Jim_Iain - First Non-Celebrity Cruise in 22 year - Ponant vs Celebrity Comparison

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, chemmo said:

Oh, I love your live posts!

 

Almost like being there. It will be interesting to read the ‘facts’ of the small ship experience and to get a flavour for the ‘feel’. Over the years I think it has been the ambiance of Celebrity that has kept many of us loyal…

 

How many of us will you tempt to try a dalliance with another?

Always fun to see you jump in.   Your wittiness always put a smile on my face.

 

[duck65]

Jim and Iain,

 

Hope you have a great trip on the lakes. Growing up in this area ( now live 25 miles south of MKE), remember one thing, always look down where you're walking on Mac. Island, not just left or right. Hope the ship will go thru the locks for you to be able to say sailed all five Great Lakes. Happy sailing.

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

Discovered that we have our old Princess #s from our long ago QM2 cruise...looking at Cunard..same company.

 

When we cruised on Oasis just to try it out  for 7 days..we ended up looking forward to getting off the ship.  It just was not a good fit  for us ... too big,  too crowded, too loud,  poor food,  nothing outstanding. Hope you have a  better experience on your  Royal C cruise!

 

Jim:   looks like the gang's all here waiting for your review!  looking forwad to a something new around here!

 

Thanks -   My feeling is that this will be an adventure and 100% know it will be totally different than Celebrity.       I can't wait to share some pictures of their food offerings.  Just the Menus and Photos I've seen are very impressive.  

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, gordylad said:

sorry to hear you are not on the 1st leg of the Edge Rome to Dubai would have been good to meet you and the Ayrshire man...

 

That would be fun.    It's incredible how many Scots Iain meets while cruising.   While Iain has lost his accent after 50 years he can still tell me what part of Scotland most are by their accent.  

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Have a wonderful time. We are top tier with the major lines and never felt married to anyone of them nor airlines nor hotels.  Except of course Hawaiian airlines lol. But as you say one should not feel married to them and it certainly is a two way street. That said I look forward to following your reports and food pictures of course. Have a wonderful time!

 

We have been so happy with Celebrity until about a year ago that we never saw a need to cruise another line.   Life changes and we are excited about our first Blind Date.    She's petite, streamlined, cultured and classy.   

[chemmo]

9 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Always fun to see you jump in.   Your wittiness always put a smile on my face.

 

As a new phase in my life begins I am more alert to looking at future cruising opportunities…I am sure you are going to be overwhelmed with questions…

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, kwokpot said:

We had a cruise on Crystal booked as a casino comp which would have taken us to India and Sri Lanka but was cancelled due to the pandemic. The resurrected Crystal no longer has casinos. 

 

I didn't know that.   Not really a downside for us as I rarely gamble.  I finally hit Pearl level about a year ago.     I did a bit of gambling last cruise while draining some of our OBC off.     I hit a jackpot and won a couple thousand -   To this day I have no idea how this slot machine with Lions, Rhino's and Elephant works but the thing just went into auto mode and started spinning and money piling up.   I just chuckled. 

[chemmo]

3 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 She's petite, streamlined, cultured and classy.   

A bit like me 40 years ago…I am still petite but not sure I can vouch for the rest!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

43 minutes ago, marieps said:

Jim, as you know, your post on the Ponant board about its status match policy saved me $3,550 on my upcoming Antarctic voyage in February.  =X= cruisers take note that Ponant matches Elite + with its Admiral tier, which offers a nice discount, free laundry and $100 OBC.  

 

Jim, May I please have the name of the Buenos Aires restaurant?

 

Thanks again for all you do.

 

Jim, with your usual meticulous research, can you enlighten us as to the status match deal on Ponant?  When I status matched with MSC, I discovered if one didn't cruise within three years, your status would expire.  Are there any gotchas like that?

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, groryjm said:

Hi Jim

I'm keenly looking forward to your comparison. We too have considered a change of scene due to the price hikes and apparent drop in quality. I also like Iain apparently snore so we too like the sound barrier of a door in CSs and above

The creeping prices have promoted us to consider trying elsewhere but as we are only 5 or 6 cruises shy of Z we hope to get that first😎

Looking forward to another excellent and informative live  

 

Thanks -   the only thing I found that help with a snoring spouse is Bose Sleep Buds.   I love mine.    They recently discontinued the product but Sold off the technology to two employees who are bringing it back with an improved version.   They are in Pre-Order at this time.

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, bnurick said:

Very much looking forward to following along. We are doing the same thing now. Have 6 X cruises and 2 DCL. Happy sailing.

Thanks -  Fell free to jump in at anytime.   There are some really great people here how really help answer questions and correct me when I'm wrong.

