What other lines have you tried when Celebrity started to feel "not nice enough"

[mac_tlc]

Mainly it is Retreat pricing that has us exploring alternatives, although SS changes and a couple of “customer unfriendly” decisions pushed us also. 
 

We have two Oceania TA’s booked on Vista and also an 18 day HAL to Hawaii, since it’s R/T out of San Diego. First time on either line for us after 20 years of X and Royal. 
 

Both Oceania trips, in a Penthouse Suite, are cheaper than an X SS. It will be good to try a new line and a smaller ship. 
 

We haven’t abandoned X, but if their pricing and policies don’t change, we will look other places first. 
 

mac_tlc

Edited October 19, 2023 by mac_tlc

[Gracie115]

We are trying Oceania in December.  Suspect it will be a great fit for us based on all the reading I have done. If not, it may be time to step away from cruise vacations for awhile.

[chemmo]

12 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

We are trying Oceania in December.  Suspect it will be a great fit for us based on all the reading I have done. If not, it may be time to step away from cruise vacations for awhile.

Must confess I have just enjoyed a very nice Mediterranean AI…It is the time of the year we would usually cruise…We dithered looking at a few options but as we wanted a crash out break rather than an intensive port holiday the significantly cheaper price of AI (fraction of the cost) won the day! 
 

I can see us continuing to cruise but perhaps less frequently….

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Which cruise line can I get get a balcony cabin  for $120 USD per couple  per night , with $620 OBC ?

 

[Hobbsey]

11 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I keep hearing so many nice things about MSC Yacht Club.   Still working on Iain but he wants to try Silverseas, Regent or Seabourn first. 

I recommending finding some crew videos/ comments about working conditions on their ships, in case that matters...

[kywildcatfanone]

13 hours ago, lovevacadays said:

Would love to know your comparison. I love Princess

I'm interested as well.  On my second celebrity cruise now, and find little difference in this experience as with Princess.  Almost identical to me in ships, good and service.

[Gracie115]

3 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I'm interested as well.  On my second celebrity cruise now, and find little difference in this experience as with Princess.  Almost identical to me in ships, good and service.

 

I agree, we have cruised Princess several times and enjoyed them all.  With their new "Princess Plus" and "Premium"  the perks are equal to and in some things exceed what Celebrity offers these days.

[D. B.]

15 hours ago, Cruisin4ABruisen said:

Curious if any Celebrity cruises have tried Viking ocean and what their thoughts are...

Viking Does not have Casinos.

Thats a non starter for my Wife who also loves casinos.

[saffy12]

Viking is the line that I keep looking at and want to try.  I don't like feeling like I'm being nickel and dimed, or having to pay to play.   I want to pay my price and have everything included, without needing to pay more to get to the good venues.  I know it's really all just perspective, but I'd rather pay more for a line with less crowds and better included food, than have to pay an upcharge to eat in a specialty restaurant or have access to the good lounge area.

   

Food is also very important to me, and I'm not a big fan of buffet eating, so I want included quality sit down / served meals.  Viking's ships and dining therefore appeal to me very much, but I haven't found one with the right itinerary / price to make the leap yet!

[Stem to Stern]

16 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Silversea

Hi Jim, 

I just finished following a passenger on board the new Silver Nova on her live thread via a private group on FB titled SILVERSEA CRUISES - Le crociere di lusso which you can request to join.  She will accept and you can then read through all of her posts while she was on board.  I am sold.  And I am very apprehensive about trying a smaller ship.  She said the ship felt extremely spacious.  Check her out.

[Dolebludger]

We have been Regent cruisers historically. But in 2018 we were on a music cruise on X in a CS, and felt that it was the same experience for less cost. So our next cruise was booked on X in a RS. After the pandemic when we felt comfortable in cruising again, we checked out the X Retreat and were shocked at the increase in prices. They were higher than Regent for even a SS. So we booked Regent, and discovered no decrease in quality and service compared to our pre-pandemic experiences. So, as a better alternative to the Retreat, we returned to Regent.  I think the original marketing concept for the Retreat (and Haven and Yacht Club) was to provide a lux experience on a large ship, at prices less than the lux lines. That is not the case now with the Retreat.

[Orator]

7 minutes ago, saffy12 said:

Viking is the line that I keep looking at and want to try.  I don't like feeling like I'm being nickel and dimed, or having to pay to play.   I want to pay my price and have everything included, without needing to pay more to get to the good venues.  I know it's really all just perspective, but I'd rather pay more for a line with less crowds and better included food, than have to pay an upcharge to eat in a specialty restaurant or have access to the good lounge area.

   

Food is also very important to me, and I'm not a big fan of buffet eating, so I want included quality sit down / served meals.  Viking's ships and dining therefore appeal to me very much, but I haven't found one with the right itinerary / price to make the leap yet!

