ChucktownSteve

For one thing I don't like the drive and traffic between Miami and FLL. I believe the car rental company has cheaper rates in FLL than MIA. The demand is higher in MIA. So for $15pp, I let the transportation company do the driving and drop me off at the rental doorway..

Yeah it's faster to get to the airport than downtown Rome from the port. But in this case I would take the bus too.

On the transfer from Regent hotel to the port, we've left our luggage in the room and it disappeared during breakfast. It magically appeared at our suit. That is regardless if you take the transfer bus or decide to take a taxi/uber instead. On one cruise, the hotel was so close to the port we opted to take an inexpensive taxi and beat the bus crowd to check in.

WOW. That's nice of Seabourn to fulfill a request for bourbon.on a Regent sailing. I didn't think they'd do that. 😀 I would special request Bookers and see if he gets it. Otherwise speak with your cabin attendant/butler once you get on board. If they substitute something he doesn't like, it can be exchanged following the conversation on what is available.

I already know I'll never reach the top tier, it's too far a carrot for me to reach for. I suspect there are more people in that "boat" so their most likely highest status will be Elite+ or Diamond+. However the status match is still appealing at the lower level due to the caliber of benefits. At 15 cruises per year, I feel pretty accurate saying you not the typical cruising customer. 😁

I stopped booking Celebrity in 2022 after reaching Elite+ status. I have been booking Regent and Azamara since. So the SS status match is appealing for me to consider including them in my future cruising. The main reason I haven't booked Celebrity recently is my feeling that for quite some time, they have been RoyalCaribbeanized with death by 1,000 cuts. Is the status match part of that scenario going to be applied to SS going forward? Have any regulars started to detect movement in that direction? It took about six years from Royal Caribbean Group's Celebrity purchase from Chandris before that started slowly but rapidly accelerated in recent years. Since SS, like Regent, sail such small occupancy ships, will this adversely affect the ability to obtain available cabins as more RCL and X passengers (both past and present) vie for the limited availability? Higher demand usually relates to higher fares. While I see this status match benefiting the move up or returning X passenger and the company increasing revenue, how do you feel it will affect the loyal SS who already achieved their status the hard way? As a side note, I've booked four Regent cruises at lower PP/PN rates than similar size Celebrity's Resort suites but Regent had far greater cuisine, amenities and benefits.

Have you visited the Miami port board? They have lots of good info there. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/386-florida-departures/

I have used SAS several times when cruising out of Miami but parking just outside the Port Everglades gate. I've also used them when the cruise ended in Miami and I rented a car from FLL airport. I can't believe they're still just $15pp! That is the cash price though. Credit cards are a little more. The service has always been excellent for us. Good communication prior to the pick up as I'm driving in. We had to make a couple of stops at hotels on the way to the port. However for the convenience of not driving I-95 to POM it's well worth the price to arrive at the ship relaxed. We're using them again this coming December for an Onward Caribbean cruise and plan to use them for our Quest sailing ending in Miami October 2025 to rent a vehicle at FLL.

Since I am Elite+ on Celebrity, that now makes Silversea perhaps more attractive. However that also shows me how that might make the regular Silversea cruisers not as pleased. Since both Silversea and Regent have small ships, the cabin availability will be diminished for regulars. It really only benefits the move up cruiser. If the ships sail with full occupancy, how does that help the regular luxury cruiser being able to grab a booking or at a lower price unless it's when itineraries are first released? Obviously the cruise line will like the results because they can raise rates more quickly as the airlines are doing without more seats/cabins being available.

Doesn’t anyone with no status on Regent get all you mentioned with Concierge suites and above except the $100 OBC? However I do receive the NCL shareholder’s OBC and I’m not yet silver. It pays to book during the two category upgrade promotions. with the Celebrity-Azamara clubs before the spinoff, one cruise co-earned on the other. As soon as you hit Elite+ you were automatically Discoverer+.

Thankx. I can't think of anyone I really want to call while on a cruise though. When I was running two companies, I took cruises so nobody could contact me and I could unwind. 😁 I left good people in charge in my absence.

Sometimes I get up at that time. Other times 4am (rofl) if I'm on my regular time. But I always have. It started when I was working. Ever try to get good coffee at 4am on a cruise ship? Our coffee pot at home always starts brewing at 4am.

So what would the perks boost be on Regent that you wouldn't get as bronze?

That's what makes the status levels irrelevant to us as well. Our sweet spot is 14 to 18 night cruises. However the number of nightly tier levels, regardless of cabin category, are so high that only the true loyalists achieve the higher levels. We like the Concierge and Penthouse levels which are not beneficial to accumulate Society status however they do include some of the perks of higher levels. We've only sailed one NCL cruise in the late 1980's thus any reciprocal status from Regent could not convince us to sail them especially if we were a higher level Society member. I'm wondering if you sail Regent, why would people want to drop down to a mass market cruise line? So is this combination really an incentive?

That was the WWII aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, CV-10, at Patriots Point on Charleston Harbor. She also served in the Vietnam War. It was a fun place to work for 7 years. My office was one deck below the flight deck under the center of the island. Air Conditioned! 😁

Our February 2026 penthouse C cruise fare, excluding air/hotel, increased $5k for both. I booked less about 3 months ago.

It doesn't matter to me where someone is from when I'm sailing, it matters more to me what type of person they are when I meet them. If I don't run into them, I don't care what type of person they are. 😃

Pip Pip. Personally I don't play those. Thus I concur to each their own. Perhaps you should request she have them offer European crossword puzzles if it bothers you so much? Using the word y'all while she spoke enthusiastically was an indication to me of her naturalness without being canned. That word is used predominately in the Southern part of the U.S.

Grandma Cruising, Thank you so very much for supplying the link! CEO Dondra is Amazing. I also liked how she kept using "Y'all."😁 I've said I used to make my living reading people. She comes across to me as enthusiastic, candid and sincere. It's refreshing that she's not the typical CEO but more down to earth. I'm now glad I have three AZ sailings booked so far and can't wait for them to release the eclipse sailing in Iceland August 2026. That's one I definitely want to book. Dondra hit several points for me that I look for in a cruise line. Couple that with the cusine, Azamazing Evenings off ship and White Nights, I feel AZ is back on course. If Azamara does what she says they will, I will be making AZ my go to line of preference. Thankx again Grandma Cruising. You made my evening.

You mean the type that turns skin green?

Do Celebrity shops still sell "Gold by the Inch?"

Didn't Celebrity used to sell "gold" by the inch in their store? 😁 Or maybe they still do.

Is there not a difference between music which is actually a song or just pulsating techno music for the sake of noise? It's not like people are going to dance to it. 😁 Perhaps Celebrity should issue those silent disco headsets for people who want to hear that pulsing "music" around the pool or while they're walking the areas en-route to other noisy places?

Considering all that Azamara has had to go through for the split and subsequent actions/decisions, I suspect the tonic brand is pretty far down on their priority list. Personally, if I were drinking what I consider to be a good Gin, scotch or vodka; the only thing I usually add is a little ice.🥃😁

I'm curious why you believe you should be considered a top member on Azamara since you didn't begin sailing until after the split cut off which was mentioned long before the cut off date? Any Azamara cruise before that would have transferred all the Celebrity sailings status. Wasn't that cut off date also long before Dondra Ritzenthaler was appointed CEO? Please help me understand your bitterness?