prim8keeper

5 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

Yes, this.  I'm a refugee from Celebrity and I "left" there a few months ago due to the dramatic increase in prices for their Retreat product simultaneous to a reduction in benefits.  Yet X continues to sail fully booked in the Retreat, mostly from new, younger cruisers who are happy to pay more for less (b/c they don't know otherwise). Even without trying to recoup the losses from the pandemic, cruise lines will continue to raise their prices....simply because they can....

We too are moving over to Regent from Celebrity for similar reasons. I think this point gets lost on a lot of people. We were on Edge last month and less than thrilled with many of the changes. However, even with all the changes having booked that cruise years ago we knew booking another line would end up costing significantly more. I do wonder how many others out there are in a similar boat. It could result in bookings staying higher than they otherwise might especially for lines moving to non refundable deposits.

We started sailing X in 2011 when we were in our late 20’s. Funny enough now that we are moving more into who they are targeting at 37 and 41 we are moving on to Regent. 

Like a few others in this thread we decided to book with Windstar for Tahiti in 2025. We booked during one of their sails which included their version of all included (beverage package, WiFi, OBC and gratuities) at the base price. We are doing their 7 day sailing which visits several of the islands (Moorea, Raiatea, Taha’a, Bora Bora and Huahine) out of Papeete. One thing that I also discovered was when a lot of the larger ships visit it is not necessarily the best time to visit which is June through September. On top of that Windstar has various events on two of the island and can stay in port longer. Certainly worth considering given the time to get there, etc. We are thinking of also pairing it with some time on Bora Bora.

We started cruising X in 2011 in our late 20’s, sailing a few times a year. For the most part we have always been happy with what X delivered, even if it was inconsistent at times. The value was at least still there and we were huge fans of the all inclusive model as it made vacation planning that much easier. However, as everyone else has pointed out, rising prices and reduced service is not what I am looking for in a vacation. Especially when you look at what they want for suites now.

The constant barrage of changes lead us to book with Windstar for 2025 in addition to looking at other lines. Earlier this year on Beyond was the first time we ever hesitated to book another cruise on board. Our upcoming Edge cruise to New Zealand will likely now be our last. We have even considered canceling that, but having booked it back in 2021 there is no way we could book something else at a similar rate. I would love to be pleasantly surprised, but we are now going in with drastically different expectations than we normally would. We have one final X cruise out there, but we are willing to take the $200 hit on it and just cut our losses.

I agree that the real benefits for FBC are for international flights. We recently purchased flights for our Australia/New Zealand cruise and it was cheaper than what I could get booking directly with the carrier for business class. I did notice though that right after we booked our flights the option in FBC went up in price and they were no longer listed as no risk/refundable before final payment. They are still cheaper than booking with their airline, but not by nearly as much. Obliviously flight prices vary day to day, but based on some of the comments here it did make me wonder if they limit with number of refundable tickets for certain classes/carriers in case people cancel before final payment.

12 hours ago, Ejane said:

We're traveling on Celebrity Apex in October. Does anyone know if you can buy a weeks Thermal suite spa pass on a 10 day cruise or can you only buy the weeks pass on a 7 day cruise? It's showing a 10 day pass for 332 dollars which seems like a high price, a weeks pass would suit me better as I wouldn't use it that much to make use of the 10 day pass.

Thanks

They only sell day passes or passes that cover the entire cruise. On our first Edge cruise we visited every day and made good uses of our passes. We found going in the early evening around 5/6 pm was great as no one else was there and we had the whole place to ourselves. On our most recent Beyond cruise we didn’t use the pass nearly as much. They don’t really seem to offer any discounts on the E class ships. I’m not sure if I would buy the pass moving forward unless I just wanted to use up some OBC. For what it’s worth on the first day you can go and look around the spa areas so it may be worth stopping by in person to try and determine if buying a pass is worth it for you.

2 minutes ago, trout62 said:

It appears Le Voyage will indeed be on Ascent, but it doesn't yet show on the website under Ascent's specialty restaurants.  However, I looked under Beyond, and oh yes, that looks amazing.  Thank you!

