1st Celebrity Cruise: The Good and the Bad

[phoenix_dream]

I'm sure no one on this board was ever a fun loving college student. Lighten up and let everyone enjoy their vacation the way they see fit. I would never consider asking or expect compensation from X because other people were having too much fun on board. In the future, you may want to avoid 5 day cruises leaving from Florida during spring break that call on well know party ports.

 

I was on the same cruise and you are so far off base you could be writing this from Siberia!!

 

This was not a cruise where the students were simply enjoying their vacation. a bit more lively than I would have. Many of us were such fun loving kids once upon a time. Never in my life would I ever have acted as they did, and certainly not on a nice cruise line (any cruise line for that matter). They virtually took over every venue on the ship except for Rendevouz lounge which was undoubtedly not their style. What things did they do specifically? (and this is just some of it):

- Threw 'f' bounds around loudly back and forth regardless who was in the vicinity (including very young children)

- Taunted and came near to blows with security staff trying to subdue them

- Wore bikinis and bathing shorts with no tops (the guys of course) anywhere and everywhere around the ship, often dripping water and every type of cocktail all over the floors

- Took over the pool area completely so you could not even get to the pool without trying to push through three deep

- Young women (certainly cannot refer to them as ladies) in very brief bikinis getting up on the decks at the pool twerking, grinding, and otherwise dirty dancing with each other

- Took over the T-pool at various times, shouting and rough-housing in loud voices

- Chanted and argued back and forth between tables in the MDR (where they were in various stages of nowhere close to dress codes)

- Stumbled around in various stages of drunkenness, up to and including the point where we know of at least one young woman being put in a wheelchair as she could not even walk

- Passed around their key cards like candy so the over 21's with drink packages could get their young friends drunk. The drinks of choice from what I saw were shots. Sometimes they would take these and pour them into other containers to take back to the room to their younger friends. The drinking started in full force by noon and I have no idea what time it ended

- Reports of groups of kids running up and down hallways after midnight yelling and knocking on random doors

 

I have been on many, many spring break cruises over the years but have never seen anything close to this type of behavior. I blame it almost totally on the drink packages, and the lack of preparation by Celebrity to predict the behavior and come up with a better plan of attack to prevent it.

 

I should not have to avoid any Celebrity cruise regardless of number of days or ports of call because I fear this type of behavior. Never. Ever. That is not the solution and we should not be accepting of anyone saying it is. A bit livelier crowd than normal at spring break? Understood. But this was completely and totally unacceptable.

 

ps

We also had a room on AQ on 11, and were determined to make the most of our cruise so we had a good time anyway.

Edited March 14, 2015 by phoenix_dream

[keithm]

Just back from a 5-day cruise to Key West and Cozumel, ports we had visited several times before. The Constellation--all 91,000 tons of her--was by far the biggest ship we have sailed on. And the pax total of 2100 the largest as well.

(Just as background, our cruise experience is: 1 Regent, 4 Oceania, 5 Seabourn and 1 Crystal.)So we were a tad apprehensive about the ship's size and, well, culture.

We are mindful that their is a price/value relationship in cruising as in everything else.

With that background, here is a summary of good and bad.

The Good. The crew were superb. Every bit as focused on passenger satisfaction as, say, on Seabourn or Crystal, though far more stressed by work load and the odd circumstances of this cruise. (See below.) Our cabin steward, Asep, was unfailing prompt at replacing towels and toiletries as needed, and cleaned and tidied the Aqua-class cabin efficiently. The cabin itself was certainly comfortable, offered plenty of storage, and would be a comfortable home for much longer than a 5-day cruise. Blu, the Aqua and suite class dining option, was perhaps the most refined place on the ship. Service here was amazingly good, waitstaff always cheerful and helpful. The experience flawed by inconsistent food, sometimes very good, sometimes terrible. A NY strip seemed a distant cousin, twice removed, from any such cut I've enjoyed elsewhere. Lamb chops one night were so tough the neighbor at the next table sent his back while I persevered, In truth, a circular saw would have helped. My wife's halibut served one evening was tough. (Rare to apply that word to a fish, but entirely accurate.) Soups and salads were always excellent, as was my wife's lamb shank one evening. Bartenders everywhere were focused, efficient, and the mixed drinks they offered were good. Only a gin and tonic disappointed, and we blame the drink's acid taste on the ice, which may have come from desalinated water.We never ate in the main dining room, but we did enjoy dinner one night in Ocean Liners, and it was excellent throughout. (Rather pointedly, the vast wine menu included only one wine by the glass that fell within the Classic beverage package.An irritating upsell)

 

Embarkation was well-organized, staff was welcoming. Disembarkation was perhaps the very best we've experienced, partly because of the Port Everglades layout, partly because the whole process moved along at a fast pace. And the ship herself was a remarkably stable platform even in choppy seas.

