ggo85

Just proves it’s not a safety issue. I kinda wish they’d tell us the real reason. Clearly cost related, but what is it?

Maybe X wants to turn all the balconies into infinite verandas. Force them down our throats.

Good suggestion above. If you don't wait until around noon (maybe even a bit earlier), chairs on the upper deck start to empty. The further away from the pool, the better off you are. In Feb., we found chair hogs galore on sea days. At 8 am, we could not find a seat anywhere, though there were probably 10 people actually sitting in loungers. As noted, by late morning, much better.

Well, that does it for me. We are stuck on our cruise in a couple of weeks without loungers. Definitely our last cruise with X. No, this isn't the only thing. The last couple of cruises haven't been great. This is the proverbial last straw. [As an aside, at least you received a response. I haven't received one from either my email to the exec office or to Retreat shore concierge.]

I emailed the shoreside Retreat concierge. Curious to see the reply.

I’ve requested in advance for our cruise next month. Let’s see what happens.

Emailed 2 days ago. My sense is the current policy is to stick their fingers in their ears and hope we all go away Oh wait, that’s exactly what we’re doing. 😀😀

I sent an email to the "exec" address yesterday. No response yet.

IMO, Move Up can be a good deal. Say you booked cabin A at $1000 and the price for cabin B was $2000. Move up offers it for $300 extra. You might be willing to pay $300, but not $1000. But I agree that, if the Move Up bid is close to or above the original price, it doesn’t make sense unless you’ve come into more money or just reconsidered your priorities.

For me, it's two things. First, I really, really like loungers. I sit at a desk all day, with my feet on the floor. On vacation, I want to be able to put my feet up (literally). Second, people traveling in suites pay handsomely for their cabins. It's a decision made with the expectation that one will get more for the extra money being spent. One of those things is a larger balcony and -- historically -- loungers and chairs on that balcony. It's not about being unappreciated but rather annoyance at having something historically enjoyed taken away for no good reason, while at the same time increasing prices.

They are unlikely to let higher priced cabins sail empty. This may be X's "opening bid" -- see if there are any takers. Could be that, closer to sailing, the prices come down if there are still lots of open cabins.

Snorkeling is on the surface. You can only go deeper if you hold your breath and dive down -- no different than w/o the snorkel, other than you have to blow out the snorkel when you surface. You may be thinking of SNUBA, where you are attached to a "group" oxygen tank and can go down about 15', if memory serves. You get some of the advantages of scuba (being able to breathe underwater) without the tanks, though you do have a weighted vest so that you submerge. You can't go as deep and you have to stay in the vicinity of the flotation device holding the air cylinder.

Why should we have to ask? Should we have to ask for towels? Should we have to ask for sheets? Should we have to ask for a TV? A couch? A bed? These are premium cabins that come at a premium cost and should have premium amenities. I don't even consider a lounger "premium" when you're talking about the upper level suites. As an aside, the loungers used to be nice ones, padded, with arms, etc. Now we get the ones from the pool deck. Fine for the pool with lots of splashing, people climbing over each other, and wet bathing suits. Not all the comfortable for sitting on the verandah.

On our last X cruise, I was in a shop in port and one of the passengers was BRAGGING that she had saved deck / pool chairs for when she got back on board. She had saved chairs and wasn't even on the ship! In all of my cruising (and it's a lot), I can count on one hand the number of DAYS (not ships or sailings) where there has been enforcement around chair hogs. It's unfortunate. I think the reason is that it takes a lot of manpower and energy actually to enforce the policy. The ship has to dedicate people to keeping track of which chairs haven't been used for an extended period. What if the people are in the pool? What if the few times they walk by just happen to be the moments when they are using the restroom or getting a drink or food? Staff doesn't want to remove stuff when the people actually are around, just not sitting in the chair. Moreover, they know that they will have complaining (unhappy) passengers if they remove people's stuff. The people who can't find chairs are less likely to complain to the deck staff and more likely to complain here -- meaning the ship's crew doesn't have to deal with the complaints. IOW, enforcement is in theory a great idea but in practice is a bit more complicated.

Decoy is a brand of wine.

It ends when enough premium passengers complain and move to other lines. We have done it. Hope others will follow.

