Sooooo what are the big changes with Celebrity post pandemic

[Canadianhey!]

I have a cruise booked in April 2024. I have heard that there are many changes now since before covid. Is it true that they are now charging for the second lobster? And that I now can't take my non elite cabin mate for a free drink before supper? What other changes am I going to run into?

[Northern Aurora]

I will start listing some changes and others will add.

 

Seapass cards are now found in the mail slot outside your stateroom. After boarding go directly to your stateroom to drop off your carryons and put your valuables in the safe.

 

Now folks watch their muster drill video in the Celebrity app or on the stateroom TV.  You will need to physically report to your muster drill station to confirm that you completed the safety drill video, but there will not a large number of folks gathered in the area.

[RichYak]

Assigned staggered arrival times fir embarkation. 

[jelayne]

Many, some good some maybe not.  
Assigned boarding times & and no large group muster drill are good.
Elite’s can get their HH drinks in most bars vs just 1 bar so that’s good, but the drinks are only for elites.

New elite events.

App is very convenient when on the ship and you can message those you are traveling with w/o wi-fi package.

E class ships are beautiful.

 

Charge for Room Service, except continental breakfast, is $9.95+20% gratuity.

Prices for beverage packages &  specialty dining have increased. 
Offerings at the Oceanview at dinner have been reduced but seem to be moving to a reasonable number of options without the full OV offerings of the past. 

 

 

[elmaexec]

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

 

App is very convenient when on the ship and you can message those you are traveling with w/o wi-fi package.

 

 

 

Are you saying it’s possible to message other guests through the app?  That’s very convenient!

[lv2cruisgrl]

36 minutes ago, elmaexec said:

Are you saying it’s possible to message other guests through the app?  That’s very convenient!

Yes you can,  it usually works well about 98% of the time.

[weregoingcruising]

Do you receive notifcation when you receive a text?

[didicruiser]

1 hour ago, weregoingcruising said:

Do you receive notifcation when you receive a text?

Unfortunately no

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, weregoingcruising said:

Do you receive notifcation when you receive a text?

it has been reported that you do on an Android device but not Apple.

[Jim_Iain]

You will probably notice more things are the same than have changed.

 

Exceptional friendly and helpful staff are still being reported.     The chekin process has been enhanced and now usually takes less than 10-15 minutes.    They do enforce checkin time if the port is busy but some report they show up early and are allowed in.

 

Virtual Muster drills are now the norm on Celebrity an you can watch on TV or phone and then drop by your muster station to check in.

 

Some things that have changed

1.  In Less than Suites there is now a charge for 2nd and subsequent lobsters

 

2.  You still can have a continental breakfast in less than a suite for free but for a full meal there is now a 9.95 per order charge.

 

3.   Evening Buffet has been reduced

 

4.   Prices have increased for the drink packages and recently been seeing higher prices for excursions.

 

5.   Specialty Dining -  increases in cost as well as a mandatory tip is now added at time of booking.

 

[Arizona Wildcat]

6 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

it has been reported that you do on an Android device but not Apple.

I got a pop-up notification for a text message on my android phone.  Notification needs to be enabled both for texts and the Celebrity App 

[C4HCG]

13 hours ago, Canadianhey! said:

I have a cruise booked in April 2024. I have heard that there are many changes now since before covid. Is it true that they are now charging for the second lobster? And that I now can't take my non elite cabin mate for a free drink before supper? What other changes am I going to run into?

None to worry about - get yourself off and have a great time and find out what’s changed on board - nothing you can do anyway! Bar cancel

[Arizona Wildcat]

13 hours ago, Canadianhey! said:

I have a cruise booked in April 2024. I have heard that there are many changes now since before covid. Is it true that they are now charging for the second lobster? And that I now can't take my non elite cabin mate for a free drink before supper? What other changes am I going to run into?

To your specific questions.

The lobster quality (fair to poor) and charge for a second 🦞 has been discussed in too many posts.

There is no Elite evening event.  You simply go to any bar except World Class or Martini Bar to get your drink.  The drink policy for non Elite has not changed.  If a spouse simply let guest relations know and they will have your point total.

No masks required on board unless covid cases increase then requirements announced.

