Niagarawine

hi we have sailed on Hal before but this is our first in a suite, excited. Booked a guarantee on the Eurodam and was wondering what to expect. What is a no host mini bar? Really like what I read about music venues and especiallynBB Kings blues club,really need this cruise as our son has been very ill this year. Thank you,Kathy

The salmon is great ,I agree but I ordered smoothies with the Classic package and was not charged unless this has changed

Hogging the thread, how about the guy on the Connie transatlantic who told my husband and I to move because we were spoiling his camera shot, nobody else on the deck, stupidly we moved

Oh and the lady with a dog in a pink baby buggy that went everywhere, pointed this out to another passenger and they thought it was a baby, then Insaidbwell that baby is wagging its tail

Don't know if this crazy or disgusting but on Sili I saw a guy shove an older lady in the solarium pool because she was in his way and he couldn't swim laps , pool is small,anyway. Then security came and hauled him off to the naughty room.

I love the solarium and the orchids around the ship

The salmon is delicious and you can get made to,order smoothies that are very good

I forgot there is an area at the back of the ship that has a grill and you can get steak, chops and chickEn cooked to,order , with chimichuri sauce and other condiments, don't remember the hours it is open but some folks miss it because of the location.

The salmon in the aqua spa cafe is very good. You have to ask for it and wait while they cook it, loved it. Also I liked Cafe Al Bacio , was there every day for speciality coffee and treats. The ice cream is yummy and there is sherbet too I think that is made onboard and always lineups but worth it.

We went on N Amsterdam a few years ago , liked the food, found cooked to,order salmon delicious in their buffet. They make a good strong drink too. They had a movie theatre with free popcorn which we liked, fun with leather sets. Cabin attendants were great. We liked the food and would go on this ship again.i think the drinks were cheaper too.

In most restaurants the food budget makes up at least 20% of the cost. Labor can make up considerably more than 20% on top of that. This is one reason you see drinks "pushed", really high profit margin. Many rest. with a bar only make a profit when the bar sells a lot of booze/wine/bottled water. I'm the buyer for our catering/food service bus. When I buy San Pellegrino(as an example)A liter bottle will cost me generally under 50 cents. A 2 liter bottle close to a dollar. We then sell "you" that bottle for usually $3-$6. A rather tidy profit!(and that's just water!) The labor cost on the ship for food workers & related staff is quite low when compared to a "decent" shore side rest. in the US. I really see no reason to cut the quality of the food so often, when in reality the staff really isn't making that much $$. If the food cost increases, I'd rather pay more to get better quality than see the quality drop. Here's a prime example for me, personally: I love Yogurt. About 15 years ago a "standard" cup was about 8oz. A few years later some switched to 6oz. Price still went up. Now most are at 5.3oz & the price STILL goes up! This really has me PO'd! Keep the portion size the same, but raise the price, I can deal with. Don't screw me with higher prices & smaller portions. I'm at the point that I'm considering not buying Yogurt any more. Just a rant, sorry.

I agree and I think it's maybe we don't demand better and I also think that they are pushing for fee dining which is fine but I didn't appreciate them removing the sushi from the buffet. I think a few more choices on the menu would be great. I notice that Princess offers 2pasta choices with their evening menus. I find the drink prices very high on Celebrity.

I don't like the pasta on Celebrity, meat sauce tastes weird and this is one area that would be so easy to upgrade, how about some Italian chefs and homemade Casio e Pepe. Maybe they don't think it would be popular but good Italian cooking is hard to beat,just my opinion. We were on a trans-Atlantic and I really wanted some pasta that was good. Indo think it depends on the chef though.

I was on a Royal cruise a few years back and we met a chef who was a passenger. He said he couldn't understand why the meals were so poor as a very small amount of the budget is needed for food and he did quote me the amount but I don't remember. I thought the food on that cruise was very good, now I find the food in the MDR okay but not much choice and much smaller portions, although probably healthier for me. Thought the buffet food on the Silhouette was good.

Ask for a choco-banana. A chocolate banana smoothie. If you want a lighter version ask for pineapple juice instead of half n half.

Sounds delicious. I was on the Silhouette and thought I'd try one of their smoothies, ended having them every day among other drinks. Princess has a lot larger selection of dining venues and items on their menus.

And the sushi is free.

I order anything I want with the soda and more package. I'll ask for a virgin drink "blended" so in my mind that's a smoothie! Heck they'll even make you anything if you ask.

