bonagrad

4 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Many people don't like change.  There are those who cruise Carnival and either don't like or won't sail on the Excel Class ships because they think they're too big.  The Vista Class is 133.5 K tons and the Excel is 180 K tons.  These people obviously have not sailed on any of the recent builds over the past 10 years on NCL or RCI that are all bigger than the Vista Class   

The same is true for the new Prima on NCL.  She is so different from the rest of their fleet that many NCL diehards hate her, but those who have sailed on various lines appreciate the upgrades that NCL has done with this new class of ship.

Cruise lines have to find ways to attract younger generations.  The old style cruise doesn't attract younger generations.  We're in our late 40s and have been cruising since 2005.  We've seen a lot of change over that time and I have to admit some things we miss, but also enjoy some of the changes.  I personally enjoy seeing new ships and exploring them.  One thing I don't necessarily love about Princess is there isn't necessarily enough differentiation among ship to get me too excited.  I'm really excited to see Sun, just as I was to sail on Celebrity Apex last year.

47 minutes ago, omeinv said:

Likely you were connected to a rep that normally handles TA inquires, rather than direct customers.  This happens because Celebrity will use available staff to try to keep hold times down.  Those reps would have hold messages geared toward TAs rather than the direct customer. 

 

You're correct that Cruising Power is a TA tool, that wouldn't be of value to those of us who book direct. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

This is correct, Cruisingpower is the TA portal for both Royal and Celebrity.  It's also referred to as Espresso.

8 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I read recently that US airlines make more net profit on checked baggage fees than any other line item.

Wait till they add a credit card reader to the overhead bins!  $5 per open!  Oh and I'm sure it's coming to the bathrooms as well!

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

Some of you are cute in your outrage. Perplexed that your letter didn't receive a personal apology from the CEO, followed by a policy reversal.

 

Change can happen absolutely based on feedback. However, it's around trends. If it significantly affects their bottom line, they will rethink (probably making different cuts). Stop getting so worked up that your individual feedback didn't change the world. 

 

Generally, large companies have extensive experience in change management. The majority of changes affect a smaller portion of customers, with a disproportionately larger cost. They know there's going to be backlash. They aren't stupid. They're betting that most either don't care or get over it. The people you are talking to, who you think are going to change the world, are trained to repeat the corporate speak.

51 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

In general I agree with you.  But the combined, consistent feedback of many individuals on a single issue sometimes has the intended effect.

Exactly!  It's the collective response, which is why people should speak up.  Cruise lines often reverse course based on a large amount of customer feedback.  

3 hours ago, D C said:

Omg, that reads like a Celebrity-paid infomercial script.  I guess people must believe that Daniel Boulud is in the galley, blessing their food before it's served. 

The "article" came out on 1/12, right as the changes were coming to light.  This is 100% a PR pushed article.  Get a high profile publication to publish a fluff piece to try and draw new cruisers to potentially replace frequent frustrated cruisers who are mad about the changes.  This is aimed at a non-cruiser luxury market.  I literally laughed out loud when this article dropped given what we know is actually going on!

8 minutes ago, Cruising Cindy Lou said:

In December on Edge they had a station open in OV that made Gyros to order one night and then another night they had these delicious India wraps made to order.  Those 2 nights were the only nights I saw this station being used.  I kept asking when they would have those wraps again.  They could change up a station in OV that is made to order food and not have waste and make us NOT mdr people happy. 

Princess does that.  They have a different made to order station nightly.  One night it'll be Mexican, the next night ramen, the German, etc.  It's really nice.

15 hours ago, D C said:

 

 

Which is why team "They're just reducing waste" is off their rocker. 

 

Pasta:literally cheaper than the roundoff error for the budget on any given sailing. 

Grille station: thaw what you think you need, plus 10%. Get it wrong and it'll still be good tomorrow. 

 

In hindsight, our Infinity sailing in November was probably starting in on cutbacks.  DW wanted to dine outside at the sunset, but I noticed they didn't have a grille station open.  Another night, same thing. She had pasta for dinner while I wandered around a decently outfitted buffet and eventually had a collection of disappointment for dinner. The grille station was open but serving so-so burgers 

 

I agree, but I'm just working with what they're feeding me.  Two of the three times I've talked to the "Executive" admins, they stated that the changes were largely due to waste.  So, if they want to use waste as a reason, we can point our why the happy medium we've suggested reduces waste.  Use their buzz words and maybe that'll get more attention! 

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

I personally like the bolded ONLY.  And the fact that you needed to make it clear your opinion about OVC diners.  

And, there it's not fascination with the OVC, it's lifestyle.  As I know we've both stated before, we don't enjoy the 2+ hour slog of the MDR.  I'm not sure why people don't understand that not everyone likes that.

