Have I made a mistake?

[Susan-M]

I know that many posters are incapable of seeing anything wrong with Celebrity's continuing quest to drive us to other lines with their petty policies, but do the rest of us a favor and let X justify its greed without your support, and without attacking those with whom you disagree.

 

I didn't think that Rebecca was attacking anyone, just stating that Celebrity isn't for everyone.

 

I think the reason "many posters are incapable of seeing anything wrong with Celebrity's continuing quest to drive us to other lines with their petty policies" is because not all of us feel that Celebrity is greedy or petty or has a strong desire to drive clients away. They have made business decisions and if we don't like those decisions, then they know we have other options. The changes that they are making are not driving me to other lines.

[suntan]

I have sailed with Celebrity twice (will be three times next Feb.) and Princess once. Both cruise lines offer a different experience and I enjoyed them both.

 

What one should remember about all the threads that are posted, positive and negative...everyone reacts differently to the same situation.

 

My advice, enjoy your Millennium cruise and report back to us on your experience.:)

 

For Sue-M - have you found your winter clothes yet? :D

[terrierjohn]

I have sailed with Celebrity twice (will be three times next Feb.) and Princess once. Both cruise lines offer a different experience and I enjoyed them both.

 

What one should remember about all the threads that are posted, positive and negative...everyone reacts differently to the same situation.

 

My advice, enjoy your Millennium cruise and report back to us on your experience.:)

Thanks Suntan that's exactly what I will do and hopefully X will join Princess as a favoured cruise line.

There is one other point that now concerns me and that is the regular comments about noise through connecting doors on millie class ships. Is this a major problem?

[greywolf19]

If your own special wine is 'SO' important to you having a great cruise then the cost in comparison to the cost of the cruise in nothing ... Personally I would not subject any of my 'important' wines to the vageries and impacts of traveling ...But ... Aside from all that ... have been on more than 20 Celebrity cruises and have enjoyed everyone .. have also tried some other lines but found them lacking .. I really enjoy the friendliness of the crew, the cleanliness of the ships and the quality of the food and care ..

 

have a great cruise

rgds

wolf

[sailorgirl]

We have sailed both Celebrity (Century and Millie) and Princess (Royal, Coral and Sapphire). I have to give the edge to Celebrity for the better food. That's important to us.

[Drew B]

If at their discretion they think I violated their alcohol policy I could be put off the ship and return would be at my expense. This sucks and I may just forefit my deposit as I don't want some Greek security officer deciding my fate. Nor do I want someone going thru my luggage. I agree to Homeland security opening my bags to look for weapons and bombs but not some flunky of X looking for liquor. You still can't bring wine on board without their permission but if you manage to do so they can now charge $25 corkage. When it was legal they only charged $15. I am not looking forward to this cruise and these policies were adopted after I booked my cruise and I never received any document from them with updated rules.

 

In that case, you may have a case for NOT forfeiting your deposit inasmuch as they changed the rules AFTER you booked (however, they will probably say that the alcohol policy hasn't changed - merely the enforcement has). I assume you booked with a credit card -- if you decide to cancel, I think you should call the customer service department on your card and ask them to challenge the deposit on your behalf. You just may get it back!

[caviargal]

Celebrity is my favorite cruise line so far ( I am trying Oceania this January).

 

Yes, the drink prices are higher on Celebrity. I bought a bottle of wine at dinner (a good one) for 29 dollars including gratuity. I don't see where bringing your own on board is a big issue. Most lines limit the number you can bring on but for arguments sake- say you bring 10 for a 10 night cruise. Just for argument's sake. Then you pay $ 15.00 (the going rate on some lines) for corkage. I imagine if the wine is so fantastic- you probably paid at minimum 15 dollars per bottle- if not 64 dollars per bottle. Each night you are spending any where from 30-79 per bottle to drink your own wine or you can drink perfectly good wine for $ 29 including gratuity per bottle and not have to pack it and bring it with you on your trip.

I think people are arguing this to death and if people are that concerned about bringing their own wine and/or alcohol- maybe Celebrity just isn't the right line for you.

 

rebecca, you have admitted several times that you are not a big wine drinker and that wine is not a big thing for you. I love good wine and have not found what I would consider a decent bottle for less than $50 on X or RCI so please understand that your comparisons are not the same as those of us who truly appreciate a good wine. They offer a Beringer White Zin for $28 a bottle and I buy it for cooking at 4.99 a bottle and yet there are certainly those that prefer it and will ask for it by name. IMO, their low end wines are just that.

 

I generally pack 6-8 bottles for a week long cruise and spend between 25-40 per bottle at my local wineshop. I cannot touch anything of that quality on X for less than $100 per bottle so my savings is at least $350 for a week.

 

"Perfectly good wine" is even more subjective than the quality of food served and most certainly a matter of personal taste and preference.

 

As for the packing and carrying part, that is nothing for those of us that choose that path. I load it into a wine shipping box, check it as luggage on the plane and then the ship and it arrives in my cabin along with my clothing. Not a bit more effort IMO.

