What would you like to see in a New Celebrity "X" class ?

[wallie5446]

A return to the Zenith/Horizon size ship. Less pax, tho it would come with an increased fare. IMHO, this would allow the crew and staff of Celebrity to return to the high level of service that made us choose X over other lines.

[phoenix_dream]

Smaller is better! At least no bigger than M class size. Stop this bigger is better syndrome!! Bring back the T-pool PUHLEEEEEEZE. Get rid of the noisy, obnoxious "foyer as entertainment" hub. Bring back Rendezvous Lounge. Put an elevator in the rear as well as the front. Go back in time to the superior (a level above the current very good to excellent) service. I am willing to pay a little more (something in-between Azamara versus M class pricing). Bring back some shopping I can actually afford with more choices of good quality souvenirs to bring back for the family (and a few options in women's sizes where you don't have to be skinny to find something:)). Bring back the extra space in CC/AQ cabins. For heavens sake, keep the basic design of the S class bathroom - don't want to see M class bathrooms again! But for the love of all that is holy bring back actual nightstands by the bed with drawers, as well as some real storage you don't have to stand on a bed to reach.

[celebritydave]

Smaller is better! At least no bigger than M class size. Stop this bigger is better syndrome!! Bring back the T-pool PUHLEEEEEEZE. Get rid of the noisy, obnoxious "foyer as entertainment" hub. Bring back Rendezvous Lounge. Put an elevator in the rear as well as the front. Go back in time to the superior (a level above the current very good to excellent) service. I am willing to pay a little more (something in-between Azamara versus M class pricing). Bring back some shopping I can actually afford with more choices of good quality souvenirs to bring back for the family (and a few options in women's sizes where you don't have to be skinny to find something:)). Bring back the extra space in CC/AQ cabins. For heavens sake, keep the basic design of the S class bathroom - don't want to see M class bathrooms again! But for the love of all that is holy bring back actual nightstands by the bed with drawers, as well as some real storage you don't have to stand on a bed to reach.

 

I really don't care for the entertainment in the foyer either. There is no place to sit and it gets really crowded.

 

Nightstands with storage are a great idea too.

[Caribbean Amphibean]

Hi Andy.

It's taken me a while to respond, but I was rather hit for six by your comments, and quite shaken, to the point of girly tears .

I tried to contact you privately and not on this open forum, but your link allowing me to email you for some reason does not work on my computer. I keep getting something about " default mail client not properly installed " over and over.

Being a typical little old lady , this means absolutely nothing to me. !

 

I did indeed make a joking answer, but was that not allowed ?

If discussing a new class of ship was not allowed either , why was this thread open for people to make comments on ?

I do understand , and share , your worries and concerns about the Millennium and it's passengers, but CC and the Celebrity forums were open for comments, and jokes when I posted.

 

THAT was well said. Andy's reaction seemed strange, coming from a host.

[SantaFeFan]

Hi Andy.

It's taken me a while to respond, but I was rather hit for six by your comments, and quite shaken, to the point of girly tears .

I tried to contact you privately and not on this open forum, but your link allowing me to email you for some reason does not work on my computer. I keep getting something about " default mail client not properly installed " over and over.

Being a typical little old lady , this means absolutely nothing to me. !

 

I did indeed make a joking answer, but was that not allowed ?

If discussing a new class of ship was not allowed either , why was this thread open for people to make comments on ?

I do understand , and share , your worries and concerns about the Millennium and it's passengers, but CC and the Celebrity forums were open for comments, and jokes when I posted.

 

THAT was well said. Andy's reaction seemed strange, coming from a host.

 

I agree that it was uncalled for. His comment had the tone of "what the heck is wrong with you people?" Even though a few CC members are having to endure some inconveniences, life doesn't stop for the rest of us. Why should interesting topics be put on hold just because some people are having to deal with an interruption of their cruises. After all, no one died. So why the buzzkill for discussing topics that are entirely appropriate for these boards?

[resstation]

THAT was well said. Andy's reaction seemed strange, coming from a host.

 

Until I re-read the post, I had no idea that message was from a host. That was not only strange, but IN MY OPINION, inappropriate for a host to put the kabash on what this forum is all about.

[TomTN]

Smaller is better! At least no bigger than M class size. Stop this bigger is better syndrome!! Bring back the T-pool PUHLEEEEEEZE. Get rid of the noisy, obnoxious "foyer as entertainment" hub. Bring back Rendezvous Lounge. Put an elevator in the rear as well as the front. Go back in time to the superior (a level above the current very good to excellent) service. I am willing to pay a little more (something in-between Azamara versus M class pricing). Bring back some shopping I can actually afford with more choices of good quality souvenirs to bring back for the family (and a few options in women's sizes where you don't have to be skinny to find something:)). Bring back the extra space in CC/AQ cabins. For heavens sake, keep the basic design of the S class bathroom - don't want to see M class bathrooms again! But for the love of all that is holy bring back actual nightstands by the bed with drawers, as well as some real storage you don't have to stand on a bed to reach.

 

 

Yup, I can handle M class ships or slightly smaller. X needs to recognize the reason their customers sailed with them if the first place. I believe people will pay slightly more.

