SebagoSue

Just booked my very first Celebrity Cruise on Apex this coming March 2024.  Some friends of ours who who are husbands moved to LA are on a Celebrity cruise right now (they normally cruise with Carnival).  They know I'll never cruise with Carnival again and they finally grown tired of Carnival and didn't want to cruise with Princess Cruises (thank the Lord) so they decided to book Celebrity.  They just booked another Celebrity cruise for March 2024 while currently onboard their first Celebrity cruise and they called our mutual friends here in Chicago who are engaged and told them about it so they booked the cruise and they then called me and was like you have to come as well.  Long story short I booked Celebrity Apex in an infinite veranda for a 7 night cruise in March for my husband and I.  
Both my husband and I are excited to try them out and we got what I would consider a really good deal on the veranda.  I called Celebrity directly and booked over the phone the guy was extremely nice very knowledgeable knew how to look for all the discounts and got us the all inclusive package for only $3,728.36  Not bad considering Apex is one of their newer ships and March is just a little over 5 months away.

I have not yet seen this deployment schedule link posted: https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Deployment/2025_2026/2025-2026_Deployment_Opening_Schedule.pdf

I heard that for those Diamonds who get banned during happy hour will get vouchers for free Sorrento's pizza from 5-8

Hi @Neesa!  Just returned from a Med cruise on the Beyond in a Celebrity Suite and have also done Sky Suites on Apex and Beyond, so hopefully I can answer questions you have about those ships.  We have only sailed on the Edge class ships. From my experience, you will LOVE the Retreat experience on Celebrity.  The Retreat (suites) start with the Sky Suites and move up to the Iconic Suites.  Aqua class (not Aqua Sky suites) are not considered suites in the Retreat, but they do have spa benefits as well as a special dining room called Blu that many guests really like.  I believe Concierge class are all IV cabins just below Aquaclass with some concierge benefits and some better locations. The Retreat concierge is different from the concierge class concierge.
The Retreat dining experience in Luminae is beyond compare and like a specialty restaurant, except with crew that gets to know you. In fact, we had the same primary waiter this cruise as we had in April.  I think the food is significantly better than CK on Royal.  They are open every breakfast and dinner and lunch on sea days.  They also serve a limited menu on the Retreat sun deck.  In addition to the changing nightly dinner menus, they have classics like French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, filet, steak and salmon.
The Retreat sun deck on Edge class ships is awesome.  It’s a full experience, more so than the suite sundeck on Royal.  Roving drink servers, crew to set up your lounge towels ( not needed, but wow!), fruit kabobs every morning and sorbet every afternoon delivered to your lounge chair, nice sized pool on Edge class ships, umbrellas when not windy, full bar service.
We don’t hang out in the Retreat lounge too much, as there are so many great areas on the ship, but it is a beautiful, very comfortable space.  It has 2-3 concierges, full bar, full glass windows for spectacular views, snacks at various times of day.
Butler service is amazing.  There have been some slight changes initiated recently that affect Sky Suites and Aqua Sky Suites. Their service is now by a Retreat “Team” instead of one personal butler so it’s still TBD how that will work out.  But for Celebrity Suites and above, you get a personal butler who may have about 9 suites to service. They will truly do whatever you need similar to a genie. Some people use them much more than others, having a butler walk them to dinner, meet them at a show ensuring a drink server provides what they need, etc.  Others, like us, may use them for a special afternoon snack like a cheese plate delivered to the room or coffee and pastry from Cafe al Bacio delivered before an early morning excursion. (One morning this cruise the DH went for our coffee and our butler ran down the hall to unlock the door when he saw him returning, saying please let him always get it for us.😀) He also decorated the room and brought a special cake when he knew it was our anniversary.  The butlers also are at the main theater on chic nights to greet their guests and save a section on the upper floor for the Retreat guests.
As far as Sky Suites and Celebrity suites, here are some thoughts.  Suites on Edge class ships have regular balconies, not the Infinite Veranda type that is more like a window.  Size wise a Sky suite is about the same as a junior suite.  But it has full suite/Retreat benefits (other than the butler change noted above).  There are different versions of a Sky Suite, like a Magic Carpet Sky Suite or an Aqua Sky Suite, but the room itself is essentially the same.  
Celebrity suites have a separate bedroom, I believe always with a door.  They also have a 2 part bathroom which is helpful with 2 people getting ready.  These remind me of a grand suite or owners suite perhaps.
The suites above Celebrity Suites are considered premium suites and get some additional benefits like free specialty dining and 2 bottles of alcohol.
The Celebrity experience is definitely more for adults than families so we will continue to do both Celebrity and Royal.  But the Retreat experience is fantastic!
 