32 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

 

I like the way you think.  I think we're on the same Reflection cruise in April.  I'll probably still eat in the OVC more often than not.  You'll probably see me there (though you won't know it!  🙂 )  And my guy is from Utica/Syracuse, but we just moved down to Florida last year.  Sorry about the Bills.  🙂

We are indeed and we will most likely still be in the OVC, hopefully with a little more choice!  And no need to be sorry about the Bills!  I'm a 49ers fan and my DW is a Dolphins fan.

57 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

 

Exactly.  As someone with significant - and potentially fatal - food allergies, being able to get non-seafood choices and sometimes vegetarian choices (that aren't pasta or wilted lettuce) is important to me.  The stir-fry station was fantastic for that, as was the Indian station.  Carved meats are good because I don't have to worry about what might be in a sauce or gravy.  I let the special needs department know my concerns, and they've always been really great about making sure I knew what was safe for me to have.  But there are some things I never have to worry about, and having those as options really makes a huge difference in the quality of my vacation.  For my husband, who doesn't eat seafood at all and for whom a simple meal is best (and who doesn't WANT to be served every night or sit for 2 hours for his dinner more than maybe once on a cruise) it's absolutely an issue.

 

I mean, I suppose some people would be happy if the exact same menu was 'available' in the MDR every night with absolutely no variation because hey, it's 'available', and if you don't want to eat banquet grilled chicken and mac  & cheese every night, you can always go to a pay venue for an upcharge, right?  Oh, and as someone mentioned earlier, good luck getting a reservation. 

 

And the only specialty restaurant that really works for us is the Tuscan Grille.  And maybe the Lawn Club Grille on ships that have that.  So most of those other restaurants are simply out as options for us, pay or otherwise.

 

I'm guessing a lot of passengers would be upset if the only choice for breakfast & lunch was the OVC, no MDR,  no Blu, no Luminae, no room service - and only limited options for free for dinner in the evening, but lots that you can pay for!  After all, you're on a cruise!  So just enjoy.

Looks like we'll be seeing you in the OVC on Reflection in April!

15 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Fire up the grill, pasta and stir fry station with salad and soup , very little waste 

And they could implement that within a couple weeks no problem!  Adjust the their weekly stock order, put a few more staff in the OVC and be done with it!  I think it's the happy medium everyone wants.

4 hours ago, RTShaker said:

As of this morning it appears that there are more people overall that do eat at the buffet than not by a small margin.

53% at least once.  17% 3-7, which for 3,000 people is 510 people, which is probably about the total number per night across the stated groups.  That's not an insignificant number of people.  Using a mostly made-to-order concept, there is a lot they could do and still reduce cost and waste.

8 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

None of us like the cut backs but I for one feel it is nessary and long overdue. Correct me if I am wrong... they have limited the  the food options for dinner at the OV buffet because a limited number of people actually have dinner there but it's still AVAILABLE. Lobster you still get one but pay for a second you still can order say a steak dinner and lobster tail for no extra cost. Look I can get lobster tail at home from Publix and eat all I want but I pay for it. This is reasonable for me. Room service is still free in the morning for all continental breakfasts with coffee. Sounds reasonable to me. Suite guests get more amenities because they pay more no one is stopping any of us from taking a suite. The food in Luminae is no better any worse than the food in the Main dining room. We all know food prices have skyrocketed so some adjustment should be expected and understood. I feel we are all treated almost like Royalty on cruises by the crew. One class only first class! I book a suite on my longer cruises 14 days or more only for the cabin size not to be treated any better because I am not. If my wife would cut back on all the luggage the Ocean View cabin would work fine.

Still available and sufficient are not the same thing and what' sufficient is subjective.  As someone that dines at OVC for dinner, not having made to order protein and a good selection of vegetables is not sufficient.  I'm not paying just for available.  If that we the case, I'd stay home. 

22 hours ago, D C said:

Not sure why it would remind you of that.  For the first time since we started sailing, we do not have a future cruise booked with X, nor will we even consider booking one given the absolutely dismal state of things.   The dismissive attitude Celebrity has when 'addressing' concerns (and thus the point of this thread) isn't helping their case. 

 

On the contrary, we just returned home from our first Princess cruise and have zero guilt over 'cheating' on Celebrity.   The ridiculously high prices, severe cutbacks on what matters to us, and X's insistence on nonrefundable deposits has us walking away, smiling ear to ear given what we've just experienced.  Despite being elite on X, we now have multiple sailings booked on Princess.  

 

 

Princess has a great product!  We'll be sailing on Regal for the second time on the front half of a side-by-side with Reflection in March/April.

On 1/22/2023 at 10:41 AM, Oceangoer2 said:

Hi....Above is the wrong email address.  The upper cases should be:  lLutoff-Perlo@celebritycruises.com (see post #15).

It goes through either way.  I copied it directly from the email I sent.

9 minutes ago, natshala said:

I’m having an issue with an overdue credit owed me, too. After four calls to X by my TA, with me on the line and multiple promises of 7-10 days, still nothing. The phone calls are a colossal waste of time. Could you possibly share the email address you used?  Thanks!

 

I would send it to llutoff-perlo@celebritycruises.com and include your reservation #.  You should get a call withing a couple hours.

