Is the Negative tone on the Celebrity board present on the other lines boards?

[perditax]

I read all the forums. If using tapatalk, you can do this by using the "timeline" mode. On web, I think it's quick links / today's posts. Observations:

 

NCL = frequent drama. Many customer unfriendly policy decisions this year, made worse by many troll/cheerleaders who try to stifle reasonable discussion. But also a lot of generally happy folks.

 

Carnival = occasional drama, usually of the booze smuggling or pot smoking sort. Generally cheerful and upbeat.

 

Princess - minor grousing, but they don't seem to be getting bait and switched like X and NCL, so I'm trying them next.

 

DCL - everyone posts on disboards instead.

 

Cunard - Not terribly active. Occasional class warfare and dress code drama.

 

Luxury lines - itinerary change drama. Luxury line cruisers are ever so slightly more likely to receive sympathy, not judgement, for issues that seem incredibly trivial to me.

 

RCCL - too many ships to really summarize anything. The massest of mass-market lines, I guess.

 

Celebrity - ok, I will admit you folks have a certain world-weary cynicism that has me slightly dreading my upcoming maiden voyage, but X isn't helping matters with their Stone Age website and following in NCL's bait and switch tactics. It seems clear to me that whoever manages this line is delusional, or distracted by something else. Also: Italian Stakehouse.

Edited December 11, 2015 by perditax

[Andy]

I read the forums for several cruse lines pretty regularly, and I have felt for some time that the Celebrity board is the most negative. Yes, NCL has gone postal lately but the continuing string of cutbacks and upcharges is very bad there lately so they have much to complain about. As to Celebrity, I think there may be two factors at play. First, Celebrity used to have a clear place in the market that was easy to grasp -- a mass-market line with a little more luxury and class. The recent changes (unless you book a suite) have diminished the luxury touches and the generational shift in desired customer has led to changes (e.g. MiamiDJ) that strike some of us more seasoned folks as less classy. But on the positive side, I wonder if the level of outrage is the product of Celebrity's generous loyalty program? It seems to me that you get a lot more benefits as you rise up the Captain's Club tiers than you would on, say, Princess. I think the Elite+ posters really are loyal to Celebrity, and they aren't seeing that loyalty returned -- that leads to hurt feelings that can't be answered with "it's just business."

 

Hi Host Jazzbeau,

 

You defintely receive far better loyalty benefits on Celebrity than on Princess. Their benefits are decent, but not nearly as good as Celebrity. As for comments about loyalty not being appreciated ? I believe that's a common reaction, especially when changes are being applied. No matter how anyone may feel about being appreciated... I strongly feel Celebrity's loyalty benefits are outstanding, and amongst the best in the industry.

 

I feel this forum is more hectic in recent months, but I also feel it's entirely understandable, with all the changes and general confusion amongst us. Most of us are very passionate about Celebrity, and want them to be highly successful. Let's face it - most folks do not like change - and there's been plenty in recent months. You know it's frantic, when I can't keep up with everything ! :) Is there more to come ? I suspect there is. We have several X bookings through April 2017. I'm taking a wait and see approach, and do not plan to cancel. With that said, nothing is etched in stone. I'm eagerly watching what's being said about the onboard experience, on this forum.

 

Here's something to consider : I've often wondered if Celebrity started a multi year plan under Mr Bayley's leadership, and now Ms Lutoff-Perlo, to make X's loyalty program outstanding as their first step.... then, overhaul the onboard experience - figuring the loyalty program will be their safety net, to insure retaining their most loyal guests. For Elite + & Zenith members, it's like being stuck in a spider web, as there's nowhere else to go ! They will not receive the same level of outstanding benefits on a competing brand - especially as they would be forced to work their way up the loyalty ladder again. The big question is, how much will they put up with, before jumping ship (pardon the pun !). I'm hearing a lot of grumbling from Zeniths and Elite +, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

IMO, an active discussion is a good thing. I hope Celebrity is listening to what our members are saying. If I could be CEO for a day, it would be my sincere wish that Celebrity slow down, take a deep breath, evaluate their recent changes, ask their guests for feedback, and make appropriate changes. I'm confident this would be a win-win for Celebrity, and for their passionate guests.

