rmalbers

I think, but never cruised during it, there was a very very short period of time in between where they had paper drink coupons left in your cabin for HH drinks anywhere. Anyway, X has changes that affect stuff, really, constantly. Oh, and I think it was during a certain period of time they were doing it only on ships where they had a 'boatload' of people with status, Sky lounge or coupons.

You know, that's a good point, I'll just start doing that when I find an Anchor Steam or Blue Moon. That really would not add up that much in the scheme of things.

I'm a beer drinker and I'm sticking with classic, last X cruise, the month covid hit, I had trouble finding beers on the premium list at a lot of the bars so I was drinking mostly beers on the classic list anyway.

No, they stopped the Sky lounge only HH drinks before covid. It was talked about at the time. There were some cruises with so many people with status that crowding became a problem and they had all the complaints about not being able to get drinks, etc. Anyway, one thing you can count on is that things always change on X and that stuff that you hear about on these boards today may not apply to your cruise tomorrow. It's always been that way.

Perfectly clear. I think, like a lot of things with X, the policy has changed over time, again. It really wasn't that long ago that the HH stuff was only in the Sky lounge. That started getting really crowded which is one reason they changed it right?

I sure wouldn't think so. I guess if you're with a group and some didn't have retreat or something like that maybe. If you're not sure you probably don't need it.

I've wondered what the payout is, or if there even is one. I think in Vegas they have to post them or have to have a certain min. payout, right? (As you can tell, I don't gamble. But I went to vegas for the magic shows a couple of times.)

Whenever this topic comes up you get a lot of different opinions because it varies a lot depending on the time of the year of the cruise, the length of the cruise, the cruise locations, etc. Those things determine the demographic on board. So, bottom line, it's impossible to answer your question and even if someone could, would you cancel if it's going to be a 'snoozer'.

ok, that's fine, I disagree but anyway. I agree with your list and X isn't in it.

Completely serious, I don't think X ever has advertised itself as a premium cruise line. RCG does/did have Azamara and now has Silversea, those were/are it's premium lines. Most people, I think, don't know about them.

From what I"ve seen if you bring the right tools, it can be done. The ones I looked at just had regular bolts.

Um, I don't want to argue but X is not a premium line, it's a luxury cruise line. But I do agree that the mid suites on X are now priced like premium lines. When you get into room sizes and stuff like that it gets complicated. I was on VO last summer and there's a difference. I'm interested to see what happens with pricing as all the new mega ships come online and FCC has moved thru all the cruise lines, then we'll really see how all the pricing shakes out. I am also sort of thinking that cruisers might get tired of what the ports are like when the mega ships dock and there will be some backlash in cruising.

That's interesting, last minute move up, I suppose they get a few late minute cancels and if your move up is next, they're going to take the money. The only thing that surprises me is that they have the IT/computing systems that can do that (successfully) at the last minute.

As some others have said, they will be fine. Every cruise line has the kid thing figured out. Kids are so much easier to keep busy than adults. Not sure they do it all the time, but the end of cruise, kid performances, are really fun to watch.

I was thinking this one from NYC to iceland, that direction: Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada

VO has a few Iceland options.

I think the X ships are about the safest place you can be but: I've got a couple of things: On a X holiday cruise a 30 something from europe did something, I'm not sure what, that was caught on a camera, there are cameras everywhere, and escorted to a room where security read him the riot act. He took that real serious, I think that security is real good at their job. Another thing, a woman who was on that costa? ship that 2/3 sunk in the med., she said that as everything was going on NO ONE followed instructions and it was a serious mess until everyone (almost) got off the ship. If something crazy happens, just keep your cool.

Interesting, I wonder how much FCC will go unused, there has to be some I would think.

That's what I was going to say.

The comments on suites not full on cruises out a year or so is interesting, I wonder if that means that the FCC is getting close to having moved thru the system. I sort of makes since.

I'm so out of touch I didn't know they are back in PR after the cruise port building 'arguments'. I agree with the person about this port town being a great place to go early (or stay after).

I haven't read very many replies but I didn't see one that talked about how starlink service isn't the same all around the planet, so it's a YMMV, depending on where you're sailing. https://satellitemap.space/

I sailed in a IV on Viking, this summer, first time in an IV. I didn't think I would like it but it was fine for that cooler weather trip, Great Lakes in late summer. I think the IV is just fine for itineraries where you really can't use a balcony much. I think they will put screens on them somehow, eventually. A couple of bats got into a few cabins and there is the bug problem, again, on certain literariness. On pricing, I still think there is FCC money that has to more thru the system before the prices get better. But I also think there is a demographic that is gaining more disposable income as the 401k withdrawals start hitting US baby boomers.

I have to say the lobster I've had on X are really not that good at all. It does make since that with the quantity they need there is no way they can buy good, large, lobster to serve. The last time I had them on X they were so small that it was like, three bites worth. Anyway, every time the lobster topic thing comes up on here you hear the same thing.

As you call tell from these comments, there is no way a bunch of strangers can give you an answer to your question. You are just going to have to find out the hard way or find someone who has sailed X with the same itinerary as you are planning and knows your kid well, then you might get a more accurate answer.