phoenix_dream

18 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

That is a tough question.    We were on a much smaller ship -  Ponant (about 1/2 the size of Oceania Regatta.   We were sailing in the Great Lakes so the waters were mostly calm.   Even in rougher seas really didn't find that much more motion

 

I use to be affected by motion sickness when we first started sailing on Millennium back in 2001.  Over time, I think my body got used to it as I no longer get motion sick on ships.   I did find something that worked for me.    The night before the cruise I would take a Motion Sickness Pill (Marazine) which is almost the same chemical composition to Benadryl.   It of course made me sleep well the night before the cruise.   I would then take another 1/2 the morning of the cruise.   It would calm my inner ear down and I wouldn't require any more for the entire cruise.    Even though I no longer am affected I aways have a pack of Bonine with me --- Just in case. 

 

If you have done Alaska and California Coastal before you know that the waters can be either calm as a lake or pretty rough.    Much like any other destination.    Personally I wouldn't worry too much but be prepared.    Best location might be mid-ship both Aft/Forward and top/Bottom

 

We ended up booking a Vista Suite which is full forward right under the bridge.  I'm sure we will feel the sea more there and will hear the anchor drop - if we have tender ports.    I believe Sitka is the only tender port.  

 

My understanding is the following are different -

 

The OBC you receive with booking can only be used for their excursions.   Excursions seem expensive at about $250 pp for most.  

 

Beer and Wine are included with all meals from their wine list.   They also have a number of cocktail parties where you can get select free mixed drink

 

You can bring Liquor and Wine aboard as well as bring it back with you from ports.  There is a $25 corkage fee if consumed outside your Room.  Our suite comes with 6 bottles so I don't think this will be a problem for us. 

 

Tips are not included but you can purchase in advance or be billed daily.

 

You receive free basic internet which is good except for streaming.  For streaming you need to upgrade.  My understanding is Regatta has not been updated to Starlink and is the OLD internet.

 

Dining at most of the Specialties is free.   You can make reservations in advance -  2 tops are harder to get but usually no problem if you wish to share a table.

 

for the most part. Oceania sailings include accommodations, shore excursions (limited to Simply More $ allotment), port shuttles, activities, food and most beverages, specialty dining and entertainment. Not included in the fare are some beverage packages, gratuities, spa treatments, laundry and specialty excursions.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for all the detailed info.  I really appreciate it!!

On 5/10/2024 at 12:15 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

Oceania Regatta - 9/14/2024  - 12 Night Alaska Cascadia

Cunard  QM2 - 10/25/2024 - East Bound Trans Atlantic

Silhouette - 11/16/2024 - 13 Night Trans Atlantic

Oceania Vista - 11/09/2025 10 Night Med

Cunard QM2 -  10/30/2025 - East Bound Trans Atlantic

Equinox - 11/21/2025   15 Night Portugal to Buenos Aires

 

I also have them updated in my Signature.  

 

I haven't figured out yet how I will post.    I will probably do a comparison Live Review -  possibly split it up so don't abuse the CC policies of staying on subject of the thread.  

Hi.  Was reading this, and noticed you were going to be on a ship I was considering - the 9/14 cruise.  My hesitations - first, I am susceptible to seasickness.  Do you find a lot more motion on a ship this much smaller?  The smallest I have ever been on is Celebrity Horizon and I am hesitant to go smaller.  I was tempted by this cruise as I love Alaska and much of the cruise will be in calm waters (coast of California could go either way).  Second, I am unclear about benefits.  As a fellow Zenith (we met last year at one of the CC gatherings🙂) I am concerned about what will not be included that I am used to.  Not sure if we could afford one of their suites.  Any advice?  They seem to have a good sale going on now, for example with champagne, wine, and more, but I have no idea what "more" encompasses and can't find anything on their website.  Any thoughts you could convey would be greatly appreciated!

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Sigh…

 

Not sure why people don’t do luxury cruises vs the nickel and dime of mass market cruises.

