Removal of foot stools from CC and AQ on Equinox

[miched]

On 6/19/2019 at 7:13 AM, vtcruising said:

On the Infinity a couple of months ago (pre-Revolution, but no footstools in AQ cabin that we had), I had almost canceled the cruise because of a recent hamstring injury. I ended up going and asked for a footstool, explaining to the cabin attendant that I had a knee injury that required elevation of my leg. He asked his manager and was told that I couldn't have one. Luckily I had brought the blow up one in case I needed it. I probably should have gone up the food chain - it would be nice if they had them for all, but if not, at least for those with medical needs.

 

Very few if any cabins on the M Class ship ever had  footstools.  The balconies aren’t deep enough.  

 

There were  never footstools on any balcony when  we sailed in AQ on any M Class ship except for the very large aft balconies on deck 11. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

[vtcruising]

5 minutes ago, miched said:

 

Very few if any cabins on the M Class ship ever had  footstools.  The balconies aren’t deep enough.  

 

There were  never footstools on any balcony when  we sailed in AQ on any M Class ship except for the very large aft balconies on deck 11. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

We have only sailed in the aft AQ on M Class so were spoiled. There was room for footstools on our balcony on the Infinity (our small AQ balcony on the Reflection was similar in size and had them). I was able to use my large double blowup footstool, with plenty of room to spare. I wasn't sure what to expect because some on CC said there were footstools in that cabin and another person said no, hence I brought my own. Not having to deal with the blow up one would have been nice, but glad I had it to keep my leg elevated. 🙂

[Loucat]

I read these posts with interest. Never remember foot stools in 40 sailings on 5 cruise lines; Celebrity included.

Guess they are special to those who are used to them.

Never had any, so I do not miss them.  Other things yes, I do miss such as good food in many venues, great service and cruise lines finding less creative ways to increase their profits. Miss them but cruising is still one of the best modes of travel.

Edited June 21, 2019 by Loucat
Incorrect word

[Rod&Deb]

OMG you are joking arn't you.  How stupid to go on a cruise for a foot stool and cancel it because it's not there.  I am glad I wouldn't be sitting next to you at dinner Ridiculous outlook on life.

[Cyber Kat]

5 hours ago, Rod&Deb said:

OMG you are joking arn't you.  How stupid to go on a cruise for a foot stool and cancel it because it's not there.  I am glad I wouldn't be sitting next to you at dinner Ridiculous outlook on life.

 

Well, that’s not very nice!  Just because something is not important for you, doesn’t mean, it’s not important for someone else!  It has nothing to do with outlook on life. If something is supposed to be included in the price a person  paid (and the footstools were listed under amenities) and it’s not a joke!

 

i’m quite sure the OP is not going on a cruise just to have a footstool, but they were looking forward to putting their feet up and relaxing on their balcony. 

 

What is “ridiculous” is ridiculing someone for their choice of pleasures!

[hcat]

5 hours ago, Rod&Deb said:

OMG you are joking arn't you.  How stupid to go on a cruise for a foot stool and cancel it because it's not there.  I am glad I wouldn't be sitting next to you at dinner Ridiculous outlook on life.

 

Why is this thread  even a concern for you to weigh in on?  If you are  not interested in  having a foot stool just move on to something else without criticizing others for whom it is a legitimate concern. 

 

Some  folks need to elevate their legs  or just enjoy it to relax,  and would prefer  using a footstool to the garbage can or carry on bag..,,...

[Presto2]

I can't believe that I have just found myself getting excited about the idea of a light weight camping footstool from Amazon.

Hubby just gave me a look that said it all ……… "Are you for real?!"

 

It made me stop and think (again). You spent thousands of pounds on a cruise and end up buying a portable foot rest for your thousands of pounds balcony. If you have paid additional for AQ or CC I fail to see why they are removing this perk

 

Someone somewhere really has to address this ridiculous issue. It makes a mockery of the Celebrity name and if it was a less well known cruise line or a hotel we would probably mock it for the situation we are now finding on even the newest ship, EDGE.

 

Thinking about it, people with a disability of some kind can say that it is having a really negative impact on their cruise experience if they have booked a specific grade because they know what they can cope with.

