skipreality

We missed the bacon police!  And the French fry police! Funny.

I guess first it would be helpful to know why you are leaving Celebrity?  If it is price, say no more.  Completely understood.  Our experience, having sailed both lines multiple times, is that you get what you pay for.  I must preface our remarks with a warning about our brutal honesty about calling things the way we see them; which does not mean that is how they really are.  But it is our view, and that is all we really have to give.  So, here we go. 

The most negative thing we found with Carnival is that they seem to attract some cruisers who have saved every dime for the past two years to go on a cruise and then went with Carnival because of the price; and believe that they paid for it, and behave as if their right to have a good time supersedes everyone else's.  And there is some truth to that, but it doesn't mean we have to like it.  The buffets, which we only use once a day or less, is the worst on the seas on Carnival.  Not so much the food prep, but the way folks seem to go through the lines like it is their last meal ever; piling 20 (I am not exaggerating) pieces of bacon or sausage on their plate.  I don't care how much anyone eats, but to have no consideration for the people who are behind you (because of course then the serving dish is empty) is annoying.  There is seemingly a lack of respect for the personal space of others on Carnival.  We have also had many more experiences with people who have been loud, obnoxious, and sloppy drunk on Carnival; and we don't care who gets drunk.  We do care when we get pulled into their reality just by being on the same ship.  There seem to be more unruly or unsupervised children on Carnival.  We have children, but they use manners and exercise consideration of others, or they don't get to be in public.  That simple.  Not the norm on some of the Carnival cruises we have been on.  So we prefer Celebrity primarily for those reasons.

Food- I give the edge to Celebrity, especially BLU, the Aqua Class restaurant.  But there is nothing wrong at all with Carnival food, in our experience.

Common areas- Celebrity seems less crowded, but that may depend on the ship.

Entertainment- both lines offer average programs, and both have some outstanding talent among the performers.

Casino- We like the clientele that frequent the Celebrity casinos better.

Bars- Service and drinks have been overall good on both lines for us.

Staff- Again, good on both lines in our experience.

Cabins- depends on the ship I suppose, but we have had better cabins overall on Celebrity.

Itineraries- Toss up, depending on where you like to go.

On-Board shopping- Toss up, depending on what you like to buy.

Cleanliness- Both lines have been clean on the ships that we have sailed.

Hope this helps!

11 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

No, they asked about private tour reliability specifically in SPB, which is pretty unique in this regard because of the government oversight of the visa issue.

The OP needed no clarification because their question was crystal clear.

"Crystal clear" is apparently a moving target based on the reader.  I was offering the comment to address "than elsewhere".  Which was, in fact, crystal clear to me.  Not sure why anyone cares so much about exposing the potential risks of private tour operators.  They exist, simply because perfection is elusive. Some folks happen to value the guarantee of the ship waiting for them in case of calamity, and I have no blame for them.  Likewise I don't blame those who accept the risk of the ship leaving without them, no matter how great or small that risk may be.  But like it or not, there are two sides.  For whatever reason, that has raised some inexplicable ire on this thread.  People offer opinions based on their experience on this site; that is actually a very big part of why folks choose to enter. That is all that was happening here.  Thanks for offering yours.

5 hours ago, fabnfortysomething said:

 

not sure why you would think I own a private tour company-far from it

 

I am a regular cruiser who has picked up a lot of useful information from these boards

I take reviews on places like trip advisor with a pinch of salt because as you say they can be written by anyone

However if a company gets regular positive reviews on these  boards I can be pretty confident because of the nature of this forum

 

 

Sorry you thought I was "displaying an intense position"

I was irritated that you were not addressing the  topic which was asking re private tour reliability in St Petersburg

Along with others who have pointed out the reasons why this issue of missing the ship in this port is just not going to happen your post was not helpful unless your experience of seeing private tour companies late back was in St Petersburg

Thanks.  I was responding to the original poster, who asked about the reliability of private tours.  But thanks for clarifying on their behalf.  

10 minutes ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

We're any of your five examples of your experience in St. Petersburg? Just curious. 

None were St. Petersburg- we have not had the pleasure.  I think your odds are very high for success most anywhere.  But we have come to understand that there is a risk.  But there is a risk every time one crosses the street, I suppose.

