DarrenM

Another thing I find very peculiar is those wanting to hire Cabanas at extortionate prices.

Its a cruise ship right? We are all living in luxury for however many days we are on board.

Its just beyond me.

7 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I am old enough to remember most of those things and they were not really all that bad.  Skeet shooting, off some ships, was fun and done quite safely.  Midnight buffets were a bit over the top, but quite popular and also fun.  Better and more varied entertainment?  That depends on the cruise line and ship.  HAL eliminated their Production Shows (apparently, they are no coming back on some ships)  and more recently got rid of the popular Lincoln Center Stage groups.  Princess also made some changes, such as eliminating their popular piano bar from the new build, Enchanted Princess.

 

Yes, many cruise lines have expanded their dining options, but at a price.  One venue on the very upscale new Explora Journeys cruise line cost us over $400 (per couple)..and that was on a luxury line that charges luxury prices.  Several other luxury lines also have high priced add-on venues.  On mass market lines, there can be over a dozen venues that charge substantial fees for what used to be included in cruises.  

 

Free and Unreserved deck chairs?  That assumes you can even find one that is not being "saved."  And quite a few lines offer reserved chairs for a fee.  Even the luxury Seabourn has some expensive cabanas (which can cost about $200 a day).  Princess charges a substantial fee for reserved loungers in their "Retreat."

 

I do think one big improvement is that there are now cruise lines to fit just about any age and class.  Want a budget cruise?  You can find it on some lines.  Want to spend $2000 per person/day for a luxury experience?  No problem.   There is still much to love about the cruise industry, but I will admit to sometimes missing the "good ole days."

 

Hank

 

 

Sorry but am I reading this right. You paid $400 dollars for a meal?

What on earth could you possibly eat thats worth $400 dollars for one meal?

Apologies if I have misread.

8 hours ago, Host Kat said:

 

And speaking of the good old days, check out this recent Cruise Critic article:

 

10 Changes to the Cruise Industry That Made Things Better Than Before

 

Great article.

9 hours ago, Shep_Proudfoot said:

My last two cruises were on Virgin (Valiant Lady on the Med) and Celebrity (Reflection in the Caribbean). I found Virgin to be over-hyped and underwhelming, despite the pricing much more reasonable than it is now.

Despite the Celebrity ship being a decade or so older, and with Celebrity’s overall product suffering from cutbacks, the onboard experience was nonetheless superior to VV in a great many ways, and it was really only the superb VV itinerary (with two overnights) vs. the cliched and tired Celebrity one that made the VV cruise the more memorable experience overall. 
 

I would not discourage anyone from giving VV a try, but it’s just not “all that”, at least for me. Your priorities and tastes likely differ however.

Thanks for this. Can I ask what was overhyped and underwhelming?

And Celebrity reflection is my favourite Celebrity ship to date, and I have been on Edge and Beyond.

Ask me this again in 12 months time after I have been on my first cruise line other than Celebrity.

To be honest though, after doing 4 celebrity cruises, I would be struggling to find anything wrong with them. I mean I can nit pick over pointless little things, but that would be churlish.

Not sure how good food needs to be for some, but the food on celebrity was substantially better than I eat at home. Therefore it was awesome.

The luxury is beyond my requirements.

And the drinks package works a treat.

But like I said, I havent tried anyone else yet.

And I cant compare it to the good old days of the 1920s.

14 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Agreed - but you should realize that a lot of posters here have only sailed on 3,000 plus passenger ships of mass market lines.  Once you are over 3,000 you have big ship mentality/attitude - it would be interesting (though probably impossible) to get a head count of regular CC posters who have ever experienced a smaller (less than 1,000 passengers) ship.

What is a big ship mentality/attitude? Genuine question.

7 hours ago, clo said:

How small? We were on 400 for Antarctica and then ONE HUNDRED for Norwegian coast. The first there could have been almost none and I would have loved it because of the location. The 100 pax one had people from various countries, all experienced travelers, only two others from the US. Tons to talk about. And IIRC there was only one somewhat elderly couple...who drank wine at lunch and dinner 🙂

Not that small. lol.

