Is Celebrity loosing it's luster? I hope not.

[Ken the cruiser]

We've only been on 2 Celebrity cruises in the past 3 years, once on the Xpedition in the Galapagos and once on the Solstice in Alaska and both times we had a blast. We're getting ready to go on a 25 day B2B on the Eclipse to the Canary Islands and then a TA back to Miami and there too we're planning on having a great time as we do on all of our cruises.

 

However, we keep hearing Celebrity cruises aren't as fun as they used to be much like we hear about HAL cruises. However, since we've been on a lot more HAL cruises, we can somewhat understand why long term HAL cruisers are saying that, but we're curious if there is any truth to what we're generally hearing about Celebrity cruises? Of course no one ever gives specifics, only general feelings of displeasure.

[NLH Arizona]

I've cruised on Celebrity for many, many years and it has not lost it's luster for me. Others, feel differently. Opinions differ due to anticipated experiences, likes, dislikes, the want for it to never change, the want for things to change, etc. There have been changes, but none have affected my cruising experience nor my perceived value.

[Cruise Raider]

We've only been on 2 Celebrity cruises in the past 3 years, once on the Xpedition in the Galapagos and once on the Solstice in Alaska and both times we had a blast. We're getting ready to go on a 25 day B2B on the Eclipse to the Canary Islands and then a TA back to Miami and there too we're planning on having a great time as we do on all of our cruises.

 

However, we keep hearing Celebrity cruises aren't as fun as they used to be much like we hear about HAL cruises. However, since we've been on a lot more HAL cruises, we can somewhat understand why long term HAL cruisers are saying that, but we're curious if there is any truth to what we're generally hearing about Celebrity cruises? Of course no one ever gives specifics, only general feelings of displeasure.

 

I love Celebrity cruises ....never had a disappointing experience. While I cannot speak to the 'feeling of displeasure' of others, I can tell you that we enjoy our Celebrity cruises a great deal. I would suggest if you have specific concerns, please feel free to ask specific questions here.

[jelayne]

People don't like change and they don't like prices going up; add to that this site is named Cruise "Critic".(on a cruise about 8 yrs ago at a Cruise Critic function a guy came in sat next to us as general intro's were occurring & he turned to us and said isn't this a meeting to complain!).

 

We have cruised 3-4 times a year for 12 years and things have changed but we have done 3 Celebrity cruises this year and had a great time on all of them.

 

Given an ideal world X would not have moved Baileys from the Clasdic beverage package to the Premium, not increased the gratuties by .45 pp per day, or reduced the CD staff, etc but after all is said and done we still have a great time on beautiful ships with wonderful crew.

[Ken the cruiser]

I love Celebrity cruises ....never had a disappointing experience. While I cannot speak to the 'feeling of displeasure' of others, I can tell you that we enjoy our Celebrity cruises a great deal. I would suggest if you have specific concerns, please feel free to ask specific questions here.

 

Here are a couple questions that come to mind.

 

1. Do they have the glass blowing demonstration on the Eclipse? We saw that 3 years ago on the Solstice, so hopefully the rumor it's still on various ships is false and they have replaced it with something else.

 

2. Do they have game shows other than trivia that the audience can participate in during the evening after dinner?

 

3. Do they have beginner bridge and Mah Jong classes?

 

4. Do they have lectures given by professionals on 10+ day cruises or TAs other than port specialists?

 

5. How is the food up on the Lido deck during the evening? Do they serve the same dishes as served in the MDR?

 

6. Do they offer computer classes other than teaching the basics over and over?

 

7. Is the whole port side of the promenade deck still designated as a smoking area? Kind of messes up a good walk around the promenade like we enjoy doing every day.

 

8. How are the evening shows in the main theater? Are they still awesome or are they just ok most of the time?

 

9. Do people still save large blocks of seats in the main theater or has Celebrity finally stopped that?

 

10. Does it really cost $50 a bag for laundry and I hear that's the special price and how often do they offer it? How much is a bag of laundry when there isn't a special going on?

 

Those are a few that come to mind that I've been hearing about or remember from our Solstice cruise.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here are a couple questions that come to mind.

 

1. Do they have the glass blowing demonstration on the Eclipse? We saw that 3 years ago on the Solstice, so hopefully the rumor it's still on various ships is false and they have replaced it with something else.

 

2. Do they have game shows other than trivia that the audience can participate in during the evening after dinner?

 

3. Do they have beginner bridge and Mah Jong classes?

 

4. Do they have lectures given by professionals on 10+ day cruises or TAs other than port specialists?

 

5. How is the food up on the Lido deck during the evening? Do they serve the same dishes as served in the MDR?

 

6. Do they offer computer classes other than teaching the basics over and over?

 

7. Is the whole port side of the promenade deck still designated as a smoking area? Kind of messes up a good walk around the promenade like we enjoy doing every day.