 

On a different note - on our Silhouette cruises I put my feet on a table ----- BUT, at least I had a sun lounger type chair to relax in. Now the new ships don't have that luxury … just those silly low backed chairs.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2019 by Presto2

[Gracie115]

10 hours ago, Rod&Deb said:

OMG you are joking arn't you.  How stupid to go on a cruise for a foot stool and cancel it because it's not there.  I am glad I wouldn't be sitting next to you at dinner Ridiculous outlook on life.

 

Pretty judgmental...……

 

[TeaBag]

I have the middle footrest pictured by The fun researcher.  It works well on planes and is very compact when folded but I don't think it would replace the foot rests that Celebrity has removed.  It is nowhere near high enough.  I guess we'll see lots of folks with very swollen ankles now on Celebrity!  I wonder what they did with all those foot rests?

[bkbarrym]

4 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

 I guess we'll see lots of folks with very swollen ankles now on Celebrity!  I wonder what they did with all those foot rests?

Certainly would have made sense to put these all back to where they were prior to the refurbs. A real head scratcher for X to remove them without replacing them with same or better. 

[Oceangoer2]

On 6/16/2019 at 1:06 PM, helen haywood said:

I wish I could agree with you....but the fact that Celebrity was able to remove the daily water from the aptly named Aqua Class cabins....leads me to believe they can do what they want.  I suppose the thinking was that the balcony looks bigger without the footstools and smaller "table."  Which also will cut down on Room Service orders.

I had that thought as well...room service ties up staff and no room service encourages guests to frequent dining rooms. I'll miss our private b'fasts...won't try to order relying on that little table to hold a meal.

 

Re the footstools...when not able to sleep at night, I've used the lounge chair AND stool and enjoyed listening to the waves which lulled me to sleep.  I'll miss that as well.

 

Perhaps booking concierge is a mistake now as little is being offered to justify the several hundred $$s more;  I don"t need the points either being EP with no hope of Zenith.

Edited June 21, 2019 by oceangoer2

[Oceangoer2]

2 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Pretty judgmental...……

 

And mean.

Edited June 21, 2019 by oceangoer2

[hcat]

Saw a blow up  footstool on Amazon that looks high enough..could also be a table ??   Nicer than anything Hoppen would design..

 

Will post a pic later.   Maybe we can  all post our fav footstools in the name of Modern Luxury!

[helen haywood]

50 minutes ago, oceangoer2 said:

I had that thought as well...room service ties up staff and no room service encourages guests to frequent dining rooms. I'll miss our private b'fasts...won't try to order relying on that little table to hold a meal.

 

Re the footstools...when not able to sleep at night, I've used the lounge chair AND stool and enjoyed listening to the waves which lulled me to sleep.  I'll miss that as well.

 

Perhaps booking concierge is a mistake now as little is being offered to justify the several hundred $$s more;  I don"t need the points either being EP with no hope of Zenith.

 

I hear you.  I book AQ generally only because I like the balconies with the huge overhang.  And lesser likelihood of screaming children next door.  On one of our upcoming cruises I only booked Concierge GTY because it was cheaper than a regular balcony.  

 

But we might get to be Zen....

[4cats4me]

15 hours ago, Rod&Deb said:

OMG you are joking arn't you.  How stupid to go on a cruise for a foot stool and cancel it because it's not there.  I am glad I wouldn't be sitting next to you at dinner Ridiculous outlook on life.

 

No, I’m not joking.  Wasn’t going on the cruise for just a foot stool. Was going AQ for the restaurant Blu  as well. By the way, in Blu, the assigned restaurant for Aqua, people don’t share tables with other diners anyway.  It is all  private  tables. 

 

 

 

 

[cangelmd]

On 6/19/2019 at 5:04 AM, Mynki said:

People blame Hoppen but it's ultimately LLP who approves all designs. 

But if anyone personifies 'style over substance', 'form over function' or as we say in the UK, 'all fur coat and no knickers' it's LLP. 

Big hat, no cattle in Texas, although that doesn’t mean exactly the same thing, it is more about acting like you have money when you don’t!

