We know Celebrity monitors the board

[Gracie115]

It's funny...when you read comment cards, letters and emails, it's so easy to find support for whatever you are doing and dismiss the rest as unimportant. It's human nature. Celebrity is on a course to improve the bottom line and improve the stock price...that's clear. The fastest way to do that is to cut costs...and then your read the comment cards and find that most don't say anything...so you declare success. You ignore those who write some negative comment as being part of the 2% who are always negative...and so on. Letters and emails are always negative...they don't drive change, they drive reaction and form letters so executives don't have to think about the issues...since they already know what they are doing is ok.

 

I'm stretching a point...but I've been there....I know how groups in large corporations react and I know how executives act. The group tries to to slant all information to support the executive...and the executive knows he's right so he just keeps going along with his plan.

 

CC is probably a more accurate view on what's going on then the comment cards...and certainly more accurate than letters and emails (which are the least effective).

 

If the executive says I want to improve the bottom line by x...the staff will cut to make that number and they will support their success in making that move with reports that say they've had no complaints, etc.

 

You really have to live in the corporate world to understand the phenomena. Yes, I'm sure celebrity HQ reads CC and looks at all the comment cards, mail, emails but I'm also sure that Michael Bayley is hearing that he has made all the right decisions and sees quotes from positive feedback. No one tells the top exec that he's gone too far or perhaps should temper his pace.

 

I think CC is a representative cross section of passengers and loyal passengers....but I think few of the comments here get to Bayley's ears....except the ones that say something like: "Cruised in March on the Reflection and other than a bad Rib Eye steak in Tuscan we enjoyed all of the specialty dining which is where we dined most nights. I have no issues with the current on board product."

 

I think you present a fairly accurate portrayal of CC and Celebrity in general. I also believe that those here who think X pays NO attention to CC at all are not correct. X wouldn't throw parties for CC members and respond to ANYTHING at all if they thought CC was not important. My point for this thread was just wondering how MUCH they listen and if it gets to the people who can make a difference. I think you are right, most of the time only the "I had a wonderful cruise, everything was perfect" is what gets through. That's too bad. There is MUCH to be learned from people experienced with a brand, any brand, and repeat customers can be a great gauge for how well you are reaching your desired demographic.....until they no longer become repeat customers....but then it's too late.....

[terrierjohn]

Why bother to monitor the boards when they do nothing about there website. They must know its one of the worst out there.

Worse than what? I generally find the X website very good, it certainly has much better accessible cabin information than most other lines, and I find the on-line check in process to be easy and comprehensive. Since we book accessible excursions with X via e-mail I have no experience of using the website for this.

Overall I find it more than adequate.

Edited May 5, 2014 by terrierjohn

[Minoushka]

Here is my take on Improving Celebrity

 

Check on customer service by phone ...mine was appaling .either Miami or FLl

I cancelled my cruise because of the rudeness of the the person who responded ...have cruised many times since with Princess,holland america ,Ncl and Carnival ..i cruise a lot ..celebrity lost a good customer ....

Please return Millenium to north America ...I miss the Tpools or better still install one on every ship just like on Millie ..Bring Back T pools

I would go back on it just for that ...awesome

Love the new layout at the buffet on newer ships and enjoyed the special brunch on Silhouette...or is that no longer offered ?

[PinotBlanc]

IMHO, These variables matter more than comments.

 

Full ships/empty cabins

Higher prices/lower prices

Future Bookings/cost of incentives to book

Tour profits

Drink profits

Special dining profits

Cost of running the ships

 

Penny

[Gabbiegirl]

IMHO, These variables matter more than comments.

 

Full ships/empty cabins

Higher prices/lower prices

Future Bookings/cost of incentives to book

Tour profits

Drink profits

Special dining profits

Cost of running the ships

 

Penny

 

all true but comments can help and hurt ALL those things....

[CruisingChick]

I think the fact that "Celebrity Cruises" dedicates as much time as he/she does to this forum is proof of the value of this forum to Celebrity, and I appreciate the time that Celebrity has dedicated to Cruise Critic. I likewise appreciate the answers that "Celebrity Cruises" is able to provide, while recognizing there are some questions to which Celebrity will never reply..

 

I agree. Since we know for a fact that Celebrity has someone who's job it is to read the message boards, I am sure they take what is posted into consideration. Now how much weight they give what is posted here is another question, but it has to be of some importance as they are not going to pay some one to monitor things otherwise.

[ghstudio]

all true but comments can help and hurt ALL those things....

