Rick-cruiser

Am I the only one who reads CPAP and sees nothing but not-so-nice 4 letter word?

I was checking prices on mine and my friends upcoming Regal Caribbean cruise and noticed mini's have come down in price. I hovered around the page for a few minutes and just as I was about to call my TA for my friends cabin upgrade from a deluxe balcony to a mini (I already have a mini) the price shot up 60$/pp. The page with the booking categories and prices still list 859$ but when you go to select a mini forward it is 919$ and mid-forward is 929$. This was not the case just a few minutes prior where a forward cabin showed 859$ and mid-forward 869$.

I called Princess and the recorder states I had a 6-10 minute wait, however I was on hold for 40 minutes and the recorded message went on and on.

Well, at this point I can't talk with my TA until morning. I did take screen shot at least of the Itinerary/fare page.

What's this all about?

You "hovered around the page" too long.

.

Blame it on the age of technology/texting.. Some people don't know how (or care) to converse in-person anymore.. The fundamental elements of human interaction and social graces are missing.. I noticed a table for 4 at a restaurant recently where all four people were looking down the whole time texting away..... not even speaking to each other.

It's a somewhat bizarre society we're living in..

,

I have been on many Princess cruises this year, and the number of singles in the 30-35 range will be far and few between.. The chances of her meeting another single in that particular age range will be slim to none unless they BOTH attend the Singles Get-Together meetings as advertised in the Patter, or perhaps in Skywalker's lounge after 11pm.. Another thing I recommend strongly is that she attend as many activities/events/contests/games/trivia/etc....and be open to joining other groups at these activities.... as this will greatly increase her chances of meeting other people in general, including those in her age range.. She WILL have a great time on this cruise, as the people you see and meet on a cruise will be your little "family" throughout the voyage.. ENJOY!

Rick

.

Thanks for emphasizing the point. As I said, there are definitely regional and cultural differences at play here. And it really isn't a matter of rudeness as it is just differences. For example, there are areas in this country where the check - out clerks at supermarkets will chat you up like they've known you forever and other areas where such familiarity sticks out like a sore thumb. It isn't a matter of rudeness. It's just a regional difference.

That's one thing on Long Island we don't have to worry about.. The check-out clerks at supermarkets here don't look at you, don't talk to you, don't even acknowledge you.. They MAY tell you, after ringing everything up, what the total amount is.... but usually not... they just wait for you to hand them money.. Then, to top it off, there is no thank you...have a nice day...goodbye.. Nothing.. It makes a person understand why there's so much misery and pent-up animosity here.

I'll take a chatty check-out clerk any day....

.

And yes, DH came home just in time to develop that cough that was going around.

 

Both DH and I had a wonderful cruise. Yes, there were a few hiccoughs but it still rates as a very good cruise vacation.

Pun intended?. :)

.

Charo has always been great.. She is an extremely smart woman - diametrically opposite from the "ditsy" stage persona she created for her television and stage performances.. Her beauty, unique personality, and "cuchi-cuchi" phrase catapulted her to fame in the 60s and 70s.. But her pure unabashed TALENT and serious devotion to her craft is what surprises people most when they see her live.. Most importantly, in my view, she's always been known to be a genuinely warm, friendly, approachable person offstage.... a real class act.. I've always loved her.

.

Rick

.

The changes to Celebrity within the last 8 years will have you making a U-turn back to Princess...

.

I think other cruise lines besides Celebrity may be affected by this.

It's funny how different things are important to people.... On the Royal/Regal I couldn't care less about:

1... The teeny-tiny balconies:. We prefer an inside cabin for "cozy" (ie, dark-while-sleeping) purposes, and found that we didn't use our balcony AT ALL when we got upgraded to one.. (Although I do think the size offering of the balcony on the Royal/Regal is nothing less than an insult to those that do love and enjoy their balconies).

2... The Promenade Deck:. Yes we like to walk around the ship - during the day and even during the night (especially when it's a little stormy/windy...:), yes we like to take in the sights of the ocean views and "people watch" while we're walking on the outside decks of the ship.. Do we necessarily NEED to have a Promenade Deck that goes all the way around the ship?. No...we can circumnavigate around the ship very nicely utilizing whatever deck plans are in place.

3... Lack of one outside pool:. We're not sun-worshipers, nor do we necessarily need to be seated in close proximity around a pool - nor are we big pool swimmers/waders while we're on a cruise ship... So having one less pool near which to put our lounger, or in which to swim, makes no difference to us.

4... Soot Problems:. Again, not having a balcony stateroom makes this point moot. (and I do believe they will resolve this problem shortly, if they haven't done so already - as it is indeed a serious safety and health hazard, besides the dirtiness issue).