 

The economics of the luxury cruises is better.  And is the service all around…

I can tell you why I don't - the motion.  I am very susceptible to motion sickness and I have always found the smaller ships (which comprises the vast majority, if not all of luxury lines) to have a lot more motion.  The larger ships also have more variety of things to do, although truth be told since I love to relax onboard I would love to sail a luxury line if they were larger.

I have never felt vibrations in that area.  I have, however, noticed more motion, specifically more side to side gentle rocking.  

2 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

Agree Retreat is a decent product on E Class. But a terrible value on X currently and inconsistent service/ ammenities. Am going back to MSC YC next year and will try new Princess Sphere class suites also. It will be interesting how things shake out in the large ship suite world.

It will be interesting.  Right now the ships are filled, but future bookings into next year?  Maybe not as much.  Credit card debt is at an all-time high.  But even more important - the delinquency rate on credit card payments is also going up considerably.  So can people keep continuing with the attitude of live now as tomorrow is not guaranteed?  That's fine if you can afford it.  Apparently many people actually can't but are spending wildly anyway.  Sorry folks, but if you're looking for that debt to be eliminated by the government I think you will have a very long wait.  It has to catch up to them sooner or later.  I'm hoping for sooner!  

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Personally MSNBC and FOX are booth too polarized in their respective views for me to watch.   I will usually settle on BBC or SKY.   Since I travel with a steaming stick and VPN I usually watch my home news using YouTubeTV (recorded at 6AM, 7AM, Noon, 5PM an 10PM.   Choosing the most recent. 

I agree.  Remember when news was actually news and not tainted by the opinion of the newscasters so you could form your own opinion?  Those were the days.  Thank goodness for local news!  

On 4/22/2024 at 1:58 PM, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Suite prices across the board for Sept '24 Alaska have fallen considerably since December. As of today for 9/1/24 Solstice a Sky Suite is priced the same as a Celebrity Suite. 

You piqued my interest so I checked this out.  Unfortunately all the CS are gone.   Aqua Sky was still a good price.  Then I checked airfare and hotels.  Just not willing to pay $700+ for a flight and close to $400 for a decent hotel room.  Oh well.  

This particular Alaska cruise seems to be quite a bit lower than others.  I looked at the itinerary and I think that's why.  IMHO the times in port, with one exception, are not very ideal at all.  Not saying you couldn't enjoy Alaska regardless but since I never eat dinners onshore I don't like to arrive in mid-afternoon, regardless of how late the ship stays.

Whether it is a long walk is relative.  If you are mobility challenged, then yes it is a long walk.  If you're sitting at the pool or in a lounge and remembered that you forgot something in your cabin, the walk seems very long indeed.  Overall I prefer mid-ship cabins for their convenience to everything.  But I definitely love S class ships and would not hesitate to sail in a far aft cabin if it was a desirable one - worth the compromise.

23 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

I can certainly understand the consternation regarding the lack of loungers in balcony cabins, particularly suites. What's more, there seems to be no rhyme nor reason across the fleet as to why. Some got 'em, some don't. When requested, some get 'em, some don't. Another mysterious Celebrity action item gone wrong? We cruise in Balcony/IV cabins. That suits us. If our balcony is furnished with two chairs and a table that is fine with us. We require nothing else, and we do spend lots of time out there. Even in a suite, no loungers would be okay. It is so much easier to enjoy a cruise when one is able to adapt and go with the flow without feeling unappreciated or disrespected. But that's just us.       

It has nothing to do with feeling unappreciated or disrespected.  It has to do with taking away comfort.  Maybe you're different, but if I am wanting to spend several hours on my balcony, reading and relaxing, I need to put my feet up.  I shouldn't have to rely on pulling over that tiny table to rest my legs.  And maybe you are right about the disrespected part.  They are certainly disrespecting my intelligence by claiming it is due to safety reasons.  When I sail in a suite I pay A LOT of money to do so, and one of the reasons is the nice, larger balcony.  These changes make it much less desirable and it's taking away one of the main things I enjoy about cruising.  I've already significantly cut down on the number of cruises I have booked, and may cut it back even more.

