Happy Cruiser 6143

I've stayed in both on the Summit.  If you can get the PH for only $3,000 more, I say go for it.  That separate kitchen area is worth it.  The butler can come in the morning and drop off coffee and whatever else without waking you up.  The refrigerator has an icemaker, so no more calling down for ice when you want it.  And, yes, that balcony.  I wasn't too impressed with the balcony of the RS--they tried to cram too much furniture into too small a space.  And the PH has two full bathrooms.  And you will score major points with your wife!  You may even love it!

I'm sailing on her this fall and I expect that everything will be fine.

I have never seen card access to Michaels or the retreat lounge.  Only sail on M & S class ships.  The concierges, however, know who belongs and who does not.

The pizza dudes will make a whole pizza for you with whatever you want on it.

I did a B2B2B on the Infinity in Europe.  Around 29 days, it was a while back.  Loved every minute of it!

Another feature of the royal suite vs. the celebrity suite is that you do not have to go through the bedroom to get into the bathroom.  If someone were taking a nap, that could be annoying.  And the royal suite has a separate tub and shower.  To me, it's no contest.  The one time I was booked in a celebrity suite, I upgraded to a royal suite for not much more and have never looked back.  It's literally no contest.  Go for it.  And you definitely want to be on deck 6 in suiteland on the Summit.  That's where the good butlers get assigned.

I think the old passport comes back in a separate mailing.  I have a whole file full of them!

1 hour ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

This is not a drill!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!

 

We were on the bridge during the tour and we heard a sound!!

 

A beautiful sound!!

 

BUG NAKED!!!!

 

The poor officer doing the tour didn’t stand a chance! 🤣🤣🤣 (He said they’re used to it.)

 

Oh, Captain Kate made an appearance too.

 

 

 Captain Kate actually did our bridge tour once upon a time on the Summit.  And yes, Bug was there too.  I've attended several bridge tours--hers was by far the most informative.

On 7/21/2024 at 5:58 PM, NBliving said:

Today we are in Ketchikan. The weather forecast all last week showed rain, but we got so lucky with temps in the high 60’s and no rain! 🙌🏻

I booked an excursion directly with Island Wings Air Service for a flight seeing trip over the Misty Fjords National Monument. It’s a two hour trip with a 30 minute stop on a pristine lake. Our pilot was the owner, Michelle, who has been in the float plane business for over 30 years. It was amazing!! Highly

recommend. 

 

 

So glad you got to fly with Michelle.  Of all the excursions I've ever done on my many trips to Alaska, that was by far my favorite one.

1 hour ago, DingoMom said:

Well, I met the charming Charla, and ya’ll, her smile is bigger than Texas! 
We took a selfie, but whenever I try to post it, it turns out upside down!

 

Just post it.  Somebody here will rotate it for you.

7 hours ago, TeeRick said:

I doubt very much that LHB cares about a poster here characterizing her answers as an insult.  Maybe got a chuckle out of it.

They're not an insult.  They're corporate word salad.  What else would you expect?

14 hours ago, dreamer321 said:

I'm a solo traveler and I frequently can get a regular cabin and pay 200% solo supplement and it's still cheaper than the few solo cabins that are available.

I looked at those cabins when they first came out and they weren't much cheaper than paying the 200% single supplement, but they were a lot smaller.  I'd rather pay a few more dollars and be comfortable in a regular size cabin.  I haven't looked at them lately, so I have no clue how the pricing is currently running.  Once I decided I couldn't live in a cabin with very little closet & drawer space, I completely lost interest.

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

Yes I have seen them!  Your not booking one is your choice and it has no bearing on my willingness to book one if sailing solo.  Thank you very much.

I said they're not for me.  I did not opine about their suitability for you.  Everyone gets to choose what works for them.

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

If I were cruising solo I would chose a solo cabin vs a double occupancy cabin with a high solo supplement.  

Not I, and I always cruise solo.  Have you seen those solo cabins?  Very limited closet space and no drawer space.  Not for me.  I want a real cabin, thank you very much.

18 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Direct URL to her activity: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/profile/2040323-laura-hodges-bethge/content/

I don't get the point of this.  One sees the answers but not the questions.  Is there some place where one can see the questions together with their answers?

20 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

yacht club on msc.

 

ill be comparing the service on my crazy price edge villa in november. for 5x the price of MSC i expect 5x the fantastic!

Good luck with that!  In my experience, MSC's Yacht Club beats Celebrity's Retreat except for food and service in the suite restaurants.  And I'm not a fan of sailing out of Miami on 7-night cruises which are same old, same old every week.

I've done this cruise from NJ to Florida.  I love the prices on repos and I love sea days, so all good.

1 hour ago, TGfromTX said:

This is what I'm hoping I find to be true on Beyond too. My decision for my next cruise was based on food reputation and fewer kids (wasn't aware this has become an issue post-covid til I read reviews).  I have cruised Carnival & NCL in past.  I chose between RC & Celebrity due to price point, theater options, and food.  Princess ships didn't wow me, and MSC seemed like a step downward.  

MSC is fine IF you sail in the Yacht Club.  Otherwise, it's insane.

10 minutes ago, ScottC4746 said:

So sounds like I should utilize this mysterious butler thing and have him/her set up a standing 7 PM reservation for us?

Did you read any of the responses?  Luminae does not take reservations.

They have certainly priced me out of the suites I used to purchase.  Then there was the insane solo supplement business which seems to have sort of disappeared.  If I find a price I'm willing to pay without an excessive single supplement, I'll still book, but I'm spending more of my travel dollars elsewhere.

1 hour ago, Lisabriscuso said:

I may be biased to Century because it was the very first ship I sailed on. I have been on 8 other ships since and I still compare to Century. ❤️

Century had an actual movie theater!

Once upon a time I had a good PVP, but he disappeared.  No replacement.  Find a good travel agent.

Biggest group I've ever been involved with in Luminae was 8.  We were all in high-end suites, so we would go to specialty restaurants occasionally.  We were on M class, so not much choice.  When we were going to go to a specialty restaurant, we would let the maitre d' know the night before not to expect us.  And sometimes some would go to a specialty and some would remain in Luminae.  Communication is key.

Ditto the recommendation for two tables of six.  Luminae isn't set up to accommodate parties of 12 and you can't have conversations with people at the other end of the table anyway.

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Just sitting back and watching some of the fast food places go out of business...  We used to eat at Rubios in San Diego,  but it is no more.  We had a city that did the same in New Mexico.  We quickly found out that you might as well skip the fast food places and go to a restaurant.  Twenty and twenty five dollar hamburger meals?  SMH.

 

Those fast food places were meant to be staffed by teenagers who were living with their parents and it was their first job.  I am not sure how we got to the point of it being a cost of living issue for non teenagers.  It seems like an economic failure of some sort.  There was a reason the salaries were low,  so that the workers would find something better.  I would not want my sons working fast food all of their lives.

 

I agree that costs have gotten out of hand in California.  That is likely (one reason) why there is a long line of people moving to Nevada.  All of the regulation there increase prices.

Sad to hear about the demise of Rubios.  Always enjoyed eating there.