How far has Celebrity fallen??

[mariners]

The OP stated that he/she just sent the review in to CC. If the volume of reviews that CC is getting remains the same, it will take quite a few days to get posted.

 

My review of the Celebrity Millennium April 13th cruise has just been posted. For those who are interested, it can be found at :

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=254850

Edited May 14, 2014 by mariners

[hulamoon]

Thank you mariners. It is interesting how the millennium has had some tough reviews in Asia. We want to take this cruise but are putting it off until it gets more positive. This winter I noticed a pattern of reviews. While the Summit seems to have happy campers posting in the main board all the time.

 

Time for someone to get back to basics.

[teecee60]

How far has Celebrity fallen ??

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that I just got back from my sixth cruise with them (covering a total of 89 days) in three years. :)

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that nine other couples were with us, enjoying a "reunion cruise" of our Celebrity cruise LAST year.

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that I am ready RIGHT NOW, to book yet another cruise with them for this fall, instead of one of the OTHER three lines I have also cruised with in the last four years. ;)

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that I am now enjoying free drinks on board every night, after having attained "elite" status in only 5 cruises.

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that my average cost, over six cruises is under $42/pp/night. (and that doesn't count a MINIMUM of $250 of OBC on EVERY cruise) :eek:

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that MOST people absolutely REFUSE to believe the incredible deals I get on my cruises, and many have called me a liar. :rolleyes:

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that I have had the opportunity to visit over two dozen places (and counting) on three different continents, (and counting) that I could NEVER have afforded to visit otherwise.

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that MANY people absolutely REFUSE to believe the bargain airfares I get through Choice Air, and many have called me a liar. :rolleyes:

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, that I have (tentatively) vowed to spend every single birthday I have left, on a cruise.

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, they CONTINUALLY serve me shrimp cocktails, French Onion Soup, (with ETRA CHEESE no less!!!) Prime Rib, lobster, lamb chops, lamb shanks, ice cream and crème brulee almost ALL THE TIME... DAM THEM!!!

 

Celebrity has fallen SO FAR, they have NEGLIGENTLY contributed to my unhealthy weight gain EVERY cruise!

 

What a pass poor, underperforming, and totally crappy company... :mad:

Edited May 14, 2014 by teecee60

[cle-guy]

Maintenance is an ongoing thing on cruise ships.

 

It's like the Golden Gate bridge. They NEVER stop painting it. By the time they get from one end to the other, they go back and start all over again.

 

On my Eclipse TA this spring, I got up to head out to Porta Delgada when we stopped in the Azores, and there was a crew waiting outside my door with paint buckets - they were working on paint touchups on the outside verandas that day on my deck. The eclipse is only what, 2 or 3 or so years on, and already has rust. The salt air is brutal.

 

I had hangers on my veranda with decorations, metal caribeaner hooks (the kind that clasp closed). In the 2 weeks at sea, they were almost impossible to reopen, they had been so oxidized by the sea air.

[Orator]

My dear OP:

Guess you have the answer to your question. The vast number of responses appear to indicate that Celebrity hasn't fallen one bit. In fact, it appears to be the cruise line of choice for many. Obviously your experience as far as you reported it was not typical. Hint: when you make a broad brush statement you should fill in some of the details so that you might assist others in making a better decision. Welcome to Cruise Critic and enjoy your next cruise on whatever line your choose.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Orator

[willma]

Don't be put off if you are keen to cruise in Asia. We thought it was an amazing way to see this part of the world, and great value for money. Sure the trips need a lot of research to get the most out of them, but there is plenty of help on the ports board. It isn't a relaxing holiday at all. We knew what to expect from Millennium, having only cruised Solstice class previously, so we were not disappointed. I think the Olympic restaurant is the best at sea, and Blu was beautiful.

