What facilities for steerage?

[Charles4515]

That's a little disappointing, because that's where the craft beers are. (I remember from Reflection

 

 

The craft beers on Reflection (and other Celebrity ships that don't have the Gastropub) are now located in Cellar Masters.

 

 

 

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[galensgrl]

Going steerage , we get to see areas of the ship no one else see,

Here the picture of the wife and me doing our daily hour ( some people get happy hour , steerage we get coal hour ) , have make up for the cheap price someway :D

 

Gotta love the dedicated cruisers :D

[galensgrl]

You write like you are about to embark on the titanic where Class snobbery and segregation was the norm...plus, cabins were far more basic than what we have now. Make sure you tell your friends, you'll all be able to swim in the same pool, walk around the same decks together and drink coffee in the same cafe...

 

 

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The origin of the word "steerage" from Wikipedia -

The American photographer Alfred Stieglitz wrote in 1907 of conditions in steerage aboard the Kaiser Wilhelm II in the following terms:

...the 900 steerage passengers crowded into the hold of so elegant and roomy a steamer as the Kaiser Wilhelm II, of the North German Lloyd line, are positively packed like cattle, making a walk on deck when the weather is good, absolutely impossible, while to breathe clean air below in rough weather, when the hatches are down is an equal impossibility. The stenches become unbearable, and many of the emigrants have to be driven down; for they prefer the bitterness and danger of the storm to the pestilential air below. The division between the sexes is not carefully looked after, and the young women who are quartered among the married passengers have neither the privacy to which they are entitled nor are they much more protected than if they were living promiscuously.

 

The food, which is miserable, is dealt out of huge kettles into the dinner pails provided by the steamship company. When it is distributed, the stronger push and crowd, so that meals are anything but orderly procedures. On the whole, the steerage of the modern ship ought to be condemned as unfit for the transportation of human beings...Take for example, the second cabin which costs about twice as much as the steerage and sometimes not twice so much; yet the second cabin passenger on the Kaiser Wilhelm II has six times as much deck room, much better located and well protected against inclement weather. Two to four sleep in one cabin, which is well and comfortably furnished; while in the steerage from 200 to 400 sleep in one compartment on bunks, one above the other, with little light and no comforts. In the second cabin the food is excellent, is partaken of in a luxuriantly appointed dining-room, is well cooked and well served; while in the steerage the unsavory rations are not served, but doled out, with less courtesy than one would find in a charity soup kitchen.

 

The steerage ought to be and could be abolished by law...On many ships, even drinking water is grudgingly given, and on the steamer Staatendam, four years ago, we had literally to steal water for the steerage from the second cabin, and that of course at night. On many journeys, particularly on the SS Fürst Bismarck, of the Hamburg American Line, five years ago, the bread was absolutely uneatable, and was thrown into the water by the irate emigrants.

In providing better accommodations, the English steamship companies have always led; and while the discipline on board of ship is always stricter than on other lines, the care bestowed upon the emigrants is correspondingly greater.*

 

*Steiner, Edward A. (1906): On the Trail of the Immigrant, Fleming H. Revell Company, New York, © 1906, Fifth Edition. Chapter III, The Fellowship of the Steerage, Pages 30–47 GGA SDC 1555046572.

[Hydrokitty]

I believe the Aqua spa café is only open for breakfast and lunch...and it closes down completely between the two, only the coffee machine (and water and maybe juice?) are available (self serve). I didn't even know they sold alcohol, but if they do maybe you were trying to get a drink around 10 or 2 and they told you to go to the back because they were closing?

 

To my knowledge the Aqua spa cafe doesn't serve any alcoholic beverages....but they vary from ship to ship. For example on the Infinity they had cooked to order egg white omelets, fantastic muesli and muffins every day...and make your own salad with dessert for lunch. If you wanted yogurt parfait you had to pay for it or have one of the special drink packages. On the Eclipse they didn't make omelets but ordered them for you and the bad news is they were usually cold by the time you got them. One complaint: you could only get coffee, tea, lemon water from the dispensers and you could not get bottled water from them.

[Muushka]

The first cruise we ever took was in "steerage" and to this day, it might be our favorite!

 

All you do in your room is sleep and bathe. The rest of your time is spent enjoying the ship......so your room doesn't matter! You can eat in the main dining room or a specialty restaurant (ok, so Blu and Liminae are "off limits", but who cares?). You can still enjoy the activities, music, nightly shows, casino, etc.