 

Hi @Neesa!  Just returned from a Med cruise on the Beyond in a Celebrity Suite and have also done Sky Suites on Apex and Beyond, so hopefully I can answer questions you have about those ships.  We have only sailed on the Edge class ships. From my experience, you will LOVE the Retreat experience on Celebrity.  The Retreat (suites) start with the Sky Suites and move up to the Iconic Suites.  Aqua class (not Aqua Sky suites) are not considered suites in the Retreat, but they do have spa benefits as well as a special dining room called Blu that many guests really like.  I believe Concierge class are all IV cabins just below Aquaclass with some concierge benefits and some better locations. The Retreat concierge is different from the concierge class concierge.
The Retreat dining experience in Luminae is beyond compare and like a specialty restaurant, except with crew that gets to know you. In fact, we had the same primary waiter this cruise as we had in April.  I think the food is significantly better than CK on Royal.  They are open every breakfast and dinner and lunch on sea days.  They also serve a limited menu on the Retreat sun deck.  In addition to the changing nightly dinner menus, they have classics like French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, filet, steak and salmon.
The Retreat sun deck on Edge class ships is awesome.  It’s a full experience, more so than the suite sundeck on Royal.  Roving drink servers, crew to set up your lounge towels ( not needed, but wow!), fruit kabobs every morning and sorbet every afternoon delivered to your lounge chair, nice sized pool on Edge class ships, umbrellas when not windy, full bar service.
We don’t hang out in the Retreat lounge too much, as there are so many great areas on the ship, but it is a beautiful, very comfortable space.  It has 2-3 concierges, full bar, full glass windows for spectacular views, snacks at various times of day.
Butler service is amazing.  There have been some slight changes initiated recently that affect Sky Suites and Aqua Sky Suites. Their service is now by a Retreat “Team” instead of one personal butler so it’s still TBD how that will work out.  But for Celebrity Suites and above, you get a personal butler who may have about 9 suites to service. They will truly do whatever you need similar to a genie. Some people use them much more than others, having a butler walk them to dinner, meet them at a show ensuring a drink server provides what they need, etc.  Others, like us, may use them for a special afternoon snack like a cheese plate delivered to the room or coffee and pastry from Cafe al Bacio delivered before an early morning excursion. (One morning this cruise the DH went for our coffee and our butler ran down the hall to unlock the door when he saw him returning, saying please let him always get it for us.😀) He also decorated the room and brought a special cake when he knew it was our anniversary.  The butlers also are at the main theater on chic nights to greet their guests and save a section on the upper floor for the Retreat guests.
As far as Sky Suites and Celebrity suites, here are some thoughts.  Suites on Edge class ships have regular balconies, not the Infinite Veranda type that is more like a window.  Size wise a Sky suite is about the same as a junior suite.  But it has full suite/Retreat benefits (other than the butler change noted above).  There are different versions of a Sky Suite, like a Magic Carpet Sky Suite or an Aqua Sky Suite, but the room itself is essentially the same.  
Celebrity suites have a separate bedroom, I believe always with a door.  They also have a 2 part bathroom which is helpful with 2 people getting ready.  These remind me of a grand suite or owners suite perhaps.
The suites above Celebrity Suites are considered premium suites and get some additional benefits like free specialty dining and 2 bottles of alcohol.
The Celebrity experience is definitely more for adults than families so we will continue to do both Celebrity and Royal.  But the Retreat experience is fantastic!
 
