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Cruise ships definitely recycle! I remember seeing a video once on my stateroom tv all about it, detailing the process. A quick google search brought me this recent article, it's mostly about Carnival not doing what it's supposed to do, but if you quickly skim that and get down to the lower part of the article, it mentions other cruise lines. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article235874997.html

Hi Billy. Just got word about the new forums and signed up. Like @KathyC and @Jedi Jason, will be looking forward to discussion of Celebrity here. Oh, and I suppose other cruise lines as well. ?

I think the drink packages and 'experiences' are two of the big things that MSC overcomplicates - potentially putting some people off. We sailed Seaside with Fantastica, and next time, I'd be inclined to select Aurea for one simple reason: on Seaside (and some other ships) there is a seperate outdoor area and bar just for Aurea (and YC) guests. Is it necessary? Certainly not, at least on Seaside the design was such that even though the pool itself would get crowded, there was a ton of space to lounge. Still, on any contemporary line, the option of having a slightly less crowded area for sea days is interesting - depending on the cost of course. I'd not pay hundreds more, but I'd pay something, and the actual costs varies by sailing. We've been eyeing another MSC, so we'll see what's available when we figure that out.

Wanted to post an FYI to anyone sailing to Greenland. At least for the time being, it is such a new destination port that it seems the cruise lines still do not have excursions available for booking directly through them. You will need to do a good bit of research and find some options that work for you. Here are some things to keep in mind about Greenland in general, based on what I've learned so far: It seems there are only a couple of port stops used at present, and they are almost always tenders The most popular port appears to be Qaqortoq, but I've seen excursions departing from other southern Greenland locations like Ilulissat and Narsarsuaq, which might indicate other towns are being used as ports of call and not just for land vacations Your actual excursions options are going to be somewhat limited The most popular excursions in southern Greenland are a helicopter flight to the central glacier, and a boat ride up to a twin glacier where you can actually get off the boat and walk right up to the glacier's face (as it has receded so much over the years that it's now a short walk on land to get to it) There are also options for things like "kaffemik" (coffee and light snacks), or a meal featuring traditional home-prepared food like reindeer, seal, etc with a local family, or other such direct interactions with the locals; these often carry disclaimers that not everyone speaks English or other European languages, so communication could be tricky if you're hoping to have a dialog and learn directly about Greenlandic traditions and customs All such outings are expensive, costing around $35-50 USD per person for the kaffemik experience and other "time with a local" experiences, to $200+ per person for the helicopter rides; consider it to be like Alaska in that regard The other big thing I've learned about Greenland is that there are literally no roads or other infrastructure between towns; everyone gets from one town to another by boat or helicopter. So whatever town you dock at, that is where you will be if you don't pay for one of these excursions to the more remote parts of the island. If you don't have the budget to pay for one of the remote access excursions, consider just wandering around the town and checking out what there is to see there. Oh, and the final part that you will want to be aware of -- from June through early August is fly and mosquito season. I've seen YouTube videos where a couple visiting Qaqortoq in early July were being swarmed by flies and the guy who was being recorded had a full face covering in place to keep them out of his mouth and nose. If your trip will be visiting at this time, plan to dress accordingly and to bring bug repellent! Here are some links to sites I found that offer excursions in Greenland: https://arctic-adventure.dk/destination/greenland/ http://www.sagalands.com/our-destinations/ https://www.sermeqhelicopters.gl/

@Johnbob7, given the ship build is not changing in any meaningful way, you can bet that the passengers who did nothing but kvetch about the Infinite Verandah rooms and how inferior they are to "proper" verandahs will continue to stay off the lawn ship. ? I've read their complaints and seen the pictures of the room, and I honestly don't get where they're coming from. When the outside window panel is lowered to make it a balcony space, how is it really any different from a "regular" verandah apart from the fact it has French doors to separate main room and balcony? You still have dividers on each side that block your view unless you lean out, you still have a separate space for the loungers / chairs... Honestly, I think those cabins would be great in a colder-weather cruise where you want to use the balcony space but don't want to deal with cold air and/or rain.

This will be a lot of fun! Thanks Billy!!

