KW Cruisers

We have tried a few lines over the past couple of years after having been loyal X cruisers.

Here's a rundown of who we have sailed with:

Regent: Wonderful! Nice to know that EVERYTHING is included and no surprise bill or add ons at the end! Great food and service.

Azamara: Very nice, although cabins are tiny and only the Journey has a casino now (I like to play blackjack in the evening). Nice that you can accrue points for X and Captain's Club status is matched with Le Club Voyage.

Oceania: Big cabins, wonderful food. However, there are lots of add ons for the bill later (drink upgrades, gratuities, excursions, transfers).

MSC Yacht Club: NEVER AGAIN. Food was horrible, smoking indoors, inconsistent service (however we did have a Royal Suite which was nice). In my opinion, you get good fares (that often seem too good to be true) for a reason.

Coming up this year, we have a cruise on X and a cruise on Regent. Next year, one (so far) booked on X. At this point, I am happy with any of the above (except MSC). All depends on price, perks (I like when most things are included) and itinerary. This being said, even though we've tried these others, we still find ourselves comparing things to X. 

Shawn

22 minutes ago, George C said:

Love celebrity suite perks, only problem is they are addictive , enjoy.

I agree. This is the smallest suite we have had on X- have only been in CS and RS, but I'm happy because it is aft facing for an Alaskan cruise.

4 hours ago, Want2Cruise 701 said:

You will have the normal S1 balcony size on the Eclipse!  Reflection is the ship that differs for S1.  Enjoy!

Really? Awesome! Thanks for the info.

We've been away for X for a couple years, looking forward to being on the Eclipse!

Shawn

Just got word today that we have been assigned an S1 on Eclipse for Alaska this coming July (6305) after booking a Suite Guarantee last week! I know the S1s on deck 6 have a smaller balcony, but it should be great for Alaska! Looking forward to the sweeping Alaskan panoramas!

Considering there are other S2s still available, I was certain we'd get one of them under the Oceanview Buffet! My Suite Guarantee cost us much less than booking the S1 (about $1200 pp CAD). Took a gamble with a guarantee this time, and it's seems to have paid off!

Shawn

19 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Don't discount Hubbard Glacier.  It's awesome.

Glad to hear this! I am going on my second Alaska cruise with X this coming summer - my Mom has always wanted to see Alaska. My husband doesn't want to go north again...says it's too much like Northern Manitoba (Flin Flon) where he's from. So it's me and my mother! 

The Hubbard Glacier is on the itinerary (it wasn't last time I went). We won't be going to Skagway this time (we'll miss the lovely train ride). Happy to hear that it's worth the visit!

Shawn

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I tend to agree with you, especially about  Murano which has long been our favorite restaurant at sea....on any line.  But the YC is a completely different experience then a 1A on Celebrity.  In terms of service and facilities it is equivalent to the best ultra luxury lines.  But when it comes to food, MSC has much to learn.   Although their YC restaurant is pretty good, it is not in the same class as Murano.  We have yet to cruise on the Seaside but do have a 14 nt booking for next year.  

 

Hank

We sailed on MSC in the Royal Suite recently on the Seaside. The suite itself was nice (tons of space), everything else was horrible! The only thing that was consistent, was that we could depend on inconsistency of service. The food was HORRIBLE in the Yacht Club restaurant (however I did enjoy the Tappanyaki specialty restaurant). I don't think you can compare MSC Yacht Club at all to luxury lines. Regent and Oceania have far superior service and food. Azamara and Celebrity (suite class) are well ahead MSC too. And the smoking on MSC?? And the muster station drill in the smoke filled casino?? That was a joke! I'll stop there.

We tried MSC because it was such a good deal and people seemed to rave about the Yacht Club in comparison to other lines. I wonder how many of them have cruised in suites on higher-end lines. We will never go back to MSC - I don't care how good the price is.

My two cents...

PS. - I love Murano on X! We used to love Normandie on the Summit!! - Wish they hadn't removed that to put another Tuscan Grill.

