Not to pile on, but it’s bad…

[govanguy]

On 2/12/2023 at 1:25 AM, 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.

 

 

Totally agree. I was on this cruise too. 

After 16 years with Celebrity, I quit. Today I instructed my T.A. to cancel my B2B2B sailing in September.

Never again , Celebrity.

 

[MamaFej]

1 hour ago, Orator said:

Every cruise, even two parts of a B2B on the same ship are different so that one experience on one ship may not be the general rule. With that said, there is no doubt that there have been reductions in service and quality.

True.

I also believe that management makes an enormous difference. When we boarded Summit on August 19 for B2B2B, beverage service at bars was surprisingly dismal. We were very surprised. Within a couple of days, an Assistant Beveage Manager, Leigh, was jumping behind the bar or counter whenever there was a crowd. Soon, even when she wasn't on site, service had improved dramatically. Our first cruise was also hers.  She was extremely visible, friendly, and personable throughout the remainder of those 3 cruises (and after, I'm sure). 

 

Our cabin was mostly clean, but a few days in, an unidentified pink toothbrush suddenly appeared, neatly placed, on our bathroom counter. We guess it was found while mopping the floor in more detail than had been done in a while. Who knows how many cruises ago it had originally been dropped? Our steward hadn't changed, but attention to detail had. Maybe there was also a recent change in his management team?

 

In Jim's Live From thread (we overlapped for two cruises) a couple of us onboard (not in suites) commented on how a few things had changed dramatically in a short period of time. 

 

I was lucky. I never had a bad, lazy, or sloppy boss, but I know plenty of people who have, including my own kids. They tell me that the difference in managers (bosses, principals, department directors, etc.) makes a tremendous difference in the work environment, and, therefore, the workers. 

 

[wineoclock]

On our Apex cruise in October our CS hadn’t been prepared adequately- a bag from previous occupants was found by me in bathroom. Lots of apologies from the cabin attendant & hotel manager stopped by with extra goodies. I didn’t complain just phoned & said something had been missed. With the whole covid thing it shouldn’t have been but we are all human at the end of the day. 

[starfish9912]

• •  354
• June 26, 2008
• Melbourne, Australia

• #22  

Posted yesterday at 01:20 AM

Sorry…but I can’t give any credibility to someone who decides their first post is a rant.

 

I am also posting for the first time; however, I disagree that the post was a "rant". First of all, the poster described known issues from what I can see. I did my own investigation on "social media", and this is certainly not a one-off occurrence, unfortunately. The impact to the industry at large is the cause of these issues and will hopefully improve with time. I decided to become a member after reading this thread. I am an Elite member and I welcome this new feedback as I am also looking to book on Celebrity for an upcoming family birthday event with 18 additional family and friends. I think these boards were designed for shared experiences onboard and its awful to see someone attempt to silence another member by calling the post a rant. Like or not the issues mentioned are relevant and especially the concerns regarding service and food, after all that's why we sail. The credibility of the post is spot on from what I see and will influence my decision on booking any cruise line as this is apparently industry wide. 

[randomcruise]

5 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Just off Beyond which was my first experience on a sold out sailing since 2019. I think I've sailed Celebrity now 6 times since the post-covid restart. My experience was much the same as yours. The areas that were congested with lines (rather - those that can recognize a line and didn't walk up and shout orders but that's another topic), was the same as always. Cafe al Bacio moved very quick. The buffet was a zoo like usual but emptied tables were cleared very quickly. Martini Bar was busy but seemed to move faster than my last experience on Reflection. Pool Bar was normal. Additional help was brought in at bars during really busy periods. Guest Services almost always had every station staffed. There was just no noticeable reduction in staff. I did not overhear much complaining on board at all, aside from the usual. 

 

There is a big difference in validity and perspective to these horror stories that unfortunately scare people off. 

I also just got off the Beyond and my experience was a little different than yours.  Every night in the MDR's we experienced short staffing issues with the drink servers and sommeliers, sometimes coupled with a clear lack of training.  We had 5:45 seating every night and we never came close to making the 7:30 show because the service was so slow.  Had one drink server tell my wife they were out of Diet Coke on the second night of the cruise rather than admit that she simply had forgotten to bring the drink after a very extended period of time.  The Headwaiter straightened that out very quickly after a short discussion and was also able to provide a wine list 30-40 minutes after I had asked the sommelier for one.   Noticed short staffing at a several of the lounges/bars where they clearly needed a couple of more bartenders/bar backs to handle the number of people asking for drinks.  