This is one reason we always make note of what a higher level cabin would cost us when we book, so we can avoid this kind of craziness.

I so very, very much prefer S and M class over E class.  So much more of a 'traditional' cruise experience.  E class is noisy, crowded, bling over comfort.  Would never, ever sail in an infinite balcony as I spend literally hours on my balcony relaxing, reading, etc..  I have (and may in the future due to lack of choices) sailed in E class, but will only do so if I can be in a suite.  And even then, will spend the majority of the time in the suite areas.

Agree with the answers, with the caveat that there are some excursions that you cannot cancel and get any refunds at all.  They are few and far between but tend to be the more expensive ones.

On a cruise I love to sit out on my balcony for hours relaxing, reading, etc..  I am Zenith so already have premium alcohol package so they actually save money when I am in my cabin and not out drinking!

I am furious with them for removing the footstools.  I am furious with them for replacing nice comfortable reclining chairs with uncomfortable cheap little chairs.  I am furious with them for taking away loungers.  Safety my you-know-what.  I had a stop recently next to the newest Royal floating city.  Guess what - there were footstools on many (all??) of the balconies.  So they're safe on Royal, which has tons more kids on it, but on Celebrity they are unsafe??  Do they think we are too old and feeble to know how to use them?  

This is getting absolutely ridiculous.  Cabin, and especially Suite prices are through the roof and they keep downgrading the experience with unbelievable "reasons"!  Where will it end?  

I agree the answer is maybe. I've had a bottle of liquor confiscated,  and then broken before returning to us. They gave us some cheap  c**p in its place. 

21 hours ago, paulh84 said:

People do give away a huge amount of money in the casino, but as already mentioned, there are many who are tactical in their play. Our friends are not big gamblers but will generally spend $4000-$5000 in the casino knowing that they will get comped cruise(s) out of it. they may win some but ultimately they would spend that same amount on another future cruise anyway. As someone myself who isn’t a casino person, there is a really good YouTube video a lady did that explains what to do and what to play in very simple terms. 

Curious - do they always get comped cruises if they spend that much?  And what type of cabin - inside, balcony, suite?  

I always tip extra at the end for great service. Some people do; others do not - a personal decision.   I do not tip the dining room waiters every day.  I do give the bartenders or cocktail waiters a tip with every drink.  Be advised that in some cases tips are pooled.  For example, if you tip your waiter the tip will be shared with others in the dining room (at least for Blu and Luminae - not sure about the main dining room).  Sommeliers are usually tipped separately.  The tip you give to your room steward will be shared with behind the scenes workers as well.  

After reading this thread all I can say is wow!  It amazes me how much $$ people are willing to spend to gamble on the ship, where the odds generally are horrendous compared to land casinos.  As has been said, there is no "free" cabin of any sort.  You are definitely paying for it.  That said, if I could gamble $10,000 or so and know for sure I would be offered a Sky suite I would go for it as booking one outright definitely costs more than that (assuming the offer is for a couple - not clear on that point)

I've been on a couple.  The advantages are usually some extra events.  Also, you will likely find the best live entertainment on these cruises as they want to impress the higher ups.  Service will also likely be spectacular - a step up from what is already excellence.  We also got a nicer tote bag noting the occasion.  Years ago (not happening anymore) we got a little gift of some sort in our cabin every single night.  

It is EXTREMELY rare these days.  If you are a first timer, there is a slight chance it could happen to you.  Anyone else, forget about it, unless you luck into some kind of special circumstance where they ship needs your particular cabin for some reason.  It happened quite a bit during early sailings after restart for people who were booked in the quarantine section.  Those days are past thank goodness.  Once Move Up started, the upgrade fairy went on hiatus never to return.  Even in the olden days when it happened with some frequency, it generally only happened to people who were brand new to Celebrity, or nearly so.  I've sailed 80+ times since 1992.  It has never happened to me.

