RCCL and Celebrity

[KevBew]

[quote name='STUR']hi KevBew

Thanks for your in put Sailed on the jewel of the sea last year 2005 (not up to par)

just booked the Mecury Mexico 11 night Riviera January 29th 2007 out of San Diego

Booked a Sky suite

They say the Mercury is getting Worn

please advise

if you have pictures please send My E-Mail is [EMAIL="Stur2@WOH.RR.COM"]Stur2@WOH.RR.COM[/EMAIL]

STUR DAYTON,OHIO[/QUOTE]

We had SS 1202, the balcony was almost as big as the room. There are signs of wear and tear in different places throughout the ship but it was still a nice ship 2 years ago. Food was excellent, service was fantastic. You should have a really nice trip.

[Andy]

[quote name='cruising with marti'][
[B]carnival summit, I like it, it has a certain ring to it.[/B]


[B]Phil[/B][/QUOTE]

With several Cruise Lines using similar names for their ships (For Example.... Norwegian Jewel, and Jewel of the Seas).... I am sure it wont be long before there is a Carnival Summit :)

[Ericknow32]

[quote name='Host Andy']With several Cruise Lines using similar names for their ships (For Example.... Norwegian Jewel, and Jewel of the Seas).... I am sure it wont be long before there is a Carnival Summit :)[/quote]Kind of like Carnival Splendor copying Splendour of the Seas.

[Sky Sweet]

[quote name='Ericknow32']Kind of like Carnival Splendor copying Splendour of the Seas.[/quote]

I wonder if Carnival does this intentially, so people might confuse some of their ships with ships from a different cruise line that they heard good things about.

[Andy]

[quote name='Ericknow32']Kind of like Carnival Splendor copying Splendour of the Seas.[/QUOTE]

Hi Eric !

Yes, I caught that announcement by Carnival yesterday. Due to the slight difference in spelling, that one is only 99% Un-Original :).

I truly can not understand why so many other lines have this urge to copy names of existing ships. What happened to all of the creative employees, that these other Cruise Lines spend BIG BUCKS on ? Is this the absolute best they can do ?

If so, it is a pretty sad commentary on their creativity.

[canderson]

[quote name='Host Andy']Yes, I caught that announcement by Carnival yesterday. Due to the slight difference in spelling, that one is only 99% Un-Original :). [/quote]You'd think that after buying both Cunard and P&O, they might have figured out how to spell "Splendour":p

[Andy]

[quote name='Sky Sweet']I wonder if Carnival does this intentially, so people might confuse some of their ships with ships from a different cruise line that they heard good things about.[/QUOTE]

Hi Sky !

I have thought about that possibility. Anything is possible.

Here is another thought.....what if the other ship gets a bad reputation ? In that case, they would get confused with the bad ship, and they just made a HUGE mistake !

I say, be creative. They should come with new ideas !

[AFT_LOVER]

but love to post about folks. Try repecting people, to get along & enjoy cruising. You do not know me or my husband so how you can say it is our first with RCCL.

[quote name='gkm']From what she has posted on these boards, this will be her first cruise with them, so her high praise is from what she has read, not from experience.:rolleyes:

Garry[/quote]

[Sky Sweet]

[quote name='Host Andy']Hi Sky !

I have thought about that possibility. Anything is possible.

Here is another thought.....what if the other ship gets a bad reputation ? In that case, they would get confused with the bad ship, and they just made a HUGE mistake !

I say, be creative. They should come with new ideas ![/quote]

Hi Andy :)

You made a good point. Name recognition can work both ways :)

[AFT_LOVER]

I believe that was our handicapped neighbor's stateroom # & he was slipping with his walker on the balcony from what was out there. The housekeeping manager stated that he filed a complaint & no more pressure washing but we had it for 2 weeks! Neighbor next to him had tiki lights on his balcony & they were blown off by the washer. FV to the right of us had clothing on chairs & that was soaked & the lady very very upset.

Summit has no idea what Concierge Class was, other than door signs. No express anything! 5.5 hours at LAX for a bus, 1.5 hours in line at terminal to pass thru security & the 1 hour in Express Pass CC line. The 6 of us from CLE asked a blue suited woman at San Pedro & were told to get in line..... luggage didn't show til dinner time since it was front of 9th floor not back where stateroom was.

