ChucktownSteve

1 hour ago, neverlaysup said:

I’m pretty sure there were about 20 people quality control checking those meals they pulled off the “line” before the waiter was allowed to deliver it. If you think they were treated like every other passenger, you are dreaming! The service, food and experience they had was artificially enhanced because of their status!

And they didn't have to pay the inflated suite pricing. lol

6 minutes ago, Orator said:

They ate in all the venues and they ordered from the regular menu. I have been assured by one of the waiters that their meals were taken from the regular line.

Did they have to wait as long for their food as the other passengers did?

1 hour ago, CrossM2 said:

Which one are you referring to with the food? I think the aft view looks amazing. I’m tryinto find the right one for our group and that’s what is difficult. Also navigating cruise lines I’m not familiar with. 

I was thinking about the last couple of times I sailed Celebrity. Since then I've been on Regent where the food by and large was excellent. 

With full ships, there is no reason for Celebrity to change direction.  It will only be when they discover what they believed is not the reality if people change their direction to book other lines. Otherwise, I predict more of the same of finding ways to take but not give.

I look at aft view and itinerary first if price is similar.  I love the aft view because it's incredible watching the wake while you sail or in port if you're docked in the right direction.  The personal choice is yours.  But you have to take into account what is important to you on the cruise.  If you're a foodie, you may be disappointed.  Otherwise some other people seem to think the food is good.  So the choice really depends upon your interests and likes.

2 hours ago, CulverCityCruisers said:

PHOTO OP.  What a bunch of BS.  Lets get some secret shoppers on board X and let management find out the reality, because they seem to not hear all the negative rumblings

You must have mistaken them for people who care about the customer and not the bottom line!

If you want to try for two bottles per person, place two bottles in each carry-on but separate going through the scanning machine. They don't know who's with who that way.  If they confiscate, I believe you get it returned at the end of the cruise. 

21 hours ago, mayleeman said:

 

Maybe Michelin doesn't mean what we think it does.  People have complained about steaks being tough or rubbery....

As in tire. ROFL

6 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I'm on a Carnival cruise now, a 30 Day TP from Seattle to Brisbane on an old ship. The food has been surprisingly excellent. Lobster served at least 3x, prime rib multiple times, beef Wellington, and an exact menu has yet to be repeated as of day 27 (entrees and starters repeat but they are paired up differently and preparation is different).

The food has been superior to our Solstice cruise last February and on par to our cruise on the Apex in July. Quite frankly I'm a bit surprised. Some pictures of entrees throughout the current cruise. 

 

TY for sharing the pictures.  While the presentations may be lacking, it looks as if they have a better variety and more varied menu (appetizers and entrees) than I experienced on Reflection and Apex last year. I got bored with the offerings.

4 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

I’m all for people being heard but it just gets so repetitive from the same people and the same comments.  Getting kinda boring to be honest

I don't read the Carnival board since I don't cruise them.  However I suppose they don't care about the food there or threads on it either?

7 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

That, and the inappropriate political commentary.

What political commentary? From which one?

2 hours ago, arubaaruba said:

This also applies to Monaco. 

I was just going to say that too.  There are some areas in the EU which don't participate in the VAT tax.

But you will pay the Spain VAT if you sail from there or to there until hitting the non VAT area...including at sea.

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Well, Ms Navarro claimed she hadn’t been comped for her (2) Azamara cruises and did have a discussion with Carol about being the only Hispanic CEO in the industry and probably one of the few women. Carol said that 70% of Azamara’s leadership is women. 
She (Ana) really liked the crew (who doesn’t), the itineraries. Carol skirted a question about the age of the ships by answering that that were “refreshed” in 2021 - lol. All in all, pretty much a piece of fluff, as expected.

Guess she never heard of all the Celebrity women in charge?

2 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

 

I'll be doing a Ninja Cruiser™ review of the Silhouette buffet where we'll be eating every meal on our Oct 22nd TA.

Then at least folk will have an idea what they could be eating in Riff-Raff Class™ should the MDR menu not be spudtastic.

Spoiler alert - artfully arranged plate decoration and finely drizzled jus is not my speciality.

It'll be more about covering every inch of plate with as wide a variety of food as possible - curry and Yorkshire Pudding is a particular culinary crossover only really possible in a cruise ship buffet.

French fries will probably also figure heavily.

It looks like the Azores is the first place we'll find free WiFi to post some pics.

Don't forget the piled high counts too!

1 hour ago, Rustyman said:

The waiters, maitre d, etc were embarrassed about what they had to serve but were so professional and did their best. The decision and policy makers are to blame for the food debacle but of course they remain at distance and don’t respond to complaints.

