Gracie115

Actually the Luminae menus really haven't changed much since 2015 when Luminae was created. A few tweaks here and there but the menu that Eclipse had on the first sailing with Luminae in April 2015 is very close to what we had on the Apex in November 2022, and on the 5 other X sailings in between those dates.

Celebrity has been our first choice in the past but with the new pricing that will most likely not be the case in the future. We have sailed with Royal, Princess, HAL & Carnival. Won't do Carnival again and doubtful about HAL but we have a 2024 Princess booked and Royal remains a possibility the entertainment on both is better than X offers and pricing is certainly better especially on Princess.

Likely RC made the change because the majority of their passengers don't have a beverage package... or at least they are not "included" automatically as it seems Celebrity's are. Limiting the amount of alcohol you can bring on board means more wine being purchased by the passenger. Celebrity allowing 2 per person when you already have a beverage package included means less wine being drunk on X's dime.

That is such a great site!!! My go to when trying to find the right state room.

Could the difference in # of cabins be those deck 11 Aqua rooms added several years ago?

Thank you for posting all these menus. I think they look just fine, better than what Celebrity is offering the MDR. We recently booked another Princess cruise on the Sky in 2024, am sure we will have no trouble finding something good on these menus.

There were a lot of rooms right after final payment for the April 22 Apex TA, now there are very few balcony, less than 25 and about 60 ocean view and insides left. OH and the Iconic suite at a little over $22K per person!! I think that gets the ship to more than 90%. I think you're right about the additional inventory but also think the itinerary is part of the difference too. The Apex has a really nice one for a TA, Reflection is ok, but 2 nights shorter. Constellation is an older ship(though we love the M class) and I think is harder to fill these days. We had friends on a late January Reflection cruise that was at 50% occupancy. I suspect the older ships are all having a tougher time filling.

I don't know if this is a dream world, but we went for the premium too on a Sky TA in 2024....what the hell...expect we will have ZERO bill at the end.... and will have been able to do pretty much anything on the ship outside of booking extensive spa stuff which we never do.

M108 has an awesome balcony!! We've been in the stateroom before and loved the lay out of the room. The living area is separate from the bedroom, feels like much more space than a normal Minisuite. We used the balcony every day and have now booked a TA on the Sky in one of these marvelous rooms!! It's great fun being at the BOW of the ship!!

First of all the mini suite we are in is only one of 4 on the ship, unique design, with separate bedroom and living area. The balcony is larger than any balcony we've ever had on X, including the wonderful "hump" balconies that the CS on Solstice class has. We've actually stayed in the same room on the Regal Princess so we do know what we're talking about. I didn't have actual square footage but yeah, based on your numbers, it's smaller inside the room than the CS but very equal to the SS on X. The package we have includes the premium beverage package(same as X), club class dining(not Luminae, but very nice, and separate from the MDR area) and other perks including as I said a few specialty dinners which X does not offer at the SS or CS suite level, reserved theatre seating and others. It's 17 nights, not 14 as the Beyond. The price for the lowest level SS on the Beyond is right around $6300 per person(per the X website). The price on Sky Princess is $4240 per person. 3 extra nights, $2K less per person. We like the butler on X but it's not essential for us at all. It's all in what's important to each of us and we're ready to try something not quite as "exclusive" as the Retreat area, but still a fun cruise without breaking the bank. You are quoting a standard mini on Princess, and, yes, it's not much more than a standard balcony on X, but if you research the ships you can find the better rooms, which is what we did the first time we stayed in this type of mini. And if you opt for what they now call the "reserve collection" you receive the perks I've mentioned. It works for us.

We won't call ourselves "exclusively Princess customers" but just booked a TA in late fall 2024 in a mini suite (and this particular one has near the square footage of a CS on X), included tips, the premium beverage package, club class dining, 4 free specialty dinners (2 for each person) about $500 in OBC and a few other perks for less than half the CS on X would cost and this cruise is for 17 nights, not the 11-14 that X is now pushing for it's TA's in 2024 & 2025. AND 4 new ports for us.....it was a no brainer.

What didn’t you like about it?

Yes, we spent a few days in Rome prior to our last cruise in a wonderful boutique hotel, and did the math and saw that we could spend a few weeks in Italy for far less than that cruise would cost....still have great food, wine, (probably a bit less than on a ship...😁) lodging and see more of the country. Same for other areas in Europe. Those kind of trips are sounding more and more appealing these day.

Agree

All true.... but as a "Florida" resident I no longer have a desire to do the same Caribbean cruise over and over...especially at today's prices....or even at "bargain" rates that might be offered last minute. After 30+ cruises, vast majority with Celebrity we fully expect our booking on the Apex April TA to be the last for the forseeable future. We are looking around for better ways to spend our $$$'s. Things have changed A LOT with cruising since the pandemic and much not for the better...or maybe we just came to realize we can get more "bang for our buck" in other ways. I think there are others that feel the same.

Would be nice....but doubt that will happen....they stopped responding sometime before Covid and nothing since. As long as people keep paying the fare....no matter how high....they will just keep on doing what they're doing.

As did we on the Apex last November.....better than most other choices

I quoted the east bound TA in 2024. A comparison to this years at $8977 pp…. A year later at $18106 pp….and 2 days shorter…. Hey if X can get it more power to them…. But I’m not biting at that price…

Sure do...... and so is the JW Marriot ....

It's not rude. Our butler was appreciative of having our list (which was really only a few little things) rather than depend on him/her to remember everything said.

We love the Celebrity Suites on the "S" class!!! Enjoy it and Luminae!!! Worry about nothing, you will love it.

A lot better that the 10K they are asking for it.... though for a Sky 7 nights in Carib even $3500 isn't a bargain at all.

THAT's an absolutely ridiculous price for a Sky Suite on a one week cruise and in the Caribbean no less. THAT is not sustainable because I don't believe there are that many really foolish people who pay that price. At least I would certainly hope not.

Our Apex TA last fall was nearly 100% full and we had contact with the shoreside concierge. That's the only post Covid Celebrity sailing we've had.