Oh dear, Iona disappointment, Again!

[Presto2]

47 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Well I'll find out in June!  Three nights in Rome, 7 nights on Edge in sunset veranda cabin and two nights in Barcelona at the end.  Certainly think it's going to be something totally different to my previous cruising as will NCL on Norwegian Prima in September. A change is as good as a rest they say.

PS When I said Celebrity was not as amazing as some say I didn't mean the EDGE class ---- some ships vary. Were not overwhelmed by the Constellation, but loved Silhouette .. but EDGE really is something else. Wait until you see the magic carpet and the area where you get on the tenders .......

[Megabear2]

24 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

Where are you staying in Rome?

Which aft cabin do you have?

We had difficulty getting a hotel to guarantee two beds so settled on Relais Fontana Di Trevi Hotel which apparently overlooks the Trevi Fountain.  

 

We are on Deck 10 in cabin number 10273.

[Presto2]

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

We had difficulty getting a hotel to guarantee two beds so settled on Relais Fontana Di Trevi Hotel which apparently overlooks the Trevi Fountain.  

 

We are on Deck 10 in cabin number 10273.

The hotel sounds amazing

We had 11270 --- great location and amazing cabins and balconies

Am guessing this is the one above yours

You will have an amazing time 😉

[zap99]

On 3/9/2022 at 11:50 PM, Britboys said:

Out of my 20-something, I've only had one where I was ready to get off the ship and one where I was pleased to get off....

We have been on a few ships where we were pleased to get off. Down to the car deck and ready for the long drive south.🛳️

[Megabear2]

3 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

The hotel sounds amazing

We had 11270 --- great location and amazing cabins and balconies

Am guessing this is the one above yours

You will have an amazing time 😉

As an aside the actual 7 night cruise with premium drinks and the normal AI (gratuities, WiFi etc) cost us just over £3800.  We also get $300 OBC and could have taken free flights if we had skipped the stay at either end. We compared this with a deluxe cabin on a 7 night Azura fly cruise two days later and that came in at £3400 with £140 OBC but of course no drinks and wifi.  It was a no brainer for the £400.

[terrierjohn]

50 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We have been on a few ships where we were pleased to get off. Down to the car deck and ready for the long drive south.🛳️

I used to enjoy 90 minutes on the Dover ferries, but generally someone else was driving so I could have a few drinks while enjoying the glories of the P&O buffet.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

As an aside the actual 7 night cruise with premium drinks and the normal AI (gratuities, WiFi etc) cost us just over £3800.  We also get $300 OBC and could have taken free flights if we had skipped the stay at either end. We compared this with a deluxe cabin on a 7 night Azura fly cruise two days later and that came in at £3400 with £140 OBC but of course no drinks and wifi.  It was a no brainer for the £400.

Thanks for costing out the various options. 

The Celebrity cruise sounds fantastic.

At least now people won't say that Saga is expensive! 

[Megabear2]

39 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Thanks for costing out the various options. 

The Celebrity cruise sounds fantastic.

At least now people won't say that Saga is expensive! 

The infinite balcony was the decider on going higher price. Looking into it we were not convinced we would like it, if we had it would have been cheaper by a fair amount, more like £3200 at the time we booked.  Whatever option we chose would have been all inclusive though and we have got the premium drinks and speciality dining for 5 nights.  Of course choosing the Edge pushed the price much higher as well.  If we had gone for a  non E class ship we would have the same perks but for around £2800 for the week.

 

I looked to compare my price with Cunard never having sailed with Saga, but as my friend is only 35 we thought the more modern approach but hopefully classy still would work. 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Megabear2

[wowzz]

15 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

The infinite balcony was the decider on going higher price. Looking into it we were not convinced we would like it, if we had it would have been cheaper by a fair amount, more like £3200 at the time we booked.  Whatever option we chose would have been all inclusive though and we have got the premium drinks and speciality dining for 5 nights.  Of course choosing the Edge pushed the price much higher as well.  If we had gone for a  non E class ship we would have the same perks but for around £2800 for the week.

 

I looked to compare my price with Cunard never having sailed with Saga, but as my friend is only 35 we thought the more modern approach but hopefully classy still would work. 

I know it is difficult, but how do you think a club class minisuite on Princess, £6000 for a couple for 14 days,  compares to 7 days on the Edge for the same price  ? In other words,  is the Edge twice as good as Princess? 

We haven't been on Celebrity for nigh on 20 years !

[Megabear2]

I doubt very much its twice as good as anything to be truthful!  What I can say is I've only cruised 4 nights staycation on Regal Princess and to me it was okay, bit like an upmarket P&O. The problem comparing the prices is down to time of booking in my case.  I believe you have been booked for a while on your Princess trip?  We booked two weeks ago and were very restricted on our dates due to personal commitments, and it came down to Azura, Regal Princess/Wonder of the Seas from Barcelona or the Edge.  At normal balcony level there was literally nothing in the the prices with Wonder being slightly more expensive than the other three.  I'm fully aware we are paying an"Edge" premium with Celebrity as if we had opted for Silhouette or Eclipse a week later we would have saved shed loads of money and also could have saved even more if our dates were more flexible.

 

We originally booked the infinite balcony but when the sunset veranda opened up asked if we could upgrade.  I was impressed with the way that was done, no fuss or bother just a simple yes.

 

Incidentally just priced 7 night minisuite on Regal Princess 18/6 departure and the AI option would be £3418 plus flights.