Celebrity Constellation. Massive compared to the two you mention above.

I have a very low boredom threshold.

8 hours ago, crusingrightnow said:

Is a bigger cruise ship always better ?

 

 

definitely not.

I dont want to be on a cruise ship that is a floating theme park, invaded by thousands of children.

On saying that, I have just been on my smallest ship to date, and I found it quite dull. A bit like an Old peoples home for cruisers. If the most exciting thing is an unused ballroom then its potentially very dull.

So the medium sized ships are my go to. 2500-3500 customers.

3 No.

2022 Celebrity Reflection

2023 Celebrity Beyond

2024 Celebrity Constellation

2025 Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady Booked.

not counting now its too far away.

Is there a number for FORVER?

On 4/10/2024 at 1:39 PM, DarrenM said:

Only been on 4 ships.

 

1. Celebrity Reflection

2. Celebrity Beyond

3. Celebrity Edge

4. Disney Magic (I think) but it could have been the other one 2002.

 

The Celebrity ships were vastly superior to the Disney one in my humble opinion. But there again, why would an adult want to go on A Disney ship without their own little creatures. My kids liked it at the time. but they were only 9 and 5 years old.

I am now putting in a No.5.

5. Celebrity Constellation.

My least favourite ship to-date. Still nice enough but seriously in need of a huge overhaul.

The inside public spaces were really nicely decorated. But the Pool deck area, and the cabins are so so tired.

There was some serious maintenance work going on whilst we were on the ship. Never seen that before. Actually grinding off steel handrails whilst people were sunbathing.

And painting the hand rails almost every day.

A very tired ship.

The other criticism for me with it, is its old fashioned, and ever so slightly dull.

Huge room for ballroom dancing that next to no one used. Although the cocktails there were immense, Rendezvous lounge I think. And the massive reflections lounge which looked like an airport lounge, only used at night.

Buffet not as good as edge ships either.

Still loved it, but can only compare to others I have been on.

39 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I get it: you believe that cruise lines offer drinks package to reduce passengers’ spending on drinks.

Thats not what they are saying. They are only talking about themselves. No one else.

I am pretty sure I got more than twice my moneys worth on the premium drinks package on celebrity. But that was just us.

For example. Pre evening meal, last night of cruise. We both had 2 cocktails in the martini bar. Thats 68 dollars there, and it was only 6pm.

Its hardly heavy drinking either.

I darent tell you what followed in the MDR, where the drinks really flowed. We met a lovely couple from Vancouver and we had a blast on the last night. Arrest us.

6 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I have a spreadsheet. Trust me, I've run every scenario.

I totalled up our first night on cruise and it came 220 dollars approx.

I could do that because I could vaguely remember how much we drunk. And the bartender in the sunset bar reminded me the following day.

By about day I reckon we were in credit, but who's counting?

23 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I am sure that there are people that do try to take the most advantage they can of the drink package, it's only human nature. But I cannot control what they do so I don't worry about it. 

This.

This thread is bizarre.

I dont go on the ship to ensure I get my "moneys worth"

But if we are having "one of those days" where the booze is flowing and we enjoying ourselves, having the premium drinks package means I dont have to worry about a bill at the end.

And when I am on vacation, worrying about money, or bills, is just not acceptable.

I am there to enjoy myself 100%.

Now if Celebrity have made a saving from us on our cruise of 2 weeks back, well done celebrity. You have some amazing buyers.

I had a great time, tried nearly every cocktail on board, and just let the world pass me by. 

And when back for 2nds and 3rds on quite a few of them.

OK Florence wasnt great because of it, but hey, Florence isnt all that anyway. (Controversial)

1 year and 26 days.

My god. I need a drink.

And I dont have a drinks package at home.

Does anyone know ow if you can use your bar tab to pay for the extras in the restaurants?

