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Thanks for the confirmations on the review. I never enjoy giving a substandard review. Hopefully the dry dock will improve some of the needed renovations. I did see that Tips for Travelers group cruise on our same itinerary two weeks later did not seem to have the food and dining issue. Interesting that you mention Covid. We started feeling bad on the last day and we both tested positive upon returning home to FL two days later. I would have loved to have met you and your group. I love those aft facing cabins. Maybe next time! Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 LOL We were in the coffee bar waiting for our number to be called to get of the ship (#30) and i thought i was in a TB ward. everyone was hacking including the 2 people we were with. I tested positive the next day on Cape Cod. ugh

Quick question what travel agent do you recommend for cruises? We book directly through Celebrity this time and got no perks or extras.

@@harvard6969 LOL - yep. I sat behind this man in the main theater on the next to last night and I thought he was doing to hack up a lung. I moved but apparently not soon enough. Glad everyone is ok.

@@harvard6969 I have my own independent travel agency, See More Seas Travel, LLC. I would be happy to assist you. I can normally find a rate that is slightly lower than what you are seeing direct and I always provide an additional $50 of OBC. Sometimes I can uncover special unpublished group rates too. You can email me at Contact@seemoresea.com when interested in researching options!

I truly think that our dining and food issue was a combination of a newer crew (major crew rotation for us in Boston) and our sailing being the first of the season from Boston. I believe that there was also a sourcing issue with our food which from recent reports has been resolved. Most that sailed after us are not reporting the food quality issue for their cruise. I did get several confirmations of poor food quality from guests on our sailing post cruise. I hope you have a wonderful experience !

@@seemoreseascruises3791 Thank you!

So glad that you liked the video! You will love it! Make sure to book The Wake for brunch as many times as you want prior to the cruise. You might want to watch my Valiant Lady review for additional content on Virgin. Thanks for watching and I wish you an awesome cruise! Valiant Lady review = th-cam.com/video/8FffuFiUVzU/w-d-xo.html

Hello Australia!! I just researched this for a client and there are a few Princess 14+ day options for both Eastern & Western but if you take a look at B2B you are going to find many more options. Normally on B2B you only need to get off the ship and walk through immigration with your small B2B group and get right back on. Most times you do not even have to pack and change staterooms - I would make sure of that prior to booking. I hope that helps. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

HAL's MDR has been better than Celebrity over the last couple of years but I think the buffet in slightly better (design and selection) on Celebrity. HAL is hands down better in Alaska and Celebrity always has received high marks for it's Med itineraries and experiences. Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

Thank you for sharing that! I have heard that from others and appreciate you pointing that out for others! Thanks for watching!

Thank you! So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

Especially if it is sold in clear plastic bottles. We try to find sole source olive oil with a harvest date and location contained in dark glass bottles. It is expensive but you can see and taste the difference.

It really is so destructive and until recently there was so little information about it. The food company links to big pharma is another completely different subject. Only the US and New Zealand allow direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs on TV. Anyone tell me there is not a link to the standard American Diet and Pharmaceuticals. Do you follow John, The Carnivore Teacher 1965 on TH-cam? I think you will enjoy his content.

Could not agree more! We ask in every venue and just assume that anything fried is a seed oil, any salad dressing in a bottle or plastic container is seed oils, bacon on a cruise buffet is almost always dropped in a vat of canola oil instead of pan or oven prepared. Even the olive oil at the salad bar has probably been mixed with canola oil. Thank you so much for sharing and for watching!

Alaska is a very unique adventure and there are a variety of ports available as well as itineraries. I have a few videos on Alaska on the channel. The first is our Celebrity Solstice Alaska Cruise = th-cam.com/video/8ioWxxqedCo/w-d-xo.html and another which is comparing the cruise lines for Alaska = th-cam.com/video/YJf43ZVO6WE/w-d-xo.html then another would be comparing Vancouver and Seattle as embarkation ports = th-cam.com/video/-prD3ze3VfQ/w-d-xo.html I hope that you find these helpful. I am also available to assist in your planning and booking of the cruise if you are interested. Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 Perfect, thank you so much. I can't wait for your input on Virgin Voyages Alaska Cruise.

@@Bella24Forever Virgin is not included in the Alaska cruise line review since this next season will be their first ever. The itineraries from Virgin are currently not as robust as the other legacy cruise lines. I can email you some thoughts on the brand new upcoming Virgin sailings - I am also a Gold travel partner with Virgin. Email me at contact@seemoresea.com

Thanks for reaching out. I recieved your email and responded. I would love to assist you in your planning and booking.

