Starting to think booking on Equinox was a mistake

[Nymich]

9 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I am sad to hear that Pinnacle is not what it used to be.  It used to be better than Muranos in my opinion. Their coffee was to die for.

Pinnacle is still good imo but Murano last August on Equinox was amazingly awesome!  BTW the coffee is still great in Pinnacle!🙂

[Travrat]

3 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I am sad to hear that Pinnacle is not what it used to be.  It used to be better than Muranos in my opinion. Their coffee was to die for.

We went on the Koningsdam for Christmas week 2017. We liked so much that we rebooked the exact same cruise for Christmas week 2018 and brought friends. 

What a difference from one year to the next! Understaffed, poor quality food and terrible service as in 45 minute wait for pizza at lunch time and tough poorly cooked steaks at Pinnacle Grille. Liked their music concept but everything else was downhill! Seems to be the trend of all these Cruise lines. Guess we cruisers from yesteryear need to forget what good cruising was all about and accept that we won't experience those days ever again-So Sad

[NMTraveller]

1 minute ago, Nymich said:

Pinnacle is still good imo but Murano last August on Equinox was amazingly awesome!  BTW the coffee is still great in Pinnacle!🙂

We will try Pinnacle in May again.

[Nymich]

2 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

We will try Pinnacle in May again.

Yep we are on HAL next March and will definitely hit PG again!

[Nymich]

10 minutes ago, Travrat said:

We went on the Koningsdam for Christmas week 2017. We liked so much that we rebooked the exact same cruise for Christmas week 2018 and brought friends. 

What a difference from one year to the next! Understaffed, poor quality food and terrible service as in 45 minute wait for pizza at lunch time and tough poorly cooked steaks at Pinnacle Grille. Liked their music concept but everything else was downhill! Seems to be the trend of all these Cruise lines. Guess we cruisers from yesteryear need to forget what good cruising was all about and accept that we won't experience those days ever again-So Sad

We were on that Kdam cruise also in 2017 that went over New Years also! ops it was 2016

Edited October 20, 2019 by Nymich

[NMTraveller]

10 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Hi.  We are on a Solstice Holiday New Zealand sailing this December and the pricing is the same as you described $70 per night for Murano and Tuscan Grille (no special menu) and $119 for Christmas Eve and NYE (special menu).  However the initial pricing started about $5-10 lower a year ago. 

That is the cruise we did 2 years ago on Solstice during Christmas.  Awesome itinerary.  Have fun.

[british lady]

6 hours ago, Travrat said:

Did not have that option on my cruise as far as I can tell- the 3 dinner discount option. If someone is on this Equinox sailing Dec 21 please advise me if there is this option available

Sorry No Specialty Packages on this cruise.

We will be sailing with you and have bittern the bullet and booked Our Specialty Dinning for the Family (5 in total) at $70 ea for Murano for 2 nights and the Little Chief Dinner yep I am 8 +50 years.

Suites are still available so you could dine it the suite restaurant.

 

[NMTraveller]

7 minutes ago, british lady said:

Sorry No Specialty Packages on this cruise.

We will be sailing with you and have bittern the bullet and booked Our Specialty Dinning for the Family (5 in total) at $70 ea for Murano for 2 nights and the Little Chief Dinner yep I am 8 +50 years.

Suites are still available so you could dine it the suite restaurant.

 

Wow.  Things have changed on X.  Good to know.

 

Kind of glad I am on Princess next Christmas.

Edited October 20, 2019 by NMTraveller

[Travrat]

11 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

That is the cruise we did 2 years ago on Solstice during Christmas.  Awesome itinerary.  Have fun.

 

11 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

That is the cruise we did 2 years ago on Solstice during Christmas.  Awesome itinerary.  Have fun.

Thanks for backing up my story British Lady- are u not upset that Celebrity raised the specialty restaurant price and took away the dining package??

Well good for U to have bitten the bullet- I think that we already did that by paying  the huge excess amount for this cruise to sail Christmas week

[british lady]

Only time We can Cruise together as a Family, Work, Collage and Military.

Looking forward see you onboard. 

[NMTraveller]

All Christmas itineraries do not have to be pricey.  Three years ago we booked HAL Westerdam for 600 pp.  This was after the 90 day cancellation.  A bargain yet an amazing vacation.  Humpback whales galore.  

[Travrat]

15 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

All Christmas itineraries do not have to be pricey.  Three years ago we booked HAL Westerdam for 600 pp.  This was after the 90 day cancellation.  A bargain yet an amazing vacation.  Humpback whales galore.  

