Expressing Dissatisfaction in the Only Meaningful Way

[Bababooey Land]

I realize I'm rather blunt. But, the constant complaining about by very vocal minority of miserable curmudgeons on this board (and to a much lesser degree onboard) is really tiresome -- REALLY tiresome.

 

Yet, at the same time, their vision of cruising is readily available. Seabourn, Azamara, Silversea, and many others offer the EXACT experience the vocal curmudgeons so fondly remember.

 

Why aren't they sailing on those lines instead of making of vast majority who really like Celebrity's product so freakin' miserable?</rhetorical>

 

100% agree. its what iv said before on these boards. and it usually boils down to MONEY. Celebrity gives you a very good product for the PRICE.

[cpj]

It is with great interest and objectivity that I have digested the many opinions concerning objectionable changes to the Celebrity product.

 

My wife and I cruise between two and three times per year. We fancy voyages of ten days or longer. We enjoy balcony staterooms but used to book oceanviews in the days when balconies simply did not exist given when the vessel was constructed.

 

Our first Celebrity cruise aboard Galaxy hooked us on the brand. While not fogey-ish, we savor attentive service, fine dining and reasonable sophistication. We look forward to our before dinner cocktail in a well-appointed, intimate lounge. Out of respect for ourselves and our fellow passengers we honor the dress code. After all, everyone was timely informed of it so why not play by the few rules of the vessel?

 

I am not going to debate cuisine or entertainment at length. My comments in those areas will be a simple concurrence with those who opine that both food (taste and presentation) and evening showtimes have gone downhill.

 

It is elementary. Celebrity ships routinely sail at or near capacity. So long as this profitable trend continues it is, I assert, unrealistic to believe that Michael Bayley and his executive washroom colleagues will upgrade cruise components that re included in the baseline fare.

 

This is the corporate mentality that gave birth to the extra fee so-called "specialty" restaurants. Dining used to be the main event; with theme nights featuring both atmospheric and culinary delights from around the world. Minus the existing Baked Alaska parades, I do not think the main dining rooms will ever again be anything more than gloried mess halls.

 

The buffets? Please, don't get me started! These fertile planting grounds for noro and crude behavior saw their best days many years ago.

 

So to the theme of my posting. Taking your business elsewhere is the only way - I say again the ONLY way - to get Mr. Bayley and his "team" to revisit the changing Celebrity product. When those pretty white ships sail away with a plethora of empty cabins, only them will he blow the bugle and attempt to find out what errors were made that resulted in customers spending their money elsewhere. If we keep going back for more we are validating the very changes we seem to dislike. Those comment cards are traditional - the only thing that counts is the "take."

 

Let me close by assuring those who read my essay that I do not live in the past. I fully understand that the days of family-owned cruise lines (Home Lines, Sitmar, et al.) are in Davy Jones' Locker. Today's cruises are controlled by bean counting and answering to stockholders; some of whom demand profits while they, simultaneously, vilify the lack luster product sailing under the guise of "modern luxury."

 

We have two Celebrity voyages booked for this year. The first we will board in early May. The second is booked for November 1. If the May trip turns out bad we fully intend to spend our money elsewhere.

 

I will pay the cost of a cruise. But I want what I want. And if Mr. Bayley's product no longer lives up to expectations - perhaps one of Mr. Arison's ships will.

 

You see, I still believe that we consumers control the marketplace. But only if we realize that validating a substandard product with repeat business is harpooning ourselves in the foot.

 

Just my opinion. I respect all others and wish us all Bon Voyage.

I just spent my money on the NCL breakaway and it was fantastic. This is a state of the art ship and the food in the specially resturents was great. Entertainment was awesome. Im elite on Celebrety but you do have options. Wish I would have tried this line sooner instead off paying attention to reviews. Was so glad I didnt have to dress formal and was glad to be aroung a younger crowd. Also there casino was busy all the time and they smoke in there but I never saw a casino that busy. It was good tto get away from the old folks on Celebrity.and there stupid rules.

[Maggs07]

I realize I'm rather blunt. But, the constant complaining about by very vocal minority of miserable curmudgeons on this board (and to a much lesser degree onboard) is really tiresome -- REALLY tiresome.

