NYE Cruise on the Eurodam Review: Not what we expected

[GlennG]

Hi Sail7Seas,

 

I wrote a detailed response to your question yesterday, but it never posted [iPad glitch?]. To recap:

 

The up front cost of our cruises on the luxury lines, which we booked at what were deep discounts for those companies, were about 2 1/2 times the upfront costs of HAL. After you subtract out the prepaid tips, all-inclusive drinks and specialty restaurants, and generous cabin credit, they probably came out to twice the daily cost of HAL In the final analysis, that $3 can of coke on HAL probably wound up costing a bit more on the luxury lines.

 

Sailing with the luxury lines was an extravagance for us, but we were celebrating significant milestones so we splurged. As someone's signature on this board advises, "Life is short; drink the good wine first."

 

I would have to be out of my mind to compare the luxury ships with HAL on a head to head basis and expect HAL to come out favorably. Crystal, Seabourn, and Silversea have small ships that cater to people who are very demanding about details and don't mind paying top dollar for their comforts. They provide a totally different [and I am not saying necessarily better] experience than larger ships, which have a more exciting atmosphere and a lot more to do. What I was comparing was the fabulous Med-HAL with the disappointing Caribbean-HAL; our Noordam vs. Eurodam experience.

 

On the Noordam, our veranda cabin seemed bigger and brighter and more inviting, as did the public areas. The food was better and the service was much more gracious. Nobody was complaining about anything. We were delighted about every aspect of the cruise, even more so given the bargain combination fare HAL offered for the cruise and air.

 

The Eurodam seemed disorganized, the food was mediocre, our veranda cabin seemed dark, and the staff were doing their best but were clearly over worked. In addition, hearing so many people complain about so many different aspects of the ship did not enhance the ambiance of the cruise. Maybe these complainers were misrepresenting their Mariner status, but why they would is a mystery to me.

 

If money were no object [but alas, for most of us it is], I would spend as much of my life as I could on Seabourn and Silversea [Crystal loyalists, please don't start], But, life being what it is, I will continue to select a mix of vacation options, from bargain cruises and bus trips to some luxury cruises here and there and try to find enjoyment in all new experiences. Linda

 

Linda,

What a wonderful reply! I'm a relative newcomer to this forum, but I appreciate balanced posts, and a reasonable evaluative response to passengers' cruising experiences. Quite frankly, some of the "cheer leading" that goes on in this forum is becoming a little tiresome, and not very useful to an individual who is trying to obtain information about specific ships and cruise lines. In short, sometimes the spin gets spun out of control. Leave the spin and hype to the cruise lines and travel agencies.

[whystayhome]

Linda,

What a wonderful reply! I'm a relative newcomer to this forum, but I appreciate balanced posts, and a reasonable evaluative response to passengers' cruising experiences. Quite frankly, some of the "cheer leading" that goes on in this forum is becoming a little tiresome, and not very useful to an individual who is trying to obtain information about specific ships and cruise lines. In short, sometimes the spin gets spun out of control. Leave the spin and hype to the cruise lines and travel agencies.

 

Thank you. I have appreciated that the replies to my initial post have been generally constructive and respectful. That is not always the case on other threads. Linda

[VermeulT]

Hi Sail7Seas,

 

I wrote a detailed response to your question yesterday, but it never posted [iPad glitch?]. To recap:

 

The up front cost of our cruises on the luxury lines, which we booked at what were deep discounts for those companies, were about 2 1/2 times the upfront costs of HAL. After you subtract out the prepaid tips, all-inclusive drinks and specialty restaurants, and generous cabin credit, they probably came out to twice the daily cost of HAL In the final analysis, that $3 can of coke on HAL probably wound up costing a bit more on the luxury lines.

 

Sailing with the luxury lines was an extravagance for us, but we were celebrating significant milestones so we splurged. As someone's signature on this board advises, "Life is short; drink the good wine first."