Sounds good and I can't wait. They look like gorgeous ships. :D

Hi do they have smoothies on Princess? I have decided on either the regal or the royal for a 10 day Caribbean and was wondering. If so are they part of a beverage package? I was perusing the menus and noticed that Princess seems to have more choices than Celebrity, and Alfredo's sounds great. Thanks

Well,we don't know everyone was taken care of ,do we? We really don't know the extent of what occurred. I would not call the passenger who had to get off in another port and rearrange his itinerary "well looked after". I think the point that all these posters are making is that those affected were not well looked after. Perhaps to you it is not the worst that could happen but for those with mobility or health issues it caused considerable pain.a lot of Celebrity cruisers fall into that group. A lot who book trans-Atlantic are seniors(I've been on two)because they have the extra time for the cruise. I would think Celebrity would know that,as many of us on these boards do. I think it's the time frame that is so odd and still no explanation given. Just my opinion.

Hi we are looking at British Isles and I kind of like Majestic Princess , new ship. Either would be great. I have been on Caribbean Princess. Our son is booked on Caribbean Princess for this itinerary. I see there are lots of changes since we last sailed on this line. Really like the changes I have read about.

Seems to be a new thing with Royal and Celebrity,lots of cabins bumped on this week's trans-Atlantic with a week's notice and no explanation. Hope this is not a trend to upswell cabins,maybe time for a passenger bill of rights. I know cruises can be cancelled for any reason but this is fishy to me, just my opinion. I would not want to be told the day before that cruise is off .

haven't been on Princess for a few years, generally sail with Celebrity but I am thinking of coming back to Princess, Which ship would you recommend? Also we like anytime dining,is it a good idea. we are looking at Europe,thanks

Just checked Royal threads and it seems that cabins are being bumped there too, up selling seems to be the way they are heading. if so I would probably feel much safer booking on Princess . I guess we need a passenger bill,of rights, just my two cents.

Hello Everyone,

 

I am the second example Kitcito in the post above. This is my 15th anniversary cruise with my wife. So to fill you in on what has happened lately.

 

Wednesday afternoon I checked my Celebrity Reservation page to make sure everything was cancelled and finish up all the paperwork for documentation sake. When I logged in I still had the reservation so I clicked on the manage reservation tab and low and behold I had a cabin assigned now. The booking before didn't have a cabin assignment.

 

So I called the Captains club line again and spoke with the same manager "Ashley" as to why is my reservation not canceled since Celebrity sent my "online TA" the cancelation letter? And also why do I have a cabin assignment now when I didn't Monday night when you cancelled my cruise and bumped me?

 

Ashley was very confused and put me on hold. On my first call to Ashley she put me on a waitlist of some sort she said so she could only assume that they found a cabin. So in the mean time we booked another cruise that our friends were on to join them.

 

So now I have two cruised booked and paid for. The Captains Club Manager "Ashley" said that they would refund the second cruise cost to me and for now we are back on the Transatlantic Cruise leaving Sunday. This whole experience has me quite upset.

 

I understand that the cruise industry oversells cabins but for the life of me can't understand why this happened 5 day's before sailing. And how did they suddenly come up with more rooms? Two of the 3 cruisers that were bumped and reported this on the "Roll Call" have now been put back on the ship for the sailing.

 

My worry is now someone else has gotten bad news that they have been cancelled and ruined there plans at the last minute like they did originally with me. Even thought we are back on the cruise It's now the same, I'm not to excited about going now. I am happy that I can celebrate my 15th wedding anniversary on board with my lovely wife but at the expense of who.

 

Sorry for rambling on but this whole experience has really messed with my head and emotions.

 

Kitcito[/quote

Hi I don't know if I helped but Inwas so upset when I read what happened to,you that I emailed head office about it and mentioned that CNN travel might be interested in Celebrity bumping a couple on their fifteenth wedding anniversary. I have sailed on a TA and know the amount of planning that goes into one. Anyway they were wrong and you should go and have a drink for me as I can't go on long cruises anymore. Cheers,Kathi

You really should try both. The difference will probably not be that great, but you might decide that you prefer one over the other.

 

We will sail on Princess again, but not the Caribbean Princess. Way too crowded.

We were this one and found it was too crowded. which ship do,you like?

Please.please,please go,on another cruise and do,a review. You made my day!