What does Celebrity do right and what do they do wrong?

[donaldsc]

I have not cruised Celebrity yet (I have a cruise booked) but based on this thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2121617

 

and their failure so far to put some promised Celebrity perks on my account, I would say that it appears that the front office of Celebrity does nothing right.

 

DON

[GUT2407]

I have not cruised Celebrity yet (I have a cruise booked) but based on this thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2121617

 

and their failure so far to put some promised Celebrity perks on my account, I would say that it appears that the front office of Celebrity does nothing right.

 

DON

 

 

G'day Don

 

I'm in the same boat, 1st cruise with them coming up, based on the web site and lack of service from "front office" it may be the last [almost cancelled it twice] but people I trust tell me it's totally different once you embark so I'm just keeping an open mind and hoping to be wooed.

[OCruisers]

Celebrity is a very good cruise line with an always enjoyable passenger base. :)

The one downfall of Celebrity we've found is dealing with things when they don't go according to schedule. :(

LuLu

[welshfamily]

LOVE;

The design of the S class ships,

The fact that all balconies are the same size from 2c to A1 plus BLU and the MDR as we can decide on cost for extra cruises.

The 'on the whole' excellent quality of the food...for a cruise ship.

The perks for returning cruisers.

The staff.

 

SORRY about;

The loss of the pillow chocolate,

The cutback of real musicians eg Acapella group, string quartet, live music in lounges,

 

REALLY want to change.

The production shows.... These have been the same for the past 5 years. First on the Eclipse and then every S class ship ....these never change. Ok I don't even mind about the poor quality of the celebrity singers and dancers but if someone is ill , or missing they simply miss that bit out and it's so obvious,

Or have I just seen them too many times.!

 

WISH LIST.

Some different ports in Europe.

 

 

HATE! HATE! HATE!

 

The different promotions in the USA to the rest of the world. Yes I can book with a US TA but I prefer to use Celebrity so why can't I pay in $ if I want to take the risk on exchange rates. Yes there are different terms and conditions but I am a adult and can understand the differences.....why am I not allowed to make this choice.

[Cardiff Cruisers]

Only two gripes from me but they are not unique to Celebrity,

1 - the policing of the 'saved' sun loungers

2 - 'the coldness' of Disembarkation. You get a nice genuine greeting when boarding but it feels like you are an inconvenience when getting off with not much advice regarding transfers once you are off the ship although I've combatted that by staying on for a day or two or three at the disembarkation port.

It's a shame as it sometimes the last memory of your holiday (vacation).

[Redtravel]

Each time I sail there seem to be more changes. Some good. Some bad. If the good outnumber the bad, I will probably continue to book with Celebrity. When the bad increases, the atmosphere on the ship declines. I dislike being on a cruise when everyone you meet has a complaint. Fortunately, on most Celebrity ships the good outnumbers the bad. I took one cruise on the Infinity that had so many bad features. The ugly norovirus ruined the cruise. Realizing that the reason for the problems can make a difference. I continue to sail on Celebrity. I will miss the chocolates on the pillow and the small venue entertainment. They were nice. I love chocolate. End a day with a chocolate anything can bring sweet dreams. Those cuts are not enough to make me stop cruising on Celebrity. You can still get delicious chocolate goodies at Cafe Al Bacio. There are many nice features on Celebrity that I enjoy. Food is very good. Staff pays attention to my food restrictions. Love that I can request food made without nuts. Love the assortment of sugar free items. My spouse is diabetic. Although I like the look of the new chaises, they are low and hard. It would be nice if they put pads on them.

[donaldsc]

I took one cruise on the Infinity that had so many bad features. The ugly norovirus ruined the cruise. .

 

You can hardly blame Infinity because passengers brought norovirus on board unless the ship mishandled the epidemic once it started. I did a HAL cruise where we dealt with noro for 2/3 of the cruise. Was it annoying - definitely. Did HAL deal with it professinally - definitely yes.

