No Celebrity, You Have Not Lost Your Way...

[irishayes]

I hope you didn't misunderstand my post.

I totally agree with you and posted the times to show that there have been cutbacks contrary to those who insist everything is the same.

No, I wasn't speaking to you specifically, but to everyone who is telling me that I'm not being truthful and that there is food available. Huge difference in the amount of food available in 2011 vs last week.

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

[irishayes]

Perhaps the solution to this is that instead of putting a ton of food out in the Ocean View cafe which may or may not get eaten, there could be a counter where you order something that you want, say like chips and guacamole or cheese and crackers or something like that. That way food is only made to order and is not going to waste

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

[irishayes]

Also, we could see that there was food in the buffet, like cheese and crackers, salad and fixings, fruit, etc. But they had pulled the shades down over the food so that you couldn't access it. When we asked someone whether we could have some of the food, they told us it would be available after 5:30

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

[CruisinNewb]

Nor is someone who happens to disagree with you a lemming blindly following (as you called them). They are someone who just happens to disagree and obviously enjoys Celebrity and doesn't feel that they lost their way, based on their expectations and previous experiences.

 

I just got off the Reflection on Saturday and was my cruise 100% perfect, no, but was the overall cruise just as good as my previous cruises, yes. I thought the food in the MDR was just as good as my last cruises, I thought the service was amazing and I had an awesome time.

 

Agree agree. We were on the same cruise and in my opinion many things improved in the past 5 years.

 

I agree that they have no lost their way. It is still a great product for a reasonable price. Nothing is 100%,

 

Differing opinions is one thing. Calling someone a name or insulting them (i.e. lemmings following blindly) is just uncalled for.

Edited January 18, 2017 by CruisinNewb

[Bo1953]

Here is from the Reflection on Janury 11, 2017 (port day/St. Kitts). Certainly doesn't look like there are any cutbacks and some kind of food was available from 11:00am to 1:00am. After 4:00pm, there was pasta, pizza, salad bar, tea & snacks, treats at Cafe al Bacio and, of course, burgers and hot dogs at the Mast Grill.

 

Oceanview Cafe

 

Buffet

Lunch - 12 noon - 2:00pm

Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt - 12 noon - 10:00pm

Pasta/Pizza/Salad Bar - 12 noon - 1:00am

Afternoon tea & snacks - 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Dinner buffet - 6:00pm - 9:30pm

Late Night dining - 10:00pm - 1:00am

 

Other venues

Cafe al Bacio - 11:00am - 11:00pm

Mast Grill - 11:30 - 6:00pm

Sushi on Five - 3:00pm - 11:00pm

 

It is quite possible that these items were not what they wanted upon return OR they were in the midst of change over? Do not know for sure what was going on in OVC that day, if nothing was available to eat.

 

Then I would have gone the room service route, possibly. Nahhh, I would have gotten someone out of the kitchen to get something for me immediately. ;-)

 

bon voyage

Edited January 18, 2017 by Bo1953

[Fish Lover]

Our first cruise was on the RCL Voyager of the Seas in 2001. We stood in a long line at the Miami terminal to check-in. Our balcony cabin was a very tight fit. Diner was fixed seating and required mandatory formal dress on specified evenings. By the end of the week, the beverage tab was considerable. Disembarkation was long and tedious and involved a lot of sitting around in public rooms waiting. However we were hooked on cruising and since then, we have gone on 25 cruises with 6 different cruise lines.

 

Fast forward 15 years to our December sailing on Celebrity’s beautiful Reflection. Adjusted for inflation, we now stay in a Celebrity (S-1) suite for about the same price as that little Voyager balcony cabin. Packing is easier now since the tux, accessories and gowns are no longer necessary thanks to relaxed dress standards.

 

These days, the Miami boarding process is about 10 minutes. The suite cabin is about 80% larger than our little Voyager balcony room; the bathroom is roomy and filled with great toiletries. The cabin has terrific bedding, towels and many wonderful extra amenities. We have a butler, who delivers an excellent, hot breakfast and sets it up on our balcony table every day to enjoy. We are offered wonderful and varied dining options and receive great service from people who actually remember us and certainly appear to value our patronage.