Shawn

16 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I booked a Suite Guarantee and got a move up offer.   I won an upgrade to a Royal.

I understand that the gating factor is if your Travel Agent participates, I understand that the Big Box Chain doesn't.   Also and most important is you have to be signed up for accepting promotions.

 

You can still bid usually even if not invited by clicking on the hamburger button top left and choose Celebrity Move-Up and it will take you to the bidding location.      I had one that would not work so I clicked on the button to contact move up.   I gave them my reservation number and the next day I got an invite.

Thanks for the info Jim. So did you bid on the Move UP before you were assigned a suite with your suite guarantee?

Shawn

Hi everyone,

I have a quick question - I have not been on X for a couple years (tried a few other lines), but I do have Elite status with X. I have booked a suite guarantee on an Alaska sailing (Eclipse) in July 2020. When I've gone to do mock bookings, the site tells me that there are only 4 SS remaining, 7 CS and 2 RS. In the past when I have booked a suite guarantee, I was advised right after booking of my suite number- even though the cruise was a few months away...wonder when I'll hear this time? - I know, we never know!

My question is, this "Move UP" thing is new to me - is there any possibility that someone who has booked a "Suite Guarantee" can partake in the program? Does Captain's Club status play any role in selection if offered the chance to bid (even if they don't say it does)? 

I will be happy with any suite on the Eclipse, I'm just happy it's not Reflection. That was our last cruise on X, and we were in an RS. I remember during that sailing that we often had to wait for a table in Luminae as there are so many more suites on Reflection than the other S-Class ships...at least that shouldn't be an issue on Eclipse.

Thanks,

Shawn

One will be assigned to you upon arrival to the YC. I don’t know about the ones on CR. Enjoy.

Wow! That's great! Thanks for the info!

Shawn

Yes, if not in one of the 2 Royal Suites which are comped the cabanas.

We are in a RS in Feb on the Seaside. I love the cabanas on the Celebrity Reflection...are these similar?

Do you need to book them prior to your sailing, or is this all done onboard?

Thanks for any info!

Shawn

That's great! We are in 16037 this coming February! Our friends have the one on the opposite side! Looking forward to trying MSC in the RS. We are used to suites on X and Regent, but the price for MSC was too good to pass up to give it a try on the Seaside.

I love having the big balconies...it even looks bigger than the RS balconies we get on Celebrity. I'm interested in experiencing the "ship within a ship" concept of the Yacht Club.

Shawn

Hello everyone,

Has anyone been to the Florence Luxury Outlet Mall (I love Gucci at a discount!)? How hard is it to get to? It looks like the direct bus service (provided by the Mall) from Florence at €13 is the best option...now I just have to get to Florence from Livorno. Speaking of which, any advice on what the best way to get to Florence is from the port? I have looked at the Azamara excursions, and if that's the best way, I'll book that. Just looking for opinions (of which I know people have!).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Shawn

Originally when we started sailing with Celebrity, we always booked Aqua Class because we loved Blu. Once Luminae was introduced, we started booking suites as we really enjoyed the experience (especially on the Summit, Constellation, Solstice), however on our last Celebrity cruise we were in a RS on Reflection. I would not pay the extra money for a suite on Reflection again...we had to wait an hour for a table (on more than one occasion) due to the increased number of Sky suites on board. For the difference in money, I would suggest Aqua (especially if on Reflection). It is of course much nicer to have a larger suite, but I don't find the food to be that much better than in Blu, and I especially don't want to wait so long when I've booked a top suite and paid so much more. If I've only paid for Aqua, I can stomach the wait for Blu (if needed) with greater ease.

On our next Celebrity cruise, I have gone back to Aqua in an A1 (partially because I want an AFT facing view for our Asia cruise from Singapore on the Millennium), and I don't think we'll (or at least I hope we won't) miss Luminae at all.

Shawn

Just noticed yesterday that my cruise in July 2019 on Riviera (Athens - Israel - Rome) was reduced by $550 per person (Category B3)! My travel agent changed it for me today...happy to be saving $1100!

