iamheisenberg

It seems like only NCL family of ships to go to Acapulco 2016. I wonder why there are no Carnival, Royal, or anyone else stopping there.

Silversea, unless it's been changed and their web site has not been updated:

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/central-america-caribbean-cruise/fort-lauderdale-florida-to-los-angeles-california-4733/

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/central-america-caribbean-cruise/los-angeles-california-to-fort-lauderdale-florida-4629/

My experience is that sometimes you can just walk in to a specialty restaurant on the first night - especially on longer cruises. So don't pre-reserve your guaranteed night for the first night. And also don't tell anyone else!

One more correction to the CC article. (I know, it looks like I must be really bored today. ... I am! )

I found these two cruises on Navigator:

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/NAV171113/summary/default.aspx

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/NAV171029/summary/default.aspx

Each has a per day of $333. That's roughly 16% less than the $400 lower range in the CC article.

I noticed that Cruise Critic edited the review since I first read it.

They corrected that every category gets included air, and yet, it's still not entirely accurate. It now says that only the top suites get business class (select itineraries) - and that once was true, but is not entirely true anymore (select itineraries), although I'll concede that it is complicated.

It also says:

Nothing in life is free, however, and Regent's fares reflect the inclusions. (For example, starting fares on Seven Seas Navigator average $400 to $700 per person, per night, based on double occupancy -- and you won't get a balcony for that money.)

The first sentence is true! But the sentence in parenthesis - not so much. It's only true that the entry level suites ("H" and "G") have no balcony. There are plenty of "F" category suites at $700 or less per night per person!

This one is $500 for an "F" suite with balcony:

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/NAV161201/summary/default.aspx

Pretty long cruise, though.

This one is only 15 days:

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/NAV171029/summary/default.aspx

and is $420 for an "F" suite with balcony.

Please check my math.

An finally, it doesn't say that non-balcony suites are 300 square feet - which is pretty big for an entry level suite. In the comments section, someone wrote "For $500-$700 a night PP, I would expect a balcony and a really large cabin." And perhaps he would not have thought 300 square feet was large, but it is relevant, so maybe that should have been in the review too.

I think it's fair for me to say that while the review is fair, it's not entirely accurate (as currently edited).

That a trollish question, if not a troll's question.

But I will point out that there is nothing in the description of the benefit that says the stock cannot be held in an IRA. Why would NCL care?

For someone taking at least one 15 day or longer trip on an NCL ship, it's not a bad deal - a 6.25% return, at least, on a valuation of $4000 (40x100) - FDR willing and the creek don't rise and the rules don't change, going forward.

I need it! I need it like Ritz needs crackers.

And note that I never said that I disliked your plan. I think it's amazing!

Frankly, I prefer sarcasm to spinning, but I know some people need to do that too.

Respect.

All the passengers received 30% off their cruise and a $1000 pp future cruise credit. Just wanted this out there... They missed only 2 ports. Yes important ones but the major cruise lines usually don't refund this much in my experience. Am extra couple of days in Bora Bora couldn't be too bad!

I agree, that is generous.

So, your plan then is to book the oldest ship possible on a cruise line that treats you fairly so that there's a better chance of getting a good deal subsequently? Booyakasha!

This was in the news recently and might be a factor (e.g. older ship) for some:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7182

I have no personal experience on these ships, nor in Polynesia, but I think I would go with the two Goldilocks ships - Marina and Riviera. They are not too big, nor are they too small.

Speaking of low opinions, the guy who wrote this article, published today, does not think much of luxury ships traveling the NWP, and thinks even less of the passengers!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2016/08/17/crystal_serenity_s_northwest_passage_cruise_is_a_festival_of_environmental.html

Not very flattering, but that's just like one opinion, man.

If you really want to do the Northwest Passage right, then you should wait until somebody actually does it the way the British pioneers tried to do it, from east to west!

Personally, I'd rather do it the Hitchcock way.

I suspect the only reason Crystal and Regent (well, not Regent) are going west to east is because ships are usually positioned in Alaska in summer and on the St Lawrence in the Fall. But that's just a guess.

Long answer:

This is TOP SECRET, and should never leave Cruise Critic, but there is a Deck 13 on Explorer.

You have to stop the forward elevator on Deck 12 and climb out the the emergency exit in the ceiling.

And then there's a tunnel. Make your way through it and ZAP, you enter a portal to FDR's brain. (There, you can figure out the rationale behind the Regent Suite.)

When you exit the portal, somehow you will be at the corner of 6th and Biscayne Blvd.

Short answer: triskaidekaphobia. Very common for tall ships and tall buildings.

Sorry, I don't have anything about the infinity pool.

... the more interesting question would be the Superior Suite vs. the Concierge Suite...(we know what our answer is; save the additional money!)

Don't forget that with an E concierge suite, you can take a credit for the pre-cruise hotel. On some itineraries, that makes up for most of the difference in fare between an E and an F1.

And then with the E, you get the double-wide balcony, and the other Concierge amenities - which sometimes make a difference, for example if you don't already have priority with Seven Seas Society. And maybe the discount for fine wines and premium excursions, the Concierge suite becomes a winning proposition.

Remember in Godfather I when Apollonia is murdered in a car explosion, and in Godfather III when Michael dies alone in the courtyard?