 

I would have to be out of my mind to compare the luxury ships with HAL on a head to head basis and expect HAL to come out favorably. Crystal, Seabourn, and Silversea have small ships that cater to people who are very demanding about details and don't mind paying top dollar for their comforts. They provide a totally different [and I am not saying necessarily better] experience than larger ships, which have a more exciting atmosphere and a lot more to do. What I was comparing was the fabulous Med-HAL with the disappointing Caribbean-HAL; our Noordam vs. Eurodam experience.

 

On the Noordam, our veranda cabin seemed bigger and brighter and more inviting, as did the public areas. The food was better and the service was much more gracious. Nobody was complaining about anything. We were delighted about every aspect of the cruise, even more so given the bargain combination fare HAL offered for the cruise and air.

 

The Eurodam seemed disorganized, the food was mediocre, our veranda cabin seemed dark, and the staff were doing their best but were clearly over worked. In addition, hearing so many people complain about so many different aspects of the ship did not enhance the ambiance of the cruise. Maybe these complainers were misrepresenting their Mariner status, but why they would is a mystery to me.

 

If money were no object [but alas, for most of us it is], I would spend as much of my life as I could on Seabourn and Silversea [Crystal loyalists, please don't start], But, life being what it is, I will continue to select a mix of vacation options, from bargain cruises and bus trips to some luxury cruises here and there and try to find enjoyment in all new experiences. Linda

 

Thanks Linda. I do not have the experience (yet) to cruise on the "luxury lines". However, your analysis is exactly what I had thought.

 

We were on the Eurodam in Nov 2010. It was our most disappointing HAL experience at that time. DH and I talked with the Dining Room Manager and the Hotel Manager at length. They see the differences between Europe and the Caribbean on HAL. They had a crew meeting during the transatlantic 2 weeks earlier to remind crew of what was to come. I'm not sure how much it was specifically the Eurodam or just part of the trend in cruising, especially in the Caribbean, and even more especially on the 7 day Caribbean itineraries. Prices get so low to compete that a different class of customers board HAL, and due to the prices, some service cuts are necessary.... resulting in a different cruise experience than anywhere else.

 

I don't like it. But that being said, I did a B2B the following year and have a Caribbean 7 day scheduled in a few weeks. I've just adjusted my expectations and will make the most of my vacation and enjoy it.

 

Cheers.

[adrift@sea]

We had done a Med cruise on the Noordam a few years ago and had a wonderful time. Happy with everything. So, we were very excited about returning to HAL, this time for a Caribbean sailing.!

 

Mediterranean cruises are very different than Caribbean cruises. It is like comparing apples and oranges. Caribbean cruises are far more laid back and for the most part, no one is in a rush to get anywhere.

 

 

I had called HAL before embarkation and asked if people in the glass elevators would be able to see us on our balcony. I was reassured that there was a wall that would block their view. In fact, a large portion of our balcony was on public display. Kind of put a damper on things, but we understood that's the risk you take when you book a guarantee.!

 

I can appreciate why you were not comfortable with your balcony adjacent to the elevators. But honestly, I doubt you were on display as much as you might have thought but there is most definitely not total privacy. We always use the middle elevators and usually look out over the water or are facing the elevator doors as people are entering and departing.

 

 

Then we went to the welcome back lunch. We were given a lovely table at the stern, but the scene in the dining room was chaotic. There were simply not enough waiters. The servers were killing themselves, trying to take care of everyone, but lunch took forever and was mediocre. The first surprising thing I noticed was the tablecloth: it looked like someone had opened it after using it for years of origami practice and didn't even try to iron it before putting it on the table. In addition, our waiter's uniform was pilled and clearly needed to be replaced.!

 

Unfortunately, this does happen on embarkation day with most of the stewards being scheduled to work in the Lido. IMO, the tablecloth should never have been put on the table, however, when everyone is working long hours and rushing I guess it is inevitable.

 

 

On deck for the afternoon, it was obvious that there were not enough lounge chairs for ~2,000 people. Also, private cabanas @ $50/day lined the rails of the ship, blocking the view of the ocean and eliminating space that could have been used for much needed lounge chairs in the shade for people who were not interested in incurring that additional expense. Unrented cabanas had curtains drawn at their entrances and were blocked with a velvet theater-style rope. Some people who had rented the cabanas complained that they were stifling hot, owing to being so enclosed.!

