If I can throw my 2 cents in...This discussion might be enough to deter people from cruising altogether.
Points were made and acknowledged. But, let's remember, others come to this board for suggestions and most of them are intelligent enough to read between the lines...so to speak. OK, bad pun.
Cruising is such a great experience, I'd hate to think newbies might be discouraged by thinking every ship will have mechanical difficulties or engine fires. I'm not saying we shouldn't report facts, but let's not scare the heck out of future cruisers.
Everyone on this board loves cruising, they appreciate input, and will comprehend thoughtful reviews.
I agree with you about not just focusing on one-time problems that can happen on any cruise line be it Celebrity, Princess, Crystal or any cruise line. I am sure most of us experienced cruisers could go on for pages with stories of ONE-TIME problems that can happen on any cruise ship. At the end of the day they are just things that do occasionally happen and in most all cases action was taken by the cruise line to solve the problem, to ensure that it will not happen again.
As my old English teacher used refer to "my poor writing skills" may be the reason why my report of this fault in some Celebrity ships is usually summarily dismissed by some posters. In my view, there is a huge difference between a one-time problem or incident and a recurring problem that happens from time to time and would appear to be on-going, with no permanent fix.
As Triton said "My point is that like Nurse Debra states, one rotten experience can ruin a cruiser's trust" may be true for some, but certainly not for me. The propulsion problems with the Millennium, Summit and Infinity is NOT an example of one rotten experience, but in fact, the same rotten experience that has repeated itself some twenty times and in one way or another affected tens of thousands of cruise passengers. Any one-time problem that would happen on any of my cruises (and believe me they have) that is corrected by the cruise line would in no way ruin my trust in that cruise line. What would ruin my trust would be the fact that the very same recurring problem had been going on for years before my cruise and has continued to happen after my cruise.
Cruising is a wonderful experience or I certainly would not continue to cruise. I am sure that most new cruisers on this board are probably just interested in getting information that could affect their future cruises and are not interested in past one-time problems that have been permanently fixed. For those on this board who try to just lump this problem in with normal one-time problems, I just happen to feel that all passengers should at the very least have a right to be aware of this design fault, or whatever Celebrity wants to call it. It is then up to each cruiser to make their own decision on whether the possibility of this problem happening on their cruise is just part of the slight normal risk inherent in taking a cruise or something more serious.
We all have different experiences and certainly different view points but whenever I see posts like “No need to worry. Pod problems are not an issue” or “the problem has been solved” or stories of one-time things that can happen on any cruise ship, it does sometimes give me reason to pause.
Debra
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With integrity nothing else matters; without it nothing else matters.
So what was the outcome of the choice you had to make.
Hi longboysfan,
Since you asked, the outcome of the choice I had to make has been that with experience one can learn. After being bitten with those mechanical problems on Celebrity mclass ships, I have moved on to Princess and ever since have had five fantastic cruises with no missed ports, or shortened port times. I also have enjoyed the benefits of great ship maintenance, service, food and entertainment on Princess.
Debra
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With integrity nothing else matters; without it nothing else matters.
By the way folks, Nurse Debra's first pod comment was enough and I found it well worded. Those of you who are bugged by the repetition of her posts would do far better ignoring them than commenting on them, because now all we have is yet another thread about Celebrity's on-going pod problem.
Playing Devil's advocate, if her goal is to disrupt every thread in this board about Millie with comments about their pods then you couldn't have played into her hands any better.
However, I found her first comment to be reasonable and well-worded. I was pleased she toned it down a notch. If other people had not egged her on we would have had a much more informative discussion about the merits of both cruise lines rather than yet another thread about the pods on Millie.
Think about it folks - let her say her piece and do not comment, and all of these conversations will have a much better outcome.
As for me - if the original poster is new to cruising, then yes, the pod issue could be important. Early cruisers are often very selective about their port decisions.
Therefore I would have asked the OP what they are hoping to find in a cruise - great food, service, entertainment, shore excursions, etc.
The differences between Celebrity Millie class and Holland are pretty small, especially with the Noordam which is a beautiful newer ship. About the same size, # of passengers, etc.
I find the dining room food on Celebrity to be better, but I prefer the ambience of the HAL ships. Celebrity is more focused on food & wine, while HAL is more focused on enrichment and culture (in my book). I enjoy the library and movies on HAL, and I find their cabins more comfortable.
Nurse Debra - if the only issue you ever had with Celebrity was the pod issue, then you are really missing out by not going on the Solstice class. Those are some of the most beautiful new ships anywhere.
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NCL Epic!
I am editor, but I am here to discuss cruise topics like any other user. This may include speculation, playing the devil's advocate, or merely asking questions for the sake of conversation. Nothing I say should be considered factual or my personal opinion unless I specifically state it is such. All opinions, when stated, are my own. Thanks for understanding!
Are you quite sure that the Solstice class ships do not have this pod problem? After all if they have recurring problems for the other classes, one's first thoughts are that they must have been getting their pods from the same manufacturer with the same old faulty design.
They do not have a problem with the Pods on the S class ships and they did not have problems with the pods on all classes of their ships only the M class ones...
Since you asked, the outcome of the choice I had to make has been that with experience one can learn. After being bitten with those mechanical problems on Celebrity mclass ships, I have moved on to Princess and ever since have had five fantastic cruises with no missed ports, or shortened port times. I also have enjoyed the benefits of great ship maintenance, service, food and entertainment on Princess.
Debra
Thanks for the reply. We did one Princess cruise and never went back.
But that's another story for another day......
As long as you enjoyed your trip.... That is what counts.
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We be Cruzin... Summitt - from San Juan.
January 2nd - ...... To the South.
Are you quite sure that the Solstice class ships do not have this pod problem? After all if they have recurring problems for the other classes, one's first thoughts are that they must have been getting their pods from the same manufacturer with the same old faulty design.
The switched manufacturers of the pods. They replaced the defective ones with another companys.
So the same company did not have the pod contract for the Solstice series ships as the Millie series ships.
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We be Cruzin... Summitt - from San Juan.
January 2nd - ...... To the South.
Two cents
Peg
let her say her piece and do not comment, and all of these conversations will have a much better outcome.
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