 

Just my .02 cents.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Host Andy

[Desertbelle]

I feel like people, in general, have become more negative. :(

[Host Jazzbeau]

Hi Andy -

 

I agree with your ideas, and especially your guess about the long-range master plan. I just wish I could figure out what the new Celebrity on-board experience is going to look like. [Or, rather, I hope it's not what I think it is!] When we took our first Celebrity cruise in 2012, Celebrity was a combination of the good parts of both Holland America and Princess [M-class more toward Holland; S-class more toward Princess]. We had just been on Oceania Insignia, and we were thrilled that Summit provided so much of the same experience at a much lower cost. I would love it if Celebrity decided to be Oceania-lite. But I'm afraid they are going to become the aspirational line for Carnival cruisers. We're taking another look at Princess.

[CanadianDee]

I read all the forums. If using tapatalk, you can do this by using the "timeline" mode. On web, I think it's quick links / today's posts. Observations:

 

NCL = frequent drama. Many customer unfriendly policy decisions this year, made worse by many troll/cheerleaders who try to stifle reasonable discussion. But also a lot of generally happy folks.

 

Carnival = occasional drama, usually of the booze smuggling or pot smoking sort. Generally cheerful and upbeat.

 

Princess - minor grousing, but they don't seem to be getting bait and switched like X and NCL, so I'm trying them next.

 

DCL - everyone posts on disboards instead.

 

Cunard - Not terribly active. Occasional class warfare and dress code drama.

 

Luxury lines - itinerary change drama. Luxury line cruisers are ever so slightly more likely to receive sympathy, not judgement, for issues that seem incredibly trivial to me.

 

RCCL - too many ships to really summarize anything. The massest of mass-market lines, I guess.

 

Celebrity - ok, I will admit you folks have a certain world-weary cynicism that has me slightly dreading my upcoming maiden voyage, but X isn't helping matters with their Stone Age website and following in NCL's bait and switch tactics. It seems clear to me that whoever manages this line is delusional, or distracted by something else. Also: Italian Stakehouse.

 

I think you've really captured the vibe the of the boards I follow!

 

Any yes, I'd agree that the Celebrity board has a general world-weary cynicism to it. Sometimes I wander over the Carnival threads for an injection of vacation enthusiasm. :)

 

Also. Stakehouse. :'-(

Edited December 11, 2015 by CanadianDee

[ABoatNerd]

There have been many excellent analyses posted on this topic.

 

Below is a response I provided to Host Anne's recent Reflection cruise.

 

I will not book with Celebrity going forward until this company clearly identifies what their product offering is AND ensures it is delivered a) consistently on every sailing and b) on every ship.

 

I patronized Celebrity since 1992 because they were the Premium line within the mass cruise line grouping. They are not premium anymore.

 

My household has greatly enjoyed our recent voyages on all 3 Cunard ships - so there are other products out there besides Celebrity.

 

 

My previous post.....

 

ABoatNerd

_______________________________________

 

Thank you Host Anne for your honest assessment.

 

I believe Celebrity is now just another cruise line - not the former Premium cruise line of the 1970's to late 2010.

 

Remember the "Simply The Best" campaign, Celebrity was the best of the mass lines in every category and they charged a bit more for their product.

 

I remember cruising on Zenith, Century, Millie in the caribbean - people would come up to you and ask what it was like to sail Celebrity - there was an awe of this cruise line - it made you proud to have chosen Celebrity - your chest sort of "puffed" out!.

 

This is gone, Celebrity is now just the same as the others, with a few differences.

