offnoncruiser

A side question......are they still charging $14/day/person to upgrade from the classic drink package to the premium drink package?  We were on the Equinox in late January and they were charging the $14/day/person, even though the out of pocket "retail" price to purchase them had both increased by then to $59/day and $69/day for the classic and premium, respectively.

Thanks.

Hey Norris,

Just getting back to the CC boards today after returning from our Equinox cruise on Saturday.  If memory serves me correctly, Carol and you were originally booked on the 19 Jan Equinox cruise as well before you switched over to the Azamara cruise.  We had a group of 12 on our cruise, we all had a great time, and a few of us spent quite a bit of time at the Sunset Bar enjoying a variety of cigars.  It would have been even more enjoyable to have been able to meet Carol and had you join us for some of your smoke breaks as well, but alas, it wasn't to be. 

Very much looking forward to following along your Azamara cruise for the next few weeks, and I'm already wondering what the verdict is going to be at the end.....continuing to cruise Celebrity, Princess, and perhaps now Azamara as well,.........or.........?

Thanks.

Bruce

On 1/12/2019 at 5:34 PM, Marelaine said:

Classic alcohol package includes any drink that is under $9........

 

We're on the Equinox next week.  I thought I had seen a rumor here on the boards that since the classic beverage package had gone up to $59/day, the classic package drink limit was going to be raised to a max of $11 per drink, to take effect the beginning of this month (1 Jan 2019).  The premium drink limit price was raised to $15 I believe when that package price was increased.  Has anyone heard or personally experienced anything about this since 1 Jan?

Thanks.

Sailing the Equinox next month as a group of 12.  Can anyone tell me the largest party that Murano and Tuscan Grille will accommodate at one table?  I know Murano has a private (or semi-private) room with a fairly large table, but not sure of the max it can possibly seat or perhaps if it's only for "special" groups or occasions. 

I'm still not sure if I'll be able to get all 12 of us together for these dinners, but I'm just wondering if I'll be limited anyway to a max number for seating at one table. 

TIA

With the revolution drydock re-fits starting within the next 6 months or so, I have not seen new "post revolution" deck plans for either the M or S class of ships. Nothing on the website, but with Celebrity's cracker jack IT team, it wouldn't surprise me that they're available, but just have not been added to the website.

I thought I had read a post that stated the 18th deck on the ships (I believe they were referring to the M-class ships) were going to be used for the private suites-only retreat deck, which Celebrity has said will be part of the revolution re-fits. I then realized that none of the Celebrity ships even have a deck 18 (especially the M-class, which only go up to Deck 12). So I've brushed that off as to pure speculation.

Has anyone seen any new deck plans that have been provided by Celebrity? The current schedule goes through the spring of 2020, so an entire year of itineraries now available for booking without knowing what the ship is going to look like (more so the use of the public spaces)? I know I won't make a booking without seeing what the outcome of the "revolution" will look like.

Thanks.

The last one I stayed at in Mexico had nine a la carte restaurants, no limit to visits and no reservations needed. Buffet was much better than cruise ship buffet, but we rarely used it anyway. Resorts will vary. The ones I choose have many dining options because that’s important to us.

Hey Groucho, always looking for the same in a land-based AI. Buffets and restaurants vary greatly at AI's. We love AI's and think they are a good value (especially considering the crazy rise in prices of cruises over the last couple of years, at least from what we've seen), but IMHO there's nothing like being at sea. Do you mind if I ask which one in particular that you're referring to in which you last stayed in Mexico?

Thx!

We just got off the Liberty on Sunday, and I did notice that they were not using the Island Oasis blenders and mixers. Hadn't been on RCI in a while, so didn't realize this may have been a recent change. I though all of the drinks were much better tasting (Sunsational mixers I believe) as compared to the Island Oasis mixer drinks. I believe they were using the Vitamix blenders (didn't actually look at the brand, put the picture a few posts above seems to match), and these new blenders are MUCH, MUCH, MUCH (can I emphasize this enough) quieter than those turbine engine Island Oasis mixers!

I hope Celebrity switched over as well!

Thanks.

Just returned Sunday from the Cozumel/Grand Cayman/Jamaica western route on the Liberty. Here was the menu order for the week:

Mojo, Saffron (Formal), Basil, Pimiento, Pomodoro, Jasmine (Formal), and Shiitake.

BTW, I was pleasantly surprised with just about everything on the cruise, not having sailed with RCI in almost ten years. Really enjoyed the food in both the MDR and the Windjammer, although I think the Windjammer is too small for such a large ship (really crowded for both breakfast and lunch).

Service was very good throughout the ship, although perhaps a bit more rushed than we're used to for dinner in the MDR, and they certainly could have used a sommelier during dinner in the MDR.

But none of those shortcomings really made any impact on how much we enjoyed the week!

Thanks.

This info is over a year old:

 

Mojo, Saffron (Formal), Basil, Shiitake, Jasmine (Formal), Pimiento, Pomodoro

Thanks Bob! I'll report back in a couple of weeks. Not watching baseball?

