Carnival's "Rising Rates" - I booked the Solstice!!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I was seriously thinking of jumping ship to the Solstice do but after I read the dress codes they lost me. Sports coats every night except for formal nights.

 

That swayed me, otherwise I was giving it serious consideration.

 

Bill

 

Don't believe the sport coat thing -- people on Celebrity tend to dress similarly to those on Carnival (there are slight differences). The ONLY time I wore a jacket (including the 10 night Constellation) was on formal night... and then it was a tux.

 

Tom

[Crystalkrt]

Jumping in on the Epic questions. Rates are a tad high when we looked. Innovative rooms and on some concepts.....butt ugly ship (looks top heavy). Will spend a season in Europe before coming over.... at least that is what I recall.

Never judge a book by its cover. The Epic activities: Blue man group, water park, South beach style club, bowling, etc is attracting lots of new young cruisers, including me.

I honestly have found great prices on my RCCL ships. I booked the RCCL Freedom of the seas for $479 interior, 7 nights caribbean... and after sailing Royal caribbean, wow, it really changed my crusing perspective... wow, it's just wow factor everywhere![/I]

Variety is about choices... don't be scared to try other lines guys, I was pleasantly surprised.[/I]

[Shelbyjane56]

We would have liked to try a different ship again, (non carnival) but with our son getting married, we kinda sorta had to be on the Dream where they are (getting married on the beach in st thomas)..we paid just short of 2k for the cove about 7 months ago..on the dream sailing july 17. On a bright note, maybe there wont be as many kids :)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

We would have liked to try a different ship again, (non carnival) but with our son getting married, we kinda sorta had to be on the Dream where they are (getting married on the beach in st thomas)..we paid just short of 2k for the cove about 7 months ago..on the dream sailing july 17. On a bright note, maybe there wont be as many kids :)

 

Oh --- there will be plenty of kids onboard during the summer months. That's probably true for most mass market lines.

 

Tom

[bobbyleduck]

Why wouldn't people always comparison shop before booking a cruise? They do it for a 50 cent item, but don't when it comes to something costing thousands of dollars.:( What's up with that?

 

Good for all of you who always shop around and to those of you who received the wake-up call when Carnival announced the summer price increase.

 

A bunch of NEW and FANCY ships entering the market, with a lot of cabins to fill, the country just coming out of a huge recession, and

Carnival thinks it's time to raise prices.

 

I DON'T THINK SO!

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[Cruiser1547228475]

Tom been reading your post and reviews for a while now.

 

I say good going ! Let us know how your cruise goes.

 

I've started looking at other lines as well.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Tom been reading your post and reviews for a while now.

 

I say good going ! Let us know how your cruise goes.

 

I've started looking at other lines as well.

 

I will certainly report back - I know for sure that my son and friends will have a blast (and that is just playing video games and ordering room service)!

 

Tom

[janetz]

We love cruising and enjoy trying different lines. Dont think Celebrity is to formal. Golf shirts, dockers, etc are the norm for non formal nights. Its fun to try another line. Celebrity is very nice. ;)

[aggieastrosfan]

I've got DH convinced to seriously look at Alaska for 2012. A year ago, it would've been a no-brainer to finally get on the Spirit class and try the cat 11 wraps.

 

Now I'm not so sure. My 2 Princess cruises were both great, and they have some of the best Alaska itineraries. And we're intrigued by freestyle on NCL, not having to pack the formal clothes would be nice. And Celebrity has been catching my eye lately...

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I've got DH convinced to seriously look at Alaska for 2012. A year ago, it would've been a no-brainer to finally get on the Spirit class and try the cat 11 wraps.

 

Now I'm not so sure. My 2 Princess cruises were both great, and they have some of the best Alaska itineraries. And we're intrigued by freestyle on NCL, not having to pack the formal clothes would be nice. And Celebrity has been catching my eye lately...

 

It's a big world out there!

 

Tom

[cascole]

What I'm finding as crazy - 3rd/4th person rates... almost $1000 for 3rd person in a cat 8 for Miracle this summer. Perhaps I will take a look at Soltice or FOTS! $600 sure beats $1000 for a 6 year old!

[aggieastrosfan]

It's a big world out there!

 

Tom

 

It sure is, ain't it great? :D

 

DS will be 6 by then, and he will be with us, so kid's activities are going to factor into our decision as well. He is our little nature boy, though, and will probably be almost content looking for whales all day. :rolleyes::o

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

It sure is, ain't it great? :D

 

DS will be 6 by then, and he will be with us, so kid's activities are going to factor into our decision as well. He is our little nature boy, though, and will probably be almost content looking for whales all day. :rolleyes::o

 

... and speaking of whales...

 

I saw my first "wild" whale (a Humpback as I understand it) while on the eastern Dream the first of this month! Granted it was nearly half-way to the horizon, but it was there! :)

 

Tom

[DGP1111]

The Epic huh? I have not read too much about that one, other than she's a "biggie"! When do you sail, and where from? (good rates?)

 

My annual February "escape pilgrimage" cruise scheduled for 2011, from Miamitown.