 

I am not sure if Celebrity management has deliberately chosen to be ordinary or if it more part of a general "rush to the bottom" affecting all cruise lines.

 

Host Anne - the use of processed cheese slices for pizza on your recent Reflection cruise is simply appalling.

 

New cruisers have no idea how the product has been diminished and Celebrity knows this. So Celebrity will continue their downgrading and price increases. No thank you.

 

Fortunately people have many choices where to spend their travel $ and other cruise lines are now good substitutes for Celebrity - my household has had very satisfying voyages with Cunard recently.

 

In the end we are all privileged to be able to sail, for that we can be thankful.

 

ABoatNerd

[Host Jazzbeau]

Also: Italian Stakehouse.

 

Dracula's favorite restaurant! :D:D:D

[roquejo]

Lot's of negative posts accross all boards....

 

NCL's posts are the most negative.

 

Celebrity Free Go Big Better Best is way better than NCL... as NCL charges you gratuities when you select the Beverage package for free.

 

And Celebrity's Beverage packages includes bottle water, juices, coffees so better than most lines...

 

That is why I picked Celebrity over NCL... of all cruise lines, X's cutbacks is the least.

[H2OH!]

We have done 1 RCCL to mexico and 5 X to Alaska (ALL IN THE LAST 5 YEARS) and we've never been disappointed. We are Blue Chip Club VIP and they take very good care of us and we are by no means "high rollers". If you just remember to make the best of your vacation time and....DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!:)

 

Perfectly stated. If you look only for problems, you will find problems.

[livingasia]

Celebrity promote themselves as modern luxury and for a period of time had extra promotional tools in their tool chest like 123 Go and big, better best promotions which provided that little extra above what other cruise lines were promoting all at a comparable cost. Well these two promotions whilst very successful started coming at a cost which kind of negated the benefits. What now seems to be happening is that these "perks" are disappearing again but the higher charges are remaining which again takes away a benefit of cruising with Celebrity. When one is paying all inclusive prices one looks for the little things that may make a difference between Celebrity and its competitors and each year this list of competitors gets larger and larger. For a time the evening chocolates were removed , then after much angst were brought back ob the first formal night and after more angst now brought back each night. This may not seem much on its own but when added up to other issues that seem to be disappearing or changing then one becomes to be concerned. I am a 3 star passenger who normally travel in a veranda or oceanview depending upon costs so I pay relative small costs for my cruise say $3000 per person but there are other in suites who pay tens of thousands of dollars for the same cruise and for that the extra "luxuries" are important and so they should be. Celebrity boast of being 5 star but are they really or have they come to the conclusion that perhaps they need to expand their market and drop down a star or two to capture that market. A start in this respect is the removal of "Formal nights" to "Evening Chic". Don't ask me to explain what Evening Chic is because I have no idea. I think it means Jackets are not required in the MDR on those designated nights. Ties have been gone for men for some time. Many others are in favour as well but some aren't. A benefit for some ,detrimental lowering of standards for others. Celebrity employ a lot of people to review these changes and I am sure changes are not made without due consideration. The company's bottom line is at the end of the day the priority. If with these changes the bottom line doesn't improve I am sure we will see more. I don't know what is right and wrong only having done 3 cruises on X but we booked for another two next year and will see haw the changes affect us.

What I do find even more disturbing is getting answers from Celebrity to concerns when not on a ship. Their response to emails and the time the website seems down is appalling. An example of this are the changes to on line checkin. One used to checkin months in advance , now with no warning or fanfare they have limited on line checkin to 90 days out. Why? no explanations have been given

 

Not picking on you specifically, but 90 days out to check in sounds like a big issue to you. I've never cruised on Celebrity and this is my first cruise in probably 30 years since being in the UK as a teenager, but I am sailing in 40 odd days and I have not given the 'check-in' a 2nd thought let alone tried to do it. I do agree the Celebrity website harks from the dark ages though.

