Surcharges for drinks in Retreat Lounge

[deliver42]

This idiot president Celebrity has, better stop throwing it against the wall, because she's ruing a great cruise line.

[HMR74]

Grocery and Liquor store flyers delivered today.

 

Crown Royal is $22 for 750 bottle and Woolford Reserve is at $25 a bottle-not a big difference-less than 50 cents a glass for a drink..

 

I did see several wines at just under 100 a bottle, on sale for around 80. . I can obviously see those at an upcharge.

 

 

[High on the Seas]

13 minutes ago, HMR74 said:

Grocery and Liquor store flyers delivered today.

 

Crown Royal is $22 for 750 bottle and Woolford Reserve is at $25 a bottle-not a big difference-less than 50 cents a glass for a drink..

 

I did see several wines at just under 100 a bottle, on sale for around 80. . I can obviously see those at an upcharge.

 

 

Assuming a 1.5 oz pour you would get approx. 17 drinks out of 750 ml bottle. 2 oz pour close to 13.  Nice markup for the cruise line. 

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, High on the Seas said:

Assuming a 1.5 oz pour you would get approx. 17 drinks out of 750 ml bottle. 2 oz pour close to 13.  Nice markup for the cruise line. 

Open a bar, less overhead than a cruise ship. 

[HMR74]

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Open a bar, less overhead than a cruise ship. 

Many moons ago, in college, we used to pre drink before going bar hopping. Sved big bucks. Then milked a cheap beer.

 

[Moby Jones]

20 hours ago, deliver42 said:

This idiot president Celebrity has, better stop throwing it against the wall, because she's ruing a great cruise line.

The problem with Celebrity is that the last two presidents are ex RCL execs. They have a completely different vision for the line than the original Chandris outfit. Lutof-Perlo might have done a good job promoting females within the industry but her interpretation of 'modern luxury' left a lot to be desired. Particularly to those who can remember what Celebrity was like once upon a time when there was no nickel and diming etc.  

Their focus now is profitability and not customer experience. It would be naive to expect anything changing in the future. 

Still, it's not all bad. There are many cruise lines for us all to choose from. 

[PTC DAWG]

11 hours ago, HMR74 said:

Many moons ago, in college, we used to pre drink before going bar hopping. Sved big bucks. Then milked a cheap beer.

 

I resemble that remark.

[High on the Seas]

4 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

The problem with Celebrity is that the last two presidents are ex RCL execs. They have a completely different vision for the line than the original Chandris outfit. Lutof-Perlo might have done a good job promoting females within the industry but her interpretation of 'modern luxury' left a lot to be desired. Particularly to those who can remember what Celebrity was like once upon a time when there was no nickel and diming etc.  

Their focus now is profitability and not customer experience. It would be naive to expect anything changing in the future. 

Still, it's not all bad. There are many cruise lines for us all to choose from. 

Or maybe none at all. After our February cruise we have 2 land vacations scheduled instead of another cruise. Able to get better pricing and visit parts of the world cruising can’t take me too. 

[Moby Jones]

1 minute ago, High on the Seas said:

Or maybe none at all. After our February cruise we have 2 land vacations scheduled instead of another cruise. Able to get better pricing and visit parts of the world cruising can’t take me too. 

Quite possibly. We've always taken cruise and land vacations, sometimes combining the two. 

We've also been fortunate enough to stay in some hotels which put the accommodations and restaurants into perspective aboard Celebrity. And for much cheaper rates too. 

But you're right, cruising does come with a lot of limitations when it comes to travel. Fri4ends want us to join them on a cruise to Japan, a country I want to visit. But with no overnights there I don't think I'd end up up felling like I've really visited the place with just day time stops lasting a few hours. 

[High on the Seas]

1 minute ago, Moby Jones said:

Quite possibly. We've always taken cruise and land vacations, sometimes combining the two. 

We've also been fortunate enough to stay in some hotels which put the accommodations and restaurants into perspective aboard Celebrity. And for much cheaper rates too. 

