What cruise lines are you considering, due to increased X prices?

[cheeseheads4ever]

Totally agree with grandgeezer!

 

On Celebrity perks are NOT Free. Price a cruise without perks and with perks. You will see a large price difference. They will include perks for a higher cruise fair. Im not saying in the grand scheme of things its bad thing depending on what you are looking for. But they are not Free!

[Oville]

Back to the original question by the OP, none.  

 

We we have tried Oceania once and never again, good food in the specialty restaurants and it ends there. Sailed 3 cruises on HAL, never again for so many reasons. Our two cruises on Viking Ocean were however wonderful and will do another in January 2020.  We are also sailing Virgin Voyages in 2021.

 

Bottom line for us we like Celebrity and are happy to cruise with them but change is occasionally good.😉

Edited April 18, 2019 by Oville

[tvlgoddess]

We have 22 cruises with Celebrity under our belt.  I always book once the itinerary opens up and have found the last 3 to 4 years the prices are over inflated for the value.  Example: booked a 15 day Hawaii for this Oct LA return back in Dec 2017.  The price then was $4700 Cdn p/p and today’s price is $6700 Cdn p/p.  At $4700 it is pricey enough let alone $6700, really?  I looked at Princess at their 15 Hawaii voyage and it was $1000 Cdn p/p less.  I will probably be cancelling, Hawaii should be a land holiday which we have been many times.

I also think Celebrity’s itinerary has become stale.  No new ports of interest.  I cancelled Celebrity B2B South America itinerary last year to book Princess SA itinerary from FLL to LAX  this February - March which we just return 3 weeks ago.

Now, I am looking at HAL Koningsdam for this Oct.  After that, I will be looking at Viking.  It might be a while before we return back to Celebrity.  It’s a shame, it was such a wonderful product!

 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We voted Premium Mass Market, because we're swinging towards HAL for various reasons, including better rates and perks for reposition cruises, including shareholder credit.  We would also consider Princess and Cunard for the right itinerary.  We may do RCCL occasionally to mix things up, but only with a dining package.  We're securing a Future Passage on Azamara, and have a couple interesting itineraries in view on Windstar.  Viking Ocean looks great, but only at the right price.  If I could afford Crystal, I would do it in a heartbeat.  Avalon for Riving Cruising, fingers cross for Ritz-Carlton crossover loyalty, and Nat Geo has some inexpensive land tours.

 

We focus on itinerary 1st, and value 2nd, which leaves no room for loyalty to anyone.

[smtcan]

19 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

 

If you think any, or all of the five perks are free, you are just the type of person they are looking for. I was looking at a Alaska cruise on the Solstice, this May, and adding two "free" perks added $650 p.p. to the price. I don't want any free perks as, even though they might be discounted off the normal price, they don't enhance my experience compared to the cost.

I am aware that nothing is free, but when I price a cruise I take into account the cost of gratuities and drinks.  A drink package doesn't have much value for us, but OBC to cover the our (small) bar bill helps as does included gratuities.  If a Celebrity cruise with those inclusions is cheaper than another of our preferred lines we will book Celebrity.  If not, HAL or Princess will get our business if they offer the itinerary we want.

[jagoffee]

On 4/17/2019 at 8:45 AM, Cruise Junky said:

Not sure about the How other than dumb luck but I`m happy to share.  We were looking at a Transpacific on Solstice but the main attraction was French Polynesia...no need for AU as we`ve been there twice and a third time this November so we started looking at Tahiti.  Saw a few sailings on Regent for the time frame we wanted and then saw the price of $14,500 pp in Canadian..yeah, that`s not happening but then read the fine print... if doing your own air, deduct $9600 pp...ohhhh that looks actually affordable.  Started looking at a couple of the usual online agencies and then saw a big store in Canada that shows their prices in Canadian and they were offering a guarantee for the sailing we wanted for $4145 Cdn pp.  Keep in mind, all are 305 sq ft suites and I don`t really care where it is so we booked a guarantee.  That includes shore excursions, top shelf drinks and champagne, mini bar, with a litre for the room if you want it, wifi, gratuities, specialty dining and came with $100 obc from agency plus a $325 store gift card upon return and it looks like there`s $500 OBC from Regent on my account...that was a surprise. 

