Celebrity at a crossroads

[CNSfromHI]

As someone who will board another Celebrity cruise on Monday, and having waded through this thread, I can't help but recall the recent Viking v. Celebrity "lobster-size" thread, the "nothing but water and bread offered by the OVC" thread, and other stuff.

 

I find some value in this site but fully expect to thoroughly enjoy my latest journey.

 

Trust me, if my experience falls significantly short, I will share my thoughts here. Otherwise, as usual, I take what I read with a healthy grain of salt.

 

cjr

[Spif Barwunkel]

44 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I say all of your above answers were obviously predictable. 😃

 

Perhaps it's all of us that are at a crossroads. Perhaps, after the shutdown, we now look at the Celebrity product through a different lens. For many, change is uncomfortable and for the most part, the product seems largely the same. For others, it's the impetus that is needed to try new products. It really doesn't matter which group is wearing blinders, rose colored glasses, or has sniper vision. We all have to do what feels right.

I feel you! Whatever that really means.

[MustBCruzn]

6 hours ago, TeeRick said:

  So why build 5 new E-class ships with Infinite Verandas and large dedicated suite areas?  For the younger, up and coming crowd.

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head with this. Our son and daughter (31 and 33) are both Elite Plus and have been huge fans of Celebrity's S class ships--that is until they and their friends sailed on the Edge and the Apex. They're now all E-class converts. I think they're the demographic Celebrity's trying to attract to gain loyalty into the future.

Edited March 21, 2023 by MustBCruzn

[Spif Barwunkel]

Just now, CNSfromHI said:

As someone who will board another Celebrity cruise on Monday, and having waded through this thread, I can't help but recall the recent Viking v. Celebrity "lobster-size" thread, the "nothing but water and bread offered by the OVC" thread, and other stuff.

 

I find some value in this site but fully expect to thoroughly enjoy my latest journey.

 

Trust me, if my experience falls significantly short, I will share my thoughts here. Otherwise, as usual, I take what I read with a healthy grain of salt.

 

cjr

As you should. No pre-conceived notions, no blame game. It's a two-way street and you must get to the end on one side before you turn to come back on the other.

[C4HCG]

13 minutes ago, CNSfromHI said:

As someone who will board another Celebrity cruise on Monday, and having waded through this thread, I can't help but recall the recent Viking v. Celebrity "lobster-size" thread, the "nothing but water and bread offered by the OVC" thread, and other stuff.

 

I find some value in this site but fully expect to thoroughly enjoy my latest journey.

 

Trust me, if my experience falls significantly short, I will share my thoughts here. Otherwise, as usual, I take what I read with a healthy grain of salt.

 

cjr

Exactly the best attitude to have 👍

[RichYak]

43 minutes ago, MustBCruzn said:

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head with this. Our son and daughter (31 and 33) are both Elite Plus and have been huge fans of Celebrity's S class ships--that is until they and their friends sailed on the Edge and the Apex. They're now all E-class converts. I think they're the demographic Celebrity's trying to attract to gain loyalty into the future.

I refer to E-class as the Instagram ships as I feel that's the demographic they target.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, cruisingator2 said:

It’s a shame as we have read great things about the YC but between dealing with their direct reps and the website, we will pass for now. 

One thing I learned from reading the MSC boards is to use a TA that specializes in MSC. So that's your easy fix if you really want to try Yacht Club.

[Cruise till you drop]

1 hour ago, CNSfromHI said:

As someone who will board another Celebrity cruise on Monday, and having waded through this thread, I can't help but recall the recent Viking v. Celebrity "lobster-size" thread, the "nothing but water and bread offered by the OVC" thread, and other stuff.

 

I find some value in this site but fully expect to thoroughly enjoy my latest journey.

 

Trust me, if my experience falls significantly short, I will share my thoughts here. Otherwise, as usual, I take what I read with a healthy grain of salt.

 

cjr

Leaving Monday?  So are we on the Edge

 

Are you on Equinox, Silhouette, Edge or Constellation?

 

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Cruise till you drop

[montythecat]

Spif asks whether “Celebrity is casting aside us older cruisers ?”

He answers his question in the negative and I am pleased for him

that he is able to reach that conclusion. I do wish I could share his 

reaction to what might be described as the “new Celebrity”. Whilst

I am delighted with my new experiences on HAL I also miss the

opportunities to meet some of the extraordinary people we have

encountered on the ‘S’ and ‘M’ class ships who have enhanced 

our life experiences. Some have become close friends and we 

have been very lucky to find ourselves taking the same cruises

as them.
 

[TeeRick]

Here are my thoughts distilled down.  Agree with me or not but it is my take on Celebrity cruisers from reading many threads and posts here on CC. 

 

If you are older (above the Celebrity-targeted demographic) you might prefer S- or M-Class and a real balcony.  I know that Infinite verandas have some fans too of course.  At any age, if you sail in suites, you will likely love E-Class.

[RichYak]

19 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Here are my thoughts distilled down.  Agree with me or not but it is my take on Celebrity cruisers from reading many threads and posts here on CC. 

