chisoxfan

Great, thanks so much for quick response.

A quick question I could not find a simple answer to after initial search. After decades of cruising I should know but rarely had TA credit which I believe is refundable (unless that has changed). It is not a lot but I also have a great deal (for us) of non refundable X OBC. Does non refundable OBC get used first ie if I have 800 of cruiseline OBC and 100 TA OBC and use 800 on cruise... would the 100 remain and be credited after cruise automatically- would I need to go to guest relations at end of cruise. Many thanks in advance.

Apparently all lines are facing declining service and food. We recently booked a 14 night HAL which checked the boxes for us vs. X. 1) newer ship for HAL (Rotterdam) and ability to get a real balcony(and since they have real balconies it is easier in my experience to find an available aft balcony) 2) they have initiated Club Orange which sounds interesting and adds some value ie. you pay 15x2 a day on 14 day cruise and can book any category at lowest price.. ie. an aft veranda at price of obstructed view. They also have dedicated dining area on new (Pinnacle class) ships and some other benes. I am not expecting Luminae or Blu dining but nice to have a smaller area available especially when it is essentially free 3) looks like HAL has not blown up their drink pricing as well as specialty dining which X has taken to new ridiculous levels 4) a game changer for us is music...B.B Kings and RS Rock venue with live bands. A great place to go in the evening. Our Apex cruise had the worst live music I have experienced- I think they were all using backing tracks pre-recorded and the sound was flat. Can't speak to food which is highly subjective (like music) and can change by ship and venue but haven't missed a meal on a cruise yet. I would concede that overall X is likely better. Do love the hot dogs and burgers at HAL Dive. Lower price of specialty dining will allow more of these splurges. Ironically, the first several posters on our Roll call said they were X cruisers trying HAL So we are excited to try a new ship with HAL and will likely only cruise X if some discount Retreat offers surface. We used to love AQ on S class but not sure how ' current ' these ships are. I know Solstice was updated in 21 but it is now 15 years old (hard to believe). ps. was trying to confirm age of Solstice and saw a passenger/crew ratio chart of all X ships. Wow the ratio is dramatically declining for each new ship like the national debt is growing. JMHO

Appreciate the comments that confirm what I expected but was not certain of. When we checked in Ascent, Retreat) on line we were only offered late hour boardings? When we were on Apex out of Athens last year they sent a message offering to board at 9AM which frankly was too early. Not sure why X would restrict Retreat boarding to certain times but seems in keeping with 'general confusion' theme.🤪

OK will try it. Thanks for the heads up.

I just used Flight Ease for the first time and was reasonably satisfied. I believe our cruise also had a 500 'bonus' which seemed to help pricing. My question is.... once I booked (Premium Economy and Economy Nonstop return) is there any way to look at other options? When I go online it shows my reservations but does not allow me to input different dates, Class of Service, etc. I would be interested in looking at BC and other options as pricing and availability always change. Thanks in advance.

We like Blu (usually have stayed in AQ before IV)....Not sure how much hassle this would be. Did you just show up at Blu or set up reservations in advance? Generally we prefer to eat on a 'whim' and would be good for us if we could just go 'unplanned'. Overall we were pleased with Luminae- especially service.

I know I am piling on but when we looked at Specialty Dining on our upcoming Ascent cruise I was frankly wowed by the general pricing X is seeking for all dining venues. I know X is tied into Daniel Boulud and we have eaten at his Miami prop often. The Chef's Table on this cruise was 169 pp. I was sent the offer below for 5 course dinner WITH wine pairing (additional on X) which IMHO offers much more value than the Ascent onboard offering. My point is that what could have been an attractive/ exciting dining option on Celebrity comes off (to me) as a let's charge as much as we can offer. So we will save our $$$ to enjoy additional dining when we return and are confident that Luminae will provide acceptable fare.

