Two styles of cruising emerging WITHIN Celebrity... traditional vs. high energy YOUNGER crowds.

[basenji56]

5 minutes ago, RichYak said:

X is trying to sell snake oil. They are betting that there are enough gullible buyers. It may work for a while. Time will tell for how long. 

Look at it this way—they have already sold the elimination of real verandas as an enhancement of the cruise experience. 

[SusieAV8R]

17 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Sure there will be enough people...like us who have cruised Carnival and RCI for years (and still will) but are ready for something a little calmer sometimes.   

Until the price point is too much?

[cdn_tbird]

22 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

... focusing on the younger generation and creating a Carnival Cruise line atmosphere via E-class.

We were on the Apex in early Nov. and to be honest if what we experienced is the "Carnival Atmosphere", then maybe we should look at expanding out options to include the occasional Carnival cruise. I'm 57 and DW is 53, we've sailed primarily S-Class ships and enjoy them very much, but our first experience on the Edge class was just as enjoyable and not just the Retreat part of it. 

[SRQbeachgirl]

Just now, SusieAV8R said:

Until the price point is too much?

 

Our upcoming 7-day Reflection cruise is $1,000 less than our last 7-day Carnival cruise, in a similar cabin (granted it was on the Mardis Gras - one of Carnival's newest and biggest ships). Most of the cruises I have been pricing with Celebrity are very comparable with Carnival pricing for similar cabins (balcony), ship class, length, and itineraries. I'm willing to pay considerably more for Celebrity than Carnival but it doesn't look like I'll have to for a while. 

[Cruising89143]

16 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Our upcoming 7-day Reflection cruise is $1,000 less than our last 7-day Carnival cruise, in a similar cabin (granted it was on the Mardis Gras - one of Carnival's newest and biggest ships). Most of the cruises I have been pricing with Celebrity are very comparable with Carnival pricing for similar cabins (balcony), ship class, length, and itineraries. I'm willing to pay considerably more for Celebrity than Carnival but it doesn't look like I'll have to for a while. 

Unfortunately there are some that think that X is some sort of upscale cruise line. They’re not. It’s Celebrity and their marketing of “Modern Luxury” Far from it. They’re considered a premium mass market line like Princess and HAL. Nothing more. A step up over Carnival, RCI, NCL and without the Yacht Club…..MSC… Nothing more. Some people just need to grasp reality.  

[SRQbeachgirl]

6 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

Unfortunately there are some that think that X is some sort of upscale cruise line. They’re not. It’s Celebrity and their marketing of “Modern Luxury” Far from it. They’re considered a premium mass market line like Princess and HAL. Nothing more. A step up over Carnival, RCI, NCL and without the Yacht Club…..MSC… Nothing more. Some people just need to grasp reality.  

 

I have never considered Celebrity to be a luxury line, but as you said on par with Princess. We've been looking at Princess as well, but so far I'm seeing better prices on Celebrity for the itineraries I've searched.

[RichYak]

3 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

I have never considered Celebrity to be a luxury line, but as you said on par with Princess. We've been looking at Princess as well, but so far I'm seeing better prices on Celebrity for the itineraries I've searched.

Which itineraries?

[NutsAboutGolf]

17 minutes ago, cdn_tbird said:

We were on the Apex in early Nov. and to be honest if what we experienced is the "Carnival Atmosphere", then maybe we should look at expanding out options to include the occasional Carnival cruise. I'm 57 and DW is 53, we've sailed primarily S-Class ships and enjoy them very much, but our first experience on the Edge class was just as enjoyable and not just the Retreat part of it. 

 

For some reason the OP is trying to make it sound like the E-Class is a direct competitor to Carnival.  You said it perfectly, you're going to have a similar experience on E-Class even if you're used to S/M-Class.  You lose some venues like the sky lounge but gain the Eden (Venue, cafe and specialty restaurant).  The picture that was shown is the full moon deck party which is usually well attended on any ship

[Cruising89143]

3 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

I have never considered Celebrity to be a luxury line, but as you said on par with Princess. We've been looking at Princess as well, but so far I'm seeing better prices on Celebrity for the itineraries I've searched.

You’re correct. Celebrity is not a luxury line. They’re mass market but in line with Princess and HAL. Some like to dream of the days gone by when X catered to a different clientele. Those days are gone. Now RCG has decided to cater to who will pay to board their ships. Yes they’re still a great cruise line but they’re moving to shorter and shorter cruises which is going to attract a totally new customer. Times are a changing. 