 

If you are older (above the Celebrity-targeted demographic) you might prefer S- or M-Class and a real balcony.  I know that Infinite verandas have some fans too of course.  At any age, if you sail in suites, you will likely love E-Class.

I almost agree, though I think it's not so much older vs younger but experienced cruiser vs inexperienced. The inexperienced cruiser might be more inclined to appreciate all the Relaxed Luxury℠ decor and beauty of E-class ships while experienced cruisers will notice their flaws--few balconies, no forward facing view, less connection with the ocean, "why is this fake cactus taking up useful storage space?", etc. Many experienced cruisers will miss the comfort of traditional dining times as well.

 

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by RichYak

[TeeRick]

2 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I almost agree, though I think it's not so much older vs younger but experienced cruiser vs inexperienced. The inexperienced cruiser might be more inclined to appreciate all the Relaxed Luxury℠ decor and beauty of E-class ships while experienced cruisers will notice their flaws--few balconies, no forward facing view, less connection with the ocean, "why is this fake cactus taking up useful storage space?", etc. Many experienced cruisers will miss the comfort of traditional dining times as well.

 

 

Yeah I guess I was thinking "experienced" cruisers are the older ones with previous cruising on M-Class and S-Class (or Century class) before the Edge was a dream in LLP's mind.  I know that some much younger cruisers (like my 30-somthing kids) went on many cruises with us back in the day so they can do their own comparison.  But we usually took them on RCCL, not Celebrity,  because they were kids!  LOL.

[C4HCG]

We will be the exceptions to the rule, we are inexperienced cruisers (in our 50s so not young) with a grand total of 4 all on the Equinox, and have no desire to try Edge class, just love everything about the Solstice class not least because there are very few suite exclusive areas (don’t even know where the often mentioned Luminae is but no doubt walked past it and the Retreat sun deck is tucked away somewhere and have never looked and wished we had access), also love the balconies in rooms, and the Grand Foyer. Sure one day we will try E and M class but not for now.

[NMTraveller]

22 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

In trying to enhance the product, has Celebrity diminished the product instead? I say, no. 

YES, YES, YES.  Most of the ahem "enhancements" were done to save money for Celebrity and not to enhance the cruiser experience.  Will new cruisers cruise on the degraded ships.  Yes.  Eclass is good if you are sailing in a suite,  otherwise it is a large downgrade on a multitude of issues.

Edited March 22, 2023 by NMTraveller

[TeeRick]

29 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

We will be the exceptions to the rule, we are inexperienced cruisers (in our 50s so not young) with a grand total of 4 all on the Equinox, and have no desire to try Edge class, just love everything about the Solstice class not least because there are very few suite exclusive areas (don’t even know where the often mentioned Luminae is but no doubt walked past it and the Retreat sun deck is tucked away somewhere and have never looked and wished we had access), also love the balconies in rooms, and the Grand Foyer. Sure one day we will try E and M class but not for now.

As you stated you love balconies, and have not cruised in a suite, you enjoy Equinox (or maybe try her sister S-class ships).   You might like M-Class but they are a bit smaller with less specialty dining, but real balconies.  If you do try E-class, there are a few non-suite cabins with balconies aft called Sunset Verandas.  Enjoy your cruises!  We were recently on Equinox.

[Crazy planning mom]

inexperienced with Celebrity but not overall.

Booked porthole and sunset verandas on the Apex to get more traditional balcony feel. 

[JLS07]

Let me be clear - we enjoyed our cruise overall.  The E Class ships are absolute works of art.  Beautiful from front to back.  Still prefer a real balcony, but the IV has grown on me.  Love the different feel of the various dinning rooms.

 

On previous cruises I simply wouldn't see the kinds of crowds that I have seen on Celebrity in 2022/2023.  I never saw someone so drunk they were falling down (happened right outside of Cyprus near the plates on the wall), I never saw men walking through level 4, 5, 6 without shirts, never saw women wearing shorts so short that their butts hung out the back, never had a couple with a child come onto the elevator slurring about forgetting their martini and how he had to go back to get them and bring them to the room.

 

Because of cruising with kids, we have generally always cruised the main holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas break and Spring break).  So while I agree that these weeks will gather a different crowd than most weeks and longer cruises, this change is specific to this time or this style of ship not the timing of the cruise - that has been constant.

 

The idea that it is the E class is interesting and one I hadn't considered.  I can definitely see that being a factor, which is sad because I do like this class more than the M and S. 

 

As I said I have two cruises this summer in Europe already booked, so that will give a good base to compare with.

[bikerunner]

In general Celebrity is trying to attract the same demographic it was trying to attract 10-20 years ago. 50ish area and up.  This has not changed.  The changes on board are to attract that demographic.  I would never expect the company to keep everything like it was 20 years ago, where so many people say when it was like this and that etc.Changes happen and the way to attract the 50 ish range and what they want has changed from 10-20 years ago.  