 

Hi @Neesa!  Just returned from a Med cruise on the Beyond in a Celebrity Suite and have also done Sky Suites on Apex and Beyond, so hopefully I can answer questions you have about those ships.  We have only sailed on the Edge class ships. From my experience, you will LOVE the Retreat experience on Celebrity.  The Retreat (suites) start with the Sky Suites and move up to the Iconic Suites.  Aqua class (not Aqua Sky suites) are not considered suites in the Retreat, but they do have spa benefits as well as a special dining room called Blu that many guests really like.  I believe Concierge class are all IV cabins just below Aquaclass with some concierge benefits and some better locations. The Retreat concierge is different from the concierge class concierge.
The Retreat dining experience in Luminae is beyond compare and like a specialty restaurant, except with crew that gets to know you. In fact, we had the same primary waiter this cruise as we had in April.  I think the food is significantly better than CK on Royal.  They are open every breakfast and dinner and lunch on sea days.  They also serve a limited menu on the Retreat sun deck.  In addition to the changing nightly dinner menus, they have classics like French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, filet, steak and salmon.
The Retreat sun deck on Edge class ships is awesome.  It’s a full experience, more so than the suite sundeck on Royal.  Roving drink servers, crew to set up your lounge towels ( not needed, but wow!), fruit kabobs every morning and sorbet every afternoon delivered to your lounge chair, nice sized pool on Edge class ships, umbrellas when not windy, full bar service.
We don’t hang out in the Retreat lounge too much, as there are so many great areas on the ship, but it is a beautiful, very comfortable space.  It has 2-3 concierges, full bar, full glass windows for spectacular views, snacks at various times of day.
Butler service is amazing.  There have been some slight changes initiated recently that affect Sky Suites and Aqua Sky Suites. Their service is now by a Retreat “Team” instead of one personal butler so it’s still TBD how that will work out.  But for Celebrity Suites and above, you get a personal butler who may have about 9 suites to service. They will truly do whatever you need similar to a genie. Some people use them much more than others, having a butler walk them to dinner, meet them at a show ensuring a drink server provides what they need, etc.  Others, like us, may use them for a special afternoon snack like a cheese plate delivered to the room or coffee and pastry from Cafe al Bacio delivered before an early morning excursion. (One morning this cruise the DH went for our coffee and our butler ran down the hall to unlock the door when he saw him returning, saying please let him always get it for us.😀) He also decorated the room and brought a special cake when he knew it was our anniversary.  The butlers also are at the main theater on chic nights to greet their guests and save a section on the upper floor for the Retreat guests.
As far as Sky Suites and Celebrity suites, here are some thoughts.  Suites on Edge class ships have regular balconies, not the Infinite Veranda type that is more like a window.  Size wise a Sky suite is about the same as a junior suite.  But it has full suite/Retreat benefits (other than the butler change noted above).  There are different versions of a Sky Suite, like a Magic Carpet Sky Suite or an Aqua Sky Suite, but the room itself is essentially the same.  
Celebrity suites have a separate bedroom, I believe always with a door.  They also have a 2 part bathroom which is helpful with 2 people getting ready.  These remind me of a grand suite or owners suite perhaps.
The suites above Celebrity Suites are considered premium suites and get some additional benefits like free specialty dining and 2 bottles of alcohol.
The Celebrity experience is definitely more for adults than families so we will continue to do both Celebrity and Royal.  But the Retreat experience is fantastic!
 
 

@SebagoSue OMG thank you so much for taking the time to describe the Celebrity product....SOLD!  I really think moving forward this will be a better fit for our family as we don't go for the "thrills" that much anymore. Different strokes, right? I am especially excited they are going to start to sail from PC as well. I have been watching videos on the cabins and what not but the first hand account experience is what I lean into. The videos of any quality (no crazy moving camera making me nauseous) are usually done by the lovely TA community and they just want to sell cabins. I like to know everything I can before I commit. Thanks so much for your perspective I really truly appreciate it 🙂

