MY PERSONAL JOURNEY FOR A “LUXURY VIP ALL-INCLUSIVE CRUISE VACATION”!

I wanted MORE from our next cruise vacation experience. I craved what I thought I remember cruising to be in the past. This is going to make me sound old which would be somewhat accurate. Back in the day, you created relationships with a ship’s crew rather than being treated like a number. Then again, my memory is so bad nowadays, I cannot remember what I ate yesterday. Remember past cruise experiences maybe inaccurate. Allow me to better establish my personal wants, needs, and motives. My hopes are they might be in alignment with yours.

I want my entire cruise experience to be elevated in every way the cruise brand can provide. The emphasis on better personalized service, dinning, bars, excursions, and entertainment. I also want to have or in my case, create an “All-Inclusive” cruise experience.

My “Wants” are simple so see if you agree?

I want:

An experience where “crew remember my name and the drink I like”.
My steak to be seasoned correctly and to the temperature I requested.
The server will wait until I cut and taste my food before leaving.
My wife to be treated like a queen at the pool with the server asking her what drinks she wants. Rather than forcing her to wait 45-minutes at the pool bar.
To go to the SPA for a massage and not have to be upsold to a higher price service.
To walk into the cruise ship without having to be FORCED to take five (5) pictures for an exorbitant price, before I even get to my stateroom.
To get a soda from my stateroom mini refrigerator and not have it show up as a $15.00 can of coke on my cabin tab.
To have a comfortable lounge chair by the pool on a sea day where somebody has not reserved it and never showed up the entire day.
To find a seat in the pool hot tub instead of waiting for the 10 unsupervised 8-year-old kids controlling it for the entire cruise.
To go to the buffet and not see folks touching food and then not put it on their plates.
To go to a show and not have to purposely sit in the back row by the exit to get out when I see the show is yet another awful attempt at entertainment.
The last morning of my cruise, to have the final financial statement come under my door with the amount owed of $0.00.
An All-Inclusive VIP Luxury Cruise Vacation even if I must orchestrate it.

You might think I am an angry, negative, old guy? “I Am!”. Or else you might see me as a person who has cruised a lot over the years. The truth is, I am an incredibly positive person that has learned a few valuable lessons on self-structuring cruises. If you have a goal on your cruise vacation, it is up to YOU to make it happen. This has led me to spend WAY TOO MUCH TIME planning future cruises. My endgame when I get on the plane to the port, is a stressless “All-Inclusive VIP Luxury Cruise Experience”. Let us talk about that plan and how to achieve it. First let us clarify what certain concepts mean to from my perspective.

All-Inclusive:

After taking the time to really drill down on most mainstream, premium and luxury brand; I have concluded. NO BRAND has a totally “All-Inclusive VIP Luxury Cruise Experience”. They all fall short even though most of them use of the words, “All-Inclusive”. This is all about how they market their product, not the result you will receive. Now we as consumers know this simple fact. We can take over the pre-cruise arrangements to achieve the true goal of “All-Inclusive”. What we cannot do is guarantee “Personalized Service” which is the true distinction of a Luxury Experience. That is the job only the luxury cruise brand can accomplish.

Brand Loyalty:

If you are doing research, be incredibly careful to sift through the information you gain. Brand loyalty is a huge thing and for some guests a deeply religious experience. Gather the information but you will really have to process it through a filter. The way I do this is to drill down deep with all the social media sources I can find on the brands I am evaluating. This process ends with question asked directly to the cruise brand once my social media research is completed.

