khynzelman

Just a tip when choosing a solo cabin you will receive one C&A point per night since technically there is no single supplement on the fare.

Harmony will have the full sushi menu however not all ships will have the full menu. It depends on the ship class.

Truffled Lobster Tempura Roll has been my fav as well as dumplings for starter. If you want a cocktail the Spicy Okinawa has a good kick. Enjoy!

On the Quantum I wasn’t given a choice however I probably could have asked. I’m an early riser so the morning worked for me and the attendant as well. He mentioned he now has 25 staterooms instead of 17 so more morning services help him plan his day better.

Yes definitely turn on the airplane mode. It will also drain the battery roaming all the time. If you want to make and receive calls you can purchase the on board Wi-Fi to use Wi-Fi calling while at sea.

Book early as sea days are popular for the spa. Also ask about the level of experience the hair staff has doing men’s cuts and shaves. I’ve come across stylists that are trained in men’s services but mostly do women’s hair. So for the $75 you may not get that level of care you would from an experienced barber.

Windjammer wins over all other choices for me just because of the variety and ease. The MDR can be lengthy and unfortunately I've yet to have a properly cooked eggs benedict there. If the ships have it these venues are my favs: park cafe, solarium bistro, cafe promenade (great bagel bar), Two70 bistro, diamond lounge

I'm with you on this as well. I was excited about he d lounge and joke about the different lounges that are partitioned off somewhere in a corner. The Odyssey has a pretty nice one and does have windows. Maybe instead of one dedicated space the lounge could rotate to different venues throughout the cruise. I would miss using my key in the door though.

Maybe a different color key card for d and/or d+ and drop the pins except for pinnacle. I've rarely seen people where them and like me have clipped them to luggage or a hat. The key card color is a nice level of visible recognition. The staff wouldn't have to squint to read your level either. Additional Spa benefits. Celebrity gives free access to spa areas on a port day. The 20% off one service is nice however most of the staff are unaware of the comp add on service benefit. A free class in the fitness center. Change the BOGO specialty dining to be valid for the entire cruise except day one and day two. I've had hassles just trying to get reservations for this benefit. The staff have figured out ways to do this already. Priority using the Royal Up program. Maybe this is already considered it's just not published. Airlines do different versions of this. As a fan of the crystal block program it can be quite a chore to plan your milestone cruises in order to receive a different ship's block. So perhaps there's a way to have a flexibility in that benefit. Lastly maintain consistency in the program across the fleet. Some ships do or don't do certain things. i.e.-welcome amenities, upgraded bathroom amenities, chef's choice amenity, priority venue seating, and a working coffee machine in the d lounge

Will be aboard on a btb from Quebec City. The Jewel is one of my favorite ships. Many good times aboard.

Yes the ship change and booking early definitely paid off to our benefit. I was disappointed the Norway ports were dropped but that just gives a good excuse for another cruise!

I loved reading this thread especially about the history of the C&A program from long time cruisers. Seems like the program is due for a change and hopefully the new C&A Ambassador will set that ship on course. Loyalty programs are all about recognition and reward. As long as they are able to consistently deliver on those promises hopefully most people will be happy.

I agree the amenity is usually repeats of what they have in the d lounge. But I do love the strawberries the most. The amenity I received on the Grandeur last week was a shrimp scampi, salmon w/ cream cheese, and grapes. I'm not sure who would want to eat warm fish on a plate that could have been plated hours earlier unrefridgerated. Maybe that's why they had a major Gastro virus outbreak on hat cruise.

Well, was just on the Grandeur and had a crab cake with a long blonde hair in it and the the beef tenderloin was cold as well (Maybe that's why they had a major Gastro virus problem on this cruise). Always glad to have other choices and went to the Windjammer instead and found it tasting great with the usual choices as well as a different theme each night. As I've heard many times it depends on the ship and the cruise. However if I only took one cruise a year I can understand it being disappointing. For what the cruise fares are I do expect more consistency though.

Excited for this bucket list itinerary. I've heard great stories from previous sailings. Any repeaters joining for advice?

Unfortunately it's use them or lose them. They will reload at Midnight if you're night owls. lol Also on debarkation day you will have them available for a morning bloody mary. Cheers!

Congrats! I've had to call C&A as well and always had attentive service from them. Yes there has been a back log. I just received one from a cruise in April. So I had to be patient. On the C&A benefit list the crystal blocks are listed as the commemorative gift. I also had no idea until a fellow cruiser told me. So now I've created a cruise nerd spreadsheet to keep track when and which ship I'll receive a block. That way I don't repeat a block and then can also inquire on the cruise if I don't receive the gift letter in my cabin.

Just received a Navigator OTS block from an April cruise so yes there may be a wait. Some newly Pinnacles waited 9 mos for their name badge. Seems the backlog etc is getting sorted out.

Bon Voyage to first time cruisers! You are in the right spot for info since the cruise actually starts way before embarkation day. For me the message I've received from cruise friends is that the cruise is what you make it; every cruise and everyone is different. I had to let go of trying to pick the perfect ship, dates, itinerary, cabin etc. I've learned even if you pick the ship that sounds best for your trip it can have a very different feel each sailing. Doing back to backs (or several back to back in a row ) I find it fascinating how the feel of the cruise changes from one cruise to the next. So I would say just commit to trying it out, going with the flow, meet some great people and have some fun with it! Cheers!

That's why it is important to read any communication regarding update to the healthy sailing protocols. They can change for various reasons especially the country of embarkation, length of cruise, or country of debarkation. On the TA from from Europe in October 22 the protocols have changed three time since the spring. On this trip it is considered up to date on vaccination if with the past 9 most you've either been vaccinated or boosted. Which means if you've been vaccinated over 9 mos ago then you will need to be boosted. Here is the verbiage from the email. So depending on the itinerary it is important to read all communications to avoid the stress. Vaccination RequiredAll guests ages 5 and older must be fully vaccinated against COVID‐19 with the final dose administered at least 14 days before sailing. Guests under 5 may join us for this sailing, regardless of vaccination status. Up-to-date: to be considered up-to-date, guests must have received all doses in their vaccine series within 270 days (9 months) of our sail date or received a booster. Guests who've received a booster are considered up-to-date no matter how much time has passed.

It's great to see faces again! I noticed staff masks disappearing on the Adventure OTS mid September. Some staff with beards were still wearing theirs. It seems without masks they are required to be clean shaven.

I had the DDP decision as well once I started getting the vouchers. I found I didn't use it that much except for waters (I don't like drinking the tap water lol). So instead I prepurchase bottled water through the cruise planner and use the vouchers for other specialty drinks. Been good so far.

Congrats on Diamond! I usually travel solo and have always enjoyed the D lounges. Most people are willing to start up conversation and I've even met a few who are now friends off the ship. It is always busier during the happy hour for socializing but it can be a good quiet place if you're looking for that too during the day. Depending on the ship the lounges can be in different locations. People usually like the ones with windows especially on the Freedom and earlier classes. It's kinda fun to use that key and the door opens for ya!

After one cruise only awarded 1 point (which C&A fixed right away) I always check post cruise just to be sure. It was nice cruising post covid during the double point promotion solos were getting 4/night and 6/night suites. Many people leveled up pretty quick during that time.

A friend cruising on Mariner OTS confirmed the vouchers are good for the new pricing! Cheers!