Help!! Are we paying way too much for our Baltic cruise?

[poss]

We'll be first-time cruisers in July. I thought I'd made a good choice to go with Radisson Voyager-- though the price did seem very high for a mere 7 days. Now that I've booked Radisson, I've met two other couples who are aghast at what we're paying, so much so that they keep telling me there must be a mistake of some sort. One couple did a 10 day Baltic cruise on NCL (which I doubt we'd enjoy) and they said their rate was well under half of what we're paying for 7 days. The other couple are long-time lovers of HAL and they, too, were flabbergasted at the cost of our 7 day trip. I booked the trip through Cruise Value Center after cross-checking rates from several other outfits, including Radisson itself. CVC was the best rate, but it's still costing us $3,879 each-- and that's for the "cheapest" cabin (category G) Have I made some awful mistake?? Our new friends (who don't know each other, by the way) very much think so.

[cruiseyguy]

I always look at the per diem (and include such things as onboard credits, Amex. Plat. credit, etc), time of year (summer season is more expensive), itinerary (Europe is very popular this year), length of cruise (per diems on shorter cruises are generally higher). In addition, RSSC includes many things that are extra on other lines, such as gratuities, wine at dinner, etc. Your per diem appears to be $554 per person but I don't know if you received shipboard credits from your TA or American Express. That's fairly high but it seems to be the "going rate" for a luxury line to a popular destination in the high season this year. I think if you look at a large "premium" line such as Celebrity, when making a comparison, you need to do an apples to apples analysis. That means pricing a minimum of a SkySuite, adding gratuities and a bottle of wine per couple per day. I think the price would be about $500 per day, which is what your finding for your RSSC cruise.

[Call me Ishmael]

Cruise lines do vary and each have their ardent followers. It is something of an extravagance in any case and depends on how you feel about spending your money.

 

So ask your new friends and yourself the following:

 

Where do you usually stay when you travel -- Holiday Inn or the Four Seasons?

 

Where do you usually eat when you dine out -- Denny's or a fine restaurant with fine china, waiters and good wine?

 

Where do you shop for clothes -- J. C. Penny or Nordstrom?

 

How do you travel on the freeway -- in a Chevy or a Mercedes?

 

There's nothing wrong with Holiday Inn, Denny's, Penny's or Chevy. I've stayed, eaten, shopped and used all of them. And I would do so again if circumstances dictated. But all the alternatives are better and I now choose them because I can afford to.

 

You've already paid some or all of the price and would lose money if you cancelled. Figure out the penalties and the cost of rebooking on another line.

If you come out ahead, then make the change, if you don't think you'll mind smaller cabins, larger numbers of people, dinner at a specified time and at a specified table, etc. etc.

 

You probably should book another cruise on another line to appreciate RSSC.

If not this cruise, then your next one.

 

Then you'll be able to make the comparison yourself.

[Leejnd4]

Poss,

 

Keep in mind that RSSC is one of the few cruiselines listed in the "luxury" category. The other lines you mentioned, NCL and HAL, are considered mass-market lines. Yes, you will usually pay a higher price for a luxury line, however, it's up to you to decide if the difference in cruise experience is worth the difference in price.

 

CruiseCritic has a great article that defines the specific differences between the luxury lines and the mass-market lines. Here's the link:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles/articles.cfm?ID=124

 

Also, Cruiseguy makes an excellent point -- you have to compare apples to apples to really do a fair price comparison. The smallest cabin on the Voyager is some 350 sq. ft, which is the size of a pretty substantial suite on the mass-market lines. To come close to that, you'd have to book a "Superior Verandah Suite" on a HAL ship, which is the third largest stateroom on the entire ship! And on a Celebrity ship you'd have to book a "Sky Suite" which is also third from the top-of-the-line. In many cases, when you do this type of suite-to-suite comparison, and factor in all that is included in the luxury lines (tips, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, etc.) RSSC does in fact come out as a great value.

 

I'm going to be on the Voyager for a Med cruise in just a few weeks. When I was pricing mine out, I was comparing this with similar itineraries on Celebrity, which is considered a "premium" line. As it turned out, I actually got a BETTER deal on RSSC!

