What would make you leave Celebrity?

[MizDemeanor]

And how do they know that. Does the people on the ships know what I paid. What a bunch of BS

 

Of course they do.

[cpj]

Of course they do.

not worth responding

[Project_gal]

Just before Christmas I had a health scare, which had to be reported to our Travel insurance company. Result, they withdrew our insurance, even for UK travel, my wife had cancer 10 years ago and insurance has always been a problem, adding my issues seems to have made us uninsurable for travel.

 

Richard

 

Richard

 

Have you tried All Clear Cruise insurance? I only ask because we have complex health issue and are still able to insure with them when others just give up trying to assess the risk. Be warned. It does cost [and hence the reason we cruise less often in suites] but it does, at least, give us an option.

 

Best wishes for the future.

[Adammara]

Thanks Sue, my current travel insuance provider was the only one that would cover us after my wife's illness, Even then it would not cover anything conected with the cancer issue, the radiotherapy has damaged one lung which has curtailed flying and the long walks we loved. I can get insurance at a price, but at the moment they will not cover anything connected with my recent problem, and I do not fancy risking a heart attack on a cruise. We may be able to get cheaper cover after 6 months, but that's no good for the cruise we have booked in May!

 

Sue, Enjoy your cruise, we have loved ours over the last 22 years, but for us, its time to move on.

 

regards

 

Richard

[welshfamily]

Richard.

We too use All clear cruise insurance for our sons complex Heath issues. We were surprised by how well they compared to other insurance companies. It wouldn't hurt to ask for a quote.

[DYKWIA]

And how do they know that. Does the people on the ships know what I paid. What a bunch of BS

 

Whether the cabin is sold directly to you or to you via a TA the cruise line knows how much it has sold it for for that cruise. All cruises are cash free so all purchases are charged to your cabin.

 

Loyalty also is linked to Captain's Club Membership which like any other loyalty card tracks all expenditure.

 

The way the Celebrity rewards loyalty through Captain's Club would also lend some weight to the view that sometimes the more loyal will be less profitable.

 

Loyal customers can get Complementary cabin upgrades, free laundry, free internet, discount beverages, free speciality dining, Captains cocktail hours - these all have the potential to impact on profitability. Especially when Celebrity seems to allow you to retain the status you've achieved - most airlines and hotels only allow you to keep the higher status if you keep spending. Any newbie without loyalty has to pay for all these things and in some cases won't be able to if the service is unavailable because too many loyal customers are using the service free (Laundry, Speciality restaurants for example)

Edited February 10, 2015 by DYKWIA

[Project_gal]

And how do they know that. Does the people on the ships know what I paid. What a bunch of BS

 

On our latest cruise, we were in one PH. The other was still available at embarkation and one of the people booked in a Royal Suite did a deal. The crew on the ship knew exactly what they had paid for the other PH and that we had paid the full price.

[MizDemeanor]

On our latest cruise, we were in one PH. The other was still available at embarkation and one of the people booked in a Royal Suite did a deal. The crew on the ship knew exactly what they had paid for the other PH and that we had paid the full price.

 

I'm pretty sure they also know the difference between suite costs and inside cabin cost in broad general terms too. Even many passengers know that.

[shipshape sam]

Whether the cabin is sold directly to you or to you via a TA the cruise line knows how much it has sold it for for that cruise. All cruises are cash free so all purchases are charged to your cabin.

 

Loyalty also is linked to Captain's Club Membership which like any other loyalty card tracks all expenditure.

 

The way the Celebrity rewards loyalty through Captain's Club would also lend some weight to the view that sometimes the more loyal will be less profitable.

 

Loyal customers can get Complementary cabin upgrades, free laundry, free internet, discount beverages, free speciality dining, Captains cocktail hours - these all have the potential to impact on profitability. Especially when Celebrity seems to allow you to retain the status you've achieved - most airlines and hotels only allow you to keep the higher status if you keep spending. Any newbie without loyalty has to pay for all these things and in some cases won't be able to if the service is unavailable because too many loyal customers are using the service free (Laundry, Speciality restaurants for example)

 

Good point about not having to maintain a level. Of course if Celebrity were to change, people would react. I for one would realize that the past loyalty had/has no value and thus would make me look at all cruise lines each time. Now, I look at Celebrity and Royal first even when we are not sailing 2-3 times a year.

 

Never heard of not being able to get my laundry, as your example, cleaned due too many people using it. That would, I think, be very rare. Maybe take longer.