That is correct. All crew gratuities are no longer included with the All Included fare or with suites. Only drink gratuities are included in the drink packages unless the drink exceeds the amount covered by the package where the guest pays the difference and the 20% gratuity for the price of the drink. They find a way to earn money from us every day.

I am so glad that you found it helpful! If you are headed to Half Moon Cay soon, have a great time! Thanks for watching!

Many people do not realize that there are standard veranda staterooms with sliding glass doors on Edge Class ships. I have only stayed in Sky Suites on Edge Class and need to experience the infinite veranda for myself. I do have several clients that really enjoyed the infinite veranda but I agree with you that there are also several drawbacks. With respect to Virgin, look closely at the XL Sea Terrace over the standard Sea Terrace due to the bathroom size. Check out my Valiant Lady review to see how tiny that bathroom was. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 Hi. Thanks for replying. Would I be correct in thinking that the only standard veranda staterooms on Edge class with proper balconies are the 'sunset verandas' at the aft of the ship, which tend to come with a high price tag (but still sell out quickly)? With regards the upcoming Virgin cruise, I have a standard sea terrace booked, but I have been advised not to bid for an XL upgrade, as there's a good chance I would get lumbered with one of the XL's at the front (I think) of the ship that doesn't have the hammock. I'm not prepared to lose the hammock for a bigger bathroom.

@@nsuro80 The standard verandas with the sliding glass doors are yes, the aft sunset verandas and are available only on a couple of decks where the remainder are Sky Suites. There are also standard sliding glass door verandas forward on decks 6,7,8 etc. but they have a very large steel porthole type opening on the balcony. These are very large steel circles which very slightly obstructing your view. They are less expensive than the infinite veranda. I don't mind being forward on middle deck but make sure that you choose deck 7 and up since deck 6 will be above the theater. If you go to bed after 10:00 pm or so, this shouldn't be an issue. For Virgin, I do agree that the forward XL Sea Terrace cabins when the ship begins to curve to the front will have steel balconies and a handing chair instead of hammock. We have sailed in XL Sea Terrace cabins and love them. We make sure to CHOOSE our stateroom location and hardly ever bid to upgrade without control of choice of location. It might be a very small upgrade from your current Sea Terrace and you will get to choose your location. I tend to select the XL more mid forward to make sure I get the hammock. In either option you'll love Virgin!

I could not agree more! The cost of these are so expensive compared to an ocean cruise. I also have no need to spend that type of money to travel up or down the muddy Mississippi and view farm land. The Columbia and Snake river is worth consideration IMO but the cost would have to be reasonable. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

Thank you for sharing your experience. It is really tough doing a disappointing review especially on Celebrity. I am seeing some new posts for this itinerary from a current group cruise and the food issue has not been raised. I think that the combination of the crew change and possible new sourcing providers in Boston for this inaugural itinerary may have contributed to our poor food quality and slow service. We discussed and will never do an inaugural itinerary or cruise again. Again, thanks for sharing and for watching!

It seems that Vancouver would be the easiest except there are a few reports that the Vancouver port can get congested. Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

Silhouette is the Celebrity ship we have sailed the most. She was refurbished in 2020 with several upgrades. The vibe is very chill, restful and luxurious. If you are going for a drink package, I would recommend the premium package over the classic but either way, you only pay extra for a cocktail that exceeds the limit for each package ($10 and $17) Also if you a doing any sort of Celebration, the specialty restaurant, Murano, is a splurge and has incredible meals and over the top service. There are normally great steaks in Tuscan Grille and Lawn Club Grill. Have a wonderful cruise and thank you so much for sharing and for watching!

The cruise terminal in Quebec City was very nice. It seemed modern and well staffed. We actually could come and go all night if we wanted to. The area seemed very secure and safe. I am sure that they will have an efficient process for debarkation and immigration. I am getting reports from the current Celebrity Boston sailings that a few of the issues might be getting worked out. If you can, I would highly recommend a few days stay in Quebec City after your cruise. It is absolutely amazing!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 Thank you. I will check into it.

There a no bathrooms in the standard cabanas. You will need to use the public bathrooms nearby.

There are cabanas everywhere - all standard cabanas will have lunch provided for that area. Chill Island has a small building if lunch is included, Beach Club has the main restaurant and others will have the standard pavilion if an upgraded lunch is not included.

We have dined in Murano several times in the past on multiple Solstice Class ships. It is always a great experience and those I spoke to on this sailing said it was very good and better than Tuscan Grille. Murano is just too formal for us at this point but an exceptional venue for a special occasion.

