All inclusive. Not really. Expensive, YES!

[Bo1953]

16 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Thank you--- That's us.

However, You probably noticed I said sooooo many times--

We really enjoy Celebrity and as long as the price is " reasonable " we will continue.

LOL--- Now that I'm on CC , how can I miss meeting many of you ???

p - LOL, just wear a name tag with your CC moniker on it and you will either notice you are being shunned or included in every activity...

 

bon voyage

[Pinboy]

4 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

p - LOL, just wear a name tag with your CC moniker on it and you will either notice you are being shunned or included in every activity...

 

bon voyage

Not so fast !!!  I can't take a chance of getting a punch in the nose or even worse , 57 people telling me what they thought of my first post ( LOL ).

I'll put on a name tag with a fake name on one side and Pinboy on the other and walk around asking " Anybody know who Pinboy  is" ?  Then, depending on their reaction, either I'll flip over the tag and show my name or " flip " out of the room.  What are the odds ??

 

[Oceangoer2]

3 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

Not so fast !!!  I can't take a chance of getting a punch in the nose or even worse , 57 people telling me what they thought of my first post ( LOL ).

I'll put on a name tag with a fake name on one side and Pinboy on the other and walk around asking " Anybody know who Pinboy  is" ?  Then, depending on their reaction, either I'll flip over the tag and show my name or " flip " out of the room.  What are the odds ??

 

You refer to your first post often...I'm assuming it was removed?  Please post again....nah....YOU will be removed.

[tfred]

18 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I totally get that long time cruisers (elite and whatever status) with Celebrity do not like the changes.  But times change, it is what it is, a loaf of bread used to cost 79 cents.  Just because you have taken xxxxxx number of cruises and you know what's what because of it, you need to accept that Celebrity is also marketing to folks who may only cruise 1 or 2x per year.  I'll not get into the if you don't like the prices, because they are what they are, just understand and accept, they do not and cannot run their business model on only us over 60 folks.  

95% of Americans haven’t been on a cruise ship. Those folks are going somewhere on vacation and spending big bucks doing it. That’s the target market

[ipeeinthepool]

25 minutes ago, tfred said:

95% of Americans haven’t been on a cruise ship. Those folks are going somewhere on vacation and spending big bucks doing it. That’s the target market

 

On most cruises that I've been on the percentage of first time cruises approaches 50%.  

[Denny01]

18 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I totally get that long time cruisers (elite and whatever status) with Celebrity do not like the changes.  But times change, it is what it is, a loaf of bread used to cost 79 cents.  Just because you have taken xxxxxx number of cruises and you know what's what because of it, you need to accept that Celebrity is also marketing to folks who may only cruise 1 or 2x per year.  I'll not get into the if you don't like the prices, because they are what they are, just understand and accept, they do not and cannot run their business model on only us over 60 folks.  

 I know you don’t mean that all long time cruisers don’t like the changes. Nope. I’m an E+ and have no issues with the AI. It includes gratuities so saves me some; I get drinks outside the Elite Happy Hr times which I appreciate and so on. And I bet part of my added benefits will include upgrades at a cheaper cost….and I know some will complain about that!

 

And by the way, I’ve been getting those benefits for many cruises and the costs are spread to everybody. So I’ll thank you for the benefits you don’t get and I do!!

 

Den 

[Pinboy]

35 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

On most cruises that I've been on the percentage of first time cruises approaches 50%.  

LOL-- I figured it out !!!  You are a Cruise Director --- I've seen ya 52 times .

First night-- Out ya come " bouncin " on stage --- HEYYYY , Welcome on board, Blah, Blah, Blah --How many first time cruisers do WE have --- ( up go the hands and you count 'em ). The crowd cheers .

Followed by---How many Canadians do we have on board ( Loud Cheers ) -- How many ( Name 16 other countries ( cheers again )--- 

Followed by " Put your hands together and give a " warm Celebrity welcome for " ( Assistant Chief Room Steward , followed by, etc, etc ) who came " all the way from ", etc etc--- and  finally the Captain of the vessel with the " Welcome " toast and concludes with " We welcome you all as Guests and see you leave as Cargo " -- The crowd goes wild with laughter and heads for a late night snack.

( I think I've been on too many cruises and getting " punchy " being locked down at home )

 

 

 

[Oceangoer2]

23 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

LOL-- I figured it out !!!  You are a Cruise Director --- I've seen ya 52 times .

First night-- Out ya come " bouncin " on stage --- HEYYYY , Welcome on board, Blah, Blah, Blah --How many first time cruisers do WE have --- ( up go the hands and you count 'em ). The crowd cheers .

Followed by---How many Canadians do we have on board ( Loud Cheers ) -- How many ( Name 16 other countries ( cheers again )--- 

Followed by " Put your hands together and give a " warm Celebrity welcome for " ( Assistant Chief Room Steward , followed by, etc, etc ) who came " all the way from ", etc etc--- and  finally the Captain of the vessel with the " Welcome " toast and concludes with " We welcome you all as Guests and see you leave as Cargo " -- The crowd goes wild with laughter and heads for a late night snack.