 

The Bad.There were more than 1,000 spring breakers on board. They completely monopolized the outdoor pool and got tubs, occasionally spitting into them. To be sure, there were many kids who behaved themselves. But there were many who did not. They crowded the bars, shoving each other (and others) demanding to be served, reacting venomously when told they could only buy one drink per card. About half-way through the cruise the bar tenders began to ask for proof of age, a minor barrier to service since phony id's seemed to be prevalent. Young men and women in bathing suits routinely appeared at El Bacio, crowded the elevators, bounced around and through the lines of people waiting at Ocean View Cafe.(The Captain addressed the passengers several times a day, always including a reminder of the dress code.) We were told that on 2 occasions security had to be called to the San Marco dining room to suppress fighting. Several young passengers were kicked off the ship in Key West. We noticed no diminution of noise or drinking.

On three successive nights, we were awakened at 3:00am by a horde of intoxicated celebrants running up and down the Aqua corridor.

 

Eventually we went to see the Guest Relations Manager. Well, I thought, she would offer us a meal at one of the premium restaurants, or a free massage, or? Not at all. She pointedly said that we should have known the composition of the passenger list. (More than parenthetically, there were seasoned Celebrity cruisers aboard who had no inkling of the cruise being a magnet for college kids.) Well, I said, when you market a cabin with an obstructed view, you label it as such, Surely if you knew the composition of this cruise, and the likely consequence, you could have alerted us. A shake of the head. What about some compensation--something, anything?

 

"If I do it for you, I will have to do it for everyone else."

 

I don't think any fair-minded person would accept that answer, It clearly implies that they sense an obligation to correct the dysfunctional aspects of the cruise, but choose not to because of the breadth of the compensation. Meaning they would have to offer some or many of the non-spring breakers something.

I am sure that this cruise experience was not typical of Celebrity. I suspect that the stonewalling over compensation--mind you, the offer of a glass of champagne as a gesture would have been calming--is significant. In that it reflects a marketing viewpoint in which you the individual are relatively unimportant, and the crowd trumps all.

Would we give Celebrity another try?

Maybe. I honestly don't know. We did meet some people from Miami and Montreal whom we look forward to seeing again, and that alone suggests another cruise might be warranted. I'd certainly take the same crew, and ship. With equal certainty, a different itinerary and Guest Relations Manager, though.

I hate saying..But you should have known what you were in for! That time is ALWAYS spring break time. A reason we never sail in that area at that time of year. Since you've always done luxury or borderline luxury you can't expect the same level of service & food quality. The "S" class ships do offer(in my opinion) a better level. Try the Eclipse on one of her 14 day trips in Jan.-March. You'll find it to be better(and less kids)Celebrity is upping the game for it's suite pax. Kind of what Cunard has done all along. Suite only rest. & many perks. Only downside is you do have to share the rest of Cunard ships with the "regular" pax. We've done both & while the Grills service & food were outstanding the rest of the pax were fine as well.

[crash3x]

.

 

Eventually we went to see the Guest Relations Manager. Well, I thought, she would offer us a meal at one of the premium restaurants, or a free massage, or? Not at all. She pointedly said that we should have known the composition of the passenger list. (More than parenthetically, there were seasoned Celebrity cruisers aboard who had no inkling of the cruise being a magnet for college kids.) Well, I said, when you market a cabin with an obstructed view, you label it as such, Surely if you knew the composition of this cruise, and the likely consequence, you could have alerted us. A shake of the head. What about some compensation--something, anything?

.

