BosoxI

Thank you.

I am just qurious where these prices come from?

I don't want to get into specifics, as it might be construed as bragging which I certainly want to avoid. We choose our cruises very carefully. I'm retired and can go at any time; my wife still works but with enough notice she can usually arrange her schedule . As I said earlier, if the price isn't right, we stay at home. We have three cruises on Celebrity scheduled for the next three months, two in the Carib and one TA. Our C3 balcony along with two A2s are within the cost range I have previously mentioned. We will benefit even more by being Elite and getting a one category upgrade.

I understand that not everyone has the luxury of picking and choosing dates which have the lowest cost. This makes a tremendous difference and we take full advantage of it.

I am excited to try X for the 1st time. We are fun loving and semi-young couple (LOL-late 20's) but are not huge party animals & are pretty low key and laid back, so we are excited to get a taste of the more posh cruise line! :P

 

Enough blabbing....on to CABIN SELECTION!

Right now we are in AQ #1605 (Deck 11-Penthouse) I like the size of the balcony, but am slightly concerned about noise above? We also love to be on the side that faces the land while in port. I know this changes depending on a few different elements, but any idea which side would have better odds? We are sailing Dec 28th (Western Caribbean) I believe #1605's opposite #1610 is available on the other side of the ship, if we need to change. Would welcome any other cabin # suggestions as well- we love peace and quiet and do not mind a walk to the room! Thoughts? :confused:

Check out the Sticky for S class cabin information or simply do a search for the staterooms you're interested in. There's a wealth of information to be had. Have a great cruise

My March 22 Summit cruise has increased by $1200 for the two of us since we booked in 1/13. In 2012 our October Reflection cruise dropped $1200 from the time we booked. You never know what's going to happen!! You have to stay on top of it. I use that website that tracks the prices for you and then notifies you by email for a very tiny cost.

That site is a help, but I have noticed it doesn't always pick up all the changes. Take a look at the comments in their forums. You stil need to check periodically on your own.

In all fairness to the ones who felt their cruise was boring...we also found times where it became boring on the Reflection due to...

 

The Simon & Garfunkel type duo at sail away...could put you to sleep

 

Babies with diapers in the pools...couldn't use the pools or hot tubs due to security not stopping the four couples who several times a day went in both...boring if you can't enjoy a dip to cool off

 

Breast Cancer tee shirt sale...they longer do the line dance to promote the sale...not only boring but very disappointing.

 

Not everything was boring as we enjoyed most other areas....

I find that when something doesn't suit me, finding something that does is a reasonable solution. Where is it written or promised that every activity on board a ship will suit every passenger?

That's interesting.

How do you calculate it and what do you include in $60?

.

That's an interesting question. For me I wait around until the cruise line drops its price to an acceptable level. If it never happens, I stay at home. The price includes taxes and port charges to which I add gratuities. I subtract the value of any OBC or other considerations and divide by the number on nights on the ship. This is what I consider to be the cost per person per day. It tends to range between $90 and $150 which I consider tolerable for, in the case of Celebrity, at least, an unobstucted balcony up through an Aqua. At these prices I don't expect perfection and I'm perfectly happy with mid level cruise lines.

I don't count any expense I can control myself for drinks, tours, gambling etc even if it could be covered by the OBC. This might skew the results a bit but not enough for me to worry about. We don't do suites any more and have concluded that a good balcony cabin is all we really need unless there is exceptional opportunity for an upgrade. Honestly, we have traveled the world for so many years and seen so many places that I am really content to stay at home or in our second home and let the rest of the world go by.

More power to anyone who is paying only $60. At that rate I would never complain about anything, unless a bilge rat ran across my feet at night. :)

What is really up to the standard of years ago? Certainly, flying economy class is not; department stores have cut back on their staff; many teachers have to buy their own classroom supplies--and I could go on. A mantra in the USA today seems to be "profit over people." Shareholders have to get their dividends, executives their bonuses, and so many do not want to pay their fair share of taxes. On the other hand, I honestly cannot complain too much about cruising. It continues to be excellent value for what we pay, and does not seem to me to be that much more than what we paid years ago when cruising was not so popular. But, obviously, some people have their expectations high and then are disappointed when a cruise does not measure up.

You're right but the other side of the coin is where people expect first class service for bargain prices.

We have sailed Celebrity 15 times over about the same number of years, we have noticed two primary changes. Wait staff have more tables and the quality of the music has declined, but that is a matter of taste. Since we rely on neither crew nor other passengers to entertain us, I have no idea what other people do to avoid being bored.

I'm with you. The waiters in the MDR are so overwhelmed, it's pitiful. Those in Aqua don't have it much better. I don't think I've ever been bored in my life except when I've been in bad company. I feel sorry for those poor souls who depend on being entertained or being in a group in order to be happy. Inner resources, so important. But to each his own.

 

Just out of a curiosity... What was offered to those chosen people? So the next time I would like to have what they were having.

I would, too, if Meg Ryan is sitting at the next table.

