When and Why did you start Luxury Cruising??

We're about to retire and have been on the big ships before.... now that we'll have more time (not necessarily more money, but thank goodness for all those good discounts!) on our hands and no kids to maintain, we're looking to trade-up to a more luxury cruise experience.

Just curious... do you all still work? Are you retired? Why luxury cruising?

We just feel like we've earned this. I wasn't a nurse and a mother for 43 years for nothing!

Looking forward to hearing from you all... and maybe meeting some of you next year aboard one of the Seabourn ships!

Best regards,

Alice

:)

Hi Alice:

I sailed on my first cruise way back in 2004 (!)...on the HAL Oosterdam. Afterwards, I found CC and "stumbled" upon the SB CC threads. There I found many cruisers who sang the praises of SB, and after doing research, booked a Caribbean week...and I was blown away (by SB!)!

I'm self-employed, but have spent a good deal of "inheritance" over the past few years. The experiences have been so worth it, and the people I've met on board, and on-line, have been well worth it.

I'm having to "slow down" now, as a single cruiser pricing is pretty tough, but my experiences have shown me how cruising "should" be.... I can't recommend SB highly enough; they've treated me to cruises-of-a-lifetime.

Enjoy your cruise...but beware! You'll be absolutely spoiled!

Best wishes for smooth sailing....

Paul ;)

my first and only cruise so far - seabourn transatlantic

wanted high quality and got it

also amazing deal, 8% single supplement

Hi Alice, Seabourn cruiser here. Why luxury cruising, you ask? Well, as far as SB goes - in a word, service! You are treated not so much as a passenger, but as a valued guest. The crew will address you by name by day 2 (if not sooner!), know your beverage of choice, anticipate your wishes (often before even you know what you want:D).

Also, the attention to detail, the cuisine (out-of-this world), the intimacy of a small ship ... well, as Paul says, it is what cruising should be.

So, yes, you've earned it. Try it - you'll like it.;)

Do I still work? Yes. But, I'm not too far behind you, vis-a-vis, retirement.:cool:

Hi Alice: Wow -- there are many reasons we started luxury cruising. We had been traveling quite a bit for about 15 years. Then, after "9/11", airports became a nightmare. Air travel was no longer a pleasant experience. I had admired the Paul Gauguin ship in Tahiti for some time. In 2004 we decided to give it a try. We were completely hooked. We still have to fly, but, it's wonderful to unpack once and wake up in new and wonderful cities/countries every day.

The cruise deals right now are hard to pass up. My DH is retired -- I have my own business which I work at part-time.

Jackie:)

Wow! thank you all for the replies. So nice to know we're not the only ones out there.

Hope to see you all on the fine seas one day! Until then, keep cruising! :D

I'd like to add one more story. I never thought of cruising at all, I associated it with the Borcht Belt hotels of New York's Catskill Mountains, lots of food, bad decorations, hokey entertainment and sailing with 2000 of your closest friends.

In 2004 we ran into some friends who just returned from a cruise to Alaska on the Crystal Harmony. They were experienced cruisers and they loved every moment of it. One said that she will find it hard to cruise any other line as the service, food and entertainment were unbelievable. When we asked about their kids, they told us that the kids program kept them busy morning, noon and night.

Since my wife and I were looking for a special trip to celebrate our 20th anniversay with our son, we decided to give the Harmony to Alaska a try. It was beyond anything I ever experienced. By the time the ship was under the Golden Gate and out to sea, I was made a believer. As a hospitality industry professional, I was blown away by the service on this ship, it was everything that I try to train my staff to do. Since then we have sailed two additional times on the Crystal Symphony and have tentative plans (if Crystal cooperates) to sail to Alaska in 2011 with them.

While I can see my wife and I sailing on anohter luxury line, the size of the other ships totally turns me off. I love great service and not having to be nickeled and dimed for everything. The non all inculsiveness of Crystal doesn't bother me as I'd rather just pay for what I use, and my taste in wine is much higher than what I'd probably be served in an all inclusive plan.

Martin, I totally agree with you about Crystal...it just works so well for me and my husband. The size of their luxury ship provides so many wonderful amenities and the service is extaordinary. I'd rather pay for the wine I drink because I'm quite particular about my Chardonnay. Since my husband rarely drinks, he'd rather pay for what he drinks. With the wonderful "As you Wish" shipboard credits, all of our excursions, drinks, internet...etc. are covered on our upcoming cruise. I too hope that Crystal will be back in Alaska in 2011.

