No daily water in Aqua class per Corp email to ship

[Northern Aurora]

I don't know whether anyone else noticed but ALL the complaints on Celebrity Facebook page about this issue have been removed. There were quite a few complaints which of course weren't answered and now they've vanished. Such a cowardly way to run a company if you can't deal with complaints properly. Incidentally the complaints about the change to evening chic are still there and they say they are 'listening ' !

 

I just checked the X Facebook page. All of the posts, including mine, regarding "watergate" have been removed. There were also some other posts not regarding "watergate" regarding poor service on board and the recent alleged theft on one ship which also seem to have been removed.

[az_tchr]

Celebrity should be recycling those little plastic bottles as they have been for years. I am sure Celebrity is not tossing them overboard to cause plastic flotsam.

 

I am diabetic and need a quality water product on the ship. This is what was agreed upon. We do not have nor care to purchase a beverage package. This decision by Celebrity is leaving me in harm.

 

If you have a medical issue you simply need to let Celebrity know and they will provide all sorts of things from extension cords to distilled water to bottled water at no charge.

[hcat]

There really are so few perks for aqua class that this latest one, coupled with the removal of the sparkling wine (replaced by 2 small bottles of water) at embarcation weakens the offering just a bit more. Remember, on the M-class ships, you are dealing with sub prime locations for almost all the deck 9 aqua cabins in the first place...they are under a very large overhang and under the noisy 10th deck including the gym and pool. Aqua was cleverly created to sell those cabins...and convert them into extra profit. At this point, with all of the take aways including the mixed fruit bowl, the flowers, the daily water, the removal of the sparkling wine...the perks over concierge are essentially Blu (and for a very few, some spa privileges.

 

I had the pleasure of getting off the equinox today. We were in a 1A cabin (large balcony) and dined in select dining. Our last five cruises have been in aqua on the infinity and Millenium....so I have a good basis for comparing. We are, by the way, foodies....we enjoy well cooked, well seasoned foods of all types....and we enjoy good service by the waiters and wine stewards. The service and food we received in select dining on this cruise was far better than any of our recent M-class cruises. I was, frankly, shocked, but my wife agreed...and BTW, we booked three more cruises while on board...and, yes, all in 1A cabins which were at least $1000pp less than any aqua cabin. That's a lot of lost potential revenue to Celebrity. Oh, they'll fill the cabins, but one would think they would like to keep us in aqua. Forget suites...the price was almost double on all the cruises. For those prices, we would definitely not be on Celebrity.

 

So someone in Celebrity HQ is being penny wise and pound foolish...they are missing the forest and cutting down the trees. Is the water a show stopper...of course not...but the "total aqua class package" has been reduced to the point where one has to really question whether it has anything close to the $ value premium Celebrity wants to charge.

 

This entire thread is about water that costs celebrity at most $2.50 on a cruise per cabin. Doesn't seem like smart marketing to me....(and yes, I'm a stockholder as well).

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise...we will be on Equinox very soon.After that, we have 2 more booked in AQ with triple perks so we probably can't change those without losing the perks....but we may seriously think about re booking our Jan 2018 AQ cabin into a regular hump balcony...all we received for that booking at standard price was the alc package (big) Glad you planted the seed!

Edited December 21, 2015 by hcat

[jonsmum]

We have two cruises booked for 2016, both in AQ. Being in the UK, to cancel them would cost us a lot of money so that is not an option. I'm not only disappointed, I'm really very cross at this move. We booked these cruises at the beginning of 2015, when water was listed as an amenity. We don't have beverage packages, but that's not the point. We booked, expecting to receive what was listed at that time. I know that the 'small print' gives them an out, but to actually implement this is not only petty, it paints Celebrity as a line that you cannot trust. I'm not sure that I want to give my future business to a line that has shown that it can't be trusted. They probably don't care as we're 'oldies' and we all know that they are looking for a younger crowd, but how long before these youngsters realise what's going on? In my experience, the younger generation are even less likely that us to put up with these less than honest 'manoeuvres'.

[chamima]

I just checked the X Facebook page. All of the posts, including mine, regarding "watergate" have been removed. There were also some other posts not regarding "watergate" regarding poor service on board and the recent alleged theft on one ship which also seem to have been removed.

