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Us --
We are a family of 10 spanning 4 generations- 3 adults- early 40s, 2 adults mid
60s, 1 great grandmother 90+ and 4 children- girls ages 10, 13, 17 and 1 boy age
12. Family cruise history: HAL, Renaissance, Cunard, Princess, NCL, NCL America,
Carnival, RCI, Celebrity, Costa, Chandris/Fantasy, Majesty, Delta Queen
Steamboat, American Hawaii Cruises. My grandmother is in her 90s and has cruised
for over 60 years for obvious reasons, won't list all the lines she has been
on...
Overview --
This being a cruise over Christmas and New Years, there were mostly families
aboard. Many of them, like ours, spanned generations. As a matter of fact, we
were at late seating dinner at a table for ten. The adjacent table was also a
family of ten traveling together and of the same age groups and generations as
our own. Overall amongst the families, there were a wide variety of age groups
and I can happily report well behaved children. On this particular voyage we
observed more ill-mannered adults than children.
Just my personal preference, but with 7 ports and 3 days at sea on an 11 night
cruise this was an exhausting trip. Then even the days at sea, you could not
sleep late, otherwise you would not be able to obtain a chaise lounge anywhere
on deck. The itinerary would have been perfect as a 13 or 14 night sailing with
3 or 4 extra days at sea. The Galaxy is doing a 13 night holiday sailing next
year with 8 ports and 4 days at sea so not sure if that is better or worse?
Transportation to San Juan --
Due to a sailing right before Christmas and anticipating being unable to obtain
affordable airfare, the 10 of us were booked through "Celebrity Air" from our 3
respective home cities. All flights were on the same airline, Delta and were
routed in each direction, through Delta's hub in Atlanta. This included 3 people
who lived in Florida and departed from Fort Lauderdale only to have to fly north
to go south. Weather up and down the entire eastern US was terribly rainy on the
day we sailed and there were numerous flight delays. Luckily everyone in our
party made their connection in Atlanta.
Arrival in San Juan was about 30 minutes to 40 minutes late. Celebrity
representatives were waiting for our flight at the baggage claim. After claiming
luggage it was outside to deposit it all at the luggage truck and then across
the street to the waiting motor coach. Porters were readily available to assist
people out to the awaiting trucks. With families traveling for 11 nights,
believe me when I tell you there were tons of luggage EVERYWHERE. My brother
with 2 teenage girls opted to pay the excess weight limit charge and limited
them to one suitcase each. IMHO, in his case, a porter would have been less expensive.
Embarkation --
Upon arrival at the terminal, everyone entered the terminal and were greeted
with juice or water and, even if you had completed your paperwork and completed
your online check-in, there was yet another form to fill out, this one for
Tortola immigrations. So close yet so far and not aboard just yet.
Lines for check-in and security were not long if existent at all. Cruise line
agents were efficient, pleasant and plentiful. It was at this time that my
brother realized he had left his jacket, brand new and a Christmas present, on
Celebrity's bus which transported us over from the airport. Needless to say, by
the time he ran outside, that bus was long gone. Celebrity, to their credit said
they would try to track it down and sure enough they did and the jacket was
delivered to his cabin 2 days later in St. Martin!
Our daughter was issued an ID bracelet with her lifeboat muster station in the
event there was an emergency and she was separated from us. Ship staff could
then easily take her to where she was supposed to be. As a parent this was very
reassuring.
The ship was due to sail at 8 pm and it was just before 4 pm. Eventually due to
the heavy rain up and down the entire east coast of the US, the ship delayed
departure as well as the muster drill. First stop was Tortola, being a quick hop
from San Juan it was not a big deal. Upon boarding we were greeted by some of
the ship's staff, offered juice or champagne and pointed in the direction of our
cabins. Finally! We begin our voyage!
The Ship --
The Galaxy has a great layout. Our cabins were on deck 9, the
swimming pool and
Oasis Cafe are on deck 11 and the
Orion dining room for us was on deck 6. With a cabin
located closest to the elevator, this was a very easy arrangement for my elderly
grandmother to walk around the ship without having to walk a "mile" to get
anywhere. Her cruise on the Golden Princess nearly killed her with the mileage
she had to walk to get around.