 

My own expectations are that we are spending US$200 per night in a suite. Our drinks and meals are included. I spend $300 night in Asia (where I live) for a decent hotel with no meals, let alone freeflow drinks. I expect a decent room, comfortable bed, powerful shower and someone to be on the end of the phone in the event of an issue. In this example, I am expecting a crew who know how to control the ship so it does not sink and we enjoy ourselves basically making no decisions that make us sweat. I have little view on the food, working on the premise we can just keep eating steak if need be and/or get drunk on the free tab. The little bells and whistles are all well and good but it's not what I took into account when making the booking and I doubt many in the age range of 35-45 would worry about that either. If this is called 'modern luxury' so be it, but as far as I am concerned it's incredibly cheap for what you get and even better I no longer have to think about wearing a bow tie and dinner suit.

[hcat]

Hi Host Jazzbeau,

 

You defintely receive far better loyalty benefits on Celebrity than on Princess. Their benefits are decent, but not nearly as good as Celebrity. As for comments about loyalty not being appreciated ? I believe that's a common reaction, especially when changes are being applied. No matter how anyone may feel about being appreciated... I strongly feel Celebrity's loyalty benefits are outstanding, and amongst the best in the industry.

 

I feel this forum is more hectic in recent months, but I also feel it's entirely understandable, with all the changes and general confusion amongst us. Most of us are very passionate about Celebrity, and want them to be highly successful. Let's face it - most folks do not like change - and there's been plenty in recent months. You know it's frantic, when I can't keep up with everything ! :) Is there more to come ? I suspect there is. We have several X bookings through April 2017. I'm taking a wait and see approach, and do not plan to cancel. With that said, nothing is etched in stone. I'm eagerly watching what's being said about the onboard experience, on this forum.

 

Here's something to consider : I've often wondered if Celebrity started a multi year plan under Mr Bayley's leadership, and now Ms Lutoff-Perlo, to make X's loyalty program outstanding as their first step.... then, overhaul the onboard experience - figuring the loyalty program will be their safety net, to insure retaining their most loyal guests. For Elite + & Zenith members, it's like being stuck in a spider web, as there's nowhere else to go ! They will not receive the same level of outstanding benefits on a competing brand - especially as they would be forced to work their way up the loyalty ladder again. The big question is, how much will they put up with, before jumping ship (pardon the pun !). I'm hearing a lot of grumbling from Zeniths and Elite +, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

IMO, an active discussion is a good thing. I hope Celebrity is listening to what our members are saying. If I could be CEO for a day, it would be my sincere wish that Celebrity slow down, take a deep breath, evaluate their recent changes, ask their guests for feedback, and make appropriate changes. I'm confident this would be a win-win for Celebrity, and for their passionate guests.

 

Just my .02 cents.

 

Andy..your 2 cents makes sense...hard to give up E + perks and AQ, etc but with pullback on the perks a little a a time we'll see how it goes.

[TLCOhio]

I'm almost hesitate to post anything about anything because I've found that the snarky comments can be fast and furious. I say let's at least give each other a break and try to be a little more kind in general. It's what the world needs now. And some of the stuff, i.e. dress code, is really, really a personal preference and everyone should be entitled to their own opinions. It's been a couple of days over a year ago that my brother committed suicide at the age of 45 after battling bi-polar depression for many years. It makes me even more aware of what truly worth getting my granny panties in a bunch about. Good thoughts and kind wishes for a peaceful, happy, holiday season.

 

H2OH!: If you look only for problems' date=' [b']you will find problems[/b].

 

dkjretired: Whenever there are changes' date=' there will be disagreements, it has happened many times over the years. If you think things are bad you should have been around when Royal took over Celebrity. [b']Celebrity has recently made a number of changes[/b] with the dress code, suite benefits, Captains Club, even when they changed the smoking policy. Whenever there are changes there will be a lot of people who are ticked off.