 

Trout

We enjoyed Le Voyage so much I confirmed with the staff there that it would be on Ascent. They said that it would be and that they would send some of their team members to open it. It is fantastic! We didn’t do the tasting menu, but next time we are on a ship with it that is our plan.

I once would have agreed about only dining in Luminae. However, on our most recent cruise last month on Beyond our best meals were in Le Voyage and Eden. I would highly recommend both to anyone who finds the menu interesting. Don’t get me wrong, Luminae is still very good, but we didn’t think it was as good as it used to be due to various changes in ingredients and offerings. That said, there also seems to be different menus floating around for Luminae so perhaps we just got one that wasn’t too our taste.

We were on Beyond two weeks ago and dined in Eden and Le Voyage. Both were fully booked while we were there and we saw tables being turned over very quickly so new guests could be seated. We also dined at Le Grand Bistro for lunch on a port day. There were only a few other tables occupied. Like others, we did it in order to use up our OBC. I will say we found both Eden and Le Voyage to be fantastic. The new Eden menu is much improved over the original menu IMHO. 

It is interesting to see the variation in how this is being applied ship to ship. We were on Beyond last week and during our stop in GC the pool bar was open and the retreat/retreat deck was serving drinks like normal. We noticed in the retreat areas that they were just keeping track of the room numbers. I assumed they then ran all the drinks through the system once we left GC. The information about the bar closures was in the daily and they made an announcement that morning as part of the daily announcement. 

On 2/8/2023 at 6:44 AM, Lighthousepointdream15 said:

I was on the Edge in January. There were no reservations for the Peletons and if there were there was no one there to enforce a reservation. Two of the bikes were out of commission for the first few days and were brought back about midway through a 11 day cruise. Mornings were crowded but afternoons were empty with no wait for the Peleton. 

There are reservations for the Pelotons, but you don’t necessarily need to make them. We were on Beyond last week and the way it worked was that the staff would kindly ask people to get off the bikes if they were all in use when we arrived at our reserved time. It is really just giving you priority access to the bike, but depending on when you are working out that may or may not be necessary.

For those looking to bring their own shoes just know the clips are SPD, not the typical Look Delta clips. On Edge they let us borrow shoes that were used for the spin classes.

I'm also now seeing a Le Voyage Tasting option for $125 pp that includes wine pairings. Offered daily, but only at three times.

We are jumping over to Viking from Celebrity and up until the decision not to require vaccination I had been so impressed with the way they have handled things all things considered. Celebrity just announced that they are restarting out of St. Maarten in June and requiring vaccination for all passengers and crew (kids under 18 have to have a negative PCR test). While we are in no rush to get back on board any ship this really is giving us pause when looking at what other lines are requiring. Our final payment is not until November, but like so many others I wont be making it they don't ultimately require proof of vaccination for all passengers and crew.

@Heidi13 you posts are great!

16 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Prime8keeper, you say you are disappointed that Azamara has not cancelled your December cruise.   Has Celebrity cancelled their cruises for December?   I don’t believe you should have a bad impression of Azamara because of this as all of the RCL lines are hoping to resume cruising ASAP.   Cunard and Seabourn have cancelled cruises into April 2021 but the lines under Royal are still hoping to salvage some of the winter season.

Personally I'm disappointed with any line who has not canceled South America through 2020. While there may be some cruises slowly resuming come November/December, it is incredibly unlikely to be in South America especially since you still can't even enter Argentina unless you are a resident. Could that change come October 11, sure, but no one really knows. The fact that Azamara canceled the the first two sailings in SA after the TA (through November) makes me believe they realize that upcoming sailings there will be incredibly difficult, if not impossible. Just looking at the lines that are sailing in Europe I have to imagine if and when cruises resume it will be to their private islands in the Caribbean. This will give them far more control with only a handful of ships. As we have seen its a process to get things up and running again successfully. 

What I don't want to find myself in is a position of having to give Azamara a loan for $15K for a cruise that isn't likely to happen. Then I'm stuck waiting months to get that money back. Been there, done that twice, and not about to do it again. I get it though, they are going to do anything they can to avoid canceling the holiday sailings since they come at a premium price. It just would have been nice to get some options as final payment approached. I tried this and wasn't given any guarantees on anything so I opted for the guarantee in canceling, but with a little flexibility they could have kept my deposit. Since everyone talks about Azamara being better than Celebrity I just expected more, however I'm willing to admit my expectations may have been too high. God knows I've been frustrated with Celebrity as well through all of this!  