The condition of the Galaxy was fine. Maybe a tad more worn than last year, but
I hardly say anything which would "ruin" a cruise. That is, unless as we all
know, you are someone who is sailing her for the first time and expecting
gleaming, shiny, newness all around you. With the exception of some rust needing
paint touch up, the ship is clean. One night I was walking across the pool deck
to get to the spa and they were out pressure washing and scrubbing the pool deck
which many complain is so old and worn, and thought to myself perhaps that is
one reason why it is so worn! And no they have not replaced the windows in the
Stratosphere! Yes, they do look like hell from the outside, but for me
personally, I never go up there so they do not bother me :-)
The Crew --
As was the case last year, everyone we encountered on the ship was extremely
pleasant and helpful. There were plenty of smiles all around and many many
familiar faces. There were many times in the Oasis Cafe when someone would offer
to carry my tray and I had to politely and with a smile, ask one of the waiters
or waitresses to carry the tray of someone else "who REALLY needed the help."
Our wine steward Blaise, waiter Renato and waiter's assistant Renaldo and dining room cocktail waiter
from last year's cruise are all still on the Galaxy, along with many, many other
familiar faces, so I guess that has to say something in of itself. The Galaxy's
crew has some amazing camaraderie and takes great pride in their ship.
Norovirus --
There was none as far as we were aware. No mention of it by anyone we were in
contact with. The crew was very diligent in making sure everyone is aware of and
takes precautions against norovirus. I was a little nervous pre-cruise about
that. I know I wash my hands frequently and at all of the "appropriate" times,
but don't know that about my fellow passengers. At the entrance to the dining
room and Oasis Cafe you were always greeted by someone with "the bag" of hand
sanitizer who would splash some onto your hands. There was also someone left
holding the bag when re-boarding the ship after a day in port. The dispensers
are also still in all the usual spots in the buffet lines and entrances to
dining venues. Never ever did I encounter one which was empty.
Aquaspa --
Last year I had an outrageously priced manicure at the
Aquaspa. This year for $17 I had a very
nice "polish change" done by a very pleasant young lady from South Africa.
Cannot help but mention, but always try to make your spa appointments as soon as
you board the ship. The best spots, like the formal nights, vanish in a heartbeat.
Shows/Entertainment --
Having a little one, we did not attend any shows. Family members who did, said
they were "pretty good." During pre-dinner cocktails, we regularly listened to
Class Duo in Rendez-Vous Square. They were much better than the duo last year.
Strange thing was some nights the place was packed and other nights deserted.
Even more noticeable after dinner. The place was either packed or empty, no in-between.
Tammy Rafferty who plays at Michael's Piano Bar (former Cigar Bar) is supposed
to be excellent. Sorry we missed her. The Allegro Quartet was aboard again this
year and the ladies are still fabulous. IMHO, the "party band" Changez was not
nearly as good as Quintessence last year. Way too loud even at the pool on sea
days, and way too heavy on the bass. We'll leave out the part about playing the
same songs for 11 days straight...
According to my brother who is single and a night owl, for the most part, after
the last show, the ship grew fairly quiet. He never complained though that there
was no one to hang out with. Mostly, you could find people in the casino or the
Stratosphere. New Year's Eve was the latest night and busiest, at the
Stratosphere... from what I understand they went until about 4 a.m.
Cabin Accommodations --
Our family had four balcony cabins- Cat. 2A- on deck 9, Vista deck, cabins 9155,
9157 & 9151, 9149.
For two people the cabins would be just fine. For families, a 172 sq. ft. cabin
is cramped. It is even smaller than it sounds and I thought I was mentally
prepared. With 2 adults and 1 child on an 11 night sailing, we "just" fit our
clothes in every available space. Is taking a shower sideways in a stall shower
while being attacked by a shower curtain sticking to parts of your body what
cruising is all about? We will not even get into the contortions a woman suffers
in attempting to shave ones legs in this particular situation.
Last year a sky suite with 246 sq. ft. was much more spacious in regards to
living and storage space and the bath with a "real" tub is a luxury worth paying
for if you can afford it. If you can live without a balcony and are more than
two people, a family oceanview stateroom at 210 sq. ft. would be a better choice
than 172 sq. ft. box they call a 2A.
