|
Hey, I don't think I ever noticed the cruise thread so thought I'd do a drive by. I have done about 4 cruises in my life so not super experienced, but certainly have some. Last cruise was this past Sept we did a California cruise on Princess (Star Princess) it was OK. I've never cruised princess before and I wanted to try it. Would I again? Maybe... but probably not. It was an OK experience, but the biggest issues that drove me bonkers was that the theater was not nearly big enough to seat everyone who wanted to go to a show. Quite annoying and sort of sad seeing the olds shuffling down the hallways to the theater/venue, look around, sort of put their heads down and leave. My wife and I gave up our seats more than once and stood. Same thing with the buffet restaurant. There were times you literally couldn't get a seat. Not often, but it did happen. The variety at the buffet wasn't bad though. Food was OK, nothing great. Drinks certainly add up and the service from staff was hit and miss. The ship itself was in mediocre repair. It suffered from water leaks in many places and elevators were *constantly* out of order. We just took the stairs but once again, the older folks (of which there were many) were waiting for several minutes for elevators at times, only to have an elevator arrive and it was already jam packed. But it did have a decent number of venues and amenities. The up-selling was not great and annoying at times. Now, that being said, I'll throw my experience with a cruise line that hasn't been discussed here yet (for a soon to be likely apparent reason), Regent Seven Seas Cruises. They are classed as an all-inclusive ultra luxury line and would probably compete in class of service with a line like Silversea and probably a step up from Oceania, Azamara and Seabourne. I have sailed with them twice. Most recently, fall 2018 for a Mediterranean itinerary and I will likely be booking a transatlantic cruise this coming week for this April. These are not inexpensive cruises. Not to say regular folks don't go on them - they do (I am certainly not rich) but if you do these several times a year you are likely in a "very well off" financially category ...... or financed out the rear end. It's definitely a mixed bag of people on board but definitely skewed towards the fairly well-to-do. Typically minimal children. I think both times I sailed I saw 1 family each time with the youngest probably about 8. The ships would be classed as medium sized ships, certainly not small, but they are high end and have a relatively low load of guests compared to the big lines. If ships this size were in service with the big lines they'd probably be carrying 2-3x the guests. They have an exceptionally high staff/passenger ratio (approx 1 staff to every 1.5 passengers). They never seem crowded. Never anything like a 2500+ ship can be. Every single room is a suite and every single one has a full balcony Navigator has a few cabins with an ocean view. Even their "base" cabins would be the equivalent to premium suites on the big cruise lines... and Regents premium suites are pretty nice by pretty much every metric. This includes reportedly the most expensive/luxurious suite on a cruise ship @ over $100Kpp for most sailings. For that price you get a 3000+ sq/ft suite with a massive deck, spa (unlimited treatments), grand piano and, in addition to your own in suite dining room, you get a private dining room elsewhere on the ship where you can invite your friends if you want to "go out". What makes them an all-inclusive? They include almost everything in the fare. Business class airfare. Transfers from the airport. No gratuities. Not even a "Here is a couple bucks for the good drink and keep them coming." They won't accept it and would probably be offended if you tried. Would likely be fired if they did and got caught. All the food. All the restaurants as often as you want, as long as you have a reservation for the Specialty restaurants. Room service is a very good full menu with quality foods. Entrees are made to order just like a restaurant and if you want a lobster tail and steak every day, go for it. All the alcohol including what would be classed as high end for other ships or land based resorts. Business class (IE: lay-flats) on intercontinental flights. Transfers from the airport and potentially depending on your suite, a per-departure hotel room the night before sailing. Shore excursions. As many or few as you want. Note some of these do have a premium charge, but most of the "included" ones are typically very good. Want a bottle of whiskey in your room? Maybe a bottle of champagne too? No problem. Just ask. Your steward (or butler in the appropriate class) will make sure you have it. First time I went I asked for some Canadian Whisky. I was expecting a mickey or something, they gave me a 40. Want a beautifully made espresso? Go to the coffee bar or many of the lounges and ask for one. Don't want to bother the staff for one? There are high end super-automatic espresso machines located strategically on the ship which can make you a very good espresso or even a milk based drink like a Late' or Cappuccino in about 30 seconds. The staff are always smiling and greeting you. Want your shoes shined? Leave them outside your suite when you go to bed and they'll be in a box at your door when you wake up. Always free self serve laundromat with good machines on each deck. Depending on the suite, also dry cleaning. You will not have a problem getting a seat at the theater, on any other venue for that matter. There is enough room in the theater for every single passenger to