Hi @Neesa!  Just returned from a Med cruise on the Beyond in a Celebrity Suite and have also done Sky Suites on Apex and Beyond, so hopefully I can answer questions you have about those ships.  We have only sailed on the Edge class ships. From my experience, you will LOVE the Retreat experience on Celebrity.  The Retreat (suites) start with the Sky Suites and move up to the Iconic Suites.  Aqua class (not Aqua Sky suites) are not considered suites in the Retreat, but they do have spa benefits as well as a special dining room called Blu that many guests really like.  I believe Concierge class are all IV cabins just below Aquaclass with some concierge benefits and some better locations. The Retreat concierge is different from the concierge class concierge.
The Retreat dining experience in Luminae is beyond compare and like a specialty restaurant, except with crew that gets to know you. In fact, we had the same primary waiter this cruise as we had in April.  I think the food is significantly better than CK on Royal.  They are open every breakfast and dinner and lunch on sea days.  They also serve a limited menu on the Retreat sun deck.  In addition to the changing nightly dinner menus, they have classics like French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, filet, steak and salmon.
The Retreat sun deck on Edge class ships is awesome.  It’s a full experience, more so than the suite sundeck on Royal.  Roving drink servers, crew to set up your lounge towels ( not needed, but wow!), fruit kabobs every morning and sorbet every afternoon delivered to your lounge chair, nice sized pool on Edge class ships, umbrellas when not windy, full bar service.
We don’t hang out in the Retreat lounge too much, as there are so many great areas on the ship, but it is a beautiful, very comfortable space.  It has 2-3 concierges, full bar, full glass windows for spectacular views, snacks at various times of day.
Butler service is amazing.  There have been some slight changes initiated recently that affect Sky Suites and Aqua Sky Suites. Their service is now by a Retreat “Team” instead of one personal butler so it’s still TBD how that will work out.  But for Celebrity Suites and above, you get a personal butler who may have about 9 suites to service. They will truly do whatever you need similar to a genie. Some people use them much more than others, having a butler walk them to dinner, meet them at a show ensuring a drink server provides what they need, etc.  Others, like us, may use them for a special afternoon snack like a cheese plate delivered to the room or coffee and pastry from Cafe al Bacio delivered before an early morning excursion. (One morning this cruise the DH went for our coffee and our butler ran down the hall to unlock the door when he saw him returning, saying please let him always get it for us.😀) He also decorated the room and brought a special cake when he knew it was our anniversary.  The butlers also are at the main theater on chic nights to greet their guests and save a section on the upper floor for the Retreat guests.
As far as Sky Suites and Celebrity suites, here are some thoughts.  Suites on Edge class ships have regular balconies, not the Infinite Veranda type that is more like a window.  Size wise a Sky suite is about the same as a junior suite.  But it has full suite/Retreat benefits (other than the butler change noted above).  There are different versions of a Sky Suite, like a Magic Carpet Sky Suite or an Aqua Sky Suite, but the room itself is essentially the same.  
Celebrity suites have a separate bedroom, I believe always with a door.  They also have a 2 part bathroom which is helpful with 2 people getting ready.  These remind me of a grand suite or owners suite perhaps.
The suites above Celebrity Suites are considered premium suites and get some additional benefits like free specialty dining and 2 bottles of alcohol.
The Celebrity experience is definitely more for adults than families so we will continue to do both Celebrity and Royal.  But the Retreat experience is fantastic!
 
 

