KKB

SOOOO...I went to book that Star Princess cruise. The price I pulled up an hour ago was All inclusive $3500 for the mini-suite w/ a cabana & balcony (cabana looked like IV...with a real balcony outside that. Interesting!) But it kept going to their "we are working on the website" when I would try to click all the way thru things. So came back just now & booked it. Same price. Then realize they never gave me the choice to upgrade to AI. That price was w/o AI...so that's another $850. GRRRRR. Now, that was for a much larger balcony (their mini-suites are just larger balcony rooms), so a better deal than Celebrity...but, yes, I love my Eclass. Would like to try Princess' new ship. Strangely, the mini-suite was only $200 more each than an oceanview! It's fully refundable up until final payment & I had an open booking so it cost me nothing more today & I have 2 years to decide...but that is so annoying!!

Yeah...it comes to about $3500...plus another $250 for tips. This for Oceanview. For same dates in Caribbean I can get Princess' new ship...$3500 for a Mini-suite with a cabana, All inclusive with tips paid!

Final thoughts. We love Celebrity, especially Eclass. But we are finding that Celebrity is running 50-100% higher than Princess & NCL on comparable itineraries. (and we are picky w/ our NCL ships--Breakaway class or above only). $2000-2500 for the 2 of us on those lines vs. $3500-4500 on Celebrity (and I am talking interior here folks; yes, AI). That's a tough pill to swallow. Not sure it is THAT much better a product. Will continue to try to find us deal son Celebrity!! We had OV this time--got it for $200 total more on Move Up over our booked interior; I think we agree this is our "sweet spot". We just don't use a balcony that much as we are out & about the ship but we di like at least a window. Eclass OV is great--exact cabin layout as balcony. I did mention a number of things that I didn't care for--but in no way did they negatively impact our cruise. We had a WONDERFUL time (as we always do--we love to travel & belief attitude nearly always determines how good a time you have) (BTW funny comparison here...the cruise director is a brunette from Canada. Her name escapes me. If you know the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience--I SWEAR the CD is the sister of Shannon on that show...lol) Thanks for reading! Happy to try to answer any questions.

Ports One of the reason we chose this cruise is that there were 3 new ports for u. I snagged Celebrity excursions at 50% off on Black Friday for 3 of the ports. Recommend them all. St. Maarten (had been a few times but it had been a few years) Well this ended up being a debacle by no fault but OUR OWN. I had booked Big Bastaard Beach all inclusive package. We THOUGHT we had followed their email directions on how to get there. Well...we walked for about 90 min. & I was DONE. It was HOT HOT HOT. Found a bar & shade & recovered. DH even wandered & couldn't find it. WELL...we grabbed the water taxi back to the ship...and as we sat I looked up & said OMG THERE IT IS. We didn't realize there were different stops for the water taxi & had gotten off at the wrong one initially. (their directions weren't for that one). Well poop. Now we know for next time. Dominica (new) We did a Celebrity bus tour that took us to 2 waterfalls & a lookout point. ($60 each) We really enjoyed this! It did require some hilly walking but it was beautiful. We did go 3K feet up the mountain on winding roads...if this bothers you don't do this one! Barbados (new) We had intentions of walking to nearby beaches, but decided to take it easy instead. We wandered the port shopping area & sat out at a bar in the area. Tried local beer & "fish cakes" (reminded me of Conch fritters). Just sat, relaxed & people watched. Plan to explore more another time. Antigua (new) Celebrity catamaran excursion ($45 each) Went to a reef to snorkel, then a beach. Very enjoyable (except the sunburn on my face as I somehow neglected sunscreen beyond my moisturizer there!) BUT it was MUCH too short--only 3 hours. I don't snorkel (legally blind w/o these glasses!) but I could have--and should have--gotten into the water at the reef just to swim) & we only had about 20 min at the beach--most of us just got into the water. St. Kitts We had been their once before last year & wandered the large port area. This time we took the scenic railway thru Celebrity (not a good deal typically but it was at 50% off; normally we would just book direct) Included free drinnks. Loved this tour of the island! But this is NOT a smooth ride. It very often wobbled heavily from side to side. This did not bother us a bit but we have a friend w/ severe back issues & it would have bothered him a lot.

Bars We enjoy our cocktails (well, I do--DH mostly drinks beer & an occasional blended drink) Craft Social is our "spot" & our 2 bartenders from April were there. DH gives them a dollar or 2 every time we order. They knew our room number after the first day...🤪 They took VERY good care of us all cruise! We did enjoy Sunset bar several time. World Class bar--went once. Intended to again & just never did!!! Cafe al Bacio--my go to for my daily lattes & macaroons. (we did NOT see anything other than cookies, cakes & muffins at any time day or night).