 

DON

[leedsmum]

Just got back from a cruise on the Eclipse today so this is timely :-)

 

What I think Celebrity do really well....

1) The food - The MDR food and service was exceptional

2) The offers - just booked a 2015 Caribbean cruise on board and the offer was fantastic

3) Embarkation and disembarkation - SO easy at Southampton

4) Cleanliness of ship - just immaculate

5) The drinks package - a big saving for us and great not having to sign for drinks or pay extra gratuities on each drink

6) The gym - and heavens, we needed it with all the food!

7) The ship - beautifully designed

 

Not so good....

1) The waiter service - the proliferation of drinks packages seem to have staff running around more and looking less happy about it. It felt like the bars were understaffed.

2) The shopping opps - for a ship the size of the Eclipse I thought the shops were pretty poor especially the fragrance and cosmetics one

3) The up-sell to the premium alcohol package verged on being misleading. Very little info on the ship re what was already included in the normal package versus what constituted premium

4) Ridiculous internet charges

5) It would be lovely to have a bar that had a different kind of atmosphere to the Martini/Mixology/Passport bars. They are beautiful and we used them all - but still missed the slightly more down to earth feel of a 'pub bar' - especially one that had simple bar snacks/food available ( I know I may be in a minority with this but you did ask.... ;-)

 

All in all though, a wonderful cruise that has left me wanting to get back on board as soon as possible!

[SSFrance69]

Sorry - have to add one to the wrong list. Reading some threads here about assigned boarding times by deck. Apparently elite status no longer gets priority boarding. This is making a lot of people angry. I've never had issues with long lines boarding at 11-12. I'm on deck 6 which would mean waiting until 3PM to board. Not cool.

[chrismakris]

Only two gripes from me but they are not unique to Celebrity,

 

1 - the policing of the 'saved' sun loungers .

 

 

I did notice a couple of times on our last sailing notes on loungers that mentioned that the persons belongings had been moved because they had been there too long.

 

Hopefully Celebrity isn't slipping on this.

 

 

 

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[QE2_Fan]

What Celebrity does wrong... very, VERY WRONG... Their WEBSIGHT! :mad:

For cripes sake, just build a completely NEW one. (once THAT is up and running, just scrap the old one)

 

 

What Celebrity does RIGHT :)

 

They build drop dead GORGEOUS Solstice Class ships. :)

They maintain those ships in spotlessly clean condition.

They offer a very nice (maybe not the best but still nice) mix of itineraries.

They staff their ships with incredibly friendly and exceptionally hard working people.

They offer absolutely incredible service in their restaurants and bars.

They serve great food whether it's in the buffet, MDR or specialty restaurants.

They mix some of the strongest and tastiest martinis I have ever had.

They make some REALLY YUMMY lamb chops in the MDR, QSine and the Lawn Club Grill.

They have nicely equipped gyms that allow you to ATTEMPT to work off the martinis and lamb chops.

They offer fabulous last minute deals that even I can afford. :o

 

+1

 

LOL! Funny post, but I could not agree more - their WEBSITE is crappola - specifically the Booking Tool and 'MY Celebrity' Options. Its outright embarrassing to over a tool where it won't even complete a reservation for goodness sake. WHERE do they source the IT gizmos from???

 

And I would extend my disdain to the land based phone support. Sure its a generalisation but to follow up on any issues is HARD WORK. Right hand doesn't know what left is doing. And should YOU, the customer really be the one that knows the most about a new deal or offer? But at least the dismal service ends on shore, compared to the WONDERFUL, WARM and EXCEPTIONAL service and attention one gets once onboard!

 

Bang on with every POSITIVE point. Nothing to add there from me :D

[Sloop-JohnB]

WRONG: Just one BIG thing... The interactive aspects of their website (anywhere you have to type in info... Cruise Search - Booking - My Celebrity - Excursions - Purchases - Celebrity Connections etc) It is a total FRICKIN mess... They need to scrap it entirely & start over afresh.

