ak1004

We were in regular cabin too. Entertainment and enrichment were outstanding, among the best we had on any ship. However, the service and food were very mediocre. And still pretty crowded. I was told that suites get much better food and service, but for the price of the suite, we can book O.

SS excursions are actually pretty good. Typical group size is around 25-30 people, and there is a wide selection. We did Safari by 4x4, fjord cruise, desert dune drive etc.

Regular cabin or suite?

Different galaxies. No lines. No crowds. Very few children. Much better food. More personal service. No comparison at all. We are not going back to big ships.

Are there any differences in service between older and newer ships? We were on the Spirit last December (our one and only SS cruise so far, booked on two more). We felt it's a perfect size, the ship felt very well maintained, the food was excellent. However, we felt some slight inconsistencies in service. Water not re filled in time, some dishes arrived not hot enough etc. To be fair, we were a group of 5 couples, and I know it's not easy to serve such a large group. Still, most of us felt that for an ultra luxury ship, the service was slightly below expectations. Maybe it was an isolated case (staff transition etc), maybe it was due to our group size. Trying to understand if we should expect a better service on our Dawn cruise in December.

If it's only $300 it's not bad actually. It's 11 nights, right? Can you check some other sailings please?

That sucks.. It's very different with SS. You get selection of 5-7 included excursions that you can select from in each port. You can take more than one, and you pay for the second one, but the prices are very reasonable, usually under $100 USD. Then you have 2-4 "selected" excursions that are extra cost, but also more unique. Those are extra cost and also more expensive.

Yes, but $800 credit is per cabin, so $400 per person. House select is $400 per person, so the increase is exactly the added amount of the drinks and the excursions.

you mean they just give you a single excursion in each port? No options to select from?

I'm actually checking SB prices all the time. They do have few Mediterranean and West Europe sailings that are around $600-650 CAD per day, usually for OV. O OV is typically around $400-450 CAD. This is still a significant difference. However, if on July 1st O prices increase say by $80-100 CAD per day, then the prices will become pretty close. This is even before any promotions, and SB had a 15% promotion last year for all sailings, so many sailings were around $500-550 CAD. This would be a no brainer. Same is true for SS, and SS also includes one excursion in each port. Last year we were able to book SS cruise at $550 CAD per day, which was actually cheaper than our cruise on Vista. Plus their entry level cabins are over 300 sqft (not to mention unlimited black caviar). I'm sure O management is well familiar with those numbers, but maybe they are not really interested in cheap guests like myself who book the cheaper cabins and don't spend much money on board.

But we all ignore the fact that EVERYTHING is more expensive now. Looks at flights. Our friends just booked premium economy flights to Europe at $3,200 CAD. Per Covid, you could fly business for that kind of money. And yes, people will pay or stay home. Those are the only choices. I for one don't go back to Celebrity, and I don't drink, so I will likely pay for other people's drinks. The only thing is that I might be doing it on SS or SB, not O if O prices become comparable to SS or SB.

Well, if you don't do cancellation insurance anyway, I really don't see the big difference between penalty starting 6 months or 4 months prior to sailing.. Not to mention that most credit cards have it included. But obviously it's a personal choice.

This is what cancellation insurance is for..

This actually would make sense.

This is pure speculation, and honestly, I don't believe it. First, vast majority of people are not even aware of the upcoming changes. CC and social media groups are a very small percentage of the total guests. Second, why would anyone cancel an existing booking that is not impacted by the changes? To show O their protest? I highly doubt it.

Exactly! I think the only option at this point is Windstar.

Got it. Our cruises are never on those sales unfortunately.. but $220 is good enough for me, and yes, November in Barcelona, canary Islands and Morocco is perfectly fine.

Sorry, I don't follow. The cruise price is also multiplied by two, so the percentage remains the same?

We don't sail on a specific line based on loyalty, and we don't cancel based on "principles". We will do what's best for us, and O will do what's best for them (as every line does). If the price increase will make the O pricing comparable with SB/SS, we will likely sail less with O (regrettably). Otherwise, it's case by case basis. Last year I remember a lot of discussions on SS board after SS added "free" excursions. Some adapted, some left. No big deal. We are currently booked on SS, SB and O. Itinerary is the king, then pricing. No loyalty and no "principles" for us.

Where do you find those prices? Our recent cruise on the Riviera from Barcelona was $300 pp in OV. Our cruise on the Marina next November will be around $220 USD, but it's only because it's in November in Mediterranean. But I agree, even for $300/day, $40-70 increase is 15-20%.

And this is exactly why I don't pay much attention to loyalty programs. products change, prices change, I don't want to put all my eggs in the same basket..

You mean if they ask for simply more, then I will simply know 😁

This is not clear. Does it mean that existing bookings with sailings after October 1, 2023 will be forced to switch to Simply More?

SS and SB programs are also pretty good.

We were on only one SS cruise so far, but the excursions were pretty good. Around 30 people per group which is decent, and good selection.