Are Standards Slipping? Celebrity Eclipse - May 2017 - President’s Cruise.

My partner and I have been cruising with Celebrity for 6 years now I think this is our 7th cruise so we have spent 14 weeks on this ship in total and 7 days on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas for contrast. We have been getting less and less happy with Celebrity Eclipse over that time period and I would like to list the reasons. Overall it is nothing major that you can put a finger on just a long slow decline in overall service - to put it bluntly we pay the premium to get a premium cruise experience and initially that is exactly what we got but six years later it is only slightly better than Royal Caribbean yet still premium prices. The staff and the crew (with the glaring exception of the dire entertainment staff on this cruise) are as good as they always were but cutbacks in staff levels and service are obvious. We may as well sail with another cheaper cruise line because this is only “premium” in the minds of the senior management and staff - in reality it is just overpriced these days and the penny pinching Celebrity indulges in is frankly a bit embarrassing.

Anyway our beefs specifically for this “President’s” cruise we are on currently out of Southampton for which we paid more than usual.

Food is still excellent but there is less choice in the Ocean View Cafe. Main Dining Room has been cut down by adding the suite class dining room Lumiere and now we often have to wait before getting seated for Dinner - this almost never used to happen - not a big deal but we notice this stuff.

Bars are not stocked properly - asking a guest to wait 20 minutes before a non-alcoholic beer or a Heineken can be provided is just ludicrous at this level of cruising and should never happen, never used to.

Muzak throughout the ship in most areas is annoying, there is almost no place you can go where it is not present but it is better than Royal Caribbean (only just)

Live music is too loud and intrusive, guests (not just us) end up leaving comfortable lounges because the DJ turns up with his mobile rig or one of the house bands does a set. The demographic on this ship is middle aged to retired and does not appreciate modern “Dance” music. Background lounge music is fine but the all the various bands turn up and play excessively loud gigs, which would be fine in a live music event / party or outside on the pool deck, but not in a lounge setting except late at night, Its a cruise ship not the X factor auditions or Glastonbury. You cannot escape it, there is one lot in the sky lounge and another lot in the grand foyer and as soon as one stops the DJ is in there making an infernal racket - as for the DJ he should stay in his club where he belongs, he most certainly should never, ever be allowed to conduct another quiz, the one he did was frighteningly bad.

Kudos however to the guy that plays piano in the ensemble lounge - he is brilliant. Not too loud and provides good background music so you can relax and have a drink and chat without having to shout at each other, or listen / sing along if you want to. The ensemble lounge is now the only place on the entire ship not subjected to banging “music” for hours on end.

Kudos also to Jim Kennedy whose excellent beyond the podium lectures on NASA and the Shuttle Program have been educational, informative and inspiring.

Entertainment for many cruisers has been pretty poor, the worst of it being on one of the sea days because the Park West art people took over the sky lounge so the Ensemble Lounge was used for the afternoon quizzes - and we had people sitting all over the floor. This would NEVER have happened when Sue Denning was entertainment director on this ship unfortunately she is not. The guy who is however, although very impressed with himself is missing most of the time unless the President and / or Captain are present and I have rarely spotted any of the entertainment staff around the ship unless they absolutely have to be there; and when they are they are severely lacking in basic general knowledge themselves and it shows. The quizzes are amateurish badly put together rubbish, there is obviously no thought or preparation put in, just turn up, read the questions, hand out the prizes and get it over with. Crafting and other entertainments are extinct because Celebrity cut back entertainment staff some time ago, overall it has been boring and frustrating entertainment wise. I don’t know about the dancing classes and similar they may be terrific but from my POV and my friends aboard we have been disappointed by the lack of quality quizzes and no other activities to choose except dance classes. Lot of stuff for kids though - there are a couple of dozen at the very most aboard.

