boogs

Hotels do not get the bulk of their income from discretionary spending by the guest. Cruise ships do..

So then why do the hotels charge the same for single or double occupancy? All I am saying is that charging for double occupancy is the norm in the hotel business, just like in the cruise business. Using your explanation, the hotels should charge less since they don't lose that discretionary spending by a second person when only one person stays in the room. We don't hear people complain about paying for two people when they book a room as a single.

We dined once in the "Olympic" dining room on Celebrity's "Millennium". I wasn't as concerned about the food as I was the room. I'm quite a Titanic buff and the dining room is from the original "Olympic" sister ship to Titanic. It was removed from the ship, installed in a restaurant in England and then Celebrity bought it, dismantled it and installed it in the Millennium.

We'll be on the Millennium in two months. Thanks for the interesting history, something we did not know until your post.

From the Celebrity website:

Inside The Olympic

Inspiration

Britain's White Star Line entered RMS Olympic into service in 1911 as the first ocean liner of their Olympic Class. Her sister ship, the RMS Titanic, famously went to sea in 1912. The Olympic was spared her sister's fate, successfully crossing the Atlantic for 24 years, even serving her country as a troopship in World War I. Our RMS Olympic Restaurant actually features French walnut paneling from the A La Carte restaurant on the RMS Olympic. The panels were found in a suburban house in Southport, England. The current owner of the home was willing to sell us the panels, as long as we bought the entire house along with them! The deal was done, and the paneling was carefully removed and put in the hands of craftsmen who restored the faded walnut to its former splendor. Many guests tell us that the Olympic Restaurant one of the most beautiful of our four maritime restaurants.

Hotels charge the same rate for one person as they do for two people. No one seem to gripe about their "rip off" single occupancy rates. I find it odd that people insist on singling out cruise lines for doing the exact same thing that they willing do at every hotel they stay at as a single occupant. :confused:

On most ships, its the exact same balcony cabin.

More specifically, this only applies to 5 out of 9 ships (not counting Century which is soon leaving Celebrity).

On all four M-class ships, the concierge staterooms are 21 sq ft larger than standard veranda staterooms - 191 sq ft vs 170 sq ft, They also have a larger balcony - 41 sq ft vs. 38 sq ft.

On all five S-class ships, standard and concierge staterooms are all 194 sq ft with a 54 sq ft balcony.

Currently visiting Vegas.

Went to the Titanic exposition today.

It was great standing in front of actual artifacts from the wreck of the ship.

 

Interestingly though was a few tidbits of information I wasn't aware of.

First Class passengers had an MDR just like everyone else.

They also had access to a "For Additional Fee" the Ala Carte Restaurant.

Deck lounge chairs were an additional fee.

The gymnasium was an additional fee along with access to the Turkish Bath.

 

So, Nickle and Diming has a long tradition in the cruise world.

Sorry, but I don't consider what the cruise lines do as "nickle and diming". Instead, I consider it as offering us additional options that we can choose to enjoy if we are willing to pay additional for it. It is no different than in ordinary life at home. We can prepare all our meals at home or be "nickled and dimed" by going out to a restaurant; or be "nickled and dimed" by purchasing a new pair of pants instead of finding a bargain pair at a thrift store; or be "nickled and dimed" by going to the theater to see a movie that a few months later you can see on your TV for free.

Taken to the extreme, you could even argue that you are being "nickled and dimed" when you pay for just a basic cruise instead of relaxing in your back yard for no additional charge. ;)

We no longer use a TA and find it much more flexible and efficient to go direct. I might see for example, see a cabin I want to switch to and can call Celebrity 24-7 and make the change or get the newly advertised perk. It isn't worth a "free dinner, or some small cash back" to loose the flexibility- IMO.

I use a TA. Have been for many years. On every cruise we eventually decide to move to a different cabin or category based on new information we might have discovered. Our next cruise is no different. We have moved once, with zero problems using the TA. When the 1-2-3 promo showed up she got the beverage package added, with zero problems, which is even more noteworthy since we technically did not qualify for this perk because we had used an old Passages coupon. All of this PLUS additional OBC and a "thank you" bottle of wine in our room - she even knows that we prefer white to red wines!

No flexibility lost at all. In fact, I would say we have even more flexibility due to her connections with Celebrity that we don't have. I send her an email and within hours I get an answer back notifying us that the changes have been made. No sitting on hold with Celebrity for hours trying to make use of my "flexibility" directly with them. Same goes for all reservations we make through her - hotels, air, vacation packages, etc.

Hasn't this always been the case? Just like items in the mini bar?