 

I was on this cruise as well, and it was our first with Celebrity. We were quite surprised as to the amount of kids there were. The Cruise Director and staff labeled the kids "the crazy people" suitably named. Yes they drank more than their share of alcohol. They were mainly loud on the Lido deck, and scantly dressed during the day, no shoes or cover ups that was making the the crew and elderly patrons crazy. But they were respectful all in all. I never heard extreme uses of vulgar language..I received polite courteous manors from everyone I encountered. I even got twerked on by 2 young ladies at the bar trying to show me how to wiggle my booty....lol

 

They were having fun, they were contained for the most part on the ship so they were pretty safe to cut loose. 4 got fined $300 each for throwing bottles overboard but they were dealt with. WE were all their age at one point. The only time I felt sorry for them was when 4 got kicked off bags and all in Cozumel...they would have had a hard time explaining that to their parents. And that was cause of the first sea days some furniture got broken pool party....

 

Should you have been compensated in any way...absolutely not. No matter where you go unless you are renting a private yacht or villa or just staying home can you control your environment. Vacations are what they are and everyone makes the most of it or you sit there and pout and waist your time and money being grumpy.

 

On the sea days the morning were quiet on deck and when the crazy people came out of their drunk induced comas , we went inside or on other decks for some quiet relaxation. We also enjoyed other activities offered.

 

Learn to read your crowd..........:p

[Lois R]

I was on this cruise as well, and it was our first with Celebrity. We were quite surprised as to the amount of kids there were. The Cruise Director and staff labeled the kids "the crazy people" suitably named. Yes they drank more than their share of alcohol. They were mainly loud on the Lido deck, and scantly dressed during the day, no shoes or cover ups that was making the the crew and elderly patrons crazy. But they were respectful all in all. I never heard extreme uses of vulgar language..I received polite courteous manors from everyone I encountered. I even got twerked on by 2 young ladies at the bar trying to show me how to wiggle my booty....lol

 

They were having fun, they were contained for the most part on the ship so they were pretty safe to cut loose. 4 got fined $300 each for throwing bottles overboard but they were dealt with. WE were all their age at one point. The only time I felt sorry for them was when 4 got kicked off bags and all in Cozumel...they would have had a hard time explaining that to their parents. And that was cause of the first sea days some furniture got broken pool party....

 

Should you have been compensated in any way...absolutely not. No matter where you go unless you are renting a private yacht or villa or just staying home can you control your environment. Vacations are what they are and everyone makes the most of it or you sit there and pout and waist your time and money being grumpy.

 

On the sea days the morning were quiet on deck and when the crazy people came out of their drunk induced comas , we went inside or on other decks for some quiet relaxation. We also enjoyed other activities offered.

 

Learn to read your crowd..........:p

 

Glad you had no issues and found them respectful.....I found them

the totally opposite....starting on day 1 at Muster.....they wouldn't

sit still or be quiet.....officer had to stand up in front and YELL over

everyone to "BE QUIET" so they could conduct the Muster Drill......

they still would not be quiet........I was in the Casino....I heard the

Theather was worse....people were standing up in the front and would

not be still for a muster drill....

As for being polite?.......cussing at the bartender......not my version

of manners........

[phoenix_dream]

crash3x, I know everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion and I am honestly glad for your sake that you were apparently able to avoid much of the extreme behavior reported by me and other cruisers on that sailing. :)

 

Unfortunately, the list I put together above was really only the tip of the iceberg. Maybe if you had a young child crying because they couldn't swim the entire cruise because to try to do so would be dangerous if not downright impossible you would have felt differently. Maybe if your favorite part of the ship (as is mine) was the t-pool but you could rarely use it because it was invaded by loud, drunk crowds of young cruisers you would have felt differently. Maybe if you were woken up several times each night by drunks yelling and running down the halls and knocking on your door so you could not get a good night's sleep you would have felt differently.

 

I am not directing the following at crash3x or anyone in particular, but I confess it angers me that some people's response is 'you should have known better'. Really?!?! Yes, I expected a lively ship. Yes, I expected many more young people than normal. Yes, I expected there would be a ruckus here and there as young people are prone to do (and some older folks for that matter!). But talk about blaming the messenger!! Is this where society is going? It's okay for kids to act like animals and cruise lines are supposed to accept that and if you don't like it you are the fool for booking that cruise?!?!

 

This falls short of an exact analogy for sure (so please don't flame me claiming I said it was), but I can liken this to the famous quote that goes something like, 'all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'. The main point is that we should not sit back and accept bad behavior and do nothing about it. We should not say - well then don't book those cruises. When that happens it only propagates and gets worse and worse. People need to take responsibility to fix situations that need fixing. Somebody should do something. I am somebody and I will.

