Are people really paying those prices?

[4774Papa]

When I retired about 9 years ago, I wanted to grab the World by the horns and travel, travel and travel.

I have lived in Saudi Arabia and Germany, working for the US Army and was able to travel quite a lot.  Since I retired, Dear Wife and I have traveled overseas either two or three times a year.  I had funds saved for the travel and we still have about 20% of or wish list that we haven't seen.

 

The one occasion that Celebrity upgraded us (for a modest amount) to a suite for a 14 day cruise and we have so much room that it was amazing.  Also, we dined in a wonderful restaurant set aside for suite passengers.   We learned that having a butler was nice, but we really didn't need him.  Also, dining in that special restaurant kept us away from new friends that we had just met at the meet and greet.   We have decided that we are very happy in a balcony cabin.  

 

We know people that are independently wealthy and probably spend 5-10 times more on travel a year than we do.

I think there is nothing wrong with going first class and staying in suites if that is what you can afford.  We did a 4 week drive tour of Wales and England in 2017 and loved staying in very nice B&Bs or small boutique hotels that were walking distance from the city or town centers.  Staying in a five star hotel would not have been an improvement over what we did.

 

Also the wealthy people that we know probably don't find the wonderful bargains, especially if they are always going with what is perceived as the best.  Still, they can, in my opinion waste their money.  For example, we did a wonderful 4 day tour in Peru with a  PRIVATE guide (Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu).  We heard about people that took 3 day tours that cost them 10 times what we paid for our tour (that tour included airfare, but our airfare from Lima to Cusco was less than $200 pp) .    Also, looking at safaris, we have found a safari company with PRIVATE GUIDES for four persons, staying in the best safari camps and lodgings, when some companies charge three  or tour times what we will pay.  

 

We will probably do Cunard and love it, but not overpaying.

[Nymich]

7 hours ago, richsea said:

Yep.

Agree re Princess/Motel 6, although I hear Motel 6 provides a chair to sit on.

and they also always agree to leave the light on...……..

[Mynki]

20 hours ago, Denny01 said:

And so have I! Obviously, someone hasn’t been on a true rust bucket to understand what that is. The M-Class ships are a true treat for me. Love the T-Spa pool, and other nice amenities. Each Class ship has their postives (and negatives), but come on, we are talking about being at sea, traveling the world, nice SR’s whether an inside of top of the line Suite, good food (oh, please why did I mention that!!). As mentioned on another similar thread, FirstWorldProblems that some seem to think ruin their vacations, or at least look for them to be ‘ruined’. 

 

Den

 

Bless ya. I'm gonna have to ask Host Anne to sticky this until I can find a better written article :-

 

https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/language/beginners-guide-to-understanding-british-humor/

The threads discussing one of the most luxurious suites at sea. So the aqua class deal I posted on Connie is comparatively speaking, 'roughing it' on a 'rust bucket' if you have a tongue in cheek sense of humour at least. Anyway, I actually booked that very deal and will be on said 'rust bucket' this october after a few days in Rome. .

M class are fine for me, as long as you're on a port intensive trip, like the itinerary and the deal is good and in this case I think it's excellent value for money so it's all good. I wouldn't want to do too many sea days onboard though as there is a lack of amenities compared to S class and others. 

I just wished they'd kept the Ocean Liners restaurants. They had their own identity and a touch of class. I think that room suits the service and ambiance of Murano much more than Tuscan which to me is similar to a very average and soulless chain restaurant with an identity crisis. It's location on S class ships works better but LLP appears to like standardisation even if this does result in a more bland experience. YMMV. 

Oh yeah, we're off for dinner with friends tomorrow to discuss a trip to Alaska next year. M class wins again as Millennium offers a one way itinerary, the two S class ships in that area do not sadly, but that's first world problems for you. 

[villauk]

On 7/22/2019 at 10:29 AM, chemmo said:

 

Yorky,

 

We generally cruise twice a year. One is usually booked well out time wise (Caribbean or Worldwide) then we will usually fit in a Mediterranean or Southampton break. This year we were looking for a Spring break in the Mediterranean. 

 

I have to totally agree with you those suite prices are ‘just plain daft’...We usually book PH or RS so don’t expect cheap (our excuse is we have worked hard and are travel options are becoming more limited)....We did expect to pay more for a new ship but not a kings ransom...