 

We get it; cruising is no longer as glamorous as it was when Captain Stubbing and Julie McCoy were running the show. We get it; the food sucks relative to your distant glory days. We get it; you don't like modern/loud music, poorly-dressed passengers, or rambunctious children.

 

So, why the heck are these vocal curmudgeons still cruising on the large, mainstream cruise lines? The food and service are never going to return to the levels of their glory days. The loud/modern music, poorly-dressed passengers, and rambunctious children are here to stay.

 

Yet, at the same time, their vision of cruising is readily available. Seabourn, Azamara, Silversea, and many others offer the EXACT experience the vocal curmudgeons so fondly remember.

 

Why aren't they sailing on those lines instead of making of vast majority who really like Celebrity's product so freakin' miserable?</rhetorical>

 

Exactly! So much of our life experience is based on our attitude. Have a bad attitude and watch how quickly you become miserable..have a good attitude and watch how much more pleasure and enjoyment you get out of life.

 

I come on CC sometimes to get excited and fired up about my upcoming cruise. Then I read all of the complaints and negative posts and if I didn't know better, I might be worried about enjoying my trip. But I DO know better...I know that if the ship runs out of bananas or if it takes me 5 minutes to get a drink once and awhile, I'll still have an amazing time! Because I don't look at the negative and pout about every little thing, I don't let the little things bother me. Life's too short to sweat the small stuff and if something like a scowl on a buffet worker's face or bad tasting coffee isn't small stuff, I worry how you'll handle something major in life! Who are these people who live on these message boards and complain day in and day out? Give me some of your free time, please because I don't have time in my life to be a Debbie Downer and if I did have more free time, I certainly would put it to better use!

[wwcruisers]

Having taken our very first cruises in the mid-80's -- yes, there are things about the "good old days" that I miss. What I don't miss are the exorbitant prices. I recall when a 4-niter to the Bahamas (Carnivale) was so expensive that the best cabin we could afford had one tiny porthole -- and bunk beds! And that was a step up from our first ship (Azure Seas), whose interior cabins had the toilet sitting IN the shower! :eek:

 

And yes, I too am disappointed in many of the changes that have taken place on X in recent years. But, my staying away will not change things one bit! I will continue to cruise, and provide feedback to the staff onboard. I fill out the "attention to detail" cards, complete every survey I'm given, and (when necessary) write letters to Corporate. After the cruise, I post comments and write reviews on Cruise Critic. In my humble opinion -- that is how you effect change in this industry! :cool:

[boscobeans]

My wife and I began cruising only a few years ago, compared to many on this forum. Our first was on the Zenith back when not all ships had verandas. Our suite did not since there were none on the Zenith at that time, however we chose her for the itinerary and sailing date. We were not sure if we paid too much or too little, we paid what we thought was a good deal.

 

We have since been on fourteen more cruises with our sixteenth coming up shortly on the Equinox. We have been on Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean and have noticed changes in every aspect of cruising on each of the different lines.

 

On our first few cruises there were always two stewards for our stateroom along with our butler. There always seemed to be someone with a room key and a smile when we returned to our stateroom. Ice and a pitcher of water was always there and refreshed throughout the day without having to ask. At dinner our waiter would be there to seat us and would present our napkins with a florish. There was always time for a few words during the entire experience and by the second night our waiter and his (rare to find a her at the time) assistant knew our names, our likes and our dislikes. The dinner roll basket did not simply consist of one or two rolls and some sliced rye bread. There was an actual selection. Although the dining rooms were not as large as they have grown to be they were pretty big, but (this may be just a figment of my imagination) they seemed quieter and all staff members were very much less rushed.

 

We didn't get to cruise on a ship with a specialty restaurant until we cruised on the Millenium and experienced the Olympic Restaurant. It was an experience, with a roving violin player, table side preparations, white gloved waiters throughout and butterfly presentations of each course. Nice, maybe a little too much like 1912 for us, but we prefered the MDR, however we still do a specialty once on each of our following cruises. We thought that these new dining venues provided different presentations of our meals, but as for the quality there was not that big a difference.

 

I am not sure how they count and calculate the staff to passenger ratio but to me it seems to have gone down quit a bit, although their published numbers may say otherwise.