[Caribbean Chris]

I've concluded you were indeed due something, even if just a bottle of wine sent to your room with an apology note. And that Celebrity needs to do some serious thinking about their future willingness to allow party cruisers or if they do,warn passengers.

 

My first reaction was - Why on earth would a regular Oceania cruser choose a five-day on those dates, if you were "apprehensive about the size and, well, culture" of the Constellation? And why didn't your travel agent offer any caution about choosing a short cruise during spring break season? Third reaction was - no, Celebrity doesn't owe you compensation.

 

But then I saw those hot tub photos and read the other reviews and realized that I would have been furious.

 

And I started remembering a hotel episode with some similarities in a Melbourne Beach, Florida hotel when we were attending a close friend's funeral during a big high school basketball tournament. The Hilton had a warning on their website alerting potential guests of large groups of teenagers that weekend. So I booked the Hampton Inn (no website warning) further away, and it was a nightmare of noise and unsupervised misbehavior.

 

I am telling that story because the Hampton Inn's general manager immediately refunded the cost of our stay as we left. They have a corporate satisfaction guarantee and I have been a regular customer of that company ever since.

 

So I think you do need to pursue it with Celebrity.

[Islandgirl4242]

Well, miss, I guess Celebrity didn't want to pay someone off not to write the truth. If I were Celebrity, I would want someone who booked a short cruise during spring break to tell everyone exactly what you experienced, as it might save others who don't do due diligence from making the same mistake. Or maybe, unless it was brought up, they never even thought about social media. I certainly believe that compensation is due to a customer where Celebrity caused the issue, but in this instance, it was other passengers not Celebrity. Did your travel agent ask questions about the number of children onboard or college age onboard or large groups on board?

 

I do agree that Celebrity should have stopped some of the behavior of these young folks...maybe more of them should have been booted off the ship. Also, maybe Celebrity (don't know if they do or not) should not sell beverage packages to those under say 25 during the spring break time frames, like some other cruise lines do.

 

Glad you got such great compensation from another cruise line. I probably would have been in a similar position on Crystal when I was offered an upgrade to a cabin right under the pool area, but since I had done my research (I never book a cabin that doesn't have cabins above and below it), I didn't take the upgrade.

 

Hey, we all see things differently...it doesn't mean that I'm right and you are wrong or that you are right and I'm wrong....just difference of opinion.

Well stated!

We've cruised on several cruise lines and experienced the spring breakers once, but not on Celebrity...still, once was enough and it was a learning experience for us. I do hope the passengers on this cruise will give Celebrity another opportunity to provide a much better cruise experience...we have never been disappointed with Celebrity!

[crash3x]

crash3x, I know everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion and I am honestly glad for your sake that you were apparently able to avoid much of the extreme behavior reported by me and other cruisers on that sailing. :)

 

Unfortunately, the list I put together above was really only the tip of the iceberg. Maybe if you had a young child crying because they couldn't swim the entire cruise because to try to do so would be dangerous if not downright impossible you would have felt differently. Maybe if your favorite part of the ship (as is mine) was the t-pool but you could rarely use it because it was invaded by loud, drunk crowds of young cruisers you would have felt differently. Maybe if you were woken up several times each night by drunks yelling and running down the halls and knocking on your door so you could not get a good night's sleep you would have felt differently.

 

I am not directing the following at crash3x or anyone in particular, but I confess it angers me that some people's response is 'you should have known better'. Really?!?! Yes, I expected a lively ship. Yes, I expected many more young people than normal. Yes, I expected there would be a ruckus here and there as young people are prone to do (and some older folks for that matter!). But talk about blaming the messenger!! Is this where society is going? It's okay for kids to act like animals and cruise lines are supposed to accept that and if you don't like it you are the fool for booking that cruise?!?!

 

This falls short of an exact analogy for sure (so please don't flame me claiming I said it was), but I can liken this to the famous quote that goes something like, 'all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'. The main point is that we should not sit back and accept bad behavior and do nothing about it. We should not say - well then don't book those cruises. When that happens it only propagates and gets worse and worse. People need to take responsibility to fix situations that need fixing. Somebody should do something. I am somebody and I will.

