BosoxI

$724pp is what I'm seeing... not too bad for 15 nights on Celebrity these days. It might have made a good B2B with the 15 nighter from Singapore just prior. Alas... I will once again miss out on Celebrity in the spring... as I got quite a nice deal on a 23 night transpac from Sydney to Seattle on Explorer OTS.

 

 

 

 

Are you trying to tell me those "FREE PERKS" are NOT "free"? Surely you can't be serious. :confused: ;) :D:mad:

To be accurate the words "free perks" did not appear on the flyer. There was, however, a clear promise of some sort of benefits above and beyond what was available to people not booking on board a Celebrity ship, if I booked prior to 12/19. Unfortunately, the flyer was a come on, as these benefits did not exist.

I can't imagine what it must be like to be drifting around the seas with no supplies wondering what will happen. :)

Try reading the book In Harm's Way" which recounts the experiences of the crew of the USS Indianapolis which was torpedoed in the South Pacific late in WWII. Just simply terrifying from burns, drownings, thirst and hunger, sunburn, oil inhalation and finally shark attacks.

and the free ice cream may be even better! (from a fanatic who has ice cream every day!!!)

How true. Don't pay for gelato. Celebrity ain't Italy

Thanks. I suspect the current pricing will be increased when the new offer is available so that the total cost with 2 perks is the same as it is today. I have two cruises booked and the current pricing is the same as when I booked. Will look at them Wednesday and compare.

I think I could have saved you the trouble, as I have just written of my experience o board the Eclipse with the offer.:mad::mad::mad:

I have just completed a review of cruises that I have already booked that are supposedly up to $800 cheaper as a consequence of the sale. All three I have prebooked are about $1400 per couple dearer with same conditions. These sales are nothing but a joke

On the Eclipse last week we received a flyer offering four perks on certain cruises, if we booked them by December 19; I spent considerable time searching for cruises that fit our needs, then checked their prices on line. Armed with that information, I asked the Future Cruise Person for her offer.

She gave me a price that included the four perks but was $700 over the base cost I had discovered on line. I asked her where was the benefit the flyer promised and she claimed we were benefitting by an $800 reduction on the cost of the cabin. Really?, I replied. I would get the same price if I booked on line or through an agent.

I then asked her to book the cabin for us at the base price with no perks, as we are Elite + and can do quite nicely with those benefits plus Michael's Club. She said she couldn't do that. I was amazed and left her office. When I reached my cabin, she had left a message that she was mistaken and could book the cabin at base price. No thanks.I had lost interest due to Celebrity's misleading antics.

Several days later I was told the same story by a second agent. So I left the ship with no future cruise booked and now I am researching other lines to see what they offer. I really resent how X is playing the old shell game with its customers. Keep your eye on the shells and maybe if you're really lucky, you'll find the one hiding the bean.

Having looked around at prices for future sailing it seems caribbean sailings look to offer the best value.

 

Any thoughts?

Perhaps in comparison to other areas of the world, but Celebrity's prices are pretty high, so much so that in February DW and I are moving to Regent. If we are pleased as our friends say we will be, we'll probably continue with that line or others like it. Celebrity is just getting too rich for our blood.

In April of 2016 we booked a suite on the Eclipse for a total of about $5900 or $267 pp per day for a pre Christmas cruise in 2017. I tried to book the same cabin class on a three day shorter cruise also on the Eclipse for next May, I found the rate to be $361 pp per diem. If I dropped the four perks, the cost still would be $307 a day pp. Both are in the Caribbean. We've enjoyed X for many years, but it might be worth paying something more for the smaller ship experience we've enjoyed in the past.

We are on the Eclipse at this very moment, as we have been for the past five years at this same time of year. The service has been excellent but I am very disappointed in Luminae. The food offerings have been generally mundane and unimaginative. I have taken to ordering at least some dishes from the main menu which makes me wonder why I am paying for a suite. Also, the poor waiters in Luminae are hustling so much that one of them actually is breaking out into a trot to provide service. He is the nicest man but he seriously overworked. My wife feels very sympathetic for him, as he is performing every possible dining room function short of washing the dishes, and maybe he's doing that, too. Celebrity is lucky to have employees like him and others like him.

Since we first started sailing Celebrity 15 years ago, desserts in the buffet have ALWAYS been very lacking in taste and variety. We, too, were always looking for just a simple cake with real icing or a slice of pie. Nothing fancy, just basic stuff.

It's not just Celebrity. Most lines serve tasteless fluff, except in 2009 on the Pacific Princess at lunch in the middle of the Pacific they were serving a variety of cakes which were magnificent. Every day. Whole cakes were on the counter, not just slices. Wonderful cakes. As baked goods are always my dessert of choice, I was in Heaven. Never to be repeated, I'm afraid

What agency is responsible for monitoring alcohol on a cruise ship? And how could they do it in the middle of the ocean?

I'm too busy having a good time while I'm cruising to be critical of all this pee-diddly little stuff that ya'll complaining about.

