CruiseHabit Bill

Whelp, I just came back and realized I never hit "submit reply" or something when I initially replied. Ooops. Absolutely. You, me, and everyone else. I suspect we'll get that news very soon, but as far as when things will go back to full capacity and such - no one knows that, and I suspect none of us will for a long while.

I just put out a new video that goes over NCL's new Peace of Mind program with heath and safety changes for when they start sailing again. I know a lot of folks have seen their one-pager or email on this, but I wanted to dive into what this actually looks like, how this meshes with expectations we've already established, which things may stick around years from now, etc. I'd love to get feedback on this and our other recent videos. Please subscribe while you're at it! Peace of Mind - NCL's New Health & Safety Measures Explained

It depends on what you enjoy doing, and the ship you're on for that period of time. I did a number of crossing when I was younger, and have another scheduled in December. I'm the type of person that can be pretty easily entertained for a week just enjoying the views, some live music, etc. If the ports of call you'll be visiting after the 7 sea nights are new to you, one nice thing to spend time doing is researching what you want to do in port. The crew, other passengers, and of course the shor-ex desk can all be good resources (retail staff are great BTW as they are usually off in port so they have lots of experience).

As we're always remote/home-based, that part isn't too different here. Most just worried about friends and family, and wishing we could take a vacation! For us, and many others I suspect, the weird part of this is the global nature of things. When a hurricane is coming we think, "oh, we could go to North Carolina." When tourist season makes things too busy for us to want to venture out, we think, "let's book a cruise" - but in this case, there isn't the same escape mechansim. On the upside, we're getting SO many home project done!

It almost certainly wouldn't be on Royal. As you said, Matt does a fine job of that already, and he's sullied my reputation among the bartenders anyway ? For your second question - both. What would you want to be different that would make a CruiseHabit group cruise more appealing than booking the same cruise if it wasn't a group? Friends there - sure, we agree. Anything else?

If there was a CruiseHabit group cruise, ya know, hypothetically, what would you want out of it? What cruise line/ship? What part of the world? What activities/events onboard? What would separate it from other cruises? Just curious - I welcome any open feedback.

Some people simply don't want to miss out on their vacation - which is understandable, but often comes at the expense of spreading illness. Keep in mind though that whether at work, on a cruise, or anywhere else, someone can be perfectly well-intentioned and not know they've got a cold (or any given ailment).

One option in Norway is using cellular. Much like when cruising Alaska, you spend a lot of time (though not as much as in AK sometimes) really close to shore. I've been doing much more Facebook Live, which is great to share with friends as they can see it live and later on. Tomorrow, timing allowing, I may do a broadcast live on YouTube. The advantage there is you may get more new folks tuning in if that's what you're looking for. Recording and posting later is always a nice option, but editing can become it's own job ? So jealous of the idea of Nieuw Statendam to Norway. My favorite destination, on a ship we thought was gorgeous.

Really looking forward to reading about your trip @Jedi Jason! It's been four or more years since our last DCL sailing, so while we've sailed with them a number of times, it's definitely not as clear in my mind as it once was. Your perspective will be interesting as well, given not only your cruising history, but the fact that you'll be seeing so many different family members look at this through different lenses. Stoked to see pics and updates, but more importantly, HAVE A BLAST! Oh, and two quick thoughts: -Get brunch at Palo, it's quite the spread. -Enjoy a drink at the Meridian Bar, located between Palo and Remy. Fantastic views and service - my favorite place after Cove Cafe, which I consider my home on DCL ?

Would be really interesting to survey cruisers after sailing and see what the divide in general opinion between those who have cruised and those who haven't. Onbaord experience, activities, etc could also change how people feel (in either direction - making it more or less appealing for some). For that, we've still got over a month before we get to see much.

So jealous! We'll be on for a one night preview on March 19th. If we'd not known about that event already we'd have been finding airfare to NYC yesterday ?

For us it varies a lot. Sometimes we are just looking to sail a particular ship and little else matters (though cheaper is of course better). Other times it's about the itinerary. When possible, we try and work in holidays - specifically holidays that we have off from work, but that don't greatly increase the cost of sailings. There are exceptions of course, like last month on Brilliance, when enjoying my drink at the R Bar I said, "oh, let's go to next cruise" and booked a sailing leaving in a couple weeks. I don't have impulse control problems.

As for the IV rooms - we've loved all three of ours. I think for those who like "lounging" on their verandah for hours, it doesn't work - but for those who like occasional time out on their balcony, the ability to remotely open the blackouts and have floor to ceiling views, and a lot of extra interior/air-conditioned space, it's a win. The good news is traditional verandahs are still avail on Edge class for those who do like lounging out for a long period of time. For us, we'll keep getting an IV every time. As for the retreat space, people that can't go into an area are going to want it, those booking suites or getting access otherwise will love it. This is true on any ship, of any layout, for any line. On Edge I'd be surprised if people aren't as upset by it since it's not as if other similar ships have this space open - while it's only for suite guests on this one ship. It's the first in it's class. That said, I'd also bet if they simply didn't make it obvious at the forward area of the jogging track, it'd be out of sight and out of mind (like Yacht Club on MSC).

