Six Ships and 60 days in the Caribbean

[*Miss G*]

6 minutes ago, old mike said:

Hey Miss G no apologies necessary. I just cannot lose the habits of a lifetime.  

 

Mike

 

I didn’t use a calculator so I thought I did pretty good!  😂

[old mike]

1 minute ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I didn’t use a calculator so I thought I did pretty good!  😂

 

Darn right, you did

I don't know if they still teach mental arithmetic at school but the look of surprise on some young  peoples faces when confronted with mental calculations that are faster than they can pull out their cell phone calculator is amusing. Learned mine in my junior school. The  last lesson on Friday was math with the last twenty minutes being mental arithmetic, the first one to have their hand up with the correct answer to a verbally posed  question could leave school immediately.  

[*Miss G*]

20 minutes ago, iancal said:

I believe the averages would be more representative if the frequent perks score was not considered.   

 

#1 - Crystal & Celebrity Edge (9.03)

#2 - HAL (8.86)

#3 - MSC (8.73)

#4 - Celebrity Reflection (8.7)

#5 - RCL (7.99)

 

[*Miss G*]

2 minutes ago, old mike said:

The  last lesson on Friday was math with the last twenty minutes being mental arithmetic, the first one to have their hand up with the correct answer to a verbally posed  question could leave school immediately.  

 

I would have been much better at math if I’d had that incentive.  😂

 

My Dad is Mr. Math (he’s a P. Eng.) so would have me play cribbage with him to learn how to do it.

[kelmac]

15 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

🤣

 

I appreciate your review and comparisons.  Thank you!  I took the liberty of averaging the ratings:

 

#1 - Celebrity Edge (9.06)

#2 - Crystal (9.03)

#3 - Celebrity Reflection (8.71)

#4 - MSC (8.65)

#5 - RCL (8.13)

#6 - HAL (7.56)

Interesting way to look at it, but I'm not sure each category has equal value in the over-all comparison?  If I had to rate them comparing the pure experience it would look like this:

#1 -- Crystal Symphony

#2 -- MSC Meraviglia

#3 -- Celebrity Edge

#4 -- Celebrity Reflection

#5 -- HAL Nieuw Statendam

#6 -- RCL Serenade of the Seas

 

If I rated them for the money spent/value of each cruise it would look like this:

#1 -- Celebrity Edge

#2 -- MSC Meraviglia

#3 -- Crystal Symphony

#4 -- Celebrity Reflection

#5 -- HAL Nieuw Statendam

#6 -- RCL Serenade of the Seas

 

If money were no object, I would be all over Crystal and Suites of the others, but that's not us.😉

 

 

 

[bennybear]

I do this kind of thing at times and weight the importance of categories depending on my needs.   So numbers can be subjective.   We all have differing needs and wants. Appreciate your insights!   Food for thought! 

[iancal]

We do exactly the same.  We narrow our choices down to ship (some ships we do not consider), then we decide on value (not necessarily price). 

 

 The last step in determining value is the value that we assign to  any frequent cruiser perks.

 

 Typically Princess and Celebrity offer, based on our preferences, the highest value perks but those perks are seldom a factor in our final selection.

Edited December 31, 2019 by iancal

[Hlitner]

Terrific post,,,,,thank you!  We have cruised all of those lines so found the comparison very interesting.  It would have been interesting if you could have added a 7th cruise on Princess :).  The lack of shade at the Meraviglia YC is not surprising as this seems to be the common denominator  in the YC on the various vessels (we have cruised in the Divina YC and have the same complaint).  

 

Your comments on Crystal really go our attention.  It has been a few years since we cruised on that line, but based on your comparison and some other recent comments from others I think we will look for an opportunity to return to that line.

 

Hank

[kelmac]

13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Terrific post,,,,,thank you!  We have cruised all of those lines so found the comparison very interesting.  It would have been interesting if you could have added a 7th cruise on Princess :).  The lack of shade at the Meraviglia YC is not surprising as this seems to be the common denominator  in the YC on the various vessels (we have cruised in the Divina YC and have the same complaint).  

 

Your comments on Crystal really go our attention.  It has been a few years since we cruised on that line, but based on your comparison and some other recent comments from others I think we will look for an opportunity to return to that line.

 

Hank

Hi Hank,

For what ever reason, we have never really clicked with Princess.  We have three cruises with them and can't really say anything bad about our experiences, but we find almost any other line more appealing.  I'm sure we will spot an opportunity to cruise with them again in the future and keep testing the waters😉.

We had better luck finding shade on the Seaside compared to the Meraviglia.  The M's pool, hot tube and buffet are on the sides of the deck and are very susceptible to wind, whereas the pool and buffet are "centered" on the deck of the Seaside. Of course, the sun angle is the major factor.

I think Crystal has a new owner, and we got mixed information from the long term Crystal cruisers while onboard.  Change is hard on people and some liked the new ways and as always, some thought the old ways were better.  

