Stateroom_Sailor

I just booked our first Princess cruise a few days ago, and went Plus. What I do is add up everything except drinks, calculating the value that those perks are worth to me. For instance, we need 2 devices because we own a business, and it would financially cost us to have have them, so I give wifi 100% value. Ocean Now, room service, fitness classes, unsure, so gave them $0. It came to about $24 per day remaining for drinks. That's more than we pay on Holland American (usually about $15), but I still went for it. Without the package, I would get a glass of wine for dinner and a specialty coffee, so I'm already looking at what, $20 per day? I'll take unlimited drinks for $4 more.

Great options, as well as the above mentioned Chase Sapphire Reserve / Preferred. The Capital One Venture X is the simplest to use, break even with 1 hotel or car rental booking per year through their portal, and get some premium credit card perks. Personally, I am now using BILT for 2X on travel. Any charges made on the first of the month boost to 4X. In the past 3 years, American Airlines was a transfer partner, which I unfortunately missed out on. Alaska is its replacement, which we've recently switched loyalty to anyways. If I value American, Alaskan, or Hyatt points at 2 cents, and do final payment on the 1st of any month, that's the equivalent of earning 8% back on your cruise. Another niche option is the US Altitude Reserve, which earns 3X on all mobile wallet purchases, or 3% cash back. If you charge travel on your mobile wallet, you can cancel those charges with a 50% boost, essentially earning 4.5% back. I am not sure if that would be directly useful towards a cruise, but for tours, car rentals, hotels, and theme parks that one might pair with their cruise.

I just booked Princess over Celebrity, though it was a close call as far as itinerary and price. It came down to the most recent reviews from both lines, and a comparison of the breakfast buffet. That's not going represent all dining venues of course, but I found the difference significant enough. Celebrity had the edge of us preferring their decor and being a day longer, but we also didn't enjoy our last sailing with a lukewarm temp buffet, and an extreme shortage of vegetables throughout the ship.

I am not impressed with BarclayUS, we just canceled our Wyndham Business Earner card. Luckily I never had a chargeback issue. I have had excellent customer service with Capital One and American Express. If someone is fighting a chargeback, they at least give me an opportunity to provide evidence. You can do a lot better with a Capital One Venture card, earning 2% on everything, and use it to erase travel expense (including partial). Chase did make a mess of a chargeback for me last year, so I don't use their card for everything, but many of their cards have lucrative earnings on travel expense and offer free travel protections. Lastly, we were loyal to La Quinta for about a decade, starting around 2010, before the Wyndham acquisition. The product, the rewards, and the customer service are not what they once were. I think IHG is a better alternative, and their card is decent for general travel.

Yes, and have Park West auction it off!

We jumped to HAL for the price, itineraries, food, cabins, and service. We are easy going on entertainment, and live music works well for us. That said, we are considering a transatlantic on both Viking Ocean and Virgin Voyages. Some of you may still have crossover status with Azamara. Plenty of choices out there, and you don't need to throw the baby out with the bathwater if X still makes sense. Variety is the spice of life.

I should add that HAL discontinued Lincoln Center State sometime last Spring, which was a blow to people who enjoyed listening to live classical music performances during the day. I believe they would also perform in the theater at night once or twice per cruise. Live music is still HAL's strength, but if you prefer classical or go to bed early, this could be a major cut. Another daytime entertainment and partnership cut was with America's Test Kitchen, with live cooking demonstrations and recipes.

I have no plans to sail X again, maybe if I see a great price and itinerary on a Pacific Coastal. Still, I will try to be objective as possible here. Much of Holland is the same, we spent 14 nights in Alaska last May and from our perspectives, it was the same as 2019. However, there was no fresh sushi in the buffet on our last cruise. Lobster is no longer included on a formal night, but comes with a surcharge any night you wish to pay (tail sizes vary). Beverage shortages outside North America sailings, especially towards the end of the season, they may run out of your favorite wine, beer, tea, soft drink, or seltzer.

Depends on your budget of course, but I don't think suite is worth it, especially for a solo cruiser. We only do suites on reposition cruises, where they are only $50-$65 a day per person more than a veranda.

