mk960072

I wanted to do the glass blowing but $200 for a fish, come on I can buy that in a store for a lot less. Yes I know I would have made it but I guess the appeal isnt there for me.

I think they did.

i had read that too, that Luminae is bigger as they added more suites.

I called X today to buy the classic package pre cruise and when buying online X offered a 9% savings and was hoping to get the 10% for being a classic member in addition to the online savings being offered for this cruise, but the customer service rep didnt see the 9% savings when he looked. Will call X again tomorrow to see if they can honor the Classic tier benefit on top of the 9%. Crossing my fingers.

on our sailing on Equinox in August there is a 9% discount on the drink package if buying pre cruise. So this may be something to look at also.

i was looking for the price of a jack daniels and had to look at every bar and restaurant menu using the app to finally find it. Perhaps look a little more, hope you find it.

did you use those tests to board a cruise or fly?

if staying in a suite why eat in the MDR? You pay to have access to Luminae and they have their own dedicated kitchen for that restaurant, menu items you cannot get elsewhere outside of Luminae and a higher quality of food is served in Luminae. So why pay all that money to eat in MDR?

we sailed the Edge in july 2021 in a suite and loved Luminae. We did eat at the steakhouse speciality restaurant and it was okay. We also dined at Raw on Five and really like it. The rest of the time we ate in Luminae as it was soooo good.

I would not bother with a suite upgrade on any of the ships outside the edge class. You dont get the full experience since the older ships dont have pools or hot tubs in the Retreat. Then again, if you are not going to utilize the pool in the Retreat if they had one, then a suite upgrade may be good for you. I dont know if Sky suites outside Edge class offer a set up where the bed faces the balcony, but on Edge class ships you do have the option and it is soooo nice!!! Plus if you do choose to move up always check to see what the cost would be with your agent and check the minimum cost to bid on move up. For example, move up wants $200 per person on Equinox for Aqua but I can book with my agent for $50 per person price difference. Happy Anniversary!

We have cruised Oceania on Riviera and Sirena. We have cruise Celebrity on Edge in a suite and on Minimum in Aqua. If sailing Celebrity in a suite it is comparable cost wise to Oceania in Balcony rooms. Decor on Oceania is more stylish and upscale vs Celebrity. Not that Celebrity is not stylish but Oceania is more upscale in that regard. Nightlife and shows on Oceania is not as lively. People go to dinner, have drinks, may gamble and go to bed for the most part. You will find a more well traveled cruiser on Oceania but people are nice and will talk. We found passengers on Oceania to be a little older, no children in the household or empty nesters, and of course like any cruise line, certain itineraries and certain times of the year will attract younger crowds vs older. We found the food to be better on Oceania, not by a lot but better. Someone mentioned all amenities are available to everyone. If you are in a suite you get free access on Riviera to the spa deck which has outdoor loungers and a hot tub with a thermal pool. Also, based on the category of room you are in determines how many times you get to dine in speciality restaurants and how far in advance you can book reservations in the speciality restaurants. Ports are more intimate and based on the experience since they can usually get to smaller ports than the bigger ships. Service has always been remarkable on Oceania. We always buy the cruise without O life so it has no OBC, no drinks, and no excursions. We like booking this way to provide flexibility. If you book Oceania with airfare they book your airfare with little choice in terms of times, departure city, and if you wish to fly in early or stay afterwards to visit areas, they dont allow for that I have heard. My parents booked with O Life once and then went back and said they wanted to book their own airfare, Oceania credited them the amount and they bought airfare cheaper. I dont think you will be disappointed with any Oceania ship, but the larger Riviera and the other one are probably best to start on. We like Celebrity as a cheaper alternative to Oceania and have been with happy with the line thus far. We are on Equinox in August and Beyond in November. Good luck!!

that is true, but we didnt find the capacity changed the experience that much. If you are in a concierge room you will find the smaller ships do not have a lounge to go to which I did miss.

I agree with you completely

If you ever have the chance to experience suite life on Edge, Apex, or Beyond do it! That is where you see the BIG difference in pampering, day to day service, decor, offerings, etc. I hate that Celebrity has not found a way to provide in the Retreat areas a small pool or hot tubs for the other ships.

Bad I am afraid. The bathroom looks dreadful and needs an update. They should have at least updated the suites in 2021. For what one pays for a suite, Celebrity needs to do right by the paying customer and ensure the room is stylish, current and meets the same decor as other suites on other Celebrity ships.

I Love Oceania and cant blame you for the way you feel thus far on Infinity. We have sailed Edge and Millennium post pandemic and did not have any issues. Sad that after all this time with the ship not sailing that she is not in better shape to accept passengers. Best of luck!

Thank you for the pics. That answered my questions about sailing Infinity. Regarding afternoon snacks, you can tell your Retreat Host what snacks you would prefer such as chips, olives, cheese, etc. I dont usually care for the snacks they bring and after-all the Retreat Host is there to ensure your stay is delightful.

You can book just the suite without the beverage package. I have heard of people booking a suite with no perks and they go down to the concierge lounge and get free beverages/liquor there and then walk to Luminae with their free concierge lounge beverage and drink while having dinner. So it sounds like it can be booked with no perks. I guess you if you booked cruise only you can buy the classic package if that fits your needs, because when you buy AI with a suite you get the premium drink package, may be a way to save a little money, again if what you drink is accommodated with the classic package.

We sailed Celebrity twice and were fortunate to sailed with less than 50% capacity both times. Sailing with fewer people was nice but I agree with others who stated the cruise line has to get back to 100% to stay in business. What I wont like is after I paid for a beverage package at 100% of the cost and then the bars dont have liquor. If the bars are running out of items then Celebrity needs to figure out a solution because people who pay the full cost for the package expect to get the drinks they desire. Which then brings up the question of, sail at 100% and with staff and supply shortages run the risk of customers being disappointed that they waited in long lines for food, certain liquors ran out, etc and have bad customer service reviews or sail at 100% and expect a forgiving public? Not an easy answer for the cruise industry currently.

That it is, and got a notification today that a cruise i was watching was $1200 pp and today price dropped to $999 on Celebrity. Some days I feel cruise prices are like the stock market, rising and falling. Pays to be a smart consumer.

having a drink package means you can taste test and not feel bad if you dont like and drip one sip. Thats what I love about a drink package. And better yet we booked a NOV cruise on Beyond and got a free upgrade to Elevate package!

I hope they get their act together too, as I am dinning in Nov.

In the news recently in the US it was said that cruise lines will likely have to lower cruise fares in the second quarter as consumers pull back. I guess we will wait and see.

i didnt find the sale to be just that, a sale. Prices appear higher than before the sale. sigh.....

I agree with you, finding a current drink price list for each drink vs drink packages is like looking for a needle in a hay stack.