 

Still had a good time with family and friends.  Food in the MDR and OVC was good, and the OVC drink servers were great on the back deck of the OVC.  Entertainment was excellent and the ship is beautiful and provides many wonderful spaces to spend time.    

[kirtihk]

On 2/12/2023 at 8:54 AM, AmberCascades said:

I am wondering, is any of this kind of stuff happening on other cruise lines?  I guess I can go look at their boards.  In my own "at home" life, we are finding understaffing in many stores and restaurants, massive price hikes in restaurants and grocery stores, and certain items (e.g. romaine lettuce/ceasar salad) that aren't available sometimes in restaurants.  Could any of this have an effect on the current cruise experience?  I'm just wondering if it would be related to that kind of thing, as opposed to X just being out to screw us out of our money and fun times.

 

We will be on our first post-covid cruise in April and plan to enjoy the heck out of it.  We really need a break after the last 3 years.  🙂

 

Absolutely! Including luxury cruise lines (from a personal experience 6 weeks ago).

 

That's a spirit!  And this is how we do cruising.

 

Voayge, Voyage!!!

[edgee]

On 2/11/2023 at 10:45 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

I will be on Solstice in a few weeks. It will be our first post Covid cruise with them with our last being in 2019. I have every intention of enjoying every moment. There’s been so much negativity about celebrity that I’ve reached a saturation point. The best I can do is just see for myself. 

We are on Solstice now. We are eating in Luminae (for suite guests) and I think the food is pretty good. However the food in the buffet seems to have slipped in quality.  

 

Now that good news: I was concerned that the condition of the ship may not be great due to postponement of the Revolution makeover. While decor is state of the art 2001, carpets and soft furnishings are in pretty good shape. The ship is in much better condition that the Eclipse was when we sailed her in July. And finally, the internet! Upgrade to Starlink system is wonderful. For the first time on a ship, internet is as fast and reliable as what one would expect at home or in any hotel. No more frustration with slow or unreliable internet is a very good thing!

[LoriPhil]

Well drat - we’re Elite cruisers on Princess but with many Princess reports less than glowing thought we might go back to Celebrity since we enjoyed the Eclipse in the past.  Now thinking of Viking Ocean, but it sounds like it’s more a universal problem, not just involving a few cruise lines.  Guess we’ll just select the most interesting ship, cabin, itinerary and enjoy, but maybe start with a nice 10-day VRBO on the Big Island to get back into the swing of things.    ☺️

[kirtihk]

18 hours ago, alyssamma said:

FWIW,  I'm on the Apex right now...loving every minute of it. The food is amazing, staff is quick and attentive (except slow at the martini bar as always)

 

The ship is kept spotless, plenty of areas to hang with people or to be alone.

 

Also here with friends who are sailing X for the first time...they love it too.

 

No clue where all this negativity comes from. I personally don't find it warranted.

People must simply compare every single item from a long list prior to Shmandemic with the current one, and the majority is not in favor of the latter.

[kirtihk]

4 hours ago, ltcpda said:

We cruised on the Celebrity Infinity, a 21 year old ship in July of 2022, and the Apex in Dec in 2022.  Everything was outstanding and the food was great.  The surprise was that the buffet in both ships was marvelous, perhaps even better than the four main dining rooms.    However, we never had a problem with the restaurants.  Service was excellent and food very good.

On the Apex, nobody was checking if guests were washing prior to entering the buffet.  And fewer mask which is a concern for us.  We take precautions when we feel necessary and are covid free.

Is cruising a kindergarten?

[paulh84]

I am not a cheerleader, a fear monger, blogger, vlogger, influencer or industry insider. Would happily try a new line if I found on that checked more boxes for us than Celebrity does. We were also just on Beyond last week and I could tell very little difference in the overall product or experience than from past years. Judging by the amount of room service items we saw, people paid the $10 or ordered the free offerings. 

