lucas34

Hi, I've been cruising since 1992 myself, but not anymore after the pandemic. My friend enjoys dressing up for dinner and good food. In the past, he has cruised on Cunard, but there are noticeable cost cuts there as well. Could someone recommend a cruise line that still has those two criteria (2 weeks no more than 2500USD/pp)?

Hi, I've been cruising since 1992 myself, but not anymore after the pandemic. My friend enjoys dressing up for dinner and good food. In the past, he has cruised on Cunard, but there are noticeable cost cuts there as well. Could someone recommend a cruise line that still has those two criteria (2 weeks no more than 2500USD/pp)?

On 8/18/2023 at 3:30 PM, McGarrett5oh said:

Prima was scheduled to be in Isafjordur today (8/18/23) and appears to be planning to spend an overnight in Akureyri instead.

 

In looking at the size and weight of the ships that did make it into Isafjordur this summer, Prima is the largest by Gross Volume Weight (GVW): 143,500 Gross Tons. As a comparison, Celebrity Apex weighs 129,500 Gross Tons and tendered last Sunday (8/13/23). Most of the ships that did dock this summer with closer or below 100,000 GTs. As an example, the Holland America Rotterdam, which is also 2 years old an can hold a slightly smaller but similar number of passengers, only weights 99,800 GTs.

 

On September 6, when the 139,072 Gross Ton MSC Preziosa is scheduled for Isafjordur and is the largest ship, besides the Prima, to come to port in the past 2 months. It is the only cruise ship scheduled in port that day. If it tenders, I would say we can count on what @imstewart says above, that Prima will be skipping Isafordur on its remaining schedule port calls this year (last one is 9/24/23)

 

 

I was on board Sky Princess (145 000 Gross Tons) last June and without any problem we visit Isafjordur via tender.

Xmas cruise with Norwegian Dawn

Doha 20.12.2023 - Dubai 27.12.2023

inside 396e

outside 416e

balcony 656e

26 minutes ago, WNCtourist said:

I'm not seeing Flam on any Norway itineraries for 2025 -- am I overlooking something?

from 2026 and onwards, only zero emission cruise ships can enter the famous fjords like Gairanger fjord or the Flåm fjord. Flåm only allows cruise ship by order, so maybe HAL was late with their berth reservation, Flåm also favors smaller ships more than bigger ones.

3 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

I went back to the post that started this thread and then most other posts.

 

Then I thought of all of the cruises we took across all cruise lines back in the day when none of them included excursions.

 

It is not a new revelation that cruise line tours are more expensive than you can usually do on your own.  Does anyone actually think this is a new revelation?  

 

On a related note if you book a tour directly through the one giving a tour or book it through one of those tour companies that resell tours such as tours by locals is it a revelation that you pay more by booking it through them versus directly with the tour guide? 

 

Is it a revelation that most items cost a lot more than they did a few years ago before Covid?  Flights? Hotels? Food? Gasoline?  Is this a revelation? We stayed at an exceptional hotel in Paris in 2017.  The cost for the room is now three times as much as it was.  In other places such as Miami it is 30 to 40% higher.  

 

Personally I've looked at the pricing of the Crystal tours that are not overlands and they are overall what I would expect. Some seem in the same price as before and others up a little bit. I am talking about tours that range between $50.00 and $400.00.

 

As to the overlands which started this discussion.  They have always been expensive. Expensive when we did the overland Safaris in 2014 and 2015 and expensive today.  Can you do it cheaper on your own? Yes. Is that a revelation?  No.

 

When we did Safari we realize that Crystal has to make money on the tour, and the tour operator they book with has to make money. So it is a no brainer that if you just book the tour on your own you cut out the tour operator and the cruise line.  

 

And keep in mind that Crystal has a rep on the tour. When we did the Safari there were say 10 of us and a Crystal rep. The Crystal rep had to fly, stay at the lodge in their own room, eat the food, go on the rides, etc,. etc., etc. So we were paying one tenth of their cost or with two of us 20%. So is it a revelation that this would also add to the cost.

 

Is  it a revelation that if you book a pre or post cruise hotel you pay more than if you book it on your own.

 

And is it a revelation that there are other costs that you won't incur if you book a tour on your own? This includes the land based employees who plan the tours, inspect the sites to make sure they meet Crystal safety standards, negotiate contracts, have on board teams of six or so employees on the ships, hold insurance for the tours, sometimes eat costs , etc. etc. Is this really a revelation?