[laslomas]

They must be doing something right, because the ship's are full. They seem to be very smart when it comes to yield management and dynamic pricing and promotions. It's more of a "get what you pay for" strategy, but then they give you money or perls to choose what you want to pay for. Seems smart to me.

 

Celebrity need the ships to be full of happy contented cruisers. Just filling the staterooms at whatever cost they can manage whilst offering fewer of the little luxuries that they were known for may not be the best solution. They need to encourage regular returning customers, and the first-timers need to be wooed with an experience they may not find with all cruise lines.

 

I love all the promotions, though I think in many cases the price of the cruise reflects the added drinks package, gratuities and OBC. I like the fact that if I book with a beverage package and gratuities, I have to only budget for shore excursions and 'fun money'.

 

Celebrity just need to keep the balance right so they are still a 5 star experience.

[DYKWIA]

...

Never heard of not being able to get my laundry, as your example, cleaned due too many people using it. That would, I think, be very rare. Maybe take longer.

 

Definitely happened on a Princess Cruise that was featured on a TV Documentary last year. Non elites (or whatever they're called on Princess) were complaining that there were so many top tier travelers that Free Laundry was in such high demand they couldn't cope with laundry from fee paying travellers

[BosoxI]

I no longer book cruises in advance. In a position now to wait for the best deal. I think a lot of customers have taken that position.

 

We certainly have. As prices have skyrocketed, we'll wait to see what happens. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but we've been on so many cruises, it doesn't break our hearts if we can't go.

[BosoxI]

Definitely happened on a Princess Cruise that was featured on a TV Documentary last year. Non elites (or whatever they're called on Princess) were complaining that there were so many top tier travelers that Free Laundry was in such high demand they couldn't cope with laundry from fee paying travellers

 

Princess allows unlimited laundry and dry cleaning for its Elite passengers, and that's a very nice benefit, especially on a longer cruise. For anyone who can't get his laundry done, it's just a matter of shuffling down to the washing machines Princess has. Before becoming Elite, I was fortunate in meeting some very nice people there, an extra benefit.

[Iamcruzin]

Definitely happened on a Princess Cruise that was featured on a TV Documentary last year. Non elites (or whatever they're called on Princess) were complaining that there were so many top tier travelers that Free Laundry was in such high demand they couldn't cope with laundry from fee paying travellers

If you read the Princess board they are no longer guaranteeing one day turn around on laundry for elite members. It's been reported that it sometimes takes 2 or 3 days.

[TommyD3]

We certainly have. As prices have skyrocketed, we'll wait to see what happens. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but we've been on so many cruises, it doesn't break our hearts if we can't go.

 

We have been able to get many last minute deals in the Caribbean this season. As low as $50 pp pd.

[TommyD3]

Princess allows unlimited laundry and dry cleaning for its Elite passengers, and that's a very nice benefit, especially on a longer cruise. For anyone who can't get his laundry done, it's just a matter of shuffling down to the washing machines Princess has. Before becoming Elite, I was fortunate in meeting some very nice people there, an extra benefit.

 

The Zenith level on Celebrity also receives unlimited laundry, dry cleaning and pressing!

[BosoxI]

If you read the Princess board they are no longer guaranteeing one day turn around on laundry for elite members. It's been reported that it sometimes takes 2 or 3 days.

 

We spent 16 days on Princess ships back in December. I think we sent out laundry/dry cleaning 3 times and got it back on the second day every time. I never expected one day service and didn't realize it was ever promised. It saved us quite a bit of money, too.

[BosoxI]

The Zenith level on Celebrity also receives unlimited laundry, dry cleaning and pressing!

 

All I need is another 2000 points. I'm almost there. :D

[suzook]

Delete

Edited February 10, 2015 by suzook

[Iamcruzin]

We spent 16 days on Princess ships back in December. I think we sent out laundry/dry cleaning 3 times and got it back on the second day every time. I never expected one day service and didn't realize it was ever promised. It saved us quite a bit of money, too.

 

 

I don't think it was ever promised to be back in one day but from the reports on that board one day return was the norm for quite some time. I don't know what happened to change it but I would be happy with 2 day service.

[floridatravelersforlife]

Back on topic, we would depart Celebrity, when my DW and I feel that we are just a number like on the airlines.

 

After reading negative threads such as this one, we always feel some trepidation as we start our next Celebrity cruise. Yet to date, after completion of each past Celebrity cruise, we look at ourselves as if we were on the ship in another dimension, not experiencing some of the so called nasty's described on this board.