 

The included premium beverage package allows us to get pretty much any type of drink we want with the swipe of a card. At the end of the cruise, the gratuities have been taken care of and if we want to give someone extra, it’s our choice. Finally, disembarkation is an absolute breeze; off the ship at 7:15 AM and thru security at the Miami airport by 7:45 AM, in time to take an 11:00 AM flight home.

 

And to ensure that we have a great experience on our cruise, Celebrity provides an extraordinarily generous on board credit, to use as we please.

 

I read an awful lot of complaints on this board about Celebrity Cruise Line, about their CEO, their policies, their “losing their way”, their beverage package wine tasting “like swill”, their poor quality food, their 15 question trivia, their Lido not serving food at 5:30 PM, their corporate greed, their rude, overworked staff, their lousy entertainment and on and on. It is not my intention to minimize any of these complaints; everyone’s opinion is valid.

 

But for me, I find it amazing that Celebrity can offer the quality product they do at such a competitive price. Particularly in comparison to that first cruise we took back in 2001. In my opinion, Celebrity has significantly advanced the value of their product over the years. For us, each cruise seems better than the last one, with noticeable upgrades to the entire experience.

 

And most notable, since our first cruise in 2001, parent company RCL stock has increased over 800%; factor in the dividends and it is a great return on investment for stockholders. Both customers and investors benefit.

 

With Celebrity, I feel that I am an appreciated customer and I honestly could not be more pleased to give them my repeated business.

 

I read this the other evening and decided to noodle on it before choosing whether to reply. I assume that you have taken other Celebrity cruises, even though you only compare the first on RC and the most recent on Celebrity. The two lines are quite different. They have a different market, philosophy, and process for doing things. However, for the sake of argument, comparing a cruise on Celebrity 15 years ago and one today, I agree that there have been some very positive improvements. Paying gratuities up front, purchasing appropriate beverage plans, simplified boarding/disembarking, etc...all the things you mentioned. These things either were not possible 15 years ago or would not have been accepted by consumers. The time became "ripe" thru technology and changes in consumerism. That said, most of these measures came along with a corporate benefit as well. People are less likely to stiff the staff on tips (easing a complaint from that direction) and since there is no quota to be made on drinks, the bar tending staff is noticeably fewer in number. With the advent of specialty restaurants, there is no longer a need to provide the same level of food preparation as years ago. With the advent of anytime dining, it becomes nearly impossible for the wait staff to get everyone hot freshly prepared meals. Celebrity still provides a superior product, it just isn't the same as years ago. Nor is anyone else's cruise line either. Recently, Celebrity senior management has made several decisions regarding the allocation of staff and the redefinition of their duties. These are things that do have an impact on passengers, although for most not a deal breaker.

 

Also, I wanted to mention that the cruise industry has grown enormously since 2001. The ships are bigger, the itineraries are longer, there are more ports...so, it isn't really possible to accurately compare now to then. There are economies of scale which didn't exist before.

 

I have no real complaints (just nit picky stuff), but it is in fact very different now than it was then and not always in the best way. Wether it is still a great value is up to the individual.

[irishayes]

It is quite possible that these items were not what they wanted upon return OR they were in the midst of change over? Do not know for sure what was going on in OVC that day, if nothing was available to eat.

 

Then I would have gone the room service route, possibly. Nahhh, I would have gotten someone out of the kitchen to get something for me immediately. ;-)

 

bon voyage

It wasn't "that day," It was every day. I'm thinking maybe I need to call Celebrity and chat about this.

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

[Bo1953]

It wasn't "that day," It was every day. I'm thinking maybe I need to call Celebrity and chat about this.

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

 

i - that would be an issue, for sure. My best input is, on your next sailing, address it to the F & B manager on board right at the time it is happening.

 

A sure way to get the issue addressed immediately and not lost or forgotten along the way.

 

bon voyage

[xmarksx]

But as long as the lemmings keep blindly following, it's only go to keep going down hill.

