chisoxfan

Thanks for the invite. We are leaning towards cancelling this cruise but will certainly sign up if we do go.

Everyone has different needs. I would question 'cancel for any reason' because it is so expensive and typically only gives you future cruise credit (when purchased through cruise line). These policies typically also must be paid at time of booking. Insurance (IMHO) should protect from significant financial trauma. If I loose several grand on Caribbean cruise I won't be thrilled but it isn't going to break me... a 75k evacuation would be painful.

Our insurance is typically pretty cheap. Coverage through Chase Sapphire which has trip cancellation to 10k. Nice small print is that you need only to pay for part of the cruise with this card. We used to have Reserve card which also included 100k evacuation. Personally I feel evacuation is critical insurance as the costs can be so unpredictable so we now purchase separate evacuation (typically bundled with secondary medical) . On our upcoming 7night Carib found 150k evac, for 17 bucks from reputable firm. Square Mouth and Insure Your trip good sites. Key is really just buying what you need and using CC coverages which can be liberal and free.

I think they want to ring a bell and ask Jeeves.... where did you put my paisley ascot?😉

The suite gives you a larger cabin, access to Luminae, and Retreat. If they removed one of these I would agree that X broke their 'contract' and I would be the first to complain. On Apex SS last year we only met our cabin attendant a few times but the room was immaculately cleaned twice a day and this is all we required (we were actually happy that this housekeeping was handled so well). Retreat staff at the Lounge were always there to help if needed. To me a primary question is what do you expect the butler to do..... help unpack. Stock your mini fridge, serve dinner course by course. As indicated before the general time demands of dedicated butlers really don't work since some passengers will dominate their time while some butlers wont be that attentive, etc. etc. I am more concerned that the premium drink package has 'declined' on our upcoming cruise but not looking to start a law suit on this either. These changes happened after initial booking..... unfair? As always, we will evaluate cruise options, including suite vs. cabin and make a decision accordingly (one of the few vestiges left of the free market). Right now, for us, X has lost out for various reasons but primarily pricing. At some point we all have to accept that companies (no matter what business) will change their direction and maybe, even as previous loyal customers, don't desire us any longer. Time to move on.

Concur fully with comments above. There are several shaded lounge areas in Retreat pool area that consist of two loveseats a large table and a few chairs and the accepted 'courtesy' seems to be to allow one or two individuals to inhabit this large section(s). We followed this protocol ourselves but if things got 'tighter' I see no problem in sharing these spaces which should alleviate any shortage of shaded space. The few cabanas (near pool) seemed to be dominated by 'chair hogs' who had the area staked out every day but seldom used it. A topic for another post. Finally, attendants were available to move umbrellas to provide shade to loungers by pool. In short the Retreat Pool experience and accompanying service is great... whether it offers a reasonable value is another question with multiple facets. Happy cruising.

Go for it. It is a Sunday morning which helps (Saturdays are a nightmare). I am one of those guys who used to agree with the better to book later flights rather than sooner but frankly have had too much of my life wasted at crummy FLL. Even though I was an SWA Premium flyer when you got to the airport 90 or 120 minutes before flight they won't check your bags which is very inconvenient. Get off the ship ASAP and take a cab or Uber and you will be at the airport by 9AM. (hopefully your plane isn't canceled, you forgot your passport, the airline is on strike, everyone at TSA calls in sick ..... there are no certainties only probabilities). On the other hand maybe your 'safe flight' that leaves at 4pm gets cancelled and you can bemoan that you were at the airport at 9 and the 10:30 flight left on time. On our trip this Sunday we are booked at 10:50. If there was an option an hour later maybe that would be perfect but based on past experience (and maybe Sunday football) we will 'live dangerously' based on past experiences here. Good luck.

KAISATSU Thank you so much for taking time to respond. I have done some research online and while I know my question was perhaps too general I was seeking a more cruise centered, broad overview of what to expect and your comments are most helpful. As stated I was particularly concerned as to non excursion related activities in Norway ports as these (excursions) appear more limited than I had hoped. I understand this cruise is not fjord based based which seemed to be a wonderful option/ choice also.

