Iamcruzin

This year I got Covid before the new booster came out. I'm going on a cruise at the end of Sept. I guess I'm good. It was a very mild case. No fever just a lot of coughing. My wife was hoping to get it from me so she doesn't have to worry about getting it on the cruise.

You beat me to it. Celebrity was at the top of the page but there was a gym and a bowling league as well.

They didn't. Princess was owned by P&O and the loyalty program didn't come into play until Carnival bought them. My first cruise with Princess was 1991 and I had to send them proof of that sailing when I booked my second sailing with them in 2006 so that it could be added in.

That's because it was abused. People would save the last punch and have access to unlimited regular coffee for the rest of their life. I can't even count how many time Elites would brag about hoarding the cards and selling them on eBay.

Enjoy.

What's worse than a tiny Princess balcony is the Infinity Veranda on Celebrity. The new E class ships have a window at the back of the room that rolls down. The chairs are low back cafeteria chairs and the worse part is if one person wants to be in an air conditioned room while the other wants an open veranda they are out of luck because once that window is open the A/C turns off. That's good for those who like to sleep with the balcony door open and they won't have to pack duct tape or bungee cords to jerry rig the door open.

People in the current work force don't own a tie. Business dress code has changed. My son works for a bank and they are allowed to wear jeans. There is no way that this new generation of remote workers who wear lounge pants to work are going to want to wear a suit on vacation. Celebrity gave up formal nights and now call them Evening Chic which basically means dress up if you want or just wear what you would wear every other night. Princess is kidding themselves with formal nights.

I'm 63 and on the same page as you. I want to know how these people are eating salami and mortadella first thing in the morning?

I booked my up coming cruise just before final payment 90 day mark. The discounts have changed numerous times since my booking and not always associated with a holiday. Right now it's 15% off. I have seen it as much as 40% off. I booked AI at $51 a day for the classic drink package and basic WiFi and then upgraded to the premium drink package for $8.99 which was at a 40% discount. I would not purchase the drink package with only a 20% discount especially if your sailing is still far off. Why place a charge on your credit card only to cancel and wait to have it refunded if the price drops and you have to purchase it again. The cruise lines love when passengers do this. They get to use your money immediately and take their time with a refund. If you don't pay off your card right away you are also paying interest on that first charge making the drink package not so much of a deal.

This is exactly why they don't need the PR to stroke passengers who are already sold and not leaving. Not to mention I have only experienced passenger interests with the crew here on Cruise Critic. I have many friends who cruise frequently and if you were to ask them who the Captain or Cruise Director was they don't have a clue. Some don't even know their loyalty status.

I live in Florida there are many here who are elite and who jump on those last minute milk runs.

Steerage class is used in jest but I know many are easily offended these days. As far a good PR, spin it anyway you want but evidently it's not working if they can't even get Elites to go.

Perhaps this is why they are discontinuing it. Elite is150 days. If you have to go to the bottom of the barrel to get attendees then what's the point?

It's a different generation who buy into these loyalty programs. My generation (Boomer) and my parents generation were brought up to be brand loyal. I don't see these programs lasting unless they really start offering what people want like free WiFi. These programs are designed to make you spend money with discounts for shops and 50% off WiFi. What these cruise lines should be focusing on is those who work remotely and can very well work on a ship. That's the next generation of cruisers. Virgin Voyages actually promotes free WiFi in their ads for those who can't get away from the job. How nice would it be to work all day and not have to come home and cook and clean and actually enjoy a night out every night for a week. If you grab a last minute deal it could be cheaper than staying home. Itinerary wouldn't matter since you would be working.

If you are invited to the most traveled lunch, chances are you already have future cruises booked. No need to prime the pump.

We sail both Celebrity and Princess depending on who has the better price for the same or similar itinerary. They are very much a like.

You can argue the same about the food. The same people have already paid for meals in their cruise fare. They are going to eat lunch some where on the ship. If they go to the buffet and fill their plate too high and can't finish they are wasting food. Having a few officers attend a luncheon costs nothing as they are already being paid for being on the ship. At the end of the day the passenger pays one way or the other and these professional one line cruisers need to be stroked so that they will continue come back. How many threads have been started over the years about adding another loyalty level? They need constant reinforcement.

Overall I find Princess to be less than Celebrity and Royal. I booked Princess for Europe spring 2026 with 40% off and 3rd Passenger free. I decided to invite my son to come along. Celebrity hasn't even released Spring/Summer 2026 yet and Prices for 2025 are too high especially if you add in Drinks and WiFi. I did get a good residents rate for the end of September for a quick 4 night cruise on Reflection.

If the itinerary is good any ship will fill up. People are still filling the M class ships. Also the new cruisers won't know the difference between a balcony and IV.

Oh we do. Last cruise on Royal Caribbean we hit the MDR at 7:00am. We were the only one in there and we were done before it started to fill up at 8:00. This was on the Anthem. What was also nice is that they had a small buffet set up as well with all of the classic breakfast offerings for those who wanted a buffet without the commotion.

Those were the days. It was that or all the windows rolled up while your parents chain smoked. It's amazing that we lived through them.

This nicely sums it up.

It's a window. It's like sitting in the back of a 1970's station wagon with the window rolled down on a long trip. You get the air but you are not outside. Actually I think the station wagon is better because if the other windows are rolled down you get cross ventilation. In the IV, the room gets hot and humid if sailing on a warm itinerary. It's probably better for cooler climates like Alaska. To me it's an upgraded ocean view at a veranda price. It's still better than in interior.

Omelettes or eggs, bacon, pancakes or toast. I can't remember the last time I ate cereals. Cruise ship bagels are worse than Florida bagels. I'm not interested in a charcuterie board for breakfast but it would be nice in the afternoon. We get the drink package so I can get a Mimosa with real Champagne and not made with the headache water they use for the free stuff.

No doubt but I'm not about to accept a down grade if that's what it would be without a fight. That's called bait and switch.