Peoples reasons to stick with Celebrity even with the cutbacks - I have at least one

[cgolf1]

Reading all these threads and with our next trip deciding whether or not we keep sailing Celebrity, I am wondering what they still do that would keep you with Celebrity even with the cutbacks?

 

For me it is how they handle the gluten free dishes. They have been very accommodating in the MDR by modifying dishes so that I could enjoy them similar to Disney. Royal unfortunately was not as good at this.

 

The game changer for me was the buffet with the cards above that specify the allergens. I am for sure gluten intolerant and not sure if I am celiac. This allowed me to eat at the buffet like a normal human being. On Royal or Disney I would need to ask for a chef to walk me around and explain what I could eat. The bummer was that I had to wait for them and my wife would be done eating when I finally was served so I would need to rush eating to be on to the next thing. This for me is worth putting up with a few cutbacks, and the 2025 cruise we have booked we felt was at a fair price.

 

That said if the cutbacks really do impact our experience we won't hesitate to try something new.

[Lillibet16]

We just returned from the Beyond yesterday. It was our first time in a suite and it was a game changer for us. We had one of the best vacations of our life. The staff was outstanding, we loved our room, the sun deck was never overly crowded, the ship was beautiful. None of the changes would be enough to discourage us from booking another cruise with them. In fact, we are relatively new at cruising, aware of all the changes, and still booked 2 more cruises with them. 

[cameronp12]

We did 2 Celebrity cruises last year plus one with NCL (our first time with them). Celebrity was hands down better than NCL (and likely still is). 
 

We have 2 more booked this year with Celebrity, one in late April going to Spain/Portugal on the Infinity and the other is a California coast in October on the Eclipse. 
 

I will really be paying attention to how all of these changes/cutbacks affect our experience, comparing 2022 to 2023. Our cruises being a little later in the year give them a little while to work out the “kinks” and add some things back if they choose to. We will remain optimistic as we love Celebrity’s service and brand. We had planned to go to Europe again in 2024, but prices are INSANE by Celebrity standards. We want to make sure we truly aren’t put off by the cutbacks before we commit that kind of $$$ in 2024.

[mahdnc]

Right now we have 4 sailings booked.  3 of them we will take for sure: Galapagos (Xpedition in Nov), Southeast Asia (Solstice in Dec), and the Panama Canal (Summit Apr 2024).

 

I doubt that the cutbacks have affected any of the Galapagos sailings in any meaningful way.  Our Solstice cruise is so cheap that it would be a mistake not to go.  Our Panama Canal cruise is in an aft FV which we love.  

 

My wife and I will judge how well we like the post-cutback Celebrity experience which will determine if we want to stay with them.  We would like to do an expensive/immersive land vacation in Alaska (visit all the National Parks) and Fiji (diving) some day but up to now we have been scheduling cruises instead.  So this could provide the excuse we need to do something different.

[prmssk]

@cgolf1 I am allergic to dairy and Celebrity is among the best in not only making sure I have safe things to eat but also making sure there is flavor in those dishes. I had a similar experience with Royal recently with their brand new menus but my experience on Princess was pretty bad. Even with pre-ordering in the MDR, food was bland because they would just leave off all the sauces and seasonings and the dairy free dessert I had each night was almost identical the previous nights except a different color. Their buffet had so little variety and were not labeled so I rarely found anything I could eat there. Carnival was the same. My experience in NCL was a bit better but still not up to how Celebrity handles food allergies. 
 

So even with the cuts, my food experience as someone with a dietary restriction is still much better on Celebrity than other lines. 

[Ken the cruiser]

For us we haven't experienced any reason why we wouldn't want to continue cruising with Celebrity. However, anything is possible. We thought Oceania was an awesome "small ship" cruise line and due to a variety of negative experiences across multiple cruises even though we're Silver, we will never cruise with them again. We're also 4 star on HAL and the only way we will ever cruise with them again is if they get rid of their Music Walk entertainment strategy, which does not appear to be happening anytime soon. But we very much enjoy cruising with Princess and now NCL (depending on itinerary), so it's not like Celebrity is the only game in town that impresses us.

[CaroleSS]

We have a cruise in May and an AI trip planned for July. I am trying to be optimistic about our cruise, we will be on the Equinox for the 3rd time (we love the ship).

