SebagoSue

We were just in Alaska for Memorial Day week and the weather was beautiful while in Skagway and Sitka, and just a bit of rain in Juneau. It poured on our sea days, though. In Sitka, we had made reservations for a return shuttle trip to the ship, but they really were not needed. There were 2 lines, one for reservations and one for no reservations. Since we decided to return at a different time than our reservation, we got in the no res line and it took less than 5 minutes to get on a bus.

@Jeffreyml I believe you can use that NC future booking for any cruise within a certain period of time. It does not have to be a casino booking. But your question reminded me of something I have wondered…… If DH and I both earn lower level instant certs on the same cruise, do we each need to make a NC open booking to take full advantage of the certs? Or if we put both names on one NC booking, will that cover us both? Thanks!

Had this on Grandeur last week also.

We went to The Morgan Resort after seeing @Matt had spent a day there. We loved it and went back a second time. It is not on the beach, tho the pool overlooks the water. They have comfy loungers or cabanas you can rent, great food, service and drinks. It is just past Maho Beach and cabs will drop you at the resort directly. The resort will call a cab for your return. We reserved this through ResortPass.com.

Totally agree with reserving outright if there is only a minimal cost difference, especially if you want to book Eden. Good call!

@alexandraweston600 Being the family cruise planner also, I can appreciate planning this far in advance. Given the distance you are traveling, I would recommend doing at least a 7 night cruise on an Oasis class ship. As several people stated above, the itineraries for these ships out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale stay pretty much the same, it’s just the ship that may change. Sailing out of Port Canaveral (Orlando) is another option, just not as easy with flights most likely. While I love both Voyager and Freedom class ships, I think the Oasis class has so much more to do than the smaller, older ships. It has more entertainment, more activities and more restaurant possibilities, so with a group of 11 everyone can find something they like. I also think right now it’s more budget friendly than Icon class. Good luck with your planning!

Vincent, @FionaMG has outlined some excellent points and are similar to my thoughts, so I will just add a couple of my experiences doing this same thing the last couple years. We boarded in Rome ( Civitavecchia) because we wanted to spend several days exploring Rome before the cruise. I would recommend flying in to either port at least 2 days in advance of your cruise. Because the port is about an hour from Rome, I think it is much easier to board there and then have an easy day to explore Barcelona without so much travel. Last year we actually walked back to the ship from Las Ramblas without any problem. The only issue with staying in Rome next year is it is the Jubilee year, so it will be much more crowded and things will book quickly at likely higher costs. But, it could also be an amazing year to spend more time in Rome. The only problem we had with boarding in Rome was with the Royal app and my understanding is that this is still a problem. The app would only recognize cruises starting in Barcelona so we could not book anything that way or see events on our personal planner. We could use the app but needed to go into the Barcelona sailings to see anything. The concierge was great with making our UDP dining reservations, though. Even he could only make the first 3 days initially and then once we hit the next Barcelona boarding day he could make the rest. Sounds confusing but it all worked out. If you booked specific dining reservations in advance, rather than the UDP, this would not be a problem. i agree that the itinerary including Marseille is better. We did a day trip to the Provence region and loved what we saw. Everyone we met spoke English so the language was not an issue. I would not plan to spend the day in Marseille. I truly do not think you need to do Star class on this cruise. I would rather spend the extra money on wonderful tours. We were in a CLS Sky Class and it was perfect. The views from that balcony were fantastic and the concierge is close by to do whatever you need. At the end of our cruise, we laughed and said we needed to go back on the ship another time because we just didn’t spend any time there during the days. Port days are long and very busy if you want to see all that is available. I would still do Sky Class, though, if you normally do Star Class. With the long days it is nice to have Coastal Kitchen as well as the suite lounge and concierge. We had the UDP as we normally do. For us, it was great, I just wish I had booked later reservations so we had a little time to relax when we returned from touring. But we also wanted to enjoy all the entertainment available on the ship. Bottom line, great cruise, nonstop activity. All your options are great and I’m sure you will have a fantastic trip!

Eden is absolutely #1. We also really like the Rooftop Garden Grill especially around sunset. The filet and WTF burger are our favorites. Fine Cut Steakhouse would be my third choice. It is better than Chops usually, though it has a similar menu. Raw on 5 is a la carte so you could check that out in addition for either lunch or dinner. We find it much better than the sushi on Royal. I guess the only one I left off was La Petit Chef. We tried it once and that was enough. The animation on the table is cute, but the food is just okay. I would definitely try out the 3 night package. The specialty dining on Celebrity is really a wonderful experience.

I would actually arrive a few days early and spend that time in Rome. Then do the cruise. And after the cruise, do the stay in Sorrento to explore the Amalfi Coast. I think the Amalfi Coast could be the most relaxing part of the trip, so I think it’s a great idea to do that part last. We took a similar approach a few years ago, spending time in Florence before the cruise and in Rome post cruise. It worked perfect. it is all so amazing, in any order you’ll have a wonderful trip. Enjoy!

