Just back from AUZ Cruise and has Celebrity taken service down a notch?

We are recently back from our New Zealand to Sydney cruise on the Solstice and we are repeat Celebrity cruisers because of the more "adult" focus. I would start by saying we are reasonable travelers and understand Celebrity can't control everything such as weather so this is more about what they can control and what we had previously come to expect. To be balanced I'll give you a sense of some of the positives and averages before where I think they've come down in service, which is very much people focused.

Better than expected:

1. Officers - The captain was extremely humorous and friendly and the officers often came to the events like dances, volleyball games and joined in. They even had some "antics" that were very funny and I have to say, the Solstice officers were the best we've experienced yet.
   
2. Specific Individuals - To be clear, we met and were serviced by some fantastic people that went out of their way to make us feel special. Miss Gee from Blu was great as were a few others. There was a medical issue that cancelled one of our shore excursions and the back office credited our money back an hour after we were back on ship.
   
3. Live Music - The quality of the musicians and singers were great and we often liked to sit and listen with a pre-dinner cocktail.
   
4. Adult Focus/Unique - We experienced some new activities like silent disco, silhouette dancers (behind curtains) at the Martini Bar, and lots of great showman ship from the Martini Bartenders.
   

As Expected

1. The Cabin, the food quality, the wine choices, the ship itself we all what we've come to expect
   

Less than expected

1. Wait Staff - In general it seemed they were short staffed across the various venues and perhaps because of that, they didn't spend as much time getting to know us, or doing some of the special things they often do.
   
2. Wine Sommeliers - We are big wine drinks and Celebrity often markets their wine focus and selection so I think higher expectations are warranted. The Somm's in all the venues and even Cellar Master I don't think were really Somm's. We'd give this a pass but in Cellar Master and specialty restaurants I don't think that should be the case and on past cruises/ships (Equinox and Reflection) Cellar Master was fantastic and the staff very knowledgable.
   
3. Drink Package "system" - This was very frustrating and we had a premium drink package, and the Seapass card often had the drink package rubbed off and the issue is their drink order system, didn't associate or know we had a drink package. They have to enter it from the card, which seems crazy. We were repeatedly asked, and questioned a couple of times and in the Main Dining Room, they even charged us (which we got reversed when we saw our final bill). We did get new cards printed and when we asked a few of the wait staff, they too complained about the system not being able to automatically know if the drinks we ordered aligned with a package or not.
   

When you think about it, it would be highly unlikely that a skilled wine sommelier would be found working on a cruise ship with such a limited wine list.

When you think about it, it would be highly unlikely that a skilled wine sommelier would be found working on a cruise ship with such a limited wine list.

I would agree however I think they should be called Wine Stewards and not Sommeliers and I surprised they can be called that. Also as a Cruise line that markets itself for it's wine, I think they need to be cautious in not delivering against there hype. We've attended a couple of presentations by Celebrity employees where they highlighted their wine awards and focus.

Thanks for the feedback. Sorry to hear you were disappointed in the wine situation, this is something that Celebrity has been known for.

Thanks for your objective report.

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Thank you for your report.

It's interesting you say all that as I thought it was my imagination!

Our first cruises with Celebrity were out of the US and Europe and, when we first sailed on the Solstice, we were surprised at the difference between sailing out of Australia and the rest of the world. By this, I mean that the ships seem understaffed, the crew don't seem particularly happy and both wine and MDR service are definitely not at the same level. I don't think Celebrity show their best side when they are in Australia and this was markedly evident this year - we sailed on the Constellation out of Singapore in March and then Solstice in October. They were very different experiences - particularly in terms of the three 'less than expected' points raised by the OP.

We did ask a couple of staff members about this and they mentioned that the Australia/NZ season is extremely tough - generally speaking, the Australian cruises may have more big drinkers on board and passengers expect more entertainment/events which obviously puts a lot more pressure on the crew. Having paid a little more attention, these did seem to be valid points.

When you think about it, it would be highly unlikely that a skilled wine sommelier would be found working on a cruise ship with such a limited wine list.

I agree, but then they shouldnt use the title.

But then what about Hotel Director etc???

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your report/review.