I'm a bit embarrassed by asking such a general question but would truly appreciate any comments by the educated CC community. We recently booked the June HAL cruise below. Sounded great at the time... we wanted to try Rotterdam and got OK air and nice cabin (aft Balcony). That said as we looked at excursions there were almost none available from HAL ie. HAL had a few for each port and many/most were sold out. Going to Viator also was a bust particularly in Norway. Even the Scotland excursions were limited. We expected to see some beautiful scenery from the ship but are in the dark (yes I know we will be in land of midnight sun) as to what we might do/arrange in port in lieu of having excursions scheduled at each port. Would it be worthwhile possible to walk around in these ports and enjoy some sights/ dining etc, or are we 'missing' the boat without tours. I kind of envision an Alaska style experience where we will see much from the ship but have only been as far north as Bergen. Thank you in advance for comments.

Thanks again for comments.

Great, thanks so much for quick response.

A quick question I could not find a simple answer to after initial search. After decades of cruising I should know but rarely had TA credit which I believe is refundable (unless that has changed). It is not a lot but I also have a great deal (for us) of non refundable X OBC. Does non refundable OBC get used first ie if I have 800 of cruiseline OBC and 100 TA OBC and use 800 on cruise... would the 100 remain and be credited after cruise automatically- would I need to go to guest relations at end of cruise. Many thanks in advance.

Apparently all lines are facing declining service and food. We recently booked a 14 night HAL which checked the boxes for us vs. X. 1) newer ship for HAL (Rotterdam) and ability to get a real balcony(and since they have real balconies it is easier in my experience to find an available aft balcony) 2) they have initiated Club Orange which sounds interesting and adds some value ie. you pay 15x2 a day on 14 day cruise and can book any category at lowest price.. ie. an aft veranda at price of obstructed view. They also have dedicated dining area on new (Pinnacle class) ships and some other benes. I am not expecting Luminae or Blu dining but nice to have a smaller area available especially when it is essentially free 3) looks like HAL has not blown up their drink pricing as well as specialty dining which X has taken to new ridiculous levels 4) a game changer for us is music...B.B Kings and RS Rock venue with live bands. A great place to go in the evening. Our Apex cruise had the worst live music I have experienced- I think they were all using backing tracks pre-recorded and the sound was flat. Can't speak to food which is highly subjective (like music) and can change by ship and venue but haven't missed a meal on a cruise yet. I would concede that overall X is likely better. Do love the hot dogs and burgers at HAL Dive. Lower price of specialty dining will allow more of these splurges. Ironically, the first several posters on our Roll call said they were X cruisers trying HAL So we are excited to try a new ship with HAL and will likely only cruise X if some discount Retreat offers surface. We used to love AQ on S class but not sure how ' current ' these ships are. I know Solstice was updated in 21 but it is now 15 years old (hard to believe). ps. was trying to confirm age of Solstice and saw a passenger/crew ratio chart of all X ships. Wow the ratio is dramatically declining for each new ship like the national debt is growing. JMHO

Appreciate the comments that confirm what I expected but was not certain of. When we checked in Ascent, Retreat) on line we were only offered late hour boardings? When we were on Apex out of Athens last year they sent a message offering to board at 9AM which frankly was too early. Not sure why X would restrict Retreat boarding to certain times but seems in keeping with 'general confusion' theme.🤪

OK will try it. Thanks for the heads up.

I just used Flight Ease for the first time and was reasonably satisfied. I believe our cruise also had a 500 'bonus' which seemed to help pricing. My question is.... once I booked (Premium Economy and Economy Nonstop return) is there any way to look at other options? When I go online it shows my reservations but does not allow me to input different dates, Class of Service, etc. I would be interested in looking at BC and other options as pricing and availability always change. Thanks in advance.

We like Blu (usually have stayed in AQ before IV)....Not sure how much hassle this would be. Did you just show up at Blu or set up reservations in advance? Generally we prefer to eat on a 'whim' and would be good for us if we could just go 'unplanned'. Overall we were pleased with Luminae- especially service.

