Gourmet Gal

Excellent post but just wondering, which ship? I am aware of only 2 restaurants that carry a surcharge.

When I first read this thread I didn’t know what the heck a lanyard would be needed for. I’ve never seen lanyards on a river cruise. Have only cruised on Tauck and Uniworld.

I would certainly avoid a ship with waterslides though they are super fun on a yacht charter. Now I will also say the photo sales really annoyed me on past Crystal sailings because it was hard to navigate the scrum that surrounded both the photo venues and the display area sometimes. It also cheapens the experience. Does Crystal still have photo sales onboard?

Why is that a problem for you? If you don’t gamble you can just bypass the space.

So what did you decide?

The OP is clearly not a champagne connoisseur but she does know good service when she sees it. I don’t think she has a sense of entitlement but I can’t blame her for wanting to vent and as we know, CC is a good place for that!

Unfortunately SS is getting very mixed reviews right now and is not transitioning well after Covid and becoming part of RCI. Some might say its glory days are over but then Regent and SB are also not measuring up to their luxury reputations. So perhaps in comparison SS at least still compares favorably in the luxury category but the category has come down a notch. I cruise very occasionally as I do mostly land or air-based travel but I do enjoy cruising. I try to choose ideal itineraries for my DH and me. My last SS cruise in May was a great itinerary that included Monaco Grand Prix but in the end it was the first time ever I was glad to finally get off the ship. And it was only 13 days. I promptly cancelled another upcoming Japan SS cruise also with a great itinerary. You can read my SS Spirit review if you want details. I think you really need to love the itinerary with any cruise line to commit to a WC because it’s possible the sea days will outnumber the port days.

Even better, every group jet journey has a physician and they only consider ER doctors as they have such broad experience. They aren’t even necessarily retired but still working otherwise.

Thanks for taking the time to report your observations. Can you comment on the itinerary and any notable excursions?

Jimdee, you hit the nail on the head…so-called luxury line. In fact SS is now a wannabe luxury line and it’s beginning to sound as though it’s by design.

It’s really a shame that such a little thing can spiral into such a major issue that can derail the enjoyment of your vacation. It’s really just one mediocre champagne vs another. I learned a lot reading this thread. Good luck with your arbitration.

So now you’re waitlisted on SS? So either the ship is full of world cruisers or you’re booking after segments have opened up? Good luck.

They are not Pelotons but their spin bikes have cages so unless you’re a purist no need to bring cycling shoes.

While your concern about excursions and dining are certainly important to you, is the itinerary the main draw? The availability of SS shore excursions shouldn’t be something to stress over. In fact, many of the included excursions can be a sort of drudgery that I would think on a very long cruise would get old. You may seriously want to consider hiring a private guide in ports where you have a very keen interest just to have a break from busses and listening devices. The selected excursions are somewhat better than included and I’m sure there are at least some real gems. You’ll also have some special events along the way that will be exclusive to the WC group. As for the specialty restaurants, there are only two. Kaiseki and La Dame. Kaiseki has some of the worst sushi I’ve ever had so you’re not missing much if you skip it for dinner but there’s no charge for lunch. La Dame is not a meal you’d want very often and the food, while artfully presented is barely marginally better than Atlantide of Silver Note. The ambiance is very nice and quiet but depending upon the staff, service can be great or it can feel over-wrought and silly in its pretentiousness. The included wines are marginally better than in other venues. As for competition for reservations you’ll literally have months of dates to choose from on a WC. Do any of your other favorite cruise lines have a better itinerary?

Maybe they’ll change that geriatric sound track on the Bridge Cam TV channel and freshen up the musical offerings ship-wide. Other than that, none of the changes are appealing. Glad I canceled my 2026 cruise - the transformation will be complete by then.

Scary.

Is it too late to change your flight? If you have no need to tour Vancouver then waiting 12 hours for your flight, flying eastward and arriving so late makes for a very long day. Alternatively, if you can change your flight then why not spend the night or two in Vancouver and take a morning flight home. Vancouver is a wonderful city.

Time flies!

Unless there is an excursion and airport drop-off available to book with SS then you’re on your own with luggage. Check the website to see if there is one available. You could book a private tour that could also manage your luggage or you could book a hotel day room. Are you flying on a red-eye home? Seems like a very late departure. Perhaps that flight can be moved up if you don’t need a full day in Vancouver.

This seems to be one of the cost-cutting RCI strategies. Last month I had an abysmal pre-cruise SS hotel stay in Rome. It was a really poor start to the cruise.

Did you book with your own TA? If so, that person needs to make the call.

Perhaps there are some past world cruisers who can chime in here. Surely there must be preference given to those booked for the full trip.

Wonderful photos. You have a great eye for composition. What camera did you use?

Honestly, you’re paying a premium for a World Cruise. You would be justified to pitch a fit if there were not included options in every port for you. You can just pay the deposit, check the offerings and cancel if there aren’t enough excursions for you. As for some included excursions converting to select, just save screen shots of your bookings and there should be no trouble with them being grandfathered in. BTW, the excursions are not free. You’re paying for them included or not.

Reminds me of an incident on Spirit last month on formal night. In the MDR a couple at the next table ordered a bottle of Tignanello and it was almost 35 minutes before it showed up. They were fuming and asking repeatedly where it was. Meanwhile we were sitting with empty entree plates for 20 minutes and we finally got up and left actually skipping dessert which my husband never misses on a cruise.