59impala

Hi, newbie here.

We are looking at an Azamara cruise next May and have a Premium Beverage package.

Does this package include upgraded wines? I can't find the answer to this after my searches. 
Thanks for the input.

Thanks to everyone for their recommendations. We have bit the bullet and have just booked Best of Japan for July this year on the Millennium. We hope we love it as much as Miaminice seems to! We loved their recent review.

We have not long returned home from a back to back on the Apex - Mediterranean and Israel / Egypt (and just got out before the region became a war zone 😢.

We were not keen on undertaking those long flights again anytime soon. We tend to make trips to Europe worthwhile by incorporating a land tour and staying away for 5 - 6 weeks. We are not ready to do this at the moment. 
We will look at Scandinavia and or Alaska in the future, all going well. 

The cruise and flights are now booked for Japan. Next is sorting out a hotel near the cruise port and figuring out how to get from Narita Airport to the chosen hotel. It looks a rather daunting place on Google Earth! 
 

Hello.

We are a married couple (64 & 71) from New Zealand and are looking to choose a new destination for our next adventure. We have exclusively sailed the Mediterranean for all of our six previous cruises and feel we have probably seen it all! We love the Mediterranean and we always find it hard to go past for a cruise holiday. In saying that, we think we really should look at other itineraries which we are doing, but we are having a hard time deciding where to go.

Can any of you people let us know if there is somewhere that you really feel is a must see or was a destination that has been a total surprise to you? We have been toying with the idea of a Scandinavian cruise or the Caribbean, or Japan.....We have to choose carefully as we live such a long way down under and the flight times is very long to most places.

Thanks in anticipation. 

 

This is getting to be unbelievable! 

We pay many thousands of dollars for a cruise and then they want to sting you for a measly cookie. 

This is just plain silly. 

6 minutes ago, Shep_Proudfoot said:

“Capitalism Baby!”

 

An obvious simp for a flawed economic system will never be someone whose opinion will be very interesting to most of us here. This isn’t an investment or economics forum, fortunately.

Yes, the whole free market relies on willing buyer, willing seller. 
Looking like Celebrity are running out of "willing buyers" with these cuts and downgrades to the cruise experience. Such a shame as they won't have a business soon. 
 

On 1/15/2023 at 11:04 AM, TLCOhio said:

From the New York Times Travel Section this weekend, they have this headline: “52 Places to Go in 2023" with this sub-headline: "Travel’s rebound has revealed the depth of our drive to explore the world. Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? ”

 

Auckland is one the top locations that this annual NY Times reporting puts in the world spotlight.  Here are some of their highlights: “Auckland is usually considered the entry point for the rest of New Zealand’s natural attractions, but travelers just passing through can miss that it’s also the culinary capital (sorry, Wellington).  Restaurants that have been germinating while the country’s borders were closed are now ready to be sampled by all. Just 10 minutes on foot from the newly renovated downtown, for instance, takes you to Hugo’s Bistro, with unfussy French-inspired food that takes advantage of New Zealand’s fertility: Saffron, wasabi and truffles, among other delicacies, are grown in the country.  The city’s famous multiculturalism also plays a part: Omni, which opened in 2020 and whose head chef worked at Hong Kong’s Yardbird, makes high-end yakitori, and Little French Pastry’s founders, originally from France, serve up mille-feuille rivaling Paris’s best.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/travel/52-places-travel-2023.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 99,626 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

Thanks Terry. As always you are a wealth of information. 
I think I can blame you on getting hooked on Meditteranean cruises on Celebrity. 
It looks like you have moved on from Celebrity cruises? 

16 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

The main issue is this doesn't affect people who stay in suites and are often fully booked; it would seem X wants to cut back products and services for the non-suite peasants like me

Peasants like moi also. 
Dang, and here I was thinking I was a Celebrity!    Looks like they sold me a lemon. 
Still, a dumb move to peeve off the masses. 