I will take a look at that for sure! So glad to hear that you are enjoying your cruise! Are you doing some of the same ports?

The biggest reasons we avoid some of these food on a cruise such as industrialized, processed seed oils like canola oil is that they are very inflammatory and cause bloating and bowel issues. I don't enjoy feeling sick while cruising. Thanks for watching!

I am so very happy to hear that! I had lunch in the MDR on three of the sea days and each was also disappointing to me and the entire table. I wish you a great cruise and hopefully they resolved their food supplier quality issue. I attended many of the Captain's Club Elite happy hours in the passport bar and the topic each evening was if the MDR was going to be as bad as the night before. These were also Celebrity loyalists like you and me so to hear that you had a great experience makes me hopeful. The ports are going to be amazing so enjoy yourself and have a wonderful cruise! Thank you very much for sharing and for watching the review.

We’re looking forward to the ports. We live right outside of Boston but have never done this itinerary.

The stateroom was fine - exactly what to expect from a Solstice Class ship - the black out curtain was pretty nasty with lots of stuff in the velcro allowing each panel to connect to each other. The food was bad but I think that might be an combination of a new crew and a bad supplier from the new Boston area embarkation. Every venue onboard had bad, tough, over cooked meat which was just unacceptable. This was not a normal Celebrity sailing for food IMO. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

That is great! You'll love Quebec City! The evening time was really fantastic. You have to look out for all of the pink ballon men around the city. There is an interesting story behind it. I hope your weather is as beautiful as ours was. Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

I was on the first one too. It just took me a week or two to get this recorded and edited. We also filled up the drawer space and used the over the bed where we stacked the extra stuff. It is a bit clumsy and inconvenient to get to that stuff for sure. 11 Nights in a colder region normally requires a bit more storage. We did ask for extra hangers for a lot of our things. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

We just completed the same cruise itinerary on 9/8-9/19. I notice you didn’t discuss Rockland at all. We do agree with your assessment of the food and we were in the Retreat so we dined almost all the time in Luminia. We also dined in Tuscan and Murano. We were disappointed with Tuscan but Murano was excellent. Ship definitely needs refurbishment. And yes, it’s an older crowd on this itinerary. Being in Retreat we had priority in Portland and my wife and I were the third and fourth individuals through the process. If you think Portland was bad I could only imagine if we didn’t have the stop in Portland and had to go through the process in Boston. Yes, disembarkation in Boston was a nightmare particularly sin the Norwegian Gem came back the same day. Never again will be leaving from Boston.

@@bobliddell6996 I was on the inaugural sailing 28 Aug - 08 Sep. That itinerary did not include Rockland. The graphic I used was the only one I could find showing they current itinerary which does stop in Rockland before Halifax. I am happy that you had Luminae and confirmed our disappointment in Tuscan. You were so lucky to be early in Portland. I was waiting out on the open decks, the rear of the Oceanview Cafe and everyone being held hostage felt the same way - we were stuck there with nothing to do but just look out at land without having the ability to get off the ship. We quickly upgraded our December sailing on the Beyond to The Retreat, grabbing the last Sky Suite. We paid a huge cost for The Retreat avoiding the MDR, and will have to eliminate a trip next year to pay for it. We won't be sailing out of Boston either. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

I'm so glad to hear that you had a great experience. I am thinking that because this was a brand new itinerary for Celebrity that the sourcing of the food could have been the issue. I am sure they vet suppliers, etc but without having a track record of quality they might have to adjust how they order and from who. That is a great point about the grass. I have seen worse on Solstice class but it was thick and looked healthy yet a bit brown. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 I'm not sure. We went on the behind the scenes tour and we were introduced the ship's procurement manager. Because I also work in the same functional area, he actually followed the tour to talk to me. Their biggest supply depot is in Florida, but as this ship does not stop there, they get supplies at every stop, with the vast majority of supply coming from the starting port, Boston (the rest is top-off or specialty items). Now, Celebrity has not started many cruises from Boston, so that might be the problem.

@@bymyhandsworked I love that tour! I have done it a few times too. They have the supply chain and suppliers completely in line for all Florida sailings. Since this inaugural cruise itinerary out of Boston caused so many disruptions to our cruise, my assumptions of suppliers our of Boston has to be the issue. They had never tested the quality of the meats, ingredients and items before. I hope that they jumped on the issue from our cruise and pounded those suppliers to get it right! A huge group cruise from Tips for Travelers is sailing that itinerary this week and can not wait to see if our strong opinions for disappointing food quality was addressed! Thanks for sharing and for watching!

