JeffB

WaayToo, won't be in attendance at that one. Our group of airborne EW/Recon Marines is April 17th in San Diego.  We're members of the John R. Daily Squadron an affiliate squadron of MCAA.

Second the above response. Good idea but my guess is no. Had a similar circumstance on a recent west coast itinerary involving Seattle and Vancouver. We asked if we could debark in one port and re-embark at another.  Pre-cruise, the request was entertained but the probably set response that we got a few days later was no. In our case it was because of in-country visa requirements. Visitors getting on and off a cruise ship for a day are treated differently than overnight travelers moving within or through the country. I still think you should inquire with RCL support teams (not reservations and booking). It's likely country dependent.

Second the above response. Good idea but my guess is no. Had a similar circumstance on a recent west coast itinerary involving Seattle and Vancouver. We asked if we could debark in one port and re-embark at another.  Pre-cruise, the request was entertained but the probably set response that we got a few days later was no. In our case it was because of in-country visa requirements. Visitors getting on and off a cruise ship for a day are treated differently than overnight travelers moving within or through the country. I still think you should inquire with RCL support teams (not reservations and booking). It's likely country dependent.

I've done a lot of cruising since 2001 when we sailed our first cruise, a 10n Western Caribbean itinerary, aboard Celebrity Mercury. I have six cruises booked through 2023, 2024 and have 75 cruises under my belt already - most of them with Celebrity (and I'm still not close to Zenith). Just recently, I asked my TA to check the pricing on a January 2024 Sky Suite booking. I thought if I cancelled and booked an Infinite Veranda, I might save some money. Several Cabin classes below Celebrity's high priced Retreat cabins that would seem to be a realistic goal.
Boy, was I shocked. I booked Beyond's Sky suite using the onboard booking agents a good 18 months earlier than the sailing date - probably within 2-3 months of the first itinerary listings for 2024. Generally, following that approach will get you the lowest cabin fares and deals. I sure proved that with the Beyond booking. First, the 10n Sky Suite with everything included cost about $3700 per person, all inclusive for a total of $7400 and change (checks math .... about $370/d pp). A new booking of an Infinite Veranda with everything included was now $3950 pp. Astonishingly, the asking price for a comparable available suite was $9500 pp ...... that's right! $19000 for both of us!!! 
In lurking and reading recent posts on this blog, I've seen multiple posts about rising prices. Certainly, there is unprecedented demand for cruising and plenty of folks are willing to pay for the exclusivity of suite offerings across the industry. But this? Both myself and my TA were flabbergasted. A quick search of comparable Princess and Royal itineraries and cabins demonstrated similar price increases well above what we are accustomed to paying. If we continue to cruise after we've sailed on our 6 booked cruises, I'll be looking for no frills cabins and amenities. As much as I have enjoyed the exclusivity of suite life and accompanying amenities on Princess, Royal and Celebrity, we're getting priced out of booking these kinds of lux getaways.  These days, even OV and Veranda cabins are often 2-3X more than what we're used to shelling out. Sad, really.

I've done a lot of cruising since 2001 when we sailed our first cruise, a 10n Western Caribbean itinerary, aboard Celebrity Mercury. I have six cruises booked through 2023, 2024 and have 75 cruises under my belt already - most of them with Celebrity (and I'm still not close to Zenith). Just recently, I asked my TA to check the pricing on a January 2024 Sky Suite booking. I thought if I cancelled and booked an Infinite Veranda, I might save some money. Several Cabin classes below Celebrity's high priced Retreat cabins that would seem to be a realistic goal.
Boy, was I shocked. I booked Beyond's Sky suite using the onboard booking agents a good 18 months earlier than the sailing date - probably within 2-3 months of the first itinerary listings for 2024. Generally, following that approach will get you the lowest cabin fares and deals. I sure proved that with the Beyond booking. First, the 10n Sky Suite with everything included cost about $3700 per person, all inclusive for a total of $7400 and change (checks math .... about $370/d pp). A new booking of an Infinite Veranda with everything included was now $3950 pp. Astonishingly, the asking price for a comparable available suite was $9500 pp ...... that's right! $19000 for both of us!!! 
In lurking and reading recent posts on this blog, I've seen multiple posts about rising prices. Certainly, there is unprecedented demand for cruising and plenty of folks are willing to pay for the exclusivity of suite offerings across the industry. But this? Both myself and my TA were flabbergasted. A quick search of comparable Princess and Royal itineraries and cabins demonstrated similar price increases well above what we are accustomed to paying. If we continue to cruise after we've sailed on our 6 booked cruises, I'll be looking for no frills cabins and amenities. As much as I have enjoyed the exclusivity of suite life and accompanying amenities on Princess, Royal and Celebrity, we're getting priced out of booking these kinds of lux getaways.  These days, even OV and Veranda cabins are often 2-3X more than what we're used to shelling out. Sad, really.