With zip lines, lawns, climbing walls, wave riders and the myriad number of activities and features on todays new ships it seems that even with the same or similar passenger to staff ratios there are less staff hours, and revenue these wasted staff hours eat up, devoted to housekeeping, dining and other business as there was before the new activities. It takes a decent number of crew hours to staff these activities and maintain them. Large glitzy wine displays (and I am in NO way anti-wine or anti-choice of wine or anything like that) that occupy valuable floor space in dining rooms where tables are placed mere inches from other tables are in my opinion useless. A well located wine room would use a tenth of the space and actually make wine service easier for staff. In my restaurant I kept my wines stored in the cases they came in. It made selection by the staff and inventory control much easier. I never had a diner complain.

 

So, YES cruising has changed, and will probably continue to do so with ships getting bigger providing roller coasters and ferris wheels. With interior promenades that mimic a walk down a New York street becoming more popular gone are the days of the traditional wooden walkaround promenade where you could sit and enjoy a drink while watching the waves roll by. If it wasn't for the motion of the ship a passenger with an inside stateroom could spend a week onboard and be convinved he/she is at a land based resort. Bowling, Ice skating, bumper cars and broadway shows when put together with a cobblestone street featuring NY Pizza, Irish Pubs and Rodeo Drive style shopping venues are now becoming the standard for new cruise ships, and only the imagination will limit what they have in store for the future.

 

All in all choosing a cruise is like choosing a movie. Both are meant to entertain and to provide escape to the ticket holder.

Some of us choose to see a movie with actors who appear for five percent of the movie and then become CGI images doing things with their bodies, weapons and cars that are imposible. Action movies bombarding our senses into paradise.

Some choose movies that take us to foreign places or foreign planets.

Some may choose to see "Downton Abbey".

 

Like cruises, movies take us where we can do things or experience things we don't normally do or get in our everyday life.

 

To each his/her own I say. Select from what's out there, but understand things willl change and we will all have to become used to those changes.

 

I state the above along with the fact that I have NEVER had a bad cruise and know how petty some of the things I may have mentioned are. I will continue to spend as many vacations as I can at sea on one ship or another.

 

As far as Celebrity goes, It is our favorite line. It offers value above many other lines and even if the MDR only has 4 types of bread in the basket and the wine display hurts my eyes ( LOL ) it's a helluva great vacation all around.

 

OMO

 

bosco

[Cruising89143]

I realize I'm rather blunt. But, the constant complaining about by very vocal minority of miserable curmudgeons on this board (and to a much lesser degree onboard) is really tiresome -- REALLY tiresome.

 

We get it; cruising is no longer as glamorous as it was when Captain Stubbing and Julie McCoy were running the show. We get it; the food sucks relative to your distant glory days. We get it; you don't like modern/loud music, poorly-dressed passengers, or rambunctious children.

 

So, why the heck are these vocal curmudgeons still cruising on the large, mainstream cruise lines? The food and service are never going to return to the levels of their glory days. The loud/modern music, poorly-dressed passengers, and rambunctious children are here to stay.

 

Yet, at the same time, their vision of cruising is readily available. Seabourn, Azamara, Silversea, and many others offer the EXACT experience the vocal curmudgeons so fondly remember.

 

Why aren't they sailing on those lines instead of making of vast majority who really like Celebrity's product so freakin' miserable?</rhetorical>

 

Couldn't agree more.

[clojacks]

My wife and I began cruising only a few years ago, compared to many on this forum. Our first was on the Zenith back when not all ships had verandas. Our suite did not since there were none on the Zenith at that time, however we chose her for the itinerary and sailing date. We were not sure if we paid too much or too little, we paid what we thought was a good deal.

 

We have since been on fourteen more cruises with our sixteenth coming up shortly on the Equinox. We have been on Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean and have noticed changes in every aspect of cruising on each of the different lines.

 

On our first few cruises there were always two stewards for our stateroom along with our butler. There always seemed to be someone with a room key and a smile when we returned to our stateroom. Ice and a pitcher of water was always there and refreshed throughout the day without having to ask. At dinner our waiter would be there to seat us and would present our napkins with a florish. There was always time for a few words during the entire experience and by the second night our waiter and his (rare to find a her at the time) assistant knew our names, our likes and our dislikes. The dinner roll basket did not simply consist of one or two rolls and some sliced rye bread. There was an actual selection. Although the dining rooms were not as large as they have grown to be they were pretty big, but (this may be just a figment of my imagination) they seemed quieter and all staff members were very much less rushed.