The cabin offered a plain "old" TV with VCR. No flashy flat screens or DVD
players. My nieces and nephews picked up a few videos for viewing on the VCR. I
do not know if they were obtained through the library or guest relations. The TV
is interactive so you can view your bill on screen and such. My husband loved
(not) going on to find out how much money he had just wasted trying to get some
emails through to his place of work. After the first $75 in internet connection
charges, he finally threw in the towel and considered it a lost cause.
Fortunately for him there were no work emergencies.
Our 4 cabins had the same cabin steward and assistant. They did just fine in
keeping the cabins kept and orderly. No toilet paper shortages or the like and
the cabins were always made up in a timely manner. If you want me to nit pick,
they could have dusted a bit better, but most people would never have noticed.
I thought our cabin steward spoke English just fine. Well at least I thought so.
That was until I ordered a bottle of wine, 3 bottles of beer and 6 cans of sodas
to be delivered to our cabin along with a cheese and fruit platter for Christmas
Eve about 10:30 pm. When I approached the steward when he came on duty late
afternoon, he asked me to put in writing whatever we wished to order. A few
minutes later I handed him the list along with a $10 tip which I thought would
insure a smooth delivery. The steward knew we would be at dinner, to deliver the
order I told him he could just let himself into the specified cabin where our
family would be later opening our Christmas presents before he went off duty.
When we arrived back at the cabin, there was everything placed on the desk. One
warm bottle of wine- no ice bucket, 3 warm bottles of beer and 6 cans of warm
soda. I had forgotten that the gratuity was still added onto the bill
automatically. If I had known we would receive warm beverages after specifically
explaining we would be drinking them when we returned to the cabin after dinner,
I would not have wasted the $10. I could not have been more specific in
explaining that this was all for our consumption later on that night. Not
wanting to have to wait for the bottles to be switched out, we drank our Pouilly
Fuisse with ice in it. It doesn't take more than that to ruin a great wine. None
of us were impressed by this less than outstanding service. The worst service
experience of the cruise and it did not come close to ruining it.
Out of the four cabins our family had, the only maintenance problems were with
our cabin. The air conditioning even when turned down all the way to 60 degrees
was non-existent. The first night we got into bed and said there was no way we
could live like that for 11 nights. Guest relations has an extremely bad habit
of not answering their telephone. This was at 11:30 pm so my husband had to get
dressed all over again and trod down to guest relations to explain the problem.
To their credit, there was someone at our cabin within 5 minutes.
The gentleman came in, politely inquired whether it was okay to step on our bed
(picture me in night clothes under the sheets :-) The cabin is small enough but
with the couch opened up into a sleeper for our daughter, the only place for me
to go would have been in to the bathroom. I preferred the bed. So he removed the
panel plate from the vent above our bed, twisted something or other and within a
half hour things had cooled off nicely. The cabin was never an ice box, but as
long as we kept the drapes closed when the sun was on our side of the ship there
were no further problems with temperatures inside our cabin.
The toilet flushing took a little more persistence. It was never clogged or
stuck, it just did absolutely nothing, zero, and zilch. First time, my husband
phoned guest relations and again no one answered the phone so he trudged on down
to pay them a visit. Maintenance came by and waved their magic wand and we were
back in business. The next morning we were back to the same situation. As my
husband left the cabin he bumped into our cabin steward who said he would take
care of it. A couple of minutes later we were in our cabin and from the bathroom
we hear that oh so lovely "whoosh"!!! Later on in the week it happened one more.
This time maintenance came up and outside in the hallway removed a panel and
reset some sort of button. We were back in business once more with no further
issues. My parents were in the cabin right next door to ours and had no such
problems ever with their toilet.
The only other maintenance problem with our cabin was the inexplicable "cut
wires". All of a sudden, our 2 key cards were not working. We got a hold of our
daughter to open the cabin door before going down to have new cards made. Her
key was around her neck on a lanyard, so unlikely it could have been
demagnetized. Her key card did not work either.