I'm a die-hard Celebrity Cruise Line loyalist having notched 72 cruises with this company since 2001 and sill haven't come close to reaching Zenith!! There are many things I like about sailing on a Celebrity ship but the concept of "X" = excellence and beyond expectations (among other jingles over the years) has lost some of it's luster IMO. The industry always competitive has become more so post COVID as the lines work to recoup billions in lost revenue and retire debt. Celebrity sailings have become more homogeneous with other lines that seem to "try harder.  setting themself apart to gain market share. TBC, I'm not making this post to ding Celebrity - we have 6 future cruises booked so, we still enjoy what the company has to offer.
But, when checking fares for 7n E or W Caribbean sailings out of Fort Lauderdale, I became discouraged at the pricing, especially for suite classes. First, Industry wide, suites are in high demand so, available suites fill up fast and after introducing itineraries as far out as 24 months in advance, dynamic pricing models take charge with prices rising with demand. Just for fun, I thought I'd take a look at Princess Cruise Lines and specifically, Caribbean Princess that sails 7n E, W Caribbean itineraries out of Fort Lauderdale. If I'm looking for a suite, it's  not going to be one of the high end types (e.g., Iconic) but rather a Sky Suite. These are particularly nice on Edge class ships as are the suite perks (Retreat, Luminae Restaurant) exclusive for suite guests. They are rather ordinary on Solstice and Millennium class ships but with the same attempt at exclusivity.
Caribbean Princess was launched in 2003 and completely refurbished in 2019 so, she's a bit long in the tooth. But the cabin pricing for equivalent low end suites was 30-50% less than any Sky Suite cabins on  Equinox - the one Celebrity ship that sails the Caribbean in the summer months. So, I said, I'll give Princess a whirl - my first. Princess has a very British way to classify it's suites: Suites (high end) Club Class Mini-Suites (added perks the same as full suite guests) and Mini Suites (same cabin minus the full suite perks). Booked the Club Class Mini Suite. Compared to well under 300 sq.ft. for Equinox's Sky Suites. The Club Class and non-Club Class Suites are a spacious 325 Sq.ft sporting two rooms and very large balcony with two lounge chairs and a walk-in closet just outside of a large tub equipped bathroom. I was very impressed with the Club Class Suite. 
Princess does a similar if not a bit more convoluted "everything included." There are two tiers - Standard and Premium, priced differently with different perks. The pricing of the Standard offering is also considerably less than the "everything included" on Equinox and the Premium, although more costly, turns out, on a day to day basis, to be a really good deal. The Premium offering includes two specialty dinning credits per person (Sabatini's, an Italian menu and Crown Grill - steaks), and a photo package along with the standard prepaid gratuities, wifi and drinks package. For all categories of suite guests, a section of one of the main dining rooms is reserved for these guests. Because the number of guests is limited, there is never a wait, table spacing is more generous and table service is accordingly better. This approach, compared to Celebrity's Luminae (exclusive dining for suite guests) is hands down better in terms of quality of service and noise control that Celebrity's exclusive dining. Menus were varied and with plenty of choices. Food quality and presentation was equivalent to Celebrity's menus and for a few specific dishes, were better.
There were lots of bar venues with differing forms of entertainment. We easily found a favorite that we made our way to every night before shows. You could always find a seat at a bar; that is not the case on Equinox where unless you camp out at the Martini Bar (AKA, Ice Bar) when it opens at 4pm, it's hard to get a seat unless you happen to be walking right behind someone that is leaving and grab the bar seats before others approach and beat you to it. The production sows and entertainment were good and, for the most part, on par with Celebrity's, We were sailed aboard Caribbean Princess in early June and watched the premier of a new production show - Bravo.  It was Vegas and certainly close to Broadway level performance.  
The bottom line is that if suites are in your cruising budget, the value on Caribbean Princess sailing out of Fort Lauderdale is remarkably good. So good that, in fact, we booked Caribbean Princess sailing a 13n Fort Lauderdale to Quebec starting July 222nd on board. Doing so got us a 50% discount on a Mini-Suite (not Club Class - they were sold out) and 50% off the Premier Everything Included package. The cabin fare was equivalent to those found on 7n cruises and purchasing the Premier package was the best deal I've gotten in a long time on any cruise line. We had a very good, if not limited to one ship, experience with Princess. I'm not abandoning Celebrity but Princess is, for sure, "trying harder." 
 
 

I'm a die-hard Celebrity Cruise Line loyalist having notched 72 cruises with this company since 2001 and sill haven't come close to reaching Zenith!! There are many things I like about sailing on a Celebrity ship but the concept of "X" = excellence and beyond expectations (among other jingles over the years) has lost some of it's luster IMO. The industry always competitive has become more so post COVID as the lines work to recoup billions in lost revenue and retire debt. Celebrity sailings have become more homogeneous with other lines that seem to "try harder.  setting themself apart to gain market share. TBC, I'm not making this post to ding Celebrity - we have 6 future cruises booked so, we still enjoy what the company has to offer.
But, when checking fares for 7n E or W Caribbean sailings out of Fort Lauderdale, I became discouraged at the pricing, especially for suite classes. First, Industry wide, suites are in high demand so, available suites fill up fast and after introducing itineraries as far out as 24 months in advance, dynamic pricing models take charge with prices rising with demand. Just for fun, I thought I'd take a look at Princess Cruise Lines and specifically, Caribbean Princess that sails 7n E, W Caribbean itineraries out of Fort Lauderdale. If I'm looking for a suite, it's  not going to be one of the high end types (e.g., Iconic) but rather a Sky Suite. These are particularly nice on Edge class ships as are the suite perks (Retreat, Luminae Restaurant) exclusive for suite guests. They are rather ordinary on Solstice and Millennium class ships but with the same attempt at exclusivity.
Caribbean Princess was launched in 2003 and completely refurbished in 2019 so, she's a bit long in the tooth. But the cabin pricing for equivalent low end suites was 30-50% less than any Sky Suite cabins on  Equinox - the one Celebrity ship that sails the Caribbean in the summer months. So, I said, I'll give Princess a whirl - my first. Princess has a very British way to classify it's suites: Suites (high end) Club Class Mini-Suites (added perks the same as full suite guests) and Mini Suites (same cabin minus the full suite perks). Booked the Club Class Mini Suite. Compared to well under 300 sq.ft. for Equinox's Sky Suites. The Club Class and non-Club Class Suites are a spacious 325 Sq.ft sporting two rooms and very large balcony with two lounge chairs and a walk-in closet just outside of a large tub equipped bathroom. I was very impressed with the Club Class Suite. 
Princess does a similar if not a bit more convoluted "everything included." There are two tiers - Standard and Premium, priced differently with different perks. The pricing of the Standard offering is also considerably less than the "everything included" on Equinox and the Premium, although more costly, turns out, on a day to day basis, to be a really good deal. The Premium offering includes two specialty dinning credits per person (Sabatini's, an Italian menu and Crown Grill - steaks), and a photo package along with the standard prepaid gratuities, wifi and drinks package. For all categories of suite guests, a section of one of the main dining rooms is reserved for these guests. Because the number of guests is limited, there is never a wait, table spacing is more generous and table service is accordingly better. This approach, compared to Celebrity's Luminae (exclusive dining for suite guests) is hands down better in terms of quality of service and noise control that Celebrity's exclusive dining. Menus were varied and with plenty of choices. Food quality and presentation was equivalent to Celebrity's menus and for a few specific dishes, were better.
There were lots of bar venues with differing forms of entertainment. We easily found a favorite that we made our way to every night before shows. You could always find a seat at a bar; that is not the case on Equinox where unless you camp out at the Martini Bar (AKA, Ice Bar) when it opens at 4pm, it's hard to get a seat unless you happen to be walking right behind someone that is leaving and grab the bar seats before others approach and beat you to it. The production sows and entertainment were good and, for the most part, on par with Celebrity's, We were sailed aboard Caribbean Princess in early June and watched the premier of a new production show - Bravo.  It was Vegas and certainly close to Broadway level performance.  
The bottom line is that if suites are in your cruising budget, the value on Caribbean Princess sailing out of Fort Lauderdale is remarkably good. So good that, in fact, we booked Caribbean Princess sailing a 13n Fort Lauderdale to Quebec starting July 222nd on board. Doing so got us a 50% discount on a Mini-Suite (not Club Class - they were sold out) and 50% off the Premier Everything Included package. The cabin fare was equivalent to those found on 7n cruises and purchasing the Premier package was the best deal I've gotten in a long time on any cruise line. We had a very good, if not limited to one ship, experience with Princess. I'm not abandoning Celebrity but Princess is, for sure, "trying harder." 
 