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Actually there is little class structure on the QM2.    It is not “in your face” as it is on Celebrity.   You will not board on red carpet or be escorted to special seats in the Theater.     There is one lounge for Grill passengers with a concierge, tea and pastries.    It’s in the middle of the ship on a passenger deck, no windows and nothing fancy.    There is also a bar for Grill passengers with a pianist.    It’s not restricted as we have had many friends join us for cocktails.   The Grill Restaurants are the only really restricted areas.    No outside area to speak of on the QM2.    We really enjoy the themed crossings and last December we were on a Literature cruise with 27 best selling authors (UK) and the Editor of the New York Times book review and the London Times book review.   The crossings typically have some theme or special artists.   We missed James Taylor and Carly Simons but you can see some of their performances on YouTube.    
 

It is something you need to do at least once, consider it.

 

 

It's on our list.    

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Shiba_Lover said:

Looking forward to reading this report.  Our next trip on X is on the Flora in October, which I know I can't really compare to the others, so won't be a good judge.  I've got 3 more booked after that, but do wish I could really use this next one as a comparison.

Ahhh... .    That is one destination I would love to do but having trouble convincing Iain so far.   I'm guessing the Flora may be of the same size as Le Bellot so there may be some similarities in the Small Explorer type ships.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, CruisinBanka said:

Jim I always enjoy following along on your cruise adventures, as you provide your feedback and experiences with such a positive outlook and attitude. I look forward to your impressions of a new cruise line in comparison to your Celebrity cruise experiences. We too were loyal Celebrity cruisers who are looking around for the first time at different cruise options, due to Celebrity suite pricing and downgrades in food quality and service. Have a GREAT cruise! 

Thanks -   please fee free to ask anything and jump in.    Most of my Live Posts the followers are very upbeat and we put "most" of our complaining behind.      The Celebrity Forum has recently become negative I have slowed down on my reading.

 

I don't mind criticism but so many are just tearing down everything and many have never even experienced then changes or are responding to rumors only. 

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Looking forward to following another great @Jim_Iain live thread. Like many here have already said we are jumping ship with Celebrity and looking and booking with other lines. We only have booked Sky Suites on Celebrity and with all the negative changes and huge price increases this year we have been forced by X to abandon ship. We no longer want to sail the Caribbean and that seems to be the direction of X with more 7 day and less cruises from Florida.  X should be very concerned when a Double Zenith like you and Lain are looking outside of X. We are looking at Oceania (already booked), Seabourne and Regent for our future travels. Your Ponant cruise itinerary is on our bucket list and I will be interested in your cruise, we have been looking at Viking for the Great Lakes as well.

 

Thanks for following Terry -     The Great Lakes seems to be a very popular cruise destination and to be honest I never even looked at it before.    Viking does quite a bit of cruising there.     

 

Our trip to Quebec on Summit last year opened our eyes.    The Quebec/Montreal cruises to Boston are really fantastic.   We are burnt out on the Caribbean.

 

Another destination we did last year that we would repeat are the California Coastal and Mexican Rivera.     Ponant also has some nice itineraries in Mexico -

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, billc23 said:

I will be fun to find out if the changes at Celebrity are endemic of changes in the cruise industry or unique to Celebrity's new Management.

I will try to keep this upbeat and not a Groan and Moan about Celebrity.    I  think there has been way too much of this recently on the Celebrity Board.   

Some of the comparisons are also things like - perks, communication, passenger mix, food, drink, entertainment etc. 

 

How refreshing after all the negative posts! I have always learned from and enjoyed reading about the travels of you and Iain. Thank you for taking the time to do a live thread.

 

Thanks -    I have a feeling that many of the changes on Celebrity may be no different than other lines.  

 

I often thank back on how Airlines have changed from the days of Flying United 747 to Sydney in First Class with dining in  the Sky at real tables with candles in the upstairs lounge.   Chateaubriand and Rack of Lamb carved table-side.      Now they they just toss out a tray wham bam thank you Sir.  

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, acstall said:

The same thing happened to us with Crystal and we canceled before they declared bankruptcy. I had to get a refund through my credit card. However, we did cruise with Crystal once in 2019 on a Mediterranean cruise and it was magical. I didn't think I'd go back to them after the issues a couple of years ago, but I'm feeling good about the new ownership -- and it was a lovely ship.  Crystal has a great price right now on their December sailings in the Caribbean and we are trying it again!  Think about it...

 

Their bankruptcy was very abrupt.   I finally also disputed my payment with my CC and received a full refund.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, acstall said:

We also had only one cruise booked until today, which is so odd as usually we have at least three to look forward to.  Our experience on Beyond and Summit in suites this past spring was fine, but in addition to the changes, I'm tired of the same ports.  This week I moved our very expensive January Equinox cruise in a sky suite to a March cruise in a deluxe veranda on Silhouette.  The port stops include Barbados, which we haven't been to since before Covid. The deluxe veranda with perks is quite a bit less than half the price of the sky suite. I would have booked an aqua suite, but I'm using some of the $1500 price difference between DV and AQ to book a few specialty restaurants.