Cruise Junky, I have been reading your posts on various threads.  I appreciate your sharing.  Your posts have lead me to evaluation your mentioned French Polynesia Regent Cruise.

I often get different results (higher cost) than some alternative cruises mentioned by others.

A few question if you do not mind.

1.  You are discussing  the 15 day, January 2021 Regent cruise from Honolulu to Papeete?

2.  What category of cabin are you referencing with the $14,500 pp cdn and $9600 pp cdn credit for removing the Business Class Air?    That would leave a $4900 pp cdn cruise without air.  ($3674 US pp). Is that correct?

3.  When I look at this cruise I only get a credit of $3500 US pp for removing the air.  Domestic to Honolulu and Business Class return from Papeete.

 

Again, thank you for sharing the details and your find.

 

Edit:  I review the pricing and it looks like the above numbers are for an GTY Ocean view, 301 sq ft cabin.  

Edited April 18, 2019 by jagoffee

[Cruise Junky]

23 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

Cruise Junky, I have been reading your posts on various threads.  I appreciate your sharing.  Your posts have lead me to evaluation your mentioned French Polynesia Regent Cruise.

I often get different results (higher cost) than some alternative cruises mentioned by others.

A few question if you do not mind.

1.  You are discussing  the 15 day, January 2021 Regent cruise from Honolulu to Papeete?

2.  What category of cabin are you referencing with the $14,500 pp cdn and $9600 pp cdn credit for removing the Business Class Air?    That would leave a $4900 pp cdn cruise without air.  ($3674 US pp). Is that correct?

3.  When I look at this cruise I only get a credit of $3500 US pp for removing the air.  Domestic to Honolulu and Business Class return from Papeete.

 

Again, thank you for sharing the details and your find.

 

Edit:  I review the pricing and it looks like the above numbers are for an GTY Ocean view, 301 sq ft cabin.  

Hi - We're doing the 10 day on Feb. 9th.  It runs Tuesday to Friday so we can spend time in Hawaii before and after and then take Hawaiian Air's once a week service from Honolulu to Tahiti.  We ended up booking a guarantee. I had planned on booking a window suite but where I ended up booking had a guarantee available for substantially less than picking a cabin and they're all over 300 sq ft so I don't really care where it is. There are no inside cabins

Edited April 18, 2019 by Cruise Junky

[jagoffee]

21 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

Hi - We're doing the 10 day on Feb. 9th.  It runs Tuesday to Friday so we can spend time in Hawaii before and after and then take Hawaiian Air's once a week service from Honolulu to Tahiti.  We ended up booking a guarantee. I had planned on booking a window suite but where I ended up booking had a guarantee available for substantially less than picking a cabin and they're all over 300 sq ft so I don't really care where it is. There are no inside cabins

Yes, I know see.  That is why the airfare credit is so much more.  (Business Class Credit for both ways).  Your choice must be popular because I see the Window Suite GTY is now waitlisted.

Thank you for providing the details, so that I could understand.  Enjoy your cruise.

[ak1004]

30%+ indicating "X is still a Great Choice" is not surprising.

 

Every brand has its loyal customer base who will stay loyal no matter what. Apple have their fanboys who will continue buying iPhones even if they cost double the competition.

 

To me, loyalty means nothing. My only loyalty is to my wife and my family. I will always book based on itinerary and value. 

 

Never stops to amaze me how some people stay loyal to a cruise line just to accumulate the loyalty points. After spending over $50k on their cruises and becoming "elite", they are very excited to get few free cocktails and free bags of laundry (they will also try and squeeze as many items as possible to this poor bag). Those become very expensive cocktails..

 

This is true of course for every cruise line, not only Celebrity.

[Cruise Junky]

10 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

Yes, I know see.  That is why the airfare credit is so much more.  (Business Class Credit for both ways).  Your choice must be popular because I see the Window Suite GTY is now waitlisted.

Thank you for providing the details, so that I could understand.  Enjoy your cruise.

