mayleeman

Give it a try tomorrow.

Bring on a case of soda ($13) and a refillable insulated water bottle ($15 x 2). Buy any individual drinks a la carte. You will likely save more money than you can believe. How could water and soda be worth over $450 for 2 people for a 7 day cruise? Drink package prices are absurd!

We might have another championship by then! Meanwhile, will this do?

@kearney A big difference you are ignoring about HH vs cruise is that for more than half the cruise, if you try going a few hundred yards in any direction you will get very wet. More seriously, comparing the two only on the basis of a few itemized expenses is really kind of silly. You need to look at the opportunities for vacation activities. The limited commercial and entertainment environment of a ship is practically one dimensional compared to what you can get to from a condo in a resort area. From your HH condo you can access 17 miles of bicycle trails right outside your door, and literally have within 35 miles hundreds of restaurants and bars, an array of stores ranging from luxury to grocery to discount, historical sites you can visit on your own and tours that don't have to be compressed into a few hours, dozen of golf courses and other activities, theaters and crafts. Television at any time and fast internet, too. For the more restful minded, there are miles and miles of wide beaches where only the unimaginative can't find a way to spend a full day if they wish. Most importantly, if you don't like something you try, you aren't stuck with it for the next 5 or 9 days. And, since we live on a golf course 30 miles in, you might even run into me and my wife!

Good point. The past 2 decades is littered with the wrecks of companies that tried to prop up share prices using short term tactics that undermined long-term stability. SW Airlines is the latest, leaving their 25 year old logistics methods in place instead of investing in updates, leading to the recent disaster estimated to cost them over $650 million. Circuit City, Sears, etc needed to enhance their customers' experience, not lessen it, but cutting costs to inflate the quarterly net was chosen instead. On the other hand, there are well-known studies where customers say that yes, they would pay more for a better flying experience with more amenities, but then many of those seats go empty when cheaper deals are available.

I think the issue is that they are doing almost everything without any announcements. It has been a huge benefit to CC because there are now literally hundreds, and it will be thousands, of posts speculating, reporting, investigation, questioning, and arguing about both whether, and what, is actually happening. X should try trusting their customers to respond rationally if they would just tell us what to expect and why.

On our (full capacity) April 2019 Reflection cruise they did not let anyone order from the MDR menu. They said it was only possible where Blu and MDR shared a kitchen.

Actually, we say, "2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Division 1 Champions"....🙃

Gronk, did you finally sneak into USAA???

The Ranger cookies on RCL are the best. If they go, I go.

I am guessing, @LMaxwell, that your info involves a limit of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Maybe 2, 1, and 1. Seems a logical step When you do decide it is time, do us all a favor (and especially yourself!) and start a new thread that references your prediction. We have already seen misunderstanding here caused by people who (proudly?) state they aren't reading the entire thread, but then opine in accusatory terms about things already discussed and explained. Incidentally, so many people post things they say they "heard" (not just on CC but on every internet board in existence) that it is natural to ask for sources. Many new people read CC who have no idea if anyone is credible or not. So try not to see it as people attacking you if they want to know where you get your info. Some of us have read you for years, but many still like to track things down (especially us lawyer types!). Misinformation and trolling plague us all! It would be nice if CC had a rumor-checking department. Oh, yeah--if you hear good news, don't wait!

Anyone encouraging breaking the alcohol rules helps give X an excuse for stricter enforcement of rules, which can inconvenience everyone. For example, your example, if followed by many, could result in X disallowing sodas and water in suitcases and carryons. Just as on RCL sharing of drink packages led to requiring everyone in a cabin to buy a package. So, yeah, others have the right to weigh in on ill-considered ideas.

The author of the post you quoted immediately posted an explanation that the RCL item referred to as having already been done was the elim of "Classic" selections on the MDR dinner menu.

@Los_Pepes Glad to see you are working this through. Just a note: There have been many reports that when auto gratuities are removed, the fault-finders at X will look for a reason and assume it is due to unsatisfactory service by the crew that has direct contact with the passenger. This is one reason why I would be cautious about removing those--you don't know how or if that choice will have larger repercussions for you cabin attendant or MDR servers. ("People have reported..." is nebulous, of course, but we can assume the crew gets judged on all types of things. Withdrawn grats seems like a low-hanging fruit for supervisors trying to find something wrong.) (Incidentally, the extra drink package and wifi charge in your 2nd AI far exceed the extra grats.) If I may, see if you can get an answer to a question not addressed here: If you pay twice, do you get 2 wifi connections? If you do, you can use the second one for a kid, and either they share that or you can save by buying only 1 for the second kid. Truth be told, I have screwed up lots of bookings and fares in my time, and always forgot about it eventually. I have no doubt you will, too, if you focus on the fun. Good sailing!

Just get all your nourishment from the drink package, and reduce the need for tp. No cheating with marshmallows in cocoa, tho.

If only people had some easily available electronic calendar thst would generate repeated payment reminders in whatever interval they desired... Or managed to look at their documents, say, oh, yearly to figure out whether they actually have to pay for their future plans. I do, however, understand being disappointed with the online agency for not sending a reminder...if they promised you they would. In writing, in which case make them eat it.

I am too cynical to answer the survey honestly. I could spend 20 minutes trying to make precise judgments about all the various crew we encounter, but then I know that the attention I am giving the survey is far greater than X management will. If the point of the survey is to use any <10 answers against the staff, no matter whose fault a dissatisfaction may be, I say to heck with it. I will use all 10's on the survey to fight back. The crew works really hard in general. I certainly don't let a couple of minor things ruin my cruise, so I ain't gonna be X's HR weapon.

@DisneyQueen999 I think it was terse more than unfriendly. You may want to reread it and think about your question from the perspective of someone reading your question and knowing answering it needed more information. His answer very helpfully asked specific questions that needed addressing to answer your inquiry. Most people would not have taken the time. Many of us have beaten our heads against the wall trying to pry contextual information out of inquirers who never bother to provide details that can help give them assistance, even after being asked several times. "Unfriendly" would have been something more personal than pointing out that relevant information was missing. With dozens of posts a day seeking information here, it is actually quite friendly to get the detailed help that answer showed he was willing to provide.

@johnnydeo Just a reminder...you are likely to get more helpful answers if your thread thread title gives a hint about what you want to know. People not going on the Equinox might skip it not knowing your question might actually help them, too.

Did some posts get deleted in this thread?

Anyone concerned about noise should download an app on their phone called White Noise Lite. It is free and does not stream the feed so no wifi needed to use. Many choices of soothing sounds and completely adjustable volume. The constant level of sound smooths out the sudden creaks and thumps you might hear. If you are really concerned about noise for an upcoming cruise and have never used a white noise machine, download it a few weeks ahead of time and use it starting at a very low volume. Then gradually increase it so by cruise time I guarantee you can sleep through almost anything the ship's percussion section has to offer. I have posted this recommendation so many times...my wife and I used to have a new well-insulated house in a super quiet neighborhood and slept with no problems. Then we bought a 50 year old wind tunnel a mile from an interstate and a RR line. Noise machine made all the problems go away, and we sleep more soundly than ever. Another benefit--no snoring complaints!

Don't forget snacks, books, games, or anything else you might want in case you get quarantined aboard. Noise machine (or use a free app not requiring internet, such as White Noise Lite) can help if you need to sleep during the day.

Change to Landscape mode.

Your thread is not unique to Celebrity, so the ports thread for FtL will likely have far more info. (And this might get moved there if past practice is a guide.)