 

Not only don't they respond to complaints, but when they do sail on the ships, I suspect the food served them is far superior than for the regular peons.

6 hours ago, Tapi said:

We are late 40’s-early 50’s Gen X’s as well.
 

15 years ago, we loved Carnival, and while we still hold very fond and fun memories from those cruises, we “outgrew them” and decided to move on and try new lines. Our last Carnival cruise was in 2019 and it was pretty underwhelming, to the point that my wife begged to never sail on them again. Ship in poor condition, stateroom had several maintenance issues, cheapened food selections, crew members spread too thin, and many fellow cruisers that left a lot to be desired. 
 

We sailed on Celebrity (Solstice) for the first time last November and I can assure you that, even with whatever cutbacks Celebrity loyalists may have perceived, the product is far superior than what we last experienced on Carnival. We thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not a luxury line, but a definite step above Carnival in terms of service, cuisine, and overall ambiance.
 

We have also sailed recently on Holland America (Nieuw Statendam) and we absolutely loved it. We considered it a step above Celebrity in pretty much every aspect. It set a new standard for what we’re looking for on a cruise in this stage in our lives. 
 

Do keep in mind that if you still love the “fun, unpretentious and jovial atmosphere”, you may find Celebrity or HAL to be on the boring side. But personally, we don’t cruise to attend hairy chest contests, silly pool games, or stay up late drinking and partying anymore. So we don’t miss those elements from our Carnival days.

It looks like Celebrity's changes to target specific new customers is working.  This post proves that. BTW the XX cutbacks are not perceived.

Enjoy Celebrity and HAL until you reach your next cruising stage to premium or luxury!

Y'all please report back after watching. It will be interesting to see your perspectives.

8 hours ago, joetop2467 said:

We’re on our first Azamara cruise in two weeks. It hasn’t been pleasant planning with all the website issues. I can’t stand the view. Ana Navarro is a bitter former Republican. I was having a pedicure and they had the view on. I asked the nail tech to change the channel and all the women sitting there were glad when she did. I hope Azamara realizes how foolish it would be to take a political position. This cruise better be fabulous or it will be our last. They have enough issues without turning woke. 

What are the chances Navarro received the whole cruise comped? Which suite category do you suppose they put her in?  An owners suite? Does anyone believe Navarro will say anything negative to Cabezas about her Azamara experience? What a bunch of worthless fluff.

Florida Governor DeSantis told Disney earlier this year, "Go woke, go broke" Maybe that's why  Azamara doesn't have many cruises from FL ports.

34 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I regret to inform you I'm way ahead of you “we appreciate your feedback”

You forgot to first say, "We understand your concerns and"

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Now the elephant in the room, will Celebrity do anything in response?

Yes. Double down as they did with the RCG double/double program of a few years ago also instituted on Celebrity.  Consider more cuts.

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Join us this Thursday, September 21, at 5:00 p.m. EST for an Instagram Live with our President, Carol Cabezas, and The View Co-host, Ana Navarro! 

During this session they'll discuss Ana's recent experience onboard Azamara Quest and dive into what makes Azamara unique.  #MoreToSea #Azamara

Head over to our Instagram @azamaravoyages to tune in! 

#MoreToSea #Azamara

Guess I'll have to miss it. I don't do insta and certainly not the view.  What a bunch of hateful women.

Is that now the Azamara target? Wonder if I should cancel my two upcoming bookings; Owners Suite and V1 cabin?  I guess I'm not their preferred customer any longer?

Could that explain the problems they've been having during and after the transition?  They go to insta and the view but not to their customers directly. Didn't they learn anything from Bud Light and Disney? 

58 minutes ago, Suzanne123 said:

So do I.  Meet my Schnitzel.

 

cute name for a wiener dog. lol  A pretty one at that with probably a great personality.

4 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Ironically, this is what's happening with X.  They are raising the prices while lowering the food quality

Since Celebrity hasn't YET become a dive, what noun would you use with the adjective "humongous"?

2 hours ago, kirtihk said:

Who are they?

Moi?  🤣

11 minutes ago, rmedistro said:

I digress, you made me do the actual math. 🙂
On Celebrity Ascent: 1550 cabins total, of which 215 are suites. So the Rif-Raf is only 86.12903%

Well in your original Rif-Raf post you said, "I make more money than 95% of them, but have never seen the value in over priced suites/AQ on a boat that I'm going to only spend 7 days of my life."

I believe you should recalculate now including AQ and might as well include Concierge. 😁