1st Celebrity Experience: Bad Luck or New Normal?

[ltroccoli]

My wife and I are just beginning to cruise and trying to find our choice ship. We had heard great things about Celebrity and decided on a 4NT on the Costellation over Valentine's Day weekend. We were Concierge Class so did not get a chance to try Blu (next time). The highlight was a truly impressive meal at Oceanliners. However, since we are trying to really find our brand - we wanted to hear from seasoned Celebrity cruisers if our misses were exceptions or just the nature of a upscale yet mass market brand. We've also read reviews on the lowering of food quality in the MDR for Celebrity. Here's a quick list of misses. Of course - there is a longer list of wins but still would welcome others to share if this is typical.

 

 

 

- seated at Group table although requested private dining. Eventually resolved but uncomfortable.

 

- outdoor pools generally very cold

 

- very limited pool service for drinks

 

- lackluster food at San Marco. Worst was a flavorless tuna carpaccio and a $5 "ribeye" the last night

 

- room canapés consisting of a handful of raisins and olives (only 2 of 3 days)

 

- cold room service breakfasts both days ordered

 

- rude treatment by Nina at Guest Relations regarding first point above

 

 

 

Again, all is relative but any insights on others' experience will help understand if we just got a bad batch, should lower our expectations, or keep shopping (Princess?). Any help appreciated.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[retired067]

Hi, Celebrity is our line of choice and we always have had excellent service.

[NLH Arizona]

I've never had any of the problems that you had. You might want to go back and read some of the reviews to see if anyone had similar experiences. I wouldn't lower my expectations, but if these type of problems are a deal breaker for you, I'd continue to shop around.

Edited February 19, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[cle-guy]

The short 3/4/5 night Connie cruises I don't think are the best way to define the Celebrity brand. They are too quick for passengers and crew to get into the groove so to speak.

 

Also the crowd on these shorter cruises tends to be a bit more "party heavy" than other celebrity cruises.

 

I was on Connie in January, and while I had none of the issues you mentioned, I did feel the vibe wasn't quite Celebrity.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

- seated at Group table although requested private dining. Eventually resolved but uncomfortable.

Unusual, but not unheard of.

 

- outdoor pools generally very cold

They're colder than I'd prefer, though I wouldn't call them "very cold". I use the T-pool, which is undercover and heated.

 

- very limited pool service for drinks

IMO they try not to be intrusive and seem like they're pushing you to buy drinks-- the bar is not that far away from the pool if you want a drink.

 

- lackluster food at San Marco. Worst was a flavorless tuna carpaccio and a $5 "ribeye" the last night

Never had a problem with the food, but I'm not a "foodie".

 

- room canapés consisting of a handful of raisins and olives (only 2 of 3 days)

Never had raisins and olives, just less-than appetizing canapés. Many people ask their stateroom attendant to substitute a plate of cheese and crackers.

 

- cold room service breakfasts both days ordered

I agree that by the time they can bring up the room service breakfast, it's usually cool. While a little more trouble, we like to go up to the buffet and bring back a plate or two of food-- do it yourself room service!:)

 

- rude treatment by Nina at Guest Relations regarding first point above

Definitely atypical.

 

 

 

Again, all is relative but any insights on others' experience will help understand if we just got a bad batch, should lower our expectations, or keep shopping (Princess?). Any help appreciated.

FWIW, our experience on Princess has been about the same. Service on Celebrity has not always been perfect, but the pluses always outweigh the minuses. We always look forward to going back.

[wedding96]

My wife and I are just beginning to cruise and trying to find our choice ship. We had heard great things about Celebrity and decided on a 4NT on the Costellation over Valentine's Day weekend. We were Concierge Class so did not get a chance to try Blu (next time). The highlight was a truly impressive meal at Oceanliners. However, since we are trying to really find our brand - we wanted to hear from seasoned Celebrity cruisers if our misses were exceptions or just the nature of a upscale yet mass market brand. We've also read reviews on the lowering of food quality in the MDR for Celebrity. Here's a quick list of misses. Of course - there is a longer list of wins but still would welcome others to share if this is

 

- seated at Group table although requested private dining. Eventually resolved but uncomfortable.