[cdn_tbird]

49 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

For some reason the OP is trying to make it sound like the E-Class is a direct competitor to Carnival.  You said it perfectly, you're going to have a similar experience on E-Class even if you're used to S/M-Class.  You lose some venues like the sky lounge but gain the Eden (Venue, cafe and specialty restaurant).  The picture that was shown is the full moon deck party which is usually well attended on any ship

Times definitely are changing. Our 1st cruise was an 11-day Med on the Connie in Oct. 2002 An inside stateroom for 2 with no "perks" set us back $6,100 CAD (which equates to roughly $9400 today). For 10,200 CAD today I could book a similar Oct. 2023 10 day Med cruise in a Porthole Veranda on the Beyond with AI.

 

The way I see it, the value I get for my hard earned money has increased and as long as I'm happy with the onboard product X will be in the mix that I consider, but we will explore other lines.

[Ipeeinthepools]

7 hours ago, basenji56 said:

Look at it this way—they have already sold the elimination of real verandas as an enhancement of the cruise experience. 

 

Not the case for everyone.  For many of us the elimination of real verandas is a "no sale" and we are looking for other cruise opportunities or land-based vacations.

[Bo1953]

10 hours ago, SusieAV8R said:

X has the problem with wanting to have a "luxury" line with correspondingly high prices and yet focusing on the younger generation and creating a Carnival Cruise line atmosphere via E-class.  (Why leave that with RCCL?) Has X considered what will be the result if loyal X folks take their money to another line that does provide elegant luxury for nearly the same cost?

While I have never sailed CC, are you indicating that I Am getting the same experience on X's Edge Class vessels???

 

While some posters tout MSC and Virgin as current day 'equivalents' to X of yesteryear, which lines do you consider as a rival to current day X in terms of service, "luxury" (personally I think it is all advertizing on X's part) and price???

 

bon voyage

[Croooser]

This thread is a good example of how many different opinions there are from different people experiencing each cruise line. 

 

We are 70ish and elite plus on X, platinum on Princess and about to go on #5 on O. We had all but given up on S class after several very good experiences because, for us, over time the experience was not as good. We consider ourselves X refugees.

 

However, in January we tried a 7 day on Apex - just to try the Edge class. We will likely never book an IV. Not for us. We are aft balcony junkies and our balcony on Apex was great. We thought that Celebrity had upped their game with the 4 mdr and the themes in the buffet.

 

We liked it enough that we are booked on the spring TA n Apex.

 

Each to their own.

[Jeremiah1212]

23 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

Myself, we travel Oceania, Regent, Cunard.

 

I for one have 0 cruises booked and do not foresee any in the future. Personalize land travel touring is my gig now!

 

 

Which is it? If you don't actively cruise any of those lines and have plans to you aren't really a customer or a cruiser at all. 

 

19 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

There are those of us who value tradition.  Years ago I had a great sailing on the Norway,  which had a real ocean liner feel unlike today's floating resorts. Everyone always talks about change like change is always good. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes change is made just for changes sake. And I guess as people age out of cruising you could say they are abandoning it. But Celebrity ships are still filled with folks in their 50's, 60's and 70's who likely have 20, 30, or even more years left to sail. Sometimes I feel like we don't matter to Celebrity anymore, even though it's our loyalty and $$ that got them to where they are now.

 

That's the thing. There will always be a crop of people in their 50/60/70's. That age group isn't going away. The individuals in that group change. Those current 30 and 40 year olds will eventually be in that group woh are looking for a different experience from the usual ultra family friendly Carnival/RCI/NCL. That group will undoubtedly have different expectations than today's boomer/silent generation. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, Bo1953 said:

While I have never sailed CC, are you indicating that I Am getting the same experience on X's Edge Class vessels???

 

While some posters tout MSC and Virgin as current day 'equivalents' to X of yesteryear, which lines do you consider as a rival to current day X in terms of service, "luxury" (personally I think it is all advertizing on X's part) and price???

 

bon voyage

 

The one thing about Virgin is many have stated Virgin has the best food quality/taste/selection at sea

[Ex-Airbalancer]

One of the reasons for picking X is that our friends are also cruise X

There a group of us that live all over most NA that get together on a TA 

Meeting  friends for drinks and food is the primary reason , I just wish Celebrity would get more interesting destinations

[C4HCG]

On 12/1/2022 at 2:19 PM, ABoatNerd said:

 

The traditionalist cruiser is abandoning Celebrity and going to the Premium lines to acquire the product Celebrity used to provide.

 

Are they? A bold statement and no doubt some are but I suspect a majority are not. I make that judgement from the conversations we have on the cruises we have been on and have yet to have one with someone who has told me they’re done with Celebrity and are off to premium lines. And despite this board having a share of cruisers who like to complain about them the majority keep going back. 

[actuarian]

On 11/29/2022 at 10:05 AM, goofysmom99 said:

Aqua class (formerly undesirable cabins below the pool deck) is a true marketing triumph.

