Diamond lover

If you must (and I say must) bring a “gift bag” and treat the staff as you would a friend hosting a dinner party, as opposed to someone doing their job, do not give them “phone cards”.  Those days are long gone, they all have internet and cellphones.  Those phone cards have gone the way of the travellers check and the “Internet cafe” that used to litter the ports.  No need any more.

And sorry, I am definitely in the “don’t do it” camp.   The odds of them truly being delighted with choccies and soaps (expensive or not) and postcards (?) etc are slim to nil.  But you seem to have your mind set on cluttering their teeny weeny shared cabin with things that YOU like, so do whatever floats your boat!

@Goarmy.....17 years ago?  Awesome memory, I cannot remember details from cruises 10 years ago.  Maybe not even 3 years ago.   lol.

I think the original poster needs to come back and tell us what she has decided.  Will it be fewer cruises but on Regent from now on, or is she OK to revisit Celebrity.  I hope she comes back with her verdict!

I am, as I have said before, a mere 75+ nights on Radisson/Regent - I realize  some of you have hundreds of nights.  But when they sold out a few years ago, got rid of all the great staff (on well paid contracts) and priced themselves out of my world, I have found ways to continue to travel and enjoy life on other lines.  

I am currently on the old lady Celebrity Solstice... just cruised through Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds today.   Solstice is in desperate need of refurbishment...scheduled.  My husband and I, regardless, have had one of our best cruise experiences ever on this sailing.  Crew are incredible, Suite is lovely, some passengers have become great friends (we cancelled our hotels in parts of our post cruise road trip NZ so we can stay with two of them at their invitation!).    It makes me think perhaps the company and the destination could be more important than the vessel!

i did go back.  And it is alllllll good!

12 hours ago, Ereggae said:

My minimum bid from Aqua to a Sky Suite was $450 per person.  Definitely not worth it.  Again another cruise line started this practice and they jumped on the bandwagon.

Wow, we were Aqua last cruise (Mediterranean September 2018)  and Sky this cruise (on board Solstice now, Australia/New Zealand) .  SO worth that $$$, and more!!  Cannot believe the difference!  Michaels club Concierge Olga was worth that money alone!  And then the Extra cabin, space, the private functions, eating and drinking without having to present your card, no special request too much for Luminae and Michaels....will never go back from Suite!  Admittedly could not care less about the Butler, mind you.

Just my thoughts on this, you living, breathing beautiful 50 year old!  It is hard for me to understood people worrying about their age, or worse yet....shaving years off.  I know I am in the minority, but....  I just turned 60.  I look damn fine for 60, but I look like crap for 50 lol.  Let people ooooh and aaaah and “I don’t believe you!” As opposed to thinking “oh dear!”  Sometimes I am tempted to ADD years, so they think “WOW!!” (But I cannot lie)

Truthfully, I have found that, once you have buried a few friends your age or younger, you will come to realize every day this side of the grass should be embraced.  Not resented or hidden.  Aging is a gift denied SO many.  

Celebrate gorgeous!

1 hour ago, EatonDoolittle said:

Try The Celebrity Signature burger at lunch on a sea day. 

There are 4 or 5 burger options to choose from, all quite tasty. 

 

Thanks EatonDoolittle....I love the burgers during sea day lunches at the Lawn Club Grill, so I'll most certainly try the signature burger!

I am going on the Celebrity Solstice next week, and I have wondered why they have "the Lawn Club" (which seemed useless to me on Reflection, nobody sat around on the grass watching movies you couldn't see or hear) but they do NOT have the Lawn Club Grille, which I loved!  I ate there twice, and once at lunch (amazing burgers).  Seems odd to me!

1 minute ago, Texed said:

 

 

We order the flat bread pizza.  It is very good.  But, we tell them to make a "personal size" so we will not eat too much pizza, and not want our main course.

 

Then, I always order a filet and a rib eye. 😋

Now THAT is brilliant!

Ditto to the "watch out for the pizza".  While it was delicious, it was too filling, and I couldn't finish my wonderful filet!  HOWEVER, hands down the skillet cookie for dessert.  But if you are anything less than starving, I would share it!!!

11 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I don’t think anybody here said they couldn’t afford Regent. I think what some are trying to say (including me) is that we are concerned that it is no longer worth the price.,

I did!  I said I could no longer afford Regent.  

But, back to the OP....it would appear that most people "can go back", so enjoy your special Regent cruise, and while you will love it, be spoiled rotten, you CAN go back.  You don't have to give up enjoying a cruise with Celebrity after a celebratory Regent Cruise. Or I'd be in constant mourning :)

2 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

So, beyond your statement that your Regent days have passed, I fear that our cruising days may have passed.

