Cruise Critic Live Chat with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo - July 6

[TravelerThom]

Dear Ms Lutoff-Perlo

 

Many people are excited about the new overnights in the Caribbean. Others are unhappy at not getting the cruise itinerary for which they signed up. Most cruisers understand and accept that cruises are subject to change due to weather, civil unrest, etc. and are willing to take that risk. However when the itinerary is changed months in advance solely because the company chooses, it seems like everyone (not just North American customers) should be able to get their deposits refunded if they so choose. Celebrity has gotten considerable negative publicity over this issue. Notwithstanding the legalese in the contract, it would seem that in this particular situation Celebrity would come out ahead in public relations allowing full refunds to everyone who so desires. Comment please.

 

Thank You

[kydems]

Dear Ms Lutoff-Perlo

As an Aussie cruiser we are unable to take advantage of price drops before final payment with Celebrity (Princess will apply a price reduction when asked). Unlike the US we are unable to cancel and re-book as cancellation penalties in AUS are expensive. Is there likely to be any change in this policy so Aussies can enjoy the same benefits as our US friends. Must say I love your product

[Surrey_Pirates]

Please can Lisa work with her teams and the customers to put in a clear and fair policy when considering chartering ships through to any eventual cancellation.

 

The policy should include

1 Clear guidance at time of booking any cruise where over 12 months out that it may be chartered.

2 Clear understanding that cruises will not be chartered if 12 months or less until date of cruise

3 Inform customers immediately a cruise is being considered for a charter and allow booked passengers the opportunity to move their booking to ANY other Celebrity cruise within 6 months without loss of any booking perks. Any price difference in the cruise fare would be bourne by the customer.

4 Where a cruise is chartered then customers informed immediately and offered options to move at no cost to a minimum of 3 cruises covering the same dates as the original cruise ( where possible) and all perks retained. If this is not suitable to the customer then option to transfer to any other cruise however any difference in cruise fare is bourne by the customer. Any booking perks would again be retained.

5 Acknowledgement that having a cruise cancelled due to a charter is an inconvenience and recognise this by offering a set OBC amount as a goodwill gesture. Offer this direct to the customer with an apology regardless of whether booked through a travel agent or direct.

 

By having a consistent and clear policy Celebrity can easily avoid the ill- feeling and loss of custom due to the way such cancellations are currently handled. Excellence in customer service can be achieved by turning a negative situation around into a positive one!

 

Can we give it a try? Thank you

[Ex-Airbalancer]

in about 3/4 of the time I try logging into mycelebrity with my iPad on Safari nothing happens :(

You really need to look at your IT department

Edited June 27, 2015 by Airbalancer

[chamima]

Ms. Lutoff- Perlo,

I think a lot of your committed cruisers are confused by the many recent changes as to the direction Celebrity sees themselves as going in and the audience Celebrity is hoping to attract.

Could you please provide a clear statement on this (minus a lot of the meaningless marketing department slogans, please).

[tercar]

Will I be allowed my captain club points for a no show cruise?? Due to a close family bereavement I had to turn around in Istanbul airport and return home. Someone informed me you don't get them, however I had paid for the cruise and through no fault of my own not only did I lose a close family member I lost my cruise and the points.

[ghstudio]

When Celebrity cancels a cruise for a charter, the current "policy" apparently does not compensate passengers for non-refundable expenses already incurred...e.g. air tickets and travel insurance. Although permitted in the legal wording, Do you think that's a fair and appropriate way to treat customers and build/continue brand loyalty?

Edited June 28, 2015 by ghstudio

[Azulann]

When you build the "Edge " ships, will you be selling the M class ships?

I hope not.

I love the M class ships.

But then I loved the Century too.:(

[doubled]

Celebrity is our cruise line of choice! Have heard that the menu for Blu will be changing in the coming months. Please comment on this. Enjoy current menu but would look forward to a change as well. Thanks and Kind Regards.