Nancy

After many years of sailing mass market and premium cruise lines, we took the Luxury Cruise plunge in 2002 when we took our first luxury cruise. . Since at that time our children were still sailing with us, we waited for our youngest to reach a particular age before we decided the time was right for our first luxury cruise experience. This was in 2002 and also marked our 25th wedding anniversary. The rest is history. We have sailed with Crystal on many voyages and we fell in love with Crystal and with each of the ships. For us, it was the Ritz Carlton of luxury cruise lines. Our children are now young adults and they have sailed with Crystal two and three times respectively and we are taking them on a family cruise in January on board the Crystal Serenity and then after that cruise we will stay on the ship for additional voyages.

We knew we selected the right cruise line less than on hour after we boarded the ship. I needed help from the concierge and his response to me was simple. He said Mr. xxxxxxx, we will take care of this item for you, no need for you to worry, enjoy the cruise and I will leave a message for you letting you know that it is complete. Sure enough there was a message when a few hours later and from that moment and for the rest of the cruise he knew me by name as did so many of the other crew members.

Crystal has provided us with everthing we could want and more. We are treated better than on any cruise line we have sailed or at any hotel we have stayed at.

We have sailed with Seabourn and have had some memorbable cruises with them.

Each time we sail with Crystal we feel that we are back home with wonderful crew and passengers.

Keith

After many years of sailing mass market and premium cruise lines, we took the Luxury Cruise plunge in 2002 when we took our first luxury cruise. . Since at that time our children were still sailing with us, we waited for our youngest to reach a particular age before we decided the time was right for our first luxury cruise experience. This was in 2002 and also marked our 25th wedding anniversary. The rest is history. We have sailed with Crystal on many voyages and we fell in love with Crystal and with each of the ships. For us, it was the Ritz Carlton of luxury cruise lines. Our children are now young adults and they have sailed with Crystal two and three times respectively and we are taking them on a family cruise in January on board the Crystal Serenity and then after that cruise we will stay on the ship for additional voyages.

 

We knew we selected the right cruise line less than on hour after we boarded the ship. I needed help from the concierge and his response to me was simple. He said Mr. xxxxxxx, we will take care of this item for you, no need for you to worry, enjoy the cruise and I will leave a message for you letting you know that it is complete. Sure enough there was a message when a few hours later and from that moment and for the rest of the cruise he knew me by name as did so many of the other crew members.

 

Crystal has provided us with everthing we could want and more. We are treated better than on any cruise line we have sailed or at any hotel we have stayed at.

 

We have sailed with Seabourn and have had some memorbable cruises with them.

 

Each time we sail with Crystal we feel that we are back home with wonderful crew and passengers.

 

Keith

Thanks Keith!!

That's really interesting that you speak of Crystal that way... I've heard many good and not so good things about them, but maybe I should give them a second look.

Curious though, are their ships larger or smaller than Seabourn/Silversea?

I thought they were larger?

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience. All these luxury cruise lines sound like Heaven!!

-Alice

Alice, the Crystal ships are medium size ships and at full capacity carry 900+ passengers. Many voayage are not this full and Crystal also attracts many solo passengers which lowers their passengers count. The staff is quite talented and it is amazing how quickly they know who you are. On one cruise in the fall of 2007 the person in one of the specialty restaurants remembered exaclty how my wife enjoyed her coffee. She asked if he was on the other ship that we were on earlier in the year and he said no. Rather, he had remembered her from the last sailing she was on with him and that was a few years earlier on that particular ship.

What is similar between Crystal and Seabourn is the fact that each line provides a luxury cruising experience. The differences are in the size of the ships. Crystal provides certain features that Seabourn couldn't on their triplets because of its size such as a vast number of activities and enrichment programs. At the same time Seabourn provides certain features that Crystal doesn't because of the size of the triplets. My wife and I happen to enjoy both experiences but for our longer voyages we prefer being on a medium size ship. So in my humble opinion both cruise lines take advantage of their size ships.

What I've learned is the final judge is each of us. I see cruising like I do other things. Sometimes one person doesn't care for a book that we might enjoy or they might like a book that we don't like. Same goes for the theatre, dining or most everything. As I always say, if we all liked the same things we would all drive the same cars, wear the same clothing, eat the same foods and cruise the same cruise lines.

So, I think it's good to try cruise lines first hand so you can decide for yourself. We are going to take our first Silversea cruise in a few weeks.

I've also learned to keep an open mind even when one boards a cruise line for the very first time.

Keith

Again, we like both but for somewhat different reasons.

Keith

I'd like to add on Crystal, even with a full ship, the ship does not feel full. Last Thanksgiving with 900+ on the Symphony, there were still many places on the ship that you could have all to yourself.

