mcrcruiser

Please don't just say Ca taxes are high to begin with .We know that already . Just that we are steering clear of the coast cruises because Mexico & Hawaii are so much lower doe port taxes

On any cruise line doing California ports west coastal the port taxes exceed $600 now . does any one have any ideas why they are so expensive this year ? Seems to me Alaska & the Panama Canal cruises were the most expensive port taxes but now California ports are very high as well .

We win most times on the $ 5 slots playing at night when it is most busy Craps is the best game playing pass line & back numbers only .Other bets are sucker house bets .Behind the line offs works better in Vegas where you can get up to 20 times odds behind the line Cruise ships limit 2 times odds

From some one who did business for over 30 years with the Casinos & Hotels in Las Vegas ,you are way ahead of the game by keeping your money in your pocket .I do encourage Cruise Critic Fun slot Pulls on the $5 machines better odds in the casino when busy at night . Best game for odds is craps nothing else .But knowing how to bet &managing money on a craps table is the answers to wining

Sailing to different port stops around Cuba would be very interesting indeed

We too would like to see Cuba . We would even dare to fly to the Florida port

When should Celebrity e-mail the Luggage tags for a cruise March 11th ? TIA

Wouldn't be a good idea to award a free cruise balcony to the person who can give the cruise line their best idea per month ,that the cruise line can implement , for a better conceived cruise value

imo it is bad PR for HAL not to give those who are in wheel chairs credit to use the tour portion of HIA promotion toward other in ship use . By doing this all they show is greed

imo cruise pricing will adjust by demand just like any other commodity .More demand prices rise & less demand prices fall .The real question for any vacation is perceived value received for price point paid

Reason is the ship is not selling well . One cruise in March about 60 % booked ,so Blue Chip is active .These free cabin deals are very rare when sales are brisk

Perhaps for the first 10 cruises we used ships tours until i learned it far better to organize small group private tours ;which I arrange the tour & the design of the tour . Even though we may have multiple vehicle tour groups from our roll calls ,we never go past 12 in a vehicle built for 14 & one that is designed for touring . We have done this & we are now over 90 cruises .not only do we see & learn & see more but ,the cost is far less than any ship tour .We have done these private small group tours all over the world

I wish that HAL would have a Alaska Cruise round trip from San Diego with cruise stops in Astoria Oregon .Seattle Washington on the way up & then Glacier Bay ,Haines ,Sitka ,Juneau ,Ketchican & Victoria & back to San Diego from Victoria . If the line wanted to include Vancouver that would be fine as well My wish What is your wish ?

We went from a VH lowest cost balcony to a V cat ,highest cost balcony plus we get to dine breakfast & dinner in the Club Orange restaurant & no long lines . Then there is priority boarding & priority tenders & that priority customer relations line .Can't beat the deal at just $15 per day per pax😁😄😁

You will find more differences in the entertainment with in Koningsdam . X has netter main theatre imo .There was dancing on X & not on Koningsdam except BB kings Blues club ,but the dancing & music is very different All these cruise lines need to wise up & stop cutting corners that downgrade the cruise experience imo , Better to increase prices in line with inflation & still give a superior experience ,However ,raising prices & to continue cut backs is not a wining sale & in a short time backfires with lost sales

We are Elite Plus with Celebrity & 3 Star Mariners with HAL .Thus ,we will definitely pin point the differences .We also dined in the MDR of Koningsdam & will do so on Soltice .We will also compare the Tuscan Frill to Canaletto on Koningsdam . We expect the entertainment on Soltice to be better in the main theatre than the Koningsdam world stage ;which you will also have on Rotterdam

We are sailing in a handicap balcony just like we did on Konigsdam .Thus ,we will compare apples to apples not oranges

Driving in Calif or to Arizona where we are vacationing really are not bad drives ,Actually the one going to Scottsdale AZ is the longest ,perhaps 8 hours with many stops to rest & eat .In Calif all the trips will be in less than 3 to 5 hours & most in the 2 hr range .Before we go to Oakhurst Ca (gateway to the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park ,we stop at our daughters home for several days then onto Oakhurst where we will be 3 days . The rest are relatively short travels by car & we will have a new touring Subaru SUV to do it in Perhaps you got our reluctance to fly mixed up . We only now cruise from either San Diego ,about a 30 minute drive or San Pedro ,LA county ,a 1 ,.75 hour drive . HAL is out of SD while Celebrity ,Princess , Royal Caribbean are out of the World Cruise Center ,San Pedro & Carnival is out of Long Beach .all very reach able by car . Long Beach is about the same distance as San Pedo As we are getting older it seems a bit more difficult but we will go as long as we can the alternatives are not very good

BTW the next full solar Eclipse is not until 2044

We are booked on this 14 night cruise .April 8 is the Eclipse of the Sun to be seen from the ship .Question ,should HAL supply those cardboard Eclipse glasses to protect every ones eyes ? or should we bring our own ?

We sailed on Koningsdam for 12 days in December . We will be sailing on Celebrity Soltice ,March 11th & 18th B2B . The cruise same itineary ,other cruise slightly different but both will be in Mexican waters like the Koningsdam When we return we will be able to truly compare service in the MDR. Lido ,Entertainment variety & quality as well as the food qualities between the 2 ships .Then give a accurate comparison

We haven't paid for hotels for so many years I van not remember when we did pay . We have tons of Marriott ,Hilton Honors & Choice hotel points .The entire August trip all the hotels are fee using points for bookings . We also have one week in south Lake Tahoe south at the Marriott Timber Lodge on a time share trade .While in Lake Tahoe we will get to see some of the shows but we get discounts . We will be going to Carson city & Virginia City Nevada from our sparks Nevada Residence Inn by Marriott .Our 3 days at yosemite we are booked into a Fairfielld Inn suite with Marriott .After Tahoe we have Sacramento for 2 days in a Sprighill suite by Marriott . .Then off to Morgan Hill Ca to visit wineries & stay at a Hilton property ,From there we get to Atascadero Ca to go to Hearst Castle dusk tour & finally we head to Camarillo Ca for one night before heading to see our daughter & family , All the hotels we get hot breakfasts ,Lunches we eat light soups .ie & all dinners we go out . Yes land trips are different than cruises however ,we get to see & do so much more PS we do not use land tour companies . We plan our own trips

You mis read what my intent is in that post . what I am saying is that cruise prices have gone up a lot yet we do not believe the values in food quality , ,preparation & service have not been good in the MDR & Lido . The special restaurants were good to better but not 5 star To what point should any customer say I don't like the exchange of paying more & getting less than when I was paying less & getting good quality food & service . We all make comparisons & imo ,there reaches a critical point when we all decide some other vacation is worth doing vs cruises

Instead of booking a new longer cruise ,we decided to not book a cruise but to do a months long land trip come August .We still have cruises booked but mow I want to get a fresh look at the upscale land trip vs the cruise experience . We will l definitely have more control over the food quality & entertainment values on land

Generally speaking cruise prices are higher but food & service lacks the equivalents