30 minutes ago, TopoChico said:

I’m curious. Have you been on the Summit? Or Millennium?  There is not plenty of food elsewhere.  
 

On our second evening, after a long hot day on the beach, we decided to skip the dining room and relax on our balcony with some champagne and watch the sunset. We decided earlier in the day that we’ll go to the buffet that evening. We based this decision on the 7 previous X cruises we’d been on.
Many times on our previous cruises on the Summit, we would bring a lovely dinner from the cafe out to the Sunset Bar, with a wonderful bottle of wine, listening to whatever acoustic musicians they had playing that evening. and dine under a million stars and moonlight.  I have so many beautiful memories of doing this. So do our now-grown sons. This is what we most talked about when we gathered excitedly to plan our last big trip together for awhile.
I literally cannot recall one evening as memorable spent in the dining rooms or pretend restaurants. 

 

We went to Cellar Masters and got two fine bottles of wine.  
 

When we got to the buffet, wine bottles ready, there was nothing open.  It was 80% shut down. There were galumpki’s and some slop in a tray that appeared to be gravy on chicken. There were several Indian options. We do not enjoy Indian food.  There was a salad bar with no lettuce and no proteins to go on top, great for making yourself a side salad of tomatoes. There were no entrées to accompany it. There was plenty of Mortadella (bologna) and slimy wet cheese that had been sitting out, all day.  Some cold pizza. And a Turkey was carved- with no sides. 
 

Four of us walked, around and came back with nothing. There was literally nowhere else to get food - It was 8:00 and we were all in shorts and flip flops. 

Luckily, we had that freakishly huge balcony with a table for four and four loungers, so we ordered room service! We played Monopoly. We listed to music and we drank all that wine. Three hours later, still no food.
We were asleep when it finally came at 11:45. 

As I know I have said before on here, our sailing was a test for this new policy. Many on our sailing were talking about it, and all very confused. 

 

 Unbeknownst to us, that was the day we learned we were not going to be sailing on Celebrity again. It’s not just the closing of the buffet for dinner to some of us. It’s a nice experience we won’t get to enjoy again. 
 

It is unbelievable that Celebrity can be happy about losing customers for the sake of good food. This should be a time of investing in their brand, making it shine, be the brand customers rave about, sail with full ships and make your money that way.

Not cut the heart out of it so everyone talks about how lousy it was. Soon they will be sailing with empty ships and NO income at all.

7 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

I agree with your ideas regarding revamping the OVC. 

 

No, I do not think their current pricing reflects 30 BILLION in debt at 11%.  

 

I don't think Celebrity is going to "save" it's way back to profitability by reducing the cruise experience. Reducing the cruise experience opens them up to a catastrophic failure in my opinion. 
Like most businesses post covid, they need to come up with ways to increase offerings to drive more income. Cruising is a discrecency expense for all of us and in times of high inflation, discretionary expenses are the first to go. For those that can afford to cruise, let it be Celebrity they choose. Celebrity cannot afford to make the cruise experience anything other than awesome for its customers, they want to still be there after others have failed, surely?

Im afraid, the shareholders may have to put their "investment certificates" away in the bottom drawer and forget about them for quite a few years. We all have those types of shares? Especially post covid. There is no quick fix unfortunately.

16 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

For a publicly traded company shareholders are the REAL customers.  Corporations actually owe a fiduciary duty to their shareholders.  They are legally obligated to look out for shareholder. What are shareholder interests? Increasing profitability and share price. 

 

They do not care about most value for their customer's vacation dollar.  They have to find the pain points - to offer the least to make the most!  Capitalism baby! 

 

This may be it for you.  I bet it is not for many others - including the woman who pays $24k for her suite. I promise you they care more about making her happy than you.

 

The fact is she is subsidising your vacation.   All the people so upset about the buffet, yes they can lose your business.  Easily, if they keep the high dollar folks happy. 