Aw, bless Dolebludger.  I understand everything you are saying.  I saved up aeroplan (Star Alliance) points to travel to Perth from Toronto Business class, and then paid for our return flight business class (can't imagine 30 hours of travel any other way, I'd rather not go!)  I managed to get Mike and I both back from Christchurch to Toronto for $7700 Canadian on Virgin Atlantic, thank God.

I'm no longer a "kid" in my 50's either...but I just turned 60 lol!  And retired.  So now, being a pensioner, I have to be a bit more careful about how I spend my dollars.  I love to travel, though, this year alone I have 3 trips to the UK (and Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D-Day), this upcoming Aussie NZ cruise, and Italy again (my favourite).  And as you have pointed out, I best do it while I can!  Hopefully plenty of time later to travel more of Canada and the USA.  

Love Colorado!  I used to go to Colorado Springs every September to play with my Pipe Band (Toronto Fire Services) for the annual International Firefighter Memorial Service.  

I have met some wonderful people on Cunard, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, and I have never had difficulty having fun on any cruise line.  I often say I miss "Regent", but the truth is (and you'll get this), I miss Radisson!

Cheers my friend xo

7 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

Yes I did mean,a little over $2K pp for a 7 nighter. My bad. I haven't seen any Regent cruises for $500 per diem pp for a 7 nigher (a total of $3500 pp for the cruise) in a long time. 

Dolebludger you and I used to banter back and forth so much on my Radisson days.  You were such a resource!  Not being able to afford to travel Regent any more has its pros (do not miss the obnoxious snobs, as evidenced on this thread recently), but It sure has its cons.

I miss Jeremy Kingston’s dry wit.  I miss Neil Broomhalls charm.  I miss John’s Mc’s kilt on formal nights.  I miss gorgeous Giuseppe and ornery Fabrizio. I miss drinks with Andre N.   I miss  Alex and Jerry and Roberto, all the old “Don Vito” crowd.   BUT.....they are all gone anyway.  Those left when I still sailed....Regent got rid of them pretty quickly.

i am comfortable enough in my own skin to enjoy myself with most crowds on most ships on most days.  And glad to know that you are too!

but this is a long overdue thank you for all the insight you provided years ago to this sailing novice.  My Gold status will remain, but my Regent days have sadly passed $$

Charlene 

2 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

That's what we discovered about 10 years ago - if you take a cruise on either a mainstream or premium line and upgrade the cabin, food, booze, air, etc. to a level that's included in a Regent fare, well, the price is pretty durn close to what you pay with Regent...and it's all just one check up front, not the nickel-and-diming you get on another line.  I absolutely hated having to swipe my card every time I wanted a beer or something...and getting the invoices throughout the cruise - ugh.

Well, not quite....I mean, I'm "Gold" with Regent, but I still couldn't possibly get "darn close" to the price I just paid for my Celebrity Solstice cruise next week.  It's 16 nights, in a suite (the lowest of their suites, granted, a "Sky Suite", but it still comes with a separate dining room, "Michaels" club for drinks, and a butler).  

I have premium beverage package (which includes some very nice wines, martinis and single malts, as noted from my September cruise on Celebrity), $500 shipboard credit (not sure what for), unlimited internet, prepaid gratuities (always loved the 'no" gratuities on Regent), as well as priority embarkation, disembarkation, and tendering (huge for me).  And a suite "concierge" to navigate through the hassles.  

This cost me less than $9500 CANADIAN for the cabin, for two of us.  I emphasize the Canadian.  Right now that would be  just over $7000 USD for the cabin for 16 nights.  If you can find me that option on Regent, puleeeeeeez let me know, I'd be running right back, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.  There's so much I miss about Regent, but once I was honing in on retirement (after a life in Public Service as a first responder, so not exactly a CEO of anything), I realized "bang for the buck" was really important if I wanted to grab a hold of life and travel as much as humanly possible.

Besides, I never got over the loss of the Diamond :(

P.S.  the photo you see is of Mike and I getting married on The Paul Gauguin in Bora Bora, when the PG was part of the Radisson Seven Seas Fleet.  I loved that ship!  Not as much as the Diamond though!

People think my cruise critic name is about the stone, but it's not.  I cruised so many times on the Radisson Diamond, and it broke my heart when they sold it.  Especially knowing it's a floating Casino in Hong Kong now, and I don't gamble.  SO UNFAIR!