I have been on the Equinox and Reflection recently and I did not experience the same low food and service quality. I go on Reflection again next month for a weekend cruise. I do think that this is an isolated problem with the sourcing for the cruise and an inexperienced crew. I am NOT making excuses and I was brutally honest in the survey and in my discussion with the Asst. Maitre D. We did Solstice for Alaska a few years ago and have sailed Silhouette 4 times. I can't respond to the current quality of those products but this was one of the very few moments of disappointment from Celebrity (however Luminae on the Solstice did have some breakfast issues). I will be making sure that any Solstice class ship will have been recently refurbished before sailing again. We do a 10 Night on Beyond in mid Dec and upgraded to a Sky Suite so we bypass the MDR, The cost was enormous and required us to remove some travel for next year. Thanks for sharing and I'll post a review of my Reflection sailing next month to compare experiences. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 That's good to know. I've been on a number of other cruise lines, and the Celebrity officers and crew have always been A+. I wouldn't be opposed to sailing to sailing on Princess or HAL again as I thought they were good. I just love the Celebrity vibe. I go off season, so I can't speak to when there are a lot of kids on board. Usually, I only see a few. My last cruise on Royal Caribbean was not a good experience.

One reason I wanted to get this out to you some tips for the cruise. I hope that they have had a chance to address some of the issues we had. The ports are amazing! Have a great cruise and thanks for watching!

We mad the best of the food situation but the Canadian ports were just incredible! They did not disappoint one bit! I actually thought of you when the MDR went down hill on us. LOL. Thanks as always for sharing and for watching!

Celebrity has been pricing themselves out of the premium market when it comes to the All Included fare. You can get a much better value with HAL or Princess. The gratuity situation is frustrating for sure. I'll be reviewing my next two Celebrity sailings with Reflection in October and the Beyond for 10 days in mid December. We upgraded to a Sly Suite for the Beyond so we would at least have a chance at upgraded cuisine at Luminae. Fingers crossed. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 Not talking about HAL or Princess...I am done with main stream Cruise lines...I will be going with Crystal cruises and Oceania.

@@butalina I completely understand what you meant and would also love to move to the more all inclusive lines. I wish you the complete best with those lines! I am sure you will enjoy them. My budget doesn't allow that at this time so a better value in the premium segment might be HAL or Princess. Thanks for sharing!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 well, no matter what cruise line you pick if your going to the Caribbean there will be tons of kids. I been to every Caribbean Island some twice and to me it is beach and water..We have done Panama Canal, Alaska, I use to live in Hawaii and will never go back...New England and Canada Eastern and Western Mediterranean...now we will focus on Northern Europe then maybe land tours. My wife and I could not justify going to sand and beach any longer...And that is all the Caribbean Island are...1 excursion and you saw for the most part the entire Island. This is why we have been focusing on Europe...and we absolutely love it.

@@butalina Yep! The main Caribbean is saturated for sure and I feel the same way. We are doing a Southern Caribbean in Dec but going to 4 islands that we have never visited before - Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and our 100th time in St Maarten. My focus moving forward is now on Norwegian Fjords and Italy Greece Croatia Montenegro along with Barcelona. Happy and enjoyable travels!

I did not do a speed test but we both had the premium internet package which comes with Deep Blue Perks. I was able to stream videos and did not have any connectivity issues. The basic package allows you to text, check social media and email. The app and other services will only work onboard if you turn off your VPN. We use Surf Shark and all VPN services are not compatible with Virgin's internet service. Thanks for watching!

Yes, both ships are almost identical. I highly recommend the Pinnacle Class ships over the Signature Class as you have already heard. I appreciate your comments regarding the channel. I try to be honest but fair. I just finished a not so fun review of my most recent cruise but there were awesome aspects of the sailing that should not be overshadowed by a few shortcomings. It will be coming out at the end of the week. I still believe a day on a cruise ship visiting a new port or a day at sea is better than sitting at home! Enjoy your cruise planning and feel free to reach out with questions! Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

Regent is an amazing cruise line and very much upscale. They do a great job a immersive culture and excellent cuisine. I have not looked yet for itineraries but Viking might also be a great fit for you for both cuisine, service, small ship and especially immersive cultural activities in each port. Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

That is exactly correct. The rocks on the other side of the pier are even more prevalent and it is difficult to enter the water. There are some areas which are difficult to see that are sandy paths into the water.

I am so glad that you liked it. I hope it helped you learn what a half transit might consist of. Thanks for watching!