Activities Since we saw all the production shows in April (which are AMAZING) we opted out this time. We did see the comedian. He was solid--I'd say top 50% of the comedians I have seen at sea. Not great (have only seen great ones on Carnival at sea) Game Shows, Music Trivia & Music Bingo Loads of fun as always!! Zumba, Dance fit classes & Aqua fit class--these were all offered most sea days & some port days! Lots of fun, always recommend these free options for working out. Pool area--I had no issue getting a single lounger right by the pool at any time of day. 2 could have been a challenge. There were some chair hogs, but by & large most people were actually AT the pool who reserved those seats. We used the infinity pools a couple times after returning from excursions. LOVED them! (not crowded that we ever say) Casino Not very busy ever. Video poker was pretty rotten to us. Luckily we did well at poker. Both profited from the evening cash games. They offered tournaments 3x/day on sea days. These have ALWAYS been $60. (fair price I gues as it is a horrid structure--goes too fast & you get few chips with a live dealer) The first day DH went to buy in & they said $120--HUH?? For THAT tournament. NO WAY. DH complained & they claimed that was the price the cruise before & they had no issues filling it. Yeah, right. Well, they DID have issues filling it on our cruise...and lowered the price back to $60. I did well. DH did not....but we had fun! Movies on the Rooftop We watched Barbie one night (our YA children said we would enjoy it--they were right!) Nice venue--glad it didn't rain! SADLY we missed my beloved Silent disco. 1st one was day 2...seas & too many drinks the 1st day had me off that day. 2nd one was at the same time as the "Naughtly List" game show that we wanted to see (and was a lot of fun--18 & over only!) 3rd one was the last night (I still contend this is a DUMB day for that ). We planned to go & about 7 that night we were DONE. We had played hard for 10 nights... A COUPLE COMPLAINTS 1--The activities for the week on the app may or may not have been accurate. I get that the seas cancelled a production show. I get that people can become ill & maybe they need to change things. I get that the weather can change plans. BUT when you have the dance party on the resort deck & move it to the Club--AND SUDDENLY ITS THE 80s GAME SHOW & DANCE PARTY--WHAT??!! (I am whining because I WANTED to go to the 80s party...but I did NOT go to the resort deck dance party so I DID NOT KNOW THIS) 2--Music trivia PLEASE list what decade/theme it will be in the planner (or app--you had to check both, whatever) We love certain decades & themes...but we aren't very good at certain ones. We happened to show up at 50s/60s music trivia & Motown. Yep, our worst music areas. Had we known when the decades/themes we enjoy were going, we could have made plans to be there. We still had a great time but it makes me sad when I miss my fav 80s activities (cuz I didn't know when they were!)

Food Eden We have experienced it alson on Apex & Edge. It did not disappoint. I snagged it before the price increase (and we had a chunk of OBC so it was an easy treat). At $75pp now, I'm not sure we will do it again. Buffet Our go to breakfast spot as well as late night pizza, occasionally lunch. We actually ate there for dinner a couple nights too--one day the seas (or the drinks the day before??) made me queasy, so carbs from the buffet hit the spot. Another night we got in late from our excursion, and it fit the bill. They do made to order grilled fish, chicken & steaks for dinner each night. Last sea day was the "extravaganza" buffet--mostly the addition of SHRIMP. Only time I saw a LINE for anything at the buffet It was a LITTLE repetative...BUT I knew what I liked, and went back for it. Most of what I ate was very good. Eden cafe--I ate breakfast one day. My breakfast sandwich was OK. Decided I preferred the buffet. DH had lunch there a couple times & really enjoyed it. Mast Grill--always a solid burger choice. Love that they have carmelized onions, bacon & mushrooms to add on. MDR--We tried each MDR once, and loved the wait staff we had in Tuscan so went back there the rest of the cruise & were always seated in their section. I find Eclass MDRs to be very good. I don't love the change of menus since we sailed Edge 2 years ago. The sea bass at Cyprus was the best I've ever had...gone. We originally loved the specialty offerings of each cuisine...not loving them as much. (not quality--just not my taste) On the changing daily menu, there are 6 appetizers--only 2 change daily. I think that is a mistake even tho I am a fan of the 4 that don't change. (Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, escargots, French onion soup). There are 5 or 6 changing entrees. Not a fan of the focus of duck & lamb--just not my MO. I usually have the fish or seafood--very few seafood offerings. But fish daily. Desserts have always been Celebrity's weakest part of their menu...they always LOOK amazing...and rarely deliver in taste. Not a problem for us. We aren't big dessert people. Usually stuck with the frozen options. I know I nitpicked here. I still find the food to be quite good overall--just not as thrilled with the selection these days.

