Is there NOTHING positive about Celebrity any more? (Threads Merged)

[antsnanny]

What is the plank and the ropes?

 

 

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The plank is just that, you walk out on it, it hangs over the ship so your looking down at water. The ropes are a course you take to get to the plank.

[swoonx]

Hi everyone,

 

we just returned from 5 weeks on Solstice and we were really disappointed. We had a great vacation, but Celebrity was not that good as expected. It was no modern luxury at all. Well, in many points our RCI experiences were much better.

 

The next weeks I will write a longer review and share it with you.

[Orator]

FWIW: There are 2 threads that appear to be in different directions. This tread appears to be attracting positive comments about Celebrity, the other, the "Fallen" thread appears to focus on the negative. Counting this post there are 100 postings and 3570 hits on the positive thread and 81 posts and 5606 posts on the negative. Should also indicate that many of the posts on he negative thread are positive about Celebrity, Haven't found many negative posts on the positive thread. What does this all mean? You may put any spin on it you like. But for me it seems to indicate tat most who are interested in this subject are positive about Celebrity. All is not perfect, but I see Celebrity as a wonderful cruising experience.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Orator

[PoppyandNana]

Celebrity cruisers, those that have sailed recently, are experiencing changes from their previous Celebrity cruises. The reason that they are repeat cruisers is that they enjoyed or were impressed by that earlier experience.

 

Celebrity has cut many things that some people call change but few cruisers have come back to say how these changes have improved their cruising experience.

 

The ships are the same as before, the cabins have not changed, the crew is still generally friendly and being on a ship is still better than doing your own stuff at home or being at work.

We continue to cruise with Celebrity, had a wonderful increase in perks courtesy of Captain's Club but other changes over the last six months have led to a few disappointments. Others who do not share our interests won't be impacted and can't see the fuss in complaints by many posters who actually report what the short comings are. These same cutbacks might be occurring on other lines but we understand the cause of the negativity on this board.

 

A few things to think about. We about to sail, in 3 weeks, on our 27th Celebrity cruise. We have been on them all starting with the Zenith and Horizon. First, and most importantly, the number of Celebrity cruisers weighing in here on Cruise Critic bemoaning the fall of the Roman Empire, I mean Celebrity are probably one tenth of one percent of all Celebrity loyalists who, as I do relish each and every Celebrity cruise.

 

I know that for many the absence of towel animals is most justifiably a reason to dump an old friend. If that is an example of "Fallen" then I have some hobby ideas for those who appear to have way too much time on their hands.

 

For us our most pressing concern is how many undies to bring considering we get two bags of free laundry. Hey, I have an idea lets move this thread to a poll on how much underwear does a guy need on a 12 night cruise.

[momofmeg]

I think a lot of this comes from people with elite status that lost perks when higher levels were added.

 

I am getting close to elite but I will still have nothing like the number of Celebrity cruises Lois has cruised, so why should I have all the benefits she has? My only gripe was on our 12 night Med cruise we could get no laundry done with us PAYING full price for that because there were so many "elite" on that cruise who preempted us out. We couldn't get laundry service until the night of day 9. We decided to save our money at that point, too late in the cruise to be much of a benefit

 

I had to hand wash our underwear and some of our day wear clothing. I had it hanging all over our suite, but we had not brought enough clothing, trying to pack light,thinking we could use the laundry service, I am sure our butler thought we were the Beverly Hillbillies.

 

I feel that the award program needed some tweaking. I hate to say it, but if people were cruising only for the perks, what makes them think starting with another line they will have those perks.

 

I know hindsight is always 20-20 but it seems to me those people booking cruises mainly to get to elite would have done better to book a line like Azamara or Oceania, when they actually wanted to take a cruise; where some of the perks they "earned" are normal for everyone. For example no added charge for specialty coffees instead of having a room where you go to get your "elite" cappuccino.

[mfronstin]

We have recently completed 2 celebrity cruises: Antarctica and Transatlantic.

Both were fabulous with no complaints except that the additional fee to eat in the specialty restaurants has continued to be increased unreasonably. Otherwise, no complaints and I have cruised more than 25 times.

[Christine Frances]

I do not like champagne but I do not begrudge them giving it out to others who enjoy it. I just said no thank you.

 

The one thing that I would hate would be if they started doing something like have cartoon people on the ship. I like the more adult atmosphere on the ship.

 

I usually take the Mimosa but I would be sad if they didn't offer it. It is just one of the special things that sets X apart. I also enjoy coming back to the ship on a hot day to the tents, sofas and chairs, ice cold towels, water and juice:D I wish I had taken a picture of how they had set it up and was able to include the looks of the Pax returning to another ship docked next to us. They were green lol It doesn't cost X much but it leaves that wonderful lasting impression.

 

On another topic lol What type of pillow chocolates has everybody been getting? We had the ones that were "Celebrity" with the X but others posted they had different ones

[momofmeg]

I think a lot of this comes from people with elite status that lost perks when higher levels were added.

 

I am getting close to elite but I will still have nothing like the number of Celebrity cruises Lois has cruised, so why should I have all the benefits she has? My only gripe was on our 12 night Med cruise we could get no laundry done with us PAYING full price for that because there were so many "elite" on that cruise who preempted us out. We couldn't get laundry service until the night of day 9. We decided to save our money at that point, too late in the cruise to be much of a benefit

 

I had to hand wash our underwear and some of our day wear clothing. I had it hanging all over our suite, but we had not brought enough clothing, trying to pack light,thinking we could use the laundry service, I am sure our butler thought we were the Beverly Hillbillies.

 

I feel that the award program needed some tweaking. I hate to say it, but if people were cruising only for the perks, what makes them think starting with another line they will have those perks.

 

I know hindsight is always 20-20 but it seems to me those people booking cruises mainly to get to elite would have done better to book a line like Azamara or Oceania, when they actually wanted to take a cruise; where some of the perks they "earned" are normal for everyone. For example no added charge for specialty coffees instead of having a room where you go to get your "elite" cappuccino.

 

 

Just to add, after doing the Med cruise in a skysuite and earning all those points for a 12 day, I discovered we were no longer "classic" but "select" and close to "elite." So yes I booked a 5 day cruise on the Constellation in concierge as before the last update that would have made us "elite" after the cruise. Instead we were going to be 10 points shy, so yes I was upset at first.

 

Now we are switched a 7 day Silhouette that same week in just a basic balcony. It has better ports for us. We wanted to go back to San Juan, we haven't been there since 2000, and we have never been to St. Kitts. No we won't be "elite" after this cruise, but we would not have been with the Connie either. All we are missing is fruit, flowers and afternoon snacks in exchange for better ports! The fruit and snacks we can find by walking up to the buffet restaurant or calling room service! I can live without the flowers!

 

I actually feel liberated now as I picked a cruise I actually wanted to do instead of the one I could earn the most points!

 

I would still like to do the Connie again, as I loved that ship and I love Key West but she can wait, perhaps in 2015!

[bplazo]

I usually take the Mimosa but I would be sad if they didn't offer it. It is just one of the special things that sets X apart. I also enjoy coming back to the ship on a hot day to the tents, sofas and chairs, ice cold towels, water and juice:D I wish I had taken a picture of how they had set it up and was able to include the looks of the Pax returning to another ship docked next to us. They were green lol It doesn't cost X much but it leaves that wonderful lasting impression.

 

On another topic lol What type of pillow chocolates has everybody been getting? We had the ones that were "Celebrity" with the X but others posted they had different ones

 

I did forget about the ice towels and water upon return. Very nice touch.

[Martinjjd]

Hi everyone,

 

we just returned from 5 weeks on Solstice and we were really disappointed. We had a great vacation, but Celebrity was not that good as expected. It was no modern luxury at all. Well, in many points our RCI experiences were much better.

 

The next weeks I will write a longer review and share it with you.

 

Wondering if you would mind giving a few specifics rather than 'we were really disappointed', 'no luxury at all' etc.

I am hoping it has not changed much since March as we have another cruise booked.

Thanks.

[Dunelm]

I think there are some jaded people on Cruise Critic who lost the joy and wonder of cruising and have become nit-pickers and self-styled travel critics. My advice to them is diversify your vacations to add some freshness. We do cruises in about eighteen month intervals and still see the ships through new eyes as each adventure begins. Can't wait for June 2nd!

 

 

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You have hit the nail on the head!

[liverpoollad]

I did forget about the ice towels and water upon return. Very nice touch.

 

My wife & I are on the Eclipse on Saturday & we are sailing the Baltic.

 

Will we get blankets & a cup of hot tea/coffee on our return to the ship;)

 

Cheers.

[CHAMPAGNELASS]

My family leaves in just over 30 days for our cruise on the Silhouette and as I have already posted on ' A Happy Thread ' it doesnt matter how many negatives I read on these boards about Celebrity I am still looking forward to my cruise with the same excitement and joy that I always do .

I have cruised once with Royal Caribbean and this will be my 5th cruise with Celebrity, my parents having done many more, and apart from an ill fated voyage on the Century in 2010 when our cruise was cancelled on Day 2 we have enjoyed every moment on every ship .

We love the ships ,the food and cocktails . We always meet wonderful staff that we get to know so well that we can call them our friends by the end of the cruise. We get to know some wonderful fellow cruisers who we remain friends with for years and on occasion cruise together.

We only cruise once a year or every 2 years and perhaps that is why we still feel special or it might just be that we are the kind of people who are so busy enjoying the positives that we dont see the negatives :)

I intend doing a long review when I return and will hopefully be able to remind people of all the positives .

 

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough”

― Oprah Winfrey

[PennStateFan123]

There should be NO “free” champagne, period. They could save what, $2000 per cruise every week for every ship? I hope the free champagne goes away. As someone who drinks NO alcohol, I question why that should be built into my fare. I’ll be sure to write in my comment card : No free champagne please.

 

Want not, waste not. Also, certain religions are offended by free champagne.

 

So don’t just reduce it by an ounce. Reduce it by 100%. The complainers will complain no matter what.

 

 

 

 

 

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[PennStateFan123]

I agree. I resent that toilet paper in public restrooms is included in my fare. I only use the lav in my cabin.

 

 

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Edited May 22, 2014 by PennStateFan123

[Cruise Junky]

Wondering if you would mind giving a few specifics rather than 'we were really disappointed', 'no luxury at all' etc.

I am hoping it has not changed much since March as we have another cruise booked.

Thanks.

 

We were on part of their cruise (Honolulu to Vancouver) and thought it was fantastic. Just goes to show what different experiences people on the same sailing can have

[tercar]

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My husband Doesn't eat breakfast ever, however it's included in his fare. There are things we use and things we don't it's our decision. We just pay the price and enjoy the experience.

 

 

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[happygran]

Just love Celebrity. We've done a few cruises with them over the past few years.........don't know what level we're at with Captains Club......and don't care.

 

We do cruise with other lines but Celebrity is certainly our first choice........we've cruised with RCI, NCL & P & O and we have one booked with HAL (itinerary).......

 

We have never had a bad cruise with Celebrity..........the food is great, the staff are fantastic............and the ships??? Gorgeous.

 

We've just returned from the Eclipse cruise to the fjords........it was a great cruise.....food great............service? you couldn't fault......plus the S class ships are my favourite......beautiful.

[CruisingChick]

plus the S class ships are my favourite......beautiful.

 

There must be something wrong with DH and I because frankly we were not blown away by Silhouette when we sailed her in March 2012. I don't get what people love so much about these ships. The MDR was crowded, noisy and the chairs very heavy, there's no Thallosotherapy Pool on any of them. To get to the bar at the aft of the ship (Sunset Bar) you had to walk on the outside of the ship and through the lawn, The Porch, plus the bar is much smaller area than on the M Class ships aft bar.

 

They ruined the M Class Martini Bars. Now they are crowded and hard to get a seat at and in the middle of the atrium. There was loud music through out the entire ship. I went in the Hideaway and couldn't even concentrate or hear myself think because the music from deck 3 was so loud and carried right up the center of the ship.

 

Give us the old original M Class (with the addition of Bistro on 5 - that's the only thing we liked besides the stateroom bathrooms) any day.

[antsnanny]

There must be something wrong with DH and I because frankly we were not blown away by Silhouette when we sailed her in March 2012. I don't get what people love so much about these ships. The MDR was crowded, noisy and the chairs very heavy, there's no Thallosotherapy Pool on any of them. To get to the bar at the aft of the ship (Sunset Bar) you had to walk on the outside of the ship and through the lawn, The Porch, plus the bar is much smaller area than on the M Class ships aft bar.

 

They ruined the M Class Martini Bars. Now they are crowded and hard to get a seat at and in the middle of the atrium. There was loud music through out the entire ship. I went in the Hideaway and couldn't even concentrate or hear myself think because the music from deck 3 was so loud and carried right up the center of the ship.

 

Give us the old original M Class (with the addition of Bistro on 5 - that's the only thing we liked besides the stateroom bathrooms) any day.

 

There is something nice about the M class ships on Celebrity, takes you back what cruising use to be like.

[cle-guy]

There is something nice about the M class ships on Celebrity, takes you back what cruising use to be like.

 

I miss the Rondezvous lounge space on the S class that M class has.

[antsnanny]

Just to add, after doing the Med cruise in a skysuite and earning all those points for a 12 day, I discovered we were no longer "classic" but "select" and close to "elite." So yes I booked a 5 day cruise on the Constellation in concierge as before the last update that would have made us "elite" after the cruise. Instead we were going to be 10 points shy, so yes I was upset at first.

 

Now we are switched a 7 day Silhouette that same week in just a basic balcony. It has better ports for us. We wanted to go back to San Juan, we haven't been there since 2000, and we have never been to St. Kitts. No we won't be "elite" after this cruise, but we would not have been with the Connie either. All we are missing is fruit, flowers and afternoon snacks in exchange for better ports! The fruit and snacks we can find by walking up to the buffet restaurant or calling room service! I can live without the flowers!

 

I actually feel liberated now as I picked a cruise I actually wanted to do instead of the one I could earn the most points!

 

I would still like to do the Connie again, as I loved that ship and I love Key West but she can wait, perhaps in 2015!

 

Good for you! Just to let you know we are Elite and we did not get any snacks or fruit delivered to our cabin. I think there cutting down on waste. We did receive a very nice red rose on our second day out.

[CruisingChick]

I miss the Rondezvous lounge space on the S class that M class has.

 

Thanks I forgot to list that. I also miss the Rendezvous Lounge on S Class Ships. Also forgot to mention we hated Quasar on S Class.

[C 2 C]

I think a lot of this comes from people with elite status that lost perks when higher levels were added.

 

I must have missed this. Which perks did Elites lose at the time?

[Orator]

I must have missed this. Which perks did Elites lose at the time?

 

Elites became the middle tier rather than the top tier. Oh, that's a gain since they can increase their benefits by cruising more. More internet minutes, more laundry, free specialty coffee and teas.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Orator