5... Theater Seats which are much narrower (ie... think airline seats) and don't have cup holders for drinks:. Given my body type / stature... this won't be a problem for me, PERSONALLY.. However, I can see how this can be a big problem for other people.. (I must admit, I would LIKE to have a bit of elbow room between myself and the person/stranger sitting beside me....for many reasons.... BUT it is not a dealbreaker.. How a "larger" person is expected to sit in those seats to comfortably watch a show?, is beyond me.. And I don't drink, so the cup holder issue doesn't come into play for me.. Again, I can see how this can be an issue for other folks.... Where are they expected to put their drinks...on the floor?

6... Small, overcrowded elevators (especially the Central ones) with ever-present mobs waiting to get into them:. We don't take elevators, period.. We're able (thank God for now.. :) ), and actually PREFER, to take the stairs, whenever possible.

HOWEVER, the 2 most important things for ME, personally, are:

1... Lack of the Central Staircase:. See point 6, above.. Cannot tell you how many times, per 7- or 10-day cruise, I find myself taking the center staircase just to zip up or down between decks.... I mean, the central stairs are the most popular to do this with, right?... ESPECIALLY if one has a mid-ship cabin.. Now, if I had to wait and wait for an elevator (along with grumpy, frustrated passengers who are ready to kill each other) just to go, say, from deck 7 to deck 8 (WITHOUT having to walk ALL the way to the front or back...and then ALL the way back to the middle...) that would drive me crazy.... not being able to do something that would normally take me literally a few seconds.. (AND for what reason?!!, some executive decided they could save a few bucks by not putting in the Central staircase - and thus frustrate thousands of passengers... Yeah, smart).

2... Lack of the Explorer's Lounge:. As posted previously in this thread, it is one of our absolute favorite place on the Princess ships.. The design, set-up, comfortable/cushiony chairs - which you can arrange nicely around tables giving yourselves plenty of room.. When we're home thinking about a Princess cruise, one of the things I know that enters my mind.. are all the wonderful things we've done in the Explorer's Lounge.. Taking this trademark venue away in these new-builds.. is a travesty, in my opinion.

So there you have it.... some things are more important to people than others.. Some will agree with my "important" items 100%, some will disagree 100% (and most will fall somewhere in the middle).. Basically you have to judge for yourself what features are most important to you and which are not.. You can either decide that these are so important to you that you will not even sail on these new ships at all.... OR, you may feel you are willing to "give it a try", and see if these features really are indeed as important as you think... and keep an open mind that perhaps the other *positive* design features of the ship may supersede those that are lacking....for YOU.

This is how I think, anyway.

- Rick

.

For us the most important feature of the Princess ships is the Explorer's Lounge.. We absolutely love spending time in there - with those comfortable seats and circular setup of chairs, 4 or 5 or 6, around the tables.... We go in there throughout the day/night, whether it be for drinks and to chat with friends/family, trivia, karaoke, staff game shows/contests, entertainment production shows, etc.. Even the main production talent (comedians, singers, magicians, illusionists, etc) alternate their shows between the main theater and the Explorer's Lounge, and we've found it's MUCH more comfortable, relaxed and pleasurable watching these shows in the Explorer's Lounge.. The seats are all cushiony and you set them up just the way you like, with plenty of elbow room and leg room, and so it makes it much more of an enjoyable experience.. During the day when the venue is not being used for any major event, the room is quiet and serene.. with soft music from the bars... and you can really enjoy a very nice, tranquil experience in there - able to hold conversations without loud noises and distractions.. It is by far one of our favorite spots on the ship and think it's a travesty they decided to take them out on the Royal and Regal.. This is one of their "trademark" venues on all of the Princess ships.... and I really do hope that, once they analyze what they've gotten wrong/right with the Royal and Regal ships (and there are quite a few of each, let's be fair), that they decide to put the Explorer's Lounge back!.

Just my 2-cents.... ok, 3-cents...... about that. :)

- Rick

.

cle-guy do you work?

I agree 100%. It is not a matter of whether they should or should not have a formal night. If times are a changing and the formal nights disappear to keep in touch with modern thought, so be it (I don't agree, but majority rules and money talks). But when did I blink and manners and common courtesy and respect for others went the way of the dinosaur? That is what this is all really all about. Formal dress required or not, that is keeping up with the times I guess. Manners, consideration, common courtesy, integrity - these should be timeless elements. It is a sad society where the norm is to do what I feel like as long as I can get away with it. Following the rules or not on formal night is certainly a very minor example of this, but an example it is. I am far from perfect and don't claim to be otherwise, but some of the comments on this thread are something else. I keep swearing never to join these threads, but sometimes I just can't help myself:)

Great post Phoenix.... and I agree with YOU 100%... :)

that must have been one heck of a long blink..... cause it happened, oh, somewhere in the 1980s - early 90s or so...... (when the me-me-me generation grew up to become 'adults'...).. We, as a society, are now suffering the consequences of its effects..

