April 6th Silhouette Review- Horrible Start - Would It Improve ??

[miched]

On two Celebrity cruises out of 4 with the bev pack I had problems with it not being on my sea pass when checking in. Both times I had to standing line at Guest Relations to try and get it resolved. Both times I was told that I didn't have it and it wasn't on the list of passengers with it. The first time I even paid in advance for the premium upgrade.

 

I showed them my reservations, emails and etc and was told that it didn't mean anyhting. Thru calls to the TA the situation was corrected but after a lot of wasted time that was not appreciated.

 

You would think that Celebrity would have better control but the problem shows in their website. Apparently Celebrity doesn't feel the need to have a computer ot IT department in their company to keep up with the technology that is available today.

 

🚢

[dappledumpling]

Posting a bit of it at time, makes a drama queen, and they got their package what is the big deal, , there is almost 3,000 boarding at one time, there going to be screw ups

 

And raising your voice , what is with that :eek:, sounds childish to me :rolleyes:

 

I think posting a bit at a time is thier style of story telling.. that does not make them a drama queen...

 

And a company the size of Celebrity will make screw ups but it was the multiple errors and the way it was handled by them that caused the frustration... I would have been put off too, if it had happened to me.

Edited April 14, 2014 by dappledumpling

[Christine Frances]

I rather like the installments!! Keep checking the thread to see if updates. Keeps us guessing lol

[k9x8]

No, what the OP experienced was unacceptable, and I would have been very upset. Why should he wimp out and wait until the next day when he had proof in his hand? Seems to me the confrontational approach was, indeed, the only solution.

 

That's no way to start a cruise you've been anticipating. Remember, OP hadn't cruised since 2002, so he hadn't developed the attitude so many have that "things happen." There are too many unnecessary, unacceptable glitches going on with X, RCI, and even Azamara.

 

It's like the veterinarian clinics I deal with. Doesn't matter how good the medical service is. If the front office is incompetent/rude/apathetic, it puts a dark cloud over the entire business, and that can -and does- cost the clinic business.

 

Maybe if more passengers would say, "I'm not leaving until this is resolved," the corporate suits would realize they'd better get their act together.

 

Sometimes things happen. When they tell you they will take care of it but it may take until the next day it's usually best to just go on your way and let them get it sorted out. The in your face, confrontational approach isn't really the best solution. It's usually you that is upset when there really is no need to be.

 

Glad to hear it was taken care of but I'm also sure it would have been without raised voices and standing there.

[Colorado Buffalo]

Posting a bit of it at time, makes a drama queen, and they got their package what is the big deal, , there is almost 3,000 boarding at one time, there going to be screw ups

 

And raising your voice , what is with that :eek:, sounds childish to me :rolleyes:

 

excuse me ... :eek:

 

I raised my voice when it became apparent that a copy I made off of Celebrity's website showing the 123Go Promo was on my reservation was of no use. This Guest Relations agent was for the most part no use and rude to boot. As for posting a bit at a time ... I took today off to do laundry, grocery shop and get back into 'everyday mode' so my whole day can't be online to post my seven day cruise. I will post in-between household chores and in the evening once I start back working 9 -10 hour days tomorrow morning.

[ghstudio]

excuse me ... :eek:

 

I raised my voice when it became apparent that a copy I made off of Celebrity's website showing the 123Go Promo was on my reservation was of no use. This Guest Relations agent was for the most part no use and rude to boot. As for posting a bit at a time ... I took today off to do laundry, grocery shop and get back into 'everyday mode' so my whole day can't be online to post my seven day cruise. I will post in-between household chores and in the evening once I start back working 9 -10 hour days tomorrow morning.

 

You don't need to defend yourself.....you reacted exactly the way many of us would have.....and there certainly is no need to explain your posting style....which is actually a violation of the cruise critic posting rules.

