Does Post Pandemic cruising compare to pre Pandemic of 2019 ?

[mcrcruiser]

We have B2B bookings in March on Soltice  &  wondering what people are seeing with Celebrity with regards to selection & food quality ,service in all departments , entertainment quality & any thing else they care to mention 

 

 TIA 

[Arizona Wildcat]

3 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We have B2B bookings in March on Soltice  &  wondering what people are seeing with Celebrity with regards to selection & food quality ,service in all departments , entertainment quality & any thing else they care to mention 

 

 TIA 

Discussed over and over.  Food is changed by trying to control food costs so a bit cheaper cuts, service effected by staff shortages and new employees.   That said they try very hard to please.  Entertainment the same as before.  Supply chain issues most evident in beverage selection. 

[mcrcruiser]

3 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Discussed over and over.  Food is changed by trying to control food costs so a bit cheaper cuts, service effected by staff shortages and new employees.   That said they try very hard to please.  Entertainment the same as before.  Supply chain issues most evident in beverage selection.   '

 

 Then if Celebrity is lowering food quality & staff won't that impact  their sales going forward as this gets out to the consuming public ?   Supply chain has been the scape goat of convenience  for too many business . Either a business can or can't deliver  at a price they set ,imo

[LGW59]

19 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We have B2B bookings in March on Soltice  &  wondering what people are seeing with Celebrity with regards to selection & food quality ,service in all departments , entertainment quality & any thing else they care to mention 

 

 TIA 

Boat loads of posts from current cruisers on here.

[jelayne]

5 post Covid cruises all excellent.  Yes some wines were not available portions a bit smaller ( but if you want 2nds you will get them) and when Covid caused crew shortages service was a bit slower.  Our local restaurants, grocery stores, banks and shops are all suffering from staff shortages and supply issues so is it the same as pre Covid not quite, but close.  

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We have B2B bookings in March on Soltice  &  wondering what people are seeing with Celebrity with regards to selection & food quality ,service in all departments , entertainment quality & any thing else they care to mention 

 

 TIA 

We have done 4 post Covid cruises including a B2B and have had no significant issues. Food, service and entertainment all excellent. A few minor supply issues which anyone new to X probably wouldn't even notice. If portion sizes are an issue just order double. You can still order extra starters, mains and desserts just as previously. Relax and enjoy 

[di T]

Our last cruise last week was better than the previous ones on Celebrity in 2019! Agree there was a couple of wines and beers not available due to supply problems, they didn’t offer the glass of bubbly on embarking, didn’t miss that much🥂we had plenty of staff ship wasn’t full always could get a drink without too much bother.

 

[Salt Lifer]

I am not a drinker so I can not comment on the alcohol aspect.

 

I AM a foodie and I cruise for the food!  I didn't find anything disappointing in regard to food. Everything I had was delicious and good quality.  Supply chain issues will pose a problem at times (for instance, on our cruise they could not get the escargot) but that applies to people's vacation experiences on land, too. 

 

Entertainment was top notch.  On our cruise the production show entertainers got hit with Covid but Celebrity spared no expense in flying in entertainers on short notice to fill the gaps - I personally thought we ended up with a better entertainment experience, as a result!  They could have cheaper out here and would have been justified considering the circumstances, but didn't.

 

Bottom line, Cruising now verses 2019 is different, but not so much so that it should dissuade anyone from cruising.

[mom says]

14 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

 

 Then if Celebrity is lowering food quality & staff won't that impact  their sales going forward as this gets out to the consuming public ?   Supply chain has been the scape goat of convenience  for too many business . Either a business can or can't deliver  at a price they set ,imo

If it impacts Celebrity sales, (and I think that's a big if), then it would impact all of the cruise lines, since they are all experiencing the same issues. As are most land based tourist businesses. If these factors really were impacting the lines sales, I doubt you'd be seeing high prices and high occupancy rates. What data do you have to support the claim that supply issues  are being used as a scapegoat and not an actual reason?

[mfs2k]

16 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

 

 Then if Celebrity is lowering food quality & staff won't that impact  their sales going forward as this gets out to the consuming public ?   Supply chain has been the scape goat of convenience  for too many business . Either a business can or can't deliver  at a price they set ,imo

Will you cancel your cruise knowing this ?