Like many others here we too canceled our Quest Christmas/New Year's sailing out of Buenos Aires to Brazil right before final payment. I was not happy about paying the fee given the current situation, but after going through the process of obtaining refunds for two other canceled cruises it was a small price to pay not to do that again. We would have been open to lift and shift, but they are not doing that particular sailing moving forward. We mostly sail X and this would have been our first Azamara cruise. While I realize much of this is out of their control, it has not left the best first impression given that this far in I feel like there should be some sort of plan in place since it seems like the odds of them sailing in South America this season are incredibly low.

43 minutes ago, Dsciorti said:

Was there an extra charge for in the fitness center? Also do they only have the one or that just for suite guest. 

I want to say there were four Peloton's in the gym? It feels like a lifetime ago now! We rode every day together at the same time and it was never an issue getting two bikes. We have a Peloton at home and thus already had accounts. They just asked if we were already members when we reserved them and there was no charge. I've seen reports from others that they were charged, but I don't know if that had to do with when they sailed or due to their room category. We were in a sky suite. Everyone and everything was great, one of our top cruises and favorite ships. You can't beat doing an Ally Love Caribbean Music Ride while sailing in the Caribbean on a sea day.

I think originally it was any suite at the Penthouse level or above could request one, it may have even included Royal suites. Though it is based on availability and I suspect going to the higher suites first.

Just as an FYI they also keep at least one reserved in the gym for suite guests. We rode every day and it was never a problem. We just told them when we would stop by and they had them reserved for us. You can set it up at the spa desk.

I agree that it is unlikely to happen. I would also caution anyone from making a final payment while cruising is suspended/there is a high probability of your cruise being canceled unless you are ok with that money not being returned to you for some time.

Despite my better judgement I did make final payment for our cruise in June. It was subsequently canceled in mid April and it took over two months for X to process our refund. I'm still working on getting everything sorted from our cruise that was canceled in late March. Like other posters, as a result I've canceled everything else for 2020 and did the L&S for our sailing in February 2021 just to be safe. I love cruising, but after my two experiences with canceled sailings I'm not willing to give any line more money until cruises have resume and I have an idea of what it will look like.

I did it earlier this week and it took about a day to be completed, but it says it can take up to 72 hours. They gave us the same cabin we had on our 2021 sailing for the 2022 sailing we shifted too.

We were booked on the cruise after yours and I canceled this week. Given that there is little chance these cruises will happen I saw no point in continuing to leave it. IMHO I don't think Azamara will cancel prior to final payment given that Royal/Celebrity/Azamara seem to be the last to announce any cancelations in addition to doing the shortest duration possible. Though your final payment date is later than ours (August 23) so you may get lucky. We are also in the US so we could get our deposit back, but did have to shell out the $75 pp for canceling. Given that it took us two months to get a refund for our June cruise that was canceled in April and I'm still working to get the other one squared away, it seemed like a small price to pay just to be done with it. Our sailing, like yours, was not offered in 2021 so lift and shift was not an option.

I agree that 2020 sailings seem doubtful. We were excited to make the switch over from Celebrity to Azamara, but I just canceled our December Quest sailing from Argentina to Brazil for NYE. I just don't realistically see how that will happen and I have no intention of making a final payment while cruising is suspended. I've already made that mistake once... 

9 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

Well, for those of us booked on it we are hopeful it will. No reason right now to think it won’t being 4 months away and knowing they need it in the Caribbean for the winter. 

I think the other thing to factor in for any TA in the near future is if the lines are willing to risk having passengers on board being that far away from land for so many days? I'm not sure they would take the risk especially if they have not been able to operate shorter sailings successfully first. At best it would be a liability and at worst it becomes yet another PR nightmare for the cruise industry.