Maintenance sent our friendly toilet repair man to check things out. "Jack of
all trades", he tried a couple of things none of which worked. The result was
that he had to take the entire lock apart. In doing so he found the wires inside
the lock were "cut" and the part which contained the wires would have to be
replaced. So he goes off to wherever on the ship such parts are stored and
returns promptly with a new part. Everything was quickly put back together and
all the key cards were working again. No one ever explained to us how the wires
got they way they were. The maintenance man would only say it was extremely
rare. Had someone tried to get into our cabin? We will never know.
Oasis Cafe, Orion Restaurant, Service & Food Overall
Oasis Cafe --
Hours were generally as follows:
Breakfast Buffet 6:30 a.m. -- 9:30 a.m. (Port days)
Breakfast Buffet 7:30 a.m. -- 10:00 a.m. (Sea days)
Waffles & Pancakes 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (Port days)
Waffles & Pancakes 7:30 a.m. -- 10:00 a.m. (Sea days)
Late Breakfast 9:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. (Port days)
Late Breakfast 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. (Sea days)
Lunch Buffet 12 Noon - 2:30 p.m.
Soup, Sandwiches & Salad 12 Noon - 3 p.m.
Ice Cream 12 Noon - 10:00 p.m.
Pizza & Pasta Corner 12 Noon - 1 a.m.
Casual Afternoon Tea 4:00 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Ocean Grill 12 Noon - 7 pm Hamburgers and hot dogs
Tastings (Cova) 8:30 a.m.- 11 a.m. Croissant & Danish
Tastings (Cova) 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Pastries
Late Night Gourmet Bites 11:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sushi Cafe 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Casual Dining in the Oasis Cafe 6:00 p.m. - 10 p.m. by reservation with
suggested gratuity of $2 per person
Quality of the food at the Oasis Cafe was good and the selection was for the
most part pretty good. Mornings in the Oasis, coffee service was spotty. They
start out fine with the rolling cart, but seems the later into breakfast they
get and the busier they are just keeping up with clearing and cleaning tables.
For people who requested a waiter to go get a cup of coffee for you there was
never a problem. You just might not get it quick enough as when you went and got
it yourself.
In the morning at breakfast in the Oasis Cafe, I never had a problem finding
someone from who I could request a glass of tomato juice and purchase two cups
of cappuccino. Trying to get someone to serve you a soda with a soda card at
lunch was a whole 'nother story. We just found it easier to order our sodas at
the Oasis pool bar and carry them in ourselves on our way in for lunch. At least
it was convenient in finding out what the pizza and pastas of the day were. I
personally found some days the pizza was the pits and then on other days it was
fabulous.
The ice cream bar with hand dipped flavors rotated daily and soft serve ice
cream, was extremely popular the children in our family. There were always an
assortment of toppings which they seemed to rotate but these were rarely
refilled. If you were not there for say the sprinkles, chocolate sauce or
chocolate chips before they ran out, your loss. Maybe the ice cream server needs
an assistant to refill the toppings?
Though we did not have dinner in the Oasis, tables at night were set with linen
tablecloths. A condensed version of the evening's menu is offered. The one night
formal night I viewed the casual dining dinner menu, it was missing the top two
items from the dining room's menu, one of which was Beef Wellington. The message
here I suppose is if you would like to eat the really "good" stuff, you needed
to get dressed up and head to the dining room in order to eat it.
Orion Dining Room & Food and Service Overall --
Orion dining room hours for the most part followed the schedule below, on days
in port, sometimes there was an open seating for lunch and other
times the dining room was closed for lunch
Days in port open seating breakfast 7 a.m. - 9 a.m.
Days at sea open seating breakfast 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Days in port open seating lunch 12 Noon - 2 p.m.
Days at sea open seating lunch 12 Noon - 2 p.m.
Our family booked this cruise in April and the only seating available was the
early seating at 6 p.m. Upon booking, we were waitlisted for the late seating at
8:30 p.m. Sometime during the summer, individuals in our family group were
gradually been switched over to late seating. My brother and his son in one
cabin seemed to be the two who were never switched. A couple of phone calls back
and forth between our travel agent and Celebrity and things were finally
straightened out.
