Dolebludger

Celebrity is certainly the best of the mainstream lines. Indeed, it is the only mainstream line that I would consider booking again. I only hope it stays that way. At least we got the cookies back (according to another thread here) even though I don’t care about this. And thanks for telling us that we can get cokes and beer in cans for the suite in the lounge. Nobody else has mentioned that.

I know I said I wouldn’t post on this thread again, but here I go. But it is only a clarification. My only problem with “changes” is when I book many months (or years) ahead, and the accommodations booked had certain inclusions at time of booking. Then, before the cruise, some of these inclusions are removed without notification and without ability to cancel with no penalty. Now things like cookies and pillow chocolates don’t matter to me. Not deal breakers. But things like included mini fridge, priority embarkation and debarkation, included beverages, separate dining room and lounge, and environment free of crowds and lines are some of my “must haves”. I won’t book a cruise that doesn’t include them. And if any of my must have features are removed between booking and sailing, I just might want out of the deal without penalty! But that’s not how it works with cruise lines. And that’s just wrong. When I order a new car with delivery months in the future with specified features, if there must be any change, I am notified and given a chance to cancel free of penalty. If the changes don’t matter, I can go ahead with the deal. If they do, I can get out of it. It’s up to me. Can’t do that with a cruise. That’s a shame.

I promise, I intend this to be my last post on this thread — but don’t guarantee it! Here’s the history of the Retreat. Back before 2001, many of us in our younger days used to just cruise in an outside room on Royal. Drinks and things were extra and outrageously priced. But then, we could carry on our own soda and beer, and we could buy spirits onboard and take it to our room. Then, some fool at Royal decided to prohibit all that and X-ray our bags (in the name of 9/11) and remove anything like that till cruise end. Other mass lines soon followed. Also sale for consumption of spirits was stopped. So many went with all inclusive cruises among the lux lines, which then had close to mass market prices. Radisson, (now Regent), Silverseas, and Seaborne come to mind. Then, some non-lux lines saw a market for an all-inclusive ship within a ship late in the first decade of the 2000’s. I think the MSC Yacht Club was about the first. A separate area within a mass market ship accessible only with a card. Celebrity wasn’t able to duplicate the walled off concept for its existing ships, but did a great job with its suite class product be carving out separate dining and lounge rooms, with priority access and inclusions. NCL established “The Haven” as a separate area on newer ships to copy MSC’s Yacht Club, but as late as 2015, many of its ships lacked separate dining, lounge, and included drinks in other areas. These concepts were generally at less cost than the true lux lines mentioned above, and still offered some “large ship” entertainment and activities. Celebrity, in our opinion, did the best with this concept, despite not having a totally separate area on older ships for suite class. Of course now, the new Edge class ships have separate Retreat areas. But, now, Celebrity and the other lines with this separate type of cruising have all diminished the product and have raised prices to almost that of true lux lines, which haven’t diminished their product. Those of us who do not care about large ship entertainment and activities again prefer lux lines. “Ship within a ship” is sinking.

Well, all we know is that in 2018 and 2019, on the Eclipse and Equinox , in CS and RS suites (all respectively) we had unlimited mini fridge use at no additional charge. Now it seems that wouldn’t be the case. And also, we had priority embarkation and disembarkation, and now I can’t determine the status of this. We don’t want to haul beer and cokes from the Retreat lounge. We don’t want to “sneak it” onboard. Not for the Retreat prices. We want it provided in the mini fridge for that price, and we want priority boarding and debarking (on Celebrity’s large ships) or we will look elsewhere. Otherwise, we will book elsewhere. And we have.

While this thread began on the subject of diminishing inclusions, perks, and service in the Retreat suites, it is impossible to isolate this subject from similar things going on in other accommodations on the ships. There seems to be a “cheap out” trend at Celebrity that affects all levels of cruising on this line.

Only thing that is clear is that Celebrity is removing perks, inclusions, and services, and not only in the Retreat. Read the other threads here. No included cookies at the gelato stand, no nightly chocolates on the pillows, no snacks in AQ, etc. All in addition to the “butler” and mini fridge confusion in the Retreat. All small things, some might say, but a good cruise is the combined product of small things. The real disturbing thing is that Celebrity is making some negative changes for guests who booked BEFORE the change. All cruise lines rely on a “contract” that is very self-serving and allows them to make almost any change they want to — at any time. So we all have to depend on the reputation of the cruise line, from experience and that of others. Given the increased prices for the Retreat, which gives little room for such “changes”, Celebrity is loosing its credibility with us.

We use them for Diet Coke, beer, and plain bottled water, but never if these items are not included. There is another thread here that shows the confusion as to whether mini fridge items are included in the Retreat — or not.

