Islander500

50 minutes ago, hcat said:

Blu staff have other jobs.. lets keep it as is!

Well, it makes a lot more sense for them to serve brunch than shlep drinks or clean tables at the Oceanview madness on sea days.  But who am I to opine? 🙄

12 hours ago, chemmo said:

I think those of us who are regular followers of  CC will focus on the reports of those we know give balanced reviews.

 

I know your reviews will state what the actual situation is on board, the facts (included, not included…) plus then you will give an overview of your ‘whole’ experience…The opinion…

 

We are aware that it isn’t only Celebrity making cuts nor is it just cruise lines. Many UK hotels suddenly are now offering good prices for rooms but are charging extra for breakfast and parking which previously were included in the price…Definitely rattling regulars! Restaurants are reducing the number of items on the menu, early bird offers are becoming increasingly rare….Quite simply it seems the whole hospitality industry post lockdown has rethought its ‘best’ options to reduce cost and maximise income…

 

I do think Celebrity has been misguided in the way it has introduced change…quietly slipped in as if no one would notice…It has come across as both underhanded and petty. I honestly think it would have been better if they had ‘campaigned’ what we see as cuts as part of a bigger package with some clear ‘gains’…

 

I don’t know if it is just me but I do think Celebrity has been misguided and missed some revenue options as it has been too focused on just saving $. For example, having made room service chargeable why not balance that by offer things people may see as worth paying extra for? For example, a brunch menu between 9am and 11am. Then people may at least feel that something better is on offer than there was before even if it does incur a cost…

 

Looking forward to your reviews…

 

 

Agree completely with you.  Was telling my husband something similar yesterday. On a thread a few days  someone suggested a fee Brunch using one of the specialties or BLU venues on sea days.  I’d pay extra  for that.  

18 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I think it's the approach that Celebrity is taking to be quite honest is bone headed. In a prior career I was a Business Analyst and Process Improvement Specialist for the largest bank in the Country. We crunched all kinds of numbers and made recommendations on how to improve things from a cost and efficiency perspective. So from my professional opinion this cookie experiment made absolutely no sense in any way, shape or form. What would have made more sense is to reimagine the whole Gelateria counter in M & S Class ships by shifting the Gelato to the Oceanview Cafe as it is on E-Class ships and coming up with a new food and/or beverage concept which would be at extra cost. . 

It’s hard to imagine that an idea like this one came out of any kind of a team that includes marketing and hospitality trained people, not just bean counters.  But the CEO sets the tone of whether different points of view will be heard, and that dissent and differing opinions will be encouraged and valued. If not valued, they will be shut down and discussed after those folks left the meeting. And yes, diversity of background, training, experience annd point of view is critical. Unless you want to make bone-headed decisions that are quickly reversed & should be an embarrassment to the company. 

5 hours ago, RTShaker said:

Was this with the basic? On my April cruise I could see pictures and post on CC while using my premium minutes, but not with basic.

Same experience here in May.  

20 minutes ago, omeinv said:

I told them I liked the cookies, so they immediately discontinued them 😂

 

 Harris

 Denver, CO

You win the funniest comment today.  My husband had started researching battery powered microwaves to warm our dinners at the MDR.  Whew!  

5 minutes ago, jelayne said:

We always write a thank you note and in our note tell them the additional amount they should see in there pay.

That’s a great suggestion.  Thanx 

How do you let them know you did that, just tell them?  I want to make sure they get it. I have trust issues.  😉

I know I’ve read this before but could not find it when I searched.  Can we use some of our OBC to give extra tips to our steward & waiters, etc. and if so, how? 

Has anyone been allowed to pick seats with TAP (Portugal’s airline) in any class whether Economy, Premium or Business class? 

Just now, CruiserBruce said:

matrix.ita is always a good place to start. 

 

"Reasonable" is a very vague term, and sometimes what you might think is "reasonable" may not be related to reality at all. There have been very high demand for resuming travel, and less capacity than before Covid. So prices are definitely up...sometimes by a lot.

That’s what I used to use before Covid but had forgotten it. Will try it again. And yes, I recognize that “reasonable” has definitely changed much in 3/4 years.
May need to keep doing RV trips instead for a few more years.  My husband would be perfectly happy.  But I’m ready to alternate between driving and flying trips and struggling a bit to find what will work for us. 