Yes, always been the case. If a person doesn't want the temptation, asking the attendant to remove them will solve the problem.

"Seal Level Promenade" is a bit of a stretch. The lowest level is still about twenty five feet up from the water level. Making it a true sea level deck would be problematic. In heavy seas people would be washed overboard. However, this would give the crew plenty of man overboard practice. They could use this ship as a training school for ocean rescues. :)

I do like the concept, tough. I just wish the rear of the ship didn't look so much like a poolside hotel.

TUMMY--your vacay to Machu Picchu on Memorial Week sounds like a dream come true. How did you plan your itinerary and know exactly where you should stay? You took a flight into and out of Lima and then to Cusco? Is that the most direct route?[/Quote]

 

This part of question wasn't directed to me, but I can add my experience. We planned our trip though our favorite travel agent. We flew into Lima with a connecting flight to Cusco, both on LAN airlines. This is probably the best way to get there. Landing at Cusco was an experience. The flight path wanders through several mountain valleys and much of the approach is lower than the peaks on both sides of the plane. As the plane zig zags through the valleys, the plane gradually losses altitude until it makes a sharp turn over some low hills and lands. The airport is build on a slope and the plane literally lands uphill! The terminal is a small building. One side the floor is level with the tarmac, the other side the tarmac is several steps lower. Pretty exciting landing if you have a window and the sky is clear.

 

BOOGS--great idea. Question: by staying in Aguas Calientes (which is probably not so caliente since it is in the mountains), how could you get up to MP to see sunrise and sunset? Bus? Tram? How long is this journey?

Machu Picchu is on my Bucket List but we would like to stay longer and really enjoy the view and people. Are there TAs who specialize in this type of travel, or, by picking your brains on CruiseCritic, can we develop our own Tour?

Thanks for any info!

 

There are frequent buses to the top of the mountain. Be prepared for a white knuckle ride. The dirt road is narrow with sharp curves at each turn of the multiple switchback required to get to the top. I remember a couple of corners where the driver had to back up to line himself with the road. There are no guardrails in most places. It gets even more interesting when two buses pass each other in opposite directions since the road is essentially a one lane road in most places. The ride is about twenty minutes and is quite scenic. No need to buy bus fare in advance. Just wait at the bus pickup location and pay as you get on.

 

 

There are TAs that specialize in this type of trip. But we went through our favorite TA and she made all the arrangements for us, including pickup at the airports, day tours while in Cusco, the train trip - or do a four day hike along the Inca Trail - the hotels (which we picked out), and air reservations.

 

Do spend a few nights in Cusco. It is an interesting town to explore, and there are several day trip tours that you can take. We stayed for three nights, then went to Aguas Calientes for one night, then back to Cusco for one more night. We only took an overnight bag to Aguas Calientes. We had made arrangements with the hotel to store our larger luggage while we were gone. Instead, since the hotel wasn't fully booked, the hotel allowed us to keep our room without having to pay for the night we were gone, so we left everything else in the room. Staying several nights will help you acclimate to the elevation before you start climbing all over Machu Piccu. Cusco is 11,152 ft (3,399 m), Aguas Calientes is 6,690 ft (2,040 m), Machu Piccu is 7,972 ft (2,402 m). Acclimation is more important the lower the elevation is where you live. We drank cocoa tea to help us avoid altitude sickness. Since our house is only 64 ft above sea level, we had to be careful at these altitudes.

Variety is the spice of life!

We always treat ourselves to the specialty restaurants on every cruise. We cruise because it is a different experience than what we can have at home. It makes sense to us to try all the different experiences that the specialty restaurants provide. They are quieter, more intimate and personal, each has a different atmosphere, and the food is better as it is prepared to order and of higher quality, unlike the MDR where it is prepared ahead of time in order to feed hundreds of people at the same time. Some of our best meals anywhere, land or sea, have been at specialty restaurants on Disney (Palo on Magic) and on Celebrity (Lawn Club Grille on Reflection and Ocean Liners on Constellation).

To avoid the specialty restaurant to us would be short changing our total cruise experience. We value the entire wealth of experiences each cruise offers, specialty restaurants included.

I have enjoyed this thread. Funny posts for sure! :)

But seriously, there is no difference in taste or nutrition between brown or white eggs. Hens with white feathers produce white eggs, and hens with reddish brown feathers produce brown eggs. Simple as that. http://www.egglandsbest.com/eggspert/eggs/white-and-brown.aspx

We like to start our cruise as soon as possible and have always arrived just before boarding began. Never had a problem with long lines or crowds, and usually are walking up the gangway in less than 1/2 hour. We want to get on and have lunch on board sooner than later so that we either don't have to pay for lunch on shore, or eat too late as to interfere with dinner. Plus, we are excited and enjoy wandering around the ship getting to know where everything is at.