[babylene]

I do not pretend to be a wine connoisseur, but on the ship we have ordered rose from Provence (we experimented with different roses when we were in Provence..they are very light and lovely in the warm weather especially). We also have ordered a white Chilean wine...you see I know so little that I cannot remember which one, but it was very nice. Both were under $30, closer in fact to $20. We are not familliar with Zinfandel, so we do not order it. All I want to say is that it is possible to find a nice wine in the lower price range.

[caviargal]

. All I want to say is that it is possible to find a nice wine in the lower price range.

 

I sincerely believe that this is a matter of taste. Some are perfectly thrilled with the steaks at Outback and some prefer Mortons; what is "nice" to one is not to all. When I hear folks rave about cruise ship lobster, I have to say that I find it poor compared to a good Maine lobster or even a fresh FL creature. It is no different for wines.

 

So while there are most certainly those that are content with more reasonably priced wine, there are also those that prefer to drink a particular wine/varietal/vintage. We selected bottles for our upcoming X cruise over a six month period and these are what we prefer to drink as opposed to what may or not be available on the current list.

[spongerob]

Terrierjohn, I wouldn't worry about your choice. I've considered a Celebrity cruise in the past, and we might be thinking about one in the future - one of the family members who came in for my father-in-law's funeral last week likes to cruise and has asked us if we might consider joining them in the fall of 2007...we're giving it consideration. I know in the past that when I've posted questions on this board the people answering have all been very nice. And don't we know, that all cruise lines have their problems...

 

Have a good time, and report on your Xperiences. I'll be anxious to hear your comments.

[babylene]

I sincerely believe that this is a matter of taste. Some are perfectly thrilled with the steaks at Outback and some prefer Mortons; what is "nice" to one is not to all. When I hear folks rave about cruise ship lobster, I have to say that I find it poor compared to a good Maine lobster or even a fresh FL creature. It is no different for wines.

 

So while there are most certainly those that are content with more reasonably priced wine, there are also those that prefer to drink a particular wine/varietal/vintage. We selected bottles for our upcoming X cruise over a six month period and these are what we prefer to drink as opposed to what may or not be available on the current list.

 

 

I am answering you, more to try out the Quote than anything else! How do I quote only part of your answer?

 

When we choose a restaurant, we are more concerned about good food than good wine. On the ship, if something is not to my liking, I just don't eat it. Since I eat too much anyway, it doesn't matter!!! You are right about the lobster tails. They are not great. Somehow I feel compelled to order them every time! It must be wishful thinking!

 

About wine...we go to wine tasting. They talk about the aroma of strawberries, oak, apples, etc. I can't figure out to what they are referring!!!!

I need lessons!!

 

|I never succeed in smelling or tasting these things! But we do have lots of fun.

[mii]

This is a answer to the OP. I just got off of an cruise on the Constellation going to Canada/New England and it was wonderful. This was my second Celebrity cruise and before that I have cruised Princess seven times and both have their good points and bad points. Customer service in my opinion is the pits in both lines so do not let that influence you. We thoroughly enjoyed this last cruise and in fact we are sailing Celebrity again next May. Please, you decide what is best for you. In my opinion both lines met our expectations.

 

Marilyn

[usha]

To answer the OP's question, I'd say no, you haven't made a mistake. In my opinion, the only thing "better" about Princess is the freshwater pools open 24/7. Other than that, I'd say that the food, the space ratio, the service (especially the service) are better on Celebrity.

[excitedofharpenden]

terrierjohn, I'm just back from Millennium in the Med and loved it! I've been on Mercury and Galaxy too and loved those Celebrity cruises. I have Constellation booked twice next year and Century too, just to see what she is like after her major makeover. I'd like to think I'm pretty discerning and haven't been disappointed in either the ships or the outstanding service. Go and enjoy:)

 

Phil

[dileep]

As for the packing and carrying part, that is nothing for those of us that choose that path. I load it into a wine shipping box, check it as luggage on the plane and then the ship and it arrives in my cabin along with my clothing. Not a bit more effort IMO.

 

I do the same. Do you know if they are confiscating wine boxes that are brought on board as part of checked in luggage?

[Cruiser Susie]

terrierjohn,
My husband and I have cruised on Princess, Celebrity, RCCL and Carnival. Each line and ship have their good and their not so good points. We have enjoyed all of the cruises, but Celebrity is our favorite line. We have made many wonderful friends, enjoyed the great service, and the ships themselves. We brought wine with us the first time or two on Celebrity, then decided that we liked the wine list enough so that we didn't need to haul bottles around. Other people are amazed when we bring our own coffeepot because we prefer our own coffee... just as some people prefer certain wines or liquors.

As other people have said, you will enjoy the cruise on the Millennium. We leave on the Constellation in 10 days, and have three more cruises planned next year on Celebrity. Each cruise is always different for each person, and having read reviews from people who were on the same cruise that we had just finished, it is always interesting ( and sometimes unbelievable) to realize that we were on the same cruise.

So I hope you have a wonderful time and I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you return.