Not to pile on, but it’s bad…

[C4HCG]

17 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

Definitely it is not "beneath me" to remove plates of previous diners, however, I don't have sanitizer to clean the table, a towel to wipe the table or 2 extra hands to hold my plate of food while I do so. I also don't want to handle another passenger's dirty plates and cutlery and then eat without cleaning my hands, and then my food would be cold and or removed while I was doing it.

Maybe find a table prior to getting a table.

[Luvcrusn]

Just now, C4HCG said:

Maybe find a table prior to getting a table.

? Prior to getting food? And if I do this, who's to keep the clean table reserved while I get my food?

[C4HCG]

4 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

? Prior to getting food? And if I do this, who's to keep the clean table reserved while I get my food?

Catch 22 I guess.

[oskidunker]

4 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

Someone earlier in this thread questioned what would be the alternative to cruising X which got me to thinking.  Maybe not a cruise at all.  I've booked a balcony on next year's Iceland/Greenland cruise for a truly eye-watering fare.  I was there a decade ago but it's enticing because it'd be so nice and cool compared to Florida in August.  Just did a little math and for that cruise fare (wifi and bev are comped), not even factoring-in the air to get there, I could get new patio furniture, a leather recliner, a refrigerator, and really crank up the A/C for the entire month.  I booked early because I want a very specific cabin, always cruise X, and it sounded blessedly cool (followed Jim_Iain's live thread last summer).  However, quantifying the value just now, with only $100 deposit penalty, I think I may have just made up my mind about that particular one.  This was a good thread for me for reasons other than OP's review.  

Oceania or Viking. 

[Linsie]

20 hours ago, buckeye8810 said:

Since the start of the year, I know there’s been a lot of handwringing about the changes Celebrity has made. We just got back from a 10-night Eastern Caribbean…and I can confirm things are worse than before, in literally every way.

 

Ships are more crowded, and there’s clearly not enough staff to accommodate the increase in passengers. Food is significantly worse…and the wait staff was running around like their hair was on fire. Even in Murano, the food was disappointing. Not to mention several people in our group reported stomach issues on multiple days after dinner.
Unrelated, but it seemed like half the people on the ship were coughing and hacking, which probably means Covid was running rampant.

 

All in all, there’s no reason to pay premium prices for Celebrity anymore, because it’s no longer a premium brand. With the changes they’ve made, it’s not any different than NCL. Not saying I wouldn’t cruise with Celebrity again, but there’s no chance I would pay current prices. We felt ripped off, considering when we booked this cruise we were expecting the level of service from years past.

 

 

Agree about the food..not what it was

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

If everything is so bad as some seem to say here on the Celebrity board- why are people still cruising and paying high prices?  The ships are going out near capacity.  Somebody must like something.  I have respect for those that have cruised and offered their opinion (either good or bad).  But there are a lot of people here who have not cruised on Celebrity (yet) in 2023 who seem to have made up their minds in advance that the cruise will be awful based upon other's opinions feeding off each other.  Just cruise and see for yourself.

There is pent up demand for cruising. Many have yet to experience the new normal.Lets see how full the ships   are in 2024 with bad food and poor service and high prices. I have 25 cruises on Princess. The last one was awful. Poor food small portions and awful service.  Wont cruise with Princess again. Mega ships not for me. Just took wonderful Oceania cruise. Likely will stay thereafter reading that Celebrity has copied Princess. My one Celebrity cruise in 2022 was great l Thatwas then . This is now. You have to be open to new cruise lines. 

Edited February 12, 2023 by oskidunker

[BPCW]

We just got off of Celebrity Millennium yesterday and I’ll give everyone my rational, but real, opinion. Background - 13th cruise (6 RC, 1 NCL, 6 Celebrity), 40 years old, traveled with a group of 12. 
 

The good
-the food was generally very good. Several “misses” on things (inedible steak, etc) but those things happen. 
-The ship was at capacity but didn’t feel overwhelmingly crowded.  The 2019 refresh is holding up every well. 
-We had a good time and none of the good or bad would drive us away from cruising in the future. 
 

The bad 

-The ship was at capacity and it seemed like there were half of the crew they needed.  Most bars were consistently 10-20 mins to get a drink if there were more than 8-10 people there. The bartenders were severely understaffed and couldn’t run their bars very well.  I witnessed several incidents of passengers getting into arguments because bartenders were serving people who just walked up over people waiting.  Not nearly as many servers walking around either. 