1 hour ago, IndiTravler said:

 

It was my cumulative experience that made for a very bad first impression.  Torn sheets on the bed, broken balcony glass, getting water dumped on me when they turn on the window washing for the bridge, lousy food, feeling like a second class citizen because I was in a basic cabin and it was my first Celebrity cruise, to not having the cruise we booked becuase damn near every port changed, to finally having lousy birthing posts at every port.    And of course it was closer in price to Regent than Princess.  

 

I see no reason to go back.  

Wow!  What a nightmare.  I am so sorry for your experience, I do not blame you for never returning!  Thank goodness I have never encountered the likes of that.  On Celebrity or Regent.  Although once, on Regent (Radisson at the time) we had our itinerary altered so that a large group could go to Porto Cervo to golf.  That was a very unwelcome change. I know how crappy that feels (but thankfully haven’t ever had torn sheets etal!)

We travel with these - a "portable washing machine" and "Soak" which requires no rinsing!

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00BUI7HFC/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00KF4HYPK/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

31 minutes ago, california and cruising said:

So question? I am reading all the responses. So Do you think that one should not partake in a Regent cruise as a special occasion cruise for fear that another cruise will never be up to their caliber. Regent is quite a bit more money and not everyone can afford this luxury all but once. Just curious.

I say go for it!  Special occasion means “do it up”.  As I said above, I “went back” and I still love cruising!

4 hours ago, merinski said:

We just got the move up letter that we are moving up from an inside to a Veranda! I am so excited. We didn't bid high either, we did the lowest bid , then changed it up one notch.

Congratulations!

This may be the funniest thread ever, God I love these comments and retorts.  Thank you!!!  I needed some levity today, I really did.  You brightened my day.

9 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I booked a last-minute cruise last fall about 2 weeks out.  Website showed only insides available.  That's what I booked.  Got a move up offer to bid on OV, balcony, CC, and suites.  Bid on a balcony and was successful.  As somebody else said, I knew my bid was accepted when my phone beeped to inform me of a charge to my AmEx.  Since I live in Florida, it is easy for me to jump on a cruise at the last minute.  I may try this again after my last great experience.

And here we are 2 weeks out now, lots of vacant suites showing.....and still nothing in email!  And nothing when you do the “move up” check on site.  Isn’t that a conundrum!  Who knows what the criteria is!

1 hour ago, daniels5759 said:

Thanks I'll be eagerly awaiting a reply.

Best of luck!  I would love to have the opportunity to bid for a Celebrity or Royal Suite on our upcoming cruise (this month), and there ARE some of same available.....but no email, and going onto the website to enter name and reservation number shows nothing.  Who knows how this really all works!  But I wish everyone good luck on their bids.

9 hours ago, CruisinCrow said:

Thanks, all!  You relieved my mind.  I checked again and now my cruise has reappeared.  Whew!  Glad we're still cruising!

Safe travels, and enjoy!

On 1/15/2019 at 3:37 PM, uktog said:

See post 28, to repeat the detail there it can only be used every 6 hours

Hopefully this helps you understand why I have the difficulties I have and whilst your solution works for you it does not for me.  

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

11 hours ago, misspuss said:

I have enjoyed 8 cruises on Celebrity and 6 more on other lines, all of them except 2in various suites. I always wear my seapass on a lanyard. I didn't know until reading this thread, that it was frowned upon by people. Am a bad or uncouth person?

Definitely not judging you for wearing a lanyard....I just will not do so myself, or I would feel as though I am at some work conference, and I do not want that feeling lol.  That is on ME, not anyone else.  Cruise and enjoy however....even wearing a plastic wristband that you bought if you decide that is your preference in the future.

@K12Guy bravo!!  Post of the week.  Sometimes I say “LOL” when I really didn’t.  But you made me laugh out loud!

9 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

 

I wear my card on a lanyard. Don't be nervous; I won't put one on you.

LOL!  Much appreciated.  (I guess I just think it will look like a conference at sea....😀)

17 hours ago, ChuckL said:

A lot of us from our Roll Call are doing  Sail Away at the Sunset Bar on the Reflection. We already had purchased a 4 Night Specialty Dining package and were not going to choose the Lawn Club Grill as one of our 4 dinners. When the first night specialty discounts became available, we decided it would be worth purchasing it for The Lawn Club Grill and be able to just walk a few feet from our Sail Away to an early outdoor 6 pm dinner. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun and has had a lot of recommendations on the forums lately. We’ll do the more formal specialty restaurants later on our 11 night cruise. 

That sounds absolutely ideal!  Good planning.