Tom-n-Cheryl

Funny - just read an article on CNN regarding Virgin Galactic (how Branson indicated he's not putting any more of his money into the company) which included the following quote: Branson was quoted in an article posted by the Financial Times on Sunday as saying that his investment company — Virgin Group — hasn’t been in the best financial shape because of the pandemic. ----- Branson was originally also involved with (what is now Brightline) a few years ago, and ended up pulling out. (NEWS) But wait, there's more, he was also going to build a Hyperloop test facility in WV - which also ended up being pie-in-the sky. Perhaps his eyes are too big for his stomach, or wallet... Tom

Yikes - just noticed this was a HAL thread !

That wasn't a very long tenure - probably had a nice retirement package/incentive ! "Profitability"... we all know what that means ! 😉 Tom

We usually bring along a 12-pk of Lacroix. Never any issues Tom

I noticed that vanished over the last few months too. I haven't yet pulled the trigger on booking with Virgin, and had to do a double take when I couldn't locate that discount recently while cruise shopping. Tom

I will say, the DRINKS ON US EVERYWHERE does get my attention ! Tom

I was looking at some 2025/26 dates for the Mardi Gras under my VIFP#. In most cases it's only giving me (suite options) of Ocean View Suite - and - Family Harbor Ocean View Suite. I logged in later from another computer, and didn't have my credentials handy, and checked the same dates. Lo and behold, there are NINE categories of suites available - including every type of Excel Suite they have (what I was looking for). I'm scratching my head as to why Carnival does not want me to see all the options, and is only spoon feeding me limited cabin types. I mean, leave it up to me to decide if I'd be ok paying full price (non-casino rates) for something. If it's a Presidential Suite I'm looking for, I might just wander off to another cruise line if I can't find it. This just seems ... stupid ! BTW, I've encountered this in the past as well. Tom

Have a GREAT time !! Tom

Yep, it was probably G - rather than D - we parked in for our two Celebration sailings.

Glass half full 👍

We usually shoot for their first (actual) suite - GS, though have splurged a couple of times up to a Grand Panoramic Suite, or some such labeled cabin, lol. With Celebrity, they might as well rename sky suites to junior suites, as they do seem to be the red-headed stepchild of the suite lineup...

Yep, parking there will include a bit of a trek to the garage. I believe it's garage "D". Not a major issue. It's not as bad as our last two sailings on celebrity out Port Everglades though. There, for the Reflection at least, you had to take a shuttle to and from the terminal to get to the parking garage. Another reason I prefer sailing from our home port! Tom

The only thing that comes to mind is the per minute cost of calls (to land) from your cabin phone. I recall it used to be something like $9.99/minute, then several years ago some ships started dropping it to $6.99. Now it's, what, $1.99/min? Is this the only thing that costs less now? Tom

I agree, with our daily drink coupons and the open bar in the early evening in the suite lounge, that covers a majority of our drinks. I used to think that making Zenith was a reasonable goal, and likely achievable without significant effort other than time. However, I don't see that being in the cards going forward.

And, to me, the experience is just OK... and too long... Once and done. Well, or 5 times and done. (or so) Tom

We opted for a wine pairing (upgrade) on our first Celebrity cruise 15+ years ago. One of the wines was a glass of Château Lafite Rothschild. Prior to that, I wasn't much for red wines - but that was the turning point! For reference, they no longer offer that on their wine pairing menu. Further, the Steakhouse (probably back in the Supper Club days) on Carnival used to have multiple vintages of that wine still available by the bottle (I can't recall if was actually on the menu). We sprung for it a couple of times - and now they're all a thing of the past. Those were the old Bob Dickinson days - he enjoyed his wines. Back then we even opted for their Wine Club, and had a few nice bottles show up throughout the year. Tom

FWIW - as long as we're talking about revenue sources - I'd be happy to pay for an actual room service breakfast. They've come a long with with the breakfast sandwich offerings now, but I'd still like to see fresh egg options. Tom

Perhaps they need to consider a meaningful "senior" discount. 😉 lol Tom

But, it's an upgraded experience... 😉

Hopefully with a decent non-smoking area! Tom

I was thrilled when I heard that Celebrity was bringing a ship here - then happy to learn that it was at least a Solstice class ship, less so that it wasn't the Reflection or Silhouette (really love those two lunch options). Having said that - I predict we'll be getting back on the Equinox, just because it's going to be so convenient ! Around that same time (ballpark) Princess also announced that it would be brining its first ship to PC - sadly, it was the Caribbean Princess... the only Princess cruise we've been on, and a ship we didn't care for. Hey, we have to take the good with the not so good !! 🙂 Tom

"upgraded" experience = hogwash

I see that there are several dates where these two ships are doing 3 and 4 night runs, with either 0 or 1 sea days. Does that mean that the Porch and/or Lawn Club Grill are only open for lunch once during each cruise, if at all... or, have they made any changes to that policy for these cruises? Tom

(for the record, I'm 61 also) I'll note that most of the people I see in the marketing from Celebrity don't accurately reflect the guests I typically encounter onboard. I just noticed this image from the Carnival page - I will say, they're not far off the mark here... I've been curious about the "luxury lines" as well - but I also prefer bands that have a bit of edge to them. I was on a sailing earlier this year where the house band (Carnival Liberty) was playing great sets, finishing off with a great rendition of Zombie. Tom

Any chance their casino is smoke-free (or other premium lines)?