FWIW, I just responded to an email ad from Celebrity, and looked at the inclusions for all the Retreat accommodations from SS up to Edge Villa. All list the mini fridge contents as “May be subject to additional charge”. So clearly no longer included in the Retreat package, if it ever was officially. But the use of the word “may” raises more questions than it answers. Does it mean that some of the fridge items are included and some at extra charge? If so, which items are which? Or does the word “may” mean something else? The only thing that’s clear is Retreat guests get one included bottle of water on embarkation day. WOW! We buy bottled water in packs at the grocery for 12 cents per bottle. A less than substantial perk for people who have paid $thousands for the trip. All I really know is on our past cruises in CS and RS, all beer, Diet Coke, and water in the mini fridge was included. I give up. One important thing I didn’t see on the inclusion list was priority embarkation and disembarkation for Retreat guests. Maybe I missed it. I hope so, as that is a very important perk on large ships.

Well now we know that presently, the mini friges are not open bar now, at least, though the past is murky, But do the CS and RS have open bar on the mini friges now— or not? And do even higher suites get open bar mini fridges? And what suites (if any0 get priority embarkation and debarkation now. We rate that highly on ships as large as Celebrity’s.. all confusing.

While we have never cruised in a SS, we did cruise in a CS on the Eclipse in 2018, and mini-bar was included. And it was included in our RS on the Equinox in 2019. And it was included for those we met both times in SS accommodations. I think the answer is that “no mini-bar included” may have previously been an unenforced rule. But to our observation it was included in all suite classes as a matter of practice. Maybe back then, the butlers were “managing” it for us. And maybe that is why the elimination of butlers and included mini bars happened at the same time?

I’m glad that others feel the way I do about elimination of the mini-bar in Sky Suites. If this were four years ago, I’d consider solving the problem by booking a CS or RS. Today that would be more expensive than some of the all-lux lines where all guests have included mini-bar. It is sad to me what X is doing. And we don’t need the space of the higher X suites. For some it is the butler thing, and for some of us it is mini-bar elimination. Just time to shop around.

Thanks for the heads-up on the problems of embarking in Venice. It sounds like the terminal is failing to accommodate persons with disabilities. There is probably no law in Italy that requires this. We have one in the USA, but it seems widely ignored — even here. I’m pretty sure that Regent has no control over this port terminal. If this is the case, all Regent can do is to eliminate it for embarkation. Until then, it’s up to us to avoid cruises that embark there.

We have cruised in suite class on main-stream lines, and on lux lines only, for the last 30 years. Not because we are “entitled”, as we pay for this. The reason is that rather than being subject to lines, crowds, and nickel and dimming we see in non-suite accommodations on main-stream lines, we’d rather stay home. Because the price of cruise accommodations like this has gone through the roof in very recent years, we have been staying home a lot. We really aren’t concerned much about the butler situation. We ARE concerned about reports of Celebrity eliminating or diminishing inclusions for those who have previously paid in full when those inclusions were in place. The particular inclusion I’m talking about that has recently been eliminated is the included mini-bar use in Sky Suites. They seem to be pay-as-you-use mini-bars now, probably at prices 500% or more of ordinary retail. When we are paying several $thousand pp for a week’s cruise, the line will not go broke if they include a few $1,50 cans of beer and $.50 cans of soda. If not, we will book elsewhere, or stay home

The Luminae is the major reason for us to book in the Retreat also. We understand included suite mini-bar has been eliminated from the SS list of perks. The in-suite mini-bar is another major reason. We used to book in CS and RS, but I can’t see paying the price for these now. We can book a 100% lux line for less. So I guess Celebrity is off our list — at least for now.

We were in a Celebrity Suite in 2018 and a Royal Suite in 2019. We felt at that time that Clebrity Suites were as good an experience as our regular cruise line (Regent) with a bit more room space -- for less cost. We didn't cruise from 2020 to 2022 for obvious reasons When we did our comparissons for 2023 we found that even if we went for a Sky Suite, there was really no price difference. And I had heard "rumblings" about diminished Retreat inclusions. So our cruise taken this year was on Regent, with no dimished inclusions and no onboard issues. It is a shame that Celebrity has seemingly gone on a program of decreasing inclusions in the Retreat, and on the ship in general (what happened to "Always Included"?). As a single cruise line will not always have the itenerary and timing we want, it is good to have more than one "on your list". Celebrity was on mine, but being reconsidered.

Yes, my wife’s party also to the observation car on the train, and they rate it highly. We don’t know anything about the bus that is recent information. In 2002 when I last took this cruise on the Navigator, the bus was a huge affair that was only about 1/3 full, but I have been told that it is not that pleasant now. And by staying an extra night is Seward, they reported at the ship terminal at the appointed time, and just walked on the ship with zero lines — as the bus was late and had not arrived.