[Colorado Buffalo]

Things Can Only Improve -

 

One drink later and we are on our way to grab some lunch at the Oceanview Cafe. Yes, as expected it was busy (it will be like that most of the trip) but we found a nice spot outside and was able to finally unwind in the hot Florida sun looking out at the other ships that all had excited guests ready for their vacations. My family really liked the buffet. We thought it rivaled many of those you find at the more upscale Vegas hotels. There was always something at the carving station - roast beef, roast pork or ham. The salad bar had so many toppings and I really appreciated the eggs cut in half and not the usual chopped ones you normally find. The pasta station was fantastic, pizza was fine as long as you got it hot out of the oven, the grilled meats were good, loved the steak fries, cold cuts, cheeses, fresh breads... and the southern fried chicken...yum. Too bad I didn't see the chicken again the next 6 days. The ice cream was good...not great but LOVED the choices of toppings.

I ordered another beer and thought the service was very good and never had to wait long for a server to ask for my drink order. The choices of 'free' drinks at the Ocean View was good. Tea, fruit punch, orange-guava juice, apple juice, OJ, milk .... all available to one who didn't pay for any drink package .... alcohol or not.

 

Right as we were finishing our lunch ... maybe 1:20 ish ... an announcement was made that all staterooms were available so I grabbed a chocolate cookie ...well ... three chocolate cookies :D and we headed to Deck 7.

[k9x8]

And I shouldn't have popped off at Ma Bell. :o

<sigh> I see over and over where someone has a gripe, and s/he is told, "La tee da. Big Deal. Never happened to me. Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

 

Had the OP meekly walked away with the assurance it would be resolved tomorrow, he'd have been right back in line, going through the same hassle. No way would customer service have left a priority memo to Fix This.

 

Excellent customer surface would have been the CS woman slapping a sticker on his card and upgrading the package ... with a smile, then telling him it could be resolved tomorrow. You can bet the matter would have been handled swiftly.

 

ETA: I happen to like your posting style, OP.

Edited April 14, 2014 by k9x8

[yj2cute]

I would have reacted the same way in that circumstance. The guest services agent was totally out of line and I definitely would have spoken to her superior about it.

 

And to anyone who doesn't like the OP's method of reviewing feel free to move on without the unnecessary rude comments.

Edited April 14, 2014 by yj2cute

[drarill]

excuse me ... :eek:

 

I raised my voice when it became apparent that a copy I made off of Celebrity's website showing the 123Go Promo was on my reservation was of no use. This Guest Relations agent was for the most part no use and rude to boot. As for posting a bit at a time ... I took today off to do laundry, grocery shop and get back into 'everyday mode' so my whole day can't be online to post my seven day cruise. I will post in-between household chores and in the evening once I start back working 9 -10 hour days tomorrow morning.

 

No need to apologize and I really like the installments. BTW, we upgraded my husband's drink package at Guest Relations to avoid the sticker. They gave him a new card with the Premium Package code. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

[Ma Bell]

From my experience, which is considerable, they do take care of things when they have been notified. Since no one is getting off the ship for a while I think it's a good idea to let them rectify a problem before "losing it" although I guess it doesn't make for a good story about how horrible things are.

[Christine Frances]

From my experience, which is considerable, they do take care of things when they have been notified. Since no one is getting off the ship for a while I think it's a good idea to let them rectify a problem before "losing it" although I guess it doesn't make for a good story about how horrible things are.

 

But that's the point! Celebrity didn't want to "take care of it" They said sorry you are SOL unless you deal with it yourself:( That's not my Celebrity. Plus the issue came up before they boarded and it should have been resolved at that time and they should not have to go through the same hassle once on board. Guest Services has always bent over backward to solve any issues but they sure dropped the ball here.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Christine Frances

[Ma Bell]

But that's the point! Celebrity didn't want to "take care of it" They said sorry you are SOL unless you deal with it yourself:( That's not my Celebrity. Plus the issue came up before they boarded and it should have been resolved at that time and they should not have to go through the same hassle once on board.