Hey there - how about a SPOILER ALERT?

(I'm a little behind in my Netflix queue.)

Noted that Princess Charlene after her very brief but polite remarks, headed off stage w/o cutting the Christening ribbon--fortunately FDR (Frank Del Rio) gently steered her back to do the formal ribbon cutting.

And then after the bottle broke, the orchestra played the theme song from The Bad News Bears!

Was it appropriate to introduce Jason Montague to music from Pirates of the Caribbean?

Scrapnana and Anita, thanks for being spoiler alert aware!

So there are six designers left, and five more shows this season. I applaud the judges for sending people home, but something has got to give next week.

So, if you enjoy trivial pursuits, how many accessory wall sponsors can you name from prior seasons? :cool:

O ... M ... G

Heidi's Unconventional Emmy Mess

Wonderful idea!

I am also looking forward to it.

The web site price for a PH3 on the Nautica cruise is currently $10,099.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Africa-cruises/cape-town-to-cape-town-NAU161221/

The web site price for an H on Mariner is currently $9,999 ... except that it's on wait list. But apples to apples, that what I am comparing for my mythical rule of thumb. (The F is available at $10,899 and the G is available at $10,499, and maybe they can be compared to PH1 at $10,699 and PH2 at $10,299, respectively.)

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/MAR151124/summary/default.aspx

I think it's great that you got a good deal! :) Maybe you booked early at a lower price, or maybe you got a deal from your travel agent and that's what you see on your invoice - whatever - it doesn't matter as long as you're happy.

But for my rule of thumb - which may have been pure folly for me to be seeking from the outset - based on these two cases anyway, Regent is a better deal in its lower categories, which is probably where I would purchase.

... My point, however, is still the same. You pay extra for the best excursions on Regent.

That's true, but the "Regent Choice" tours are discounted, presumably by $100-$150 which is the general range of the included tours.

See paragraph two, here:

http://www.rssc.com/experience/free-shore-excursions/

So on a cruise with 9 days of touring, the value of the included and Regent Choice tours figures to be about $1000, if you use them, and $0 if you don't. Of course there are many who would prefer that the tours not be included at all, some of whom do not cruise Regent just for that reason. But in the comparison of the two Cape Town cruises, PH3 vs H, that should be irrelevant since Regent is less expensive anyway. Then, it's a matter of a butler and 20 square feet, versus included gratuities and alcohol. The choice is yours.

The full album is here if you're interested: http://bigdogwebpages.com/bdhome/tinydancer/tinydancer.php?path=f238150b9faa&ratings=345

A few good ones, but ordinary point-and-shoot photos, no? No offence intended, drib

Hamburgler, I was trying to find a rule of thumb for when ship size and itineraries are equal - apples to apples. I don't think the smallish Navigator can be compared to either of the large Oceania ships, like Riviera, as apples to apples. But it is great that you found an alternative that you like at such a discount!

newlondon, I don't see where Nautica is a better deal, n that scenario, for a roughly 300 square foot cabin. Prices may have changed, but in the links above, the PH3 on Nautica is $10,099, and the H on Mariner is H is $9,999. On Nautica you would get a butler, but on Mariner, you would have include tours, gratuities and alcohol. So unless you absolutely have to have a butler, advantage Mariner, I think.

Hamburgler, I was trying to find a rule of thumbs when the ships and itineraries were equal - apples to apples. I don't think the smallish Navigator can be compared to either of the large Oceania ships, like Riviera as apples to apples. But it is great that you found an alternative that you like at such a discount!

newlondon, I don't see where Nautica is a better deal, n that scenario, for a roughly 300 square foot cabin. Prices may have changed, but in the links above, the PH3 on Nautica is $10,099, and the H on Mariner is H is $9,999. On Nautica you would get a butler, but on Mariner, you would have include tours, gratuities and alcohol. So unless you absolutely have to have a butler, advantage Mariner, I think.

Thank you, Travelcat2. I've been lurking here for awhile now.

I'm not interested in either of those cruises; I was just proposing a little academic accounting theory. ("You know, under the right circumstances, a producer can actually make more money with a flop than he can with a hit!") It doesn't make sense to me that the comparable Oceania cabins cost more for less.

And I just saw where you posted about identical itineraries, same time of year, round trip Cape Town:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Africa-cruises/cape-town-to-cape-town-NAU161221

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/MAR151124/summary/default.aspx

Same thing. The Regent cruise is a much better deal for a comparable cabin.

I suppose there's no pattern to be found here. There are probably relative bargains to be found in each line. It just takes a lot of searching to ferret them out.

Here are two identical itineraries, same time of year, one Oceania Regatta and one Regent Mariner:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Caribbean-cruises/miami-to-miami-REG160412

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/MAR160408/summary/default.aspx

Apples to apples, would it be fair to compare a 301 sq ft Category H on Mariner for $5999 with a 322 sq ft Category PH3 on Regatta for $6099?

Clearly you can get into the Regatta cruise for less in a much smaller cabin, so I don't think there's a fair comparison to be made there. But otherwise, PH3 and above, I'm not sure why anyone would choose the Regatta cruise.

How would you decide between these two? Have you ever had to decide similarly between identical itineraries, same time of year, on Oceania or Regent before? (There are several others like this.)