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floridacruisers

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    Dog on the Edge!

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

     Does this mean my support pit viper will or will not be allowed on the ship next time? It does a great job of clearing out chair hogs.

    What more could you ask from a support animal...

     

      Phil.............floridacruisers.. 

     

     P.S. When it dies it will make for a nice pair of shoes

    • Haha 1

    HAL vs Celebrity?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

     We just got off HAL's Oosterdam last month and are now 2 star Mariners. However, we are Elite+ on Celebrity so here's my take on the two. I would sail either one without any hesitation. 

     FOOD.. I found HAL's MDR to be a bit better than Celebrity. This might be different on the Edge so I can't comment. The

    buffets were on a par with both being very good. Specialty restaurants vary with both. Murano's on Celebrity is very good as is Tamarind on HAL.

    SERVICE... Great on both with a touch more warmth with HAL probably due to the country of origin of the crew members.

    SHIPS.....Quite different. HAL's are more of the classic style which we like and Celebrity ship are more modern which we also like. We're happy with either.

    SHOWS....Been there, done that and find both about equal. Don't do many shows nowadays. Do like HAL's B.B. King blues club and the new Classic Rock Club. The BIG difference between the two is volume in the different formats. HAL's is reasonable and Celebrity's is ear splitting. That's important to me since something so loud can mess up your ears. It's the main reason we have done more HAL cruises lately.  

    PRICING...That is a big bugaboo I have with Celebrity. It is all over the place. We are currently booked on the Reflection in Aqua Class at $1199.00 each for a 7 night cruise. I have to watch Celebrity's pricing constantly. My last check showed the same cabin for $2299.00!!!

      HAL is more reasonably priced and yes, they too play with pricing but nowhere near the level of Celebrity. I do miss my bennies on HAL that go with Elite+. I am willing to forego some of those for a much more reasonable price. Celebrity's bennies are better than HAL's. 

     

    So what does all this mean??? Try both and see what you can get that YOU feel is the best value for your dollar. You can't go wrong with either one of them IMHO.

     

    Phil..............floridacruisers

         

    • Thanks 1

    Pricing like a Pogo Stick

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

     We're booked on the Reflection for Jan. 03-10, 2020. Talk about a bouncing price structure! We have an Aqua class cabin for $1199 with $400.00 OBC. We normally don't get drink packages since we're Elite+.  Didn't start out that way so I watched every week for the price to drop from the original $1499.00 fare. The price as of today is $2449.00. That's double where we are now. 

    You have to check weekly for such changes. I know there are apps for that, but I like to check first hand... caveat emptor

     

      Phil.......floridacruisers 

     

    EDGE, EDEN, MAGIC CARPET: AN UNBIASED REVIEW

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

     I'm not going to worry about my mortality or irrelevance. All I know is that I have never seen a hearse with a luggage rack! So acruising I (we) go. We are Elite plus on X and just got off a wonderful HAL cruise. The reason for HAL is simple. I want to save my hearing and enjoy all the ship has to offer without having to buy hearing aids when I get off. IMO, the food and service on HAL are at least the equal to X and a bit better in many areas. 

    We really like X, but the volume of their shows and in general is ridiculous. That is sad since we like our X cruises and the bennies we now get as Elite+. I don't go around doing comparisons that blah blah is better because of whatever. Will we ever go on the Edge?? Probably not but never say never. Maybe someone in corporate will realize that people enjoy their hearing and turn it down a bit. Don't hold your breath for that......

     

     Phil........floridacruisers 

    • Like 1

    Laundry question..

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    I have tried to find out how much it costs me for HAL to do our laundry. Tried the web site and only got general info. Since I am a lowly

    two star mariner, I do not get much of anything. Can someone tell me actual laundry costs? Is it based on cabin, number of passengers, length of cruise, briefs vs boxer or what?

     Thanks..

      Phil......floridacruisers

     

    Government Shutdown

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

     When this hits the airlines hard IMO, that will bring about the end to this mess. This country cannot economically go on without the commercial airlines operating. We can survive without cruising (perish the thought!) but not the airlines. The economic impact would be way more devastating than it is now and it would cripple the economy. Again, JMHO......

     Phil...........floridacruisers  

    New TV commercial

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Both my teenage grandsons are not interested in the DCL, CCL, NCL or RCI stuff. They like good food and loved the B.B. King Blues Club. We asked if they wanted to try one of the RCI monsters and both said "NO" even after I told them about all the things you can do on it. They both agreed that it didn't sound like a real cruise to them. Smart kids.....

     Phil...........floridacruisers

    • Like 3

    Edge Review - Exceptional - Hits - Misses - Failures - Edenists

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

     There are two things, well, three that would keep me off the Edge.

     The first is price. IMHO the Edge is a poor value compared to S class ships which we love. Maybe the price will adjust down so who knows. 

     Second is LOUD MUSIC. I don't need to pay good money to go deaf. I hate it. I love a good hard sound, but not practically everywhere on the ship.

     Third is the IV. No way is that a real veranda like you find on the s class ships. 

     

    If Celebrity decides to move things like loud music to the "revolutionized" ships everywhere, well we are gone. We are Elite+ and halfway to Zenith. Hate to loose the bennies, but we will look elsewhere. Surprisingly that includes HAL. We love the B.B. King's blues club and the new Rolling Stone Rock Club. They are anything but old fart. And we can get away from the loud music whenever we want. Would miss a lot about Celebrity, but my ears are more important. Hope Miami comes to its senses, but I am not holding my breath for that.