Hi @Neesa!  Just returned from a Med cruise on the Beyond in a Celebrity Suite and have also done Sky Suites on Apex and Beyond, so hopefully I can answer questions you have about those ships.  We have only sailed on the Edge class ships. From my experience, you will LOVE the Retreat experience on Celebrity.  The Retreat (suites) start with the Sky Suites and move up to the Iconic Suites.  Aqua class (not Aqua Sky suites) are not considered suites in the Retreat, but they do have spa benefits as well as a special dining room called Blu that many guests really like.  I believe Concierge class are all IV cabins just below Aquaclass with some concierge benefits and some better locations. The Retreat concierge is different from the concierge class concierge.
The Retreat dining experience in Luminae is beyond compare and like a specialty restaurant, except with crew that gets to know you. In fact, we had the same primary waiter this cruise as we had in April.  I think the food is significantly better than CK on Royal.  They are open every breakfast and dinner and lunch on sea days.  They also serve a limited menu on the Retreat sun deck.  In addition to the changing nightly dinner menus, they have classics like French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, filet, steak and salmon.
The Retreat sun deck on Edge class ships is awesome.  It’s a full experience, more so than the suite sundeck on Royal.  Roving drink servers, crew to set up your lounge towels ( not needed, but wow!), fruit kabobs every morning and sorbet every afternoon delivered to your lounge chair, nice sized pool on Edge class ships, umbrellas when not windy, full bar service.
We don’t hang out in the Retreat lounge too much, as there are so many great areas on the ship, but it is a beautiful, very comfortable space.  It has 2-3 concierges, full bar, full glass windows for spectacular views, snacks at various times of day.
Butler service is amazing.  There have been some slight changes initiated recently that affect Sky Suites and Aqua Sky Suites. Their service is now by a Retreat “Team” instead of one personal butler so it’s still TBD how that will work out.  But for Celebrity Suites and above, you get a personal butler who may have about 9 suites to service. They will truly do whatever you need similar to a genie. Some people use them much more than others, having a butler walk them to dinner, meet them at a show ensuring a drink server provides what they need, etc.  Others, like us, may use them for a special afternoon snack like a cheese plate delivered to the room or coffee and pastry from Cafe al Bacio delivered before an early morning excursion. (One morning this cruise the DH went for our coffee and our butler ran down the hall to unlock the door when he saw him returning, saying please let him always get it for us.😀) He also decorated the room and brought a special cake when he knew it was our anniversary.  The butlers also are at the main theater on chic nights to greet their guests and save a section on the upper floor for the Retreat guests.
As far as Sky Suites and Celebrity suites, here are some thoughts.  Suites on Edge class ships have regular balconies, not the Infinite Veranda type that is more like a window.  Size wise a Sky suite is about the same as a junior suite.  But it has full suite/Retreat benefits (other than the butler change noted above).  There are different versions of a Sky Suite, like a Magic Carpet Sky Suite or an Aqua Sky Suite, but the room itself is essentially the same.  
Celebrity suites have a separate bedroom, I believe always with a door.  They also have a 2 part bathroom which is helpful with 2 people getting ready.  These remind me of a grand suite or owners suite perhaps.
The suites above Celebrity Suites are considered premium suites and get some additional benefits like free specialty dining and 2 bottles of alcohol.
The Celebrity experience is definitely more for adults than families so we will continue to do both Celebrity and Royal.  But the Retreat experience is fantastic!
 
 

Hope you all are sitting down, remember my Hide Away Beach fiasco trying to get admissions to celebrate kiddos 18th birthday on the 18+ beach because I thought it would be an amazing birthday treat? Remember she is 17 on embarkation day but 18 the day before we visit Coco Cay & my entire cancelation of reservations by Royal mess? 
Well when I escalated the other day the young lady said she would call me back, I was like "sure, not holding my breath" & went ahead and rebooked the beach bed on South Beach for 180.00 more. I made up my mind I would not go to the Royal's Virgin Voyages party beach, humph! Well to be transparent with my fam here & fair to Royal here is what happened.
I'm doing my home chores yesterday with my fitness watch on (because I cheat) & it buzzes, Royal Caribbean calling, wait...what? I go & grab the phone & a young lady asks is it okay I called we want to know exactly what transpired please, my name is Janelle & I'm from Michael Bayley's office. Besides being flabbergasted I sit down and painstakingly explain everything, she then brings another person from excursions on the line and all 3 of us interact. Long story short she thanked me & apologized and offered to secure our reservations for the day. This was 200.00 cheaper then my beach bed and she was so nice I did it, I am going to party beach! 🤦‍♀️
After reading everything and as @Sharla stated the adults beach on DCL is quiet & included with the sailing fare (we visited in June 2023) I'm bringing earplugs & a great attitude, hopefully it won't be too loud on the beach but this old girl is going for it. How could I not, after all that I could not say....oh, thanks never mind; that's not my nature. My girls will be secured so no tripping & my newly minted 18 year old hopefully will remember this for the rest of her life. 
I complain when Royal gets it wrong, I must let you guys know when they make an amazing effort at customer care, now if only the suites amenity could be streamlined, LOL! 🤣🤩💙
 

This, right here stated so eloquently. My last RC sailing I felt "wow, they are going after DCL families hard."  Now that I see the advertisement Hide Away Video I went right there, "now are they going after the Virgin Cruise Line market just as hard?" At least my beach bed is on South Beach, so I feel that's a nice location. I am happily anticipating reviews from the Icon & this new adults only beach for sure. Inquiring minds and all, LOL!
With the cost of college and/or nursing school we have nothing on the books or planned moving forward after summer 2024. Royal is helping to take the sting of that away, I'm going to sit back and watch her find herself before we proceed. Bringing Celebrity to PC I think is a genius move on the company's part, I am finding myself looking at this sister offering more and more. Exciting times ahead. 
My neighbors just returned from their Virgin Sailing 2 weeks ago, topless sun worshipping on an upper deck. So DCL is now out as my kiddo has aged out and Virgin is a no go, my boobs would make me trip, okay I'm laughing just picturing this! 