[rubydoobydoo]

I was new to Celebrity last year and I loved it, in my opinion they are streets ahead of the other cruise line I have been with

 

This years cruise was every bit as good as last years so for me it hasn't fallen at all, but maybe that is because it had already fallen below what is was , in other peoples opinions, before I cruised for the first time

 

Yes, we have noticed some problems but they have been corrected to our satisfaction, and other things, such as our room attendant being invisible didn't bother us to an extent where as we felt we had to complain about her, quite frankly we let her know our opinion by not leaving her any additional cash tip

 

The things I don't like about Celebrity are the high costs of trips and drinks but they are far outnumbered by the things I love

 

I really hope that things don't decline to a level where I feel unhappy, as other long time cruisers are noticing, I have already said I won't go P and O again unless it was a last minute deal not to be missed and not my main holiday, I don't want to have to find another favourite cruise line, although it wouldn't hurt to try out Princess :)

[Cruising89143]

I cannot state if Celebrity has fallen. I only have two cruises but I can comment on my two cruises and each time X provided a great overall experience. Compared to other lines that I have cruised (RCI, Carnival, HAL and NCL) they rate higher in my book. I have three more cruises with X booked. If or when the day comes that Celebrity fails to meet my overall cruise expectations I will find another alternative.

 

It's been less than 24 hours and the OP has not returned to the board since they first posted so I'm willing to give them some time to come back. If they don't then I will write it off as a one post wonder.

Edited May 14, 2014 by cruisingator2

[NLH Arizona]

Like with all ships, if someone is going to go around looking for issues (rust, worn carpets, worn railings, etc.), they are going to find it. It really doesn't matter if it is a Celebrity Ship, a Crystal Ship, a NCL ship or a Cunard ship. I'm sure there has been these issues on every ship I've sailed in my 30+ cruises, but to be honest, I've had such a good time on all, that I didn't really notice nor am I going to go around with a magnifying glass looking for issues. I guess to each their own, I just don't want to waste my vacation looking for issues to take pictures of; I want to just have a great time.

 

Has there been changes on the ships over the years, sure, but not enough to turn me off of Celebrity or cruising in general. Are there things I would like to see again, sure, but there are also things that I could care less about. If they don't have an activity I wanted to do, I'd just find something else to do. If they didn't have my favorite dish (French Onion Soup) in the MDR, I'd just find something else to eat. But to have the changes ruin something I love to do, it will never happen......that is, unless they come on one day and tell me that I have to cook my own meals and then wash my dirty dishes, that might be the straw that breaks the camel's back LOL!.

 

I guess I just look at cruising and other vacations as an overall experience, where there are highs and lows, but in the end there are always more highs and that makes for a great vacation. If one obsesses over the lows, then they surely forget about all the highs. I remember in my trip to China, me being the pickiest eater there is, lived on steamed rich and soy sauce, that I had to bring with me. I ate it for every meal and that is it, but is that how I remember the trip, no I remember being able to play with baby pandas and hold them in my arms. Like I said, we can concentrate on the bad, but then we won't remember how great the good was.

 

If the little things ruin your vacation, you are really missing out on a lot, IMHO!

Edited May 14, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[rubydoobydoo]

My hubby's fave dish too

[grandgeezer]

For the people who say that Celebrity hasn't changed a bit has either not sailed with Celebrity in the past few years or hasn't been paying attention. Celebrity has been our line of choice for the last several years. We just got off the Silhouette a week ago and here are some of the changes we noticed.

Capitan's Club party: What happened to the food stations and entertainment?

Where are the Stings quartet and Accapella group?

Service in dining room slipped. We believe this is because the kitchen can't keep up. We book a table for two so we can get in and out quickly. In the past, that meant 1 to 1 1/4 hours. This trip, the shortest was 1 hour and 40 minutes, mostly 2 hours plus. We kept waiting for them to bring the breafast menu rather than the dessert menu.

Quality and choices in the main dining room. I know this is subjective, but fish was terrible and the choices were limited. I ordered more off the every day menu than I did the daily menu.