 

We didn't get to cruise on a ship with a specialty restaurant until we cruised on the Millenium and experienced the Olympic Restaurant. It was an experience, with a roving violin player, table side preparations, white gloved waiters throughout and butterfly presentations of each course. Nice, maybe a little too much like 1912 for us, but we prefered the MDR, however we still do a specialty once on each of our following cruises. We thought that these new dining venues provided different presentations of our meals, but as for the quality there was not that big a difference.

 

I am not sure how they count and calculate the staff to passenger ratio but to me it seems to have gone down quit a bit, although their published numbers may say otherwise.

With zip lines, lawns, climbing walls, wave riders and the myriad number of activities and features on todays new ships it seems that even with the same or similar passenger to staff ratios there are less staff hours, and revenue these wasted staff hours eat up, devoted to housekeeping, dining and other business as there was before the new activities. It takes a decent number of crew hours to staff these activities and maintain them. Large glitzy wine displays (and I am in NO way anti-wine or anti-choice of wine or anything like that) that occupy valuable floor space in dining rooms where tables are placed mere inches from other tables are in my opinion useless. A well located wine room would use a tenth of the space and actually make wine service easier for staff. In my restaurant I kept my wines stored in the cases they came in. It made selection by the staff and inventory control much easier. I never had a diner complain.

 

So, YES cruising has changed, and will probably continue to do so with ships getting bigger providing roller coasters and ferris wheels. With interior promenades that mimic a walk down a New York street becoming more popular gone are the days of the traditional wooden walkaround promenade where you could sit and enjoy a drink while watching the waves roll by. If it wasn't for the motion of the ship a passenger with an inside stateroom could spend a week onboard and be convinved he/she is at a land based resort. Bowling, Ice skating, bumper cars and broadway shows when put together with a cobblestone street featuring NY Pizza, Irish Pubs and Rodeo Drive style shopping venues are now becoming the standard for new cruise ships, and only the imagination will limit what they have in store for the future.

 

All in all choosing a cruise is like choosing a movie. Both are meant to entertain and to provide escape to the ticket holder.

Some of us choose to see a movie with actors who appear for five percent of the movie and then become CGI images doing things with their bodies, weapons and cars that are imposible. Action movies bombarding our senses into paradise.

Some choose movies that take us to foreign places or foreign planets.

Some may choose to see "Downton Abbey".

 

Like cruises, movies take us where we can do things or experience things we don't normally do or get in our everyday life.

 

To each his/her own I say. Select from what's out there, but understand things willl change and we will all have to become used to those changes.

 

I state the above along with the fact that I have NEVER had a bad cruise and know how petty some of the things I may have mentioned are. I will continue to spend as many vacations as I can at sea on one ship or another.

 

As far as Celebrity goes, It is our favorite line. It offers value above many other lines and even if the MDR only has 4 types of bread in the basket and the wine display hurts my eyes ( LOL ) it's a helluva great vacation all around.

 

OMO

 

bosco

 

Extremely well stated....

[Sandy1975]

while I do not disagree with the general gist and tone, I think that in the end it will not matter who or how many leave.

 

there is a new generation of cruisers.. the ones that want rock bottom pricing and whose sophistication level is greatly diminished. they WANT all the things you and I wish would go away. they could care less about exquisite cuisine served on white table cloths with super attentive wait staff.

 

they want the buffet with its mass produced dumbed down bland food. Same with the MDR.. they have kids who only eat deep fried chicken fingers and adults who only want gluten free options.

 

I gotta tell ya, I have my first Celebrity cruise in about a month, and I am actually starting to worry that it will be a wasted effort.

 

I am probably part of the new generation you are talking about and I will admit that I want good pricing. That doesn't mean I am not sophisticated? Heck, I am probably more sophisticated than most people who are complaining about the old days! Having white table cloth doesn't guarantee the food will be "exquisite". Buffet food is not my thing but I can probably make a better salad from ingredients in the buffet than those you would find at a 5 star restaurant and speaking of gluten free, some people are truly gluten free intolerant so I am happy those options are available today.

[KellyW25]

Ahhh...the "good old days" when ships were much smaller, much more expensive, and went to a lot less places. There was also less competition in the industry.

