Just returned from cruise - don't get it...

Speaking of not enough time in ports, a few years ago, we were on a coastal
cruise and it was too rough to tender into Monterey so the captain got
clearance to go on to San Francisco. We got there at 3PM and didn't leave
until 6PM the next day. The passengers had a great time at the city by the
bay.
Don


"deedee_tv" wrote in message
. ..
I just returned from a 7 day western Caribbean cruise on Celebrity
Century.
I guess it is me but I don't get it. Although this was my first cruise, I
have traveled extensively (25+ European trips, 5 trips to Far East,
Hawaii...). I really did not enjoy the cruise. The food was OK but
seemed
to emphasize quantity over quality. I saw people ordering 3 shrimp
cocktails each dinner even though it wasn't a menu option. I definitely
do
not care for the "all you can eat" mentality.

I had to start thinking about wardrobe options about a month prior and
needed $700 worth of clothes to fulfill the requirements of the evening
dress code. I followed the guidelines but was in the top 5-10% in terms
of
actually wearing what was "required".

The port destinations were far too short to accomplish anything. All
ports
(Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozamel and Key West) left you in the
most touristy areas which gave little ability to get to see the country.

I ended up with the $3000+ cruise price plus an additional $1600 spend on
board for shore excursions, drinks, spa treatments, bingo and very light
gambling.

I don't need that much structure to relax. I know people who rave about
cruising but give me a condo on just about any beach and the ability to
pick
which restaurant I eat at in the evening and I will save thousands and be
much happier.

Am I alone here?

Speaking of not enough time in ports, a few years ago, we were on a coastal
cruise and it was too rough to tender into Monterey so the captain got
clearance to go on to San Francisco. We got there at 3PM and didn't leave
until 6PM the next day. The passengers had a great time at the city by the
bay.
Don


"deedee_tv" wrote in message
. ..
I just returned from a 7 day western Caribbean cruise on Celebrity
Century.
I guess it is me but I don't get it. Although this was my first cruise, I
have traveled extensively (25+ European trips, 5 trips to Far East,
Hawaii...). I really did not enjoy the cruise. The food was OK but
seemed
to emphasize quantity over quality. I saw people ordering 3 shrimp
cocktails each dinner even though it wasn't a menu option. I definitely
do
not care for the "all you can eat" mentality.

I had to start thinking about wardrobe options about a month prior and
needed $700 worth of clothes to fulfill the requirements of the evening
dress code. I followed the guidelines but was in the top 5-10% in terms
of
actually wearing what was "required".

The port destinations were far too short to accomplish anything. All
ports
(Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozamel and Key West) left you in the
most touristy areas which gave little ability to get to see the country.

I ended up with the $3000+ cruise price plus an additional $1600 spend on
board for shore excursions, drinks, spa treatments, bingo and very light
gambling.

I don't need that much structure to relax. I know people who rave about
cruising but give me a condo on just about any beach and the ability to
pick
which restaurant I eat at in the evening and I will save thousands and be
much happier.

Am I alone here?

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 14:03:34 GMT, Benjamin Smith
wrote:

Totally irrelevant to the points the poster made. I see no need to
investigate the poster's character based on the post.

Hi Ben,

The OP was the one that mentioned the very high amount of money he/she
spent on clothing. I would hardly classify a 3-second Google inquiry
as an investigation. I guess we disagree on this.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 14:03:34 GMT, Benjamin Smith
wrote:

Totally irrelevant to the points the poster made. I see no need to
investigate the poster's character based on the post.

Hi Ben,

The OP was the one that mentioned the very high amount of money he/she
spent on clothing. I would hardly classify a 3-second Google inquiry
as an investigation. I guess we disagree on this.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com

In article , *bicker*
wrote:

I suspect that that is about what we'll spend. Thanks for
the benchmark.

You don't have to spend anything. It varies person to person. For
example I am not a cruise lines favorite revenue enhancer. I don't
gamble, I don't drink very much, and I usually do the islands on my
own. But I have seen other people spend $6000. I don't think it matters
whether you are on a cruise or land vacation. It is more how you
normally spend.

I cannot believe that you're alone. I know that I'd,
personally, go crazy with that sort of plan.

I don't think cruising is for everyone. Personally though I have found
that a cruise gives me the best possibilty to unwind and relax.
Everything is taken care of. It is totally up to you if you want to do
any activity or no activity. I cruise to relax and unwind. After I
retire I probably won't cruise as much. When I was doing all land
vacations, I was returning to work more tired than before the vacation.

As for the dress evenings. Almost every ship nowadays has some
alternative dining area for those who want to skip dress up.

Still even if you dress up like I do, you don't have to spend a fortune
on it. You can find appropriate dress up clothes that are not
expensive. For a man a tuxedo can actually be the inexpensive option. I
found a very nice Tux at Syms that has lasted up to now for $155. That
is quite a bit cheaper than any suit I own.