First of all we are talking long term trends. Many posters and customers continue to have booked cruises in place even while they proclaim they are leaving X. I get the 'new' customer argument but raising pricing and lowering standards doesn't seem to be a recipe for attracting new customers. If X changed direction to cater to a new demographic I can understand that but it is not what I see (unless the demo is people who just want to spend more). Much of the 'complaining' on CC has been from suite passengers which X has certainly catered to as they made an effort to design their newer ships around. While I can concur CC is not the entire cruise universe it does offer a reasonable perspective on what passionate cruisers are thinking. I am sure we can all relate to products/ companies that we were fiercely loyal to for years that we eventually abandoned because they 'lost their way'. While some of them may have changed direction and thrived many just crashed. I certainly don't claim to have a full understanding of X marketing plans but from the perspective of a relatively frequent cruiser I don't see genius at work here. JMHO

I am sure they are using an algorithim to maximize profits. Any of us could achieve short term profits if we were put in charge..... raise drink prices, eliminate butlers, cut back on staff, food, etc. Being very stingy with any credits to unhappy passengers. The management will be 'rewarded' and then they can move on to their next position. The real chore is to maximize profits while retaining a loyal and enthusiastic cadre of loyal passengers. Unfortunately, just by sampling CC posts, they seem to be failing miserably at this more difficult task. Maybe a more pressing algorithim for X to consider is what is the cost of lost passenger(s) and the future expense of trying to get them back in the fold. JMHO

Good info.. not so interested in food menu but there is a list of wines (and prices) on app menu which is helpful. On our previous APEX cruise I could never find a wine list or prices anywhere in the Retreat. A Sommelier came around (somewhat aggressively) at dinner hawking wine with no mention of cost.... we had settled into a routine of (multiple) cocktails and martinis served when we were seated (great service but comical as we had to plead with our server that we REALLY didn't want more drinks). Anyway it will be good to know how much extra these 'amazing' wines are. As a sidebar I worked for decades enjoying fine wines and dining on the company nickel. I learned to appreciate good wine but much more so when I was not paying for it. On a cruise I am fine with more pedestrian offerings even though looking at the X pricing it may be difficult to stay within our 'premium' package.

We used move up on a 10 night APEX and it worked out great partially because the itinerary changed completely and we went from port intensive to a 'lets hang at the pool and enjoy the nice weather'. We also have a SS booked for Ascent next month because it was a 'relatively' good deal. Personally I think the move up program diminishes the suite value.. at some point people are going to feel ripped off to pay 1200 plus a night for SS (now without OBC, Grats, or Butler) knowing that many in the now 'filled to capacity' lounge, Luminae, and Pool area are paying half price. Kind of like flying Business class where you cough up full fare where almost nobody pays full tilt. Additionally, for us, the move up isn't an attractive option to take a flyer on since one would be confined to IV on the new ships if you do not win. Looking forward to our Retreat cruise but have the sinking feeling this will be our last on X for a long while, a shame since it was our go to line for years. Have some HAL cruises booked and their Club Orange is an interesting and value added concept. Also agree with comments that MSC Yacht Club is a strong value and very equivalent to Retreat. Our cruise needs haven't changed much but X seemingly has moved away from them. JMHO

Appreciated all the comments. Just wanted to get a feel for current restrictions. We will likely 'play' most of the OBC and will be pleasantly surprised if there will be anything left to cash out.

Merry Christmas! On Ascent upcoming... will probably have to question casino manager as the rules seem unclear. Can't believe they will lock you out? Our goal isn't necessarily to cash out OBC but just to understand process. My wife likes slots and spending OBC in casino is as much fun for us (her) as 200 dollar specialty dinners.

Thanks. I do plan to eat in Orange generally but on 14 night cruise would try the MDR a few times. Happy to hear your comments on Orange- not seeking gourmet Nirvana but a more relaxing experience with decent service.

