tfred

I would eat those- better than tilapia and turkey as the equivalents

at this stage of the game I want to see actual Luminae menus before the usual "comments" of "this food is crap"starts Th breakfast menu looks fine. There is the "the menu never changes and is always the same" crowd and the "why can't I have the same things I had for the last 5 years". crowd. Menus will evolve in any restaurant or they go stale

Many people didn’t use that animal towel for drying off. The staff has to rewash all those towels using up water and generating grey water waste.

why cheapen the product when there are customers willing to pay for it? X assumes (correctly) that they can get enough suite customers to pay full price for an all inclusive package. They aren't looking for customers who are trying to finesse the system, with carry on wine, free elite drinks They also know the demographics and purchases of pax they want, especially at suite level. If you aren't drinking and using the internet, you probably aren't buying spa, specialty restaurants or buying items on board. That is where all the profit is.

Airline and hotel programs used to have easily obtained flights and rooms- no more. Very high redemption rates and limited availability are the norm now. I have 1.5 million miles that are not easy to use. what those programs are good for is resolution of problems. Missed or delayed flights. Sold out hotels. Loyalty programs there are made for heavy users at high fares generally on business I have yet to figure out why cruise lines still have loyalty programs. Free laundry or preferred reservations at specialty restaurants is good. Free booze (which promotes a la carte trips with no AI) seems to be against the lines interest.

I think X has determined where the more profitable and easier to showcase their perceived value is and isn't. South America has lost out to the increase in expensive expedition ships going down there. 7 day Caribbean is a hot market and they are pushing the ships into that. Many people only have time for a 7 day trip. 1/3 of pax never get off the ship so port selection as a cruise determinator is low. Many vacationers only take one vacation a year, so the idea of catering to the taking a cruise every other month crowd is not a solid strategy for growth. It makes sense that they would use PC as a port if DCL and RCL can fill those ships - especially RCL with that behemoth

I don't disagree with you of channeling X pax (especially suites) to SSea. I asked the same question to a SSea phone rep. They would like to offer something s a 'welcome" gift but no go from management. issues include offering X pax something/anything and having SSea loyalists without that same or similiar offer. That would include OBC or Venetian Points (their program) Not a direct comparison but the Carnival empire doesnt any reciprocity among its lines I am a high level Marriott lifetime member and Ritz Carlton would barely recognize me for extras.

All that would do is poach X suite customers who may not come back

I haven't seen that many "bargains" at AI resorts once all the fees and taxes are included. Prices are comparable to X at the different levels of rooms. If X is doing anything is the reverse of what you have done - going after AI users and convincing them they can get that AI experience with a moving hotel room with a different experience everyday. AI had sone a good job in staking out the "younger" segment. Cruises are looked at as senior heavy, obviously X wants to change that since they have a comparable product

true, but every hospitality business is like that though. Prime example is HAL that has the reputation of being an "senior" cruise line. No one wants that as a business The loyalty program is really bogus You really dont get anything value as you would in hotels or airlines. No upgrades, some free 2 day laundry, not much else I am not so sure that "driving away " is the right phrase as it isnt either or

the 4 you listed are our top as The other overall factor is less crowds when we want not to be rushed or hurried in the big enough crowds on board

I looked at the everyday menu on Apex, which issue is the same basic menu you chose from. Sounds similar to what you had. The mains are not really attractive. Turkey? Really? Looking at the 4 restaurants on Apex, the theme specific choices are much better. They should really include a few daily specials on non Edge class ships to liven things up. No one is expecting "WOW" in the MDR, but there should be some interesting choices. Turkey tetrazzini isnt one of those

the cost per night of X vs Silversea, seaborne, Crystal, Regent is often very close - and sometimes not to X's benefit. We have a 12 night Silversea Med cruise next year and it is basically the same as X suite would be. SS has better, smaller ports and excursions that are good enough for us. Plus all the items you added above. Downside for many people would be length of the cruise (more than the usual 7 days that people normally take), not always convenient embarkation ports (FLL and MIA are easy to fly into) and the "may be too fancy for us" thoughts. we have sailed in X suites a few times and like it but for that kind of money there are obviously other choices. We live in south Florida in winter so driving 20 miles to FLL is attractive. Yeah, we could fly to San Juan or Saint Martin to start a cruise but it is just another layer of movement. Not difficult (I flew 100k miles/year for 20 years) but not looking to do that for a Caribbean vacation.

that does sound grim

what, in particular, did you not like

Every hotel and airline have facilities for upper level or suite guests that are not available for everyone. They are walled off. It’s simple- pay more and you get more. Do you fly business class? Generally that means a curtained off section and internationally a private lounge. Do you not use those when you fly ? also - apartheid generally means racial segregation ( look it up) and that is not the case on board a ship.

Then I would throw Crystal into the mix. I looked at some Miami based cruises on Crystal and they were very close to X suites. Reviews have been very good.

Both very good but they are twice the price of a X cruise. Unless you normally book a suite on X they will be high quality but expensive compared to a veranda.

Is this the Luminae menu?

I wouldn't want to be building ships with my major segment coming from a state with just 20 million people. sod you have percentages of those cities? 4 out of 5 cities is 80%, just would like to see the actual breakdown

DCL is unattractive for us mainly because of large amounts of kids. We are ok with suite pricing - mostly- but as it inches over $1000/day, Silversea et al look more attractive for those dollars We are on a Silversea Med cruise next year. It was actually less expensive (marginally) than X suite and better ports with excursions Most of the X "cutbacks" don't really bother us. Spent over 2500 nights in hotels for business and never had a butler and don't miss it

X will go where the money goes. A 7 day Florida based cruise is an easier decision for people who have never cruised than a TA or South America. Fly to MIA or FLL, cruise, fly home. Takes some planning but "going to Florida" is easy to understand for non-cruise people

Very few people book 7-8 cruises a year so their marketing strategy money isn’t looking at that x wants the land resort people who have never been on a ship, have money to spend on a vacation and will buy specialty dinners, spa services X can do both- keep frequent cruises around with reasonable offers and attract well off “younger “ new customers. Go to any better land based resort and see who is staying there. Your ID say phoenix so go to the Scottsdale Princess and look at that crowd. No one looking for free elite drinks, prime rib and half of the other complaints one sees on this board. That is who X wants and they are going to cater to that crowd because that is where the profit is.

The number is getting up there. It roughly corresponds to what a land based resort (Marriott style) would cost with ala Carte food and booze included on a daily basis. x will always have AI for suites. It is expected at that level. The competition is Silversea Crystal and Seabourne which are AI. X is trying to keep Suite customers from moving to those luxury lines so they have to offer a similar day to day experience wherever they can.

If you live on the I4 corridor then PC is an easy drive. To fly into MCO and then easily get to PC is another question. Many posts here and on FB are pax wondering how to get to Lauderdale port from FLL which is 10 minutes away.