BB5953 Posted July 13, 2004 #26 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I would agree and if flagger was saying that the restaurant was not worth it and bad mouthing it I would agree that he shouldn't b/c he hadn't experienced it. However, that is not at all what he was doing. He was commenting on the $5 price increase and mentioned that he was "still wavering". No need to go in circles - we will just have to agree to disagree on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flagger Posted July 13, 2004 Author #27 Share Posted July 13, 2004 When they first raised their fee earlier this year, several longtime Celebrity cruisers were in up and arms about it. The menus posted when it was $20 do not like they have changed that much now that they are $30 a few years later. And if it is merely a service charge where the waitstaff sees 100% of it (which I doubt), has there been a noticeable difference in change from last year to this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB5953 Posted July 13, 2004 #28 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I am sorry Tbelian but I have no clue as to what you just called me? My name is not Brett if that is what you are asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuggers Posted July 13, 2004 #29 Share Posted July 13, 2004 "The people who complain about a few extra dollars on a soda card and a speciality restaurant apparently don't realize the other lines find other ways of getting your money" These are things you find out once you've been on a ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB5953 Posted July 13, 2004 #30 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I am not disagreeing with you on that and as you might see from my other posts I don't mind paying extra for better quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flagger Posted July 13, 2004 Author #31 Share Posted July 13, 2004 It is evident in several people's posts that no matter what someone says that is negative about X, someone will come and defend the line. I swear some people are employees of X themselves. You see it in reviews that contain anything negative about the X experience. You get comments like, "My cruise was perfect, some people like to complain about anything>" If I were to make this comment after my cruise, someone will say you do not have the experience of many cruises that we do your opinion matters for not. We are not cruising in the past. We are cruising in the present. Welcome to the new world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB5953 Posted July 13, 2004 #32 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I am still waiting to hear why someone would presume that 1. I am a man (it is obvious from my other posts regarding my honeymoon I am a woman) and 2. my name is Brett This has to be good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuggers Posted July 13, 2004 #33 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Intersting question. I just read through all your posts on this subject and I don't know why, but I had the same impression. Interesting. I sincerely hope it is not because I have trouble understanding that a woman can be well spoken, assertive and opinionated as those are qualities often associated with me. Well, overbearing, too! LOL! But hopefully that's not a trait you have to bear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeBeCruisin' Posted July 13, 2004 #34 Share Posted July 13, 2004 BB593 is a girl? Get out of here! Next thing, you'll be telling me Flagger is a guy! Speaking of Flagger.... Dude! Just go on your first cruise, try to enjoy it, and if you hate it, THEN complain to us, and we'll either be sympathetic or tell you to get a life. Seriously, Flagger, you've posted maybe 1500 times, with 99 per cent of them being negative, and you haven't even been on your first cruise yet. I bet you're a lot of fun at a party. XXX OOO Allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richsea Posted July 13, 2004 #35 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Flagger- If you don't like the cost of the specialty restaurant or the soda card that X charges, either don't avail yourself of those services or choose another cruise line. I can almost guarantee that your cruise review, should you submit one, will be a negative one. Please, before you go on your cruise, resign yourself to the fact that there are some things that may not be to your exact liking, & there will be some things that may be higher in cost than what you perceive that they should be. Don't sweat it!! Life is entirely too short. Enjoy your cruise!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flagger Posted July 13, 2004 Author #36 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I can almost guarantee that your cruise review, should you submit one, will be a negative one. I can guarantee it will be a brutally honest review. I do find it interesting that as far as the soda card, no one seems to disagree that X/RCCL do charge the highest fee in the industry. Perhaps the Coke is somehow better on X/RCCL, but I doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruising with marti Posted July 13, 2004 #37 Share Posted July 13, 2004 No such thing as being rude to the flagger:D Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlewis Posted July 13, 2004 #38 Share Posted July 13, 2004 To get back to the original issue. I am not a big drinker of alcohol and I found that the daily cost of a soda card well worth the money. When I have a soda in a bar in my home town they charge a minimum of 2 dollars some places more. So if you have 3 or 4 over an evening you still end up spending 10 dollars with tip. The soda card makes it really easy to get a glass of coke or even soda water any time any place. The waiters and bartenders get to know you have the sticker on your card very quickly and usually don't even ask to see it after the first day or two. It was great to get a nice cold glass of soda water and ice to take back to the cabin with me any time of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alexMD Posted July 13, 2004 #39 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Really, I never bothered to check. We were parked (or is it moored?) next to a Disney ship in the Bahamas. The cabins seemed small (at least from my vantage point). The ship was noisy with frequent and repetitive announcements. There were hordes of children dumping trash over the side. Makes me want to go to Travelocity and price out a cruise to compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB5953 Posted July 14, 2004 #40 Share Posted July 14, 2004 I have also heard that Disney was very expensive and that you feel very crowded on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkjretired Posted July 14, 2004 #41 Share Posted July 14, 2004 I have followed the Disney boards for many years however have never sailed on them. The prices on Disney for the most part are almost double that of other cruise. One of the comments you often see on the Disney boards is people asking if Disney is really worth the price. I would say the board splits almost down the middle and this is the Disney board which you would thing would be somewhat prejudice. People often give the advice of take Royal Caribbean for a week and then do Disney world for another week, it will cost you the same as one week on a Disney cruise. They can certainly afford not to charge for Soda. I am not going to worry about $5.00 once on a cruise in the specialty restaurant. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingChick Posted July 14, 2004 #42 Share Posted July 14, 2004 The Speciality Restaurants, at least Olympic and SS United States, are worth the $30 charge. Best meal I've ever had and definitely the best service presentation I've ever had. As for soda cards, I don't drink soda, but if they came out with a "watermelon martini" card them I'm there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkjretired Posted July 14, 2004 #43 Share Posted July 14, 2004 The poster who brought up about the no charge for cash advances really hit this issue right on the head. Celebrity and RcI don't charge for cash advances in the casino on the Sign and Sail Card. This can be a real money saver to some who frequent the casino. The real point is that every line charges for something that others do not. I believe Princess charges for Ice Cream or used to. RCI years ago first charged for specialty restaurants on Johnny Rockets but has changed that policy a couple of times. Celebrity charges for specialty coffees which other lines don't. You can make a huge list of what some lines charge for and others don't. Flagger rightly points out that some will defend Celebrity no matter what. Flagger on the other hand has had a habit of finding fault with them even though he has never sailed them. It all evens out no matter what we talk about. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mafig Posted July 14, 2004 #44 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Princess only charges about $20 for their soda card. However, they charge for ice cream and have none available except in the dining rooms at lunch and in the buffet for an hour or so. Royal Caribbean charges in their Johnny Rockets on SOME ships, not others. They also charge for ice cream but have available soft-serve yogurt free all the time (practically). All of the lines have a specialty restaurant that is an additional charge. The point is do your research, find what is important to you, book your cruise and then expect to have a good time and don't worry about the small stuff. If the $30 charge is too expensive for a fine dining experience, then don't do it. We never purchase a soda card even though my husband is a big soda drinker. If he wants one on a cruise, he buys one, otherwise he drinks iced tea, water or an alchoholic beverage. We always have a dinner in the specialty restaurant (whatever the line is). We do it just to do something different, if it's good, great, if not, so what? We're on vacation and we tried something new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mafig Posted July 14, 2004 #45 Share Posted July 14, 2004 A short time ago I suggesed to the OP that he had made a mistake in booking X. I said he didn't do his research and that his TA had probably steered him in the wrong direction, given his "lifestyle." Well, I heard back that his TA was just wonderful, that he did do his research, that he booked X because it was the cheapest, and that he had made final payment so there was nothing he could do anyway. So, I'm going to throw this back to the OP. You made your decision. You did your research. If soda card fees were so important you would have booked another line. If specialty restaurant charges were so important you would have booked another line. You've made your final payment. You're stuck!! Deal with it. DO TRY to have a good time. I also think that if you plan on writing a review and that review will be "brutally honest" that you are already psyched yourself into finding faults. Make sure you have a notebook and pen to write down all the "slights" you will experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flagger Posted July 14, 2004 Author #46 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Another comment by the defend at all costs "X can never change, can do no wrong" patrol that plies these boards. Dare make a comment with or without experience if it is in the least bit negative and you will be come down on with fangs. Same thing happened last year when I dared suggest that X implement better customer service when it comes to notifying passenger affected by the last minute decision to go to Canada instead of Bermuda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wv4891 Posted July 14, 2004 #47 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Flagger, I think too many on here have too much idle time in their lives. BTW, your Avatar is great!!! Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chessbriar Posted July 14, 2004 #48 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Flagger, You have fun on these boards trying to get people worked up. don't you? It's not that we don't have complaints, or that there are not faults with X. Heaven's no. One cruise line cannot be everything to everyone. But when you come the Celebrity board a make derogitory comment, you are going to get defenders of the line. It's a board of their biggest supporters. Other wise people would not spend their time here. I have had complaints, but I choose to bring them up to the proper people on the ship, or leave it in the comment card. Just because one line does this or that better than Celebrity, most people on this board would say that Celebrtiy does most things better than any other line. As to your cruise on the Infinity, go have a good time. My Motto on cruising is, "If you have a bad time on a cruise, you have no one to blame but yourself. You are on a ship with 2000 people who are there to have a good time. And 1000 staff members that want nothing but to make you happy." If you don't have a good time, there is another cruiseline out there who would like to take the challenge of giving you a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mafig Posted July 14, 2004 #49 Share Posted July 14, 2004 I will be looking to perhaps cruise X to Bermuda next year. In the meantime, I have cruised with Royal Caribbean and have my next cruise booked on Princess. I don't think anyone would consider that or me a Celebrity apologist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbelian Posted July 14, 2004 #50 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Another comment by the defend at all costs "X can never change, can do no wrong" patrol that plies these boards. Dare make a comment with or without experience if it is in the least bit negative and you will be come down on with fangs. Same thing happened last year when I dared suggest that X implement better customer service when it comes to notifying passenger affected by the last minute decision to go to Canada instead of Bermuda. 'X' can do wrong, and does. In a lot of cases they 'make it right' (In my case specifically, to the tune of about $300 credit). All I did was call the much criticized customer service department and say 'oh by the way, you might want to know ... etc.', not intending to 'get' anything at all out of it, other than a hopeful improvement the next time someone cruises. Well, without a blink, they offered the credit (and it really was a MINOR thing, we had 3 to a room, the room set up was for 2... the cabin attendant had it corrected right away). I think the real issue here is not the 'defenders' but rather the fact that the OP has a 'reputation' of being quite critical... just about everything from the originator has been some vieled effort to point out 'the bad stuff' (or what might be construed as bad) about Celebrity. What have we seen from the originator that has been from a positive perspective (about Celebrity)? Not much. Always looking for the rough in the diamond (or the very minor flaw). And, for the record, I get 'zip, zero, nada' from Celebrity for my favorable comments. I happen to like the product, and have not had a bad experience. Your results may vary (but let's wait till there are actual results to speak about), and, objects in mirror are closer than they appear .... And, finally, for what it's worth, you will find 'defend at all cost' posters on other boards as well (Carnival, HAL, Princess, <your cruise line here>). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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