Old email from Nov 2007

I prefer Celebrity to RCCL. I think the food is better. I think the ships are better. Most importantly, I think the attitude is better, making their cruises better experiences overall. But, I'm confused. Royal Caribbean treats me better. On-board credits for future cruises: unless it has changed since May, Celebrity is now paying less money for my future loyalty. They will typically pay $50 OBC for a seven day cruise (based on total pricing below $2500), where RCCL has stayed at the flat $100 level for 7 days. In addition, RCCL allows you to transfer an advance booking to a group without losing the future OBC; X does not. Furthermore, RCCL has recently added an extra voucher to use for friends who book the same future sailing from home; X has nothing like that. Finally, their future cruise booking option with no specific reservation allows me to take advantage of "deals" when I'm home. Repeater discounts: Celebrity gives a one category upgrade inside-to-inside or outside-to-outside, not balcony-to-balcony, nor inside/outside or outside/balcony. For what I consider to be the typical booking, this too often is $10 per person - for the entire week!! On the other hand, RCCL's Diamond discount has enticed me to take more balconies. On-board amenities: the Celebrity coupon book is a joke! It has little value. How many times does anybody tour the backstage area or the galley? Bridge tours can be interesting, but probably only once or twice per class of ship. Discount coupons are a little better on RCCL (e.g., small amount of free internet minutes, vs small discount on large internet package). The best on-board amenity is the Concierge Club (aka Diamond on Freedom-class). The cappuccino etc available in the morning and the happy hour set-up are nice, but it's equally important to have such an oasis away from the crowds. X has nothing like this. The best example of what I like about Celebrity above everyone else is their public announcement policy, although I am concerned that this is gradually deteriorating. On my first few X cruises, the only ship-wide announcement was from/by the Captain from the bridge and that was only on sea days. Then the CD was added after the Captain, and, more recently, the CD has been making an announcement as the ship leaves a port of call. On the other hand, RCCL's announcements are more widespread, more often, and more annoying; they sometimes even have announcements in the dining room during meals. Why must revenue opportunities so blatantly interfere with the elements of cruising which were once so crucial? When the RCCL/X merger was announced, the hype promised that the food would improve on RCCL and the entertainment on X would be better. This was true to some extent, to the point that the distinction between the brands became blurry, so there were more changes instituted to re-establish their unique identities. I'm not sure, but I don't think anything was dropped, but rather new concepts helped to refine the separation. Unfortunately, I feel that was the beginning of the Carnivalization of RCCL. My standard comments have included the statement: "If I wanted Carnival, I could take Carnival, for less money." Do they archive the comments cards? The best (worst?) example of the Carnivalesque atmosphere on RCCL which I experienced was on the Freedom OTS a few weeks ago. The "Quest" activity/show is reputed to be a lot of fun. I don't know. I walked out during the juvenile cheer-leading nonsense during the pre-show portion. I understand the economics of these moves, both as a shareholder and as a passenger. But, I'm still confused about the direction I should be taking. I am currently booked on the Constellation (10 nights), Enchantment (4), Century (4), QM2 (6), Jewel (12+12), Navigator (4), and Rhapsody (17+18) from December 2007 through March 2009. I don't mean this as any type of a threat, but perhaps it's time to try Princess and HAL again. In 44 cruises(?), I've been on Princess once, HAL 4 times, and RCCL and X at least 10 times each.