Stumptowngal

I was on the Ascent in February in a mid-ship port side Sky Suite. No noise problems at all .

Your photos of the glasses bring back good memories. We took our first cruise on the Celebrity Century in 2002. It was truly a whole different style of cruising then.

I was on the Ascent the first week of February. The same was true then. Luminae was open for lunch on embarkation day and on sea days only.

There is “downgrading” (less value for $$ spent) and “class separation” across most types of entertainment and even non-entertainment activities. Ticket prices for pro sports events keep rising while the perks get whittled down; and there is definitely your “class separation” that you reference with those fans paying the most getting the best seats front and center or up in a private sky box. Pay top $ for a music concert and you will experience your “class separation” with everything from reserved parking to best seats and possibly an invite-only reception with the performers post concert. The special extras seem to be shrinking in this area also. Transportation: Airlines have “downgraded” the meals in 1st class and give no meals any more to coach; although one can pay an extra charge for an upgraded snack. And there is definitely your “class separation” of seating areas: coach, premium, business and 1st class. Reading through multiple cruise line forums I see a pattern of the long-time loyal cruisers of any specific cruise line lamenting how their experience has been downgraded and speculating as to where the next greener pasture is. Land travel isn’t an automatic escape from class separation either. You make choices. Do I inexpensively ride the local bus for hours from one town to the next in a foreign country and experience the people and culture face to face; or do I hire a private driver and insulate myself . . . a class separation of sorts. I get it. It’s disappointing to see significant changes with a product or venue that we feel has given us good value and pleasure for years. Nothing is the same anywhere. It seems as though you have the financial means to make choices that suit your preferences . . . and you can be pleased about that.

Thank you for pointing that out. I should have clarified that on the newer Oceania Vista there is a private Concierge Lounge on Deck 9 as there will be on the Oceania Allura. As far as specialty dining, the Oceania website defines how many speciality restaurant reservations a person is entitled to depending on their category of accommodation. Of course with a less than full ship as you experienced or as cancellations may arise, the opportunity to dine in a specialty restaurant expands. I was just trying to point out how different perks are outlined by a cruise company depending on the category of stateroom reserved.

The sentence was bolded by me. O may be excellent; but to say it has no class segregation is a misleading statement. While there may be no separate outdoor deck area or private dining area for suites as there is on some Celebrity ships, O does have a suites-only Executive Lounge and Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms private Concierge Lounge. Also, upper level O suites and staterooms are entitled to more nights of dining in the specialty restaurants. Most cruise lines do have some aspect of privilege tied to the level of accommodation you reserve. For example, Viking may seem to have no “class segregation” as some people define it once on board. However the class difference, or as I think “pay” difference comes before boarding. Those who reserve the highest cost staterooms have the first chance at reserving excursions and specialty dining. And then the timing to reserve goes to the next level down and so on. I’ve read complaints by some Viking patrons in the lowest cost staterooms of having the “included” Viking excursions all full by the time they have online access to reserve. Paying more be it on cruises, sporting events or whatever, typically is associated with increased perks. Fortunately, there are many choices so that the way the perks play out can align with one’s preferences.

We travel light so wouldn’t be packing decorations; but why not just put the decorations up inside your cabin where you can enjoy them all the time. No worry of theft or damage or items falling off and cluttering the hallway.

To be fair, there are numerous posts in this thread by other people expressing dissatisfaction with the food. Among them: posts # 114, 161, 164, and 210.

Similars thoughts mentioned on the other board. Some thought it was an insurance issue for the ship and that tableside flames either weren’t allowed at all or would generate a higher cost to the insurance. Maybe the cruise company decided to take the risk anyway and self-insure.

I remember those days as well . . . with my first Celebrity cruise on the Century ship. Curiously, I was scanning through the Crystal forum posts the other day and saw photos posted of current tableside preparations involving flames and liquor.

The end of May is pretty kid proof we found. First week of June should also have low kid count since many schools (at least in US) are still in session.

As a side note, I was perusing the Oceania forum the other night to get a feel for it. While many people love the product, I was surprised at the not infrequent comments by regular Oceania cruisers lamenting changes and feeling the need to search elsewhere for future cruising. It seems no cruise line is impervious to needing to improve their bottom line. In response, cruisers either learn to adapt to the changes or spend more to get what’s important to them or spend less by trying other cruise lines that they believe will offer them what they are accustomed to at a lesser price. At least there are numerous choices . . . but the cruising world certainly is evolving.

Our story reads so similar to yours. We are in our early 70s but have not cruised quite as often as you. We also experienced our first Celebrity cruise on the Celebrity Century in the late 1990s. What a different world of cruising it was back then. The Celebrity ship size, atmosphere and service has always suited us. Our last cruise was just before everything shut down in 2020. Now we are looking forward to cruising on the Ascent next February. Since we love a true balcony, we splurged and booked a sky suite for the first time back before the pricing became so insanely high. That’s why we’ve also booked a sunset veranda on the Ascent for 2025. If the MDR cuisine doesn’t suit us, we can easily afford some evenings at specialty restaurants for the price difference. And like you, we find the wine selection somewhat limiting and will bring on board a couple of our favorites. We can be quite happy sipping our wine on our balcony, watching the sunset and listening to the ocean waves.

There may not be physical segmentation on the ship per se; but that is due to the monetary segregation that prevents many Celebrity ( or Hal or Princess, etc.) clients from ever setting foot on a Cunard ship in the first place. It’s one thing to shift from a Celebrity Aqua class cabin or above to an Oceania, Viking or Cunard. It can be a budget impossibility for many sailing in inside cabins, ocean view or balconies purchased on sale on mass cruise lines. And I am somewhat baffled by the insistence to “not patronize any cruise line that segments guests”. Everyday entertainment and travel venues are rife with segmentation of guests: Pro sports games with their front row seats or private boxes with enhanced services and refreshments; jets with 1st class, business class and premium seats vs economy and the list goes on. I totally understand wanting to cruise specific lines that align with ones preferences in ship size, cuisine, itineraries, etc. However, refusing to sail on a ship that has some physical segmentation on it strikes me as either not realizing the money disparity that prevents many from joining your cruise in the first place or preferring not to have any daily visual reminders of “class segmentation”.

We also find it a lost pleasure on newer ships. We've always enjoyed the closer connection to the ocean on a true promenade deck.