 

We chose to buy a new car instead and have spent much of the Summer enjoying North Wales.

 

We have a RS booked on Equinox in September....It is cheaper at present for us to book business flights to Florida, enjoy a week in a villa, then enjoy an 11 night cruise than to book a decent suite on the Edge in the Mediterranean.

 

 

 

 

 

You know I totally agree and have been doing so since those ‘just plain daft’ prices were initially released. Presently, we still have an open book yet for next year.

[villauk]

6 minutes ago, Mynki said:

I just wished they'd kept the Ocean Liners restaurants

 

 

Many of us have been saying that for quite some time.

[Denny01]

12 minutes ago, Mynki said:

 

Bless ya. I'm gonna have to ask Host Anne to sticky this until I can find a better written article :-

 

https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/language/beginners-guide-to-understanding-british-humor/

The threads discussing one of the most luxurious suites at sea. So the aqua class deal I posted on Connie is comparatively speaking, 'roughing it' on a 'rust bucket' if you have a tongue in cheek sense of humour at least. Anyway, I actually booked that very deal and will be on said 'rust bucket' this october after a few days in Rome. .

[Denny01]

Mynki - I should have read your entire post about ‘rust buckets’ before I made my snarky comment about not really knowing what one was......I missed the bottom line that showed you were being tongue-in-cheek! Yours was a great post and I did the dumb thing of not reading all of it - I’ll blame my dyslexia - comes in handy when I do such! 

 

Good cruising. You can see from my signature, I’m going on a few Rust Buckets also! 

 

Den

[Lastdance]

For long cruises many ships do not have great gyms, so that keeps me from trying Oceania, Crystal or others.  Am I wrong with this evaluation?  S and E class are great!  I love suite class, but just S1’s with my budget.  I did book an SV in Europe for Edge; not paying 16,000...so not worth it for me!

[ECCruise]

49 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

For long cruises many ships do not have great gyms, so that keeps me from trying Oceania, Crystal or others.  Am I wrong with this evaluation?  S and E class are great!  I love suite class, but just S1’s with my budget.  I did book an SV in Europe for Edge; not paying 16,000...so not worth it for me!

Every ship we've sailed on Oceania and Azamara have gyms commensurate with the passenger load.  Smaller gyms, yes, but 1/6 to 1/3 of the passengers.

And we would book a standard veranda on either of those before we booked an S1 or S2 on =X= with the current price structure.  And, generally save some dough.

Edited July 23, 2019 by ECCruise

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, villauk said:

 

 

You know I totally agree and have been doing so since those ‘just plain daft’ prices were initially released. Presently, we still have an open book yet for next year.

 

We have a RS booked on Eclipse for  a Tokyo to Singapore cruise just before Eclipse goes in for her Revolution (October 2020)...whilst not a cheap cruise it does offer a great itinerary visiting a mix of ports we have previously visited and want to return to and new adventures....No issues about what we are paying and what we are receiving. Certainly not a ‘bargain’ or ‘cheap’ but the sort of itinerary that would be hard to match and difficult to do yourself.

 

However, we honestly cannot see ourselves booking another X cruise in the Mediterranean at present...There are just so many other options to spend money on. We thoroughly enjoyed a private villa stay last year in the Balearic Islands (private pool, car hire, flight included) for a fraction of the cost of an Edge RS...I honestly think Celebrity may receive a wake up call soon as more of us walk with our £, $, € not necessarily to other cruise lines but to other holiday experiences.

 

 

[Lastdance]

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

Every ship we've sailed on Oceania and Azamara have gyms commensurate with the passenger load.  Smaller gyms, yes, but 1/6 to 1/3 of the passengers.

And we would book a standard veranda on either of those before we booked an S1 or S2 on =X= with the current price structure.  And, generally save some dough.

 

I just thought the photos that showed the gyms looked like the equipment was minimal...Azamara definitely, as I am always open to new ships, itineraries and reasonable pricing,

Edited July 23, 2019 by Lastdance

[ECCruise]

1 minute ago, Lastdance said:

 

I just thought the photos looked rather small showing the gyms...Azamara definitely, as I am always open to new ships, itineraries and reasonable pricing,

They are small.  Like maybe 6 treadmills and 4 ellipticals instead of 20 and 8 for cardio.  Still, free weights and bikes are there.  Never had to wait for a machine on either Az or O (we don't sail Crystal and the like) unlike on =X= S class.