Makes me wonder if the same namesake part of Icon will end up being a pay venue as well? 🤔

Wouldn't say it's "worse" - it is the only one with the original Oasis configuration.  I would agree it needs updating - would really like to see Playmakers installed.
 

It goes like this:
wonder>symphony>oasis>Harmony>allure
I would sail any of the five ships listed above given any other choice across the entire industry. The Oasis class (regardless of which one) can’t be beat. I’m sure I will have a different opinion in early 2024 when the Icon arrives but for now it’s all about the Oasis class. 

OMG.  There will be a movie made about this trip.  I can feel it.
🫣

This may a TLDR situation, but I am going to mention it all!!!
This is a group cruise, in regard to planning it has been the group cruise from hell.
Planning for the group is always a mess because apparently nobody has any money, but they do have money, they would rather just waste/spend my money.
I communicate with everyone by an email chain. I found out that only my brother, the new vintage, and my mother's bff actually reads them. Whenever I send one, I eventually get a call from everyone else asking me to explain things. It is frustrating because now I know why there are issues. 
Last year we went on Odyssey, and it was six of us and a bit of a mess. Still fun, but a mess. While on Odyssey everyone, not me, decided they wanted to sail Allure again because that first group cruise was the best. The reason was because it was a longer vacation since we did WDW/Universal and a cruise. Allure was sailing out of Texas and everyone, not me, thought it would be great to do a road trip there and extend the vacation. It was off to Next Cruise to secure 3 aft balconies and a little bit of OBC. We got of Odyssey the week before thanksgiving, so I waited until Dec to start looking for the best way to do this road trip. My brother suggested getting a luxury RV, that way we could take the hotel stays off the docket.
We found a really nice 2020 Fleetwood Bounder that slept 8 people. I emailed the owner and asked about pricing and details. He agreed to rent it to us for 15 (two weeks or more gets a discounted day rate) days at $185/day, a $500 deposit and the cost of insurance and all the incidentals. Which would include gas, water, propane, and Wi-Fi to name a few. I put the deposit down at that price. In Jan after I came back from cruising, I emailed the guy to see about adding on 2 more days, the vintages wanted it. He stated that would be fine and then sent a doctored email that said I had agreed to $320/day and a $1000 deposit. It went from being $3,275 plus insurance to $5,800 plus insurance. 
It was literally an email that he went into the thread and changed the amounts, as if I didn't have the original email. I was shocked because that wasn't what we agreed to, and I told him that. He said he raised the prices because he was renting the RVs more and if I didn't want to pay that, he would return my deposit and rent it to someone else for $500/day. I cancelled. At this point it was too late to try to rent anything at a decent price. I wasn't too keen on doing a road trip with four vintage women anyway. But a lot of them were disappointed. They wanted to just take cars and do the road trip, which I told them to do but I wasn't going to plan it because I could no longer get the time for it off. I heard a lot and dealt with lots of mood swings and such.
My bff was very disappointed because he was amped for the road trip, and he really hates flying. So, he asked if we could catch the train or something. I looked into catching the train to Texas and........sure enough Amtrak goes. I would have preferred to fly but it was looking to be $600+ each plus the high Lyft/Uber cost from IAH. The train ride would be a full 24hrs and that seems like a lot but I asked around and everyone was excited. I was actually able to score a group rate of $150, each, round-trip on the Texas Eagle. We take the train to Longview and then a bus takes us to Galveston. The train normally leaves on time, but my brother and I are on the fence when it comes to the bus. We decided as a precaution we would rent two vehicles in Longview to complete the drive just in case we miss the bus. We would rather eat the cancellation fee, than to worry about trying to get a car the day of. Our train leaves on Friday the 13th and we are scheduled to arrive on Saturday the 14th at 2pm. The bus stop is pretty central to the port so that is a good thing. Our hotel is also not that far from the port. 
Now on to the tomfoolery of planning with vintages and wishy-washy Bffs.
I booked the rooms with a reduced deposit at NC. It was supposed to be six of us going but my mother's bff wanted her bff to come, so I put a random name on my mother's room to account for her and so they could have a 3+ room in case she did come. Nobody but my brother gave me their deposit money. They complained about the MDR the entire Odyssey sailing and regretted saying no to the UDP. They all said they wanted the UDP, internet, and some sort of beverage package for this cruise. I got the UDP during the BF sale for myself, my brother and mother. Then my mother's bff finally told me she was bringing her bff and she gave me the deposit and UDP money for them both. Right after vintage number 4 confirmed my mother informed me that she had invited a stranger along. 
Said stranger was a guy she met online a little over a decade ago. She Skypes with him and tells him all about our vacations and he always wanted to cruise. She volunteered me to book his cruise and all of the other stuff. The group went from 6 to 8. This guy is legally blind and lives in New York. I helped him pay for his room and UDP through Royal and I just linked him with all of the rest of us. My mother thought we should just let him fly to Texas and then one of us go to the airport and pick him up. I had to explain to her why that was a dumb idea. I had to explain we were taking the train. There was no telling when we would get in. So, yes, let's just leave a legally blind vintage at the airport without any assistant for who knows however long. Plus we were looking at $90+ each way in rideshare cost. They don't ever want to spend no money, but you want to tack on two rideshare cost each way? After a bit of back and forth he will fly to Chicago the night before and ride the train with us.
I let everyone know FP was in July and if I had to make FP, I was going to charge them all interest because as it was, I was on the hook for all purchases in total for 4 people. Now I talk to my Bff quite often but somehow, he waited until June to say he and his mother couldn't go. I was pissed. I asked him several times if he was sure, and he said yes. I had to call and configure the rooms. The cost of the cruise had doubled, and I didn't want to trigger a reprice, so I swapped out names, so the two of them would be on the same reservation that would cancel once I didn't make payment. I was later told that my bff was mad because they assumed I would pay for them to go and allow them to pay me later. I did this the first and second cruise/vacation and wasn't doing it again. 
I informed everyone we would now be six. I normally make FP two-weeks before it was due but decided to wait until it was a week away. This was just in case they changed their mind and sure enough I heard from them 10 days before FP. My mother speculated that they tried to book something on their own and realized all the deals I got them and called to ask if it was completely cancelled. I said no but the consequences were they would have to share a room. My bff doesn't like sharing a room with his mother......at all. They made FP and the trip was on. 
 
