asctony

20 hours ago, cruise*enthusiast said:

I was reading the description of the Reserve Collection Mini Suite and the benefits associated with it.  Has anyone chosen this and, if so, is it worth the additional cost to upgrade from a standard Mini Suite?

What are the additional perks you would get?

What is the difference in the cost?

Would you use the additional perks?

Identify the above and then determine if it is worth the additional cost. Only you can determine that. 

12 hours ago, LeeW said:

We've never had a problem getting the same table and wait staff each night in normal Anytime dining.  Tried what is now call Reserve once and the extra menu item never appealed to us and still got the same table each night.  At one point they used half the single Anytime dining room for fixed first seating and then also cut out another quarter for Club (Reserve) Class.  With only 1/4 of the dining room left for Anytime it was slower to get in.  Now it doesn't make much difference since Princess no longer has fixed seating dining.

Totally agree with you. We were on the Enchanted out of Barcelona and we had Anytime dining. We had the same table for 2 by the window with the same waiter for 22 days. On the other side of that MDR was the Reserve Dining. We walked over there one night to see what the difference was. We could see no difference. Maybe they had one extra item on the menu for that Reserve Dining. However, we never had a problem with any of the food selections without the one extra item. When we walked out of the Reserve Dining we did see a line of people waiting to get in. That was about 6 - 630PM. Even in the morning and lunch time, we saw people waiting to get into the Reserve Dining. JMHO! 

3 minutes ago, zitsky said:

What people are missing is that I didn’t say “it was a long time to embark and it’s all the fault of the terrible employees”.  But it was a bad experience with no apology from anyone.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Happy Holidays

Happy Cruising 

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

I see you’ve proved my point.  😂
 

No one visits South America or Southeast Asia? The people who live there may not appreciate your perspective.  😂

FYI - Sorry to disagree with that OP.

I have been to South America Valparaiso back in 2009.

Been to SEA many times. Just got back from the Med, Barcelona. There are many people who cruise who have visited these areas. Yes, have met many of them. 

Boarding in Barcelona was very easy & fast.

Getting off the ship in Barcelona was the worst we had in years. Cruise ship personal were totally confused. Another story. May never happen again. 

6 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Do you think other people might be interested in the boarding experience?

 

I see in 2025 X is using the Equinox on a round trip from Buenos Aires that goes to the Falklands and Montevideo which aren’t on this cruise from Valparaiso, Chile.

I already answered your question before I read this. 

59 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize this was a competition.

No seriously, this is not a competition. You stated you cruised on three different cruise lines. So, I was just asking, in a funny way, which cruise lines and how many times have you cruised. If I offended you, Sorry.

I was just trying to find out what cruise lines and your experience to make a statement in regards of boarding a ship can be very stressful at times. Many things come into play at each port. The port team is not the cruise lines employees. They are subcontractors. 

You can go out of a port today and have a great experience and the next cruise can be terrible. Been there and done it. 

So, it is your choice to answer what lines and number of cruises.

22 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I’ve been on three cruise lines.  Never saw it so disorganized.

OMG, only 3? How many cruises? SMH

Just read an article that only

31.5 million people cruises in 2023.

WOW - that's a bunch! It can't be that bad 

I'm glad it is XMAS as everyone is so Happy!

Nothing but complains today,

Food, drink up charges, boarding the ship.

You can tell we all are not from Jamaica. LOL If we were, we all would know 'poo poo happens. '

How can all those cruisers who cruise each week allow these problems. Maybe they change cruise lines after ever cruise?

Happy Holidays & if your don't complain, Happy Cruising! 

Food is very subjective as you are expressing  your disappointment.

Read some of the postings on here. Some people have complained about Blu and went to the MDR.

Lucky you, you have a choice of Cruise lines to cruise on. 

8 hours ago, restasured said:

Supply and Demand.  Very simple.

Wrong. I posted the reason days ago.

REFUNDABLE

            vs

NON REFUNDABLE

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

2 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Costco hotdog...and soda...$1.50 

Free refills on soda. Then when you get ready to leave, have another fill-up for home. Now you cannot beat that. 

11 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

You quoted me so just who were you addressing and who's opinion were you commenting on?🤔

Happy Holidays 

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I didn't say anything about getting money's worth. I simply made a comment but thanks for the diatribe. It was a fun read.

Sorry, but I was not addressing you and your opinion. Everyone has an opinion. Now I know yours and you know mine. LOL

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

If it is advertised as a taste of the UK, just look at the composition of the meal you get in the UK vs. this. 
 

