Celebrity losing its way?

[caribill]

If Celebrity want to keep up the pretense of Modern "youthful" Luxury then I suggest the first thing they need to do is get rid of Cruise DVD they flog at the end of the cruise.

 

My wife and I are in our mid to late 40s and enjoyed our last cruise to the Canaries and Azores on the Eclipse (our third on the Eclipse) and for the first time purchased the Cruise DVD whilst on board. Far from being a quality production showing the highlights of the holiday and the ship and its facilities I was shocked at not only how amateurish it was with cheesy music, and very little in the way of promoting "Modern Luxury", but also a disproportionate amount of the DVD shows the passengers boarding the ship. It was about 20 minutes of watching what seemed like an endless stream of very old folk (everyone it seemed with walking sticks or in wheel chairs) making their way through Southampton terminal.

 

It was awful, far from being a DVD that we could show to friends and perhaps persuade them to take a Celebrity Cruise, it seemed like a promo for a floating retirement home. My wife says she never wants to see the DVD again as it is nothing like the holiday she remembers!

 

I think the marketing people would go mad if they saw these DVDs and realise that people are showing these DVDs to their family and friends.

 

The more passengers that are shown in the DVD, the more passengers there are who will purchase it. That is why you see so many scenes of passengers boarding or waving or whatever.

 

Many of those who purchase it may watch it just once and then put it in a drawer to be forgotten.

 

Celebrity does not care how many times the DVD is viewed. They only care about how many are sold.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I bet X will exceed anyone's expectations who never cruise before.

 

We just came back from 10 days on Equinox - had wonderful time, but with every sail, we see negative noticeable changes. We still like the line and till price and itinerary make sense, we will continue to sail with X, but when they become another NCL or even RC - time to move on...

 

 

When you're ready for the change, follow many of those other prior Celebrity cruisers to Oceania.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lois R]

Hi Janine, good to see you:)....interesting thread. I will be on Reflection

early next month and will see what changes I come across. My last cruise

with X was in Nov 2015 so I took a break in 16.

 

Tell Geoff hello from me too.

 

And hello Phil:)

[ladybrockett]

I guess we're the voices from the wilderness with no frame of reference, but after eight years on Royal, we found our cruise on Reflection such a breath of fresh air that it was like cruising for the first time again! Hardly any crowds, anywhere (although the chair hogs did come along to the solarium :() The music seemed much less intrusive, there was no false formality at dinner, Blu was amazing, etc. Hardly any kids, and those that were aboard weren't hanging out on the stairs at midnight.

 

So, for us, (early to mid 50's), we found the current Celebrity product to pretty much be exactly what we were looking for. Which is not to downplay those with much more experience who don't feel that way.

 

I would have to agree the above (similar ages i think) X suits us fine . Wouldn`t want to go on Silver seas or similar as too quiet i would imagine ? on the other hand not keen on children running about so the mega ships would also be a no no.... Off soon on Connie so will see if standards have lowered.

[Duanerice1]

 

Have things changed that drastically in a year?

 

No, not at all. I read so many of these posts and just shake my head. Many are well thought out and have legitimate things to say. Others are just whining.

 

Go and look for the good and you'll have a great cruise. Go and look for the changes or the bad and you'll be on here positing - lol. And yea, I praised our cruise 3 weeks ago and I don't even drink. How can that be?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We just completed a B2B on Silhouette. Overall 2 good cruises with a better vibe the 2nd week. It was just before the Christmas Cruise and seemed to have some younger cruisers and everyone was in a festive mood but never saw anyone who obviously had too much to drink. We were in a suite and enjoyed Luminae and the specialty restaurants. The guest entertainers were very good. Staff was all excellent except for the Mast Grill, where they clearly wanted to be somewhere else the one day we went for a burger.

