ChucktownSteve

Just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed reading about your journey on the Grandeur. We'll be taking a Southern Caribbean Grandeur cruise in Feb '26. Your pictures and narration really made me look forward to this sailing. Thank you. Hope you totally recover soon.

I thought the MD on Quest is Discoveries while Compass Rose is the Regent MD.

I wasn't. It was a generalized statement but if the shoe fits.... 😁 I've also encountered some of that type of person on Azamara, Oceania and in Celebrity's Retreat. I don't stereotype all their passengers by the actions of a few. Everyone has their own perspective of the boxes they want ticked and the reasons they prefer different cruise lines. To me, it's about the sailing enjoyment as my preferred vacation.

Aft view is my first go to cabin/suite if available. RE: Regent I must have been on the three wrong ships. I didn't meet any entitled, stuffy passengers and my service was efficient and personable. Even from the Compass Rose hostess on the first sailing who I ran into on our third one after she was promoted because she was so good at service. Sometimes people put out vibes that cause staff to be impersonal as if that's what is expected of them.

TY so much for the input. I spent 35 years in Charleston, my DW 40 years before we moved to central FL in 2018. We were married on a friend's piazza overlooking Charleston Harbor 34 years ago. I just never changed the handle.Quite perceptive of you.

Thankx for that. I don't book inside, bottom suites or cabins either. I was just doing an entry level price comparison to show Silversea is more than Azamara but that the included items make it that way because of Luxury vs. Premium. Your situation is more a true comparison. After sailing in some suites, my question is how much cabin/suite size is enough? I like larger accommodations but at some point, we don't need more. We are trying the AZ CWOS this December to see how it compares to Regent's Concierge and Penthouse suites. We were able to book it for $645 pp/pn which I felt was a real value considering I love the aft views. The other two bookings are an aft P1 for the same reason.I'm just glad other people aren't gobbling them up which is why we book when the itineraries are first released. I'm hoping AZ's service level has maintained. The onboard experience is what I felt always made it a cut above for a Premium level.

It did then, it doesn't now if you were late to the (White Night) party as outlined above. Try using your Captain's Club number for the Azamara Circle number.

This thread has certainly proven Newton's laws of motion to me. For every reaction, there is an opposite and equal reaction. 😁

When we sailed Splendor in a Deluxe E, we had no problem getting additional reservations once onboard in any of the specialty restaurants if we didn't mind sharing. It was 16 night Panama Canal. Sometimes we didn't even have to share but we like meeting new people. There's such a good caliber of friendly people we've found on our three Regent cruises. I also felt the Compass Rose MDR menus, with both every day and nightly entrees, to be superior to many other line's specialty restaurants.

I received the email but since there were too many words without grabbing my attention due to using all the marketing gobbledygook, it wound up in my computer's circular file. Maybe some day they will learn that they only have three to five seconds to grab most people's attention to want to continue reading more. Nothing in the first few lines did that for me. I suspect interns wrote it. They certainly can't have been creatives.

I rarely regret after pulling the trigger on something. When I made the action, I was happy at the time with my decision. I learned that in my businesses and the stock market. Selling shares is the same way. The stock could go up; it could go down afterwards. I've also had the opposite happen where I put in a limit buy order a little too low trying to get greedy and it didn't execute because the price kept getting better. Five and seven percent weren't enough for me to be happy with the lengthy prepayment time-frame. Ten percent was. Let them go to 20% and I'll still be happy with the 10% I received.

That statement taken out of context doesn't tell me the true story.

Small businesses all over the world which didn't have the financial ability to wait out the governmental induced storm, unfortunately went under. Small businesses were the most vulnerable. You know the decisions made by people who probably never had to earn a real paycheck adversely affected them?

Your DH is part Labrador Retriever? I hope you send him for coffee in the morning. 😁 Or would that be tea?

Look on the positive side, if you're on the ship and don't enjoy the performance, you don't need to wait for transportation to leave. 😁 I'm wondering if they'll continue Azamazing evenings off the ship where the logistics still work in conjunction with the venue? Many resources may not still be available post pandemic at some of the destinations.

Or a Car dealership sales manager? 🤣

Happy upcoming birthday. Having been an entrepreneur, I believe it's too early to churn Azamara. The line hasn't been built to warrant a very strong return on their investment yet. Selling too early leaves many potential dollars on the table. They're probably just getting it to the point of implementing their growth plan. Perhaps the promotion is a way to help fund or implement that growth strategy?