 

As others have mentioned, it is possibly one of the most unattractive sailing vessels ever from the outside. :eek: I'll just wear very dark shades when I leave the ship for embarkation and excursions. :cool: The inside is going to be unique and visually stunning . . . and a different restaurant every single night. Ahhhhhh. :D

[Sargent_Schultz]

Sure seems to be some whining about Carnival's pricing today. :p

 

No doubt Celebrity bookings (and so probably Royal's bookings) have taken a hit with the CDC "condemning" Celebrity Mercury due to continuing issues with noro.

 

Seems to me the last couple of CDC scores for Carnival ships was a perfect 100!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

Seems to me the last couple of CDC scores for Carnival ships was a perfect 100!

 

It's obvious that they did not see what (some unnamed CCer) saw on the Dream at the Mongolian Wok.... dripping pieces of chicken and pork carried over bowls which were then filled with the final product and handed to person after person. They have been pretty LUCKY handling the food in such a manner! ... and when it was pointed out to a supervisor (officer) in that area, the person bringing it to their attention (for the good of everyone) was rebuffed. THAT is a sad state of affairs... something which could come back to bite them in a big way!! :eek:

 

Tom

[ShedQueen77]

Very nice.. I am sure you will enjoy the ship.. my mother sailed her when she 1st came out and absolutely loved her...;)

 

I personally would never sail Celebrity due to their smoking policy.. but hey maybe all the non smokers will jump ship and then Carnival will start dropping their rates again LOL.. wishful thinking I know:D:p

 

I looked at Solstice and decided not to book for that same reason! :D

 

We jumped ship to NCL. At the time it was $25 less pp to book a 9 day vs. a 7 day on Carnival in a comparative cabin. Carnival's price has come down a bit since, but we aren't budging. The airfare to Miami is about $300 pp cheaper than to San Juan so we are still ahead!

 

I was always hesitant to leave Carnival because I couldn't justify paying more for a similar experience on another line. Now I don't have to worry about that! :D

[MTemple212]

Good choice choosing the Celebrity Solstice! We did the Equinox Transatlantic in November bringing it back to Ft. Lauderdale! What a wonderful ship and great layout too!! Although I was not impressed with the steakhouse onboard. I thought the one's on RCCL were better. I believe we have one more Celebrity cruise to do and we will be Elite.

[firefly333]

Im semi booked on Oasis, had a error on my booking to correct. Iv always said there are other fish in the sea. I want to see Soltice too.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Good choice choosing the Celebrity Solstice! We did the Equinox Transatlantic in November bringing it back to Ft. Lauderdale! What a wonderful ship and great layout too!! Although I was not impressed with the steakhouse onboard. I thought the one's on RCCL were better. I believe we have one more Celebrity cruise to do and we will be Elite.

 

Steakhouse --- would that be the Tuscan Grille or Murano? Certainly more steak options (from what I can see) in Tuscan Grille. I have tired of the options in Murano.

 

Tom

[arpie05]

Tom - Another thing I don't get with Carnival is with the Early Saver. You can book a cruise non-Early Saver but as long as ES is available you can switch to it (and get money back) but you can't switch from Early Saver to non-ES and pay the extra money/difference.

 

I guess the only logic is that it keeps you from then later canceling but if you are willing to pay more to switch out???

[jules815]

I don't blame anyone for looking at other cruise lines for better prices. A friend of mine sent me an email a couple of weeks ago about getting a great deal on Celebrity. Not sure which ship it was for; I don't think it was the Solstice. She has always sailed on Carnival prior to this cruise.

 

This is really a big bummer for me. I came to Carnival from RC because you could get just as much (plus better food) for a very good value.

 

I'm glad I booked our Dream cruise when I did. The price has definitely gone up. Now I'll have to watch prices and re-think our 2011 family cruise, which I wanted to be on Freedom.

[arpie05]

I looked at Solstice and decided not to book for that same reason! :D

 

We jumped ship to NCL. At the time it was $25 less pp to book a 9 day vs. a 7 day on Carnival in a comparative cabin. Carnival's price has come down a bit since, but we aren't budging. The airfare to Miami is about $300 pp cheaper than to San Juan so we are still ahead!

 

I was always hesitant to leave Carnival because I couldn't justify paying more for a similar experience on another line. Now I don't have to worry about that! :D

 

Don't forget to factor in the NCL tip is $12 vs CCL is $10 but you will have a great time! A friend commented that it was $8 more pp for her family which can add up - especially on a long cruise. Soda prices for kids - kids are adults at 13 I think on NCL (could be as young as 11 but think it's 13) where as CCL 18 is adult price and 17 and younger is kids.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Tom - Another thing I don't get with Carnival is with the Early Saver. You can book a cruise non-Early Saver but as long as ES is available you can switch to it (and get money back) but you can't switch from Early Saver to non-ES and pay the extra money/difference.

 

I guess the only logic is that it keeps you from then later canceling but if you are willing to pay more to switch out???

 

Yep - I'd bet that Carnival sees a much lower % of cancellations with the ES fare. It does not (typically) work well for us, as we book cabins (categories) which are not plentiful in number to begin with. When the last one books up, there are no longer rates to compare with...

 

Tom

[luv2gonow]

I'm booked on the miracle out of ny on 6/23.....

 

I just noticed the Caribbean Princess leaves 6/22.....same itinerary....PLUS a stop in Bermuda.....for about the same price.:eek:

 

Not changing...but sheesh!!!