 

What we did notice was the almost total lack of things to do during the day unless you were interested in trivia, which we are not. Everything else revolved around "activities" to get you to spend money,in the spa, shops, I-lounge, etc. The 2nd week there were no guest lectures at all and only one the 1st week. We're use to taking 14 day cruises so maybe that was the difference.

 

We did have fun though and booked another cruise for next year.

[ABoatNerd]

Celebrity is doing what most modern corporations do in this decade - maximize profits by adjusting/reducing product offering while assuming consumers will continue to patronize their company. A company has to always look to the future to ensure future relevance.

 

As many have posted on this thread and on other previous posts - Celebrity used to be at the top of the mass market cruise segment. There was a firm corporate focus that you could see in their advertising and feel on the ship - their previous messages "simply the best" "exceeding expectations" said it all - and Celebrity delivered it consistently.

 

Not so much now. Celebrity is just different than Princess, HAL. Others have upped their product and Celebrity has reduced it - so the previous experience/product gap is not there.

 

If you are a long time patron of Celebrity (me 2001) you can easily see the downward evolution of Celebrity in terms of service levels, food quality and elimination of the little touches like sorbet by the pool at 3 pm, fancy sandwiches at the Cafe B while waiting for rooms to be ready, the real lemon tarts with dark chocolate slab on top at Cafe B and previously using real cream on the breakfast room service tray.

 

Newish patrons obviously can not make the comparison between the past product and today. Today's Celebrity product may be good enough for them - but not everyone agrees.

 

If a customer is looking for these "touches" of the former Celebrity, fortunately there are other cruise lines to patronize, it appears that Oceania in particular, is benefiting from former Celebrity patrons.

 

Celebrity can choose to be what ever it wants to be - it means that customers can choose to patronize them or not.

 

ABoatNerd

[richsea]

Same with us. Do they still?

 

Do they still exceed expectations? I would say not any more. They have definitely come back to the pack, whereas before, we thought of them as a step above the likes of Princess, Royal Caribbean, & the like. We still like them a lot, but now readily consider other lines, particularly Princess. Would never have thought to in the past.

[Cinerama]

We have sailed mostly Princess, one on RCI and 4/17 will be out first cruise on Celebrity. Each cruise ship and line have their pluses and minuses.

 

RCI Oasis

Bad:

Long lines to get on the ship. Probably expected with 6,000 passengers

We were signed up for traditional dinning but the card said anytime. We finally got it fixed but took a few days.

Good:

We liked the reservations needed for some of the shows. This way we didn’t have to worry about not getting a seat.

Best shows we have ever seen on a cruise ship

Ocean view cabin had a very large window. Almost as good as a balcony as you can see a lot and you are very close to the water line.

Food in MD was as good as anything we have had on a Princess ship.

 

Celebrity (have not been on a Celebrity cruise yet, but we already have things we like, don’t like)

Bad:

Cannot get Traditional Dinning even though we booked 8 months before. Traditional has less seats than anytime is probably the reason.

Small wine selection with Classic Beverage package.

Same price for Ocean View as aft Balcony on Princess.

Good:

Princess does not go to Bermuda for a week.

Beverage package comes with Ocean View cabins

Ocean View cabin that we got has a very large window.

 

Princess:

Bad:

Do not have reservations for shows so, you have to get there early to get a good seat.

Shows are not as good as RCI Oasis, and they are shorter.

Good:

MUTS (Movies under the Stars) large LED screen showing movies, shows and sports. Great to relax by the pool and have something to watch.

Royal class ships have large HD TV’s in each cabin. Large selection of movies and shows to watch.

Royal class ships have the largest buffet we have ever seen.

MD food is very good.

Large wine selection for the beverage package (see below)

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2017 by Cinerama
Add inages

[richsea]

Hi Janine, good to see you:)....interesting thread. I will be on Reflection

early next month and will see what changes I come across. My last cruise

with X was in Nov 2015 so I took a break in 16.

 

Tell Geoff hello from me too.