 

I would agree that it would be of value to cruise one of the mass-market lines at some point, to get a true comparison of the difference. So far I've ONLY cruised the mass-market lines, and I cannot wait to check out the differences for myself!

 

LeeAnne

[Call me Ishmael]

Before someone starts the flame thrower, I should add that I have cruised on HAL, Princess, and Cunard. I have pleasant memories of all of them.

 

(Also tried to go on Celebrity but they cancelled the cruise 4 days before departure, never bothered to notify me and a month later offered compensation of a 25% discount off the list price of a future cruise. My memories of this line aren't so pleasant.)

[Leejnd4]

And lest anyone take my post above to be an indictment of the mass-market lines (which it's not, just a price-comparison), I should say that I too have wonderful memories of all of my cruises as well. :)

 

LeeAnne

[gdlamberth]

I would add that in price comparisions you need to compare HAL and NCL prices for this July. As Crusieyguy pointed out European cruises are "popular" this year (read "pricey"). So what folks paid last year or in a "shoulder" season may not be too relevant. RSSC July Baltic last year was somewhat cheaper, included free air, and third person free (so we took our daughter).

Greg

[Jim B]

Yes RSSC costs more.

Is it worth it?

We think so. In fact we will be going on our 4th RSSC just because we believe in the cruise line and the value we receive.

Like you we had questions and wondered if we were wasting our money, so decided to do a cruise on NCL. We learned our lesson.

By the time we were $5 and $10 to death and paid our final bill we were within $100 of what our normal RSSC final bill is.

Hated the hurry up and wait in lines for everything. We felt rushed at dinner.

The staff was not as polished. EXAMPLE: Servers would reach across the table instead of going around and serving everyone from the side. Take your key card everytime you wanted something and then bring it back and sign for everything.

And probably the thing that irritated me the most. The specialty restaurant.

We had to make reservations., pay $12.50 per person extra, and get a meal that was wonderful, BUT I felt should have been what I received EVERY meal at dinner.

On RSSC you do have to make reservations at the specialty restaurant for day and time, but there is no extra charge. And remember wine, beer, and drinks are INCLUDED with your meal at dinner.

RSSC sailaway party will have a specialty drink FREE.

Captain's party FREE

A complete bar set up in your cabin FREE.

Water FREE

Sodas FREE

and the list goes one.

Hope this helps.

 

03/22/80 Commodore MS Caribe

02/15/03 Radisson Paul Gauguin

02/22/04 Norwegian Dream (ick)

11/12/04 Radisson Mariner

02/15/05 Radisson Diamond

12/27/05 Radisson Voyager

09/06/06 Radisson Mariner Alaska (maybe)

[mborchgardt]

Poss-

 

I have been reading messages on this board for months, but have never commented on a thread.

 

Because we are booked on a Voyager Baltics cruise this summer like you, I have been particularly interested in your other posts on the RSSC board and on the Baltic Ports board. To be honest, based on your other questions and comments I have been very concerned that you will not be satisfied with your upcoming cruise experience. This most recent post increased my concern to the point that I had to comment.

 

Before booking our cruise, I also compared rates, cabin sizes, and extras with Princess, HAL, and Celebrity. I found to book a similar cabin on HAL (verandah suite, I think) would be almost as much as our category G on RSSC. In term of extra amenities, there didn't seem to be much a comparison so we booked RSSC. I know that RSSC is not perfect. Reading posts on this board has helped to adjust my expectations to be realistic. But I do expect our cruise to be a premium experience. We have cruised on Celebrity twice before (Alaska, Mediterranean). We enjoyed our cruises immensely, but were ready to upgrade to something a little nicer -- smaller ships, maybe better food, larger cabins, fewer on-board charges, etc. We are not wealthly, but do enjoy splurging for vacations. We are therefore willing to pay more for a nicer, more up-scale experience.

 

We, too, have friends that would be aghast at what we are paying for this cruise. But they are more used to Caribbean cruises on other lines. We are comfortable that we are getting a good value in RSSC and plan to have a wonderful time.