sit, plus some of the staff. Easily. You will only wait for a table to dine if there is an extraordinary rush in any of the non-specialty restaurants or the Maitre' D is tied up. And even then it would likely be literally 60 seconds. You will almost certainly still be able to get a deck lounger on the pool deck if you don't get there until 11AM. I've never not been able to secure a couple side by side. You do not need to give them your keycard for anything, because everything is included for everyone. Just tell them your room # if are doing something extra fancy with a charge. Wifi internet is included. You'll have a full size bottle of champagne waiting for you in your suite when you first embark. Good chance that $30 bottle of wine you like with dinner is included and if you want the bottle, just ask. Either way, the sommelier will choose a few bottles for the night which they will offer when you are seated at your table and your glasses will be kept filled or they'll give you a bottle if you ask. The drinks are definitely not watered down and the bartenders will do their best to make you anything. So what isn't included? Some extra fancy excursions, like if you want a private car and driver or maybe some of the very in depth excursions. But I've never paid additional for any of my regent excursions and they were all excellent. Gratuities are still expected for the excursion operators as they are independent. Spa and salon services are extra of course. Sea-shore phone calls are extra, but some suites do include it. Very high end alcohol. Brands like Grey Goose, Titos, Patron, Crown Royal, etc, in that price range are included. What does all this cost you? Depending on cabin, itinerary of course and where you live, plan on "roughly" $400-$1000 night for fancy cabins. That seems expensive - and it is - but depending on where the cruise going to/from, that includes all air and transfers including intercontinental Business Class factored in the price of the ticket. Want to bring the ticket price down? Turn down the airfare and they'll reduce the fare of the cruise. The Cabins are excellent and compared to other cruise lines roomy. Look at the Superior Suite on the Explorer/Splendor class. This is a solidly lower-mid class suite on the new ships. Still have a full size sofa, desk, table, shower and a bathtub with Jack & Jill vanity. Even on the older ships, the mid range cabins are very nice and roomy. Probably closer to a land based hotel room than a cruise ship. They presently operate 4 vessels with a 5th being delivered imminently. Seven Seas Navigator - Their oldest, smallest ship @ 490 guests/245 suites. This is the only ship in the fleet that has some cabins with only an ocean view and not a veranda. This ship has an interesting history in that the hull was originally laid as a soviet satellite tracking ship in the 80s, but when the poo poo hit the fan at the end of the USSR she was sold unfinished and converted to a luxury liner. Also featured heavily in the Pierce Brosnan, Selma Hyak and Woodie Harelson movie "After the Sunset". This ship has been refurbished within the past year. Seven Seas Voyager - 700 guests/350 suites. Launched in 2003. I have cruised on this ship. Has been recently refurbished. Seven Seas Mariner - 700 guests/350 suites. Launched in 2001. I have cruised on this ship as well. Mariner and Voyager are very similar in size and amenities, but I do not believe they are sister ships and were built in by different shipyards. Refurbished last year. Seven Seas Explorer - The current flagship. 750 guests/375 suites. Launched in 2016 and is their newest ship...for another month. They labelled it as "The Worlds Most Luxurious Cruise Ship." It is the home to that massive super expensive suite mentioned earlier. I will likely be on this ship in April. I will certainly NOT be in that big suite. A search of youtube will show you countless videos and even a few documentaries about this ship. Just over 1 month from now, Feb 21, Regent is scheduled to christen their newest vessel. Seven Seas Splendor - 750 guests/375 suites. Sister ship and 99% twin to Explorer. Since it isn't launched yet, here is a professional retouched photo of Explorer to make it look like Splendor. Tips I might have: I think it's worth noting with these cruises, and maybe most "premium" cruises in general, I have learned DO NOT BOOK DIRECTLY WITH THE CRUISE-LINE. Why? Cruise lines build travel agent commissions into the price of the cruise and they will happily take that as extra profit. There are now several good travel agents (I can name the one I deal with but not sure if it's allowed) that will actually give you a better price than the advertised fare from the cruise line, plus actually give you cash back once you pay for your cruise and they get their commission. For a couple on a luxury line like Regent, it's entirely possible, and probably likely, you'll see a cash back from the travel agent of $1000-$2000 depending on the price of the cruise and cabin category. That's in addition to paying a lower price than the cruise line advertises. I also like this guys Youtube channel for reviews and info. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have about Regent if you have any. slidebite fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Dec 12, 2020 |
# ¿ Jan 20, 2020 01:58 |
|
|
# ¿ May 22, 2024 17:55 |
|
skipdogg posted:A Hawaii cruise would be way too many sea days for me. If we do this transatlantic one in April it will have a similar issue - a lot of sea days, definitely more than I've ever done before at a single time so we'll see how they go.
