basenji56

The commercials are what turned me off. Seemed like it was Carnival for trust fund kids.

I booked through a travel agent I found. Part of the bar tab was because I am Elite on Celebrity

I am doing a cruise on VV over Christmas. The lack of children is a plus. I got an insane amount of sailor loot ($900) and a $600 bar tab. Competition is good. Celerity is in a race to downgrade the cruise experience as much as it can get away without losing inertia driven loyalists. Particularly suite customers.

Yes. Especially if wifi is not important

I have not sailed on VV (Although I have a cruise booked over Christmas). I had no idea that it didn't have comedy shows in the traditional sense.

It's a great cruise. But be prepared for cold drizzly days. Still worth it.

No comedians? I didn't realize that comedians were an "old people" form of entertainment?

Yes. I couldn't see how they could make you bet the cash chips rather than the promo chips. I would only bet the promo chips because I am not a gambler and am only doing this to prevent leaving money in my account--or spending it on things I don't need.

Hey, I resemble that remark! LOL.

I believe they take the promo chips away when you lose. So if you bet $20 on red and $20 on black, if it lands on red, you should keep your promo chips and get $20 in cashable chips. You would lose your $20 in black promo chips. You would keep your cashable chips and never bet them again. But I have never done this before so I am not sure if they only give you promo chips if you win.

I booked a float plane excursion on Regatta with Wings Air in Juneau. Outstanding. Five glaciers.

Another reason why the IV is a downgrade

I would like to see links to the negative reviews. I sailed on Riviera 18 months ago and thought it was Fabolous.

I was on Regatta. I don't believe it has Starlink yet but I could be wrong. I only tried Seattle. Once my phone detected I was in Canadian territory it took forever for Facebook news to come back. Even when I flew into Minneapolis I was still blocked and by that time I was on T Mobile.

I also discovered that when anywhere near Canada, Facebook News will not work because of Canadian rules. Even VPN connected to a Seattle server didn't solve the problem.

But club soda works just fine. LOL.

The full price of the the small bottle. Not sure of the exact amount, but at least $3-4.

Unless you order San Pellegrino or other specialty waters--you must pay full price for those even with the classic package.

It always amazes me that you need the premium package to get a small bottle of this water.

I loved both classes but must admit that the tiny showers on R class ships took some getting used to. I am a huge guy (6'8"/255 pounds). I did fit, but barely. Elevators are very small too. But I wouldn't hesitate to sail on R class ships again if I liked the itinerary.

Smart.

And the ice cream is the best I have had on a ship. Lounges by the pool had nice cushions and towel coverings. I liked that specialty coffees and soft drinks were included. As was internet. Two to four specialty restaurants included depending on the ship.

Celebrity heavily markets "The Retreat." A pool where only suite passengers are allowed.

But do HAL and Princess have a private pool? That seems to be a big factor in favor of Celebrity?

I still cruise Celebrity but I am transitioning over to Oceania. I just got off Regatta for an Alaska cruise. Superior experience in many regards. More expensive but more included. As someone who loves shellfish, I love the fact that I can have lobster tail for lunch every day and many evenings. No $18 charge for a second tail.