 

Actually, in the real world...no they don't effect those measurements at all...and those are essentially the measurements used by top management and more importantly, the measurements used to measure top management success (e.g pay).

 

Comments only become important if someone in staff (they are the ones who handle comments/issues) is brave enough to suggest that a change is needed because one of the measurements is at risk. That's why comments/complaints don't matter unless you vote with your $'s. Today's game plan appears to be keep cutting costs as long as today's measurements aren't negatively effected. Remember also that if bookings go down or drink revenue goes down, it's so easy to blame that on economic events...the economic slow down in Europe, the increase in air fares....surely it's not due to our cost cutting.

 

In a corporation, good news travels fast, bad news travels up the management chain at a snail's pace. Think of GM...

Edited May 5, 2014 by ghstudio

[dkjretired]

What your believe to be attention from Mr. Bayley is really only good old public relations and corporate lip service.

 

Celebrity comment cards, letters and emails evoke change not a small minority message board.

 

There was a pricing change several years ago from my best recollection having to do with the T pools on one of the classes of ships. The policy change was very unpopular on this board and there was an uproar. We found out from inside information that the policy was changed because of the complaints on this board.

[Orator]

The best way to make your opinion known is to contact the company using the contactmichael@celebrity.com. I've always received a follow up call for any comments I've made. In one case I wrote concerning the lack of a tea option for Elite+. I was told by the Celebrity Representative who called that many have said the same and Celebrity would consider adding tea to the Elite+ package.There was an announcement the following week. I've been told by people in Corporate that the guest survey is important. ATD cards stay on the ship and are not seen by Corporate.

[bob278]

Where do you get that statistic?

 

I regularly keep a list of all of the people who post on the Roll Calls of ships that I am sailing (which has usually been Celebrity). Sometimes I am officially keeping track of the Roll Call, and sometimes not, but I almost always maintain a list, as it helps to keep me straight about who's who when I meet them on board.

 

I have to make it clear that the running total that I maintain reflects the number of people represented by the posters. My husband does not post on Cruise Critic, but his opinion is reflected in almost everything I write, as we are very much on the same page where Celebrity is concerned. When I post my reaction to an experience on a Celebrity ship, I am almost always posting the opinion of two people.

 

On the last two ships that I have sailed, the percentage of cruisers reflected on the Roll Calls have been as follows:

 

Century Caribbean: 11.3% (this percentage would certainly have been higher, as I had to give up keeping track of this Roll Call at the end of October, and there were several names added to the Roll Call between November and February)

 

Silhouette Transatlantic: 11.0%

 

I am able to calculate these percentages because I recorded the number of passengers on these sailings, as reported by the Captain. Keep in mind that the number of passengers includes children and youth, so the effective percentage of those who are accessing Cruise Critic would really be higher.

 

I don't think most people who disparage the relative importance of the number of cruisers who post on Cruise Critic realize how small a statistically-reliable representative sample can be.

 

My examples of the Roll Calls may not be scientifically-constructed stratified random samples, but as a certain type of cluster sample, they do represent a significant percentage of Celebrity cruisers. I really don't think Celebrity would be ignoring the feedback from Cruise Critic.

 

And it is also my guess, although I have absolutely nothing to back this up, that sometimes a trial initiative is launched, such as (possibly) the revised Elite Breakfast on Summit, and the feedback on Cruise Critic becomes a part of the decision-making process. The response on Cruise Critic to such changes is swift, comprehensive, international and detailed. If you want to test the pulse of your cruising public, why would you ignore such a rich source of feedback that comes to you at absolutely no cost?

 

I think the fact that "Celebrity Cruises" dedicates as much time as he/she does to this forum is proof of the value of this forum to Celebrity, and I appreciate the time that Celebrity has dedicated to Cruise Critic. I likewise appreciate the answers that "Celebrity Cruises" is able to provide, while recognizing there are some questions to which Celebrity will never reply..

This is interesting and caused me to go back over my records. My wife and I also keep lists on roll calls and I went back over 12 cruises in the past 5 years. I don't always listen to the announcements about how many passengers so my numbers reflect roll call posters compared to ship capacity.

 

On our cruises, the average number of Cruise Critic members was 6.3% of the ship's capacity. When you consider that CC members are typically frequent cruisers and are also more knowledgeable than most, any percentage at all would (or should) be weighted a little more than a true random sampling across the entire customer population.

