Dolebludger

I can’t speak to Oceania, but I can speak to it’s big brother, Regent. Just ensure that your “suite” is large enough for you, and compare prices. Some very high level suites have a steward plus a butler. We don’t worry about that, because a butler isn’t needed. Room stewards take care of everything, but —- . All suites have restocked mini fridge, spirits in suite, access to all restaurants, full room service, tips, excursions, and economy air included. But few want economy air, so it is a bit of a problem getting the air you want. A good TA is really needed. Post pandemic, I can personally attest that the food and all onboard service is great on Regent. Even better than it used to be. We cruised in the Retreat on X twice before the pandemic shut down, and it was great, and at less cost than Regent. Now, the Retreat costs more and has fewer inclusions. Hello! What shall I book? Easy, book Regent instead of the Retreat, save some money, and receive better inclusions and service. Back in 4 or 5 years ago, the Retreat (then Celebrity suites) used to be the best deal for an onboard lux cruise. Now it is the worst.

Well, back in the old times when we used to cruise RCCL, our room steward used to come and introduce him/herself. They were still room stewards, not butlers. We didn’t pay for a butler also, and we didn’t have one. But if I pay for a butler and a steward, I’d better have both!

Well, where we live in a small tourist city in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, our hospitality businesses are having a hard time getting up to steam. Labor and supplies are just too expensive, and the owners were hurt because of the pandemic shutdown. While realizing that cruise lines draw from international labor and supply sources, they seem to be having some problems too. So there will be variations in quality of everything that makes up a cruise, I guess. All I know is that we had a couple of pre pandemic cruises in the X Retreat. The experience (for us) was equal to the lux lines, but at much less cost. Now it is at more cost than the lux lines, with reduced service and inclusions. So we took a summer cruise on our old friend, Regent, this summer And all things onboard were actually better than years earlier. For our next cruise, we looked at the Retreat, and prices were higher “apples to apples” in the Retreat than on Regent— with more inclusions and services on Regent than the Retreat. We booked Regent again, obviously. On the summer Regent cruise, there was no sign of understaffing, reduction in menu choices or quality, or anything else.

Right!

Well, if the “Retreat Hosts” are in the chain of command with housekeeping (not the butlers), they are what is called “room stewards” on most cruise lines. And cruisers in categories below the Retreat get room steward service too, right? So having the so-called retreat hosts (really room stewards) is no longer an upscale benefit of the Retreat, right? On other upscale cruise lines (or accommodations), having a butler means in addition to a room steward. Not in the Retreat.

Ken, that is a good idea. My wife and I always opt for two tops when cruising (when possible), but I had never thought of this reason for doing so.

I do take objective comments of others into account when choosing a cruise. If the food is cold, that is objective. If the comment is the food didn’t taste good, that is not objective. It should be clear that few cruise lines are able to provide consistent quality of anything now. So I take both the negative and positive comments into account.

I read somewhere recently (I can’t remember where) that there was a problem with air, hotels, ground transportation, and other services in Barbados. Not enough of these services to handle the number of cruisers and other tourists going there. That may be the reason Regent isn’t offering air hotels, and transfers there. Maybe Regent can’t. In any event, if Regent comes clean with the reason, I hope I will see it on this thread. I recently was researching Caribbean lux cruises, and was surprised to see how many departed from and/or returned to that island. Because of what I had read, I didn’t book a cruise with Barbados as a cruise departure or return point.

Interesting information. Actually I’m most concerned about the airports, not the planes. It is easy to mask up on the plane. We do. Not so when dragging carry-ons around in an over crowded airport that was built for passenger traffic 30 or more years ago, and is crowded more by delayed flights.

I wonder what the status of the Splendour and Starlink is regarding an early spring 2024 Caribbean cruise.

Cap_D, we live in a Rocky Mountain small tourist city area, and since the pandemic and closures of hospitality businesses, there has been a workforce shortage that isn’t really improving. So when we decided it was time to book a cruise earlier this year, before X’s cuts, we priced cruises, including those in the Retreat. Bottom line, we found choices like Regent and Silversea to be less costly. We booked Regent and hadn’t been on its cruises since around 2015. We were very observant when we were on that cruise to look for signs of under staffing and any other cuts. There weren’t any! In fact the onboard experience seemed improved. The pre and post cruise flights, hotels, and transfers were not great, but the onboard experience couldn’t have been better. Then, pricing out a second cruise, we again found the Retreat to be just too expensive compared with lux line competition. And reading here about X’s cuts, we booked another on Regent. And we won’t know for three more days (Oct 4th) if tips will even be included in the Retreat’s fare. A few years ago, Celebrity was a real (and lower priced) competitor with the lux lines with it’s Retreat (then known a suite class). It seems that it is actually trying to leave that portion of the cruise market.

