kirtihk

The key word in the modern world is “free”.

Worse?! Don’t offend Germans, please. In Germany you are required to be without clothing in mutual sauna/steam room areas.

I don’t feel entitled to anything. Please do not make “blind” statements - if you do not like an item, does it mean you are entitled to what you would like in that item otherwise? No, you would just simply express your opinion (not expecting a harsh critique, because an opinion is just a … an opinion).

You cannot imagine how many individuals will simply dismiss you just for a fact that you attempted dualism in process of thinking.

It's good to know I'm the employer of the Earth.

and if we ask any department on ship (that interacts with us in one way or another) for as little as possible, because all of them because are stretched lately, then it will be very difficult to justify ourselves to cruise at all? What's the point to consider something for a holiday out of ordinary if in the end it becomes simply blunt and dull?

A simple typo: cruise lines

That’s always was that way for the majority of airlines: you cannot adjust or remove pre-paid gratuities, but you can do that for gratuities applied per-day basis on- board (you will see daily gratuity charge per person on you on-board account) - at the end of the cruise you may go to the service desk and remove those charges and pay by cash to whoever you want from the group of workers who topically getgratuitues (as in old days).

If all cruise line do that, it wouldn't make any difference (just math) AKA competition.

You are lucky he is not in a group who would simply dismiss you (a typical tactic for last 3 years).

For our December 2024 Cape Town to Dubai cruise the non-air discount is $5,600 per person round trip.

It is not $2,500; it is different amount for each itinerary (from $300 round trip for economy domestic destination flights to over $8,000 for international business class). Also, air discount might be taken for each way individually (I do not know whether it is half for each way or a specific amount depending on embarkation/disembarkation city).

They expect to book a few cruises like this one and then proceed right away to welfare.

You might go for $6,500 (door-to-door without air option) on Silversea 2026 World cruise 15- night segment.

Yep. My initial input was regarding the topic of this thread, not wording of a Celebrity distribution email.

Exactly! It was a club-like atmosphere, not too loud, not too quiet, not too formal, not too casual, just perfect to enjoy a company of co-cruisers and an outside ocean view (usually, not too dark either), and, of course, drinks also added to that indulgence feeling (as not a primary reason for such a gathering). Even writing now about it makes my mind travel and float in warm memories waters.

It was already reduced/limited (a certain number of drink vouchers per a cruise) by then.

No, they didn't add it; they reinstated the existing one in a reduced capacity.

Yes, I think around 2018.

2-3 nights vs previous every night (except the first night) in the designated lounge. It was a real event unlike just how it is now the "5-to-7-drink anywhere" event (ha-ha!).

"What reduced?" - I was writing specifically about the "Daily Elite Cocktail Hour lounge" event (typically, in the Sky lounge, as many already mentioned). "Why wouldn't..." - it was an irony: new cruisers most likely wouldn't know what Celebrity Elite status cruisers experienced years ago; so, for them it is actually, a new benefit (of course, would be applied when they get to the Elite status or a Royal Caribbean customer with a proper matching status).

"New Elite benefit" - it's so amusing! It's actually reduced previously existing one. This email was supposed to be distributed only to first time Celebrity cruisers and non-cruisers yet who subscribed to the Celebrity e-mail.

and only carry-on (saving all air/luggage related troubles like not able to quickly change a flight to another available flight if you flight is canceled with a checked-in luggage)

Again, accepting whatever means (in most cases) arriving on the embarkation day which means the majors are “forced” to call and pay a deviation fee.

The person who you replied to stated that it would be so much appreciated by cruisers if Regent had an air option (that would not cost Regent extra) during initial booking process to select how many days in advance to arrive. Then some people would not call to deviate at all just accepting whatever their air itinerary would be. Not everyone enjoys long air searches and calls to cruise lines.