 

RIGHT: Literally EVERYTHING else. We have no complaints we have totally fallen in love with this cruise line and our very pampered vacations at sea.

 

Cheers!

[MRS3RD]

Summit from Puerto Rico 10/25-11/1/14 was our first Celebrity cruise; agree with most of what you all have written

 

Thumbs up

 

• food in cafe and MDR delicious, also hot dogs and hamburgers on pool deck (did not pay for specialty)
  
• saw all the twice-a-night stage shows in theater and enjoyed every one
  
• loved that everyone dressed for dinner in the MDR and especially on formal nights
  
• enjoyed the two-top tables on the rail in MDR people-watching
  

 

Thumbs down

 

• Never did see the inside of the Revelations Lounge due to the many "private events" (large group of singles, smallish group of bears and a small group of deaf folks on board)
  
• After galley tour, we were left with a Normandie waiter who left our group to check on a reservation for a tour participant; no "thank you for coming" or offer to partake of the large tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries
  
• Watching sail-away from helipad was only offered to back-to-back passengers (not us)
  
• Trying to get served food in cafe but couldn't reach some of the serving utensils and no one behind counter to assist (needed my grits in the morning)
  
• no real hot water in shower entire week, only lukewarm or tepid
  

[Sloop-JohnB]

Summit from Puerto Rico 10/25-11/1/14 was our first Celebrity cruise; agree with most of what you all have written

 

Thumbs up

 

• food in cafe and MDR delicious, also hot dogs and hamburgers on pool deck (did not pay for specialty)
  
• saw all the twice-a-night stage shows in theater and enjoyed every one
  
• loved that everyone dressed for dinner in the MDR and especially on formal nights
  
• enjoyed the two-top tables on the rail in MDR people-watching
  

 

Thumbs down

 

• Never did see the inside of the Revelations Lounge due to the many "private events" (large group of singles, smallish group of bears and a small group of deaf folks on board)
  
• After galley tour, we were left with a Normandie waiter who left our group to check on a reservation for a tour participant; no "thank you for coming" or offer to partake of the large tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries
  
• Watching sail-away from helipad was only offered to back-to-back passengers (not us)
  
• Trying to get served food in cafe but couldn't reach some of the serving utensils and no one behind counter to assist (needed my grits in the morning)
  
• no real hot water in shower entire week, only lukewarm or tepid
  

 

Hi MRS3RD,

 

Love the Summit, and her Southern Caribbean itinerary(s).

 

All your complaints are very valid.

 

Sorry to hear about your shower... Did you report it ?

 

Surprised at the poor service you received on the Galley Tour & in the Buffet. Have to say we have never had any issues with any of the folks who have worked on the "food" side of Food & Beverage

 

I agree, Celebrity sometimes books groups that occupy public spaces that regular pax then miss out on. I get that Revelations Lounge is a Big Space... But it should not be off limits for the majority of a cruise.

 

Helipad... Ya no surprise there. This is one space on Celebrity Ships that is mostly off limits. Seems to get limited use by Pax, and primarily then by special invite for a particular event

 

Cheers!

Edited November 13, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[mostlylurker]

I think that one apples to all lines. On one cruise I was on someone was carrying on how they were +++ whatever it was called and this other chap was only at level 2, but later on chatting with the other passenger I found out that he had done 3 Word cruises in the last 3 years each with a different line and had about 2,000 days at sea all up but with, I think he said, 10 different lines and numerous cargo ships it only came out when I mentioned a friend who did a lot of cargo ship cruises and t turned out they had actually done few on the same boat.