I don't like this stepped boarding process. The only time we ever had to deal with it was our one and only Disney cruise. Because people were required to wait until their boarding number was called, that boarding process was the most congested, with the longest time waiting, and the most chaotic boarding experience we've ever endured.

I highly recommend staying in Aguas Calientes, the small town at the base of the mountain Machu Picchu is on, for one night. This will give you the opportunity to see the sunset AND the sunrise over Machu Picchu. Each is spectacular and well worth considering. Taking the train for only a day trip makes this impossible.

We stayed at the beautiful Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, a paradise in this tiny town: http://www.inkaterra.com/inkaterra/inkaterra-machu-picchu-pueblo-hotel/

SUNSET

SUNRISE

No need to go all defensive, it's not an insult. It's a light-hearted observation on accents - as per the rest of this thread.

And I've spent enough time talking cars on your side of the Pond to know what I hear. Mebbe you should spend some time in places like Tennessee or Alabama ;)

True, their accents can certainly make some words sound different, and some are almost unintelligible. But, as a whole, most of the US doesn't have such heavy accents and pronounce words very similar to you Brits, though with an "American" accent. Even you Brits have different dialects that can make some words sound very different. Depending on where people are from, the accents vary dramatically. This youtube video is a fascinating look at the differences by region:

I used to provide training classes for an employer and traveled to several countries to train the employees at the local facilities. My most challenging week of classes was in Dunfermline, Scotland. Their local accents were almost impossible for me to understand, even though we were both speaking English. :D

But the one which gets me going is Plymouth - from where the Pilgrim Fathers sailed & the source of the name of several Plymouths in America.

Plym is pronounced like Jim or Slim.

But Americans pronounce it like plywood or lime.

Plymouth is at the mouth of the River Plym, hence the name. And hence the pronunciation.

Same pronunciation, I believe, as Americans use for their Ford Plymouth cars.

Sorry, but as an American for over 6 decades, I have never heard one of us call it with "ply" as in "plywood". Everyone I have ever heard say the name has called it with the "Jim" or "slim" pronunciation.

Not sure where you got that idea. :confused:

What gets me is that you keep you car's spare tire in your "boot". Here in the US we keep our feet in ours. :D

Hello! I am looking for ANY information and feedback on the Galapagos cruise with Machu Picchu post cruise trip. I have read reviews and there is a lot on the Galapagos but there is not much on a pre/post information including Machu Picchu. This trip is very costly and I am trying to find out if it is all worth it! It is truly a bucket list trip and want to be certain I am choosing the right cruise line and time of year to go. Thank you for any AND all info!!

We did the Galapagos cruise and also found the Macchu Pichu excursion very expensive. I then did the Buenos Aires to Valparisio cruise and found the Macchu Pichu add-on to be more reasonable, so we did it that way. It was great.

We considered this a few years ago but instead decided to do it on our own through a travel agency. We were able to stay in the same hotels, take the same transportation to Machu Picchu, do the same activities and tours, and stay several days more for significantly less total cost. By staying longer, you have many more opportunities to visit the surrounding areas. Definitely plan on spending a few days in Cusco, the launching point for train trip to Machu Picchu. It is a picturesque town with very friendly people. You should also plan to stay in Cusco for a couple of days to get acclimated to the 10,000+ foot elevation, especially if where you live is at low elevations.

I hate flying because you're totally in the hand of the captain. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong within minutes and there's really nothing you can do. On a ship, after everything goes wrong, it seems you still have plenty of time and many decisions you can make yourself. YouTube has a video of the Costa Concordia disaster where the cameraman asks the bar if they are open for business.

Even on a plane when something goes wrong it is often many minutes to hours before the worst happens, and even then these are the very rare instances. On only the worst situations does the plane crash. For most "something goes wrong" incidents - estimates are more than 97% of all incidents where a flight had to be cut short - the pilots were able to land safely.

Being fearful of a crash in a plane borders on paranoia. Air travel is extremely safe, many times safer than by car, bus or train. http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20120127-travelwise-what-is-the-safest-mode-of-travel

What incident could cause hair dryers to be removed? A protest by the "Bald Men For Equal Rights" activist group?

It's not a myth, I've seen it many times posted in celebrity today.

