Summit Cirque du Soleil

[Cracker Ken]

We too enjoy the forward observation lounges on cruise ships. When we are looking at various cruises and the ships, that's one of the things I'm always looking for on the deck plans. Last year we went on the 12 day cruise from San Francisco to Alaska on Mercury. We spent many hours during the day in this area. I love it outdoors, but after a while I had to come indoors and thaw out. I go on cruises not for just the ship, but to see the world, and there is (or was) no better place to see it. I spent a lot of time in this area on our cruise to Hawaii on Infinitylast Dec as well. The "Crow's Nest" on HAL ships is also a favorite place when one tires of being outdoors, no matter where you are cruising. I echo the same opinion as many others have on this thread. I haven't experienced a "X" ship with the Cirque conversion yet, but the overall description of the mess, and the conversion of the observation lounge doesn't sit well with me. If they had to mess up this room, it would have been great if they had confined the conversion to the inner part of the lounge, and left everything along the windows (all the way around) alone.

 

Ken

[duke052]

I have been saying the same thing since Dec on the Connie and April on the Summit. Everytime I wrote something about the room being ruined someone else would follow up and say you still see out the windows. No you cannot see out the front unless you are doing a face plant on the glass. We did hear in April that Richard Fain is not happy with CDS and there time is limited. We can only hope they are gone and all there sheets ,oversized beds and weired creatures go with them.

[benjamins]

I love to spend the very early morning hours in the lounge watching the landscape wake to the morning light. Yes' date=' this is absolutely one of my favorite things to do. Now where do I go?[/quote']

 

To the Millennium, Infinity, Galaxy, Mercury. Hopefully, Celebrity will keep the CDS experience to the Constellation and Summit.

[SueSea]

If anyone can explain to me why they did this, I'd love to know...I still think it is a way to sell expensive drinks.

 

I can't tell you Celebrity's reasoning, but I bet they did it because they thought it would please more people than it would p*ss off. Personally, I don't think they did it to sell expensive drinks; if so, wouldn't they maximize the number of hours the Bar at the Edge of the World was open? Anyway, let's assume they did make this change to sell expensive drinks. If they were wrong about the change pleasing more people than not, then sales of these drinks will be lower than expected. If it turns out they generated more revenue from Revelations than from the Bar at the Edge of the World, they may push Cirque to a more suitable venue on board and bring back Revelations.

[hcat]

Have been on both Connie & Summit pre-cirque & enjoyed this space quite a bit by day (great for whale watching) & night with the live band.. I have never heard one rave review about cds in the form it is on the ships & the photos are not attractive. We have one trip to Hawaii booked on Summit but after that no ship with cds or the ruined club area will fit into our plans . Had been thinking about another long one on Connie but will try Infinity or Galaxy instead or maybe back to Royal--Radiance class ships have alot of nice space & food was much better than expected on Brilliiacne.. The only way to vote is with your bookings!

[cruiseyguy]

Most cruiselines seem to have a problem fully utilizing these forward observation lounges. They are away from the normal traffic patterns and this is especially true on the "M" class ships. If a kitchen had been included in the design, a nice premium supper club would have worked at night, with daytime devoted to coffee, cocktails, light snacks and even an alternative lunch venue. Maybe the new ships (if they happen) will go this route.

[tmt9367]

I guess my wife(36) and I(41) are in the minority here. We loved the CDS shows. Very different and exotic. We've sailed both the Constellation and the Summit and when we want to "experience" the scenery, we either go outside on the deck or sit on our veranda.

 

SDT

[SueSea]

The only way to vote is with your bookings!

 

Not true! Another way is to stay away from CDS on board. Don't go to the bar, don't buy their drinks, don't buy their merchandise, etc. If Celebrity sees half-empty CDS 'shows' and low merchandise and drink sales, they KNOW the problem is with CDS and can take steps to correct it fairly quickly. If folks simply don't book the ships with CDS on them, Celebrity may suspect the problem lies with CDS, but since there are many other factors that affect bookings they must analyze the problem before they can take steps to correct it.

[benjamins]

I've not seen pics of CDS in action. Sure, it may be ugly in the daytime but what does it look like at night and in action? Anyone have any pics of the space at night?

[macmax]

During our apr cruise on Summit, the bar mgr in the Bar At The edge told me that their liquor sales were way down since the change to the Cirque theme.

So if that trend keeps up, they will have to take another look at it.

[cruising with marti]

We were on the May 6th Summit repo cruise, and although I agree, the room looked a little tacky, I find it interesting that so many people say they have used the lounge in the past for relaxing and observation, we have sailed the M class many times and the times I visited the lounge, there were few people there and the ones that were there were involved in trivial pursuit or playing bridge and could care less about the scenery. Just my obsevations.