 

Boy, the trust I feel with Celebrity just keeps getting better and better. :( ... :rolleyes:

[DYKWIA]

We have two cruises booked for 2016, both in AQ. Being in the UK, to cancel them would cost us a lot of money so that is not an option. I'm not only disappointed, I'm really very cross at this move. We booked these cruises at the beginning of 2015, when water was listed as an amenity. We don't have beverage packages, but that's not the point. We booked, expecting to receive what was listed at that time. I know that the 'small print' gives them an out, but to actually implement this is not only petty, it paints Celebrity as a line that you cannot trust. I'm not sure that I want to give my future business to a line that has shown that it can't be trusted. They probably don't care as we're 'oldies' and we all know that they are looking for a younger crowd, but how long before these youngsters realise what's going on? In my experience, the younger generation are even less likely that us to put up with these less than honest 'manoeuvres'.

 

I think the UK contract might be different to the US one and may not have the same get out for Celebrity. Might be worth contacting your TA, your local trading standards or even dropping a line to Simon Calder

[Iamcruzin]

I just checked the X Facebook page. All of the posts, including mine, regarding "watergate" have been removed. There were also some other posts not regarding "watergate" regarding poor service on board and the recent alleged theft on one ship which also seem to have been removed.

 

Not surprising at all. Their next step will be to unfriend you.

[warmwinds]

That is the lowest of the low to remove posts/reviews you do not like.

 

I think they have lost their way with knowing what passengers want and don't want. And who their passengers are. It used to be people would say "yes, their website is awful, and if you call in Customer Service is a mess, but don't worry their cruises are great"...seems like they're trying their best to mess up the on-board experience, too.

[Iamcruzin]

There must be a better way to provide quality water without making and discarding millions of little plastic bottles. Not only do they use petroleum products to produce them, they fill our oceans with plastic flotsam. So whatever Celebrity's motivation, I think cutting down on plastic bottles is a good thing.

 

They use petroleum products to make the ship move which also pollutes the air. I don't think a few less water bottles consumed is going to save the waves or the planet.

[hcat]

FB page that non members can access is just a running ad..tone and tenor of Celeb Official changed radically once that farce began...

 

Will not let all this spoil our cruise but would not rec this cruise line to anyone without many warnings!

 

Hope the President's cruise has honest cruisers not afraid to air the issues,

[DaisyRose]

My first and last Aqua class cabin coming up in 2016. Don't know how many more Celebrity cruises I will book, if any. Other lines have also made some disappointing changes. Starting to rethink cruising as my vacation of choice. Glad I've already been to many of the places I wanted to see. However, they should not be allowed to take away perks that were listed when you booked. If they must make changes, make them for future bookings. Makes me feel that I don't trust Celebrity, and don't want to do business with them in the future.

[LunaSeaRetreat]

There really are so few perks for aqua class that this latest one, coupled with the removal of the sparkling wine (replaced by 2 small bottles of water) at embarcation weakens the offering just a bit more. .

 

Did Celebrity really remove the sparkling wine and the other concierge perks from AquaClass along with the daily water?

 

I know the statement on the website that they are included was removed but I wasn't sure. Of course Celebrity won't answer my emails so I may never know until my cruise. When CelebrityCruises on this thread didn't answer my question I figured those perks were gone too.

 

Cynthia

[DAKing240]

FB page that non members can access is just a running ad..tone and tenor of Celeb Official changed radically once that farce began...

 

Will not let all this spoil our cruise but would not rec this cruise line to anyone without many warnings!

 

Hope the President's cruise has honest cruisers not afraid to air the issues,

 

It wasn't always this way, I can assure you that. You'll notice a very sudden change in the way "the official" poster used to handle things, as well as social in general.

[A Sixth?]

We have two cruises booked for 2016, both in AQ. Being in the UK, to cancel them would cost us a lot of money so that is not an option.

 

Could you "move them" to different categories on the same cruise? I know I've upgraded before and assume if one can upgrade on a deposit, one could down grade as well?

Edited December 22, 2015 by A Sixth?

[grayjay]

Could you "move them" to different categories on the same cruise? I know I've upgraded before and assume if one can upgrade on a deposit, one could down grade as well?

