mac_tlc

Price didn’t last long😞😞😞

Yup, it was for 1/21/24. It stayed up a little longer than this one did though. mac_tlc

That was our thought as well but when I saw this deal, I figured I would hold one. Just checked the price again and now it is $8,600+ for a Sky Suite. I wouldn’t book at that price! mac_tlc

I did hold a SS for 1/4/26. Total with prepaid grats is $5,475. Come on @GenerationX, @KKB, @Silkroad, @Mrs_Tiki, @Irishredhead21. mac_tlc

We did add Club Orange. Most of the cost was offset by the cabin upgrade. We like the idea of a smaller dining room. mac_tlc

Yes, Terry , we have been on many X discussions. looking forward to trying something different. Have heard good things about Tamarind and it is definitely on our radar. I am with you regarding smoking, and my DW does like to make an occasional donation at the casino, so hopefully it will be tolerable. That is one thing X seems to get right. Hoping our cruising paths cross some day……. mac_tlc

Thanks for taking us along. We have our first HAL cruise on K’dam in January 2025 18 nights R/T to Hawaii in an aft Vista Suite with CO so we are absorbing as much HAL info as we can. mac_tlc

Here are some from the Edge in 2021: i thought this one was intriguing, given the conditions in 2021:

The top part of this menu is the prior “Classics” menu: The middle part of this menu is the old “Classics” dessert menu. I found these is an old thread by vtcruising. She was all things E-class and passed away way too soon, before Apex was launched. These were old Cyprus menus. By looking at the first menu and the “Celebrity Signatures” section, you can see the “variety” they used to have. Mac_tlc

Wow. We are on the Celebrity Edge in a sunset verandah in August 2024 for about $4,500 for two. And that includes basic WiFi (which I just upgraded for $4/day), classic beverage package (which I upgraded for $7/day), gratuities and $200 OBC. mac_tlc

Thank you so much for the detailed menus and photos. Our first O cruise on Vista is in 2024 and we will be reviewing these a lot !!!! mac_tlc

I think you meant ASCENT in the title… We received an email for our 1/21 sailing. Still lots of cabins available for our sailing. The min bids for our cruise were lower than I have seen on our other E-class sailings. Sooner or later, the high prices and overall economic uncertainty of many will affect bookings ……. mac_tlc

Here were the minimum bids we received for our Jan Ascent sailing. We are currently in a Sky Suite. Minimum bids were: Sunset Sky Suite - $100pp Aqua Sky Suite - $140pp Celebrity Suite - $750pp Royal Suite - $1,500pp Edge Villa - $2,000pp Penthouse Suite - $2,500pp Iconic Suite - $3,000pp We did bid on the CS and RS. The extra space plus two separate rooms plus butler were worth a shot at the CS. With current prices, we won’t see the inside of either of them unless the door is open as we walk by. mac_tlc

I find it interesting that the room steward’s line was “SS guests never used their butler “ vs. Laura’s explanation being too many were asking for something at the same time. oh, what a tangled web we weave…….. mac_tlc

Thanks for sharing your observations. The SS experience doesn’t sound anything like it used to be. Too bad. We thought that had a great product. But now it seems watered down and really no different than any other cabin—- but for so much more $$$. Enjoy your b2b! mac_tlc

The ships are full now but many many of those bookings were made before the big price increases and numerous changes onboard. Our three X cruises were booked over a year ago. Time will tell but 2024 and 2025 are the barometers of their actions. No more X bookings for us since the price and policy changes. First HAL and O cruises on the horizon and have been booked in the last two months. Should be interesting ………. mac_tlc

Very similar indeed! I will definitely do a LIVE from O and will compare/contrast to our other experiences. Too bad it’s 13 months away….. mac_tlc

And “adjusting” the price by less than the gratuities. mac_tlc

This line vs line comparison is a hot topic on this board due to Celebrity’s drastic suite price increases. I have joined in myself. I agree with previous posters who highlighted that just because of a price difference, it doesn’t mean the experience is identical. Some like a bigger room (us), some say they spend no time in it. Some like casinos and shows (us), others don’t. The number of passengers is also quite different. E-class, around 3000, Viking around 900, Oceania new ships around 1200, Regent around 700 or less, Silversea about 400-700. Those smaller ships usually make for a more port intensive itinerary. Good for some, not our preference. We have two O cruises booked on Vista, but are a bit hesitant to go from X to Regent with 1/4 the passengers. It’s still a lot of $$$. We figured a try at 1200 could be a good test. Generally, it seems folks feel the food is better on any of those lines than it now is on X. There is room for all of these. Maybe it’s other parts of the experience that draws people to the high end X suites? Just because Regent may be price competitive doesn’t mean the totality of the experience is equal. What these current prices have done is make us less loyal and more willing to look around. I’d like to try them all, except the very small ships. No wrong answers here. mac_tlc

Sounds like a luxurious holiday, jenga towers of glasses, making your own bed , full trash cans, trays in the hallway. We often had a big pile of wet towels in the bathroom waiting for tomorrows visit by the room attendant who had 25 rooms to service. As someone who has to maneuver down the hallway with my DW in a wheelchair at times, it’s like an obstacle course of trays, scooters and service carts. Obviously it can be adjusted too, but it is a lessening of the experience. mac_tlc

Maybe someday Royal will follow their sister : MoveUp allows you to bid on a stateroom upgrade after you’ve purchased your cruise. As a valued Captain’s Club member your bid gets a bonus boost based on your tier. So, you get more value than what you bid. Classic members get an extra 1% multiplier, Select members get a 2% multiplier, Elite members get a 3% multiplier, Elite Plus members get a 4% multiplier, and Zenith members get a 5% multiplier. Not a big difference but you never know. mac_tlc

That is an issue I have with the change. If you only want once a day, you could always get it by asking. Now there is no option. mac_tlc

We had once a day on Jewel and Oasis this summer. Not a fan at all. With no change in gratuity. Sounds like less for more. mac_tlc

I love their search engine. Great way to compare quickly. Wish they had more cruise lines. I'm on that 1/21/24 Ascent in an SS for about $735 per night for 2 as are a bunch of other folks who jumped on the deal last October. mac_tlc

Just upgraded 4 of us from Classic to Premium for $6.99/day + grats for our August 2024 Edge Alaska cruise. mac_tlc