 

Yes I enjoy being able to float around in the pool. After the first day I knew when I was going to be able to do that because I saw the crowd of kids...I use to be one and so were you....I knew the amount of drinking they were doing (blame the ship packages and staff for that) they would not be up until around noon so I enjoyed it first thing in the morning rather than the afternoon as I would have liked. As for noise in the hall , I was lucky on the 8th floor and only had one night where they were yelling cause they were lost. (Again blame the ship they knew how this was going to turn out..should have had gone the extra mile and and had some staff lose sleep patrolling the hall every so often to prevent this from happen.)

 

I am sorry your children didn't get to enjoy the pool. But adjustments had to be made knowing this was going to happen the whole time aboard. I personally if I was looking to keep my children entertained and enjoy what they like to do I would have chosen a more child friendly cruise line that would be able to accommodate in this kind of situation...Carnival has kid water park type areas and larger pools , and so does Disney.

You should be able to vacation where ever you want but you had to know despite the crazy people that the pool areas were small and celebrity isn't really know for kid orientation.

 

Whether the partiers were 19-21 or 50-55 in age in large crowds once they get going other people will suffer because that is not their ideal vacation

[cruisead]

To those of you who said "you should know better", are you kidding me? What YOU obviously don't realize are the personal issues of those who booked the cruise. Maybe it was the only time they had to vacation, or maybe a shorter cruise was all they could handle.

 

But, ALL passengers have the right to expect a cruise that's not ruined by obnoxious, drunk, spoiled and overindulged miscreants. Celebrity is also at fault, in a MAJOR way for not containing this group, by not enforcing their rules and by not throwing these kids off the ship at the first sign of trouble.

 

Yes, we were all young at some point, but I know that this kind of behavior should NEVER have been tolerated by Celebrity. EPIC FAIL, Celebrity Cruise Line.

[Grandma7]

I agree 100 percent with you Cruisead !!!!!

Edited March 15, 2015 by Grandma7
mispelling

[Lois R]

------never mind.......we all have different views on this cruise.

As for a --- match? It is not one......it is the difference in the

experience. Glad you had a good cruise......not all of us did.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Lois R

[rodree]

Note to cruiser 100;

don`t give up on celebrity. I know just the experience you had.

We booked a christmas holiday 14 day one time and was the worst cruise

we ever had,and we have had many. All other calebritys were great.

The young folks were absoultywild. The galopping herd stampeading the

corridors nearly knocked my wife down and did actually knock me down.

They just kept on running.

The room steward said he just hates this particular cruise. They bring

food from the dining room and throw it around the cabins and he has to

get it cleaned prior to the next boarding.

There was apparently no parental supervision.

We will never boo k a cruise during this time period again.

 

Would we book celebrity again ? Of course. All others were enjoyed.

Hope your next cruise will be a great one.

[notsomadhatter]

According to this list, the week of March 9th has the highest number of college students on spring break. Many of the Florida schools were on break during that week as well which probably skewed the passenger demographic that much more! I'm sailing on the same itinerary on 3/21 and hoping that things start getting back to normal by then :D

 

https://www.tripsmarter.com/panama-city-beach/events/spring-break-college-university-dates

 

I'll be there with a friend too! Did this cruise last year on Easter week and while there were a high number of under 18s on board (for X anyway, about 500) there was absolutely none of the OP's described activity.

[deise17311]

We were on the same itinerary but on Princess and I have to give a shout out to the University of NC -Charlotte students (about 500) who were respectful, courteous, fun...and not drunk or rowdy in the least...It would have ruined our cruise otherwise...we were in a suite which always changes the experience though...

[ChucktownSteve]

Is this where society is going? It's okay for kids to act like animals ?!?!

 

Yes it is. But at least all those college kids got a certificate for participating. :rolleyes:

[keithm]

crash3x, I know everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion and I am honestly glad for your sake that you were apparently able to avoid much of the extreme behavior reported by me and other cruisers on that sailing. :)

 

Unfortunately, the list I put together above was really only the tip of the iceberg. Maybe if you had a young child crying because they couldn't swim the entire cruise because to try to do so would be dangerous if not downright impossible you would have felt differently. Maybe if your favorite part of the ship (as is mine) was the t-pool but you could rarely use it because it was invaded by loud, drunk crowds of young cruisers you would have felt differently. Maybe if you were woken up several times each night by drunks yelling and running down the halls and knocking on your door so you could not get a good night's sleep you would have felt differently.