 

- outdoor pools generally very cold

 

- very limited pool service for drinks

 

- lackluster food at San Marco. Worst was a flavorless tuna carpaccio and a $5 "ribeye" the last night

 

- room canapés consisting of a handful of raisins and olives (only 2 of 3 days)

 

- cold room service breakfasts both days ordered

 

- rude treatment by Nina at Guest Relations regarding first point above

 

 

 

Again, all is relative but any insights on others' experience will help understand if we just got a bad batch, should lower our expectations, or keep shopping (Princess?). Any help appreciated.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

Unlike others, I believe that the misses you describe are more common than in the past. The Celebrity experience is just not the same as it used to be. Consistency in service and food is just not there anymore. Many more crew who really don't seem to be trying as hard and seem bored and irritated. Food has definitely been worse and I still haven't gotten over the downgrading of the food at Aquaspa Cafe. Having said all that, Celebrity is still my line of choice at this price-point. I like the design and vibe of the ships (especially Solstice Class) and try to ignore the misses.

[4774Papa]

The short 3/4/5 night Connie cruises I don't think are the best way to define the Celebrity brand. They are too quick for passengers and crew to get into the groove so to speak.

 

Also the crowd on these shorter cruises tends to be a bit more "party heavy" than other celebrity cruises.

 

I was on Connie in January, and while I had none of the issues you mentioned, I did feel the vibe wasn't quite Celebrity.

We have never taken a Celebrity cruise that was less than 11 days. Perhaps short cruises have a different pulse.

 

We frequently order room service breakfast when we have a shore excursion in the morning. The only time we had a problem with our omelets being cold was when we had a deck 9 Aqua cabin. We reported to our room steward and next time it was resolved.

 

We have never experienced rude behavior on the part of the crew or staff of Celebrity. On Infinity we had a table for 12 with four persons not showing up, two persons moved, the other four were always half an hour late, so we asked to be moved to another table. It was handled very well.

 

We are pleased with the MDR food, but once in a while, I order something that just doesn't match my expectations. I simply ask our waiter for another dish. It has always been resolved to my satisfaction.

 

Suggest you try X once more, with a longer cruise.

[excitedofharpenden]

As cle-guy says above short cruises are not a good measure. By the time the cruise starts it's nearly over and staff don't really get a chance to attune to what you personally need. I'd give it another go, but on a longer itinerary if possible. The passenger mix will be different too.

 

A bit of advice. If you ever have any issues with regard to seating/food in the dining room have a word with your Assistant Maitre d' and if not successful then escalate to the Maitre d'. I haven't really had any truly bad experiences at Guest Relations, but if I can avoid them and put any concerns directly to the particular service area of the ship I will.

 

Phil

[daisy-mae]

We have only cruised with Celebrity once, so I can't address all of the issues. However, after six cruises with a number of different cruise lines, the single most frustrating experience for us has been related to our dining requests. Although we are always given assurances that the reservations for all couples in our group (usually 3 sets) are linked, we invariably find ourselves at different tables, and end up spending the first part of the day upon embarkation lining up with other disgruntled passengers at the Maître d's desk.

[wpgcycler]

The apologists are out in force this morning. Love how people respond to a concern with "well' it's never happened to me!", as if the OP is either mistaken or making it up. Also, why should poor service be expected because the cruise is shorter :confused:? I can see that it may not be as personal given the short time to get to know the customer but surely it should be as personable and professional. And frankly, if I was running the company I'd recognize that many of the customers on a short cruise are maybe checking out cruising for the first time - the very best chance you get to win a customer for life...

[attilamom1217]

We have never had a real issue with the service on Celebrity. If we have had one, it was resolved quickly and professionally.

 

However, I did notice on my last cruise that it was sometimes difficult to get bar service at the pool - especially in the solarium. I was on my way to the bar to order, when I saw a server and asked that he take orders from those of us in the hot tub. He came over, took our orders, then came back several more times to ask if we needed/wanted anything else.

 

The pools are not heated - therefore they can be cold. I think the solarium pool was not as cold as the 'outdoor' pools and of course the hot tubs were hot.

 

We were actually asked if we wanted the canapes and were informed that we had to be in the cabin when they were delivered. We, therefore, declined the canapes. That said, as a previous poster mentioned, you can ask for a cheese and cracker plate instead of the canapes.

 

I cannot comment on the Main Dining Room as we ate our dinners in Blu and breakfasts either at Blu or buffet.

 

Please try Celebrity again. I think your cruise was an anomaly.

[cle-guy]

The apologists are out in force this morning. Love how people respond to a concern with "well' it's never happened to me!", as if the OP is either mistaken or making it up. Also, why should poor service be expected because the cruise is shorter :confused:? I can see that it may not be as personal given the short time to get to know the customer but surely it should be as personable and professional. And frankly, if I was running the company I'd recognize that many of the customers on a short cruise are maybe checking out cruising for the first time - the very best chance you get to win a customer for life...