Keith

When you think about it, it would be highly unlikely that a skilled wine sommelier would be found working on a cruise ship with such a limited wine list.

Staff were promoted and those that wanted to specialised become sommeliers.

It used to be that Celebrity then put them through a special wine sommelier program (that enabled them to become accredited). However this, like many things dining related on Celebrity, fell to the wayside some years ago.

Very interesting that the level is so different! Last January we were on a back to back in AUS and NZ and we had the best Sommelier ever. He had great skills about Wines and Food and Wine pairing. He always made suggestions to the food we had and he never failed. Our Sommeliers on Silhouette and Reflection after that cruise were okay but not more.

We've done two Auckland to Sydney cruises on Solstice and both times we've had excellent sommeliers. We choose traditional dining so have the same sommelier each night. On both cruises the sommelier went out of their way to not only match the wine to the food we had chosen but to introduce us to wines we weren't familiar with.

I would agree however I think they should be called Wine Stewards and not Sommeliers and I surprised they can be called that. Also as a Cruise line that markets itself for it's wine, I think they need to be cautious in not delivering against there hype. We've attended a couple of presentations by Celebrity employees where they highlighted their wine awards and focus.

We have experienced an identical situation on very recent Caribbean sailings.

The sommeliers are absolutely not real sommeliers, they're simply rebadged waiters and waitresses with some limited knowledge about the wines they sell. You will find them taking order for coffee and OJ in the Oceanview cafe in the morning. I agree Celebrity doet market itself for their wine. In particular the very good selection (for a cruise ship at sea) in the S class wine tower, though wine lovers are quite likely to be disappointed with the overall wine experience onboard.

As for staffing levels, the restaurants we dined in, bars we drunk in were certainly understaffed. The staff had our sympathies because they were clearly overworked. Cellar Masters regularly had one bartender in it, so sensible people queued for their drinks at the bar, those who sat at tables waiting for a waiter were waiting for up to 20 minutes or so!

Did the ship manage to enter Milford Sound ?

 

1. Drink Package "system" - This was very frustrating and we had a premium drink package, and the Seapass card often had the drink package rubbed off and the issue is their drink order system, didn't associate or know we had a drink package. They have to enter it from the card, which seems crazy. We were repeatedly asked, and questioned a couple of times and in the Main Dining Room, they even charged us (which we got reversed when we saw our final bill). We did get new cards printed and when we asked a few of the wait staff, they too complained about the system not being able to automatically know if the drinks we ordered aligned with a package or not.
   

This is a simple coding problem that any amateur programmer could solve but based on their website problems I can understand why it hasn’t been done

Glad to see that you felt the food quality and taste were the same. We have found that since Celeb introduced a three tier system , separate dining for Aquaclass, separate for Suites, the taste, quality and selection for the rest of us has plummeted. But you may have been in a Suite.

We'll be on Solstice next month. Sounds like you were in Blu. Because of the open seating/anytime dining, we always request the same waiter/section just because of the situation you described -- waiter not getting to know you and your likes/dislikes as well as your "quirks." :D That's one reason when not in AQ, we always choose traditional dining with set time/wait staff.

Sorry to hear your issues with the Sommeliers on the ship. We'll be dining in Blu, so if we get a bad one, I'll be sure to train him. ;)

Since you sailed the AUS/NZ waters, did they have a nice selection of the local wines on board? We have the Classic package and want to see if it's worth it, just for the wines, to upgrade to the Premium or just keep the Classic and pay the difference per glass.

P.S. If I upgrade, I'll get a sticker -- that shouldn't rub off. :rolleyes: :D :D

Thanks for your review. I think I can work around the "less than expected" issues. I'm looking forward to a great cruise.

Because of problems with the drink package stickers, I’ve been known to “lose” my card and have to get a replacement. :halo: The reprinted card will have the correct drinks package code on it, and the problem is solved.

Because of problems with the drink package stickers, I’ve been known to “lose” my card and have to get a replacement. :halo: The reprinted card will have the correct drinks package code on it, and the problem is solved.

I took it that the OP had it printed on his seapass initially, and it rubbed off. The sticker didn't rub off for me.

Did the ship manage to enter Milford Sound ?