 

And hello Phil:)

 

Hi Lois! Like you, our last Celebrity cruise was November 2015. We only cruised once in 2016, the Breakaway on an extended family cruise. Our next Celebrity cruise is not until October, almost 2 years since our last X cruise. First time that has happened since 1996.

[npb]

Our last 2 X cruses were very disappointing, but my husband kept reminding me that we had a great shareholder dividend.

[Ce U At Ce]

The decline started with the drink packages...brought a changed demographic. Many did not care about other amenities or nicer aspects of the Celeb experience...just the alcohol and how they could avoid dressing up...

 

I totally agree!

[hcat]

I think most of the entertainers were due to change so you might get a better bunch (unless of course you like an Alanis Morrisette type singer who just made me want to slit my wrists). And hopefully the bar staff got a talking too. There were actually quite a lot of people mentioning the poor attitude of the staff at the bars. I think we were on the first cruise after the ship came from the Med. So that might have had something to do with the odd selection of musical acts. But it doesn't explain the pissed off bar staff.

 

I know this will go against the "theme" of this thread but I would prefer the ships to cater to a younger mix. The first Celebrity cruises I did felt like cruising on a hospital ship. The more recent ones have been better (except for that last one on the Eclipse). But the ships are big enough to accommodate all of us. There are lounges where elevator music can be played for those that are into it. And there is the Quasor club or Sky Lounge for those of us that would rather get our groove on:p (Picture awkward 50 year old dancing to hip hop). But believe it or not I do prefer the old formal format over this new one. And my group even looks pretty sharp on the regular nights:D. I just wish the experience was more consistent. One cruise great food, next cruise bad food etc. It should not be that hard to have decent food on all the cruises. Oh and in the theater, enough with the ventriloquists already, really does anyone like them?

 

We loved Quasar..they had great DJs there, a nice club vibe, very nice bar.,...but they made it a conf center on one ship and have ping pong there on another during the day.. the first Quasar had the swinging seats that children were allowed to swing on for recreation...daycare! They never properly developed or pushed Quasar..too bad because they needed another more intimate club on board

[Ce U At Ce]

There is no special Celebrity Identity anymore. We enjoy our cruises but with lowered expectations... We were fortunate to have cruised quite a bit while they did offer Modern Luxury on X...and most everyone on board shared that special feeling.

 

Gone are the good old days of Celebrity's. I first sailed Celebrity in 1998 on the Galaxy. I have sailed through a lot of changes. Some good and some not do good.. i.e. Evening Chic, which I feel opens the door for anything goes. Celebrity clientele used to be those that valued the Modern Luxury on X. It is disappointing when you sit down for a beautifully prepared and presented dinner and seated across front you is another passenger dressed in what they consider evening chic...t-shirt and jeans.

 

With that being said,I will not let others spoil my vacation!!

[Ce U At Ce]

I think most of the entertainers were due to change so you might get a better bunch (unless of course you like an Alanis Morrisette type singer who just made me want to slit my wrists). And hopefully the bar staff got a talking too. There were actually quite a lot of people mentioning the poor attitude of the staff at the bars. I think we were on the first cruise after the ship came from the Med. So that might have had something to do with the odd selection of musical acts. But it doesn't explain the pissed off bar staff.

 

I know this will go against the "theme" of this thread but I would prefer the ships to cater to a younger mix. The first Celebrity cruises I did felt like cruising on a hospital ship. The more recent ones have been better (except for that last one on the Eclipse). But the ships are big enough to accommodate all of us. There are lounges where elevator music can be played for those that are into it. And there is the Quasor club or Sky Lounge for those of us that would rather get our groove on:p (Picture awkward 50 year old dancing to hip hop). But believe it or not I do prefer the old formal format over this new one. And my group even looks pretty sharp on the regular nights:D. I just wish the experience was more consistent. One cruise great food, next cruise bad food etc. It should not be that hard to have decent food on all the cruises. Oh and in the theater, enough with the ventriloquists already, really does anyone like them?