 

Just making sure you count yourself as one of those visually impaired lemmings, right? You cruised Silhouette this summer and prior to that cruise you posted critical commentary about Celebrity.

 

I do enjoy reading your posts especially the ones where you say that you are not going away. Don't understand why you say that, no one has ever asked you to do so.

[wallie5446]

Looked thru the dailies, yes there are times when certain item are not available.

But never a time when nothing is.

[Fish Lover]

PLEASE do not quote the dailies. What they say and what is done are often not in synch. I have experienced this same situation. I was astounded that the only place with real food was room service. I do not consider cake from the cafe as real food.

[irishayes]

PLEASE do not quote the dailies. What they say and what is done are often not in synch. I have experienced this same situation. I was astounded that the only place with real food was room service. I do not consider cake from the cafe as real food.

Exactly. Frustrating when people keep posting the dailies as proof that there was food available. I am telling you there was not food available in the Ocean View cafe.

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

[Tatka]

Celebrity Century was our very first ship and I fell in love with this line right away.

 

I still love it a lot and believe it is a #1b cruise line for us. (#1a us Princess)

 

But on our last cruise on Silhouette we noticed a few things that are completely different from what we always get from Celebrity.

 

1) Our assistant server was not only not friendly and not professional, but his face always had an expression as if he hated his job. And he made tons of mistakes. He wasn't young to suspect that he was just learning.

All of this made us very uncomfortable.

Celebrity was our absolutely #1 in service department before.

 

2) We got much better service in buffet on our consecutive cruise on Princess and previous two on RCCL ships it was muuuuch faster and nicer.

Also we were surprised that even during a breakfast we could not get tomato juice. Only if we paid. It is always available for free on any other lines. Strange.

 

3) Absolutely not enough storage drawers... You cannot expect people to hang all their clothes.

[NLH Arizona]

PLEASE do not quote the dailies. What they say and what is done are often not in synch. I have experienced this same situation. I was astounded that the only place with real food was room service. I do not consider cake from the cafe as real food.

I must be lucky, as I've never had the dailies not synch up with what is happening on the ship. On my last cruise January on the Reflection, when I got back from the ports (3), there was always something in the buffet to snack on. Possibly it differs from cruise to cruise, but I've never been on a Celebrity cruise where there wasn't anything to eat.

[irishayes]

Looked thru the dailies, yes there are times when certain item are not available.

But never a time when nothing is.

I did not bring my dailies home with me, but I could swear when I looked at them it only showed the pizza available from the 3:30-5:30 time frame. I know for sure it did not say salad bar or afternoon snacks. There was nothing listed for that tune period on the Summit. Most of the days there wasn't any pizza available at that time, either.

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

[chamima]

I did not bring my dailies home with me, but I could swear when I looked at them it only showed the pizza available from the 3:30-5:30 time frame. I know for sure it did not say salad bar or afternoon snacks. There was nothing listed for that tune period on the Summit. Most of the days there wasn't any pizza available at that time, either.

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

 

 

 

You could ask on your Roll Call if anyone brought the Dailies home.

There has to be one OCD member who did that.

 

 

I'm not doubting that there was no food for those hours in the afternoon but I would bet the Dailies reflected that.

I just hope your cruise was a one-off and that's not a new Celebrity policy because we also look for a light something after a port day and really don't want to sit in the cabin waiting for room service .

 

They seem to experiment with a lot of things on the Summit.

Edited January 19, 2017 by chamima

[LiveToCruise99]

I was intrigued by the OP's story and thought about our own. Our first cruise was in February 1984 and was on the Carnival Mardi Gras. We had an inside 2 bunk cabin. The washroom was so small you pulled the curtain across so you didn't get the toilet wet when you showered. Your sign and sail card was hand written with a number on it. You were given real keys to the door. The food and service were great and we were hooked. As the week progressed, the room grew and we spent so little time in it, it really didn't matter we had so much fun. If I recall correctly that cruise was about $1000 pp.