Thanks all. I posted separately on my frustration with searching for and pricing flights these days, asking for advice but after reading this thread, I realize I need to approach this challenge with more initial research and information. Appreciate the suggestions offered here. 

I haven’t flown internationally since before Covid and am finding it much more difficult to search and find reasonable fares/routes/flights.  I seem to find mostly flights that have 3 stops, airlines I’ve never heard of or routes that include stops in 3rd continents when trying to book a simple flight from European to US cities. Also, the one way fares that were available on platforms like Choice Air seemed to be non-existent. Or I haven’t found them.  
 
I am asking experienced flyers to share some general advice about successfully locating flights options, to include any search engines which you find helpful if that’s allowable on this platform.  Otherwise, any insight would be so appreciated.  Looking at a TA to Europe and I’m stumped by the challenge of one way flights right now.  Thank you! 

3 hours ago, Traveling Fools said:

 

me offer an illustration.  Carnival has the earned reputation of being the party cruise line.  And on Caribbean cruises they live up to that reputation.  But book an Alaskan cruise on a Carnival ship and the party image dissipates.  

 

DW and I book suites.  So, our response to alternatives to X will be based accordingly.  And while we chose to book suites, we remain reasonable in what we are willing to spend for that experience.  And I mean reasonable relative to our definition of the word.

 

X and NCL have been our go to lines.

 

11 years ago, we were so blown away by the outstanding service we received on a wedding anniversary cruise with NCL, we began to favor them over X.  When they implemented the Haven, NCL really became our first choice.

 

While we have experienced X’s Luminae restaurant and Michael’s Club on non-Retreat class ships, we have not experienced the full Retreat treatment.   It seems to mirror NCL’s Haven and could provide a worthy comparison of like services.

 

6-months before COVID, DW and I booked a Vista Suite on an 11-night cruise aboard Oceania’s Nautica.  We were FAR from awed by the experience and except for itinerary have no desire to book another Oceania cruise.  In all fairness, some (and only some) of the food offerings (mostly desserts) were superior to X and NCL.  Certainly not enough to merit abandoning X or NCL.  The crew was small and friendly. Because of the ship’s size and passenger/crew ratio it was easier to really get to know the crew.  We felt Oceania was disingenuous with their beverage program leading guests to think they were getting more than the actual package.  We found the entertainment to be sophomoric. The accommodations were what we expected.  We were not blown away by the service and by no means considered the cruise to be an uber luxurious, classy experience. 

 

Itinerary and timing are the only reason we would consider booking another Oceania cruise.  And, with exception of family reunion cruises, is the driving force behind who we book with. 

 

This coming November 2023 we have a TA from Lisbon to Ft. Lauderdale booked aboard Azamara Onward.  We booked with Azamara only because it was a package Land Journey/Cruise deal.  Not that we have anything against Azamara, their itineraries just haven’t met our wants.  The footprint of the ships in the Azamara fleet appear to be very similar to Oceania’s; so, it will be interesting to compare the two carriers.

I really appreciate your perspective. Have looked at a couple of interesting Azamar itineraries recently for 2024. Would love to hear back from you after your November 2023 cruise. Enjoy!   

3 hours ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

 

We typically book cruises within the 90 day window where they will release heavily discounted guaranteed cabins if the cruise isn't full. Also, shoulder seasons (think before spring, summer break or after school starts) are typically cheaper. We booked the 3 night Disney Wish leaving September 15th 45 days out and scored a balcony cabin for 3 people for $2700. Still crazy expensive, but downright reasonable for the ship/sailing.

 

Also, we booked with a travel agent once and it was completely useless. She didn't do anything wrong necessarily, and maybe if we had more questions she could have been more use to us. But basically they were an unnecessary middle man. I found it annoying that we couldn't make any changes to our preferences through the app without reaching out to her.

Thanks so much!  Do you know if they post a summary of those last minute discounted fares on-line, and if you have the link, can you share? We are looking to do a short cruise out of South Florida with our 3-year-old grand this fall and can move to book quickly.

Hello all,

Have been reading  some but not really well-informed about Norway Fjords' itineraries. Our plans are to look to see Geirenger, Flam and Alesund based on what I have read on different posts.  Any other suggestions are welcome!

Also please share your recommended cruise line for this cruise and why; we are flexible as to which to choose and ideal length of cruise. Thinking smaller ship would be ideal but willing to consider all suggestions. Finally, have also been reading about zero emission ports and impact on 2025 itineraries. We can't go until 2025 so I'm concerned about that.  Has anyone already done the research and wouldn't mind sharing?  It would be so appreciated. 

