mac_tlc

Thanks for the review! I, for one, enjoy the pre-cruise info. I usually include it in my LIVE’s —- some folks complain but that’s what the scrolling function is for. 
 

We are considering the Wonder for a family cruise in August 2025, but so far the pricing is a bit rich — since we need four cabins but there is only one payer 😳😳.

Thanks for taking us along!

mac_tlc

Oasis originally had Hairspray, now it has Cats. Hairspray took a long vacation then popped up on Symphony.

mac_tlc

6 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We saw lines from the MDR every night down the hallway from the MDR to the CO dining room. We were so glad we had CO and didn't have to eat in the MDR. The day we boarded I needed to change one of our shore excursions, I was able to do this in the CO guest services line with one person in front of me. The line for shore excursions desk had maybe 50 people in line.

Makes me glad we bought CO for our 18 day Koningsdam cruise in January! 
 

mac_tlc

6 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Perhaps the Celebrity fanboys and apologists have missed the OP's point? As the OP pointed out, at the last webinar with the new CEO, this was brought up and she was adamant that this would stop, she even agreed it was wrong!  So while some here defend the practice, the CEO said she did not, and the practice would change.  The issue here is not so much whether the practice is justifiable or not - it is, can we rely on this CEO to walk her talk?

Obviously, we can not..

Three more examples . All are V1 Veranda cabins, on S class ships, within a week of each other. All non-refundable deposit, all no perks.

Silhouette - 10 nights - 4/28/2025:

Total Price for 1 = $3089

Total Price for 2 = $2217

Reflection - 8 nights - 4/26/2025:

Total Price for 1 = $3774

Total Price for 2 = $2689

Equinox - 14 nights - 4/19/2025:

Total Price for 1 = $2505

Total Price for 2 = $2860

Frankly, the pricing for 2 for all three is pretty attractive.

mac_tlc

8 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

 

 

Is anyone getting Silversea emails?  I signed up more than once over the years and get nothing.  The Celebrity and Royal emails keep coming, but I dare not unsubscribe for FOMO.  So, I will just keep scrolling.🙄

I get Silversea emails, along with HAL, Viking, Oceania, X, Royal. 
 

Personally, I’m not swayed in any direction based on who is in their ad. If I like the product from my experiences and the price is acceptable, I’ll book, regardless of who is on an ad .

mac_tlc

I agree with your view on the surveys. It is getting ridiculous. There is always room for improvement and a nine should not be viewed as “bad”.

And I would NEVER ding my waiter for bringing a bourbon and peaches 😜😜.

Thank you for your review. I plan on doing a LIVE when we are onboard in August. Safe travels home…

mac_tlc

2 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Sorry, Viking just doesn’t get us all that excited. Now, if Celebrity or PCL could come up with a similar B2B itinerary to this one, that would be awesome. 😁

Id love to see it on X. Haven't sailed Viking yet, but it's on our list .... someday 

7 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Yes, but make it two 14-day B2B itineraries. One from either Southampton or Amsterdam to Reykjavik with the other from Reykjavik to Boston. This way our Elite+ laundry perks will work out just fine. 😂

OK. Ask and you shall receive! each leg 15 days

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

How about an Alaska B2B that includes ports like Nome, Homer and Kodiak, or a transoceanic from Southampton to Boston that includes a stop in Longyearbyen as well as Iceland and Greenland.

 

Like this one from Viking? My #1 bucket list cruise to do. 36 days, Amsterdam to NY. 

1 hour ago, new2cruise said:

There have been enough incidents onboard to justify these updated safety protocols. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose any additional details regarding the matter.

Again, thank you for reaching out to us.
 

That last part has “pending legal activity” written all over it.

mac_tlc

1 hour ago, 39august said:

Cesar salad, shrimp cocktail and escargot are always available. On S and M class ships you can also order from the MDR menus. 

You left out my favorite…. French onion soup ! 
 

mac_tlc

Certainly not a scientific sampling, but I have seen prices on many Ascent sailings in spring 2025 drop from prior levels, especially Sky Suites. Rarely less than $500 pppd, many are now around $420 pppd. 
 

I enjoy hunting for a bargain, my strike price is $400pppd. 
 

You can get a Prime Veranda, no perks, on Equinox TA next spring for just over $100pppd. 
 

mac_tlc

We can certainly agree with your description of Flam. It was one of our highlights too! And the waterfalls were really running last June!

The scenery from the train was also wonderful. How can this be real….