But you're right, cruising does come with a lot of limitations when it comes to travel. Fri4ends want us to join them on a cruise to Japan, a country I want to visit. But with no overnights there I don't think I'd end up up felling like I've really visited the place with just day time stops lasting a few hours. 

That is a big reason I don’t cruise the Mediterranean. A few hours in ports in Spain, Italy, Greece etc. doesn’t come close to immersing yourself in the countries culture which is important to me. Happy travels. 

[terrydtx]

27 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

The problem with Celebrity is that the last two presidents are ex RCL execs. They have a completely different vision for the line than the original Chandris outfit. Lutof-Perlo might have done a good job promoting females within the industry but her interpretation of 'modern luxury' left a lot to be desired. Particularly to those who can remember what Celebrity was like once upon a time when there was no nickel and diming etc.  

I agree they are doing their best to Royalize Celebrity.

[CruiseRQA]

14 minutes ago, High on the Seas said:

That is a big reason I don’t cruise the Mediterranean. A few hours in ports in Spain, Italy, Greece etc. doesn’t come close to immersing yourself in the countries culture which is important to me. Happy travels. 

I have always looked at a cruise as a vacation not so much as traveling. 

[terrydtx]

20 minutes ago, High on the Seas said:

Or maybe none at all. After our February cruise we have 2 land vacations scheduled instead of another cruise. Able to get better pricing and visit parts of the world cruising can’t take me too. 

After our 2 Retreat cruises next Month on the Edge we have a 10-day driving trip of Australia. We are renting a full-size SUV, staying is 4 star or better hotels and doing several private tours.  Even if we do all fine dining our total cost is going to be about 1/3 of the cost of our 10 day cruise in the Retreat plus shore excursions.  We are looking in the future to doing less cruising days and more destination land trips.  The price of high end cruising per day has just gotten too high for the value received.

[HMR74]

30 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

After our 2 Retreat cruises next Month on the Edge we have a 10-day driving trip of Australia. We are renting a full-size SUV, staying is 4 star or better hotels and doing several private tours.  Even if we do all fine dining our total cost is going to be about 1/3 of the cost of our 10 day cruise in the Retreat plus shore excursions.  We are looking in the future to doing less cruising days and more destination land trips.  The price of high end cruising per day has just gotten too high for the value received.

Last spring we canned b2b2b on Beyond in Retreat, and rather spent 5 weeks in Greece and Italy.

Cost was as you said, ~1/3 of the Retreat, and the enjoyment level was very high. Airbnb's, fantastic, great locations and very nice places. Only one night we were so tired we just picked up sandwiches to have in apartment.

 

Ever other night out, mostly outdoors. breakfasts, lunchs (surprise, with alcohol)  and dinners were memorable, The 3 PM break to sit included alcoholic refreshment, happy hours  with food and drink  at 5-6, and dinner late., with, of course drinks.

 

We had so much fun and were able to immerse ourselves in so much of the culture, that we decided , despite our ages which is average 75, to do another one, 6 weeks this time in 2024, visiting Krakow/Warsaw first, then Madrid then a driving trip thru Spain and Portugal ending in Barcelona.

 

Different than a cruise, and each has pros and cons, Doing a cruise next month on Equinox. We have enjoyed our cruises so far, but our eyes and biases are open to try other things. Imagine a 6 week trip with no restaurants duplicated and decisions made on the fly. Free form.

 

Its still not inexpensive, it 's not very easy, but I  plan it all and know what we are doing and  why, thus no fluff and no time wasted going on a group tour that included places we did not want to see.

 

Then we have the obligatory Disneyworld with the kids /grandkids this winter. Talk about expensive trips.And that wil be no alcohol for adults.

 

Ya have to find a way to laugh thru all of this, andmake sure your priorities are right.

 

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, High on the Seas said:

That is a big reason I don’t cruise the Mediterranean. A few hours in ports in Spain, Italy, Greece etc. doesn’t come close to immersing yourself in the countries culture which is important to me. Happy travels. 

 

 I do not think mainstream cruises were ever intended to allow someone to immerse themselves into a culture.  Rather I see a cruise as a quick way to see someplace to get a feeling of what it is like in order to make a decision on whether one would want to immerse themselves in that specific culture.  