[wwcruisers]

Are changes to the traditional concept of dining being planned for the new Edge ships? I'm wondering if Celebrity will be following RC's trend (see Quantum), toward featuring several restaurants, in place of the MDR?

[TravlGrl]

Hello,

I’m expressing my disappointment in Celebrity’s decision to add overnight stays to sailings that have already been booked, but also to ask you a question. I understand this is a new direction for Celebrity, and you see an opportunity for additional revenue while creating new experiences for future cruises, however…why wasn’t the decision (for implementing the new overnights) made to begin with cruisers departing on itineraries that have not yet been sold?

 

I know the song and dance about cruise lines being able to change itineraries at any time. I get that. I’m not a new cruiser. From a service standpoint, I’m scratching my head because I’d like to know why the decision was made on existing itineraries and not on those to be opened for future booking?

 

Please kindly reply.

Thanks.

[villageneighbor]

You've been in the role about 6 months. I'm sure you have an initial assessment of where Celebrity stands.

 

What does your vision look like for Celebrity over the next 3-5 years?

 

How is it the same/how does it differ from your predecessor's focus?

 

What will the impact be for involved Celebrity Cruise consumers like those on Cruise Critic?

[jenniebnyc]

1. Can you talk specifically as to what the "Suite Life" will look like on the new Edge ship(s)? Will there be a dedicated section of the ship (dining, lounge, pool, etc.) that caters to suite guests? I am most interested in additional pool for suite guests (or an additional pool in general for all passengers). Also, will there be grass on the Edge class ships? What restaurants will be available to passengers? I would love to see an asian themed restaurant that includes top notch sushi/sashimi that is open for lunch and dinner.

 

2. On current ships, can you talk about any additional training you will be providing to housekeeping, stewards and butlers, especially so they understand the perks for the different suite class categories? In recent stays, and also feeback from cruise critic members, it seems that many of the staff do not understand what perks are available to passengers at each level.

 

Thank you.

[waverleycruiser]

Dear Ms Lutoff-Perlo

As others have requested, please give confirmation re the opening times of Luminae, especially Solstice. We booked a suite because I'm afraid the lunch buffet is just not our thing and if we did NOT have the suite restaurant as publicised as our lunch venue, we wouldn't have booked the cruise. I'm not meaning we wouldn't book a suite - we simply wouldn't have booked at all. My husband is not keen on cruising and the suite class restaurant was the carrot on the stick to get him back! Please, for marital harmony, reassure us all that Luminae will be open for lunch/brunch every day. Also can I please add my pleas for Bvlgari Toiletries t be reinstated.

Edited June 30, 2015 by waverleycruiser
text amend

[C-Dragons]

Hi Lisa,

I am hoping that you will explain how the "Suite Class" will be affected by the new X pricing bundle program.

Presently the Upper Suites (Royal, Penthouse and Reflection) already receive some of the perks (Premium Bev package and unlimited WiFi) which are listed under the "Go!Best" level. Now it appears that those who book the lower suites (Signature, Celebrity and Sky) will be able to pay for amenities which were previously offered only to the Upper Suites.

Edited June 30, 2015 by C-Dragons

[Andy]

Hello Ms Lutoff-Perlo,

 

Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to visit with us. It's much appreciated !

 

Three questions please :

 

1. Are there any plans to offer a new level for Captains Club, between Elite Plus and Zenith ? While I totally appreciate the 2 new levels, and the wonderful benefits... one of the small concerns voice by many, is the gap between Elite Plus and Zenith. For those who recently attained Elite Plus, it's like falling off a mountain top, and beginning a new climb. A new level at aprox. 1500 points would be highly appreciated by many.

 

2. With all of the turmoil in the Middle East, is Celebrity considering a Year Round Caribbean product at some point in the future ?

 

3. Can you shed any insights on port calls to Cuba, and how high it's on Celebrity's radar ? I realize it's near impossible at the moment, but does deployment planning begin now ?

