Celebrity customer service

[nerds2go]

We are booked for an Easter Med. cruise on the Constellation next May. We are 1st time Celebrity cruisers. We most recently did a river cruise with Vantage, whose customer service is absolutely AWESOME! So, it may be that I am not comparing apples to apples. However, Celebrity has really disappointed me! I had to send my email address twice and speak to a customer rep. to request a brochure, and finally received it after 2 months. We have 3 other couples going with us, and they have all had the same problem. After paying their deposit, there has been absolutely NO communication or acknowledgement from Celebrity, other than the receipt. On the other hand, when researching this cruise, I contacted Seabourne, and continue to get personal emails from the rep. with whom I spoke. This makes me very uneasy, as I see it as Celebrity not really caring about the quality of service that they give. Really, if it were not for the itenary, I would not cruise with them for these reasons, but I just cannot find a similar itenary that includes Rome, Venice and Greek islands. Can anyone calm my concerns?

[beentothere]

my experience with must be dozens of celebrity....others might be different

 

1) the customer relations and communication support has been poor which is a shame because the rest of the package is strong.

 

2) the food in the free areas has rated better than 9 out of 10. you do need to tip the waiter/service a bit extra for that extra service and advice on selections.

the buffet lines in the round are a winner...no lines, cleaner...etc,

 

3) entertainment has been very good but sometimes a few nites are not the best.

 

4) their prices for our routes have been very competitive which may explain their followup issues.

 

5) the solstice class stateroom veranda of 192 sqft are a real +++.

 

But....we have seen a steady cutback in amenities, services, and only marginal in food. At least so far in the past 3 years.

 

Some other lines have promotions where their offerings begin to become

competitive with celebrity which I dub the low price leader.

 

I personally think the poor relations follow up issues stems from arrogance in one or more key executives who do not know how to do their jobs right.

 

6)

[wallie5446]

Can anyone calm my concerns?

 

Not really.

But there are 20-25,000 others that sail on Celebrity every week, month after month, year after year. It can't be all that bad.

[sunshine nana]

We have been on 8 cruises, 4 with Princess, 3 NCL and 1 Celebrity. I really prefer not to be called or emailed after I have made the reservation, but I agree that being on hold for 30 min. or more is not acceptable. On the other hand, the experience on board Celebrity was great. We have loved all our cruises, but NCL's MDR went downhill in both food and service. Princess has been good, but the itineraries have gotten old, so we tried Celebrity and now have 2 more booked. I think you will like the line. Advice: keep reading CC and read the reviews, most everyone is happy with Celebrity.

[CathyCruises]

my experience with must be dozens of celebrity....others might be different

 

 

 

2) the food in the free areas has rated better than 9 out of 10. you do need to tip the waiter/service a bit extra for that extra service and advice on selections.

the buffet lines in the round are a winner...no

 

 

6)

 

This statement about needing to tip 'a bit extra' to get good service and advice on selections is just ridiculous!! Not true!! The waitstaff provides excellent service, and any additional tip is totally discretionary and just a thank you for that great servic

[cle-guy]

After paying their deposit, there has been absolutely NO communication or acknowledgement from Celebrity, other than the receipt.

 

What kind of communication do you want from them, you're booked and paid, just waiting for final payment and ready to go.

 

You will probably get some info closer to sailing about booking excursions and dining and the like as long as you have provided an email address and ticked the boxes saying you want to get emails from them when providing your details. Perhaps log into your MyCelebrity account and ensure you have your email preferences set appropriately to be sure.

 

On the other hand, when researching this cruise, I contacted Seabourne, and continue to get personal emails from the rep. with whom I spoke. This makes me very uneasy, as I see it as Celebrity not really caring about the quality of service that they give.

 

Um, YEAH... they are still trying to sell to you so they are actively calling to get you to spend money on a cruise with them. They are sales people after all. LOL

[AmberCascades]

What exactly are these concerns that you need calmed?

 

We've got two cruises booked for next year. I don't expect to hear anything from Celebrity until early next year when they will begin sending me info on excursions and customizing options (specialty dining, spa, etc.)

 

I have found the onboard experience to be amazing. The Celebrity crew makes us feel like VIPs. The couple of minor issues we've had onboard were dealt with swiftly, appropriately, and most apologetically.

 

I'm not sure what it is you expect them to be doing for you at this time.