On 6/1/2024 at 2:05 AM, Giraffes said:

You can still drink past what your bar tab is. You will just be charged to whatever form of payment you give at check in. Besides the advantage of the bonus, you don't necessarily NEED bar tab to purchase drinks.

Oh yes I am aware of that. But I still prefer to ahve the comfort of knowing what I have paid prior to boarding.

If there's some left over at the end of the cruise and I lose it then its no big deal.

You know this whole simgle gender toilets thing.

I honestly thought this was just a media thing tryong to make people angry about it.

I didn't realise people actually cared.

23 hours ago, jon81uk said:

Even on a port day? I find that if we go off the ship in the daytime, we might have wine or beer with dinner, a cocktail in the evening and then simple mixed drinks in the club. But then I guess that’s still 3-4 drinks each on a port day, and 5-6 on a sea day, but most of them are under $10 a drink.

Yes even on a port day. On Celebrity constellation this year, as an example, we would be off the ship, say back on a 4pm.

Quick shower and shave, the shave was just me, and down in the bar for around 5:15pm for a couple of cocktails, then meal around 6:15pm. The couple usually became three. Then another 2 with the meal......I dont do wine, and being british, I cant stand gassy lager out of bottles.

so thats between 4-5. After the meal, its either a show (rarely) and back to a bar, usually the sunset bar on celebrity, or Eden on an Edge class ship.

At least 2 more cocktails each. Thats 6 each minimum. Cocktails are usually around 13 dollars. Thats 156 dollars a day. You can boost that up 50% on sea days. And then theres the night cap whiskies to take to the cabin. And the speciality coffees during the day.

Just to clarify something here. I dont actually drink when at home. lol

On 5/30/2024 at 1:18 PM, CruisingWalter said:

 

Well first off I'll say we sail many cruise lines and enjoy each for what they offer. It'll be 11 cruise lines for us in June and hopefully at least 12 before the end of this year. All cruise lines bring different things to the table and no cruise line is perfect. They're all awesome at many things and they're all terrible at some things, I personally can't sail one cruise over and over because I get bored of the repetition. As awesome as VV is, it would get old pretty quickly for me if it was the only cruise line I sailed. There are way too many cruise ships and experiences out there for me to limit myself, but that's just me.

 

Celebrity Cruises has over 20 departures in Summer 2025 in the Med from 9-12 nights, including multiple Edge Class sailings, so they are definitely not limited themselves to 6 nights or less. Looks like at least four ships are doing the longer sailings including 2 new Edge Class ships.

 

As for VV, you should enjoy how they do things so differently. The biggest positive for me is the lack of photographers and lack of 'package barkers' trying to get you to purchase the wine package, drinks package, dining package, etc... when you board the ship.

 

The food can be among the best at sea for the mainstream cruise lines. What makes it so enjoyable is the fact that you're not paying anything extra for what would be specialty dining experiences on any other ship. The downside is the restaurants are too small for the amount of passengers so as their popularity has grown, it's become a bit of a challenge to book the restaurants you want on the day and time you want to go. That's where it's a huge advantage to work with a TA because they can go into the booking engine when the reservations open up and secure your reservations quickly. The VV app crashes and burns many Sailors due to the system getting jammed up when reservations open.  VV knows they need to address these issues and are working on some pop up dining ideas to help spread people out.  The 'structured dining' is one complaint we hear from sailors who have become accustomed to 'anytime dining'. On most sailings you can't simply walk up to a restaurant at any time like you would with a Main Dining Room on many cruise lines now. You pretty much have to have all of your dinners planned out for a VV cruise. Razzle Dazzle, Pink Agave and Extra Virgin are the standouts for me along with the Pizza Place, Sun Cafe and Opa Hour at The Dock.

 

The pools are incredibly weak if you're coming from Celebrity. The Solarium on any Celebrity ship is our jam for any cruise. It's our favorite pool experience so far of any cruise line we've sailed. VV has the tiny lounge pool that's more of a plunge pool with a very small sun deck around it. Plus the oversized 'hot tub pool' that looks like a massive hot tub, but it's cool water. We love nice big pools that we can actually have a swim in the morning, but you won't find that on VV. We give the pools a pass because the overall experience is fun on VV.