It's always good to check on a regular basis...I never trust my travel agent to do it...

Shawn

To quote one of my all-time favorite tv shows :

 

"I like to lay into them with a melon baller." ;p

Oh Sophia...my all time favourite show!!!

We have been in RS and CS a few times over the past few years. I don't recall ever getting a phone call, always an email. I like that better, as I can think about what I might need and make a thorough list.

We've dined in both Blu and Luminae numerous times. We have had wonderful experiences in both, as well as not so great experiences in both. I think it just depends on the ship, the crew (and sometimes the other passengers!). I don't think you can go wrong choosing either Suite Class or Aqua Class. I wouldn't let the choice between these two wonderful restaurants be the deciding factor.

My two cents,

Shawn

7008 spent 30 days in it,, best views on the ship, best cabin I would take this over a Penthouse or Concierge..

I am taking my mom on her first cruise next summer (2019) of the Holy Land (Divine Exploration) on Riviera. I have cruised a lot, but never on Oceania. I booked stateroom 7008 because I have read so many good things about it!

Can't wait to experience Oceania, I hope my mom likes cruising as much as I do!

Shawn

It seems by this thread that I may be in the minority...but I'm not interested in booking onto the Pursuit if it does not have a casino. By no means am I a big gambler when not on vacation, but I do enjoy spending time playing Blackjack on cruises, and my husband loves the slot machines. I would be very disappointed if they removed the casinos from the other Azamara ships!

My two cents (or my $10 hand),

Shawn

I for one keep booking the Feb/Mar Summit sailings "hoping" they get cancelled. Then we get extra OBC and fare matching on the S class suites. It has happened to us 3 times so far with the Summit, and each time we have received a total of $900 OBC ($300 OBC Perk + $200 from our TA + $400 for cancelling the sailing when booked in a suite) and all four perks.

I won't complain too much...

Shawn

Does the summit have a guest talent show at the end of the week ?

Adults had a Celebrity Karaoke Idol Contest that culminated at the end of the week in a grand finale.

I know children had a Talent Show at the end of the cruise that they worked towards throughout the cruise!

No talent show for adults though...

Shawn

I'd love to know who the butler is for the portside PH, as we are sailing in it this Sunday. I will report back about our experience.

Our past 2 cruises on the Summit we were in the RS and had the most wonderful butlers!

It's one of the reasons we got spoiled and only book suites now!

We were just in 6145 on Summit. Our Butler was Chip (also the Butler for the Portside PH). He was wonderful. He orchestrated a party in the PH that we attended.

He was extremely intuitive and attentive to our needs.

If you are lucky enough to get him, tell him Shawn and Peter say hello!

Shawn

We just got off a cruise in an S1 on the Summit with the best Butler we have ever had! He was much more attentive and intuitive than others that we have had in both an RS and CS on other ships. I think it's just luck of the draw as to who you get. We are in an RS on Reflection in March, I can only hope our Butler will be half as good as the one we just had! We left a generous tip for the first time for our Butler (it was well deserved).

We also had Champagne High Tea for the first time on the Summit. It was great! Very well attended. The Live Music was wonderful! I hope that they offer this on the Reflection in March. It was a real treat.

Shawn

We were on the Feb 17/18 Summit sailing that was chartered. Our X agent just booked us onto the Equinox for the exact same week (needed that week specifically due to work commitments) and we were able to secure an Aft Corner S1 on deck 11. The cruise fare remained the same and we were given an additional $400 OBC for a total of $900 OBC. I prefer S class ships to M class, so I'm not going to complain. This sailing would have cost us more if we had booked it originally instead of the Summit.

I just got off the Summit from Bermuda, and I have to admit that our suite was looking a little "tired" (Aft S1 #6145). Our suites on the S class ships have always been in better condition.

Shawn

I'm on Summit right now...played Blackjack last night. I lost $150 in about 10 minutes, not sure if it was because of the auto-shuffler...lol. So yes, they do use them.

Shawn