What's Changed?

[SusieV]

Due to life circumstances, I haven't cruised in two years. What has changed on Celebrity in that time period? Anything I should know?

 

Do they still offer the Ultimate Dining Package for $29/pp/pd? Have there been any changes to the beverage packages?

 

Thanks!

[kitty9]

Celebrity now uses a new pricing plan, where you pay one of three different fares, and each fare provides additional perks. Go on Celebrity's website and read about Big, Better, Best.

[SusieV]

Celebrity now uses a new pricing plan, where you pay one of three different fares, and each fare provides additional perks. Go on Celebrity's website and read about Big, Better, Best.

 

Thanks- I saw that and wasn't too thrilled with it, honestly. But fortunately this booking was made before the new program came in.

 

How about things onboard?

[Orator]

Thanks- I saw that and wasn't too thrilled with it, honestly. But fortunately this booking was made before the new program came in.

 

How about things onboard?

 

The cruise market was soft the last time you cruised. Prices have increased as the demand has increased. There are mant threads that detail specific increases.

[kitty9]

Changes on board include fewer daily activities that don't involve some kind of money making component for Celebrity (the activities staff has been reduced to two people). Personal opinion here, but we feel the food and service in Tuscan has declined dramatically. On S class ships, they're getting rid of the Molecular Bar. Suites have their own separate dining room.

 

Like you, we GREATLY dislike the BBB pricing scheme and wish they'd go back and just charge one freaking price.

[SusieV]

Say it isn't so- the Molecular Bar was one of my favourite evening hangouts :( I loved the drinks there.

 

Is there anything replacing it? I actually haven't sailed Eclipse before, either. Most of the time I prefer long cruises but that isn't in the budget right now and since I got such a fabulous deal on this trip, decided to give it a try even though I am sure I'll miss the Lawn Club Grill.

[az_tchr]

No trays in Oceanview - cut down dramatically on food waste. Cabin stewards have more cabins and work harder than even. Food portions in general smaller, but that is probably a good thing and you certainly can order as much of anything you want.

 

As to having higher prices - that certainly depends on destination and if you can work with fairly short notice there seems to often be a drop in the days following when final payment is due with cancelled cabins being discounted. Celebrity is keeping prices down and Guest Relations people try to accommodation. The worst thing about Celebrity is its website and hassle with bookings. we try to book on board and then transfer our reservation to a TA and let them earn their $$. Ships are generally clean and well maintained.

[awhfy]

Say it isn't so- the Molecular Bar was one of my favourite evening hangouts :( I loved the drinks there.

 

Is there anything replacing it? I actually haven't sailed Eclipse before, either. Most of the time I prefer long cruises but that isn't in the budget right now and since I got such a fabulous deal on this trip, decided to give it a try even though I am sure I'll miss the Lawn Club Grill.

 

 

Molecular, sigh...ill really miss my Tanned Russian & DH will miss his chocolate concoction...chocolate indulgence

[keesar]

Changes on board include fewer daily activities that don't involve some kind of money making component for Celebrity (the activities staff has been reduced to two people). .

 

On our cruise, the activities staff was reduced from 5 to 1.

 

The ships are nicely maintained and the crews are really hard working. The prices of specialty restaurants have risen dramatically.

[hcat]

On the music front,

Fewer live musical groups and not very high quality....with some exceptions along the way...., very small orchestra, if any....no island band on carib cruises, maybe a steel drum.

more reliance on a loud DJ with drummer, canned music played on a repetitive loop in public area....no piano player, harpist etc....and some say the acapella groups are gone

[jelayne]

Molecular Bar has been replaced with the World Class bar. I haven't experienced it yet so can't comment on it,

[SusieV]

Have there been changes to the specialty restaurants, or the packages? How about the drink packages?

[Lois R]

Have there been changes to the specialty restaurants, or the packages? How about the drink packages?

 

Hi Susie:)....they offer multiple dining packages now.....not sure if they

were offered last time you cruised. You can buy a 3 or 4 night package.

Drink packages? The price has probably gone up since your last cruise.

I would check the website for pricing.

[Texed]

Due to life circumstances, I haven't cruised in two years.

 

Welcome back. :)

[ceemacon]

We just got back from trans-Pacific on the Millennium after a two year break from cruising with Celebrity (or at all, actually). Lots of things have definitely gone downhill since we last cruised with Celebrity since then:

 

- food quality is mostly mediocre. Lots of focus on presentation, but not very good meat and sometimes poor cooking. Tried onion soup twice and mushroom soup once; each time they were basically just extremely salty broth with almost nothing in them. However, some other soups were very good. Beef filet was pretty good, but most other beef and lamb was served braised (pot-roasted).

 

- live music around the ship is mostly pretty bad now. There are so many more excellent musicians around than can make a living at it that I don't understand why Celebrity can't have better ones.

 

- background music is all (or at least almost all) covers of pop music. Are they so strapped for cash that they can't afford to play actual top twenty songs from the past several decades? Plain old Muzak would be a more honest way to cut these costs.

 

- a quarter of the daily activities listed require payment. Another quarter are ads for things like shop sales. Half the remainder are general announcements like show times. So only about a quarter of the listings are actual free activities.

 

- cleanliness is great, but maintenance has slipped a bit. Had out of order urinals in a few restrooms for many days at a time. The Persian Gardens spa steam rooms and showers don't work well, and look really run down (what you can see of them - the lights are lower than ever, perhaps to conceal that).

 

- art auctions and Park West are back, and they are extremely obtrusive. We got "invitations" in our room from them almost every day, and they completely monopolized the Rendezvous Lounge for almost every morning until well after noon. Even when other activities were scheduled there more than three-quarters of the lounge was blocked off with paintings they were trying to sell.

 

- the staff is still excellent in intentions, though training seems to have slipped.

 

The issues are all clearly from corporate cost cutting. Which may be inevitable, as the mainstream cruise lines all seem to compete with each other on price, regardless of the different levels of experience they claim to provide.

 

Personally, I'd prefer that Celebrity drop the pretensions of luxury that they can't deliver, and focus on just having good ships and staff.

[ISABELLA]

quote:

I'd prefer that Celebrity drop the pretensions of luxury that they can't deliver, and focus on just having good ships and staf

 

So agree....