psuboater

Thank you for this! We sailed on the Joy two weeks ago and I was chatting with a Haven passenger. It blew my mind of how little one gets in Haven for what is sometimes triple the price from Club Balcony. I took your advice- booked Vibe, upgraded to the Free and Sea Plus - and feel like I wasn't missing much more than the dedicated Haven lounge. We're not big on being fussed over, so the Butler isn't an appeal. We booked a Club Balcony for our next trip in June- and the only sad thing is Vibe is already sold out 😞

I was also on this cruise and I felt we got lucky. Someone gave the heads up of the different pier on the facebook group prior to going, so we planned to carry off our luggage as soon as we could. From announcement to taxi, we were off in 20 minutes. We were surprised to hear later on that so many people had issues!

I would add that leaving DT Seattle at 5:30 for a 7:30pm flight is cutting it a bit close. The easiest way to get to the airport is the light rail, which is around 40 minutes to the airport. If you don't have CLEAR, TSAPre waits can be 35-40 minutes, and even longer with out them. Assuming boarding starts ~6:50, I'd leave no later than 4pm.

I've shared this a few times, but on our Alaska cruise last year, we had issues with customs clearing the ship. The first group off was supposed to be at 7am, and they didn't start disembarkation until 8:30. It was our home port so we weren't stressed, but there were a LOT of stressed out passengers trying to get off the ship for an early time. As others have mentioned, if you're coming back to Seattle on a weekday, you're going to run into terrible traffic on the way down to SEATAC. A Sat/Sun flight will give you a bit more grace, but there's very few easy ways to SEATAC if there's an issue with I5 (which there are many 🙂 ). I have TSA/Clear, so I haven't waited over 10 minutes to get through security. Others who have precheck and not CLEAR can be waiting up to 25-30 minutes, especially on busy times. If you don't have either, highly highly reccomend reserving your spot here: https://www.portseattle.org/SEAspotsaver It's free and specifically for those who do not have TSA Precheck. You reserve your time in line and you essentially "cut" the line during your reserved time slot. Otherwise, I've seen regular security lines back up to the parking garage and become over an hour wait. All in all, I'd say noon to be safe. I've done the nailbiting "just-got-to-the-gate-while-boarding" because of issues with Seattle traffic, and it is not the way to end your cruise.

I had a great experience with food on the Joy both in specialty dining, the Garden Cafe and the main dining rooms, so on the last day I wanted to finally get to the wings at the Local. I couldn't even eat them, we ended up going up to the Garden Cafe. They were that bad.

I'm a newer convert from Celebrity to NCL, and just booked a Club Balcony for June. Here's what I know: 1) Club Balcony is a slightly larger room and bathroom (I've heard people rave about the shower in Club Balcony, excited to try!) Small snacks are provided daily, and I believe 1 bag of laundry is included. No access to the Haven. Wifi/Restaurants/Drinks are only what you got at your Free at Sea package (or upgrades) or otherwise has to be purchased separately. 2) This is where my knowledge is limited since I've only talked to people in the Haven - but you will have access to the Haven bar, observation deck and restaurant, along with priority boarding. However, nothing else is included besides your Free at Sea package or whatever you bought. I talked to someone who spent $13k on 5 days in the Haven, but when I sent him an article, he said he'd have to wait unitl he got home to read it because he used up his Free at Sea internet minutes. It's crazy to me that the prices are so much higher and drinks/wifi/restaurants aren't included, but again, I could be wrong.

Even if they aren't officially answering as Celebrity, I absolutely guarantee you they're lurking here. I was a retail buyer for several large companies and I was constantly searching and seeking out feedback online for our products, but never responding as a member of the company as I was not authorized to do so.

Just got off the Norweigan Joy 5 day Mexican Rivera cruise and promptly cancelled our deposit on the Celebrity Summit and booked on the Joy for the same week and itinerary to Bermuda this June. We are getting their version of Concierge Class (Club Balcony), with a premium drink package, unlimited internet and 4 days of specality dining for $1500 LESS than what Celebrity was going to charge us for an aft balcony. We found the wines offered on the premium package were way superior (you are able to get a bottle of wine during your dinner - including Veuve Cliquot champagne and Duckhorn Cabernet), and food was just as good as Celebrity. The buffet dining option is important to us, and they had plenty of Made to Order items that we used to enjoy on X. So if someone from X is reading this, some of us are voting with our wallets and making changes.

Yup, that's why I have 5 "poor" bids in for Sunday's cruise on the Joy. Honestly, happy with the cabin we have and splurged on Vibe, more specialty dining, and the premium drink package, so we'll live the Haven-lite life 😄

I had a deal offered to me last year that was so good I maxed out my bid, thinking it was a sure thing. Still didn't win, assuming because they didn't have the inventory for that category the time we sailed.