I have done some great deals on HAL in the past for Christmas cruises also but we did last year and year before on Koningsdam and are HALed out! Also we experienced a huge deterioration of food and service on same ship from one year to next. If this is the future of cruising count me out!! Rather do a land trip

 

 

[alwaysonaship]

9 hours ago, Travrat said:

I am currently booked on the Dec 21 sailing on the Equinox. This will be my 4th Celebrity cruise but I have not sailed with them in at least 4 years. We cruise often but recently have sailed on HAL, Oceania and Crystal. Reading all the reviews and changes that are taking place makes me think that Celebrity is underhanded and nickel and diming it's guests. We decided not to do Aqua Class this trip as we prefer to get a cabin with a larger balcony and dine in the specialty restaurants for the same price as Aqua class. The Celebrity website gives very little info on Specialty restaurants on Equinox including not mentioning the cost of them. I tried to find prices on the web and it seemed that there was a $35-$50 up charge for Tuscan Grill and Murano. In fact until I was booked I could not see the price and nearly flipped out to see that it would be 

$119/pp to dine on Christmas Eve and 

$70/pp to dine on any other night during this cruise. I am sorry but there is no way that Murano or Tuscan Grill is worth that up charge! That's $1080 extra for the week. For that price I could have stayed in a suite or sailed on Oceania where the food is far superior to anything I have ever had on a Celebrity ship! Then there is the Classic Beverage Package "perk" which only allows you to have $9 drinks of which there are very few choices. Now I am reading that you can't have a martini at the Martini Bar if you have that package even though my vodka of choice is Tito's which is included in that package. This is pure absurdity and total discrimination! I read about upcharging $1 for Bailey's in a drink- talk about nickel and diming!!! Then they advertise about the "Revolutionizing" of the Equinox and I read that this was in fact not completed. This is all very upsetting to learn about and quite frankly falls into the category of non- disclosure and false advertising. Also, I was very disappointed to see they turned Qsine into a restaurant that may appeal to an 8 year old child but hardly to someone who is looking for an upscale dining venue that Celebrity used to be known for. I am trying to be positive about my upcoming cruise but all of these things have certainly dampened my enthusiasm

I think it’s time to move to a different cruise line. We just came back from two weeks on Seabourn which is all inclusive except for WiFi, and are leaving on Crystal in January. I do not like the nickel and dime routine. Just take your money where you business is appreciated . Our Crystal balcony cabin, was $5300 pp for 15 nights. No extra charges, plus a nice OBC and a rebate after the trip. There is a wonderful life after Celebrity. 

[NMTraveller]

5 minutes ago, Travrat said:

I have done some great deals on HAL in the past for Christmas cruises also but we did last year and year before on Koningsdam and are HALed out! Also we experienced a huge deterioration of food and service on same ship from one year to next. If this is the future of cruising count me out!! Rather do a land trip

 

 

Land trips do have their place.  Our Edge Cruise was rerouted on half of the ports.

[NMTraveller]

7 minutes ago, alwaysonaship said:

I think it’s time to move to a different cruise line. We just came back from two weeks on Seabourn which is all inclusive except for WiFi, and are leaving on Crystal in January. I do not like the nickel and dime routine. Just take your money where you business is appreciated . Our Crystal balcony cabin, was $5300 pp for 15 nights. No extra charges, plus a nice OBC and a rebate after the trip. There is a wonderful life after Celebrity. 

Thanks for posting.

[Travrat]

13 minutes ago, alwaysonaship said:

I think it’s time to move to a different cruise line. We just came back from two weeks on Seabourn which is all inclusive except for WiFi, and are leaving on Crystal in January. I do not like the nickel and dime routine. Just take your money where you business is appreciated . Our Crystal balcony cabin, was $5300 pp for 15 nights. No extra charges, plus a nice OBC and a rebate after the trip. There is a wonderful life after Celebrity. 

I never was enticed by Seabourn but have sailed Crystal twice. Also sailed Oceania 4x. Have not sailed Celebrity for 4 years and have no loyalty to any line! Don't like wasting my money in luxury brands to sail Christmas time in Caribbean which I do every year. Last 2 years did HAL  Koningsdam, Oceania Riviera year before that. Just think I made a mistake since Celebrity is not the more upscale line that it used to be

Edited October 21, 2019 by Travrat

[alwaysonaship]

1 minute ago, NMTraveller said:

Thanks for posting.

On Crystal as well as Seabourn the speciality restaurants are included. I had a nice OBC from the cruise line and our TA, so headed to the jewelry shop , bought a gorgeous 18K bracelet by Roberto Coin, I still had money left over. The cabins are all about 300sq Ft, plus balcony, wine or whatever alcohol you want in the room. People are very nice, and we had a great time.