[CruisingChick]

17 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We have B2B bookings in March on Soltice  &  wondering what people are seeing with Celebrity with regards to selection & food quality ,service in all departments , entertainment quality & any thing else they care to mention 

 

 TIA 

We have done 2 Summit cruises since the restart and food and service and supply chain issues have really hurt this ship.  We are boarding her again tomorrow and we will see if things have improved.

 

On the other hand our cruises on RCCL Oasis (2) and RCL Anthem (2) were better than our 2 Summit sailings.  

 

I am sure Celebrity's newest ships are not having the same issues as Summit but a corporation should try and have their product consistent throughout the fleet.  If our May 23, 2022 Summit cruise was our first Celebrity cruise we most likely would be trying other lines before going back. 

 

[canderson]

Had our best ever X cruises on the Nov 2021 Constellation restart cruises.  Our own local high end butcher couldn't have done any better with cuts of meat.  Service was outstanding, especially with all new teams just starting out together.  Dining crew had been doing "soft openings" and critiques in each others' restaurant venues prior, and I'm sure that helped.  We were of course fortunate that crew:pax ratio was higher than normal at that time.

 

 

[Bo1953]

Generally, My take on such posts means that an announcement by the OP is imminent as to the fact that they will NOT be sailing X again, if ever but for some time.

 

Specifically, My take is if one is swayed one way or another by the posts and are put off by what was said, then there needs to be a 'declarative' and definite statement that they will not be sailing X for whatever reason and be done

 

There is no need to make this type of general statement when there is an abundance of recent posts on each aspect of service, beverages and crew. As such, one does not even need to do a search... LOL

 

Yet, thank you OP for your insight(s) and concerns, which could have been posted to other specific  threads IMO...

 

bon voyage

[Moby Jones]

I've sailed on 3 Celebrity cruises so far this year. 

Service and food quality have really dropped and it's very noticeable. However you'll find all of the same problems on all of the other cruise lines in the same segment. So, despite me thinking some aspects of cruising with Celebrity are a bit 'meh' right now I'm not going to stop sailing with them. 

I reckon it could be a couple of years before we see pre pandemic levels of service and food and beverage standards return to what they once were. Possibly even longer. 
 

[phoenix_dream]

Currently on my 9th cruise since restart.  Only noticed some downgrade of service on one (current) which is fully booked and crew struggles to keep up. There have been issues getting some wines and on some ships food portions are a little smaller but I've managed to gain weight on each trip! The biggest difference,  now that testing is being canceled or changed,  is what happens if you get Covid. Quarantined for a minimum of 5 days and cannot be released until testing negative.  Causes many to not report and others to suffer through the situation.  Stressful either way. 

[canderson]

2 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

The biggest difference,  now that testing is being canceled or changed,  is what happens if you get Covid. Quarantined for a minimum of 5 days and cannot be released until testing negative.  Causes many to not report and others to suffer through the situation.

I seem to recall the protocol being unpleasant before proctored testing ceased.  A positive test meant quarantine, and waiting for that negative test.  What's different apart from perhaps lack of a cabin change?  Some may be more willing to report than they were before if the anecdotal info about being able to remain in the original cabin on some ships is common.  Unclear what difference you're referencing that might cause people not to report.

 

[Jim_Iain]

Personally I would say the cruises we have been on since resumption were different but can't say I was put off by anything.    Early cruises with less than 50% occupancy were definitely different.   The staff were more relaxed and had time chatting with you at dinner and other locations.    Recent cruises have had some shortages and staffing issues but I can say many of my favorite products just aren't available or the size has shrunk by 50% and the prices remain the same.  

 

I definitely have increased the number of bookings we have and I expect things both in our local markets and stores as well as cruise line to gradually return to better times. 

[SusieAV8R]

18 hours ago, the penguins said:

We have done 4 post Covid cruises including a B2B and have had no significant issues. Food, service and entertainment all excellent. A few minor supply issues which anyone new to X probably wouldn't even notice. If portion sizes are an issue just order double. You can still order extra starters, mains and desserts just as previously. Relax and enjoy 

Well said!!!

[mcrcruiser]

Interesting comments & thanks to every one   .

 

 We are  Elite Plus level & working toward Zenith  ,so we like Celebrity .  The only other cruise line we like is holland America being some what similar  to Celebrity  . We are in our 80s  &  that being said we enjoy laid back cruising watching the ocean   & seeing the  occasional   rainbow