 

I think there are a good many people out there who are not interested in the mega ships, or the "cheapest" cruise lines. Those people want a good cruising experience at moderate prices. With new (huge) ships coming out every year, and people trying out cruising for the first time, it so wrong for Celebrity to want to attract these new cruisers to their product? ? Is it really wrong for them to want to attract a wide range of cruisers?

 

I have been on multiple cruise lines, and I happen to prefer Celebrity. I am 42, so in the "youngish" demographic. I started cruising back on the Gallileo when I was around 14. I can say "I remember when", but I can also accept the changes to the industry.

 

The bottom line is Celebrity needs to keep attracting both new and old cruisers. They must keep changing in order to keep up in a competitive industry. If the Celebrity product has gotten too unsophisticated and mass market for some people, there are alternatives.

[RickT]

While I personally feel differently about a number of the items the OP has stated I have to agree with what they are saying. Ultimately we are the consumer and we can pick and choose where we spend our hard earned money. If a company we've previously dealt with no longer provides what we are looking for (or has been unable/unwilling to resolve a problem) it's our right to take our business elsewhere.

 

To the OP, I hope you find what you are looking for and are happy. Life is too short to not be.

 

As for me, I'll continue to sail with X until they either no longer meet my needs or until I find someone that does it better (I've looked but so far keep coming back).

[wf083145]

Two comments for which I realize that I will be flamed.

 

First, the food. Our first 2 cruises were back in the early 1990's. First was the old Crown Princess which at 80,000 plus tons was huge. Made the mistake of getting a balcony which totally spoiled us. Second cruise was on the Horizon which was about 1/2 the size and had no balconies. The ship bounced so much that I couldn't figure out how the dancers could jump and not kill themselves since the stage was nowhere near where it was when they went into the air. The food, however, was exceptional. Not a bad item on the menu. Has the dining experience declines? Of course. For our upcoming 7 day on X, we are paying for an AQ1 on Reflection what we paid for an ocean view on Horizon. I don't think I would have much luck trying to get a 2014 Cadillac for the same amount I paid for my 1992 Grand Prix.

 

Additionally, we will never get truly fine dining for 3,000 or more people a meal. It's really not possible to do continually, on that scale. My son is a Michelin star chef and is amazed that the big cruise ships do as well as they do in a mass-produced environment. If we want a "fine dining" experience we can do an independent land vacation or travel to The French Laundry or similar venues.

 

Secondly, I have noticed the increasing crabbiness and nasty attitudes of some on the X boards. Not just on 1 side, either. Out of curiosity, I looked on HAL and some others and didn't see the constant complaints and attacks. Not sure what the issues are with X but there is really a difference. We are considering getting flack jackets for the cruise, To be honest, however, if I had never experiences X but had been reading these boards for ideas I might decide to bypass Celebrity entirely and go somewhere more laid back, like w war zone.

 

As always, just my opinion, but why can't we just relax and enjoy?

[parallax]

I remember my first cruise on Celebrity back in the early 1990s. I saved (stole) the menu from dinner one of the nights. If I can find it, I will post it. I remember for dinner that night I had chicken kiev and another night was beef stroganoff. If one is suggesting the food was better, I have to laugh as this was banquet food in the truest sense.

 

Having eaten at a number of high end restaurants (Alinea, French Laundry, Cityzen, Joel Rubuchon), there is no way any cruise ship can replicate the types of dishes served at these types of restaurants. The freshness of the product, the quality of the chefs and the number of dishes that chefs have to make restrict the ability to produce high level dishes. Notwithstanding the forgoing, I have had some very good dishes and always tend to enjoy my dining experience on a cruise. I just try to set reasonable expectations.

[Johnny Heedless]

Secondly, I have noticed the increasing crabbiness and nasty attitudes of some on the X boards. Not just on 1 side, either. Out of curiosity, I looked on HAL and some others and didn't see the constant complaints and attacks. Not sure what the issues are with X but there is really a difference. We are considering getting flack jackets for the cruise, To be honest, however, if I had never experiences X but had been reading these boards for ideas I might decide to bypass Celebrity entirely and go somewhere more laid back, like w war zone.

 

Some of this is just the Internet. Anonymity naturally causes people to be less civil and more argumentative. I visit regularly visit a few message boards besides this one and this one actually the most civil.

