Dolebludger

This is a factor I hadn’t thought of in the “ship size” debate. But I do know there are some ports where mega ships have never been able to go due to shallow water. French Polynesia comes to mind. As far as I know, nothing over 400 pax has ever been able to offer cruises in some areas there. And some ports now are limiting the number of guests there to dock at the port. There is a new term “over tourism” that has come into play. On our Regent Explorer cruise to Alaska in June 2023 (750 pax) there were no onboard problems at all. But in some of the ports there were three mega ships in port at the same time with us. The ports were over crowded and that diminished the on-shore experience. Sitka looked like NYC! Key West had a pax limit on cruise ships, and still might have one. Venice, Italy is closing its cruise port, as I recall. So this may be a factor in the survivability of mega ships. But, for now, the main issue is the best cruise experience for the money. Celebrity no longer gets my vote.

Well, I just thought somebody a Celebrity might like to know why many former cruisers were thinking about leaving Celebrity and some doing that. But maybe not?

They are an alternative, especially for Retreat cruisers. The Retreat replicates the small ship experience within the Retreat, while still offering the alternative of large ship experiences. Those of us who liked the Retreat (the way it was) but not now (the way it is) may feel that a small ship is the best alternative.

I do not have a problem with the size of Celebrity’s ships. All I have a problem with is the massive fare increases and the reduction of perks and inclusions. In fact, on our X suite cruises in 2018 and 2019, we liked the size of the ships and the varied offerings therein.

We cruised in the Haven once. It was decent, but the rest of the ship was all crowds and lines. And there were people from NCL set up, trying to sell me something, and blocking foot traffic. As I have said, the main ship was like a state fair. NCL is a “budget level line” whereas X is a premium line. And the difference is apparent when a suite guest goes into the main area of the ship.

Hey, whoa! When we cruised in Celebrity suites just a few years ago we loved it. It was really comparable to a small lux ship experience, and then it cost less. Shortly after, we quit cruising for obvious reasons. When it became OK to cruise again, the Retreat was the first thing we checked out — only to find the cost was greater than that on a smaller lux ship. Then in further checking, we found that perks and inclusions were being cut — even at that very high fare. If nothing had changed so dramatically, we’d booked in the Retreat right now. The size of the ship has nothing to do with it. The quality of the experience for the money is all that counts.

Has anybody considered copying this thread and sending it to Celebrity’s president and marketing VP? Heck, I’d do it but I lack the needed computer skills. I know that this has been done with other threads on CC from time to time.

We have cruised in the Haven. It was OK. But the rest of the ship was wall to wall lines and crowds. And everywhere, there was somebody trying to sell me something. The atmosphere in the main ship was like a state fair.

Well, I’ll post one. Regent Explorer, Alaska, June 2023. Really “All included”, fully staffed just like pre-pandemic, mini fridge contents included, custom stocked, and restocked. Great food and service. No crowds or lines even though the ship was at capacity. No need for priority boarding, as this ship holds only 750 guests. All tips really included.Price somewhere between SS and CS generally, but on some Celebrity cruises I’ve researched lately, Regent cost less. Oh, yes, included shore excursions and air. Air can be deleted for fare reduction.

Sounds like the Retreat Lounge is seriously understaffed. In fact, understaffing could be a reason for most on the cuts.

Thank you sir. It looks much better. On “formal optional” nights, the only difference between Silversea and Regent is that Silversea requires a sports coat (no tie as I read it). As that’s not a problem for me, I’ll be monitoring Silversea closely to see if this change is fleet wide. And there seems to be no formal optional night on 7 night cruises, which we usually take.

MamaFej — I think we can all count on expedition cruises having no “formal nights”. And this includes Silversea and all others. As we have been too old to enjoy an expedition cruise for some years, we know nothing about them. I was referring only to the regular ocean cruises of Silversea. On them, a sports coat and tie is permitted, but by custom, it may be “under-dressed” on formal nights.

Well, for prices I’ve seen for SS and CS suites, the mini fridge should be included. For that money, it is included on some lines. Also, in 2018 when we cruised in a CS on the Eclipse, consumption from the mini fridge WAS included in the fare. Also, we could ask the butler to stock it with what we wanted. It’s true, I swear!

