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ChucktownSteve

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Everything posted by ChucktownSteve

  1. I do a hybrid of the question. I have an RSS agent that I obtain initial information then book with him. He gets some credit for my booking. Within the allotted time, I transfer the reservation to my regular TA where I receive a percentage cash rebate following the cruise and he does all the follow up needs post transfer. The RSS agent is ok with that arrangement since my first booking because he obtains a benefit and my TA gets the commission.
  2. Next May's Onward Aegean and Adriatic Gems cruise, a leg of the World Tour, was recently added as onboard the ship in Dubrovnik.
  3. All that sentence you quoted from me asks what is more important to them, the on shore or on ship experience? Bigger ships and cruise lines can afford the better websites but don't necessarily deliver the same/better on board experience. The intent was not telling them to leave AZ.Whether they continue with AZ is irrelevant to anyone but the OP.
  4. Not really. It doesn't matter to me whether people sail with AZ or not. I like them, I'm not in fandom with them. However, If someone is so unhappy that they have to use adjectives that some use; I say be happy. I am much closer to my "sell by date" than I've ever been. I suppose that gave me a different perspective about what I allow to upset me. I've also sailed enough different cruise lines, as most of y'all have, to realize, every one of them has let people down for a wide variety of reasons. Just read their boards. It took forever for my AZ status points to finally show up. I doubt my AZ past cruises, while under RCG, will every show. Sometimes my future bookings disappear; then magically reappear. I can live with all that in my perspective as long as what the OP pointed out, "Of course, all is wonderful once you get onboard, no argument here"
  5. I use the Ben Franklin method. When the cons outweigh the pros, I move on. I did that with Celebrity. When Azamara does that to me, I'll move on. I just don't weight shore side as much because I use a TA that handles problems for me.
  6. If you think the vendor booking web site is pathetic, can you imagine the huge cost and atrociousness that an Azamara developed booking site would be? Be careful what you wish for. Perhaps you could find a bigger cruise line that has a great booking site but doesn't compare to the Azamara onboard experience. Would that work for you? For me, I can put up with the pre-cruise hassle for the on board experience...which is why I sail.
  7. On our cruises, the spending is charged to each of our individual accounts depending upon which cabin card is used for the purchase. Because I guarantee my DW's payment, my credit card clears both accounts. However I'm sure if we put her credit card on her account and my card on mine, they would be charged independently. How were the reservations charged? Individually? If so, I suspect you will be setting up two accounts onboard with each using your own credit cards for the guarantee payment.
  8. For your edification, backing up my statement: I just now looked at suite sizes between Celebrity Apex with 2,910 pax, Regent Splendor with 746 pax and Regent Mariner with 700 pax. Azamara ships run just under 700 pax which is the size range I now enjoy. The Apex Celebrity Suite is sq: 394-498 interior / 51-102 terrace while the Aqua Sky Suite is Sq ft: 254-319 interior / 57-79 veranda. . The Splendor Concierge Suite is 332 sf / 83-132 sf balcony while the Mariner Penthouse Suite is 376 sf / 73 sf balcony. Pricing when I purchased in 2021: Regent was less pp/pn than Celebrity for both the above suites using just sf; not what was also included. I haven't checked Celebrity pricing since because Azamara and Regent tick more boxes for me than XX. Their "Death by a Thousand Cuts" chased me off.
  9. I was referring to Regent vs. Celebrity. You must have missed the following line, " That didn't take into account the included excursions, specialty restaurants, premium liquor in suite, pre cruise hotel room, transfers, gratuities and more for Regent. " Az I sail for different reasons and calculate things such as Itinerary, service quality, food, more intimate ships, later port times and other things. They are probably irrelevant to your calculations if only looking for cheapest or good enough. BTW different AZ categories come with different level perks. I used to look at it that way before. However after reaching my stage in life, although difficult to do, I changed my paradigm realization after asking myself what was I saving it for. Now I enjoy sailing more. However I still look for value based upon my criteria. Everyone is entitled to their own criteria so I hope you continue enjoying Celebrity. Besides, you and others not cruising Az will help keep our prices lower because small ships sell out more quickly.
  10. I compared square footage at the time; not category name. That's how I define similar sized suite. The name was irrelevant to me.
  11. I booked three Regent cruises coming out of the pandemic where I compared a similar sized suite. Regent was less expensive on all of them per person/per night than Celebrity. That didn't take into account the included excursions, specialty restaurants, premium liquor in suite, pre cruise hotel room, transfers, gratuities and more for Regent. Regent did have a two suite upgrade promo at the time. They also hadn't exaggerated prices to eat up the excessive FCC Celebrity had to issue due to cancelled cruises. At the same time Celebrity was cutting corners on a wide variety of things. Cheaper isn't always the best value when you calculate the total costs for what's included vs what you have to pay extra for.
  12. Don't worry too much about not getting the free excursions you want. Because they're free, many people don't respect the procedure and just do a no show. So go to the excursion gathering place early and put your name on the wait list for the one you want. Usually they clear a lot if not all those waiting.
  13. My TA gives me the the choice: OBC, reduce the fare or check rebate after the cruise for about 9-10% of the base cruise price. Doesn't include taxes/fees. I always take the cash rebate and use my credit card which gives me 3% cash back on travel. Otherwise I would be giving back the credit card cash back on the reduced fare.
  14. Did you have to pay extra for the steak strippers or just tip them?
  15. I didn't like cold soup even in the 90's!
  16. When I was selling B2B, I was also polite and friendly to receptionists and secretaries. Many times they were promoted to decision making capabilities. The same is true on cruise ships. How many times have you seen this occur? What goes around comes around.
  17. Buffet? Not even close. 😃 They have a page of daily entrees. However you also have the flexibility of ordering anything you feel like eating, cooked to order and at temperature, such as surf and turf.
  18. Kevin, This is Regent's everyday main dining room menu when we cruised them. I had a mixed plate of Lobster tail, Filet and scallops multiple evenings.
  19. Our May 2025 cruise still doesn't have an Azamazing evening listed. Our December 2024 is on the ship.
  20. You're exactly correct. I was booked on the Mercury to sail out of Charleston which they cancelled due to the sale. I had to move two weeks earlier out of Baltimore to be on her last sailing under X. That was February 2011 Anyone remember this sign on her?
  21. I'm sorry to hear about your tangle with covid. I wish you a full and speedy recovery. I appreciate your well thought out response. Your analysis about the various cruise lines appears to mirror what I've seen from many on the boards and some of my experiences with a few of the lines you mentioned.. A lot has changed in the past several years. I'm not expecting it but am hoping our next three Azamara cruises still check the boxes. I have however dropped from five annual cruises to only two. When there is not as much enjoyment as there used to be, perhaps spacing them out helps rekindle the desire. Hopefully our upcoming bookings will make me want to go more often again.
  22. Sometimes not everyone is as happy as you with their TA. Sometimes customers can be taken for granted which can happen after using the same TA for a long time. I want to see what benefits they're offering. I'm sure people can have other reasons. However anyone who is happy having their reservation automatically transferred can do so.
  23. You're also not required to have your TA of record receive the reservation. Make sure you mention you don't want it automatically being transferred to them. Then you can play a couple of TA's off each other if you wish to negotiate better benefits from the TA. You can use the appropriate form within the deadline period to transfer to the TA of choice.
  24. The only time you might be able to get a lay down seat domestically, is if the aircraft continues across the pond after the stopover.
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