 

No they told him the corporate office wasn't open because it was Sunday. It escalated when that wasn't good enough. It should have been resolved before they boarded but it obviously wasn't. All I'm saying is give them a day to resolve it. They weren't going to be charged for anything until the end of the cruise and there was plenty of time to resolve the problem without going off the deep end. Sorry, I've seen how people act when they don't get immediate gratification and I doubt the Guest Relations person was purposely rude. They may have actually thought that they gave him a reasonable answer and expected they would be able to rectify the problem when the office was open. When they insisted it be taken care of right away, the only option was for the passenger to make the call to the call center or his TA.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Ma Bell

[Erinchita]

Posting a bit of it at time, makes a drama queen, and they got their package what is the big deal, , there is almost 3,000 boarding at one time, there going to be screw ups

 

 

 

And raising your voice , what is with that :eek:, sounds childish to me :rolleyes:

 

 

What's the big deal? They just paid thousands of dollars for a vacation and that's not how it should begin. End of story.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Christine Frances]

No they told him the corporate office wasn't open because it was Sunday. It escalated when that wasn't good enough. It should have been resolved before they boarded but it obviously wasn't. All I'm saying is give them a day to resolve it. They weren't going to be charged for anything until the end of the cruise and there was plenty of time to resolve the problem without going off the deep end. Sorry, I've seen how people act when they don't get immediate gratification and I doubt the Guest Relations person was purposely rude. They may have actually thought that they gave him a reasonable answer and expected they would be able to rectify the problem when the office was open. When they insisted it be taken care of right away, the only option was for the passenger to make the call to the call center or his TA.

 

"Corporate Office" wasn't open? But the client was able to resolve it by phoning Celebrity which was open on a Sunday:confused: Couldn't Customer Service have done that on behalf of the customer or do they only have one number to call?

[wyknotcruz2da]

Good grief...speaking of bullying!!

I am really enjoying your review..just ignore those who are more interested in criticizing your behavior..I would have been very upset also

[EvelynAlexa]

Ignore negative remarks by posters.

Did the cruise improve?

Pls find time to continue the review.

 

Alex

[hcat]

On two Celebrity cruises out of 4 with the bev pack I had problems with it not being on my sea pass when checking in. Both times I had to standing line at Guest Relations to try and get it resolved. Both times I was told that I didn't have it and it wasn't on the list of passengers with it. The first time I even paid in advance for the premium upgrade.

 

I showed them my reservations, emails and etc and was told that it didn't mean anyhting. Thru calls to the TA the situation was corrected but after a lot of wasted time that was not appreciated.

 

You would think that Celebrity would have better control but the problem shows in their website. Apparently Celebrity doesn't feel the need to have a computer ot IT department in their company to keep up with the technology that is available today.

 

🚢

 

Thanks for the heads up...not much anyone can do beyond insuring it is listed on the printed res, confirmation

 

Celeb touted they were bringing in a new tech expert awhile ago...but I see no improvements as a result to either the website or cruise record keeping....perk for our recently booked cruise still has not posted to our res. They say it is a loading issue.

 

Hope OP ended up having a good cruise!

[agathasmum]

Goodness you are all harsh to the OP.

 

Personally I have have had a GR person who tried to give me the brush off. I waited all week for OBC from my TA to appear on my account. I had the invoice from my TA showing it, DH had signed for it in the cabin, (although unusually the steward hadn't left him a copy, which I would have known to ask for), and I had the little Celebrity card left on the bed saying I had a "Gift of $200 OBC from Lori", and still the GR person told me she would need to speak to corporate but as it was a Saturday they were closed and I would have to deal with it myself, Monday after they reopened. As we were disembarking Sunday I was having none of it. I am glad the OP was the same, otherwise he could have been at GR every day trying to get it sorted.

 

I am not a bully, nor a criminal trying to pull a fast one and get something I am not entitled to, nor I am sure, is the OP. Sometimes people feel thwarted at every turn, despite their best efforts, and raise their voices in frustration.

 

I truly hope that the OP had a wonderful vacation and that Celebrity offered him an apology.

[ghstudio]

NOTICE: to all of you who are criticizing the posters style....I suggest you read the guidelines for posts to cruise critic. You are far from within the guidelines.....especially those who are suggesting that the OP is a drama queen.....(hughdm and airbalancer). I think you owe the OP an apology...and hopefully in the future you will participate on CC following the guidelines.