@CravingaCruiseLooking forward to reading your blog! We have sailed twice in the Retreat on Beyond and absolutely loved it. I think the rep may have given you some outdated info. The email Celebrity sent out recently noted by @Lovetocruise2002 highlights some great new benefits like the free minibar. Also, I believe as of June 1 all Sky suites on every Celebrity ship will be back to having dedicated butlers, not the team approach. As for gratuities being included- it depends on when you made your reservation. At some point in the last year, I believe, Celebrity no longer included gratuities automatically when you booked in the Retreat. Previously gratuities, as well as premium WiFi and premium drinks were included. Currently only premium WiFi and premium drinks are included automatically in Sky suites. If gratuities are included it should be noted on your reservation. There may be dedicated Retreat porters, but we have always used the regular porters and our luggage has arrived very quickly. Have a great cruise!

Yikes! Just saved $700 on an Alaska 2025 cruise. Thanks @smokeybandit for posting your price drop.

We chose Utopia in October and booked a balcony upgrade for about $200.

You can book one comedy show in the small venue, Comedy Live and a second comedy show in the larger Amber Theater. It will likely be the same two comedians in both venues, but they typically change some or most of their material for the larger theater.You are not able to pre book two shows in the smaller Comedy Live venue.

There are no reservation times for any meals at Luminae. You can just walk up and except for the most busy times, you will be seated right away. We have never had to wait more than a few minutes at any time. You can also ask the hostess for the same table or wait staff area so you will get the same team helping you at each meal. (They won’t necessarily save the table for you, but will get you the same area.) I believe once you ask the first time, they will put it in your record and it will happen automatically thereafter. The entire team at Luminae is amazing and the service top notch. You are also able to order some classic type menu items that are not on the menu. Enjoy!

@Smokey79 You sound just like me! I am always the planner for our cruises and am used to being self sufficient and concise when I respond to the concierge email because I know just what I want. So this first Star class cruise with Nityam was very different for me. By the end of our 3 days, I enjoyed every moment of the pampering and felt confident Nityam would always be there and I could just relax. He will definitely communicate more as you get closer to your cruise. The other thing I would mention is to read the long email he sends at the outset very carefully. I thought I knew the deal, but the day before the cruise when I reread that email I picked up a couple things that were helpful.

We had Nityam as our genie on our first Star class sailing last weekend. He was FANTASTIC! We never received that survey, but found Nityam to be excellent with both pre cruise communication, as well as onboard communication using the WhatsApp app. We absolutely loved every moment of our cruise with Nityam. If Nityam is your genie, rest assured you will be very well cared for and he will make magic happen.

@ScottDAny of the Edge class ships would be a great way to try Celebrity. I would expect the XCel to be most like Beyond or Ascent, which have some changes from the Edge. Also, I would liken Edge class ships more to Quantum class than to Oasis class in size and feel. Celebrity is very adult oriented. While you might see a few children, there aren’t many except for Holiday cruises. Typically there are shows in the main theater at 7:30 and 9:30 each night. There are also shows in Eden around 10:30 and other events, games, etc in The Club throughout the day. You won’t find a pub singer or lots of late night action as on Royal, so for some people it may be too calm. We find Celebrity to have better food than Royal in all venues. if you like to sail in suites, the Retreat experience is amazing. We sailed Celebrity for the first time last year and going forward we will be splitting our cruises about 50/50 between Royal and Celebrity as we love the activities and entertainment on Royal and love the relaxation on Celebrity. @Matt did a great review recently of his Thanksgiving sailing on Apex and talked about the differences between the two lines. if Xcel is a great deal for the maiden voyage, I say YOLO book it!

Not Voyager, but we had an overnight in Istanbul in October sailing on Celebrity Beyond and the gangway was open all night. The port area is beautiful, with lots of restaurants and shops. At certain times in the Fall, they even have free open air concerts at the port in the evenings.

The Edge class ships like Beyond have 4 MDRs with some different menu items in each, as well as some of the same items in all. While it appears that you can reserve dining times, in actuality they are doing it all as walk up. It never takes long to get a table. If you have a large group, you may want to talk to a host in advance. As far as specialty dining, you can definitely make reservations once you board. Try to make them as early as you can once you board. The two that will be the most difficult to get usually are Eden and Le Voyage. I have also had luck asking at the restaurant during the cruise as they sometimes have cancellations.

I agree with everything @SMOKEY0202 said, it’s definitely personal preference. But unless you love going to the spa, $2,600 would buy quite a bit of specialty dining as well as perhaps a one day spa pass. I love all the specialty dining restaurants on Celebrity ships, so for me, I’d go with the regular veranda and add specialty dining.

New 2025-2026 Celebrity deployments are out today for booking.

So would this likely mean Symphony and Odyssey will have northeast home ports in winter 2026 and Wonder would be 3/4 night or longer Caribbean?

We were on Symphony last week and experienced the same as @LLW2683. The shrimp cocktail was the only difference. There was no filet. Some other items at the small buffet were burgers, hot dogs, jerk chicken, watermelon/feta salad, cheesy bread, some desserts and fruit. There may have also been a shrimp salad?

@JasonOasis Suits are definitely not required and you will see a mix of attire, even on chic nights. Most restaurants just require long pants, instead of shorts. Nice jeans or pants with a polo or nice shirt are perfect. (Thats my husband’s standard attire at dinner on Celebrity.)