 

8. How are the evening shows in the main theater? Are they still awesome or are they just ok most of the time?

 

9. Do people still save large blocks of seats in the main theater or has Celebrity finally stopped that?

 

10. Does it really cost $50 a bag for laundry and I hear that's the special price and how often do they offer it? How much is a bag of laundry when there isn't a special going on?

 

Those are a few that come to mind that I've been hearing about or remember from our Solstice cruise.

 

Wait -- you're the OP. If you hated all these things on your Solstice cruise, what "luster" is there to loose [or even lose]?

 

A few answers to your questions:

 

(1) I believe (and hope) they still have the Corning Hot Glass Show on three S-class ships -- it was a highlight of our Eclipse cruise and is a very unique thing for Celebrity. The newer S-class ships replaced it with another restaurant -- big deal.

 

(2) Game shows other than trivia -- like the "about-to-be-divorced" game or "hairy legs" contests? Wrong cruise line, sorry.

 

(5) We never eat at the buffet in the evening, but at lunch it has a very adventuresome menu including excellent Indian dishes.

 

(7) We have never noticed smoking on Celebrity ships -- they have always had the most restrictive policy of any cruise line. Also Celebrity ships don't have Promenade decks in the traditional sense [the "Promenade" deck on Solstice has no outside areas] Are you confused with HAL?

[Ken the cruiser]

Wait -- you're the OP. If you hated all these things on your Solstice cruise, what "luster" is there to loose [or even lose]?

 

A few answers to your questions:

 

(1) I believe (and hope) they still have the Corning Hot Glass Show on three S-class ships -- it was a highlight of our Eclipse cruise and is a very unique thing for Celebrity. The newer S-class ships replaced it with another restaurant -- big deal.

 

(2) Game shows other than trivia -- like the "about-to-be-divorced" game or "hairy legs" contests? Wrong cruise line, sorry.

 

(5) We never eat at the buffet in the evening, but at lunch it has a very adventuresome menu including excellent Indian dishes.

 

(7) We have never noticed smoking on Celebrity ships -- they have always had the most restrictive policy of any cruise line. Also Celebrity ships don't have Promenade decks in the traditional sense [the "Promenade" deck on Solstice has no outside areas] Are you confused with HAL?

 

Thanks for clearing some of those issues up. Glad to hear Celebrity has a strict non-smoking policy.

[grandgeezer]

We feel cruising in general has lost it's luster and appeal. There is nothing that is better now than it was several years ago. Between cutbacks and charging more for less it is nothing special. We don't need the specialty restaurants and the drink packages has turned it into a frat party. The noise in the main dining is so loud you sometimes have a hard time hearing your table mates talking. We attribute it to everybody getting their money's worth from the drink package. Service in the main dining room has suffered and the consistency of the quality of the food is up and down. Lastly the production shows, at least on the Silhouette, are a waste of time since they started producing their own shows. We went from 40-60 days a year, for five years to 36 days in 2016 and nothing planned for 2017 and later. This year was the first time in six years that we didn't do a transatlantic B2B or Caribbean B2B. Our last cruise was a Caribbean B2B this past December. It's not just the pricing, if you don't enjoy it, free is too much. I know we are in the minority but we know what we want and aren't going to settle for less. If you lower your standards, you'll never be disappointed.

Find out for yourself as everybody has different needs and requirements.

[caribill]

10. Does it really cost $50 a bag for laundry and I hear that's the special price and how often do they offer it?

 

[woodards]

We feel cruising in general has lost it's luster and appeal. There is nothing that is better now than it was several years ago. Between cutbacks and charging more for less it is nothing special. We don't need the specialty restaurants and the drink packages has turned it into a frat party. The noise in the main dining is so loud you sometimes have a hard time hearing your table mates talking. We attribute it to everybody getting their money's worth from the drink package. Service in the main dining room has suffered and the consistency of the quality of the food is up and down. Lastly the production shows, at least on the Silhouette, are a waste of time since they started producing their own shows. We went from 40-60 days a year, for five years to 36 days in 2016 and nothing planned for 2017 and later. This year was the first time in six years that we didn't do a transatlantic B2B or Caribbean B2B. Our last cruise was a Caribbean B2B this past December. It's not just the pricing, if you don't enjoy it, free is too much. I know we are in the minority but we know what we want and aren't going to settle for less. If you lower your standards, you'll never be disappointed.

Find out for yourself as everybody has different needs and requirements.

Interested to know what are choosing to do instead.