[alwaysonaship]

9 hours ago, Travrat said:

 

 

2 minutes ago, Travrat said:

I never was enticed by Seabourn but have sailed Crystal twice. Also sailed Oceania 4x. Have not sailed Celebrity for 4 years and have no loyalty to any line! Don't like wasting my money in luxury brands to sail Christmas time in Caribbean which I do every year. Last 2 years did HAL  Koningsdam, Oceania Riviera year before that. Just think I made a mistake since Cekebrity is not the more upscale line that it used to be

 

‘We have done Seabourn three times, and this was our best trip yet. I like Crystal especially since they are all inclusive. We have done Oceania a couple of times, and it was fine,  . Granted the luxury lines are not cheap and are usually sold out, the value for the money is there. 

 

‘’We gave up on Celebrity, and have only missed what it used to be. 

[hiccups]

4 hours ago, Travrat said:

Difficult to do this now as supply and demand changed the price from when I booked. I did get all 4 perks as gratuities were included from travel agent and chose three. Can't remember but I think they only offer Classic Beverage package as a perk. Looks like if you got the package as a perk you can't upgrade to premium for $12/ day

as people say they have and if you book or modify after 10/10 they charge $14+tax

 

According to the link posted in the thread first announcing the change in the pricing for the beverage package perk, if your booking was made prior to 10/10, you can still upgrade your classic package for $12/day.   Many people booked their upgrade early because they didn't want to chance it.  We are on Summit in November, and in our cruise planner the upgrade is still showing at $12/day.

[LidoBoy]

I'm with @Travrat on this one.  We are booked on the Equinox NYE cruise and the Specialty Dining in the Cruise Planner is a mess to say the least.  Shortly after booking I noticed the only specialty dinner package was 2 dinners plus a lunch.  I have no interest in Morano or Tuscan Grill for lunch.  Then suddenly that package vanished and was replaced with the Holiday and Premium NYE extravaganza.  According to the Cruise Planner all nights other than NYE have a "Holiday Menu" for $70.00pp.   Another difference is the sample "Holiday Menu" shows only two choices per course.  I attached the menu below.  

 

The NYE dinner in both restaurants is $119.00 and the sample menu is nothing special.

 

I agree it is unfair to not reveal the offerings until after you book, but that is true for all sailings.  The Cruise Planner is not available till after you book and sometimes prices or discounts are different from ship to ship and sailing to sailing.

 

I enjoy Morano's normal menu and will miss it on this cruise.  C'est la vie.  

 

We have been on only two Celebrity cruises and enjoyed them both.  This is our first holiday cruise on any line and expected it to be a premium.  But this specialty restaurant mess is a strange twist.

 

Keep your expectations low and you will not be disappointed 🙂

 

Enjoy the cruise.

 

Tom

Murano_HolidayMenu_8.28.19.pdf

[Travrat]

6 minutes ago, LidoBoy said:

I'm with @Travrat on this one.  We are booked on the Equinox NYE cruise and the Specialty Dining in the Cruise Planner is a mess to say the least.  Shortly after booking I noticed the only specialty dinner package was 2 dinners plus a lunch.  I have no interest in Morano or Tuscan Grill for lunch.  Then suddenly that package vanished and was replaced with the Holiday and Premium NYE extravaganza.  According to the Cruise Planner all nights other than NYE have a "Holiday Menu" for $70.00pp.   Another difference is the sample "Holiday Menu" shows only two choices per course.  I attached the menu below.  

 

The NYE dinner in both restaurants is $119.00 and the sample menu is nothing special.

 

I agree it is unfair to not reveal the offerings until after you book, but that is true for all sailings.  The Cruise Planner is not available till after you book and sometimes prices or discounts are different from ship to ship and sailing to sailing.

 

I enjoy Morano's normal menu and will miss it on this cruise.  C'est la vie.  

 

We have been on only two Celebrity cruises and enjoyed them both.  This is our first holiday cruise on any line and expected it to be a premium.  But this specialty restaurant mess is a strange twist.

 

Keep your expectations low and you will not be disappointed 🙂

 

Enjoy the cruise.

 

Tom

Murano_HolidayMenu_8.28.19.pdf 101.73 kB · 1 download

Glad to see someone agree that this is wrong to do to guests! I am going to call Celebrity tomorrow to see if this is an error or that they actually are charging that ridiculous amount for every night of our holiday cruise. Will update tomorrow

[calicakes]

• In regards to specialty dining. I’ve had one meal in murano, years ago. It was better than any meal I had in Blu on my recent equinox cruise.

[calicakes]

6 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

Whoa. Thanks for the heads up about Christmas specialty dining charges. Planning to cruise over Christmas and NYE in 2020 so will check on that as soon as they show up in the Cruise Planner. 

I was thinking the exact same thing. 

[NMTraveller]

2 minutes ago, calicakes said:

• In regards to specialty dining. I’ve had one meal in murano, years ago. It was better than any meal I had in Blu on my recent equinox cruise.

I always loved how they would cook lobster table side.

[calicakes]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I always loved how they would cook lobster table side.

I had that. It was awesome. It was our first cruise in 2013. Do you think the food quality has declined since then?