chemmo

Sincere thanks for so much more than a review… As always your pictures and information are more than one can get from any ‘professional’ reviews. However, what makes your reviews stand out is you let us, the readers, join you and Iain on a bit of your life journey. Sincere best wishes to you both for a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rather than an excursion why not look at booking a day room? If you look up ‘Hotels by day’ the usual stay is 9am to 5pm…You could enjoy a day poolside with a leisurely lunch and then shower and fly nice and fresh. Just had a quick look and prices are varied but seems to be plenty of choices on offer.

Do you think your ship is just a bit ‘off standard’ or a reflection that there are so many suite guests to serve? A general E class issue or ship based?

Comparative experience of new experience against previous Celebrity experiences definitely valued by myself.

That is the buffet entertainment…

A couple of weeks ago I met up with a group of friends I don’t see that often. As is often the case talk turned to holiday experiences. Instead of the usual adjectives of ‘fantastic time’, ‘wonderful experience’, ‘the food was to die for…’, ‘the service was top notch…’ the general consensus was this years vacations both on land and at sea had been lacking in one way or another… Airports…frequent complaints about flight changes, higher charges, charges for things that previously had been included. Business lounges over full, offerings reduced. Hotels…cleaning suspect, needing updating, room servicing reduced, breakfast previously included now at a higher cost or hot breakfast replaced by continental…Difficulties arranging early check in or late check out or only available at a high cost. Cruises…Cunard, Celebrity and Princess all reported on with very similar comments about cuts to food and service. A positive from the group….one couple had booked a Tui Mediterranean cruise (usually Cunard or Princess cruisers). They had booked it as a ‘cheap and cheerful’ way to see many Mediterranean ports having ruled out their usual cruise lines as too expensive…They report the food as perfectly fine. Not fancy or luxury but they could always find something on the menu to enjoy. They reported the ship as a bit old and dated but perfectly clean and in good working order. Service not as good as they had experienced on the other lines they are familiar with but they were happy to go to a bar to get their own drinks. From me….dithering with cruising this year for a variety of reasons, I opted for a 10 night stay at an AI in Turkey for my Autumn break. It was ideal for a crash out relaxing break and made me wonder why for all these years I have paid so much more for a crash out cruise holiday in September/October each year. Definitely see cruising still as a great way to see the world but I am unsure if I will still use cruises at the price they are for crash out breaks… I think we all have to simply accept that the whole tourism industry has changed….we are as a rule paying more for less if we stick to the cruise lines and hotel brands we are used to. Shopping around will become for all of us more demanding if we want to keep to a set budget but maintain standards…Personally, I will probably pay more for my next Celebrity cruise but I will cruise less often…Perhaps even give a budget line a go!

Congratulations! Enjoy…

Didn’t you receive any reminders? On a couple of occasions an extra (minimal) charge has appeared on our account after final payment and we have received quite assertive mails clearly stating ‘unless payment is made your cruise will be cancelled’…Certainly not messages you would ignore! Sorry for your predicament and thank you for highlighting it, especially if no ‘chasing’ of payment is made.

Definitely the best solution! We have only flown from SeaTac once so can’t offer a generalisation. However, I do know that any early flight from any destination world wide simply results in finishing a cruise in a stressful way…

Safe journey home…

Apologies for breaking into Jim’s thread but wanted to say I hope you are finding peace and solace on what must be a difficult cruise for you…

As RedIguana said… I am not rich but trying to enjoy the opportunities left before travel becomes too hard to enjoy. Cruising had become less about the destinations and more about the on board experience. We all make choices with the budgets we have…When a RS was a certain amount I was comfortable with the price…Now I am not so sure when I see the alternatives I can spend my £££ on.