 

Fast forward to today and the price is no more (possibly less) for that size of cabin. The ships are larger, newer, there is more to offer and the food is just as good, sometimes better. We have been so fortunate to be able to travel as we have and we lean more to a balcony than inside. We love Celebrity but still hold fondness for that first "fun ship" cruise. We've cruised with some small lines and some larger ones - My Cruises, Holland America, Princess, Costa and Carnival.

 

I agree with the OP on price. I think what has changed is that many of us have cruised a lot. We have all found "deals" that make it hard to pay more the next time. We have lots of experiences to compare to. And we have become spoiled. Our expectations are higher. Most people cruising in a suite today probably didn't book a suite on their first cruise way back when. We all want more.

 

As one of our fellow cruisers said, "I've never been on a bad cruise; it's just some are better than others"

[Clownfish Cruiser]

Thanks for posting. We are considering Celebrity for the first time and I'm gathering information!

[richard1s]

I want to say thank you to those who expressed appreciation for my original post.

 

As you can see from my Cruise Critic join date, I have been a member here for a pretty long time. Over the years, I have learned a lot from many kind members wanting to share their experiences and pass along constructive suggestions; I am certain many feel as I do.

 

However, as beneficial as this site is, there remains a small legion of individuals with way too much time on their hands and who are far too obsessed with negativity.

 

It irks me to see people on these boards tear down a brand, any brand not just Celebrity, because some poor over worked individual wasn’t as friendly as they thought they should have been during an encounter. Or complain because their balcony didn’t have an ottoman, or whine because their soup was served lukewarm or they didn’t like the music. Or carp because of some slight offence or incident that reasonable people would dismiss when fairly evaluating their cumulative vacation experience in its’ totality. Be reasonable!

 

Again, thanks for some of the kind comments and the opportunity to vent my thoughts.

[galensgrl]

I want to say thank you to those who expressed appreciation for my original post.

 

As you can see from my Cruise Critic join date, I have been a member here for a pretty long time. Over the years, I have learned a lot from many kind members wanting to share their experiences and pass along constructive suggestions; I am certain many feel as I do.

 

However, as beneficial as this site is, there remains a small legion of individuals with way too much time on their hands and who are far too obsessed with negativity.

 

It irks me to see people on these boards tear down a brand, any brand not just Celebrity, because some poor over worked individual wasn’t as friendly as they thought they should have been during an encounter. Or complain because their balcony didn’t have an ottoman, or whine because their soup was served lukewarm or they didn’t like the music. Or carp because of some slight offence or incident that reasonable people would dismiss when fairly evaluating their cumulative vacation experience in its’ totality. Be reasonable!

 

Again, thanks for some of the kind comments and the opportunity to vent my thoughts.

 

Richard I want to thank you for the positive post. Booking with a new line can be nerve wracking, not knowing what you've signed up and paid for until you step onboard that "new" ship. We will have our first cruise with X in May, and if I was a first time cruiser I would be wondering if we made a mistake booking with X after reading so many posts about how X seems to be failing their loyal customers. But - having cruised with other lines and being familiar with Cruise Critic, posts about cutbacks are most everywhere, and have been since we started with NCL in 2009. It seems a line like X gets bought out by a mass market cruise line, and then come the changes /cuts to make the brand more profitable. This is not to say people are making things up, no, I would never assume to question anyone's experience (unless it involves dust on the carpet 4 in thick ;)) Call me complacent, call me a wanna be cheerleader, but after investing good money on an upcoming trip, I want to say "Tell me what's good about this cruise line I have put money into, sight unseen." The phrase "Other than that, how was your trip?" makes me chuckle. Thank you again for letting us know what we have to look forward to in May. Unless we find out we have been booted for a charter or other unfortunate news such as that, we are PSYCHED! DH actually used the words "nervous but excited to try something new."

[El Crucero]

1) Our assistant server was not only not friendly and not professional, but his face always had an expression as if he hated his job. And he made tons of mistakes. He wasn't young to suspect that he was just learning.

All of this made us very uncomfortable.

Celebrity was our absolutely #1 in service department before.