 

Given that this is your first cruise experience, perhaps you should consider other lines or at least make sure that your expectations going into this cruise are realistic. And that you are willing to pay more for an upscale experience -- much of which may be intangible and hard to quantify. I would just hate for you to be back on this board in a few months after your cruise describing an experience that did not meet your expectations.

 

While I'm responding to you, I will add (relating to your other posts) that I have narrowed our hotel choices to a Junior Suite at the SAS Royal or Superior Room at the D'Angleterre in Copenhagen. For Stockholm, we are looking at the Royal Viking (because of it's proximity to the Arlanda Express train terminal) and the Bern's.

 

I really do hope that you have an excellent trip whatever you decide to do. I just hope that you will manage your expectations so that you won't set yourself up for disappointment.

[cruiseluv]

Poss,

 

As the previous poster, I've also read( and responded to some) your prior posts here as well as in the Fodor's cruise and Europe board. I also share this poster's concern that you seem to be experiencing "buyer's remorse" with respect to this cruise.

You're absolutely right that these cruises are not inexpensive but only you and your spouse know what you're comfortable spending and what your expectations are. I'm getting ready for my 3rd RSSC cruise in June. The prior two cruises were , for the most part, very good , specially the one in Voyager to the Baltics. But I'm not going to lie to you. There were issues and they weren't perfect.

Why am I returning to RSSC if these expensive cruises weren't "perfect"? Because I love cruising and having been in many cruises in the mass market lines I know that those wouldn't be an option for me anymore. Actually, my husband is even more adamant about this than me.

I hope that you reach the right decision for you and your spouse with respect to this cruise and that you have a great time if you decide to go forward with it .

[A J Theodore]

The prior posts make a good and very valid point - as cruiseguy says and LeeAnne validates, you must compare apples-to-apples. Those posts point out some of the differences between RSSC and other lines, including, for example, wine with dinner and cabin size. Thus, you must evaluate for yourselves whether the extras offered by RSSC (along with intangibles such as ship's atmosphere) are sufficiently worth the differences in price from what you are used to. You should also compare Radisson to the luxury cruise lines (eg, Silverseas, Crystal) to see whether they are closer to what you are looking for (if you look carefully, you can sometimes find those lines for prices similar to Radisson). Several examples/considerations, in no particular order, and with apologies for repeating some of what has already been said:

 

1. Alcohol. RSSC includes wine with dinner (I estimate about $12/bottle in a low tax state). If you like a good glass of wine with dinner, it is nice to get it and not have to worry about the cost or worry about signing the chit for it. If you do not drink, the cost of the wine and alcohol is already built-in to the cruise price; you are paying for it whether you drink it or not. Sadly, the alcohol-included policy does seem to attract a few people who like "free" alcohol and overdo it in the dining room and elsewhere.

 

2. Tips. Included in the price of the cruise on RSSC. You would pay these separately on most other lines.

 

3. Cabin size. As noted above by LeeAnne (a devotee of RSSC), cabins are notably larger on Voyager than on most other ships. They also have very good closet space. Thus, in terms of cabin, you get more for your money. However, if you are one of those people who see the cabin only at bedtime, you may be paying for something you don't need. (In any event, Voyager has had a serious vibration problem in the aft part of the ship, and I have not heard that it has been remedied. Thus, don't get a cabin aft of midships.)

 

4. Food and restaurants. Voyager's dining room is notably better than the "mass-market" and "premium" lines in terms of food quality, preparation, and service. I also very highly value Voyager's open-seating, single-seating dining room; it is a very stong point and simply cannot be compared to two-seating, assigned-seating dining rooms on other ships. However, if you are a "meat and potatoes" person or if you don't like continental style cooking, better food and service may not be worthwhile. On the other hand, if you are looking for a true gourmet experience, Crystal and Silverseas are probably better choices. Unfortunately, in my view, food quality in the dining room is not up to the luxury/gourmet standards Radisson advertises; I found it inconsistent. While the Voyager specialty restaurants have no extra charge, consider whether you would use them and whether it would be worthwhile. The food at Signatures, for the two dinners I ate there, were less than stellar (I would describe one night as bland), notwithstanding the association with Cordon Bleu.