In mid June of this year, my wife, daughter, and granddaughter did this Alaska cruise on the Explorer. They opted out of the Regent provided Anchorage Hilton due to horrible reviews on the hotel rating sites on the internet. I did not go, as this was a “girl’s vacation”. They booked the Anchorage Aloft hotel in Anchorage. They opted for the train. This proved to be a very good move, as there have been reports on this board indicating not only that the Anchorage Hilton is bad, but also that Regent’s contractor responsible for getting guests from the hotel to the bus has been causing very long lines. We take Regent because we greatly dislike long lines! They also decided to spend a night at the Harbor 360 hotel in Seward a night before the cruise, and left home a day early. They report that the Anchorage hotel was fairly close to the train station and adequate. And the hotel in Seward was adequate, and just across the street from the port terminal. The cruise itself is reported to me as excellent. I should note that the last time I personally stayed in the Regent-provided Anchorage Hilton was in 2002. Even back then the air conditioning didn’t work well, and the place was due for redecorating — which I am told hasn’t happened. I hope Regent checks the hotel to bus transfer problem in Anchorage, and makes the needed corrections.

Just a question. What has been cut from the perks that those is Sky and Celebrity suites received about five years ago?

Big Vin, I hope the Vancouver airport and the airline is more hospitable to you than than they were to my wife's party in June. Of course, Regent has no control over them. As far as the differences between your review, and that of my wife for the same cruise just two months before, I have my own interpretation. It is that the cruise lines have not sufficiently recovered from the pandemic situation to be able to offer consistant cruise experiences. So we can no longer rely on an excellent review (or a "meh" one) as a prediction on how a future cruise will be on the same ship. Maybe someday.

Yes, Big Vin,,nobody here is in a hurry for your review of your Explorer on board experience in Alaska. But I will consider any specific negative comments as we have a Caribbean cruise booked on the Splendor in March 2024, and will consider any comments about the Explorer as relevant as it as it is a “sister ship” of the Explorer. And I was once a Radisson/Regent “cheer leader” because back in 2002 we booked on the then Radisson Paul Gauguin for the price if about $2500 pp for a 7 nighter. We were picked up at our house, taken to the airport, and flown to LAX, and from there flown to Tahiti. Now nothing like that is happening for over 4X that price. Please post your experiences at your convenience, I’m interested.

While my wife, daughter and grand daughter had a great onboard experience six weeks ago, this does not mean negate the fact that there could be problems right now. I’m sure we would all like to hear about any current problems, specifically. I have not cruised since the pandemic, and I asked my wife to note and tell me of any problems she observed. The ones she observed were very minor — not worth mentioning. (Smoke from the cigar bar getting into the observation lounge, one incident of understaffing at the pool bar, and one show that she didn’t like) Very minor. But we can all recall the first post-pandemic cruise of the Voyager when on-board restaurant service was reported by many as — bad. Reports of on-board problems are important to most here, I think. I am considering whether I want to cruise again, given the known problems of getting to the cruise and home from it.

In mid-June my wife, daughter, and grand daughter cruised Seward to Vancouver on the Explorer for a “girls only” cruise. They took credits and booked their own air, hotel, and ground transfers. They took the train from Anchorage to Seward, and spent an extra pre cruise night in Seward. As for the Cruise itself, the wife and I have been on more Regent cruises (and a few other lux cruises) than I can count. My wife reports that this recent cruise was the best on-board experience of them all. Otherwise, all went well until they arrived at the Vancouver airport, and were greeted by a very long line to check in for the United flight home. A long wait later, the wife raised some cane because the shortcomings of United Staff almost made the party miss their flight. Of course, Regent had nothing to do with that flight. The story here is that once onboard a Regent ship, the service and experience is great. Getting to and from the ship may be a different matter. It seems that Regent’s contractor in Anchorage has a severe problem. I hope the OP contacts Regent with this information. I’m confident that Regent will do all possible to correct this. That may not be easy. All land hospitality providers seem to be short staffed these days.

True. What I meant is there is no additional AIRLINE charge for the stopover. Iceland, like all tourist destinations, is very expensive regarding hotels and meals.

For what it may be worth, we flew Iceland Air on the way to a river cruise in Europe. We booked Business/First. One reason was the low price. Another was the nonstop flight from Denver to Iceland. It was not a “lay down seat” accommodation but it was fine. Another plus (or minus) if your destination is not Iceland is the need for a connection in Iceland (possible minus). A possible plus is that you can “lay over” in Iceland for up to seven days, then fly on, for no additional cost. We decided on a two night extension in Iceland, and really enjoyed our time there. As I understand, Iceland Air is government owned, and it offers the no cost stay in Iceland as a positive way to boost tourism there. Should we ever visit Europe again, we will not hesitate to look into Iceland Air again..

Actually, we have been to some AI land resorts where staff is forbidden to accept tips. I don’t think Regent has such a rule, so guests can do what they wish. And we always donate to the crew fund, as a way to show appreciation for the good service we always receive without starting a trend.