Well, again, the actual “chain of command” of service personnel in the Retreat is confusing at best. But the staffing for the Retreat clearly appears to be inadequate, especially given the high fares for booking there.

Right. I don’t know the chain of command for service personnel in the Retreat. But it is very apparent, that it is under staffed, whatever it is.

As I posted, Jean, the “deal” X offers in categories onboard that are MUCH less expensive than the Retreat do not seem to be bad deals, when compared to the competition. But I just don’t think current X management knows how to compete in the lux cruising market. We used to cruise in “cheap accommodations” and in that market, X seems to be competitive. But now we are able to much upgrade our travel, and chose to do so. Back in 2018 and 2019, X was the competition winner for a lux cruise with the Retreat. Now in the Retreat (attempting to be in the lux cruise market), X is a competitive looser.

Well, to be totally fair about comparison of the Retreat to lux lines, we are now cruising Regent in concierge class suites that do not include something called a “butler”. That is just a word. But the service part of the cruise is fully staffed, suites are fully serviced twice a day, and if we ask our “steward” for something, we get it. But “steward” is just a word too. All that matters is if things get done. And we have in-suite mini-fridge use plus spirits, and thus far we are paying less than in the Retreat — even for a SS. If I wanted to pay prices I have seen for any part of the Retreat, I could book on Regent for a higher level suite, and have something called a “butler”. I don’t because it isn’t needed. From all the posts, it is clear that X is understaffed. At lux cruise prices (and above) the Retreat is not competitive.

Well, looking at X’s pricing in categories other than the Retreat, they don’t look that bad. They don’t qualify as lux, but they aren’t priced that way, if that is what is wanted. But X can’t compete with the lux lines (or with MSC Yacht Club) by offering less at a higher price.

As Baynanno said of the Retreat “this model isn’t working”. As I’ve mentioned before, we were in a CS in 2018 and a RS in 2019. The experience we had on those cruises was about totally the same as we had experienced on lines like Regent and Silversea. And then, the prices on these X Retreat cruises were much less than on those lux lines. Then, well - known circumstances kept us off cruises until this year. So when we decided to cruise again, I looked at X’s current prices for these suites, as well as SS. It was major sticker shock when I also researched prices in these lux lines! The lux lines were cheaper! Then I read some posts right here, and learned that services in the Retreat had declined. One service that is very important to me is included use of the in-suite mini bar. I don’t know if this was “officially” included in the X Retreat cruises we had a few years back, but it was “actually” included. And now it is not “actually” included — and it still is on the lux lines I mentioned. And on the lux lines, in suite spirits are also included. The “dance” one has to do in the Retreat now is to have the mini-fridge emptied, then go to the Retreat lounge and carry water, soda, and beer back to the suite — and place these items in the mini-fridge. There is no economic reason why this procedure is needed. These items cost X the same, whether we get them from the mini-fridge or carry them from the lounge. This situation, and the lessening of services, shows that X’s management had no idea on how to provide a luxury experience — except to charge for it. Apparently, the X Retreat is understaffed. Our Regent cruise this last June certainly wasn’t — and it cost less than a cruise in X Retreat.

Good. I don’t know all the rules, and — you know. And I also looked up the Caribe Hilton on other travel sites too. And, to put it mildly, I don’t want to stay there. Also, Regent’s transfers from their hotel to the ship aren’t as good as they were in the “old days” and I think I’ll skip those too. Now, again, I’m not blaming Regent for the shortage of good hospitality contractor which seems to be a world-wide problem.

I don’t know if I can mention another travel website here. But my info comes from one that purports to be an advisor on all sorts of trips. There are some horror stories about the Caribe Hilton there.

Well, heck, if people here think our treatment in Denver by United last April is something that should be allowed, without regulatory recourse, then I give up, and bye!