[villauk]

Yes, when the Activity Staff numbers were reduced a few years ago, many of the extra free activities were cut from the schedule. $50 special for a bag of laundry (as posted on the above photo).

 

We have always managed to find a seat in the theatre, but there is still a section cordoned off. On our last cruise on Millie, we felt the shows were very good. Speakers we have found to be hit or miss.

 

I think the difference is that the more negative comments on CC are referring to the way that X used to be the mainstream line that had all the extra touches to make it special and to what it's gradually metamorphosing into. By losing many of the things that made it 'special' slowly over time, it's brought it closer to 'all the others' in the market segment. With the addition of the extra charges for many of the once included items, it's lost some of the 'charm' (I use this term loosely).

 

On the other hand, the suite experience, I am led to believe, has increased greatly. So it depends what you personally are looking for, and also your attitude towards the changes. We attempt to have a fabulous vacation wherever or whatever we choose to do. However, the longer you have sailed on a particular line, and the more they cut back, the more visible the changes are over time. If you're a first time or relatively new cruiser, you would not have any idea of what the experience used to be like and therefore may hear complaints that you feel are from whiners/continual complainers ;).

 

If we all accepted what was offered without question, then as a whole, we'd all lose out over time. No doubt some of those 'old charm' extras will reappear; after all, most things end up going full circle ;). The midnight buffets, baked Alaska parades, brunch, free sushi etc. may one day return - the nighttime chocolates did :D.

[cruzzzinma]

If we'd paid for our free Elite bag of laundry, it would have been cost $125 so $49.95 is a very good deal. Loved the self-laundry on Viking.

[Tatka]

I don't see it, but on our last cruise on Silhouette we did have some service problems from both assistant waiter (main waiter was not very visible too) and cabin attendant.

For us Celebrity was the line to go with for almost white glove service. Great service put this line ahead of others.

I hope it was just a one time thing.

[Ken the cruiser]

Thank you all. We were just curious. We're starting to realize after just 4 years of cruising averaging 3-4 cruises per year, variety is deed the spice of life when it comes to keeping things "new" and exciting on each cruise we take. Initially we started with HAL and did a few Celebrity and Princess cruises and had fun on all of them. But we always would compare the other lines to HAL. But as we widened our scope to take in Disney, Oceania and just recently Crystal (on one of their cheaper cruises), we have found each line offers something special and by choosing various lines now, by itinerary and then by price per person per day with size of ship also thrown into the algorithm among other things, we're finding we have a lot more fun as there always seems to be new things to experience. Sure, lines are going to change things up so their bottom line continues to be in the black and that's OK.

 

As far as Celebrity goes, as we haven't cruised with them for a couple of years, we're sure most of the experiences will be new and different from what we experienced previously, so it's all good. We were just curious what changes some folks were talking about.

[miched]

Personally cruising in general for us had lost its luster because too much of a good thing just got to be "boring". After 10 days during a 14 day cruise I get tired of eating, drinking and laying around. It is not my kind of life style although others may love it. We now limit our cruises to 2 or 3 a year depending on the amount of days involved.

 

happy cruisng 🚢🌊🇺🇸🌞

[davekathy]

Not for us.

[capsplace]

I personally think the "loss of any luster" falls on the shoulders of today's passenger demands. The cruise lines are merely responding to what the passenger wants. Gone are the days of formal nights, all due to the demands of passengers for a more casual experience. "Hey, I'm on vacation. I shouldn't have to wear a tux or a jacket!" If we, as passengers, want a classy, classic cruise experience, then we need to be classy too, and express that desire to return to the more classic cruise experience to the cruise lines.

[awhcruiser]

Maybe Crystal or Regent would be more to your liking.

We feel cruising in general has lost it's luster and appeal. There is nothing that is better now than it was several years ago. Between cutbacks and charging more for less it is nothing special. We don't need the specialty restaurants and the drink packages has turned it into a frat party. The noise in the main dining is so loud you sometimes have a hard time hearing your table mates talking. We attribute it to everybody getting their money's worth from the drink package. Service in the main dining room has suffered and the consistency of the quality of the food is up and down. Lastly the production shows, at least on the Silhouette, are a waste of time since they started producing their own shows. We went from 40-60 days a year, for five years to 36 days in 2016 and nothing planned for 2017 and later. This year was the first time in six years that we didn't do a transatlantic B2B or Caribbean B2B. Our last cruise was a Caribbean B2B this past December. It's not just the pricing, if you don't enjoy it, free is too much. I know we are in the minority but we know what we want and aren't going to settle for less. If you lower your standards, you'll never be disappointed.

Find out for yourself as everybody has different needs and requirements.