[tfred]

47 minutes ago, bikerunner said:

In general Celebrity is trying to attract the same demographic it was trying to attract 10-20 years ago. 50ish area and up.  This has not changed.  The changes on board are to attract that demographic.  I would never expect the company to keep everything like it was 20 years ago, where so many people say when it was like this and that etc.Changes happen and the way to attract the 50 ish range and what they want has changed from 10-20 years ago.  

Absolutely. X wants people 50 and up that have money and don’t mind spending money on vacation. These people are coming from full service land resorts that are pricey   90 % of what is complained about here never comes up at a land resort. 

 

they don’t complain about where is my prime rib every night, free elite cocktails and trying to game the system. X doesn’t make money on that clientele so why bend over backwards 

[chamima]

1 hour ago, JLS07 said:

Let me be clear - we enjoyed our cruise overall.  The E Class ships are absolute works of art.  Beautiful from front to back.  Still prefer a real balcony, but the IV has grown on me.  Love the different feel of the various dinning rooms.

On previous cruises I simply wouldn't see the kinds of crowds that I have seen on Celebrity in 2022/2023.  I never saw someone so drunk they were falling down (happened right outside of Cyprus near the plates on the wall), I never saw men walking through level 4, 5, 6 without shirts, never saw women wearing shorts so short that their butts hung out the back, never had a couple with a child come onto the elevator slurring about forgetting their martini and how he had to go back to get them and bring them to the room.

 

The idea that it is the E class is interesting and one I hadn't considered.  I can definitely see that being a factor, which is sad because I do like this class more than the M and S. 

 

As I said I have two cruises this summer in Europe already booked, so that will give a good base to compare with.

 

First of all, we sailed on the Equinox and noticed similar things to what you experienced (and it was not during spring break) so it's not the E class.

I don't think Celebrity is actually courting this crowd but something is attracting them. The only thing that rang true to me in this long thread was that this winter's cruises dropped in price significantly at one point and maybe this attracted people who hadn't cruised before and thought they'd try it out and had different expectations of what constitutes a good vacation.

 

*

Edited March 22, 2023 by chamima

[cw2go]

2 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

YES, YES, YES.  Most of the ahem "enhancements" were done to save money for Celebrity and not to enhance the cruiser experience.  Will new cruisers cruise on the degraded ships.  Yes.  Eclass is good if you are sailing in a suite,  otherwise it is a large downgrade on a multitude of issues.

 

Respectfully, what issues do you consider to be a downgrade on the Eclass vs M or S? 

 

Food in MDR/Buffet has been downgraded fleet wide & service fees have also been applied fleet wide? 

 

Many consider the production shows a huge improvement. I found the Martini Bar area on Beyond to be the best of any other ship? The pool deck was amazing, no way M or S can compete. I preferred the 4 dining rooms to the one central hub. 

 

I sailed Feb 2023 in a non suite IV stateroom, I did see the cutbacks but I didn't see the ship class as the issue. I totally get cutbacks were to benefit Celebrity but that's the same of any company right now. Airlines, Hotels, Food Industry have all made cuts and none have done so in the best interest of the customer. 

 

I am in no way being snarky, sincerely curious? 

Patty 

[odyssyus]

1 hour ago, tfred said:

Absolutely. X wants people 50 and up that have money and don’t mind spending money on vacation. These people are coming from full service land resorts that are pricey   90 % of what is complained about here never comes up at a land resort. 

 

they don’t complain about where is my prime rib every night, free elite cocktails and trying to game the system. X doesn’t make money on that clientele so why bend over backwards 

This is accurate.  Wife and I are in our young 50's, don't care about Prime Rib and flaming desserts, bingo, dressing up in prom wear.  We don't buy a drink package as we don't drink enough but will buy ALL the internet.  If we want booze, we'll spend on top shelf.  Membership levels are cute but there's nothing there that is substantial.  We consider ourselves foodies, but cultural.  Give me variety...

 

Most of the complaints I see here strike me as really generational.  Then again I'm GenX and nothing really phases us.  We're just rolling with the vibe...

[C4HCG]

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

YES, YES, YES.  Most of the ahem "enhancements" were done to save money for Celebrity and not to enhance the cruiser experience.  Will new cruisers cruise on the degraded ships.  Yes.  Eclass is good if you are sailing in a suite,  otherwise it is a large downgrade on a multitude of issues.

My ignorance here but what do you mean by “degraded ships”?  What on them has been degraded? Are you referring to e-class that you then describe as downgraded? I have said elsewhere never sailed on e-class and no plans to for now but would be great to get your advice from your experience on why they are not good as we don’t and won’t sail in suites.

Edited March 22, 2023 by C4HCG

[RichYak]

42 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

What on them has been degraded?

My liver and my waistline, for starters. They're both gonna be degraded again next week.

[TeeRick]

5 hours ago, bikerunner said:

In general Celebrity is trying to attract the same demographic it was trying to attract 10-20 years ago. 50ish area and up.  This has not changed.  The changes on board are to attract that demographic.  I would never expect the company to keep everything like it was 20 years ago, where so many people say when it was like this and that etc.Changes happen and the way to attract the 50 ish range and what they want has changed from 10-20 years ago.  

Why do you say 50 and up?  I think anybody over 30 is more the case.