ChucktownSteve

Sounds like Gibb's rules on NCIS.

Great. Thankx! We're on the Onward 12/9. So Cruiser Craig must also be on the Onward for our cruise and the following one thru the Panama Canal embarking 12/20. I just looked at POM. It appears we'll be at Terminal J on the 9th and 20th. AZAMARA ONWARD 87208 (ZCDS3) V. SHIPS LEISURE USA LLC 05:45 17:00 30312 FLORIDA STEVEDORING, INC PSG SAN JUAN BERMUDA 12/9/2024 12/9/2024 594 INTERCRUISES PORT OPERATIONS USA,INC PSG VIRGIN GORDA VESSEL BERTHING AT TERMINAL JULIET, PORT SIDE, USING UPPER MAIN EMBARKATION GATE UNDER LIFEBOAT #6. INFORM AND CONFIRM UPON PILOT BOARDING. J (193.25-E) PST 12/09/24 12/09/24 05:45 17:00

You pretty much hit the nails on the head with your previous post and this one IMO. As far as I understand, Azamara and Oceania have always been considered Premium. Perhaps that's why RCG spun them off to acquire a luxury line like Silversea. Quality is a determining premium or luxury factor. Quality of the Food, Service and pax/space ratios are just three of the several requirements. Another, to me, is the ship within a ship vs. the whole ship. I attended a meat quality food seminar several years ago conducted by the Celebrity chef on board. He admitted the obvious; the lowest grade cuts are in the buffet. The meat quality escalates up to their best (sic) only being offered in the paid for Specialty dining options. On the luxury line I've sailed, they served the same best quality they offered in all the restaurant venues. Although on your list about luxury lines not charging for specialty restaurants, that's not necessarily true for all. There are some Silversea ships which do charge for some of them. Regent does include them.

Were they looking in a mirror when they said that? 😁

I have pretty much avoided any cruises that include Mexico since 2014. Two reasons. The Marine who was jailed for seven months when he made a wrong turn due to bad signage and wound up driving into Mexico with guns in his trunk having no way to turn around beforehand. The other reason was while on a Celebrity cruise to Costa Maya. We booked with an independent tour but due to port politics, any tours that didn't go out of the port with approved companies were stopped at gun point until all the participants could prove the tours were purchased online before arriving. We were held by the rifle toting Mexican Federales for 45 minutes while the driver went back into town to retrieve all our online receipts as proof. That pretty much turned me off to visiting that country.

I was thinking the same thing when I read elmaexec's post. I felt a better comparison would be Silversea to Regent; also in the "luxury" segment. Perhaps a better comparison in the "premium" space would be Azamara's R class with Oceania's R class ships. I now sail both Azamara and Regent about evenly. I enjoy both for their own reasons and price point. So far I've had a little difficulty pulling the trigger on Silversea for a few reasons. But maybe that will change. I'm glad to see elmaexec seems to be having a good first Azamara experience. There's a lot to be said for sailing other cruise lines for the things we enjoy from each.

This pretty much sums up a lot. 🤣

Only if you wear them on your head.

Yes people who feel hamburger is good enough; don't need to buy a steak. People who feel hanger steak is good enough; don't need to buy a filet or porterhouse. Same with different cruise lines. But when hamburger is no longer satisfying because they go from 80% to 70% and raise the price, then maybe it's time to move on to steak or another cruise line...to continue the analogy. However it's still OK to like only hamburger if that is someone's preference.

Quite frankly, if you haven't figured it out by all the other people's posts across the various threads, There's no need in answering your question.

There is a ton more to the "GOOD OLD DAYS" than just dress which some seem focused on.

I agree since they are a mass market line anyway. Nobody else cares what others think too.That has been the new norm as others migrate to Celebrity. Another web site considers Celebrity a premium cruise line along with Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. However even the ultra premium and luxury lines aren't concerned as much about formal nights either. That is the change in society. A sports jacket is acceptable on the latter category lines on some, but not all nights.

Maybe he used to be a banker?

I used to be a radio DJ back in the 60's & 70's. I would crank up the head phones. As a result I now have a partial hearing loss. Perhaps it's falling on their literally deaf ears because of their loud volumes??? 🤣

RCG is making multiple recor income and earnings certainly on the backs of their customers by raising prices to eye watering levels while cutting costs/perks and more. All the while, their customers are happy to pay it while not minding the cutbacks too much. this will continue until the customers say enough is enough is enough is enough. so until then it very well can double IMO

Just like Celebrity and the Resort area?

That is one of the several last straws that caused me to move on from Celebrity. Loud canned music preventing conversation throughout the ship to attract the hip younger crowd. I like the music, just not at the levels set for hard of hearing people.

Yeah I used to take a tux on Celebrity cruises for formal NIGHT. Glad I no longer have to do that even on the premium and luxury lines I sail nowadays.

How long have you been sailing Celebrity? Don't you know the answer to your statement? Who specifically talked about Celebrity being all tuxedos, ball gowns and champagne? Nobody I saw. BTW the free "champagne" bottles were cheap sparkling wine.

Azamara was Royal Caribbean's premium line until they spun it off to acquire the luxury line, Silversea.

D C you may find this article interesting on Celebrity's transition from Chandris to Royal Caribbean. It certainly appeared to be a mass market line then too. https://www.frommers.com/tips/miscellaneous/ship-review-celebritys-mercury-still-a-looker-ten-years-on I sailed Mercury a couple of times. It was one of my favorite. I was also on her last sailing out of Baltimore before being transferred to Tui. I still have the cabin number plate from that sailing.

30 years ago the Titanic was on the bottom of the ocean. So nobody was on the Titanic then. She sunk 112 years ago. I started sailing Celebrity in 2012. It was a mass market line then and still is.

TLCOhio, Do you own these stocks or just watch short term charts for fun? Traders tend to watch the short term charts to make buying/selling decisions. Retail investors would go crazy watching daily volatility. Because I'm an investor, I tend to look at what overall performance my stocks have done since purchase and the overall long chart trend. During the pandemic, I purchased 100 shares of each: CCL, RCL & NCLH. Since 3/30/20, CCL is up 103.10%. Since 6/22/20, RCL is up 331.13%. Since 1/29/21, NCLH is up 20.13%. But since these represent a minuscule portion of my portfolio, I'm not that concerned about their performance or lack thereof. What I really care about is how that translates into the on board experience. As a shareholder I am happy with RCL's performance compared to the others. As their cruiser, I was not happy with the changed Celebrity experience. Back when they initiated the double/double program in 2017 they beat the 2018 Double-Double EPS target. They did that across the brands by raising prices and cutting costs. I have been considering including SS into my mix but I'm concerned how RCG's purchase has/will change the experience like they did to Celebrity.

Someone must have really stayed at a Holiday Inn Express?

Yeah I figured that out but the edit button was gone. I first had that number but changed it. Another factor I didn't mention is that by reducing my out of pocket cost on the cruise, that also reduces the amount of cash rebate I receive from my TA. That would be $80 on the $800. Then there is the OBC used as a deposit in my DW's emotional bank account when she gets overpriced items of her choosing in the gift shop I certainly use that when I make debits from that account; which I seem to do. 😁 I don't care about the cruise line's cost of goods, but the added value to our cruise.