Celebrity Silhouette - Fetch your own drinks from the bar...

[NMTraveller]

Now to answer the OPs question.  Pre covid the servers on Celebrity were top notch and relentless.  They were above the standards on land.  If your glass was half full they would ask you if you wanted a refill.  I hope that they staff up their ships.

 

The complaints were mostly few and far between.

 

I would give Celebrity another chance when cruising is back to normal.

 

Just curious what other lines you have cruised recently?  How did they do as far as service and staffing?

Edited September 29, 2022 by NMTraveller

[bdstickks0944]

On 9/27/2022 at 4:17 AM, wineoclock said:

I agree if we are paying more then I expect either the same service as pre pandemic or better. 
 

I really don’t understand why I’m meant to give Celebrity a break about service. The staff yes, as it’s not their fault, but not Celebrity itself; they aren’t doing me a favour for allowing me to sailing on their ships. I’m paying for the privilege. And very happy & excited to do so. 

Sense of entitlement, just a tad bit?

[C4HCG]

2 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

The complaints were mostly few and far between.

 

 

What even on here???? 😂😂😂

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

There are other vacations where you do not have to worry about testing and what the covid requirements are.  Also no loss in service quality for these other vacation types.  

 

 

I don’t know how things are in the US but this isn’t true in the UK. Many restaurants and pubs are short staffed. Many pre covid staff changed direction looking for alternative employment during lockdown. 
 

Then there are the reduced menus many restaurants have introduced in an effort to reduce waste and preparation time and up profits.

 

Then there are the hotels and bars that are desperately in need of updating but after lockdown the money just isn’t there…

 

This is not a total picture, many pubs and hotels who were financially secure used the lockdown time to upgrade their decor and furnishings but much of the hospitality industry is still struggling. This now will not be helped by growing financial issues. When people are finding the cost of living is rising one of the easiest ways to reduce spending is to reduce dining out and holidays.

 

When we are next in a hotel or on a cruise we will expect that the management will be watching costs, particularly staffing and other areas to make savings….More so than pre covid. We also suspect that many will be monitoring sales and be offering some price reductions to ensure they fill as many rooms as possible. We have recently had a great deal on a weekend break.
 

If on our next Celebrity cruise we notice a reduction in  service we will try to do three things…

 

Continue to be polite and respectful of staff accepting the problem is not of their making.

 

Try to show a bit of patience rather than frustration if we are waiting longer than usual, We will enjoy our cruise more that way.

 

Focus on enjoying ourselves and all the positives of the full cruise experience.

 

Ultimately, after every vacation, I guess we all reflect on ‘was it worth the money spent?’. We will do this but, if I am honest and our next cruise has a few sub par aspects, we will probably not jump ship, we will accept that in difficult times some tolerance is needed…

 

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2022 by chemmo

[wineoclock]

1 hour ago, bdstickks0944 said:

Sense of entitlement, just a tad bit?

I don’t think so. I just expect to get what I’ve paid for. Same as on land. Just had a lovely holiday in Europe & service was fine.
 

I won’t complain to the staff or about them as it’s not their fault. It’s a result of the pandemic. Me commenting on here I think is fine & I’ll be especially mindful not to comment on the ship as it’s not the staffs fault. 
 

Im obviously not that worried about it as I have two upcoming cruises booked & if I can persuade Harry I’d like to book a third! 

[adolfo2]

On 9/26/2022 at 8:25 PM, SusieAV8R said:

Thank you!  You made some excellent points; especially with respect to recalibrating expectations from pre-panic to post-pandemic cruise experiences.  

I'm willing to recalibrate my expectations just as soon as Celebrity stops recalibrating the cruise fare(s) upward.

 

Can't have it both ways... substandard service, etc. along with eye-watering price increases 😞

[LGW59]

7 hours ago, bdstickks0944 said:

Sense of entitlement, just a tad bit?

Curious to learn why expecting to get what one pays for makes us entitled? 

[bdstickks0944]

25 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Curious to learn why expecting to get what one pays for makes us entitled? 

Because people complain about everything on here.  

[bdstickks0944]

1 hour ago, adolfo2 said:

I'm willing to recalibrate my expectations just as soon as Celebrity stops recalibrating the cruise fare(s) upward.

 

Can't have it both ways... substandard service, etc. along with eye-watering price increases 😞

Entitlement.   That’s what it is.  

[C4HCG]

Have to say if it’s not written in to the terms and conditions then I don’t t expect it, it’s a nice to have.

Edited September 29, 2022 by C4HCG

[adolfo2]

4 hours ago, LGW59 said:

Curious to learn why expecting to get what one pays for makes us entitled? 

Yea, I don't get it either 😕 

 

Last time I checked the cruise lines were for profit companies NOT charities.