[kenevenpar]

Welcome to CC; I see this is your first post.

 

You mention Seabourne. I do not think you can compare it with Celebrity as Seabourne is 6* vs 5* for celebrity, and the price is significantly higher.

 

I also do not need to hear from Celebrity unless they want to reduce my fare:rolleyes:, or have an upsell (not often) offer.

 

Constellation is a M class ship, which means it is a little older, and does not have all the bells and whistles of the newer S class ships. Having said that, many of us on these boards like the M class ships!

 

Good luck.

[nerds2go]

Thanks everyone! Like I said, I think Vantage just REALLY spoiled us. Even after full payment, which was 6 months out, we still received emails counting down, and directing us to their website to read info. related to cruise. Their attention to the customer is impeccable. The comments posted do make me feel better. I do think I will try to contact them, however. The lapse in time for sending requested materials, and no follow up emails after deposit just don't seem right to me. But again, they do have the best itinerary that I was able to find for Eastern Med.

[patty1955]

Thanks everyone! Like I said, I think Vantage just REALLY spoiled us. Even after full payment, which was 6 months out, we still received emails counting down, and directing us to their website to read info. related to cruise. Their attention to the customer is impeccable. The comments posted do make me feel better. I do think I will try to contact them, however. The lapse in time for sending requested materials, and no follow up emails after deposit just don't seem right to me. But again, they do have the best itinerary that I was able to find for Eastern Med.

Am I correct in reading that you booked the first cruise through a travel agent (Vantage) and this cruise through the cruise line and you worried about the level of follow up?

[wales4ever]

Celebrity customer service in the UK at least, is rubbish.

 

I have received 14 different invoices for my November cruise and yet to receive a correct one. Despite many telephone calls.

 

Paid the balance off yesterday but have yet to receive my final invoice.

[HelenREMfan]

Celebrity customer service in the UK at least, is rubbish.

 

I have received 14 different invoices for my November cruise and yet to receive a correct one. Despite many telephone calls.

 

Paid the balance off yesterday but have yet to receive my final invoice.

 

I am sorry but I can't agree. Since my most recent booking the Celebrity booking agent I spoke to went out of her way to look into what was really only a half voiced "wondering" of mine. (Thank you Beverley Knight!) I have emailed twice since re disability info and help and I have received immediate, clear and helpful advice.

In fact having originally booked a guarantee cabin (only I could leave a ship without even inquiring about a discounted follow up cruise and then within a month of being home book a cruise due out in 60 days!) within a week I had been allocated a cabin I am extremely pleased to have !

I have now booked 4 Celebrity (uk) cruises and there hasn't been any glimmer of any hitch and I have been really happy with their service.

[Pilot70D]

Good afternoon. Let me answer your concerns in a different way.

 

First, Celebrity afloat is nothing like Celebrity ashore. Celebrity afloat has always been nothing short of amazingly good over the entire eight or nine years we have cruised with =X=. Celebrity afloat seems to have a greater capability to solve whatever problem or speed bump that pops up. With this in mind I wouldn't have a lot of anxiety about your upcoming cruise.

 

Now let's separate Celebrity ashore from Celebrity's website. There is no hope for the Celebrity website. No one has been able to get the Celebrity website to work very reliably nor for very long over the last four years (and probably longer). You can back to a thread on which I posted that was begun back in 2010. It was a lengthy thread with many posters complaining bitterly about the operation of Celebrity's website. The Celebrity ashore personnel do a pretty good job the overwhelming majority of the time. The Celebrity ashore personnel apparently have to suffer with the same erratic operation and the same amount of misinformation produced by that very same website.

 

So again I would have little anxiety based on the performance of the Celebrity land based reps either. Furthermore there is more good news on your horizon. After your first Celebrity cruise you will be eligible to join the Captains Club. Over the years whenever I encountered a problem that really needed to be resolved I have relied on the Captains Club personnel to get the job done. I am not a Celebrity insider so I don't know exactly how Celebrity has their personnel organized. I can tell you that from my personal experience and from what I have read here over and over again, the Captains Club personnel seem to have additional capabilities to get problems solved.

 

So once again I would have no worries about your upcoming cruise. I would not rely on emails or the Celebrity website though. I would ALWAYS call and talk with a real person. Many people here will also tell you that problem resolution is one of the prime reason to go through a TA. The TA is the one who deals directly with Celebrity.

