Keys Kathy

All you have to do is look at their ads. They are not looking for our demographic anymore.

I believe they don't want to keep their past customers. We KNOW what it should be like. Newbies will spend money on the photos and specialty dining etc, etc. They do not get discounts on anything. I think X wants to do away with those that get perks. Hey, that scoop of Gelato going out for free could be going to a paying newbie! Newbies are not going to get discounts on the drink package, WIFI, specialty dining, laundry, etc. Even though the food is bad, the staff is still stellar But they can't make up for the missing educational programs, crafts, speakers, or events. Looking at their advertisements, they are looking for 40-somethings. We have 4 40 somethings in our family, I can say that they are not looking at X. They prefer something with more to do than trivia and have high expectations when it comes to food. Their kids are in their teens and may or may not cruise with them. If they do, even the teens have high expectations when it comes to food. I guess because that is what they were raised with. What can I say? I am a pretty good cook and they and DH are spoiled. X STILL makes the best Cinnamon and Peanut Butter Ice Cream. If you are looking for a move up from Royal, Celebrity is no longer "IT".

It was weird! On the Equinox Jan 6, 2022, there were 860 passengers. We had to share an elevator 6 times in 6 days!!!!! None of that going up to go down on disembarkation day. BUT there were few people to meet and get to know. I prefer on a fuller ship. The staff has always taken care of us, so I don't mind a full ship.

I just finished dinner. Thanks for the graphic.

Save yourself even more time, roast the veggies. Cover a cookie sheet with foil, toss the veggies with olive oil, some seasonings, and a bit of sesame oil and roast at 425 for 10 minutes. No fuss, no clean up, just throw the foil away.

You are overpaying for your Spam! Costco has it for $18. for six cans.

I recognize the Chicken dish from the lunch buffet, the leftovers were served the next day at lunch.

We have found that if you get off early and buy booze, the desk is not set up yet when we come back. We have also just kind of ignored them and kept walking. They never came after us. I have a drink package, it is not like I taking anything away from them, I just don't want to have to hunt it down later.

It was, never did deck 2 again, on any ship.

I guess diesel fuel/oil? We stayed on deck 2 ------ once!

We earned most of our CC points on 4-5 night X cruises. The ONLY time we had a problem was on the Connie one spring when it was spring break. There were over 1000 kids from one college. They were pretty raucous, but security did a good job. Being some of the few "grown-ups" on the cruise, when we walked to a bar for a drink, we were immediately waited on. When some cruisers were making out in the pool, I said something to them about them having a room, the rest of us weren't interested. They smart-mouthed back and some of their traveling companions went after them for being rude to an Adult. They went away. I was getting a nightcap at a Bar and a young lady came to the bar with her sea pass and her ID. I told her she only need her sea pass. She said they were required to show ID because too many people were sharing drink packages. I asked what deck she was on. She said deck 2. I asked if it smelled like oil, pot, beer, or vomit. She just said YES. You are fine on the shorter X cruises, just don't go during spring break. On second thought, with the cost of the drink packages now, I doubt they would be willing or able to pay the price!

Got one too.

I have to say the Gumbo Soup was delish. I ordered the quatro fommagie gnochi, which was so bad, I sent it back. They asked what I wanted instead. I had bites of the steak, the sauce was nice, the steak was tough, so I opted for more Gumbo. Another item I can recommend was baked Alaska. Very nice. Oh, and the peanut butter ice cream! These were positive MDR items.

Feb 3 2025. The price is different today. Now it is $2550 for AI. $81 PP PD, which makes sense.

I know we were dissatisfied to the point that I really am not looking to book especially with the current prices. If I am going to get Carnival Food, I expect to pay Carnival prices. Beyond that, how will we know if and when they fix it? I have no desire to constantly check the Celebrity Boards to see what people are saying. From their website " Where the culinary experience is influenced by global cuisines and designed by our Michelin-starred chef." I didn't know chefs got stars for pot pie, tough steak, 3 small shrimp in a shrimp cocktail or really bad gnocchi. Also from the website "Relaxed Luxurysm" What is the meaning of luxury food? It is proposed that luxury foods are those foods that offer a refinement in texture, taste, fat content or other quality (such as stimulant or inebriant) and offer distinction, because of either their quantity or quality. Heck, they didn't even have mushrooms or cheese quesadillas! So how do you think they will let us know when they have fixed the problem? I can't see them being voted number 1 on anything with the current level of food and service, so we can't count on that. Your thoughts?

I am trying not to lose faith, but I just looked at a Panama Canal on Beyond in a Veranda. Nothing included is $1650., AI is $4049. an add-on of $218. PP Per night! Basically twice the fair. They send me an advertisement for AI, but that is not where they send me price-wise. Do you think there is a chance of a snowball in Florida that they will tell us if they fix the problems? I really don't want to book, even with my FR, if it is not going to be better. I am sad. I really would like to sail again, but DH was so unhappy with the Millie Feb 3-11 that I don't know if I can get him to agree after the last experience.

Was that a 2022 sailing or 2023? It seems the biggest changes started in 2023.

We loved Apex last year! Eden was our favorite, favorite bar, cafe, and specialty restaurant. If I understand correctly, the Edge ships have not been hit as hard as the others with the cutbacks. I am sure Captain Kate would not appreciate things changing so much that instead of hearing positive comments, she would be hearing complaints about the food. She is so readily available, people would feel compelled to tell her.

I guess next it will be 45 days. Then 0 days and they can do away with the onboard booking staff and save that $$$. They can turn the Future Cruise Sales area into a World Bar where none of the drinks are covered by any drink package OR a pay-as-you-go deli with good sandwiches for $12. each. Kinda like Sushi on 5 or the Bistro on the Edge class.

They must be using the old form until they run out. Here is mine.

Gosh, I thought it was just me. We were on the Apex transatlantic last April 30th. No problems then, but 2023 cruises are a problem. Jan 3rd, we couldn't get into select for over an hour and a half so we ate in OV, pathetic! We got off the Millie on Feb 11, 2023. We have an FR, but Hubby was NOT happy. Oceania? MSC Yacht Club? X had nothing stimulating for the mind. There used to be speakers, crafts, towel folding, and food demos. NOTHING for the mind except trivia in the Sky Lounge.

In December, you had 12 months to choose your cruise, starting in Jan 2023 you have 6 months. You don't have the opportunity to review the new sailings that will be announced at the end of the year. They only care about booking the current offerings.

The issue is not suites vs non-suites. It is 2022 experience vs 2023 experience. If you haven't been on X since the beginning of this year, you can't understand the severe changes that have been made. No ice buckets, no q-tips, having to ask for a bar of soap, watered-down shampoo and conditioner, severe cut-backs in the OV at dinner, and drastic changes in the MDR menu and quality. We had great experiences including Dec 17, 2022, not so in 2023.

LOL! We had spam mac & cheese for dinner tonight with a nice green salad! Of course it was 25% less sodium.

Nice to know I am not loosing my mind. We ended up dining in OV 3 times, twice because we couldn't get seated with Select in under an hour and a half. I was depressed after purchasing a FC. The only hope there is that they will change things before my "6 months" is up, but I am not counting on it, nor are the friends we traveled with. We are looking at Yacht Club on MSC. I would rather be in their interior cabin in Yacht Club than a veranda on X. I have to say, the MSC shows are amazing and they treat you like Royalty, not a celebrity, in Yacht Club. I have to erase that before everyone goes there. 🙂 Drop off your bags at a special place, they take you right to the lounge, your luggage is in your room NOW, they give you anything you want. They will GET HOT FRESH PIZZA for you. Please disregard this before THEIR prices to up because of my big mouth!