Re Park West - the guests on this ship have paid a lot of cash to use the facilities and I am personally very offended that Park West, who have an allocated art area as we know, are allowed to take over the biggest lounge on the ship to flog their dubious “art” at an auction attended by maybe 50 people, I counted whilst many more guests are chucked out and prevented from using the space by “art” blocking the seating. They can do this and in their own sales area, they should not be using any other area of the ship. I personally would not have any of their “art” given to me, and have several times mostly politely told them to keep their “free” art. I have no idea why Celebrity still have them aboard bearing in mind their reputation (google art at sea) but still I don’t mind as long as they stick to their part of the ship and out of my face.

The rest of the cruise has been pretty good as usual but the little details and penny pinching silliness have contributed to our growing concern that Celebrity is becoming very complacent and not looking after its existing clientele. We have booked a cruise on Solstice out of Southampton next year (Western Med in September) and will see if another ship is any better. Celebrity are obviously trying to attract a younger demographic unfortunately they are no longer catering for the people they have, and the younger set they want can’t afford it and are not due to turn up for another 20 years when they like us have got rid of their kids and paid off the mortgage.

Jonah

I wonder if some of the changes you noted were because it was a 'Presidents Cruise'? Some staff being moved to special events, more music everywhere....We were on the cruise before and didn't notice any significant difference...

We did, however, see far more painting going on than usual...we did joke that perhaps Lisa, like Queen Elizabeth, thinks that the whole world smells of paint because just before she arrives.....If this much effort is made pre cruise I am sure there would be some compromises of staffing during your cruise to cope with special/extra events. Were you aware of any special events? Did being on a Presidents Cruise have anything additional to offer? Interested to know...

Hope you enjoyed your cruise anyway, the itinerary looked fantastic.

There's a common theme here. You'll see some of the same criticisms, and long time loyalists with no or fewer future cruises booked, in other threads like the new $10 burger and hot dog charge, and a few more cut-backs threads.

Unfortunately, it's not standards, but just general cuts across so many areas that it's cheapened their whole cruise experience. As for paying for fast food now, that's what I experience on 3* cruise lines, not the 5* world that Celebrity claim to inhabit.

So sad to hear about the loud music. We are going on the Millie in September after being away from X for several years due to the loud music on previous cruises which drove us to choose other cruise lines for a few years. We were hoping that the loud music had gone away but....if it is on the Millie it will be most likely our last cruise with X. We do have two more future cruises with X but they are expensive for what they are and we can easily find better values with other cruise lines that don't kill us with overly loud music.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Made the same experience on the Reflection TA. Due to the many cutbacks the whole experience is not special anymore. It's disappinting how a wonderful product I've enjoyed so much was destroyed over the last few years. After 15 cruises and more than 200 nights on X I'm looking for alternatives.

Did anyone on the President's cruise ask Lisa Lutoff-Perlo how she wants to position X in the future?

Hope loud music is not back...took quite awhile to get rid of it. We have been pleased with recent improvements. Sounds like a step backwards. I still shudder recalling our cruise on Reflection a few years ago,. When we boarded, we were greeted by a very loud DJ and a noisy incessant bongo player, They and Miami DJ were all over the ship...it was shocking and awful...but in recent cruises has been so much better, with nice live mysic and very good appropriate DJs...like the one on our Halloween cruise on Infinity

Maybe they are trying to present what the CEO envisions as Modern Luxury...remember she came from Royal C and has brought more of that culture to Celeb....just a different experience. Royal ships are fun but were never the same level as Celeb in dining, service, ambiance and demographics. Now she brings that to X. Sad....

Curious if there was any push for fundraising for the Malala fund.,.not everyone is a fan. Miss the Breast Cancer awareness fundraisers. Everyone can relate to that as a good cause and was a very popular event.

