Boarding welcome champagne ?

[eandj]

Does X greet passengers with "champagne"/mimosas at boarding? Or did that go away in the last 3 years we defected to Princess for new itineraries.

[ladylemondrop]

Yes they do! [emoji2]

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We had sparkling wine/mimosas on our cruise last July. I haven't seen anything saying the stopped this.

[SCGirl3211]

Does X greet passengers with "champagne"/mimosas at boarding? Or did that go away in the last 3 years we defected to Princess for new itineraries.

 

Yes, that lovely tradition remains. Makes you feel like a Celebrity as soon as you board the ship...Modern Luxury at it's finest!

 

Just curious, what are your thoughts on Princess compared to Celebrity? My DH and I have looked at Princess but never pulled the plug. What itineraries did you love? What is their smoking policy? Thanks for your answers.

[eandj]

Yes, that lovely tradition remains. Makes you feel like a Celebrity as soon as you board the ship...Modern Luxury at it's finest!

 

Just curious, what are your thoughts on Princess compared to Celebrity? My DH and I have looked at Princess but never pulled the plug. What itineraries did you love? What is their smoking policy? Thanks for your answers.

Smoking not allowed on balconies. Not sure about casino as we don't spend time there. But I know we never smelled smoke.

We like Princess. We cruised Norway/North Cape, Spain and Baltic with them, as well as 2 Carib. The new ships,, Regal and Royal, are inching closer to X. For sure if you want to

Change things up, you won't be disappointed. The lines are more similar than different.

We are back to X in Jan. for a 14 day Carib. Princess doesn't have anything over 10 days, just back to backs. We look forward to seeing how the lines compare now...while our July Regal trip is fresh in our memory.

[eandj]

3 years ago, I remember boarding Equinox and there was no one passing out the welcome drink. But..I saw empty glasses sitting around. Note, we aren't crazy about the drink, but I wondered about missing it. And if they only did it for early boarders or what.

So when I went to the desk for something the next day, I mentioned I was surprised we weren't seeing the waiters with trays when we boarded. And we're they cutting back? They took our name. Later that day, we got a call of apology from guest relations, as well as a full bottle of wine delivered to our room. :eek: I couldn't believe it. We just mentioned it, definitely wasn't complaining or crabbing about it. Anyways, with service like that, how can you not love cruising X?

[kbarnum]

Smoking not allowed on balconies. Not sure about casino as we don't spend time there. But I know we never smelled smoke.

We like Princess. We cruised Norway/North Cape, Spain and Baltic with them, as well as 2 Carib. The new ships,, Regal and Royal, are inching closer to X. For sure if you want to

Change things up, you won't be disappointed. The lines are more similar than different.

We are back to X in Jan. for a 14 day Carib. Princess doesn't have anything over 10 days, just back to backs. We look forward to seeing how the lines compare now...while our July Regal trip is fresh in our memory.

 

 

 

I agree the Regal and Royal are very modern and similar to the Celebrity. I went on Regal March for spring break. It still just isn't Celebrity. I know cabins are small but Regal's were the smallest I have ever seen, not to mention the balcony. It was so narrow we rarely went out there. Typically we spend hours watching the sea go by. that was really disappointing. Clean nice ship otherwise!

[flyingv4me]

Still on the Solstice a couple of weeks ago. I think it is a nice touch to start the cruise on the right note! :)

[eandj]

I agree the Regal and Royal are very modern and similar to the Celebrity. I went on Regal March for spring break. It still just isn't Celebrity. I know cabins are small but Regal's were the smallest I have ever seen, not to mention the balcony. It was so narrow we rarely went out there. Typically we spend hours watching the sea go by. that was really disappointing. Clean nice ship otherwise!

 

 

Agree. Those two ships have no Oceanview rooms. Only inside or balcony. One needs to know the ship to figure out best balconies. Those small balconies and no midship stairs are the biggest complaints.

[upwarduk]

Still had mimosa on July 25th sailing on Eclipse.

[Cruise Raider]

Princess no longer permits smoking in any of the staterooms or on balconies, none of the indoor bars or lounges, but does have a smoking and non-smoking side to the casino. Formal nights are completely non-smoking in the casino.

There is also a cigar room right off the casino where smoking is allowed.

Outside on the public decks, smoking is only allowed on one side of the ship -- but rarely enforced on the non-smoking side. Either way, much better for non-smokers than it used to be.

 

The cabins on Princess are quite a bit smaller than on Celebrity (about 170 vs 143 sq feet) for a regular standard stateroom. Whereas Celebrity has a sofa, Princess has a chair only unless you get up into the mini suite categories. I know the mini-suites on Princess are larger but a standard balcony on an S-class ship on Celebrity feels (I emphasize 'feels') almost as roomy as a mini on Princess.

The open closet design on Princess is a huge plus, though. The drinks on Princess are so much more reasonable with some good happy hours twice daily. Princess also allows you to bring more than 2 bottles of wine onboard with a $15 bottle charge for corkage. The specialty restaurants on Princess are wonderful and only incur a $25 pp charge... whereas on Celebrity, they are equally as good but mostly twice as much.

 

Celebrity's service is a little more white glove....and Princess is a little less formal in my opinion. Celebrity's aqua class is my favorite ... and all rooms on that deck are for 2 passengers, so not a lot of screaming children running up and down the halls.

 

Both lines are very comparable but Celebrity wins out when it comes to our tastes. However, Princess itineraries are way better for us so book with them as often as we book with Celebrity. Better itineraries = sailings out of San Francisco.

[Snit13]

Happy to read that Princess has changed its smoking policy. We started cruising with Princess but switched to Celebrity because of the stricter no smoking policy. We are ex smokers and as everyone knows ex's are the worst.

 

I really enjoyed Princess but the smoking on balcony next door was a killer for us. Love Celebrity.

[bEwAbG]

We are ex smokers and as everyone knows ex's are the worst.

 

Only if you choose to be! I understand the addiction and don't give anyone grief about it. They'll quit when they're ready to quit, just like you did. That doesn't mean you have to inhale it or be in enclosed rooms with it, but there are some people who go way over-the-top whenever there's a hint of smoke around. It's unnecessary and childish.

[Chicogirl]

Can you get just orange juice?

[Christine Frances]

Only if you choose to be! I understand the addiction and don't give anyone grief about it. They'll quit when they're ready to quit, just like you did. That doesn't mean you have to inhale it or be in enclosed rooms with it, but there are some people who go way over-the-top whenever there's a hint of smoke around. It's unnecessary and childish.

 

Wow! What brought this on:confused::rolleyes:

[bEwAbG]

Maybe I need a cigarette? :D

 

Choosing to be "that kind" of ex-smoker is a pet peeve. There is nothing worse than a sanctimonious ex-anything. Having a holier-than-thou attitude towards smokers isn't going to make them quit smoking during the cruise. So why live life with that attitude, which is 100% a choice that the ex-smoker is making?

[springfire]

We had sparkling wine/mimosas on our cruise last July. I haven't seen anything saying the stopped this.

 

Looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise on the Silhouette and starting off with a fun welcoming drink.