 

Hi TFGL

 

I just saw that you are from Riverside , Ca...so am I and I also see that you will be sailing the Equinox in June. I'll be on board for the June 4th sailing. If that's you're sailing, let's meet up for a drink and toast the I.E....

[dread_pirate]

What we did notice was the almost total lack of things to do during the day unless you were interested in trivia, which we are not. Everything else revolved around "activities" to get you to spend money,in the spa, shops, I-lounge, etc. The 2nd week there were no guest lectures at all and only one the 1st week.

 

That's exactly what we found on our 7 day Reflection (even though I enjoy trivia - there were only a few and they were reduced to 15 questions, not even the previous 20). Everything else was geared towards shopping. It was disappointing.

[Baron Barracuda]

First sailed on Zenith in '93. Sadly there no longer are white-gloved waiters waiting to carry dw's tray at the buffet. And yes, evening chic and the lack of daytime activities other than sales and trivia is a bummer.

 

But then I take a cruise on Royal and I'm reminded what overcrowding and mediocre food (especially at the buffet) really are. This keeps me coming back to X.

[north29]

X for it ships and size are a mass market cruise line, with a twist to better service. As a long time RC cruiser (D+) my comparison of RC's larger ships and X's ships like the Equinox and Eclipse the big difference is entertainment and service which to me is X's focus. The target cruisers market is anyones guess.

The ships have to sail full, LOTS of competition to deal with. The demographics of the cruiser and the mentally of of what cruisers of all ages expect is wide and varied, like me I find most of the activities boring and I'm 76 years old and would love to hear a little more rock music on the ship and yes, I'm not alone. As a CEO you have to do what is necessary in the cruise market to make money. I will agree, lots of "cut backs" in staff/food etc, maybe important to some for not having a bartender or server catering to your immediate needs is important, but they might think about paying a lot more money to a upscale cruise.

[kitty9]

If you've been cruising Celebrity for a few years, say from 2012 or or later, you have no idea the changes that have ruined the Celebrity product that we long time cruisers have seen. We've cruised Celebrity since 2001 and have more than 35 cruises, and we saw so many negative changes that we moved over to Oceania and have never looked back.

 

And to those who say we're whining, please, give me a break. When we long time cruisers say that things have changed for the worse over the years, it's not whining, it's stating fact. Things that used to be part of the Celebrity experience are gone, things that used to be included in the base fare are now extra cost and all the while they keep raising prices.

 

I'd like to pound a fact into the brains of those running Celebrity. A few years ago, HAL tried to shed it's image of being a cruise line for retirees by building Zuiderdam and marketing it to families. Well, that didn't work because when you have a certain image for so long, saying you're something else doesn't make it so. Celebrity needs to realize that their product is what it is and what it has been, a line for those over 50 who want an upscale experience that you couldn't find anywhere else on a mass market line. And don't forget, the 20 and 30-somethings who cruise the likes of Carnival and Royal Caribbean, will one day be the 50-somethings and will be looking for a more upscale experience. But now, they no longer provide the experience that we long time cruisers knew and loved. Celebrity has become more Royal Caribbean, because that's what Lisa Lutoff-Perlo knows and it's obviously something SHE loves, but we "oldsters" don't love at all.

[C 2 C]

We have seen many changes since we first cruised on Horizon back in 93. At that time we sailed more frequently on HAL, Princess and Royal.

 

We sailed on Princess last in 2003, HAL in 2008 and Royal in 2013 just to sail with the grand kids.

 

From time to time we toyed with changing brands because Celebrity was downgrading a lot of their luxury touches.

 

I spent a lot of time trolling the other boards and found that cruisers on other lines were also complaining of similar issues.

 

We have changed/lowered our expectations and now find that we are quite happy doing nothing on board except the things we love to do at home.

We sail when prices drop, settle for insides when prices in OV are double because of an non-optional perk or triple in balconies. The extra price of CC or AQ would be re-invested in another cruise.

