pete_coach Posted July 13 #101 Share Posted July 13 (edited) Have not been on Celebrity for a while We really enjoyed our cruses with them. We tried others and surprisingly enjoyed them too 🙂 Now we are doing another Celebrity cruise. I think for us, itinerary and price are the determining factor. I am not in favour of the various cabins and suites etc on many cruise lines. The ship remains the same, just you room is different. If you want more luxury, go on a better or higher class of cruise line. We happen to like Oceania for those reasons. WQe really enjoyed Oceania Rivieria. All specialty restaurants included. Great amenities and the concierge and executive lounges are really great. Plus, every cabin deck has a laundry facility to use...for free. Oh and it is adult orientated. Edited July 13 by pete_coach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-Airbalancer Posted July 13 #102 Share Posted July 13 24 minutes ago, pete_coach said: Have not been on Celebrity for a while We really enjoyed our cruses with them. We tried others and surprisingly enjoyed them too 🙂 Now we are doing another Celebrity cruise. I think for us, itinerary and price are the determining factor. I am not in favour of the various cabins and suites etc on many cruise lines. The ship remains the same, just you room is different. If you want more luxury, go on a better or higher class of cruise line. We happen to like Oceania for those reasons. WQe really enjoyed Oceania Rivieria. All specialty restaurants included. Great amenities and the concierge and executive lounges are really great. Plus, every cabin deck has a laundry facility to use...for free. Oh and it is adult orientated. Did Oceania allow shorts in the MDR for dinner? 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_coach Posted July 13 #103 Share Posted July 13 (edited) 53 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said: Did Oceania allow shorts in the MDR for dinner? 🤔 Yes. I had no problems. They asked for pants in the specialty restaurants. The specialty restaurants were, in my opinion, much more classy than on Celebrity. Edited July 13 by pete_coach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichYak Posted July 13 #104 Share Posted July 13 2 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said: You must be addicted to the griping....LOL. I enjoy watching chaos 😂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bejay219 Posted July 13 #105 Share Posted July 13 We have sailed with Celebrity for 22 years, always in suites, finally making Zenith almost 2 years ago. Last year we booked a Transatlantic (May 2024), multiplproblems before the cruise and then all the changes that started happening. We started doing Sky Suites (instead of Celebrity/ Royal Suites) and they take away the Butler, gratitutes and OBC. There have been so many changes that were not well thought out, especially the matching status with Royal and Silverseas. Over the years we have seen many changes which we took in stride, but this last year or so has made us rethink our cruising future with Celebrity. We kept our Transatlantic (on our favorite ship Apex) instead of doing a B2B2B, decided to sail with Viking Ocean for 4 weeks after, then sailed the Queen Mary 2 westbound Transatlantic. As another Zenith put it, we didn't leave Celebrity, Celebrity left us. It is sad after all those years and we will miss the crew but feel that in the last year or so they are overworked. They are so worried about getting a 10 on the review. We still may go on an occasional Celebrity cruise, but the majority will be on other cruise lines. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holomoana Posted July 13 #106 Share Posted July 13 We cruised with Celebrity exclusively from 2002 to 2019 and considered ourselves Celebrity loyalists. In 2021 we tried Viking Ocean. This was our first cruise after COVID and we chose Viking because we liked their COVID protocols. We had also heard great things about the cruise line. We loved Viking and did 2 more with another 4 booked. We like the inclusion of wine/beer with meals and a reasonably priced drinks package. The specialty restaurants are complimentary and overall, we really enjoyed the food. A free shore excursion is available at every port with optional ones on offer. Guest speakers were a cut above and the crew was fantastic! We also tried Oceania, which we also enjoyed and would consider them again. For us, Celebrity has changed and not for the better. This is no reflection on the wonderful crew. It seems Celebrity is decreasing what you get for increased prices. The costs for specialty dining and shore excursions are far too expensive. No lounger or eat-off table on the balcony, really? We came across a number of Celebrity "loyalists" whilst on Viking and Oceania who are of the same opinion. We are so close to reaching Zenith but that will not hold me to Celebrity. That being said, we recently did the 11 night Galapagos on the Celebrity Flora. It was fantastic from start to finish. The shoreside staff and crew of the Flora exceeded all expectations as did the ship itself. Our last Celebrity cruise is this September with no future Celebrity cruises planned, a first for us. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NMTraveller Posted July 14 #107 Share Posted July 14 On 7/12/2024 at 3:39 PM, Ex-Airbalancer said: March is a bit early for a TA to the UK , i think it would be cool in temperature Even for you Canadians who love the cold ...🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-Airbalancer Posted July 14 #108 Share Posted July 14 9 hours ago, NMTraveller said: Even for you Canadians who love the cold ...🤣 If I am going on vacation after a winter 🥶 I wouldn’t be heading anyplace where it could be cold 🤣 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycey Posted July 14 #109 Share Posted July 14 We came to Celebrity via Azamara (when under the same ownership). We have a couple of Celebrity cruises upcoming which were booked when pricing and ‘AI’ content combined to make a reasonable offer, but that’s since suffered a disconnect, with more demanded for less. For the moment, there is markedly better value elsewhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisoxfan Posted July 15 #110 Share Posted July 15 On 7/12/2024 at 2:14 PM, DaKahuna said: MSC Yacht Club . Same here. MSC has stayed consistent with the YC and a great value. We used to focus on X but after two Retreat cruises on Edge Class and no AQ balconies we don't even look at X which makes it unlikely that we will sail them. If X would have evolved from the beautiful S Class keeping true balconies and more reasonable pricing, we would have maintained our steady patronage. YC, Princess Sun suite, and are trying HAL Club Orange on Pinnacle class this coming winter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFree Posted July 15 #111 Share Posted July 15 I voted "yes" because we are currently taking more cruises on Oceania than on Celebrity. But we just booked an Asia cruise on Celebrity for December, so "leaving" does not capture us correctly. Tom & Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted July 15 #112 Share Posted July 15 1 hour ago, chisoxfan said: Same here. MSC has stayed consistent with the YC and a great value. We used to focus on X but after two Retreat cruises on Edge Class and no AQ balconies we don't even look at X which makes it unlikely that we will sail them. If X would have evolved from the beautiful S Class keeping true balconies and more reasonable pricing, we would have maintained our steady patronage. YC, Princess Sun suite, and are trying HAL Club Orange on Pinnacle class this coming winter. Do you mean a suite on the Sun Princess? Which Class do you prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisoxfan Posted July 15 #113 Share Posted July 15 17 minutes ago, Dave JS said: Do you mean a suite on the Sun Princess? Which Class do you prefer. We are going to try a 'standard' Sanctuary suite on Sun Princess. This gives you access to special pool area, lounge (sounds quite nice- 2 story at aft), and restaurant. The Premier package also offers many benes, wi-fi, premium drinks, 3 specialty restaurant nights,etc. Like the Retreat but with more stuff thrown in. We personally don't care so much about a larger cabin but love the dedicated rest. lounge, dining. Am anxious to see how it compares to Retreat (when we booked pricing was about 40 percent less than Retreat E Class. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted July 15 #114 Share Posted July 15 18 minutes ago, chisoxfan said: We are going to try a 'standard' Sanctuary suite on Sun Princess. This gives you access to special pool area, lounge (sounds quite nice- 2 story at aft), and restaurant. The Premier package also offers many benes, wi-fi, premium drinks, 3 specialty restaurant nights,etc. Like the Retreat but with more stuff thrown in. We personally don't care so much about a larger cabin but love the dedicated rest. lounge, dining. Am anxious to see how it compares to Retreat (when we booked pricing was about 40 percent less than Retreat E Class. Many thanks for your input. Agree about comparison with Retreat Price. What Suite class do you like on HAL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisoxfan Posted July 15 #115 Share Posted July 15 6 minutes ago, Dave JS said: Many thanks for your input. Agree about comparison with Retreat Price. What Suite class do you like on HAL? Never stayed in HAL Suite as cabin size as stated not important to us. Trying Club Orange on NS. So for reference for our Jan 25 cruise booked without (to our knowledge any special discounts although we are Diamond MSC and Plat Princess) prices were for one week Carib.. HAL 3700 spa balcony with CO, YC balcony deluxe suite 5600 , Princess Sanctuary Suite 6100. We checked Retreat at the time and it was approx 10,000 without the previously offered 600 OBC. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted July 15 #116 Share Posted July 15 (edited) 35 minutes ago, chisoxfan said: Never stayed in HAL Suite as cabin size as stated not important to us. Trying Club Orange on NS. So for reference for our Jan 25 cruise booked without (to our knowledge any special discounts although we are Diamond MSC and Plat Princess) prices were for one week Carib.. HAL 3700 spa balcony with CO, YC balcony deluxe suite 5600 , Princess Sanctuary Suite 6100. We checked Retreat at the time and it was approx 10,000 without the previously offered 600 OBC. Did you compare CO with the Have It All Plus Options? Sorry for all the questions, we are just in process of exploring other cruise lines. Did you upgrade on cabin level to the Spa Balc ? Edited July 15 by Dave JS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisoxfan Posted July 15 #117 Share Posted July 15 1 hour ago, Dave JS said: Did you compare CO with the Have It All Plus Options? Sorry for all the questions, we are just in process of exploring other cruise lines. Did you upgrade on cabin level to the Spa Balc ? We have CO with the Have it all package. I think aft balcony is generally best cabin but none available. The spa cabin has a higher price (not sure I understand why) but as you know is priced at obstructed view balcony price with CO. We like the forward high cabins which are usually quiet with little floor traffic. Mostly like the dedicated dining room but after paying for CO and saving on cabin it really free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted July 15 #118 Share Posted July 15 On 6/25/2024 at 10:31 AM, mahdnc said: We are not thinking of leaving Celebrity when it comes to cruises, but the recent changes in pricing and other things have us thinking about going back to traditional land vacations (e.g. US national parks). Hi David, I recently took my first land trip in probably 20 years😮....went with 6 other gals to Jackson Hole, WY and trips to Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons. The scenery out there is magnificent but upon returning home, I realized down deep I am truly a cruiser. I went with an open mind and helped celebrate a girl friend's birthday.....It was a totally different experience. I still prefer being on a ship on the water🙂 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ommadawn Posted July 16 #119 Share Posted July 16 On 6/25/2024 at 10:28 AM, C 2 C said: We're not leaving Celebrity. We currently have 12 booked until the end of February 2025 but we are also cruising on HAL. We love the Canada New England cruises out of Montreal and Quebec offered by HAL. We miss the 14 day Celebrity itineraries out of Bayonne and Florida. The shortening of Celebrity cruises sailing out of North American ports is pushing us to the great HAL offerings. I like HAL's Pinnacle ships more than the Edge series. Our Celebrity cruises are on the S&M ships. I must have missed that cruise. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mahdnc Posted July 16 #120 Share Posted July 16 8 minutes ago, Lois R said: Hi David, I recently took my first land trip in probably 20 years😮....went with 6 other gals to Jackson Hole, WY and trips to Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons. The scenery out there is magnificent but upon returning home, I realized down deep I am truly a cruiser. I went with an open mind and helped celebrate a girl friend's birthday.....It was a totally different experience. I still prefer being on a ship on the water🙂 Hi, Lois! Understandable. If you went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons--two of the crown jewels in the National Park system--and feel that way, then whom am I to argue?? While it is a matter of opinion on whether the scenery is better or not, there's no argument that the food and service is better at sea! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted July 16 #121 Share Posted July 16 2 minutes ago, mahdnc said: Hi, Lois! Understandable. If you went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons--two of the crown jewels in the National Park system--and feel that way, then whom am I to argue?? While it is a matter of opinion on whether the scenery is better or not, there's no argument that the food and service is better at sea! Beautiful pictures.....and as for those meals? Jackson Hole is definitely a "resort" and restaurant prices........WOWZA.......