Yes, it did. We actually took the Queenstown overland tour so it had to in order to pick us up. Milford Sound is amazing and I felt bad for people we met afterwards in Sydney that said their ship had to skip all the Sounds as the weather was too poor.

Glad to see that you felt the food quality and taste were the same. We have found that since Celeb introduced a three tier system , separate dining for Aquaclass, separate for Suites, the taste, quality and selection for the rest of us has plummeted. But you may have been in a Suite.

We were Aqua class this time and ate almost entirely in Blu. We would give the food in Blu a "B", "B-" in the main dining room and "A" in Murano. Our last cruise was in the Mediterranean on the Reflection and we were in a suite and ate in Luminae each night; the food and service was by far the best we have ever had on a cruise.

But let's be serious, no one goes on a cruise for the food so we are happy to have "B" food that is warm when it is supposed to be, cold when appropriate and doesn't make one sick.

We'll be on Solstice next month. Sounds like you were in Blu. Because of the open seating/anytime dining, we always request the same waiter/section just because of the situation you described -- waiter not getting to know you and your likes/dislikes as well as your "quirks." :D That's one reason when not in AQ, we always choose traditional dining with set time/wait staff.

 

Sorry to hear your issues with the Sommeliers on the ship. We'll be dining in Blu, so if we get a bad one, I'll be sure to train him. ;)

 

Since you sailed the AUS/NZ waters, did they have a nice selection of the local wines on board? We have the Classic package and want to see if it's worth it, just for the wines, to upgrade to the Premium or just keep the Classic and pay the difference per glass.

 

P.S. If I upgrade, I'll get a sticker -- that shouldn't rub off. :rolleyes: :D :D

 

Thanks for your review. I think I can work around the "less than expected" issues. I'm looking forward to a great cruise.

Wine-O,

I am sure your cruise will be amazing. The quirks we had certainly did not ruin anything for us and our view is that we love to unpack once and be able to get to the places we want to go (granted it is never enough time) and then move on to the next location. If you ever do decide to do AQ - you can definitely request the same staff if you desire. We made quick friends with the restaurant manager and she would see us and immediately tell us when a window seat would be open for us. She even came to find us in a bar to tell us when a spot was open. She was amazing and made it all worthwhile.

Sadly, there were NO local wines on board. We were disappointed by this for sure, so be aware you will not get NZ and AUS wines throughout your cruise. We are Premium beverage people and only had to pay the incremental difference when we got wine in the Cellar Masters. I will say the "Somm" in Cellar Masters did improve by the end of the trip but getting to know us on day 9 out of 12 is not a good stat in my book.

Feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions.

But let's be serious, no one goes on a cruise for the food so we are happy to have "B" food that is warm when it is supposed to be, cold when appropriate and doesn't make one sick.

I think many do, or used to. Face it, it's not hard to travel to most places cruises visit, and the accommodation on a ship is obviously smaller than standard. There is entertainment as well, but it's not a standout compared to entertainment elsewhere.

That just leaves the sea (important for some, but given Edge's redesign away from the sea and focus on interiors, seemingly less so for their market) and food as points of distinction...

Wine-O,

I am sure your cruise will be amazing. The quirks we had certainly did not ruin anything for us and our view is that we love to unpack once and be able to get to the places we want to go (granted it is never enough time) and then move on to the next location. If you ever do decide to do AQ - you can definitely request the same staff if you desire. We made quick friends with the restaurant manager and she would see us and immediately tell us when a window seat would be open for us. She even came to find us in a bar to tell us when a spot was open. She was amazing and made it all worthwhile.

 

Sadly, there were NO local wines on board. We were disappointed by this for sure, so be aware you will not get NZ and AUS wines throughout your cruise. We are Premium beverage people and only had to pay the incremental difference when we got wine in the Cellar Masters. I will say the "Somm" in Cellar Masters did improve by the end of the trip but getting to know us on day 9 out of 12 is not a good stat in my book.

 

Feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions.

Sorry to hear they didn't have any of the local wines on board. I'll just have to bring my own on board from the various ports.

Ironically, on our Med and Carib cruises this year, my husband's go to wine was an Australian Shiraz and mine a NZ Sauvignon Blanc. :D