 

In recent years, we have typically booked sky suites (or Royal on Summit) but one of the best cruises we've had recently was in a veranda last August on Equinox.  The Main Dining Room staff were wonderful and the food was good to very good.  We also just booked a December 7-day on Crystal Serenity.  I'm getting excited again.

 

Jim, I hope you love Ponant and that you have a wonderful cruise.

 

Thanks -  While we are rather burn out on the Caribbean,  I have to say we did the ABC cruise post Covid  and loved the ports they are so different than most of the Caribbean.

 

You will have to let us all know about your Crystal Cruise. 

[CruisinBanka]

10 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks -   please fee free to ask anything and jump in.    Most of my Live Posts the followers are very upbeat and we put "most" of our complaining behind.      The Celebrity Forum has recently become negative I have slowed down on my reading.

 

I don't mind criticism but so many are just tearing down everything and many have never even experienced then changes or are responding to rumors only. 

Totally agree! So much negativity I take it all with a grain of salt and only go by my own experiences. I’ve been on 67 cruises, and although some were better than others, we have always had a great time and l have never had a bad one. The suite price increases and food quality and selection downgrades I have experienced in the last year, unfortunately are real. 

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, marieps said:

Jim, as you know, your post on the Ponant board about its status match policy saved me $3,550 on my upcoming Antarctic voyage in February.  =X= cruisers take note that Ponant matches Elite + with its Admiral tier, which offers a nice discount, free laundry and $100 OBC.  

 

Jim, May I please have the name of the Buenos Aires restaurant?

 

Thanks again for all you do.

 

Thanks for bringing that up.     We didn't save any because we are so close in to our cruise.   We did the Status Match and they gave us Grand Admiral Status.

 

Unfortunately for Ponant Loyal Cruiser they may be diluting their Loyalty Program.   My best buddy from Australia is a bit irritated (he can be a bit competitive).    After 7 cruises he is only Admiral Level.   I have been having fun rubbing it in.   LOL

 

By the way -  Anyone applying for Status Match -   When you apply -  Make sure you state Captain's Club by Celebrity .    I was originally rejected and got an email saying Celebrity was not part of the Status Match Program -   The agent was looking for the name of the club not the name of the cruise line. 

 

I understand the MSC is also doing Status Matching.

[JackE]

Jim, I am looking forward to you taking photos of all of the doors on the Great Lakes! 🤪

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

When Celebrity cancelled the 2025 SA cruises we booked an 18 day cruise on Oceania Marina and saved money. We now go from Santiago to Buenos Aires.

 

Terry -   I remember reading that.    We were excited doing the TA from Barcelona to Buenos Aires as we had two previous cruises on that route cancelled due to covid.  I guess 3 strikes and your out.

[Jim_Iain]

34 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Jim, with your usual meticulous research, can you enlighten us as to the status match deal on Ponant?  When I status matched with MSC, I discovered if one didn't cruise within three years, your status would expire.  Are there any gotchas like that?

 

There's not a lot of information and it is only about a month old-

 

Just make sure you list Captain's Club by Celebrity as oppose to Celebrity.   Their agent's were rejecting almost all initial application on multiple lines by looking Club Name instead of Cruise line.

 

https://us.ponant.com/benefit-from-the-status-match/

 

I started a thread on Ponant's board -  there are some links to a PDF file there

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

8 minutes ago, JackE said:

Jim, I am looking forward to you taking photos of all of the doors on the Great Lakes! 🤪

 

I hope all goes well.    I've been warned that Internet is TERRIBLE  on  all of the Ponant Ships.    I may have to batch my photo intensive post until ashore and use my mobile data.     Yesterday someone advised me that they have never been able to connect to a Zoom Meeting.  

 

 

[terrydtx]

35 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Thanks for following Terry -     The Great Lakes seems to be a very popular cruise destination and to be honest I never even looked at it before.    Viking does quite a bit of cruising there.     

 

Our trip to Quebec on Summit last year opened our eyes.    The Quebec/Montreal cruises to Boston are really fantastic.   We are burnt out on the Caribbean.

 

Another destination we did last year that we would repeat are the California Coastal and Mexican Rivera.     Ponant also has some nice itineraries in Mexico -

We are doing the California Coastal in November on the newer HAL Koingsdam from San Diego. Next August we are doing the Boston to Montreal 11-day cruise on the small (1400pax) HAL Volendam. The California and Mexican coastal cruises are being pulled after this year by Celebrity, leaving that market to HAL and Princess.