On our last cruise, we saw 4 chairs with only towels folded up. We sat in 2 of them. Two hours later, the hogs arrived, claiming they’d saved the chairs. And we suspect they had, since it was too early for the pool folks to have put out towels. We stated there was no saving of chairs. Didn’t move. They grumbled loudly to themselves. They finally took the 2 remaining chairs. Stayed in them off and on for an hour and then left.

The reason there are mixed messages is that X is not consistent across its fleet. The fact that footstools are present on one ship for one sailing for one cabin category does not mean they will be present on (1) a different ship, (2) a different sailing of the same ship, (3) another cabin of that same ship, or (4) on any cabin on any ship on any specific sailing. If you want to be 100% certain of footstools . . . bring your own. And then consider whether you want to stick with X going forward or find a cruise line where there are certain to be footstools for certain cabins (there are many such lines9>.

One thing I noticed on Reflection. On the sun deck, because there is inadequate space, loungers are set touching each other side to side and with minimal distance between the front of one lounger and the back of another. Also, the way the loungers are designed, the foundation sticks out beyond the seat cover in the front. If you're not looking down and paying attention, it's easy trip over it. Also, again due to lack of space, loungers end up protruding into the jogging track. The length of the lounger vs. the length of available space b/t the rail and track means that, if you move it 2", it's on the track. (To be fair, the ship's crew tries to monitor this and tells you to move the lounger back, but it's a lost cause.) It's a real challenge to navigate your way to / from a lounger without tripping. I tripped and fell (and I'm pretty agile). People around me tripped. It's a wonder no one was injured. So, if there's a safety issue, they should start with the sun decks, which have a lot of loungers and a lot of (sometimes drunk) passengers. That situation is a lot more dangerous than a huge balcony with one lounger. Thus, 100% guarantee that, as the poster above suggested, it's a cost thing. And . . . it's costing them (at least a few) customers.

Trying to recall whether we got confirmatory email for most recent cruise, or the one we’re about to take. Don’t think so. That said, on Feb. cruise, everything was as requested. I wouldn’t fret. On luxury lines such as SS, there is no pre-reach out. Agree re calling if concerned.

There were zero loungers of any size. 4 chairs. 2 were normal table chairs. 2 had high backs and a curved base that apparently was supposed to conform to your bending legs / knees. The former became footstools. The latter were just plain uncomfortable. I almost canceled our upcoming cruise. Absolutely ZERO interest in booking a future X cruise. Not even glancing at brochures. We LOVE sitting on our verandah watching the water or whatever is happening in port. Sitting like a child at a school desk is not my idea of relaxation. 3 cruises booked in next year. None on X. X has a choice as do we. We choose to take our business elsewhere.

We were in a RS on Reflection in Feb. No loungers or footstools. We were told lack of lounger was a space issue and footstools a safety issue. Get your story straight, X! Not to mention, the balcony was huge - could easily accommodate 2 loungers. We asked for a lounger and got one. Used 2 of the 4 chairs as footstools (with towels). At the time, we mentioned here and to X in person and in the survey that it is a deal breaker for us. We are doing one more cruise next month on X (booked 18 months ago) and then moving back to lines with loungers, such as SS and Crystal. Yes, it really is that important to us.

We just did this cruise on Silversea. Went to 3 Vietnam ports. 😀 Restaurants that cater to tourists (mean this in a good way) take credit. Most street vendors are happy to take dollars. Just bring lots of small bills so you can pay the exact amount or ask for change in USD. There are some places where you may want local currency. We found exchange places and ATMs near most major attractions. Just ask your guide. I got WAY too much local money ($200) and was scrambling to use it before we left the country!

When a cruise line is filling up the specialty restaurants, there's less incentive to offer "deals." When the restaurants are mostly empty, the opposite applies. As with any package, the value is determined by your expected usage. If you're mostly happy with MDR (or Blu) but want the occasional specialty experience, you're definitely better off booking either a smaller package or paying as you go. On some itineraries / cruises, they will offer good deals on board. Again, depends on how booked they are. My view is that, unless you really despite the MDR (for whatever reason) AND want to dine specialty for lunch, with the price you're quoting for unlimited, I'd pay separately and / or wait until you get on board and see if there's a better deal.

Agree with waiting until you board. And, sad as it is, bring the death certificate.