chemmo

Totally understand…We feel a bit the same about Celebrity. The thought of paying ££££ for an experience we may enjoy less tends to make us all a bit conservative. However, with Celebrity only cruising the Summer season from Southampton and with a fairly limited menu of destinations looking for alternatives late Autumn or early Spring is necessary….Hence my recent interest on this board and particularly with this post.

Really enjoying your review, what a pity your Southampton hotel was so underwhelming. Just a few questions… The weather? The food? Staffing? Hope you are enjoying…

We presently have the Silhouette PH booked for March. We booked it shortly after it opened. Both PH suites went quickly as did two of the RS. RSs then increased in price to just below what we had paid for the PH. No RS left now CS have increased in price.

Great question!

I think some of the discrepancies are probably being caused by different circumstances on different ships. Firstly, if Blu is understaffed on some ships then obviously they need to focus on the Aqua guests. Secondly, there is a big difference between a suite guest turning up at Blu at peak time expecting to be seated and a suite guest arranging with the M’D to dine in Blu, later evening perhaps, as service is slowing down. If dining in Blu is important for you then I suggest on boarding you have a chat with the suite concierge or Luminae M’D. If you let them know you would be willing to dine early or late that may help. Is there a particular reason for you wanting access to Blu? Most suite guests tend to prefer the ambiance and food in Luminae. On some ships, by arrangement, the Luminae M’D can arrange for you to have food from other restaurants…

So pleased for you…

I honestly don’t think people understand the M class PH size and ‘volume’ unless they have experienced it. Following the demise of the ‘Ocean Liners’ range of restaurants we have been reluctant to cruise M class but the the M class PH really is in ‘a league of it’s own’ regarding square footage and balcony… Definitely on our hit list of must do again…

Sincere best wishes. However, if your bid is not successful look out for cruises as they become available…We have frequently booked PH suites only to see RS as expensive a month or two later… The additional beauty of booking early is then you do know you have the upgraded room and can research and plan…part of the pleasure of a cruise… Once again sincere best wishes for your cruise, be it RS or PH…

We are regular RS and PH cruisers on S class. Perks the same for both suites. We have received excellent service in both suite categories. The S PH is quite simply a decadence of light and space…The bathroom is big enough to host a party in. However, in terms of amenities it really doesn’t practically inside offer much more than the RS… Both have separate shower and jacuzzi bath in the main bathroom. Second shower in PH, RS only has WC and sink. The PH dining area and wet bar are more spacious but the RS dining area is not lacking space. The PH balcony is a lot bigger than the RS balcony. We particularly enjoy the covered area. If you are cruising with others (family/friends) then the PH is a great venue for hosting sail aways etc. If you are cruising with children or third/fourth adult the second bathroom and additional space make the PH a much better option. OP…If you fancy trying go for it…

Jim, in the M class PH we ‘lost’ a suitcase…As we were (sadly) getting ready to pack we only had 2 out of three cases…Finally found the last one in a wardrobe (we didn’t even know was there) towards the second bathroom… Our first S class PH was on the Eclipse when I was wearing an orthopaedic boot…It was a loooong walk from the bed to the toilet!

We feel the same about the PH on Celebrity…Sooooo small, nooooo perks included, noooo premium drinks or speciality dining….Yes, there is a time when telling the truth can push up prices!

It really is the small touches that can make an experience special…. Thanks for your review.

Agree… Access to the Retreat lounge doesn’t mean you can’t/shouldn’t enjoy the atmosphere and ambiance as well as speciality drinks of other bars too. One of the benefits of the ‘ship within a ship’ concept.

Hi there! Hope you are feeling well, I know you were having some treatment after your last cruise. I must confess your summary fits exactly my interpretation of ‘life aboard’ after following Groryjm’s ‘live from’ posting. For us some of the positives you see are a little more negative to us… We (after initially being horrified) by the change from ‘formal to chic’ have acted found we are simply smart casual people and don’t miss the dressing up. I think you are more contented than us with one restaurant (as long as the choice and quality of food is excellent) whereas we like changing venues. I seem to remember last cruise you dined mainly in Luminae.

What a lovely balanced approach!

Loved reading your review…we too have a soft spot for M class but haven’t been aboard recently. Getting rid of the Ocean Liners series of restaurants really was a miss for us. As I am reading reviews recently I think one’s experience is becoming increasingly dependent on one’s attitude on boarding…If you focus on a bit of rust here or there or lament deeply a reduction in yoghurt choices you will have a rubbish time. If you focus on the full experience then, as you did, you will enjoy your cruise!

That was nice of them to do for you… Agree speciality dining kicks in for RS and above.

No I don’t think we have met…However, we have met on CC on several occasions! Totally agree a great Review. To me a great review is when you focus on your real interests or have a focus…The OP really has lots to offer re both food and drink…I always follow his posts. Perhaps your focus will be different… You know I think lots of people are looking at alternatives now. Products, prices…No industry stands still and also people don’t either…We all move on in life…Long haul is becoming increasingly hard for us…time to consider alternative Southampton cruises

Thank you for the responses… CC really is a great way to find out ‘a feel’ for a ship. Thanks to all who have responded to my queries…

Yes, they will. In our experience they will get anything available elsewhere within the premium package for you. Also possibly slightly over. If we ask for something they don’t have we politely ask if they can check its availability, we don’t expect them to go searching there and then, however, sometimes they do. If you request something they don’t have on board they will suggest alternatives. For example, I asked if it was possible to access Dubonnet (I love a Queen Mother). There was none on the ship. The next night they had a bewildering array of possible alternatives, some of which I didn’t even know but it was fun trying! Touchingly, one of the concierge staff tried to get me a bottle from the French side of St Martin…Definitely above and beyond!

I can see that and do value all the things about having the same table, staff etc. I guess I am thinking multiple nights of excellence could be too much of a good thing! I did some initial browsing of a 26 night Caribbean cruise, however, I think it would be wiser to look at shorter but not ‘shortie’ options in the first instance (7-14 nights).

Thanks for that! I wondered why QM2 was seen as different….You can tell I am a total newcomer to this board. It is only after following Groryjm’s post I have started to become a bit interested…

A sense of humour does help us get through difficult times. I don’t think I am afraid any of the Queens QG will be too stuffy, more that even if they cook me anything I want I will still be dining in the same restaurant with the same ambiance every night. You never know, we may love it. As I said in a previous post, sometimes you just need to give something a go…Booked up for next year on X so plenty of time to do some research. What would (space wise) be equivalent to a Celebrity PH? Is there one of the ships regular Cunard cruisers would recommend/not recommend?

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated… Looking forward to following swjumbo’s adventures in a few weeks…

Thank you!