I  noticed next day the price popped up $650 pp. I was very happy we just leaped and booked it.  You're welcome and thank you

Edited April 18, 2019 by Cruise Junky

[cwtravel]

My wife and I are both in our 50's and we have  taken 40+ cruises. We are at the Elite level on both Princess and Celebrity and usually would switch between those lines but our last couple cruises have been on HAL on the Nieuw Amsterdam and Westerdam. I expect we will take another 40-50 cruises over the next 20 years and I am curious where our cruise dollars will be spent, though my guess is the majority of our money will go to these three lines.

 

The NA and Westerdam both have very comfortable suites (Signature Suites) with plenty of room, nice sized bathrooms and good sized balconies and cost a fraction of the Sky Suite cost on Celebrity. We do not need Luminare or butler service (though both are nice). I especially like the little things on HAL like being able to get room service on disembarkation day and the hydro pool in the spa.

 

I do not see sailing on the Edge class anytime soon, especially to the Caribbean, given the current pricing. 

 

Chris

[Stateroom_Sailor]

5 hours ago, cwtravel said:

The NA and Westerdam both have very comfortable suites (Signature Suites) with plenty of room, nice sized bathrooms and good sized balconies and cost a fraction of the Sky Suite cost on Celebrity. We do not need Luminare or butler service (though both are nice). I especially like the little things on HAL like being able to get room service on disembarkation day and the hydro pool in the spa.

 

We've never sailed in a suite before.  The Signature Suites on our upcoming HAL cruises costed us $739 pp for our 5 night coastal, $2,199 for our 16 night transpacific.  Those rates are no doubt artificially low because of the reposition nature of the sailings, but ones that I could not turn down!

 

[Oville]

7 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

We've never sailed in a suite before.  The Signature Suites on our upcoming HAL cruises costed us $739 pp for our 5 night coastal, $2,199 for our 16 night transpacific.  Those rates are no doubt artificially low because of the reposition nature of the sailings, but ones that I could not turn down!

 

Great prices, enjoy!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

23 hours ago, Oville said:

Back to the original question by the OP, none.  

 

We we have tried Oceania once and never again, good food in the specialty restaurants and it ends there. Sailed 3 cruises on HAL, never again for so many reasons. Our two cruises on Viking Ocean were however wonderful and will do another in January 2020.  We are also sailing Virgin Voyages in 2021.

 

Bottom line for us we like Celebrity and are happy to cruise with them but change is occasionally good.😉

 

Katie, interesting that you did not care for Oceania.  I have friends who also cruised with them once and said the same thing--never again.  Some of my friends from down here who are new cruisers are trying them out.  Will be interesting to hear what they say.

 

I'm taking my granddaughter to Alaska next month on the Solstice.  Only Celebrity ship I've never been on (not counting Edge, since I won't pay those prices).

[Oville]

13 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Katie, interesting that you did not care for Oceania.  I have friends who also cruised with them once and said the same thing--never again.  Some of my friends from down here who are new cruisers are trying them out.  Will be interesting to hear what they say.

 

I'm taking my granddaughter to Alaska next month on the Solstice.  Only Celebrity ship I've never been on (not counting Edge, since I won't pay those prices).

Linda, it was just a weird experience for us.  The MDR was no better than Celebrity but service was not on par.  It’s also a myth that you don’t have to wait in line to eat dinner there. The specialty restaurants were wonderful.

 

The entertainment was not our thing, we found the public areas’ furniture very uncomfortable and the buffet was small, crowded and nothing to write home about.  If I’m going to spend that kind of money on a cruise we prefer Viking Ocean.  

 

Interestingly enough Solstice was our first Celebrity Cruise.  K

Edited April 19, 2019 by Oville

[ak1004]

53 minutes ago, Oville said:

Linda, it was just a weird experience for us.  The MDR was no better than Celebrity but service was not on par.  It’s also a myth that you don’t have to wait in line to eat dinner there. The specialty restaurants were wonderful.

 

The entertainment was not our thing, we found the public areas’ furniture very uncomfortable and the buffet was small, crowded and nothing to write home about.  If I’m going to spend that kind of money on a cruise we prefer Viking Ocean.  