Social Media Research:

Facebook Special Brand Cruise Groups: I went into many cruise brands on their Facebook pages and asked a lot of questions. I found cheer leaders for the brands instead of honest answers to my questions. When the groups found out I was collecting research, even thought it was to choose the right brand, they instantly became hateful. The lesson here was taking everything with a grain of salt. Look for consistent answers that make logical sense. These folks are in this group not to be contradicted or challenged. They want everyone to agree that their brand is perfect and walks on water. All I want to know is if that brand fairly does what they say it will do?
Reddit.com Cruise Directory: Oh my god, Reddit is one tough place to hang out. Everyone is an expert on every aspect of cruising. Much of the information is with folk that have an axe to grind. The same questions and responses are given, daily, weekly, and monthly. God, forbid you ask a question that has something to do with the Luxury Cruise Segment, All-Inclusive Cruises, VIP Luxury Area’s on Mainstream Cruise Brands or Suites vs. Inside Staterooms. It you mention the word “CruiseCritics.com” you will be instantly criticized. You really must sift through the information carefully. First you must get through all the folks complaining about not getting refunds, having to get a vaccine or wear a mask onboard, price increases, difficulty in figuring out fares, and rude brand customer services team member at ALL the cruise brands. Makes me wonder why these folks are even posting on a cruise board.
YouTube: A total and complete information dump by brands, marketers, travel agents, and so-called influencers. I got really into these video’s and found whom I thought would be a great choice for professional cruise travel agent. I reached out to this very well-known fellow on YouTube. To get a telephone conversation with him, I had to use his online calendar link program. I scheduled an appointment for one week down the road because that was his first opening. I prepared my questions well in advance. When the day happened, his call was late. I checked my email and found one. He said one of his clients had an emergency and he would be 15 minutes late to my call. I liked that, a true professional that takes emergencies from his clients seriously. Then I did not receive a call or correspondence for over 4 hours. I sent an email and his admin emailed me back. Said, he had to leave the office and I could book a time three days later. PASS on that and yes that insulted me. I also reached out to another YouTube Luxury Travel Agent. He was much better. He NEVER got back with me, so I was not disappointed at ALL. This again emphasized to me that if I really want accurate information, no Travel Agent will give me the time I needed to educate myself before I spent $25,000.00 on a 10-day luxury segment cruise to Europe.

With all this research done, I now have a better understanding of the “Rules to The Game”. I still needed much more pointed and accurate information. My approach was simple, create a list of things that was important to me. Follow that list up with items I was disappointed with past cruise experiences. These lists ended up being one list because the topics were so connected. Finally, do an excel spreadsheet comparison of each of the Luxury Cruise Brands I was considering by line item of what they offer and investment.

My List on What I Did Not Like in Past Cruise Experiences:

Massive Upselling: Whether a special chef’s tables, spa treatments, artwork, photographs, suite mini-fridge items, and the list goes on. It was not just a mention or suggestion. It was a full out frontal attack by the crew which negatively affected my cruise experience.
1. Solution:
  1. Mainstream Cruise Brand: Know upselling it is going to happen and have a pre-thought-out response ready. My favorite is, “I have NO interest at this time, thank you!” I also on day one, have the room Steward or Butler take all “for sale” items out of the stateroom. For the most part, problem solved.
  1. Premium Cruise Brands: Do not get fooled, it is the same as mainstream just a little more polished. Use the same technique as outlined above. On one brand, the “Suites Only” restaurant staff would not leave me alone on the “Chef’s Table” upsell. To say I was getting frustrated would be an understatement.
  1. Luxury Cruise Brands: Because most of these items are part of your cruise fare when taking a luxury cruise, the situation is almost eliminated. The exception is excursions. However, the approach is much more to let you know your options not to put a high-pressure sales presentation on you. Luxury Cruise Brands made their money on your initial cruise fare.
Finding A Comfortable Lounge Chair by the Pool: This is especially difficult on a sea day. Not finding a chair is fine. It is all the chairs that are seemingly reserved with no one near them. Some have elaborated homemade signage or personal items on the chair. I must add, I watch these chairs all day and rarely are they even utilized. This is so frustrating to me. Why are folks so selfish and rude? My instinct is to take their stuff off, put it to the side of the chair and sit down. Then I consider this might lead to a confrontation that would negatively affect my vacation.
1. Solution:
  1. Mainstream & Premium Cruise Brand: I simply book a suite that is in the special “Suites Only” area. NCL has the Haven, Celebrity has the Retreat and MSC has the Yacht Club. On the newer larger ships, this area is called the courtyard. They have private pools, hot tubs, sauna’s, steam rooms and sundecks. I will rarely go to the main ships pool unless it is for pool games, music, or a drink. Some of these exclusive areas have three decks exclusive to the suites.
  1. Luxury Cruise Brand: Rarely an issue. The fare is so much higher than a mainstream stateroom, the ship can afford to have plenty of room for anyone wanting a comfortable pool chair. The guests also know this and rarely hoard chairs. Unlike mainstream cruising, when on a luxury cruise and you leave your stateroom everyone on the ship is treated essentially the same.
Below Average Food in the Main Dining Rooms: If I went to eat at the complementary dining rooms, the quality would be like lower priced chain restaurant. I can do that from home. The fact that you can have as much food as you want and then some; is not my want, need, or my goal. The other side of the coin is I do not like when the dining is to fancy. Fine dining is nice for a special experience. My dream is good to great quality and exceptional service. Service makes the real difference.
1. Solution:
  1. Mainstream & Premium Cruise Brand: The solution here is like the issue with pool chairs. I simply book the “Suites Only” exclusive section. They usually have a “Suites Only Restaurant and Bar”. This is like eating at the best specialty restaurant on board a mainstream ship every night without the upcharge for the specialty restaurant. I have also found that most, not all the specialty restaurants are just OK.
  1. Luxury Cruise Brand: Every restaurant is generally good to excellent. Even the pool grill for burgers or dare I say it, the buffet. The only decision you need to make is the type of food you would like to have. Italian, Asian, French and the list goes on. You paid a premium for this quality and service. This also shows that regardless of the stateroom you are in, the dining options are for everyone equally. There are a few luxury brands that are exceptions. however, they are rare.
Inconsistent Personalized Service: If you have ever overseen training people, you know how hard it is to hire, develop and train with an emphasis on consistency. Now consider you have a ship with 4,000 plus passengers. Add to this “anytime” dining in multiple venues. In this situation, the guest will never make a connection with crew members, as they once did.
1. Solution:
