tfred

Whatever you booked at is the final number. The invoice you have is what you pay. They don’t retroactively add adjustments to your bill

having a bar setup in the back is pretty easy to organize. Having a huge menu prep area is another since so many ingredients are needed Blu and Luminae are meant to be a bit more edgy in food menu which is why the menu doesnt look like Cheesecake Factory. The classics part of the menu - beef, chicken or salmon is supposed to be safety valve for selective eaters The menus are what the are and in general I think that they are pretty good in Blu and Luminae. Some people complain when there is no seafood, others when there is too much.

the menu in Blu and Luminae is not as expansive as the MDR by design. To enjoy those venues one would need to be able to eat a wide variety of food- seafood, duck, lamb. Once you cut off those proteins you are left with chicken, veg and pasta in general I dont think the food is disappointing, it is the menu choices that some find limiting/disappointing

the "we like everything about Blu except the food" comments strike me as strange. Who goes to a restaurant where they don't like the food then asks for a menu from a different restaurant ?

People look for Black Friday sales in every purchase these days. Ant retailer has a big plan for it There are people who dont look at cruise sites all the time or book 7 cruises ahead. People looking for a cruise vacation may look a few times (to get an idea of price) and then wait for what they perceive to be a big discount. Any business's BF sale (true or not ) is now thought to be the BIG sale and the best pricing of the year

there are no land resorts out there with multiple restaurants on site that would allow that would allow you to order food from the "French restaurant" and have it served at the "Mexican restaurant" Yet this seems to be allowed and expected (by the pax) to be the norm. The food at the restaurant is the food on the menu. Many restaurants on land dont let you substitute baked potatoes for French fries let alone order from a different restaurant I think that many pax dont really know what the menu differences are and just expect MDR, Blu and Luminae are just variations on the same theme with better service Having eaten in all three, I have seen people have a real problem struggling with the menu at Blu and Luminae. The classics are there for the "selective" eaters. Sending the waiter off to another kitchen just diminishes the service for everyone else I dont think potential pax look at the menus before selecting room types. It really just "let's get a suite this time" thinking. Can't disagree with it but the food menu isnt really thought of when selecting. I can't blame anyone for being surprised since people eat what they like, most are not that adventuresome ( I have been on Crystal watching people eating well done filet mignon and mashed potatoes every night) and X doesn't prominently show the actual menus on the website.

I looked and the pricing for a 7 night Carribbean is just about the same on both ships fro a veranda AI. There is no "new ship" uncharge but X has a lot of cabins to fill

The interesting ports are served by the 1000 pax and under ships. Seabourne Crystal Oceania to name a few. Any mass market cruise line such as X or NCL is less itinerary based than small ships. Many people are very happy seeing Cozumel more than once.

NY Mets fans would disagree with you ......

certainly can see where the money is going - suites. I would hope that Luminae and Retreat deck are bigger than now. Judging by this, the suite bookings must be going well. They wouldn't be adding more hoping that it improves.

that is the meat of the cruise market these days. All the profit is there especially with ALL the people who have never cruised anywhere. Big ships=Big ports Other lines with smaller ships can do the more interesting itineraries.

Us also. Close to half price.

During an earnings call RCI said that new cruisers tend to take 3,4,5 day cruises just to see of they like it. CoCoCay is in there for a reason - it allows something familiar for most people (day at the beach) and a cruise. If you never have been on a cruise it is an easy way to see what a cruise is like without committing time and money for a whole week. I think that is why you re seeing short cruises Saturday to Saturday, 7 day cruises are easy to fit into most working people's schedule. Longer cruises are for experienced cruisers.

every restaurant of the world does this. Todays side dish is tomorrows soup

they aren't going to say on a video that the onboard food was "low quality". Variety is the only thing that they can talk about Again - it must be enough of a concern that their food was considered to be going downhill enough that it had to be addressed at a high level.

OBC is probably gone. That was literally just giving money (and profit) away There isnt a vacation resort in the world that does that

I don't think that one can be a "selective eater" and be in a suite- especially on Edge Class. We have eaten in Luminae and always find something that is interesting and good. The menu is the menu and it generally has an edge to it Luminae is not a "bring me what I want or I only eat what I eat" kind of place. While the service is very personal and attentive, if you are there for only the service aspect you will find Luminae to be a low value. I have seen a few people eating Mac and cheese with well done steak night after night and wonder what they chose a suite since Luminae is a big part of that experience.

what is the issue you want to address? Just about anything is handled by an admin and it is better to send it to someone who will address the issue quickly instead of being bounced from dept to dept.

I think they all knew before setting foot on that ship that there was a problem regarding food on social media and cruise reviews. The ship visit (and the just released video) was just a way to publicly say "heard, understood, acknowledged" I dont think that change in itself is a disappointment as hotels and resorts aren't what they were 5, 10 or 15 years ago and they are doing ok. Chocolate fountain and midnight buffet ain't coming back. What they will have to change is offering a few better entree selections and a notch or two up of what is chosen. Tilapia is not a fish to be served in.a restaurant . People buy it and eat it at home but that doesnt mean it is ok to serve on board - especially at the new X prices. In general I think that actual preparation is good, but when combined with lower end cuts of meat it makes the dish look unappealing

you don't know that yet. Wait until the menus come out

the video is well done and seems sincere attempt at damage control. For it to get to this point (producing a video) X knows that there was a problem that needed to be addressed Classics are coming back, more variety on the menu and chocolate desert every night. The said by Thanksgiving so that is pretty soon. Not stated is the "where's my prime rib steak and Maine lobster tail" every night crowd. I am afraid that they are SOL. If they are looking for that they should go to Fine Cut

Your last line probably shows why X added CoCo Cay.

The meat of the US market is the 7 day Carribbean route. There is no shortage of people who go to the same Florida resort every year because there are no surprises, they like what they like and it is easy to get to. People who are used to land resorts (e.g. JW Marriotts) are the likely targets of X et al looking to replicate that experience on a ship. Other than the Caribbean (especially at a X suite level) I can't imagine taking an X ship. Those trips are mostly port intensive which puts big boats at a disadvantage. Long bus rides to see anything means less time at the site. In general, all you get above Sky Suites is a bigger room. Butler service may be marginally better but you are still eating in Luminae - nice but it is the only restaurant except at the top levels where you can choose specialty. To me the dollars just dont work at the value offering above Sky no matter the route

We booked a 12 night Med on SSea (includes excursions) for a lower price than X in 2024. Small ship with small ports made it a no-brainer. We like Luminae but we liked the choice on SSea as it is much broader why do people book on X? Easy to get to Florida gateways (not St Martin or Barbados). One week segment that fit into their vacation schedule. Luxury lines have the word "formal" in their brochure. X is somewhat known as a name. Almost 40% of pax dont get off the ship in the Caribbean so the big boat concept of activities is a plus for many

They would if it is presented as a resort that moves. Looking at X advertising, that is what they are doing.