mcrcruiser Posted January 24, 2019 #251 Share Posted January 24, 2019 We wonder what all this chatter about a competing cruise line & a oddball designed ship accomplishes on this HAL thread ??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickey_mouse Posted January 24, 2019 Author #252 Share Posted January 24, 2019 1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said: We wonder what all this chatter about a competing cruise line & a oddball designed ship accomplishes on this HAL thread ??????? Read the posts. Much discussion of both HAL and Celebrity here. We also wonder why a disinterested person continues to click on and post in a thread he thinks doesn't belong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stateroom_Sailor Posted January 24, 2019 #253 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, mcrcruiser said: We wonder what all this chatter about a competing cruise line & a oddball designed ship accomplishes on this HAL thread ??????? Do you believe HAL should be compared to X, on the Celebrity forum instead? What would you say to your counterpart over there, asking the same question? It helps people decide if they want to cross over and try a new line or ship, without interception from cheerleaders. Now if I started a thread with chatter about non-competing, land based motels (Super 8 ) with traditional designs, you might be onto something. Edited January 24, 2019 by Stateroom_Sailor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stateroom_Sailor Posted January 24, 2019 #254 Share Posted January 24, 2019 7 hours ago, cruising cockroach said: The single Celebrity sailing was booked a few months before final payment. Cabin was assigned surprisingly fast (within a few weeks), and nice (booked Cat 12 (worst inside), got Cat 9 (best inside)). From what I've read, Celebrity tends to assign GTYs early. When I tried mock booking, there was no option for GTY. That's not to say that someone couldn't be pending, but with 3 days until sail, I doubt it. Edge pricing does get slowly less expensive as you move out into 2020, but certainly still higher than HAL. Supposedly Edge opened with much lower prices, but the stampede of new bookings spiked the remaining fares, and they haven't come down. I'm not sure I quite understand Celebrity's pricing all the time, but it is certainly a benefit from our angle. A year or so ago, An Aqua cabin on Celebrity Eclipse for 12 nights to Hawaii was $3,600. We booked a lower tier cabin halfway down, and then upgraded to Aqua at $1750, right before final payment. I honestly think they were asking too much money for too long, which lead to sharper discounts. Still, I'm not complaining! 🏝️🌋🛳️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisiamc Posted January 24, 2019 #255 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, mcrcruiser said: We wonder what all this chatter about a competing cruise line & a oddball designed ship accomplishes on this HAL thread ??????? I am posting on this thread specifically because Celebrity’s new direction is leading us to vote with our feet and our wallets and try Holland America for the first time. We always heard good things, but were happy enough with Celebrity. The things I’ve read about Edge have convinced me that we don’t want to pay a premium for a faux-balcony cabin, over-crowded, deafeningly noisy bars and lack of forward-facing public space. We’re looking forward to trying Holland America and have no “ship envy” at all for Edge. Edited January 24, 2019 by lisiamc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickey_mouse Posted January 24, 2019 Author #256 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) As I've stated before, my envy has waned significantly since my original post. I am very content that I will be taking my large group on the Nieuw Statendam later this year. Time will tell if the new Edge model is a success or bust. I know for sure that it's too early to call, despite the HAL cheerleaders' insistence that it is a complete swing and a miss. Sure, many CC reviews are bashing it, but I've also read several "professional' reviews that praise the design. I am a champion for no single cruise line and happen to enjoy both the Celebrity and HAL product. Again, time will tell which company is moving in the right direction; or, at the very least, which choices are most profitable. Edited January 24, 2019 by stickey_mouse 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bEwAbG Posted January 24, 2019 #257 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Celebrity has a good product but not for the price points they're currently asking. At the end of the day, it's still a cruise on a large ship. The food can only be so good, and the service on X, to me, is really hit or miss. After experiencing HAL in Alaska, we cancelled our X cruise for February & switched to HAL. I'll continue to look at Celebrity sailings but unless this upcoming HAL cruise is a complete bust, then they'll get more of my business. Hopefully they'll change their smoking policy across the fleet because non-smoking interiors is pretty much one of the last things keeping Celebrity from losing a lot of its long-timers to HAL on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickey_mouse Posted January 24, 2019 Author #258 Share Posted January 24, 2019 8 minutes ago, bEwAbG said: because non-smoking interiors is pretty much one of the last things keeping Celebrity from losing a lot of its long-timers to HAL on a regular basis. I have to take issue with this line. It's stated as fact, but is actually very conclusory and subjective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bEwAbG Posted January 24, 2019 #259 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Well, obviously it's my opinion. However, it's often mentioned as a specific issue on both HAL & (especially) Celebrity boards, and I've had the conversation with several people on Celebrity cruises as well. I wouldn't have booked what I booked with HAL without the casino being nonsmoking & will not book the newer ships until they follow suit. I'm not even a militant non-smoker & actually have been in the outdoor smoking sections with friends, but I completely wrote off HAL for years because they allowed smoking inside. It travels within the ship, and it sticks to clothes, furniture, drapes, & carpets even if someone isn't there smoking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickey_mouse Posted January 24, 2019 Author #260 Share Posted January 24, 2019 11 minutes ago, bEwAbG said: Well, obviously it's my opinion. However, it's often mentioned as a specific issue on both HAL & (especially) Celebrity boards, and I've had the conversation with several people on Celebrity cruises as well. I wouldn't have booked what I booked with HAL without the casino being nonsmoking & will not book the newer ships until they follow suit. I'm not even a militant non-smoker & actually have been in the outdoor smoking sections with friends, but I completely wrote off HAL for years because they allowed smoking inside. It travels within the ship, and it sticks to clothes, furniture, drapes, & carpets even if someone isn't there smoking. Oh I totally agree about smoking. I took issue with your indication that it is one of the few things filling Celebrity's ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deliver42 Posted January 25, 2019 #261 Share Posted January 25, 2019 As to the price point, the ridiculous prices are only on the Edge. S Class and M Class ships still have sane prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickey_mouse Posted January 28, 2019 Author #262 Share Posted January 28, 2019 On 1/23/2019 at 7:51 AM, stickey_mouse said: Anybody have a subscription to the Times? Nobody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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