  1. Mainstream & Premium Cruise Brand: Obviously if you are in a “Suite Only” VIP area, you will get better personalized service than on the rest of the ship. The crew in these areas must earn the right to be there. If you are not in one of these areas, you find your favorite bar and bar tender to connect with. You tip them on day one and continue to do so throughout your cruise. I assure you a connection will be made. Tip your room steward ½ their tip on day one or a bonus if tips are pre-paid on your account. Let them know the best times to clean your room so they are not interrupted when they begin. Due to the covid-19 situation, I write them a thank you note and over tip them due to the income loss that happened to them. A great attitude and kindness work every time.
  1. Luxury Cruise Brand: The ratio of crew to guest is substantially better on these smaller luxury ships. These crew members are much better trained on every level. The tips are usually included in the guest fare. Still, I would tip on day one and let them know how much we appreciate the hardship they have just gone through. The secret to a personal relationship on a cruise ship is a smile, sense of humor and showing you care enough to say, “thank you”. On any cruise ship, you get much more with “honey then with vinegar”.
Inability to Get Good Reservations for Specialty Restaurants and Excursions: What most guest do not understand is that most specialty restaurants need a reservation. Also, that the most popular excursions get sold out quickly especially the first cruises after covid-19. This is due to all cruise brands keeping their guests in a “Brand Excursion Covid Bubble”.
1. Mainstream and Premium Cruise Brands: Depending on the classification of your stateroom, you can have early access to specialty restaurant, shows and excursion reservations. Most of the time you must be paid in full. This gives the cruise line leverage to get all their money before it is normally required. Waiting until you get on the ship is a rookie mistake and will lead to some level of disappointment. It is true if you are in the “suites only” area, you might have some additional leverage on the ship, yet it is not absolute. My personality is I simply want it handled so I do not have to worry about it.
1. Luxury Cruise Brands: This is not as consistent as one might imagine. It again, as with mainstream cruise brands, depends on the level of stateroom provides priority when you can book. Also, when you are paid in full makes a difference. An example is Crystal Cruises provides you with one complementary night at each one of the three (3) specialty restaurants for a Deluxe Stateroom. If you are Penthouse or higher, you dine in these restaurants any night you wish, complementary. You cannot get a reservation until you pay in full. The difference in fare between staterooms is literally double. Other brands like Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection have ultra-special dining experiences at a significate investment. You must check your brand to understand what your stateroom provides and when you can book. Excursions are the same. The most popular ones sell out quick pre-cruise. On a Luxury Cruise Brand like Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC), all excursions are complementary, yet your stateroom category will give your priority. Once that excursion is gone, you are on waitlist. Being put on a waitlist takes away from the illusion I am on a Luxury Cruise Experience.
Embarkation and Disembark: Please remember the theme of this article is a Luxury VIP Cruise. The notion of easy on/easy off is especially important. It differs and you just must know the rules. I want to be on the ship as soon as they let guest get on. This comes from decades of traveling the entire world for business. My habit was to be on the airflight first every time. You simply can get settled and start to relax. Until that happens, I feel like things are going to mess up and I am stressed.
1. Mainstream and Premium Cruise Brands: All brands are not the same and this can and has been a stressful event for many. During Covid-19, this is going to be even more stressful. The only way you can get on the ship first or whenever you show up is by upgrading at a cost or in the “Suites Only” section. My last three cruises I sailed, from the time I dropped my bags off on the dock, to the time I was onboard with a drink was less than 30 minutes. Others were waiting in line in the port for over two (2) hours.
1. Luxury Cruise Brands: Many luxury brands have figured out to have the check in process onboard and not at the cruise port. To do this, they carefully make sure you do all your online check in documents, well before you arrive. I do mine the moment I make a booking. If they are not completed, a cruise representative calls you to help the process. As many now know, the initial cruise sailing out first after covid will be out of the Bahama’s. Their cruise port is not setup like Miami. If you are going luxury, you will walk onboard and seamlessly be processed. You might think this is a little thing, but it is important to start your cruise out on a good note.

