Interview with LLP

[govanguy]

Some light entertainment:

https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/378506/webcast-celebrity-cruises-were-trying-to-figure-out-how-to-come-back-even-stronger

[Fouremco]

I had to use a VPN in order to view this, as I imagine anyone not living in Europe will have to do.

 

I watched the first half and gave up, although I may go back and finish it later. The four take aways for me, based on the portion that I watched, were:

1. LLP and Celebrity have done an absolutely wonderful job;

2. The pandemic has given LLP and her team the wonderful opportunity to think about what they want Celebrity to be in the future;

3. LLP foresees great opportunities for growth of the fleet and is thinking ahead to the next class of ship; and

4. LLP says that in spite of the travel industry generally targeting Millennials, Celebrity will focus on GenX instead.

 

All in all, not much substance or detail in the first dozen or so minutes. While LLP was clearly upbeat, I had to question her perception of the cruise industry as she spoke about such things as increasing the size of the fleet and a new class of ship when the industry as a whole seems to be talking about fleet reductions. Also, nowhere in the first half was there any acknowledgement of the problems experienced by passengers over such things as refunds.  

Edited July 14, 2020 by Fouremco

[Georgia_Peaches]

Sounds like another fluff piece.

[NordicPrince]

LP came up thru sales as a travel agent and will always have a sales mentality. Couldn't tell you which way the azipod propeller points when you want to go forward. Will rely on her  100% female crews for that.

[El Crucero]

Thank you for the link.  I had no trouble pulling it up here in California.  I watched the whole thing.

 

LLP was upbeat, positive, and enthusiastic.  She just celebrated 35 years with Celebrity.  I found a couple of nuggets in the interview that caught my attention.

 

* Some of Celebrity's new builds are going to be delayed, not because of financial problems but because of logistical problems at the shipyards dealing with Covid-19.

* The cruise industry (including Celebrity) got a deserved black eye at the beginning of this year by being caught flat-footed with the virus.  LLP said Celebrity is going to use this as a learning opportunity to make the brand even better.  Since a cruise ship is a "closed environment" with 3000 to 4000 people aboard (including crew), Celebrity has the opportunity to insulate and encapsulate the passengers aboard.  The number is large, but not overwhelming.  LLP feels that the industry can make the cruise experience one of the safest vacation experiences (as opposed to a land only experience) by instituting new health and safety protocols without intruding on the desired cruise experience.  I believe this is going to be a marketing tool in the future.

* When asked about future ports of call,  LLP stated they are re-evaluating existing ports and destinations that don't meet a much stricter health protocol (see point above).  Some destinations may be eliminated as Celebrity assesses stricter standards.

 

It was an interesting interview but not much in specific detail, only because Celebrity is still working on the details.

Edited July 14, 2020 by El Crucero

[wrk2cruise]

I found it interesting that she selected their brand consultant based on a recommendation from Kelly Hoppen.

[hcat]

1 hour ago, wrk2cruise said:

I found it interesting that she selected their brand consultant based on a recommendation from Kelly Hoppen.

Yeah..that was a  truly notable negative!

 

Overall, it was as expected....Light touch interview...pleasant. LLP positive but careful to commit.

 

She does show her sales and marketing orientation as opposed to having luxury brand experience.

 

Health panel will be helpful but outcomes "cannot compromise the guest exerience."

 

They  will be trying to appeal to younger people. Target is Gen X not Millenials.

 

Shipyards and subcontractors will need time to get up and running...thus a delay in new ships possible.Hard to get 14 ships up and running all at once. Crew is scattered.

 

Demand for cruising..hesitancy balanced with pent up demand.

 

Germany opening with TUI cruises to nowhere

U.k. will follow US in opening,

UK is consistently the top market..APEX will return there.

 

X will be back..hoping science will catch up....

 

Quote:

"Good karma goes a long way"

 

[wrk2cruise]

So I guess they hope their refund karma doesn't catch up with them 🙂

[hcat]

2 hours ago, NordicPrince said:

LP came up thru sales as a travel agent and will always have a sales mentality. Couldn't tell you which way the azipod propeller points when you want to go forward. Will rely on her  100% female crews for that.

 I am sure they are quite capable....just like their male counterparts!

[Blackduck59]

A long chat with little substance, I listened to the whole thing and am no more confident about our already booked cruise in late January 2021 will go ahead. 

There is an old saying "Dance with the one who brought you", I would prefer that they leave age out of it. We cruise Celebrity because of they aren't trying to be everything to everyone. No water slides, wave riders, go carts, sky riders or any number of things that some people need. I'm not interested in a floating amusement park. Give me good food, excellent service and some quiet elegance. These things appeal to a certain mindset not a given age group. There are other brands for those who want the amusement park, I hope that Celebrity doesn't drop the group that brought them in a ham handed attempt to woo people who really want something else. 