I tell people all the time, that Celebrity hasn't slipped, it has evolved. When we started with them in 2001 they had five ships, Mercury and Galaxy were their biggest and the M-class was just launching. They had a great product, built around superior service with quality food and entertainment. Flash forward 16 years and the market is totally different. People want open seating, multiple restaurants, flashier ships and Celebrity has 3 times the cabins to fill. Name me any service industry that can triple in size and maintain staff quality. Our first cruise on Royal in 1984 was more upscale in food and service than the Celebrity product today. They had four ships in those days and Song of America (look that one up) was their flagship. You cannot find anything like that experience today short of Regent and Silver Seas. We left Celebrity five years ago but have returned for a couple of trips in Suite class. Luminae and Michaels offer some of the old service, but I agree with many of the OP's comments about use of venues, loud music and other issues. We just got off of the Silhouette TA and saw long lines for the MDR, Park West dominating the ship and there was a very weak and disconnected entertainment staff. That to me is one area where size has really impacted quality. Ten years ago, I could have named and recognized every CD in the Fleet. Two weeks after our cruise, I probably could not pick Eddy (not sure of his last name) out of a line up.

Why still cruise? We like the experience, it gets me away from the office and phone and we set our agenda. Celebrity is no worse than anyone else. Go read the HAL and Princess boards and this same discussion is happening. Look at what the airlines are doing with their new "Basic Economy" pricing. Everything changes and evolves, usually to sell seats/cabins while maintaining costs.

So, what we have done is taken control of the experience? We pick a line, ship and itinerary that works for us, pay for the level of service we want, and enjoy our experience. For those of you that have not sailed the Horizon, you cannot see the entire difference, while those who have only sailed S-class, it is not as great. The experience of sailing with 450 passengers on Regent Navigator is miles from sharing the Allure with 6000. Yet I know folks who have sailed those big ships multiple times and love it. Celebrity is still a good product, just not what it once was. Enjoy your next cruise, we will.

Made the same experience on the Reflection TA. Due to the many cutbacks the whole experience is not special anymore. It's disappointing how a wonderful product I've enjoyed so much was destroyed over the last few years. After 15 cruises and more than 200 nights on X I'm looking for alternatives.

 

Did anyone on the President's cruise ask Lisa Lutoff-Perlo how she wants to position X in the future?

Her positioning is obvious if you look at what their actions have been and the political posturing they've been taking. She's positioning hard to port, dime (surpassed nickel long ago) and quartering extra charges while reducing freebies and throwing the long time loyalists overboard for younger, new cruisers. All this while raising fares.

I will be taking my first Celebrity Cruise in September. I hope that the loud music is a bad rumor. I don't know why restaurants and ships and other public venues think that LOUD music is an asset. Screaming to have a conversation at dinner is not fun and with crowed tables next to each other; dinner ends up being a shout fest. Cruises are supposed to be relaxing not agitating.

Thank you for posting. We had this cruise booked when it first opened up before it was announced as The President's Cruise. When we booked we were to have 3 stops in Iceland for 4 days. They cut one port and shortened time in the other 2 so we canceled. I am so glad we did.

I tell people all the time, that Celebrity hasn't slipped, it has evolved. When we started with them in 2001 they had five ships, Mercury and Galaxy were their biggest and the M-class was just launching. They had a great product, built around superior service with quality food and entertainment. Flash forward 16 years and the market is totally different. People want open seating, multiple restaurants, flashier ships and Celebrity has 3 times the cabins to fill. Name me any service industry that can triple in size and maintain staff quality. Our first cruise on Royal in 1984 was more upscale in food and service than the Celebrity product today. They had four ships in those days and Song of America (look that one up) was their flagship. You cannot find anything like that experience today short of Regent and Silver Seas. We left Celebrity five years ago but have returned for a couple of trips in Suite class. Luminae and Michaels offer some of the old service, but I agree with many of the OP's comments about use of venues, loud music and other issues. We just got off of the Silhouette TA and saw long lines for the MDR, Park West dominating the ship and there was a very weak and disconnected entertainment staff. That to me is one area where size has really impacted quality. Ten years ago, I could have named and recognized every CD in the Fleet. Two weeks after our cruise, I probably could not pick Eddy (not sure of his last name) out of a line up.