 

Gotta give you credit, in your situation I would have given up the role of family travel agent a long time ago.  
I also would have insisted everyone pays a deposit right at the start.  You find out very quickly who is really serious when they have some skin in the game.  

One other thing i would add to this post is there are quite a few events hosted for Elite guests and above featuring entertainment & free alcohol/food. These are a few we have attended -
1) music & mixology- a loyalty event with live music and cocktail demonstrations with the cocktails passed for all who want to try (these were full sized drinks and 4 per person were available)
2) Helipad event - complete with cocktails
3) wine tasting class - complementary and a great event to attend
4) backstage tour - complementary with your elite status
5) wine blending event - this is unique to Celebrity Beyond as a complementary event as I understand it
6) Loyalty event similar to the top tier event with cocktails however they also pass appetizers, it’s typically in a venue such as eden
 
 
 

I'd rather be there right now! Lol! Drama on steroids here in Pasco County Florida. We are just north of Tampa and inland, we have ancient Indian burial grounds protecting us once again.  A huge thanks to every PM I received today about this storm, it warmed my heart. What an amazing group of people here. 
 

If you are by yourself, I see no problem with it (mostly because that's what I did).   If you have MyTime Dining you will have a table for one.  You will be seated with others if you chose Traditional Dining.  
Many of the tables are very close together.  I found that, as a solo, I was often invited into conversations with nearby tables.  Having your nose in a book will more than likely discourage this.
Enjoy!!!!

It seems strange that we are spending so much money eating in ports. We never eat in ports usually. 
I know 😉😂

 
You’re welcome! Let me know if you have any other questions that I did not answer already. 🙂
We are enjoying this cruise a lot! It’s been a lot of laughs and bickering, classic family good times. But this is very different from our usual Caribbean cruises and I think we all find that difference a bit more refreshing. Also, we knew what we were getting into so we set our expectations accordingly. 
Hubby is getting better. Practice makes perfect. He has his blue band now the last few cruises so he enjoys that a lot more. It’s more quiet when you can go to the stand up sessions. 
 