 

I agree that the private cabanas lining the rails of the ship are not attractive and do detract from one's ocean view, however, I understand why people would rent them, especially over the holidays with large families traveling together. They are willing to pay for their space to keep their group together. I would imagine it is rather warm within the cabanas but the majority of those who rent them seem OK with it. Since this is the 'family pool' area, IMO if families did not reserve them they would be saving numerous lounge chairs so I don't know how many additional loungers (which would remain unoccupied) would actually be made available.

 

Then it was time for dinner. Again, chaos reigned, even though we had an 8PM reservation. The "no reservation" line seemed to move more quickly than the reservation line. Once again, the meal took forever and the food was forgettable. For some reason, there was only one show that night, at 9:30. As it took over 2 hours to get our dinner, we - and many others - missed the show.!

 

This is a bone of contention with us regarding HAL's As You Wish Dining. Chaos always reigns the first night or two (and sometimes longer) on the lower level (Open Sitting). We have gotten to know many a DR Manager/AYWD Host because of this. By now this should be seamless but it is not. And it is always worse on Holiday Cruises because you have big families traveling together and the ships are often a maximum capacity. This is a Seattle problem because they have determined the parameters for this, i.e., how many reservations can be accepted each night, the times reservations can be accepted, etc. and these things are monitored. I have told many DR Managers/Guest Relations Managers that someone unknown from Seattle should come and observe this circus. Not to find fault with the staff but to realize their system has major flaws.

 

In addition, when you have VIP's on board there are other issues. Last year, Stein Kruse and his group were on board the Eurodam and they were placed at a large table in the raised center portion of the DR. They usually dined at 8 pm but their table could not be used at all for the entire evening. So that table remained empty from 5 pm on for the entire week.

 

 

 

The next morning, breakfast in the Lido was chaotic, again because they did not have enough staff. The lines never seemed to diminish. One woman told me she waited 30 minutes to get an omelet. My "hot" cereal was cold. !

 

Over the years, we have done dozens of Holiday cruises so we pretty much understand the pulse of the ship. When everyone converges on the Lido at one time, sevice will slow down quickly. If you are ever in the Lido prior to the rush you would notice that the servers and stewards are basically standing around waiting for the rush.

 

Overall we had a good time getting away and were happy to be in a warm spot instead of freezing to death at home. The upfront price of the cruise was excellent, but the service and other amenities were lacking and the food was just so-so for the most part. Maybe it is just the nature of holiday and/or Caribbean cruises, but this did not seem like the same cruise line we enjoyed so much in the Mediterranean.!

 

We have come to love our Holiday cruises and look forward to them, however, we have adjusted our expectations over the years. A Holiday cruise today is very, very different from one that we took on HAL thirty years ago but we don't compare them. It was a different time and a different experience.

Edited January 10, 2014 by adrift@sea

[cbr663]

Linda,

What a wonderful reply! I'm a relative newcomer to this forum, but I appreciate balanced posts, and a reasonable evaluative response to passengers' cruising experiences. Quite frankly, some of the "cheer leading" that goes on in this forum is becoming a little tiresome, and not very useful to an individual who is trying to obtain information about specific ships and cruise lines. In short, sometimes the spin gets spun out of control. Leave the spin and hype to the cruise lines and travel agencies.

 

+1. I really enjoy it when cruisers go into detail about their experience as it helps me understand whether or not those experiences are important to me. I also understand that HAL has great supporters on this site and it is a good thing. I support HAL and just today booked an Alaskan cruise. It does seem though that some posters have a hard time believing that anyone could have an unsatisfactory time on a HAL ship. And sadly, for me, when this happens they accomplish little more than being viewed as poor ambassadors for HAL.

Edited January 10, 2014 by cbr663

[cruisetrail]

 

I would have to be out of my mind to compare the luxury ships with HAL on a head to head basis and expect HAL to come out favorably.

 

Why not??

That would be GREAT to see a comparison review!

I mean a competent and comprehensive review, not telling stories about "my impressions".