 

Some of it the moderators. The HAL moderators seem much quicker at locking threads. Thankfully, the moderators on this board allow lively discussion to continue. I think that's a good thing; we're all adults and should be able to handle a bit of vigorous debate.

 

Some of it is demographics. Based on my experience having been on a HAL cruise, that line has much narrower demographics than Celebrity. At least on my HAL cruise, virtually everyone was retirement age and above. OTOH, Celebrity attracts a much wider age range. I think many of these threads ultimately come down to younger folks disagreeing with older folks.

 

Lastly, have you seen some of the smoking threads on the HAL board? Many of their posters have very strong opinions on HAL's smoking policy.

[boscobeans]

Some of this is just the Internet. Anonymity naturally causes people to be less civil and more argumentative.

 

So true..

 

bosco... I may be a curmudgeon, however I am usually a happy one. LOL

[We're The Groupnors]

Sorry to hear you are no longer enjoying the Celebrity product. For us, we enjoyed our December 2013 cruise on the Silhouette just as much as we enjoyed our first Celebrity cruise in 2003. I think we also paid about the same amount for that cruise in 2013 as we did for the one 10 years earlier, so certainly there are going to be a few cut-backs to accommodate the aggressive pricing we see from Celebrity. However, we have not seen cut backs in the one area that is the most important to us: service. Yes, there are stellar servers and not go great ones on Celebrity. However, we recently had our first "luxury" experience on the Paul Gauguin in February 2014, and I can assure you that at four times the price of a Celebrity cruise the service on PG was no better. So, we'll be sticking with Celebrity.

[Andy]

Some of it the moderators. The HAL moderators seem much quicker at locking threads. Thankfully, the moderators on this board allow lively discussion to continue. I think that's a good thing; we're all adults and should be able to handle a bit of vigorous debate.

 

 

Hi Johnny,

 

Host Walt & Myself make every effort to keep the Celebrity threads open. Please keep in mind that moderators are volunteers. At times, due to heated debates, it becomes too time consuming to watch a thread constantly. From my observations, every forum has topics that lead to passionate discussion. IMO, nothing wrong with that, as it brings lively conversation. If I had one wish, it would be that folks would exercise more civility towards our wonderful community members, without the highly unnecessary personal comments and/or attacking. We can hope for improvement, right ? :)

 

I try my very best to spend a great deal of time on here... but not every moderator has that ability. Most all of us have family and work matters to deal with, amongst other things. On top of that, this is one of my busiest times of the year. With all of this going on... I check my forums as often as possible.

 

FWIW, I strongly believe that all CC moderators do a fantastic job, and deserve high praise. Thank you for your insights.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Host Andy

[Hollywood Traveler]

Exactly! So much of our life experience is based on our attitude. Have a bad attitude and watch how quickly you become miserable..have a good attitude and watch how much more pleasure and enjoyment you get out of life.

 

I come on CC sometimes to get excited and fired up about my upcoming cruise. Then I read all of the complaints and negative posts and if I didn't know better, I might be worried about enjoying my trip. But I DO know better...I know that if the ship runs out of bananas or if it takes me 5 minutes to get a drink once and awhile, I'll still have an amazing time! Because I don't look at the negative and pout about every little thing, I don't let the little things bother me. Life's too short to sweat the small stuff and if something like a scowl on a buffet worker's face or bad tasting coffee isn't small stuff, I worry how you'll handle something major in life! Who are these people who live on these message boards and complain day in and day out? Give me some of your free time, please because I don't have time in my life to be a Debbie Downer and if I did have more free time, I certainly would put it to better use!

 

Nicely said. I agree. And, amazingly, it's not the majority, by far, on these board who whine and complain. But there are enough to make it an unpleasant experience for the rest of us.

[TLCOhio]

Hi Johnny, Host Walt & Myself make every effort to keep the Celebrity threads open. Please keep in mind that moderators are volunteers. At times, due to heated debates, it becomes too time consuming to watch a thread constantly. From my observations, every forum has topics that lead to passionate discussion. IMO, nothing wrong with that, as it brings lively conversation. If I had one wish, it would be that folks would exercise more civility towards our wonderful community members, without the highly unnecessary personal comments and/or attacking. We can hope for improvement, right ? :) I try my very best to spend a great deal of time on here... but not every moderator has that ability. Most all of us have family and work matters to deal with, amongst other things. On top of that, this is one of my busiest times of the year. With all of this going on... I check my forums as often as possible. FWIW, I strongly believe that all CC moderators do a fantastic job, and deserve high praise. Thank you for your insights.