 

Phil

[tmt9367]

We were on the May 6th Summit repo cruise, and although I agree, the room looked a little tacky, I find it interesting that so many people say they have used the lounge in the past for relaxing and observation, we have sailed the M class many times and the times I visited the lounge, there were few people there and the ones that were there were involved in trivial pursuit or playing bridge and could care less about the scenery. Just my obsevations.

 

Phil

 

When I first read this thread Marti, I was thinking the same thing. We've observed the same. That room during the day is almost always empty.

 

SDT

[hcat]

I agree the room was under-utilized for such a large space but it could have been re-done so many nicer ways. The Radiance class ships (Royal) have a much better design for the same general area. One large lounge & a smaller cigar bar lounge & maybe another small room--all with great views & all well-utilized. You are right--don't go to CDS & they'll change it....That's how Michael's changed from a cigar bar to a general lounge. I just hope it happens before next March to Hawaii. I imagined days at sea--just looking out at the sea! Well--the balcony will have to do if it is still blocked at the front.

[42trvl]

To those who commented on the lounge being underutilized and almost empty - that's why we liked it there so much...;) . But, of course, that doesn't do much for the cruise line from a business perspective. On the other hand, if it's affecting liqour sales at other times, then it's another story.

[justfor411]

Cirque du Soleil and Celebrity signed a 6 year, exclusive agreement in June 2004, as detailed in various press releases. Don't expect CDS to go away anytime soon.

 

I have seen folk on this board post strongly positive reviews of the CDS "experience" and also recount the continuing refinement of the performance part of this experience.

 

These forward spaces have always been underutilized, and it makes absolutely no business sense for the cruise line to keep them in their old form, just because a few passengers each cruise may like them that way, given the huge amount of space these lounges occupy. As an observation space, they aren't very efficient, and don't bring in much if any income. Quite frankly, I don't see how you can experience Alaska, the Canal, or the New England runs in any meaningful way behind huge sheets of glass. An intrinsic part of the whole encounter is the conditions that exist in these areas. If you're not feeling the nip of the wind in Alaska and the smells and sounds of the various areas, you might as well be home watching the Nature Channel on a wide-screen TV.

 

I am certain Celebrity and CDS are closely monitoring the results of this endeavor, and if there's any signs of reduced sales at the bars or any other negative indicators, they'll simply add to the "experience" in some way they believe will make up the difference. In short, expect more, not less CDS influence on these spaces in the future.

[duke052]

justfor411, Nice thought, but it is not going to work. There has been no change in the experience from day one thru 4/22. I believe you will see X buy out the contract at some point. No matter if they raise the drink prices I don't see how this offsets the revenue that is lost from the cabins cds are taking up. On the Dec cruise most of the cabins were on deck 8 . X would be better of having the band play in the lounge a couple of nights. People are always looking for good music.

[justfor411]

justfor411, Nice thought, but it is not going to work. There has been no change in the experience from day one thru 4/22. I believe you will see X buy out the contract at some point. No matter if they raise the drink prices I don't see how this offsets the revenue that is lost from the cabins cds are taking up. On the Dec cruise most of the cabins were on deck 8 . X would be better of having the band play in the lounge a couple of nights. People are always looking for good music.

 

Uhm... perhaps you'd like to research a bit on these very boards, as people who have actually seen and participated in the CdS "experience" have reported changes and refinements in its presentation almost since the first night.

 

They probably won't be raising drink prices, but they most likely will be making further changes to add to the "experience", if indeed there has been any negative effect on revenue from this space. However, I am 100% certain that the RCL/Celebrity management know, to the dollar, what has been the effect of this change, much more than any one bartender.

 

As to the cabins being used by CdS staff, this was a known part of the contract, and certainly has been projected into the overall impact. Given the drawing power of the CdS name, RCL/Celebrity is betting on increased overall bookings. Remember that the vast majority of cruising guests never have heard of boards such as this one, and make their cruising decisions based on commercials and travel agent recommendations. "They've got CdS on board? We saw them in Vegas, let's go."

 

Remember too, that every-time some TV station, newspaper or internet site does a story on a Celebrity vessel because they have CdS on board, RCL/Celebrity has won big with free promotion they otherwise may have never gotten. Things like this are tracked by corporations, and they are factored into the bottom line.

 

As I said earlier, there have been many reports of folks who thoroughly enjoyed the CdS experience. CdS has always been something that doesn't appeal to everyone, yet manages to fill their venues time after time. Combine this with Celebrity's continued desire to be known as a line that adds unique artistic aspects to the cruise experience, and they are going to work quite hard to make this effort a success.