 

Lots of good and interesting posts are posted/quoted above by me and on this overall thread. Yes, change and challenging times will make some people a little hyper "sensitive"!! Hope that I do not cause problems for some by mentioning the current Christmas season and this important period for other faiths in the world. My sense from sample a number of these boards is that there a number of these postings that attract attention, division, strong opinions, etc.

 

'Tis the Season, right???

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 128,509 views for this posting.

[Iamcruzin]

I'm a new Celebrity cruiser. I have only sailed once in 2013 and my second sailing is booked for 2016. Personally I followed this board before my first sailing and I couldn't understand all of the hype about Celebrity being a cut above everyone else and how it is a luxury line. I sailed Princess several times and I don't see much difference except that the food on Princess is better in my opinion. Over the past three years I have read all of the threads on whatever was being cut or changed and to be honest none of it would effect my cruising experience. However what concerns me now is that they have already started cutting back on suite perks such as complimentary specialty restaurants. I don't book suites and probably will never be able to afford one in the future but the new suite experience isn't even a year old yet and they are already cutting back. I just think that they are making too many changes too fast and you have to wonder if they even know which end is up at this point.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Iamcruzin

[Bo1953]

.....................................

What I do find even more disturbing is getting answers from Celebrity to concerns when not on a ship. Their response to emails and the time the website seems down is appalling. An example of this are the changes to on line checkin. One used to checkin months in advance , now with no warning or fanfare they have limited on line checkin to 90 days out. Why? no explanations have been given

 

In my experience and my experience only for posting purposes, I have never had a challenge with X responding to my or my TA's inquiries. Yes, there are times when several weeks pass before an email or call is returned, but I do not sail for several months, and find it NOT critical that a 24 hour return in the offing. I trust that I will not have anything that critical which requires such a turn around, directly, but since I use a TA I let them handle most of it anyway.

 

As for check-in, I was able to check-in within three (3) hours after my final payment, which was more than 90 days out. The only 'issue' with our OLCI was I could not put in a credit card number for the on-board account, someone suggested using cash check off and I did and voila, check-in completed and I will present a CC at the pier or if I remember, have my TA call in the number. Either way no sweat or worry for us.

 

Sorry for your challenges, but not happening to me or the friends with whom we will be traveling with, so far, and we email several times a week to confirm that each other is at the same stage as everyone else.

 

bon voyage....

[Dave85]

I read the forums for several cruse lines pretty regularly, and I have felt for some time that the Celebrity board is the most negative. Yes, NCL has gone postal lately but the continuing string of cutbacks and upcharges is very bad there lately so they have much to complain about. As to Celebrity, I think there may be two factors at play. First, Celebrity used to have a clear place in the market that was easy to grasp -- a mass-market line with a little more luxury and class. The recent changes (unless you book a suite) have diminished the luxury touches and the generational shift in desired customer has led to changes (e.g. MiamiDJ) that strike some of us more seasoned folks as less classy. But on the positive side, I wonder if the level of outrage is the product of Celebrity's generous loyalty program? It seems to me that you get a lot more benefits as you rise up the Captain's Club tiers than you would on, say, Princess. I think the Elite+ posters really are loyal to Celebrity, and they aren't seeing that loyalty returned -- that leads to hurt feelings that can't be answered with "it's just business."

 

Excellent post. I think Celebrity is very much a line in transition right now, and as Host Andy astutely described in another post, there's a bit of a "golden handcuffs" situation in play for high level loyalty folks for whom Celebrity may no longer be the best option. I think it's a natural who have for those who have sailed Celebrity for many years to bristle as the line shifts to marketing towards a younger demographic (which, full disclosure, includes me despite the fact that I am "Elite" on Celebrty). While I may disagree with many of these folks on the merits of some of the changes Celebrity is making, I certainly appreciate why they're upset. Other posters have also noted a bit of dissonance right now as passenger demographic changes lag the changes to the on board product, but I think that's probably to be expected.