 

Interestingly enough Solstice was our first Celebrity Cruise.  K

 

Food on Oceania is few steps above Celebrity in MDR and the buffet. Comparing them is like comparing Mercedes and Toyota. And no, we never had to wait to have dinner in the MDR. The buffet is obviously smaller than Celebrity because Celebrity has 3 times more passengers. But it never felt crowded, and we never had issues finding a table, unlike on Celebrity.

 

the cost of inside cabin was actually comparable to Celebrity. Probably even cheaper when you account for all inclusions.

 

But entertainment was better on Celebrity.

[maggie.1008]

I  have been on 12 different lines, including all the premium and luxury lines. Oceania Riviera  is my favorite ship. My travel agent and many other frequent cruisers feel the same. I have been on 26 X cruises and have two more booked. We love Oceania and can not wait until November to be on the O Riviera again. If I was to go on one of their smaller ships I would rather go on Azamara. Same ship with my X CC benefits. 

[Oville]

12 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Food on Oceania is few steps above Celebrity in MDR and the buffet. Comparing them is like comparing Mercedes and Toyota. And no, we never had to wait to have dinner in the MDR. The buffet is obviously smaller than Celebrity because Celebrity has 3 times more passengers. But it never felt crowded, and we never had issues finding a table, unlike on Celebrity.

 

the cost of inside cabin was actually comparable to Celebrity. Probably even cheaper when you account for all inclusions.

 

But entertainment was better on Celebrity.

I answered a friend’s comment and we are all entitled to our opinions.  Oceania was a total disappointment for us and will never sail on this line again. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've looked at other lines and for now we're sticking with Celebrity. I never thought I'd want to sale on Edge but as I see more positive posts and functional furniture being added we decided to book on Apex.  I just wish the Royal Suite balcony was bigger.  It almost looks like they wanted to add an IV to the living area but changed their mind at the last minute.

[oleb84]

What a strange thread to read! I have recently booked a Celebrity cruise and one of the factors of that decision was how hugely good the value for money was in comparison to every single other company I researched. 

I'm doing a Caribbean cruise but flying from the UK, therefore I wanted something longer than 7nts. 2x back-to-back cruises were extortionate in cost. 2x 5nts and a 4nt was doable but just visited the same ports all the time. Didn't fancy sailing out of NY, NO or Gal. After many months of research I landed on the Equinox 12nt sailing for FL. Even a month after booking and carrying on research I haven't looked back. 

So surprised to see that some people may be jumping ship (excuse the pun) to look elsewhere. 

I guess for every guest they lose they will gain one in replacement. 

[Doubt It]

Like others here have said, Oceania was a big disappointment to us, after 5 cruises, we will not sail with them again. 

 

Our friends have just returned home from Marina and they were blown away at the downgrading happening on Oceania. Bottom line, this cruise line does not deliver the "premium" product they advertise and certainly not for the price. Another factor to note about anyone contemplating a move to Oceania - 4 of their 6 ships are small former R ships. They are not good sailors. The amount of rolling in 6 foot seas was not acceptable. Also, these 4 ships are old and there is major mechanical breakdowns happening frequently on the Regatta. They are having an upgrade, but cannot find information if they updating the mechanicals on these old ships.

 

We are considering Crystal at this point and some specialty expedition small ships. Was considering Viking but not interested in their pay 1 year in advance, the inclusion of alcohol and their very poor priced in shore excursions.

[ak1004]

25 minutes ago, Doubt It said:

Like others here have said, Oceania was a big disappointment to us, after 5 cruises, we will not sail with them again. 

 

Our friends have just returned home from Marina and they were blown away at the downgrading happening on Oceania. Bottom line, this cruise line does not deliver the "premium" product they advertise and certainly not for the price. Another factor to note about anyone contemplating a move to Oceania - 4 of their 6 ships are small former R ships. They are not good sailors. The amount of rolling in 6 foot seas was not acceptable. Also, these 4 ships are old and there is major mechanical breakdowns happening frequently on the Regatta. They are having an upgrade, but cannot find information if they updating the mechanicals on these old ships.

 

We are considering Crystal at this point and some specialty expedition small ships. Was considering Viking but not interested in their pay 1 year in advance, the inclusion of alcohol and their very poor priced in shore excursions.

