basenji56

I heard this was the lobster to be served on Celebrity.

Definitely worth it since you get a pool without any riff raff from steerage.

On Oceania, you can get lobster and steak for lunch.

I am Regatta on the way to Alaska. Smaller than Riviera which I sailed on last years. Food is fabulous. I also love the ice cream. I guess Junior Suites on Celebrity are wonderful but I can’t justify the price even if they have an exclusive pool area.

Cruise lines count on the fear many people have of an alternative being worse. And they reinforce that fear with the supposed perks from loyalty. I am on Oceania right now and loving it.

The photo notes a charge for ice cream, not gelato.

Yes, several times. I put up with them because the Edge class ships are otherwise very nice. But the IV is in no way an improvement over a real veranda.

Thousands of cruisers will say, “I don’t drink coffee so I don’t care.”

Marketing genius by Celebrity. Remove real verandas to reduce drag and save fuel. And convince many cruisers that it’s an enhancement because you get some extra cabin space.

Warm cookies: great idea Extra charge: terrible idea Doubletree built an entire brand on “free” warm cookies.

They did away with the little chocolates? Really? How much did a chocolate cost? Two cents?

Not long ago, Celebrity was touting “all included”. Not it’s changed to “Little Included.” Get ready to he nickel and dimed.

Touché

Since people who are addicted to caffeine can't do without it, I predict a $3.00 charge for each cup of regular coffee in the future.

They don't pay Captain Kate enough. She understands branding.

That is my understanding too. I have fairly large amounts in each category. I expect to lose a good portion of my bar tab because I just can't drink that much. I guess I could buy drinks for strangers. But I hope not to lose the Sailor's Loot portion of my Onboard credit. For now, I will wait to book excursions until onboard (taking that risk of unavailability) and book a massage. And use the casino plan to move the money into cash.

Cruise ship definitions are always confusing. This site calls HAL premium along with Celebrity. But puts Oceania and Azamara in the same Premium class with Celebrity and HAL--which is just wrong. https://www.icruise.com/cruise-lines/premium-cruise-lines.html

Yes. Which is why I wouldn't put all of my chips one one roll. If you break it down to $50 a roll, you hedge that bet. Still nothing is guaranteed but I would rather take home most of the loot than leave it all on the ship.

"However, I can’t really say I feel HAL is a more premium product and is worth any extra dollars." I am not criticizing the poster, but I don't know where this idea came from that HAL was a premium product. I always viewed it as a sister line to Princess--a Carnival product. Geared to an older market than Princess.

I figured another way to cash out the chips was to play roulette by betting on the red or black. When you win (a little less than) half the time, the chips you win are able to be cashed out. Any flaws in this thinking?

Yes, I can use it for all of those things. But I also have a large bar tab and I don’t drink I would use the loot for shore excursions but I can’t do that until I board so I may have to pay for those before I board with real money So I am looking for some way to avoid losing the loot. Spa treatments are a good idea.

I have $700 in loot to use in the casino. I have never gambled on a ship before. How does the ship know which portion of your slots chips are promotional and which are winnings that you can cash out? Sorry for sounding dense.

These prices will be the subject of a survey in the near future. Followed by an announcement that Celebrity will NOT be charging for toast.

I worry more about ships being forced to move to the new cruise terminal an hour away from Barcelona. https://www.cruisehive.com/partial-barcelona-cruise-ship-ban-to-begin-in-october/109202

https://www.cruisehive.com/partial-barcelona-cruise-ship-ban-to-begin-in-october/109202