 

I think people have lost sight between June 2021 and today that lines when the bars are busy before and after shows, 2pm in the afternoon when the pool deck is a dozen drinks deep, etc. that lines at bars are not a new phenomenon. MDR's are frequently chaotic and busy. Wine service has always been a little sporadic. At fault, part of the issue is they don't explain how dinner service works early in the cruise. People are confused who to make requests to and when they ask the wrong person it throws them off. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

22 minutes ago, edgee said:

We are on Solstice now. We are eating in Luminae (for suite guests) and I think the food is pretty good.

Good to know that Luminae is hanging in there.  How has the service been with regard to speed and food temp?

[mcrcruiser]

8 hours ago, manmachine said:

I am an old radio guy who worked with a lot of nightclubs.  Old trick:  $20.00 cover, then quarter beers all night.  Part of the old trick:  instead of the five bartenders needed on that night, use 1 or 2.

 

Celebrity:  

 

1.  sell everyone an ‘unlimited’ drink package for a high price.  Even higher for top shelf.  Add tips on top.
 

2.  Sell everyone on prepaying tips.

 

3.  Have available specialty dining packages.

 

Second part of Celebrity trick:

 

1.  Cut back the staff at the bars.  Stock the top shelf in only a few bars, with limited hours.  Claim worldwide labor shortage and encourage extra tipping over and above what was charged already for tips.  ‘Encourage’ means bribes in order to get a drink.  Celebrity makes $.

 

2.  See #1 above.  Also, divert lots of prepaid tips to folks who never, ever were tipped before.  Pocket $.

 

3.  Make available ‘free’ (prepaid) food much worse, especially at dinner (when specialties are open) so folks ‘upgrade’ to speciality in order to get the same quality they got included before.  Also, don’t allow packages to make reservations ahead of time so best specialty restaurants are sold out and package folks have to go to lower tier.  Pocket $.

Hmmm  

[randomcruise]

1 hour ago, paulh84 said:

I am not a cheerleader, a fear monger, blogger, vlogger, influencer or industry insider. Would happily try a new line if I found on that checked more boxes for us than Celebrity does. We were also just on Beyond last week and I could tell very little difference in the overall product or experience than from past years. Judging by the amount of room service items we saw, people paid the $10 or ordered the free offerings. 

 

I think people have lost sight between June 2021 and today that lines when the bars are busy before and after shows, 2pm in the afternoon when the pool deck is a dozen drinks deep, etc. that lines at bars are not a new phenomenon. MDR's are frequently chaotic and busy. Wine service has always been a little sporadic. At fault, part of the issue is they don't explain how dinner service works early in the cruise. People are confused who to make requests to and when they ask the wrong person it throws them off. 

Last week on the Beyond was only my second cruise with Celebrity (the first being last year in January on the Apex).  If what I experience with the drink servers in the MDR is how Celebrity has always performed, they should never have claimed they were any type of luxury venue.  Cruised on Viking River last year and the service in the dining room was far superior, as was Royal Caribbean in 2017 and Disney a decade before. Last year on Apex we had a few instances of bad drink service in the MDR's, but nothing nearly as bas as this past week.   I will say that several people at our table tried to order wine from the bar server because the sommeliers were consistently non-present, but they understood that the bar server wasn't the sommelier.  Several times the waiter had to get some wine for one or more of our party just so that they could have a glass before the meal was completely finished.  Any land based restaurant that provided that kind of service would be considered seriously subpar.    Very sorry to hear that it may have always been the norm for Celebrity.

[asnaleah]

Well, I hesitated to add a comment because we sailed in a suite on Silhouette last December. We noticed the overall product has slipped a few notches (OV quite a few notches!) and this was before January 1 when it is apparent more cutbacks and new fees began. We have been fortunate enough to have sailed on Celebrity for more than 15 years and this was the first time we did not book a future cruise. We have one more scheduled and I’m sure we will have a lovely time, but we are trying Oceania after that one. 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

7 hours ago, jean87510 said:

But you stayed in the Retreat, correct?  So it's a different experience then the OP had.

I did, and it was a dreamlike state of bliss (not the NCL ship by that name, which would have been a nightmare).

 

I woke every day to feel as if I were asleep and dreaming on a bed of Luminae burgers. 😅

 

Ok, let's be real.

 

It was awesome from the git go (and I do mean "git go")!

 

Sure, it was the Retreat, but the rest of the ship sparkled and staff were great (what I saw of them) and the whole kit and caboodle was downright pleasant. 

