conquesodor

Saying that a mistaken drink charge is "shady" tells me everything I need to know about how seriously to take these complaints. Mistakes happen and will often be corrected if handled appropriately.

High demand for cruises + broad economic inflation = increasing cost for cruises across all lines.

I agree. I had a great time on Summit last month. I noticed none of the problems people are always on here complaining about. Personally, I'm grateful that the cruise line industry, particularly my favorite cruise line, survived the shutdown. if a few cost saving measures have to be made as they dig themselves out of debt, so be it.

Our first AQ cabin was under the pool deck on S class and that was the only thing I disliked. The noise wasn't noticeable in the cabin, but it was very apparent outside on our balcony. If you book far enough aft, you are under the spa and there are no noise issues in that location.

I was on Summit one month ago and Cafe al Baccio looked great.

SHIP: Summit (Revolutionized) CABIN #: 6042 DECK #: 6 CLASS: V2 (Veranda) AREA: Starboard Forward BED NEAR: Bathroom QUIET?: Quiet. Some sound from elevator lobby can be heard from time to time, but it was minimal. BALCONY VIEW: Good and unobstructed BALCONY SIZE: Standard size. WIND A PROBLEM?: None SOOT A PROBLEM?: No. PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: The revolutionized cabin is beautiful. One drawer had been damaged, but I didn't need to use it. Some wear and aging is evident outside on the balcony, but did not bother me.

The host will generally accommodate your needs. If you have set time dining you might be able to make a standing reservation, but that's just what I've heard elsewhere. We do the flexible dining time and ask for a table for two, which is what we always get.

My experience has been similar as well. Each bar has it's own focus, particularly the martini bar, but if you frequent a bar and ask nicely they will often accommodate you. For example, on my last cruise (Nov 2022) I told the bartender at the Martini Bar that I preferred the Antica vermouth they have at Tuscan over the Martini & Rossi the bar used and for the rest of the cruise they had a bottle of Antica stashed away for me when I ordered a negroni. I also told our MDR sommelier that I enjoyed the Tenuta di Nozzole Chianti Classico that Tuscan has on their wine menu and each night he had a bottle of that for me that he poured from as part of my package. Your mileage may vary, but generally speaking the service on Celebrity is outstanding and they will try to make you happy.

I like them too. My guess is that it has more to do with catering to the demographic of their customers. Many more kids on Royal = easier access and more choice of sodas on their ships.

Correct. You either go to the bar they have in Oceanview Cafe or order it from the wait staff that come around periodically. I suppose there's also that bar all the way aft in the outside seating area. It's not like Royal with the freestyle coke machines.

It's cans, which you get from a bar, lounge, or sometimes poolside.

I agree with you, but we don't make the rules. If it was up to me, shorts would be okay, but t-shirts would not. In any case, there seems to be wide spread agreement that shorts are generally not permitted on Celebrity for dinner, even if you are going to Bermuda.

I will be embarking Summit to Bermuda on Sunday. I'll report back as to my observations of MDR attire at dinner. FWIW, I have never seen anyone, of any age, wearing shorts in the MDR at dinner. I have seen men wearing t-shirts on evening chic night, but they still wore pants.

I'm glad you had a great cruise on Equinox. I have been reading posts on here about Celebrity going downhill since 2010. Thankfully, my experiences have never matched the complaints that I have seen over the years. Generally speaking, dissatisfied people are more motivated to find a way to share their displeasure, then it is for someone to take the time to write a positive review. Cruisers are no different, but thankfully there is lots of great feedback and advice to be found as well. I appreciate you taking the time to share you experiences with us.

Thanks! You too. 😄

I can't believe people are talking about hypothetical cutbacks.