 

 I lived in Japan for a total of 10 years and yet I am really looking forward to our cruise as i am going to get to visit cities I did not get to visit when I lived there.  

 

[81Zoomie]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

After our 2 Retreat cruises next Month on the Edge we have a 10-day driving trip of Australia. We are renting a full-size SUV, staying is 4 star or better hotels and doing several private tours.  Even if we do all fine dining our total cost is going to be about 1/3 of the cost of our 10 day cruise in the Retreat plus shore excursions.  We are looking in the future to doing less cruising days and more destination land trips.  The price of high end cruising per day has just gotten too high for the value received.

@terrydtx, we are eagerly awaiting your NZ/Aug review to see if the Edge team has managed to overcome the issues @Jim_Iain documented.

[High on the Seas]

20 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I do not think mainstream cruises were ever intended to allow someone to immerse themselves into a culture.  Rather I see a cruise as a quick way to see someplace to get a feeling of what it is like in order to make a decision on whether one would want to immerse themselves in that specific culture.  

 

 I lived in Japan for a total of 10 years and yet I am really looking forward to our cruise as i am going to get to visit cities I did not get to visit when I lived there.  

 

To each their own. When I research a trip I determine what is important to me and what I want to see. Going to Rome and the surrounding area would require at least 4-5 days for me. I don’t need a one day trip to tell me that. I get to decide where I go and for how long instead of the other way around. Maybe not for everyone but enjoyable for me. 

[PTC DAWG]

24 minutes ago, High on the Seas said:

To each their own. When I research a trip I determine what is important to me and what I want to see. Going to Rome and the surrounding area would require at least 4-5 days for me. I don’t need a one day trip to tell me that. I get to decide where I go and for how long instead of the other way around. Maybe not for everyone but enjoyable for me. 

Well, this is a cruising forum…

[Moby Jones]

17 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Well, this is a cruising forum…

Which is why discussing the limitations of a cruise is completely relevant to the discussion. 

[billc23]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I do not think mainstream cruises were ever intended to allow someone to immerse themselves into a culture.  Rather I see a cruise as a quick way to see someplace to get a feeling of what it is like in order to make a decision on whether one would want to immerse themselves in that specific culture.  

 

Nothing to do with drinks in the Retreat lounge but... I agree. Some of my fav trips have been a week or so on land getting to know an area, then cruising to another destination, followed by a week or two on land. Repeat again. River cruising is fun too because it avoids the long bus rides from the port to an inland city. Some of the lux lines often spend 2 to 3 days at a port making it a nice way to explore an area. Celebrity does this but not too often. The other nice thing with cruising is that I go to places that I discover that I would not like to go for a week land stay. Great to find that out ahead of time. 

 

 

[terrydtx]

3 hours ago, HMR74 said:

Last spring we canned b2b2b on Beyond in Retreat, and rather spent 5 weeks in Greece and Italy.

Cost was as you said, ~1/3 of the Retreat, and the enjoyment level was very high. Airbnb's, fantastic, great locations and very nice places. Only one night we were so tired we just picked up sandwiches to have in apartment.

 

Ever other night out, mostly outdoors. breakfasts, lunchs (surprise, with alcohol)  and dinners were memorable, The 3 PM break to sit included alcoholic refreshment, happy hours  with food and drink  at 5-6, and dinner late., with, of course drinks.

 

We had so much fun and were able to immerse ourselves in so much of the culture, that we decided , despite our ages which is average 75, to do another one, 6 weeks this time in 2024, visiting Krakow/Warsaw first, then Madrid then a driving trip thru Spain and Portugal ending in Barcelona.

 

Different than a cruise, and each has pros and cons, Doing a cruise next month on Equinox. We have enjoyed our cruises so far, but our eyes and biases are open to try other things. Imagine a 6 week trip with no restaurants duplicated and decisions made on the fly. Free form.

 

Its still not inexpensive, it 's not very easy, but I  plan it all and know what we are doing and  why, thus no fluff and no time wasted going on a group tour that included places we did not want to see.