-MDR was agonizingly slow. We did late dinners each night (8:30) and the EARLIEST we got done was 10:45 one night. Most nights were 11-11:15.   Service was also very inconsistent and it was clear our wait team has too many tables. One night we would wait 20 mins for them to acknowledge us and get menus. Another night, we would order in the first 15 mins but the first course wouldn’t come out for another 40 mins. Mostly the time between appetizer and entree and entree and dessert was brutal.  Most nights we had to ask for more water. I tipped the sommelier mid-cruise and asked if we could get quicker service if we are going to be sitting here this long and he did great after that. Overall, we aren’t picky and did mention that we didn’t mind sitting for so long but would be ideal if we could get out by 10:30. Never happened. 
-A couple in the group did OV for one dinner and they said the selection was almost laughable. Like it was difficult to find stuff you wanted to eat…complete opposite of breakfast and lunch which has solid selections.  This tracks with what everyone else is saying. 
-The nickel and diming on everything that people have talked about is real and noticeable.  Room service fees, extra lobster fee, $130 for a ship tour, etc. 

Overall

-It was a good cruise, but no where near amazing. We missed a port (Bahamas) due to weather but that’s certainly no one’s fault. 
-I will echo many, many others who have said that Celebrity has sucked all of the “luxury” out of their cruising experience. When we did an X cruise for the first time, we were blown away after comparing it to RC and NCL. Now, it’s hard to find their differences. 
-If the little things really matter to you like onboard champagne (gone), personal connections with staff (still there but they are so strained it’s not like it used to be),  better service (all but gone), elevated food (good but not amazing) that X is/was known for, then you will likely not like any of these changes. 
 

I was skeptical reading about these changes and how they would impact us prior to departure.  Our experience won’t drive us away from X but we will most definitely shop around for our next one. It’s no longer worth paying a 50-100% premium for X because, to us, there was nothing premium about our experience.  
 

If anyone has questions, happy to answer without the doom and gloom or exaggerations. 

[C4HCG]

1 minute ago, oskidunker said:

There is pent up demand for cruising. Many have yet to experience the new normal.Lets see how full the ships   are in 2024 with bad food and poor service and high prices. I have 25 cruises on Princess. The last one was awful. Poor food small portions and awful service.  Wont cruise with Princess again. Mega ships not for me. Just took wonderful Oceania cruise. Likely will stay thereafter reading that Celebrity has copied Princess. My one Celebrity cruise in 2022 was great l Thatwas then . This is now. You have to be open to new cruise lines. 

Serious question - you won’t cruise Celeb again because of what you have read here? If I had been on this board before our first Celeb cruise wouldn’t have done it, and would have missed 4 magnificent cruises with more to come. Take what you read here, good and bad, with a pinch of salt.

[BPCW]

8 hours ago, islabahia said:

If anyone expects X to deliver a product equal to or above pre Covid will IMO be disappointed.  That was then this is now.  Does anyone really think X has decided to keep their ships understaffed?  If the workers need visas and they cannot be issued in a timely fashion to fully staff the ships,  how is that the fault of X?  I certainly do not agree with or understand the rationale of cutting food costs which in turn results in unhappy pax but…we are returning to X in 3 weeks with another cruise booked for Dec.  If we are unhappy, we will bite the deposit (very very low) and move forward with Oceania.

 

As always JMHO

In my opinion, if X knows a ship is understaffed then don’t sell to capacity. I would think the luxury and great service mantras are way more important than some short term additional revenue…

[C4HCG]

2 minutes ago, BPCW said:

We just got off of Celebrity Millennium yesterday and I’ll give everyone my rational, but real, opinion. Background - 13th cruise (6 RC, 1 NCL, 6 Celebrity), 40 years old, traveled with a group of 12. 
 

The good
-the food was generally very good. Several “misses” on things (inedible steak, etc) but those things happen. 
-The ship was at capacity but didn’t feel overwhelmingly crowded.  The 2019 refresh is holding up every well. 
-We had a good time and none of the good or bad would drive us away from cruising in the future. 
 

The bad 

-The ship was at capacity and it seemed like there were half of the crew they needed.  Most bars were consistently 10-20 mins to get a drink if there were more than 8-10 people there. The bartenders were severely understaffed and couldn’t run their bars very well.  I witnessed several incidents of passengers getting into arguments because bartenders were serving people who just walked up over people waiting.  Not nearly as many servers walking around either. 

-MDR was agonizingly slow. We did late dinners each night (8:30) and the EARLIEST we got done was 10:45 one night. Most nights were 11-11:15.   Service was also very inconsistent and it was clear our wait team has too many tables. One night we would wait 20 mins for them to acknowledge us and get menus. Another night, we would order in the first 15 mins but the first course wouldn’t come out for another 40 mins. Mostly the time between appetizer and entree and entree and dessert was brutal.  Most nights we had to ask for more water. I tipped the sommelier mid-cruise and asked if we could get quicker service if we are going to be sitting here this long and he did great after that. Overall, we aren’t picky and did mention that we didn’t mind sitting for so long but would be ideal if we could get out by 10:30. Never happened. 
-A couple in the group did OV for one dinner and they said the selection was almost laughable. Like it was difficult to find stuff you wanted to eat…complete opposite of breakfast and lunch which has solid selections.  This tracks with what everyone else is saying. 
-The nickel and diming on everything that people have talked about is real and noticeable.  Room service fees, extra lobster fee, $130 for a ship tour, etc. 