 

There's some truth to this, but many of the OP's issues are very personal, many of which others may never notice. I for one after hundreds of night in hotels expect room service eggs and toast to not be hot. How can it be after all that traveling to my cabin. And 'hot' and 'cold' are different for anyone. For me cold means it is under 40 degrees, and hot is boiling. If food is 60-100 degrees, It's fine for me.

 

Cold pool, the water ones from the sea so that's its temperature. Use the warm pool in the solarium that's heated.

 

I enjoy the canapés, his description seems to match the ones I get. They aren't anything over the top special, just a nice little nibble in the afternoon.

 

Limited pool bar service - very personal, maybe OP wants a visit every 15 minutes, and I'm happy with every 30.

 

Flavor of carpaccio, again to each his own on matters of flavor and taste.

 

Ribeye steaks are what they are, some great, some awful. My last connie cruise, the one I had in MDR was awesome, then had one in BLU 2 nights later and it was just a fatty mess.

 

Table arrangements, sounds like they tried to resolve at Guest Services rather than Dining room. I may be wrong, and in any case, no one should get rude service, but is rude simply front desk saying "I'm sorry we can't help you" whereas the Dining staff may have immediately helped? or what...need more info to really delve into that. But it's not necessary to get the particulars at all in this thread.

 

But my point is, I don't think any of us wanted to point-by-point the OP, as observations are unique and personal to each individual, I think we are all just sharing our actual thoughts and experiences, so others visiting this thread can have a full picture.

[wpgcycler]

All good points cle-guy. I happen to like cool pools, would order non-heated breakfast items and actually prefer to go to the bar to get my drink. It's important that other viewpoints be presented however, whether you or I agree with them or not. I suspect many people have expectations which may be unreasonable to you and me - their opinion is still valid and in fact quite useful to the others that have similar expectations. For people to just jump in and say "never happens to me" is not at all helpful and is somewhat disrespectful to the OP. Thanks

[Duanerice1]

Bummer, nothing like a bad cruise. Or a cruise with problems.

 

We've never had a problem with seating with any cruise line actually but we have turned to Select dining so we just show up as 2 people. Must of just got lucky.

 

Pools are downright cold - haven't been in one after my first cruise. You'd think they could be a bit warmer.

 

Get my own drinks, don't rely on the servers because on a hot day the drinks can get kind of warm by the time they get them to me. Wife drinks blended and they melt easily. Also good to get up once in a while. But there is no excuse for not selling you drinks.

 

Food is subjective. Haven't liked everything but like someone else mentioned, I'm not a foodie by any stretch.

 

My wife likes the canapes and I think she is the only one on the cruise. I've wanted to switch to something else but she won't let me. Too much food available for me to really care.

 

Hate to agree but Room Service breakfast is usually luke warm. Wish it was hot, but it never will be. If I want hot I have to go up and get it which defeats the purpose of room service, right? Never had hot breakfast room service on any cruise line though.

 

No excuse for rude service. Don remember ever receiving rude service, not just on Celebrity but other lines too. That is the one thing about a cruise be it Celebrity or Carnival, the people are great. But then, we are just lucky as we have never really had a problem that need to be addressed. People have bad days I guess.

 

And I know some say that a shorter cruise shouldn't have any different food, service, etc., but it does. Having been on both longer/shorter Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises, I can attest there is a difference. The whole atmosphere is different. We know this and set our expectations accordingly.

 

We did sail on the Connie once after sailing on the S class ships. While enjoyable, the experience is nothing like the S class. But, some like the M class better. Considering we grew up with M class we know the ships inside and out but still like S class better. Try the S class.

 

Sorry you had a bad cruise. We love Celebrity and that is our brand of choice but have never been on a bad cruise.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The apologists are out in force this morning. Love how people respond to a concern with "well' it's never happened to me!", as if the OP is either mistaken or making it up. Also, why should poor service be expected because the cruise is shorter :confused:? I can see that it may not be as personal given the short time to get to know the customer but surely it should be as personable and professional. And frankly, if I was running the company I'd recognize that many of the customers on a short cruise are maybe checking out cruising for the first time - the very best chance you get to win a customer for life...

 

OP asked for: "Again, all is relative but any insights on others' experience will help understand if we just got a bad batch, should lower our expectations, or keep shopping (Princess?). Any help appreciated." That seems to call for exactly the type of responses in this thread. If the others didn't have these problems, that is their experience. If you have had bad experiences on Celebrity, it would be helpful to OP (and me) for you to detail them rather than paint everyone else as a Celebrity apologist.