 

Thanks so much for this review, Buck.  We have been considering Princess as well but I have not had much in the way of comparisons...so your info is very helpful.  We aren't venturing away from Royal until after we make Pinnacle, but once we clear that hurdle, we are definitely considering options.

I'm a die-hard Celebrity Cruise Line loyalist having notched 72 cruises with this company since 2001 and sill haven't come close to reaching Zenith!! There are many things I like about sailing on a Celebrity ship but the concept of "X" = excellence and beyond expectations (among other jingles over the years) has lost some of it's luster IMO. The industry always competitive has become more so post COVID as the lines work to recoup billions in lost revenue and retire debt. Celebrity sailings have become more homogeneous with other lines that seem to "try harder.  setting themself apart to gain market share. TBC, I'm not making this post to ding Celebrity - we have 6 future cruises booked so, we still enjoy what the company has to offer.
But, when checking fares for 7n E or W Caribbean sailings out of Fort Lauderdale, I became discouraged at the pricing, especially for suite classes. First, Industry wide, suites are in high demand so, available suites fill up fast and after introducing itineraries as far out as 24 months in advance, dynamic pricing models take charge with prices rising with demand. Just for fun, I thought I'd take a look at Princess Cruise Lines and specifically, Caribbean Princess that sails 7n E, W Caribbean itineraries out of Fort Lauderdale. If I'm looking for a suite, it's  not going to be one of the high end types (e.g., Iconic) but rather a Sky Suite. These are particularly nice on Edge class ships as are the suite perks (Retreat, Luminae Restaurant) exclusive for suite guests. They are rather ordinary on Solstice and Millennium class ships but with the same attempt at exclusivity.
Caribbean Princess was launched in 2003 and completely refurbished in 2019 so, she's a bit long in the tooth. But the cabin pricing for equivalent low end suites was 30-50% less than any Sky Suite cabins on  Equinox - the one Celebrity ship that sails the Caribbean in the summer months. So, I said, I'll give Princess a whirl - my first. Princess has a very British way to classify it's suites: Suites (high end) Club Class Mini-Suites (added perks the same as full suite guests) and Mini Suites (same cabin minus the full suite perks). Booked the Club Class Mini Suite. Compared to well under 300 sq.ft. for Equinox's Sky Suites. The Club Class and non-Club Class Suites are a spacious 325 Sq.ft sporting two rooms and very large balcony with two lounge chairs and a walk-in closet just outside of a large tub equipped bathroom. I was very impressed with the Club Class Suite. 
Princess does a similar if not a bit more convoluted "everything included." There are two tiers - Standard and Premium, priced differently with different perks. The pricing of the Standard offering is also considerably less than the "everything included" on Equinox and the Premium, although more costly, turns out, on a day to day basis, to be a really good deal. The Premium offering includes two specialty dinning credits per person (Sabatini's, an Italian menu and Crown Grill - steaks), and a photo package along with the standard prepaid gratuities, wifi and drinks package. For all categories of suite guests, a section of one of the main dining rooms is reserved for these guests. Because the number of guests is limited, there is never a wait, table spacing is more generous and table service is accordingly better. This approach, compared to Celebrity's Luminae (exclusive dining for suite guests) is hands down better in terms of quality of service and noise control that Celebrity's exclusive dining. Menus were varied and with plenty of choices. Food quality and presentation was equivalent to Celebrity's menus and for a few specific dishes, were better.
There were lots of bar venues with differing forms of entertainment. We easily found a favorite that we made our way to every night before shows. You could always find a seat at a bar; that is not the case on Equinox where unless you camp out at the Martini Bar (AKA, Ice Bar) when it opens at 4pm, it's hard to get a seat unless you happen to be walking right behind someone that is leaving and grab the bar seats before others approach and beat you to it. The production sows and entertainment were good and, for the most part, on par with Celebrity's, We were sailed aboard Caribbean Princess in early June and watched the premier of a new production show - Bravo.  It was Vegas and certainly close to Broadway level performance.  
The bottom line is that if suites are in your cruising budget, the value on Caribbean Princess sailing out of Fort Lauderdale is remarkably good. So good that, in fact, we booked Caribbean Princess sailing a 13n Fort Lauderdale to Quebec starting July 222nd on board. Doing so got us a 50% discount on a Mini-Suite (not Club Class - they were sold out) and 50% off the Premier Everything Included package. The cabin fare was equivalent to those found on 7n cruises and purchasing the Premier package was the best deal I've gotten in a long time on any cruise line. We had a very good, if not limited to one ship, experience with Princess. I'm not abandoning Celebrity but Princess is, for sure, "trying harder." 
 