You asked me what I was referring to, so yes, NCL was on a roll in 2018 making headlines. Would you prefer I had not taken you up on your challenge, and share what I was referring to? Summary: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/norwegian-cruise-passengers-angry-1.4603237 My interpretation: Passengers paid the standard fare for a Panama Canal cruise, and had a big surprise of the common areas closed off for major renovations, loud construction, severe dust and chemical pollution. Your interpretation: One had some repairs that need to be done. https://www.wptv.com/news/world/norwegian-jade-cruise-ships-mechanical-issues-strand-thousands-of-passengers-in-puerto-rico My interpretation: The cruise line was not transparent about the mechanical issues initially. NCL didn't book enough charter flights, so passengers were stranded in San Juan for days at their own expense for lodging, food, and in some cases, their flight home. Your interpretation: Another had mechanical failures and the ship could not sail. https://www.newsweek.com/norwegian-cruise-havana-passengers-stranded-1250626 My interpretation: NCL changed the departure time to 3 hours earlier without informing all passengers of the change, which lead to 22 people being stranded in Havana. They lost their luggage, and had to find their own way home. Your interpretation: One about 2 passengers that failed to get aboard on time and the ship left without them? This is why challenges are fascinating, and they should result in a learning experience for everyone. I got to see how some NCL fans interpret news and events, you got to see the same from someone who's never sailed on NCL.

Surprise renovations. I can't seem to find it now, but I remember a story of a 7 night Hawaiian cruise turned into 6, with a surprise overnight at a hotel for light ship renovations, where passengers stood in the lobby for hours to check in. Was that NCL? This one stood out to me too: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/norwegian-cruise-passengers-angry-1.4603237 Leaving passengers stranded, ($650 didn't cover everyone's travel expense back to Miami). https://www.wptv.com/news/world/norwegian-jade-cruise-ships-mechanical-issues-strand-thousands-of-passengers-in-puerto-rico Passengers abandoned without notice: https://www.newsweek.com/norwegian-cruise-havana-passengers-stranded-1250626

It seems like NCL has a habit of making surprise changes, mixing in renovations, or leaving passengers hanging when they make a mistake. For the cheerleaders on here, fine, you know what you're in for. What about the people not on CC? There are first time cruisers, occasional cruisers from other lines, and people flying in from overseas for a once in a lifetime experience, who maybe only speak broken English.

Art Deco + emotional support pets and chair hogs.

Adding classic art deco:

Just for fun, I requested AI art. Some of this looks a bit further out than 20 years!

Anything chocolate. I had excellent banana ice cream in the buffet a few years back. Of course my celebrity chef meal in May ($90) was a wonderful display:

The older people on HAL are chill, and generally stay good respectful passengers, whether the cruise is long or short. We were on a 2 week Carnival cruise, maybe only 5 years younger on average, and it was shocking how irritable, entitled, and intentionally germ sharing people became by the end. We relate to people both younger and older than us, and can gravitate towards younger couples onboard and crew. Ports that requiring bussing can be challenging with a higher frequency of passengers with mobility issues, but for us that's the only drawback. Still, better for us to keep enjoying life, especially in our golden years.

Whiskey Collins + Dry red wine, Syrah was the best on our last cruise.

We left 5 years ago after sailing for 12 nights with an unbelievable shortage of vegetables. Perhaps a supply chain fluke, but we vowed never to sail again under LLP. As the saying goes, "Meet the new boss, same as the old bass." We just sailed on HAL last May, and only noticed a few changes from 2019. The MDR menu was a bit shorter with an extra pasta dish each night. The sushi station in the buffet was gone. No live classical music, as they were in-between partnership contracts. Sailings outside of North America were experiencing beverage shortages such as Perrier, Malbec wine, etc. Everything else seemed to be up to pre-pandemic levels, as far as we could tell. As far as pricing, our cancelled 2020 Transpacific will cost 50% more in 2024 for an entry level suite. We're cutting cruising down to once every other year in favor of timeshare travel. We bought a couple resale Wyndham contracts for next to nothing, and for $1,800 per year we can do a full week in Sedona during a film festival, and every other year a couple weeks in Hawaii.

I believe HAL is especially competitive on their newer ships, repositions, and some exotics. Princess may be similar in price, but I am comparing from my experience on Celebrity. I know these's two sailings aren't apples to apples as far as the upcoming sail date, but difference in cost per night is still astounding. Celebrity Millennium October 18th, 2024, 11 Nights Yokohama to Singapore Veranda $4,595, Suite $6,267 Westerdam October 28th, 2023, 28 Nights Yokohama to Singapore Veranda $3,142, Suite $5,169

1 Nigh Seattle to Vancouver.

Celebrity has better shows, activities, decor, and innovation. MDR food is slightly better, if the ship is properly stocked. HAL still wins on food when you compare MDR breakfast, buffet, and poolside options. HAL has better prices, itineraries, live music, cabins, and staff moral.

Great news, especially the Lincoln Center Stage. Our next cruise is 13 nights, and only 3 ports (assuming Kodiak doesn't get cancelled), so any step up in entertainment is appreciated.