Overall

-It was a good cruise, but no where near amazing. We missed a port (Bahamas) due to weather but that’s certainly no one’s fault. 
-I will echo many, many others who have said that Celebrity has sucked all of the “luxury” out of their cruising experience. When we did an X cruise for the first time, we were blown away after comparing it to RC and NCL. Now, it’s hard to find their differences. 
-If the little things really matter to you like onboard champagne (gone), personal connections with staff (still there but they are so strained it’s not like it used to be),  better service (all but gone), elevated food (good but not amazing) that X is/was known for, then you will likely not like any of these changes. 
 

I was skeptical reading about these changes and how they would impact us prior to departure.  Our experience won’t drive us away from X but we will most definitely shop around for our next one. It’s no longer worth paying a 50-100% premium for X because, to us, there was nothing premium about our experience.  
 

If anyone has questions, happy to answer without the doom and gloom or exaggerations. 

Good, honest review from someone who has been on a ship, appreciated.  We love Celebrity and will make our own judgement in September when we next sail and between now and then will read with interest the reviews of those like you have first hand experience. The rest I will smile and get annoyed at 🤬

[oskidunker]

7 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Serious question - you won’t cruise Celeb again because of what you have read here? If I had been on this board before our first Celeb cruise wouldn’t have done it, and would have missed 4 magnificent cruises with more to come. Take what you read here, good and bad, with a pinch of salt.

Yes. Wont cruise celebrity. Too many bad reviews n why should I when  I loved Oceania?

[C4HCG]

2 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

Yes. Wont cruise celebrity. Too many bad reviews n why should I when  I loved Oceania?

No reason. Why post here though rather than the Oceania board? 

Edited February 12, 2023 by C4HCG

[oskidunker]

1 minute ago, C4HCG said:

No reason. Why post here though rather than the Oceania board? 

Ok. Good point. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

51 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

? Prior to getting food? And if I do this, who's to keep the clean table reserved while I get my food?

 

That is well and good unless you're solo.

[jules27556]

24 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

There is pent up demand for cruising. Many have yet to experience the new normal.Lets see how full the ships   are in 2024 with bad food and poor service and high prices.

Plus lots of FCC to use.  I wondered if the pricing was also increased to offset the FCC and still get

new money.  Just a thought.

[C4HCG]

2 minutes ago, jules27556 said:

Plus lots of FCC to use.  I wondered if the pricing was also increased to offset the FCC and still get

new money.  Just a thought.

People will vote with their cash, Celebrity will survive (I hope) as they offer value for money. My opinion and subjective I know.

[Lastdance]

18 hours ago, OysterD said:

Can I ask what exactly was worse 'in literally every way'?

 

You mentioned food and not enough staff but that was all. Ships being crowded isn't a bad thing, you can't expect them to sail half full forever more or else they'll go bankrupt. 

 

What was so terrible about the food and what was so terrible about service? And was there anything else or was your statement about everything being worse just hyperbole?

 

I'll ignore the covid comment because that's nothing to do with Celebrity and was just speculation on your behalf. In December half the people I know, including myself, had a cough, but none us had covid. We all just had a variety of colds, flus and chest infections. Such is life. 

So, you are qualifying that statement because everyone tested?  Just wondering because without a test, no one knows for sure.  Unfortunately, it is the conundrum we all live with now.  I had no symptoms, but tested and was positive.  Made me quite an unhappy cruiser, but room service was very good and we were treated exceptionally well.  I just do not want to go there anymore; Covid on a cruise!  Also, I do not want to spread it either which is another conundrum.  However, I am on an upcoming TA/b2b, so not giving up cruising.

[gordylad]

until my wife and I experience a bad celebrity cruise for ourselves we will continue to book and cruise

[Chardonnay Char]

5 minutes ago, gordylad said:

until my wife and I experience a bad celebrity cruise for ourselves we will continue to book and cruise

Have you cruised in 2023?

[weregoingcruising]

6 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

 

I have my embarkation clothes and my debarkation clothes...the first come tailored and nicely fitted.  The second are elastic and flowy.   I'm thinking/hoping that smaller portions will help with my net gain on our upcoming cruise ☺️. 

Just stay indoors on the ship during your cruise. The salty air outside shrinks your clothes. You will only need one set of clothes. Problem solved.