A few things to consider: The bars will usually only have a limited selection of wine. The one exception is Cellar Masters if you are on a ship that still has them. Only a few wines are listed on the MDR menu, but many more wines are available if you talk to the sommeliers. Choice can vary, but here's a representative selection of reds, classic vs. premium on display in the app right now:

I think your comparison to typical retail wine prices and styles is spot on. These conversations always make my eyes roll somewhat, because one persons "good" or "high end" wine is another persons swill. If you are at all familiar with what you usually pay at home for something you enjoy drinking, I think this will help you know what to expect. Personally, I find that the wines in the premium package are quite satisfactory. By being friendly with and appreciative of the sommeliers, I have frequently been offered something extra special that is above what the package usually covers. If I am eating in Murano or Tuscan, I will usually order a bottle of something extra nice. The wine lists in both of these places have very premium wines available.

This has been my experience as well.

I will be embarking on Summit on July 9th. I will likely post at least a mini-review on return. I have been reading negative comments on here about Celebrity going down hill since 2008. Thus far I have not found such complaints to match my own experiences.

I have not had any such issues.

Exactly. I was just curious what your idea is of a "premium" wine. That will mean different things to different people. I think I have an idea of what your idea is now.

There's a burger on the dinner menu one night of the week? The horror. I've even heard that there is a burger on the Luminae menu! When do we riot?

What do you mean? I've had very good wine service in the MDR. There are many wines available that aren't printed in the daily menu. I've had Chianti Classico for example. I always meet the wine steward the first night and make friends with them. I agree that beer is not a strength on Celebrity.

I am Elite with Celebrity and took my first RCL cruise on Freedom of the Seas just last month. I very much enjoyed my first experience with RCL and I even found things about Royal that I wish Celebrity did. However, there's still no question in my mind that Celebrity is a superior product for my taste and interests. Some thoughts in no particular order: This ship was LOUD. Music was pumped up to 11 on the Royal Promenade and all the upper decks. Royal has a lovely wine bar (Vintages) but you can't enjoy it because of the relentless BOOM BOOM everywhere. There was also much more of a party atmosphere and everything that comes with that. The only way to get a beach towel is to stand in line to sign out a towel that will be charged to your account if you don't return it. No iced towels to refresh you when you return to the ship. Only plain water if offered. Cafe al Bacio is superior in every respect to Cafe Promenade's very basic selection of coffee drinks and snacks. Food in the MDR where we ate most of our meals was good. A few dishes were very similar to what Celebrity offers, such as the escargots, but as far as menu selection and quality of dishes, it was a notch below Celebrity. We prefer to have internet and a beverage package when sailing Celebrity, but Royal not only forces you to buy each a la carte, you won't even know how much it will cost until you book your cruise with Royal. This is because Royal doesn't have a set price for anything and the price can vary significantly from one ship or sailing to the next. This is bonkers and I don't know how they get away with it. I am a wine drinker and Celebrity is far and away superior in terms of wine selection and service. Basic vanilla and chocolate soft serve for your complimentary ice cream, versus the variety of ice cream on offer at the Oceanview Cafe. All this said, here are a few things about Royal that stood out in a good way. Service from the staff was uniformly excellent and was comparable to the great service I am familiar with from Celebrity. My family and I had a great hibachi meal at Izumi, which is something that Celebrity does not offer. That said, hibachi is probably better suited to Royal's brand than Celebrity's. Royal offers a program called The Key which we loved. For less than the price of a typical specialty dining charge, each of us got a basic internet package, an exclusive embarkation day lunch featuring selections from their steakhouse menu, and an exclusive disembarkation day breakfast with an upscale menu. It also includes priority access to certain shows and activities onboard that we did not take advantage of, but both meals were excellent and provided an oasis away from the usual chaos during those times. I wish Celebrity offered something similar. Our sailing stopped at Perfect Day at Coco Cay, which is an amazing place that's exclusive to Royal. Freedom of the Seas has a true promenade deck that wraps around the entire ship! It incorporates the bow helipad and the stern with a great wake view. So nice. In summary, our cruise on Royal was a family cruise and we had a great time. I will probably book Royal again under similar circumstances. Depending on your values and interests, you might prefer Royal too. However, when it's just my wife and I cruising, we'll continue to prefer Celebrity because it delivers a superior product for the things that we value. The only exception might be if there is an itinerary that Royal offers that Celebrity doesn't, which isn't out of the question due to Royal having a much larger fleet.