 

I am not directing the following at crash3x or anyone in particular, but I confess it angers me that some people's response is 'you should have known better'. Really?!?! Yes, I expected a lively ship. Yes, I expected many more young people than normal. Yes, I expected there would be a ruckus here and there as young people are prone to do (and some older folks for that matter!). But talk about blaming the messenger!! Is this where society is going? It's okay for kids to act like animals and cruise lines are supposed to accept that and if you don't like it you are the fool for booking that cruise?!?!

 

This falls short of an exact analogy for sure (so please don't flame me claiming I said it was), but I can liken this to the famous quote that goes something like, 'all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'. The main point is that we should not sit back and accept bad behavior and do nothing about it. We should not say - well then don't book those cruises. When that happens it only propagates and gets worse and worse. People need to take responsibility to fix situations that need fixing. Somebody should do something. I am somebody and I will.

Me as well. Though I've not been on a cruise with unruly spring breakers, I've seen outrageous pax behavior. You're totally right, if you ignore it, it just gets worse. If you take a stand, others will usually back you up!

[keithm]

To those of you who said "you should know better", are you kidding me? What YOU obviously don't realize are the personal issues of those who booked the cruise. Maybe it was the only time they had to vacation, or maybe a shorter cruise was all they could handle.

 

But, ALL passengers have the right to expect a cruise that's not ruined by obnoxious, drunk, spoiled and overindulged miscreants. Celebrity is also at fault, in a MAJOR way for not containing this group, by not enforcing their rules and by not throwing these kids off the ship at the first sign of trouble.

 

Yes, we were all young at some point, but I know that this kind of behavior should NEVER have been tolerated by Celebrity. EPIC FAIL, Celebrity Cruise Line.

Look, Cruisead,they SHOULD have known better. That time of year is always spring break time. Especially with that cruise itinerary. If they HAD to take the trip, then take it to a different part of the Caribbean. Due to our work schedule(catering co.) we can ONLY travel in the winter/early spring. We know where the spring breakers will be(we were students,once as well)Personally, I still don't know why they went to a less luxury line in the first place. Celebrity is premium, but not luxury. Oceania is premium as well, but still a step or 2 above Celebrity(unless you do the suites)

[keithm]

not buying it tracie. The op was an experienced neiman marcus shopper that got up set because they were not given the gold standard treatment when shopping at macy's during a red apple weekend sale.

 

Same reason we know not to sail on princess out of houston.

snap!!

[Texed]

Sorry that folks had issues. We were on Reflection this past week, and we did not have the problems that y'all encountered.

[gracecarmo]

Not buying it Tracie. The OP was an experienced Neiman Marcus shopper that got up set because they were not given the gold standard treatment when shopping at Macy's during a Red Apple weekend sale.

 

Same reason we know not to sail on Princess out of Houston.

 

Wallie: what is the reason you would not sail from Houston? I was going to consider a Princess Cruise from Houston, since we can drive there.

(not on spring break though)

[bobsfamily]

Yes it is. But at least all those college kids got a certificate for participating. :rolleyes:

Now that's funny!

[wallie5446]

Wallie: what is the reason you would not sail from Houston? I was going to consider a Princess Cruise from Houston, since we can drive there.

(not on spring break though)

 

Grace,

The member I posted that comment to was also from Texas, and was a bit of banter that goes on between our 2 cities. So it was somewhat in jest, but that said,

We first sailed Princess in 1992, and that cruise was our Gold Standard, even against Celebrity, for many, many years.

The cruises from Houston are being discounted so deep, we have heard from friends that the attention to detail and service levels are not the Princess norm. Many people are returning and very upset. The old saying applies, you get what you pay for. 7 days, a balcony, a bit of OBC, for $6-700 pp. a great deal!

But not normal Princess standards, even falls short of the standards of their parent Co.;)

 

An affordable week, you bet. But just as is the point with the topic of this thread, with proper investigation, ie: short cruise, spring break, all stops at a party port. Well,:o the OP should have know better, and trully knew what to expect, having worked for Playboy and what goes on during school breaks.

Sail from Houston, it will not be bad.

Edited March 15, 2015 by wallie5446

[rM3panno]

For all of the non-believers on here stating the OP should have known better, I would like to know how many of you were on this sailing.

 

My wife and I are Celebrity loyalists (Elite) and under age 30. We love the Celebrity product and generally the people on it. We are not too far removed from our college days but I could write a book on the poor behavior by many (not all) of the college spring breakers on this cruise. We did expect a college party atmosphere on this sailing and were somewhat prepared for a rowdier crown than normal. My wife is a teacher and so our choices this time of year are limited to school breaks. We are also expecting our first baby this summer so this was our last hurrah for a little while.