2 hours ago, fabnfortysomething said:

ok so can you  prove that that those late comers were on a private tour or more likely Diy on taxi?

we always use private tours with good reputations and believe me if they had ever failed to get their guests back in time they would be out of business

especially in St Petersburg the penalties are so severe for being left with "spare passengers" it just doesn't happen

 

unless you can back up your post you are just supporting the ships shore excursion propaganda that you risk being left behind if you don't pay over the odds for their overcrowded tours

 

if we ever  experience missing the ship we will change our tune but so far our experience has been back on board at least an hour before ships excursions return

yes we have seen "pier runners" but never from a reputable private company

how do I know?

because there are no negative reviews against them 

Wow.  What an intense position you display.  Do you own a private tour company?  I did not mean to offend, just offer experiences, as was requested.  I failed to take pictures of the tour bus or request incident reports from the latecomers (because they missed the ship), but I know for a fact that some were from private tour companies.  But if you have some financial interest in private companies, I get it.  I was just helping the person out with their question, as I have seen private tours come in late.  Ours was late twice.  Once, the vehicle broke down and the other time the driver got "detained" by the authorities.  We were lucky to get back to the ship both times.  I do you the favor of not questioning any of your opinions; I ask the same in return.  This is not the venue for such.  Oh, and to help with your affinity for reviews, many companies, not just private tours, inundate the reviews with their own positive posts so that the negative ones seem remote.  They also challenge negative reviews, which often results in them being taken down.  So please be careful with enthusiasm for reviews.  But otherwise,  best regards~ 

On ‎1‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 5:53 PM, gklingel52 said:

We are booked on Northern Europe cruise this summer that includes a 2-day stop in St. Petersburg.

My question is, should we be any more concerned with the reliability of the tour operators in SP than elsewhere?  In short, getting back to the ship in time on the disembarkment day?

In looking at the prices for the 2-day tours in St Petersburg, the cruise ship's price is almost double what the private companies charge.  All the cruise ship lines put the fear of God in you should the private tour does not make it back to the ship in time, YOU ARE SCREWED!!!.  Not sure hos often this really happens, but I know it does. 

Thanks for your input.

Private tours are good....until they aren't.  Only takes one occasion of standing on dry land, watching your ship leave the port, to ween you off of them.  Ends up being way more costly than the price of the ship tours.  That said, many folks have had luck with them, as you can see from other posts.  But be cautioned: at least five times over the years we have watched from our balcony while late-comers from a private tour come running up to the gate while the ship is moving from the pier.  Very unfortunate.  Likewise, we have waited to cast off on a few occasions for a late ship-sponsored tour to return so the passengers could embark.  Good luck and Happy Cruising!

We moved once from a fixed dining table. It was not just about the 'grace'. They also wanted everyone on the table to join hands (no thanks, we want to do everything possible to avoid noro) at the same time. Then it some other nonsense about quotes from the Bible. All extremely inappropriate.

 

I did not care for it and it was certainly not a polite thing to do. Who really knows if others at the table shared their faith, or were of a different faith? So we changed tables pronto. BTW, we were of the same general faith but saw absolutely no reason to be as demonstrative in a public setting. And we were embarrassed for them. We feel the same way about politics and children/grandchildren. We really do not want to know, nor do we care a tuppence.

 

Now we always go with anytime dining. We have met some wonderful people of ages and from all walks of life.

I am mortified that anyone would ever have the experience of being somehow ostracized on a cruise because of their age, or appearance. We are older, I suppose, but my reaction to that treatment would probably be much more inappropriate than the treatment itself! Like wise, we have never experienced someone trying to impose their faith practices on us during a cruise. It's just not a thing to do obviously. Where we differ is that we really do like hearing about our table mates' families. We always hear so much interesting stuff, because of the varied backgrounds and geography of the folks at the table, and it is usually all pretty much positive. Of course, politics is never an appropriate discussion, unless they all agree with us! Ha!

I make no suggestions, but I can tell you, the person or persons that would ever try to make us feel uncomfortable because of our age or appearance or some preconceived notion about us. well, they would be requesting a table change before dinner was even over, I suspect. Let's just say that small-minded people have a tendency to be able to give it out, but not take it; and we can leave it at that I guess. No one should have to stand for discriminatory treatment of any kind, on a ship or otherwise, and we certainly will not. Cruise on Bad-&%@ Seniors!

Chef's Table and California Vineyards are not included in the specialty dining packages.