 

I don't think you can do that any more, at least here in Germany. It's another of the perks they took away from us - it's not possible to get price drops any more and you can only upgrade if you pay MORE than the original price you had booked at. As AQ usually is already at a premium price, the upgrade policy is worthless. If you cancel, you lose your deposit. A few years agao I was able to downgrade as well as to get a substantial price drop, they don't do that any more. You can cancel and re-book, but only if you pay more than what you have paid previously; and you lose any perks like OBC as well.

By the way - on the German website most of the Concierge and Aqua class amenities are still there, i.e. the sparkling wine at embarkation, daily water :rolleyes: .... I wonder how it is in the UK?

[jonsmum]

By the way - on the German website most of the Concierge and Aqua class amenities are still there, i.e. the sparkling wine at embarkation, daily water :rolleyes: .... I wonder how it is in the UK?

 

Ha! Thanks for that suggestion. Just checked the UK website and low and behold, daily water is still listed as an amenity in AQ.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/learn/accommodation/solstice-aquaclass

 

No sparkliing wine listed though - has this really gone as well? Think I will print off the page on the UK website and take it with me. I emailed, as suggested, yesterday adding that I was looking forward to receiving their comments on this issue - nothing so far.

 

A Sixth - we wouldn't want to move to a lower category room as we love Blu. Unfortunately we can't afford a suite though, but thanks for the suggestion.

[richsea]

It has been 2 weeks since this thread has started, & it is still going strong. Yesterday Cruise Critic posted a story regarding the "official" announcement, so it appears that 2 weeks of protests were not enough for the bean counters to rethink their position. If people are really dissatisfied with the new perks, it would behoove them to keep this thread going, & to contact Celebrity expressing their displeasure. Perhaps then, Celebrity might at least provide what was promised to those people who booked prior to the changes. As for going forward, if you feel that strongly about it, let your dollars do the talking

[Wineart]

My husband and I will be in Aqua class in 3 weeks, and I am definitely not happy about this change. We do not have a beverage package because we do not drink soda or alcohol, and I cannot fathom what Celebrity was thinking when they removed a perk that was in place when the reservation was made.

[wallie5446]

Did Celebrity really remove the sparkling wine and the other concierge perks from AquaClass along with the daily water?

 

 

Cynthia

 

We had the sparkling waiting for us in our A2 cabin when we boarded on Nov 20th.

[hcat]

Confirmed our res info today for upcoming cruise..Rep said emphatically that the NO DAILY WATER PLAN WILL NOT BE REVERSED..

 

we will stock up liberally first few days and as needed from our drinks package... if bubbly is gone, we'll have a water toast .with the daily savories!

[dkjretired]

Confirmed our res info today for upcoming cruise..Rep said emphatically that the NO DAILY WATER PLAN WILL NOT BE REVERSED..

 

we will stock up liberally first few days and as needed from our drinks package... if bubbly is gone, we'll have a water toast .with the daily savories!

 

I'm seriously rethinking my AQ cruise, not only for the water but other reasons. I will definitely tell them that is one of the reasons if I cancel.

[ghstudio]

I'm seriously rethinking my AQ cruise, not only for the water but other reasons. I will definitely tell them that is one of the reasons if I cancel.

 

However, they don't care.

 

Our next cruise is in aqua, but we have drink package, gratuities and OBC so it's more of an annoyance than anything else. The cruise after that was just booked last week with friends as a 1A instead of aqua because the aqua upgrade price was rediculous and our experience last week in the MDR was so good, negating the value of Blu.

 

Unless the MDR experience really changes, I think we're no longer booking aqua on Celebrity. We'll spend those extra dollars booking other cruises on more upscale cruise lines.

[cpj]

However, they don't care.

 

Our next cruise is in aqua, but we have drink package, gratuities and OBC so it's more of an annoyance than anything else. The cruise after that was just booked last week with friends as a 1A instead of aqua because the aqua upgrade price was rediculous and our experience last week in the MDR was so good, negating the value of Blu.

 

Unless the MDR experience really changes, I think we're no longer booking aqua on Celebrity. We'll spend those extra dollars booking other cruises on more upscale cruise lines.

 

Try NCL u might be surprised. I've only been on the new ships but it's a different experence. Give it a shot. I was glad I did.

[20pluscruises]

We had the sparkling waiting for us in our A2 cabin when we boarded on Nov 20th.

 

Ths may be a stupid question...does elite plus get the sparkling wine whether in aqua or not?

[hulamoon]

I do not believe they do get speaking wine.