I would do it with pleasure - not only head to head, but nose to nose.

Unfortunately my first attempt to book Crystal failed - the advertised special offer turned out to be fake.

I booked a cruise on a "luxury light" ship but fortunately studied it on time - to cancel without a cancellation fee.

I can tell right now that just a few of "luxury fleet" representatives will hold a candle firmly in comparison with the Signature class ships.:)

Edited January 11, 2014 by cruisetrail

[mariner]

I appreciate the comparison HAL versus Seabourn.

 

I am perplexed about privacy on balconies. hat the heck happens on those? I don't do anything there that I wouldn't do on the aft deck by the pool nor do I expect a degree of privacy there.

[mariner]

Very simple comparison:

 

The lobsters on Seabourn's bbq are purchased ashore.

 

There are 400 pax at the most.

 

Your alcohol is included in your fare.

 

You can order what you like (within reason) in the MDR with a day's notice.

 

The lounges and bars are crowded at night.

 

No bingo. No disembark talk.

 

Very personal service.

[sail7seas]

Hi Sail7Seas,

 

I wrote a detailed response to your question yesterday, but it never posted [iPad glitch?]. To recap:

 

The up front cost of our cruises on the luxury lines, which we booked at what were deep discounts for those companies, were about 2 1/2 times the upfront costs of HAL. After you subtract out the prepaid tips, all-inclusive drinks and specialty restaurants, and generous cabin credit, they probably came out to twice the daily cost of HAL In the final analysis, that $3 can of coke on HAL probably wound up costing a bit more on the luxury lines.

 

Sailing with the luxury lines was an extravagance for us, but we were celebrating significant milestones so we splurged. As someone's signature on this board advises, "Life is short; drink the good wine first."

 

I would have to be out of my mind to compare the luxury ships with HAL on a head to head basis and expect HAL to come out favorably. Crystal, Seabourn, and Silversea have small ships that cater to people who are very demanding about details and don't mind paying top dollar for their comforts. They provide a totally different [and I am not saying necessarily better] experience than larger ships, which have a more exciting atmosphere and a lot more to do. What I was comparing was the fabulous Med-HAL with the disappointing Caribbean-HAL; our Noordam vs. Eurodam experience.

 

On the Noordam, our veranda cabin seemed bigger and brighter and more inviting, as did the public areas. The food was better and the service was much more gracious. Nobody was complaining about anything. We were delighted about every aspect of the cruise, even more so given the bargain combination fare HAL offered for the cruise and air.

 

The Eurodam seemed disorganized, the food was mediocre, our veranda cabin seemed dark, and the staff were doing their best but were clearly over worked. In addition, hearing so many people complain about so many different aspects of the ship did not enhance the ambiance of the cruise. Maybe these complainers were misrepresenting their Mariner status, but why they would is a mystery to me.

 

If money were no object [but alas, for most of us it is], I would spend as much of my life as I could on Seabourn and Silversea [Crystal loyalists, please don't start], But, life being what it is, I will continue to select a mix of vacation options, from bargain cruises and bus trips to some luxury cruises here and there and try to find enjoyment in all new experiences. Linda

 

 

 

Thanks.

Great post.

 

I know what DH and I pay for our cabins on HAL, we could sail any of the other companies (in lower category cabins). I enjoy reading comments about the other lines. I have been invited to lunch and tours aboard Silversea ship so have a feel for them.

 

We are all about HAL but am well aware not everyone is.

 

I do feel as though there is a direct correlation between how much revenue is generated in cabin sales and how much one can expect from the cruise. We each decide if we are getting enough value for our dollar.

 

It is also true we can be on the same ship, same cruise and we can experience the cruise in very different way.

 

If I have great cabin and dining stewards, have a favorite bartender who takes good care of us, my cabin's mechanicals are all functioning as intended, I meet some fun people......... I am probably having a great cruise.

 

If you do not have the same circumstances, you may not be having as great a cruise.

 

Edited January 11, 2014 by sail7seas

[whystayhome]

I appreciate the comparison HAL versus Seabourn.