I did a TA on Viking Neptune and it was wonderful. IMHO better food than Celebrity. Better speakers than Celebrity. I would rate my recent experiences Crystal, Viking, Celebrity and Oceania. I'm taking a cruise on Oceania Vista in a month, so my ratings might change. 

[ISABELLA]

20 hours ago, TX-Cruiser said:

I still feel like Celebrity is a good match for my husband and I (65 & 56) and we also sail on RC when with our adult children. I do feel like I am starting to desire a little more refinement but not too refined...ie, stuffy. We are very "Texas" people...love great food and great entertainment but prefer to enjoy it in nice jeans & boots. We will dress up if we have to...haha. 

 

The big hurtle I have been finding is my husband loves to play cards. He loves blackjack and enjoys roulette. So a casino on board is a must. Anyone looking for a similar sweet spot? In regard to cost, we are very much focused on value over cost. Luxury has value, but we don't need to go crazy either. I hope this all makes sense. 

No dress code on NCL. But, we only will sail in Haven.

[Mimiya11]

19 hours ago, Cruisin4ABruisen said:

Curious if any Celebrity cruises have tried Viking ocean and what their thoughts are...

We sailed Viking Ocean for a Panama Canal cruise in March. Our first Viking cruise. 

We boarded a couple of days after we finished one week on the Apex.   As far as Viking, we loved the size, lovely indoor and outdoor spaces, service was top notch, food was ok to great (we actually ended up at the buffet more than the dining room as we ate outside and all the items on the buffet included what was served in the dining room including made to order items). 

We found days at sea and evenings were a bit snoozey, especially after all the shows and entertainment on the Apex, which were great. 

We did find one bar/lounge, which fit our demographic (late 60's/70), and had a wonderful guitarist/singer who sang lots of 70's, 80's and 90's music.  But two weeks night after night?  Not so much.   Viking cruisers are a very loyal group. 

 

Our friends were just on Azamara and said no more Celebrity for them, only Azamara   

After our TA next month on the Apex, hoping to go smaller again.     

[JDPCruisers]

We, too, are interested in the smaller ship lines, friends are really wanting us to try Viking with them, but we are concerned that the ships may be too small with a lack of choices, activities, dining venues, outdoor areas, etc., especially on sea days. We are early to late 60's but enjoy a variety of activities and entertainment, mostly of the lounge type, so would be interested in continued comments on experiences, pros and cons.   

[FloatSomeMore]

Regent, Crystal and trying HAL in January, the first time in years (love the round trip to Hawaii from San Diego).  However, our next cruise with Celebrity is in November, a transatlantic on the Connie.  I'm reading encouraging reports so we will enjoy no matter what. 

[Traveling Fools]

Have been on one Oceania cruise aboard the "Nautica" from Barcelona to Venice in Oct 2020.  We liked the food and how it was presented.  Thought they were disingenuous about how they marketed their beverage packages; paid for an upgrade, but that only provided drinks at dinner and not the bars.  Because the ship is "small" You get to know the staff. Especially the entertainment staff. That has it plusses and minuses, it's lots of fun to chat with them, but after a sophomoric theater show it's kind of awkward to discuss, or be honest with them about their performance.  We also found some of the stalwart O passengers and cheerleaders to really be full of themselves.  We have another crise booked with then in March 2004.  It is from Rio to Miami via the Amazon (yes, I know about current water levels).  It is part of an "Enrichment Journey" with 5-days pre-cruise in Rio.  We will see how that compares.  If it is anything like the pre-covid cruise we took with O, I will suggest by pacing O and going straight to Regent or Silver Seas.

 

We are booked on a TA aboard Azamara's "Onward" departing Lisbon on Nov 18th.  We didn't select the ship or the line  Once again it is part of an "Enrichment Journey" that takes us to Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Lisbon pre-cruise; 3-4 days in each location.  I find the members of the Azamara forum to be more up beat than those here on X's forum.  Not in your face cheer leaders, but just more upbeat and positive.  Many of them have been cruise mates on one or more Azamara cruises and enjoy the reunions they have on board.  I have learned there is a certain class of Veranda cabins that have dinkey showers.  By default we may be booking a second cruise aboard Azamara's "Quest".  Once again an "Enrichment Journey" to Africa east coast, includes safaris, Victoria Falls, JTown, Cape Town and the wine country and for those OK with it economy air fare.  That's in Jan 2025.

 

Our mainline go to has shifted from X to NCL.  We are big Haven fans and love the service we receive in the Haven.  I have found if you shop around you can get some super deals on NCL.  This coming January we have booked the Deluxe Owners Suite and adjoining 2-BR suite in "Escape's" Haven.  Taking two grands, DIL and SIL and paying less than what we are paying on X's Infinity next September for just one suite.  The cruise begins the end of Christmas Break and kids go for free.  On none Haven ships, generally NCL's smaller ships, the service provided to suite passengers is excellent!  Better than I have received booking suites on X's M class ships.  Can't make a comparison to the Retreat as we never sailed on an X ship with the Retreat.