[weregoingcruising]

The older Celebrity ships are staffed with a high percentage of first contract crew members. There just learning their duties.

[Gig103]

Just off my first X cruise since 2017, with my two more recent cruises being RCCL. I have to admit that like some others in this thread I didn't think the Celebrity experience felt as upscale as it used to. It was nice not having to check-out towels and to not have the dining room menus pushing up-charge options (apparently a second lobster is?). The way they charge 'premium' prices for some basic inexpensive liquors like Aperol & Bailey's just comes across as trying to convince guests into the PP based on popularity.

 

I still had a good time and put down two Book Later FCC reduced deposits, with one a sure-thing and the other a 'maybe' (refundable after 6 months). But yeah, the lines are more blurred to me too.

[dock]

All these poor reviews are very disheartening.

 

Everyone is upset about understaffing resulting in long wait times for service at bars, not enough roaming bar staff and long wait times during dinner service but I wonder how understaffing would impact safety in the event of an emergency. 

 

This is my concern and making us rethink our family cruise. 
 

 

[yknot13]

2 hours ago, BPCW said:

We just got off of Celebrity Millennium yesterday and I’ll give everyone my rational, but real, opinion. Background - 13th cruise (6 RC, 1 NCL, 6 Celebrity), 40 years old, traveled with a group of 12. 
 

The good
-the food was generally very good. Several “misses” on things (inedible steak, etc) but those things happen. 
-The ship was at capacity but didn’t feel overwhelmingly crowded.  The 2019 refresh is holding up every well. 
-We had a good time and none of the good or bad would drive us away from cruising in the future. 
 

The bad 

-The ship was at capacity and it seemed like there were half of the crew they needed.  Most bars were consistently 10-20 mins to get a drink if there were more than 8-10 people there. The bartenders were severely understaffed and couldn’t run their bars very well.  I witnessed several incidents of passengers getting into arguments because bartenders were serving people who just walked up over people waiting.  Not nearly as many servers walking around either. 

-MDR was agonizingly slow. We did late dinners each night (8:30) and the EARLIEST we got done was 10:45 one night. Most nights were 11-11:15.   Service was also very inconsistent and it was clear our wait team has too many tables. One night we would wait 20 mins for them to acknowledge us and get menus. Another night, we would order in the first 15 mins but the first course wouldn’t come out for another 40 mins. Mostly the time between appetizer and entree and entree and dessert was brutal.  Most nights we had to ask for more water. I tipped the sommelier mid-cruise and asked if we could get quicker service if we are going to be sitting here this long and he did great after that. Overall, we aren’t picky and did mention that we didn’t mind sitting for so long but would be ideal if we could get out by 10:30. Never happened. 
-A couple in the group did OV for one dinner and they said the selection was almost laughable. Like it was difficult to find stuff you wanted to eat…complete opposite of breakfast and lunch which has solid selections.  This tracks with what everyone else is saying. 
-The nickel and diming on everything that people have talked about is real and noticeable.  Room service fees, extra lobster fee, $130 for a ship tour, etc. 

Overall

-It was a good cruise, but no where near amazing. We missed a port (Bahamas) due to weather but that’s certainly no one’s fault. 
-I will echo many, many others who have said that Celebrity has sucked all of the “luxury” out of their cruising experience. When we did an X cruise for the first time, we were blown away after comparing it to RC and NCL. Now, it’s hard to find their differences. 
-If the little things really matter to you like onboard champagne (gone), personal connections with staff (still there but they are so strained it’s not like it used to be),  better service (all but gone), elevated food (good but not amazing) that X is/was known for, then you will likely not like any of these changes. 
 

I was skeptical reading about these changes and how they would impact us prior to departure.  Our experience won’t drive us away from X but we will most definitely shop around for our next one. It’s no longer worth paying a 50-100% premium for X because, to us, there was nothing premium about our experience.  
 

If anyone has questions, happy to answer without the doom and gloom or exaggerations. 

Younger folks will not and can not stand to sit for any length of time. Slow service will not bode well for a younger demography

[Nachosdelux]

2 hours ago, BPCW said:

In my opinion, if X knows a ship is understaffed then don’t sell to capacity. I would think the luxury and great service mantras are way more important than some short term additional revenue…

you would be mistaken.  Celebrity (and most of the cruise lines) are desperate for revenue and cost containment.  

 

I am a long time Celebrity fan, but it is not the same experience (outside of suite class.)  The cheerleaders on this board who defend Celebrity at all costs is ridiculous - "buss your own tables, ask for larger portions", etc etc.  You are paying for an expected level of service and quality which sadly, is no longer reliably there.

Edited February 13, 2023 by Nachosdelux