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[Hlitner]

21 minutes ago, kelmac said:

Hi Hank,

For what ever reason, we have never really clicked with Princess.  We have three cruises with them and can't really say anything bad about our experiences, but we find almost any other line more appealing.  I'm sure we will spot an opportunity to cruise with them again in the future and keep testing the waters😉.

We had better luck finding shade on the Seaside compared to the Meraviglia.  The M's pool, hot tube and buffet are on the sides of the deck and are very susceptible to wind, whereas the pool and buffet are "centered" on the deck of the Seaside. Of course, the sun angle is the major factor.

I think Crystal has a new owner, and we got mixed information from the long term Crystal cruisers while onboard.  Change is hard on people and some liked the new ways and as always, some thought the old ways were better.  

 

Enjoy!

Kel

MSC seems to still be searching for the "sweet spot" solution to the YC.  The owner has apparently made the YC a real priority (we got this info from a Senior Officer) and they keep reinventing the YC with every build.  Like the Seaside, the Divina has their "One" pool centered (and very sheltered from the wind) with a partial covering which gets some shade in the pool.  Their buffet area (which is very small on the Divina) is located on one side (opposite the side where they allow smoking) and is subject to some wind.  We understand that there is going to be some major renovations to that buffet area when the Divina has her next drydock so we shall have to wait and see what develops.    One cruiser, who has a long time frequent MSC cruiser, told us (last year) that he thought the Meraviglia was a poor choice for the Caribbean and that the ship seem better suited to cooler climates.  His analysis was that the "M" seemed to have interior improvements (from prior builds) but not enough attention was paid to having a better outdoor deck area.   It was just one point of view.  Our next MSC voyage will be on the Seaside (our first time on that vessel) and we look forward to comparing her YC to the Divina.

 

As to Crystal, we know their sale to GHK has caused some grumbling among the faithful.  But GHK (Genting Hong Kong) has very deep pockets and we would expect to see Crystal expand.  Whether the company maintains its quality is the big question.  What is interesting about GHK is that they also own a major German shipyard that is often used to build cruise ships.  This kind of "vertical" structure is somewhat unique in the industry.  To me the big surprise about this change of ownership is that Crystal was sold for less money then one would have expected.  

 

Hank

[kelmac]

25 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

MSC seems to still be searching for the "sweet spot" solution to the YC.  The owner has apparently made the YC a real priority (we got this info from a Senior Officer) and they keep reinventing the YC with every build.  Like the Seaside, the Divina has their "One" pool centered (and very sheltered from the wind) with a partial covering which gets some shade in the pool.  Their buffet area (which is very small on the Divina) is located on one side (opposite the side where they allow smoking) and is subject to some wind.  We understand that there is going to be some major renovations to that buffet area when the Divina has her next drydock so we shall have to wait and see what develops.    One cruiser, who has a long time frequent MSC cruiser, told us (last year) that he thought the Meraviglia was a poor choice for the Caribbean and that the ship seem better suited to cooler climates.  His analysis was that the "M" seemed to have interior improvements (from prior builds) but not enough attention was paid to having a better outdoor deck area.   It was just one point of view.  Our next MSC voyage will be on the Seaside (our first time on that vessel) and we look forward to comparing her YC to the Divina.

 

As to Crystal, we know their sale to GHK has caused some grumbling among the faithful.  But GHK (Genting Hong Kong) has very deep pockets and we would expect to see Crystal expand.  Whether the company maintains its quality is the big question.  What is interesting about GHK is that they also own a major German shipyard that is often used to build cruise ships.  This kind of "vertical" structure is somewhat unique in the industry.  To me the big surprise about this change of ownership is that Crystal was sold for less money then one would have expected.  

 

Hank

Hank, as always, great information!

I don't stay as informed I use to concerning everything cruising, but it's nice to hear from people that are in the know.

I think you are going to like the Seaside.  The two story lounge + dining room is well designed and the feel is so uncrowded because there aren't that many YC cabins.  

[Hlitner]

43 minutes ago, kelmac said:

Hank, as always, great information!

I don't stay as informed I use to concerning everything cruising, but it's nice to hear from people that are in the know.

I think you are going to like the Seaside.  The two story lounge + dining room is well designed and the feel is so uncrowded because there aren't that many YC cabins.  

We really look forward to that cruise which is about 11 months away.  Unlike most of our cruises (on lines with which we are very familiar) MSC is always a new adventure because of the constant changes on the line.  On last months Divina cruise we experienced significantly improved cuisine in Le Muse and were among the first few ships to call at Ocean Cay.  We really enjoyed that island and are curious to see the improvements when we return (twice) on the Seaside.  

 

Hank

[kelmac]

32 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We really look forward to that cruise which is about 11 months away.  Unlike most of our cruises (on lines with which we are very familiar) MSC is always a new adventure because of the constant changes on the line.  On last months Divina cruise we experienced significantly improved cuisine in Le Muse and were among the first few ships to call at Ocean Cay.  We really enjoyed that island and are curious to see the improvements when we return (twice) on the Seaside.  

