cruisellama

Check in 1 Dec

Actually found the Eden cafe to be very nice. Its tucked away behind the bar and even has outside seating. Many guests don't discover it until halfway through the cruise. Once people find it, gets crowded for lunch. I thought it had a nice breakfast menu, but also a very adequate lunch menu. Both hot (grilled paninis) and cold sandwiches, soups, salads.

Yes a punch card. Which I really can't figure out why they still use a punch card as they could just as easily load them onto your sea pass card. We've actually used the same card on different cruises (had unused punches).

Yep just saw it too.

Suite perks are the same BUT you don't get as much attention (service) from the butler staff (concierge). Good ones will put forth effort. Try Celebrity customer engagement. [email protected] (The desk is operated by the Capt Club loyalty team VP staff so they tend to be a bit more responsive.) or [email protected]. I found Jennifer to be very helpful on pre-cruise issues (even though that's not in her job jar. If you strike out ahead of time, prepare your preferences on a piece of paper and give it to your butler when he/she checks in with you after you get in your cabin. They'll always ask "what can I do for you?" . Hand him/her the paper and it will get done. Always had luck with that - writing on a card makes a difference in getting it right.

Get the name of the Retreat concierge and email (they manage all the butlers). If not before, go to the Retreat concierge desk. If you're able to get an aft suite, no issue. On Celebrity Solstice and Millennium class ships, the have more appropriate chairs (& tables) with leg rests so you can relax on the balcony (which are smaller than Edge class) . For the newest class ship, its disappointing they decided to skimp on balcony furniture. [If you do not get satisfaction, make sure you call it out on the end of cruise survey when they ask about the cabin. With enough formal feedback, change should eventually occur.]

Not while on the cruise. If you're on a port/starboard balcony its bad! Cheap patio chairs that you can't recline. (If you have an aft room its ok). We're on Beyond in 2023 and I'm going to make a request pre-cruise to get something adequate. Even the table is not adequate to have a meal, just drinks.

The martini bar seems to be the center of action. The bartenders put on a show with multi pours and custom martinis. On the Millennium and Solstice class ships, the martini bars are "ice bars". Edge class did away with the iced surface bar; however, they moved the marti bar to the center ship atrium making it a focus area with entertainment and more seating. On Edge class, the martini bartenders do their demonstrations to music and a light show. So IMO, the martini bars are the signature bars.

I'm sure port LNG fueling infrastructure will be part of the decision on where it will (can) sail.

The illustrations make it look like an integration of Coco Cay and Oasis. A floating Coco Cay.

If you're getting coffee from metal carafes, the carafe can impart bad flavor if they're not cleaned properly. I've found more consistency when you get by the cup at the point of origin, whether it be the promenade or dining areas. I think turn over helps. We experienced more issues with coffee delivered through room service - questionable carafes. (Exception was just after shutdown when everything was new or really cleaned)

If I remember correctly, if sailing in November, you may see an opportunity to access the later half of 2024 through the on-board cruise reservation team.

December-ish

Caught a glitch with my A2S flight in January. Cruise was paid off for some time, but I continued to check my airfare periodically to verify ticket purchase. I noticed we were getting seat bumps and I would have to reclaim seats (understandable when equipment changes). But was seeing an "unknown" ticket status in my frequent flyer account. Called A2S and discovered A2S didn't pay for the tickets, so we were hanging out without tickets. Caught it early, about 90 days out and they purchased the tickets. Would had to get closer and lose the seats or my direct flight because of a purchase glitch. Verify you flights with the airline early to ensure A2S completes transactions.

I'm not sure you would get many US merchants who have seen $2 bills and accept it (there's no extra drawer slot in the registers for a $2, so goes under the drawer) I have a couple , but keep them as novelties for the grandkids.

If I'm correctly remembering, your personal calendar events will remain intact when you're off board.

Last time we tried to do the 5+ on day 1 , we missed our Chops dinner reservation - pretty lame right?

In some cases, you'll find that A2S will book two one way tickets so you will have 2 record locators, one for each leg (outgoing and return). Also, they don't actually purchase the tickets until sometime under the 90 day cruise payoff. Sometimes not until 30 days prior. This means you need to check your frequent flyer account (American Airlines) and verify you flight numbers, seats etc several times until purchase. Equipment changes can also drop your seats and you find out your pre-reserved seats are gone. Consequently, I've backed off using them for domestic. I'd rather pay them early to get my seats and desired reservations. I want direct flights and have experienced changes pushing to in-directed adding hours to our travel. Won't put up with that, especially when paying a premium for direct flights. Keep you eye on the ball with A2S reservations.

Is Nov 13th the 1st Allure cruise from Galveston?

We still will stop by - usually after the rush. Off hours it seems to be fairly empty and not a bad place to drink coffee and read. Hit and miss with the concierge as the cruise goes on off hours, but is a good time to get help if available.

If you want a mattress topper or even dinner reservations.

There is a dessert bar and salad bar. IMO the meats are overly seasoned - too salty for me.

Yes. Itineraries and ship porting tend to follow an annual cycle. Rates will be different. Ships will be re-deployed as newer ones enter the fleet.

Nice ship. Solstice is first of its class. Mid sized by today's standard and a little smaller than the new Edge class (smaller than Freedom class). Its been through its "Revolution" upgrade but the suite Retreat area is still decorated like Michaels club (old name). Its a different feel than RC, Princess, or NCL - a bit slower paced. First, Celebrity doesn't have toys, so less for kiddos if there going also. Just pools and hot tubs. There is a Solarium area (16 and older) with a some quick and healthy menu/drinks. You won't see pool events like biggest belly flop or even VP tourneys. No large promenade, but there is shopping and areas of around the clock entertainment and guest activities. Like most Celebrity ships, the martini bar tends to be the primary hangout for guests. The bar tenders put on a good show at night. Focus is on dining, entertainment, and relaxing. On the upper deck there's a real grass lawn and you can play bocci, put, or just lay on the grass and watch a movie. Its smaller than a Freedom class ship. Easy to get around. Has a 3 level main dining room and a buffet. Specialty restaurants and bars, spa and workout area. Solstice has been a Pacific mainstay with west coast, Alaska, and even Hawaii and south Pacific itineraries in past years. Its a relaxed venue.

Luggage handling has become very reliable. The times we've used it, our bags made it with us. Its lower risk if you don't have tight connections (or direct flights), but if you're uncomfortable, it is also possible to do carry-on for a 7-day Caribbean (very casual). We carry-on most of the time because we hate the waits at destination.