tfred

This is the problem to me. X didn’t bring in any new wine, they just repriced existing wines ( and I assume spirits) to put them over $17 so they could literally make an extra buck or two. if Macallan is on that up charge list I’ll pay it but I’m not coming back. Upwards of $10k in a sky suite and I’m paying $2.40 to drink was included last year ? Nope

all of this is true for us. We live in Florida in the winter and find it easy to drive to Fort Lauderdale (30 minutes) for a yearly January cruise. We liked X for a few years and now retired can are not restricted by schedule of ships. We sailed on 2 Crystal River (now gone) a few years ago and loved the no credit card aspect of the ships The Retreat offered that environment to us and also the big ship activities. On river ships we were tired with port intensive itin, so we just wanted dinner and some piano music with great food and wine/spirits. In the Caribbean we really don't do more than wander through town and then back on board. On those we enjoy the big ship activities when we want to go to shows, bigger casino and bars because we have the energy I dont mind paying close to SSea, Seabourne or Crystal but the X product (especially of recent) is not the equal of them given a few changes. I can do live without the butler, however the booze requires more money out of my pocket . I know its only 2 dollars but it is ridiculous to not include that for suites

us as well never seeing a price list . other than the occasional champagne in The Retreat, it was always spirits of some sort - scotch mostly with better rums, brandy (calvados) et al. If it was on the shelf it was free. I would hate to see a price list come out for that after dropping $10k

I came from the camera business and obviously it has been gutted by phone cameras The new iPhone results are superb for the everyday vacationer and better than most older cameras still in use. New cameras are expensive (generally over $1K) and somewhat bulky to carry - even the Fuji 100V which is fixed lens. Low light is what gets the phone cameras to look funky. I find that I have to bring a phone batter recharging pack with me since using an iPhone for photos, map directions and texts causes it to run down quickly I usually make a Shutterfly album of our cruise and find that even the largest prints (double bleed) look very good. I don't make wall sized prints (ran out of walls) but you can actually get some better, bigger prints with a phone.

I would love to see if they are charging as well. The beauty of the previous premium package was that if they were pouring by the glass then it was included. Now there is an issue with that and I hate to ask every time. my next wonder is the spirit listings and if they have been “elevated” or will soon be. At $10k for a suite I don’t want to be drinking Dewars white label

This is correct. I sent an e mail off to X saying this exact wording. probably just a another email for their spam folder but it ain't right

This is a problem for me in a suite. The wine list isn't that all interesting to me, even the premium list. When we were on Apex last summer in the Baltic there were some interesting Italian and French offerings in Luminae. I don't see that now. Commensta here are more "That one is pretty good" - hardly a ringing endorsement I dont' think that anything in the back should be poured but after dropping $10k on a suite I think that the selection of available wines should be inclusive of the Elevated list.

the bottle to glass markup cost is fairly standard in the restaurant business

I think that going back to the Classic Menu means plain chicken, beef or salmon listed on the menu Also means the suggestion that the kids menu is available for super selective eaters It doesnt mean the demise of interesting starters or main courses. Overall the price of a suite is going up and they aren't including anything that the average land based resort guest would be looking for . Why would X give away money to new cruisers when they aren't even expecting it. Grats and OBC are very rare in a land based resort. If anything land resorts have "resort fees" that can be roughly the same price at grass on X.

Looking at a 2019 X brochure, the term X uses is "Personal Butler available 24/7". Without wordsmithing it that would mean (to me) that a butler will be available to take care of you personally they don't say dedicated, sole use, etc. What the service may have assumed to be is "my personal butler" but that isn't indicated in their language. That said, X should do a better job with the team concept if that is their method. My thought that room centric requests should handled by the butler team. Any other requests (specialty dining, excursions etc) are handled by the Retreat concierge.

