CravingaCruise

They should put a little next to it so people know!

Hubby suggested we book another cruise (perhaps over the kids’ one year anniversary next May) so I’m looking and I casually suggested Sky class on Royal because it’s more cost effective. He confirmed sky class had no genie and turned his nose up at it. What have I done??!!

OMG! I’m catching up on your blog and hubby says “let’s book another cruise”. I LOVE YOU GUYS!! Bye! Dropping off the blog to go book another cruise! Priorities, you know!

I have a feeling that sailing in Retreat after having experienced genie-level personalization will be an adjustment, but from what I’ve read, the Retreat team is very professional and provides excellent service. It’s just hard not to compare them in my mind since the genie service is what I know.

THEY REACHED OUT!! I had heard varying accounts that Celebrity reaches out before sailing in the Retreat. We received a questionnaire from the Retreat team at the 37 day mark asking for some ways to customize our Retreat stay. It’s not corny at all like the Star Class questionnaire is, but I don’t believe the Retreat team is quite as focused on the special little things that truly personalize your trip like the genies are. Which isn’t an issue…at least for us. Considering that we’re in a Sky Suite, I really wasn’t expecting anything at all. Something tells me there is one with a different set of questions for Royal Suites and above. I completed it the day we received it but we’ve been so busy this past week that I didn’t get a chance to post it for all of you. My one question for any of you who are Retreat veterans is if I should have the hubby fill this out also? The pillow question only allowed one response and hubby and I have different pillow preferences. Who am I kidding…we’re total pillow snobs. Here’s the questionnaire:

I was reading this on my phone and didn’t realize it was so far back in the thread! As soon as I posted the answer it launched me back to where I was. At least I got it right!

Friends!! Right? At least that’s how every episode was named. Although I don’t ever remember a cruise, or gnomes.

You think the casino gods will approve? Geez! I miss one day of reading and I fall 2 pages behind.

Coming up. He’s looking for them.

Wow! That’s almost what they were right after cruises opened up again in 2021! My cruise isn’t even close to that! Sounds like a good strategy to me! What? Really? Yes!

Update on the Upgrade @Lovetocruise2002’s words kept ringing in my ears (we’ll, not really since I only read them) to be careful with a bid on an upgrade. I think the pro/con list finally tipped the scales for a decision. Okay, not really, but we talked about it enough. The winning factors were the bed facing the windows and the window from the bathroom looking out. I thought it was cool too, but all I can picture is the magic carpet passing by our balcony when I’m showering. We withdrew the bid we put in and decided to be happy with our cabin. Since we’re not interested in spending another $6k to get to a Royal Suite, we’ll work on not drooling too much over the extra amenities. I got the emails this morning and I’m getting caught up on the new Royal/Celebrity/Silver Seas matching perks. The good news is that those of you who are about to sail on Celebrity with Diamond Plus aren’t capped at Elite anymore! Yay for you! My attention seems to be on the blog war between @SweetPea and @OCSC Mike right now. I read theirs and then I remember I started one of these myself. Oops! I think I have adult onset ADHD…is that a thing?

I’m following along and looking forward to being in stitches for the next week! I just got all caught up! I can’t believe Batman doesn’t know you’re blogging!! Hubby said he’s packing his “fire panties” (our daughter named them that because they literally have flames on them - I call them that because it’s hilarious!) for good luck on our cruise!

Thank you! Yes, I did see your post! That’s crazy! I went online and looked at what they had available to see what the cost would be to book it directly. It is actually quite a bit more to purchase directly than what we had gotten our guarantee for. The only cabin available is on deck 7. We decided to bid on the move up offer just above the minimum bid (min bid $200 & we bid $210) for the SS Sky Suite just to see what might happen. If we don’t get it we won’t be upset, but if we get it, and it’s on deck 7, I think we’ll be very happy. Fingers crossed!

Offers Received:

MOVE UP OFFER This morning I woke up to a move up offer in my inbox! I put some questions out on our Retreat Facebook page, and we're on the fence if we want to try for anything or not. Our quesitons were answered in the FB forum, and yet we're still thinking about it. We were offered cabins from Sunset Sky Suite all the way up to the Iconic Suite. The only one we're considering is the Sunset Sky Suite because of the larger balcony and the aft view (which we fell in love with in a Grand Loft Suite on Anthem a few years ago). I know it wouldn't be the same because it's not a loft, but the aft vew is super peaceful. There's a risk to bidding on a move-up offer for a Sunset Sky Suite though. We could end up on deck 12, just under the Oceanview Cafe, and we fear that would negate any peace we would get from the aft view. What are your thoughts on this? Anyone stay on deck 12 in a SS Sky Suite? I'll post the Move Up offers in a separate post so you can see what we got.

OMG! The casinos on Celebrity are smoke-free! That’s a game changer for us! Do they have the same kind of rewards Royal does?