I agree. Let's hope that they're not just patronizing guests but will actually act as their response appears to suggest.

Not nervous in the least. Cash flow is important to a business. This improves cash flow at a greatly reduced cost of money. Plus it can be used to retire more expensive debt already on the books from the pandemic. Their out of pocket cost of the inflated jewelry to the vendor is not one for one when you consider the commission on sales they are paid.

I've made it easier for you to see the official Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Double Double discipline https://www.royalcaribbeangroup.com/the-discipline-behind-double-double/

For me it relates to Celebrity since I haven't cruised Silversea. I've been sailing Celebrity since the early 2000's; during the five year terms of the Chandris contract where Celebrity was required to maintain the Chandris standards. After that is when I feel the Royalcaribbeanization began. In 2005, LLP was named vice president of onboard revenue for Celebrity Cruises, moving from RCL,where her job had the same objectives. She was very successful at it. I relate her method to the same as boiling a frog scenario. Place the frog in cool water and slowly turn up the heat. It won't realize what's happening. For background, search the term Royal Caribbean double double program. It will explain it better. It began with little things like changing daily bottles of water in Aqua class to only one bottle pp on embarkation. The list is long. Some worked, some didn't like removing the free hamburgers at the pool grill and replacing them with $10 kobe like burgers. Many years ago I attended a food talk by the head chef where he explained the different cuts of meat served on the ships. He admitted they served the cheapest cuts of meet in the buffet, a little better grade in the MDR and the "best" cuts were sold in the specialty restaurants. If you've sailed Celebrity, have you noticed how many dutch ovens they have used in the buffet with various types of cheap grade meats concealed in heavy gravies and sauces? They also, several years ago, went from a cabin attendant with assistant to just a cabin attendant. There are way too many examples to mention. All were before the pandemic. But the most recent was switching out the individual butlers in the Sky Suites to butler teams. The immediate fallout was so bad that they are reversing that decision. They had reduced the live music performances; replacing them with ultra loud DJ's permeating multiple decks through the atrium. Celebrity touted luxury sailings, while only placing at the top end of the mass market lines, but they were actually mimicking the Royal Caribbean line way of business to attract new, younger customers who didn't know the difference. Those are some of the reasons why after reaching Elite+ I began sailing more of the other lines. Then I eventually stopped sailing Celebrity in 2022 for the time being. The rapidly accelerated prices combined with the totality of the cuts showed me a better pn/pp value on Azamara and Regent. Sometimes they're even less considering what's included vs. additional costs on Celebrity. These of course are my personal opinions and observations. Other person's opinions will definitely vary. Side note: my last Azamara cruise was December '21. My next is December '24. So I will see then what differences I experience. I am going with an open mind and expect changes in the past three years. I have done three Regent in the meantime.

Guess that really dates us. You for being there, doing that and me for knowing and remembering what you're talking about. 😁

I agree that Dynacruiser had some very good points. It boils down to whether people are happy complaining a lot or happy despite the less than perfect circumstances. But I believe you'll find similar observations on any cruise line. I hate this phrase, however the "new normal" for cruise lines is increased cost of goods and finding ways to aid the bottom line. That results in the undesired cost cutting so many cruisers notice while fares have increased. I hope you don't mind my two cents. I tend to look at a few cruise lines and compare itinerary and value for the fare. What is included and what costs extra. That's the analytical in me. Shortly after the pandemic I sailed Celebrity, Azamara and then Regent. Celebrity used to be my go to line but has fallen out of my favor. Too much Royal Caribbeanization. I sailed AZ before the pandemic and after. In 2017, it was my best cruise ever since I began sailing in 1985. To put things in perspective from my standpoint, my most recent three cruises following our last AZ was on Regent. I currently have three AZ booked cruises and one Regent in 2/2026. Both are now my go to lines. So it really boils down to what you enjoy most about your cruise. That is a deciding factor for me. I find quality service, better quality food and good itineraries on both theses lines since I prefer a more than 12 day cruise. As a suggestion, I find the best time to get the lowest prices for cruises is when the itineraries are first released. They only go up from there as the ship fills. Periodically Regent does a two suite category upgrade. I usually only book during that promotion. However only y'all know what floats your boat. Try them and see what you like and dislike because opinions are subjective.

When we booked our suite, we received the premium package. I'll be upgrading us to ultimate however the brands in that package are not really ultimate IMO. They're just a little better than premium. We're sailing Onward in December.

As I understand it, cocktails can be requested to be made using your package included liquors.