Yes! We are in, or rather not in, the same boat! We would usually have a cruise from Southampton, a Caribbean cruise and a ‘something else’ (Mediterranean or world wide) booked too over an 18 month period. I can’t blame it all on Celebrity, owing to some mobility issues I find I need to pay business for flights for long haul and they have become ultra expensive too! We presently have one cruise booked on Infinity next year and I am really watching the very mixed reviews on this ship coming through. Southampton cruises for us are definitely more about a bit of Autumn sunshine than itinerary but the cost is really expensive. The arrival of E class to replace Silhouette has not gone down well. As you say, with the changes as to what is included, that adds further to the cost too… I have looked at other cruise lines but I don’t fancy some (the small and the very big) and others seem to have a ‘something’ I don’t like (Cunard’s dress code)…Princess a possibility but their suites aren’t that cheap either. We have always booked upper suites. I am finding it hard to commit to a 10 day cruise for three when for the same cost I can book 2 x AI luxury resorts for 10 nights each (flight included) in Europe plus a week’s rental in the UK (country or seaside cottage) plus enough left over for a European city break and a bit of change….That is over 30 days quality vacation time vs 10 nights…Another anomaly is (if I can face economy flights) it is cheaper for me to fly to Florida to cruise on S class (RS) and see Mickey Mouse for a few days than to cruise from Southampton on E class (RS) where there isn’t enough room on the balcony for the three of us! Will we do our Infinity cruise? It will depend on how much they achieve in the February refresh. I am not bothered about it being ‘Revolutionised’ (I know that isn’t scheduled) but I would like the reassurance that furnishings, balcony railings etc are being addressed. If we don’t do this cruise then who knows? After many years of cruising being our ‘main’ holidays they may become the occasional.

I think most people on Celebrity are perfectly honest. There is also excellent camera surveillance which I am sure must be a deterrent for anyone less than honest… I did once leave a pair of reading glasses in OV and went to the desk to see if they had been handed in and the size of box they brought out with assorted glasses in was massive! Obviously a lot of us are a little less than careful with our property on board. I feel very different about beaches…

Hmmmm! Hope you are having a good cruise!

If you are on a cruise pop down to see the Captains Club host…she should be able to access and sort…

I was thinking exactly the same. I was also contemplating taking a couple of bottles on board next cruise rather than pay the silly money charged by the bottle when you have already paid for a premium drinks package. The funny thing is I am not a faddy wine drinker. Going back a few years on the premium package you could guarantee some perfectly adequate choices but that no longer seems to be the case…some cruises seeming more limited than others…

After becoming a ‘singleton’ after 42 years of marriage and beginning to look at future cruises and other holidays I have been amazed at the prices and on some occasions even the inability to book a holiday. Quite simply I think I will either book with family members/friends or not book.

Sublime to the ridiculous springs to mind!

I think I would suggest you still discuss it with the M’D…They are always keen to please. If you discuss your preferences the first evening, see what they can offer…

Continuing to thoroughly enjoy your cruise. -12 here in the UK last night, I would love to be too hot! Seriously, Jim, take it easy…so understand your wish to see everything but be careful!

Just tried a few dates and the prices for higher suites are significantly more than I have booked. I think bargains may be room sensitive!

I contacted Celebrity directly as I have a cruise booked on in Infinity next September. There were rumours that it was going to be a full upgrade like Summit and Millie. They told me it was routine maintenance and the family rooms (big ones at the back) are being changed into suites. Nothing else. I have some reservations about my booking. Not cheap and whilst I don’t mind dated I don’t want shabby either in my suite or in the lounge areas…Reviews have been following have been varied. Few complaints about staff, most saying service has been very good. However, many saying their rooms/bathrooms need updating. I think I may have a look at itinerary’s between now and then and see if I can find a bargain and do a swap!

We were lucky enough to spend a week in Bali after a China tour. We booked it as a beach crash out after what had been an intensive sight seeing experience. We were AI and had not expected to do much. However, even on the journey from the airport to the hotel we fell in love with the people and the culture. We had asked the concierge at the hotel about a private day tour for the three of us to touch the ‘best of Bali’ not particularly liking any of the options our tour operator was offering (too much shopping). Whilst it was some years ago the cost was very reasonable. Our own small van with its own driver and guide cost less than for two of us on the itinerary offered by our tour company. We had asked to see a temple, a garden, a volcano, rice fields and a nice lunch with not too much walking anywhere. Highlight was lunch in a cafe precariously perched next to a very tall and upright volcano….Our guide told us if we were lucky we would see our drinks ‘look like Jurassic Park’…We were a bit bewildered by this remark but a few minutes later we heard a slight rumble and indeed our glasses wobbled! This happened twice…on the second occasion it was accompanied by a small fumarole giving a gentle puff half way up the mountain…It was then we decided there is being near a volcano and there is being sat on one…Such happy memories!

I agree with you…rare that RS and PH are available. I guess many people (like us) are finding the price to high and are beginning to worry about the reliability of the product…