Yes, ECCruise: One thing I have liked on Celebrity is the ability to wear jeans anywhere, any time, so long as the jeans are in good condition with no rips or tears. X is the only line I know of that allows this. But as the Retreat no longer (in my opinion) offers value for the price and I won’t be booking X, I bought some slacks that are cut somewhat like jeans, but are not denim, for future cruises. But I find (in my opinion) that Silversea does offer value for the money. But this time, we are taking Regent, which IMHO offers value too. And slacks and a shirt with collar works at the time,

ECCruise: Just curious — have you checked Silversea’s current prices and compared them to current prices in the Retreat? I have, and have found that (generally) you might be able to book Silversea for around the price of a Retreat Sky Suite, and get more inclusions and perks. We’ve had two cruises on Silversea, and it is a class act. The only reasons we didn’t make our recent booking on them (instead of Regent) are the itineraries and the fact that Silversea is VERY formal on its formal nights. But my aversion to formal nights is just personal,— many love them.

Just a question — what perks does a suite on Royal come with? Things like included beverages, priority boarding, mini fridge access, etc. I’m not up to date on Royal, and suspect this is true of others here.

We have enjoyed European river cruises. But they only offer a relatively short time in each destination. If you book on one of the more inclusive lines, choices of excursions are offered (not at additional cost), all onboard beverages, snacks, food, tips, and everything I can think of are included in the fare. They are good at what they are designed to do — provide guests with a “taste” of the areas. Not an immersive experience in any one area. For that experience, no kind of cruise will do.

When people pay as much for a cruise as for a Retreat SS, they often expect some simple things to be included and convenient.

I don’t know, but with AirTags we were able to track our “lost” bag as it flew from Denver to SW Colorado. Like all “computer stuff” it isn’t perfect. But it is better than trying to speak to people who don’t answer the phone anymore. With us, we charge all our travel on AmEx platinum. We have an $1K per bag lost luggage benefit. So it actually might be better if the bag was never found? Even though a bag might be lost by my own fault, I would like to have better contact info than we have now. People make mistakes. But we would still like to get info about the bag. Have you ever tried to get Celebrity customer service on the phone? If you try, you need more patience than I have. Celebrity should be easier to call up, if only to ask how to contact the port about luggage (as if anybody would answer the phone there).

We put an “AirTag” in our bags. Fairly recently United Airlines had a piece of our luggage that didn’t turn up after a rerouting due to a flight cancelation. Couldn’t get info from United. Instead I had to tell them where it was. Then when AirTag showed it was at our local airport, there was nobody at the airport I could speak to via phone to confirm. I drove the 20 miles there, and the AirTag was accurate. AirTags are great, but a bit I’d accessible customer service would be great too. Now, if I forget to pick up a bag, it ultimately is on me. But I would like a phone number to call, and somebody to answer, so I could ask where it is. Same with the one that was wrongfully picked up and returned.

Jimmy had far more than just one hit song, although only made #1 on the charts for many weeks. But others are still getting radio play on pop/rock stations in my area. Yes, before his death. He was involved in restaurants, bars, and even a cruise line. Pretty darn good businessman, as well as a musician.

There are some lines that offer a single supplement less than the full fare for the non-existent second guest. Check with your TA.

All I am saying is if the “Exciting Deals” ad clearly stated it was a price for first-time X cruisers only, X is correct here. If not X is not. But recovery in the US is not as easy as in the UK.

It may just be me, but when I respond to an X email with this language, find a cruise, and do a “test booking” for two, the final price comes up right at twice the stated pp price, with no discount for the second guest. Maybe I’m doing something wrong?

If the ad for “Exciting Deals” stated that the Deal” was for first time cruisers only, X is probably right. Because it was correctly advertised, and was not for the “General Public” and thus not covered by the language of the “Best Price Guarantee”. If the “deal” ad did no so state, it is false advertising and a violation of law. Now getting it enforced is s a big problem. The Justice Dept and state AGs don’t often go after crimes like this. In any civil suit, all cruise lines rely on their T&Cs which usually limit jurisdiction to a certain state and sometimes require binding arbitration. The T&C provisions shouldn’t be binding on a guest if nothing was signed, but who knows? For example, we are booked on another cruise line that has a lowest price guarantee. We saw a lower advertised price clearly advertised as being only for first time cruisers on that line. As we are not first timers on that line, and we’re not upset at all. We forwarded the ad to an adult daughter who would be a first timer there. The difference in this case is the clear wording of the ad. Had it not stated the limitations, I would have been furious..