 

I'm a die-hard Celebrity Cruise Line loyalist having notched 72 cruises with this company since 2001 and sill haven't come close to reaching Zenith!! There are many things I like about sailing on a Celebrity ship but the concept of "X" = excellence and beyond expectations (among other jingles over the years) has lost some of it's luster IMO. The industry always competitive has become more so post COVID as the lines work to recoup billions in lost revenue and retire debt. Celebrity sailings have become more homogeneous with other lines that seem to "try harder.  setting themself apart to gain market share. TBC, I'm not making this post to ding Celebrity - we have 6 future cruises booked so, we still enjoy what the company has to offer.
But, when checking fares for 7n E or W Caribbean sailings out of Fort Lauderdale, I became discouraged at the pricing, especially for suite classes. First, Industry wide, suites are in high demand so, available suites fill up fast and after introducing itineraries as far out as 24 months in advance, dynamic pricing models take charge with prices rising with demand. Just for fun, I thought I'd take a look at Princess Cruise Lines and specifically, Caribbean Princess that sails 7n E, W Caribbean itineraries out of Fort Lauderdale. If I'm looking for a suite, it's  not going to be one of the high end types (e.g., Iconic) but rather a Sky Suite. These are particularly nice on Edge class ships as are the suite perks (Retreat, Luminae Restaurant) exclusive for suite guests. They are rather ordinary on Solstice and Millennium class ships but with the same attempt at exclusivity.
Caribbean Princess was launched in 2003 and completely refurbished in 2019 so, she's a bit long in the tooth. But the cabin pricing for equivalent low end suites was 30-50% less than any Sky Suite cabins on  Equinox - the one Celebrity ship that sails the Caribbean in the summer months. So, I said, I'll give Princess a whirl - my first. Princess has a very British way to classify it's suites: Suites (high end) Club Class Mini-Suites (added perks the same as full suite guests) and Mini Suites (same cabin minus the full suite perks). Booked the Club Class Mini Suite. Compared to well under 300 sq.ft. for Equinox's Sky Suites. The Club Class and non-Club Class Suites are a spacious 325 Sq.ft sporting two rooms and very large balcony with two lounge chairs and a walk-in closet just outside of a large tub equipped bathroom. I was very impressed with the Club Class Suite. 
Princess does a similar if not a bit more convoluted "everything included." There are two tiers - Standard and Premium, priced differently with different perks. The pricing of the Standard offering is also considerably less than the "everything included" on Equinox and the Premium, although more costly, turns out, on a day to day basis, to be a really good deal. The Premium offering includes two specialty dinning credits per person (Sabatini's, an Italian menu and Crown Grill - steaks), and a photo package along with the standard prepaid gratuities, wifi and drinks package. For all categories of suite guests, a section of one of the main dining rooms is reserved for these guests. Because the number of guests is limited, there is never a wait, table spacing is more generous and table service is accordingly better. This approach, compared to Celebrity's Luminae (exclusive dining for suite guests) is hands down better in terms of quality of service and noise control that Celebrity's exclusive dining. Menus were varied and with plenty of choices. Food quality and presentation was equivalent to Celebrity's menus and for a few specific dishes, were better.
There were lots of bar venues with differing forms of entertainment. We easily found a favorite that we made our way to every night before shows. You could always find a seat at a bar; that is not the case on Equinox where unless you camp out at the Martini Bar (AKA, Ice Bar) when it opens at 4pm, it's hard to get a seat unless you happen to be walking right behind someone that is leaving and grab the bar seats before others approach and beat you to it. The production sows and entertainment were good and, for the most part, on par with Celebrity's, We were sailed aboard Caribbean Princess in early June and watched the premier of a new production show - Bravo.  It was Vegas and certainly close to Broadway level performance.  
The bottom line is that if suites are in your cruising budget, the value on Caribbean Princess sailing out of Fort Lauderdale is remarkably good. So good that, in fact, we booked Caribbean Princess sailing a 13n Fort Lauderdale to Quebec starting July 222nd on board. Doing so got us a 50% discount on a Mini-Suite (not Club Class - they were sold out) and 50% off the Premier Everything Included package. The cabin fare was equivalent to those found on 7n cruises and purchasing the Premier package was the best deal I've gotten in a long time on any cruise line. We had a very good, if not limited to one ship, experience with Princess. I'm not abandoning Celebrity but Princess is, for sure, "trying harder." 
 
 