Pre-Cruise Preparation to the Goal of an All-Inclusive VIP Luxury Cruise Experience:

Develop an Excel Spreadsheet Calendar: This might seem like a lot of work and it is. After I did the first calendar years ago, I just used the document as a template to make it easier. My goal was to have days and times so I could see my cruise on one page-at-a-glance. I would add days and times of key events. This really helped me create the outcome of All-Inclusive. As a side note, I am the only one in my family that is proactive prior to a vacation. With all these many details done, months before the cruise; I just hand my family the information just before we leave. They all make fun of me; however, they gladly take the document.
1. Initially: Embarkation, disembark, arrival and departure for every port, air travel on both ends.
1. Key Cruise Events: Excursions, shows and other events like enrichment as well as casino slot tournaments.
1. Coordination Events: I pick my Specialty Restaurants by what I was doing that day in an excursion. I also want the time of dinner to coordinate with a shower and pre-dinner drink. The shows are early and late. Since you do not want to be rushed during dinner, you coordinate the main shows with dinner times.
1. Net Result: You can organize your key events pre-cruise, so you do not have much to do once you get on the ship. I used to get upset when my dinner plans contradicted my other actives on that day. No more. Now, if I want to deviate, it is completely my call. I am in total control because of the pre-work done.
Monthly Pre-Paying Items that are Fun: Most of us have been waiting quite some time for our next cruise. To keep the excitement going, I pre-pay one every month. This also allows me to have everything bought and paid for pre-cruise. It becomes a self-made all-inclusive cruise experience. Not even a luxury cruise brand like Regent Seven Seas Cruises can do this. This approach works for mainstream, premium and luxury cruising. I will attempt to differentiate the approach by brand segment below. The below list has been done for my next cruise. What I pre-pay ahead of time includes:
1. Airfare: I am a Delta Airlines five million miler which makes me a Platinum for Life. My wife and I always get a first-class upgrade if you book the flight correctly. On major vacations, I use my points for Business Class flights especially for Europe. You must get those reserved just as they become available, so check the moment those flight can be booked online.
1. Airport VIP Lounge: Part of my plan is to have a nice place to relax at the airport. Since the layover airport seems to always be Atlanta, the Delta Airlines Crown Lounge is my favorite. However, access is awfully expensive. The solution is that I have gotten everyone in my family an American Express Platinum Card. The benefits give you access to the Delta club if you are flying on Delta. The best part of this lounge is complimentary drinks, food and highspeed internet. Some of the lounges even have showers. This is a great place during a several hours of lay over. The additional family AMEX cards cost me little or nothing and for my wife and children provide lots of perks.
1. Pre-Cruise Hotel: My choice of a hotel is always close to the port rather than to the airport. This means I check the different types of transportation from the airport to the hotel. I want a nice hotel room with a view if possible that does not break the bank. I used to use Priceline.com and bid. Now that bid process does not exist. I just shop all the normal sites. I am a lifetime Marriott Platinum Elite member, so my family gets room upgrades and entry to the Marriott Elite Club for drinks, snacks, and breakfast. This makes it easy to select Marriott Properties.
1. Pre-Cruise Dinner: I pre-reserve at a restaurant that I really like. For example, when departing from Miami, it is the Capital Grille. In New York, it is Carmine’s. Whenever possible, I use my American Express Points to have a high dollar restaurant gift card. My goal is an All-Inclusive experience, and the pre-hotel and dinner can be part of that plan.
1. Pre-Paid Gratuities: If you are on a Luxury Brand, gratuities are usually included. On Mainstream, you have the choice to pre-pay. I always pre-pay so nothing is on my stateroom account at the end of the cruise. I also like to limit the cash I take on the cruise. That being said, prior to cruise, have the tip envelope for key crew pre-done. After covid-19, I intend to over tip my crew due to the financial hardship they have just gone through.
1. Specialty Meal Packages: On mainstream cruises, if you bring your family, they usually do not get the specialty meal perks. Therefore, you must purchase a package for them. This allows the entire family can eat together at dinner meals. On luxury cruises, depending on stateroom, the guest may have limited specialty restaurant access. In many cases you can purchase more when onboard.
1. Adult Drink Package Upgrade: The best example of this is on the Mainstream brand NCL. They usually give everyone in a suite the “Premium Adult Drink Package”. I always upgrade to the “Premium Plus Adult Drink Package” for my wife and me. Amongst other things, this gives my wife the ability to have full bottles of selected wines at meals. The unused bottle can go to your suite for nighttime balcony wine which makes the trip for her. For me, there is no per drink cost limit and I can try things I normally would not have the opportunity to have.
1. Internet Upgrade: Luxury brands give your streaming internet as complementary for more than one device or guest. Mainstream brands give you 250 minutes for only one device. I always upgrade to high-speed and streaming. Everyone in the cabin shares the access. If my family want their own Wi-Fi service, they can pay for it themselves.
1. All Excursions: So many lessons over the years on excursions. Also, you learn what kind of excursions you like. To my knowledge, there is only one luxury brand that claims excursions are included. That is Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC). All other, you must pick and choose at an investment. This pick and choose notion are the same for mainstream cruising. As soon as I am able, I pick and pre-pay for my excursions. Then I put them on my excel calendar to coordinate with dinners and shows times.
1. Casino Tournaments Entries: I love to play slot machines. Most cruises have a slot tournament or two. I pre-purchase entry to everyone in my family. We never win however we always enjoy the process.
1. Transfers from Ship to Airport: Since I come in the day before the cruise, and I book my own hotel; I need transportation back to the airport. My normal approach is to use the buses the cruise brand offers. All cruise brands allow you to pre-book and pay for these transfers ahead of time. Luxury brands give you options of a private car or limo.
1. Pre-Cruise Correspondence:
  1. VIP Concierge Correspondence: Assuming you are booked in the Suites VIP area, you can send requests to the ship concierge pre-cruise.
  1. On Ship Concierge: I pre-do a formal letter to the ships Concierge. In it is ½ the tip upfront and I explain that. I have a few requests and want to connect with them that our family is very respectful to the jobs they do for us.
  1. On Ship Butler: As with the above Concierge, the Butler has their own correspondence. This depends on the brand, stateroom, and amenities provided. We all must remember; butlers tips are usually not part of a pre-paid gratuity even on Luxury Cruise Brands. Therefore, I again provide ½ of the tip in the letter upfront.
1. Special Note Utilizing On-Board-Credits (OBC):
  1. American Express Platinum Perks: I always use a travel agent that provides the American Express Platinum Perks. These change from brand to brand. They are usually $300.00 of on-board-credit (OBC). Some brands give you one night at a specialty restaurant for two. Others add another $200.00 on-board-credit for excursions.
  1. Specialty Shows: A new thing on many mainstream cruise brands is “Additional Cost Shows”. Having the additional OBC covers the expense.
  1. Unique Dining Experiences: Some brands have dining experiences that have themes. From the Chef’s table to a high-end champagne or wine dining experience. Again, an example of utilizing OBC if these events are of interest to you.
  1. Rock Star “Experience”: When I am with my family and I have lots of OBC, I consider some over-the-top champagne. There usually is a special on brands like Dom or Crystal. I make a big deal about this, so everyone enjoys this once in a lifetime experience.
  1. On-Board Shopping: I plan my trip, so my wife has as much OBC as possible to go jewelry shopping the last night. It is both a tradition and highlight to our cruise experience.

