navybankerteacher Posted September 17, 2021 #26 Share Posted September 17, 2021 7 hours ago, navybankerteacher said: … It is absurd to insist that a la carte pricing automatically downgrades a line. It is also silly to compare AI’s inclusions and pricing with that of a cruise line. I repeat — and hope that the repetitive advocate of Oceania will simply (and quietly) enjoy the quality that line provides - and that his repetitive adversary will simply give it a rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted September 17, 2021 #27 Share Posted September 17, 2021 1 hour ago, ldubs said: I think the vast majority of hard working, well mannered, accomplished folk are not obsessed with high social status and would avoid snobs like the plague. I've also observed (and been cornered) by a few. But only a few, thankfully. My experience is that there are far more people who fear snobs than there are practicing snobs. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clo Posted September 17, 2021 #28 Share Posted September 17, 2021 7 hours ago, sanger727 said: thats your opinion. Not being constantly charged fees at every corner is a a cornerstone of ‘luxury’ for me. One of the best ‘luxury’ vacations I’ve taken was at a couples resort. I wouldn’t consider them ultra premium, but certainly premium in the AI world. All the restaurants and drinks were inclusive. They set up the minibar daily for free and customized to your preferences (even if you don’t drink there’s a variety of juices, sodas, snacks, etc). Several excursions were included. No gratuities and they were very vocal that the staff were paid and forbidden from accepting gratuities. For me that stands out much higher than at the advertised rate I get just the room; at a higher rate I can have shore excursions OR drinks OR gratuities. how I look at it is that I’m paying money for an elevated experience. Not that X% of the price is for drinks I’m not drinking or shore excursions I’m not taking. I'm curious. When you go on a cruise or to an AI resort, do you head off on your own to hang with the locals? Do you go back to the ship every day for lunch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clo Posted September 17, 2021 #29 Share Posted September 17, 2021 43 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said: My experience is that there are far more people who fear snobs than there are practicing snobs. Perhaps the "practicing snobs" are just far more obvious than those who fear 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldubs Posted September 17, 2021 #30 Share Posted September 17, 2021 12 hours ago, navybankerteacher said: My experience is that there are far more people who fear snobs than there are practicing snobs. I would not use the word "fear" in that way, but yes, fortunately. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zekekelso Posted September 17, 2021 #31 Share Posted September 17, 2021 For something very different from the suggestions you’ve already got - Virgin. They had some growing pain when they first launched, but are now getting some great reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted September 17, 2021 #32 Share Posted September 17, 2021 16 hours ago, clo said: I'm curious. When you go on a cruise or to an AI resort, do you head off on your own to hang with the locals? Do you go back to the ship every day for lunch? when we do s cruise we do independent tours or DIY. We don’t return to the ship for lunch. when we go to an AI we usually do 1-2 excursions. I wouldn’t say we ever go ‘hang with the locals’. I’m not really a hanging out with strangers person. I don’t ‘hang out’ with strangers on the ship either. We enjoy going off the beaten path and eating in local restaurants and shopping in local shops. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted September 17, 2021 #33 Share Posted September 17, 2021 5 hours ago, ldubs said: I would not use the word "fear" in that way, but yes, fortunately. Neither would I use the word "fear" in such a context. In my own way, I have learned how to deal with those who feel that they are "a bit better than me". 1 hour ago, sanger727 said: I don’t ‘hang out’ with strangers on the ship either Well, I guess I do. One of my greatest pleasures during a cruise is attending HH at a popular ship's watering hole. When there are those who frequently are in attendance, "strangers" become "friends"! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruzaholic41 Posted September 17, 2021 #34 Share Posted September 17, 2021 On 9/15/2021 at 2:32 PM, Mike981 said: Would you please look at the items listed below and let me know what you think? We have cruise Carnival with our kids, Princess and Celebrity with friends and a couple of Celebrity trips with just the two of us. At the moment Celebrity is our first choice, but we are looking at something different, smaller and...not so salesy. We are mid 50's Not fond of the big production shows Like smaller more intimate acts Casual atmosphere and attire, friendly folks Very good food (since food is subjective it doesn't have to be labled great or outstanding) Very good service We want to try a non mass market line, something smaller Do not want snobby Some option of nightlife We are drinkers and use/need WiFi Most likely cruise in the winter to the Caribbean, possibly the Mediterranean Preferred length of cruise 8-11 days (if we did Mediterranean it would need to be a 7-8 days for pre and post hotels) Cost less than $500 per day pp Would be flying out of Minneapolis Thank you in advance for your help, I hope I gave enough information to get things started. I know what you’re going through. Same was for me several years ago. Since then, I’ve cruised numerous premium and luxury lines and without hesitation my first recommendation is Viking Ocean. They are by far my favorite. I also like Azamara but I don’t know what has changed since their sale. I used to love Oceania but after 2 awful experiences that coincidentally occurred after NCL bought them, I have sworn them off for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted September 17, 2021 #35 Share Posted September 17, 2021 27 minutes ago, rkacruiser said: Neither would I use the word "fear" in such a context. In my own way, I have learned how to deal with those who feel that they are "a bit better than me". Well, I guess I do. One of my greatest pleasures during a cruise is attending HH at a popular ship's watering hole. When there are those who frequently are in attendance, "strangers" become "friends"! I’m an introvert. I enjoy going new places and doing new things. But I don’t enjoy meeting new people. Perfectly content to explore new places and things with the person I traveled with. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SbbquilterUT Posted September 17, 2021 #36 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Lived our Viking experience - no kids or casino or photographer or art sale. Decor with lots of light and neutrals - the view outside is wonderful. Excellent food. Included tours with excellent local guides (as expected in life some are not that great). Evening shows are less spectacular than many lines but that it not important to us. Having said that I do not see as much value in a luxury line for Caribbean cruising but love it in other parts of the world. And a totally different experience which we really love - a European river cruise. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clo Posted September 17, 2021 #37 Share Posted September 17, 2021 57 minutes ago, Cruzaholic41 said: I used to love Oceania but after 2 awful experiences that coincidentally occurred after NCL bought them, I have sworn them off for a while. Could you elaborate a smidge please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aungrl Posted September 17, 2021 #38 Share Posted September 17, 2021 2 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said: I know what you’re going through. Same was for me several years ago. Since then, I’ve cruised numerous premium and luxury lines and without hesitation my first recommendation is Viking Ocean. They are by far my favorite. I also like Azamara but I don’t know what has changed since their sale. I used to love Oceania but after 2 awful experiences that coincidentally occurred after NCL bought them, I have sworn them off for a while. Unfortunately, this was our experience exactly with Oceania - our go-to line prior to the sale, and then two really bad experiences post-sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike981 Posted September 17, 2021 Author #39 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Again I want to thank all of you so much for helping, very generous of you to take the time. Boy there is a lot to learn on the different lines and it is more than a tad intimidating, so your insight is invaluable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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