 

Thank you very much, and I wish you all the very best of continued success as Celebrity's President & CEO.

[Linda-E]

Thank you Ms. Lutoff-Perlo for speaking with us.

 

My husband and I have a couple Caribbean cruises booked for 2016 and 2017 and would like some additional information about the overnight stops. I hope that the overnights will provide us with opportunities that are not possible during the typical daytime hours in port.

 

Are there plans for some onshore nighttime activities like the Azamara Azamazing Evenings or cultural/culinary excursions? One of my favorite excursions was a ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia.

 

Best of luck in your new position.

[KillerP]

Thank you for your time.

My question is in regard to Captain's Club - Special Promotions-Weekly Exciting deals.

We are Aussies and the only way we can access weekly exciting deals is via login to Captain's Club. However when we try to avail ourselves of the promotion on most occasions (sometimes all) promotion is only open to USA/Canadian residents. As all nationalities have to go through the same process to arrive at a particular CC level it appears that sometimes non USA/Can members are treated as 2nd class.

In hotel terms USA/Can members get the full buffet breakfast and the rest of us the continental only.

Would you kindly advise the rationale behind this policy.

Thank you.

[maggie.1008]

I also would like to see 1500 points between Elite Plus and Zenith. Other wise most of your loyal guests won`t live long enough to see the day. Seems to me with the new bundle package there is little value to Elite Plus benefits.

[maggie.1008]

I would also like to know if Celebrity has any plans for us out here on the West Coast. I have cruised Celebrity 3 times to Hawaii ( one more booked ) 3 Times to Alaska ( one more booked ) 3 times Pacific NW ( one more booked ) Would love to see more choices on our beautiful coast. Have also booked 3 Princess cruises in the last year out of the west coast. Would rather be on Celebrity as would many others.

[VaJoeCool]

Celebrity’s decision to drop highly desirable ports like Bonaire in order to provide overnight stays was a customer relations disaster. Many people book cruises a year in advance based upon the advertised itinerary. To make matters worse Celebrity’s customer service representatives initially told customers that Bonaire was dropped because of lack of dock space and the inability to tender, which was an outright lie. What steps are you taking to regain customers’ loyalty and trust?

[Prewelli]

Totally agree with last question re what steps are you taking to regain loyalty. I cannot believe that Celebrity did not take into account that people had booked these cruises based on Itinerary. In my case 2 btb cruises booked on itinerary for 2016 and 2017 in an aqua class cabin. I feel some compenation is necessary - this could be including the premium drinks package where applicable for those already booked on 123 Go. I was so disappointed with Celebrity and will be looking at other lines in 2018 - I have never cruised with anything else other than Celebrity or Royal Caribbean but in view of your cavalier action will now be doing so- why do you want over nights when you have such a lovely ship- possibly in Europe but NOT caribbean

Edited July 1, 2015 by Prewelli

[QE2_Fan]

Please let the Cruise Critic community in on some details of the new PROJECT EDGE ships[emoji1]

 

Any sketches or visuals you could share? We can't wait to hear/see more about them and watching them evolve. We also hope one of your new Edgy Ladies pays us a visit Down Under along with the beautiful Solstice!!

 

Many thanks!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Tony UK]

Lisa,

I hope this is going to be an enjoyable experience for you!

 

I'd like to ask a question about Aqua class. These staterooms are marketed just for a maximum of 2 persons. We travel with our adult disabled daughter and need to share our stateroom (don't need an accessible room). We would love to try Aqua and Blu but are unable to because of the number of person limit. Could you consider if anything could be done to help families like ours enjoy this sailing class.

 

Could FVs be offered to those in excess of 2 sharing a stateroom. We are usually unable to book one, and then find they are occupied by couples.

[Ladytainn]

Thank you for your time, could you please advise if the new pricing will apply to cruises from Australia? Will Australians be able to access the new pricing for cruises to the U.S.

Congratulations on Celebrity's excellent customer service and staff training, we still think this is the best line.