The answer is -- it depends. If you live in a city where there's already a high cost of living, the cost is negliable. If you're living somewhere besides a HCL city, then it will be a sticker shock. Living in Seattle, we didn't see that much of a difference. That being said, we used Marriott points to stay at the Marriott Wailea in Maui. We also made a stop at the Costco right next to the Maui airport (pro tip - this will be the cheapest place to fill up your rental car before returning), and bought soda/wine/snacks/alcohol to enjoy in our room to keep costs down. We skipped a formal breakfast to focus on lunch and dinner. The food on Hawaii to me is worth the cost - if you are a fish/sushi lover, I had some of the best dishes of my life there. So much of hawaii's experiences is best explored on foot, and the port intensive schedule might not give you enough time.

The stir-fry station, and then the made to order grill station, along with dining out on the Sunset Bar, is a big draw for us. Pre-pandemic the grill station was truly made to order, but last year it didn't seem to be an option. Now I hear the MTO Stir Fry is gone. When my mom and I travel, we would eat 80% of our meals at the OVC. The choices and the freshness of the meals, along with the QUIET you get dining at the OVC at dinner was a big draw. Our final payment for the Summit in June is next month, but at $2500pp for a balcony for a week to Bermuda, we're seriously considering moving over to the NCL Joy for the same itinerary at half the cost. We're actually going on the Joy this weekend on the west coast and will make our choice when we return. X used to be worth the extra cost, but if they continue to devalue the experience, they're simply a more expensive entry level line.

Sailed in June 2022, as well as Pre-Covid (2018 and 2019). The biggest difference to me is the 4 (possibly 5?) Peloton Bikes offered for free (you have to make a reservation, but mid-way through the cruise, the gym was so empty they just waved me through). The room to do mat work appeared smaller to me, but otherwise, it's a nice gym with an excellent view.

As we say in the PNW, there's no bad weather, just bad clothing choices 🙂 If you're coming from mid-July to mid-September, chances are better than not you won't have any rain. In fact, we took a weekend trip to Vancouver in late July and they were going through a 90+ heat wave. Most likely you're going to have beautiful weather for the trip.

About 15 years ago, we were the first cruise ship to dock at St. Croix after years of the cruise lines pulling out of that port due to safety concerns. The island literally threw a parade for the return of the ships. Up until a few years ago, trying to find a West Coast/Mexico cruise was few and far between because of the safety concerns. As someone said, dead tourists are bad for business, and the ports do everything they can to keep business coming to them. Heck, I see a huge difference in public safety from the winter here in Seattle to cruise season. I haven't felt unsafe downtown (with the exception of some weird months of the pandemic), but I notice a huge difference in the uptick in police/security when the ships are in town.

Thank you! Which ones are the close berths, and which one is the problem berth?

Whoa! That seems expensive on both ends. Premier for me (when I select limited van service, it's been max one stop out of our way) it's about $90 from SEA to the ferry 45 minutes north of the city. A cab or Uber from the airport to the city shouldn't be more than $60. There's also the light rail which is $2.75 from the airport and a 12 minute walk to the Pan Pacific hotel if you're traveling light.

If you have time, I highly recommend the Amtrak Cascades. It's about a 3.5 hour journey, but a lot of it hugs the coastline and will give you fantastic views of the mountains, water, and sea life! My commuter train shares the same line and it never fails to put a smile on my face. I got tickets for this April at $33pp in Coach. There is now trains 2x a day, and it might increase by the time you arrive in September. Not sure how much you saved and are looking to spend, but the Seaplane service on Harbour Air from Lake Union to downtown Vancouver resumes this summer. The flight takes under an hour and is a truly NW experience - flights start at $255. A regular old airplane from SEA to YVR is $128pp one way right now in September, via Alaska Air or Delta.

I take Premier Airport Shuttle almost everytime I go to and from the airport as I now live about an hour from SEA. The drivers are always so polite and excellent drivers (They got me home safely from the airport during our last snow storm this past December!), they're on time and their vans are always clean. Highly recommend! https://premierairportshuttle.com/

Me three! 20 days, can't wait!

Looks like you're coming in October -- which has been hit or miss for rain, but the past couple of years it's been pretty sunny in October. We don't get rain in "buckets" typically, especially that early in the season, we're pretty similar to the weather you get in Ireland - cloudy and misty is most of the winter. Days that have steady, soaking rain don't usually happen until late November. It's been awhile since I've taken that elevator, but there should be one on the pier side. Also to avoid roaming fees, the hotel you're staying at will be more than happy to hail you a cab if need be. Enjoy our city!

Agreed- while I never come into cruising thinking it's going to be the best food I've ever had, value the experience on Celebrity. One of the experiences I look forward to is having dinner at the Sunset bar from the OV. We went on last June and while we noticed some cut backs, it still didn't ruin the experience. Looking at the offerings at the OV this month from that YouTube report honestly was shocking. So if you're taking away a nightly experience like that for us, I will take my dollars elsewhere. .

we thought about trying out Princess for next months cruise (5 day Baja) but went with NCL due to the promotion they were giving, but that's good to keep in mind for the future! I believe the only 7 day options to Bermuda from NY are X and NCL, so there might be a forced hand at play there.

My mom and I take a yearly trip to Bermuda on the Summit. We also just found a last minute NCL cruise next month. I absolutely will be comparing both trips this year and if the cuts are this substantial on X, we'll book on NCL's Bermuda trip starting in 2024.