We're on Liberty next week for the Cozumel/Grand Cayman/Jamaica western route. Does anyone know the menu order for that route? I'll also report back with any changes to the order.

Thanks!

So what prevents anyone from just not doing the survey? I'm not a fan of surveys anyway, and they certainly can't force you to do it.

Ours is at 11:30. We dock at 10:30.

Skippy, if you've already cruised, did you have any trouble making your 11:30 tour after docking at 10:30? Any details would be great.

How was Liberty?

Thx!

Wow, just wow.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Reading through some of those Facebook responses from RCI was just astounding. It is truly hard to believe that RCI maintained that hard line stance, basically until the diversion to Miami was announced, even though it was quite clear much earlier in the day that the situation in the Houston area was catastrophic.

My wife and I WERE booked on the Liberty for tomorrow. We are a five hour drive to the port and there was no way I was going to risk it. Every overhead digital sign over every interstate in our area says "don't drive to the gulf coast." I called to cancel tonight and was told by Jennifer that we would receive a 100% future cruise credit along with refunds for shore excursions, specialty dining, taxes and port fees. She said that's what almost all of her calls have been about tonight. We also have cruise cancellation insurance thru RC so I will file a claim as well and hope to get a full refund instead of just a credit, although I'm OK with that. I just can't believe that Carnival has handled this so much better than RC. Whoda thunk it?

Same here in the SA area, they are saying to not travel ANYWHERE NEAR the coastal regions, except for a life and death situation. The flooding in Houston and outlying areas has gotten much worse in the last few hours, and much more rain is expected. Getting in to (and out of) Galveston from anywhere will mostly likely be very dangerous over the next day or more.

Interesting that the Itinerary Update that was posted on the RCI website makes no mention whatsoever of the cruise credit cancellation options that are APPARENTLY available for anyone that cannot get to Galveston to board the ship by Monday. And isn't it too late today to be able to contact RCI to find out what the options are and how/what to provide for evidence they were not able to get there. Not a good situation at all.

And just my two cents, but I personally don't believe they'll be able to dock tomorrow, which will no doubt lead to many more unanswered questions for passengers that will be trying to get there. Must have been an interesting conversation between the Port of Galveston officials and RCI Miami.

A bit unusual that RCI's meteorologist is the front man for the company on this.

Front man, or soon to be fall guy?

 

Biker, who doesn't have enough popcorn for this thread.

Nice that we can count on Biker to interject some much needed humor into what has clearly become a two sided issue. Thx Biker!

As I type this, I am sitting in my home about sixty miles as a crow flies from the center of what is now Tropical Storm Harvey. From what we've experienced so far, there isn't a chance in h*** anyone (company or individual) should even remotely be saying it is okay to travel and try and get anywhere near the Texas Gulf region. Certainly not by plane, definitely not by road, or even via transporter room from the Star Ship Enterprise for that matter!

And please don't use the excuse that they are saying to not proceed to the port. Since RCI has not ruled out an on time departure tomorrow (which nobody in their right mind believes is even possible), that means all passengers SHOULD be within a reasonable distance (i.e Houston metro) of the port to be able to proceed to the port.

Flying in tomorrow IMHO is not a viable option because of the delays/cancellations of flights, and what will most likely be more rain and flooding between now and then. There has also already been clear evidence of a few tornadoes touching down all along this region as well, causing severe damage, at minimum.

So I DO believe RCI is asking their passengers that they need to chance getting here into what has been pre-declared a federal disaster area (and will certainly BE a federal disaster area), unless they chance losing their investment into the cruise if they get can't there in time. This doesn't sound like having passenger safety in mind, again IMHO, but what do I know. And RCI certainly knows the longer they wait to say it's definitely a go, the more people will not be able to make it in time if they do wait for the "green light" from RCI. Lets keep the hotels available for those that have lost their homes or have found them uninhabitable!!

It now appears that RCI has finally provided some options within the last 30 minutes or so, but now only 18 hours away from the scheduled "all aboard". Crazy!

I am in no way a loyalist to any particular line, but I agree with what seems like the majority in saying that RCI is really screwing this one up.

Thanks.

Thanks TACMS, loved your review. You had mentioned that when you booked, you received two out of the four perks. Do you remember what month of the year you booked? We're about to book Equinox and might wait a month or two if they might offer two perks. I think Celebrity offers that around the same time of the year each year, but for the life of me can't remember when that is. Of course they may raise the price in order for us to get that extra "free perk", but we may give it a try. Or just book and then cancel and rebook if the two perk offer is better down the road.

Our last Royal cruise was on Enchantment right after it was stretched (wow, about 10 years ago?), and enjoyed it. We're trying a Freedom class this year since it's a driveable port (Liberty out of Galveston), but can't see it topping the Celebrity Solstice class ships (I hate the announcements all day long on the other lines). I wish Celebrity would try Galveston or New Orleans as a home port, at least for a few months of the year.

Thx!

Made by Grandma no doubt in her own little kitchen. And of course it's real Kobe beef. They have Geisha Girls massaging the Texas cattle.

