rjrpar

We thought Jalousie beach was one of the worse beaches in the Caribbean.

Can you tell me more about this Irie Tour? What did it involve and how much was it per person? At this point, we are probably just planning to walk around this island - but always looking for good suggestions from fellow cruisers! Thanks

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Service in the cruise industry is generally getting worse. I won't pretend to have all the solutions but we speak with wallets, and based on what I have seen, we are willing to tolerate it. It is unfortunate with the rising prices in SR, we can't feel confident that the food and service will be better than the MDR.

Yes

With today's technology, how can a cruise line not have an automated ordering system. Can't believe in 2015 a solution is to use a red pen

Went there the last 2 years. About a 20-25 minute cab ride and cabs are always available in the afternoon to return. Don't remember the cost but seemed consistent to fares on other islands. Nice restaurant, lots of people -a real nice beach experience.

I am probably in the minority but I have not thought the pastries in the Cafe were really that special. Not worth the calories for me and I do like sweets. I would rather pay for the gelato or head upstairs for some hard ice cream.

You're not in a minority. Desserts and pastries on X (and many other cruise lines) are very average. If served in a land-based coffee shop or restaurant, they wouldn't stay in business. The only exception is the specialty restaurants.

Just got off the Celebrity Equinox without my luggage. They told me my suitcase went into the ocean by accident along with 11 other bags! They were supposed to bring my stuff all washed to my hotel in Barcelona. They didn't and the ship sailed an hour ago! Needless to say I'm furious and I have no clothes! NEVER TRUST THEM WITH YOUR BAGS AGAIN!!!!

Sorry for your misfortune. I really don't understand your " never trust them again" comment, it was a rare accident.

Most cruise lines have improved the boarding process, making it much easier for all passengers. The perk of early boarding is losing its value.

Wow we did the Baltics two years ago on the Constellation and no one experienced any problems in St. Petersburg. I'm not sure we were even cautioned about it before arrival. Amazing how times have changed in two short years. Glad you had a great cruise. Celebrity offers a great product.

Things didn't change, you were fortunate.

I was on the same Veendam cruise, and I was actually impressed by the relative strictness and enforcement of the dress code in the dining room. On several (non-formal) nights I saw men being 86'ed at the door for wearing shorts - including one of my own tablemates. He reappeared later with long pants on. On the Gala nights, the guys up front were handing out loaner jackets until they ran out.

 

That said, it's nigh-impossible to enforce the "stay dressed throughout the evening" rule, and after dinner tuxedos rubbed elbows with t-shirts just about everywhere.

 

It's a constant struggle between "I'm on vacation; I'm here to relax, and I don't want to have to dress up" and "It's a special occasion and we should try to look our best". As society becomes more casual across the board, I think the relaxers will inevitably win this war. But I'll go down with my tie and cummerbund on, and I'll look fantastic. ;)

The relaxers have already won. Everyone just doesn't know it yet. Time to quit the fight and enjoy dinner

First, you should be happy for your grandmother, you sound resentful. Second, if you are concerned about price, go through a TA and save 8-10% on every cruise. IMHO, not using a TA is like paying a penalty for your cruise

Why are charters "a lot more profitable?

I get it now. HAL wants to put $420 per person as a hold for a 7 day cruise. This seems excessive.

It' s been said several times, what HAL and all other cruise lines do re credit cards doesn't cost you a penny and protects them from being stiffed. Not a big deal

My husband really doesnt like to bring a coat and tie on cruises. On Celebrity and other ships, he always wears a dress shirt and dress pants but no coat and tie. I read in the HAL's literature that a coat and tie are required on formal nights. Is this mandatory for the MDR?

I do not think it is still mandatory. The newest guidelines refer to coats and ties for men and gowns and cocktail dresses for women as "appropriate, not "required". IMHO, HAL is trying to catch up with the times but still keep their base customers happy

To those who have added up the alleged value of the "Go Best" perks and booked it that way thinking they're saving a few dollars:

 

 

 

Here is Celebrity's real motivation...

