cachouonacruise

Thank-you Jim and Lain, for posting your new adventure! As usual, your trip has just begun, and we're already on page 7, of your thread. This really shows, how appreciated, are all the pictures and informative comments of your threads! Bravo! First, I wish you and Lain a beautiful trip Down Under on Edge! Selfishly, I will follow your threat with great interest, since we will also, be doing a cruise similar to your second cruise, on Edge, in February 2024. I really look forward to all your tips about the ships and the ports! Thank-you again, for taking the time to share your discoveries with us! It is really appreciated! P.s. I was really touched to read your post about your your personal life history. It is not always easy for someone living in another part of the world, and in other spheres of life, to understand, what someone like you has experienced. Bravo for your long term relationship with Lain! And best wishes, for a well deserved happiness!

@Georgia_Peaches First: Happy Anniversary and Bravo for 19 years of marital life to you and your husband!!! Definitely an impressive milestone nowadays! Second, thank-you in advance for sharing your adventure on Ascent! I really look forward to read it, and eventually to compare to our own trip on Edge in February!

We were on Constellation, just before the pandemic, so in May 2019. We really had a great cruise. We were in a Concierge Class cabin.

Very interesting thread. Thank-you OP and posters!

Regarding Covid, DW and I have received each, the original dose and five additional boosters, including one this month tentatively protecting against the new variant. This said, this week alone, two of my co-workers tested positive for Covid as well as my cousin's family... So, we are not out of the woods yet... We're just trying to continue taking sensible measures to protect ourselves, and people around us the best way we can.

Thank-you, again all for your insight! Australia/New-Zealand is indeed a trip of a lifetime, and I really doubt, that if I cancel it, I will ever have an opportunity to re-do it. Of course, world events and the recent warning issued by the American government, raised concerns for me. To add to these concerns, were personal ones: So far, our flights, for that trip, were cancelled twice...and we're still months away from our trip. ( This never, ever, happened to me before,....and I have flown quite a bit in my life). More significantly, my BIL, who planned this trip with us and was supposed to be on board with us, recently passed away, suddenly and tragically. But, the argument some of you raised regarding having only one life to live rings a bell. And, it brings me to the conclusion, that living in fear...is not living, really. So, I will continue to keep an eye on world events, as a precaution and continue to plan ahead for this trip. In a way, in this dark period, it gives me something positive to dream about and to look forward to. Thanks again for your thoughts!

That's an excellent question! DW is a home body, she just loves to be home near her children and grand-children. I am the family explorer. I was and am still hoping, in my retirement years, to take 2-3 weeks a year, to discover a new world. DW agrees to come with me ... to some destinations, while I agree to focus on children, grand-children and other home projects the rest of the year. Lol.

I am not sure which chip wagon you are referring to, but if it's Laberge's, sadly it closed a few years ago. This said, Châteauguay, as you know, is neither big nor fancy, and despite the arrival of multiple restaurants from asian, east-asian food culture, we still have quite a few good spots for hamburgers, hot-dogs, fries and poutines...better than the Mast Grill. Lol!

Thank-you for your prompt and positive feed-back. Just to give you a bit more info about my concern. My hesitation, this time, does not really focus on the money aspect. We do have travel insurance. My hesitation is more about how quickly, flights and other means of transportation can be shut down. In 2020, we were hours away from boarding a flight, and not being able to fly back home....for a prolonged period of time. I was also working in the aviation industry, on 911, and witnessed first hand, the full shut down of the aviation world in North-America. ( Which, before that, I believed it was impossible) Until these events, I took for granted, my freedom to travel and I was proven wrong. As the saying goes, once bit, twice shy. I really want to go on that trip Down Under. It would be a first and unique experience for me!!! But, I also want to be able to return home, if the war unfortunately spreads!!! Sooo, in short, what is the risk level that more and more countries will be involved in either of these wars?