A little story about service. On our first Crystal Cruise to Alaska, our son requested Hot Chocolate with Marshmellow for breakfast. 18 months later, we sailed on a different Crystal ship and when we sat down for breakfast on the first morning, hot chocolate with marshmellows appeared in front of my son without him asking for it. That is service.

those that like paying for alcohol >

if other alcohol discounts on seabourn are anything like louis xiii discounts (only $40/shot) you really should be considering that.

Just a comment about the other luxury ships -- all of them being smaller than Crystal. Seabourn's "triplets" did have a disadvantage -- too small and no balconies. Their newest ship, Seabourn Odyssey, which debuted earlier this month, has a 217% increase in passenger capacity. This makes many of us take another look at Seabourn -- well known for their almost perfect service. Another ship will be debuting next year. They are definitely the cruise line to watch.

Another luxury line, Silversea, has comparative ships, while Regent has two all-suite, all-balcony ships-- the largest of which holds 700 passengers.

With all of the luxury lines running incredible specials, it is worth looking at all of them. Silversea is running 60% off cruises. . . . Regent has included airfare and excursions. . . . . Crystal gives on board credit to offset the fact that they are not all-inclusive. The on board credit pretty much covers all your expenses while on board. There are probably some specials that I'm missing.

I'm single (divorced many years) and just decided to start living life. I took my first solo cruise on Seabourn in the Med in 1994 and was hooked. Since then I've taken 61 cruises, on most of the mass market lines, and on all the luxury lines. As a solo, I find I'm not just one tiny face in a sea of many when I'm on a luxury line. My preferences now are Seabourn and Crystal. As a solo, in my mid 50's, I feel those two lines have done right by me for my needs. Those two lines really know how to treat the solo passenger. You're never treated like a piece of meat, but as an honored guest. I also like that the passengers on those lines are very well traveled and impart a wealth of experience which you don't really find on the mass market lines.

another way to answer OP >

08-NOV-2010 SDII 21042 Barcelona San Juan 13 $2,299 = $353/nt per couple

All inclusive is not the deal breaker with me. I have always had significant on board credit and paid gratuities so that I never had large out of pocket costs to pay at the end of the trip. As I have particular tastes in my beverages, I prefer to pay for what I want, and I've done the math with Regent vs. Crystal and Regent was costlier than Crystal. After all is said and done, I'd venture a guess that the total cost of each cruise is similar.

martinsfo,

i found regent's alcohol prices ridiculous.

have you looked at alcohol prices on seabourn, silversea, seadream?

and the wine dinners on silversea?

I have not. However I do know that Crystal's wine and drink prices are quite reasonable for a first rate product. They do wine dinners in their Vintage Room that while expensive, are worth every penny.

any flights or glasses of things like first growth bordeaux?

hi Alice -

just to answer your original questions as to why we started cruising with a luxury line - well, we first tried Princess and realized before the cruise was over that we would never do it again! - a year later we were on our first Regent cruise and before that cruise was over we realized we would try to vacation like this always! - absolutely no comparison! - staff, great! - food, wonderful! - suite, fabulous! - price, worth every extra penny! - - - we are in our mid 40's, have 2 teenage kids, my husband works and i'm a stay at home mom - while we don't vacation as much as we might on less expensive lines, we prefer to wait and have the luxury experience - life is good! -

janis

In 2005 we booked a HAL European cruise, but had to cancel. My sister and her husband had taken a couple of Crystal cruises and she always spoke so highly of Crystal. So, a couple of months later we sailed on the Crystal Serenity from Rome to Barcelona. We loved it from the minute that we got aboard. As others reported, the Filipino waiters, who appear in different uniforms at different times in different venues, were wonderful. They remember your name and breakfast preferences, etc. in no time and are generally just delightful.

Another thing: we never made it to Barcelona. There was a fisherman's strike and the ship was not allowed to dock. So, our cruise extended, we floated around for two additional days looking for a port (5 star boat people, some called it), and even then, Crystal accommodated us with free food and drinks and more entertainment until we finally landed in Gibraltar and were transported to Malaga to fly home.

In 2007 we took another Crystal cruise, also on the Serenity and had another wonderful experience. After getting tired of being hassled by all of the salesmen in the Kusadasi bazaar, we stepped back aboard the ship and it was like stepping into a bubble, where everything is safe and beautiful and everyone treats you like you are special.

We wanted to cruise the Baltics and we have looked at Oceania and discussed it at length with our TA, but when the time came, and taking into consideration all the ship-board credit being offered by Crystal, we just could not do it, and in August we are sailing again on Crystal, this time on the Symphony, to the Baltics. We are excited that we have 3 days at sea and that the cruise is not as port intensive as Oceania.