 

As to A&K, those tours that they organize likely will be pricey. We've done some over the years and while they were pricey they were quite unique. They are high end tours for sure.

 

Anyway, no one is forced to book a tour with Crystal.  These days it is very easy to book a tour privately if you care to do so.  

 

Overlands have always been pricey and that includes Luxor, Safaris, and other overland trips. 

 

Keith

 

 

Working with cruise business during several years, every 16. pax cruise line get one free. Cruise line´s rep. usually go free too for "quality issues".

I have been thinking about a cruise on the QM2 and would be interested in seeing Britannia restaurant's dinner menus for this year if anyone has any?

Is there a charge for cappuccino at dinner?

Does QM2 still have a lobster dinner and can you get another one without an additional charge, as is the case with so many other cruise lines?

Have there been noticeable changes in food quality or selections since the pandemic?

My previous Cunard cruise (QV) was in 2007. Now I'm thinking about QM2 for next summer in Europe.

Can someone tell me how QM2 (or Cunard in general) has changed since the pandemic, are there many changes/new surcharges/smaller portion sizes, etc.?

And has someone perhaps cruised in the IF inside cabin category? What is it like; is it so that there are only 2 chairs and no couch? Porthole supplement (EF) for inside cabin is as much as 485GBP/person.

I noticed that the QM2 dry dock is now in October-November, but what is the condition of the ship now?

Does anyone know if there will be a QM2 dry dock this fall and if so, when and what will be planned?

On 7/15/2023 at 5:24 AM, Islander58 said:

We were on Sapphire in April/May in Savoy and we sat with an older gentleman who got 5 or 6 lobster tails! He kept asking and he kept getting them! No extra charge! We were blown away!

On my Sky Princess cruise, my waiter tells me about a passenger who ate 21 lobsters. The waiter had to make several trips to the kitchen just for one person.

I was more than happy with Novotel Southampton last June pre-Princess cruise.

2 minutes ago, justafem said:

Voit käyttää niitä. Olen julkaissut ne useita kertoja tauluille.  

Thank you so much! 

1 minute ago, voljeep said:

are you asking about a coupon book that someone else got that you now have access to?

yes

Does anyone know if shipwide savings coupons are tied to the cruise reservation or can I use them freely during the cruise? Does the staff check if you have the right to use them?

4 minutes ago, jeromep said:

Journalists ask questions of people.  If they are doing their job right, they will ask others questions and present different viewpoints of others and let the reader decide.  I have no issue answering a few of your questions.

 

There is way too much food on board to have just one or two favorites.  My wife considers most MDR cruise food, especially on Princess, "continental".  It leans on the tradition of western European multi-course meal presentations.  Things you'd typically see in what is now the UK or France.  It isn't very "Americanized".  For me, cruise dining is about trying out foods which are unlikely to be on a menu at home.  However, after a week or two on board you do get tired of chilled soups and dishes which have been constructed vertically.  The good news is that when you are tired of MDR food there are always a lot of other options.

 

A lot of Princess loyalists will tell you their favorite appetizer is the fettuccine Alfredo.  The biggest issues with that dish is that is has been absent from MDR menus on most ships since the restart and ramp up.  A few of the threads here indicate that it has appeared back on the MDR dinner menus on some ships, but it doesn't seem to be a universal change.  Many have requested it off menu and have been served the dish, but a lot of us feel a lot better when we see that on the menu every night.  So, as an appetizer the fettuccine Alfredo is excellent and I"m hoping it will be back on all the menus very soon.

 

You don't find Beef Wellington at Applebee's; or anyplace else in the states, unless it is a high end steakhouse that likes to specialize in "old school" dishes.  Otherwise, you have to make it on your own.  It isn't especially hard to make, just involved and time consuming.  Of course, a beef roast like Wellington is great for cruise dining rooms because, in reality cruise MDR food is basically served banquet style.  There are a lot less menu items on an MDR dinner menu than on the menu at Applebee's.  This points to the unique nature of cruise dining.  1.  You have limited kitchen and pantry space to stock up for a cruise, which will limit the number of dishes or different foods you can make.  2.  When you have 3000 people to feed 3 times a day or more often, you have to streamline your kitchen so you have a limited number of dishes to prepare with each meal and you can maintain the pace of feeding all those people... just like banquet service.