Well, no, I am denied the opportunity to inspect United’s records, unless I file a suit against them, and get past their rather secret terms and conditions..I know you are a defender of airlines and their poor service. But all I know is that I paid for business/first transportation from point A to point B and it was not delivered. Twice! And, no we don’t book flights with tight connections. But I would ask, why would United’s web site allow such a booking — given their poor on time record?, In any event, we do not. And I have no love for AA either. But at least if I have a “forced overnight” in the Dallas area, I have family there to house us. And when we had cancelled flights in Denver, we immediately booked hotel in the Westin there. Want to know why? There was a 1/2 mile line at “gate 38” that handled rebooking or any other compensation and we knew we were not getting out of there that evening. Indeed, according to United via phone , we were not getting to our Boston destination for two days or more. Is this first class service? I wish it weren’t. We had trip insurance, and recovered the cost of the cruise we missed because United messed up. And sorry airline service is why travel insurance us so expensive now. Defend airlines all you want. And I will condemn them all,I want. As far as I am concerned, our airlines should be nationalized, as they are in many other countries. That may not be a great solution, but there is no way it could be worse. .

Well, it has been a few hours ago, and no response from FlyerTalker. Well, that’s cool. it will take a rather long time to invent a response to what I have posted about United air lines. A better solution to resolve our problems with their bad service might be for Federal action to cancel any of their terms and conditions that prohibit anybody that purchases ticket from suing them in the jurisdiction where the purchaser resides. And this should apply to AA and all airlines too! I recall when we were returning from a cruise ending in Tahiti and our last flight leg was from Dallas. The AA plane was just sitting on the pad, and it was getting some time after scheduled boarding. I went to the desk and asked about the problem. The answer was “we can’t find the pilot”. I said that I was a captain in USAF and I’d fly the plane. They asked if I were a pilot, and I said “no, but I’m a fast learner”. Somehow, the real pilot showed up, and home we went. The whole basis of my posts here is that our airlines are really “public utilities” and should be regulated as such. I have a grandson who is a football player for Harvard. I would like to fly to Boston next month to see him play. But can I get there?

Oh yeah, what is the back-up plan we should have when booking a flight with only one two hour change on United? And who pays if this back-up plan has to be used? It is difficult to suggest a “back up plan” under the conditions mandated by United. If you have one, please state it here.

Well, no, I am denied the opportunity to inspect United’s records, unless I file a suit against them, and get past their rather secret terms and conditions..I know you are a defender of airlines and their poor service. But all I know is that I paid for business/first transportation from point A to point B and it was not delivered. Twice! And, no we don’t book flights with tight connections. But I would ask, why would United’s web site allow such a booking — given their poor on time record?, In any event, we do not. And I have no love for AA either. But at least if I have a “forced overnight” in the Dallas area, I have family there to house us. And when we had cancelled flights in Denver, we immediately booked hotel in the Westin there. Want to know why? There was a 1/2 mile line at “gate 38” that handled rebooking or any other compensation and we knew we were not getting out of there that evening. Indeed, according to United via phone , we were not getting to our Boston destination for two days or more. Is this first class service? I wish it weren’t. We had trip insurance, and recovered the cost of the cruise we missed because United messed up. And sorry airline service is why travel insurance us so expensive now. Defend airlines all you want. And I will condemn them all,I want. As far as I am concerned, our airlines should be nationalized, as they are in many other countries. That may not be a great solution, but there is no way it could be worse. .

As we live in Durango CO, we are limited to United through Denver and American through DFW or Phoenix — or one of their code share airlines for destinations beyond. The last three times we, or family members, have gone United through Denver in the past six months, there have been serious problems. In two of these scheduled flights, there were unnecessary flight cancelations that caused an expensive overnight stay. In one of these situations, United could not get us to our destination for two more days! So we opted to fly back to Durango, and have our air charge refunded. And United refused our claim for the one night if hotel charges. In another incident, the United flight from Bozeman MT was late, causing a missed flight from Denver to Durango, with no flight availability later, thus another forced over night. We are fighting with United over this now. In the third incident, we were prevented from checking in at Vancouver as the only person handling check in’s was trying to take care of United flight cancelation rebooking in a 1/4 mile long line outside the airport. This almost made us to miss our non-cancelled flight, except that my wife demanded immediate attention, while video recording the whole mess. All fights, except the flight from Bozeman, were cruise related. And all were booked business/first class. Avoid United until it gets its act together.