 

BUT, I read that the show Topper is still playing - which we saw the first 2 sailings, the first of which was back in 2016! I can't believe they are still doing that show after 7 years......pretty bad if you ask me!

 

Also, we cruise in Aqua for the added "perks".....which apparently don't exist any more. The room service upgraded breakfast will now cost us another $12. The menu in Blu is now meatloaf, roasted chicken or vegetarian. And "squab".....that is a pigeon (understand it's been on the menu for a while). Blu is supposed to be a step up from the MDR, but it just doesn't seem that way anymore. I am paying a premium price for something I don't perceive I am receiving any more.

 

The rising cost of the beverage packages, the significant cut backs on the quality of the food, staffing cut backs (whether due to availability or for cost savings), etc.....just don't make cruising an attractive option for us anymore. 
 

I am withholding judgement until we actually cruise, but this may be our last cruise. Land tours are more attractive to us now and we seem to be getting more "bang for our buck" with them.

 

YMMV......just what I'm seeing. 🙁

Edited January 23, 2023 by CaroleSS

[Cruise Raider]

I have not cruised on Celebrity since 2017 but have a sailing booked with them for April of this year.  Several of my bookings with them had been canceled for various reasons, not only due to CoVid but also from charters and ship changes.  
So, I will finally be able reevaluate them after so many years away.  I used to consider them my favorite line as they seemed a notch above the other lines in the same price range.  We’ve cruised extensively with Princess, especially after the CoVid shutdowns and while others are complaining about the cutbacks, I’ve seen such definite overall improvements in cruising.  I will finally get the chance to see if Celebrity wins me back.  
I definitely live the coffeehouse breakfast but understand, I will most likely miss the evening cocktail happy hour.  
I do like that most all the rooms have at least a small seating area within the cabin on Celebrity.  While I don’t hate a shower curtain, I do appreciate the shower doors.  I also love the ambient light in the bathrooms at night.  
Also, I like that their theaters hold an appropriate number of guests compared to the ship’s capacity.  
Mostly, I love that they have no smoking inside the ship anywhere, not even in the casino.  
 

[Mosttoyswin]

There are several features of keep me loyal to celebrity. No indoor smoking. Other lines limit smoking to the casino or a closed off cigar  lounge but to me the smoke smell permeates the entire ship.  The accessible cabins on S & E class ships have power doors.  As do most restrooms and access points to the outdoors.  To most people this is I'm sure of minor point but as a wheelchair user it's an enormous plus.  They seem to have more accessible tours available than other lines.  And finally the crew.  The crew always seems to be friendly and willing to help.  

[MikeMary4449]

28 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

For us we haven't experienced any reason why we wouldn't want to continue cruising with Celebrity. However, anything is possible. We thought Oceania was an awesome "small ship" cruise line and due to a variety of negative experiences across multiple cruises even though we're Silver, we will never cruise with them again. We're also 4 star on HAL and the only way we will ever cruise with them again is if they get rid of their Music Walk entertainment strategy, which does not appear to be happening anytime soon. But we very much enjoy cruising with Princess and now NCL (depending on itinerary), so it's not like Celebrity is the only game in town that impresses us.

Hi Ken, Can you please elaborate on the "negative experiences".  Thanks.

[WNCtourist]

Celebrity's no smoking policy is about the biggest plus for us. That said, we cruise for the itineraries; our last cruise was Hawaii R/T from San Francisco on Princess. The itinerary was great, and walking to the ship from our hotel in SF couldn't be easier. 

[cameronp12]

Celebrity’s no-smoking indoor policy is definitely great! 
 

To be honest, we have been pricing out different Europe options for 2024, including a few different ocean options and one river option. There are several areas of Europe we have yet to see, so we have plenty of options of area to go.

 

When looking at Celebrity’s pricing and inclusions, it’s hard to see the “value” anymore. I was comparing an 11 day Italy cruise on the Constellation to a Viking Ocean cruise that is 8 days, but with added on pre- and post-cruise extensions to spend more time in Italy. 
 

The Viking cruise + land packages + flights (economy) all bundled together came out to about $1000 more than Celebrity AI pricing. And Viking includes basic shore excursions at each port + many more things (especially transfers to/from the airport).