 

5. Ship size. Smaller than the mass-market ships, so that there are usually no lines and you do not feel crowded or lost in a crowd. While you lose some of the activities that are available on the larger ships, there is always a sufficient range of things to do on board. There will simply be a different "feel" to the ship.

 

6. Itinerary and ports of call. Some might be more interesting than others. This is why you find that many lines heavily discount the trans-ocean repositioning cruises which have almost no stops.

 

7. General quality of the on-board service. Notwithstanding some lapses in Radisson's on-board service, it is typically better than on the mass-market lines.

 

8. Things included or excluded. For example, air fare and overnight hotel stays at embarcation/debarcatiion.

 

9. General atmosphere on board. Finding the cruise line with the atmosphere that you find most appealing will enhance the enjoyment of a cruise (and, consequently, the value to you).

 

Finally, as cruiseguy noted, per diem is important. I would start the per diem rates for the cruises you are considering and then look at and evaluate all the differences between the cruises and cruise lines to find what is best for you.

[English Voyager]

It is not clear if the rate quoted includes Radisson's air package,but even if not it appears to be the "normal" rate for a week's cruise on a luxury line.

[gdlamberth]

In re:

 

3. Cabin size. As noted above by LeeAnne (a devotee of RSSC), cabins are notably larger on Voyager than on most other ships. They also have very good closet space. Thus, in terms of cabin, you get more for your money. However, if you are one of those people who see the cabin only at bedtime, you may be paying for something you don't need. (In any event, Voyager has had a serious vibration problem in the aft part of the ship, and I have not heard that it has been remedied. Thus, don't get a cabin aft of midships.)

 

 

Don't want to re-start an old thread but I would modify AJ's advice to "don't get a suite aft of the laundry rooms." Vibration forward of these locations seems to have minimal vibration.

 

Greg

[Leejnd4]

Btw, I wouldn't yet call myself an "RSSC devotee", given that I haven't actually cruised on them yet! What I am is someone who has cruised on other lines, learned what I didn't like about them, and done my research to determine where I might find a cruise experience more to my liking. So far, RSSC appears in virtually all respects to be perfect for me. I am VERY excited about all of the aspects of RSSC cruises that set them apart from the mass-market lines. Some things are subjective and open to opinion and interpretation -- food, service, entertainment etc. But others are sheer facts and figures -- passenger/crew ratio, passenger/space ratio, size of cabins, inclusive policies, dinner-seating practices, etc. These are the main reasons I selected RSSC, as I believe they will provide me with the vacation experience I am looking for. But of course I won't know for sure until I go.

 

Six weeks and counting! :D

 

LeeAnne

[Jim B]

I agree with everyones comments.

Cruising really is personal. We all have certain things we expect from it.

What some like others don't.

Trying a cruise line is the only way you will know for sure.

[Joanandjoe]

The posting does raise a legitimate question: is this the right line for someone's first cruise? As pointed out by another CC member, RSSC is the right line if you're used to luxury hotels, and if you're comfortable paying for luxury. We're on this board (and will try the Navigator, after sailing last November on the Wind Surf) because the answers for us are yes and yes. Also, we spend a lot of time in our cabin, so cabin comfort matters to us. The original poster may not be comfortable with the cost.

 

If someone is uncomfortable with the cost of Radisson for a first cruise, they may be better off trying a balcony room on a high end mass market line such as Celebrity, HAL, or maybe Cunard for a first cruise, then staying there, or moving up or down the cruise ladder, based on their initial cruise experience. (After all, some people like Carnival, NCL, or mega-ships, and they should be happy with those choices.) We started with HAL and Celebrity, decided that a mid-size (1250 to 1400 PAX) ship was too big for us, then moved to Windstar and Radisson. Others may be comfortable with bigger ships.

[KatWag]

I think I just must not be a nice enough person. I can't imagine anyone I know having the gall to be "aghast" at what I'm paying for a cruise. Not to my face, at any rate. :)

 

Seriously, though, Poss - I think you need to give this some thought. Like several other posters, I agree that it seems you have such grave concerns that it may very well impact your experience. It sounds like you are going to your friends, to us, etc. to convince yourself that you are making the right decision. With such reservations, I think you are likely to feel that your experience should have been better in some way.