Edited April 15, 2014 by ghstudio

[Colorado Buffalo]

No they told him the corporate office wasn't open because it was Sunday. It escalated when that wasn't good enough. It should have been resolved before they boarded but it obviously wasn't. All I'm saying is give them a day to resolve it. They weren't going to be charged for anything until the end of the cruise and there was plenty of time to resolve the problem without going off the deep end. Sorry, I've seen how people act when they don't get immediate gratification and I doubt the Guest Relations person was purposely rude. They may have actually thought that they gave him a reasonable answer and expected they would be able to rectify the problem when the office was open. When they insisted it be taken care of right away, the only option was for the passenger to make the call to the call center or his TA.

 

sorry, but for the money I spent on this trip ... a trip we don't take every year... heck ..a trip we don't take every two or three years I at that time expected a resolution that didn't have to wait 24 hours...and yes, I knew if I waited ... nothing would have been done.

[DebbieMacG]

NOTICE: to all of you who are criticizing the posters style....I suggest you read the guidelines for posts to cruise critic. You are far from within the guidelines.....especially those who are suggesting that the OP is a drama queen.....(hughdm and airbalancer). I think you owe the OP an apology...and hopefully in the future you will participate on CC following the guidelines.

 

Well said :)

 

OP please continue when you have time, thank you for the review :)

[TomTN]

OP writing style is perfect for message board.

 

Not for meaningful information.

[Turtles06]

sorry, but for the money I spent on this trip ... a trip we don't take every year... heck ..a trip we don't take every two or three years I at that time expected a resolution that didn't have to wait 24 hours...and yes, I knew if I waited ... nothing would have been done.

 

I agree, you shouldn't have had to wait a day. And what do folks suggesting that think you were supposed to do during that time, charge drinks to your onboard account and then go through a huge hassle with Guest Relations to get them removed?

 

I always bring a hard copy of my reservation information when I travel. It's ridiculous to think that this will carry no weight with Celebrity on board, and I'm sure I would have been just as annoyed as you were.

[Colorado Buffalo]

A Room With A View -

 

We arrived at our stateroom 7183 mid-ship.. balcony

which was in the perfect location to whichever elevator/stairway we

needed access to. We were a deck above the lifeboats but they never

bothered us one bit. I had some hesitation we could smell the smoke from

the port side 5th Deck smoking section but that was never an issue.

 

As for the room itself ... we were very happy. The couch was already made into a bed for my daughter and there was information about Celebrity's children's program "Fun Factory." (more on that later)

We found the bed to be comfortable and sleep was never an issue. I've read that storage isn't great but we found plenty of places to put our clothes for the week. The bins over the bed was no issue for us. I appreciated the many hooks in the room/bathroom to hang our wet bathing suits. Speaking of the bathroom.... I thought it was designed well for the limited space available. There was plenty of storage and the shower was big enough and always supplied hot water with great pressure.

We couldn't find the hair dryer and ended up calling our room steward for help. How embarrassing for us that we found out it was in the little desk drawer next to the t.v.

 

Once our room steward Emmanuel showed us where the dryer was he asked if there was anything else we requested. I asked if the mini-bar could have all contents removed and that ice always be available. The mini-bar was emptied by the time we got back from our muster drill and ice was always at our disposal. Emmanuel was such a great room steward. Always wished us a good morning/good evening, remembered my daughter's name and each evening we would come back to turn-down service with a different towel animal every night.

 

It was now about 3 p.m. and we had 45 min until we had to be at our muster station on Deck 5 at the Photo Gallery so we decided to head up to the 'Fun Factory' to see their open house and learn about Celebrity's children's program. The facilities were great. You could tell all of those who work with the children do so because they love working with children. Everything was so clean up there and there's a strict policy that each time you check your child in they must wash their hands. I won't go into too much more detail about the 'Fun Factory' but can say my daughter LOVED it. She's still talking about it today. They do many activities including crafts, scavenger hunts, games... you name it. I like the fact they don't just rely on the t.v. to 'babysit.' On the last day they did a talent show in Celebrity Central and you could see that children of all ages enjoyed the 'Fun Factory' as well. Call us impressed !!

 

It was now time to head down to the muster drill, become close friends with fellow cruisers, watch the video and get ready for sail away.

We appreciated that the drill was done indoors as when we did it on the NCL Sun in 2002 not only did we have to put on the life jackets but do so

outdoors with 90+ degree heat beating down on us.