 

Hank

Hank,

Sound like a great plan.  We were on one of those cruises that informed passengers that the Ocean Cay private island was not ready, so they changed our itinerary at the last minute.  We were looking forward to that experience, but at least they did give us a cruise voucher ($630) that we can deduct from our next MSC cruise.  

 

Enjoy!

Kel

Edited January 1, 2020 by kelmac

[kelmac]

One additional thought that some people do not realize is a factor:

When you are gone from home for 60 days, your hometown costs drop (my wife doesn't think this is a big deal).

For example, utilities are lower, purchases for daily items goes away (groceries, entertainment*, eating out#, movies, gasoline...,).

So yes, 60 days of cruising is expensive, but there are some savings on the other side.

 

Kel

 

*when I'm home I play golf three times a week, so that's a fair chunk of change.

# at home we eat about 70% of our meals at restaurants.

[madera1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Glad you are enjoying retirement.

[Cruising-along]

7 hours ago, kelmac said:

One additional thought that some people do not realize is a factor:

When you are gone from home for 60 days, your hometown costs drop (my wife doesn't think this is a big deal).

For example, utilities are lower, purchases for daily items goes away (groceries, entertainment*, eating out#, movies, gasoline...,).

So yes, 60 days of cruising is expensive, but there are some savings on the other side.

 

Kel

 

*when I'm home I play golf three times a week, so that's a fair chunk of change.

# at home we eat about 70% of our meals at restaurants.

We were away for 75 days on our last trip.  We were able to put our car insurance, garbage, and Comcast onto a "vacation mode" and had much lower bills.  And because of being gone, our heating bills (we were gone until mid November) were much lower. 

[janmcn]

Boy, thank you for doing this experiment for all of us! 😉.   Now, understanding your situation, you should try a World Cruise (suggest Holland America for it's itineraries and affordability )..we said we'd never do one, but found ourselves in '18 taking one and have gained a world view like no other from doing it.  As travelers, teachers, and retired with time and funds to do it, I strongly suggest it! You'll meet amazing people (on board and off the ship)! We thought it was "just rich folks" that we'd meet, but found so many different people from all walks of life!.

Happy Cruising and traveling!

[kelmac]

32 minutes ago, janmcn said:

Boy, thank you for doing this experiment for all of us! 😉.   Now, understanding your situation, you should try a World Cruise (suggest Holland America for it's itineraries and affordability )..we said we'd never do one, but found ourselves in '18 taking one and have gained a world view like no other from doing it.  As travelers, teachers, and retired with time and funds to do it, I strongly suggest it! You'll meet amazing people (on board and off the ship)! We thought it was "just rich folks" that we'd meet, but found so many different people from all walks of life!.

Happy Cruising and traveling!

Jan, 

You are so right!  This past February we boarded Cunard's Queen Victoria for an 80 day "Around the World" cruise.  This was San Francisco to London, and then we switched ships and cruised the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic, London to NYC.  What a wonderful experience and it boils down to -- "do you want a new car, or a World Cruise". We have two older autos that are still working and no car payments, so we went for that's really important.😉  By the way, no international flights and we purchased our flights with airline miles. 

In 2019 we spent 182 days traveling; almost 1/2 the year.  This was a gift to ourselves now that we are both retired.  Now that it's 2020, we are back to normal with about 10 weeks of travel, with a bunch of cruises thrown in there.

 

Kel

[colonialinnkeeper]

2 hours ago, kelmac said:

Jan, 

You are so right!  This past February we boarded Cunard's Queen Victoria for an 80 day "Around the World" cruise.  This was San Francisco to London, and then we switched ships and cruised the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic, London to NYC.  What a wonderful experience and it boils down to -- "do you want a new car, or a World Cruise". We have two older autos that are still working and no car payments, so we went for that's really important.😉  By the way, no international flights and we purchased our flights with airline miles. 

In 2019 we spent 182 days traveling; almost 1/2 the year.  This was a gift to ourselves now that we are both retired.  Now that it's 2020, we are back to normal with about 10 weeks of travel, with a bunch of cruises thrown in there.

 

Kel

Sounds like a perfect retirement plan!  Enjoy...

 

[StartrainDD]

Really enjoyed reading the comparison.  Thank you and congrats on your retirement plan!

 

The frequent quest perk we enjoy most on Hal is surely the free laundry (4 star) and 50% off the wine packages.

 

The frequent quest perk we enjoy most on Celebrity is surely the Elite happy hour.  We haven't cruised other lines enough to earn any perks.

 

Keep on traveling!

[StartrainDD]

13 minutes ago, StartrainDD said:

Your deal for the REFLECTION was a spectacular price!

 

Keep on traveling!

 

Edited January 7, 2020 by StartrainDD
Duplicate post, sorry