 

Have no real desire to sail on Viking, HAL, RCL, or, with one exception, returning to Carnival.  Thought strongly at one time about MSC, but after seeing passengers struggling to board and disembark in Cozumel changed my mind.

 

Would like to try a clipper ship, Regent, Crystal, and Silver Seas once.

Edited October 19, 2023 by Traveling Fools

[Dolebludger]

I believe Oceania includes beer and wine at dinner and lunch now without a package,  which was not the case in 2020. Now the drink package gives one most alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in all lounges. The change, I believe, is a case of a cruise line trying to meet competition. Between 2020 and now, many lines began to find ways to make drinks less like cigarettes in prison! Now I fear that too many are going back to nickel and dimming. But Oceania’s drink package now includes drinks all over the ship, and one gets beer and wine at lunch and dinner without the package. Now, check out my info before you book, as things change, and I have never cruised Oceania. I have cruised it’s “big sister” Regent, where all drinks onboard have been included since around 2004.

Edited October 20, 2023 by Dolebludger

[Covepointcruiser]

We have moved to Seabourn and Cunard QM2.    We enjoyed Azamara and are trying Regent this March.   It sounds as if MSC is too class centered and is a very large ship when you leave the Yacht Club.

[Covepointcruiser]

On 10/18/2023 at 5:00 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

We tried MSC Yacht Club and loved it.  We didn't try YC because Celebrity didn't feel nice enough though, we tried MSC because Celebrity was feeling too expensive for the suite experience and wanted to see what was on offer elsewhere.

 

We have since booked a cruise on Regent because Celebrity's food wasn't feeling nice enough and we wanted a smaller ship experience as we cruise the Med in 2025.

 

We are in the casino camp as well, which is why we didn't look into booking with Azamara.

 

Regardless, I always begin my cruise search with Celebrity...

Oh no, didn’t know Regent did Casino Comps!    Guess Casinos on board are a big thing.    The only positive now is that passengers dress a little better and there are choices of restaurants if you can get reservations.   Many complaints on the Regent Board so it’s probably a one and done..

[TFree]

We tried an Oceania cruise (on Marina) in October, 2021 and liked it quite a bit (with a hiccup or two, this was early post-pandemic).  We take our second Oceania cruise in a couple of weeks (on Vista, Panama Canal).  We thought the specialty restaurants were outstanding (you get one "free" reservation in each included with the cruise).  We were less impressed with the main dining room, but in fairness our recent Celebrity cruises were in the Retreat, so maybe comparing the main dining room to Luminae is not a fair comparison.  A lot of Oceania cruisers are unhappy with the switch to SimplyMore (more inclusive with no cruise-only option).

 

Tom & Judy

[miched]

MSC  Yacht 

 

Seabourn

 

Oceania 

 

Azamara 

All have a better value than a cruise on Celebrity. 

I know that I could cruise on X in the dregs for a cheap price but  at my stage in life I want to enjoy the finer things and not live like I had to when I was younger.   I also don’t believe in throwing away my hard earned money for value not received.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

10 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Oh no, didn’t know Regent did Casino Comps!    Guess Casinos on board are a big thing.    The only positive now is that passengers dress a little better and there are choices of restaurants if you can get reservations.   Many complaints on the Regent Board so it’s probably a one and done..

Actually, I think you might have misread. I said “casino camp” (not comp) meaning like the other poster, we only sail on ships who have a casino venue on board. I’d be very surprised to learn that RSS are comping cruises 😊. 
 

As for complaints on the Regent board, I truly must be missing them…although I am following a thread about dissatisfaction with Regent Air. 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[horseymike]

On 10/18/2023 at 10:17 PM, Treasure Hunter said:

Viking does not have casinos. We have five Oceania and casino is tiny( but food and itineraries very good). We love NCL HAVEN on the newer Breakaway+ ships. Best of all worlds. Great food in the restaurant. Terrific entertainment. Big casino jumping every night. No dressing up unless you want to. The Haven service can’t be topped but you pay for it. We have 35 cruises on Princess and we just got off the Emerald. I hit four handpays in the casino and had the time of m life but the food has really gone downhill. The new Princess Sun looks fabulous so might give it one more try.

congrats !

[horseymike]

On 10/19/2023 at 12:38 AM, DaKahuna said:

 We’re doing our test cruise in the MSC Yacht Club on Divina in February.  She’s one of the smaller/older ships but the itinerary is one we like. 
 

Hi Kahuna,

Hope you have a great cruise. We will be looking forward to your opinion of the MSC Yacht Club.