MORNING COFFEE I’m sitting here this morning having my coffee, thinking about my morning coffee on the cruise, and more questions come to mind…naturally. Side note…For health reasons we have recently started eating primarily whole-food plant-based foods, which limits our intake of dairy and other animal products. That’s not to say that we won’t be indulging in these things on the cruise because we are huge steak lovers, fried chicken lovers, and seriously love dairy and cheese, but when we can avoid these things we will. Here are a few questions for you seasoned Celebrity cruisers: How’s the normal coffee that’s delivered by room service? If you could compare to Royal that will help me know how to judge it per my taste buds. Hubby is former military so he can tolerate mud. I, on the other hand, am a coffee snob. ️ From room service what are the options for coffee additives (I.e., cream & sugar options) Do they offer milk alternatives? Does anyone know if they have Stevia onboard? Does anyone know if Cafe al Bacio offers milk alternatives? Does anyone have a menu of the pastries Cafe al Bacio offers? I think that’s it for now. More questions may come to mind. Thanks all! I appreciate your help!

Right? So many mixed messages! We’ll find out for sure in 42 days! Let us know if you do and what you find out! Oh good! I’m surprised the rep didn’t know this! Glad to have you along for the journey! Thanks for the info! We just booked our trip a couple of weeks ago so it sounds like our gratuities aren’t included. Great to know we’ll have a dedicated butler though. I like that approach because they get to know things you like and dislike…or it seems it would be that way.

Thank you @themillennialcruiser! Great information! Feel free to share all your tips and must-dos on the Beyond!

Thank you for answers to some of our questions! For the luggage, was your luggage delivered to the room quickly? Did they bring it directly to the room or did you have to go find it? Can we set it up in advance? We’ll be at PDCC with Wonder and would like to get to Hideaway ASAP to get a bed. When we were there on AN with Yen, she got us off as soon as the ship cleared and had transport waiting for us and two other couples in Star class. We got one of the beds next to the pool and I was a happy camper!! We were thinking about Eden but wondered if it really was worth it. It has a $60 cover charge with an al a carte menu, or $100 for a tasting menu. The venue is complimentary for breakfast and lunch. Is Eden the restaurant not to be missed for dinner? It looks beautiful, but really wonder if it’s worth it.

RETREAT SPECIFIC INFO I reached out to Celebrity tonight because we've seen contradictary information online that left us (who am I kidding - me) with so many questions. The individual I spoke with was very cordial. I swear I was talking to Ramone (Oscar Nunez) from the movie, The Proposal! He sounded just like him - even his giggle! Here's the scoop: Celebrity has a specific number to contact them about the Retreat: 1-877-738-7328 @Royal - you really NEED to do this for STAR!! However, with as much as I appreciated having a dedicated number for the Retreat, the representative I spoke with didn't know as much as I expected him to! He had to put me on hold several times to check answers to my questions - which left me somewhat less confident in his answers. Here are the questions I asked specifically for us (remember, we're in a Sky suite - the entry level into Retreat): We booked a retreat guarantee and have been assigned a Sky Suite cabin # already, is it possible our cabin will change before the cruise? No On embarkation day at the terminal is there a dedicated luggage drop-off for Retreat guests or do we drop our luggage with the regular porters? No. Drop off luggage with any porter Will we have a dedicated butler in our Sky Suite? No, we will have a concierge/butler team. Royal Suite & up are assigned a dedicated butler Can we have specialty coffee brought to our room each day? Yes, ask the team when we get onboard and they will put that order in for us Is the mini-bar in the room included or will the mini-bar items be charged if used? Not included in the Sky Suite. They are included for Royal Suite & up at no charge My next question was if the mini-bar is customized per guest requests, but since it wasn't included, I didn't ask. Can we request a bowl of fresh cut lemons and limes brought to our room for waters each day? Yes, ask the team when we get onboard and they will order for us Are tips included in the Sky Suite? No. They are for Royal Suite & up For our 6 night cruise, he told me they would be $138 per person. Will we be able to get priority disembarkation at the ports? He tried to reach the ship concierge but they were closed already - I need to call back in the morning Will the ship concierge/butler team reach out to us in advance of the cruise to assist with reservations, etc? I need to call back for this too I know the email addresses for each concierge on Royal Caribbean ships is (semi) public knowledge. Does anyone know if the same is the case for Celebrity? I know, I know - I'm high maintenance. I'm extreme type A and love to know everything I can before I go on a trip so I can prepare as necessary. But I'm not a Karen - I promise!! Just well prepared - like Mary Poppins!

Now it’s out there! Let the rumors begin!

OMG! That would be so confusing!! But how fun would that be!

It’s never too early!! Didn’t @Lovetocruise2002 start one like a year in advance one time?

Thank you! We just checked in last night! It’s right around the corner! I need to get my cruise stuff back from my daughter!!