Many other cruise lines have their most expensive suite cabins below the pool deck. It has always been that way on Royal Caribbean. On the original Disney ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, the ultra-expensive Walt Disney and Roy Disney suites are below the pool deck. Those cabins book up as soon as they are released for sale so there are plenty of people who are willing to spend large amounts to be in the locations you call "undesirable".

[goofysmom99]

1 hour ago, actuarian said:

Many other cruise lines have their most expensive suite cabins below the pool deck. It has always been that way on Royal Caribbean. On the original Disney ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, the ultra-expensive Walt Disney and Roy Disney suites are below the pool deck. Those cabins book up as soon as they are released for sale so there are plenty of people who are willing to spend large amounts to be in the locations you call "undesirable".

X introduced Aqua class on M-class ships for standard veranda cabins that were a tough sell.  It worked.

[actuarian]

3 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

X introduced Aqua class on M-class ships for standard veranda cabins that were a tough sell.  It worked.

I think that those cabins used to be Concierge Class cabins, rather than standard veranda cabins, since they have the extra 21 sq. feet that both C-class and A-class cabins (191 sq. feet total) have but that standard 170 sq. foot veranda class cabins lack. There are also 4 sky suites and 2 Celebrity suites in that area of deck 9.

[Jeremiah1212]

7 hours ago, C4HCG said:

Are they? A bold statement and no doubt some are but I suspect a majority are not. I make that judgement from the conversations we have on the cruises we have been on and have yet to have one with someone who has told me they’re done with Celebrity and are off to premium lines. And despite this board having a share of cruisers who like to complain about them the majority keep going back. 

 

Agreed. Celebrity has indicated several times quite recently to TA's that the guest transition from Celebrity to Silversea is not at all where they want it to be. I can't speak to the other lines but personally see very few jumping from mainstream to premium and lux lines. Some do, of course, but even high end suite Celebrity cruisers tend to stay in house the vast majority of the time. 

[Gracie115]

8 hours ago, C4HCG said:

Are they? A bold statement and no doubt some are but I suspect a majority are not. I make that judgement from the conversations we have on the cruises we have been on and have yet to have one with someone who has told me they’re done with Celebrity and are off to premium lines. And despite this board having a share of cruisers who like to complain about them the majority keep going back. 

 

We aren't "done" with Celebrity either.  BUT we ARE trying out Oceania at the end of 2023 and have a 2nd Oceania cruise booked the end of 2024.  We have one X cruise during that same time.   We like Celebrity, a lot, but they need new itineraries if the pricing is going to continue to increase.  Can't see paying high prices to see the same thing repeatedly. 

[goofysmom99]

1 hour ago, actuarian said:

I think that those cabins used to be Concierge Class cabins, rather than standard veranda cabins, since they have the extra 21 sq. feet that both C-class and A-class cabins (191 sq. feet total) have but that standard 170 sq. foot veranda class cabins lack. There are also 4 sky suites and 2 Celebrity suites in that area of deck 9.

Yes, they were.  I was on the Summit in 2003 when the sign on our deck 9 cabin door was switched to Concierge during the cruise.  We'd decided we wouldn't choose that deck, mid-ship again due to noise.   I stayed in 9096 on the Summit in 2022 to finish off the points I needed for zenith.  Aside from its awful bathtub, and noise, the two deck 9 CS cabins have almost zero wifi and (no-go for Roku).  Same suite on Deck 6 was excellent.  The sky suites on 9 have zilch privacy from the glass elevators (I know this first hand).  I wouldn't book a cabin on an M-class on Deck 9.  Period.  I know some of the ones forward under the spa are OK, but they're forward.  So back to my original point, when you have a bunch of anything that's a tough sell, you have to create a need, and an either real or perceived benefit.  I was in a marketing job in my second career and I totally respect and admire a good "sell."  X did it in spades for Aqua and then did the same with suites.  I well remember when we all dined in the MDR in the RS and PH.  We only got 3 points for our 14 night cruises in them, too (3 points converted to 90).  Times change.  

[basenji56]

10 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

We aren't "done" with Celebrity either.  BUT we ARE trying out Oceania at the end of 2023 and have a 2nd Oceania cruise booked the end of 2024.  We have one X cruise during that same time.   We like Celebrity, a lot, but they need new itineraries if the pricing is going to continue to increase.  Can't see paying high prices to see the same thing repeatedly. 

Oceania is a very good cruise line.  Real balconies.  Great food.  More expensive but more is included.  Internet is a negative.  

[Gracie115]

4 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Oceania is a very good cruise line.  Real balconies.  Great food.  More expensive but more is included.  Internet is a negative.  

 

Thanks...and honestly the internet can't be much worse than it was on the Apex trip we just finished a couple of weeks ago.  We've done 7 TA's with X and never had internet that bad.