[TeeRick]

We feel cruising in general has lost it's luster and appeal. There is nothing that is better now than it was several years ago. Between cutbacks and charging more for less it is nothing special. We don't need the specialty restaurants and the drink packages has turned it into a frat party. The noise in the main dining is so loud you sometimes have a hard time hearing your table mates talking. We attribute it to everybody getting their money's worth from the drink package. Service in the main dining room has suffered and the consistency of the quality of the food is up and down. Lastly the production shows, at least on the Silhouette, are a waste of time since they started producing their own shows. We went from 40-60 days a year, for five years to 36 days in 2016 and nothing planned for 2017 and later. This year was the first time in six years that we didn't do a transatlantic B2B or Caribbean B2B. Our last cruise was a Caribbean B2B this past December. It's not just the pricing, if you don't enjoy it, free is too much. I know we are in the minority but we know what we want and aren't going to settle for less. If you lower your standards, you'll never be disappointed.

Find out for yourself as everybody has different needs and requirements.

 

It seems from your response that you are tired of Celebrity or cruising or both. I hope you find something worthwhile that satisfies your standards.

[2Fltravelers]

We are one cruise away from Elite Plus so it's clear we prefer Celebrity and always enjoy our cruises. We love the ships, the service, the dining options and entertainment. We just love Blu! That all being said, we, too, have noticed some subtle changes in the past couple of years. Prices for specialty restaurants keep going up; the selection and quality of the wines and liquors in the classic beverage package have decreased; they no longer replenish water bottles after the first day in Aqua Class cabins; ; the musical groups around the ship are generally not as good; there is now 1 cabin attendant where there used to also be an assistant; there are less onboard, varied activities; no late night comedians on my last 2 cruises; no longer serve sushi in the Oceanview Cafe in the late afternoon.

 

Despite all of this, we continue to cruise with Celebrity because we love the ships, enjoy dining in Blu, find the crew to be exceptional, and unlike another cruise line we were on, they seem to genuinely care if there is a problem and do their best to solve it-we don't hear " NO" to our concerns/requests.

 

 

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[NordicPrince]

OP: In response to your statement that you did not observe smoking on the ship, on our last Equinox voyage in March I noticed smoking on the pool deck on the port side in the back by the stairs leading up to the Oceanview Cafe. You couldn't help but notice the large ash trays on the tables there. In addition you could see smoking on the 15th deck on the port side by The Lawn with several gentlemen enjoying scotches and cigars ( not that I object to that combination). I didn't see smoking anywhere else. I am not a smoker but I guess it's best to limit it to certain open air areas than eliminate it totally and alienate people. This has been discussed ad nauseum.

 

As far as enjoying our Celebrity cruises, we've been on 4 Celebrity cruises and planning a 5th, all on S-class ships and always enjoyed them greatly. The crews universally are eager to please. Of course we don't start our trips looking for things to complain about as we don't have unlimited vacation time to waste on observing the negative. We just try to enjoy what is and appreciate it. For example, I've seen people complain here about not wanting to see another show with performers in stunts in the air, rather than marveling at the physical strength and dexterity it takes to do it and on a ship no less. The last time I checked there wasn't much of that going on around here.The same with dancing on a moving ship. I mean who does that?

 

My advice, enjoy your cruising days, be happy you can still be healthy and mobile enough to enjoy it and be thankful you have the funds to do it. We paid $1800 p\p to go on a 7 day Bermuda cruise in 1990. No balconies a few suites small common areas and small pool. OK Shipshape Dollars I do miss those. Although there were lots of small extras basically cruising is a lot more affordable today for the majority of us.

 

Enjoy your cruising days.

[mom2tjanddj]

We are Equinox right now, and they DO allow smoking. There are several designated areas including one side of the pool, the promenade and other areas. It has been hard to find places to walk

 

 

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[orchestrapal]

We are Equinox right now, and they DO allow smoking. There are several designated areas including one side of the pool, the promenade and other areas. It has been hard to find places to walk

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We are trying Celebrity for the first after 20 or so cruises on Oceania and Crystal and smoking is one of the many things we were concerned about before booking.

Since smoke is a migraine trigger for me it is something I do think about..

We have booked and can still cancel a very large suite which we will not often have to leave if smoking areas become a problem.

Does anyone know which areas we will have to avoid on the Summit??

[mom2tjanddj]

If you stay on the right side of the ship, you can avoid the smoke. Our problem is we always manage to walk right into it

 

 

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[caribill]

I personally think the "loss of any luster" falls on the shoulders of today's passenger demands. The cruise lines are merely responding to what the passenger wants.

 

 

I am willing to bet that not one passenger suggested (much less demanded) to Celebrity to eliminate the no-charge burgers at The Pool Grill and replace them with Gourmet burgers for $9.95 at the newly named Top Deck Burger Bar on the Connie.