 

So, Beef Wellington remains one of my favorite main dishes on a cruise.

 

As for deserts, Princess has had this chocolate mousse desert called the Love Boat Dream around forever.  It used to be a firm chocolate mousse that is formed into a heard shape by a mold, kind of like jello, and then popped out on a plate and garnished with some fruit sauce, a mint leaf, and sometimes some kind of chocolate construction.  It was very good, very rich.  But there are lots of photos of it online from recent cruises, and it seems to have changed a lot or has a lot of different pastry chefs making odd interpretations of what it is supposed to be.  It is still one of my favorites, however it may be going the way of the fettuccine Alfredo.

 

My favorite cover charge restaurant on board is Sabatini's.  Excellent Italian at a competitive price relative to the service and presentation.  Crown Grill is also good, but it can vary greatly depending on the quality of the steaks they are acquiring.  There seems to be less variability from ship to ship in Sabatini's.

 

What publication do you write for?  Is this a freelance gig?

Thank you for your information. I appreciate it. This article will come out in Finland. My last cruise with Princess Cruises was in 1992 and yes I know than the dining on board and the cruise industry have changed a lot during this time,  because I have had the opportunity to cruise with 30 cruise lines during all these years.

And each of us has own favorities with different cruise line. Mine with Princess Cruises are cold soups and beef Wellington.

Hi!

I would need some help from you. I'm sailing on Sky Princess on June 3rd to write an article about onboard meals and dinner options. So I would be happy if I could hear your own favorites on the following topics:

-What's your favorite appetizer?

-main course?

-dessert?

-What are your personal favorite restaurants on board and why?

Thank you very much for your help!

7 minutes ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

Could Iceland have made similar rules to some Norway ports though?- putting a max on the number of large cruise ships and/or number of cruisers getting off ships?

 

if so, princesses hands are tied

 

I feel awful for anyone missing this number of ports though. Especially those who have travelled across the world to get to S’hampton in the first place 😞 

 

I don't think so, because this summer in Reykjavík, for example, there are several days when there are three or more cruise ships in port. For many of them, Reykjavik is a turn-around port.

Ports of Reykjavik and Akranes (about one hour from Reykjavik) will have 269 cruises ships and 280 000 cruise pax during this season.

2 hours ago, Nicole&Pete said:

So my argument here is why have they not tried to get into Akureyri again if they are now going North? 
 

Also if they knew this why not overnight in Seydisfjordur or Isafjordur, there are some interesting places further afield that you can reach from the East coast or the West fjords if you had more time there.

Norwegian Prima is now in Akureyri, so it could be possible for Sky Princess too.

Only zero emission-free cruise ships will be allowed to call at Geiranger and Flåm. Both fjords has already opened applications for cruise calls in 2026 but not single cruise ship has applied.

On 5/19/2023 at 11:09 AM, Techno123 said:

We are sailing with Seabourn on a Norwegian Fjord cruise in a few weeks and they have cancelled the scenic cruising of the Trollfjord (Please be advised that due to operational considerations, Seabourn Ovation will no longer conduct scenic cruising of Trollfjord as previously scheduled). And we aren't visiting Flam as previous cruises have done (but that was never on our itinerary) so they are all 'at it'  with the operational issues 😁

 

Doing some research it appears that Norway are 'discouraging' anything other than clean energy ships in some fjords and some ports will only allow a limited number of ships at a time. I assume cruise ships can cause significant damage (look at Venice). 

From 2026 there will be changes for cruise ships in Norway´s fjords.

36 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

So sorry, we know how dissapointing this can be.  A few years back, we had all of our Iceland/Greenland ports canceled due to weather.  A big bummer!

Which cruise ship?

So sad about the harbors in Iceland.

Is Marco Fortezz now the captain?

I will have this same trip on June 3rd. Has anyone rented a car at the Iceland destinations on this cruise? Have you reimbursed the price when the ship does not visit the port? We have a car rented in Iceland in a couple of places. 

I hope you can make it to Reykjavik!

Thank you so much for all this help.

It will be "cold weather cruise" so maybe the Enclave´s hydro-therapy pool would be better choice?

Does anyone know what Sky's Sanctuary full-day passes include; drinks, snacks, etc.? Do we make a reservation on board or in advance?

On 5/15/2023 at 7:46 PM, Wandawithdogs said:

I have contacted three of those twice with no resonse i will try jswartz.

Same hereillä no any reply from them...