|
# ¿ Jan 20, 2020 20:00 |
|
What is JoCo?
|
# ¿ Jan 21, 2020 07:12 |
|
I too would be curious. We briefly checked on this a few years back and I remember being surprised at how costly it was for what it was. Maybe I'm wrong though. e: Guess Great Lake cruises are a thing? https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com...medium=referral slidebite fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Jan 23, 2020 |
# ¿ Jan 23, 2020 15:11 |
|
WithoutTheFezOn posted:I got no answer but in the US the rivers that spring to mind are the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi (don’t know about out west). None of those three strike me as particularly “scenic” and cities are spread way out. The hills between, say, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati can be pretty but there’s a lot of empty space there. The one we looked at was the Columbia which I can only think is much more scenic than most of the eastern rivers.
|
# ¿ Jan 23, 2020 21:00 |
|
Booked our April Transatlantic cruise as I mentioned earlier. April 2 can't get here soon enough. I've never done a transatlantic before. Mrs Slidebite is a little concerned as she can get seasick and we have a about 6-7 sea days in total. I don't have any motion problems personally, I find I actually sleep a bit better with the motion of the ship. Mrs. takes gravol with mixed results. Anyone have any other recommendations? Ginger doesn't work well for her either nor does the magic magnet thing. Hoping it won't be needed much but it is a real possibility.
|
# ¿ Jan 25, 2020 15:32 |
|
Oh god, kill me now https://www.businessinsider.com/wuahn-coronavirus-quarantined-cruise-passengers-stir-crazy-2020-2 Passengers (and presumably some crew) are quarantined to their cabins for 2 weeks on Diamond Princess. I had an interior on Star Princess a few months back and I would go insane if I were stuck in an interior cabin for that long. Can't imagine families coping with that well.
|
# ¿ Feb 6, 2020 07:03 |
|
The Princess ship we were on last year (Star Princess) really didn't have much for kid-tainment. There was a room/zone for kids and tweens and that was about it. Mind you, it was September and didn't have many kids on board so that could be why. Friends of ours cruise Disney and it is very much kid friendly. For a family I think it's the way to go and probably worth the extra $$ if you can possibly swing it.
|
# ¿ Feb 8, 2020 17:00 |
|
Chin Strap posted:Am I wrong or are there a bunch of entitled whiners on Cruisecritic? Just crybaby Karens wanting to talk to the manager about everything. There is definitely some value in cruise critic and real gold info, but holy poo poo yeah there is a metric poo poo ton of whiners.
|
# ¿ Feb 13, 2020 05:44 |
|
^^ Very similar to why we prefer Regent. The ships are incredibly maintained, suites are amazing, staff and food are second to none. Not cheap by any stretch, but since they included virtually everything if you only do a big grand holiday once a year or two, I'd rather save for that. Of course, YMMV and I totally get people not wanting the same things for their holidays.Braksgirl posted:I understand that there a lot of activities you need to reserve ahead of time, like seating at the nightly shows. That's something you might want to check into. slidebite fucked around with this message at 17:38 on Feb 16, 2020 |
# ¿ Feb 16, 2020 17:25 |
|
BlackIronHeart posted:About 30 seconds into this strenuous act, someone comes in from the pool deck and tries my stall handle. I respond with "Occupied." and then this guy starts screaming at the top of his lungs. That's beautiful.
