cruisin from florida

THANK YOU for this great post! We are spending 3 nights on Kangaroo Island before our New Zealand cruise, and other than our lodging and transportation (flying there and renting a car), we have nothing planned yet. This is so great and helpful!

We were told the same thing, then found out on the ship that we could get a transfer from the port to the Venice transportation center. If you have enough enough time you could do this, take a water taxi/bus around Venice, then get transportation from the city transit center back to the airport.

We have a few upcoming cruises booked on the Brilliance, one of our favorite ships. We're in Cozumel on the Celebrity Silhouette, and docked right next to the Brilliance. She's looking pretty rough.. lots of rust and peeling paint. How is her interior? Is she going to get a break to get some needed maintenance? Again, she's one of our favorites, and it was a bit sad to see her needed maintenance so clearly.

We're on the Silhouette right now. Ship is beautiful. MDR food and service were good, no problem with the number of selections. Chair hogs are out IN FORCE, but that's the only negative for us so far. Sky is firmly overhead.!@^

I switched to bottled water - and lots of it- on one cruise when my feet and hands started to swell badly. That really helped.

One alternative is to find a really great, port-intensive itinerary. The ship becomes less important when you're getting off every morning and adventuring all day.

This. My hands and feet were swelling like crazy on one cruise. I switched to bottled water (and lots of it!) and things improved a lot. I think it's all the salt in the food, and some in the tap water.

We'll definitely say something, on board and in the survey if there are issues. Avoiding them in the first place may make for a more pleasant experience. Or even finding those little-known locations or activities that bring the "casual luxury." 😁

Based on many recent comments, Celebrity seems to be facing challenges in delivering the level of quality that many of its customers are used to. This isn't another pile-on thread. I haven't seen any of this first-hand. I'm looking forward to a Silhouette cruise in about a week. If you have cruised this class of ship since the changes took place ( first departure in Jan. 2023), what do you recommend to maximize our enjoyment? We booked the AI, and we're not in a suite. We don't want to spend big bucks on specialty dining. Other than MDR, OV, and spa café, are their any other options for lunch and dinner that might be better? Which bars are going to be less crowded?... That kind of thing. I cruise Royal mostly, but did an Apex 7 night a year ago that was amazing. Please give me tips to help this cruise be as great as it can. Thanks!!

I understand this completely. When DH and I were both working high stress jobs, total relaxation was the goal. Now that we're retired, we're more adventurous in our travels. We can rest when we get home!

From their website, 2 minutes ago. I would take tat deal, but can't find it in the planner.

"I'll have a pina colada. Hold the rum, please. " Lol

So... We have classic AI for our upcoming cruise. How can I find the price to upgrade to premium?

?? Yes?? I hope so.

Now I'm really confused. Here's what the website says right now about AI. Are juices and bottled water included or not??

Wow, this is REALLY disappointing. Granted, my bad because I didn't read the fine print. It never occurred to me that the AI add on didn't include the NA stuff. How do you find the price to upgrade to premium? I'm considering the Zero proof package, but might upgrade if it makes sense to do so.

Well, it started because of a difference in perception about food and service levels between suite and non-suite reviewers. Which led to this. I think the biggest difference is that some of the biggest decline has been reported in the MDR. Suite folks are reporting that things are good at Luminae and specialty restaurants. Folks who don't make those choices with their vacation dollars are seeing declines in the MDR and OV. Which really impacts the overall cruise experience.

Maybe suite vs. Non-suite could be its own topic? This thread has definitely drifted.😁

Especially if the cruise crosses the international date line!

We did mostly ship excursions in Greece last September. In Mykonos, we did the walking tour, which was just right for us, then wandered a bit on our own and did a little shopping and lunch. In Athens we did the tour that took us to the Acropolis. It was amazing, but there was more time than we needed on our own at the end. We had a nice meal and took a cab back to the ship. The guide had correctly warned us that the cab driver would try to gouge us, so (long story short) we got out of the cab at the dock and gave him what she had said the fair fare (see what I did there?😁) would be (less than half of what he was trying to charge us without showing us the meter). The "no, I don't use the meter, here's the illegal exorbitant ripoff rate," was a problem in every Greek port where we tried to take a cab. We did the cave boats in Corfu, and in Argostoli we found (after walking into town away from the port rip-off cabs) a cab driver who charged us a fair rate to drive us to Castle of Agios Georgios ( https://g.co/kgs/8wZYiG ) and bring us back to town. We walked from town back to the ship. Have a great time! We loved all the Greek ports.

You're a cash cow anywhere you go in the Caribbean. One of the reasons we cruise less there these days is being tired of feeling like all we are is dollar signs. That said, you can go to Cococay and not spend an additional nickel, which is impossible in other ports if you want to get to a beach and have lunch.

When you think of the number of "beach day" excursions sold for Caribbean ports, and the hassle involved with getting there once off the ship, for the MANY folks who cruise the Caribbean for the beaches Cococay is a win/win. Royal gets the revenue, guests get a nice day at the beach with some activities included (and drinks if you have a drink package). For the many folks who sail these itineraries because they are convenient and relatively inexpensive (live in FL or TX, so drive to port) the beach may not be as much of a draw. I'm in the second category, so unless the weather is really amazing we stay on the ship and enjoy the emptier feeling.

I am really hopeful that the staffing levels will return to something like normal. Excellent service requires appropriate staffing levels. To me, excellent service (and what I've come to expect on cruise vacations) means not having to ask for things like water refills, etc., having servers who are attentive to where you are in your meal timing, who offer coffee without being asked. Truly excellent service means the customers' needs are being anticipated and addressed. With appropriate staff levels, small issues can easily be resolved. If a dish isn't to your liking, and the server is checking on your table, and not racing around to serve too many tables, it's no big deal. You let them know, they offer options, you choose one and have the replacement very quickly. Compare that with getting a bad dish, and not seeing your server for 10 minutes while the rest of your party is eating. Insufficient staff exacerbates all the other issues, and can turn a forgettable minor glitch into something that really impacts the cruise experience. If they start spending money again, I hope staffing is first on the list (I know the staffing issues aren't necessarily related to cost, but using corporate resources to address the staffing problems should be a top priority, IMO).

Busing my own table is not my expectation on an X cruise. That would definitely be another data point the the whole value/experience/quality calculation. We can clean our own bathrooms, too, if the steward doesn't show up. Fun times.

I agree, making your home a pleasant place to be is not the same as buying "stuff." Right before the pandemic we completed our swimming pool and spa, and it has been a wonderful place for my husband and me, and all the kids and grandkids. You'll love sitting on your porch on your new porch furniture!