 

I am not a marketeer, but I suspect a sample of 5% of the total customer base would be a very significant number and any findings would be a reasonable picture of what their customer base thinks. The points that statistics can be used to support a pre-conceived position are valid, but it is a foolish management team that ignores problems for long.

 

My own opinion is that Celebrity does read these boards and we have some impact. That impact has been mentioned by several people who believe that CC posts have reversed some bad decisions. I do not know that for a fact, but believe it is certainly possible. I also believe it may temper some of the cost-cutting proposals that work their way around every business so that we may never see some of the more severe cuts that get discussed.

 

I am not a Facebook fan but I would bet good money that a very healthy percentage of those who follow Celebrity there are CC members. I think it is universally accepted that Celebrity is first and foremost a business. If they fail to use all the information that is available to them, then top management should be replaced.

 

Has anybody ever heard the term "small, but vocal minority"? I think that pretty well describes us.

[Celebrity Cruises]

Hi all,

 

We read many, if not all threads that are posted here. We try our best to answer as many as we can, but this isn't always an easy task. Our 'Celebrity' board for example has 10,964 threads, not including each individual post. Some questions are easily answered, and some require some time. Additionally, just because we don't provide an answer, doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Recently, we learned that music volume was either too high, or too low on some of our ships. We looked into the issue, and we acted fast to remedy, and we want to thank the Cruise Critic community for assisting.

 

This is only an example, but we are here to answer when possible, and are always trying to clear up any rumors or confusion, as well as sharing your thoughts and ideas internally.

[Orator]

Hi all,

 

We read many, if not all threads that are posted here. We try our best to answer as many as we can, but this isn't always an easy task. Our 'Celebrity' board for example has 10,964 threads, not including each individual post. Some questions are easily answered, and some require some time. Additionally, just because we don't provide an answer, doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Recently, we learned that music volume was either too high, or too low on some of our ships. We looked into the issue, and we acted fast to remedy, and we want to thank the Cruise Critic community for assisting.

 

This is only an example, but we are here to answer when possible, and are always trying to clear up any rumors or confusion, as well as sharing your thoughts and ideas internally.

 

Thank you and many of us appreciate your efforts. I might not always like the answers, but do appreciate that Celebrity listens.

[Gracie115]

Hi all,

 

We read many, if not all threads that are posted here. We try our best to answer as many as we can, but this isn't always an easy task. Our 'Celebrity' board for example has 10,964 threads, not including each individual post. Some questions are easily answered, and some require some time. Additionally, just because we don't provide an answer, doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Recently, we learned that music volume was either too high, or too low on some of our ships. We looked into the issue, and we acted fast to remedy, and we want to thank the Cruise Critic community for assisting.

 

This is only an example, but we are here to answer when possible, and are always trying to clear up any rumors or confusion, as well as sharing your thoughts and ideas internally.

 

Thanks for your response here. I do appreciate that X is monitoring the Boards and seeing/reading some of the concerns expressed. We all just want to keep X a superior product. Feedback, when provided with the motive to improve or better something, not just to complain, is hopefully appreciated and taken seriously. :)

[ClaireP]

Hi all,

 

We read many, if not all threads that are posted here. We try our best to answer as many as we can, but this isn't always an easy task. Our 'Celebrity' board for example has 10,964 threads, not including each individual post. Some questions are easily answered, and some require some time. Additionally, just because we don't provide an answer, doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Recently, we learned that music volume was either too high, or too low on some of our ships. We looked into the issue, and we acted fast to remedy, and we want to thank the Cruise Critic community for assisting.

 

This is only an example, but we are here to answer when possible, and are always trying to clear up any rumors or confusion, as well as sharing your thoughts and ideas internally.

 

Great to see that you do monitor these boards and took the time to respond.

 

If you are collating feedback/input please see my thread re the 123 Go drinks package and a desire as a non drinker to switch this for a premium non alcoholic package, which has a lower per day rate

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2034238

 

Thanks in advance for noting this feedback and any consideration you would give to my situation

[Balloon Man]

Believe me Judy, it pains me to say we're looking elsewhere. Right now, we are looking at Princess this Summer, and Oceania for November.

 

Andy: if you look at the future cruises we have booked at the end of this message you will note we are Celebrity fans but will look elsewhere if the itinerary is one we want and the cruise line is at least reasonable.

 

However I have to say that Oceania is our first choice cruise line. Mainly but not only because of the food (from the list you will see we do know about dining on Crystal and Silversea etc.). If you try it I doubt you will be disappointed. And the Chief Exec of Oceania, Frank del Rio, personally monitors CC boards. I know because I've corresponded with him via CC and he gave me the number of the phone on his desk. Now that's service.