 

We just sailed on Azamara which is a sister ship to Oceania R class. While not perfect, and we definitely liked the Oceania Riviera more, both blow away Celebrity and other mass market lines. While food is definitely subjective, there are some things that are a fact. Like lack of lines, ships not feeling crowded, no issues to find a buffet table, a seat in the theater or a pool chair. 

 

It is interesting that you are mentioning the R class as poor sailors and old, but at the same time considering Crystal that has similar size ships, and some of them are actually older. Also, Crystal is in a different category than Oceania, so not really fair comparison.

[villauk]

46 minutes ago, oleb84 said:

What a strange thread to read! I have recently booked a Celebrity cruise and one of the factors of that decision was how hugely good the value for money was in comparison to every single other company I researched. 

I'm doing a Caribbean cruise but flying from the UK, therefore I wanted something longer than 7nts. 2x back-to-back cruises were extortionate in cost. 2x 5nts and a 4nt was doable but just visited the same ports all the time. Didn't fancy sailing out of NY, NO or Gal. After many months of research I landed on the Equinox 12nt sailing for FL. Even a month after booking and carrying on research I haven't looked back. 

So surprised to see that some people may be jumping ship (excuse the pun) to look elsewhere. 

I guess for every guest they lose they will gain one in replacement. 

 

 

You’re going to the Caribbean which is always less than other areas because of the volume of competition. If you are going in hurricane season, it’s usually even cheaper. It’s also often more cost effective for us to pay for the flights to the US, together with the price of the Caribbean cruise, compared to sailing in the Med. Check out the price of Edge in the Med (I have posted this previously) and then you’ll see what bargain prices the Caribbean can be 😉.

 

Remember, these are $ prices:

 

Edited April 19, 2019 by villauk

[Jeremiah1212]

19 hours ago, ak1004 said:

30%+ indicating "X is still a Great Choice" is not surprising.

 

Every brand has its loyal customer base who will stay loyal no matter what. Apple have their fanboys who will continue buying iPhones even if they cost double the competition.

 

To me, loyalty means nothing. My only loyalty is to my wife and my family. I will always book based on itinerary and value. 

 

Never stops to amaze me how some people stay loyal to a cruise line just to accumulate the loyalty points. After spending over $50k on their cruises and becoming "elite", they are very excited to get few free cocktails and free bags of laundry (they will also try and squeeze as many items as possible to this poor bag). Those become very expensive cocktails..

 

This is true of course for every cruise line, not only Celebrity.

 

That's not us at all. Even though we would be in that 30%. For the cruises we book and the things we want and need, Celebrity continually comes out on top when it comes to value. We also only cruise once a year, so it would take me a long, long time to get that free bag of laundry. Airline status I will chase. Cruiseline status? No thanks.

 

I think Royal's ships have turned into a floating Six Flags. Their product seems to keep getting further away from what we enjoy. We're in the late 30/early 40's bracket and we don't have kids.  NCL does nothing for me. I won't consider Carnival. Princess and HAL could be an option, but Princess isn't all that appealing and I think HAL would be too sleepy. The premium/luxury/etc. lines are priced higher than I am willing to spend on a cruise. On those lines, I've never found these deals people speak of where the all-in pricing is similar to Celebrity. So by default, and with no complaints, Celebrity it is for now...

[ak1004]

46 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

I think Royal's ships have turned into a floating Six Flags. Their product seems to keep getting further away from what we enjoy. We're in the late 30/early 40's bracket and we don't have kids.  NCL does nothing for me. I won't consider Carnival. Princess and HAL could be an option, but Princess isn't all that appealing and I think HAL would be too sleepy. The premium/luxury/etc. lines are priced higher than I am willing to spend on a cruise. On those lines, I've never found these deals people speak of where the all-in pricing is similar to Celebrity. So by default, and with no complaints, Celebrity it is for now...

 

We feel the same way about Royal, Carnival etc. But I think Princess and HAL are very good alternatives. And HAL is usually cheaper.

 

As for higher priced lines - check inside cabins on Oceania. You might be surprised.