 

Some of the best entertainment on the ship for us is at On The Rocks. VV finds a great selection of artists to play there and many evenings may be spent enjoying the vibe there. Of the Red Room shows, Duel Reality is still my favorite. Anything with a Diva is usually fun. 

 

The beds in the standard cabins are not particularly comfortable, they are convertible sofas that are more like IKEA furniture than the super comfortable beds you may be used to on Celebrity. The Rockstar Suites have fabulous real beds, but the Sea Terraces on down have the "Ikea furniture."  Again, we give the beds a pass because we do enjoy the overall experience and of course, the hammock is amazing in the Sea Terraces.

 

For me the very best cabins on any Ladyship are the Cheeky Corner Suites. Those massive wraparound balconies are sublime. We had one for our very first Scarlet Lady sailing and it was amazing. 

 

What's really fun about VV is that it truly is a 'come as you are' vibe with no pressure, no rules (other than the dinner reservations) and because so much is included, you're not constantly paying for things. It's a great social atmosphere to meet others because there is so much seating everywhere on the ship, you naturally join conversations and meet new people. As one crew member said on our first sailing, "It's like Summer Camp for Adults." That pretty much sums up a VV experience. When you sail VV you should have an amazing time. 

 

 

Thanks for this. Brilliant summary.

I would take slight issue with the cruises in the med for 2025. We can only go middle of June to Mid July. (Wife is a community nurse, so takes her hols when the schools are still in, as some of her colleagues need the time off when the kids are off)

I went to future cruises and got a number of quotes for this period.

Only Constellation is doing 11 night cruises, and its identical to what we have just come off this year.

Ascent is there until the first week in June only for 11 night cruises. After that its one week cruises only. There are some cruises up to Northern Europe but not in the med with other ships.

The only ship doing slightly longer cruises in the mid is Equinox. Which isnt an Edge class ship.

Last year Celebrity Beyond was doing 11 night cruises in the med.

If I could have booked an 11night cruise in the med on an edge class ship during my preferred period, i would have booked at future cruises.

There wasnt one to book.

20 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

It has nothing to do with age.  It’s about attitude.  If you’re hung up on your elite status and your privileges or expect the staff to kowtow and call you sir or ma’am, this is not a cruise for you. If you want to let loose and have fun, don’t mind a little risqué, and are open minded, you’ll love it!

This appeals to me a lot. I hate being called sir. I am just a regular person, like the crew.

1 hour ago, jon81uk said:

Music on VV may not be bland, but depends on your tastes and which artists they have booked. There is always at least one band and one busker style performer. The band might play blues or funk, or could be rock covers or something else. The busker might do original songs on a solo guitar.

 

For club nights it varies between 90s/00s music at the PJ party, more funky pop/dance at Heartbeat and disco at Studio 72.

 

House/well spirits are $9 and there is no gratuity added, cocktails $13-17 and beer $7-10 if that gives an idea. 

Great stuff on the music front.

Anyone playing their own stuff works for me. Can always respect that.

Tribute acts I can do without.

Looks like I might need to add another 300 dollars to the tab.

We easily downed more than 10 cocktails between us last week. so theres 130 dollars a day straight away. Thats without the coffees, and the beers and the whiskies at the end of the night.

I have also bought three 300 dollar blocks of drinks tabs. and they have given me an extra 150 dollars for doing so.

After what we drank this last cruise, it might still not be enough........embarrassed to admit this. lol

whoops double post there.

I am not bothered about the entertainment either.

My musical interests will never be accommodated on a cruise ship, which always have to err on the side of bland.

I think I will like the quirkiness of the staff though, as I find suited staff to be too formal and very dull.

also I have no issue wearing a wristband, as i lost my room card twice in the first 2 days on Constellation.

It had nothing to do with the alcohol, honest.