 

They are still at my favorite cruise line as they exist today.

[phoenix_dream]

Until I re-read the post, I had no idea that message was from a host. That was not only strange, but IN MY OPINION, inappropriate for a host to put the kabash on what this forum is all about.

I agree it was inappropriate. At the same time, that is so very, very rare for Andy who has consistently been a wonderful host and very dedicated. I was taken aback myself, but I for one am going to chalk it up to one bad judgment call based on passionate feelings and let it go. For all the time and effort Andy has put in for us, I think we owe him that:)

[Champagne Cruiser]

Definitely, kid free zones that are enforced (one of the reasons we love AQ). Also, on the Summit I was greatly bothered by the smokers. One whole side of the pool is for smokers. Needless to say, there were lots of lounges available on that side, and of course the smoke does travel. The Sunst bar was the worst for me. We used to enjoy our pre dinner drink on the Solstice, but it was so bad on the Summit that after the first day we skipped it. I don't remember if it was smoke free on the Solstice or just better designed or if we didn't notice because we could go up to the lawn club from the Sunset.

 

And the thing that makes me not cruise more than 7 days is that on at sea days, once you find a place to lounge, that's it. The pool areas need to be much larger with more shady lounges.

[WELSH WIZARDS]

I agree it was inappropriate. At the same time, that is so very, very rare for Andy who has consistently been a wonderful host and very dedicated. I was taken aback myself, but I for one am going to chalk it up to one bad judgment call based on passionate feelings and let it go. For all the time and effort Andy has put in for us, I think we owe him that:)

I wholeheartedly endorse your sentiments , and will readily also do what you propose.

[Lsimon]

....I did indeed make a joking answer, but was that not allowed ? ....

I thought your initial answer was great and enjoyed it!

 

I think Andy was just a bit wrapped up in the Millennium problems, but I see nothing wrong with enjoying a fun discussion on a thread unrelated to the Millennium.

 

More live music. :)

I really don't care for the entertainment in the foyer either. There is no place to sit and it gets really crowded....

 

My only major problem with Celebrity's direction since we first started sailing with them is the decline of quality live music on board. There is less live music than before in terms of both quality and quantity of acts. Even the lounge music that is good quality seems to be "diluted" quite a bit as the musicians are playing sets that try to appeal to every type of person on board instead of having seperate groups playing party band songs vs. ballroom dancing, soft rock vs. old standards, etc. Micheal's Club is now left nearly empty since they've eliminated quality piano bar type entertainers there and I sorely miss the small classical quartets on the cruises they've eliminated them from and the lack of Island music on Caribbean cruises.

 

And the S class made that even worse by eliminating a major entertainment lounge and relegating most lounge music to the atrium which is a terrible place for anything other than a bit of calming classical or piano music.

[wwcruisers]

I agree it was inappropriate. At the same time, that is so very, very rare for Andy who has consistently been a wonderful host and very dedicated. I was taken aback myself, but I for one am going to chalk it up to one bad judgment call based on passionate feelings and let it go. For all the time and effort Andy has put in for us, I think we owe him that:)

 

Not singling you out, phoenix dream ;) -- yours was just the last post I saw on this topic, so I thought it would be a good one to reply to.

 

IMHO, Andy is the best host on the CruiseCritic boards. He not only moderates the Celebrity Board, but Azamara, as well. That's in addition to having a "real" job, and a family whom he cares about very deeply. I have always been impressed by the way Andy carries out his duties as moderator. He's never heavy-handed (e.g."poofing" offending threads) Even when he feels that a thread has clearly run its course, he always has a polite explanation for locking it. Andy always uses his role as moderator to educate and help the folks who are new -- and some of us who are not-so-new, but occasionally need reminders.

 

For any of you who haven't read all the way through all the threads on the recent Millie debacle, Host Andy is up to his elbows in alligators (trying to drain the swamp :eek:) There are lots of folks over there who really need help, and some who are desperately trying to get their stories out about what happened to them. I would imagine that these important, but contentious, threads require a lot of post-by-post analysis by the mods, to keep them on track. In his post, I don't think Andy was saying this thread was inappropriate, per se; he just didn't want to see it devolve into another "over the top" thread that he would have to jump in and deal with. I read his post as a call for decorum and consideration of others, rather than a criticism. :cool:

 

So, just my $.02 -- Host Andy -- hope I didn't 'overstep' :o

[phoenix_dream]

No offense taken. I am not necessarily in agreement of your conclusion as the thread was nowhere near going over the top in any way, but I definitely agree with all the Andy compliments.:) Monitoring those passionate threads must be quite challenging as you point out.

[richsea]

I fail to see what has some upset by Andy's post. Maybe I missed it, but I don't see where he called anyone out about any particular post.

I took his post to mean that in light of the ongoing situation with Millennium, he was not ready for a lighthearted subject such as what we may like on future Celebrity ships. No more, no less than that.

 

Now, I am sure that Andy can speak for himself, but jeesh, cut him some slack!