Conclusion:

Anyone can create an “All-Inclusive VIP Luxury Cruise Experience”. When I have shares some or all of what I do with friends, family, and social media; I am constantly criticized. The main criticism is the time and effort I put into the details. Folks want to tell me, “it is a vacation, and you should just go with the flow”. That is until that “Very Expensive” vacation has issues that simply cannot be resolved when you are on it.

Then everyone complains and what should have been a “Once in A Lifetime Positive Experience” became a disaster. Who is blamed? Me of course! What my family does not understand is that I really did spend four (4) decades traveling internationally. If there is a trick to surviving, I know what it is. Whether it is the right carry-on luggage so you can put your feet up during a five-hour flight delay; or the right place to eat at every airport, so you do not get sick. I have experienced it. It could be that I am always the first in line for a flight to get my luggage up and ask for a drink. This is while my family decides to go to the restroom or by a snack literally one minute before boarding. In my family, I have a rule. If you leave, you are on your own. I am on the plane having a drink. See you later. It only takes one mistake for them to understand my experience level.

I am no fool. Life has taught me that all the planning in the world will not completely guarantee total and complete success. Great strategic planning simply gives you much higher odds of success. I am OK with GREAT ODDS. I simply do not want the issue to be something I could have control.

There you have it. I thought it appropriate to let everyone know that my next family cruise is the end of November 2021. That is in over 270 days. Every aspect of this cruise vacation is organized, paid for in full and handled. The excel calendar has been completed for months. The American Express Dinning card has been ordered and the pre-cruise hotel has been paid for in full. The letters to all the crew members have been written and are ready to be printed. Set to go completely.

I am now bored out of my mind. The only thing left for me to do is book a cruise for let us say, the end of July 2021 for the Bahama’s on a Luxury Cruise Ship. Boy is my wife going to be piss off at me. You know my plan since you read this document. The final step is to wait for the right timing to tell my wife about our new adventure. Wish me luck, I am going to need it.

MY PERSONAL JOURNEY FOR A “LUXURY VIP ALL-INCLUSIVE CRUISE VACATION”!