 

Many people book cruises at a basic cruise only rate...

 

Celebrity (or any cruise line) can make more money off of that customer if they purchase 1) Drinks, 2) Internet, 3) Shore Excursions, 4) Gift shop items, 5) Spa services, etc.

 

A lot of this stuff is "high profit" area for the cruise lines...

 

But, many cruisers don't buy this stuff...They may book their own private excursions, avoid the internet--instead waiting to get it as free wifi in port, avoid the gift shops...and many don't drink or don't drink much...

 

 

 

So, the cruise line was looking for ways to encourage or to FORCE customers to buy these items.

 

 

 

The first great idea was the "Drink Package". Why? The basic effect is to pre-sell the customer approximately 7 drinks per day--that's about what it takes just to break even on the purchase of a package. If people don't hit that 7 drink quota, the cruise line is way ahead...But, if they exceed it, the cruise line doesn't care--they win anyway...BECAUSE the actual cost to the cruise line of an $8 drink is less than a dollar! Nobody on a package costs the line money...But, for the cruise line, if they could sell everyone a package, it's like guaranteeing them the equivalent of the sale of seven high profit margin drinks a day per customer...

 

 

 

This has worked so well that the only problem is HOW to encourage every customer to purchase the package...hence, the 123Go!, the "Pick Your Perk" and, now, the new bundling pricing...

 

 

 

By building the drink package, the OBC and the Internet into the pricing scheme what they've done is to slyly push people into pre-paying for 7 drinks a day, pre-paying for internet usage (which is, basically, giant profit margin for the line--remember, unlike the early days, now most people bring along their own iPads, laptops, etc., so the cruise line doesn't even have to provide computers and ship space) and selling you OBC--which forces you to spend even more onboard--on shore excursions, gift shops, etc.

 

 

 

So, even if the cruise line prices the "Go Best" option at a whopping $80 savings for you, they don't mind...They are laughing all the way to the bank...They make FAR more profit off that $1200 plus extra you spent than the $80...

 

...And, rather than getting customers who spend judiciously, they have customers who buy EVERYTHING--lock, stock and barrel!

 

Of course, they're keeping it a little "small" right now...If they could get away with it, they'd jack the prices up about $5,000 per person for which they'd gladly give you $5,500 worth of "included perks"--shore excursions, spa services, gift shop deals, specialty restaurants and so on. Why have to push all that to you once you're onboard when they can merely market it all ahead of time in a bundling pricing scheme?

 

 

 

So, ask yourself, did you really want to buy ALL of those perks? Just to save a few dollars? (If you use some folks logic--but not using the simple math on longer cruises where $195 buys you $150)

 

 

 

This pricing scheme is for the advantage of Celebrity...NOT for the advantage of the customer...

 

 

 

And that's not even dealing with the issue some of us Elite and Elite Plus members have with the perks merely duplicating the Captain's Club perks. Given the choice, we'd be foolish to be buying drink packages and internet packages...but, now we have little choice.

Your statement on the cost of a drink of less than a $1.00 is way off. Made me stop reading the rest of your rant

Agree that a cruise is not the best time to go deep sea fishing. If you are staying at a nicer resort, you can often get the chef to cook you a special meal with your catch

It's a fairly long, hot walk. Why waste valuable, relaxing beach time to save about $20.

Forget the extremely high heals and buy new shoes with a lower heal. Most people stay dressed for the evening. I certainly do and appreciate other who stay dressed.

So it really matters to you what others wear as they enjoy the ship after dinner. WOW

Some cruisers seem to want to get to know cruise ship employees. We treat them politely, tip well, and keep our cabin very neat, however we treat them the same as hotel maids, servers in restaurants, etc. Don't understand the need of some posters to get to know the crew

Depending on the type of cabin, $999 for a week is not bad

Always available

Pretty sure you could get some laps in.

People at bars during trivia games are the big drinkers, of course they have beverage cards. What about the other 3000 people?

So if we wanted to take the bus from the cruise port area to Palm Beach, how do we know when to get off the bus?

Just ask the driver