I think the drink packages and 'experiences' are two of the big things that MSC overcomplicates - potentially putting some people off. We sailed Seaside with Fantastica, and next time, I'd be inclined to select Aurea for one simple reason: on Seaside (and some other ships) there is a seperate outdoor area and bar just for Aurea (and YC) guests. Is it necessary? Certainly not, at least on Seaside the design was such that even though the pool itself would get crowded, there was a ton of space to lounge. Still, on any contemporary line, the option of having a slightly less crowded area for sea days is interesting - depending on the cost of course. I'd not pay hundreds more, but I'd pay something, and the actual costs varies by sailing. We've been eyeing another MSC, so we'll see what's available when we figure that out.

Wow, you're right. Just looked at a photo from above and while the bar itself is covered...that's about it. I'm wondering if this might change on other ships, as I know some "re-engineering" was being done for a similar (though slightly different) problem on Edge.

So the 'maybe some cheaper sailings on the W coast' scenario happened. Must have been a hunch, huh? https://www.cruisehabit.com/cruise-deals/celebrity-millennium-adding-pacific-northwest-and-alaska-sailings-april

There have been lots of folks speculating about cruise prices because of coronavirus. Don't expect a ton on inventory to free up in the coming weeks, as people change their "I'm going to cancel" tune when they realize they're not getting money back, and any remaining inventory may be slower to move, but it's still a small number of cabins. Where you can keep an eye out is sailings that have just hit final payment. Cruise lines look at what percentage of people drop reservations at this time (remember, different lines have different policies here), and if they see higher churn than usual, that'll be a sign of weakened demand. There may be some cheaper W coast sailings later today too...

New podcast episodes are very much on the to-do list (long list of topics ready to go). Look for more videos (of a different style) dropping as well.

Blame us, just don't bill us. I actually had plans to sail Apex before then but have a conflict. I'm working on figuring that out now - too many cruises, too little time. At very least we'll go on for the day. I'll announce it once we work something out.

So first, what's not changing (in any material way): The physical ship. The build is the same. There have been tweaks to account for things like the bartenders getting drenched on the Magic Carpet and at the Sunset Bar whenever it rains. Things like that, the materials used on stairs in the Grand Plaza (the current materials scratch and were already changed in some places on Edge). I'm sure there are others, but these are minor and more about operational enhancements. For entertainment, Celebrity will continue to offer a combination of the more contemporary shows like Hype, Hot Summer Night's Dream, Elysium, etc (links to live blogs talking about each of those shows), as well as some more traditional mash-up type shows. This really isn't about Edge though, as Celebrity started producing these new-style shows several years ago. I first saw one (blanking on which) on Constellation over three years ago. Elysium we saw on Equinox in September. In other words, Edge got a lot of attention - even when it was for things Celebrity has been doing for a bit. I will say that the first batch of performances on Edge did leverage much of the technology in the theater a bit more than they do now - and I think that was a matter of trying out new stuff to see what works for a given show. Ric recently sailed Sky Princess, which has a VERY high-tech stage and actually said he found the use of tech distracting - but conceded it's likely a matter of "play with new stuff, see what works" as that ship had been sailing just a short time when he boarded. Entertainment in Eden will change, and while I can't share too much about how, when Celebrity says each night will be a different show, they mean it (they aren't just saying each is different as in it's a dynamic performance). They'll still have that Edge quality, but in the first year Edge sailed we saw MANY adjustments to Eden (some which we liked, others which we saw as them having to water things down a bit). I really like some of the new shows I've heard about coming to Apex, and as someone who LOVES Eden, I'm looking forward to this more than I am fearing change. I've actually not got any insight into cuisine changes themselves. I know the feedback on the multiple MDR setup has been extremely positive, and Edge has had good guest responses all around cuisine. Yes, some find the cuisine in Eden Restaurant too "exotic", and if I am being honest, it's hard for me to grasp how. I found the food well prepared, with flavors and textures that were thoughtfully combined. Presentation was unique (and has been tweaked in the first year), but aside from sea-urchin, I don't recall much on the menu that most people aren't accustomed to eating, just prepared differently. Don't like sea-urchin? Afraid to try something new? Don't order it. I think you see a lot of strong opinion shining through here ? Celebrity, I am confident, is not going to "over correct". Yes, people like things that companies do, and they don't like when those things go away or change. The good news is that Edge offers a wide variety of entertainment and dining options, so it's not as if anyone is being forced into audience-participation during Eden or force-fed any given menu item. If they go back, they don't innovate, and if they don't innovate, they only keep those happy who don't want change, the current customers who welcome it, and the millions of potential cruisers that haven't tried the product yet, those are the people they're eyeing. To wrap up my thoughts for now, a lot of this is in messaging. When a traditional cruiser who isn't interested in trying new stuff sees an ad that touts the innovative things happening in Eden, they decide it's not for them. Ask that same person if they're interested in seeing aerialists, eating XYZ foods, etc, and they just might be. Every line learns and tweaks second builds (which is one of the things I love), but messaging will be tweaked too - making sure the right message gets to the right people, even when that means different messages going to different folks who are all about to enjoy the same ship.

Oceanview on this class may be our favorite. Great location for spending a lot of time there (albeit a long run to a restroom)! This could be a good spot for us on this mild-temperature cruise.

I went to give you a badge for just this occasion...and realized it's not enabled. Will have to do that when on a computer. Thanks for joining us!

This weekend we're setting sail for a quick cruise on Celebrity Infinity. I realized it's been several years since we were on a Millennium Class ship from X (Edge has our heart) and while I remember loving Constellation, I'm not sure what's different on Infinity, or anything in particular I should be looking for. Thoughts?

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