 

I am perplexed about privacy on balconies. hat the heck happens on those? I don't do anything there that I wouldn't do on the aft deck by the pool nor do I expect a degree of privacy there.

 

Sometimes it's nice to sit on the balcony, have a drink, hold hands, enjoy the peace and quiet, and talk intimately. It is very disconcerting in the middle of a serious or romantic conversation to see someone looking at you, in what should be a private space, and wave as they ride by. Other verandas are quite private in that even though if you talk loudly you can be overheard, no one can see you, unless they deliberately look around the partition. And no one does that!

 

When I'm having alone-time with my spouse, I don't want an audience!

[Guest superradiationboy]

I agree that it's not fair to go on a large mass market ship and expect it to be half or however many percent of what one gets on a luxury cruise. It's also not appropriate to go on a luxury ship and expect it to be twice or however many times better based on a mass market cruise. My experience is that the two products are built on two different models, offering different things, aiming to satisfy two different markets.

 

I remember an interesting experience happened a couple years ago. I was at the airport for a long haul international flight. The airline lounge at that airport was unbearably crowded, I couldn't find a seat, so I took a bottle of fizzy water and went to the gate. With half an hour to spare, I sat down in the middle of the waiting area, diagonally across from a man, who was talking very loudly to the couple facing him. He apparently had booked an extra room seat in the first row of coach and felt very proud of it - how nice to be in the front of most passengers, so he got to choose his meals and deplane first, and the luxury of having more legroom...etc.

 

Then he went on and said how stupid were those who bought tickets to sit in business and first class. "The flight costs 10 times more and do they really get 10 times more legroom and 10 times better food? It's still airline food." That got me interested in his conversation.

 

"Some of the business class seats look like they are not facing the front of the plane, making it so hard to look out the window. How could anyone not interested in looking at the wings?" He said, and noticed that I was also listening to him "and you know, their cabin isn't as roomy as coach" looking at me he laughed. The couple and I smiled. I'm in my thirties and dress casually all the time to get through the metal detectors when I fly, he most likely thought that I was sitting somewhere behind him. :) For the 30 mins he just would not stop talking about how superior his seat was and how stupid the front of the plane passengers were, paying so much for something he didn't consider better.

 

After the first meal onboard, I decided to walk around a bit, as usual. The flight attendant saw me got up, she came and asked me if I wanted my bed turned down. I told her yes please and that I was going to walk around a bit first, could she bring me a glass of champagne.

 

I slowly walked back and just when I opened the curtain separating business and coach, I saw the man. He looked at me and said "oh you're one of those 'business class' people" I smiled and replied "no, actually my seat is 1K." I went on and commented that his seat really had more room and asked if he had the meal that he wanted. He proudly answered yes to both and then asked if I had 10 times more space than his seat, 10 times better food and could I see the wing. I told him that, like the other passengers in the first two rows, I usually spend time sleeping or doing other things than looking at the wings, as interesting as they are, my seat wasn't 10 times bigger, and the food probably wasn't 10 times better. But they did their best by serving me some Ossetra caviar, a few appetizers, salad and a filet mignon.

 

At that time the flight attendant came up to me "Mr. S, your champagne. Your bed will be ready for you whenever you finish your walk." I thanked her and noticed the guy was staring at me. He said "I guess that's what you're paying for." I smiled and said to him while I put the glass of champagne on his table "I'm going to bed soon, have a good night. Cheers." :)

 

We traveled in many different styles and ways. With cruises we have tried many mass market lines, the luxury lite lines, the ultra luxury lines, and had chartered some medium and large sized yachts with crew in the past. My experience is that they're all different, which one is better is depending on what one likes. Being luxury or expensive doesn't mean that everyone will have to like it. On the other hand, just that it omits a certain thing that a mass market product provides doesn't mean that the product is not luxury, or that whoever spends money on it is stupid.

