JeanieC,Aston

I have sailed many Celebrity cruises always with AI,,,but not now,apart from astronomical rises in cruise prices to the point where I see no value. Last spring I sailed X from Southampton and found they had taken Boddingtons Bitter off the menu and put Guinness into the Premium DP. Now if that isn’t a reason not to sail Celebrity again,,I don’t know what is.

The report is in ‘Must try harder’.

The figures are audited surely…the financial institutions wouldn’t lend them the money to finance new ships if the wasnt.

Just saying.

What price are they paying?

Hi I cruise Celebrity (no more) and P&O,have a look at the Celebrity board here on CC,,,it’s worse than P&O.

Hi A company can be in profit and have huge debt. Most companies carry debt,,,how do you think they finance their Huge ship building programmes. The question is are they making enough profit to service the debt and increasing costs.

Hi Foreign registered cruise companies got no financial support from the US government.and nor did they ask for any,,,,,to get that aid they would have had to open their companies into paying US taxes. Unlike the UK who helped Royal Caribbean with a £25m soft loan agreement and Carnival with the same worth £300m. Although both companies are registered in ‘tax havens’ of Panama and Liberia.

Hi. My memory must be playing tricks.

Hi,lucky you sailing through the Dardanelles Straits in daylight so you could see the Anzac memorial on Gallipoli.most cruise ships pass in the evening to get into Istanbul for 07:00…you must have been sailing at walking pace. Some cruise lines have a minutes silence passing Gallipoli. On one cruise an Australia passenger asked the CD to read out on the PA system a peom written by her relative who lost his life at the Gallipoli Landings. You couldnt hear a pin drop from those lining the decks. There is an annual pilgrimage from Australia/New Zealand to this area for Anzac Day on 25th April. ps,,did the Queen actually drink the Turkish coffee?

Hi,,I have done Fijords in May,weather can be mixed but the joy of May/June is the snow is melting and the many waterfalls are in full flow. You don’t get the same dramatic effect in August when then weather can be good. Bare in mind Bergen is the wettest place in Europe.

Hi I only drink Guinness,John Smiths and Jameson and my wife is OK with Prosecco so the standard was fine with me.Same on P&O,,,no need for double spirits and I absolutely never drink cocktails.

I’ll go with that. There is a saying ‘Comment is free,Facts are Sacred’

You ignore the point I was making,,,,it was those people who spend nothing because they take their own booze onboard.And brag about it. Remember all those topics years ago re rum runners and people posting how to cheat the rules,,,,,they weren’t all a small tipple on the balcony drinkers. Without any proof whatsoever I wager many of those complaining take booze onboard do so to save money. I also wager that P&O think the same. Of course if you could provide proof that I am wrong,,,please feel free.

Hi For my cruise 3 weeks ago to upgrade to premium drinks was £80 pppn if booked pre cruise.its the same price today. I upgraded last year and found out I didn’t really use it,,last month I was quite satisfied with standard. Btw my other two favourite cruise lines Celebrity and P&O both have upgrade charges for premium drinks,,,,or in P&O case double measure spirits,,on Celebrity you don’t need that they are bigger US measures anyway.

If this is all about those who take bottles of spirits on board to have a tipple on the balcony,,,,who are the ones who get in the lift on deck 5 with an empty glass,,go up to deck 9 then come back down with a full glass. Or those who brag on social media about taking bottles of spirits on board then tell everyone they just come off a cruise and never spent a penny Thats the real story…..the skinflints.

Hi I have sailed Thomson since 1997,,,54 cruises in all,last one 3 weeks ago,,,I can’t remember Thomson/Tui/Marella ever being anything but All Inclusive. I also cruise P&O (Britannia in 4 weeks) and always buy the DP,,this time with the 20% discount was a no brainier. Each to their own I say. If this topic turns into a ‘the merits or not’ of drink packages I’ll pull my chair up and get the popcorn out.its a bit like the old boring dress code or smoking threads.

Hi Does the hotel on the dock still play Bocelli singing ‘Time to say goodbye’ when ship leaving Olden,,,makes the hair on your neck stand up.

Thank you I hadn’t realised that.

I agree,,there are lots of whisky to suit most people,,.personally I don’t like peaty Scotch whiskey so quite happy with Irish whiskey. Im still waiting for those who are railing about taking away the bottle of spirits to say why they don’t just order a bottle from room service,,,they are cheap enough. Take your pick of whisky or whiskey. You can even buy whiskey flights to find one you want.the only thing that disappoints me with P&O spirits is the mean 25ml measure,,,I sail Celebrity as well as P&O,,,on Celebrity it’s US measures and a bit more.

There used to be a sign above the bar in Yates Wine Lodges I’ve always tried to adhere to…. ’Moderation is true Temperance’ Tried and failed many times😏

I don’t pretend to know the difference,,I do. If you think Smirnoff tastes the same as Grey Goose your taste buds must have been destroyed by drinking cheap vodka. Try a Baltic cruise and visit a small off-licence in Tallin they will let you try different vodkas,,,,wheat,rye,potato based,they are all different,,,now there is one in the DF shop in St Pete’s called Kalashnikov,it will tip your throat out.

Hi Just to be a devils advocate,,my wife used to buy a 6 or 12 bottle wine package. If she finished a bottle in the restaurant she would order another full one from a bar. How on earth does anyone know were people get the wine from. As an aside and to support your observation the Prosecco served in the wine package is Conti,,,all the supermarkets sell it for ~£7.50!if you brought 2 or 3 bottles on board how would staff know.

Thanks I thought it was those ships,,,I wasn’t sure.