[the_dylaness]

I wonder if X is reading this thread and realizing what a mockery of "Modern Luxury" this is.

 

[TeaBag]

7 hours ago, hcat said:

Saw a blow up  footstool on Amazon that looks high enough..could also be a table ??   Nicer than anything Hoppen would design..

 

Will post a pic later.   Maybe we can  all post our fav footstools in the name of Modern Luxury!

I hope it's a light color so it goes with all the new decor!

[varoo]

 

                 MODERN LUXURY CRUISES, THE CELEBRITY DISTINCTION

 

  There's a reason people trust their precious vacation days to us. Actually, there are hundreds of them. Every day, every night, we welcome the world on board. Extraordinary destinations. Culinary excellence. Intuitive service. Luxurious accommodations. And stunning design. That's the Celebrity way. The Celebrity distinction. Your search for luxury cruises ends here.

 

On Celebrity you will now get to select your very own preferred footrest to purchase and bring along from home.   We recognize that you are unique, so we will no longer insult you with ordinary, humdrum run-of-the-mill standardized footrests when you cruise with us.

For example, you may wish to choose a model such as this

Or maybe you would rather purchase and bring along this one, with its nice canvas seat.  Perhaps you would like to order it in your favorite color and have your team's insignia inscribed.
 

 

     

Just attach a luggage tag with your stateroom number, check it in with your other luggage, and later in the day it will be waiting for you right outside your stateroom door, ready for you to enjoy for the duration of your cruise.

         

 

             MODERN LUXURY ONLY FOUND ON CELEBRITY CRUISES

 

          The Spaces and Activities That Make Celebrity Cruises Unique

 

Celebrity Cruises is known for its modern luxury that touches everything from the common areas and staterooms on board the ships to the top-notch customer service and dreamy shore excursions off the ship. There are some aspects of Celebrity Cruises that aren’t only modern luxury, but also exclusively Celebrity. 

We take immense pride in our latest  revolutionary concept of removing the outdated, standardized footrests from our fleet so that our guests can now feel free to bring onboard their personal favorites instead.

We also removed the coffee tables, since not everyone drinks coffee.  If you prefer borscht, for example, feel free to bring along your own borscht table.

 

 

Preview of changes yet to come:  

     Some passengers like firm mattresses and others like their beds soft.  Why should everyone be subjected to the same model mattress on a cruise when you should each be free to bring along the type of mattress you prefer.

Stay tuned for the upcoming announcement of our next brilliant innovation.

  

 

 

Edited June 22, 2019 by varoo

[Mynki]

3 hours ago, the_dylaness said:

I wonder if X is reading this thread and realizing what a mockery of "Modern Luxury" this is.

 

 

Their official feedback channels are guest relations and the post cruise survey. That's why I said I hope pax onboard are feeding back by both of these routes if they are concerned by the continued degradation of service and removal of the most basic amenities within a stateroom. 

I'm told that RCL group have a team of people scanning multiple social media platforms. However they have no interest in individual issues they are looking for patterns which can then be examined at a later time. 

A friend of mine had an issue with his Virgin broadband service. So he tweeted Richard Branson himself! In his tweet he gave enough information to be identified. Within 15 minutes he had a customer services manager call him and take care of his issue. 

So.... This won't happen, but just imagine if unhappy X cruises initiated a true 'Celebrity Revolution' and took to social media tweeting Lisa Lutroff-Perlo and Richard Fain. Perhaps even contacting Captain Kate via her Instagram account about the lack of foot stools, complained about the small tables but in a polite, constructive and objective way? 

Imagine if all of the sales posts on their Facebook page mentioning the word luxury were met with replies raising concerns about the issues we discuss here on Cruise Critic? Perhaps a few pictures of a tiny table whilst asking how they fit the breakfast they've just ordered via room service on it etc? 

What would happen then? Truth is, people prefer to post on Cruise Critic which is quick and easy to do rather than take a more proactive approach. I'd LOVE to be proven wrong there though. 

[Presto2]

3 hours ago, Mynki said:

 

Their official feedback channels are guest relations and the post cruise survey. That's why I said I hope pax onboard are feeding back by both of these routes if they are concerned by the continued degradation of service and removal of the most basic amenities within a stateroom. 