I know I am piling on but when we looked at Specialty Dining on our upcoming Ascent cruise I was frankly wowed by the general pricing X is seeking for all dining venues. I know X is tied into Daniel Boulud and we have eaten at his Miami prop often. The Chef's Table on this cruise was 169 pp. I was sent the offer below for 5 course dinner WITH wine pairing (additional on X) which IMHO offers much more value than the Ascent onboard offering. My point is that what could have been an attractive/ exciting dining option on Celebrity comes off (to me) as a let's charge as much as we can offer. So we will save our $$$ to enjoy additional dining when we return and are confident that Luminae will provide acceptable fare.

First of all we are talking long term trends. Many posters and customers continue to have booked cruises in place even while they proclaim they are leaving X. I get the 'new' customer argument but raising pricing and lowering standards doesn't seem to be a recipe for attracting new customers. If X changed direction to cater to a new demographic I can understand that but it is not what I see (unless the demo is people who just want to spend more). Much of the 'complaining' on CC has been from suite passengers which X has certainly catered to as they made an effort to design their newer ships around. While I can concur CC is not the entire cruise universe it does offer a reasonable perspective on what passionate cruisers are thinking. I am sure we can all relate to products/ companies that we were fiercely loyal to for years that we eventually abandoned because they 'lost their way'. While some of them may have changed direction and thrived many just crashed. I certainly don't claim to have a full understanding of X marketing plans but from the perspective of a relatively frequent cruiser I don't see genius at work here. JMHO

I am sure they are using an algorithim to maximize profits. Any of us could achieve short term profits if we were put in charge..... raise drink prices, eliminate butlers, cut back on staff, food, etc. Being very stingy with any credits to unhappy passengers. The management will be 'rewarded' and then they can move on to their next position. The real chore is to maximize profits while retaining a loyal and enthusiastic cadre of loyal passengers. Unfortunately, just by sampling CC posts, they seem to be failing miserably at this more difficult task. Maybe a more pressing algorithim for X to consider is what is the cost of lost passenger(s) and the future expense of trying to get them back in the fold. JMHO

Good info.. not so interested in food menu but there is a list of wines (and prices) on app menu which is helpful. On our previous APEX cruise I could never find a wine list or prices anywhere in the Retreat. A Sommelier came around (somewhat aggressively) at dinner hawking wine with no mention of cost.... we had settled into a routine of (multiple) cocktails and martinis served when we were seated (great service but comical as we had to plead with our server that we REALLY didn't want more drinks). Anyway it will be good to know how much extra these 'amazing' wines are. As a sidebar I worked for decades enjoying fine wines and dining on the company nickel. I learned to appreciate good wine but much more so when I was not paying for it. On a cruise I am fine with more pedestrian offerings even though looking at the X pricing it may be difficult to stay within our 'premium' package.

We used move up on a 10 night APEX and it worked out great partially because the itinerary changed completely and we went from port intensive to a 'lets hang at the pool and enjoy the nice weather'. We also have a SS booked for Ascent next month because it was a 'relatively' good deal. Personally I think the move up program diminishes the suite value.. at some point people are going to feel ripped off to pay 1200 plus a night for SS (now without OBC, Grats, or Butler) knowing that many in the now 'filled to capacity' lounge, Luminae, and Pool area are paying half price. Kind of like flying Business class where you cough up full fare where almost nobody pays full tilt. Additionally, for us, the move up isn't an attractive option to take a flyer on since one would be confined to IV on the new ships if you do not win. Looking forward to our Retreat cruise but have the sinking feeling this will be our last on X for a long while, a shame since it was our go to line for years. Have some HAL cruises booked and their Club Orange is an interesting and value added concept. Also agree with comments that MSC Yacht Club is a strong value and very equivalent to Retreat. Our cruise needs haven't changed much but X seemingly has moved away from them. JMHO

Appreciated all the comments. Just wanted to get a feel for current restrictions. We will likely 'play' most of the OBC and will be pleasantly surprised if there will be anything left to cash out.

Merry Christmas! On Ascent upcoming... will probably have to question casino manager as the rules seem unclear. Can't believe they will lock you out? Our goal isn't necessarily to cash out OBC but just to understand process. My wife likes slots and spending OBC in casino is as much fun for us (her) as 200 dollar specialty dinners.

Thanks. I do plan to eat in Orange generally but on 14 night cruise would try the MDR a few times. Happy to hear your comments on Orange- not seeking gourmet Nirvana but a more relaxing experience with decent service.