Don't let the gym stop you from experiencing some really good cruise lines (and besides, not likely a problem).

  

[Lastdance]

14 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

They are small.  Like maybe 6 treadmills and 4 ellipticals instead of 20 and 8 for cardio.  Still, free weights and bikes are there.  Never had to wait for a machine on either Az or O (we don't sail Crystal and the like) unlike on =X= S class.

Don't let the gym stop you from experiencing some really good cruise lines (and besides, not likely a problem).

  

 

I believe I would be okay, just not sure about my DH for a cruise more than two weeks...like 30 days or more, but will definitely share your information!  Thanks!

[ak1004]

I think the gym is a good representation of what happens in other public areas. They are smaller on ships like Oceania or Azamara, but so is number of passengers. Now, if you compare for example Azamara with Celebrity S ships, they have 4 times less passengers. But the buffet on S ships is not 4 times bigger! This is why as the ships become bigger, the public areas feel more crowded (generally speaking). In the same way as Royal mega ships with 6,000+ passengers don't have double capacity buffets or theaters compared to Celebrity S ships.

 

The only facility we felt is too small on Azamara was the theater. Rest of the public areas are more than adequate for the number of passengers. 

[hiccups]

4 hours ago, ECCruise said:

They are small.  Like maybe 6 treadmills and 4 ellipticals instead of 20 and 8 for cardio.  Still, free weights and bikes are there.  Never had to wait for a machine on either Az or O (we don't sail Crystal and the like) unlike on =X= S class.

Don't let the gym stop you from experiencing some really good cruise lines (and besides, not likely a problem).

  

Agree.  I've never had to wait for a machine on Oceania or Azamara.  I certainly wouldn't let the size of the gyms keep me from trying these cruise lines.

Smallest gym I've ever experienced outside some hotels was on a river cruise.  But on a 13-day cruise only twice was another passenger in there with me, so it was fine.

[ABoatNerd]

16 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

We have a RS booked on Eclipse for  a Tokyo to Singapore cruise just before Eclipse goes in for her Revolution (October 2020)...whilst not a cheap cruise it does offer a great itinerary visiting a mix of ports we have previously visited and want to return to and new adventures....No issues about what we are paying and what we are receiving. Certainly not a ‘bargain’ or ‘cheap’ but the sort of itinerary that would be hard to match and difficult to do yourself.

 

However, we honestly cannot see ourselves booking another X cruise in the Mediterranean at present...There are just so many other options to spend money on. We thoroughly enjoyed a private villa stay last year in the Balearic Islands (private pool, car hire, flight included) for a fraction of the cost of an Edge RS...I honestly think Celebrity may receive a wake up call soon as more of us walk with our £, $, € not necessarily to other cruise lines but to other holiday experiences.

 

16 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

chemmo, count me as another who has moved from cruising to other holiday experiences. 

 

The combination of cruise pricing on Celebrity combined with the ever cheapening product and the significant downgrading of product on Oceania - we are now booking private land tours with guides and drivers.

 

The experience of being able to really see the landscape and eat in the local venues outweighs the cruise experience.

 

I agree with others that the cruise industry is assuming that people will continue to book at their ever higher prices. Maybe not. My house hold and friends are eliminating cruising in favor of land tours. My 33 year old niece did Oasis and found it so contrived that she will not be cruising any time soon.

 

I was sold on cruising for decades but now having been released from the cruising state, realize there is a whole world to see out there. Thankfully I came out of the cruise trance early enough.

 

I urge others to take a good look at all travel options, not necessarily cruising.

[Mynki]

19 hours ago, Denny01 said:

 

 

Good cruising. You can see from my signature, I’m going on a few Rust Buckets also! 

 

Den

 

Good list of trips there. I just noticed where you're from. We're flying to Florida next week (Land vacation). I'm looking forward to escaping the heat here. And that's not tongue in cheek! 

Edited July 24, 2019 by Mynki

[Denny01]

6 minutes ago, Mynki said:

 

Good list of trips there. I just noticed where you're from. We're flying to Florida next week (Land vacation). I'm looking forward to escaping the heat here. And that's not tongue in cheek! 