At this time we plan to cancel our South American Azamara cruise for December and our Constellation sailing in February 2021 assuming cruising does not resume in some fashion before either final payment. We had an Edge cruise (March) canceled and a Summit cruise canceled (June cruise cancelled in April) and are still waiting on refunds. I'm not going to give the cruise lines any more of my money until I get back what I'm owed. I didn't listen to my gut when I made the final payment for Summit and I wont be making that mistake again. While I also recognize cruising will probably be in flux once it resumes I would also want to have some idea of what it will look like. I can't wait to cruise again, but cruising with a mask, etc. is not my idea of a relaxing vacation.

I saw yesterday that Grand Cayman is probably keeping it's borders closed until September 1 and that may be extended. It seems like a direct response to Carnival saying they would start sailings again in August that included stops in Grand Cayman. 

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1 hour ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Hi Prim8,

 

Abbott Labs are currently producing 50,000  5 minute tests per day.  If passengers (pax) arrive at terminal and enter wearing masks and then are tested in the terminal as part of the security process then pax would be able to go onboard a ship that is totally negative.  The test also identifies those who are incubating.  You either have it or you don’t.  A ship that has tested negative can sail without much worry.  The problem then would be where to land?  Most likely the only island would be the private island.  Unless arrangements could be made for an isolation area on an island I’m afraid there are no fast answers.  If by some chance a pax show signs of any virus they would be isolated and removed from the ship immediately...by prior arrangement.  The cruise lines will design new methods of handling crew and passengers just as the airlines will have to do.

I’m aware of the test. Our health system is actually one of their customers for other lab test. However, even with that we still can not get the rapid test and have been given no time frame for when it will be available. Due to that fact alone there is no way they can supply the volume of test cruise lines will need anytime soon since they will continue to go to health systems/existing customers first. However, another lab may be able to step in and fill this need. That would be the route I personally would try to go. However, you will still have the issue though of someone being exposed during traveling right before boarding since the test may not pick it up yet since you have no way of knowing what they did/did not do as far as any precautions. You would need testing availability on the ships as well. It’s a complicated problem with no good/easy/cheap answers, but I have no doubt someone will eventually figure it out. It’s going to be interesting.

While the idea of testing people before boarding sounds great from a PR perspective, I don't think in practical terms it will solve the larger issue facing the cruise lines at that moment. Testing at home seems of little value if the coronavirus is still widely circulating given all the people passengers will come in contact prior to boarding. Whether that is at home, work, traveling to the port or staying in a hotel prior to boarding. Sure, some can test at home and then drive to the port, but not many. Additionally, even if you run the rapid test to screen everyone prior to embarkation unless everyone is not getting off the ship, thus turning it into a completely closed environment, the risk of exposure is still there anytime anyone gets on/off in port. You also still have the incubation period of 2 - 14 days to contend with. So you could easily test negative on the day of embarkation and then develop symptoms and test positive mid cruise.

Once on board you need guests to agree to quarantining should they test positive. Given that some people wont even admit to having symptoms on the current health questionnaire/once on board, as it will spoil their vacation, I think this will be a struggle. All it will take is for someone to falsify their results/hide their illness and you have another PR nightmare on your hands. Add in the wild card of those who are infected but completely asymptomatic and its hard to come up with a truly effective strategy. They wouldn't even know they should alert anyone with zero symptoms. We also still don't have an answer as to how long they asymptomatic individuals shed the virus. So does that mean if detected you are quarantined the rest of the cruise automatically? What about crew?

I love cruising, but short of a vaccine or evidence that those who have antibodies are indeed immune I'm not sure there is a good way to resume. It then just becomes a question of the cruise line/passengers acceptable risk level. Personally, working in healthcare, I wont be cruising until there is a effective treatment as the risk just isn't worth to me, but that is only my opinion. Sure, I'm young and healthy so I should in theory be ok. However, I know a physician who is the same and he had to be hospitalized. That isn't a position I want to be in out at sea.

One final note, as far as temperature checks they are showing they really aren't effective at identifying those with coronavirus. Not to mention that you can take over the counter meds to lower a fever which circles back around to the question around people hiding their symptoms intentionally or unintentionally just trying to feel better.

The complexity around all of this is mind boggling! Man could I use a sea day...