Overall, our entire family's experience with the dining room on the Galaxy both
last year and this year, was excellent. The food was terrific, maybe even a
little better than last year. We were a family of 10 so there were usually some
extra orders of appetizers and entrees of pasta to be shared as side orders. The
first night we requested a plate of cheese and crackers to nibble on while we
were waiting for our appetizers and wine to be served. The request was very
quickly filled and every night there after, when we arrived for dinner there was
cheese, fruit and crackers already placed on the table. There were never any
issues with undercooked meat being returned and special requests were always
greeted by a smile. My husband and I were especially surprised by the size of
the portions of all of the entrees. They were huge!
Beef was the same quality as last year. It could have been a little more tender
but was certainly edible. The desserts are still "hit or miss", but no one
starved for lack of something that was appealing to them. One night our waiter
urged us NOT to order a particular item. Those who had ordered it during first
seating dinner, has said it was "tough". At her age, my grandmother, does not
have the best of hearing and did not hear his warning. Everyone was busy
chatting when she placed her order, so none of us caught it. Well the waiter was
correct, it was tough. By far the worst meal she had on the ship. Lesson
learned, always listen to your waiter’s recommendations.
My only real complaint about the food, and believe me, I can survive just fine
without it, was the bread. Some nights it was delicious and other nights it
seemed to have been recycled or previously frozen and stale. Who knows, perhaps
it was recycled from the earlier dinner seating.
To their credit, this year aboard the Galaxy, they did NOT run out of ANY food
as they did last year at the end of our sailing.
My Mom taught me to be polite, and "wait for everyone to be served" before
beginning to eat the course which was being served. My husband and I are
attempting to do the same with our daughter. This trip made it difficult though.
Our waiter had us- a table of ten, a table of two and then a table of eight. Our
waiter Sergiu and his assistant Agus were excellent but they are under such
pressure to push out the food that once you finish a course, you are served the
next one regardless of whether or not the rest of the table is at the same place
in the dinner as you are. No way at all do I blame this on the waiter. I would
bet they are just doing what they are told. To their credit though, ladies were
always served first and plates were served from the left and cleared from the
right as is proper etiquette. Now THAT is attention to detail.
It was wonderful to have finally convinced my husband that breakfast in the
dining room was not something to be feared. The breakfast buffet in the Oasis is
fine, but I hate standing in line for an omelet and then being facing with the
other choice of runny scrambled eggs. Omelets in the dining room were always
delicious and the service was fast. My husband never wavered from eggs Benedict.
We could get in and out of the dining room for breakfast about as fast as we
could get in and out of the Oasis Cafe without having to serve ourselves.
Room Service --
Did not use room service with the exception of our debacle late Christmas Eve.
Christmas at Sea --
Christmas aboard the ship was almost exactly like last year. Admittedly there
were a few minor additions in the Christmas atmosphere- 3 trees instead of one
in the Grand Foyer and Christmas Muzak in the Oasis Cafe. Other than that,
pretty much like last year, it was sparse. If you plan on this sailing next
year, arrive with Christmas in "your heart" and you will not be disappointed. In
cabin music featured one channel with Country Christmas music, fine if that is
to your liking.
Christmas Eve, the Cinema had 3 showings of the Miracle on 34th Street. This was
the re-make with Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott, not the original with
Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood. The Celebrity Singers and Dancers that night
presented their show "Broadway Express". We did not attend, but by the title
hardly sounds like it was "Christmassy". At Midnight there were 3 separate
services for Catholics, Protestants and the Jewish faith. This evening they also
offered their picturesque "Tree Trimmer Buffet".
Christmas Day, there was a "special visitor" who was supposed to have arrived at
9:15 a.m. but evidently the sleigh was caught in some head winds so there was a
lot of standing around waiting. By the time he finally did make his grand
appearance high up on deck somewhere near the funnel, with his entourage of
Elves and Trumpeters, there was a huge crowd gathered. Our daughter lost
interest and knew there would still be a parade throughout the ship to get down
to the Celebrity Theater, so opted to go to the pool instead.
Later I did find out that as the kids sat on Santa's lap in the theater, they
received the same gift as he handed out last year, which was a nice "ClubX"
polar fleece throw blanket. Elsewhere, the Cinema had 3 showings of "A Christmas
Story" and 2 showings of "White Christmas". There was an afternoon Christmas
concert performed by the Allegro String Quartet and the "Celebrity Family
Holiday Show". There was definitely something to appeal to everyone.