 

This is hysterical. People will try to feel superior over anything. Anyway we're about to do our first celebrity cruise so this is very interesting info.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thumbs down

 

• 
   
  
• Watching sail-away from helipad was only offered to back-to-back passengers (not us)
   
  

 

Unfortunately, the helipad can accommodate only a limited number of people comfortably. They opened it up to all Elites when we were cruising the Geiranger Fjord in Norway and it was a madhouse. We left and enjoyed the fjord from the serenity of our corner FOV balcony.

[RNCheryl]

Not a shill for Celebrity, by any means, but have cruised twice, and one booked. Loved the Summit, Century, not so much.

 

But what I want to comment on is this: There was a delightful customer service young woman from Ukraine. She was helpful to us; then when the upheaval in her country happened, she let us know that X was flying her home.

 

That says a lot about company values, (Now just fix the website)

[sunnygidget]

Just my 2 cents worth. Everything really sounds lovely. Just a wish list, a passenger coin laundry would be helpful.

[grandgeezer]

Sorry - have to add one to the wrong list. Reading some threads here about assigned boarding times by deck. Apparently elite status no longer gets priority boarding. This is making a lot of people angry. I've never had issues with long lines boarding at 11-12. I'm on deck 6 which would mean waiting until 3PM to board. Not cool.

 

We've been on 16 Celebrity cruises, including 12 as elite, and have never had priority boarding. There is priority check in though. Also have never heard of boarding by deck.

[gimletgal]

Summit from Puerto Rico 10/25-11/1/14 was our first Celebrity cruise; agree with most of what you all have written

 

Thumbs down

 

• 
   
  
• no real hot water in shower entire week, only lukewarm or tepid
  

 

There is a "trick" to getting hot water with Celebrity showers! :) Did you push down the little red button before turning the knob? It takes some finagling to get it just right. I know many people who never were able to figure out the showers. Next time you cruise on Celebrity, have the stateroom attendant show you how, or at least mention it to Housekeeping so they can check it out for you. Good luck!

[GUT2407]

Just my 2 cents worth. Everything really sounds lovely. Just a wish list, a passenger coin laundry would be helpful.

 

I second that motion

[north east girl]

Loved reading all the posts as we are going on our first Celebrity cruise on Eclipse next June.

 

Our main cruise line has been Cunard and have loved every minute of it. Hope to feel the same way about Celebrity.

 

Have booked an Aqua class cabin, looking forward to dining in Blu. Read great reports above the food and the service in there.

 

Catherine

[Sloop-JohnB]

Just my 2 cents worth. Everything really sounds lovely. Just a wish list, a passenger coin laundry would be helpful.

 

I second that motion

 

Here is my 2 cents (lol, Cdn... So it isn't worth much as we have now done away with pennies :D )

 

Someone else "wished" for self-serve laundry facilities a few months ago on Celebrity

 

That was until another CC Member pointed out that the downfall to such facilities is someone (actually many someones) inevitably end up having to live in the cabins beside, above, below or near them.

 

Between the noise of the machines... And the increased hall traffic they can be a real pain in the butt for their neighbours

 

One of the great things about Celebrity is that for the most part the majority of the cabins & hallways are serenely quiet

 

Cheers!

[illiniwahoo]

I love the towel policy (not checking them in and out), the food, and the molecular bar. I think the entertainment and activities could use some improvement.

[Golfisabeach]

Ok.....been on Celebrity 4 times on the S class ships. Heading out on the silhouette in March:

 

Great-on every cruise from start to finish, it has been the most consistent level of service at a high level. When you think of the number of people from all the different cultures an customs, the Celebrity associates do a darn good job dealing with the "public". Now I am not a complainer and most likely let some minor stuff go but truly if you step back and think about all the moving parts, celebrity does it better than anyone.

 

Improvements-make the entire ship non smoking. I know I will get replies to this. Non smokers having to endure smoke is so much different than smokers having to endure no smoke. As you walk by the smokers side on the pool deck or the pool bar on the next level where the walking track is you have to hold your breath. I realize this will never happen because you will exclude the sizable smoking population but you can always dream!

 

 

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