Fully understand. We are on the Fla Panhandle with pure white sand beaches. Neat but a long drive from the normal entry airports. 

 

As to those switching to land tours, yes lots of options and a different experience. We try to mix those into our cruise times by staying in the areas for a number of days prior the the cruises. 

 

Den

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

 

 

chemmo, count me as another who has moved from cruising to other holiday experiences. 

 

The combination of cruise pricing on Celebrity combined with the ever cheapening product and the significant downgrading of product on Oceania - we are now booking private land tours with guides and drivers.

 

The experience of being able to really see the landscape and eat in the local venues outweighs the cruise experience.

 

I agree with others that the cruise industry is assuming that people will continue to book at their ever higher prices. Maybe not. My house hold and friends are eliminating cruising in favor of land tours. My 33 year old niece did Oasis and found it so contrived that she will not be cruising any time soon.

 

I was sold on cruising for decades but now having been released from the cruising state, realize there is a whole world to see out there. Thankfully I came out of the cruise trance early enough.

 

I urge others to take a good look at all travel options, not necessarily cruising.

 

Ironically we moved to cruising at the point where we were finding land tours increasingly demanding for us physically....Cruising did, and still does, offer an easy way to see lots of things with minimal effort...

 

We simply cannot justify paying the Edge RS price for 9 nights with highlights of Malta, Santorini and Mykonos when we call book a private pool villa on all three islands for a week each (flights and car hire included) and have ample cash to spare for enjoying local food and wine....

 

Obviously our calculations would not work for those crossing the pond and with limited holiday time...

 

I am sure we will weaken and book cruise  time in the Mediterranean again, perhaps when they reintroduce an S class ship rather that the new kid on the block and it’s aged and unfacelifted grandparents!

[ak1004]

I think if you are willing to book a cheaper cabin, and on S class (or similar ship on other lines), the prices are still pretty attractive compared to land tours. Inside cabins can be booked for less than $300 USD per couple per night, I think in most major cities only the hotel might cost more. Of course not everyone is willing to be in inside cabin. 

 

But I agree that in terms of really exploring places, there is no comparison. On cruise you just "taste" it. This is why we started to add 2-3 nights pre cruise to most cruises.

[Tatka]

People who try to criticize or even understand why others spend money one way or another always amaze me. What is a need? Do you want to prove you know better how to spend money?

 

I am sure if I start topic about how strange is to spend money on suites or even balconies I will get tons of feedback. 🙂

For me it does not make any sense, but somebody else will not cruise without balcony or suite.

We are all different.

 

 I am sure some people will look at me like I have 2 heads, because I even spend so much money (in their opinion) on cruising.

 

 To me.. Celebrity will gladly collect money from somebody wanting to spend such amounts, and if nobody wants they will adjust prices.

[Denny01]

Tatka - great post. The only person who I listen to on questions what I spend is my mate who usually questions why I’m going so cheap!  And by the way, I shop more than she does and I find more cruises that we can’t live without going on. 

 

Heck, I’ll never be one who waits till after final

payment dates because I can’t control myself! The only reason I’d make a reservation close to a cruise is if I suddenly wanted to zip off on one, not consciously plan on going that. That takes too much self control to wait!

 

den

 

 

[Redtravel]

Is this a joke?  Paying absurdly large amounts for a Celebrity cruise?  I can think of better ways to spend that money. 

[the_dylaness]

On 7/21/2019 at 4:36 PM, Denny01 said:

Yup. And of course the biggest generality, that as some truth in it, they are the biggest complainers. 

 

den

 

Not a fan of whining, but if you paid 100k+ I think you are entitled to high expectations.

[Denny01]

20 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

 

Not a fan of whining, but if you paid 100k+ I think you are entitled to high expectations.

And if you paid $1k or $100k I think you are entitled to excellent service that includes what is agreed  to for the price paid. I have no idea how any company or entity can meet anyone’s ‘high expectations’ just because they pay more. There are more than a few who  don’t pay for suites who have ‘high expectations ‘ of enjoying their vacation. 

 

Anyone is entitled to their expectations but having spent a bit of time reading these threads, no one is going to reach all the ‘high expectations’ of us, no matter what the level of bucks we pay out.  

 

Den

Edited July 25, 2019 by Denny01