 

The bottom line - go enjoy that upcoming Celebrity cruise.

:):):)

Edited July 10, 2014 by Pilot70D

[lovespositano]

Have no worries, you will love your cruise!! The absolute best bang for the buck!!

[vadell]

I would not say Celebrity UK is rubbish aside from one lengthy telephone call when the website was down (needed to pay final balance) we have not had any problems. I have telephoned twice with queries which have been answered promptly and efficiently by very friendly representatives all my paperwork has been fine and we have been notified of changes. It all depends on each individual experience I suppose but other than the website issue I have been pleased with the service I have received from them.

[4774Papa]

This statement about needing to tip 'a bit extra' to get good service and advice on selections is just ridiculous!! Not true!! The waitstaff provides excellent service, and any additional tip is totally discretionary and just a thank you for that great servic

Cathy, I agree. We always tip our waiters and wine and room stewards at the end of the cruise because we get excellent service.

I have found that in the elite happy hour that a couple of dollars tip for the waitstaff does seem to encourage wonderful service, but I do that mainly because there is not automatic tip added with the free drinks.

 

I have had to wait longer than I thought necessary to contact my cruise consultant, but never 30 minutes or even close.

I always get helpful service on the phone with a positive response.

We have been cruising with X for four years, seven cruises and service, great food, generally excellent entertainment consistently.

Perhaps others have experienced what they perceive as a decline in service, but we have not on Infinity, Constellation and Solstice. Now we are booked on Century and Millenium.

[marco]

As far as customer service over the phone......Celebrity is exactly the same as any other business you call. It's only as good as the particular person you speak with on the other end of the line! I wish I remember his name, because the person I spoke to regarding our upcoming cruise should teach customer service....he had the answers (and the CORRECT answers to every question I had regarding the sailing and the booking, offered advise and suggestions (ended up in a significantly better cabin then I originally inquired about in "concierge class" for only $50 pp more (and it's a 17 day sailing). Went through everything clearly and thoroughly and E-mailed the invoice in 10 minutes.

[wales4ever]

I have spoken to 4 or 5 different people via telephone in the UK offices. Always polite, always trying to help.....

 

But I received invoice number 15 today - and it is still incorrect!

[CathyCruises]

As far as customer service over the phone......Celebrity is exactly the same as any other business you call. It's only as good as the particular person you speak with on the other end of the line! I wish I remember his name, because the person I spoke to regarding our upcoming cruise should teach customer service....he had the answers (and the CORRECT answers to every question I had regarding the sailing and the booking, offered advise and suggestions (ended up in a significantly better cabin then I originally inquired about in "concierge class" for only $50 pp more (and it's a 17 day sailing). Went through everything clearly and thoroughly and E-mailed the invoice in 10 minutes.

 

I realize this is a bit of topic, but i just had an experience with amazon that was extraordinary and I wish celebrity would take some tips from them, because in realty, celebrity is NOT like every other business you call.

 

I had rented a movie on their streaming service for $3.99 that my granddaughters wanted to watch, and I had to restart it multiple times, I assumed because of a sketchy internet connection. Nevertheless we were able to finish the movie.

 

A week later, out of the blue, I got an email from amazon that said they noticed I had had difficulty watching the movie, and they were refunding the full price back to my credit card! Now THAT was customer service!! I hadn't mentioned a thing to them, they did this all on their own. I was shocked, and my first thought was that I wished Celebrity was half that good!

Edited July 11, 2014 by CathyCruises

[OhioDogLover]

We love the Celebrity cruise product. IMHO, the service on board is really very good.

The website and telephone service are really bad, IMHO. You get different answers depending upon who you talk to, the hold time is awful, the website, well... it has significant issues.

It is unfortunate that a line like Celebrity, which has such a great product, and such good customer service on board the ships, makes it so hard to book a trip. I certainly hope that they improve the customer service in the booking process.

I know that Celebrity reads these boards, and perhaps all of the discussion concerning the issues with customer service during the booking process will cause them to rethink how they manage things.

 

Ohiodoglover

[frogsgirl]

I have had rubbish experiences with their website but not their UK call centre.

 

I've just had another great experience with Celebrity UK. Rang to pay the balance on our September cruise & the chap (Ian) upgraded us to AQ from 1A & paid £363 less than was due....very good customer care in my book:)