 

I'm not sure that a first-time cruiser can truly appreciate the RSSC difference. If you've never waited in line for 1-2 hours to board the ship, ended up at "the table from hell" in a traditional seating dining room, or had to rush to the show lounge 45 minutes before the show to snag a seat, I'm not sure you'll really be able to understand the difference.

 

Yes, other cruise prices can be cheaper. And perhaps you don't need a balcony or a room as large as Voyager provides. Only you can make that decision. I can tell you that after multiple cruises with Princess and one each with RCCL, NCL and Carnival, I can't see myself going mass market again.

 

I'm sure the other couples you've met (the ones who focus on the mass market lines) will think you are insane to pay this much. If their opinion is going to be important to you, I would also recommend, like a prior poster, that you consider cancelling.

 

Whatever you decide, it needs to be what works best for you. Do yourself a favor - make your decision and don't look back. If you enjoy (and can afford) luxury, treat yourself and enjoy every moment. If you are happy with less, by all means save the money and go for one of the mass market lines. But please don't allow the opinions of those who cannot afford (or have no interest in) a luxury line to ruin your pleasure in your trip. As one of the other posters said so well, some folks pay for luxury, some don't. Only you know which category you fall into.

 

Good luck, and enjoy whatever trip you decide to do.

 

Kathy

[jhp]

poss, as you can see from the previous posters, it really gets down to the old addage "you get what you pay for" I was on a Carnival cruise many years ago. It is a totally different experience from Radisson. I have been on 14 cruises on this line, and can't wait til they get out their itineraries for 2006, if that will ever happen! Before you decide where to spend your dollars, look at the comparisons of those who have cruised both mass market and luxury lines. Decide then what is important to you. There is so much information on cc to help you decide. As for friends telling you what to do, it is like going through a lawsuit or a divorce, you gets lots of advice, but none of it from one who has been there, done that, with the same circumstances. I came to Radisson because of my research on these boards from previous cruisers. Once I became one, and continued on with them, my mind was set, even though I have enjoyed a wonderful SilverSea cruise in the interim!

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I can vouch for the RSSC experience. I've done three RCCL cruises, One Celebrity and 4 RSSC cruises with two more planned. My husband did many many cruises on Royal Viking Line and Princess.

 

We really enjoyed our RCCL Cruises. The ships were new and we were in the Carribbean and Mexico for those itineraries. Then we were on Mariner for the Alaska Inaugural. While we paid for suites on RCCL, they were not as luxurious as the Mariner was. We found that the Mariner, while more pricey, was more in line with the quality of life we live daily. Yes, like comparing a Holiday Inn with a Hyatt or Westin property - better service, higher standard of clean, quality linen and towels and other amenities. After we sailed on Mariner, we decided to try Celebrity's Millenium in 2002. We did do a suite compararble to the Raddison standard Mariner category. Aside from the intangible differences (quality of service), we had a problem signing for every little extra. We were captive to only drinking the beverages available on ship. A $7.00 bottle of wine at dinner was $40.00(included) extra for bottled water, soda. The spa massages were priced at $135.00 for an hour on "X". $110 on Mariner and Navigator/ All in all, the cost was about $500.00 more on RSSC. For a 10 day cruise that was $50.00 per day. The extras we paid for on ship on RSSC were all reasonably priced. The extras on Celebrity made us feel cheated. $5.00 for a fifty cent bottle of water? Extra for a Cappucino at the cafe with a cookie mid day? Extra for ice cream out at the pool? As the old song goes - sign sign everywhere a sign.

The sheets came off the bed daily which is a pet peeve of mine on the Celebrity ship, the room had some damage to the marble top on the vanity and it never seemed clean in our newer room. The tile in the shower were falling off the wall! The big thing that set me off was that a half bottle of California Brut Champagne from the mini bar was $29.00 which would be $4.99 in the grocery store. There was none in our room and it was not available from room service. Our next door neighbor heard us from his balcony and being on his honeymoon was given a couple bottles which he shared with us, which was lovely. Did we have fun on those cruises ?- yes. Would we sail RCCL or Celebrity or Princess? Maybe for the right itinerary at the right price. But we'd lower our expectations and perhaps limit things that we might have enjoyed but were watching our costs. We choose to travel frequently and we want a similar level of quality about the atmosphere, We are not snobs by any means - we work very hard to be able to take our trips. We want value and quality without compromise.