( I think I've been on too many cruises and getting " punchy " being locked down at home )

 

 

 

Is this in the nature of your 'first post'?   😈  😁

Edited April 27, 2021 by Oceangoer2

[Denny01]

21 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

…….." We welcome you all as Guests and see you leave as Cargo " -- The crowd goes wild with laughter and heads for a late night snack.

( I think I've been on too many cruises and getting " punchy " being locked down at home )

 

 

 

After the Pandemic, I’ll board as ‘cargo’ and leave as ‘over-the-weight-limit Cargo’!

 

Den

[ipeeinthepool]

26 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

LOL-- I figured it out !!!  You are a Cruise Director --- I've seen ya 52 times .

First night-- Out ya come " bouncin " on stage --- HEYYYY , Welcome on board, Blah, Blah, Blah --How many first time cruisers do WE have --- ( up go the hands and you count 'em ). The crowd cheers .

Followed by---How many Canadians do we have on board ( Loud Cheers ) -- How many ( Name 16 other countries ( cheers again )--- 

Followed by " Put your hands together and give a " warm Celebrity welcome for " ( Assistant Chief Room Steward , followed by, etc, etc ) who came " all the way from ", etc etc--- and  finally the Captain of the vessel with the " Welcome " toast and concludes with " We welcome you all as Guests and see you leave as Cargo " -- The crowd goes wild with laughter and heads for a late night snack.

( I think I've been on too many cruises and getting " punchy " being locked down at home )

 

 

 

LOL, definitely not me

[MarkWiltonM]

20 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

Actually, Oceania is al a carte. Many non drinkers choose O for that reason. Just another cruise line for those that do not like Always Included.

 

We actually just booked our first Oceania cruise. We don't drink alcohol but enjoy specialty coffees. I did a cost analysis comparing a 10-day cruise with similar dates and itineraries next year on Oceania and Celebrity. Celebrity was $90 a day less expensive with AI and a refundable deposit for Concierge class. Oceania includes all specialty restaurants, 3 shore excursions for two people (or a $300 OBC), and for Concierge class three bags of laundry, access to a Concierge lounge and spa deck (for Concierge and suite guests), and a few other things. Oceania does not include alcohol but does include bottled water and specialty coffees so this works well for us. We'll see if we like the ship (Oceania Riviera) and if the food is as good as everyone says. We also have two Celebrity cruises booked (Equinox and Millennium) and one on HAL's Nieuw Statendam.

[TrulyBlonde]

4 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

 

We actually just booked our first Oceania cruise. .

I really think you will enjoy Riviera. It is a gorgeous ship and the cabins and baths are larger than their R ships. Jacques restaurant is superb.

I must make one comment about O ships for a TransAtlantic. We are all different but I would never want to take a small ship across the Pond. Also, the fact that the larger ships have much more going on with entertainment etc. for those long sea days. Just something to consider for those reading this board.

 

I also compared O Riviera for a 10 Caribbean vs 12 day on X. Just about the same price. I would never take a large ship to the Caribbean, however, X gave us a large FCC for some issues with our PH on our last trip on Millennium and we are using it for a Caribbean end of next April. Did not want to waste it.

This is where a smaller ship really makes the difference. I prefer SeaDream for the islands.

 

Enjoy your new cruise 🙂

[goofysmom99]

23 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

As a solo, I took a 15 night TA on Silhouette in Oct 2019 in a C2 for total of ~$2700 ($1350 pp).  This year's 15 night Reflection TA, for that same C2, would cost $7030 ($3515 pp).  I don't think drinks, wifi, and gratuities are worth $4330 ($2165 pp).  But that's just my take.

I'm quoting myself because I just looked up what was included on my $2697.29 fare for the 15 night 2019 Silhouette TA.  Holy cow, that fare included gratuities, premium beverage, streaming wifi, $300 OBC AND $199 insurance!  I agree that this year's crazy Reflection TA pricing is a function of all the FCCs.  I've booked an S1 for a 2022 TA for ~$8500.  That seems a reasonable price, unlike this year's $7K for a C2.

[Orator]

12 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

I'm quoting myself because I just looked up what was included on my $2697.29 fare for the 15 night 2019 Silhouette TA.  Holy cow, that fare included gratuities, premium beverage, streaming wifi, $300 OBC AND $199 insurance!  I agree that this year's crazy Reflection TA pricing is a function of all the FCCs.  I've booked an S1 for a 2022 TA for ~$8500.  That seems a reasonable price, unlike this year's $7K for a C2.

Found the same when I compared 2021 Reflection  16 dayTA  to 14 day Apex TA in 2022. All Aqua Class cabins are sold . All Suites are sold. Celebrity is finding more than enough people who want to do the TA at the price.

[hcat]

4 hours ago, Pinboy said:

LOL-- I figured it out !!!  You are a Cruise Director --- I've seen ya 52 times .

First night-- Out ya come " bouncin " on stage --- HEYYYY , Welcome on board, Blah, Blah, Blah --How many first time cruisers do WE have --- ( up go the hands and you count 'em ). The crowd cheers .