[gcorgain]

My suggestions for a new class:

 

(1) New cabin types: A solo cabin type and a two bedroom type would both be welcome additions and have proven very popular on other lines.

 

(2) A Piano bar (or other smaller music lounge). Micheal's club is just unusable and hidden away and the encore lounge (while better) feels like the entrance to the specialty restaurants more than an evening destination.

 

(3) Keep the Sky Lounge same size as original Solstice Class

 

(4) A Movie screening room might be nice (with big comfy chairs like iPic theaters). This could just be an upgrade for Celebrity Central, which has often been poorly utilized on my cruises.

 

(5) Different (not more) specialty restaurants. One thing that I think would be great is to go back to having different specialty restaurants on each ship. This would be one way to easily differentiate the ships in a positive way, and to keep things fresh. That being said I think there are plenty of specialty restaurants, particularly on Silhouette and Reflection.

 

(6) I agree with most of the posters who have focused on an elegant experience as opposed to copying RCCL with more high energy activity spaces.

 

(7) I was really hoping that they would really redo Century and have a smaller ship that could go to more out of the way places. If that isn't in the cards, maybe this would be something to consider.

 

Greg

[cdbaum]

AQ isn't kid free! I just booked 6 cabins with one adult and one child in each so that we can all be together, except for at dinner, I asked that the kids all be at one table together so that we can sit on the opposite side of Blu where it's quiet.

[celebritydave]

My only major problem with Celebrity's direction since we first started sailing with them is the decline of quality live music on board. There is less live music than before in terms of both quality and quantity of acts. Even the lounge music that is good quality seems to be "diluted" quite a bit as the musicians are playing sets that try to appeal to every type of person on board instead of having seperate groups playing party band songs vs. ballroom dancing, soft rock vs. old standards, etc. Micheal's Club is now left nearly empty since they've eliminated quality piano bar type entertainers there and I sorely miss the small classical quartets on the cruises they've eliminated them from and the lack of Island music on Caribbean cruises.

 

And the S class made that even worse by eliminating a major entertainment lounge and relegating most lounge music to the atrium which is a terrible place for anything other than a bit of calming classical or piano music.

 

Yes, I think the quality of the live music has gone down. We used to look forward to going up to the sky lounge and dancing to live music. Now it seems there is a DJ on a lot of nights.

[Spf12]

Since so many cruisers are " Quite Senior " I would like to have an " Old Codgers " deck. ;):D

All the cabins would have walking sticks, indigestion tablets, sleeping tablets, incontinence pads , etc supplied.

All the music played on this deck would be from the sixties or seventies, and would not be loud.

I bet these cabins would be so popular they would soon have to add 2 or 3 more decks. !! ;)

and have a track for scooter and wheel chair races and an attendant to wipe the drool off my face.

[Jane2357]

I would love to step on the ship - be handed a glass of champagne and escorted to my cabin - my first X cruise experience and something I will never forget - it set the tone for the entire curie. A smaller ship - with NO smoking - sorry smokers (and yes I was once one) but socially it has become ostracized and proven medically to be harmful to everyone - smoker and non alike. A full promenade deck and more live music!

[ackieboy]

With a lot of new ships being built, and nothing announced yet from Celebrity, what features would you like to see on their next new ship? Let's call it the "X" class! Would you like an aft pool, rear elevator bank, removal of the lawn, inside balconies, an exclusive "ship within a ship" area, zip lines, rock climbing walls, two separate main dining rooms, etc.?

 

Handicapped accessible cabins in every category including Aqua.

[gblotter]

AQ isn't kid free! I just booked 6 cabins with one adult and one child in each so that we can all be together, except for at dinner, I asked that the kids all be at one table together so that we can sit on the opposite side of Blu where it's quiet.

You might want to check with Celebrity on the details of your dining plans. AquaClass might not be kid-free, but Blu is.

 

We were informed that the Blu restaurant will not accept minors even if they are occupying an AquaClass stateroom.

 

Please let me know if you learn that I am wrong about that.

[Ma Bell]

You might want to check with Celebrity on the details of your dining plans. AquaClass might not be kid-free, but Blu is.

 

We were informed that the Blu restaurant will not accept minors even if they are occupying an AquaClass stateroom.

 

Please let me know if you learn that I am wrong about that.

 

You are wrong about that.

[bob278]

AQ isn't kid free! I just booked 6 cabins with one adult and one child in each so that we can all be together, except for at dinner, I asked that the kids all be at one table together so that we can sit on the opposite side of Blu where it's quiet.

 

It may just be me, but I think this is quite inconsiderate. You want to get away from your kids for quiet, but have no problem subjecting strangers to your children that you expect to be noisy.

[resstation]

It may just be me, but I think this is quite inconsiderate. You want to get away from your kids for quiet, but have no problem subjecting strangers to your children that you expect to be noisy.

 

I was hoping - and I still do - that it was a joke. Please tell me that is a joke or the "children" are in their 30's. LOL

[bob278]

I was hoping - and I still do - that it was a joke. Please tell me that is a joke or the "children" are in their 30's. LOL

 

I hope you are right and I just missed that possibility. But, sad to say, that attitude is too common.