[cactuslady]

I've met two other couples who are aghast at what we're paying, so much so that they keep telling me there must be a mistake of some sort. . . . Have I made some awful mistake?? Our new friends (who don't know each other, by the way) very much think so.

 

Dear, dear. What a choice. Either you have made a mistake by choosing to live your life well and being able to afford it, or they have blundered by being cheap and/or too poor. If I were Miss Manners (whom unfortunately I like to pretend to emulate sometimes), I would sympathize with your distress. Then I would gently point out that the etiquette rule forbidding discussion of how much one paid for anything came about precisely because such discussions inevitably cause distress in one party or the other. Sadly, you are the distressed party in this case, although I suspect your new friends may be having second thoughts about their choices, too. But if you had reported getting a great bargain, there would still be stress because then your new friends would feel bad. Thus, I'm sure Miss Manners would highly laud the salutory effect on budding friendships of refraining from asking the prices of things, just as one would refrain from saying "How much do you make?" to new acquaintances. Her advice on how to stylishly avoid answering would, I'm sure, be much better than mine.

 

If one is curious about how much things cost, research is so much easier these days by consulting the Internet rather than relying on hearsay from social contacts. In any case, rest assured that there are probably many areas of your life (choosing RSSC perhaps included) where your financial acumen and provisions for a satisfying lifestyle far surpass those of recent strangers who apparently feel compelled to measure their accomplishments against yours.

 

As to your precise question, I still have the rest of the year to excitedly look forward to my first RSSC cruise, so I have no idea on the comparison with HAL, which, aside from private sailboats, is the extent of my cruising experience. However, we took our first European trip through the Mediterranean on the HAL Prinsendam last year and, even though the cost seemed a lot to us, we are tremendously grateful for the experience and consider it priceless. The truth is that travel is far, far easier, pleasant, safer and cheaper now that it ever was for any of the countless generations before us. Enjoy your good fortune.

[poss]

Wow! What an embarrassment of riches. Thank you very much to all responders for the patience and knowledge and concern you so graciously offer. I’ll try to repay the kindness by holding off on posts for a while and of course by paying it forward on the board after our cruise (as I did on the Fodor’s Costa Rica board which had been so helpful). Alas, I wish I’d been more clear about what I was mainly asking on the earlier post. In addition to wondering how there could be such large discrepancy in rates between HAL e.g. and RSSC, the main thing I was worried about was whether I’d somehow paid a good deal more for the Radisson cruise than I needed to have; that was my main concern, and I’m afraid it was not as clear as it should have been. In other words, I was asking whether there were folks out there who are on a Baltic cruise with RSSC and somehow managed to pay a good deal less. (I’d booked the cruise with Cruise Value Center last August, by the way, so I supposedly got an “early bird” rate.)

 

I absolutely do not mind paying a lot for a very high quality experience. And, as others of you have noted about yourselves, we’re fortunate enough at this time in our life to be able to afford a degree of luxury—very fortunate indeed! At the same time, I think I’d not be comfortable buying a Mercedes (we drive a Volvo station wagon and a fun Sebring convertible). And I never shop at Nordstrom’s, unless it’s Nordstrom’s Rack. I tend to shop (I don’t enjoy shopping at all) at places like Loehmann’s, Steinmart, etc-- places where I can get high quality clothes for less than sky-high prices. I think we dress well, but we don’t especially enjoy dressing up. We love terrific restaurants, though we very much dislike pretentious ones. Same with hotels. We’re not at all impressed by uniformed doormen or waiters who put the napkin on our lap—that sort of thing makes us uncomfortable in the same way owning a Mercedes or Cadillac would. (A Lexus would be nice. :-) We have no need of precious china or white-gloved service. But we do love exquisite food, handsome (not “gilt”) surroundings, and commodious, exceptionally clean and comfortable accommodations.