[bar_20]

What would make me leave?

 

If they got rid of the afternoon buffet in the MDR

 

If they closed one of the existing lounges to regular guests.

 

If they stopped serving steak sandwiches at the Mast Grill

 

If they increase the percentage of the tip for cocktails instead of increasing the price of the drinks because so many guest have a beverage package.

 

If being a shareholder, Celebrity would not give a shareholder benefit if you also received something like a 123go item.

 

If after weeks of doing research and planning on a cruise from a seldom used port and then booking it. Then finding out that Celebrity has leased the ship for five days to a company, canceling the cruise with virtually no restitution to the passengers for their time and effort and not paying any air travel cancellation fees.

 

That would make me leave!

[iandjm]

1. The same repetitive itineraries from the UK, with the same cruise being repeated about 4 times in a row, followed by an equally repetitive one for several more cruises. Cunard for example offer some fantastic 10/11/12/14 night cruises to some of the best ports of the Mediterranean from Southampton, meanwhile Celebrity plod on doing the Canaries and Baltic over and over.

 

2. Prices continuing to increase even after the offers have been taken away. Prices even for an outside cabin in 2016 now cost more than £150pp per night.

[ghstudio]

Let me post a different slant on this question. We haven't left Celebrity...for the past three or four years, we have been very loyal to celebrity (100%)...but that changed this year and our next cruise is on Holland American (our first on that line). We now also have cruises booked on Oceania...but yes, we do have two 28 day B2B cruises booked with Celebrity..one in 2016, one in 2017.

 

Why did we "stray".

 

1) we book aqua...we like blu....we are just tired of the menus and I almost dread seeing those three dishes of whatever with the celery stick and two carrot sticks when I sit down to dinner....no change in crudites ever..not even an olive for a change, no real change in the menus....it's gotten dull and repetitive. In fact we booked our 2016 b2b in a C2 cabin for a change.

 

2) The constant reminder of change...which in this context is pretty much take aways. String Quartets, flowers, mixed fruit bowls, chocolates (now back), the OJ situation now and so on...there's always something new missing on each cruise.

 

3) Itineraries...we've traveled a great deal..when we get to Grand Cayman on a ship, the sting rays spell out "welcome back GH" on the bottom under our balcony". Celebrity seems to have the same cruises to the same ports. Our next cruise does 5 stops in Iceland...can't do that on celebrity...not sure if you can even do 1 or 2. With limited ships, I guess they have to appeal to the masses..but we don't like repetition.

 

4) You're never sure who is giving you the right information when you contact celebrity. I can't tell you the number of times I've called, gotten information, called back to confirm only to find out that the first person gave me wrong information...or is it the second person? It's gotten so I only call celebrity as a last resort. Celebrity Cruises (cc id) is helping here so that's a plus.

 

5)Lack of consistency. Four M class ships...with different smoking areas...do I book a rear cabin on deck 11 or not (is there smoking on deck 10 or not?)...it seems to depend on ship...and perhaps sailing. Are bloody mary's served in the captains club cocktail event...not on the menu but I never had a problem ordering one in the past (remember we've cruised a great deal on Celebrity), but the last cruise the head bartender told me it wasn't on the menu....huh? I can get it free for breakfast but not at the elite cocktail party...really??? (I know this is some hq decision, but I have a problem with things that just don't make sense). Changes like that are just annoying..and sometimes it's the little things you remember.

 

6) When we started sailing Celebrity, we felt loved...or at least valued. For whatever reason that's not our current feeling. The recent laser focus on suites has really turned me, a repeat aqua passenger, off. Nothing specific, but I feel that we (non suite guests) get lip service..."modern luxury" and advertising. I guess to some extent I've begun to feel like a number rather than a valued customer. Of course this is subjective....maybe I participate in CC too much.

 

7) If I have to think of one event that changed my viewpoint about Celebrity, it was their attempt to drastically reduce the classic drink package...and the way it was handled. I guess I was disappointed to see how little Celebrity seemed to care about customer relations, perceptions and the importance of repeat customers.

 

So for us, it's not about leaving Celebrity....it's about when/why did we start to look and book with other cruise lines rather than being fully "loyal". I still think Celebrity is the best of the mass market cruise lines...but they have to keep earning that "badge" on each cruise. Never assume you don't have to care about keeping long time repeat customers....I think that's something that has stopped resonating in Celebrity HQ.

[Pickels]

Nothing, just came offa great cruise on the Equinox!