     Phil............floridacruisers 

    Eden is getting pretty exciting!

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Am I the only one who would much prefer a nice open promenade to watch the sea? I was booked on the Edge for Jan. 13, but decided to cancel. Boy do I feel smart!!! Am now on HAL's  Oosterdam in a suite for less money than an IV. Now I feel even smarter!! We're Elite+ an are willing to give up a few bennies for a real cruise not a trip from too much mind altering whatevers.

     ECCruise.. We remember the "Bar at the Edge of the Earth" fiasco. Looked more like a frat party gone bad.

     Phil...........floridacruisers

    • Like 2

    Edge in Port Everglades

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    For all of those who live in the Houston area, just go to the harbor check out the shape of the bow on the battleship U.S.S. Texas. Look familiar?.. She's a WW1 battleship museum and sister ship to the now defunct U.S.S. New York. I think it's the only surviving WW1 battleship anywhere....not sure.

     Phil.....floridacruisers

    Review of HAL Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise with lots of Photos & Menus

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Hope you can tell me about the music and shows on the Niew Amsterdam. We have been on 24 Celebrity cruises and only 2 HAL cruises. We're going on the Niew Amsterdam in three weeks. I find that Celebrity BLASTS their music to the point that it's almost painful (and possibly ear damaging:mad:) and certainly not enjoyable. That is one of the reasons we are going to try HAL.

    How did you find the volume level on your trip?

    Thanks..

    Phil............floridacruisers

    HAL vs Celebrity

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    As Elite + Celebrity cruisers, we am quite familiar with an enjoy the product. We have been on most major cruise lines and ended up on Celebrity. We have done several HAL cruises and are going on the Niew Amsterdam on Mar. 24, 2018. We haven't been on HAL for several years. Branching out to different lines is a good idea. We try NOT to do the comparison thing and just enjoy the cruise that we are on.

     

    As far as the food thing, we found out it's best to ask your waiter/waitress what they would recommend if you are not sure. They have a good idea of what works and what doesn't. Food is very subjective.

    I'm afraid that more and more cruise lines are getting gimmicky with what they are doing on the ships.

    Celebrity's new Edge might be an example of that as. Certainly the RCI monsters and Carnivor;p;perr Carnival and NCL ships are. No thanks. We want a cruise, not a floating amusement park.

    Go and enjoy each for what it is. I will report back my observations when we get back from the Niew Amsterdam..

    Phil............floridacruisers

    Emotional support animal - peacock

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I think I should be allowed to take my "emotional support" elephant with me. He is gentle, wouldn't hurt a flea and is great transportation for me when I get to a port. There is no need to worry about packing since he has his own trunk with him all the time....;)

     

    Phil...floridacruisers

    Booking a cruise while on board?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Thanks to everyone for your help. The information really cleared things up:confused:. I will try on the ship to book my next cruise provided that I don't get waterboarded:eek:. I generally don't use agencies since I like to control all aspects of my cruise even if I've gotten slightly better deals. Must be the control freak in me:D.

    Again, thanks to all who have responded.

    Phil............floridacruisers

     

    P.S. Going back to HAL after 25 Celebrity cruises. Celebrity is very good, but now they are into the

    latest "bling thing" and horrendously loud music everywhere...... No thanks. I want a cruise please!

    Describe The Very Best Port Tour That You Have Ever Enjoyed?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    We have had many memorable tours (and some not so memorable), but the most amazing tour was in Le Havre:

    We took Overlord Tours with William to Normandy – it was a private tour booked by CC Roll Call people. We saw amazing sights (including the beaches, American and German cemeteries, little villages key to the battles, a wonderful aviation museum) and heard amazing stories told with reverence. William made history come alive that day. The people of Normandy love Americans, per William, because of our actions in WWII and said that school children are required to visit the American Cemetery every year so that they will never forget (there were groups of school children there that day).

    The most memorable place we visited was the American Cemetery. When our guide heard that 2 of our group of 8 had relatives buried in the American Cemetery in Normandy, he called ahead to have them arrange a ceremony for us. It turned out to be one of the most moving things I have ever been involved in. My father’s favorite uncle died there and I had found his burial info online and bought flowers for the grave in a little Normandy village. One of the people at the cemetery (a wonderful and beautiful place) greeted us and the other person in our group with a relative there and took us to the graves by golf cart. He had a little ceremony with sand from Omaha Beach, placed French and American flags at the graves and thanked us for our relatives’ sacrifice. The 4 veterans in our group saluted the graves – it was so beautiful and there were no dry eyes in our group.

    They gave me the flags and a packet of information about my great uncle that I brought back to my dad, who has never visited the cemetery. He was so touched by this ceremony and it helped him get some closure. This tour launched an interest for me in WWII and I have probably read more than 30 books about WWII since that trip and have shared them all with my father, who has greatly enjoyed our shared interest. I still get chills when I think about that day!

     

    I agree 100%. It is a humbling experience and you described it very well. We felt an obligation to honor the memory of those young soldiers who gave their lives to free us from tyranny. It is a must.

    Phil..............floridacruisers

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