35 minutes ago, the penguins said:

More recently passenger responses got the compolsary AI dropped for all cabins below Aqua. This was a truly dramatic change of policy by X, so yes they do listen and react. It's important not to "rant" but to put reasoned arguments and, if you mean it, to tell them that you won't be booking any more cruises until the policy is reversed.

And add suggestions as well.  I've sent three emails to senior management, providing some of the feedback from here.  Each time, I've suggested making the OVC more made to order, especially adding the grill back into the mix.  The women I've talked to appreciated the suggestions and said they'd be passed along to the F&B team.

4 minutes ago, dodger1964 said:

I appreciate your thoughts, but I would say this part of your comment is off! I guess we could debate how to define "VERY FEW", but i would suggest that the number is way higher than that categorization! my 2 cents!

Right?  People judge the number by a stroll through.  One of the reasons people enjoy the OVC is because it doesn't take 2+ hours.  You get in and out in say 30 minutes.  So you have people coming and going the whole time it's open, you're just not spending 2 hours there.

47 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

 

There is a lot of anger on this thread, so much that it makes me a bit uncomfortable and question motives/goals, of some of the posters.  I don’t quite understand the vitriolic attacks on posters that have different opinions. Costs for all of us across every single aspect of our lives, are up, way up.  A fee now for room service?  4 and 5 star hotels charge for room service.  I for one found the original video illustrating the Ocean View Cafe dinner reduction to be good news, a bit of fresh air, the look of reason and common sense - not awful or that we as passengers are somehow being ripped off or betrayed, ha, quite the opposite in fact.  There were ample choices in several category for those VERY FEW who eat dinner in the OVC.  I have often walked through the OVC at dinner time and it’s basically dead up there, so to cut back on the offerings and focus on a few dishes makes sense.  Cruise lines, as part of their absolute need to save money in order to pay their crippling debt,  are analyzing where the people are at different times of day - lunch buffet still is huge as most people on sea days eat lunch in the buffet with small percentages eating in the Aqua Spa Cafe and the Eden Cafe (on Edge Class ships).  MDR at lunch - deadsville.  OVC at dinner - deadsville.  Resources are being shifted. All cruise lines are working hard to stay in business without spoiling their brand - and a fee for room service and a reduced dinner buffet does not spoil “X”’s brand.  Cruising on any line, still remains an incredible overall value.  At the end of the day, Celebrity still provides the best all around product in it’s category - food, entertainment, casino, staff, ambiance - deciding to cruise on a different line lower in this category will surely make one come running back to Celebrity as cuts are pervasive everywhere, and far deeper and more evident on lesser lines.  Move up to Oceania (though I’d choose Regent) - very different product and price point. And though I don’t know, I’d wager that people who regularly cruise Oceania and Regent are also complaining!  That’s my .02 cents.

Why is it the people that don't eat at the OVC keep determining that what is now available is adequate or ample.  So, essentially you're deciding for us what is adequate or ample.  Those of us that eat there don't get a say in that?

5 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

Better call them back and follow up with an email 🙂 

I already did!   But we already know you think I'm pathetic for actually standing up for myself and others!

21 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Yup....in a nutshell.  Small print is everything most of us decline to read...haha...too small to read.  The cruise lines have many disclaimers.  But PR is important despite that we seem to have no legal recourse (usually)...so it's in their best interest to make some kind of acknowledgement, not only in print, but also dealing with the actual problem...provide more choice in the OV, design healthy but upscale MDR items on the menu as far as budget will allow, and continue to provide what we PAY FOR in the Specialty restaurants. 

Exactly!  They do it to cover their back, but that typically implies that what you see may be different options, not a completely different product.  And if they want to, maybe they want to consider updating their website and marketing, because this does not fit what we've seen from the subject to change OVC! 

8 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

Well, mine says otherwise!

13 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

Everything I've read on Celebrity's app says *menu subject to change.  They changed it. 

Sure does, on the MDR tab.  It doesn't say that under the OVC tab and it certainly doesn't say they'll reduce it by 80%!

24 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

So people here are complaining about their own personal food costs (not to mention fuel costs) rising dramatically over the last several months but are unable to connect the dots.   Simply amazing. 

 

Also - 

 

Cruise ship fares tend to be a loss leader - especially at the lower categories.  They want you on the boat to spend your money.  Everyone seems to very impressed with themselves for spending  $3000.  Repeatedly calling X's offices - complaining and 'really showing them.'  How embarrassing.

Do you feel better now, mocking us for being concerned about what we get for our money?  So glad you see $3K as a pittance!   It's embarrassing to stand up for ourselves as consumers?  I think it's embarrassing that you're ok with companies walking all over you!

24 minutes ago, Goldenknight said:

You asked if you can use my postings in such an email . . .  of course.  This is a public forum,  I wouldn't post here if I didn't have the expectation my words might be shared. 🙂

Thank you so much!  I'll provide an update when I get a response!