It is definitely not a myth. It is printed right on the balcony doors and we were personally informed each time we stay in a suite by the butler. It is also in the book printed on the desks in your rooms.

It's not a myth. Besides being posted, we called to complain that our cabin was not cooling well and was actually kind of muggy. This hadn't been the case on previous days. They came and fiddled with it and left and came back and told us that someone in our "ZONE" had left their balcony door open and it made the system have to work harder.

 

Is that PROOF? No b/c they might have been making the entire thing up. :rolleyes: I do know that after they explained what happened, and that it was taken care of, the room did start to cool off.

What ships were you on?

I am reporting my experience on Reflection, the ship the OP was asking about. From my experience, I know that the M-class ships work differently.

On Reflection, opening the door turned the A/C off. That the setting in one stateroom will affect staterooms around you on S-class ships has been challenged on CC in the past. My experience is that those challenges are accurate - it does not. Our neighbors were friends of ours and whenever they opened their balcony door, we did not notice any changes in our stateroom's A/C efficiency.

I do not recall seeing any mention to close the door when the room is occupied in any documentation on my cruise. I go through the binder cover to cover whenever I am on a new ship, and I don't remember seeing such a request.

It is my belief that any request to close the door is only when the room is unoccupied.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :D

The sliding door will stay open by itself. To open the door, you turn the handle a quarter turn to raise the door off the track to slide it open. Turn the handle back to the original position and the door will lower and rest on the track so it won't slide closed.

The ship actually requests politely that you do not leave the balcony door open. It messes with the air conditioning system.

Not a good idea to keep the balcony door open. It messes with the A/C system.

This is a myth. Do you have any proof?

It will also create a wind tunnel if the cabin door is opened while the balcony door is open as well.

This is true. Just be careful and you won't have a problem. The same thing can happen at home on a nice day with all the windows open to enjoy the breeze.

Do you open your doors at home while the A/C is running? :D Just kidding, but seriously, not a good idea.

I disagree. It is a good idea if that is what you want to do. It won't affect anyone else.

We often left our door open. What is the sense of having a balcony cabin if you can't open the door and enjoy the sound of the ocean? Besides, on the S-class ships, each cabin has it's own A/C regulation, so what you do in your cabin has no affect on the cabins around you. They are all independent. Just like any ship that has individual temperature controls in each cabin. Plus, when the S-class ships very being built there was discussion here on CC which explained that opening the door will turn off the A/C in your room. We found that to be the case on our Reflection cruise.

As long as the cruise lines let me take full advantage of price drops before final payment, I have no problem with last minute deals. It's no different than any retail business out there. They all lower prices to liquidate slow moving inventory. It's just smart business.

However, it would be nice if the situation went away entirely. As understanding as I am about the process, it does sting a bit to be paying twice what someone else is paying just because I planned ahead and they jumped in at the last minute. ;)

if you are going to fish for lower fare, remember some search engines highlight paid ads first, then you can net the site you are looking for.

Which is why I specifically stated to "Google" the search words. ;)

Because of the mortality rate, which is anywhere between 50% and 90%. That makes it scarier to most people.

It's not the mortality rate that is the main concern, but the total number of people who get it. Only two people in the US have gotten Ebola without traveling to an outbreak area (note that I did not use the word "epecimic"), and both were caring from the only person who died here after visiting one of the affected areas. The flu, however, is easily spread and millions get it each year, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands. These two diseases, and their risks, are as different as apples and oranges.

The odds of a person who isn't caring for an Ebola patient contracting Ebola are less than the odds of being hit be lightening. People who are in panic mode about this disease are severely lacking in common sense.

Celebrity has been a leader in the movement towards restrictions on smoking on cruise ships. It has been clear for years that Celebrity values their non-smoking customer base. It is one of the reasons my wife and I have settled on Celebrity as our cruise line of choice. Neither one of us has every smoked, and we despise having to deal with second hand smoke. Celebrity has made our cruises better with it's strict no-smoking policy.

And Celebrity is doing quite well in spite of all the loud wailing at the time by the naysayers who predicted failure when the policy was first rolled out. It is telling that all of the major lines are gradually following Celebrity's lead.

Some people have mention far watching. I know i could check once or twice a week on the website. But is there an app or website will send me an update if fare goes up or down?

Do a Google search for "cruise price drop" and the first two listings are what you are looking for. I have been using the second for years and for only 99 cents per cruise it will monitor all the cabin categories I am interested in and send me an email if the status changes, depending on what I have told it to monitor. Over the last few years I have spend less that $5 monitoring cruises but have saved over $3,000 in price drops because of it's email notifications.