I'm a die-hard Celebrity Cruise Line loyalist having notched 72 cruises with this company since 2001 and sill haven't come close to reaching Zenith!! There are many things I like about sailing on a Celebrity ship but the concept of "X" = excellence and beyond expectations (among other jingles over the years) has lost some of it's luster IMO. The industry always competitive has become more so post COVID as the lines work to recoup billions in lost revenue and retire debt. Celebrity sailings have become more homogeneous with other lines that seem to "try harder.  setting themself apart to gain market share. TBC, I'm not making this post to ding Celebrity - we have 6 future cruises booked so, we still enjoy what the company has to offer.
But, when checking fares for 7n E or W Caribbean sailings out of Fort Lauderdale, I became discouraged at the pricing, especially for suite classes. First, Industry wide, suites are in high demand so, available suites fill up fast and after introducing itineraries as far out as 24 months in advance, dynamic pricing models take charge with prices rising with demand. Just for fun, I thought I'd take a look at Princess Cruise Lines and specifically, Caribbean Princess that sails 7n E, W Caribbean itineraries out of Fort Lauderdale. If I'm looking for a suite, it's  not going to be one of the high end types (e.g., Iconic) but rather a Sky Suite. These are particularly nice on Edge class ships as are the suite perks (Retreat, Luminae Restaurant) exclusive for suite guests. They are rather ordinary on Solstice and Millennium class ships but with the same attempt at exclusivity.
Caribbean Princess was launched in 2003 and completely refurbished in 2019 so, she's a bit long in the tooth. But the cabin pricing for equivalent low end suites was 30-50% less than any Sky Suite cabins on  Equinox - the one Celebrity ship that sails the Caribbean in the summer months. So, I said, I'll give Princess a whirl - my first. Princess has a very British way to classify it's suites: Suites (high end) Club Class Mini-Suites (added perks the same as full suite guests) and Mini Suites (same cabin minus the full suite perks). Booked the Club Class Mini Suite. Compared to well under 300 sq.ft. for Equinox's Sky Suites. The Club Class and non-Club Class Suites are a spacious 325 Sq.ft sporting two rooms and very large balcony with two lounge chairs and a walk-in closet just outside of a large tub equipped bathroom. I was very impressed with the Club Class Suite. 
Princess does a similar if not a bit more convoluted "everything included." There are two tiers - Standard and Premium, priced differently with different perks. The pricing of the Standard offering is also considerably less than the "everything included" on Equinox and the Premium, although more costly, turns out, on a day to day basis, to be a really good deal. The Premium offering includes two specialty dinning credits per person (Sabatini's, an Italian menu and Crown Grill - steaks), and a photo package along with the standard prepaid gratuities, wifi and drinks package. For all categories of suite guests, a section of one of the main dining rooms is reserved for these guests. Because the number of guests is limited, there is never a wait, table spacing is more generous and table service is accordingly better. This approach, compared to Celebrity's Luminae (exclusive dining for suite guests) is hands down better in terms of quality of service and noise control that Celebrity's exclusive dining. Menus were varied and with plenty of choices. Food quality and presentation was equivalent to Celebrity's menus and for a few specific dishes, were better.
There were lots of bar venues with differing forms of entertainment. We easily found a favorite that we made our way to every night before shows. You could always find a seat at a bar; that is not the case on Equinox where unless you camp out at the Martini Bar (AKA, Ice Bar) when it opens at 4pm, it's hard to get a seat unless you happen to be walking right behind someone that is leaving and grab the bar seats before others approach and beat you to it. The production sows and entertainment were good and, for the most part, on par with Celebrity's, We were sailed aboard Caribbean Princess in early June and watched the premier of a new production show - Bravo.  It was Vegas and certainly close to Broadway level performance.  
The bottom line is that if suites are in your cruising budget, the value on Caribbean Princess sailing out of Fort Lauderdale is remarkably good. So good that, in fact, we booked Caribbean Princess sailing a 13n Fort Lauderdale to Quebec starting July 222nd on board. Doing so got us a 50% discount on a Mini-Suite (not Club Class - they were sold out) and 50% off the Premier Everything Included package. The cabin fare was equivalent to those found on 7n cruises and purchasing the Premier package was the best deal I've gotten in a long time on any cruise line. We had a very good, if not limited to one ship, experience with Princess. I'm not abandoning Celebrity but Princess is, for sure, "trying harder." 
 
 

This is the sad state of human interaction. There's been a lot written about how destructive this is to mankind's existence on the planet. Look around. No one is getting along and there are plenty of dangerous people who leverage discord and turn it into violent acts. An article appeared in the NYTs (and reprinted elsewhere) written by a flight attendant listing 12 rules for flying on an airplane. Here's a reprint that's not paywalled like the NYT is: https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/a-flight-attendants-12-etiquette-rules-for-making-flying-pleasant/cid/1939675
The list doesn't really apply to cruising but I'm sure this group could come with a good one that does and goes beyond the rules of behavior that the cruise lines feel comfortable delineating (and that few read, are scrupulously followed by passengers and enforced by crew) . Here are a few of my suggestions:
Smile; greet fellow passengers and crew even if you don't know them.
Cruise ship bars, lounges and dinning rooms are not your child's play area.
Lining up is a part of cruising. Respect that part where there is a need to do so (e.g. checking in, serve yourself, open dining areas).
Crew members assigned to serving you in your staterooms and within public areas are not your servants. Treat them with respect and common courtesy.
Your turn.

This is the sad state of human interaction. There's been a lot written about how destructive this is to mankind's existence on the planet. Look around. No one is getting along and there are plenty of dangerous people who leverage discord and turn it into violent acts. An article appeared in the NYTs (and reprinted elsewhere) written by a flight attendant listing 12 rules for flying on an airplane. Here's a reprint that's not paywalled like the NYT is: https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/a-flight-attendants-12-etiquette-rules-for-making-flying-pleasant/cid/1939675
The list doesn't really apply to cruising but I'm sure this group could come with a good one that does and goes beyond the rules of behavior that the cruise lines feel comfortable delineating (and that few read, are scrupulously followed by passengers and enforced by crew) . Here are a few of my suggestions:
Smile; greet fellow passengers and crew even if you don't know them.
Cruise ship bars, lounges and dinning rooms are not your child's play area.
Lining up is a part of cruising. Respect that part where there is a need to do so (e.g. checking in, serve yourself, open dining areas).
Crew members assigned to serving you in your staterooms and within public areas are not your servants. Treat them with respect and common courtesy.
Your turn.

This is the sad state of human interaction. There's been a lot written about how destructive this is to mankind's existence on the planet. Look around. No one is getting along and there are plenty of dangerous people who leverage discord and turn it into violent acts. An article appeared in the NYTs (and reprinted elsewhere) written by a flight attendant listing 12 rules for flying on an airplane. Here's a reprint that's not paywalled like the NYT is: https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/a-flight-attendants-12-etiquette-rules-for-making-flying-pleasant/cid/1939675
The list doesn't really apply to cruising but I'm sure this group could come with a good one that does and goes beyond the rules of behavior that the cruise lines feel comfortable delineating (and that few read, are scrupulously followed by passengers and enforced by crew) . Here are a few of my suggestions:
Smile; greet fellow passengers and crew even if you don't know them.
Cruise ship bars, lounges and dinning rooms are not your child's play area.
Lining up is a part of cruising. Respect that part where there is a need to do so (e.g. checking in, serve yourself, open dining areas).
Crew members assigned to serving you in your staterooms and within public areas are not your servants. Treat them with respect and common courtesy.
Your turn.