New Year's Eve --
In one word, New Year's Eve on a cruise ship was "awesome". I wish everyone is
able to have such an experience at least once in your lifetime. This had been a
long time dream for me. Not having purchased a long gown, well with the
exception of my wedding dress of course, and more than a few bridesmaid dresses
(you know THAT is not the same) since my high school prom, I decided I was going
to go "all out" for this festive occasion.
Needless to say, I was not overdressed. Many many men wore tuxedos and the women
were "dressed to the nines". For Husband, daughter and myself, New Year's Eve is
usually a quiet celebration spent at home starting with a gourmet dinner
prepared from scratch by my husband. This night started out the same with the
exception of someone else was doing the cooking AND the dishes!!!
As we were seated in the dining room our waiter and his assistant handed us our
noisemakers and party hats. Ironically, Beef Wellington which Husband more than
likely would have cooked at home if had not been cruising for the New Year, was
on the Galaxy's menu that evening. We had just enough time after our delicious
dinner to "freshen up" before heading up to the pool deck for the countdown
celebration.
There was a huge ice carving, or should I say carvings, one each of the numbers
"2" "0" "0" "6". The party band played, people danced, but it was windy up on that deck. Part of the entertainment was waiting and watching to see which
number would blow over first. Admittedly they were melting pretty darn quick
also. In the end, every worked out perfectly, none of the numbers melted down or blew over.
About 20 minutes before Midnight waiters began coming around with glasses of
complimentary champagne. There were stations set up offering a variety of
bottles of champagne for sale as well. If you were hungry there were waiters
circulating with "gourmet bites" as well as tables off to the side with a chef
serving what appeared to be a steamship roast.
In the end, how did we now what time it was to count down? Well, the captain
controls the ship and evidently he controls the time also! He kept us updated
over the public address system and lead the countdown. "Baby New Year" and
"Father Time" saw to the destruction of the "6" and the raising of the number
"7" to complete our entry into the New Year. Husband and I retired to our cabin
with our 10 year old, but my brother who is single told me that the Stratosphere Lounge was going until 4 a.m.
Weather --
In 12+ Caribbean cruises during this very time of the year, late December or
early January, this was by far the rainiest Caribbean cruise I have ever taken.
But, on the bright side, this is liquid sunshine and we still had sunshine every
single day. The other bonus was being able to see rainbows over 3 separate
islands. Never have I seen so many rainbows in such a short period of time, but
then again, that is what liquid sunshine does.
Disembarkation --
Disembarkation on January 2 was painless. Luggage tags handed out the previous
night and there were about 12 colors total. Once off the ship you claimed the
luggage by color. Some colors were assigned numbers and the number denoted what
time you were getting off the ship and which lounge to proceed to wait for your
color and number to be called. Times listed in the "Celebrity Today" ranged from
7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Were there long lines? Yes of course, but these were not the fault of Celebrity.
Everyone has to stand on line to go through US Immigrations and then US Customs.
The luggage valet was offered along with onboard check-in for passengers flying
American, Continental, United and Delta. This, at least for our family, did not
go quite as smoothly. Beware that you will not automatically be eligible for
this program. Even if you are willing to pay the $20 per person it is at the
discretion of the TSA and Homeland Security. My parents both applied and my Mom
was approved and my Dad was "randomly" denied. Guest relations would only say
that Homeland security randomly disallows people. Celebrity states "due to
Homeland Security Regulations and Airport procedures", we [Celebrity] cannot
guarantee that all guests will be able to check-in by our remote system."
Now the biggest inconvenience with that they were not informed of this fact
until they returned to their cabin at 10:30 pm following dinner. To find out
only then when the luggage was due out in the hallway was a problem. Does my Mom
use her "new" color tags she was issued and use the old color for my Dad? He
went down to guest relations and you guessed it. They were no help at all. All
of this, not to mention that my Mom paid the $20 for her valet and check-in all
for nothing. She still had to wait while my Dad checked in and received a
boarding pass at the airport. So no time saved for sure.