Then the gangway sliding all over the sidewalk as the ship rocks. No boss checking why it isn't locked to 3 wooden stairs? As we were asked by their Security Officer who wrote the accident report. And why wastecans on both sides of gangway entrance instead of at the end. Folks walking on it were falling. 2 of us lost shoes to the gangway & I had 3 cracked toes with torn ligaments that to this day I predict weather very well. No crutches or wheelchair for me to use, as I was told since there were too many handicapped that needed them.

So yes, it was similar to Carnival more than Celebrity! We cancelled ALaska member cruise on Summit, not the same stateroom either.......

Also RCCL has given us GOLD, PLATINUM & now DIAMOND luggage tags to put our names & address on for our 5 pieces of luggage for 2 week cruises. Celebrity, none but you can buy them for $15 and we are ELITE!

[quote name='bob278']MACOP,

You must be really unlucky since you were on the only M-class cruise I've ever heard of where they cleaned the top deck that way. We were on the [U]CELEBRITY[/U] SUMMIT in September in 9162 (yep, that's a CC AFT) and we saw nothing like you described nor have there been any posts that I can find anywhere that it happened on Summit or any other M-class ship any other week, before or after. If they really did that, then your complaints worked because they stopped after that one week.

Did they really pick on the 5 CC cabins and not get any mess on the 4 FV balconies (much bigger targets :confused: )?

I must admit I've never been to the Waterfall Grill late at night, but it doesn't seem like the kind of place for all that puke and butts stuff to be cleaned up from.[/quote]

[AFT_LOVER]

Karynanne is confused as I never stated I'd never sail Celebrity, but I did state SUMMIT. Major difference in getting the words correct if you want to attack me do it correctly. Connie is far superior to Summit with Infinity in 2nd place. Both were tops in service, Concierge Class with a flare, and no unhealthy conditions.

As far as intelligence attack, look in the mirror..........be a happy camper as you want me to be.


[quote name='Karynanne']Macop, for someone that will never cruise with Celebrity again...you seem to want to relive your alleged experience again and again, as if it happened yesterday. You'll be a much happier camper if you let it go...we all have had "stuff" happen in our lives, and you are in no way unique.

If your trying to influence others to NOT cruise with Celebrity, I think you have under-estimated the intelligence of the readers on this board.

Karyn[/quote]

[gkm]

[quote name='MACOP']but love to post about folks. Try repecting people, to get along & enjoy cruising. You do not know me or my husband so how you can say it is our first with RCCL.[/quote]

So have you ever sailed on RCI? I sure got the impression from pasts posts that this was your first cruise with them.

Garry

[bob278]

[quote name='MACOP']I believe that was our handicapped neighbor's stateroom # & he was slipping with his walker on the balcony from what was out there. The housekeeping manager stated that he filed a complaint & no more pressure washing but we had it for 2 weeks! Neighbor next to him had tiki lights on his balcony & they were blown off by the washer. FV to the right of us had clothing on chairs & that was soaked & the lady very very upset.
[COLOR=Red]If I am understanding your title and first sentence, you think 9162 is the handicapped cabin. It isn't, but what does that have to do with anything? [/COLOR]

Summit has no idea what Concierge Class was, other than door signs. No express anything! 5.5 hours at LAX for a bus, 1.5 hours in line at terminal to pass thru security & the 1 hour in Express Pass CC line. The 6 of us from CLE asked a blue suited woman at San Pedro & were told to get in line..... luggage didn't show til dinner time since it was front of 9th floor not back where stateroom was. [COLOR=Red]What happens on shore has very little, if anything to do with the ship's staff. Those people service any and all ships. So if the Connie (which we also love) goes into San Pedro, there is just as much chance for bad service as Summit. Would you then tell everyone to avoid it, too?[/COLOR]

Then the gangway sliding all over the sidewalk as the ship rocks. No boss checking why it isn't locked to 3 wooden stairs? As we were asked by their Security Officer who wrote the accident report. And why wastecans on both sides of gangway entrance instead of at the end. Folks walking on it were falling. 2 of us lost shoes to the gangway & I had 3 cracked toes with torn ligaments that to this day I predict weather very well. No crutches or wheelchair for me to use, as I was told since there were too many handicapped that needed them. [COLOR=Red]I've seen quite a bit about this on many threads and you have my sympathy, but it[/COLOR] [COLOR=Red]has nothing to do with my post.[/COLOR]

So yes, it was similar to Carnival more than Celebrity! We cancelled ALaska member cruise on Summit, not the same stateroom either....... [COLOR=Red]I've never been on Carnival, but the "Carnival" reputation is more about parties than bad service. If you were to tell this story on the Carnival board with the same condescending statements, I think you would learn a brand new definition of "flamed".[/COLOR]