This is the sad state of human interaction. There's been a lot written about how destructive this is to mankind's existence on the planet. Look around. No one is getting along and there are plenty of dangerous people who leverage discord and turn it into violent acts. An article appeared in the NYTs (and reprinted elsewhere) written by a flight attendant listing 12 rules for flying on an airplane. Here's a reprint that's not paywalled like the NYT is: https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/a-flight-attendants-12-etiquette-rules-for-making-flying-pleasant/cid/1939675
The list doesn't really apply to cruising but I'm sure this group could come with a good one that does and goes beyond the rules of behavior that the cruise lines feel comfortable delineating (and that few read, are scrupulously followed by passengers and enforced by crew) . Here are a few of my suggestions:
Smile; greet fellow passengers and crew even if you don't know them.
Cruise ship bars, lounges and dinning rooms are not your child's play area.
Lining up is a part of cruising. Respect that part where there is a need to do so (e.g. checking in, serve yourself, open dining areas).
Crew members assigned to serving you in your staterooms and within public areas are not your servants. Treat them with respect and common courtesy.
Your turn.

I get what you're saying. We are Celebrity loyalists but have plenty of Royal cruises under our belts, the last one aboard Allure of the Seas out of Port Everglades a year ago in June. (we live in Fort Lauderdale). The situation you're describing is not confined to Royal Caribbean cruises. It's happening industry wide. That is because "we've been found out." Long term cruisers can remember the days when cruising was a past time of seasoned travelers. While that's still true, cruising has become a very popular, mainstream way of taking a vacation. Everyone here has experienced the kinds of behaviors you describe as the old formalities of cruising have given way to a much more relaxed style which has the potential of being abused by passengers who drink too heavily and have few child rearing skills producing unruly and disrespectful kids. That's what happens when the travel flood gates opened post COVID with thousands more folks than before with "travel revenge" who had never booked a cruise vacation started booking them ..... liked the value and repeatedly returned. 
Celebrity has a different vibe than Royal and the passenger cohort tends to be older and more sedate. There are periods when school is in session that you don't even see kids about. Celebrity markets an upscale cruising experience - no waterslides and go-karts. Royal markets family fun with amusement park features. While Royal offers the exclusivity of suites, Celebrity offers "The Retreat" and "Suite Life" a concept the previous Celebrity President, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo brought to the line. That was part of a fleetwide modernization program that featured new Edge Class ships and major modifications to Solstice and Millennium Class ships. It was a pretty successful undertaking that mined a market of cruisers willing to pay for the exclusivity this concept offered. The rest of the cruise industry has followed with most lines offering this kind of thing. Of late, Suites are in high demand across the cruise line industry. They are pricey and can be hard to find at a reasonable per-day, per-person cost.
You probably know your loyalty points cross over if you choose to sail aboard a Celebrity ship. So there is that. If you want to pay for exclusivity and the usual quiet and serene surroundings that begets, be prepared to open your wallet for that. There is also Silver Seas - also a RCG product - offering small ship luxury at a price. Perks don't cross over and that is because you don't need them. Everything is included in the whopping cruise fares.  Finally, Celebrity offers two small expedition yachts and one luxury, all suite yacht for 100 guests.  The fare for a sailing on one of these three offerings is astronomical - IMO, anyway. Personally, I'd rather take two cruises in a Balcony or Ocean view Cabin than one cruise at the same price as two of those in a suite. YMMV.   

This is the sad state of human interaction. There's been a lot written about how destructive this is to mankind's existence on the planet. Look around. No one is getting along and there are plenty of dangerous people who leverage discord and turn it into violent acts. An article appeared in the NYTs (and reprinted elsewhere) written by a flight attendant listing 12 rules for flying on an airplane. Here's a reprint that's not paywalled like the NYT is: https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/a-flight-attendants-12-etiquette-rules-for-making-flying-pleasant/cid/1939675
The list doesn't really apply to cruising but I'm sure this group could come with a good one that does and goes beyond the rules of behavior that the cruise lines feel comfortable delineating (and that few read, are scrupulously followed by passengers and enforced by crew) . Here are a few of my suggestions:
Smile; greet fellow passengers and crew even if you don't know them.
Cruise ship bars, lounges and dinning rooms are not your child's play area.
Lining up is a part of cruising. Respect that part where there is a need to do so (e.g. checking in, serve yourself, open dining areas).
Crew members assigned to serving you in your staterooms and within public areas are not your servants. Treat them with respect and common courtesy.
Your turn.

Just travelled through Schiphol 2 weeks ago. Compared to passage through that airport in October 2021, it is much improved. However, the airport is huge and I found it difficult to navigate with confusing terminal and gate directions. Delta check in is in Terminal 1. Make sure your driver (I assume you will be using a taxi or Uber) drops you off at the entrance to that terminal. If that happens and if I remember correctly, Delta's check in lines will be in view from the entrance where you walk in to terminal 1. Expect a taxi fare to be between E60 - E70 and takes 20-30 minutes from the cruise terminal to the airport. You can use a credit card.
You need to arrive at Schiphol 3h before your departure time - you may use all of that time or you may not. It all depends on how busy it is. Therefore, unless you can walk off the ship between 6 and 6:30am start looking for a later flight. We were on Celebrity Apex and there were walk-off times as early as 6AM. Unfortunately, the walk off times are determined by ship's staff based on Customs protocols the day of arrival. You won't be able to determine your walk-off time until they are announced onboard ship a day or two before your arrival. If you sailed from a non-Schengen country to Amsterdam, you will have to go through Immigration. I doubt you'll have to deal with that and if you do it's a breeze.  
Schiphol has installed an automated baggage drop and this is located to the right of the Delta counters. I recommend you not use these. Tote your bags to the Delta agent counters and drop them off there. The automated system can be finnicky weighing your bag and scanning your boarding pass to get luggage tags and you don't want to be messing around with that. Make sure your checked bags are < 50 pounds. if the weight is 51 pounds you'll pay extra and it's over $100US. I think Delta wants you to get your boarding pass before you drop your luggage with an agent, not sure but your line will be shorter if you already have your boarding pass. There are Kiosks to do that but they are not directly in front of the Delta counters. They are to your right a ways (go figure).
Once you're checked in and have your boarding pass in hand you'll proceed to security. Make sure you know your flight's gate. Ask the agent which security you should go through for that gate and get specific directions. I believe you'll access security, one level up. Access to that level  is directly behind Delta's counters. It is not at all clear for first timers that you have to proceed through a gated area then ride escalators up to pass through security. You'll scan your boarding pass to open a gate - there are lots of them so look for those gates and head that way.  Once you get to security the lines move very quickly. Schiphol has a very cool partly automated security area and employees guiding passengers to the best line. Once cleared through security, follow the signs to your gate. It will seem like you have to walk for miles and you probably will. Good luck