Omg! Something really bad happened tonight. I am going to tell you guys something and hopefully you all don’t think less of me. My family was mortified 😂
The suite snob was good. She stayed in the closet while I ate my dinner, made polite conversation with everyone, had two glasses of wine, and then at the very end, one of head waiters came around to check on us. We told him all was good and that our servers were awesome, which they are. Then he asked about the food. 3 of us said everything was great. I could not lie.
He asked me and I told him that everything is fine, and the service is fantastic. Then he said he is aiming for 10/10 on food and service. Well…I was at this point smiling and nodding. But he kept pressing asking me what I thought about the food. I could not keep the suite snob in the closet.
I went on a long rant/vent, while smiling the whole time, about how we have been sailing since 2002 and the MDR is not as it used to be. Told him how their cost cutting has lead to everything being just mid and no “wow” factor with any of the dishes. I tried hard to reassure him that it does not reflect on their dining room whatsoever, that I understand completely this is a corporate problem, and the “problem” is way bigger than he can fix.
Then he called the executive chef on his phone to come speak to us because he said he felt like the chef needed to hear this feedback as well. At this point the kids were so embarrassed they made an excuse to leave. I felt terrible too, but at the same time, I think all the frustration from the changes over the last few years just came out, and I might have lost my filter a bit after two glasses of wine and the martini I had in the suite lounge.
Anyway, in the end, they said they want to hear this type of feedback, because like what else are they going to say? And I told him, in the end, I know there is not much they can do because the problem starts with Mr. Liberty and corporate. And then he asked for my cabin number. Omg 🤦🏻‍♀️ sorry 😬

The sky suite on Celebrity is slightly smaller at 313 sq feet vs. royal depending on the ship around 350 sq feet however Celebrity has an open concept room which makes the space feel comparable. I like that royal ships generally have full loungers or a table on the grand suite balcony where celebrity sky suite has 2 chairs and a small side table only. 
I would say i would give celebrity a slight edge to a few details - the beds are a world of difference vs royal even in the nicest of suites. Celebrity uses the exhale cashmere mattresses for all rooms and they are the most comfortable mattresses i have ever slept in on a cruise ship. The retreat lounge is somewhere you want to hang out throughout the day, it is in a separate space and attached to the retreat sundeck. On Celebrity Edge there is even a small outdoor space attached to the lounge which i love. At least on the Oasis class ships I feel the suite lounge is not somewhere i really want to hang out beyond happy hour in the evening. Based on what i have seen Icon will be taking on a similar layout giving a suite neighborhood feel. I also love that suite guests have the option to dine at blu based on availability. It gives another dining option to the guest without having to pay extra for specialty restaurants.

I also love the suite sun deck on these ships - they have a pool & a few hot tubs as well as a full bar on the sundeck. You can also enjoy a nice lunch on the sundeck which is not something you can currently do on RCCL that i know of. Full list of amenities for suites below. One update is now Celebrity & Sky suites have a team of butlers that cover their room vs a dedicated butler. I know i have seen and heard many people on social media very upset about this. The butler team introduced themselves to us yesterday and seem very eager to ensure you get the same level of service as promised prior. We don’t use the butler a ton, even when we had the villa the butler went above and beyond to do things we didn’t ask for like brought us aperol spritz every evening when we returned from our shore excursions. Curious to see how the new service works.

Asking the Suite Concierge to make specialty restaurant reservations (if you have a dining package) is a great use of their services

Hi all, I used this forum/message board 4 years ago when I took my first ever cruise.  It was so incredibly helpful and we had a fantastic family cruise on Indy.   Unfortunately we do not have the finances to cruise often, but we saved up and went on another family cruise this summer.  Unfortunately the date of the Royal Caribbean sailings didn't fit in with the dates we had free (sailing from Southampton UK) and we therefore chose a Princess Cruises sailing.    What a horrible experience!   If Royal Caribbean was a 10 out of 10 on our last cruise then this had to be a 2 out of 10.
I know you are all dedicated RC cruisers and I just wanted to say......I can see why now!  Unfortunately it is going to be a couple of years before we will be able to afford to cruise again but when we do then I won't consider any other Company.
Stick with Royal Caribbean.