 

As for the two other boards I read, certainly some negativity but of a different flavor.

 

-NCL has definitely "gone postal" but with very good reason. Most recently, people were promised Margaritaville as an included dining venue when they booked the new Escape only to have NCL suddenly turn it into a pay venue without any compensation. I think that's a fair thing to be upset about. Otherwise, so many material changes (costing more $) in such a short time will always lead to some unhappy campers.

 

-The RCI board is always very paranoid about changes to their (excellent) loyalty program, and there is a lot of fighting about whether change is good or bad -- in their case, change embodied by the Quantum Class / dynamic dining / building larger and larger ships, etc. The big difference though is that RCI isn't looking to change it's position in the market, as Celebrity apparently is.

Edited December 12, 2015 by Dave85

[wallie5446]

We first sailed Celebrity in 1994, the wifester has been telling all her friends and family that our 10 day sailing on the Equinox over Thanksgiving was our best yet.

Not all of us ole folks are negative.:D

[ShawninFL]

I too only really follow the individual cruiseline boards when I have a cruise booked on that specific line. I find negativity exists on them all and tends to rise and fall as changes are made on the different lines. Currently, many of the long time Celebrity cruisers are unhappy with a number to the changes. Maybe for these cruises it's time to more onto another line and I don't say this with any malice. Whereas each of the cruise lines change over time, so do we as individuals. We were/are long time Royal Caribbean enthusiasts; however, we found that as we moved into our 40s that they were no longer the perfect fit for us. They moved in the direction of enormously huge ships with every type of activity to appeal to families. We saw direct changes in service and our ship experience wasn't as good as the ships got bigger. We had sailed Celebrity in our late 20s and found it too old, stuffy, and regimented for us. Then we took a Hawaii cruise in our late 30s/early 40s and really enjoyed the experience. Now both in our 40s, we took another Celebrity cruise and decided Celebrity was now our number 1 choice when vacation searching. I'm not mad are Royal Caribbean (I know parent company owns Celebrity) as I've changed as Royal cut back on the experience I was used to receiving from them. So if you're not completely happy, take this opportunity to check out the competition and see if there is another line out there that meets your current needs and expectations. You never know, you may find something you love even better that your best days on Celebrity!! Although I can rank my cruises as to which ones I like better than others, I've never had a bad cruise. i pay too much money for my precious vacations, I'm going to have a great time regardless. Don't sweat the small stuff and remember, not all change is bad, even if you thinks differently in the beginning.

[Lovincruisin1321]

We are booked on Princess as well as Celebrity and have recently experienced the on line chit chat...sad to say there is unhappiness about cutbacks, new dining venues, new benefit rules, etc...along with happiness too...but most of it is very civil and not snarky for the most part.

 

As for Celebrity, some folks are loving the ships and experience, as we do, but we agree that there has been a decline in the overall product from our perspective...esp as the line grows and must go for a wider appeal.

 

..Sad to say, there is also a tone of intolerance on the boards here towards those who point out disappointments, negatives, etc. ..changing demographics or sign of the times????

 

Anyhow..there is good info exchanged so worth participating...as long as we continue to cruise...I am sure OP will enjoy the Spring cruise...and hopefully report back on the experience as it compares to the previous experience,

 

You are right on point! Overall, it is a sign of the times and our declining economy that has changed our expectations based on past cruises. I am realizing this and still have excitement when our cruise date approaches and just roll with it and have a good time!

[rg24601]

Actually its way worse on NCL boards, as they are going through a constant influx of change.

 

But as was said change never goes over well.

[Militiades]

Our trip was mediocre and out of 7 cruises on 5 different lines Celebrity was our least favorite. Too many weak shows, average food and oh yea, it was also a gay cruise. They were all very nice people but I still would have preferred to know in advance. Pied Piper travel agency does some bookings on Celebrity. If that is a concern you might check their website schedule.