No premium cruise lines

[Drew B]

[quote name='richsea']So clerical workers are female?? Talk about stereotyping!! :eek:[/quote]

Not necessarily. She said it is the "feminine counterpart". Couldn't they be male, but in some way feminine? Do you, by any chance, watch "UGLY BETTY"? :p

[richsea]

[quote name='Sky Sweet']Please don't shoot the messenger. I did not create the definition of the term pink collar worker, which has been used by economists for years. and was merely responding to a poster who asked what it meant.[/QUOTE]

I certainly didn't mean to shoot the messenger Sky Sweet, but clerical workers are only female?? I think the originator of that nomenclature needs a reality check!:D

[bakechef]

[quote name='Sky Sweet']I agree with those who have posted that all of the mass market cruise lines are essentially similar in price and more alike than they are different. In fact, Celebrity is often less expensive than other mass market cruise lines for a comparable itinerary within the same time frame.

I also feel there is no relationship between formal nights/dress codes and the quality of a cruise, especially when you consider the fact that most of the real luxury cruise lines don't have them. That is merely a matter of personal preference which has nothing to do with the socio-economic class of its passengers. I would even say that most people look better in fashionable casual clothes, that are appropriate for their age and body type, than formal wear that is dated.

Although Celebrity tends to cater to an older demographic and has less children, that doesn't mean its passengers are more upscale. On any mass market cruise line you will find a diverse group of passengers that include well educated professionals, business executives, blue collar workers, and pink collar workers.

With this in mind, I feel the differences that do exist between the mass market cruise are a matter of personal preference which has nothing to do with whether or not the passengers are "classy". It is also one of my pet peeves when posters make judgements about people based on the cruise lines they sail.[/quote]

Very well said.

MAC

[bakechef]

[quote name='Skimble1973']To me =X= means being at home!

I never felt like that on any other ship or any other vacation, but I always did when I cruised Celebrity!

Some people may find negative points everywhere. If you care about them, you become one of them. So be careful :D ![/quote]


That is why =X= is the best cruise line..... For you.:) Cruising is all about feeling good!

MAC

[Sky Sweet]

[quote name='richsea']I certainly didn't mean to shoot the messenger Sky Sweet, but clerical workers are only female?? I think the originator of that nomenclature needs a reality check!:D[/quote]

Hi richsea :)

Thank you for clarifying that for me. I really appreciate it :)

[Hondu]

[quote name='AFuncruiser'][SIZE=3]So sad...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Holland America and Celebrity cruise lines are not premium cruise lines any more! [/SIZE]

Dennis

[B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=1]177 days at sea [/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=1]21 cruises[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=1]11 cruise lines[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=1]T/P, T/A, Hawaii, Central & South America, New Zealand & South Pacific[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/QUOTE]

How can mass market be also premium?

[terrydtx]

I think the OP must be a plant from Carnival, maybe their CEO!!:eek:

[AFuncruiser]

[quote name='terrydtx']I think the OP must be a plant from Carnival, maybe their CEO!!:eek:[/quote]


I Wish....
Dennis

[Drew B]

[quote name='terrydtx']I think the OP must be a plant from Carnival, maybe their CEO!!:eek:[/quote]

What in the world do you even mean by this? It makes no sense, especially since HAL is a Carnival brand...

[terrydtx]

[quote name='Drew B']What in the world do you even mean by this? It makes no sense, especially since HAL is a Carnival brand...[/QUOTE]

Yes it does he posted it on a Celebrity forum.:p :p :p and it was meant to be tongue and cheek:p :p

[Drew B]

[quote name='terrydtx']Yes it does he posted it on a Celebrity forum.:p :p :p and it was meant to be tongue and cheek:p :p[/quote]

I knew it was meant to be tongue in cheek. I just don't get the joke... Sorry! :confused:

[terrydtx]

[quote name='Drew B']I knew it was meant to be tongue in cheek. I just don't get the joke... Sorry! :confused:[/QUOTE]

Drew, I will "try" to explain the joke to you. Please read post#12 from the OP and he says that the oldest Carnival ship which he cruised on twice last year was was equal to or better than either HAL or Celebrity in food, service, cabins and entertainment (something which I disagree with but we are talking about opinions). This sounds like something an employee or the CEO from Carnival (the Plant), would say on the Celebrity board do you get it now?:confused: :confused: :confused:

[DaveFr]