True - along with every buffet in the world that does this

It was a nice tradition but difficult for arriving pax with hand luggage of some sort to carry One sip and then they are looking to ditch it somewhere Now you have a ship littered with 2/3 full glasses of cheap champagne that pax are compiling about how the dirty the ship looks

you should look at Luminae menu before you book Retreat. It is somewhat adventuresome You can choose the everyday classics, but the other selections are made with a twist. Some people complain "Nothing to eat!" but they are selective eaters

the market for printed anything is really the computer illiterate who can't operate an iPhone or most electronic devices. The target market of ethos his generally "older". who never really grew up with an electronic device of any sort

that is pretty much standard pricing for wine at any restaurant. The per glass pricing is generally the same retail cost for the bottle

I like the E class hallway as well. What I do miss though is the feeling of the Ensemble lounge Small and cozy

I have stayed in a few Marriott resorts along the way and the X product is pretty comparable especially when price for a X suite ($10k) is equal to the all in price of a Marriott resort with a regular room there are enough newbies on an X cruise that would overcome the "it was better before" crowd The newbies will not be disappointed compared to a resort land vacation With resorts, the "nickel and dimming" has been there for a long time. Resort fees of $25-50/day which gets you wifi and two beach chairs. Add in parking ($25) you are looking at $500-750/week. X TV ad is directly saying that you can have a moveable resort where you can experience new things everyday. https://www.ispot.tv/ad/5MHM/celebrity-cruises-black-friday-event-why-pick-one. The views in the ad would make you think that you are on a land hotel.

X isn't completely crazy - the overwhelming bulk of the cruise market is the 7-10 day Caribbean sailing out of Florida. That is where they concentrate most of their efforts. It is easy for most people to fly to Florida and get on a ship the next day and then fly home within the confines of most people's 7 day vacation from work. For the most part that doesn't work with the next level up lines - Oceania, Regent et al Leave from St Martin on a Tuesday and arrive somewhere else 10 days later Yes, they do have some R/T Miami but much of it is leave from here and then arrive at a different port That generally isn't convenient to many working people or even retired people We booked a SSea Med cruise next summer for the same price as a X Sky Suite Med cruise. It was an easy choice - small ship, small ports - and for port intensive cruises we are not interested in big nighttime shows. X suite pricing has gone up quite a bit and now puts it on par with many coastal resorts (standard room price for the JW Marriott Marco Island Florida in Feb is $1100/night - sold out in much of January ) If you have the time, and $10k to burn then the next level up lines are very good . If you only have one week including travel time than X is still in the running

Just because the OBC and Grats were eliminated doesnt mean that the actual cruise fare will go down to offset the effective price increase It is essentially a price increase by any other name

It’s not a zero sum game with pricing.

We were in Luminae for dinner and my wife likes "Whiskey Blu" from Blu. The sommelier would have had to run to Blu, have it made and then come back up. Not all bars have all the ingredients

there is always some standardization across the fleet for menus for cost reasons having the same menus over time is part of the process. Half of th pax want the same menu every time, the other half wants a new(er) menu to try new things. Take a look at any food discussion here on CC a you will see "what happened to my favorite food?" X isn't going to eliminate menu items that are popular. It may be popular to some but if it goes bye bye , that's an indicator that it was only popular to 'you"

Retreat bar isn’t the funky request place. Standard martinis and better quality spirits than what you would find elsewhere on the ship. In our few times on Apex the Retreat bar may get crowded before dinner for drinks and late night after a show for brandy etc. in general it was a low key experience the Martini bar could use an extra server or two

The ability to make off menu drinks may change in a day or two. On the first day everyone rushes the bar. One off drinks slow down the bartenders. After that it levels out. also the pictures appear to be at the central Martini Bar serving the entire ship. The Retreat bar would be more accommodating as the Haven would.

in florida at Total Wine most of the premium whisky on the list go for $30-35 for a 750. Macallan goes for $75. The Ablefeldy is the most interesting to me here. Dewars 12 is good but is my everday scotch we were in The Retreat last year and they had different liquors than the martini bar. We will be on Apex Retreat in January - maybe they will have something fun up there