 

Ask me the question at the end of June and I might have a better answer!

Edited March 14, 2022 by Megabear2

[zap99]

12 hours ago, wowzz said:

Thanks for costing out the various options. 

The Celebrity cruise sounds fantastic.

At least now people won't say that Saga is expensive! 

We are on Celebrity Silhouette in July. 7 nights to the Fjords. Deluxe balcony, Drinks, Tips, WiFi and a bit of OBC. £ 1,350 each. Price that up on Saga. Saga are expensive. If that's how folk want to spend their money, fine. But they are expensive.🤔

[zap99]

8 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We are on Celebrity Silhouette in July. 7 nights to the Fjords. Deluxe balcony, Drinks, Tips, WiFi and a bit of OBC. £ 1,350 each. Price that up on Saga. Saga are expensive. If that's how folk want to spend their money, fine. But they are expensive.🤔

In the interests of accuracy I priced up the equivalent Saga Cruise. The only date was 26 May. From £2800 each. That's double. I'm sure they are good and have a loyal clientele who love their product. But the are expensive.

[bobstheboy]

MSC  Virtuosa, deluxe balcony, 3rd September, 7 nights fjords from Southampton, premium drinks and grats. £864 pp.  Iona sailing the same day, similar itinary and cabin £959, no drinks, with drinks, £1235pp.

[zap99]

9 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

MSC  Virtuosa, deluxe balcony, 3rd September, 7 nights fjords from Southampton, premium drinks and grats. £864 pp.  Iona sailing the same day, similar itinary and cabin £959, no drinks, with drinks, £1235pp.

I suppose £2800 on Saga isn't such a bargain after all.🤔

[bobstheboy]

24 minutes ago, zap99 said:

I suppose £2800 on Saga isn't such a bargain after all.🤔

Ridiculous price. I had a Regal Princess cruise cancelled when Covid started. Flights to Singapore, 3 nights hotel, 18 nights cruise to Sydney, balcony, drinks, grats and wifi. 5 nights Sydney hotel, flight back for £2899 pp  No way would I pay that money for a weeks cruise.

[Megabear2]

31 minutes ago, zap99 said:

I suppose £2800 on Saga isn't such a bargain after all.🤔

Makes me feel better about my £1938pp though!  I could have had The Retreat with a suite on the Edge for £3100 each with absolutely everything thrown in. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as I thought.

[Britboys]

45 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

MSC  Virtuosa, deluxe balcony, 3rd September, 7 nights fjords from Southampton, premium drinks and grats. £864 pp.  Iona sailing the same day, similar itinary and cabin £959, no drinks, with drinks, £1235pp.

Yeah......but......MSC......😱😂

[Megabear2]

6 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Ridiculous price. I had a Regal Princess cruise cancelled when Covid started. Flights to Singapore, 3 nights hotel, 18 nights cruise to Sydney, balcony, drinks, grats and wifi. 5 nights Sydney hotel, flight back for £2899 pp  No way would I pay that money for a weeks cruise.

I suppose I'm so used to paying over £3,000 for a week or 10 days as a solo traveller my expectations are to pay high prices.  I budget a certain amount per trip and if someone joins me I'm still within what I was looking to pay.

 

My (now in doubt apparently!) Aurora cruise on 1 April was going to be £1,549 for me in an oceanview. When my aunt asked to come along it went down to a cost of £999 for me and I acquired £110OBC.

 

All in the eye of the beholder I suppose.

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Yeah......but......MSC......😱😂

One of my best cruises ever was on MSC Divina as mentioned above.  The ship was fabulous and knocked every P&O ship except Britannia into a cocked hat at that time.

[zap99]

9 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Ridiculous price. I had a Regal Princess cruise cancelled when Covid started. Flights to Singapore, 3 nights hotel, 18 nights cruise to Sydney, balcony, drinks, grats and wifi. 5 nights Sydney hotel, flight back for £2899 pp  No way would I pay that money for a weeks cruise.

I have listened to the' they are not expensive ' story. In the times on Sunday a 16 night cruise was about £5k each. 

[bobstheboy]

7 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Yeah......but......MSC......😱😂

I'm happy with MSC, so your comment is irrelevant.

[Britboys]

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

One of my best cruises ever was on MSC Divina as mentioned above.  The ship was fabulous and knocked every P&O ship except Britannia into a cocked hat at that time.

I did do it with a laughing face too though 😀. MSC - especially their new large ships are not my cup of tea but I know many folks have great cruises with them.

[Britboys]

2 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

I'm happy with MSC, so your comment is irrelevant.

 

Just now, Britboys said:

I did do it with a laughing face too though 😀. MSC - especially their new large ships are not my cup of tea but I know many folks have great cruises with them.

 

[zap99]

Just now, Britboys said:

I did do it with a laughing face too though 😀. MSC - especially their new large ships are not my cup of tea but I know many folks have great cruises with them.

We have never been on MSC. No particular reason. Maybe next year. 🤔

[wowzz]

The problem with comparing prices is that it is almost impossible to compare like for like, especially as fares fluctuate so much depending on when you book them. 

Yes, the Saga pricec is silly money, but we paid only a little more for a 16 day cruise with them by booking at launch. Saga and P&O tend to be cheaper at launch, whereas Princess seem to be the reverse. I don't know about Celebrity. 

In the end, we all book at a price we are comfortable with, on a cruise line of our choice.