tfred

pax will eventually get tired of what cruise line they are on and look elsewhere Same old, same old, they are getting older and want less noise of more personalized service They should allow cross mingling of those three lines to prevent pax from drifting to other non-aligned cruise lines

never going to happen on X- especially BBB. That customer is really a 'world cruise" segment candidate found on Crystal and Cunard X wants an easy repeatability for people flying in. If they cant make it this week, then how about next week?

never too early to start planning ....... I see that they 2025 TAs are up for sale on October 5. We are planning on two cabins in Queen's Grille NY-UK Any thoughts on when to book? I doubt they go on sale but I am wondering how fast they really sell out Thoughts on what month to go or is it just personal preference ? June July or August It would seem that drinks packages are included - is that true on reservations that far ahead? any other ideas or concerns?

you are assuming that X is making money from that "loyal" group. If Zs are staying in suites and buying add ons then the answer is yes. If they're staying in veranda cabins and drinking free booze then no. The returns of Zs to a lounge isn't one of righting a wrong. X knows all the data of Zs and the profitability of that group. I would guess that there is a limited number of Zs on any cruise and wouldn't overwhelm the lounge even if they all showed up so X said let them back in

agreed. looks good to me

taking a look at the DL board on Flyertalk would give a different impression. Where most of the seats in First Class were open (70%) previously, now most seats are sold and only a few available for upgrades. I am a Marriott top tier lifetime and it is very difficult to get any upgrade of note anymore. DL status will be based on actual $ spending with DL - that will cut out quite a few pax Airline and hotel status has to be re-earned every year unlike cruise ships which just accumulates. X knows all the big data associated with Zeniths and trend lines. They also know crowding in lounges is a big problem at airports (DL SkyClub and Amex lounges have a line out the door). That line has the people who earned access by spending incensed because now they cant get in. A few Zeniths shouldn't be a problem with Retreat now. Most R lounges are not that busy and the increase load won't cost anything to X.

Status in the rest of the traveling world (hotels, airlines) has devolved into guest recovery issues when there is a problem. Upgrades for seats or rooms is really a thing of the past. If you are in a suite I don't know what else they could do for you that you already haven't paid for on X I also think that high volume cruisers will naturally look for other experiences outside whatever line they are on. X can only do so much for itineraries and after a while it is repetitive X should do a better job in moving Zeniths to Silversea for new and interesting routes. At least it keeps it in the family instead of wandering to Ponant or Seabourne etc. There is little to offer X Zeniths on Silversea other than OBC since SSea is pretty much all inclusive as well, but it's worth the effort.

almost every large chain hotel has a private /executive lounge that is available to long time, high status level customers. Look at any Marriott in London (or any full service Marriott anywhere ) and they have have executive lounge with all sorts of free goodies - food, booze, tea etc). airlines are different You get whet youpay for with some occasional upgrades in US domestic first class. An international free first class upgrade is almost impossible

"Promised" is a word almost never used in travel hospitality lounges these days. Delta has basically gutted its loyalty program and lounge access over time and certainly in the last week or so, Go look at Flyertalk.com in the DL forum for that blowback. X must be seeing a dip in zenith cruise reservations and think that this will stall its decline. It certainly isnt because it is "right". The total number of zeniths on any given cruise is probably pretty low to allow this without impacting full fare suite customers

I see in your profile that SeaDream is your favorite cruise line. If so, I can imagine you are looking sideways at X food. X food (yes always subjective) is pretty good for most land based resort people who are taking a cruise. SeaDream is 2 or 3 notches above X so it is no surprise that you are unhappy

Cruise Critic is a very, very small subset of cruisers. Many people are signed up, few post. X probably looks at CC occasionally, but isnt basing corporate policy on what is said here.

Edge class has been on the water since 2018. They have had plenty of time to evaluate acceptance. Judging by bookings it is obvious that it isnt a problem.

You will really enjoy the suite and service. Been on a few and it is excellent that said, don’t pay attention to anything past the 3rd page as it will be filled with complaining and grumbling just because you have them a forum to talk on.

Probably scared for safety reasons.

Cruising is an easy decision for many because there are no day to day decisions -especially if you are with a group of family or friends. Fly to Florida and get on the ship. Looking at the florida boards people are turned around try to find a hotel and transport to the port. many people are planning adverse with hotels-airlines and car rentals. I (and I think you too) traveled extensively for business so to me it’s second nature. If planning is in your blood then you can find lower prices.

40% of pax never get off the ship during the cruise in the Caribbean They view it a floating resort. you never hear these complaints at land based resorts with a la carte dining

I think that their planning is long term and it doesn’t include the “ where’s my lobster and prime rib every night crowd “. They will parallel land resort offerings AND land resort prices If you are looking for $500/day pricing you will be disappointed look up any Marriott resort for a weeks stay and see what you come back with. A standard room is $600 day. Add in food and booze and it is 1000.

Part of me wants to say software glitch but … $1200 night is my cutoff for X Sky suites. The $3000 night is ridiculous

New menu looks good to me May not satisfy the prime rib and lobster every night crowd though

I could believe it on pax switching. Cruising used to be a very cost effective vacation - no more. It is on par with a land vacation at a better resort The usual veranda crowd is being put off by the overall price increases and is looking to keep it below a dollar amount budget The cookie thing is just an excuse for that The suite crowd (that is us) has.less of a concern of dollars (although everyone has a budget). My concern is that X is now equal to or more per day than the next level or two up cruise lines - Oceania, SSea, Seabourne. On a daily basis those lines offer solid value for money spent. Discussed ad naseum before, the experience between X and the others is there. Big ship activities, easy to fly to 7 day cruises versus limited round trip from the same city, dinner as the night time activity. We have probably reached our limit on X with the current Retreat numbers when compared against the others We are retired and able to be more flexible. Many people are still working and need a cruise that regularly leaves on Saturday from an easy to get to city (FLL MIA)

there are many potential pax that have never cruised before so they dont really know what prices were last year or prior. To them, these are the prices. X (or anyone else) is not going to issue a press release about higher prices

Oceania Silversea and seaborne have attractive per day prices. Difficulty is not 7 days, sometimes unusual embarkation cities and midweek departures - difficult for many working people Also if you are not familiar with cruise industry it is a secondary name.

61 days on Regent is a very big number. That is not the customer that X is looking for.

that is certainly true at the Retreat/suite level. SSea et al offer a "fuller" experience than X at those numbers. With a little bit of looking you can find something at the same price as X. We booked a Med cruise on SSea (with excursions) for the same price as X suite. Most of the cuts here and there dont bother me. Team Butlers, premium wines that come and go are ok.

Short ribs are good. Best we ever had. I did see turkey in Luminae once and was aghast as that is really a low end protein That isn’t something you would find in a Daniel B menu-it’s just a cost cut. we like the food in Luminae but they probably need 2 more entrees and 1 more starter.