cmalagngl

We  are exactly in the same place with Celebrity although I would say increased pricing and decreased value.  Especially with the lack of consistency with cocktails.  We ventured out to sail on Regent in October 2020.  That was cancelled and we are now scheduled for October 2022 for our first Regent cruise.  Can't wait!!!!!  Thanks so much for sharing your observations.

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far.  Especially thank you for the links to your original blogs/reviews of this voyage.  It is all greatly appreciated.

We are considering the roundtrip itinerary from Miami to the Amazon River and return to Miami in 2023 or 2024.  If you have sailed on this itinerary it would be great if you could share your experiences.

We have worked our way up the ladder over the years.  Started with Carnival when the kids were young, we are way beyond empty nesters now.  Went to Princess, RCCL and Celebrity.  Celebrity has been our go to for the last decade but they have lost a lot of quality especially with cocktails.  Hopefully the stock market comes back and we are in a position to take many Regent cruises if it is a good fit for us.

Thanks for the laugh.  We have our first Regent cruise booked for October. Hopefully we can sail.

18 hours ago, Wolfshair said:

Hi, We were on the Panorama the first 2 weeks of the month. Emma is fantastic and the ship is beautiful. We stayed in Long Beach the night before the cruise and ate dinner at the Queen Mary. We did the same whale watching cruise and saw lots of whales. We did the camel and outback excursion also. Both of those were at Cabo. Loved them both. We also did the Hidden Mexico at Puerta Vallarta and then walked board walks and went to Stone Island at Mazatlan. I'll be interested in your thoughts. It was much cooler on the ship than I expected. You should have warmer weather. Enjoy. 😎

How was the Queen Mary?

Thanks for the info.  Maybe it will change before we sail in April.

Does anyone know what the current Platinum gift is on the Panorama?

Read the restrictions on basic economy on the American Airlines website.  You would be the last to board so the five of you would not be sitting together.  No overhead luggage allowed, whatever you bring on must fit under the seat in front of you.  That is all I can remember.  If cost is of the most importance then it is the most inexpensive way to fly.  The airlines site though is the only place you will get the definitive answer to what "basic economy" means.

We did an itinerary very similar to this one two years ago.  We spent three days in Madrid and two in Barcelona before the cruise.  We loved this whole trip.  Spain is fantastic and Portugal just as great.  I'd go again and maybe will someday.  One of the best vacations we have taken and we have taken a lot.

So slow ten minutes ago it was unusable.  

28 minutes ago, Mynki said:

Interesting. We were served fet mignon and not sirloin. If yours was over cooked did you not report it to the waiter or Maitre D'?

 

im wondering how a dish sent back might affect the show timings? 

Ours was not filet and was stated as top sirloin on the menu.  It was not over cooked in fact all six were cooked as ordered from medium rare to medium.  Two were just tough.  We did not complain as we did not want to delay our meal.  It was edible but not a great cut of meat.

We ate in LPC with two other couples who are good friends on the Equinox on the Oct. 14th cruise.  We enjoyed the experience but agreed it was a one and done especially at the $55 cost which we did not pay.  The menu is not worth the $55 as the main course is a top sirloin steak.  Our six steaks ranged from good to tough.  At $55 it should be a filet.  There are now two menus and two different shows depending on the menu offered that night.  We also liked Quisine and do not see LPC as an improvement.  LPC is a set menu with one alternative for each course.  The variety in Quisine made it a dinner option with multiple options over several visits.

12 hours ago, h20cruzer said:

I will certainly check tomorrow, sometimes they move around so I will check with several bartenders if he is not at that bar. Would you like me to say hello to him from you? If so I need a name.

We got off the Equinox on Oct 25th and I did not see Singh at the bar at the back of the Ocean View Cafe.  Clarence was there every time we got something from that bar.

We did not have service problems at Cafe al Bacio but we did at the Martini bar if you were not seated at the bar.  The bar seating was completely filled by 4:45 every afternoon.

We also found that if you made an effort to get a waiter's attention we had no problems.  On the second day of our cruise at the Martini Bar one of the managers took our order, we were not at the bar itself.  We explained we had waited about twenty minutes.  We arrived at 5 PM.  The next day and for the remainder of the cruise the service there was very good.  Squeaky wheel syndrome!