 

We might not be the target demographic for Viking, but it’s hard to pass up that increased “value” for how much more you get.

[Hlitner]

We gave up on Celebrity (been Elite Plus for years) soon after LLP took over and started her "death by a thousand cut-back."  Since that time we have been cruising on MSC (Yacht Club) (think Retreat suites at a fraction of the cost), Seabourn (much less expensive than Retreat suites), and recently booked the new Explora Journeys (less expensive than Retreat Suites), Princess (better itinerary in Asia than X) and Princess (our go to line for value).

 

Just last week we debated booking X or Princess, but decided on Princess because it still offers a far better value than X.   We would love to book another cruise on X, but would prefer one of the lower cost Retreat suites.  But we can book some small ship luxury lines for less money and they are a much better value (we are not going to get included caviar on X).

 

Many cruisers get into the "loyalty" thing and tend to stick with one or two lines.  We simply look for the best itineraries and/or the best value.  X is simply not competitive with their current price structure and considering all the comments about the latest cut-backs.  I should add that we have never, ever, been on a line where we had to pay a fee for room service.  

 

Hank

[Pickels]

We've sailed on the Equinox and the Silhouette recently and have a cruise next month on the Refection.  Loyal to Celebrity, you betcha!  Not saying that the other lines, (NCL, RCL, Princess) that we cruised with were bad, they were all great cruises but, we just prefer Celebrity; why:  the no smoking policy, the great staff, the helpful staff before the cruise, (on-line questions, requests,  and consideration for dietary issues. etc.).  Yes we'll stick with Celebrity! 

[Mimiya11]

2 hours ago, CaroleSS said:

BUT, I read that the show Topper is still playing - which we saw the first 2 sailings, the first of which was back in 2016! I can't believe they are still doing that show after 7 years......pretty bad if you ask me!

 

Also, we cruise in Aqua for the added "perks".....which apparently don't exist any more. The room service upgraded breakfast will now cost us another $12. The menu in Blu is now meatloaf, roasted chicken or vegetarian. And "squab".....that is a pigeon (understand it's been on the menu for a while). Blu is supposed to be a step up from the MDR, but it just doesn't seem that way anymore. I am paying a premium price for something I don't perceive I am receiving any more.

 

Topper was awful !!  Agree on that. 

No idea re Blu's menu change but going on the Apex next month so will see what other options we have besides meatloaf and squab.      

 

But for us, to answer the OP's question - we have never been on a Celebrity cruise that we didn't love from any of our verandah, AQ or Sky Suite cabins.   Been on Princess twice, NCL, Carnival twice (years ago when our kids were young), HAL and Celebrity still is our preferred cruise line so we are taking our 9th and 10th Celebrity cruise this year.  

 

Am I happy about the changes in fees?  Of course not, even though we rarely order room service and never had dinner in the OV buffet.    

We are trying for the first time, a Viking Ocean cruise next month, only a few days after our Apex cruise.  Trust me, those boards are also actively complaining about an increase in beverage package costs.  Not exactly a B2B but will be good to compare and contrast the two. 

 

Nice that people have choices and book accordingly.    

 

[mrgabriel]

2 hours ago, CaroleSS said:

Also, we cruise in Aqua for the added "perks".....which apparently don't exist any more. The room service upgraded breakfast will now cost us another $12. The menu in Blu is now meatloaf, roasted chicken or vegetarian. And "squab".....that is a pigeon (understand it's been on the menu for a while). Blu is supposed to be a step up from the MDR, but it just doesn't seem that way anymore. I am paying a premium price for something I don't perceive I am receiving any more.

 

We sailed in AQ 3 weeks ago. 

 

AQ Perks that we used were the bottles of water provided in the cabin, Persian Garden, and I used the Yoga mats. My husband used the relaxation room several times when he was up early and wanted to read. 

 

We ate in Blu for 5 of the 7 nights. If we were breakfast eaters, we would eat there, too, but we just have coffee in Tuscan. The menu in Blu didn't let us down nor did it seem that much different from our previous 5 or 6 cruises when Blu was our dining room. Yes, the 'every day favourites' were gone but there was always something I liked on either on the regular or alternative menus ('healthy choices - replaced the every day favourites). I don't recall squab or meatloaf - but I did have steak twice, salmon twice and chicken once. My husband had crab cakes, short ribs, different fish dishes and lamb. 