[hcat]

Well said!

[hcat]

As per google:

Boomers:   1945 through 1964  

 

Gen X.....1965 through 1980, age 40 through 55

 

Millennials....1981 through 1996, age 24 through 39

[ChucktownSteve]

17 hours ago, NordicPrince said:

LP came up thru sales as a travel agent and will always have a sales mentality. Couldn't tell you which way the azipod propeller points when you want to go forward. Will rely on her  100% female crews for that.

 

Funny.  She moved from Royal as a hatchet cost expert which is exactly what she did to Celebrity as soon as she settled in.  I have never seen anything from her that wasn't fluff.  She tells you what she wants you to hear not the real basis in fact IMO.

[ORV]

21 hours ago, El Crucero said:

* When asked about future ports of call,  LLP stated they are re-evaluating existing ports and destinations that don't meet a much stricter health protocol (see point above).  Some destinations may be eliminated as Celebrity assesses stricter standards.

The reality is that they will be porting anywhere that will let them in, especially as things start back up. 

[richard1s]

More mindless psychobabble, "it's all good", PR nonsense from an unqualified individual impressed with her own worth and ability to BS. Don't we get bombarded with that on a daily basis already? What happened to leaders who spoke with honesty, integrity and accountability?

 

It would have been a great opportunity, and likely more appreciated, if she addressed the countless scores of customers stressed out and frustrated about refunds that they paid in good faith on cancelled cruises. In my opinion, this woman is in large part responsible for destroying a once amazing brand. If anyone in the industry deserves to be shown the door, it is this incompetent talking head.

 

[Mr&MrsBee]

More cruisers are becoming  vocal about the poor  performance of LL. 

[hcat]

But Royal C  is apparently happy with her... She does not come across as a skilled manager but  as the face of X. Others are quite likely running the business end of things.

 

Royal  is/was a fun cruise  line but never had the Class and elegance of X..completely diff culture and personalities! Cannot be learned!

[ChucktownSteve]

8 minutes ago, hcat said:

But Royal C  is apparently happy with her... She does not come across as a skilled manager but  as the face of X. Others are quite likely running the business end of things.

 

Royal  is/was a fun cruise  line but never had the Class and elegance of X..completely diff culture and personalities! Cannot be learned!

 

Celebrity can no longer be called X since that disappeared when the five year commitment upon RCL purchase ended.  It is just a shell of what the original Chandris Family envisioned for the cruise line.  Forever forward it will only be Celebrity in my mind.

 

Therefore  X is no longer appropriate.  It should be XX. The double cross company. 😁

[hcat]

So true...but we were very fortunate that we had years of enjoyment with "X" !

It was  like having a country club at sea...with exceptional everything and  a reasonable range of prices.   Now all just great memories.

 

We still enjoy our "Celebrity" cruises but full Royalization is almost complete now.

[Jeremiah1212]

Just some clarity....this was an industry publication interview called ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ not ‘lets talk about refunds again’ or ‘lets chat about all of the things you may not like about the CEO’.
 

As always, if you are that unhappy with the product or you feel the CEO personally offends you, there are many other cruise lines to choose from. 

[TeeRick]

16 hours ago, Mr&MrsBee said:

More cruisers are becoming  vocal about the poor  performance of LL. 

In reading posts here for all the years where LLP has been in charge, many people react negatively to everything she says and does.  But they still cruise Celebrity.  So more cruisers becoming vocal as you state is not really new- it is just a continuing trend.

[yorky]

1 minute ago, TeeRick said:

In reading posts here for all the years where LLP has been in charge, many people react negatively to everything she says and does.  But they still cruise Celebrity.  So more cruisers becoming vocal as you state is not really new- it is just a continuing trend.

I really don’t worry about what’s said, while Celebrity meets our expectations and is affordable to us we will carry on booking with them. When it fails to do that we will move on.

[richard1s]

3 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Just some clarity....this was an industry publication interview called ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ not ‘lets talk about refunds again’ or ‘lets chat about all of the things you may not like about the CEO’. As always, if you are that unhappy with the product or you feel the CEO personally offends you, there are many other cruise lines to choose from. 

Just some clarity - people on this site can express their opinions and "chat" about what they choose. As always, if you are unhappy with that, who cares?

[mnocket]

1 hour ago, richard1s said:

Just some clarity - people on this site can express their opinions and "chat" about what they choose. As always, if you are unhappy with that, who cares?

 

This is a critical feature of CC and the CC community that is absent from many online forums - CC is not an echo chamber where only one viewpoint is "acceptable".  There are loyalists and haters and everything in between. It's what makes CC valuable to those looking for insight into cruising and cruise lines.  

[weregoingcruising]

To quote my Mother" If you don't have anything  nice to say be quiet and listen". I wish everyone wonderful sailings on X or whatever you want to call it. Be nice and stay safe.