We sailed the Beyond in April--got an amazing deal on Retreat. Certainly enjoyed ourselves & it was nice we had booked this on our Nov. 2022 Equiniox cruise for comparison. As usual, we had a WONDERFUL time--Eclass is our jam! We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express along 17th Street. We used to ALWAYS stay in that area (Embassy or Hyatt Place) but hadn't for years. We had IHG points so it was a good option. It's a great location with lots of dining options in close proximity. Ate at DJ's Dugout--we remembered it from before. Preordered a Lyft for $12 at 945 the next morning--Uber was showing $42! Embarkation was seemless--we were maybe 25th in line. Lines moved quickly & we were onboard by 11!

I submitted mine on the app for our B2B in April. Took just a few days (redacted screenshots were fine) Said both had been accepted. BUT it is only showing up on Princess account for one cruise. I contacted the app company but they said since it shows accepted on their end that I need to contact Princess. With December cruise & holiday plans, haven't had time to do so but will soon.

Well...we could open the divider between our balconies. BUT--the divider covered HALF of our DOORWAY--YES, the side where the door OPENS! So if it was open, we could barely get thru the opening! Design was poor--should have been arranged so divider always opened over the window portion of the balcony not the door. Still had a WONDERFUL time & we did enjoy that it opened, if in a bizarre way.

Thx for info--we do our 1st TA this April. FLL-Southampton then 12 days around British Isles on Regal Princess. I've been on a ship for 21 days around Norway & British Isles, but DH longest was 14 days Hawaii cruise (but at least he has already experienced 5 days in a row at sea!) Can't wait!

Shows were not great. Trivia is a bit exasperating in 5 languages (hey, I get why they do it & understand) Not a lot of other activities. Food was not great. (tho pizza? BEST AT SEA) At the prices I got, I MIGHT return if these were the biggest issues. But it was the plethora of rude passengers--pulling lounge chairs anywhere on deck so that it is a maze to walk around ANYWHERE on sun decks; ramming people in back w/ buffet trays; physically moving other people's children aside; no regard for common courtesy regarding lines, etc. These were not one time incidents--they were observed over & over. It was stunning. Most confusing was the SAME behavior on sailings in 2 very different locations. Crew fantastic as on all ships.

I sailed MSC in Feb (Caribbean) & May (Europe)--will never sail them again. (NOT YC) Numerous Celebrity cruises in 10 years. LOVE Eclass. Tried Retreat on Beyond in April. It was fine but not worth a lot of extra $ (we got a deal--about same as we have paid for balconies) Why? Little about MSC appeals to me. What largely killed it for me is the lack of common courtesy by far too many passengers--on both sailings! (officially 2-B2B cruises, so FOUR sailings). Now this was not in YC. (and I read reviews by others saying the same thing...but the prices were so great I had to try. Even free wasn't cheap enough...) But what we realized when we sailed Retreat--we liked it but we are out & about the ship. We didn't spend all that much time in the Retreat area. So if you are a person that largely stays in the Retreat/YC area & cabin, I can see the appeal of MSC. If you are one who is more likely to be out & about the ship--MSC may not be for you.

I agree with you that I have seen more of that behavior on ships...and all other public places. The lack of self awareness of many is stunning. But our phones are also our cameras. Many my need to be in touch with elderly parents or children. Perhaps a polite request of others might help--but I could also see it leading to an uncomfortable encounter. Seems people are immune to others' comfort unless someone in charge (like a flight attendant) tells them what needs to be done.

@schmoopie17 I didn't see your original post--what a wonderful idea! I get that some people do NOT like surprises, but clearly you knew your friends & that it would be enjoyed. I'm so excited for you all. My DM & best friend passed last year. Wanted to do so much more traveling with her (oh, we did a lot, including one last magical cruise after her diagnosis). Life is short. You don't know what will happen. TAKE THE CRUISE! Have a wonderful time--looking forward to the NEXT Sequel. (we are sailing Prima from Galveston next month & staying with some wonderful friends we met cruising--have sailed 2 more times since meeting them. I TRIED to get them on this cruise w/ us & she has given me this BS story that she needs to buy 2 new exterior doors & can't afford. it. I'm hoping they secretly booked it!!!)

Yes, Prima has Waterfront.