Just travelled through Schiphol 2 weeks ago. Compared to passage through that airport in October 2021, it is much improved. However, the airport is huge and I found it difficult to navigate with confusing terminal and gate directions. Delta check in is in Terminal 1. Make sure your driver (I assume you will be using a taxi or Uber) drops you off at the entrance to that terminal. If that happens and if I remember correctly, Delta's check in lines will be in view from the entrance where you walk in to terminal 1. Expect a taxi fare to be between E60 - E70 and takes 20-30 minutes from the cruise terminal to the airport. You can use a credit card.
You need to arrive at Schiphol 3h before your departure time - you may use all of that time or you may not. It all depends on how busy it is. Therefore, unless you can walk off the ship between 6 and 6:30am start looking for a later flight. We were on Celebrity Apex and there were walk-off times as early as 6AM. Unfortunately, the walk off times are determined by ship's staff based on Customs protocols the day of arrival. You won't be able to determine your walk-off time until they are announced onboard ship a day or two before your arrival. If you sailed from a non-Schengen country to Amsterdam, you will have to go through Immigration. I doubt you'll have to deal with that and if you do it's a breeze.  
Schiphol has installed an automated baggage drop and this is located to the right of the Delta counters. I recommend you not use these. Tote your bags to the Delta agent counters and drop them off there. The automated system can be finnicky weighing your bag and scanning your boarding pass to get luggage tags and you don't want to be messing around with that. Make sure your checked bags are < 50 pounds. if the weight is 51 pounds you'll pay extra and it's over $100US. I think Delta wants you to get your boarding pass before you drop your luggage with an agent, not sure but your line will be shorter if you already have your boarding pass. There are Kiosks to do that but they are not directly in front of the Delta counters. They are to your right a ways (go figure).
Once you're checked in and have your boarding pass in hand you'll proceed to security. Make sure you know your flight's gate. Ask the agent which security you should go through for that gate and get specific directions. I believe you'll access security, one level up. Access to that level  is directly behind Delta's counters. It is not at all clear for first timers that you have to proceed through a gated area then ride escalators up to pass through security. You'll scan your boarding pass to open a gate - there are lots of them so look for those gates and head that way.  Once you get to security the lines move very quickly. Schiphol has a very cool partly automated security area and employees guiding passengers to the best line. Once cleared through security, follow the signs to your gate. It will seem like you have to walk for miles and you probably will. Good luck

Thanks for the great Beyond review crusiellama. We've got 4 Edge Class cruises booked. Three on Apex and one on Beyond through January 2024. On our first Edge Class Cruise (Edge, Athens, June 2022) it took some getting used to the new design but we did. Just sailed Apex in January and had similar reactions to yours and another poster who found The Retreat "too crowded." Agree with that. Nice to hear Beyond has added a 3rd deck to The Retreat. The Retreat Lounge wasn't the "step above" you would expect for the premium being paid and Luminae was by far not our favorite restaurant - that would be Normandy. But as you noted, the staff that served us across the ship were outstanding and service at a high level. Glad to see the Martini bar improved as both Edge's and Apex's are small and there is insufficient seating. The special effects in the main theater were also a noteworthy addition to ship board entertainment.
There's no question that Celebrity's food quality has declined post COVID interruption but is entirely satisfying. I tend to stick to long time menu "favorites" and I enjoyed them. The roasted pork chops is one of them. The Chilean Sea Bass was Branzino and that particular fish filet was thin. Lobster tails on Lobster night in the mains are smaller (tender and succulent)  but the Beef Wellington is still very good.
WIth Celebrity trying to position itself as a "premium" line, the concept of "X" signifying excellence, Lutoff-Perlo might want to consider shaving the company's margins a bit to preserve the concept of "X." I know that's not what stockholders want and she's under pressure to keep margins high. Still, tread cautiously there. Competitors are offering similar premium cruises at lower prices. We've got a Princess cruise scheduled in June (Caribbean Princess) and booked the equivalent of Celebrity's Sky Suite (not as big, same perks but fewer amenities and called Club Suites) for around 60% of the cost of Sky Suite on an Edge class ship. Don't know about others bu, given the premium, I'm loath to book a Sky Suite on Millenium or Solstice class ships given the plus-up of the "suite life" on Edge class.   

Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests taken in person, supervised virtually, or unsupervised self-administered. Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of your self-test result, or your actual self-test in hand.  
https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/transatlantic-travel-requirements
Note that your COVID tests do not need to be supervised. You can use unsupervised, self administered COVID tests. Purchase these before you sail (or use the ones you may have gotten for free during that campaign). Make sure that the tests you use are not expired and be aware that expiration dates may have been extended by the FDA. Google "extended dates for" ...... (the brand of test you have).
Insurance coverage for on-site supervised testing, e.g., CVS and others, is fading. A typical supervised test at CVS is going to run you in the $120 range. Since you don't need these, buy a self test kit for under $20 at Amazon. Here's the link.
https://www.amazon.com/Covid-19-Test-Kits/b?ie=UTF8&node=2348082201
 

Couple things:
1. Pricing fluctuates from day one, not just at six months.
2. Air2Sea just sticks to minimum connection times (MCTs), which are a bit different for each airline and airport. But these are the minimum connection times an airline will let you book. That being said, they're not always ideal. A 1-hour connection DOM-INTL in whatever airport Roselo is going through may be perfectly "legal" (as is common phrasing with MCTs), but may not be enjoyable (or even realistic sometimes). I'll do whatever I can to avoid a MCT, especially on a DOM-INTL or INTL-DOM connection. 
 