The Crystal ships and personnel are wonderful, and, as others have said, the other passengers are well traveled and interesting.

We could try a lesser line, or even another luxury line with smaller ships, but we have been so happy with Crystal, and as they say in Texas, "if it ain't broke, why fix it?"

martinsfo,

 

i found regent's alcohol prices ridiculous.

 

have you looked at alcohol prices on seabourn, silversea, seadream?

 

and the wine dinners on silversea?

I guess you posted this as a joke. . . however, some readers may take it seriously. On Seabourn, Silversea, Seadream and Regent, you have to go to an extreme level of alcohol before you pay a penny. For instance, vodka's like Grey Goose and Chopin are included.

The $200.00 per person to dine in the Silversea speciality restaurant is a sad exception to the all-inclusivity of the other luxury ships.

This thread is beginning to sound like an advertisement for specific cruise lines -- don't think that is what the OP was looking for:rolleyes:

I have to agree that we should try to answer the OP's question...but I'm sure it's difficult for people to hold back from tossing out a plug for their favorite line. :)

I switched to luxury cruising in 2005. I had cruised several times on mass-market lines, but mainly for the kids - it really wasn't my thing.

I had originally thought the concept of cruising was great: being able to unpack once and visit a bunch of different place, all food and entertainment included, etc. But the reality turned out to be not my cup of tea: belly-flop and hairy-leg contests on the pool deck...tacky shows like "Love & Marriage" in which people publicly said and did things that really should be kept private...over-toured ports lined with jewelry stores and thronged with thousands of passengers...overpriced excursions that involved more time sitting on crowded buses waiting for people at restrooms than actually getting to see or do anything worthwhile...crowded buffets with marginal food...gangs of unsupervised kids running around bumping into people and causing trouble...chair hogs on the pool deck, and the accompanying lounge-seat battles that I witnessed...feeling (and being treated) like one of the anonymous cows in the herd.

It all added up to a vacation experience that was just not what I was looking for. I wanted to see the world and have a relaxing, pleasant vacation, not fight for food or a place to sit, or watch crowds of people behaving boorishly. It was certainly cost-effective and convenient - we could get to more locations in a shorter period of time without having to deal with transporting ourselves from place to place (and once I learned about private tours I was able to avoid the bus tours altogether and enjoy the port stops more), but the ship experience itself just wasn't all that enjoyable for me.

In 2005 I began planning a vacation with my Mom, with whom I enjoy world travel. We'd done a few land-based trips before, but there were certain aspects of cruising that I thought might be better for travel with her: primarily, the ability to meet and interact with others (all those romantic dinners for two with my MOM get tedious after a while! :p), and the option to do different things in port so we don't ALWAY have to be together. I started reading up on luxury cruising, and decided to try a Regent (then Radisson) cruise in the Med. It was more money than the mass-market lines, but the truth is it wasn't THAT much more, when I factored in what was included, and priced out comparable cabins.

It was FABULOUS! All of the things I so disliked about cruising were GONE! No crowds, totally personal service, wonderful (and dignified) entertainment, fantastic food, luxurious surroundings, extremely well done shore excursions, few kids (and the ones who were there were well-behaved). Overall it was just a far more pleasant experience, in every measurable way.

Since then I've been on a few other luxury cruises, including Regent, Windstar (which some don't consider luxury, but it has more similarities to luxury than to mass-market), and recently Crystal. They are just completely different types of vacations than mass-market cruises - they provide all the things I was looking for a cruise, without all that unpleasant stuff.

I can't say I will never take another mass-market cruise - in fact, I did another RCI cruise in the Caribbean, but that was a reward for my teens. And we are actually looking at an RCI cruise in Mexico next year, also for my kids. And knowing what I am getting myself into, I will enjoy it for what I will make of it. But when it's just my husband and me, or my Mom and me, you couldn't PAY us to do a mass-market line. :)

Alice, this is a great question. What I like about luxury cruising most is service, first and foremost. While cruise service even on big ships is darn good compared to other types of travel, luxury ups it a notch or three. I also like the food, the cozier onboard ambience, and itineraries that go to a blend of offbeat and marquee ports.

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

We're about to retire and have been on the big ships before.... now that we'll have more time (not necessarily more money, but thank goodness for all those good discounts!) on our hands and no kids to maintain, we're looking to trade-up to a more luxury cruise experience.

 

Just curious... do you all still work? Are you retired? Why luxury cruising?

 

We just feel like we've earned this. I wasn't a nurse and a mother for 43 years for nothing!

 

Looking forward to hearing from you all... and maybe meeting some of you next year aboard one of the Seabourn ships!

 

Best regards,

Alice

:)