 

Enjoy your cruising days for heaven's sake. Life's too short for b'ing. The idea is to go and have a good time. If this is the stuff that's keeping you from enjoying yourself then I truly feel sorry for you.

 

The problem is, take a couple of cruises and suddenly everybody's a cruise expert. They're doing 99 % of their jobs right, let's give them that. If you don't like something at the moment then say something.

. For me life's too short to accept second rate when I deserve first rate, especially when I paid through the nose for it.

I read the title of this thread and thought there would be something substantive to read especially with the amount written in the post, but it just seems like small issues and gripes that can happen on any cruise. Cereal bowl for a shrimp cocktail? Celebrity has truly gone to the dogs. Oh no. Then it would have been in a dog bowl.

 

Phil

Eating well involves more than just the sense of taste. It is wisely written that we eat with our eyes, too. At least some of us do. I guess when they serve wine in a tea cup that will serve as a wakeup call for those who eat to live. :eek:

The location in on deck 11 I guess.. Not on hump.. We dont drink much, but taking into account the prices onboard the bill for drinks (wine, coffee, fresh juices) can be around 400-450.. What is about BLU and gardens? Are they worth to pay 450$?

In a word "No". I'm not a big drinker on land, but on ship I do indulge more. Blu isn't all that great.

For wife and I absolutely not. Specialties are too expensive on Celebrity, our last cruise we only did Murano because we had a lot of OBC. Before that cruise hadn't done a specialty in a long time due to the price.

For wife and me absolutely yes. Murano is so much better than Blu in every way and Qsine, which we avoided like the plague for many cruises, now has a certain appeal.

Having a window table isn’t that fantastic.

 

At night it may be dark or if the sun is shining in they lower the shades.

 

The tables are pushed up against the wall and the drape is against your arm and you are hitting the window sill or wall with your elbow. Every time I had a window table I had to pull it away from the wall a few inches for elbow room and it isn’t because I am a large person.

 

We now prefer a table away from the window and the host usually looks puzzled when we refuse it.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🛳🇺🇸🌅

The biggest problem for me is that during daylight hourst, sitting a the window mean all the other patrons are likely to be peering at/past me to see the ocean. That's a lot of pressure for someone not to dribble or drop food in his lap.

.I suspect the number of pro Blu votes will confirm you in Aqua. Our experience there has been mixed, as I have noted in other threads... The tables are close, the place can be terribly noisy, and the service can be spotty. We tend to go early in the evening to select a table we know to be as far from the madding crowd as possible. Plus, the waiters at that time tend to be less harried. the downside is that when the traffic is slower, some waiters hover, especially if a beautiful woman in dining. The food is OK but that is a matter of taste, is it not? Breakfast? Please don't base a decision on breakfast, the most ordinary of all meals.

For me and my wife Murano is head and shoulders over Blu and Luminae for that matter. Sure hope you have a great time wherever you dine, but don't get your hopes up too high in Blu.

My TA is with one of the biggest agencies with plenty of staff to handle any situation at any time. I have the best possible deal and am completely happy with my cabin. All is well. Believe me, I appreciate the concern, but after seventy or so cruises, I am quite "in the know" generally.

However, this is our first cruise with Regent, so I am unfamiliar with their policy. My question was adequately answered by Indi Traveler, the very first responder, and confirmed by several others. My piddly little "problem" is of no real concern and can be easily addressed with a phone call by me.

So I don't need to change TAs and I would have to be certifiable to cancel my sweetheart deal. Thanks to all for your responses

IMO, it is not in your best interest to book directly with Regent. There are TA's out there (we cannot say who they are) that book Regent cruises all the time and give a percentage back on the cost of your cruise and/or OBC's (on board credits). Do some research and book with a TA - there is no downside to it.

Thank you but I have booked through an agent who is away from work for a while.. I have a simple problem which I'd like to address. Some cruise lines will only talk to an agent, not the passenger.

Can I do it directly or must I go through my TA?

Oh, my. I hope my wife doesn't read about the egg problem. I had to egg her on to take our first Regent cruise next year even though she is happy with our past cruises on other lines.

We were booked in an Aqua Class cabin last year and went to Blu for dinner for two nights. We hated it! Tables are so close together and the service was painfully slow. The food was just okay. Asked to be switched to MDR, which they did. It was just lovely. Food was really good. We had a table for two in a very nice section and we were very happy. Everyone has such different opinions and preferences when it comes to dining. Other folks love Blu!

Believe me, we are not in love with Blu. We try to dine early so as to avoid the crowd and their noise. Worse, on several occasions we were completely ignored by our waiter, so much so that we walked out without eating. But the MDR is the wild west. Waiters rushing up and down the aisles with a harried look on their faces, carrying trays of food over the heads of the poor unfortunates seated on the aisles, barely avoiding each other at the last second. "No thanks" says DW except for lunch which is more sedate.

Many say better on Celebrity, some say about the same. My experience is that the only thing superior on Princess is the pizza.