Followed by---How many Canadians do we have on board ( Loud Cheers ) -- How many ( Name 16 other countries ( cheers again )--- 

Followed by " Put your hands together and give a " warm Celebrity welcome for " ( Assistant Chief Room Steward , followed by, etc, etc ) who came " all the way from ", etc etc--- and  finally the Captain of the vessel with the " Welcome " toast and concludes with " We welcome you all as Guests and see you leave as Cargo " -- The crowd goes wild with laughter and heads for a late night snack.

( I think I've been on too many cruises and getting " punchy " being locked down at home )

 

 

 

Sounds like you may be due for diff vacation...  or just skip the usual stuff..go casual, enjoy your balcony, buffet and outdoor mellow places!

[goofysmom99]

2 hours ago, Orator said:

Found the same when I compared 2021 Reflection  16 dayTA  to 14 day Apex TA in 2022. All Aqua Class cabins are sold . All Suites are sold. Celebrity is finding more than enough people who want to do the TA at the price.

I just looked up an aqua cabin on this year's Reflection TA.  It's $7800.  For $700 more, by delaying gratification for 12 months, I'll receive $800 OBC, premium bev, and streaming wifi (and Luminae).  2022 is looking better than I thought.

[Ride-The-Waves]

16 hours ago, Orator said:

Found the same when I compared 2021 Reflection  16 dayTA  to 14 day Apex TA in 2022. All Aqua Class cabins are sold . All Suites are sold. Celebrity is finding more than enough people who want to do the TA at the price.

They are NOT all sold.  Celebrity is blocking many cabin on the website...possibly to encourage bookings now.  Discovered this by asking our TA to check for vacancies for a trans-Atlantic in a group of suites just because the website didn't make sense.  Of the 14 suites, 9 were available.  Marketing and manipulation.

[Orator]

22 minutes ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

They are NOT all sold.  Celebrity is blocking many cabin on the website...possibly to encourage bookings now.  Discovered this by asking our TA to check for vacancies for a trans-Atlantic in a group of suites just because the website didn't make sense.  Of the 14 suites, 9 were available.  Marketing and manipulation.

Glad to know this! Thank you.

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

They are NOT all sold.  Celebrity is blocking many cabin on the website...possibly to encourage bookings now.  Discovered this by asking our TA to check for vacancies for a trans-Atlantic in a group of suites just because the website didn't make sense.  Of the 14 suites, 9 were available.  Marketing and manipulation.

Maybe social distancing due to C-19, possibly???

 

Did your TA try to book you into one of the non-seen suites to verify?

 

bon voyage

Edited April 28, 2021 by Bo1953

[Pinboy]

17 hours ago, hcat said:

Sounds like you may be due for diff vacation...  or just skip the usual stuff..go casual, enjoy your balcony, buffet and outdoor mellow places!

LOL--- Sounds like you know exactly what I'm talking about---

Except, we very seldom go to the " Slugfest on 14 " ( Buffet ) --- Last time we were there , two women were discussing ( ? ? ) their position in line , in a loud voice , etc , etc and one even referred to the other's weight. 

It's all part of the fun of cruising. 

 

[Oceangoer2]

2 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Maybe social distancing due to C-19, possibly???

 

 

That's just what I was thinking....at one point did someone post they were going to keep every other cabin out of the selection to provide balcony distancing?  Maybe I mis-remember...LOL.

[Bo1953]

Just now, Oceangoer2 said:

That's just what I was thinking....at one point did someone post they were going to keep every other cabin out of the selection to provide balcony distancing?  Maybe I mis-remember...LOL.

Yes, someone did post it here as well as a policy statement (which I did not see or verify) indicated that there would be social distancing in all cabin categories and no insides sold (although there is a thread indicating that this is no longer the case, did not see or verify this info).

 

bon voyage

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, Pinboy said:

LOL--- Sounds like you know exactly what I'm talking about---

Except, we very seldom go to the " Slugfest on 14 " ( Buffet ) --- Last time we were there , two women were discussing ( ? ? ) their position in line , in a loud voice , etc , etc and one even referred to the other's weight. 

It's all part of the fun of cruising. 

 

p - it is even better at GS... bring a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres, better than the evening shows!!! LOL

 

This is NOT to say that there are never any 'legitimate' issues being discussed, yet, the vast majority..

 

bon voyage

[Pinboy]

5 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

This is NOT to say that there are never any 'legitimate' issues

Just  'cause ya don't wanna pay the gratuities don't mean it ain't legitimate .

LOL--- I thought I had a legitimate ( ?? ) complaint 16 yrs ago when my waiter forgot about my 3rd shrimp cocktail and made me wait for a few minutes while I was finishing my 2nd goat cheese souflee -- before my, etc etc.   But " You know who " said---- " Blah, Blah , Blah "  --- Oh Boy, I changed my mind real fast !!  

Mind you---- One night our Stateroom Attendant put a piece of dark chocolate instead of the milk chocolate on our pillows.  You know, the ones we take home with the 3 bars of soap and 2 hand creams. 

 

[leetchie69]

Not sure about you guys but I always love feeling included!