This stuff made long John silvers look like a high end meal. 

Here is LJS Cod Platter. Not much different.

https://www.ljsilvers.com/menu/cod-meals/

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I am quite sure that RCI is not spending anywhere near that to feed any of us for the entire day.... maybe not even for a week.

Do we think that we are not getting our money's worth? If we do, why do we continue to cruise? Do we think that we could serve 3 meals a day like the ships do and only spend that amount? If we do, why are we complaining about the economy and the price of food, regardless of where we live. LOL

Happy Holidays!

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

If it is advertised as a taste of the UK, just look at the composition of the meal you get in the UK vs. this. 
 

This stuff made long John silvers look like a high end meal. 

Been there mate! Seen much worse than this over the years. What would you like to see composed different? Presentation is not something these cruise lines worry about. Do you ever watch how some people eat. With their fingers, stuff their mouths full and almost choke on it. LOL

2 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

So...you only count food as the cost of the cruise?

 

What about the stateroom? The entertainment?

 

It's not quite as simple as $300/pp/day = $100/meal/pp.

You totally misunderstood my posting. People are saying that spending over $100 for a meal in their local restaurant is normal. I am trying to point out that you are getting:

'So...you only count food as the cost of the cruise?

What about the stateroom? The entertainment?

It's not quite as simple as $300/pp/day = $100/meal/pp.'

Thank you for helping me explain the total cost. 

19 hours ago, SRF said:

Have any of you gone out to eat these days??????
 

Dinner for 2 will be over $100.  Heck, Chik-Fil-A today was $17 for ONE PERSON.

Costco has a whole Rotisserie Chicken for $4.99. That would certainly feed more than ONE PERSON. 

14 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Tonight was a Taste of the UK menu, and it was another disappointing night, food wise.  

 

I ordered the fish and chips, and these things they served were nothing like I expected.  

 

Susan, and one of our table mates had roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.  They both said the meat was tough and chewy, and the pudding was bad.  

 

 

So Royal must figure people will be far enough into their drink package by this point in the week, to not notice how the food has gotten progressively worse. 

What was disappointing with the fish & chips? Looks typical to us. Did they have HP Sauce & Malt Vinegar? The only thing I see missing is the newspaper it is normally wrapped in. LOL

Those of you who found the food to be poor, regardless of menu.

Food is very subjective.

Where do you eat and what do you like when you are home?

Those who feel $100 for a meal is reasonable.

What does it cost a cruise line to buy the food & prepare the evening meal per person?

Specialty Restaurants are now over $70 pp. They are not as great as they were. 

Point: food is expensive, people have different tastes. Buffet is OK for breakfast or lunch. Buffet good for those who want to pile their plates ánd run in and out.

Where do we go from here? Bring your own food? Prepare it in your cabin?

What is the average price per day for a cruise? $150 to $300?

That's pretty close to the $100 pp per meal in a restaurant at home.

Happy Cruising & Holidays! 

Never seen goose on any cruise ship menu. Has anyone seen IT?

Have seen venison. That was very good. 

We were on a 22 day Princess Enchanted Med cruise in Nov 2023.

That cruise was basically 2 11 day cruises Barcelona to Barcelona.

There were 4 formal nights. What we saw and experienced was very few Tux & Gowns. Some suits & dresses. More casual attire. Some people in shorts, jeans and very casual clothes.

Been on 9 cruises this year on various cruise lines. Formal is out!

A thing of the past. Casual is the thing now. Cruise lines accept what you wear and will not question your style.

RCI, CELEBRITY, MSC, NCL & PRINCESS.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

2 hours ago, teacherman said:

All of these high prices are a true picture of how "bad" the current economy is.  Not everyone can afford to take a cruise or go to a concert or pro sports event.  But most of these have very little trouble selling out.  So, it would appear that millions of people find a way to pay for these "luxuries".  Everyone has to decide if these things are "worth it".  Is there something else that is more beneficial to you that you could spend the money on?  Individual decision making is what it is all about.

How bad the economy is? If the economy was that bad:

why are the ships full,

why are people going to the pier and not being able to get on the ship?

Why are the restaurants full of people at lunch time?

People complain about how high prices are, however, they sure spend money like it comes off of trees!

Happy Holidays and Cruising!

7 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

Of course, there is nothing we can do about all the cuts in service and inclusions, and fare increases, except "vote with our wallets" and book cruises on lines that still offer value. It can be done.

Totally agree with you.

Too bad others seem to make jokes and act so high & mighty.

LOL