For my taste Celebrity's buffets on the S class ships are better, but the dining room food on Princess has always been better. Also, the MDRs on Princess are more like regular restaurants and have head waiters in attendance. My wife can't stand the barn known as the MDR on X ships. Her solution is painful-Blu or Luminae.;)

 

 

Not only is there no discount for the "upsell", to imply in the email that this is a limited offer which we were specially selected for is a complete insult, does Regent really believe that their passengers are that naive?

 

gnomie :)

Naïve is too kind a word for what cruise lines think of their passengers. Celebrity constantly talks about "free" drink packages, but check the cost. A cabin without the package cost X $, a cabin with the package costs X+ $.

So much for free drinks.

Dear all,

 

I just got off the Explorer (the travel stress being the reason for my late reply) and I will be working on my report shortly. As I mentioned before the service issues never disappeared... although after I spoke to some of the maitres in the restaurants they seemed to have given the others a "heads up". But that's not what I wanted. I dont need special treatment - I was looking for a relaxed and friendly luxury atmosphere.

Regent undoubtedly has perfect hardware, probably the best that is out there, but the software was (with a few excellent exceptions) not more than average. I heard the comment twice by supervisors that "We at Regent are the best" and you should have seen the faces when I told them that they simply were not. From my point of view the stiff and unrelaxed work atmosphere is not in the best interest of the guests (with ship's management being responsible for that!). The officers on deck would not even stop to say hello or at least hold a door open for you... The room stewards and stewardesses in contrast were always cheerful, up for a chat and funny - even those that were not even taking care of my cabin.

 

Quite a few crewmembers especially in the Food and Beverage department seemed very unhappy and stressed - no small talk, very few smiles. I was never - except for the lovely maitres in Prime7 and Compass Rose- adressed by name. Most of the things you have to actively ask for, e.g. peanuts with drinks, minibar set up, coffee after lunch, a champagne refill... It's not that everything was bad, I had great service by some, e.g. french Louise in Chartreuse or the guys in the observation lounge but all in all it was very far from a luxury service experience.

 

I will give you a few examples and you be the judge:

 

1) The minibar set up arrived 24 hours after I ordered it.

2) After returning from an excursions I asked if I could order a club sandwich to the cafe bar to have it with my cappucino: "No, you have to do it from your room via room service".

After I spoke to a maitre: "Well, this is our service standard".

3) Showing up at Pacific rim for our reservation, the maitre was busy clearing a table so I eye-contacted another supervisor in uniform. She finger-pointed to the maitre signalising me that I have to wait. I later asked the maitre who the other woman was: "That was my boss".

4) Chef Salad delivered to the room without the dressing. Had to call again, dressing delivered after another 20 minutes.

5) See photos... Tables in the Cafe and the Pool Grill.

 

So, there will be a lot to write about in my report and OF COURSE THERE WERE A LOT THINGS ON THE POSITIVE SIDE AS WELL. It's the sort of "It was an excellent cruise, BUT..." report...

 

I'm very much looking forward to all your comments.

All the best,

M&P

A cappucino and a club sandwich? :)

Great advice! Thanks so much. I'll get on the insurance question first thing tomorrow.

And remember that many insurers forgive the medical look back if the policy is purchased within a certain time frame after booking the cruise. I hope in your case that is not a concern, but it is good to know.

Don't disagree with your rationalization but we just received an up sell to our current suite and, as of the end of this cruise will have 400 nights on Regent. It is really depending upon what suite you are -- what suites Regent wants to have available -- how quickly your TA responds to the offer (and how quickly your TA contacts you). When all of the pieces come together you can end up with a lovely suite for less $$$.

Lucky you, but I was referring to upgrades, not upsells. We paid not a penny more for any upgrade. Our most recent upsell to a larger suite was a good deal but cost us some

The sad thing is that this is nothing new - my first wife worked for Pan-Am years ago and they had a very liberal employee pass program. We had planned on going to Rio for a week but heard so many horror stories from other airline employees that we never went. In fact, one of the ladies in her office had her arm slashed by a purse grabber who used a knife to slash her strap during a grab-and-run. This was in the early 90's - I can only imagine how it is today. Not the kind of place I really want to hang out for even a brief vacation, although we're booked there in January '19. We'll make our decision on how far to wander from the ship/hotel when we're there. :o :mad:

My wife was also a PanAm stewardess and will always take her good stuff when traveling. At first I tried to dissuade her, but she would always say "Why spend the money to keep jewelry in a safe deposit box?" Her wisdom finally made sense to me, so now I take several good watches plus a Citizen for more questionable tours .Boy, is jewelry insurance expensive.

My best friend's wife is Brazilian and absentmindedly wore a gold necklace on the streets of her hometown Rio. A jeweler came out of his shop and reminded her of where she was. Good man. Her husband wasn't so lucky. His wallet was grabbed and as he chased the thief, the felon tossed contents on the street. What a predicament. Pick up the cards or chase the crook? And, yes, my friend can take care of himself, believe me :)