 

You are going to let your encounter with one person on one cruise, who was evidently having some personal problems, color your whole thinking that Celebrity is slipping in service? You could have asked to be moved to a different table.

 

2) We got much better service in buffet on our consecutive cruise on Princess and previous two on RCCL ships it was muuuuch faster and nicer.

Also we were surprised that even during a breakfast we could not get tomato juice. Only if we paid. It is always available for free on any other lines. Strange.

 

On our Star Princess cruise, we found the service to be the same as on our several Celebrity cruises, no better no worse. On that Star cruise, the only available complimentary beverages in the buffet were water, orange juice, tea, and coffee. And in addition the selection in the buffet on Celebrity was 10 times better than the Star Princess. Not bashing Princess because we will cruise then again in about 2 months, but this is just our experience with them.

 

3) Absolutely not enough storage drawers... You cannot expect people to hang all their clothes.

 

I guess that is a function of how many clothes you bring. We have never had a problem on any cruise ship.

Edited January 19, 2017 by El Crucero

[Ma Bell]

The main point I was trying to make was the comparison of our first cruise experience to our last, on the Reflection in December. Also, I wanted to point out our total satisfaction with the product we are purchasing.

 

However, I suspect that you are probably correct and there is a shift in the target market. I simply don't know but if that is the case, customers respond and we'll see what happens. Fortunately there are many choices out there.

 

But the things we still enjoy the most - the professional and courteous staff, the great food at the Aqua Spa Café and other dining options, the cleanliness of the ship and our cabin, the value of the experience, the quality of the entertainment etc. are there for the enjoyment of all passengers.

 

Just for fun take a look at the latest suite prices.

[richard1s]

Just for fun take a look at the latest suite prices.

I don't have to, on Monday I booked a December sailing in a Sky suite on the Equinox. With the combined incentives, I am actually paying less than I did for the Reflection this past December. And by the way, the CSR I spoke to was polite, professional and couldn't have been more helpful.

 

However I am not certain what your point is?

[Jim_Iain]

And perhaps it's different on different ships? All I know is that when we went looking for food in the Ocean View cafe when we returned from Port, there was none. You may not agree with me, but I think this is unreasonable.

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

 

I would agree that it would be unacceptable to find NO FOOD in the Ocean View Café.

 

The only time that I have found that there was limited food available was in the 2:30-3:30 PM timeframe on an S-Class when they were shifting from lunch to dinner. During this time there was normally 1 or 2 stations that were still open. I could see this potentially also happening on an M-Class but haven't traveled on an M-Class in a couple years.

 

One other option would be to order room service if this were to happen again.

[Tatka]

You are going to let your encounter with one person on one cruise, who was evidently having some personal problems, color your whole thinking that Celebrity is slipping in service? You could have asked to be moved to a different table.

 

 

 

On our Star Princess cruise, we found the service to be the same as on our several Celebrity cruises, no better no worse. On that Star cruise, the only available complimentary beverages in the buffet were water, orange juice, tea, and coffee. And in addition the selection in the buffet on Celebrity was 10 times better than the Star Princess. Not bashing Princess because we will cruise then again in about 2 months, but this is just our experience with them.

 

 

 

I guess that is a function of how many clothes you bring. We have never had a problem on any cruise ship.

 

 

 

1) It didn't ruin our cruise, we loved overall experience, but it was not up to Celebrity's standards. We did not want to complain or change tables as we had a perfect table by the window.

 

2) Tomato juice was a small problem, but strange. On all lines we had no problem ordering it at breakfast. If we had this problem on Princess I would report, but I was talking about Celebrity. I did not expect this. On Royal Caribbean waiter in buffet even remembered that we liked tomato juice and asked if we wanted it today. Celebrity usually has a better service than RCCL. It is known for its service.

 

3) I don't bring too much stuff on cruises. It is a regular sized luggage bag. However I don't want to hung every T-shirt .... This was our cruise #30 , with some cruises even on older NCL ships with very little space, but I had problem with drawers for the first time. So no problem is not my packing.

 

You don't have to advocate Celebrity, I love it. But those were clear changes from our previous experiences with this line.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Tatka