The staff still work very hard to please.  No changes that effected our cruise in a material way.  A small charge for room service on a cruise that cost a few thousand $$ . . . 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Arizona Wildcat

[NutsAboutGolf]

Generally when companies want to cutback, they'll bundle some consumers improvements when introducing cutbacks yet it seems X got lazy and only gave us cutbacks.  We had an avalanche of cutbacks rollout in 2023 so we can't be surprised if more cutbacks appear in 2024.  One positive is that you'll most likely have descent wi-fi speeds; while it can be fast on the E-Class they seemed to throttle it down on other ships yet it's still a huge improvement from before when you clicked on a linked watched it spin for 30 seconds wondering if the page would even load or not.  Boarding windows are currently assigned and "recommended", they are rarely enforced from the US ports at the moment; this is my direct experience as in the past year I have sailed out of Miami, FLL 4 times, San Pedro CA and San Diego

 

[AmberCascades]

In another year there may be even more changes.  Maybe they'll be good, maybe not-so-good.

 

Since we started cruising a mere 10 years ago there have been changes to smoking policies, dress codes, no more midnight buffets, no more sea day buffets, to name a few.  There was a huge uproar at the time and now we don't usually hear much about those things.

 

We will adapt.  Or we will find other ways to vacation.  I do wonder if a lot of the cut-backs and extra fees have to do with events over the last few years.  We notice price increases and staff shortages in our own day-to-day lives.  Hopefully things will all settle down and sort themselves out by the time you cruise next year.

[CNSfromHI]

15 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

Now folks watch their muster drill video in the Celebrity app or on the stateroom TV.  You will need to physically report to your muster drill station...

I love the virtual safety-instruction aspect now. On our last cruise, we completed all of the required safety stuff via the Celebrity app before boarding. All we had to do was physically arrive at our muster spot so someone could check us off of a list. Easy-peasy!

 

cjr

[39august]

Spa prices are significantly higher in 2023 than in 2022. Previously I paid around $170 for a 50 minute massage with my Elite discount. In Jan. it was a bit over $190..  

Edited March 23, 2023 by 39august

[CNSfromHI]

3 hours ago, weregoingcruising said:

Do you receive notifcation when you receive a text?

Notifications do not work like you might expect, though, based on our last experience.

 

There was no audio alert on our mobile phones (iPhone), or even an indication on the app's icon on the home screen. Instead, we had to open the Celebrity app and then click the "chat bubble" icon in the upper right just to see if anyone (my wife, in this case) had replied.

 

I hope the Celebrity app has improved since last fall, but if not, I won't use that feature during our upcoming cruise.

 

cjr

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, elmaexec said:

Are you saying it’s possible to message other guests through the app?  That’s very convenient!

 

Yes, if the other guest is using the ships WiFI, even without an account.  There is no notification that a message has been received so you need to periodically check the app for messages if using it for that purpose.

 

[CNSfromHI]

17 minutes ago, 39august said:

Spa prices are significantly higher in 2023 than in 2022. Previously I paid around $170 for a 50 minute massage with my Elite discount. In Jan. it was a bit over $190..  

Last week, I purchased pre-cruise a 50-minute "deep-tissue muscle massage" for my wife (total secret; an onboard surprise 🥰) for roughly $170 before the addition of "gratuities," which brought my total to ~$210. Is your $170 then/$190 in January @39august the total cost, if I may ask?

 

If so, then that is a big jump. 🥲

 

I'm curious but not complaining, though. I always remind myself that this, and cruising at all, is my choice. 😃 Still...

 

Thank you,

 

cjr

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

it has been reported that you do on an Android device but not Apple.

I get a visible message but no vibration or sound to alert me.

[39august]

CNS Yes, total price including gratuity.  We do get a loyalty status discount.

[SusieAV8R]

On 3/23/2023 at 2:20 PM, 39august said:

Spa prices are significantly higher in 2023 than in 2022. Previously I paid around $170 for a 50 minute massage with my Elite discount. In Jan. it was a bit over $190..  

And don't forget the additional 20% gratuity.

[Georgia_Peaches]

No more sparkling wine as you enter the ship on embarkation day. Not that I really missed it, but I noticed it was gone. 

[67Miner]

Don't know about the other ships, but on the Constellation there is a marked reduction in the number of ship photographers.  And the photo staff is now responsible for taking care of internet issues (the I-lounge is no longer staffed).   All photo operations are now electronic.  Photographs are no longer displayed.