CruisinShips

I've had a couple of bids pending for a while, the ship is full (no longer shows up in search results), and the sailing is within one week. So I assume it's not happening for me...but since I didn't get an email initially inviting me to do the bid (I just went to the MoveUp site myself), I was wondering if they tell you you're not getting moved up. Anyone?

How's the food been in Coastal Kitchen these days? We had always enjoyed it, but given the cutback on Celebrity, I am suspecting Royal is feeling it as well?

Thanks. I was hoping the cabins were updated...

sorry but that made me laugh...reminded me of the classic film Reefer Madness.

Thing is the CL suite on an 8 day Southern Carib itinerary is at least a couple of thousand $ cheaper than a 7 day Celebrity cruise (on a newer ship) in a Celebrity suite.

Here is a true story from about 8 years ago. A young couple in their mid/late 20s were on a short RCL cruise to the Bahamas. They were on a sea day and by the pool. when they returned to their room, a security person was waiting outside their door. Apparently, their cabin attendant found a joint somewhere in their cabin, and notified their superior. The couple was placed on "house arrest" (a guard outside their cabin), and the next day when the shipped docked in Nassau, they were escorted off the ship and for some reason were turned over to the local authorities. They had to appear before a magistrate who actually asked them how much cash they had on them. When that amount was apparently insufficient, they were escorted to an ATM where they withdrew and paid $500. The ship left them in Nassau and they had to contact the American embassy (or consulate) to arrange for their trip home (because they had only traveled with birth certificates and not passports. I know this to be a true story as one of the couple is related to me. All that being said, I doubt they'd find a couple of edibles, but the consequences can be severe enough to be a real deterrent.

Hi. I am Diamond on Royal but haven't sailed on Royal since before the pandemic. Have been on the Oasis (2x), the Allure and the Symphony (all pre-2020), mainly in Crown Loft suites. I know the Oasis was refurbished in 2019...just wondering what some of you have experienced lately. Especially in the suites. Since the pandemic, we have sailed on Virgin and Celebrity...newer and more modern ships. Wondering how the Oasis will compare these days. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Absolutely, to each their own. I suppose it's all about what one looks for in a suite lounge. Yes the chairs were comfortable, but there were never more than a handful of people there in the pre-dinner evening cocktail hours, and there were no hor dourves. There was just no real social vibe like we have preferred in other ship suite lounge areas.

Keep in mind the Eclipse, while it's a lovely ship with a great Retreat staff, is severely lacking in Retreat amenities. No sun deck (let alone a Retreat pool), and Michael's Club (the Retreat Lounge area) is kind of a dingy place IMO with no snacks (peanuts maybe) and no real vibe to it. Luminae was great...servers were fantastic, and our butler was teriffic as well.

We were on the Eclipse in October and enjoyed it very much. Yes, dated, but we didn't think it was a bad as you described. I had read the mixed reviews before we booked, and honestly it exceeded what I had been led to expect. I'm curious which other cruise lines you have heard are "outshining" them. I am not questioning you words, just curious as from what I am reading, most regulars on pretty much every cruise line are saying similar things about their favorites...

Right, but I think it's important that people know both sides...

We were on the Eclipse in October and it was a really great cruise. Left with very, very few complaints.

Loved my October cruise on the Eclipse, and can't wait for my upcoming cruise on the Apex. Big fan. Now if they could lower the costs of suites by 30%, I'd be an even bigger fan! 😉

Good exercise. Thanks. I guess you're paying for the variety of dining/drinking/entertainment options on the Celebrity ships.

Sorry for that experience. It seems the issues you had were specifically about the Equinox as opposed to the entire line...so I will choose to use that distinction as a qualifier! Hopefully someone with the company can read your post and see that the issues are addressed.

Just a heads up for those who gets the error message when trying to log in for a bid. It likely doesn't apply to most, but this happened on one cruise for me. My wife and I have different last names. I am the one who books the cruises and they are always in my name as the primary. Well on our last cruise, I didn't get a move-up email and went directly to the link. I entered my last name and reservation number, and the popup said I wasn't eligible (or something to that effect). For some reason I decided to enter her last name and the number, and it worked. That's the only time that happened...I don't know why, but it's something to keep in mind if it applies to you.

We are obviously all different, but the butler is actually pretty far down on my list of reasons for booking a suite. We just enjoy the larger cabins and the overall upscale ship in a ship experience...including the Retreat sundeck, Luminae and the Lounge. Yes it can be expensive, but we would probably opt for other ways to vacation without those amenities. We have cruised many times in all types of non-suite cabins, and frankly it's hard to go back once you've experienced the Suite Life. We are blessed to be at a point in our life where we can justify the cost, and that beings said, I completely respect the decisions of others who decide it's not worth it to them.

It won't be too soon when we can stop reading these repetitive SS/no butler posts. The ironic part is that cruises continue to sell out well in advance, even as suite prices continue to rise. People are "siding with the company" because we love cruising and we still find many reasons to patronize our preferred cruise lines. When the negatives outweigh the positives, which apparently they have for some and haven't for most, people will stop posting here and move on. Until then, people will continue to "side with the company".

No, actually was asking why Oceania wasn't mentioned along with other small ships (I specifically mentioned Silversea and Regent).

Finding this thread to be very interesting. I am wondering though why there aren't more mentions of Oceania as an alternative. It seems to be a go-to line for many people I know who prefer the more upscale experience akin to Silversea or Regent.

The ongoing, fun "appeal" to that song over time has become about the crowd participation aspect.

Speaking for myself...I have tried most major lines, but I prefer to be loyal to a brand so as to maintain better familiarity with the nuances of each line, and the "comfort" that provides. That being said, I hope my upcoming 2 booked cruises with Celebrity show me I will be OK staying with them, but that is far from guaranteed...loyalty or not.

I guess I am in the minority, but I have not seen any cutbacks to be significant enough so as to ruin my vacation experience. Things like fewer menu choices, waiting a little longer for a drink on occasion, missing one food item....none of that is significant enough for me to get all worked up over when I am on a cruise ship. Of course I agree prices have gotten too high...particularly in the suites...and that is certainly a major consideration, but the other things mentioned, while less than ideal and disappointing, don't warrant us deciding not to cruise. As others have said, others are complaining of the same things on other cruise line boards...so for me, Celebrity is still the best fit from an age, quality and ship size perspective.

Thanks...as I said, I have made bids via the link you describe. I assume if I am allowed to make bids, then my TA participates...otherwise I would think the move up site wouldn't recognize me with my name a reservation number. I am just wondering why I haven't gotten the emails.

I wonder why I haven't gotten a moveup email on either of my last two cruises? I am eligible and put in bids on both (last one I never got a response, current one I am still 50 days out). I feel neglected for not getting the email though! 🙂