- Rick

.

On board the Regal Princess, on our third port.

 

What I love - pretty much everything.

The ship is gorgeous, especially the piazza, and they have many events with three levels of seating to enjoy the activity.

The entertainment is at a much higher level.

The mini suite layout is much better streamlined. Love the long full size comfortable couch, the flat screen TVs, the wonderful linens, the curtain between the beds and the living room. The curtain is just shy of being wide enough to cover the space, and black out the light, but hey, there is a curtain!

 

The Bad and The Ugly

Whatever you do, do not book on the Marina deck (deck15), mid ship. Or any room on Marina deck for the matter. Personally, I would cancel my trip versus staying in one of these rooms.

We are in room M415

The noise transfer into the rooms is absolutely horrible. I have never experienced anything like it.

The large screen is so loud that it is as if the the movie is playing inside the room. There is no way to have peace in the room. And movies often start at 10pm and go to after midnight.

You can hear every person that walks across the deck.

There is no rest for the weary in our room.

 

There is no staircase in the mid ship elevators. Because of this, waiting for elevators is worse than other ships. And you have no way to quickly go up or down a few flights of stairs to reach your destination.

 

Booking mid ship should be given a discount versus more expensive.

 

The tours continue to be mostly disappointing. It is impossible to hear the tour guide on walking tours without audio assistance. I would recommend only booking those tours where audio devices are provided. One tour not to miss is the gondola ride in Venice. Magical!

 

Will I travel on the Regal or Royal Princess again. Yes, probably, but only with a mid deck room and forward or aft situation.

Gee..... what a shock that this is still a major problem and source of frustrations on the Royal and Regal ships..

What do the naysayers say now?

.

Hi Rick, you just like looking back at the boards.;););)

Haha.... you're right Joan...... I peruse them all... :)

.

I thought Celebrity had listened to the hundreds of posts about their "loud music" policy and had improved. Now I hear that we have that ame issue to look forward to on our Alaska cruise on the Silhouette in September and most likely on the Eclipse in December (on which we previously experienced the loud/weird/omnipresent "music?" on a 14 day cruise). Really, WHO needs techno or rap at 7 AM with your first cup of coffee?

I hope that Mr. Bayley et al. succeed in their quest to attract/please the younger cruisers because my wife is starting to say that maybe we should start looking at land trips in the US and Europe vs. cruises on ships with less activities and wait staff, decreasing quality/selection of food in the MDR and Lido and increasing prices in the specialty restaurants that I have been reading about in many posts re Celebrity ships on the message board.

or perhaps try a cruiseline OTHER than Celebrity.... :rolleyes: . we have, and we have never looked back, as there are many others from which to choose.

.

Interesting...Cruise Critic members don't seem to need this chip... (or perhaps we already have it?) :rolleyes:

Correction..... Celebrity Cruise Critic members

.

I'm not a statistician, and won't try to interpret the numbers but common sense would tell you that silence is golden when experiencing the glaciers

And the issue is, not only is there music while gliding through the glaciers, but why does it have to be someone else's choice of music??.. You're forced to listen to whatever they choose to play that day.. If there's silence then at least those who WANT music can listen privately though earphones and get the experience THEY want to get.....

Why do thousands have to be affected by ONE person's choice of music??. I cannot believe that that is acceptable to anyone.... even those who are pro-music.

- Rick

.

Well you can't make just one trip if you don't have trays.. Like I said, some people only want to make one trip.. and be done with it, others don't mind going back-and-forth 3 times until they're all set and have everything they need.. So just provide trays - as an option for those who want it.. and call it a day.

Everyone in this world is different.

Having said that..... some people like the flexibility (and exercise and convenience) of getting up and down 6 times, 10 times, 20 times, etc... whenever they want something, or get more of something, or get something for somebody else... etc.. They don't mind zipping in and zipping out, coming back to the table with exactly what (and exactly how much) they want.. Didn't like something??...Go back and get something else.. Couldn't believe how GOOD something was??...Go back and then come back with enough of it so that EVERYONE can share... etc, etc

OK, now some people don't like that.. They REALLY like the idea of getting everything in one swoop..... go back to their table, and have everything they need for that one sitting.. They're done.. THAT'S their comfort level.. They feel relieved to get to their table.. No having to get back up....no need to reenter the "crazy zone"... It's just their comfort level.. And for singles... there's that added plus (and security) of knowing that their items will not being taken away and a new family sitting there when they get back.