[duke052]

Nice try again, We saw the VERY first show and again in April. There is no difference, They have not changed a thing. Mr Fain was onboard on the April cruise and we were told by several servers and bartenders that he is not happy with CDS. All CDS has done for X is ruin the best public room on the Connie and the Summit.

[tmt9367]

Nice try again, We saw the VERY first show and again in April. There is no difference, They have not changed a thing. Mr Fain was onboard on the April cruise and we were told by several servers and bartenders that he is not happy with CDS. All CDS has done for X is ruin the best public room on the Connie and the Summit.

 

Duke, what you're saying is pure speculation and just your opinion. No reason to have such an attitude. If CDS has "ruined the best room on the Connie and Summit", it's only one part of the ship. It's a vacation! Go outside and enjoy the views from the decks.

 

Also, we just returned from the Constellation in the Baltics and attended every CDS show. NONE of the drink prices are any higher there than anywhere else on the ship. That's a rumor.

 

People are always looking for good music.

 

I believe this whole CDS debate is really just a generation gap thing. Yes, the music played in the lounge during the show isn't for most elderly people, but either is the music played by the DJ after the show. Your comment about "good music" is suggestive and just your opinion again. Not being elderly, my wife & I don't like and don't attend 99% of the production shows in the Celebrity Theather. I also don't get on these threads and complain and throw my opinion around about them either.

 

SDT

[macmax]

I believe this whole CDS debate is really just a generation gap thing. Yes, the music played in the lounge during the show isn't for most elderly people, but either is the music played by the DJ after the show. Your comment about "good music" is suggestive and just your opinion again. Not being elderly, my wife & I don't like and don't attend 99% of the production shows in the Celebrity Theather. I also don't get on these threads and complain and throw my opinion around about them either.

 

SDT

 

I don't know what you consider "elderly" but we are both 60 and thoroughly enjoy Cirque du Soleil and their esoterically weird music. As a matter of fact we are planning to attend their newest production Corteo when it hits town this summer. That being said, I still maintain that it does not work on the ships.

 

It's too bad that you don't attend the productions in the theater as you missed out on some of the best musical theatre at sea or anywhere.

 

Oh, BTW...you are throwing your opinion around.:rolleyes:

[tmt9367]

It's too bad that you don't attend the productions in the theater as you missed out on some of the best musical theatre at sea or anywhere.

 

I guess you've never been to Broadway or Las Vegas? After 30+ cruises, nothing can compare. Usually production shows all have the same theme. How many Phantom of the Opera shows can one see? Very predictable. Not an opinion, just fact.

 

SDT

PS: 60 is elderly. :rolleyes:

[macmax]

I guess you've never been to Broadway or Las Vegas? After 30+ cruises, nothing can compare. Usually production shows all have the same theme. How many Phantom of the Opera shows can one see? Very predictable. Not an opinion, just fact.

SDT

PS: 60 is elderly. :rolleyes:

 

I didn't mean that we weren't elderly just that it is not necessarily a gender gap issue to not like X's CdS experiment.

 

Believe it or not, us old phartes do get to see Broadway & Vegas shows and in my humble opinion the production shows on our recent Summit cruise with all of the costume changes, set and staging designs and professional dancing accompanied by very talented musicians, compared very favourably. They were better that Princess' shows and made Brilliance's productions look like a High school performance.

 

Instead of having everything take place in the Rendezvous, it would have been nice to have the ships orchestra or party band, perform for dancing etc. in the Bar at the End occasionally like they did on Mercury.

[L11]

Why are we bickering like this?! OK, I can understand that CDS has changed the view out the front. I have to tell you though that the one and only time I have ever seen a large number of people in that lounge to look at scenery was one day when we were at Hubbard Glacier and one day near the beginning of our Alaska cruise (can't recall what the sites were on thsat day). That's it. There were other events in there during the day on our other X cruises on the M class ships (such as our Cruise critics get together, trivia, etc.) and there were MAYBE one or 2 people in there reading. That's it. As other posters said, that was an incredibly underutilized venue.

 

X is like every other line--they are trying to compete for bookings. CDS sells well to the general public. I realize that reviews are mixed, but most cruise bookers do not know this. i am sure that, as another poster said, they are keeping a close eye on the bottom line and if the change does not bring in increased revenue for that space, they will change it. BUT, that is no excuse for name calling, criticizing people's taste in music, etc. Opinions are like rectums--everyone has one. There are other places to sit and relax. For heaven's sake, it is a vacation!!! Relax! You may not like the changes, but they are there for now, so stop picking at your nits in public.

 

Linda

[tmt9367]

L11(Linda), I love that avatar!!

[cruising with marti]

Linda

I stopped picking nits years ago, are you telling me that people still have that disgusting habit?:D

 

 

Phil