 

Why still cruise? We like the experience, it gets me away from the office and phone and we set our agenda. Celebrity is no worse than anyone else. Go read the HAL and Princess boards and this same discussion is happening. Look at what the airlines are doing with their new "Basic Economy" pricing. Everything changes and evolves, usually to sell seats/cabins while maintaining costs.

 

So, what we have done is taken control of the experience? We pick a line, ship and itinerary that works for us, pay for the level of service we want, and enjoy our experience. For those of you that have not sailed the Horizon, you cannot see the entire difference, while those who have only sailed S-class, it is not as great. The experience of sailing with 450 passengers on Regent Navigator is miles from sharing the Allure with 6000. Yet I know folks who have sailed those big ships multiple times and love it. Celebrity is still a good product, just not what it once was. Enjoy your next cruise, we will.

t - thank you for the insight, which I, personally, did not have. about the previous ships and relating the service then to today.

As you have indicated, things are always evolving and we either roll with the changes or become selective or absent.

This also extends, for myself, to the website, beverage package and etc... when it is too bothersome, just move on.

Thank you again and bon voyage

Flash forward 16 years and the market is totally different. People want open seating, multiple restaurants, flashier ships and Celebrity has 3 times the cabins to fill.

Well, my DH and do not. We would love for things to go back to the way they were when the M class ships first came out. I would give anything to get the old "Platinum Club" (Millennium's name for the original martini bar) back.

My parents are currently on this cruise. They have been cruising for twenty years the last five exclusively on Celebrity. Unfortunately they report similar experiences.

Mum says that Eclipse is showing wear and tear, nothing major but she has noticed things this time round that she has not seen before such as torn, mended and frayed bedding. Small things but there nevertheless.

Their main complaint has been around the standard of food in the MDR, small portions and poor quality meat and fish. My mother was served a salad complete with part of the cellophane bag it came in, the wait staff were most apologetic. My father really is low maintenance but he sent a dirty glass and two chipped cups back. These attention to detail items I feel wouldn't have happened a few years back, the cuts to staffing are being felt.

I feel disappointed, I booked this cruise for them - it's probably their last as my mother isn't in great health and I really wanted them to make some great memories.

It's not all doom and gloom, they have enjoyed the destinations and say that the accessible cabin is enormous!

We have cruises with music too loud on X and some where the music was adjusted to a reasonable level.

My husband has recently gotten hearing aids that measure the decibel level; on our recent Equinox cruise the decibel level on deck 4 often ranged between 100-110. Music was from the DJ or piped in music at the Martini Bar or the band in the Foyer on Deck 3. Above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss, the longer you listen at high levels the greater the damage. The DJs wear sound cancelling headphone for a reason!

We had our pre-dinner drink inside the Gastropub which is nice but not our favorate, but the music wasn't deafening-literally!

We are going on Silhouette b2b for 19 days in Jan. Being we have never been on Celebrity before we wont know what we are missing and will just enjoy!

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

Don't expect improvements unless and until margins are squeezed due to passengers staying away. I just booked a December cruise and was able to get one of the last available cabins. Prices have doubled since I booked 2 days ago for the remaining cabins. Hopefully, people will cancel when final payment is due and I'll be able to move up. There will always be a few bargains, but they are becoming more rare. The market will dictate Celebrity's strategy!

I was in AQ on the Silhouette TA and I thought it was an excellent cruise.

I agree, cruising isn't special anymore. The longer we stay away, the easier it gets. I used to care a little bit but now I don't care a lot.

I was on Eclipse in January and again in April. the music at poolside is at ideal volume until things go live after lunch. Staff seems to think they can't show enthusiasm and energy unless volume is deafening.In the foyer for a before dinner drink I reall enjoy the music but volume is over the top. Impossible to converse at all. Loud does not equate to enjoyable.Will be back on Eclipse in January again and hope that all these comments will result in lower volume.