Entertainment. Guest entertainment was hit and miss. There was a singer named Jayne Curry who was fantastic, but she was the only one. Production shows. Singers and dancers performed well but the shows didn't have the punch they normally do, no scenery changes for example. The music for the last production was so bad, we walked out before it was over, the first time in over 330 days at sea.

It was a nice cruise for Princess or Holland America, but this wasn't them, it was Celebrity and we expected more based on our previous 13 cruises with them.

We have two more cruises booked with them this year but now our expectations have been lowered, it'll be more upbeat.

[Cruising89143]

 

Part snipped!

 

Personally, I'm making a resolution to just stop reading all of the "sky is falling" type posts as they are getting tiresome. We've also sailed Sitmar (may it RIP), RCCL, Carnival, and HAL but keep coming back to Celebrity. Is it perfect? No. But then again we go on vacation to relax and have fun, not perform an inspection. We've got two more Celebrity cruises booked and with generous Captain's Club benefits, Blu, and friendly staff, we're not looking to go elsewhere. I'm usually part of the "silent majority" here on CC but just couldn't refrain from weighing in on this one.

 

Great attitude and a very smart person.:)

Edited May 14, 2014 by cruisingator2

[Aquahound]

I think part of the reason is context. People tend to read reviews out of context and not for their true intent. This isn't all of them....just some of them.

 

For example, I posted a partly negative review (mostly positive, but partly negative) of Millennium last year following my Alaska cruise. Although one of my most memorable cruises of all time, the context of my somewhat minor complaints was how it was such a contrast to what I'm used to with Celebrity. Of course, people took it out of context and translated it to me looking for problems. :rolleyes:

 

Anyways, that's just a theory of mine. Perhaps some of the complaints are more specific rather than a gripe about the entire cruise line.

[Cruising89143]

I think part of the reason is context. People tend to read reviews out of context and not for their true intent. This isn't all of them....just some of them.

 

For example, I posted a partly negative review (mostly positive, but partly negative) of Millennium last year following my Alaska cruise. Although one of my most memorable cruises of all time, the context of my somewhat minor complaints was how it was such a contrast to what I'm used to with Celebrity. Of course, people took it out of context and translated it to me looking for problems. :rolleyes:

 

Anyways, that's just a theory of mine. Perhaps some of the complaints are more specific rather than a gripe about the entire cruise line.

 

Actually your review would be what I call a "balanced" review. Giving the "good" and the "needs to be improved". Nothing wrong with that.

[odysee]

Look at it this way :After another good experience aboard Celebrity I usually worry that the next cruise can just not compare anymore; same old, same old.

Then I read these blogs before I go and start believing that service, food, etc. etc. will have deteriorated and I mentally prepare for the worst. However once on board I am pleasantly surprised again and come back more than happy and having booked already the next one again while on the ship.

 

And maybe other persons go with such overly high expectations after all the P.R., raving and promises that they can only be let down.

 

I just think it is all about "managing expectations" !!.

Edited May 14, 2014 by odysee

[PROCRUISE]

Just sent our review from Millennium Asia...shocked at how really poor the ship and crew performed...looking at the other reviews , I'm not alone. Thoughts?

 

Sorry to hear of your displeasure with the Millennium in Asia. We did the S.E. Asia cruise on The Millennium in January 2013 and found the ship and crew, along with the itinerary, to be outstanding. We took this cruise with great expectations and Celebrity exceeded our expectations. Hopefully your next cruise, regardless of cruise line, will be more to your liking.

[suekay]

We were on the 30 March sailing and were worried after reading all the negative reviews of Millenium before we sailed. Yes, there was rust and yes, the outdoor furniture was in dire need of replacement. There was no self- service due to noro and service in the buffet was slow, but despite all this we loved the ship and would sail on her again. We actually prefered Millenium to Silhouette

 

Sent from my GT-P5210 using Tapatalk

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Celebrity has fallen so far off the cliff, that I have two more cruises booked.

 

It's so terrible, I have four more cruises booked. :D

[cle-guy]

And I have 4 more into 2016. Maybe if they weren't so awful I'd have 6 booked ;-)

[ping1]

This is not directed at the OP. In their opinion it wasn't the experience they expected, I respect that.

 

This is just an observation in general.

 

I just find it amazing how quick people are criticize and throw someone or thing overboard. I know everyone has concerns when they are on a cruise. But should your whole experience be judged on a few negative experiences? It seems that many people judge something on that 5% to 10% negative experiences, opposed to the 90% to 95% positive experiences they had. Most of us on CC's Celebrity part of this forum are their biggest fans. I don't know about you, but I try to be a good ambassador for Celebrity when I'm on their cruise as well as here. We as good ambassadors need to further their brand as loyal clients the best we can.

 

Yes, we all have legitimate concerns; costs, quality of dining, activities, safety, etc. This is the forum for that. And yes again, Celebrity does read this forum, because statistically this group is representative of the whole of people who cruise with Celebrity. I just like to remind everyone to take a step back and think of what you write before you publicly humiliate someone or something. Try to abide by the "Golden Rule". If someone was over your shoulder at work and critiquing your every move, you wouldn't like it - huh?

 

Have I ever being guilty of this? Unfortunately, yes. My wife wrote something on a comment card after the first night - booked in a Celebrity Suite aboard Solstice. The next day the bar manager came to our door to discuss our issue - no big deal for me, but huge to the bar manager & my wife. My wife wrote about slow service at Martini Bar. Mind you, it was a very busy night. She was a server in college and seems to be critical of servers and the job the perform. I need to remind her often that she could eat or drink at home - and no, she can't cook or mix a drink. For me, I appreciate how hard these people work for my experience. As with my employees, their busting their a$$ me.

 

C'mon, we're all on vacation "Stay Calm & Relax!" And have a great time...

 

Your first sentence says that this post is not directed at the OP. (I also respect everyone's opinions on this forum---positive or negative.)

 

So your wife wrote a complaint on a comment card. To her, she felt very strongly about her concern that she wrote a comment card. Can you "respect that?" You may not have agreed with her but, I feel, you could have supported her rather can put her down on a public forum. (You could've told her your feelings privately)

 

I have very high ratings for my recent Solstice cruise. The waitstaff and food were excellent in the main dining room.

[Moeve]

Having been on Millenium in January I can say that one can definately see the State of the ship. She is getting on in the years and is certainly not getting the kind of funds she really needs!

 

Also the reduction in Crew is certainly starting to show! The crew they now have cannot keep up with clearing public toilets at high frequency times for example. This is accentuated by damaged and missing parts.

 

Other services are also taking a noticable hit. Bar services during dinner - well on some days you better not be thirsty!

 

It is noticable to those who have been sailing for some years. Newer cruisers may not notice the difference so extremly yet!

[junetraveler2014]

Just sent our review from Millennium Asia...shocked at how really poor the ship and crew performed...looking at the other reviews , I'm not alone. Thoughts?

 

I personally have never been on a Celebrity cruise that I would give the negative readings that some people seem to be slamming them with. I am very sorry your cruise did not meet up to your expectations. I hope your next one does.;)

[S.O.C.I.O.C.A.T.s]

For the people who say that Celebrity hasn't changed a bit has either not sailed with Celebrity in the past few years or hasn't been paying attention. Celebrity has been our line of choice for the last several years. We just got off the Silhouette a week ago and here are some of the changes we noticed.

Capitan's Club party: What happened to the food stations and entertainment?

Where are the Stings quartet and Accapella group?

Service in dining room slipped. We believe this is because the kitchen can't keep up. We book a table for two so we can get in and out quickly. In the past, that meant 1 to 1 1/4 hours. This trip, the shortest was 1 hour and 40 minutes, mostly 2 hours plus. We kept waiting for them to bring the breafast menu rather than the dessert menu.

Quality and choices in the main dining room. I know this is subjective, but fish was terrible and the choices were limited. I ordered more off the every day menu than I did the daily menu.

Entertainment. Guest entertainment was hit and miss. There was a singer named Jayne Curry who was fantastic, but she was the only one. Production shows. Singers and dancers performed well but the shows didn't have the punch they normally do, no scenery changes for example. The music for the last production was so bad, we walked out before it was over, the first time in over 330 days at sea.

It was a nice cruise for Princess or Holland America, but this wasn't them, it was Celebrity and we expected more based on our previous 13 cruises with them.

We have two more cruises booked with them this year but now our expectations have been lowered, it'll be more upbeat.

I must agree. I was on the same TA with you and my experiences indicated Celebrity has declined in quality from what it was even last year. All your points (and more indicated in my review) are valid.

[CathyCruises]

And I was on the same cruise, and the identical one last year and the year before that, and noticed none of those items.

 

The bar servers seemed more prevalent than ever before, to the point of being overstaffed especially at the pool. Our large nightly group at the Sunset Bar had more servers than we could possibly keep busy.

 

Our dinner was served promptly and efficiently ever evening, allowing us adequate time for chatting between courses but never to the point of wondering, "where is the food?"

 

The ventriloquist and juggler were hilarious, although I will agree that the one production show we attended was sub-par and we walked out when the green munchkins appeared.

 

The only issue with loud music was the cruise director screaming into the mic during the poolside volleyball game--we just relocated to a quieter area. Other than that, never had any issues with overloud music.

 

Lest you think that I am a recent cruiser and just didn't notice the 'cutbacks', I have been cruising since 1982 and have cruised every major line including Carnival and Crystal and everything in between. I am not trying to contradict you, I am just saying that we honestly had none of the issues that you both seem to have experienced. We had a fabulous cruise with a minimum of hassles, issues and complaints. I just asked DH if he had to complain about one thing on our cruise, what would it be? His response? "Too fun"!!! I rest my case!

[curtdesilets]

Having sailed on Celebrity since the early 90's I feel somewhat qualified to offer an opinion. Our last sailing was in July 2013 to the Adriatic. There were aspects that we did not care for: no more trays in the buffet, extremely loud music in the buffet. When we sailed into a quiet port at 7am on a Sunday morning the ship blasted heavy metal music from every outdoor speaker. There was no Campaign when we embarked, not Celebrity's issue but there were hordes of kids from one particular demographic that ran amok throughout the ship. They took over the Hideaway for entire the trip preventing anyone else from enjoying the space. They had water gun fights in the buffet, did the press every button on the elevator thing and chair hogged. Oh my the chair hogs. Unbelievable. By 7am every flat bed lounger was staked out for the entire day. Most chaises around the pool had towels and flip flops on them.

 

I have been on every mainstream cruise line at one point or another. For the most part our experience has been that Celebrity has been superior to RCCL or Princess. For this particular sailing, out of 26 on Celebrity, I would have to put RCCL on the same level as Celebrity. With the changes in the loyalty program and other similar changes I'm afraid that the Celebrity we remember from the past is no more.

 

We are sailing on her Constellation in June. Be interesting to see what that experience will be like.

 

Any negative expressions however have to be offset by their waffles.

 

I like your take on this. The Waffles are excellent, as is the Eggs Benedict station.

 

We too are long term Celebrity cruisers starting with the brand spanking new Infinity back in May of 2001. That cruise and ship back then set a new standard for cruising and we have been hooked on Celebrity ever since.

 

Celebrity certainly is trying to reinvent itself, and for the most part, that process has fallen pretty flat. We were just on the Century and she IMO represents the closest thing to what Celebrity used to be: Traditional. Yet the cost cuts were clearly evident.

 

It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

 

In the meantime, we are taking our nest cruise on HAL and waiting to see the effect of Celebrity's reinvention.

 

There have been a lot of growing pains recently.

Edited May 17, 2014 by curtdesilets