I just reconfirmed- Chef's Table and California Vineyards are included in the package we purchased. Whew! Had me worried for a minute!

Chef's Table and California Vineyards are not included in the specialty dining packages.

Huh. They just told me the other day that they were...I guess we'll see when we get on board.

I thought there were only 2 specialty restaurants on IOS. What are the others or do you go to each twice?

RCI tries to mix it up by having the specialty dining within the specialty dining. The Chef's Table, for instance, is an experience set within an enclave of the Chops Grille, set aside from the other diners, and has a different menu. The California Vineyards is also considered a separate dining experience, but it is also situated in Chops Grille somewhere. Again, it has a different menu and wine pairings are included. So, with the regular Chops Grille and Giovanni's table, you can have four different specialty dining experiences. Hope this helps.

Have your friends provided a first-hand account of these two terrorizing events?

They didn't say they were terrorized, so I guess not. Sorry I can't help with that. Maybe others on the thread were terrorized and they can provide details. But, I must beg your leave, as we are off this thread to calmer waters. God Bless You.

"That's a very misleading statement about research. You're going by your own experiences rather than research to base your conclusion, and that is merely your interpretation alone."

Ahh, but it is our interpretation that counts for us. And we are both sane and both have common sense, as do our friends. Your insults are neither necessary or appropriate. Enjoy Belize all you want, but I promise you, you cannot force me or anyone else to share your opinion, so please back off with your snide and rude innuendos inferring that only your opinions can possibly correct. Why would someone insist that because they like something everyone else must also or they are wrong? We are trying to provide information; many people on this thread have voiced their reservations about this port, so obviously there are some issues. We have no interest in arguing. Use my information or don't use it, but please spare us the inference that you and only you know everything about Belize and everyone who doesn't share your opinion either didn't "research" to your satisfaction or doesn't have common sense. We call that "arrogant" in our little community. We will waste no more time on this thread, so please love Belize and be safe and if possible, non-judgmental about others' opinion or feelings about the place. Geesh. This was supposed to be fun.

This is an informational post in case you are worried for your safety in Belize. It is not negative in spirit; prima facie facts do not make something negative, just factual. Belize is beautiful to look at, you can tell that from the pictures, and hopefully everyone that visits will get to take a good look. We, like many folks on this thread, prepare and research extensively when planning port activities; as do our group of friends we often share our experiences with. After having researched for about six months, we had everything planned in Belize for our upcoming cruise, but then talked with some friends, actually two sets of friends, who both were accosted by locals while there on different cruises over the past two years. One was on a beach excursion, where they were threatened, as one poster has already said happened to them; the other in the market shopping, where they were badgered and stalked because they apparently made the mistake of spending some money with a young vendor. It was so bad they had to be rude, again, similar to what we have seen posted on this thread. Having been to easily more than 50 port stops over the years, I never remember being really worried about protecting my wife or children, but hearing the story that happened on the beach, I would have surely been in a Belize jail had it happened to my wife. Just sayin'.

Our friends were also told that there are no natural beaches in Belize, which I researched and it is true (except for Placencia Pennisula, which is not listed on our excursion choices). But we have the opportunity to go to some natural beaches on our upcoming cruise, so I don't see us "beaching" at Belize. We are still going on an excursion, so we can at least say we saw some of the place, but if we were choosing this cruise again, we wouldn't book it. We would go another "port route", so to speak. Our research says it is more likely on Belize for someone to ruin our good day with criminal or badgering behavior, as opposed to other ports we have enjoyed; because neither we, nor our friends, have experienced the level of this that they reported in Belize anywhere else that our cruise ship has stopped. For the three couples, I would say that is somewhere around 200 port stops on cruise ships. If you say it "could happen anywhere", I would say you were right, as we have had some less-than-desirable situations at other ports; but for our group, it has only happened or been reported as happening severely enough in Belize to make lasting impact and ruin the port. Combined with the less enjoyable experiences people were good enough to share on this thread (Thank you, BTW, as all information is good information), let's just say we will take the high road when making the final decision as to what to do in Belize. We always find something to enjoy, and I'm certain we will on Belize. But we also understand those that don't always find something to enjoy, as every place is not for everybody. Thank goodness we all get to choose, and thank goodness that there are good people like those on this thread that share the good and the bad to help us choose wisely.

Does anyone have an idea about the show times on the 4 night cruises, Navigator of the Seas, to Cozumel?