Just booked a CO aft veranda (Rotterdam) and first time using this as well as being back to HAL after many years. A few questions if anyone would be so kind: - assume Orange can be used as desired, ie. no issue going to MDR on occasion? On X they frown on Blu and Luminae passengers using MDR (it is possible but always a hassle) -we booked through HAL and is there an issue in transfer of reservation..... we did for first time book an Easy Air flight so not sure if this adds issues? Overall CO seems to be a great value added concept. I would add that I had to call HAL three times.... first agent said no CO available... second said I had to make a booking before they could even check availability and then was cut off....third agent (apparently a supervisor) said it was available and booked me accordingly. Many thanks in advance

Impressive -at around 140 bucks a tin you could pay for your whole cruise ordering enough. I'd have Jeeves deliver twice a day.😁

My assumptions were that X provided OBC was non-refundable and could be used for dining, drinks, excursions, and on board shops. Have heard rumblings that there are more restrictions on usage in casino? Would greatly appreciate any comments on OBC usage particularly in casino. Thanks in advance.

Certainly can understand your viewpoint and largely share it. We started to add AI's to our trips replacing cruises in the Winter. Looking at future travels in Europe, spending sea time to sneak a few ports for limited hours is not always ideal. We were on Apex to Egypt and Holy Land which was cancelled (itinerary changed) in Oct. and I came to the realization that if we want to really experience things in this region it makes more sense to stay with tours and/or driver vs. long bus rides and confined port time. We felt that it was almost a blessing that we cruised the Greek Isles with beautiful weather instead. Same with UK where we are also looking for more inclusive land tours. We accepted cruising because it was a relative value and easy. The value part part of this equation is fast declining. Your comment on the repetition and superficiality of it all initially struck me as strident but in general I can appreciate the sentiment.

I agree that X has lost its 'edge' on their new class of ships. We just got off Apex and have a suite on Ascent upcoming. The Retreat product on Edge class is impressive with dedicated pool area, lounge, and Luminae but generally the price is insane and they keep removing benefits (OBC, tips, butlers). So if we get a great deal on a suite on a warm weather, hang out on the ship cruise we would consider X but only in Retreat. The rest of the Edge class design is uninspiring and quirky where the old S class was really innovative and classy but getting long in the tooth. Our old standby of AQ on S class ships has been taken out by removing real balconies on the new generation (Thermal suites were never that nice IMHO and not improved on Edge class). So for us (like MSC) X has become a suite only option and not a go to cruise line. We are excited to try Rotterdam (have only sailed Westerdam and Eurodam before) this summer and the Cub Orange concept appears to be an attractive plus. I know the music will be 10X better than X. JMHO

Just 'returned' to HAL booking a 14 night cruise. One other thing I also like is that unlike X they seem to offer a more reasonable deposit return policy ie. most of X deposits are non-refundable unless you pay a king's ransom up front. The Club Orange is also intriguing although I have to admit I essentially got three different answers from three HAL agents regarding availability. ps. would also personally be fine to lose the big production shows.

Love HAL but haven't cruised them in several years just because.... we prefer newer ships and HAL itineraries haven't worked out for us. The music on HAL (BB Kings) is a game changer as we just got off Apex and I thought the bands were playing along with pre-recorded /soundboard. HAL also has traditional balconies that in our opinion surpass the IV's on X. We have booked Retreat on X but pricing is ridiculous. They (HAL) haven't designed their new ships around suite passengers which is refreshing. Are doing Ascent this Jan and am hoping music quality is better but also was just getting ready to call HAL to check some options for next year. After a few decades of cruising we have HAL and MSC Yacht Class on radar unless there is dramatically reduced pricing available for X Retreat. This whole cruise thing used to be so simple.

As they say "Past performance does not guarantee future results"😀

Just what I read on TA. Complaints of island cleanliness, long trip etc. This excursion was first day on our cruise and we figured we did not need to leave early (7:30) to do this.

Sad to hear of the shark fatalities but there are many sharks off Bahamas. We just cancelled an excursion to Pearl Island not because of sharks but bad reports on island. Hilton has closed (used to do a Day Pass) and not sure what the new prop offers. At the end of the day we will (boringly) do what is easiest. Sleep late and hang out at the Retreat. Maybe go into town for a few hours. Not complaining.