[SusieAV8R]

21 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

From following this board it sounds like most of the ships are not staffed up to normal levels yet and are a big hit or miss.

 

Give me a ring when cruising is back to normal...

 I think DH and I (who are quite positive individuals) must operate in outer space rather than on the 3 cruises we've taken since September 2021 based on your comments.    We did not experience a lot of negative staffing issues regarding meals, beverages, housekeeping or guest relations or crew inability to speak English.  Granted, we were on M-class,  (maybe E-class & S-class were different), and capacity was greatly reduced.  For our 2 cruises in fall 2021, the ratio was 2 crew to each passenger.  Our last cruise, 6 weeks ago, was 1 crew for each pax.  We did not see an appreciable difference between pre and post covid cruising.....except in the theate for the evening shows which were quite empty during performances.  If our experience was as negative sa some ;posters seem to feel theirs was, we would not have booked 11 future cruises on Celebrity.  🙂

[SusieAV8R]

18 hours ago, chemmo said:

I don’t know how things are in the US but this isn’t true in the UK. Many restaurants and pubs are short staffed. Many pre covid staff changed direction looking for alternative employment during lockdown. 
 

Then there are the reduced menus many restaurants have introduced in an effort to reduce waste and preparation time and up profits.

 

Then there are the hotels and bars that are desperately in need of updating but after lockdown the money just isn’t there…

 

This is not a total picture, many pubs and hotels who were financially secure used the lockdown time to upgrade their decor and furnishings but much of the hospitality industry is still struggling. This now will not be helped by growing financial issues. When people are finding the cost of living is rising one of the easiest ways to reduce spending is to reduce dining out and holidays.

 

When we are next in a hotel or on a cruise we will expect that the management will be watching costs, particularly staffing and other areas to make savings….More so than pre covid. We also suspect that many will be monitoring sales and be offering some price reductions to ensure they fill as many rooms as possible. We have recently had a great deal on a weekend break.
 

If on our next Celebrity cruise we notice a reduction in  service we will try to do three things…

 

Continue to be polite and respectful of staff accepting the problem is not of their making.

 

Try to show a bit of patience rather than frustration if we are waiting longer than usual, We will enjoy our cruise more that way.

 

Focus on enjoying ourselves and all the positives of the full cruise experience.

 

Ultimately, after every vacation, I guess we all reflect on ‘was it worth the money spent?’. We will do this but, if I am honest and our next cruise has a few sub par aspects, we will probably not jump ship, we will accept that in difficult times some tolerance is needed…

 

 

 

 

You have described our experience with restaurants and hotels in the USA pre-covid!!!!

[Arizona Wildcat]

13 hours ago, adolfo2 said:

I'm willing to recalibrate my expectations just as soon as Celebrity stops recalibrating the cruise fare(s) upward.

 

Can't have it both ways... substandard service, etc. along with eye-watering price increases 😞

Agree.  If people feel the service provided is "substandard" and the pricing is not reasonable then bookings will drop significantly.   Today what I would describe as reduced services are pretty much in line with what has happened with the transportation and food industries in general.

Thus the choice today is stay home or recalibrate one's expectations.   Things have changed and not just for Celebrity.

[canderson]

13 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

 I think DH and I (who are quite positive individuals) must operate in outer space rather than on the 3 cruises we've taken since September 2021 based on your comments.    We did not experience a lot of negative staffing issues regarding meals, beverages, housekeeping or guest relations or crew inability to speak English.  Granted, we were on M-class,  (maybe E-class & S-class were different), and capacity was greatly reduced.  For our 2 cruises in fall 2021, the ratio was 2 crew to each passenger.  Our last cruise, 6 weeks ago, was 1 crew for each pax.  We did not see an appreciable difference between pre and post covid cruising.....except in the theate for the evening shows which were quite empty during performances.  If our experience was as negative sa some ;posters seem to feel theirs was, we would not have booked 11 future cruises on Celebrity.  🙂

Susie, you're describing the 'golden days' with those 2:1 and 1:1 crew:pax ratios.  We sailed in late Fall 2021, too, and yes, service was positively amazing.  I think that what people are griping about is the current situation with nearly full ships and a good bit less than X's nominal 1:2.25 crew:pax ratio.  Seems we began booking faster than the lines could find recruits.

[wineoclock]

5 hours ago, SusieAV8R said:

 I think DH and I (who are quite positive individuals) must operate in outer space rather than on the 3 cruises we've taken since September 2021 based on your comments.    We did not experience a lot of negative staffing issues regarding meals, beverages, housekeeping or guest relations or crew inability to speak English.  Granted, we were on M-class,  (maybe E-class & S-class were different), and capacity was greatly reduced.  For our 2 cruises in fall 2021, the ratio was 2 crew to each passenger.  Our last cruise, 6 weeks ago, was 1 crew for each pax.  We did not see an appreciable difference between pre and post covid cruising.....except in the theate for the evening shows which were quite empty during performances.  If our experience was as negative sa some ;posters seem to feel theirs was, we would not have booked 11 future cruises on Celebrity.  🙂

11?? You lucky thing. I’m considering myself lucky that I have 2 upcoming cruises! 