Also RCCL has given us GOLD, PLATINUM & now DIAMOND luggage tags to put our names & address on for our 5 pieces of luggage for 2 week cruises. Celebrity, none but you can buy them for $15 and we are ELITE! [COLOR=Red]Once again, nothing to do with my post, but since you brought it up, I will respond. I think it's great that the Captain's Club is treating you so well. We earned our Diamond the old fashioned way (we sailed enough on RCL to qualify). And we also earned our Elite the same way. Should I be jealous that you have pins and tags that we never got? I could be, but it isn't worth the effort.[/COLOR]
[/quote]

You evidently took offense at my post and I am at a loss as to why. I did not say that you didn't have the problem with debris being washed onto your balcony. I did wonder if it was only on the CC cabins and not the 4 FV balconies (OK, now I know one was affected). And I haven't seen any other mention on Cruise Critic about it.

If there have been any threads and/or posts that anybody else experienced this, please point me to them. If it is an ongoing practice, I would join the chorus calling for an immediate end.

And I have to laugh at your response to gkm. All she did was answer a question based on your posts. I, too, recall several times in the not too distant past that you have talked about how much you look forward to RCL and thought the same thing. Given your cruise experience, I, for one, would enjoy a review from you comparing RCL to Celebrity. So please tell us how your cruise with RCL went. I like them both as each has certain things that are a little better than the other.

[cruising with marti]

[B]Come on Macop, you have been hallucinating again, haven't you?:D [/B]


[B]phil[/B]

[bob278]

[quote name='MACOP']Karynanne is confused as I never stated I'd never sail Celebrity, but I did state SUMMIT. Major difference in getting the words correct if you want to attack me do it correctly. Connie is far superior to Summit with Infinity in 2nd place. Both were tops in service, Concierge Class with a flare, and no unhealthy conditions.

[B] As far as intelligence attack, look in the mirror.[/B].........be a happy camper as you want me to be.[/quote]

So I guess your comment to gkm about "Try repecting people" [FONT=Garamond][SIZE=2]<sic>[/SIZE][/FONT] doesn't apply to you?

[tuggers]

MACOP,

For goodness sake, try to keep up! The comments you are griping about were posted DAYS ago!

As far as knocking gkm's comments and talking about her posts about others, she is one of the nicest people on here and NEVER talks bad or FLAMES anyone. You, on the other hand, make snide remarks all the time and try to put people down. Both as MACOP and under your last name, The Awesome One. Look what you just said to Karyanne!

So if you want to take someone on on this board, come after me. I have no qualms about being snide right back!

BTW, isn't is strange that no one else seems to have the problems you have? Maybe they see you coming? JMO.

[Andy]

[quote name='tuggers']
As far as knocking gkm's comments and talking about her posts about others, she is one of the nicest people on here and NEVER talks bad or FLAMES anyone. [/QUOTE]

Hi Gail !

I agree with your comments about Gkm. Well said !

[Karynanne]

[quote name='tuggers']MACOP,

For goodness sake, try to keep up! The comments you are griping about were posted DAYS ago!

As far as knocking gkm's comments and talking about her posts about others, she is one of the nicest people on here and NEVER talks bad or FLAMES anyone. You, on the other hand, make snide remarks all the time and try to put people down. Both as MACOP and under your last name, The Awesome One. Look what you just said to Karyanne!

So if you want to take someone on on this board, come after me. I have no qualms about being snide right back!

BTW, isn't is strange that no one else seems to have the problems you have? Maybe they see you coming? JMO.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Gail for the response to MACOP...but I fear it is going on deaf ears...

Karyn

[cruising with marti]

Not only is Garry one of the nicest people on these boards, she is just a great human being.

and Gail, you will have to stand in line behind me to take her on:D although Garry is more than capable of taking care of herself (I sure would not want her mad at me);)

Phil

[Ma Bell]

Never mind.

[gkm]

Thank you friends. I'm blushing.:)

Garry

[nu2sea]

So Garry, as one who [B]has [/B]traveled on both lines, have you a favorite?

And, are the fares that different?