|
# ¿ Feb 17, 2020 07:43 |
|
Zero One posted:If you want to try a megaship you can't go wrong with an Oasis class on Royal Caribbean.
|
# ¿ Feb 22, 2020 15:19 |
|
poolside toaster posted:After a couple of dozen cruises on various lines and ship sizes, I can honestly say that if my first cruise had been on a mega ship, there would have never been a second cruise. A megaship really doesn't appeal to me a bunch either, but those Oasis class ships do interest me... largely because the crowds really didn't look bad. Certainly not Regent levels, but still pretty darn good. Relaxing, awesome food, awesome drink, great service, the odd daytime activity and evening show are pretty much all I care about. In other news, Confirmed Covid case in Barcelona. https://www.thelocal.es/20200225/woman-in-barcelona-tests-positive-to-coronavirus-the-first-confirmed-case-in-mainland-spain If Barcelona becomes a hotspot, poo poo's about to get real. It is such an incredibly busy port for Med cruises, both transiting and for beginning/end this could be interesting. We're doing Miami-Barcelona April 3, so I have some real interest in this. I'm also beginning to have some concerns for the financial health of some of these cruise lines. Many of them (NCL I'm looking at you) are very, very heavily leveraged. Does anyone know if they eat all these cancelled cruises/reimbursements to clients or are they insured themselves?
|
# ¿ Feb 25, 2020 21:09 |
|
Nanigans posted:I reiterate, the only times places feel crowded are where/when you would expect them to be. i.e. during a Dreamworks character parade for the kids, during a sale, during at-sea days around the pools, etc. lloyol posted:I'm keeping an eye on this, too. We're close to booking The Italy/Greece eastern Med 10-day cruise on Norwegian Getaway this May. The cost has dropped enough that a balcony suite is now the same rate as the interior room when we first started doing our research.
|
# ¿ Feb 27, 2020 02:26 |
|
Without wanting to make you do any hard work - any photos/info of the pool deck - solarium on a sea day afternoon? That's the kind of place where we would probably spend a good chunk of our time if the weather is good
|
# ¿ Feb 27, 2020 15:20 |
|
lloyol posted:I was turned away at Jefferson's Bistro on NCL's Pride of America for having Uniqlo dress shorts and a polo shirt, but they let me dine in on the last day because they said the dress code is relaxed because people put their fancy gear packed up ready for departure. I didn't think I would have a reason to bring my suit to Hawaii, so I didn't bother packing any. I only brought a suit once and that was because we planned on some family photos to be taken on board. If it wasn't for that, I never would bother. I'm not bringing one for our T.A. trip next month. Nottherealaborn posted:For my cruise on the Oasis, the solarium definitely filled up quickly when the weather is nice. It didnt always take THAT long to find a deck chair, but can be hard to find ones together if youre in a group. Theres also some cushioned couches/chairs, but those were almost always taken, and often by people staying there all day.
|
# ¿ Feb 27, 2020 20:44 |
|
A friend of mine just got back from a short holiday. His family of 6 took one of those 4 day Carnival cruises from LA. Sounds like they may not cruise again, didn't really enjoy it. Food was not good, activities not great (although kids like the water-slide) but it was all around "meh". I did some research, the ship is from the 90s (although it's been refit) but doesn't sound great. I wish he spoke to me a little bit first. Oh well.
|
# ¿ Feb 29, 2020 18:48 |
|
Zero One posted:Speaking of no kids, Virgin Voyages is doing previews of their first ship. Wow. That's got some very questionable design selections. Designed by people who haven't designed cruise ships before... indeed. Some of the common areas look quite impressive, but how the presenter was describing functionality there is so much
|
# ¿ Mar 1, 2020 17:29 |
|
Not that I've cruised tons, but I've yet to see anyone out of control or being belligerent. Certainly some people with a glow (myself included) but nobody becoming surly... except there was a Venezuelan lady on my last Regent cruise that literally thought Donald Trump was JC reincarnate and was going to fix the worlds problems. That was an odd conversation and a reminder myself to just walk away from anyone who wants to talk about politics on holidays.
