Orator

Accept the change in wording. Nothing is “free” on a ship.

They have guest performers. They brought in local singers and dancers in Barcelona and they were excellent. I would recommend Celebrity before the cutbacks. Ribeye has disappeared from the MDR menu and they are using lest costly proteins. Veal is not found as they substitute chicken. We had a PV2 so soft drinks were in the fridge on Viking. They had a self service laundry so no need to pay for laundry service. The specialty restaurants are priced very high at Celebrity. They are free on Viking.

I’m Zenith on Celebrity with over 100 cruises. I took the TA on Viking Neptune and found it far exceeds Celebrity in food and entertainment. It was a much better value for me. Read the Celebrity board and see how the cutbacks have been received.

I can understand the upgrades. They expect future earrings to increase as profit margins and the number of passengers increase. IMHO: The current policy of increasing prices and cutting quality may work in the short run, but I find many former Celebrity loyalists trying other lines as the true luxury lines get more price competitive. It is very difficult to get them back once they've decided to change their behavior.

Agree and thank you for your input.

We tried the old Crystal, Viking and Oceania last year and in January. Crystal was the best, but they have been acquired by A&F and Manfredi so I'll be looking for reviews. Viking, IMHO was better for us than Oceania. Speakers, entertainment and food were better to us on Viking.

Jim; I believe that RCL doesn't break down the earnings by lines (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea, etc.), so it it difficult to know how specific segments are doing. The stock market is about the future and bookings appear to be strengthening and the cruise lines seem to be improving profitability be increasing margins.

In my opinion: The cuts will continue as long as the affect on the bottomline is positive. We might be entering a new age of cruising. Celebrity sent a message ban to the Zeniths that the Retreat/MC was due to Covid and many thought that it would be permanent. That turned out to be the case! I know of several cases when Suite passengers complained about Zeniths and Blue Chip Club members sharing their exclusive space. I must add that this was the vast minority of Suite passengers. This was the start of the process and it spread to other areas such as service, food and reduction of benefits.

I believe that the non Suite passenger is no longer important to Celebrity. The demographics of the passengers has shifted toward the "new realities" The bean counted have won! The class system is alive and well at Celebrity. So far they have been rewarded by their shift in focus. I just wonder if they will be winners in there long run?

Viking tea is a "don't miss" event for us. Crystal formal tea was very special.

Used Rome limos, Civitavecchia cab company. The cheapest way is the train, but there have been robberies reported. Civitavecchia cab company is a shared ride so less than a private limo. Been a while since I took them so you'll need to check prices.

I really prefer Blu and the Persian Gardens so I personally would book Aqua Class. It's your personal choice based on your preferences.

Agree!

Crystal itineraries are out today. They are under new ownership, A&K and Manfredi.

I made a mistake. Perhaps another Royal wedding? William and Kate perhaps? I didn't watch it since it had no interest to me. But, I appreciated that they showed it to those interested.

I was on Silhouette in Southampton during wedding on Charles & Diana. They showed it in the theater. Since the cruise went from Southampton to Cork the British continent was quite large.

3 months on/3 months off. They will only be together on the command changeover day.

GREAT choice!!!

Hope your family is well. Any sign of bankruptcy can have a negative effect on future bookings. I’ve lost money in the Crystal bankruptcy and will not book future cruises if my money is at risk. Rumors may become self fulfilling prophecies.

Not too slow. On a cruise on Riviera they averaged over 20knots. We were early into every port. I just didn’t feel that Oceania met my expectations. Preferred Viking. Crystal was by far the best. Need to see prices that the new owners want.

Recently did the Viking Neptune cruise and it was great! Speakers were excellent! Food was better than Celebrity. I thought that Celebrity's entertainment was better. But there is no charge for specially and they have one free excursion at each port. Go to the Viking board if you need more information.

The "bean counters" at Celebrity don't need our suggestions or advice.

Based on one cruise on Oceania and 1 cruise on Viking and more than 100 on Celebrity. IMO, based on my experience and preferences I'd say that Viking is a much better fIt. Speakers were more than excellent and the same cannot be said for Oceania. The entertainment on Oceania was less than Celebrity, but it was better than Celebrity on Viking. Both had better food than Celebrity and they had prime rib that was large and flavorful. There was no cost on either line for speciality restaurants. I observed a few children on Oceania and Viking doesn't allow children under 18. This might cause controversy,, but I found more interesting passengers on both Oceania and Viking. I felt the staff on all three ships was about the same. You can look at what's included in each and I believe that the cost may not be all that different.

I'm in basic agreement with your points, but believe that cutbacks can be a two edge sword. In December I took a Viking Ocean cruise and in January I cruised on the Oceania Riviera. Saw many former Celebrity loyalist who decided to go a bit upscale because of the "decline in the quality and value of Celebrity".

Yes there are a string quartet.