In 2020, we started to hear about a virus in China. We thought, since it was located in a remote area, that we could be safe to sail initially in China, Japan, and South Korea and then in Hawaïi. Furthermore, In 2022, we also had a cruise in the Balkans. Of course, the first two cruises were cancelled due to Covid and the third one due to the war in Ukraine. We are now a few days away from final payment, for a cruise on the Edge from Australia to New-Zealand, scheduled to sail in February 2024. Covid is still an issue with a new variant, however, my DW and I are fully vaccinated. So, this seems to be more of a minor concern. At least, it is my hope! The war in Ukraine...sadly is still on-going. And now, sadly, the war between Israel and Hamas has just begun! Australia and New-Zealand seem to be quite distant from the war virus. But, how quickly could it spread? Based on your evaluation, is it too risky to make a final payment on a cruise these days? (p.s. I understand that my issue is a first world issue. Sadly, people in the world are victims of the on-going wars. I really empathize with them and pray for them. But, from my perspective, there is not much I can do for them to avoid being injured or killed. Meanwhile, I am still hoping being able to discover the world. So, I am torn, and would appreciate your thoughts)

You really did miss the intent of my post! Thanks to the feedback from Australian/New-Zealand posters I have learned that tipping was not part of their culture. As a visitor to these land, it is my responsibility to respect their culture When someone suggested to an Australian to remove gratuities on an American cruise ship, I just felt the need, to clarify, that when Australian and New-Zealanders travel abroad, they should also normally respect the cultures of visited countries such as America and Canada, which have a deeply entrenched tipping culture. Sadly, in these countries, some jobs are paid below minimal wages taking into account that tipping culture. Cruise ship, for the most companies, also fall in that club of employees paid low wages and needing tipping to complete their wage package. ( some exceptions may apply). Therefore, the suggestion to removing gratuities on a cruise ship, especially, an American Owned and operated cruise ship, is not necessarily fair to the working employees, who do not get the high Australia/New-Zealand wages. Of course, an argument could be made to remove the auto-gratuities, and to replace that by manually tipping specific employees. My post was all about respect of each and different cultures. If you read it as rude, you really missed my intent. My apologies!

It may be a language issue, but you sadly completely missed the intent of my last post. Sorry!

I am not sure, this would correctly match the intent. From what I understand, Australians and New-Zealanders' jobs are well paying. Therefore, they don't need any additional incentive to do a good job. I feel it is my job, as a visitor in Australia and New-Zealand to respect their curlture. However, people from New-Zealand and Australia, like any other well intended traveller, need to adapt to other countries' cultures, when they are abroad. For example, in America, and Canada, a number of jobs are paid lower wages, based on the existing tipping culture. And although our Celebrity cruise ship will be travelling only in Australia and New-Zealand, the pay structure aboard the ship is based on the American culture, taking into account that Celebrity is an American company. So, removing gratuities/not tipping on an American cruise ship, in my opinion, would not adequately match the culture aboard the ship. ( Unless, you booked a high end cruise, where tips are specifically unaccepted).

As a planet, we just went through a very turbulent virus period, thanks to Covid. I was already getting concerned about the war Russia-Ukraine. Now the Middle-East, which has the potential to be explosive taking into account, religions, factions, and governments involved in front and behind the scene... I am very concerned about people living in the affected areas and wondering, how far/how long this turbulent period of war will spread. Sadly, there is way too much hatred on our beautiful spaceship called Earth. We definitely don't need this type of development!

Thank-you very much Rwright261 for taking the time to write this very detailed review of your experience on Silhouette, including so many pictures of your good, drinks and menus. We were on Silhouette in June 2022 and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. So, it is really nice to read fresh news about that ship. So, I will be following along! Enjoy your cruise and congratulations on your 15th wedding anniversary!

Wow! Thank-you very much for the feed-back! You've all raised very interesting points! I love to learn from the knowledge and experiences of cruisers such as Cruise Critics members. I will be much more attentive to these specific details on my next cruise!

Over the years, I have read very up and down reviews about food provided in various venues aboard a cruise ship. Possible reasons for such a wide variety of level of appreciation? I initially thought, it was a question of passenger personal taste or expectations. Was I on the right track? Then, I wondered, is there was a link between food quality and staff on board? ( chef ordering the food, cooking or plating the food etc)? This would explain, for example, why bad or good food experience reports were made more consistantly about one ship versus the other. Anybody noticed a trend in that direction? Lastly, when a ship leaves port, it is dependant of food available in the vicinity and caterers serving cruise ships. In that case, food reports would vary by ports or regions versus by ship. Has anybody noticed a trend between food quality and ports where ships sail from? Just curious, to see what possible issues may be encountered by a cruise line trying to provide food for there customers, since there is no benefit for a cruise line to willingly choose to serve unsavoury foods.

My wife and I ...if everything works out as booked.... ( these days, everything can change so fast) are also looking forward to our next Celebrity Cruise from Sydney and around New-Zealand. It will be our first time "down under" and first experience on the Edge Class ship. We will be there in February 2024. Who knows, if the timing is right, our paths may cross! p.s. Thank-you again, for sharing your comparison between Celebrity and Ponant. I found your review very informative and helpful!