--
Charles

In article , *bicker*
wrote:

I suspect that that is about what we'll spend. Thanks for
the benchmark.

You don't have to spend anything. It varies person to person. For
example I am not a cruise lines favorite revenue enhancer. I don't
gamble, I don't drink very much, and I usually do the islands on my
own. But I have seen other people spend $6000. I don't think it matters
whether you are on a cruise or land vacation. It is more how you
normally spend.

I cannot believe that you're alone. I know that I'd,
personally, go crazy with that sort of plan.

I don't think cruising is for everyone. Personally though I have found
that a cruise gives me the best possibilty to unwind and relax.
Everything is taken care of. It is totally up to you if you want to do
any activity or no activity. I cruise to relax and unwind. After I
retire I probably won't cruise as much. When I was doing all land
vacations, I was returning to work more tired than before the vacation.

As for the dress evenings. Almost every ship nowadays has some
alternative dining area for those who want to skip dress up.

Still even if you dress up like I do, you don't have to spend a fortune
on it. You can find appropriate dress up clothes that are not
expensive. For a man a tuxedo can actually be the inexpensive option. I
found a very nice Tux at Syms that has lasted up to now for $155. That
is quite a bit cheaper than any suit I own.

--
Charles

In article .net,
Benjamin Smith wrote:

I don't care for beaches or condos.

I like beaches. I tried the condo at the beach one time. Never again.
The condo at the beach was a total bore. I can and have done a resort
at the beach though, where there is interaction with other people, that
can be good, just not as good as a cruise.

--
Charles

You are not alone. My partner is not a fan of cruises. He goes with me now
and then to appease me, but he doesn't get it either. He feels the shows
are repetitive (on all ships), cabins small (compared to a hotel), food
mediocre (compared to restaurants on shore), and time spent in port too
short. In short he finds a cruise boring. He has valid points to be
certain, especially concerning the cruise industry today. The experience
has become too homogenized on ships that are far too much alike one another.
I guess that is what happens when a product is opened up to the masses. It
becomes affordable but there are trade-offs to be certain. So I can
understand where he is coming from, but I am still fascinated by the
physical aspect of ships and being at sea. I love the sea and the closer I
am to it the happier I am. As of late I have become a bit turned off to the
entire "cruise experience", but I will continue to choose them as my main
form of vacation so long as I still find ships interesting and they offer a
good value.

I actually like the structured environment as I don't want to worry about
what to wear or where I'm going to eat that night. That is how I can relax
on vacation, by having those decisions made for me. My partner is just the
opposite. He wants to fly to a city, pick his hotel, have a rental car,
decide what to wear on a whim, and choose from thousands of great
restaurants. I find that a lot of work! I fly for a major airline for a
living and the last thing I want to do is fly to a city and stay at another
hotel. That's all I do week after week. A cruise is really something
different for me, but if cruise lines don't get beyond the mass-market
mentality of nickel and diming, declining food and service, typical evening
shows, declining overall quality, etc. I will be forced to look at other
options. I guess I'm one of the few who would rather pay a few more dollars
for the cruise ticket rather then have the onboard product decline any
further. At the very least I will have to consider the luxury cruise lines
more so in the future which will cut into my vacation dollar and translate
to less cruises, or something like an all-inclusive resort (which I probably
wouldn't find as interesting as a ship).

So you are not alone, but don't expect too many sympathizers on a newsgroup
devoted to cruise advocates.

Ernie

A Sun, 11 Jul 2004 09:59:53 -0400, *bicker*
escribió:
Does the term "required" appears anywhere in Celebrity's
information?

Their web site was down earlier. It's back up now. Here's
what they say:

"For the formal nights, including the Captain's Welcome
Aboard Cocktail Party, dinner on the second night, and the
Captain's Farewell Dinner held the next-to-last night of the
cruise; both men and women MAY PREFER more dressy attire,
such as an evening gown for women and a tuxedo or dress suit
for men." [Emphasis added.]

So, again, the issue is a matter of passenger preference,
not any requirement.


--
bicker®
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/D...ry_040602.html

*bicker* wrote in news:40f17a19.103272625
@news.comcast.giganews.com:

A Sun, 11 Jul 2004 09:59:53 -0400, *bicker*
escribió:
Does the term "required" appears anywhere in Celebrity's
information?

Their web site was down earlier. It's back up now. Here's
what they say:

"For the formal nights, including the Captain's Welcome
Aboard Cocktail Party, dinner on the second night, and the
Captain's Farewell Dinner held the next-to-last night of the
cruise; both men and women MAY PREFER more dressy attire,
such as an evening gown for women and a tuxedo or dress suit
for men." [Emphasis added.]

So, again, the issue is a matter of passenger preference,
not any requirement.


--
bicker®
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/D...ry_040602.html


What a change from seven years ago when the Maitre D was the clothing
police on board ready to bounce offending parties from the dining room for
failure to wear the required dark suit or tux.