Still waiting for my special badge... ?

We're not huge pool people. In fact, we have been known to not even put a swimsuit on once during an entire sailing. While we do enjoy the hot tubs, we have one in our backyard so no big reason to get in one on a ship. We're all about experiencing the culture of the places we visit as opposed to sitting on their beaches (which we can also do at home, albeit not year round.) LOL So having a less crowded pool area isn't a big benefit to us. But not having to wait as long for a drink...hmmmm... ? Sounds like Fantastica is the place for us to start. Thanks!

New podcast episodes are very much on the to-do list (long list of topics ready to go). Look for more videos (of a different style) dropping as well.

Well, if you somehow don’t get on her before me I’ll do a write up for you. BobJ

Blame us, just don't bill us. I actually had plans to sail Apex before then but have a conflict. I'm working on figuring that out now - too many cruises, too little time. At very least we'll go on for the day. I'll announce it once we work something out.

So first, what's not changing (in any material way): The physical ship. The build is the same. There have been tweaks to account for things like the bartenders getting drenched on the Magic Carpet and at the Sunset Bar whenever it rains. Things like that, the materials used on stairs in the Grand Plaza (the current materials scratch and were already changed in some places on Edge). I'm sure there are others, but these are minor and more about operational enhancements. For entertainment, Celebrity will continue to offer a combination of the more contemporary shows like Hype, Hot Summer Night's Dream, Elysium, etc (links to live blogs talking about each of those shows), as well as some more traditional mash-up type shows. This really isn't about Edge though, as Celebrity started producing these new-style shows several years ago. I first saw one (blanking on which) on Constellation over three years ago. Elysium we saw on Equinox in September. In other words, Edge got a lot of attention - even when it was for things Celebrity has been doing for a bit. I will say that the first batch of performances on Edge did leverage much of the technology in the theater a bit more than they do now - and I think that was a matter of trying out new stuff to see what works for a given show. Ric recently sailed Sky Princess, which has a VERY high-tech stage and actually said he found the use of tech distracting - but conceded it's likely a matter of "play with new stuff, see what works" as that ship had been sailing just a short time when he boarded. Entertainment in Eden will change, and while I can't share too much about how, when Celebrity says each night will be a different show, they mean it (they aren't just saying each is different as in it's a dynamic performance). They'll still have that Edge quality, but in the first year Edge sailed we saw MANY adjustments to Eden (some which we liked, others which we saw as them having to water things down a bit). I really like some of the new shows I've heard about coming to Apex, and as someone who LOVES Eden, I'm looking forward to this more than I am fearing change. I've actually not got any insight into cuisine changes themselves. I know the feedback on the multiple MDR setup has been extremely positive, and Edge has had good guest responses all around cuisine. Yes, some find the cuisine in Eden Restaurant too "exotic", and if I am being honest, it's hard for me to grasp how. I found the food well prepared, with flavors and textures that were thoughtfully combined. Presentation was unique (and has been tweaked in the first year), but aside from sea-urchin, I don't recall much on the menu that most people aren't accustomed to eating, just prepared differently. Don't like sea-urchin? Afraid to try something new? Don't order it. I think you see a lot of strong opinion shining through here ? Celebrity, I am confident, is not going to "over correct". Yes, people like things that companies do, and they don't like when those things go away or change. The good news is that Edge offers a wide variety of entertainment and dining options, so it's not as if anyone is being forced into audience-participation during Eden or force-fed any given menu item. If they go back, they don't innovate, and if they don't innovate, they only keep those happy who don't want change, the current customers who welcome it, and the millions of potential cruisers that haven't tried the product yet, those are the people they're eyeing. To wrap up my thoughts for now, a lot of this is in messaging. When a traditional cruiser who isn't interested in trying new stuff sees an ad that touts the innovative things happening in Eden, they decide it's not for them. Ask that same person if they're interested in seeing aerialists, eating XYZ foods, etc, and they just might be. Every line learns and tweaks second builds (which is one of the things I love), but messaging will be tweaked too - making sure the right message gets to the right people, even when that means different messages going to different folks who are all about to enjoy the same ship.