Hi Jim, Thank-you again for the superb photos of your trip! They are really beautiful! I do have one or two more questions about your experience. I don't remember your itinerary, but does it include sea (lake) days? And, what type of activities are available on a small ship like Le Bellot, when not in port?

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain this Viator perspective. I really appreciate!

I want to respect the no tipping culture in Australia and New-Zealand, for two reasons: the first one is that it's clear instructions for tourists and the second one, I love and respect people and cultures on this planet and I want to make sure not to offend anyone by my behaviour, as a tourist! So people on this thread have mentioned not to tip shore excursions staff, guides, bus drivers etc. I just booked an excursion in Wellington New-Zealand, via the Viator group, and amongst not included elements, the web site mentions "gratuities". Therefore, it is highly suggestive that, tips or gratuities are expected!!! As a result, I am now confused again. Can someone help me better understand?

Thank-you so much Jim for your efforts in posting this detailed review and pictures. It's always sooo interesting to follow you and to read about your adventures!!! This must explain why, your thread is already on page 30!!! Question regarding the menu ( I apologize, if I missed the information before), the pictures of the menu posted before, seem to show, multi course meals, but with only one "regular diet" menu and the other one being, I believe a vegetarian menu. By the way, the pictures of the food were really enticing! But, comparing Celebrity to Ponant, am I correct to understand that the number of options to choose from on the menu are more limited on Ponant then Celebrity? If so, what other options would you have, for example if on one given night, neither the "regular" nor the "vegetarian" menu would appeal to you? p.s. Enjoy your trip!

In aswer to your Question, life has definitely changed significantly since 2020, Covid, high inflation period, war, etc. As a result, for my next cruise, my flights in addition to be twice the price I had budgeted, were cancelled twice by the airline, months ahead of time... and was left to find other alternatives. Hotel and excursions are 1,5 to 2 times more expensive than what I used to pay. At the grocery store, I am hit by a double whammy: prices have gone up and quantities of each item has been reduced!!! Restaurants at home: price have gone up significantly, while service ....has been less and less stellar... In that context, I am perplexed about two elements regarding Celebrity: Is Celebrity performing better, the same or more poorly than other organizations mentioned above??? Is the resulting product offered by Celebrity still an enjoyable vacation experience or is it sooo bad, that I have to change my future vacation plans? Our upcoming cruise on Edge in February 2024, will be the determining factor, I guess!

I have to admit being perplexed and somewhat concerned by all the negativity on these boards, regarding Celebrity. Admittedly, I am not an experienced cruiser. But, I really enjoyed my experiences so far, on Celebrity, including my last Caribbean cruise on Millenium this spring. On these Board, the former CEO, LLP, was heavily criticized for a number of issues; however, the criticism has increased exponentially since she left. So, I really am not sure, how to interpret that! We have one more cruise booked on X, on the Edge, spring of 2024, but the price of our cruise, almost doubled since we boomed it, almost two years ago. So, to answer the OP's question; current prices and customer feedback, is really motivating us to look elsewhere for 2025. Our decision will be finalized, following our experience on the Edge.

Hi Jim, First, I would like to wish you and Lain a beautiful cruise on Le Ponant. I really look forward to read and "see" excerpts of your new adventure. Regarding the cruise, Montreal Boston, you are correct, it was a beautiful trip. Living in the greater Montreal area, it was really fun for once, to board a cruise ship, without having to fly. The region is peaceful and beautiful. We really enjoyed that cruise in the summer, on HAL. Talking about the region, I was astonished, a few days ago, while walking on the shore of St-Bernard Island (a pure, little historically preserved island gem in our area, at the intersection on the Châteauguay River and St-Lawrence River), to see the Viking Polaris sail just in front of us. Indeed, very few cruise ship can sail West of Montreal, because of the shallow waters, the low bridges and the locks. Actually, the Viking Polaris, could be similar in size to Le Ponant. May be something to consider, if you wish to come back in our area. P.s. If you need help with the French language, I am available! Lastly, I was hoping our paths could crisscross on one of the Celebrity cruises, ( we are booked on the Edge, for February 2024), but it's becoming more unlikely, since you're jumping ship! Just in case, I don't have another chance to say it, thank-you so much for all your support and your reviews on the Celebrity Boards. It's always been a pleasure to read you and to receive your well-informed tips! Looking forward to read a Le Ponant adventure! Enjoy!