 

The vibe of this just reeks of entitlement - which ??? It's like freaking out at Target.  Celebrity is not a super luxury brand or experience - it's nicer.  Like Target is nicer than Walmart.  It's still mass market. It is still a business. 

The shareholders may not care about their customers vacation, but they may care when they have NO customers at all. No customers mean bankruptcy. 

The customer decides where their hard earned dollars are spent and there are many vacation choices out there. It is very hard to win back a loyal customer once they have left. 
Yes, inflation is high and food prices are "up there," but surely Celebrities pricing has reflected these increased costs?

I actually think the OVC should be revamped, maybe with cooked to order proteins to avoid wastage but leave plenty of salads. 
The main thing I learned in business is never piss off your customers. You will suffer. 

it seems even those in Suites are noticing cut backs! Talk about Celebrity biting  the hand that feeds them!

Thank you for your detailed review. I was especially interested in your comments on Palma de Majorca as we have never been and it is a stop on a cruise we have booked next year. It sounds like the best thing to do is just wander around and absorb the colours, sights, and sounds. And the food of course!

Looking at cafe and snack dining on the Apex and I note that the app states "venue closed" for the Eden Cafe on the Apex. Can someone confirm this? I remember looking in the past and I remember seeing a menu. I have looked for various sailings and it says the same thing. 
Is this for real, or a glitch on the app? 

Im hoping Generation X will be back to give us the wrap up of her experiences, especially Solstice Class versus Edge Class. 

We have sailed both and both are fantastic! We have never had a bad Celebrity Cruise, they sure beat the day job......

The experience will be FANTASTIC!!

Try this link. I have always enjoyed this members reports and photos. It is an oldie but a goodie but not much has changed. 😀

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

Hi, Im wonerding whether Celebrity are selling reduced capacity cruises right through until September 2022. 
We are considering a cruise on the Apex, Amsterdam to Rome departing September 11 2022. It seems odd that all the infinity verandah cabins are sold. Would this be because they only have sold half the capacity at this stage and will release more as the covid situation becomes clearer??

Does anyone have any clues, or is it just because this is a great itinerary and is nearly sold out??

Thanks in anticipation.

3 hours ago, eroller said:

 

 

That does sound like a good way of describing it.  For me personally I don't think I would mind one bit, but I could see how others would not like it.  I'm often just happy with an ocean view cabin (big window).  I would rather be up on deck than sitting on my balcony.  So for me the window lowering down is pretty awesome.  

By the description of the infinity verandahs, Im sure they will suit us too. We love to look at the ocean, but never actually spend a lot of time on our balconies on the S class ships. We love the idea of the verandah on the Edge making the room larger when the doors are opened up.

We are actually pretty bored with the S class ships. We cant wait for May when we sail the Edge in the Med.

There has been an element of mass hysteria on these posts and reviews regarding the IVs (a "disaster" according to some). Talk about first world "problems"!

Obviously different strokes for different folks.

Thanks so much for the wonderful photos which reinforce our decision to sail on the Edge. It looks stunning!!

We were getting pretty bored with the Solstice class ships, and were going to have a break from cruises until the Edge was launched. We pretty much use a cruise ship as a form of transport in the Meditteranean, therefore our requirements may differ from others who cruise. 

We LOVE the look of the four main dining rooms, the oceanview cafe and the ships very stylish decor. And yes, we LOVE the look of the infinity verandah!! (Go on, shoot us!). We love looking at the sea, but do not like lying around in the hot sun, so making the balcony / verandah part of the cabin is ideal for us. We are always shocked when seeing those old wrinkled bodies lying around the pool in the hot sun (we certainly cant be accused of being chair hogs.) We come from a country with one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world, so keeping out of the sun is a big deal for us. 

We are not sure about the entertainment on the Edge as from what we have seen, it doesn't really appeal to us although it is certainly not a deal breaker. Im sure Celebrity take note of feedback, so this can be changed easily enough.