Looking forward to your thoughts and observations. We will be on the Edge 8/16 for our second trip to Alaska -- but the first was 18 years ago! No suite for us this time , just a lowly sunset veranda...... I'll miss my Bourbon and Peaches in Luminae 😔.

mac_tlc

23 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I see absolutely nothing appealing or appetizing about the night 2 menu. Quite disappointing. I’m perusing the app for other night 2 dining options. 

The short ribs is one of our favorite Luminae dishes of the entire week. That --- and a Bourbon and Peaches -- and I'm all set. 

22 minutes ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

What!? August 2 by any chance? 
 

Sorry to the OP for hijacking the thread - I got excited at the prospect of possibly sailing with @mac_tlc and his DW again.

 

Thank you for taking time to do a review. I look forward to following along!

Ohhhhhh….Dang! We are on 8/16!!!! Bummer we will miss you and Mr_Tiki!!!

About that 4/4/2026 Silhouette to the ABC islands…🤔🤔

mac_tlc

We are in a similar position, I think. E+ on Celebrity and have our first O cruise booked for November 2025, a TA on Vista. We enjoy the entertainment on X so have similar concerns with O. But, we will never know if we don’t try it. 
 

We haven’t discarded X, just a little more selective. Prices have jumped a lot on Retreat so we bargain hunt. Found a decent deal in November 2024, January 2026 and April 2026, all under $400pppd for Retreat.  Trying HAL and O in 2025. 
 

Also searching SS and Viking to try them out too, although SS prices have jumped a lot in the past couple months so they have moved off the front burner for us. 

We are looking forward to trying something different.

mac_tlc

Looking forward to following along. We will be on Edge in August in Alaska. 
 

mac_tlc

2 hours ago, maggieq said:

@mac_tlc we are on the next cruise and I remember your amazing live last year.  Forgetting if you posted your experience with departing Schiphol   If not, can you advise any tips on navigating process?  Thanks!

It truly was a trip of a lifetime. We all talk about it often and would love to go back. 

We had a 2:10PM flight from Amsterdam to Reykjavik, then on to Newark. We used Royal transfers from the cruise terminal. Normally we would use a third party, but with four of us + 6 bags plus two backpacks + a wheelchair, we wanted to play it safe. Left terminal around 8:30 and actually got to the airport about 10 or so --- too early to check our bags, which is three hours before departure. Checked in at 11:10 and Security was no problem and we were at the gate with about 90 minutes to spare.  

Schiphol is huge with a lot of shops etc before security. I would plan on arriving early so there is no stress. We actually had time to go to one of the grocery stores in the airport -- had to get some Dutch Gouda for home !!!  You never know about crowds, traffic, security, etc. I am not one to try to get the earliest possible flight, I'd rather get a slightly later flight and lower the stress level.

Have a wonderful time -- I hope the weather cooperates !!!
 

mac_tlc  

11 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Hmmm.  Maybe @GenerationX will join us on Silhouette in 2026???  That would be gleeful!!  Tim and I had the pleasure of sailing with the delightful Mrs Tiki on our last cruise.  I am all caught up on your previous live threads now.  Thank you!! 🙏 👍

That would be great!

The 4/9/2023 Beyond had us, @GenerationX. @Mrs_Tiki. @Silkroad, @KKB, and @Irishredhead21. Let's get the group together in 2026!!!

mac_tlc

26 minutes ago, AbbyCruiser45 said:

That’ll be a great one! I’ll actually be in Amsterdam next month (no cruise though) so if you have any recommendations feel free to share! Safe travels and enjoy! 

I have only two words:

Pancakes Amsterdam 

@Stem2stern,

On my 4/9/2023 Beyond cruise, I chimed in on a thread started by @GenerationX. That one was fun…..

Two other Edge cruises were in 2021 and affected by Covid protocols, although sailing on a 1/3 full ship was glorious.

mac_tlc

Here is the Apex from way back in January 2022:

mac_tlc

Here is the Beyond January 29, 2023 sailing:

mac_tlc

28 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Sorry to bump this, but I refound it while exercising my search agility.

I am rereading through a few Beyond reviews in preparation for our first sailing on her.

Would it be possible for you to share the link(s) to your previous Edge-class reviews.

Thank you kindly.

PS:  Looking forward (Less than 23 months!!  He he he.) to meeting you and Mrs. C on our upcoming sailing together.

I can do that…

This is for the 1/21/2024 Ascent sailing:

mac_tlc