We found that the only bar on board with consistent drinks was the Martini Bar.  The other bars we frequented were not consistent if you order something other than a basic drink such as gin and tonic.  The mojitos ranged from great to awful depending on which bar tender mixed them.  The good news was we had the package so we just left the poor drinks and found another bar tender.  I found this to be an issue on our last four Celebrity cruises over the past four years.  Not enough for me to not sail Celebrity as they are still our favorite cruise line.  Just something you have to manage.

A year ago we used Backstreet Guides in Tokyo.  We took two tours with them and both were excellent.  There tours are walking intensive so keep that in mind and do your research.  We walked about five miles with each tour over several hours.  We did get a great overall view of Tokyo.  We flew Singapore Business using points that we transferred into their program.  Very nice flights.

We are leaving on Saturday on the Ruby Princess.  Will we be able to watch the World Series games while on board on the MUTS screen or in a bar?

I was fit and it was still very difficult to get in and out of the water taxi. Very rough water.

 

Be aware that you cannot swim at any of the beaches because the rip current is so strong. Many drownings.

We go to Cabo once or twice a year and have also cruised there many times. Medano beach is very safe with virtually no waves as it is protected by the peninsula with the famous rock formation. All the other beaches are as described very dangerous especially on the Pacific Ocean side. Virtually anything is available at Medano beach as far as rentals, food and drinks. Also lots of people selling stuff on the sand.

Enjoy!!

It is a more expensive but Tours by Locals can customize a tour for you, arrange transportation either public or a van, van is much more expensive, and they can meet you at the port. I used a Tours by Locals guide for three days in Naples and Capri and could not have been more pleased with the experience.

This discussion is exactly what I was seeking. The different ideas on how to work with this new policy is helpful. I will be looking at more land options in the future. We all have different needs and financial resources so there is no right or wrong answer on this issue. I'm sure Celebrity will do everything they can to make this work as it is financially in there best interests. Thanks for all the feedback.

I just looked at the 14 Day South America cruise around the Horn for 2019. I've wanted to take this cruise for years and now can as I am retired. With the new deposit policy I would need to spend $300 more to make the deposit refundable. Booking a cruise 15 months in advance makes the need for the refundable deposit pretty important. That means I'd just be giving $300 to Celebrity.

Pretty sure if I book a Celebrity cruise in the future it will be last minute and that is not the norm for us.

I think this is a game changer. It probably means my next cruise in April on Celebrity will be our last for awhile. Hopefully the competition will not follow this type of marketing. There are other options out there.

Anyone else feel the way I do about this new deposit policy?

We did this wonderful cruise the other way around and loved it.

 

For any of you interested in a review loaded with photos...

Here it is:

 

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/South-America-01/south-america-01.html

 

 

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Thank you so much for posting this link to your trip. We are considering this cruise for sometime in the future and your comments and pictures make we want to go even more. Your photos are outstanding. Thanks again.

Fantastic photos, thank you for posting.

Re the mass market lines in general - Can anyone think about cruise lines moving in a positive direction in any area? Is the food ... selection and quality ... actually improving in any MDR? Are the towels and linens getting softer and fluffier? Are the drink packages getting less expensive and more encompassing? Are people getting more considerate around the pool deck (chair hogs)? And on and on.

 

Why there are so many complaints is that the overall passenger experience seems to be in a downward spiral. Cruise lines need to keep their investors happy with "nice" bottom-line figures. Maybe, hopefully, at some point, they will realize that it's the passengers that will ultimately determine the success or failure of a company.[/quote

 

We booked our first balcony on a seven day Western Caribbean cruise in 1987. The original cost was $1899 per person. A lot of money for us back then. The price dropped to $1299 per person before final payment and we got the discount. There were no additional perks.

 

We have a 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise booked for this November at a cost of $1599 with a beverage package and $300 on board credit. This is for a similar level balcony.

 

I think the current pricing compared to 30 years ago is outstanding. I can handle not having chocolates on my pillow for the ability to cruise at today's prices. Prices that have basically not increased in 30 years if you research and do you homework.

Can you buy a package on the second day and avoid the first night requirement?

We sailed on the Mercury in Nov 98. It was so upscale to us at the time. The food was outstanding. Fond memories.