 

Boy it didn't take Celebrity long to consider the Constellation experiment a success huh?

 

Watch out, the homemade ice cream is next. $10 for two dips. (just a prediction not announced YET)

Noooo!!! Now that would DEFINITELY be the last straw for us. Getting close to that already. We've got one cruise booked (Celebrity) and really aren't that excited about it unfortunately.

As someone somewhat jokingly mentioned, could it be the "we've got all that OBC to use up, so let's go ahead and buy a couple of those $10 burgers" attitude? Wouldn't surprise me a bit that Celebrity is thinking along those lines.

Thx.

I still have yet to receive my refund. I was told that for the airport fees you have to fill out some forms and submit the paperwork showing what was booked and the new booking.

 

I also was on Norwegian Escape for the April 8th cruised and loved it. They treat us so well it was unbelievable. I am thinking twice about keeping my other cruise with Celebrity and with Royal. I might have to jump ships.

It looks like several that used NCL Escape as their alternative cruise after the Summit cancellations really enjoyed their experience on the Escape.

Not quite on subject, but I talked to someone recently who was on the Liberty of the Seas a few months ago and vowed to NEVER set foot on an RCCI owned ship again because of the constant pushing of drink and dining packages, etc. Said it has just become too much. And they're invited on the Liberty again later this year for a reunion!

I've never been on an NCL cruise, so may just have to try it. Ginny or others, how would you rate/compare your replacement cruise on the Escape with any recent experiences on Royal/Celebrity (particularly in the upselling)?

TIA

I wish a Celebrity representative would post on this thread to explain what exactly happened to cause this stress and upset to their fully paid up customers. Also, how do they decide who will be the 'unlucky ones' to be bumped off? Surely it should be the last minute bookers not those that booked way in advance.

 

Although it's nice that the Celebrity rep does occasionally chime in and respond to a thread here on CC, I've noticed that the subject matter of those threads tend to have a much softer "tone" and are never very controversial. Celebrity would never respond with an explanation to something as controversial and detrimental to Celebrity as this topic has been.

At least that's been my observation.

Thx!

Did you have to sign for that extra $1.18? That's the one thing that aggravates DH. Before with the Classic, he just gave his card. Now he is afraid that he will have to sign for every little "upshot".

Agree. I'm guessing with the new policy we would probably be a little better off (financially) to just pay the difference on the drinks in lieu of upgrading to the premium package. But we'll upgrade anyway just to avoid the big hassle (IMHO, especially for a buck!) every time of signing a few times a day for $1.18 or $2.36 or $3.54 or whatever. After spending $3K+ for the week, I'm not going to worry about saving MAYBE $50-75 for the whole week by paying overage per drink instead of upgrading to the premium package.

You can start nickel and diming them back, but I think it's alot easier for them to nickel and dime you then it is for you to nickel and dime them in return. Plus that will probably be on your mind the entire time as well.

And BTW, the days of us buying photos and ship excursions and gold by the inch, etc. are long gone, so we'll let them nickel and dime us just this little bit!

Thx!

Not to be a negative Nellie, but I now foresee at some point the standard drink package being used as the "free" beverage package in the Go BBB fares. If not across the board for non-suite cabins, then at least for oceanview (as someone previously mentioned). Also, I really don't see insides ever being part of the Go BBB equation, but who knows.

I just can't see how Celebrity can possibly think that moving the Classic package to a "only pay the difference over the Classic max price" will increase their revenues, even with moving several of the current drink prices from below the Classic max price to over the max price by a buck or two. There has to be something else in the works, IMHO.

Time will tell!

Thx.

Norris,

Another A+ review. I've thoroughly enjoyed every one of your reviews. I'm especially enjoying the 80's pictures and brochures.

It's amazing seeing these cruise fares from 30 years ago! Although we didn't take our first cruise until 1994, and if my memory serves me (which it doesn't very well anymore), you could get a cruise fare at about half (give or take) the "brochure" rate that was listed (post 1994 at least). I think we paid about $750 pp for an inside on a 7 nighter on Star Princess out of San Juan on that first cruise (no air included). So yes, cruising really is a bargain nowadays.

I think you mentioned earlier in this review that you and Carol have an Equinox booking for Jan 2019. We are also looking at the Equinox for around that timeframe, so it would be awesome if we'd happen to book the same cruise, and it would certainly be an honor to meet y'all. We've got a big group cruise on Liberty OTS this coming Oct, and the Equinox would be next after that (just about once a year for us to cruise unfortunately).

Looking forward to the remainder of the review and can't wait for the next one. Hope to see you in the future.

Thx.

Bruce

Right, in additional there is a main pool and the Solarium pool.

I thought the lap pool IS the main pool.

Thx.

I've heard they're about 90-95% of the price of just paying the double fare for a double occupancy cabin. Not sure if that's true or not. And at less than 75% of the space, might be worth it just to get a regular cabin. Couple of hundred bucks is a couple of hundred bucks I guess. Maybe that's why there's only 16 of them.

Thx.