[mrsdoc3]

The apologists are out in force this morning. Love how people respond to a concern with "well' it's never happened to me!", as if the OP is either mistaken or making it up.

 

I don't see these people as apologists. The OP asked if what he experienced was common, and people responded with their experiences. I don't see how anyone can answer in any other manner. Since most of us are not on cruises 52 weeks of the year, we can only report what has happened to us on a liimited number of outings. I suppose they could report what they have heard or read from other people, but in a court of law, I believe that is called hearsay. I don't think anyone here has implied that the OP was "making it up."

[dkjretired]

I'm curious about the $5.00 ribeye, is this something new. I was just on Silhouette and they did not offer any extra price foods in the MDR.

[cle-guy]

I'm curious about the $5.00 ribeye, is this something new. I was just on Silhouette and they did not offer any extra price foods in the MDR.

 

I believe he meant at a restaurant a nice ribeye is like $30, he was served the equivalent of a $5 ribeye - thin, spindly, fatty, not thick and delicious.

[wpgcycler]

OP asked for: "Again, all is relative but any insights on others' experience will help understand if we just got a bad batch, should lower our expectations, or keep shopping (Princess?). Any help appreciated." That seems to call for exactly the type of responses in this thread. If the others didn't have these problems, that is their experience. If you have had bad experiences on Celebrity, it would be helpful to OP (and me) for you to detail them rather than paint everyone else as a Celebrity apologist.

 

As a matter of fact, I've had precisely NO experience with Celebrity or cruising at all for that matter. Hence the importance to me of being able to come here and read balanced reviews. Time and time again I see Celebrity fans jump on posters who dare to voice their dissatisfaction and offer all manner of excuses for the shortfall in meeting expectations (reminds me of the Apple forums - "that's not a problem, it's a feature"). This is not helpful to me.

 

Celebrity surely cannot be perfect. Not every expectation will be met. I for one, question claims to the contrary. I find it very helpful to understand areas where Celebrity may have difficulty meeting even basic expectations (e.g. eggs should be hot or at least very warm if they're not deviled or between two slices of whole wheat with mayo) and will plan accordingly - I'm VERY much looking forward to croissants and jam or bagels and smoked salmon on my balcony for my first ever cruise breakfast.

 

And as for the suggestion that below standard service should be expected on shorter cruises, I can't help but wonder how my employer would react if I suggested it was OK for the customer to be dissatisfied " 'cuz it was only a short engagement anyway... "

Edited February 19, 2014 by wpgcycler

[welshfamily]

Pool bar service has been on the decline for an number of years. On our first few cruises bar staff circled continually, usually trying to sell the cocktail of the day or a bottle of champagne for a more memorable sail away eg Venice. However these bar staff have all but disappeared. The pool bars are fully staffed, very close and we usually don't mind getting up for a drink, this doesn't detracted from our cruise but I could see how it could for some particularly those comparing Celebrity to high end hotels ( 6* usually whereas Celebrity is classed as4*+ or 5* )

 

The pools are cold, we like this.

 

Food is subjective. We like Blu and are prepared to pay a premium however we still use the MDR on occasions eg a meal with fellow CC members after a shared excursion and believe the food quality is mostly excellent. We have sent food back or changed a course which we didn't find enjoyable or hot enough.

 

Guest services....not all staff are as helpful as they should be but on the whole patience and politeness coupled with reasonable expectations usually resolves the issue.

 

My advice would be try a longer cruise as others have pointed out these tend to

' feel' different.

[wedding96]

The apologists are out in force this morning. Love how people respond to a concern with "well' it's never happened to me!", as if the OP is either mistaken or making it up. Also, why should poor service be expected because the cruise is shorter :confused:? I can see that it may not be as personal given the short time to get to know the customer but surely it should be as personable and professional. And frankly, if I was running the company I'd recognize that many of the customers on a short cruise are maybe checking out cruising for the first time - the very best chance you get to win a customer for life...

 

Totally agree with you!

[jagoffee]

My wife and I are just beginning to cruise and trying to find our choice ship. We had heard great things about Celebrity and decided on a 4NT on the Costellation over Valentine's Day weekend. We were Concierge Class so did not get a chance to try Blu (next time). The highlight was a truly impressive meal at Oceanliners. However, since we are trying to really find our brand - we wanted to hear from seasoned Celebrity cruisers if our misses were exceptions or just the nature of a upscale yet mass market brand. We've also read reviews on the lowering of food quality in the MDR for Celebrity. Here's a quick list of misses. Of course - there is a longer list of wins but still would welcome others to share if this is typical.