 

Loved it.

 

It did not turn me into a gripe-osaurus 🦖

 

Rather, it confirmed to me that life is as good as you make it.

 

Ahhhh, peace and love to all...

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 hours ago, randomcruise said:

Last week on the Beyond was only my second cruise with Celebrity (the first being last year in January on the Apex).  If what I experience with the drink servers in the MDR is how Celebrity has always performed, they should never have claimed they were any type of luxury venue.  Cruised on Viking River last year and the service in the dining room was far superior, as was Royal Caribbean in 2017 and Disney a decade before. Last year on Apex we had a few instances of bad drink service in the MDR's, but nothing nearly as bas as this past week.   I will say that several people at our table tried to order wine from the bar server because the sommeliers were consistently non-present, but they understood that the bar server wasn't the sommelier.  Several times the waiter had to get some wine for one or more of our party just so that they could have a glass before the meal was completely finished.  Any land based restaurant that provided that kind of service would be considered seriously subpar.    Very sorry to hear that it may have always been the norm for Celebrity.

 

Marketing has this covered, it's not luxury, X's slogan/motto is "RELAXED Luxury"; sounds like this also applies to the crew

 

LLP also referred to X as the "Culinary Brand"; luckily, she never claimed it was the "good tasting" culinary brand

[deliver42]

We got off the Beyond in December, and had nothing but praise for the crew or the food. We found plenty of staff serving drinks at the bars, and exce3pt for one waitress in Cosmopolitan, the dining room service was excellent.

[gkbiiii]

I've been MSC Yacht Club, I wonder how their new Luxury line will be, come 2024?  Notice that all the American river cruises are "all inclusive" including all gratuities, tours, hotels, airport transportation, specialty dining, Lobster & USDA Prime Beef, etc.  I wonder how "Modern Ocean Luxury," will fare against "American River Luxury?"

 

Did I mention, that American cruises, are US Flagged vessels, paying US income tax, US maritime wages, US labor laws apply, with American captains and bridge crew etc.  Perhaps its time to "buy American," with companies who take care of their employees, including their union representatives.  It's time to trade ocean ships for proud American river boats, with their historical splendor, of a vast, and diversified landscape. 

 

For a long time, I have been a solid international traveler, but now I have reconsidered.  Perhaps its now the time, to rediscover the US & Canada.

Edited February 14, 2023 by gkbiiii

[mcrcruiser]

12 hours ago, manmachine said:

I am an old radio guy who worked with a lot of nightclubs.  Old trick:  $20.00 cover, then quarter beers all night.  Part of the old trick:  instead of the five bartenders needed on that night, use 1 or 2.

 

Celebrity:  

 

1.  sell everyone an ‘unlimited’ drink package for a high price.  Even higher for top shelf.  Add tips on top.
 

2.  Sell everyone on prepaying tips.

 

3.  Have available specialty dining packages.

 

Second part of Celebrity trick:

 

1.  Cut back the staff at the bars.  Stock the top shelf in only a few bars, with limited hours.  Claim worldwide labor shortage and encourage extra tipping over and above what was charged already for tips.  ‘Encourage’ means bribes in order to get a drink.  Celebrity makes $.

 

2.  See #1 above.  Also, divert lots of prepaid tips to folks who never, ever were tipped before.  Pocket $.

 

3.  Make available ‘free’ (prepaid) food much worse, especially at dinner (when specialties are open) so folks ‘upgrade’ to speciality in order to get the same quality they got included before.  Also, don’t allow packages to make reservations ahead of time so best specialty restaurants are sold out and package folks have to go to lower tier.  Pocket $.

Hmmm  

[SusieAV8R]

22 hours ago, DingoMom said:

Ms Susie, 

I love your posts, but with all due respect, I believe you were in a suite. And, if not, it appears EVERYTHING changed with ships that sailed AFTER Jan. 1, 2023, meaning that Holiday cruises did NOT have the current cutbacks.

DingoMom, (LOVE Australia & NZ), I will keep my eyes open and take notes in 54 days.  Yes, we travel in suites, but I "take notes" as I wander around the ship I am on, for my friends and acquaintances, who cannot travel the way DH and I do 🙂 .  Back to you after our next cruise. 🙂. 🙂 

[SusieAV8R]

5 hours ago, kirtihk said:

 

Absolutely! Including luxury cruise lines (from a personal experience 6 weeks ago).