 

Then we have the obligatory Disneyworld with the kids /grandkids this winter. Talk about expensive trips. And that wil be no alcohol for adults.

 

Ya have to find a way to laugh thru all of this, and make sure your priorities are right.

 

I hear you, in September after our Apex cruise from Amsterdam to Athens in a SS we flew to Santorini and spent 5 nights is a 4 Star Luxury Suites only Boutique hotel. The hotel was in the middle of Thera perched on the caldera cliffs with a million dollar view.  The hotel included a made to order huge breakfast every morning brought to our private outdoor terrace table by a butler. Each Suite had a private outdoor hot tub and our luxury suite had about 1200 sq feet. Our Sky Suite cost us about $1076 per night for both of us not including what we spent for shore excursions, our Santorini hotel room cost us $390 per night. We ate fabulous local Greek cuisine dinners each night with drinks and good wine and did not come close to what we spent per night to be on the ship. This experience is what convinced us to do more land trips and less cruise days for future vacations.

Edited December 28, 2023 by terrydtx

[HMR74]

57 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I hear you, in September after our Apex cruise from Amsterdam to Athens in a SS we flew to Santorini and spent 5 nights is a 4 Star Luxury Suites only Boutique hotel. The hotel was in the middle of Thera perched on the caldera cliffs with a million dollar view.  The hotel included a made to order huge breakfast every morning brought to our private outdoor terrace table by a butler. Each Suite had a private outdoor hot tub and our luxury suite had about 1200 sq feet. Our Sky Suite cost us about $1076 per night for both of us not including what we spent for shore excursions, our Santorini hotel room cost us $390 per night. We ate fabulous local Greek cuisine dinners each night with drinks and good wine and did not come close to what we spent per night to be on the ship. This experience is what convinced us to do more land trips and less cruise days for future vacations.

We were there in May. Our pricing was about the same had we done the SS Cruise.

 

Rented an Airbnb a block in, for 145 a night. It was adjacent  to the owners living quarters, with a real back yard. Not nearly as nice as yours, Just down the hill I guess east  from the all night bakery. Looked back down the hill to airport area. I thought I had a good deal till I just heard yours, a better value for the money you spent. You only go around once.

 

That said we really enjoyed the 4 nights there.

 

Our daughter texted us to try Kokkaao, the morning after we went there. probably near where you were at. Elegant, not stuffy,  and real nice.

 

 on 2 of the days there were no big ships in port. One day there were two. That day the lines for the Cable car were very long and very slow.

 

Best meal was on Rhodes, at a restaurant on west side on the water  at sunset.

 

Mykonos was a favorite, we stayed on the water at main area with all the restaurants and walkways right there.. Only ventured outside the area twice.

 

Greek Cuisine as you said was great.

 

Our adult kids gave us each an air tag of theirs, being older they wanted to know how we were doing. They loved being in on the action by tracking us. Even when they tracked us going in circles being lost in Rome.

[DingoMom]

17 hours ago, HMR74 said:

Many moons ago, in college, we used to pre drink before going bar hopping. Sved big bucks. Then milked a cheap beer.

 

Long day today in Western North Carolina. I was just catching up on this thread when I read this post by @HMR74. I swear I read the last sentence as: 

 

Then milked a cheap bear.

 

Thank you for the deep belly laugh!! 🤣🤣🤣

[Diav]

We are on the Apex Sky Suite on Saturday. I will find out what is happening in the retreat and Luminae and will report back to this thread. We have another cruise with 2 sky suites in March on Silhouette and two sky suites on the Beyond in July.  We are seriously looking at other cruise lines for future cruises if this nickel and dime mentality continues.

[HMR74]

1 hour ago, DingoMom said:

Long day today in Western North Carolina. I was just catching up on this thread when I read this post by @HMR74. I swear I read the last sentence as: 

 

Then milked a cheap bear.

 

Thank you for the deep belly laugh!! 🤣🤣🤣

The way I am typing now it could have been bear. And we did do some really stupid things in college, which was safer to do then without social media.