cruzeluver

Actually, the guys just outside of the port in orange or yellow shirts offering free walking tours are employed by the government. We had a terrific tour of the area! Highly recommend. It was just the two of us and our guide, so no concerns about others, we saw and did what we wanted to do. We were with him for about four hours. We offered him a gratuity though none was expected. We paid a heck of a lot less than anything we could have booked through the cruise line and had a far better experience. No crowded bus, no forced souvenire shopping or waiting for others who need potty breaks every twenty minutes.

People who behave in that manner are cowards. Cowards because they know that by and large they can get away with it. Would they just arbitrarily just start verbally abusing random strangers on the street? No, because they risk getting it right back or worse. See poor treatment of those who work with the public all the time. The "Karens" and "Let me speak to your manager" crowd need to be called out.

We sail both as we do not want every cruise to be the same type of experience. X when we want relaxation, better food and a quieter atmosphere. Royal when we want more energy, more nightlife and just more "wow" factor from a ship. Our last on Royal was Serenade which is the same class as Jewel and we enjoyed it very much. Lots of glass on those ships with ocean views from just about any space onboard. Service was very good. Specialty dining was excellent and main dining room is banquet food like all mass market ships, but good for what it is. On board perks at the mid loyalty levels are fat better on Royal. Very little for Elite right now on X (mostly the opportunity to get discounts on services). But loyalty programs mean almost nothing to us so no big deal.

We had a few of these ports on our Reflection cruise this past Fall. Villefranche ; We took the train over to Nice. Very easy! The train station is a five minute walk once you are off the tenders and Nice is only two train stops away. Had a lovely day strolling the market, taking in the views and a terrific lunch. When we got back spent maybe an hour walking around Villefranche which is charming and very small. Ajaccio : Very small town. Easily walkable. We visited a very nice art museum, saw the Napoleon birthplace and grabbed a lite lunch at a outdoor cafe. Naples ; We decided to stay in Naples in order to experience the birthplace of pizza! As you can see, local food is a priority for us! very loud, bustling town but we accepted that and just got in the spirit of things! Spent most of the day in the area known as Spaccanapoli. Tons of vendors selling everything imaginable and a pizza place on every corner. While sitting at one and enjoying the best pizza I have ever tasted, an older gentleman started playing the accordion. Cannot get more Italian than that!

We enjoyed ours very much. Room felt more spacious. We still like traditional verandahs as well. Don't need all ships and all rooms to be the same.

We have received the invite on our last three cruises with X (two in the Caribbean, one in the Med) and happily attended. We are Elite.

Yep. Still fans. Been sailing X and a few other lines for 20 years now and still enjoy them all. Never felt compelled to become loyal to just one line. None have perks that get my attention and as they say "familiarity breeds contempt". 90% of the complaints I have read either do not have any impact to me or I have not experienced. Some of them have made me laugh out loud though at their pettiness. Boarding Constellation next month and am very much looking forward to it.

Message boards are dinosaurs. Our roll calls here are also extremely slow, but on social media roll calls are thriving.

Would be just another policy that folks would come here to complain is not being enforced i.e. chair hogs, children in the solarium, vaping, appropriate attire etc.

Enjoying following along! Constellation is an old favorite and we will be on board in mid February. Sailing from Tampa is a delight!!

Constellation was our first cruise with Celebrity back when she was the new kid in the fleet. We sailed her a second time a few years later and are booked on her this February. I expect to have an excellent time! We were on Infinity on one of her first post-pandemic cruises and had a marvelous time! Had I listened to all the dire warnings we would have missed out on a great experience. We have sailed all classes of X ships and enjoy them all.

If I paid attention to reviews I would never set foot on a cruise ship. Quite reading them years ago and am much happier and far less likely to notice the piddly stuff folks blow way out of proportion.

Same reason not every hotel, airline ticket, concert ticket etc. is not the same price. They fluctuate based on demand. Not selling well? Drop the price. Selling like crazy? Raise the price. Supply and demand.

We are just a couple of weeks off of Reflection and had a nearly perfect cruise. No concerns of any kind. Two nights in the MDR there were off menu chef recommendations : one night was beef wellington and the other was duck a l'orange. Every night found something to enjoy. CD Angela is the best! So genuine and never too busy for a chat. Ship was in excellent shape and service everywhere was up to Celebrity standards.

Nothing wrong with my device and have been a Cruise Critic member for a lot of years. Message boards like this are dinosaurs in many ways including search functionality hence why in general the roll calls are dead compared to in the past. I do know how to use the search function, but most times I have done so I have had to go through pages and pages of search results before finding what I am looking for or just giving up. Simple Google searches net results far faster. I'll stop as this is off topic.

I have been on Cruise Critic for going on 18 years and if I took the opinions to heart I would never step foot on a ship, no sane person would. The sky has been falling according to some for a long time.

Meh, don't see the need. Whining about the Retreat experience or the regular accommodations experience have been in one forum and seems to work just fine. Couldn't tell you the last time I saw actual useful information on Cruise Critic and I've been around since 2004. I just come back occasionally for the entertainment factor and to see what the complaint de jour is.

I wouldn't worry about it. The search function is awful.

They get rid of the loyalty program. Just the entertainment factor of the huge meltdowns some would have would be absolutely worth it.

Cruise Critic contimues to be such a great place to learn! Had no idea that as someone who would prefer to cruise from Port Canaveral vs. For Lauderdale or Tampa that I am part of a less desirable segment of the population. Good to know! So much "the sky is falling", "back in my day" and "someone moved my cheese" philosophies around here. "Familiarity breeds contempt".

Well add me to the list of happy folks! Port Canaveral is our closest homeport as well and we love a pre-cruise day in Cocoa Beach! Loved it when X had sailings from Charleston (we live 20 minutes from the port) and have been hoping they would add Port Canaveral for years now.

Interesting.....but hardly new. The weakening of the cruise product has been a topic for years and years. Some see ANY change as bad and I do feel for those folks as it must be an awful way to go through life since change is inevitable. I would be curious to know what percentage of the very frequent Elite Plus and up customers still purchase shore excursions, shop at the "recommended" stores, buy photos, art etc. In other words, bring in ancillary revenue. "Familiarity breeds contempt"

Report it to a crew member.

A whole lot of hyperbole but the only evidence of horrible food was runny eggs (not new, for as long as I can recall they have used the pre-scrambled eggs in a carton, this can be avoided by going to the omlete station and asking for fresh scrambled) and one menu item not being available.

We like both lines. And we are not Retreat or Yacht Club folks. Generally book standard verandahs regardless of line. Overall we believe Celebrity to have the better, more varied cuisine and slightly more polished service. MSC has better entertainment and a far less homoginezed clientele.