 

That's a spirit!  And this is how we do cruising.

 

Voayge, Voyage!!!

Absolutely enjoy your cruise.  Neither X nor any other cruise line or hotel or vacation area is immune from the rising costs and lack of employees we all are seeing.

[Luvcrusn]

As you can see from my profile I'm not a first time poster. DH and I have sailed on X a lot for many years.  I have sometimes been called a X cheerleader and always see the glass as half full. We sailed on Equinox in December 2021 and again in December 2022. The ship was slightly over 1/2 capacity on both cruises. So I'll be comparing apples to apples so to speak. We thoroughly enjoyed our December 2021 cruise. The service was what we have been accustomed to over the years. The OVC was what we have come to expect. In December of 2022 (before the January 1 extra charges and menu deletions) it was a very different experience. The service in the MDR was exceedingly slow. We were in select dining at a table for 2. The time between courses some evenings stretched to 40 minutes. The wine service was very slow since the sommelier was spread too thin.  The breakfast service in the MDR was at a snails pace. One morning it took 45 minutes from ordering our eggs until they arrived. The eggs benedict that was ordered came cold and the English muffin it was served on was microwaved so long that we couldn't cut it with a knife! The folks at the next table had the same issue. This happened at least four times during the cruise. The choices for lunch in the OVC were cut back drastically. There were less options for salad, no stir fry options, no grilled steaks and the carving stations offered cheaper proteins. Many areas of the OVC were dedicated to displays of things like uncooked boxes of pasta, cracker boxes etc. instead of food options that had been there before. The afternoon tea that previously had been put out in the OVC at about 4 PM with scones, tea sandwiches etc. were never offered during the 10 days. We looked as well as asked. My favorite drink indulgence that I've enjoyed for years on board X ships, a Frozen Toasted Almond, got me blank stares when I ordered it at various venues throughout the ship in 2022. I've never encountered that on any X ship including the Equinox the year before. I had to tell many different bar and bar servers how to make it and most couldn't get it right. The choices for dinner in the OVC were minimal and most of the stations were closed down. 

Murano was wonderful and we dined there 5 different nights.

Our room steward was awesomely wonderful. He magically appeared and cleaned our room as soon as we left it. We used the Go Green for the first time and honestly noticed no difference. Our room was turned down at night as usual and we always had fresh towels.

DH had to use a scooter due to a back issue and the crew could not have been more helpful and considerate. We also had requested curb to stateroom wheelchair assistance with embarkation and the reverse with disembarkation and they were awesome. 

Yes we will sail X again, but we miss the good old days. We have loved our vacations on board X ships, and realize what has happened in the world over the past 3 years. We are fortunate to have our health, each other and be able to enjoy vacations.  It was obvious on this past sailing that a lot of the crew (bar servers and bartenders as well as dining wait staff) were new and in training and we also see the cutbacks.  Hopefully as people return to cruising and the cruise lines re-monetize themselves things will turn around. If not we will be looking at other options for our vacation dollars.

[NMTraveller]

13 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Did you actually read my post?  I admitted I was in a suite - but my post was about the staff and services in the non-suite areas that I encountered which are many and varied on any ship.

 

I was trying to be balanced.  I did not post about my suite experience.  

Yes I did.  How many evenings in the MDR?

 

Getting an overview of the ship from someone sailing in a suite seems rather biased.  If the service is not good you just go back to the Retreat or Luminae or to your room.  The fraction of time that you spent outside of the suite area is minimal compared to the non-suite cruisers.  Otherwise why sail in a suite?

 

Now I would put you at the top of my list for suite reviews.  However most seems to be happy with the suite experience.

 

You also see the same with land hotels.  The higher tier hotels still have outstanding service.  The middle and lower seem to have lost staffing.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by NMTraveller

[Mark_T]

15 hours ago, edgee said:

And finally, the internet! Upgrade to Starlink system is wonderful. For the first time on a ship, internet is as fast and reliable as what one would expect at home or in any hotel. No more frustration with slow or unreliable internet is a very good thing!

... if you have the Stream package... on Surf it remains woefully inadequate for even web browsing, I didn't once manage to even load a page on this site during 12 days on Eclipse with the Starlink system.