 

 

 

- seated at Group table although requested private dining. Eventually resolved but uncomfortable.

 

- outdoor pools generally very cold

 

- very limited pool service for drinks

 

- lackluster food at San Marco. Worst was a flavorless tuna carpaccio and a $5 "ribeye" the last night

 

- room canapés consisting of a handful of raisins and olives (only 2 of 3 days)

 

- cold room service breakfasts both days ordered

 

- rude treatment by Nina at Guest Relations regarding first point above

 

 

 

Again, all is relative but any insights on others' experience will help understand if we just got a bad batch, should lower our expectations, or keep shopping (Princess?). Any help appreciated.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

Based on my recent experiences (Reflection in November and Eclipse in January) this is not the new norm. I have never been on the Constellation or a cruise of less than 7 days. My last two were 15 days and 14 days. In my opinion the food in the MDR has improved.

Before you make a decision concerning Celebrity I suggest you try a longer cruise on one of the Solstice Class ships. Of course Princess is also a nice overall experience and it is always good to try other cruise lines IMO.

 

Of course I also think it is a good idea to actually take a cruise before one criticizes others feedback especially when they are directly answering your question.

[TobyKnits]

- seated at Group table although requested private dining. Eventually resolved but uncomfortable.

The opposite has been my normal experience. We request large table, get seated alone. Each time it was easily remedied and is one of the first things we take care of when we get on the ship. As others said, this is best handled by the maitre d' in the dining room.

 

- lackluster food at San Marco. Worst was a flavorless tuna carpaccio and a $5 "ribeye" the last night

We have had very good food in the MDR. Not excellent, but very good. On our last cruise the ribeye 2 people at our table ordered in Tuscan Grill was TERRIBLE and the ribeye a couple days later in the MDR was very good. My impression is that Celebrity has some quality control issues with their beef.

 

- room canapés consisting of a handful of raisins and olives (only 2 of 3 days)

We usually book a Sky Suite so maybe we get slightly better canapés. They generally consisted of 4 items - olives, dip (salsa or hummus or bean), chips, tomatoes & mozzarella were common.

 

Before these canapés they served what I would consider a more upscale version (or maybe more pretentious) - whipped spread on a slice of cucumber, shrimp, salmon mousse on cucumber, a roll of salami with some kind of whip in it, etc. I actually like the newer canapés better and never once were we given raisins (I would remember, can't stand them.)

 

- rude treatment by Nina at Guest Relations regarding first point above

We have never been treated rudely by any Celebrity staff member.

 

 

IMHO, you would have to lower your expectations from this to switch to Princess. I think partly this was a factor of only being a 4 day cruise, as much as I hate to think that guests are treated differently on short cruises. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it as much as you hoped to.

Edited February 19, 2014 by TobyKnits

[TomTN]

I would give Princess a try. I believe most people prefer a longer cruise than 4 nights. Our first cruise was 4 nights on RCCL, and I did not enjoy it. It just was not relaxing, and there was too much rah rah partying. That was 20 years and 20 cruises ago.

[emcee207]

As a matter of fact, I've had precisely NO experience with Celebrity or cruising at all for that matter. Hence the importance to me of being able to come here and read balanced reviews. Time and time again I see Celebrity fans jump on posters who dare to voice their dissatisfaction and offer all manner of excuses for the shortfall in meeting expectations (reminds me of the Apple forums - "that's not a problem, it's a feature"). This is not helpful to me.

 

Celebrity surely cannot be perfect. Not every expectation will be met. I for one, question claims to the contrary. I find it very helpful to understand areas where Celebrity may have difficulty meeting even basic expectations (e.g. eggs should be hot or at least very warm if they're not deviled or between two slices of whole wheat with mayo) and will plan accordingly - I'm VERY much looking forward to croissants and jam or bagels and smoked salmon on my balcony for my first ever cruise breakfast.

 

And as for the suggestion that below standard service should be expected on shorter cruises, I can't help but wonder how my employer would react if I suggested it was OK for the customer to be dissatisfied " 'cuz it was only a short engagement anyway... "

 

I must be missing something here...........you've never been on a Celebrity cruise; in fact you've never been on a cruise at all and yet you have tons of opinions??!!!:rolleyes:

 

The OP ASKED for other peoples experiences and opinions and yet when they give them you say people are jumping on and insulting the OP???

 

Wow, I just don't get it sometimes. Not at all.:rolleyes:

Edited February 19, 2014 by emcee207