I will be taking my first Celebrity Cruise in September. I hope that the loud music is a bad rumor. I don't know why restaurants and ships and other public venues think that LOUD music is an asset. Screaming to have a conversation at dinner is not fun and with crowed tables next to each other; dinner ends up being a shout fest. Cruises are supposed to be relaxing not agitating.

g - to be sure there is usually NEVER any LOUD music in dining venues, if any at all. Just LOUD diners for the most part who may or may not be near your or at your table.

bon voyage

Well we are in our 60s and actually like the music played at the level they do on board. Sometimes we have asked if it could be turned up !

Maybe you should have gone to the silent disco...it would be just your cup of tea.

We are also on the Silhouette on the same cruise next September. It will be interesting to see how they cater for our varying tastes.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Forums mobile app

I have been disappointed with the quality of offerings in the Oceanview Cafe. They do make some attempt to offer a local taste when in certain ports and I wish that was extended.

Interesting to me that I have been reading two types of comments about the Oceanview Cafe. Some people complain that the food is not very good and they tend to avoid going there for lunch. Others complain that they don't go there because its too crowded. Seems like College students who complain the "The food stinks and they don't serve enough".

I 100% agree with the original poster. I truly hope that you pass all of your concerns on to the CEO. This line is slowly but surely going downhill, little by little but it's noticeable. It's unfortunate and sad for those of us who have been loyal and truly loved the cruising experience that was offered in the past. At this point they might as well simple merge completely with RCI as there is little difference in the brands now. Personally I think the entertainment staff is one of the biggest differences (for the worst) and the drink packages have meant the decline of the bar service and availability of some items. This makes me so sad☹️

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

....

 

Anyway our beefs specifically for this “President’s” cruise we are on currently out of Southampton for which we paid more than usual.

...h

I think you are finding out what many others have been discussing for a while...We are elite plus and just took our first non Celebrity cruise in over 10 years...and in future will not automatically book with them. In past we didn't even look around.

A question...When did you find out (pre cruise or during cruise) about losing 1 stop in Iceland?

(we did a 3 day "stopover" last September...[on way back from that first non-Celebrity cruise in 10 years] and rented a motor home...LOVED Iceland...will definitely go back again)

Why do they market a cruise as a "President's Cruise" ? Is there anything special about it? Seems a bit ego-centric, a holiday for the CEO that can be written off as a business expense.

I wouldn't be particularly thrilled just because the CEO of the cruise line is on board, anymore than I would be to find the CEO of my electricity supplier was on board. If anything I'd probably think so much attention will be paid on the CEO, staff will be on edge, staff will be in seminars and meetings, and I'm sure there will be no end of "special functions" we won't be invited to, that it might be worse than a normal cruise.

The one picture I've seen of LLP on the latest President cruise is her dining in Luminae....

I cruised on Eclipse in January and did not notice these things. I leave most of the comments on Cruise Director or entertainment aside as we don't do any of the cruise staff events so I can't comment on that. But as far as noise, I did not notice any louder Muzak or loud music by the pool. I walked through the pool area multiple times when the band was playing and it seemed fine. (Just got off Constellation though and the pool band was ridiculously loud every time I passed through). On our January cruise we found Oceanview to have different offerings than previous cruises but didn't notice an overall reduction. Shawarma was gone and Sushi has been moved to Sushi on 5 but pasta station was larger, deli station seemed to be more substantial after appearing cutback last year, and there were a number of new theme days with more international foods, Pie Day, etc. I also thought the ship was in great shape save for the lawn which was looking beat up.

If there was any negative that we noticed it was that the staff overall seemed less friendly, meaning fewer hellos in the hallways, Martini Bar staff was very unpleasant, etc. We did have an amazing butler and Luminae staff though so that helped balance the negative vibe from the rest of the ship staff. The weeks we cruised though the ship was in the middle of a few successive cruises of staff turnover ( by the hundreds each time) so that may have contributed.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums