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

[Christine Frances]

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.

 

As far as I know you only get those items with Concierge cabins and above:confused: Nothing to do with being Elite.

[cle-guy]

As far as I know you only get those items with Concierge cabins and above:confused: Nothing to do with being Elite.

 

I was thinking the same thing....Thanks for clarifying and confirming my memory!

[Oville]

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.

 

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.

 

I hope you and your husband enjoy your upcoming Summit cruise, I know you are very concerned about the ship having read recent reviews.

 

Many Celebrity cruisers love the S Class ships and think the upgrades to the M class are a positive.. You apparently disagree big time but maybe on your upcoming Bermuda cruise, you'll fall in love with Celebrity again.

 

Have fun and love Bermuda.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Oville

[Dancin85]

21 - that special dessert you can order, can't remember the name of it.

 

The special dessert is ???? I want to know!

 

DH and I will be taking our first cruise on the Summit in December out of San Juan. At first all the negatives were bothering me a lot. I really want DH to enjoy the experience so he will want to cruise again.

 

What I've decided to do is focus on all the positives I read!!!

and ignore the nit picking.

 

Now about that special dessert......

 

Sent from my BNTV600 using Forums mobile app

[NLH Arizona]

The special dessert is ???? I want to know!

 

DH and I will be taking our first cruise on the Summit in December out of San Juan. At first all the negatives were bothering me a lot. I really want DH to enjoy the experience so he will want to cruise again.

 

What I've decided to do is focus on all the positives I read!!!

and ignore the nit picking.

 

Now about that special dessert......

 

Sent from my BNTV600 using Forums mobile app

It was a chocolate dessert with a funny name, sorry that is all I can remember.

 

I wouldn't worry at all. I rebooked the Summit for January out of San Juan, took the same cruise two years ago. Sometimes people are just negative or they don't like change, either way not everyone's experiences are the same. I've been on cruises where I read other's reviews and thought I must have been on another ship. Some will say there is rust, worn carpets, bad service, etc., well either I've really never noticed or it really didn't happen, but in the end, if it did happen it was not big enough to ruin my vacation, like it did others. What is important to me is my overall expierence and that I don't have to cook or serve my own food. I always joke with folks, that the reason I love to cruises is because my biggest decision while on board is what I'm going to have for dinner.

 

As your server about the dessert and maybe they will know the name.

 

Enjoy your cruise and by your attitude it looks like you fully intend to.

Edited May 23, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Andy C]

Of course there are still good things about Celebrity. For one their solstice class ships are beautiful and well maintained. Two, their prices are reasonable. BUT three, their food leaves a lot to be desired except if you like to eat in places like Applebees and Olive Garden in which case you will LOVE the food in Celebrity.

[cle-guy]

their food leaves a lot to be desired except if you like to eat in places like Applebees and Olive Garden in which case you will LOVE the food in Celebrity.

 

According to this poll that's going on now, just over 73% of people would disagree, and feel the food is above average. Another just over 20% think it is average, and only 5% think it's below average.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2045022

Edited May 23, 2014 by cle-guy

[momofmeg]

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.

 

I meant that is done in concierge. We had that booked on the Connie 5 day because it was reasonable enough-only $50 a person more-but it brought up the cost of our cruise enough that we got our basic gratuities paid by the travel agency. (agency pays basic gratuities on Celebrity if the cost of cruise is $600 a person or more with port taxes) So a win/win deal. If we had not booked in concierge, then we would have paid our own basic gratuities because the balcony price was $550 a person which included port tax but not that other tax that runs around $50 a person.

 

You see for the 7 day in a balcony it is 21 points earned for a 5 day in concierge it is 25 points earned, so we actually earn less points. It makes little difference to me if we need 14 points (after the Silhouette cruise) or 10 points (if we had taken the Connie 5 day in concierge) to make "elite," either way it is another cruise to get there.

 

we also liked concierge on the Connie because the balcony room would be larger-but on the Silhouette they are the same size so we would be doing it for flowers, fruit and afternoon snacks delivered to our room. Not worth the extra $$ for that. Now if the price of the cruise dropped again then we would do it and make "elite."

 

Ironically the Connie cruise for that week went up in price the same time the Silhouette price dropped, now the cost of a basic balcony is over $600 a person-lol!

[momofmeg]

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

 

Well orator answered. I was not sure, I just knew better perks, which people with 15 plus cruises under their belt with Celebrity definitely deserve more than me with my pitiful 4 (even if I had a skysuite once and concierge once)

[antsnanny]

According to this poll that's going on now, just over 73% of people would disagree, and feel the food is above average. Another just over 20% think it is average, and only 5% think it's below average.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2045022

 

I think to accurately access what people think about the food on any cruise line we would need to do the poll right after the cruise is over with everyone participating, not just cc people who love cruising and are very loyal to their lines.

[momofmeg]

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.

 

Did you have a room on the very back of the ship? Lol! We did in a skysuite-we were celebrating our 30th on the solstice a Med cruise-but lol! that was a longgg walk! That is what I did not care for about the S class ships, that plus the fact we had 2 tender ports and tendering was a nightmare on that ship even with suite passes! Otherwise we liked her very well, perhaps not as much as we did our first Connie cruise, but she was a beautiful ship! We made sure we booked a mid ship room on the Silhouette this upcoming cruise!

[CruisingChick]

Did you have a room on the very back of the ship? Lol! We did in a skysuite-we were celebrating our 30th on the solstice a Med cruise-but lol! that was a longgg walk! That is what I did not care for about the S class ships, that plus the fact we had 2 tender ports and tendering was a nightmare on that ship even with suite passes! Otherwise we liked her very well, perhaps not as much as we did our first Connie cruise, but she was a beautiful ship! We made sure we booked a mid ship room on the Silhouette this upcoming cruise!

 

We were mid-ship deck 8 when we sailed Silhouette. That's another thing the S Class only have 2 banks of elevators so depending on where you are it could be a hike. Like I said we did not care for Silhouette and have not killed ourselves to book another S Class Ship Cruise since March 2012. Now I'm sure one day we will eventually sail on an S Class again, but don't see it in the near future.

Edited May 23, 2014 by CruisingChick

[Dr. Cocktail]

I think to accurately access what people think about the food on any cruise line we would need to do the poll right after the cruise is over with everyone participating, not just cc people who love cruising and are very loyal to their lines.

 

 

No offense, to accurately assess you would have to poll people who have actually sailed on other lines within the last year or so to get a true comparative review. I'm always amazed by people who claim that "their" cruise line is the "best" when they haven't sailed on anyone else!

 

My cruise last week on Breakaway left poor old Summit in the dust. The specialty restaurants with their $20 to $30 cover charges were miles above what we've experienced on Celebrity. I am leaving my comments buried in this thread as I don't feel like being overly charbroiled on a Friday afternoon!

[CruisingChick]

No offense, to accurately assess you would have to poll people who have actually sailed on other lines within the last year or so to get a true comparative review. I'm always amazed by people who claim that "their" cruise line is the "best" when they haven't sailed on anyone else!

 

My cruise last week on Breakaway left poor old Summit in the dust. The specialty restaurants with their $20 to $30 cover charges were miles above what we've experienced on Celebrity. I am leaving my comments buried in this thread as I don't feel like being overly charbroiled on a Friday afternoon!

 

Dr. did you eat in any of the no fee restaurants for dinner at all? Friends of ours said they would never again sail Breakaway as the food in the complimentary dining rooms were awful. Why should one have to pay extra to get edible food?

[momofmeg]

Dr. did you eat in any of the no fee restaurants for dinner at all? Friends of ours said they would never again sail Breakaway as the food in the complimentary dining rooms were awful. Why should one have to pay extra to get edible food?

 

So true NCL's food is the worst. I would just as soon eat at the buffet as the main dining room. Howver, their buffet food is as good as Celebrity buffet food. Two reasons I would cruise NCL 1)for a specific itinerary and 2) a super price as daughter is a teacher and normally when she can cruise prices are sky high.

 

Celebrity may have just as many pay extra venues as NCL, but it is a choice on Celebrity-on NCL we do it at least 3 times for a 7 day cruise. For Celebrity it is usually once, perhaps twice on a cruise longer than 7 day. Of course I am not counting Bistro on Five when I say that.

[Dr. Cocktail]

Dr. did you eat in any of the no fee restaurants for dinner at all? Friends of ours said they would never again sail Breakaway as the food in the complimentary dining rooms were awful. Why should one have to pay extra to get edible food?

 

I was coddled in the Haven restaurant but my family (long story ...) who have sailed on, well, everyone really enjoyed their meals.

 

With all due respect, one of the myriad reasons I left Celebrity after 245 days onboard was that I found the main dining room food approaching inedible. I also found the specialties, on average, to be extremely mediocre with prices approaching $100 a couple.

 

The couple we sailed with on Breakway "only" had about 180 days onboard Celebrity and are also returning to NCL, albeit in The Haven.

[Dr. Cocktail]

So true NCL's food is the worst. I would just as soon eat at the buffet as the main dining room. Howver, their buffet food is as good as Celebrity buffet food. Two reasons I would cruise NCL 1)for a specific itinerary and 2) a super price as daughter is a teacher and normally when she can cruise prices are sky high.

 

Celebrity may have just as many pay extra venues as NCL, but it is a choice on Celebrity-on NCL we do it at least 3 times for a 7 day cruise. For Celebrity it is usually once, perhaps twice on a cruise longer than 7 day. Of course I am not counting Bistro on Five when I say that.

 

I am approaching this from a different angle than you are ... I think that the food on ALL of the mass market cruise lines is pretty bad and yes ... Celebrity is a mass market cruise line. As NCL can provide far more reasonably priced specialties with far more choice than Celebrity, why not?

[CruisingChick]

I was coddled in the Haven restaurant but my family (long story ...) who have sailed on, well, everyone really enjoyed their meals.

 

With all due respect, one of the myriad reasons I left Celebrity after 245 days onboard was that I found the main dining room food approaching inedible. I also found the specialties, on average, to be extremely mediocre with prices approaching $100 a couple.

 

The couple we sailed with on Breakway "only" had about 180 days onboard Celebrity and are also returning to NCL, albeit in The Haven.

 

Totally agree with you about the Specialty Restaurant prices on Celebrity. We use to go once a cruise. Last time we did was October 2011. Have not gone since they raised prices above $35 per person. That was also the cruise where our food in the MDR was not good at all. Almost stopped cruising Celebrity, but then we took Silhouette in March 2012 and the food was fantastic. Unfortunately Celebrity is not consistent when it comes to food (or anything else) across the fleet.

[wv4891]

We just finished an Alaska cruise on the Solstice on May 16th. The food and service were great in all the Speciality Restaurants, especially in Muranos which was not one of our favorites until this cruise, much improved in both service and quality. We purchased the 5 night package, which currently is $119 per person, which worked out to $24.00 per person. Twice in Tuscan, twice in Silk Harvest, and once in Murano with the package. Just purchased the same package for our upcoming Equinox TA in October, at $119 per person yesterday, as it has not yet increased on the Celebrity website. Not sure how long that price will last online but it's a real discount over their regular pricing. FYI, while we were on the Solstice, as many of you know, the pricing increased to $50 in Murano, $45 in Tuscan, and $35 in Silk Harvest. Also, with the premium drink package you were covered for up to $14.00 per glass of wine, the package paid for itself with just one glass of wine. Did notice that there were more wines with an upcharge in all the Specialities.

 

Totally agree with you about the Specialty Restaurant prices on Celebrity. We use to go once a cruise. Last time we did was October 2011. Have not gone since they raised prices above $35 per person. That was also the cruise where our food in the MDR was not good at all. Almost stopped cruising Celebrity, but then we took Silhouette in March 2012 and the food was fantastic. Unfortunately Celebrity is not consistent when it comes to food (or anything else) across the fleet.

Edited May 23, 2014 by wv4891

[momofmeg]

I am approaching this from a different angle than you are ... I think that the food on ALL of the mass market cruise lines is pretty bad and yes ... Celebrity is a mass market cruise line. As NCL can provide far more reasonably priced specialties with far more choice than Celebrity, why not?

 

I can see where you are coming from, you plan on eating the specialties more often, a good plan.

 

You know I liked the Pearl quite well and you are right, we liked her well enough we did not mind paying extra for the specialties. We ate in 4 on her. Although 2 of the specialties, which were priced more reasonable, similar to Bistro on five, were the Mexican and Italian. They were like eating in medium priced restaurants like Olive Garden which is also similar to Bistro on five. chops ws superb on the Pearl. The French restaurant that we also tried I was not impressed with at all. The less expensive Mexican and Italian were much better. I hear though the Japanese is great. She was my first NCL cruise.

 

The Sun and Sky I didn't care much for, (I doubt I would have tried NCL again if either of them had been my first NCL cruise) they were not set up for freestyle and so the buffet lines were horrible at breakfast and lunch even if they opened the night time specialties for seating, that did not help the buffet line to be less congested.

 

I hate the monster ships on any line, I even feel the Solstice class ships are stretching it a bit, so that limits which NCL ships I am willing to cruise-not the ships over 10 years old that are not set up for the extra restaurants and not the newer ones under 5 years old as they are too large.

 

I will say this though-the difference in Celebrity main dining room food and NCL main dining room food is MAJOR-celebrity food may be "Banquet food" but NCL's food is more the quality of Golden Corral. Not very good, just "edible." I like the buffet food better, sadly,maybe another reason why I hated the Sun and Sky, as the buffet was not very accessible.

[momofmeg]

I was coddled in the Haven restaurant but my family (long story ...) who have sailed on, well, everyone really enjoyed their meals.

 

With all due respect, one of the myriad reasons I left Celebrity after 245 days onboard was that I found the main dining room food approaching inedible. I also found the specialties, on average, to be extremely mediocre with prices approaching $100 a couple.

 

The couple we sailed with on Breakway "only" had about 180 days onboard Celebrity and are also returning to NCL, albeit in The Haven.

 

Inedible? even NCL food I would not go that far. (although many on CC do) but I only have 33 days in on Celebrity maybe I "lucked" out with better chefs on the cruises I took. Which is what a lot of it comes down to-who the chefs and their under-cooks are. Even if you do the same ship just 6 months apart that can happen, if the great chef's contract is over and he went home for a couple of months and is then assigned to a different ship.

[Dr. Cocktail]

I can see where you are coming from, you plan on eating the specialties more often, a good plan.

 

You know I liked the Pearl quite well and you are right, we liked her well enough we did not mind paying extra for the specialties. We ate in 4 on her. Although 2 of the specialties, which were priced more reasonable, similar to Bistro on five, were the Mexican and Italian. They were like eating in medium priced restaurants like Olive Garden which is also similar to Bistro on five. chops ws superb on the Pearl. The French restaurant that we also tried I was not impressed with at all. The less expensive Mexican and Italian were much better. I hear though the Japanese is great. She was my first NCL cruise.

 

The Sun and Sky I didn't care much for, (I doubt I would have tried NCL again if either of them had been my first NCL cruise) they were not set up for freestyle and so the buffet lines were horrible at breakfast and lunch even if they opened the night time specialties for seating, that did not help the buffet line to be less congested.

 

I hate the monster ships on any line, I even feel the Solstice class ships are stretching it a bit, so that limits which NCL ships I am willing to cruise-not the ships over 10 years old that are not set up for the extra restaurants and not the newer ones under 5 years old as they are too large.

 

I will say this though-the difference in Celebrity main dining room food and NCL main dining room food is MAJOR-celebrity food may be "Banquet food" but NCL's food is more the quality of Golden Corral. Not very good, just "edible." I like the buffet food better, sadly,maybe another reason why I hated the Sun and Sky, as the buffet was not very accessible.

 

I think that product inconsistency is going to be the new reality on all of the cruise lines as they experiment with "what can we get away with". It then becomes a race to the bottom as there's no point in offering more than your competitor if your clients aren't going to pay for it anyway. Or in other words, why should _______ Cruise line provide (amenity/menu item/entertainment) if ___________ other Cruise line also doesn't provide it any longer?

 

That's why I'm trying to find that new "sweet spot" that Celebrity provided to me for so many years. I was VERY impressed by The Haven on Breakaway - reasonable suite pricing with fabulous perks with the best live entertainment that we have ever had on a cruise. On most evenings, there was a choice of 5 live lounge acts playing at the same time (not in the same lounge!) as well as the main lounge and Cirque Dreams, their for-pay circus option.

 

I remember returning last year to Summit around 4 in the afternoon in Bermuda last year with my only immediate food choice being the pasta bar where one server was trying to cope with literally a dozen irritated people in line. Breakaway had part of the buffet open, The Uptown Grill for sandwiches and burgers, O'Sheehans (the Irish Pub/Sports Bar) as well as the for-pay Noodle Bar and the for-pay Raw Bar. And, of course .... Sabrett's Hot Dog Cart!

[Christine Frances]

Besides the buffet there is the Mast Grill and Bistro on 5

[wv4891]

While I agree with you, it's hard to compare a ship that was built in 2002 with a ship that is only two years old, if that, and has incorporated numerous upgrades. Have not sailed on the new NCL ships, but love the Haven concept. Are there any extra charges for these services?

 

I remember returning last year to Summit around 4 in the afternoon in Bermuda last year with my only immediate food choice being the pasta bar where one server was trying to cope with literally a dozen irritated people in line. Breakaway had part of the buffet open, The Uptown Grill for sandwiches and burgers, O'Sheehans (the Irish Pub/Sports Bar) as well as the for-pay Noodle Bar and the for-pay Raw Bar. And, of course .... Sabrett's Hot Dog Cart!

Edited May 23, 2014 by wv4891

[momofmeg]

I think that product inconsistency is going to be the new reality on all of the cruise lines as they experiment with "what can we get away with". It then becomes a race to the bottom as there's no point in offering more than your competitor if your clients aren't going to pay for it anyway. Or in other words, why should _______ Cruise line provide (amenity/menu item/entertainment) if ___________ other Cruise line also doesn't provide it any longer?

 

That's why I'm trying to find that new "sweet spot" that Celebrity provided to me for so many years. I was VERY impressed by The Haven on Breakaway - reasonable suite pricing with fabulous perks with the best live entertainment that we have ever had on a cruise. On most evenings, there was a choice of 5 live lounge acts playing at the same time (not in the same lounge!) as well as the main lounge and Cirque Dreams, their for-pay circus option.

 

I remember returning last year to Summit around 4 in the afternoon in Bermuda last year with my only immediate food choice being the pasta bar where one server was trying to cope with literally a dozen irritated people in line. Breakaway had part of the buffet open, The Uptown Grill for sandwiches and burgers, O'Sheehans (the Irish Pub/Sports Bar) as well as the for-pay Noodle Bar and the for-pay Raw Bar. And, of course .... Sabrett's Hot Dog Cart!

 

Okay, I think I get you- is the Haven a restaurant that only the suite people get to enjoy? I do know NCL does suites better than anyone. It is like this-they are near bottom of the barrel for regular passengers but top notch for suites.

 

The problem for me, is booking a suite is a splurge for us, we can only do it for rare occasions. I think we have been comparing apples to oranges. If you don't believe me. Just try eating one night in the no pay extra restaurants for the lowly folk whose staterooms are mini-suites or less.

 

But you know,if things continue to go downhill, maybe I will just have to look at Azamara and book an inside even if I do prefer a balcony since that is what I can afford, and cruise perhaps every 18 months to 2 years instead of every 9 to 12 months.

 

I still feel right now, Celebrity is the best that is within my budget, and hubby and I do not mind splurging $100 for one special dinner during the week.