Iv'e used Air2Sea extensively pre-COVID to and from Europe. It worked best when I did the research, found the connections that worked best, then presented those to the Air2Sea agent. Most of the time it was available, I booked it and off we went. 
Right now, I'd be very reluctant to book with Air2Sea. First of all, they obtain seats at group rated, reduced fares, at least that was the case pre-COVID. I would assume reduced fare seats are, these days, mostly unavailable so, your choice of bookings is going to be limited, probably severely. Air travel in general is going to be costly no matter. Commercial flying is hard in the present circumstance and it's going to remain that way for a while.
My advice is to book airline travel either directly with the airline or through an agency/agent you trust, e.g., MEI. There are skilled travel agents out there who are adroit and finding the best connections and if things get messed up prior to your travel, unscrewing things - without you spending hours on the phone waiting for the airline's CSR. Pick airlines carefully. There are lots of tools to find out whihc lines do the most cancellation and/or changes of flights.
Next, buy the best travel protection you can find that covers trip delays and trip cancellation. Finally, prepare yourself to be delayed, inconveniently rerouted, your flight cancelled or, worst case, you don't get to cruise at all. Have a back-up plan. It sucks but it is what it is. Keep all your receipts, document, document, document and bring credit cards with lots of remaining credit. You may need it.  

Day 9: A pleasant surprise. Raw on Five. As I've noted previously in my reviews, I'm not enamored by specialty restaurants as they seldom set themselves apart from main dining venues - our exceptions are Murano and Eden. I can now add Raw on Five. We walked up for lunch without a reservation and were seated immediately in a desirable window table. An experienced waiter - that I judged so by his manner, presentation and skills - approached and gave an explanation of the menu. There's no up-charge to dine here. Menu items are al a carte and priced accordingly. I thought the pricing was reasonable. I ordered a sashimi  plate with a choice of 4 of 6 items on the menu for that plate. My second order was something akin to a California roll- A green topped tuna roll. The green top was beautifully sliced avocados neatly laid on top of each of 10 pieces forming a roll. This was $12 - well worth it. My wife had shrimp tempura. She liked it. The best parts of this lunch experience were that it was delightfully quiet in a beautiful setting with 5* food quality and table service. A.
We debark tomorrow morning. This is our 5th cruise on an Edge class ship, the first right after the cruise industry's restart in June 2021.  They take some getting used to but it has been pointed out to us that each new class ship in the Celebrity fleet builds on what worked and what didn't in the previous class. Edge is an improvement on a lot of levels especially propulsion, hull design, system management and cabin design. I like the restaurant changes that are part of the cruise industry's trend to offer more dining options moving away from "Main" dining concepts that have predominated since the beginning of the Golden Age of Cruising in the early 20th century.  The average age on this cruise I'd estimate to be 65. It's an old crowd, few kids, If any at all, and an adults only cruising experience as compared to the younger crowd and family experience on RCL ships. It isn't for everyone but it works for us. The Sky suites were nice but I have trouble justifying the enormous up charge. We'd rather take two cruises in the $4-5K range than one for $8k+. That's just us. If price is no object, go for it. Some of the perks - priority boarding and debarkation, private dining room  - Luminae - access to Blue and the Retreat - are nice but I can do without all of them. As I've mentioned Luminae wasn't great and the Retreat was, IMO, in the one instant I went out there to try the pool and lounge chairs, was more crowded than I would have expected of the exclusivity you're paying for to be in there. The Retreat Lounge is a bit on the boring side. Folks that were in there stuck in their groups and the two times we went there for cocktails before dinner we didn't socialize and stuck to ourselves. This will be my last post in this series. Hope it's been informative and useful if you are considering a voyage on Edge class ships in the Celebrity fleet.

Day 2: Dinner at Luminae. Change of plans. We had thought we were going to do our version of progressive dining by ordering from different main restaurants in Luminae. Turns out we liked the offerings on the Luminae menu. More on that later. After our meal I inquired of the hostess about ordering from the main restaurant's menus while dining in Luminae. Her response did not seem to encourage that although she said it was possible based on availability of a Luminae server to go and get the dish and a person in that restaurants meal staging area willing to make that dish available to Luminae staff. I probably would't try this. Although it can be done, both times we've dined in Luminae it's been very busy. Table staff doesn't need extra work although I'm sure they'd be glad to do it. 
On to the meal: We dined at 8:10pm right after the 7pm theater production show. This can be problematic because early show goers tend to dine afterwards - that's a lot of people looking to get seated in one of the ship's restaurants. Luminae was busy when we arrived but it wasn't show goers. We were seated promptly. Again, it was quite noisy. More on that later too. After a time, we were approached sequentially by several wait staff asking if we had been served yet. This seemed to reflect some disorganization on who was serving our table. There seemed to be plenty of wait staff. Strange - this is a restaurant manager issue that I would not have expected in Luminae. We sat for quite a while waiting for wine and beverage service. When it came it was fine and beverages were promptly obtained and served. Our order was taken about the same time. The starters we ordered came quickly. The main course took a while to get served - again, wait staff organization issues . The lobster, hearts of palm salad was absolutely delicious. Nice sized chunks of lobster in a creamy dressing. I had a Jerusalem artichoke soup with a big mushroom and a thin slice of prosciutto in it. Excellent flavor and consistency beautifully presented. Main course consisted of Baked Alaskan Halibut on Jasmine rice and a small side of bok choy. We enjoyed a glass of Conundrum Cab blend. The halibut was deliciously baked with a very fine crust on top of it and drizzled with a lemony sauce that did not take over the dish - maybe the best fish dish I've had in any restaurant aboard a Celebrity ship.  Prepared and presented perfectly. We finished with a delicious chocolate cake with a small scoop of coffee ice cream and an espresso.  Meal quality and presentation exceeded expectations for fine dining. A real treat. This one gets an A. Not a plus because of the noise and seemingly confused wait staff about who was serving our table. On the noise. I wear hearing aids so, of course, everything is amplified. Even when I took them off, the noise levels were uncomfortably high.  The design acoustics seem wrong - low ceilings and no baffling. I spoke to the Hostess/manager about the noise levels. Apparently I'm not alone in my expressed concerns about it. I asked if there was seating with less noise and she said there is. She made a note in her system that would I like a quieter table. In my 22 years of cruising, I have complained 2x, this was one of them. Both professionally addressed. To be clear, the points I raised in Luminae are nit-picky issues. However, my sense is that for what you are paying for Celebrity's "Suite Life," these issues shouldn't exist.