|
# ¿ Mar 2, 2020 03:37 |
|
Got my cruise package today for our April 3 Trans Atlantic departure. poo poo's getting real! Not only did I get the luggage tags and extra stuff, the travel agent also sent my cash rebate AND, totally unexpected, a quality set of 16x50 nikon binoculars. Seriously, if anyone is looking for a TA, especially but not only for cruises, let me know and I'll send you a referral.
|
# ¿ Mar 2, 2020 21:20 |
|
Total best guess I'm pulling out of my rear end - probably somewhere between 10-18% is probably not terribly far off. I am simply doing an educated guess though. I received a cash back rebate of approx 9% the value of the entire booking (literally sent me a company check with the documents and gift). Since they are in business and do need to make money, my guess is they are basically splitting the commission with their clients near 50/50, or some ratio around there, but that's just a guess. I suspect their commission rate changes on cruises that are under booked and need to sell, likewise maybe the other way around on cruises which have very high demand and sell out regardless. When I booked mine the end of January there was still good availability in all suites *except* they highest end ones (Penthouses and above) which had a waiting list. 70% of the ship is more "standard" suites... like veranda, superior and concierge. Those are all still great cabins though. A veranda cabin on a Regent ship is pretty much would be called a suite on any other ship. 220 sq/ft+ and balcony is on top of that. The cabins only get larger from there.
|
# ¿ Mar 3, 2020 02:05 |
|
Wow - Princess just can't catch a break https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/235-canadians-on-ship-held-for-covid-19-testing-outside-calif-global-affairs-1.4840592
|
# ¿ Mar 6, 2020 02:24 |
|
Zero One posted:https://twitter.com/TravelGov/status/1236739608794275846?s=20 Canada has a comparable alert. Regent is offering 100% future cruise credit up to 48 hours before sailing, so I'm not making any decisions yet as we don't leave until April 2. I also bought 3rd party travel cancellation insurance for the first time ever shortly after I booked in January (might have been very wise). I now actually find myself hoping they cancel the cruise so I get a 100% FCC and an insurance payout. The FCC would potentially be of limited value because my wife is starting a new job and may not get the holidays to do a 2 week cruise anytime soon. I am genuinely starting to have fears for the financial health of the industry though. Many of these cruise lines (maybe all?) are so financially leveraged that I can see real financial problems if the crisis last another month. e: Spain had a massive jump in cases overnight. If Spain takes measures like Italy, it's going to be darn rough for the cruise industry. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-09/spain-says-coronavirus-cases-almost-doubled-overnight-to-999 slidebite fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Mar 9, 2020 |
# ¿ Mar 9, 2020 19:37 |
|
Just throwing this here.... It was $54 less than 1 month ago.
|
# ¿ Mar 9, 2020 21:37 |
|
skipdogg posted:Which one is that? I don't see the ticker. Sorry about that, yes nclh. I agree, some good buys for sure! Just make sure you have legit cancellation insurance in case they go belly up in the time being, probably best to not buy through the cruise company..
|
# ¿ Mar 9, 2020 23:00 |
|
tinytort posted:News is that two employees working at the Port Everglades terminal have tested positive. We haven't heard anything from the ship we're on (Holland America), so we're all just trying to continue on as normal. Oofta. The bad news never stops. I think it's just a matter of time that cruise companies start pulling the pin on some cruises, especially to Europe/Med (news is getting dark) but confirmed cases in a Florida port is not a good sign. I was 50/50 yesterday that our April 3 Trans Atlantic cruise will be going, at this rate I'll be more surprised if it's not outright cancelled within 2 weeks. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I don't see the news improving anytime soon. I still think this whole thing is largely a ton of hysteria, but it is what it is.
|
# ¿ Mar 11, 2020 01:56 |
|
Well, I think tomorrow is going to be full of outright cancellations based on tonight's news. Viking (Euro river cruises) just cancelled everything until the end of April. My TA cruises departs April 3, arrives in Barcelona April 17th, technically after 30 days, but I can't imagine they'll keep that scheduled considering it'll be leaving before anyone knows if they can get home.
|
# ¿ Mar 12, 2020 04:41 |
|
I'm talking cruises with Euro itineraries, sorry. That is already happening.