 

Perhaps strangely Frank has the opposite philosophy to the late Bill Lieber on Azamara. He doesn't usually comment on general topics but if somebody posts a horror story about how they were treated by Oceania he takes genuine complaints and deals with them personally.

 

Frank and I have a deal that when Oceania is able to make its first call to Cuba - Frank's home country - my wife and I will be in the next stateroom.

[cpj]

Actually, in the real world...no they don't effect those measurements at all...and those are essentially the measurements used by top management and more importantly, the measurements used to measure top management success (e.g pay).

 

Comments only become important if someone in staff (they are the ones who handle comments/issues) is brave enough to suggest that a change is needed because one of the measurements is at risk. That's why comments/complaints don't matter unless you vote with your $'s. Today's game plan appears to be keep cutting costs as long as today's measurements aren't negatively effected. Remember also that if bookings go down or drink revenue goes down, it's so easy to blame that on economic events...the economic slow down in Europe, the increase in air fares....surely it's not due to our cost cutting.

 

In a corporation, good news travels fast, bad news travels up the management chain at a snail's pace. Think of GM...

Was in the corporate world a long time and your statement is accurate as they come. Remember there always moving forward.and get on the train or it will leave you behind. The kiss asses and there a lot of them are always checking on your loyalty if you offer something different from what the boss says even if what there trying isn't working.

[elena7seas]

Hi all,

 

We read many, if not all threads that are posted here. We try our best to answer as many as we can, but this isn't always an easy task. Our 'Celebrity' board for example has 10,964 threads, not including each individual post. Some questions are easily answered, and some require some time. Additionally, just because we don't provide an answer, doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Recently, we learned that music volume was either too high, or too low on some of our ships. We looked into the issue, and we acted fast to remedy, and we want to thank the Cruise Critic community for assisting.

 

This is only an example, but we are here to answer when possible, and are always trying to clear up any rumors or confusion, as well as sharing your thoughts and ideas internally.

 

We really appreciate the help that you are able to provide, and many of us REALLY, REALLY appreciated Celebrity restoring the balance to the volume levels of music on board.

[Ma Bell]

We really appreciate the help that you are able to provide, and many of us REALLY, REALLY appreciated Celebrity restoring the balance to the volume levels of music on board.

 

I second that comment!:)

[Cruising89143]

Hi all,

 

We read many, if not all threads that are posted here. We try our best to answer as many as we can, but this isn't always an easy task. Our 'Celebrity' board for example has 10,964 threads, not including each individual post. Some questions are easily answered, and some require some time. Additionally, just because we don't provide an answer, doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Recently, we learned that music volume was either too high, or too low on some of our ships. We looked into the issue, and we acted fast to remedy, and we want to thank the Cruise Critic community for assisting.

 

This is only an example, but we are here to answer when possible, and are always trying to clear up any rumors or confusion, as well as sharing your thoughts and ideas internally.

 

Appreciate X following up. My comment about the current X product. I think Celebrity is doing an outstanding job with their product. We cruise to relax and Celebrity delivers. We also love the direction in which Celebrity is moving. A nice upbeat vibe on board. Love the new suite perks announced and the change in music to more current artists. Continue on.

Edited May 5, 2014 by cruisingator2

[Texed]

. Right now, we are looking at Princess this Summer, and Oceania for November.

 

We sailed on Oceania once, a very nice cruise line. We enjoyed Azamara more.

 

We sailed Princess out of Houston last November. We just wanted it to be "almost" as nice as Celebrity. No planes, no hotels, no outside transportation. Our next 3 cruises are on Celebrity. ;)

Edited May 5, 2014 by Texed
Because I spell like Ole McDonald

[AZ ParrotHead]

This is becoming a very interesting thread.

 

Host Andy: I've been an active member of this board for years and have read with interest your balanced and thoughtful comments on many various topics. You are a travel professional and, at least to me, your observations are spot on. We leave next week on Equinox and had originally planned to book a second cruise for my daughter's college graduation before we left. Now, we are hesitant to make a commitment until we see for ourselves what the changes have/have not been on board.

 

GHStudio: I think you and I agree on many aspects of the business conditions at RCI. Your observations about the group think mentality in the company are probably correct. Celebrity/RCCL has selected it's top management over the years from the pool of internal candidates. Not a bad strategy per se, but, it is becoming obvious that an injection of new blood may be necessary to correct the operation without sacrificing the customer experience.

 

I look at MSC--when that company ventured into the US market, they hired a seasoned exectutive, Rick Sasso, who helped to create a product that was uniquely Italian but also catered to American tastes. I don't think they could have done that with the "home grown" management team.

 

Celebrity Cruises: Thank you for taking a few minutes to comment about how X observes these boards and other social media sites. From my perspective, what is frustrating with the company is that we cannot depend on a consistent experience each time we touch you. In the 8 months we have had this cruise booked, we have had to call you 5 times for various issues. Each of those calls was an opportunity to wow us, drive additional revenue, and introduce your customer experience. Unfortunately, each of those 5 times ended up being a frustrating negative experience that required multiple calls to resolve.

 

Today, I am posting this message from a Delta flight somewhere over Texas. Delta also deals with me often because I travel all the time. The difference is that when I touch Delta, 99 percent of the time, I have a consistent experience. The website works, the flights are generally on time, and when something happens the agents are empowered to help me. That's what I want from Celebrity--working technology, friendly agents, and one call resolution.

 

It frustrates me that I'm spending 11k on this cruise and I can't check in online or book a shore excursion due to a known issue on your website that has been around now since we booked the cruise. It upsets me that every time I call I spend at least 30 minutes on hold. And, lastly, it angers me, as a customer, that every time I call you I am told that there is nothing you can do to solve my problem.

 

So, that's my two cents. I know how hard it is to get better as a company. My job is helping companies improve their processes so I am sympathetic to your current situation internally. Unfortunately, I also know that if investments aren't made in how business is done at X then you will lose customers--perhaps even the three mentioned in this posting.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Gracie115]

This is becoming a very interesting thread.

 

Host Andy: I've been an active member of this board for years and have read with interest your balanced and thoughtful comments on many various topics. You are a travel professional and, at least to me, your observations are spot on. We leave next week on Equinox and had originally planned to book a second cruise for my daughter's college graduation before we left. Now, we are hesitant to make a commitment until we see for ourselves what the changes have/have not been on board.

 

GHStudio: I think you and I agree on many aspects of the business conditions at RCI. Your observations about the group think mentality in the company are probably correct. Celebrity/RCCL has selected it's top management over the years from the pool of internal candidates. Not a bad strategy per se, but, it is becoming obvious that an injection of new blood may be necessary to correct the operation without sacrificing the customer experience.

 

I look at MSC--when that company ventured into the US market, they hired a seasoned exectutive, Rick Sasso, who helped to create a product that was uniquely Italian but also catered to American tastes. I don't think they could have done that with the "home grown" management team.

 

Celebrity Cruises: Thank you for taking a few minutes to comment about how X observes these boards and other social media sites. From my perspective, what is frustrating with the company is that we cannot depend on a consistent experience each time we touch you. In the 8 months we have had this cruise booked, we have had to call you 5 times for various issues. Each of those calls was an opportunity to wow us, drive additional revenue, and introduce your customer experience. Unfortunately, each of those 5 times ended up being a frustrating negative experience that required multiple calls to resolve.

 

Today, I am posting this message from a Delta flight somewhere over Texas. Delta also deals with me often because I travel all the time. The difference is that when I touch Delta, 99 percent of the time, I have a consistent experience. The website works, the flights are generally on time, and when something happens the agents are empowered to help me. That's what I want from Celebrity--working technology, friendly agents, and one call resolution.

 

It frustrates me that I'm spending 11k on this cruise and I can't check in online or book a shore excursion due to a known issue on your website that has been around now since we booked the cruise. It upsets me that every time I call I spend at least 30 minutes on hold. And, lastly, it angers me, as a customer, that every time I call you I am told that there is nothing you can do to solve my problem.

 

So, that's my two cents. I know how hard it is to get better as a company. My job is helping companies improve their processes so I am sympathetic to your current situation internally. Unfortunately, I also know that if investments aren't made in how business is done at X then you will lose customers--perhaps even the three mentioned in this posting.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I think your post and many others that have taken the time to state their feelings on this thread without accusation and from the position that we all want X to be better because we have enjoyed the company in the past should be helpful to those at X actually reading the thread. There are no rants here, there are a few that have stated everything is wonderful with X, it's not, but of course we all have our own opinions. The posts here are mostly thoughtful responses with good ideas and concerns. I hope it is taken seriously by the powers that be...whoever that might be....... :)

[bluewhite]

Hi all,

 

We read many, if not all threads that are posted here. We try our best to answer as many as we can, but this isn't always an easy task. Our 'Celebrity' board for example has 10,964 threads, not including each individual post. Some questions are easily answered, and some require some time. Additionally, just because we don't provide an answer, doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Recently, we learned that music volume was either too high, or too low on some of our ships. We looked into the issue, and we acted fast to remedy, and we want to thank the Cruise Critic community for assisting.