So.... in reality, a question (or thread) like this will inevitably elicit a variety of responses... all very subjective, and with their perfectly logical, warranted merits.. This is simply dependent upon the circumstance and preferences of each individual.. IE, there is no 100% wrong or right answer... and that's OK!

So Celebrity, why not just give people the OPTION of having a tray... IF they so choose... for their convenience and comfort?. This will keep everybody happy....and satisfy both worlds. :o

JMHO,

Rick

.

Sounds absolutely wonderful..... 16 Feet Wide!....all around the entire ship.... with large mosaics featuring imagery from the Mediterranean Coasts on both sides of the promenade.... Also, "Bars and restaurants overlook the promenade, re-creating the atmosphere of a summertime Mediterranean beach".. Sounds glorious.. A throwback to the old days of cruising....

Here is the link:

http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/11240-costa-cruises-costa-diadema-to-feature-a-promenade.html

Yes, too bad it's on one of Costa's new ships, not Princess.. ALTHOUGH.... Princess would do a GREAT DEAL OF GOOD for themselves if they implemented such a beautiful feature on their upcoming ships.. I think this will really take off.... people strolling along the promenade on a nice, wide boardwalk, with the sights and sounds of a lively seaside resort.. Sounds SO nice....

Princess, are you listening?. REALLY listening??

.

- Rick

.

People are so funny!!!

"funny"..... that's not the term I would have used.. :) .but then, I'm from NY and tell it like it is..

.

I believe this statement ("Too many people on CC are professional victims and they'll never be happy"), as well believe too many are "professional cruisers" who have come to have far higher expectations for their cruise than a typical cruiser may have, which leads to shattered experiences when something isn't delivered that was on a prior cruise.

 

It's why I honestly believe Cruise Critic is not the best source for people to truly understand what a cruising vacation is all about, its a place for the hyper-informed, OCD types (myself included) to come and get into the minutia of cruising, and also why we CCers are not the best "target audience" for cruise line to pay attention to either (myself again included).

This is so interesting -- and I agree with you completely -- but, ironically, I also have the opposite opinion! (Don'tcha just love Cruise Critic?) Well, to be honest, I don't have the opposite opinion, but I see the problem from the other side of the coin -- Cruise Critic is really not the best place to find out about a cruise vacation not only because there is so much complaining, because there is so much "cheerleading!" There is a large contingent, as we all know, who tolerate no negative comments about their beloved cruise line, and therefore paint a picture of cruise line perfection that no line or ship could ever live up to. This feeds into the tendency for cruise newbies, or certainly newbies to a particular cruise line, to be disappointed with their cruise, because -- guess what -- it was not PERFECT, as they were led to believe it would be by the cheerleaders! It is not only because folks complain too much about the minutiae on their cruise, but also because folks "complain" too little. CC posters who make everything sound perfect, or who vehemently beat into submission anyone who makes the slightest negative comment about their favorite cruise line, actually set up unrealistic expectations and thus foster disappointment, which does their favorite cruise line no good. If my choices are "rose-colored glasses" or realism with a dose of negative minutiae, I'll take the latter, any day! I have cruise enough to know what to consider personally important and what not to.

 

I have found this thread refreshing in that it is not bloated with cheerleaders, nor "crabby-cakes," either.

This is the best 2-sided standpoint/analysis I've seen in years.. I can see both viewpoints very clearly.... and I applaud you both for shedding light to diametrically opposed, yet equally valid, perspectives....

This is what mature online discussions should be all about.. It sheds light on ideas and topics from which we can all benefit... without belittling or denouncing anyone else's opinion.

To me THIS is what the Cruise Critic forums should be all about..

- Rick

.

I agree with the OP. I enjoy the movies shown in the cinema each evening. It was a big disappointment on our June 1 Summit cruise to find out that these had been discontinued. When I inquired why this was done I received various responses from" it was too expensive " to "you have to let Celebrity know that you want them on you comment card". I'm still waiting for my comment card, so if Celebrity is reading this, BRING BACK THE CINEMA AND THE MOVIES.

If it's not a revenue-producing venue, they probably won't bring it back..

.

Was on the Celebrity Infinity for 24 days recently and three days they showed recent movies in the Celebrity Theatre. Seems all the other days they needed the theatre for rehearsals for the production shows or for other entertainment. There was not enough to do on all the sea days (it was a TA) and many people were complaining about the lack of activities. Hardly any trivia or name that tune or organized bridge etc.

That's just sad.. Those activities you mention are the foundations upon which cruising was designed and revered.... especially during those highly-anticipated sea days.. Of course things change and the suits in the boardroom are all coming up with new ideas..... but Celebrity is straying a bit TOO far from the basics for our tastes..

.