 

Johnny Heedless: Thankfully' date=' the moderators on this board [b']allow lively discussion to continue[/b]. I think that's a good thing; we're all adults and should be able to handle a bit of vigorous debate.

 

Appreciate the great comments' date=' reasonable freedom and excellent work[/i'] by Host Andy and the other dedicated souls who serve as Moderators. Wonderful work!! YES, vigorous debate can be good as long as people don't get too carried away in assuming "personal" bias, doing attacks, etc. We can't read the minds of others on these boards and should not guess or assume too much for their "attitudes". Most of us have varied background and viewpoints. Keep rolling ahead!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Just back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 41,992 views for this fun posting.

[Johnny Heedless]

FWIW, I strongly believe that all CC moderators do a fantastic job, and deserve high praise. Thank you for your insights.

 

I agree completely. That being said, some moderators (i.e, you and Walt) are exceptional.

[PROCRUISE]

I guess we look at cruising a little differently. We actually have no major complaints about any cruise line we've cruised with in the past, or have booked in the future. We enjoy: the ocean, sitting on our balcony, meeting such usually gracious and pleasant fellow passengers, enjoying meals that we don't normally, if ever, fix at home, touring places we've been to before and new places we've never seen, watching entertainment, being rejuvenated physically and even spiritually after a wonderful cruise. We only got hooked on cruising in 2002 and yes, we have seen some changes, but all in all we still find cruising enjoyable and especially with Celebrity. Since retiring in 2011, cruising has also become our vehicle for seeing a snapshot of the world. We're comfortable, but not rich, so Celebrity will probably be the "top of the line" for us and we're still very pleased with their product. It is interesting however, how the officers and crew of any vessel can color your perception of a cruise/cruise line. We recently cruised with NCL, you know that line that some say is at the bottom of the barrel along with CCL. The officers and entire crew on the NCL Sun made every passenger feel that they were welcome and that no request would be overlooked. We were amazed and would cruise with NCL again because of this experience. This is one of the same experiences we had the first time we cruised with X on the Equinox, and what drew us back to X. So, all cruise lines will probably make little cut backs from what was previously offered, but the atmosphere that the crew establishes on any ship is often the deciding factor as to whether one enjoys the cruise or not. Just my opinion, naturally. :)

[Chitown12562]

This thread is very interesting. I have seen the same sentiments expressed with other products and services and it always amazes me how the comments are the same.

 

A consumer is not happy with a product. The company either knows it wants to change to get a new demographic or is blind to changes that are needed to satisfy their consumers. On internet boards unhappy consumers are labeled as complainers by some, but are agreed with by others.

 

Who is right, who is wrong?

 

Well the OP is in a win - win situation. If you always spend your money on a quality experience you will always have a quality experience. If you can't get what you want at cruise line A you can always go to cruise line B, because they want your business.

 

As for the company, they either win, stay the same, or lose. Win or stay the same they will say they are happy with the results. Lose, they will say they are happy with the results. Whoever heard of a company saying they made a mistake? It happens, but not very often.

 

Everyone who posts here will get what they want and that's all that matters. Chips-ahoy cookies are not what they used to be. They used to be good, but now are just nasty to me. I spend my money elsewhere (or make my own). But someone is happy with those cookies, because they are still on the market. So I guess in the end everyone is happy.

 

Oh and the same goes for the OP and Celebrity. If the OP leaves...most likely another will take their place. If Celebrity doesn't deliver a quality product...another cruise line will take their place.

[jgga]

Most of you on this thread have valid observations and comments regarding changes in Celebrity. Some may agree and others disagree -- that's your perogative !! But I would say on balance each one has validity as I have personally observed recently. In addition to posting your thoughts/comments on CC, a letter to the President of Celebrity will get their attention. The more letters the more liklihood change will be for the better.