Most do not quote prices due to they vary based upon the sailing, region, Captain's Club status, current pre-cruise promotions and class of ship. Since I think you asked, I have two sailings coming up with list prices as follows: Solstice Class Ships Le Petit Chef = $60 pp Murano $60 pp Tuscan Grille = $55 pp Lawn Club Grill (Reflection and Silhouette) = $50 Sushi on 5 = A la carte Edge Class Le Voyage = $125 pp Eden = $85 pp Fine Cut Steakhouse = $65 pp Le Petit Chef = $60 pp Rooftop Garden Grill = $45 pp Raw on 5 / Le Grand Bistro = A la carte It is always best to book pre-cruise for promotional savings and for availability for your desired day and time. Everything is list price on the ship. I hope that helps

That's a good question. I think you are making the right choice with Eastern but with ages 25 and 22, a mega Royal ship might be a good choice. I have seen many families on Celebrity Cruises and they 20+ kids have a great time. It all depends on what interests them. If you sons want lots of activities, sports courts, pool parties and water slides then it is Royal all the way - Oasis Class would be best. Icon might be overkill. If they are more cerebral and low key, a really nice Edge Class ship from Celebrity gives them a really technology advanced ship and provides you two with the same luxury that you experienced before. The food is going to be better on Celebrity but the free options for burgers, wings, pizza, etc will be plentiful on Royal for the boys. Happy to investigate options for you.

Thanks so much! I am glad that you enjoyed it. I will be having some new reviews out soon. We just finished an 11 Night on the Celebrity Eclipse in Canada / New England. I appreciate you watching and subscribing!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 I took my first Celebrity cruise on the Edge to Alaska with the Melanin at Sea 3.0 group cruise and I enjoyed it. I’m booking the Xcel now and want to book the concierge category so doing some research

Yep! That is a good way to say it. Thanks for watching!

That sounds like a great cruise! My experience with the Dolphin Swim was a small group VIP option Celebrity excursion. There were Dolphin Encounter options that did not include the manatees and sea lion show. Ours also included lunch. You might want to cut and paste your excursion title into a search and find some reviews, etc to see if you are actually doing the swim or the encounter. Have a great cruise and thank you so much for sharing and for watching!

@@seemoreseascruises3791 my excursion is called dolphin swim and also includes lunch. It is with msc so might be different than yours but i hope to be able to go in the water with the manatees as well 😁

@@Cami_1606 perfect! I did go into the MSC site and saw the Premium Dolphin Swim with all inclusive Food and Drink. I don't think that includes the manatees since I also saw the one that sounded like ours - DOLPHIN SWIM & MANATEE ENCOUNTER VIP EXPERIENCE WITH LUNCH. It might be available if you want to investigate switching them. Either way the compound is impressive and the dolphin swim was incredible. You'll love it either way.

@@seemoreseascruises3791 i dont see any excursions with manatees on my sailing in november on the seascape. But we will enjoy the day with the dolphins anyway 😊 thanks

I am not a big fan of Aqua Class either. I have tried Blu a few times when having access due to staying in The Retreat and I didn't care for it. I am more carnivore than vegan so the plant based stuff for me seems processed and imitation and not healthy. They do have a decent breakfast option but again, I don't eat the danish / breads or sugary fruits and yogurts. I also get bored in the Persian Garden so that is not a draw for me as well. I go with Prime Veranda or entry level Sky Suite when the budget allows. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

Thank you! You are so well positioned to enjoy this amazing region! It makes complete sense for you to sail out of Seattle and there are great itinerary choices from both ports. That 17-day sounds like an awesome adventure. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

Thank you so much! I appreciate that! I am working on a new Celebrity Eclipse review which will be out soon. I wish you an awesome cruise! What itinerary and ship are you sailing? Thanks for sharing and for watching.

@@seemoreseascruises3791 Hi again, Doug! I'm terribly sorry, but I hadn't see your kind message until just now. I'm sailing on the Infinity Constellation leaving Tampa on 21st November and sailing to New Orleans, Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel, returning to Tampa on the 30th. I'm very looking forward to viewing your Eclipse video - an Edge-class ship, I believe. At this stage in my life, I'm afraid I need to stick to entry-level Celebrity: the old girls! 😁

LOL. I know that they do! When on a cruise, many people know me because of the shirts. I do need to go shopping for sure. Many new videos have my new See More Seas branded shirts. Thanks for watching!

Thank you! Most all of the premium cruise lines will have a casino area. Some are bigger than others but they all will have a casino loyalty program for future cruise benefits. Most of them are also non-smoking casinos. Thanks for sharing and for watching!