15 hours ago, steamboats said:

The helicopter can´t land onboard anyway. The patient is winched up in a stretcher. So with a bit of wind, that might be too dangerous.

 

steamboats

This is likely exactly the issue.  They built these new ships with no helicopter pads - better I guess to have more income producing areas than to prepare for a passenger or crew emergency.  Anyway............I'm guess that's the issue.

I don't know the exact itinerary but I can describe my many experiences on Alaska cruises.  The only really rough seas we've ever had were crossing the bay of Alaska - I don't think you do that on this cruise?  The Inside Passage has always been very calm.  Occasionally the seas might be a bit worse than calm heading up/down from Seattle, although honestly we have yet to find that to be the case.  

On 5/2/2024 at 7:43 PM, mom says said:

You can check the FAQs, but basically you can bring on as much non alcoholic beverages that you can hand carry ON EMBARKATION  DAY. Feel free to include bottled water if you wish; but the tap water on board is perfectly drinkable, and you can get a glass of ice water at any bar or dining room, or from he dispensers in the buffet. You might want to bring a reusable  water bottle  instead of disposable bottles.

Not sure why you had to shout it, but you are not limited to embarkation day for soft drinks.  You can bring them on at any time while in port.  I have not cruised extensively outside of US ports or Caribbean, so perhaps a particular port may have a different restriction, but generally speaking you can bring on soft drinks or water any time

Lately, there are many more kids on Celebrity, period, as they are trying to attract a younger crowd.  Will definitely be more on shorter cruises.  

On 5/1/2024 at 10:35 AM, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Well said!! 

 

I don't have kids, but I've never understood the "no balcony because of my kids". First, as has been said, there is always a lock up high (or at least on every ship with balcony cabins I've been on. Second, the door can be tough for even adults to open. And third - and most important - WATCH YOUR KIDS! And teach them to listen when you say no!

I do have kids - three of them, now grown into fine young men.  I was always a very careful, watchful parent.  Actually probably over-diligent.  But sometimes stuff happens.  If you had kids you would know this.  Off the top of my head I can think of three instances where despite "watching kids" if not for a very quick interruption very bad accidents could have happened. So scary I remember them to this day and they were NOT due to negligence or lack of being a caring parent.  Parents are human and even with extreme care and careful attention all it takes is literally a split second for things to change.  No one, no matter how careful, no matter how caring or diligent, can ever 100% 24/7 every single second of the day ensure no accidents happen.  Please don't preach to parents until you have been one.

11 hours ago, the penguins said:

Be honest. The survey differentiates between “service” and “quality”. If you mark the staff are good marking the qyss as quality poor has no affect on the staff.

If the quality is poor or excellent we tell the Maitre D on the day.

Good staff reports help with promotions (we had an outstanding Assistant Waiter who we spoke to the Manager about. A few days later the Manager came back and told us he had checked the person’s assessments, watched their performance for 2 days and they had now been offered a place on a training course to be a  Waiter - The Assistant Waiter was on tears when she found out. 

Actually, from what I have been told numerous times, including by staff members I have come to know and sail with many times, you are incorrect.  Marking the food as poor definitely has a negative affect on the staff.  I do agree with you that the best approach is to address the situation promptly with the correct senior staff person.  

And in response to some of the other posts on this thread advocating answering honestly or why answer at all - yes, normally I would agree with that.  But not in this case.  I 100% refuse to allow a great, very hardworking employee to suffer because of situations out of their hands due to the unfortunate way that Celebrity designs their surveys.  I honestly don't think Celebrity really wants to hear anything about improvement.  If they did there would be a question (like there used to be years ago with their written surveys) about how they can improve things.  There is no such question.  The only place to add comments is written such that it is asking for compliments.  I always use that space to specifically name and extol the great employees who served me on my cruise.  That is the one and only reason I bother to do these as those mentions definitely get management's attention.  If I have any issues I address onboard, and if they are not resolved and are serious I follow-up with Corporate.