 

We spend our early mornings in the Cafe, play trivia even for only 15 questions, have some fruit in Michael's or the Oceanview Cafe once the rush is over, play games on our computers or read a book, have lunch, read or play some more, have a pre dinner drink and eat some more.

 

The ship is our destination. You will find that the avid cruiser or cruise addict continues to cruise for months of the year.

 

Look at the Tuesday specials. Lately there has been only 1 page and more Celebrity ships are sailing full than ever before. Obviously a lot of people are willing to cruise on Celebrity no matter how many changes there have been. (or they have not experienced the golden years when we felt like royalty on board.)

 

We sailed on Summit for four weeks in November and we were very happy with the experience.

 

Celebrity has changed its direction, perhaps has not found its true destination, but the voyage is still better than what we hear about the competition... and we do look for better alternatives but have found none at the price we are willing to pay.

 

May your search for an improved cruising experience be fruitful in 2017.

[lysolqn]

Enjoyed a relaxing, post-Thanksgiving 14-night cruise on Eclipse, our 39th sailing with Celebrity in a span of about eighteen years. X has been and remains our favorite cruise line but over a period of almost two decades we've seen the X product evolve from being what we once considered premium to what we now consider being one of the better, if not the best mainstream cruise line products out there. Being the best of the mainstream lines is no small accomplishment but it's still a step, if even a small step, down from being what we would consider premium. No doubt many of the changes we've seen are as much the result of corporate necessity as they are of plain old poor corporate choice. For every take, there's pretty much been a give and while some of the things we used to like are no more, other things have added to the overall experience. IMHO, X still sails some of the most beautiful ships in the industry and service is, for the most part, still top notch. Dining has probably taken the biggest hit over the years and everything, including dining, has become a profit-center. Now, not only do you have to book a specialty restaurant for a "special' dining experience (isn't that what cruising used to be all about?), but Tuscan Grill now offers a $!2 and $14 uncharge for premium steaks to make your "special" dining experience just a bit more "special"! Sorry, that's pushing it! Notwithstanding, X still delivers a great product, albeit a bit different than it used to be. Just MHO.

Edited January 4, 2017 by lysolqn

[Lois R]

Hi Lois! Like you, our last Celebrity cruise was November 2015. We only cruised once in 2016, the Breakaway on an extended family cruise. Our next Celebrity cruise is not until October, almost 2 years since our last X cruise. First time that has happened since 1996.

 

Hi Rich:) my sister just returned from sailing Reflection and they said

the food in the dining was pretty good. But she also said every time

she turned around they were PUSHING the drink packages. And pushing

it again., etc....she told them no thanks but it seems "the push is on".

 

I am sure I will have a good time but not sure what I am doing later in

the year.

[richard1s]

My wife and I have been on about 25 cruises over the past 15 years; our first Celebrity experience was about 7 years ago and we have been on 6 cruises with them since then.

 

I honestly believe that the service and quality, particularly food quality, has improved quite a bit since our first cruise with Celebrity. We were just on the Reflection in December and it was probably our best cruise ever; we are big fans of the brand and are expectations are always met or exceeded. The only sour note was our first cruise with them on Summit, but since then they have totally redeemed themselves.

 

There are occasional miss-fires with entertainment and bar service, but we could not be more pleased with the overall Celebrity product.

[TFLG]

Hi TFGL

 

I just saw that you are from Riverside , Ca...so am I and I also see that you will be sailing the Equinox in June. I'll be on board for the June 4th sailing. If that's you're sailing, let's meet up for a drink and toast the I.E....

 

Yes, we are on the June 4th sailing, it is to celebrate my wife's 50th on June 5th. We can certainly hook up for a cocktail:D

[Ce U At Ce]

Great! I'll reach out to you once we get closer to our sail date?

Edited January 5, 2017 by Ce U At Ce