 

I heard a reccommendation that (if you have an inside room) you turn on the tv to the front-of-the-ship camera when you go to bed. That way when the sun comes up, it will be like having a window....but minus the cost!

 

Well...the room does matter to us. I love being able to go to our cabin to relax. Watch a little TV (yes, I know I can do this at home, but it is my vacation, right?), sit out on the balcony. Yup, we enjoy our cabin.

[loosygoosy]

I believe you can get the craft beers in Cellar Masters or the Passport Bar now depending on the ship.

 

 

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[Mynki]

I believe you can get the craft beers in Cellar Masters or the Passport Bar now depending on the ship.

 

 

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You can. If people like craft beers the premium package is the way to go as the mark up is 500% + on some European beers!

[sloopsailor]

You write like you are about to embark on the titanic where Class snobbery and segregation was the norm...plus, cabins were far more basic than what we have now. Make sure you tell your friends, you'll all be able to swim in the same pool, walk around the same decks together and drink coffee in the same cafe...

 

And they even have private bathrooms in the rooms now. No longer will they have to share a common bathroom down the hall.

[Alan B'stard]

And they even have private bathrooms in the rooms now. No longer will they have to share a common bathroom down the hall.

 

That should reduce the number of cases of Noro virus in suites.

 

Now, if they'd only stop charging the poor people for OJ in the MDR they might reduce the number of cases of scurvy too!

[NLH Arizona]

Seriously, I really have no idea what you're talking about. We were on Reflection in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and there was never a bar at the pool that was off limits to anyone. We were in your basic accessible balcony cabin, and we got drinks from the pool bar all the time.

I was just on the Reflection last month and there wasn't a bar at the pool that was off limits.

[Charles4515]

I was just on the Reflection last month and there wasn't a bar at the pool that was off limits.

 

 

 

Not only last month. There never has been an off limits bar at the pool on Reflection.

 

 

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[richard1s]

The first cruise we ever took was in "steerage" and to this day, it might be our favorite!

 

All you do in your room is sleep and bathe. The rest of your time is spent enjoying the ship......so your room doesn't matter! You can eat in the main dining room or a specialty restaurant (ok, so Blu and Liminae are "off limits", but who cares?). You can still enjoy the activities, music, nightly shows, casino, etc.

 

I heard a reccommendation that (if you have an inside room) you turn on the tv to the front-of-the-ship camera when you go to bed. That way when the sun comes up, it will be like having a window....but minus the cost!

Making the decision of how much you want to spend on your vacation based on your budget is perfectly logical. But this kind of rational makes no sense to me.

 

The cabin for us is an important aspect of every cruise. On board, we love the privacy of our balcony for reading, a quiet breakfast, listening to music, enjoying never breathed air or having a drink and appetizer for some portion of every day at sea.

 

Somehow I don't think that leaving the TV on to the channel showing the ships bridge camera view isn’t quite the same as any of that.

[Mynki]

 

I heard a reccommendation that (if you have an inside room) you turn on the tv to the front-of-the-ship camera when you go to bed. That way when the sun comes up, it will be like having a window....but minus the cost!

 

Did the person who said that have a slightly sarcastic and very dry sense of humour by any chance? ;) :D

[bEwAbG]

Other cruiselines are adding virtual video walls that do the same thing (mimic having a window), so the idea of watching the camera on your TV isn't that far-fetched.

[SantaFeFan]

All you do in your room is sleep and bathe. The rest of your time is spent enjoying the ship......so your room doesn't matter!!

 

You can eat in the main dining room or a specialty restaurant (ok, so Blu and Liminae are "off limits", but who cares?). You can still enjoy the activities, music, nightly shows, casino, etc..

 

How absurd! That is like saying:

 

"All you do on a ship is go from one port to the other,. The rest of the time is spent enjoying things on shore.....so your ship doesn't matter!!

 

"You can eat in the cafeteria. You can still enjoy spending time in your bunk and going through the things you have stored in your foot locker."

 

So, might as well just pay for a bunk on a tramp steamer and save all that money!!!

[dkjretired]

Did the person who said that have a slightly sarcastic and very dry sense of humour by any chance? ;) :D

 

Haven't seen that in awhile but it used to be a very common comment on this board. It actually goes back to the 90s when the only option you had was an inside or an outside (no veranda's). People would comment they can't afford the outside and others would tell them to put the TV on in an inside. Seems funny now with all the options but times change.