 

In my experience, luxury travel products commonly offer these to the best of their ability: comfort, attention to details, quality, convenience, flexibility, choices, privacy, exclusivity, personalized service, speed, and that worry-free feeling knowing that whatever I need, they will take care of it. :)

[cruisetrail]

 

In my experience, luxury travel products commonly offer these to the best of their ability: comfort, attention to details, quality, convenience, flexibility, choices, privacy, exclusivity, personalized service, speed, and that worry-free feeling knowing that whatever I need, they will take care of it. :)

 

What if a mass market ship offers more comfort, quality, convenience, choices, privacy, exclusivity... than a "luxury" ship for half price? :)

[whystayhome]

What if a mass market ship offers more comfort, quality, convenience, choices, privacy, exclusivity... than a "luxury" ship for half price? :)

 

Quick! Tell me which one that is. I' want to book it right now.

 

Different cruises are for different purposes and work better at different times of life.

 

As a child, I did multiple TAs with my parents. The kind with "horse racing" in the evenings where they showed grainy black and white films narrated by the CD and passengers bet on the outcome (won a few) and bingo with a wire cage and a single card with red chips (won $6 once - quite the windfall in the 50's). I didn't go to many of the shows, but when I was very small, my mom took me to see Bob Hope perform - no memory of that -(How many of you are asking "Bob Who!") - quite a big deal at the time to see such a prominent entertainer on a ship. For years, I had a picture of the ship framed by a life presenrver with a small US and a ship's flag crossed in the cording wrapped around the life preserver hung up in my room. Sorry now that I got rid of that souvenir when I cleaned out my parents' home.

 

When my husband and I were married a few years, we went on Carnival, in the cheapest inside cabin with upper and lower berths. We slept in the same bunk and had the time of our lives. Lots of good, noisy, silly fun.

 

Fast forward about 20 years and we took the kids on a mass market line and had two wonderful trips with them. Although we were a little overwhelmed by the ice carving demos and the biggest splash contests and all the noise, those cruises were perfect for our three teenaged girls (see comment about need for quiet below).

 

Then, we took my MIL on a few river cruises in Europe, were the youngest people by far on the boats, and thought we would go stir crazy in the evenings.

 

In our non-cruise life, we enjoyed quite a few organized bus trips in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America, as well as driving around Europe in our own on multiple occasions, looking for off-the-tourist-path adventure. We took the kids to all-inclusive Caribbean resorts every Christmas for about 10 years, with various other family members' coming along. The HAL Caribbean adventure was our first holiday cruise in years, and as I mentioned when I started this thread, it was not what we expected.

 

At this point in our lives, we prefer not having to think; we want to be taken care of, yet not necessarily told what to do or herded around. We want thoughtful conversations with interesting people, and are not interested in staying up late, hanging out in the bar, or dancing the night away. We are interested primarily in quality., not excitement or novelty. We have become our parents I suppose.

 

My preference is to go luxury all the time. However, if we are going to do at least one cruise a year, plus another trip or two abroad, visit our two adult children who live in California, and help the "baby" with paying for graduate school, we need to be reasonable and shop around, make decisions based on price and itinerary and not brand name, and suck it up in economy plus!

[cruisemom42]

What if a mass market ship offers more comfort, quality, convenience, choices, privacy, exclusivity... than a "luxury" ship for half price? :)

 

You insist (repeatedly) on focusing on a few, very narrow parameters that YOU have decided are important.

 

But numbers alone can be misleading. For example, one ship can have more deck space than other, but if it is poorly arranged so that views are blocked or there is an appearance of too little room (narrow walking paths, etc.) or areas taken up with "for pay" items where there was once space available to all, then the "perception" is not going to be positive, no matter if the ship has more deck room than a particular luxury line or even another ship in the same fleet.

 

Similarly, not everyone weighs such parameters equally. I could not care less about whether the ship has a wraparound deck outside. However, I do care very much about itineraries (where HAL generally does well) and about food (less well). As well, I care about good pricing for solos and good lecturers. Some of these parameters occur more often on the so-called luxury lines than on the mass-market lines.

[Guest superradiationboy]

What if a mass market ship offers more comfort, quality, convenience, choices, privacy, exclusivity... than a "luxury" ship for half price? :)

 

Haha! :)

 

The answer is very simple. If there's really such a product in the market, people will flock there. The cruise line sees such high demand will in turn jack up the price, as all businesses do. Eventually it becomes a luxury line with luxury price.

