Michelle Riesling
Elegance Chardonnay
Mer Soleil Chardonnay
St. Francis Chardonnay
Jadot Steel Chardonnay
Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc
Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc

Lebrun Pouilly Fume

Rose Wine:

Rose Whispering Angel Chateau D Esclans
Le Bel Olivier Rose
Bertani Rose

[CHEZMARYLOU]

There are a number of our favorites on this wine list.

[canderson]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Our shoreside concierge got back to me about our wine selections: 

 

?  Was that the list from which you were to choose if you opted for wine vs. booze for your RS bar?  I assume that this was before you embarked, and you're just providing that list?

 

And alas, as is often the case, no vintage info.  Some wines are great some years, and others, Mother Nature deals a bad hand.

Edited September 5, 2021 by canderson

[canderson]

Wow.  I'm not a wine snob, but ...

 

Not a bottle on the list of reds that goes for more than about $20 (a couple of them closer to $10).  And yet if this is the pre-arrival setup for RS, they're willing to put up $40+ bottles of booze (the Patron Silver goes for more like $80). 

 

Can you explain what that list pertains to, exactly?  Do I understand correctly?

[morpheusofthesea]

17 minutes ago, canderson said:

Was that the list from which you were to choose if you opted for wine vs. booze for your RS bar?

Yes. I am no longer a wine connoisseur having been 'put in my place' by the eminent Samuel Clemens. "There are no standards of taste in wine. Each man's own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard." Now  he goes on at another time stating that "Too much of anything is bad. But too much of good whiskey is barely enough."  

[morpheusofthesea]

29 minutes ago, canderson said:

Not a bottle on the list of reds that goes for more than about $20 (a couple of them closer to $10). 

Brings new meaning to the term I started this thread "sourgrapes"?

[morpheusofthesea]

I have another observation. Why is it that when on holiday, immersing oneself in complete leisure and unlimited fine food and beverages, especially wines, one runs out to find a case or two of the vintage and year that struck our fancy while on vacation, trying to recapture those moments we so much enjoyed.  And end up giving away the rest of the cases as gifts because the wine no longer lived up to the same expectation ? After the third or fourth time one stops and does the only thing to solve this dilemma, book another cruise and the same wine will suddenly regain its magic.

[canderson]

Many say that the event is half of the enjoyment!

Your observation has been repeated by many on cruises.  That said, the 'vintage' thing really can make a huge difference.  There's only so much magic you can do in the cellar when the weather doesn't cooperate for a whole season.

[jelayne]

We were in a RS pre pandemic and our Butler swapped out the champagne & 1 of the 2 bottles of liquor  for 2 bottles of Caymus.  DH enjoyed the liquor and I enjoyed the wine.

[morpheusofthesea]

A small point of interest to some people. DW wears a 'fit bit' to count her steps as she hikes around the ship while I lounge on my balcony.  Our busboy noticed and commented on how many steps she is trying to attain. She said 16,000 steps. He said he tracks his on his phone and he does 22,000 just in the Luminae and 28,000 steps on lobster night.

[morpheusofthesea]

9-6-2021

Present passengers will look back on these days as the halcyon days of cruising, when cruisers were able to cruise on super clean mega ships with no lines, no need to 'hog' deck lounges, no need to reserve anything, just show up and be seated. "These are the days my friend, we thought they'd never end..."

[morpheusofthesea]

Thought i'd show you all the 'trap' set up in the shower.

[Cdresser]

I was able to request (and receive) Rosa Regale to substitute for a bottle of alcohol when in the Edge Villa in 2019. I also obtained Drambuie for DH and neither were on the list provided by the Shoreside Concierge. If there is a bottle of wine or alcohol you want and they have it on the ship, it never hurts to ask. My experience has been they will provide it if it is within reason. I haven't tried to get Veuve Cliquot as a sub but I am tempted to ask on our upcoming cruise just to test the boundaries;.

[C-Dragons]

16 hours ago, canderson said:

Wow.  I'm not a wine snob, but ...

 

Not a bottle on the list of reds that goes for more than about $20 (a couple of them closer to $10).  And yet if this is the pre-arrival setup for RS, they're willing to put up $40+ bottles of booze (the Patron Silver goes for more like $80).

No one really knows exactly how much X actually pays for alcohol since they buy in bulk from their suppliers. 

[canderson]

Just doing a comparative using typical retail.  I would say there's no question that they're far more generous on the booze side than the wine side.  Not a chance they're getting a 1L bottle of Patron Silver for the same price as a $10 (retail) bottle of wine.

[morpheusofthesea]

Just a couple of shots of DW's 'hangout' for the week(and my 'hideout'). It is a nice lesson. As young as we feel, isn't as young as we are. We are happy with this cabin, but the stairs..... 

  The steward keeps the jacuzzi filled as an enticement and the butler comes by to see how we are enjoying it. We enjoy the pastries he brings each afternoon at tea time, especially the scones. It helps us to limit group contact in the Retreat Lounge. I find it very difficult to cut back on all the delicious pastries. I am certain I am in 'sugar shock' most of the day. The comedian was different from last month. The Aretha Franklin tribute singer is tonight, she was good last month and the 'Up-Town" group will be preforming again, excellent. The only improvement Celebrity just has to do something about is finding more reasonable items to sell in their shops. We have $600 non-refundable OBC to spend and we do not gamble. At our age we have all the handbags and jewelry and watches that DW is already trying to decide to whom it will be 'left' to. Last cruises we bought two Ipads, then 13" laptop, this a 10" Ipad, next another laptop. OBC, use it or loose it. I already contributed to OP's fine list on CC what to spend OBC on, I already have 4 pairs of $300 insoles sold on Celebrity ships, even have a pair in my slippers.

[Travelexpert35]

You could always spend the OBC on spa treatments. That would eat up that OBC fast. When I was on the Edge last year, I did find the costs high in the shops onboard and we had $350 OBC to spend. 

[dgoz]

Thanks for all the great photos and info. So fun to follow along with you.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

If you are planning on additional tips you can use OBC for them. They will have a form in the retreat.

[morpheusofthesea]

2 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

If you are planning on additional tips you can use OBC for them. They will have a form in the retreat.

That is a SUPER idea !!! I just do not know if it has the same affect as cash$$. One would hope that the OBC is just not thrown into a general fund and distributed as DSC. Even should one have it placed in envelops with the service providers name in 'bold' letters, I can envision they are called into the pursers office, opened and handed back to the purser and placed into the general fund. Envelops defeat the purpose if turned over directly to management. Years ago (40) I would always write my name on the envelop so the recipient could differentiate who the cheapskates were at the table. Today I just bring enough big bills $100's and $50's to pass out, what they do with them afterwards is their business.