[quote name='terrydtx']Drew, I will "try" to explain the joke to you. Please read post#12 from the OP and he says that the oldest Carnival ship which he cruised on twice last year was was equal to or better than either HAL or Celebrity in food, service, cabins and entertainment (something which I disagree with but we are talking about opinions). This sounds like something an employee or the CEO from Carnival (the Plant), would say on the Celebrity board do you get it now?:confused: :confused: :confused:[/quote]
Interesting, terrydtx. I thought you were linking the OP's screen name (AFuncruiser) with Carnival's advertising slogan (the fun ships). :D

Dave

[terrydtx]

[quote name='DaveFr']Interesting, terrydtx. I thought you were linking the OP's screen name (AFuncruiser) with Carnival's advertising slogan (the fun ships). :D

Dave[/QUOTE]

Dave, I totally missed that connection, just proves my point (LOL) that the OP must be a Carnival plant on this board.:eek: :eek:

[Drew B]

[quote name='terrydtx']Drew, I will "try" to explain the joke to you. Please read post#12 from the OP and he says that the oldest Carnival ship which he cruised on twice last year was was equal to or better than either HAL or Celebrity in food, service, cabins and entertainment (something which I disagree with but we are talking about opinions). This sounds like something an employee or the CEO from Carnival (the Plant), would say on the Celebrity board do you get it now?:confused: :confused: :confused:[/quote]

Ah. When you said "OP" (original poster), I was thinking original POST, so that's all I looked back on. He said the following in the original post:

[QUOTE][SIZE=3]So sad...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Holland America and Celebrity cruise lines are not premium cruise lines any more! [/SIZE]

Dennis[/QUOTE]

I couldn't understand for the life of me why a Carnival plant would want to bash HAL...



But for the record, I've sailed on older Carnival ships (Elation & Paradise), and I'd put the Carnival bedding ahead of Celebrity and the food on par (depending on which specific dish/dining venue). The service is very different in style, but I thought that both Carnival and Celebrity had excellent service. Carnival's is warmer and friendlier while Celebrity's is more elegant and refined.

[ablumenfeld]

Here's a tidbit of info that may be of interest in light of this discussion:
[url]http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberpoll_index.cfm[/url]

"Your Choice for the Best in Cruising" readers poll, from this site.

Other than the Celebrity Xpedition (which only does the Galapagos, and is a very different ship and experience compared to the rest of the fleet), I don't see a single Celebrity ship making the top ten. [B]Of any list.

[/B]Why is that?

[Ma Bell]

[B][COLOR=teal]Take a look at the list of all the ships and you should have your answer.[/COLOR][/B]

[ablumenfeld]

[quote name='Ma Bell'][B][COLOR=teal]Take a look at the list of all the ships and you should have your answer.[/COLOR][/B][/quote]

I did - it looks like the responses are pretty much spread across the board. The top 5 of each list tend to be luxury lines, but the rest of them include many ships from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Oceania, even Costa. Are these just newer ships that are making the top 10?

As for the list of all ships in one list:
[url]http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberpoll_all.cfm?rating=Overall&sort=Highest[/url]
The Celebrity ones are just in the middle of the pack.

[Sky Sweet]

[quote name='ablumenfeld']Here's a tidbit of info that may be of interest in light of this discussion:
[URL]http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberpoll_index.cfm[/URL]

"Your Choice for the Best in Cruising" readers poll, from this site.

Other than the Celebrity Xpedition (which only does the Galapagos, and is a very different ship and experience compared to the rest of the fleet), I don't see a single Celebrity ship making the top ten. [B]Of any list.[/B]

Why is that?[/quote]

Hi ablumenfeld :)

Thanks for posting that. It was very interesting. I am not suprised about cabins, public areas, and entertainment, because that has never been Celebrity's strong suit, but based on its reputation I would have expected at least one Celebrity Ship to have made the list for dining or service.

[Ma Bell]

[B][COLOR=teal]The results are pretty obvious and the service and food areas are dominated by the higher priced luxury ships. Based on the rest of the poll we should all go book our Carnival, Disney or RCCL cruises.[/COLOR][/B]

[Sky Sweet]

While reading this thread I arrived at the conclusion that there are two different types of cruisers.

Some people are loyal to a particular cruise line, no matter what changes are taking place in that cruise line, as well as its competition.

Since there is a comfort level with familiar surroundings, I understand why so many people are like that. It is no different than a person who likes to stay at the same hotel, or eat at the same restaurant.