My husband, daughter and myself used the luggage valet without a problem. Do
beware that you must still go through the stacks of luggage once you get off the
ship. You, yourself, must “hand off “ your luggage to airline personnel, after
you have cleared US Customs.
Word of warning though, is that you cannot put your luggage out in the hallway
until you return from dinner. The three of us were issued an entirely different
color of luggage tag, so old ones had to come off and new ones went on. Boarding
passes were in an envelope with the new luggage tags and we were also issued a
new time for disembarkation. I believe it was earlier than what we previously
had. My brother chose not to use the luggage valet for he and his 3 kids. Not
certain exactly what the procedure was but he did mention at the cruise
terminal, before getting on the bus to the airport, they handed off the luggage
to be put on a truck. Once at the airport they had to claim their luggage from
the truck. He made it sound fairly easy and stress free.
Kids Club --
There is not much for me to write about in this area. The crew at the Galaxy's
Kids Club does a superb job
at keeping these kids BUSY! This was our daughter's third cruise in as many
years and if you asked her, her reason for cruising? Very simply she loves and
adores the kid's club. Their staff is friendly and they offer a wide variety of
activities. We insist that our daughter eat dinner with the family, but during
the day you can usually find her in the kid's club.
Galaxy Stuff --
Celebrity, you should really do something about the rust streaks on the hull of
the ship. There were some around the pool also. White is white and rust is rust
and rust sticks out like a sore thumb. Come on Celebrity and have a little bit
of pride! Give me a paint brush and some paint and for some free board and a
room, I'll paint it for you. Fogged windows are one thing, major overhaul to
remove and replace, but here we are talking about some scaffold, paint and a
brush. That is a big difference which goes a long way in making an old ship look
"fresh". Believe me it in no way detracted from my trip. As a matter of fact I
did not even notice it until going through some of my 4000 pictures.
Liked A Lot --
1. NO announcements, still wins hands down for me on any cruise!
2. We all loved the Caesar salads at lunch and dinner and the kids especially,
the all afternoon long ice cream.
3. Cappuccino on the ship is excellent whether it be in the Oasis Cafe, dining
room or from Cova.
4. My husband and I enjoy sailing on Celebrity for the sushi. Not as good as the
sushi restaurant near our home, but better than what we are able to conveniently
purchase at the supermarket on the way home from work.
5. Soda card at about $65 a person sounds like a lot of money but at a little
less than $6 is a bargain for me. Spending a lot of time at the pool as we do
and drinking soda at night with dinner, we felt it is a good value for
ourselves.
6. Thumbs up to our waiter Sergiu and his assistant Agus for always making sure
we were well taken care of. Our cocktail waiter also took excellent care of us
and quickly remembered who of the 10 of us at our table had soda cards and made
sure our glasses were always filled!
7. If you have never been at sea for New Year's Eve, do try it at least once.
Very exciting and very memorable way to begin the start of a new year.
Disliked --
1. Being deceived into thinking that by paying $20 our luggage would go directly
to the airport, our plane and ultimately our destination when in actuality we
would have to rummage through the stacks to find it to drag it through US
Customs before dropping it off with the airline personnel.
2. Having to walk down to Guest Relations when there was a problem because they
never answered their telephone.
3. Having to wait until after our appetizers were already served before
receiving our bottle of wine not due to any fault of the wine steward, but her
just having way too many tables to serve.
4. Being lied to be the assistant dining room manager regarding our table
assignment. After he realized he was caught in the lie, he avoided our table for
the entire cruise. We had the same assistant dining room manager last year and
he visited our table incessantly to the point of being annoying. We did not like
him last year and we did not like him this year.
Hated --
1. Probably the same as on any other cruise ship, but days at sea were
horrendous if you intended to obtain a chaise lounge anywhere on the ship.
2. I don't drink it, but have to listen to my husband, "Coffee tasted lousy no
matter where or when on the entire ship".
3. The lack of Christmas atmosphere on a cruise ship during the holidays.
4. Each and everyone of the 4 items our family members purchased through
Celebrity's Bon Voyage department was screwed up in one way or another. My
grandmother even received a note saying she received a shipboard credit from her
mother who has been dead over 50 years. It was supposed to go to her
granddaughter with whom she was sharing a cabin. The credit was to that child
from "her" Mom. |