 

This is only an example, but we are here to answer when possible, and are always trying to clear up any rumors or confusion, as well as sharing your thoughts and ideas internally.

Does each Solstice Class Ship now have the authority to manage the music on each ship. When questioning personnel on the ships in the past, they always said we can't do anything about it. We were told it was up to Miami headquarters. Thanks in advance for the answer.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Hi all,

 

We read many, if not all threads that are posted here. We try our best to answer as many as we can, but this isn't always an easy task. Our 'Celebrity' board for example has 10,964 threads, not including each individual post. Some questions are easily answered, and some require some time. Additionally, just because we don't provide an answer, doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Recently, we learned that music volume was either too high, or too low on some of our ships. We looked into the issue, and we acted fast to remedy, and we want to thank the Cruise Critic community for assisting.

 

This is only an example, but we are here to answer when possible, and are always trying to clear up any rumors or confusion, as well as sharing your thoughts and ideas internally.

 

Thank you as always for what participation you can provide! Since you (and the higher ups) do listen to us Cruise Critic members, I'll repeat my suggestion to have your position made more active, more of a full-time thing with respect to posting on Cruise Critic. I'm sure this is not your only job responsibility, but I think it would be worthwhile for X if more time was spent. While there are over 10,000 threads, you'd only need to comment on the current ones, especially if the topic has anything to do with Celebrity policies. I'd hope you could convince the Powers That Be to allow more time than that needed for an average of just one comment every four days.

[takemewithyou]

Believe me Judy, it pains me to say we're looking elsewhere. Right now, we are looking at Princess this Summer, and Oceania for November. I get upset, just looking at another brand. That's how much Celebrity means to me !!! However, if "entertainment" (if you can call it that) such as egg drop and ship racing, along with very spotty service in the MDR, because the assistant is too busy getting drinks (due to the removal of bar servers in the MDR), it's just becoming too much for us.

 

Besides, if X prices are going to keep going up, up, up, and with frequent sales by brands like Oceania, it may not be that much more to give them a try. It's not something we'd ever want to do, but we feel that Celebrity is forcing our hands. It's very sad.

 

Hi Host Andy,

First of all, let me say how much I appreciate your contributions and the task you take on as Moderator of a forum that has had it's challenges recently! Obviously the natives here are quite restless recently! :o

 

I am sad to read that you say you feel your efforts are not really appreciated by X headquarters in Miami.....I feel you have always had excellent suggestions to X in the past that you have posted here on the CC boards. X should really value and appreciate your contributions.

 

I, too, echo some of the posters who sense that there have been many changes to the experience on X that we loved in the past. We have been very loyal to X and Azamara, but now we are branching out and trying some new things. We are going to try some new things, including a cruise on RCCL out of Galveston, our closest port since X has given up a presence on the West Coast and by virtue of our loyalty we get to have Diamond status......already I am eager to try the Diamond lounge which is open for specialty coffee throughout the day and offers Happy Hour from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm (much longer hours than X). I seem to sense that the corporate office is shifting more importance to taking care of the RCCL brand than the X brand so maybe we should shift, too! They still have plenty of live music like violinists, etc. We have never sailed RCCL before but if Corporate is going to shift resources to RCCL, what the heck! Some of the best employees of X have been shifted over to RCCL.

 

We also have a cruise booked on Oceania in 2015 and are looking forward to seeing all that they have to offer. I feel the value is there when you factor in included airfare, specialty restaurants, bottled water, soda, fresh squeezed juices, and specialty coffees. The food is supposed to be some of the best at sea, as well as very comfortable beds! We hope to see you onboard someday!

 

Keep doing the great job as Moderator! We appreciate you! And many more great cruises to you.....as the cruiselines change, so shall we!! :D:p. Edited to add: I felt pretty bad about this in the beginning, like you mentioned as you are so loyal to X, but now.....I am over it!! It actually is quite empowering to realize, after all the frustration, that you have choices!!!!!

Edited May 6, 2014 by takemewithyou