NJ Fred

My vote goes to the Great Billy Hygate of Princess Cruises!

BTW, to the person who mentioned Janet Edwards. She used to work with her hubby Mark Edwards aboard Sitmar vessels. Regrettably, I heard divorce spit them up.

Thank you so very much to all who offered their opinions.

Fred. sounds like a "go" for the Missus and I. So far as its being "British," that's great! We enjoy being immersed in and learning about different cultures. My vintage American colloquialisms might lay a few eggs - so what, it's all part of the fun!

Thank you again. God Bless and Happy 2018!

Fred and Genny in 12-degree Southern New Jersey

My wife and I are veterans of some 96 cruises. We are both in our late 60's. Our favorite line, at the moment, is Princess. We used to fancy Celebrity until (IMO) Lisa Lutoff-Perlo destroyed its' very essence.

Simply put, Fred. attracts us. Older vessels have a charm that newer ones can never exude. And a smaller passenger load means the potential to get to know fellow cruisers is better than on 4000+ megaliners.

I am a basic, no-frills food guy. Meat-and-potatoes, spaghetti, good fish without the fifty-dollar names and decorations of parsley and other things that seem to add nothing to the taste. Give me some salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard - - and I'm smiling.

We are both Americans. But we are well-travelled and enjoy meeting and getting to know folks from other lands. We respect everyone. Entertainment wise, give is a good (relatively "clean) comedian, some dancers, magicians, etc. and we smile. Spare us the ear-shattering rock and the like. A good lounge piano person sets the mood quite nicely.

Itineraries are itineraries. As I said, 96 cruises - and there's little remaining for us to see. We board the ship for the ship. The shipboard life is what relaxes and soothes us. Being a bit fussed over, things like afternoon tea and boullion - - all of that makes us feel cozy.

Staterron-wise ( I never call it "cabin"), we like our comfort. Doesn't have to be the Taj Mahal, just a bit roomy with comfortable bedding and a balcony or large porthole.

My bride and I are not old fogeys. Nothing makes us more please that to sit with new acquaintances over a good drink and get to know what makes one another tick.

Is Fred. wirth a go? If so, any recommendation upon which vessel we should consider booking passage?

Thank you in advance - - and Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2018!

If not - - Papa Johns delivers.

Sheesh!

Not just here on Celebrity, but on all of the cruise line threads. Why do people ask which cruise they should take, which itinerary, which ship, which cabin, what time of year, etc. etc. So you wind up with DOZENS AND DOZENS of opinions from strangers and the opinions are all different. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

Welcome to Bedlam.

One cruiser's pleasure can be another cruiser's poison. Much of it is purely subjective. You often read of two who sailed the very same voyage and proffer opposite assessments.

My formula was simple and has served me well - - I sail the ship that claims to offer what I want. If my expectations are not met (I'm not overly fussy), I take my business elsewhere.

FWIW, we have 96 cruises under our belts, the Missus and me. We fancy, in this order - Princess, Celebrity and some NCL ships. We are not fans of the anytime dining scenario since you have to juggle around showtimes.

We used to sail Royal Carib. However, the noticeable deterioration of cuisine, et al., has removed the line from future consideration.

The only other gripe I have is the clear drive to push cruisers into pay-per-bite restaurant venues. The charges are skyrocketing and no consideration is given for the meal you bought in the main dining room. These are increasing in number because consumers choose to pay and patronize - as is their choice. Not me. A total of $70.00 or above is excessive, IMO.

Reason people post as they do? When you figure it out you will have solved the square root of pi.

Smooth Sailing.

The old gal would benefit from a stem to stern makeover. Rust? Heavens, saw some on Reflection, Regal Princes, et al.

Food? "X" and other lines do their best to push passengers into pay-per-bite venues - - - a trend that will linger and escalate as long as passengers are willing to fork out $$$ without first receiving some consideration for the MDR meal they paid for at the time of booking.

Size wise, give me Mille, Connie, etc. over the bigger boats any day of the week.

If you want comfort and don't like the free-for-all to the railings, you made the correct choice. Cruise ship passengers can be pushy and gruff.

If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, then save the money and go for an inside.

I have not depended on the Celebrity website for several years. In fact, I find it to be most undependable.

For reservations, I use a trusted agent. For shore excursions, I shop myself; sometimes I buy an "X" tour, sometimes I do far better with a reputable independent contractor.

Frankly, one of my best sources are my many "shipmates" in this forum.

Perhaps it is time for Ms. Lutoff-Perlo to give her IT people a wake-up call before the Board of Directors gives her one. For a company the size of Celebrity, the misinformation on the brand's website is inexcusable and has the potential to be detrimental to the bottom line.