 

We chose RSSC mainly because we wanted good food, a good-sized cabin with a balcony (though the sitting-area chairs and couch look anything but comfortable in the photos), and because we didn’t want the HAL kind of dinner arrangement: much prefer not having a fixed meal-time and being able to have dinner at a table for two when we’d like, as well as having the options of the other pleasant-sounding restaurants. Also did not want a large ship, as we very much dislike waiting in line, hustling for seats, etc. Those are the reasons we felt (feel!) Radisson is the right choice for us. The “free” alcohol, soft drinks, etc. weren’t much in my thinking, nor was the no-tipping policy, though perhaps if we’d been on other ships, I’d come to think of those things as being equally important.

 

In short, though I do wonder whether we’ll be put off by some kinds of “showiness” aboard (whether by the ship’s staff or by fellow passengers), I absolutely believe that we’ve made the right choice. I agree with what one or several posters said—that we’d be likely to appreciate the Radisson experience even more if we’d had the other sort of thing—but at our age (one of us will be 75 in a few months) who knows how long we’ll have the luxury of enjoying these things. I’ve always been the “carpe diem” type, but as you all know, that lesson gets brought home ever more poignantly as we age.

 

So thanks for your generous, kind, thoughtful, helpful replies—every one of you. Good health and happy sailing to you all.

[cactuslady]

Poss --

You're so kind to say so. Wish we were on your cruise (we have a Sebring convertible, too).

[Daw6id]

Poss - we're really looking forward to your review when you return - I don't think you'll find either the staff or the fellow travelers too 'showy'. Have fun.

 

David

[Leejnd4]

Poss,

 

Just a couple comments on your concerns about "showiness" on board. I must admit that I, too, had that concern when I was investigating whether or not to try this cruiseline. My mother, especially, was worried about that.

 

I'm going on this cruise with my mom, who recently retired and is finally able to afford the occasional splurge. This is a woman who fought the good fight all her life -- she grew up on a farm in Tenn., married young, became a widow with 3 kids when I was just 13, raised us on Social Security and Veterans benefits, and finally returned to the workforce after we were all out on our own. She's never had the fortune to truly experience the finer things in life. And one of the reasons I've been looking SO forward to this cruise is that, I really want my mom to finally experience some luxury beyond her wildest expectations...to have a vacation of a lifetime...to feel like she's getting (for at least for a short time) to live the type of life she's only dreamt of longingly.

 

But at first she said no! When I asked her why, she said she didn't want to feel "out of place". She said she didn't have the $5000 ballgown she figured all the women would be wearing on formal night, or the expensive jewels. She never really learned to use just the right fork. She's just a regular gal, and she worried she would be laughed at among the "upper crust".

 

So I took those questions here, and on other boards where there are many RSSC fans. What was reported back to me is that RSSC is probably the LEAST "stuffy" of the luxury lines. The vast majority of people I met who cruise RSSC regularly assured me that, while the demographics of this line are probably of a wealthier set than you might find on some other lines, the overall ambiance of the ship is one of refined comfort, NOT showy elitism. In fact, I've read far more reports that Crystal tends to be more snooty, so-to-speak, than RSSC. Something about the way that the staff is -- I've read that they can be overly solicitous in a haughty sort of way, whereas you don't find that on RSSC.

 

Now of course I have no idea of the veracity of this, as I'm about to go on my first RSSC cruise, but I can simply tell you that literally dozens of people have said much the same thing. In addition, I've had the pleasure of meeting one of the RSSC devotees from these boards in person (who also knows many others personally), and I can tell you that she is just the warmest, loveliest person you could possibly meet. In addition, I've been lucky enough to meet about 15 or so people on this board who will be on our cruise, and we've been having some great email discussions and making lots of fun plans, for private tours, get-togethers on board, etc. If this is in any way representative of the type of people my mom and I will meet on board, then I have no worries at all.

 

And my mom DID finally agree to go, and now she can't wait either! :) In short, my fears have been allayed -- I hope this has helped to allay some of yours as well.

 

LeeAnne

[lrmorris]

Poss, sounds to me that you and RSSC will be perfect for each other. LeeAnne's comments were right on. RSSC attracts those who enjoy luxury but who also have an eye for "value". Have a great trip. Linda & Larry