$$$$......very pricey. One evening at dinner, not 10 feet away from us was Harrison Ford and his party. I will be totally honest, I am glad I went on the trip and yes, they are 2 beautiful places but I just love to cruise😀 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mahdnc Posted July 16 #122 Share Posted July 16 1 minute ago, Lois R said: Beautiful pictures.....and as for those meals? Jackson Hole is definitely a "resort" and restaurant prices........WOWZA.......$$$$......very pricey. One evening at dinner, not 10 feet away from us was Harrison Ford and his party. I will be totally honest, I am glad I went on the trip and yes, they are 2 beautiful places but I just love to cruise😀 You know, I take it partly back. Food at Jackson Hole can be very good. Same goes for the famous Jenny Lake Lodge at Grand Tetons. My food comments were really aimed at Yellowstone. I guess I know which mountain view you prefer. The first photo, you could be holding a drink. In the second photo, you could be holding bug spray. Aptly named Dusky Sound, New Zealand. Solstice, Dec 31, 2019 Evolution Basin. Kings Canyon National Park. Standing with backpacks. Sep 11 1997 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted July 16 #123 Share Posted July 16 13 minutes ago, mahdnc said: You know, I take it partly back. Food at Jackson Hole can be very good. Same goes for the famous Jenny Lake Lodge at Grand Tetons. My food comments were really aimed at Yellowstone. I guess I know which mountain view you prefer. The first photo, you could be holding a drink. In the second photo, you could be holding bug spray. Aptly named Dusky Sound, New Zealand. Solstice, Dec 31, 2019 Evolution Basin. Kings Canyon National Park. Standing with backpacks. Sep 11 1997 The food was overall pretty good. But in my opinion, Jackson Hole is pricey. Probably varies because we all live in different places. We stopped at The Jenny Lake Lodge......I actually bought a shirt in the gift shop. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NMTraveller Posted July 16 #124 Share Posted July 16 47 minutes ago, mahdnc said: Hi, Lois! Understandable. If you went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons--two of the crown jewels in the National Park system--and feel that way, then whom am I to argue?? While it is a matter of opinion on whether the scenery is better or not, there's no argument that the food and service is better at sea! Thank goodness. I was starting to think that you only visited the desert. 🤣 Yellowstone is up there on top. I recall us camping out barbecuing and dodging bison 😁 I want to go to Olympic National Park for one of my adventures... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mahdnc Posted July 16 #125 Share Posted July 16 31 minutes ago, NMTraveller said: Thank goodness. I was starting to think that you only visited the desert. 🤣 Yellowstone is up there on top. I recall us camping out barbecuing and dodging bison 😁 I want to go to Olympic National Park for one of my adventures... Actually I prefer mountains over buttes. However with all the photos from me that you have seen, I can understand why you said that. Our last two major national park vacations have been in the winter and so we have gone to the Desert Southwest. That's in addition to visiting the five Utah national parks in the summer a few years ago. However my favorite area is the Sierra Nevada which includes Yosemite NP, Kings Canyon NP, and Sequoia NP. And, even though it is not a national park, we have been visiting Lake Tahoe in the summer and winter during the past couple of years. Rubicon Bay, Lake Tahoe, Jul 4 2022 We did a 2 week land vacation in Washington state many years ago when we only one kid and she was only a couple years old. Besides visiting Mt Rainier and Mt. St. Helens, we spent a few days in Olympic National Park. It is a spectacular park and I am jealous of Seattle being so close to it. Olympic is composed of 3 distinct really amazing areas: 1. the mountain region (think Hurricane Ridge and Mt Olympus and I believe glaciers are there), a large rain forest (esp the beautiful Hoh Rainforest), and gorgeous coastlines (unspoiled beaches, sea stacks resembling the Oregon coast, tide pools with star fish). You will LOVE it. In 2026 we are likely to forgo cruising that year and do a 2 week land vacation to visit Lassen Volcanic NP (California), Redwood NP (California), and Crater Lake NP (Oregon). Not as cool and sexy as Yosemite or Olympic, but these are places that my wife and I want to visit, We are also thinking of skipping an Alaska cruise so that we can spend a few weeks in the Alaska interior and spend some time in the large national parks in that state. I think we have done 36 national parks so far (there are 63 total right now). During our Solstice cruise next year (Sydney to Honolulu) we will visit American Samoa National Park which is the most remote national park from me (6,502 miles to be exact). That will be #37 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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