 

We have sailed Celebrity for many years and have always been satisfied passengers. We have noticed changes for the better as well as worse over this time. But overall we have been satisfied. When you become disatisfied everyone has the option to go elsewhere -- say Princess or Holland America-- but they are also changing. The most noticeable changes in Celebrity IMHO are in food -- as a cost cutting measure. We were on the Silhouette in Europe in Oct 2013 and had no complaints. However, on a 2 week cruise in Jan 2014 we experienced issues in BLU. Preparation, portion size and taste had deteriorated. Fish portions were usually dietetic or less in size whereas meat was huge. Service was also erratic. Some nights speedy and others dreadfully slow. Some nights there was nothing appealing on the menu. On occasion, I had to send the meal back and order somethin else. Onew night we ate in the MDR for a change and found that to be mediocre at best.

 

Murano speciality restaurant was also a disappointment and certainly no longer worth the $45 surcharge per person. Service was impeccable but food preparation was a disappointment -- meat was dry, tasteless and overdone. Qzine was superb.

 

So the choice is to go elsewhere -- for example Crystal, Oceania -- at twice the cost. Is it worth it? -- Your decision. We sailed on Azamara for 17 nights in Asia and found service and dining room food to be excellent. The lunch buffets were poor. The ships are Renaissance with some facelifts, but over all the appearance is drab at twice the price of Celebrity.

 

You always have the option to sail on another cruise line but there will be 2, 3, or 4 other people ready to fill your space (cabin). If economic times were critical as they were in 2008 and beyond, there may have been more attention from Celebrity. But now, the ships usually sail (almost) full and management has every reason to make changes. After all, it is a for profit business.

 

Letters and emails to the President of Celebrity are no longer answered promptly but a month has passed and I have yet to receive a reply.

 

Regardless of the issues, Celebrity remains the best of the other cruise lines in this category. Until there is a very good reason to change, most people will remain with Celebrity and accept the changes. "Times are a changin'" and we all have the option to either acept them or reject them. As for me, I will sail less frequently but plan to try Celebrity again in Jan 2015 and see whether ther are any further changes for the better or worse.

[drarill]

I realize I'm rather blunt. But, the constant complaining about by very vocal minority of miserable curmudgeons on this board (and to a much lesser degree onboard) is really tiresome -- REALLY tiresome.

 

We get it; cruising is no longer as glamorous as it was when Captain Stubbing and Julie McCoy were running the show. We get it; the food sucks relative to your distant glory days. We get it; you don't like modern/loud music, poorly-dressed passengers, or rambunctious children.

 

So, why the heck are these vocal curmudgeons still cruising on the large, mainstream cruise lines? The food and service are never going to return to the levels of their glory days. The loud/modern music, poorly-dressed passengers, and rambunctious children are here to stay.

 

Yet, at the same time, their vision of cruising is readily available. Seabourn, Azamara, Silversea, and many others offer the EXACT experience the vocal curmudgeons so fondly remember.

 

Why aren't they sailing on those lines instead of making of vast majority who really like Celebrity's product so freakin' miserable?</rhetorical>

Excellent post! We are D+ in RCCL and moved to Celebrity looking for a better smoking policy and now we don't want to go back to Royal. We have also cruised with Costa, NCL and Disney, most of the time in suites. Although we dress nicely and our children are not rambunctious I think that we belong to the group of cruisers that Celebrity wants to attract and I can only say that we are here to stay. I can't compare today's Celebrity to the old Celebrity, but I can compare it to other cruise lines. We like what we are getting; an excellent product and great overall experience. We are looking forward to our RS on the Reflection this summer. Cruising with a group of over 30 friends, many of them new to Celebrity. :):)

[4774Papa]

We have cruised on Celebrity seven times and never been disappointed. We have on a very small number of occasions had to ask for another plate of food, or ask where the beer that I ordered 10 minutes ago was.

We started cruising after I retired four years ago. Since we can't compare X to what it was 10 or 15 years ago, we can't say the product has declined in quality.

 

If you are unhappy with the product, I so, don't cruise again with X. I must say that I did not see any specific complaints in your post. I assume that you didn't get the service or product that you expected. Enjoy your next cruise somewhere else, we will continue to cruise on X.

[goodycruising]

Some people are just burnt out from cruising too much and the fun and excitement has gone. I can only imagine they keep cruising as they don't like doing anything else much either. I agree with others here, attitude is everything. When you sit and watch the sea go by your blood pressure lowers and you can feel yourself relaxing. If you aren't enjoying that anymore then it is a sad thing.

 

So looking forward to my next cruise!