Susan

[gkm]

Susan, I like both lines, each for different reasons. Dinners are better on Celebrity, but RCI has better a better buffet for breakfast and lunch. Also the way their buffet is laid out is much better. The RCI ships are prettier, I like the layout of their cabins better and they have more activities with more variety. It's the little touches on Celebrity that are missing on RCI, plus no breadsticks.:eek: There's no champagne and water carafes, no escort to the cabin, no cool towels after a hot day of excursions. There are no concierge cabins but RCI has the concierge lounge which is nice if you have sailed enough to qualify to use it. Our wait staff and cabin stewards have been excellent on both cruise lines.

I'm happy on either ship. We look at the itinerary and our schedules and whichever ship is sailing, you'll find us on it. I also think RCI has better pricing.

Garry

[Captain Who?]

[quote name='KevBew']I just returned from my first RCCL cruise and I can't begin to describe how much I can't wait to get back to X!

I have been on 5 X cruises prior to last weeks cruise on Jewel of the Seas. I have felt that X has been slipping over the years as a result of RCCL folding X under it's operations. I thought I would find a similar product, boy was I wrong.

The boarding process was about the same as X but with just a slight tinge of chaos. Once aboard the ship you were on your own. No one to escort you to your room and no champagne. The fire doors were closed to keep you out of the stateroom areas until after 1:00. Kind of strange but I guess I understand.

The public lounges, dining rooms, casino and other public spaces were adequate and relatively comfortable. Shops, spa, theatre and bars were equal to X. Upon first glance you almost could convince yourself you were on a ship that could have been X.

After settling in the differences were evident. I could only book an inside because I made the decision to go very last minute. I have had insides on 2 of the M class ships so I was shocked at how small the inside cabins on JOS were. There was barely enough room to walk along the sides of the bed. The closets were way too small and the bathroom was just slightly more spacious than a phone booth. The one nice thing was the shower that had doors instead of the dreaded sticky shower curtain on X.

Other members of our group had outside balcony cabins and they were also VERY small in comparison to X. The balconies were slightly larger than X balconies but I would have preferred more cabin space .

The biggest difference was the food. Although the food on X has been slipping lately it is still miles ahead of RCCL. Breakfast was bland, tasteless mass produced fodder. The eggs were so tasteless I couldn't help but wonder if they were powdered. The bacon was undercooked and swimming in grease. I ended up eating cold cereal for 4 days to avoid the hot food.

Lunches were nearly identical every day of the cruise. We ate off the ship whenever possible becuase we needed some variety.

Dinner, well, it followed the same path. The choices were very plain and tasteless. The beef dishes were very limited and small in comparison to X. You could ask for more but it usually took 20 minutes for it to arrive. Many remarked how good the food in Chops and Portofino was compared to the main dining room. However, that was a $20.00 charge and that could add up if all you wanted was a good meal. It was clear to all that they (RCCL) have found a way to force you to pay more for food by keeping the quality of food higher in the speciality venues.

The other passengers ranged from 20's to 70's. There weren't too many kids on the cruise but the time of year probably had something to do with that. There was one woman who had her dog with her on the cruise. It was one of those small yappy dogs. Something I have never seen on X. It was a much rowdier crowd. Dress codes were never enforced as witnessed by shorts and jeans in the dining room on FORMAL night!

The stateroom attendants were a far cry from what you receive on X. No carafe of water, just a small bucket of ice. I had to ask for additional bars of soap and resorted to retrieving ice on my own.

I may get flamed for what may be small details but that's what sets X apart from the other mass-market lines. We heard rumor that RCCL will eventually eliminate X. That would be a huge mistake. Without X, I for one would pay more to get a better product elsewhere. I will never book another RCCL cruise. Just my observations.[/quote]


I could not agree more with this assessment. I would never go back on a RCCL ship. if I were to write a review on our cruise aboard RCCL it would be pretty much word for word.

[rubrrick]

It is interesting how there are so many viewpoints of the differences between RCCL and X. My DW and I cruise both, and we have just as much fun on either. I have had good food and bad food on both. There is truly a different taste, according to who might be the executive chef for the cruise.
Yes, it's great to have butler service from time to time. We enjoy hosting one or two lunches in our cabin, as well as a few dinners. We can do the same on RCCL, but they take a staff member from somewhere else to take care of our needs. We have never been turned down for asking if we can do a dinner for 4 in our cabin on RCCL.
We look forward to our upcoming trip on the Mercury. She is a great ship and this will be our 4th time sailing on her. We have a first sailing on the Jewel of the Seas in April, for a transatlantic crossing as well as the Baltic cruise. It will be interesting to see if I feel the same way as a couple of other posters here.

Rick