16 minutes ago, hubofhockey said:

If loyalty points and tiers were the only things keeping you from doing cruises on more premium lines, then "jump ship" as you call it.  I chose Azamara over Viking for Panama Canal (similar itinerary) only because the price difference was $2,000 over 10 days.  If pricing were more similar, I'd go Viking even with status on Azamara (which you probably get from your X cruises). 

Makes so much sense! I was quite happy with Celebrity offerings after the kids were grown and understood "the system."  Then after Elite+, it was just easier to look at Celebrity offerings first and I usually found something I liked. Now, between significant cutbacks and few fresh itineraries, coupled with steep increased prices, it's definitely time to branch out and just pay more to get more, rather than pay more to get less. After reading the responses in this thread, and asking myself, what am I giving up, I am realizing that the perks from "loyalty" have become somewhat meaningless anyway.  Certainly much less important than what I am currently valuing more. 

4 hours ago, rmalbers said:

I'm going on a VO cruise in 10 days. I did a Viking Exp ship cruise in the Great Lakes a year ago, it was great.  It was more like being on a large yacht than a cruise ship.  Nice public space everywhere and no crowds anywhere. The only downside is cost and less entertainment.   Maybe I should add, my X cruise this winter was after the changes started and at this point it will probably be a while before I do that again. 

Looked at the Great Lakes cruise last night. Which one did you do? Love to hear more.  

2 hours ago, aggiejd2000 said:

I sailed five times between June 2022 to April 2023 on S Class and E Class.  There is a marked different in the MDR food experience between S class and E class, with E class's food being noticeably better.  The MDR food on S class has that sad protein with ice cream scoop of mashed potatoes, match stick carrots, and broccoli or green bean, EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT.  The 4 MDRs on E class has a lot more variety, and better quality.  On S Class you basically have to pay for specialty or go up to Aqua Class for Blu or suites for Luminae.  

That’s interesting & good to know. I wondered what changes, if any, were happening on E-Class menus on often higher priced cruises with the 4 restaurant rotation, which I actually really liked, on my single cruise on Edge.  

Since OP’s question was answered, can someone comment on the cabins which do have an interconnecting door to the adjacent cabin on the shared inside wall. Did you experience any noise or privacy concerns? Ty 

1 hour ago, di T said:

Would agree with your comment on Oceania! We tried them a few months ago and don’t think we will cruise with them again.Entertainment was so old fashioned. Food was good but the price was a good bit more expensive, and that tiny bathroom was the smallest I’ve experienced lol

I’ve read about the tiny bathrooms. Are they the same in all O ships? Haven’t they improved on them in newer ships?  Curious.  

7 minutes ago, Rustyman said:

No, sorry. Look the meals were not horrible they were basic, simple and the same or similar most nights. They were not modern luxury. Possibly my issue is that I have had 14 previous cruises where the MDR fare has been very good or excellent, this was far from that.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I and others do appreciate it in spite of what sounds like pushback from those who weren’t there. I read your description, and then my DH & I checked our upcoming cruise menu. We both see the changes; they’re obvious to experienced Celebrity cruisers.  Nothing to be done for what’s already booked & upcoming after Final Payment but helpful to make future decisions if more interesting menus than what can be ordered at a local diner are part of what one most enjoys about cruising.  

Just now, hcat said:

very pricey upcharges

. better off trying a specialty venue..

Indeed.  

Just looked at menus on our upcoming Sept cruise and was actually laughing.  Not going to be so funny to me when I’m onboard. Meat loaf, grilled chicken, oven roasted Turkey - all served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I serve more creative dinners at home.  And then this, every night. 

Wow!  Thanks to everyone who has so thoughtfully shared their experiences and advice. Have lots to consider and appreciate reading about other great options. I’m excited to try different lines and experience the variety described. I feel somewhat liberated!  🎉

On 8/16/2023 at 8:51 PM, BCHappyGal said:

Have it on my To Do list to phone Celebrity and ask -- but work both today and tomorrow is busy so will be at least Friday before I have a chance

 

I have already done research and have my list of alternative ships / lines which are smoke/vape free

Omg.  Was just thinking to do this.  Please share if you haven’t already.  Not to end of thread yet so if it’s posted, I’ll find it. Ty