|
# ¿ Mar 12, 2020 14:19 |
|
Nobody knows for sure, but I think there is a good chance summer trips will go ahead. I think spring is pretty much a write-off at this point. Even if they weren't outright cancelled, so many people are spooked I can only think the ships would be running at an unacceptably low capacity. The big 3 (Carnival family, NCL family, Royal family) will be interesting. They are all heavily leveraged (some owe more than the company is worth... especially now) and their assets are lumbering beasts which only cost them money when sitting empty so the only thing they can do is reduce costs as much as possible because they aren't making anything right now and negotiate with creditors. Future cruise credits are the only thing going for them that it's not refunds, BUT, at the same time that's taking a huge bite of future revenue away. Between that and people getting skittish of ships they have challenges for the next year or two. I hope the can survive. If it goes much longer than a month, who knows.
|
# ¿ Mar 12, 2020 20:28 |
|
coronavirus posted:Even if the big 3 somehow all go bankrupt (I bet only 1 or 2 if not none actually do) then some other financial group will make a new company overnight to buy all those ships in great condition and they will be cruising just a month or two after the bankruptcy.
|
# ¿ Mar 13, 2020 14:21 |
|
Regent finally pulled the pinquote:Dear Valued Guest and Travel Advisor*, The funny part is I literally received a final confirmation email from them at 9AM this morning for the departure on the 3rd. e: Looks like all NCL family divisions have the same offer. slidebite fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Mar 13, 2020 |
# ¿ Mar 13, 2020 20:43 |
|
They are Princess's parent right? That's sort of odd they haven't.
|
# ¿ Mar 14, 2020 06:00 |
|
That kind of sucks - the staff are going to be really impacted. So many of those people are supporting their families back home I can only imagine it's going to really hurt them.
|
# ¿ Mar 14, 2020 16:39 |
|
Did you already pay for it? I think NCL is the same as Regent where you get 125% FCC. You could cancel it, get the credit, see how things are going this spring/summer and rebook? I think there are going to be some smoking deals once travel starts to normalize again. A lot of people will probably be spooked from cruising for a while.
|
# ¿ Mar 15, 2020 23:19 |
|
I want to cruise again, but I find myself genuinely on the fence about either taking the 100% refund or 125% FCC in no small part because I have concerns with the financial health of NCLH. What are you guys doing or what are your thoughts?
|
# ¿ Mar 16, 2020 19:44 |
|
I am leaning towards a refund.
|
# ¿ Mar 17, 2020 01:07 |
|
We ended up taking the refund option. Way I figure is, like's been said, might be some smoking deals in the next year or two so that way I get the security of cash back and playing the market.
|
# ¿ Mar 18, 2020 04:45 |
|
Article talking about solvency of cruiselines https://www.wsj.com/articles/will-landlubbers-venture-back-onto-cruises-in-time-11584712726 quote:The three big, U.S.-listed operators, Carnival Corp., CCL 20.00% Royal Caribbean Cruises RCL 6.25% and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, NCLH 5.95% have “voluntarily and temporarily suspended operations” out of U.S. ports, according to their industry body. The move is, of course, neither voluntary nor quite so temporary given several high-profile incidents of coronavirus outbreaks on vessels world-wide.
|
# ¿ Mar 23, 2020 00:47 |
|
^^ Going to watch those, thanks! Received my full refund from Regent for our cancelled April 3 TA cruise.Took better part of 3 months. Now just to fight with my cancellation insurance about my flights.
|
# ¿ Jun 8, 2020 19:49 |
|
|
# ¿ May 22, 2024 17:55 |
|
The deals are starting for luxury lines. My travel agent just emailed me about a 7 day Crystal Miami -San Juan for $1500/verandah or $1900/Penthouse... take an additional 10% off if you book the return (San Juan to Miami), plus on board credits. Crystal is a true luxury line with inclusive pretty much everything (including alcohol). I've never seen an inclusive "luxury" line anywhere near this. I think if someone wants to brave a cruise this fall, there will be some amazing deals. e: Regent posted their new protocols for restart: https://www.rssc.com/HealthSafetyProtocols quote:
slidebite fucked around with this message at 15:03 on Jun 12, 2020 |
# ¿ Jun 12, 2020 14:50 |