[cruisetrail]

You insist (repeatedly) on focusing on a few, very narrow parameters that YOU have decided are important.

 

 

Me!!!???:)

I have being doing the opposite.

This is what I have being saying all the time: as one comes up with a review - forget about someone's preferences. Look at the ship and tell us all about the ship. Get enough information about the ship before you come to a conclusion.

 

When posters come here to imply that "a mass market ship" by definition is inferior to "a luxury ship" they do exactly what you are saying: insisting (repeatedly) on focusing on a few, very narrow parameters that THEY have decided constitute definition of luxury.

In essence those "parameters" don't usually go further than dining-wining and "How do you do, Mr. Smith".

 

You mentioned "so-called" luxury - this is a key word.

 

Luxury of dining options

Luxury of cabin/balcony choices

Luxury of first class service

Luxury of first class promenade deck

Luxury of first class spa

Luxury of first class shows

Luxury of live music

Luxury of spacious sun-pool decks

Luxury of first class sports facilities

Luxury of ships public rooms planning, design and decor

Luxury of privacy...

....

Without going into details of each item:

The more of these items you find on board the closer the ship is to a true luxury ship.

 

"Luxury ships" is in fact a cruising community "term" to mark a club style ships as opposed to resort cruise ships and it has nothing to do with real luxury at sea.

Technically a cruise ship has to have enough GT and certain public space/cabin space balance to house "luxury features".

Just a few of so-called luxury ships are technically able to fit the bill.:)

[cruisetrail]

Quick! Tell me which one that is. I' want to book it right now.

 

Different cruises are for different purposes and work better at different times of life.

 

 

Thank you for giving me this opportunity!:)

 

Note that having started with ships you quickly switched to your preferences.:)

 

So how can I tell you what you should book?

 

But I can tell what cruise ships are.

 

As you requested, I can tell you which ones manage to offer a better combination of luxury items (please see post above) than any other cruise ship (let alone a couple of Cunarders and a few ones like large Crystal/Seabourn) at a half (1/3, 1/4) "luxury"price.

 

Enjoy your cruises!

[cruisetrail]

Haha! :)

 

The answer is very simple. If there's really such a product in the market, people will flock there. The cruise line sees such high demand will in turn jack up the price, as all businesses do. Eventually it becomes a luxury line with luxury price.

 

This answer is too simple to be true.

While cruise ships offer different quality product, the customers have different reasons to choose a particular cruise: geography, vacation time, money, weather, health condition, education & life style, itineraries, promotions, .......

That's why the Carnival Ecstasy "eventually" sails full.

So do all other ships.

 

I cruise on all cruise lines. I know what product they offer and see the difference, sometimes huge.

But I cannot have the best cruise ship available everywhere I travel..

So I "eventually" take a cruise that is available in the right place, on the right time for the accaptable price.

:)

[Guest superradiationboy]

This answer is too simple to be true.

While cruise ships offer different quality product, the customers have different reasons to choose a particular cruise: geography, vacation time, money, weather, health condition, education & life style, itineraries, promotions, .......

That's why the Carnival Ecstasy "eventually" sails full.

So do all other ships.

 

I cruise on all cruise lines. I know what product they offer and see the difference, sometimes huge.

But I cannot have the best cruise ship available everywhere I travel..

So I "eventually" take a cruise that is available in the right place, on the right time for the accaptable price.

:)

 

Yeah I like keeping things simple. And this is basically supply and demand, it can be simple and complicated. ;) I already assumed that the marketing depts will do their job to figure out how to sell their products based on their custoners' characteristics and needs, and it's adjusted for seasonal and other fluctuations. Anyway it's not important... Hehe. :)

 

What's important is that I'm glad that, like me, you also have tried so many lines in different categories, and have found what suits you the best.

 

Like what my mom tells me all the time - you don't know until you've tried and experienced. Sometimes I will protest "I know! I know! Everything is online these days." She will give me a dirty look and say "Then try getting pregnant and giving birth online." :D