mfs2k

The last time we sailed on Carnival was in 2013, yet we’re Platinum because of our cruise history from 1986-2013. Since 2013 we’ve done some all-inclusive Caribbean land vacations, sailed on Celebrity twice, and sailed on Virgin once. My wife and I want to go to Europe in September and I booked a very good deal on Carnival Legend (10 nights) from Rome to Turkey, Greece and Italy with a small deposit. I have two concerns I’d love to get reassurance or honest feedback on. 1. We sailed on Carnival Legend in September 2004 for an 8 night Caribbean cruise from NYC when the ship was relatively new, so it will be exactly 20 years later we’ll be on her again. Obviously I expect the ship to be dated and older but will I spend 10 nights regretting I’m on an old ship and not something newer and bigger? 2. Most of our cruises and land based vacations have been all about warm weather, days at sea, or days at the beach. This cruise has 7 consecutive port stops after two days at sea and it’s exhausting just to think about. I’m not 30 anymore. We’re 64/65 and in fairly good shape but I’m not sure if this is biting off more than we can chew. My wife loves to sleep in on vacation and I’m going to be waking her at 7am or earlier every morning to go on excursions or explore ports. So I’m asking you pros…Are we going to love this vacation or regret it? I welcome your subjective opinions. Thank you. -Michael

Yes

I get it. if I walked into a store on Tuesday and saw something was $4,000 and I went back on Thursday for a huge advertised sale and the price was $5,000 with 20% off, I’d feel ripped off.

Ate in Le Voyage on Beyond and we were sailing in the retreat. Yes, we thought it was a worthwhile experience. Food and service were great and better than Luminae (in our opinion).

Back in the day, when smoking was allowed on Verandahs, we loved having that access. My wife smoked her cigarettes and I could have an afternoon cigar on the balcony, sipping a drink. Since smoking is no longer permitted we rarely use the verandah. I did love having a sky suite on Beyond because of the added space, the real verandah, and access to the Retreat and Luminae.

Access to Blu instead of the main dining room is the only benefit I'm interested in. It's worth the same to me as the two of us eating every other night in a specialty restaurant ($120) so about $60 per night for the cruise. (We'd eat half the time in a specialty restaurant anyway if we were in Aqua Class)

We went to Le Voyage with another couple We ordered 4 appetizers, 4 entrees and 4 desserts and shared everything. We created our own tasting menu. Was awesome.

Why do you want to put this out into the universe ?

We ate at most of the specialty restaurants because we had a big onboard credit. They were all fabulous. Check out the menus online and choose the ones which make your mouth water. You won't choose wrong.

I've cruised about 15 times - Usually 7-10 days each, but two of them were 2 night "Cruises to Nowhere" from Manhattan and they were FUN. (not Celebrity) They were party cruises and that's what we wanted for those weekends. We boarded at noon on Saturday and disembarked in Manhattan on Monday morning at 8am. I took a cab to work. The point of this post is I believe there is so much variety in cruise experiences one can book, whether it's a 2 night party trip to nowhere, or a 75 night cruise around the world on a luxurious ship. There's something for everyone who likes to be on a ship. That doesn't mean everything is for someone.

Making the most money isn't just about selling price and length of cruise, it's also about occupancy and total revenue. Celebrity wouldnt be making this move if bookings were strong on Beyond in Europe. They know they can shift the European bookings to Apex and Ascend and likely sell out on those two ships, and fill up Beyond in the Caribbean in the summer. Revenue optimization. Boom

I love everyone’s opinions about CocoCay and itineraries which include these “private islands” which aren’t very private when a cruise ship docks there. If you don’t want to go there, book a different itinerary which stops at real ports or stay on the ship. I cruised to one of these private destinations in March on Virgin. It was a nice pool and beach day but I would have preferred going elsewhere. I chose the cruise because the dates fit my schedule. It didn’t ruin my vacation. The good thing about cruises in 2023 is you have choices to fit your budget, lifestyle, and schedule. I really feel bad, however, for those with European or Transatlantic cruises booked and cancelled. That sucks.

This would really piss me off if it were happening to me. I was on Beyond’s transatlantic in the fall of 2022 booked over a year in advance. I consider myself lucky now my sailing wasn’t cancelled like those in 2024 are. To discover the cost to move to another ship, because of circumstances beyond my control, could exceed $5,000 doesn’t seem fair or right. I would really be furious. This reminds me of the “Seinfeld” episode in the restaurant: Celebrity “knows how to take a reservation but they don't seem to know how to keep a reservation.”

Have you considered an Adults only all inclusive resort in the Caribbean? There are many.

I think most of us, who have cruised at various times of the year can attest to this: There are many adults, over 18, who behave like children on cruises. So, "Adults-only" doesn't really guarantee an adults only cruise.

We have exactly the same post-cruise feelings.

We also tried Virgin about 6 weeks ago. Agree. Interesting and different. But I dont think I'd sail Virgin again.

We sailed on a 9 night repositioning cruise (10/26/22-11/4/22) on Beyond from NY to FLL stopping in Bermuda, Curacao and Aruba. We had a great time and the ship was full. There were a total of THREE (3) children on board.

it happens. Feel better.

How much was the excursion?

I'd welcome your opinion on whether Celebrity is a good cruise line to experience Europe, versus other cruise lines.

My back says don't do it.

That ship has sailed.

wow. Thank you.

Barcelona, Cannes, Naples, Rome are places Ive heard of and have not been too. (Actually, Ive been to Barcelona but my wife hasn't and I think she would enjoy it) I'm not familiar with La Sezia, Ajaccio, Cagliari, Valletta, Messina. Those are likely places I'd never go to if I don't book this cruise.