To me, the ongoing and everlasting issue of "chair hogs" is simple and clear:

Some people simply have no class and you cannot make a silk purse from a horse's caboose.

Personally, I laugh at them. I mean it, I watch the action of these inconsiderate "gavones" with great amusement. And they have more stories than Mother Goose if asked to justify their selfish acts.

The day people like this can spoil my cruise is the day I give up cruising. I don't pay thousands of dollars to lounge around a ship's pool each sea day - I can lounge around my own pool, choose my own music and not have to listen to screaming and other prepubescent manifestations.

The sea is peaceful and tranquil if you allow it to be. The K-Mart Code of Conduct should not be allowed to disrupt that - and allowing it to is self-inflicted.

Enjoy the show - it truly rivals the Celebrity Theater at times.

Spill in Aisle 3!

When we board for a long crossing, I usually take a soft duffle that I jam pack with sodas. No Doctor Pepper available on Princess vessels!

Never, ever had a problem I bequeath any remaining cans to the cabin staff.

My wife and I have 90+ voyages under our belts. Our lines-of-choice used to be (in no articular order):

Celebrity

Princess

Royal Carib

NCL

Royal Caribbean is off our list. We sail at least three cruises annually. The last two aboard different Royal Carib ships have persuaded us that their many noticeable and disappointing cutbacks make it impossible for them to deliver the experience that built their former reputation.

From food to overall levels of service, the deterioration is clear.

There exist numerous cruise lines to choose from. We will no longer book a Royal Caribbean vacation until and unless they resurrect the overall excellence that made us loyal customers.

Wishing you both Godspeed.

Thank you one and all. For the record, I am a Vietnam Veteran.

Let me expand a bit. A gentleman whom I met via Facebook is a retired Air Force Major General (I served 4 years in the USAF). During a luncheon he flabbergasted me by bestowing a special Commander's Medallion - to say I was flabbergasted is an understatement. We stood up together - in a classic NJ Diner - and exchanged salutes. It moved me to tears.

I told the General how my wife and I had visited the American Cemetery in 2013 on an Emerald Princess TA. Sidebar: on the voyage and tour with us was Marian Ross who played the mother on Happy Days; a wonderful and compassionate lady in real life - - no snobbery in this lady.

I also told him that we were going back to the Cemetery when Regal Princess made port on 13 April of this years.

It was then that he told me his great Uncle was among the war dead buried there. I requested permission from the General to lay the Medallion he awarded me on his Great Uncle's grave. His response is something I will not forget.

I have located the grave using online resources. I confirmed the identity with the General and will, by the Grace of God, accomplish my mission. I have emailed the Cemetery authorities to make certain this is allowable since I am not related to the buried hero.

Hence, my concern that sufficient time is available if I take a Princess tour.

May Almighty God always Bless and watch over our war dead in Normandy and elsewhere. They died so we can take to the seas in freedom and peace.

For me, it was an honor to serve the United States via wearing her uniform.

God Bless my sister and brother Veterans.

Thank you all for your guidance and encouragement.

Fred

We make port in Le Havre on 13 April sailing in aboard the Regal.

Can any one say, with reasonable certainty, how much time the Princess tour to the American Cemetery actually allows passengers to remain at the grave sites?

I have a certain grave (non-family member) to visit and perform a small ceremony of honor at on that day and this info is critical to me.

We have considered private, non Princess excursions or a car rental. I am loathe to rent a car given the distance and my abominable understanding of French. I assuming the cost of a limo or taxi would be astronomical, assuming one can be procured.

Any specifics will be sincerely appreciated.

Thank you in advance,

Fred

38 Celebrity voyages under my belt. 26 Princess and several on other lines - Holland America, Norwegian, etc.

Tried one Carnival. Quite horrible for reasons you mention and more.

In the thought that we just caught Carnival on an off-week, we booked a second. Abominable.

The Staten Island Ferry shames Carnival, IMO.

Celebrity, Under Lutoff-Perlo, has deteriorated from even the Micahel Bayley reign. But it would, literally, have to fall of the Empire State Building to get down to Carnival's place in the dungeon of cruising.

Succinctly - - Carnival sucks.

Connie is a truly elegant lady. My bride and I ascended her gangway for three voyages over the past five years. One 10-day Panama Canal, one 10-day Mexican Riviera and a long haul, 16-day TA.

Her upkeep would have passed any white gloved inspection. The morale of her crew was outstanding. The food left little cause to dine anywhere except the MDR. Her buffet was standard fare.

Our TA was commanded by one of Celebrity's most outstanding Masters - Captain Nick Pagonis (no longer with the line). The Panama Canal voyage was commanded by the affable Captain Peppas.