[LGW59]

12 hours ago, SusieAV8R said:

 I think DH and I (who are quite positive individuals) must operate in outer space rather than on the 3 cruises we've taken since September 2021 based on your comments.    We did not experience a lot of negative staffing issues regarding meals, beverages, housekeeping or guest relations or crew inability to speak English.  Granted, we were on M-class,  (maybe E-class & S-class were different), and capacity was greatly reduced.  For our 2 cruises in fall 2021, the ratio was 2 crew to each passenger.  Our last cruise, 6 weeks ago, was 1 crew for each pax.  We did not see an appreciable difference between pre and post covid cruising.....except in the theate for the evening shows which were quite empty during performances.  If our experience was as negative sa some ;posters seem to feel theirs was, we would not have booked 11 future cruises on Celebrity.  🙂

That’s because it sounds to me as if you cruise to relax and enjoy your vacation, rather than nit picking every damn thing so many others seem to go out of their way to find and whine about.  

[Homosassa]

On 9/25/2022 at 7:06 PM, SusieAV8R said:

I love those Black Forest Martinis......but one is great, 2 knocks my socks off 🙂

I know that I am slow to respond.

 

Internet connections have been spotty at times for some reason since Tuesday. 🙄

 

It was the second day of my Millennium cruise when I discovered the Black Forest Martini.  I had two of them.

 

When I got up to walk to my cabin, I found that for the first time in several days that my bad knees didn't hurt.

 

[canderson]

1 minute ago, Homosassa said:

 When I got up to walk to my cabin, I found that for the first time in several days that my bad knees didn't hurt.

 

You sure it wasn't because of the 'fireman's carry'?  🤪

[Homosassa]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

You sure it wasn't because of the 'fireman's carry'?  🤪

Afraid the only one who might carry me back to the cabin is the same guy I have been sharing with since our first cruise together in 1976.

 

Truth be told, it probably wouldn't be carry at this point - more like lay me on the floor and do a log roll.

[SusieAV8R]

11 hours ago, LGW59 said:

That’s because it sounds to me as if you cruise to relax and enjoy your vacation, rather than nit picking every damn thing so many others seem to go out of their way to find and whine about.  

Concur...Wine more, whine less 🙂

[SusieAV8R]

18 hours ago, wineoclock said:

11?? You lucky thing. I’m considering myself lucky that I have 2 upcoming cruises! 

Yes, we have booked out to April 2024.  (secret: cruising is the  only way DH has found Senior Citizen Workaholic Wife will leave work at home, relax and live in the moment 🙂. 🙂 )

[broker1217]

I am on Eclipse now. Yes---expect to self-serve for the most part.

We are Aqua class so obviously in Blu they serve our drinks. And the service and food  in Blu is lovely.

 

Elsewhere---go to the bar and order your drink as you will not be served. They are extremely short staffed.

 

We went to the MDR for lunch. Once. Waiter appeared before I had the napkin in my lap and demanded to know what I wanted to order. We asked for a wine menu. Denied, and asked what wine we wanted. Said we didn't know since we didn't know what was available. He said he would send someone over. Nobody came over.

3 minutes later---again asking what food we wanted. We ordered food and were expected to order dessert with our entrees.

We asked for premium Chardonnay were happy to get anything. Not a fine dining experience at all.

Actually fairly awful.

They are missing out. We would have been happy to order a $80-100 bottle of wine to enjoy with lunch.

 

Last time on Celebrity.

 

[PinkSandGirl]

Last year on the Equinox, service and friendliness of the crew were excellent.  The one spot I think that needed improvement was the pool area.  As for servers around the Solarium...they would walk through the Solarium with a tray and not proactively ask, you had to try to get their attention.  You don’t want to shout and on the rare occurrence you would see someone, it was quicker to get out of the pool and go out to the Pool Bar.   This was the case every day in there. 

 

The expectation of ordering drinks in the Solarium does not mean I am lazy or entitled as some people think others are.  

 

Service was great while sitting at bars/within the bar area.  There were even servers in the theatre.   Service was great everywhere else, why such a difference in the pool areas?

 

During the day, while enjoying the Solarium and/or pool, I would have appreciated bar service.  

 

🍹

[SusieAV8R]

On 9/29/2022 at 8:54 PM, SusieAV8R said:

You have described our experience with restaurants and hotels in the USA pre-covid!!!!

00ps..............meant to say .post covid.