 

Like many others on this thread we were booked in AQ and while the service in Blu was impeccable some of the dishes were hit and miss. But I want to primarily address the issue of the behavior of the college aged spring breakers. As has been stated here by almost every poster that was on this sailing, their behavior was unbelievable and inexcusable. These passengers were so rude it was like they were trying to start something up. Constantly unyielding when walking 3-5 wide in public spaces practically mowing you over. Drunkenly shoving through 2 and 4 people deep at the poolside bars to get another drink. Screaming all over the place and more F-bombs than you can imagine. While I'm no saint, the pool deck with families around is certainly no place for screaming obscenities. I am a frequent customer in the casino and even there I wasn't immune from their drunken behavior. Loudly and rudely asking for a bar server to come over when they were clearly already over served. The muster drill alone in the casino should have given the staff grounds to be concerned and come up with a plan of action.

 

While I'm disappointed with the behavior of the college kids they are college kids. I'm more upset with Celebrity for failing to enforce a code of conduct and ensure a safe environment for all passengers. Instead of constantly making unheeded announcements, staff should have been given the tools to enforce the dress code in public areas. Instead of fueling the fire of drunkenness, bartenders should be equipped and trained to identify passengers who have been served plenty and not fear for making the call that someone is cutoff. This is type of behavior in any land based bar is potentially grounds for a lawsuit and increases the possibility of an accident. It is no secret almost all passengers overboard are a result of being highly intoxicated. Celebrity needed to do a better job of identifying the problems and addressing them head on. On the first sea day, my wife and I were at the pool enjoying the sunny weather. I had a mojito and my wife had a lemonade in the pool plastic glasses and were sitting on the tanning deck of the children's pool when the Celebrity life activities started up. When the competition moved to the pool for synchronized swimming my wife and I were harassed several times for having beverages in the pool while many of the college spring breakers were in the pool drinking beers out of glass bottles. Not a word was said to any of them. I'm not sure if the staff were intimidated to the point of inaction and felt their only outlet of recourse were other passengers but it was very disappointing. I even pointed out the sign on all pools that said "No glassware" and she said its now no drinks as she walked off leaving all the kids with their glass bottles in hand.

 

I have rambled long enough now but my overall experience was still a vacation that we enjoyed. It definitely could have been improved if Celebrity had just enforced the rules they were so routinely announcing.

[D C]

To those of you who said "you should know better", are you kidding me? What YOU obviously don't realize are the personal issues of those who booked the cruise. Maybe it was the only time they had to vacation, or maybe a shorter cruise was all they could handle.

 

But, ALL passengers have the right to expect a cruise that's not ruined by obnoxious, drunk, spoiled and overindulged miscreants. Celebrity is also at fault, in a MAJOR way for not containing this group, by not enforcing their rules and by not throwing these kids off the ship at the first sign of trouble.

 

Yes, we were all young at some point, but I know that this kind of behavior should NEVER have been tolerated by Celebrity. EPIC FAIL, Celebrity Cruise Line.

 

The bolded part is the key. If Celebrity did their part to enforce their published guest policies, much of the OP's complaint would have been moot, would it not? Celebrity failed to hold a significant portion of their guests to their standards. Celebrity's lack of enforcement negatively affected the experience of other guests. If nothing else, Celebrity owes the responsible, mature guests on that cruise a sincere apology.

 

And it doesn't matter whether or not someone "should have known better". But, they should have known better based on what? Based on the fact that Celebrity has one of the oldest median ages for guests? Based on the fact that younger crowds tend towards other lines? Exactly what would provide the warning sign to someone booking a cruise on Celebrity at this time of year?

[happy cruzer]

Thanks for posting about this cruise. We once had a "bad" cruise on celebrity. Many passengers complained in writing during the cruise and after.

 

Focus on the safety and sanitary violations in your letter. Keep it short. List what you want as compensation now, usually a discount or obc on future sailing is all that is given as a goodwill gesture.

 

We got a discount on a future sailing and it paid for us and for celebrity. They probably will not apologize or admit fault but may offer a goodwill gesture.

 

Good luck, bad cruises happen on every line when the demographics are not good.

Edited March 15, 2015 by happy cruzer