One note--Prima pool looks MUCH larger than Getaway class...am I mistaken? I will say, it does appear that the Vibe on Prima is a kick up from Getaway class, tho still no pool--tho hot tubs much larger.

@L1211 It appears most of your questions have been answered. We have sailed NCL 5x since 2019--Getaway, Encore & Breakaway. We have Prima booked next month so can't help with that yet. Waterfront is one of the top reasons we love NCL--won't sail them w/o it! We much preferred Getaway & Breakaway over Encore. Our Encore cruise had slow service everywhere...I'm sure it was situational, but I can't think of much to like about it. But I try not to judge based on 1 experience. (BTW did Carnival for 1st time to Hawaii for 14 days in January; people said we would hate it after sailing most other mainstream lines. We LOVED it. Bartenders said the key to Carnival is longer cruises) ALL NCL ships have WAY too small pool areas. Doesn't matter which ship. Vibe is great & is the attempt to remedy that--but w/ no pool there, it really doesn't, does it? A ship w/ Spice is a nice Vibe alternative--obviously not the service, but no extra cost either. Shows--we only find those in small venues require getting there early for. Have never had an issue getting into theatre shows. MX Riv is a nice alternative to Caribbean but as other said, can be a bit cool in March.

Actually I remember I also did NCL out of Port Canaveral August 2022. (memories of sailing out of there are vivid since I flew in the afternoon the day before departure...getting a reliable shuttle to get to port was impossible at that time unless I wanted surge Lyft/Uber. Luckily I got a good one from my hotel the next morning) Same process as all the others. There were few of us--maybe 30? Not sure if that mattered. (I've been cruising a lot in the last 2 years...easy to forget some details answering on the fly--had to go back & look at my notes!)

Have done B2B on NCL, Princess, Celebrity & MSC out of FLL, MIA, Orlando & Hamburg, Germany. Every time we collect in a communal area until all other guests are off. Then they walk us off & right back on.

I think we are pretty low...nothing has ever popped up to pay the fee nor have they been on our account. Maybe we are higher than I think?

Odd how different the ships are! On Prima next month so that will be interesting to see how they are.

We charge to our room at the machine; usually $100 at a time. No fee has ever been charged. Room key works fine.

Yep https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/prima/whats-on-board/Entertainment

OK, 37 cruises under my belt in 20 years--Celebrity, Princess, Carnival, RCCL, NCL, MSC & DCL. 4 on RCCL, 2 years ago, Anthem in 2018, Quantum this fall. 5 on NCL, all in the last 4 years, plus Prima next month. I agree with most of what others have said--mainstream lines are more alike than different. We find various ships to have things we love & bring us back to them. I would say RCCL & NCL generally have the best production shows (though Celebrity Eclass is giving them a run for their $...may even surpass them if NCL keeps cutting them; Quantum had no production shows like we saw on the Anthem) They also both tend to have more active activities--water slides, bumper cars, etc. Food, overall activities & service--overall we find these comparable among all the lines we have sailed. The BEST things about NCL Breakaway/Plus class is the Waterfront area. This is deck 8, with an outside bar on both port & starboard sides, specialty dining on the deck & seating all the way around. EVERY ship should have this! And as @graphicguy said, the best non-production show at sea is Syd Norman's--on various NCL ships, INCLUDING Prima. I admit I a groupie. I will ONLY NCL book ships w/ Syds. I hate to wait for anything, but this girl shows up 60+ min. prior to show time to be SURE I get it. Syd's is a show--but it's like the best cover band of late 70s-80s music you have ever heard. I've seen 3 different "bands" perform, each as great as the last. They perform 4 different shows/week (last night is Prom) PLUS the Rumours album (2 shows on one night) from top to bottom, telling the stories behind each one. Even our 25YO daughter who was a tad bored during the regular shows (I mean she IS 25...) LOVED the Rumours show & would have sat thru it twice! (she consider it one of the top 5 albums of all times--she has excellent taste!) But since people were already lined up, that wasn't an option. LUCKILY they pipe the show out onto the Waterfront. OK--drinks on the deck & we STILL get to hear the show? FANTASTIC. As I said we are doing Prima next month so I will report back. We are truly doing this cruise for the ship (and the warm weather). It looks lovely & the rooms nicer than other Breakaway ships. It's not Celebrity...and I can't comment on Cunard. But we go with the attitude we will have a good time & we always do. Tried MSC & not a fan--but still managed to have a good time! After 25 cruises we tried Carnival & everyone said we would hate it after trying several other lines. We LOVED it! Now, it was a 14 day cruise to Hawaii & sounds as if those longer cruises are the key to Carnival.