There always seem to be some young people on most cruises. I can understand your son's concern, but at worst he'll be shipbound for a few sea days. How terrible can that be? We were on this same cruise in December and had a great time, but we are a bit (fingers crossed) older than 26 and tend to be extremely capable of amusing ourselves. We'll be back on board March 8 and expect to have another great time. If this were a 15 day trans Atlantic, his concernns would really be justified. For five days the worst that can happen is he gains a few pounds.

You will not clear customs until you get off the ship at your final destination, in your case Ft Lauderdale.

But you will clear Immigration in KW on your return from Cozumel. We had to rise at an ungodly hour to do it. Fortunately, it was a speedy process.

Celebrity will post 2015 and early 2016 itineraries in Mar/Apr, at least that's when they've done it in the past.

 

6 sea days is just too long to recoop for us....but to each his own!!

Having to recoup is a lot easier if you're retired! Only have to face mowing the lawn or cooking for yourself:eek: East or west on the Atlantic , makes no difference to me. What I'd really like to do is a slow boat to China with as few stops as possible. A trip from China to the West Coast would not be the same for me.

You will be glad that you haven't paid for it. I don't see what the big hype is about it and after having the free scoop I know why I never see anyone buying it, especially when you can get the real stuff for free along with the soft serve.

 

 

.⛄

Are you saying that the "real stuff" in the OV is better than the gelato?

Frankly, Scarlett...

Good luck getting luggage tags. The link doesn't work for us, so we wind up calling Celebrity. The call resulted in one set reaching us, the second never arrived. It's happening again on two upcoming cruises. It used to be funny, not so much anymore

 

 

This year we are thinking of taking the train from Rome to Venice and then renting a car and driving over the Dolomites into Austria. .

The Dolomites are simply magnificent, especially when the sun hits them at sunset. My family comes from there and I visit my cousins quite frequently. The food and architecture are quite different from that in the south. Have a ball Don't stay on the superhighways. The wonders of the area are best seen from the back roads and the Grand Dolomite highway between Cortina and Bolzano

My DW, affectionately known as "The Queen" or "Her Ladyship" cannot bear to drag herself out of bed at a reasonable hour. Not for the Elite Breakfast, not even for Blu. Room service doesn't work as there's no predicting when royalty will arise. So I fetch for her, which I am only too happy to do, as she is a wonderful wife. And, boy, do I get compliments from jealous women on the elevator for being such a wonderful husband. And dirty stares from husbands who fear I'm giving their wives ideas. ;)

Well, my way of choosing an Aqua cabin is quite different: when the price drops to near a veranda, I grab an Aqua. Any Aqua will do, as we like Blu, but some of the A2s are better situated than the A1s for us, at least. I can tolerate a lot, if the price is right:)

We were on St. Maarten in December and there were a few warnings. Didn't sound so terrible to us, so we landed and wandered about town, as we have pretty much covered the island on past visits. Sonofagun, my DW, the mosquito lure, was bitten on her ankle. It's now more than a month later, and I'm happy to report nothing happened to her. I don't know what the odds are for contracting the disease, but somehow I think they are in our favor. We are returning there in February and this time I'm sure we'll take some precaution, but only because it's so easily done.

Princess offers free upgrades from it's regular to Platinum insurance for it's Medallion. Platinum and Elite Captains Circle members.

 

What it DOES offer to Elites is free unlimited laundry and dry cleaning and much more generous internet minutes. As we get older and go on longer cruises they come in very handy.

We have been somewhat weaned away from Princess in the last two years or so, but we certainly have appreciated the benefits you list . Good to know that they are still available. I've always thought they had the best, and it appears they still do. Love their itineraries, too, but X's ships are nicer, its food and service have now caught up with P, and I confess the Elite cocktail hour is an attraction, as we don't drink enough to justify a drink package. Wish X would add a few of P's benefits. They'd have me for life, if they did!

Believe me, it's a nice gesture by X, but it surely isn't worth chasing up and down the ship to track down a glass of cheap sparkling wine.

If anyone has read all these posts, can you tell me if anyone admitted to being a big drinker? :)

I do the autotipping and then give my stateroom attendant and assistant extra. It depends on how much cash I have left and what kind of job they did. For a seven night cruise- I usually tip $50-70 extra and for a 10-12 night cruise I usually tip $100- $120 extra. We are about to embark on a 25 day cruise- so I probably won't tip more than $150 extra but I still like to tip extra. Some people I'm sure don't tip well and I like to make up for the cheap-o people.

 

Also- if my son has spent days on end in the youth program I either buy them little gifts like jewelry or give them $100 to pool with the other counselors.

 

We do any time dining but I always tip extra when we dine in the specialty restaurants.

I have a good friend who over tips, allowing us with many spirited conversations;)

We were on a forward hump on our Nov. transatlantic cruise. Wind was never a problem. As a matter of fact, I found more wind on the aft facing hump balconies on a similiar trip.

And thank you, too. Nothing like hearing from the voice of experience. For better or worse, we're spending two weeks in a Solstice class 1606. I'm sure we'll love it

Not meaning to demean your comment, but not to worry - what you get for Elite+ versus Elite is worth so little it is hardly worth worrying about. But I understand - it is frustrating conversely that we can only get Diamond on RCCL but are Elite+ on X.

For sure Does Princess still offer insurance for it's Elites? Might not be the best policie but it is an attraction