[davekathy]

Over the years I've come across some good info shared by a few here on CC. Some are still on CC and some have cruised on. But we would never book or not book a cruise line, itinerary, ship, etc. based on someone's positive or negative opinions or experiences. No matter the cruise line forum. What's said on CC stays on CC.  

[Mimiya11]

8 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Over the years I've come across some good info shared by a few here on CC. Some are still on CC and some have cruised on. But we would never book or not book a cruise line, itinerary, ship, etc. based on someone's positive or negative opinions or experiences. No matter the cruise line forum. What's said on CC stays on CC.  

Exactly! 

 

 

[goofysmom99]

5 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

Reading all these threads and with our next trip deciding whether or not we keep sailing Celebrity, I am wondering what they still do that would keep you with Celebrity even with the cutbacks?

 

For me it is how they handle the gluten free dishes. They have been very accommodating in the MDR by modifying dishes so that I could enjoy them similar to Disney. Royal unfortunately was not as good at this.

 

The game changer for me was the buffet with the cards above that specify the allergens. I am for sure gluten intolerant and not sure if I am celiac. This allowed me to eat at the buffet like a normal human being. On Royal or Disney I would need to ask for a chef to walk me around and explain what I could eat. The bummer was that I had to wait for them and my wife would be done eating when I finally was served so I would need to rush eating to be on to the next thing. This for me is worth putting up with a few cutbacks, and the 2025 cruise we have booked we felt was at a fair price.

 

That said if the cutbacks really do impact our experience we won't hesitate to try something new.

Don't 100% trust their labels.  This picture is from last night's Constellation OVC buffet.  (In what alternate universe is couscous gluten free?)

[LB_NJ]

Just finished a 10 night on Constellation in a Family Veranda. Originally booked OV but got an upgrade for what I consider a great price to FV.

 

The cruise met my minimum acceptable standards. Overall we enjoyed the cruise. I pre booked the non alcoholic classic which unfortunately is no longer available.

 

Assuming no further cutbacks I might book another Celebrity cruise assuming reasonable prices.  However I would prefer Oceania.

[cgolf1]

15 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Don't 100% trust their labels.  This picture is from last night's Constellation OVC buffet.  (In what alternate universe is couscous gluten free?)

 

Yes I have found things as well that would be questionable that I have passed on, but in general it is way better than other lines. I am guessing I am not Celiac because in two Celebrity cruises the buffet hasn't got to me yet.

[goofysmom99]

2 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

Yes I have found things as well that would be questionable that I have passed on, but in general it is way better than other lines. I am guessing I am not Celiac because in two Celebrity cruises the buffet hasn't got to me yet.

I agree with you but to label couscous as GF is egregious.  Wheat isn't one of its ingredients, it IS the entire ingredient.  That qualifies as not having a clue what gluten is and what gluten free means.  X does very well in MDR.  They're going to have to do a whole lot better in OVC (I've had celiac for 20 yrs; cruised with X for 30).  BTW, the limoncello cheesecake in Tuscan can be served GF....that's worth the entire price of admission for me. 😉

[keysey222]

Because there's nowhere else to go but to the upmarket ships like Oceania, Azamara, etc. Which we'd love to try, but we have a toddler that would be bored beyond belief. Between their kids club and larger-sized ships to roam, our kid stays occupied on Celebrity. From what I've heard, there's little to nothing for kids on the more premium lines. We have little desire to sail with RC, NCL, MSC, Carnival, etc. Maybe Disney here or there, but all the Disney stuff would get on my nerves after a few days. We have three bookings on Celebrity through 2024 and we're sticking with them for now. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by keysey222

[Moochi]

Because I have never experienced anything bad, the dealbreaker, to prevent me from booking celebrity again. Why change if it’s not broken?

[jelayne]

We have tried the smaller ships (under 700)  and they are not for us.  Just not enough options for activities, entertainment, bars, restaurants. I ask a frequent cruiser on one sailing what do you do on sea days and the reply " We enjoy sitting around and talking with others.