On the other hand, there are other cruisers who treat every cruise as a new experience and are as objective about it as someone who had never been on that cruise line before.

[Ma Bell]

[B][COLOR=teal]That's true. Each cruise is an entirely new experience and some are just better than others.[/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=#008080][/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=#008080]I can honesty say I've never had a bad one.[/COLOR][/B]

[ottawapuppy]

[quote name='CrystalWater']Because they want an action cruise over a classy cruise, that's why. I'd take X over RCCL any day of the week because I like the better food and a little more quiet and not crazy kids and rock climbing walls. A lot of people like RCCL for the action and/or they have kids, so the answer is obvious to your question.[/quote]

When have you sailed RCCL? I have sailed Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and the food is nearly identical on both. The menus on Celebrity are prettier and are more descriptive, but what you get on the plate is almost the same. Quieter on Celebrity? You should have been in the dining room on our last Celebrity cruise, you couldn't hear your tablemates from the noise from tables around you. Crazy kids on RCCL? Plan your cruise away from school holidays and you won't even notice there are kids on the ship.
I really enjoyed my last Celebrity cruise and I have a couple other ones booked. I also love RCCL. They are not as different as you seem to think they are.

[ablumenfeld]

[quote name='ottawapuppy']
I really enjoyed my last Celebrity cruise and I have a couple other ones booked. I also love RCCL. They are not as different as you seem to think they are.[/quote]

I agree with this - just came back from an 11-day Southern Caribbean on [I]Galaxy[/I], and did a 7-day Western Caribbean on Voyager of the Seas about 3 years ago. The RCL ship was just a year out of dry-dock and was looking pretty sharp at that time, and the Galaxy was just about to go to dry-dock last month and was looking pretty worn, but other than that, both experiences were fairly similar. I liked the food on [I]Explorer [/I]a bit more, but X had a few nice touches that weren't there on RCL.

[Xcruiser]

[quote name='AFuncruiser'][SIZE=3]So sad...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Holland America and Celebrity cruise lines are not premium cruise lines any more! [/SIZE]
[/quote]
[FONT=Verdana]I think that is a matter of personal opinion depending on what one feels a Premium cruise line should be.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Correct me if I’m wrong (and I expect I will see many different opinions) but my understanding was the label “Premium” came out of the travel industry not the cruise lines. It was used to describe those lines in mass market class that offered a more “Premium” value based on such criteria as:[/FONT]
[LIST]
[*][FONT=Verdana]Passenger to crew ratio.[/FONT]
[*][FONT=Verdana]Public space to passenger ratio.[/FONT]
[*][FONT=Verdana]High standard of service.[/FONT]
[*][FONT=Verdana]Majority of staterooms exceeding industry standards in size.[/FONT]
[*][FONT=Verdana]Improvements in standards of dinning.[/FONT]
[*][FONT=Verdana]More upscale onboard experience that follows the traditions of cruising.[/FONT][/LIST][FONT=Verdana]Initially I believe the lines that were labeled premium meeting most of the criteria above were HAL, Princess & Celebrity. Other mass market lines had a more mass appeal with more focus on family, entertainment, activity and value.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Those cruise lines labeled Premium adopted the word from the travel industry. The word as defined by Webster’s per its use above is:[/FONT]

[quote]
[FONT=Verdana][FONT=Verdana]“a high value or a value in excess of that normally or usually expected”[/FONT]
[/FONT][/quote]
[FONT=Verdana]I think many feel that this word indicates a higher standard class of cruising and place it closer to the Luxury cruise lines than mass market lines for which they belong.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]I would agree with the fact that all the lines labeled “Premium” have shifted slightly more to the “mass appeal” while the others have made improvements. The differences now are very slight but still are present when you look at their focus. I still feel that it’s fair to label Celebrity and HAL as Premium based on the majority of the criteria in which the label first applied. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]The cruise lines focus in the market place can be seen in their new builds and where they are placing the majority of emphases. Many new builds focus on making you forget you are on a cruise ship while others embellish and remind you of that fact.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Personally I place a Premium on the cruise line that best fits my requirements, needs and offers a service standard that will keep me sailing with them. While some place a premium on the itinerary and destinations the ship takes them. For me the moment I step aboard the ship I’ve reached my destination and where it travels matters less, it’s just the icing on the cake.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]A Premium to me is being on a ship at sea with little or nothing I really have to do other than just enjoying the experience along the view.:) [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]JMHO,[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Joel [/FONT]