I'm told that RCL group have a team of people scanning multiple social media platforms. However they have no interest in individual issues they are looking for patterns which can then be examined at a later time. 

A friend of mine had an issue with his Virgin broadband service. So he tweeted Richard Branson himself! In his tweet he gave enough information to be identified. Within 15 minutes he had a customer services manager call him and take care of his issue. 

So.... This won't happen, but just imagine if unhappy X cruises initiated a true 'Celebrity Revolution' and took to social media tweeting Lisa Lutroff-Perlo and Richard Fain. Perhaps even contacting Captain Kate via her Instagram account about the lack of foot stools, complained about the small tables but in a polite, constructive and objective way? 

Imagine if all of the sales posts on their Facebook page mentioning the word luxury were met with replies raising concerns about the issues we discuss here on Cruise Critic? Perhaps a few pictures of a tiny table whilst asking how they fit the breakfast they've just ordered via room service on it etc? 

What would happen then? Truth is, people prefer to post on Cruise Critic which is quick and easy to do rather than take a more proactive approach. I'd LOVE to be proven wrong there though. 

 

Totally agree !

We are on EDGE when Captain Kate arrives, 19th August. I hear that she is around the ship quite a lot so if we see her I will remember this post and speak for all of us, politely of course :-)

[jasm8449]

Haven't read through all the pages, so forgive me if this has already been suggested.  A form of silent protest might be made by everyone boarding with their inflatable footstool already inflated.  That might get Celebrity's attention.  🙂

[jc foster]

On 6/16/2019 at 5:22 AM, Mynki said:

Not really how I read it. I think the OP is frustrated with the continued degradation of Aqua Class and it's ever increasing lack of value for money compared to other lines. 

Then again, aren't all complaints on Cruise Critic first world problems? 

Winner. Best post that I have read.

[Anita Latte]

Having a conversation about similar topic with my Mom earlier...

 

The thing about the AQ cabins is that they are not the most desirable location on the ship. You could argue that being directly under the pool deck is, in fact, a very UNDESIRABLE location. Creating a whole new cabin category to overcome what must previously be unappealing...most prefer to have cabins above and below...in order to not only make the cabins appealing...but also to charge you MORE for the now PRIVILEGE of staying in an otherwise poorly located cabin. Now perhaps...the potential pool noise CON is overcome by all the PROs offered by a redesigned cruising experience that at one point offered things like free yoga programming with Rodney Yee, complementary water, a superior shower, aromatherapy, etc.

 

The whole idea was to create a more fitness minded cruising experience...you have excellent interior only access to the spa area, which is complementary...you could be more comfortable wearing a robe from your cabin to the spa because you didn't have to "go outside" to get there. And easy access to the spa cafe where options are more suited to the health conscious. Or were...with many options for a less indulgent lunch, yep still timely, than what my family affectionately calls the buffet, "pig out palace" in an ode to the by gone days of the cheap all you can Vegas buffet.

 

Blu was touted not just because it was a smaller dining venue...but BECAUSE it offered food that was supposed to appeal to the more health conscious...lighter sauces, less sodium, smaller portions, more vegetables...and people who had no interest in the banquet food of the MDR.

 

Slowly by little bit...the AQ experience has been downgraded...with all the little things that had added up to a very nice package for someone desiring to maintain a certain health focused lifestyle even while on vacation. It's sad. Because more and more, the quality of the package cannot overcome the failings of the location(s) of the AQ cabins.

 

They spent some time to get a reputation going but they aren't maintaining it. Booking AQ is simply reduced to the ability to dine in a "specialty restaurant" each night...with little else to recommend it. Book a cheaper cabin...pay for the week long thermal suite pass...get the unlimited specialty dining...possibly pay to check a bag with fun spa product...and save money and not miss anything because it feels like there is nothing else to AQ.

[crazee4cruzin]

I agree with the OP.  I like the footstools.  I like to stretch out and relax on my balcony.  As for the small tables, unacceptable.   How are you supposed to dine on your balcony with a table the size of a small pizza?  It is a personal choice and no one is stupid!!!!  It is not a make or break for me.   Just MHO.