We cant wait for our cruise in May on the stunning Celebrity Edge.

9 hours ago, villauk said:

Got to give you credit VT, you are trying so hard to sell this ship against all the negatives 😉. Perhaps X ought to put you on the marketing team .

All the negatives??

As I read it, some dont like the IV cabins, some dont like the performers in Eden, the shows are a bit average etc. By looking at the pictures, there looks to be a lot to love. We were getting a bit tired of the same old things on the Solstice class ships, so Edge will be a refreshing change. After our last cruise, we had decided to give cruising a break for a while, but we booked the Edge in the meditteranean in May as it looked to be so different.

Merry Christmas to all. Happy cruising and may your glasses be at least half full!

6 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Trying to justify the cost of upgrading with the current promo.  It would help to know what the cost of a glass of NZ Sauvignon costs onboard as this is my go to!  Doesn't matter which vineyard is came from, haven't tasted one that I didn't like yet...anyone have a list or been onboard recently and can remember?

Thanks so much!!

On our Med cruise a year ago, we had the classic package. I always asked for NZ Sav, sometimes I was charged a dollar or two, other times not. For the dollar or two up charge, the waiters sometimes obviously decided it wasnt worth the hassle. I did carry around a few euros which I tipped with - mainly in the outdoor bar. Everyone was happy. 

I see that Jon Bon Jovi will be performing on a couple of sailings in Europe on the Norwegian Cruise Line 2019.

I wonder who the Celebrity Edge high profile entertainers will be in Europe? Surely not another juggler or magician! The amount we are paying we would expect to be amazed. 

Possibilities? Paul McCartney, Elton John.......

Based on the renderings and on the deck plans - no.

S class ships have a huge opening from top to bottom in the center of the elevator bundle, where the trees are hanging; they are inverted (elevator doors are facing outward, to the sides of the ship), and thus it is convenient for them to have glass walls facing the drop - and designers used this opportunity to the fullest, with all the nice decor of the library, game room etc.). Edge has a traditional setting - if you look on the deck plans, there are only 2-3 decks where you could potentially see anything outside the elevator shaft. The rest of the decks are just the stateroom decks. So in a way the Edge elevators all will be like the S class forward elevators.

Thanks for your detailed considered response. Yes, looks like you are right. Cheers

Thanks to those people who have posted great photos and information regarding the Edge. Getting very excited for May next year! I have not seen any photos or seen any descriptions of the lifts. ( Did I miss anything?) We love the open glass lifts on the Solstice class ships. Will the Edge lifts be glass? Thank you if anyone has information on these.

This is 8 years old.

And??

This thread may be old, but it gets heaps of views. It is a great resource for anyone visiting this area. I, for one, am always on the lookout for TLC Ohios words of wisdom and brilliant photos. Keep it coming!

We have only sailed Celebrity and are sailing on the Edge in The Med in 2019. We are spending 4-5 weeks in Europe and are considering the Baltic area and were looking for a short cruise of this area. MSC has 7 night cruises departing from Copenhagen and goes to St Petersburg on the new ship Merivaglia - the itinereary really appeals but the reviews are very mixed.

Would you try it? Or leave this area for another time and do a 14 night Baltic cruise on a "higher" rated ship?

We were thinking that if we used the cruise as a way to get from A to B and not our usual lovely cruise experience we would not be disappointed.

Appreciate your thoughts, thanks.

I am enquiring for a friend, they are thinking of sailing on The Solstice in New Zealand but are thinking of doing a back to back covering the ports of calls twice, has anyone done this? And are there enough excursions without repeating the itinerary. Many thanks.

Im sure there are more than enough options in each port to go around twice.

Another option is going once, finishing in Auckland and joining a land tour - although this is not for everyone. Or finishing in Auckland then flying to Queenstown and doing day trips to the southern lakes - truly the "jewell in the crown". You could then fly out of Christchurch.