cruisellama

Let's wait and see. The change might encourage some to bump up to a specialty restaurants. Some will stay put. Others may move to other lines. The cruise veterans will reminisce about the good old days. (How many remember midnight buffets (do miss them)?) As the new generation moves in, they won't even question it. If surveys matter, and people provide input, we'll see some tweaking.

The cruise lines are paying attention. I had an itinerary change recently (skipped and added a port stop).

Yes. Some format differences but essentially the same.

There is an old saying, "familiarity breeds contempt" - as you partake in any regular experience (vacation or otherwise), you can loose the "specialness" and it might even seem mundane, and you need a reset. Sounds like a good way to re-calibrate. Interesting that both the RCL and Carnival CEOs are prepping the public (in the financial reports) for increased rates as its understood cruising is "too good a deal" compared to land based vacations.

It depends upon the maitre'd. I've seen some asked to remove on occasion.

Has Starlink faired better in precipitation vs legacy satellite system?

I recall a conversation I had with some crew members in Johnny Rockets on Liberty of the Seas, on the LAST cruise before shutdown. They noted the new cleaning protocols were a lot of extra work, but should have been in effect long before there was an emerging pandemic. Felt the benefits would outweigh the extra load on them as they can get sick too.

While I too hate hauling my phone on the ship. (and prefer leaving in the cabin) I think the app has become pretty useful now that the reservation and calendar features are working well. Since get internet plans, we just used FB messenger. Just when you think you're out, they drag you back in....

It's nice to find a cruise that will cover both holidays Christmas and New Years. B2Bs can work well also. Great not to worry about entertaining or prepping large holiday meals.

Look up Baby Beach. South side of the island. Nice beach area with an adjacent a bar/restaurant (Rum Reef Bar & Grill) with a pool that you can use. Has a changing area.

Yes, you can arrive 30 early if in a suite.

Interesting the Ripcord is actually less than what you pay at a "land based" site. Experienced it on land, but not on a ship.

Yes, consists of recipes from the various on-board dining venues.

Would agree there is some degradation in both menu offering and some food quality. We did find meat dishes (despite being cooked properly) seemed dry, including in "Fine Cut" which in the past, was top notch. Thought Apex was the weakest of the last 3 we've sailed, Edge, Reflection, and Apex. While in Luminae, we had items from the MDR menu instead of the daily Luminae offering. ( Was not an appealing menu.) We'll be on Beyond in March. Fingers crossed.

Anyone else have one of these? Found it today. Received it at a Chef's table.

We really enjoyed that line. Sorry to see them sold off. Hope they do well.

If in the WJ, take advantage of the cook to order egg/omlette station (get them hot off the grill).

First try your airline frequent flyer account. Use the record locator on the A2S to pull it into your airline FF record. Then make seat reservations. If your frequent flyer account gives you an error because the tickets were not purchased. Call A2S and they should fix that. (It happened to me too, but the call explaining the issue was able to get resolved )

They've been using fountain dispensing at the bars and offering cans. Celebrity doesn't have the self service fountain machines like you find on Royal. You have to ask at the bar or dining venues. They may offer those cups as a souvenir in the shop. We have a few, but they were issued as part of our drink packages years ago. They also will serve in glasses/cups but they're plain (except for the Retreat).

Like this? Not since they altered the "inclusive" drink package offers. I haven't seen them on recent cruises. They were around a way back.

Anyone know the concierges names?

e-docs out - 30 days to go!

Are there any recommendation for hotels near the port?