For us, the icing on the cake was Perry Grant performing in Michael's Club. In our opinion, Mr. Grant (also gone from the line) is The BEST Entertainer on the Seven Seas.

We also relished the talents of Finis Henderson and the now-retired Judy Kolba.

You will love the old girl Connie!

Smooth Sailing!

Fred

NJ Fred, May I share this on a travel agent Facebook page? There are several agents who were involved with the tragic incident yesterday and I would love for them to read your tribute.

 

 

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By all means.

Thank you.

By all means.

Thank you!

I know we all offer our prayers and sympathies to the victims of yesterday's insanity at Fort Lauderdale Airport. A fellow cruiser, ticketed to sail on HA's Nieuw Amsterdam was among those whose lives were stolen from them.

Such is the worst of times. You leave home, board a commercial flight for a routine trip and, without warning, your world is upside down.

Godspeed.

Them there is the antithesis. The unstoppable human spirit. From the gallantry of our Police and other emergency personnel to the airport staff; all of whom heard the call of duty and did humanity proud by responding thinking only of those they were charged with protecting.

May Almighty God bless them all.

Most of us who read and contribute to this forum do so in a free and open exchnage of perspectives. A salute to the crew. A brickbat to the company for one reason or another.

May we always enjoy the freedom to do that.

Yesterday, the cruise industry endured a logistical challenge. They met it head-on and overcame.

We had just dropped our son and his lady at Port Everglades when all hell broke loose at FLL. Our drive out of the terminal was serenaded with the unstopping wail of sirens. The sky in the technicolor of red and blue strobe lights. Highways turned into virtual speedways as emergency vehicles floored their motors to get to where they were needed.

In the background, two vessels were moored. Caribbean Princess and Nieuw Amsterdam. Both with a remaining three hours till anchors aweigh.

As we drove onto I-595, I remarked to my wife that many passengers would probably miss their sailings. She concurred.

Our son kept us posted. First, CP's shove-off was pushed back to 6pm. 6 became 7. 7 became 9. True cast-off was roughly 9:20pm.

CP's Captain kept everyone on the ship timely advised. By this juncture, the FLL incident was known to all on the ship. Prayers and silent reflection were everywhere.

The Captain said, at about 4:25, that more than 100 passengers had yet to board. Planes were being rerouted to Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa and outside of Florida. I can only imagine what was going on at Air Traffic Control.

And this is where the excellence of the cruise lines and the port authorities kicked in. Strategies were mapped out, buses were hired. Cruise line personnel hit the ground running. Travel agents burned after-hours oil answering questions from stranded travelers and their worried families.

Somehow, they made it work. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel arranged police escorts for buses carrying intendeing passengers whose flights had been diverted. The Florida Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies and airline people giving priority to incoming cruise passengers.

It is what we do when adversity hits. It is the spirit that resides deep in all of us that does what has to be done - there is no instruction manual. Somehow, some way - - we just do it and move ahead. We shed our tears as we walk. We gather to deal with our frustration and grief.

And we give a loud and well-deserved BRAVO to those many anonymous faces who worked their bottoms off to help the sun break through the clouds.

For the role the cruise industry played in giving its paying customers comfort, please join with me in saying:

Well Done!

Just pushed back to 9pm.

Shipboard announcement stating vessel will depart at 7PM.

Ship being held in Port Everglades for an unspecified amount of time. It was announced that more than 100 passengers are still in transit to the vessel due to the Fort Lauderdale emergency.

Let me be clear - - THERE IS NO SECURITY ALERT IN THE PORT OR ON THE SHIP!

Avoid parking in Miami - at all costs!!!

Vandalism runs rampant. Security - hah! Safety - double hah!

Have some peace of mind. You've spent a sizable some for your cruise. Just a bit more for ground trans is a prudent expenditure.

Do as you all choose to do.

But the day I fork over $50.00 per person on top of what I've already paid for cruise-caliber food is the day I buy the Brooklyn Bridge.

See folks, we make these extra-cost monsters. We give the Hydras the heads.

Enjoy having your pockets picked? Visit Times Square on New Year's Eve - - you fondest wish will come true.

The essence of this post is absolutely correct. I am not hard-to-please. I don't insist on staff jumping when I need something. Nor am I the proverbial "foodie."

Nonetheless, it is difficult to watch a brand that was once at the top of the cruise totem pole slip downwards - - nobody pushed, they chose to slide.

I have heard all the arguments about how fares have been held down. Yet I resent not being able to enjoy what "X" was once famous for without paying an additional fee.

For example, the cost of specialty dining is outrageous. By the time you are done, it can range as much as $100.00 for a couple - with zero consideration for the meal in the MDR you've already paid for.

Yes, I still cruise "X" now-and-again. But I find Princess to be far superior in what is included in the base fare.