[dkjretired]

How absurd! That is like saying:

 

"All you do on a ship is go from one port to the other,. The rest of the time is spent enjoying things on shore.....so your ship doesn't matter!!

 

"You can eat in the cafeteria. You can still enjoy spending time in your bunk and going through the things you have stored in your foot locker."

 

So, might as well just pay for a bunk on a tramp steamer and save all that money!!!

 

Agree, each to his own and this from someone who spends most of their time outside the camera. Everyone is different and utilize the cabins indifferent ways especially with veranda's and larger cabins.

[riandei]

That's a little disappointing, because that's where the craft beers are. (I remember from Reflection.)

 

 

 

Equinox has the Gatropub which has a wide variety of craft beers.

 

 

 

Can you tell me if there are any beers at the pub on CLASSIC pkg...im not a huge drinker so not worth the upgrade costs on an 11 night cruise...but i do like a cold one and thought the pub was a nice bar the last time we were on equinox....which was a while ago

 

Thanks for any info

[griffy116]

How absurd! That is like saying:

 

"All you do on a ship is go from one port to the other,. The rest of the time is spent enjoying things on shore.....so your ship doesn't matter!!

 

"You can eat in the cafeteria. You can still enjoy spending time in your bunk and going through the things you have stored in your foot locker."

 

So, might as well just pay for a bunk on a tramp steamer and save all that money!!!

 

We did two Med cruises and fortunately, we had been on the ship previously. It was so port intensive that we were off the ship very early, returned, quick snack and cleaning up for dinner. After dinner, we were exhausted and knew we had another big day so it was off to bed. We had a beautiful balcony and never enjoyed it. There was one sea day and I spent it at the pool. We would never have known any difference if they had put us on bunks and given us a foot locker, so it depends on the itinerary. I would not have missed one minute on the ports we visited to lounge on our balcony breathing the air there. The places we saw took our breath away and that was plenty for us.

[sloopsailor]

We did two Med cruises and fortunately, we had been on the ship previously. It was so port intensive that we were off the ship very early, returned, quick snack and cleaning up for dinner. After dinner, we were exhausted and knew we had another big day so it was off to bed. We had a beautiful balcony and never enjoyed it. There was one sea day and I spent it at the pool. We would never have known any difference if they had put us on bunks and given us a foot locker, so it depends on the itinerary. I would not have missed one minute on the ports we visited to lounge on our balcony breathing the air there. The places we saw took our breath away and that was plenty for us.

 

How can someone not enjoy their balcony. Heck, just having the curtains open to be able to see the view while getting ready in the morning, or changing during the day, is so worth while for us. Cruising without a balcony to enjoy is like going to the movies and keeping our eyes closed the entire time. :D

[Ocean Dancer]

How can someone not enjoy their balcony. Heck, just having the curtains open to be able to see the view while getting ready in the morning, or changing during the day, is so worth while for us. Cruising without a balcony to enjoy is like going to the movies and keeping our eyes closed the entire time. :D

 

Not quite, there are ocean view cabins if a balcony is not affordable.

[UpcountryTravelers]

.... Make sure you tell your friends, you'll all be able to swim in the same pool, walk around the same decks together and drink coffee in the same cafe...

 

 

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After 26 cruises (and our friends around 20 each), we are all certainly familiar with that. And we will also enjoy our Mimosas on our connected balconies (partitions open).

 

We do balconies (or "verandahs") exclusively. Love to sit out there in the morning, sip my coffee and watch us cruise into a port, or just watch the water!

Edited February 6, 2017 by UpcountryTravelers

[UpcountryTravelers]

You can. If people like craft beers the premium package is the way to go as the mark up is 500% + on some European beers!

 

Oh, no. We don't drink nearly enough to justify the cost of even the basic package. Had it on a recent cruise, imbibed all we wanted (but did track it). Couldn't justify the price.

[Host Jazzbeau]

OK, I've held this in as long as I can stand ;)

 

"What facilities for steerage?" In a recent upgrade, Celebrity now provides the oars for free, but you still have to bring your own gloves. :eek:

[caribill]

OK, I've held this in as long as I can stand ;)

 

"What facilities for steerage?" In a recent upgrade, Celebrity now provides the oars for free, but you still have to bring your own gloves. :eek:

 

If you are traveling solo, do you still get two oars?