terrydtx

The running joke among loyal Celebrity customers is that the bean counters are Carnivalizing Celebrity. Their new marketing slogan should be "Celebrity where Luxury is downgraded."

We are new to Oceania, we recently booked our first cruise on the Marina in January 2025. For the past 12 years we sailed on both Celebrity and HAL primarily in upper end cabins and suites. The last 2 years we sailed with Celebrity in their Retreat class suites for a more premium experience which they delivered. Celebrity has raised their future pricing to the point that many like me are looking at the more premium lines for the future. Celebrity is cutting back on so much and charging more fees for what was included in the past and the drinks packages have gone insane in pricing, $89-$109pp per day plus 20% gratuity. We booked the Marina for an 18 night cruise of South America after looking at the Celebrity 14 night SA cruise. The 18 nights on the Marina in a Concierge Verandah was $200pp less than the 14 nights on the Equinox in a Sky Suite so we took the plunge to try Oceania. We are also looking at 2 more Oceania itineraries for 2024 and may book soon. IMO, anyone who has sailed on Oceania and is looking to change to Celebrity is making a huge mistake and will be disappointed, Celebrity is no longer anything like the old Celebrity.

We are new to Oceania, we recently booked our first cruise on the Marina in January 2025. For the past 12 years we sailed on both Celebrity and HAL primarily in upper end cabins and suites. The last 2 years we sailed with Celebrity in their Retreat class suites for a more premium experience which they delivered. Celebrity has raised their future pricing to the point that many like me are looking at the more premium lines for the future. We booked the Marina for an 18 night cruise of South America after looking at the Celebrity 14 night SA cruise. The 18 nights on the Marina in a Concierge Verandah was $200pp less than the 14 nights on the Equinox in a Sky Suite so we took the plunge to try Oceania. We are also looking at 2 more Oceania itineraries for 2024 and may book soon. After reading this thread, I can see we are making a good choice to try Oceania, the complaints here are so miner compared to what is going on with Celebrity in food cutbacks. Complaining about lack of salsa or artificial sweeteners are nothing like no more Prime rib, or steaks and lobster that us now happening on Celebrity. I sure hope the grass is greener on the other side with Oceania.

As I have booked our first Oceania cruise, I am now spending time on the Oceania CC forums. It is surprising how many are posting comments about being former Celebrity, NCL and HAL customers who are looking for better premium experiences. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as the higher Celebrity pricing and cutbacks are forcing so many to look for more premium lines.

The menu in my app for the Equinox in June only shows the same alternate menu every night. The Entrees shown are: Roasted Beets Salad Pan Seared Branzino Cured Salmon Braised short rib Nothing above is worth the up charge, and is available in Luminae and Blu, so what is incorrect about my statement?

Aqua still pays the room service fee, only the suites are exempt unless that changed today. Aqua and Suites have in past had more enhanced RS menus, I would assume that they still do.

Retreat is also exempt to the extra lobster charge but only in Luminae, not in the MDR.

The menu in my app shows a very downgraded menu too in Le Petit with no lobster or steak. Le Petit is joke anyway and only a lame amusement geared for kids for over $60pp.

We overnight in Lisbon on the Apex in September and I know we can get a much better meal there, for less than what Celebrity wants for any specialty restaurant. The new specialty restaurant pricing combined with a limited OVC dinner is all part of the bean counter's plan to get more money per passenger by forcing us to use the SD venues more. Hello Oceania and Viking Ocean!

I called yesterday at 10:00am CST and waited less than a minutes to get a live person. I saw a drop in business class fares for our September Apex cruise from Amsterdam and the FBC rep changed our flights and saved us over $500pp from what we booked back in November. The changes were done with no change fees and is something that booking directly with the airlines cannot be done once you book. The whole phone call took less than 10 minutes. Also the other FBC advantage is we are booked with 2 airlines, on Unted flying to AMS and coming home from Athens on American with only one stop each way. We got to choose our itinerary and seats .

In 2019 we decided to move up from booking Aqua Class to the Retreat Sky Suites, because we wanted to have a more premium experience without paying what more premium cruise lines wanted. Celebrity delivered that premium experience in the Retreat, but now they are raising future SS prices so high, we can book those more premium lines and save a few dollars. We booked our first Oceania cruise for 2025 and are looking at a couple other for 2024.

I believe your conspiracy theory is correct. I am seeing more posts from first time Celebrity cruisers posting about how great their cruise was. They have no idea that the OVC was at one time a full service buffet, that drink packages were reasonably priced, and that the MDR's had plenty of good steaks, prime rib and multiple lobster tails.

No drink cards anymore but for $89pp per day plus 18% gratuity you can get 10 or more drinks per day.😁

No limits on number of drinks per day, like some cruise lines.

I do not know about other parts of the country, but where I live for $70pp I can have a great meal in a 4 or 5-star restaurant. Why would I want to pay $70 for a much lesser quality meal on a cruise ship?

As long as people continue to book cruises, prices will increase, service along with food will decline, and Celebrity will laugh all the way to the bank. This once great line is being destroyed by the bean counters. The longtime loyalists are being driven to look for better cruise line options.

Yes but if going from a lower suite to a higher suite you still get the amenities of the lower suite booked, like Premium drinks, Wi-Fi and tips.

The cruising days in Alaska are quite nice with lots to see very close to the ship, make sure you take a good set of binoculars with you. As far as facilities open on the ship, it is no different than days at sea. We are booked next January on a New Zealand cruise that includes 4 cruising days in and out of the different sounds around NZ.

My DW prefers the Kids fillet in Luminae as it is the perfect size for her. Last year on the Reflection the night they had the broiled scallops in Luminae, I ordered the Kids fillet with the scallops for a Surf and Turf. I knew from previous experience that the scallops alone are not enough, you get 3-4 smallish scallops in that dish.

Good advice, we are to the point where we no longer want excursions that are long bus rides with 30 strangers. We now prefer small private tours. In September on the Apex we are doing all private tours for our group of 4 and in most cases they are less cost than the ship offered ones. We are doing an 8 hour private tour in Lisbon in a minivan that is half the cost of a similar Celebrity tour. Most private tours will refund if the ship misses a port or there are weather cancelations and they will guarantee getting back to the ship before the ship leaves port.

The Bourbon and Peaches is very tasty and I enjoyed them too.

You can get any drink available in Luminae. I like a 12 year old Mccallan scotch before I start dinner and have always been able to get one in Luminae.

In the past when you board there will be crew manning tables for ordering specialty restaurants and upgrading drinks packages in the atrium area after you board. I would assume that has not changed.

On the move up if successful you do not get the amenities associated with the new category of cabin. In Aqua you do get the Blu restaurant for breakfast and dinners. If you move up to a suite you do not get the premium drinks, wifi, and gratuity amenities, but you do get access to free drinks in the Retreat lounge. You also get access to Retreat deck and Luminae.

How was the Luminae wines by the glass selection?