Confirmed, pillow chocolates 1st & last night only unless requested, AQ amenities by request & no more canapés,

[mahdnc]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

With the direction cutbacks are going, if you want to eat on a cruise ship you're going to need to bring along one of these...

 

 

There will be a corkage fee and/or a two bucket limit per passenger (or maybe it will be per stateroom).

[manmachine]

2 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

With the direction cutbacks are going, if you want to eat on a cruise ship you're going to need to bring along one of these...

 

Now you get it!  Easy peasy!

[NutsAboutGolf]

7 minutes ago, mnocket said:

You joke, but it's actually not entirely far-fetched.  Sure years ago many manufacturers stopped providing full-size spare tires unless you paid extra, but recently they've embraced the notion of subscriptions. How would you feel about paying $5 each month for the ability to lock and unlock your car from a distance through an app? What about a $25-per-month charge for advanced cruise control or $10 to access heated seats? In some BMWs, you can pay to unlock automatic high-beam headlights, which dim for oncoming traffic.  Many of these features, like the ability to remote start your car from the key fob are built into the car and cost the manufacturer nothing to activate.  I'm afraid younger Comsumers are being conditioned to accept this kind of al a carte pricing as normal - we old-timers call it nickel and diming.  It seems the cruise lines are jumping on the bandwagon; except they are taking it a step further and also eliminating things that used to be standard in order to save money. 

 

Just adding while the auto manufacture monthly subscription concept may be new, its premise isn't.  Auto manufactures have had planned obsolescence, maintenance and offer annual updated map navigation DVDs

[manmachine]

28 minutes ago, mnocket said:

The moment I read the title of this thread I knew what would follow was some people complaining about death by a thousand cuts and other people saying it's a single slice, no big deal.  I wasn't disappointed. 

 

[C4HCG]

45 minutes ago, publicpersona said:

 

Neither the post I quoted nor my comment said anything about pillow chocolates.

 

I was commenting that if all one required to have a great cruise is to literally be on a ship at sea, a container ship would suffice.

 

I've enjoyed almost all of my 70+ cruises not just for being on a ship at sea, but because we were constantly having our expectations exceeded with how well we were being treated. I'm on Equinox next week and plan to have another great cruise. But given that Equinox is being used to test things that will piss customers off ($2 for a cookie?), I'm mindful that we could be disappointed.

   5 hours ago,  baggal said: 

I guess I'm one of the few people here on cruise critic who are just happy to be able to cruise a few times a year, with or without pillow chocolates.  

 

Sounds like you'd be better off on a container ship. MSC has those.
 

The post you quoted clearly mentions pillow chocolates.

 

i understand the rest of your concerns and you are entitled to them, but your response to that post seemed disproportionate and if you look again I think you might agree. Hope you enjoy your cruise, we too board the equinox, us on 2 September. And we are very friendly in person, just prickly here 😁

[1Virgo]

2 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

Maybe I dreamt this but I recall that nightly chocolates and canapes were removed at least a couple of years ago. Going back to our last pre-pandemic cruise in September 2019, I remember being surprised when there were chocolates on the pillows. 

 

Or maybe I'm wildly prescient. 😆

 

Exercise Equipment: Yesterday I received an email from X asking me to select our AQ amenities for our December sailing on Ascent. Typical lack of consistency. 

we had nightly chocolates in January and April/May 2023

[C4HCG]

45 minutes ago, manmachine said:

And you don’t need very high service standards to make comments on Cruise Critic, apparently.

Nope, polite and efficient does for us 👍

[C 2 C]

18 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Just adding while the auto manufacture monthly subscription concept may be new, its premise isn't.  Auto manufactures have had planned obsolescence, maintenance and offer annual updated map navigation DVDs

$700 to update maps on my Lexus.  It's not needed since the nav and backup camera system stopped working and is only $2,000 to replace.

[publicpersona]

32 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

The post you quoted clearly mentions pillow chocolates.

 

 

You are right. I stand corrected and apologize for my response. Threads like these thrive on hyperbole, of course, and I confess to using it as much as anyone.

 

What I really mean to say is that I don't care for pillow chocolates. Or canapes. And actually was annoyed by towel animals. If I had made a list of top ten things I love about Celebrity ten years ago, none of those items would have been on the list. However, of the ten things that would have been on my list ten years ago, I think probably 7 or 8 of them are now gone. 

[RedIguana]

6 hours ago, LMHSRN said:

Perhaps you just pay for them and leave without them. 

Kinda like an eX.......

 

I'll see myself out now.....

[C4HCG]

5 minutes ago, publicpersona said:

 

You are right. I stand corrected and apologize for my response. Threads like these thrive on hyperbole, of course, and I confess to using it as much as anyone.

 

What I really mean to say is that I don't care for pillow chocolates. Or canapes. And actually was annoyed by towel animals. If I had made a list of top ten things I love about Celebrity ten years ago, none of those items would have been on the list. However, of the ten things that would have been on my list ten years ago, I think probably 7 or 8 of them are now gone. 

Absolutely no need to apologise and I mean that. And we are new to cruising, first one 2019, so are totally ignorant to what it used to be like. And it’s sad that what most of what you used to love has gone, we never experienced the old days so are easier to please. Nice weather, comfortable and clean rooms, friendly crew, reasonable food, good entertainment, friendly fellow passengers although we are private, we keep ourselves to ourselves, but are always more than happy to chat, that’s more or less what cruises are for us.

[C-Dragons]

6 hours ago, baggal said:

I guess I'm one of the few people here on cruise critic who are just happy to be able to cruise a few times a year, with or without pillow chocolates.  

Oh, you’re not alone.

We may have paid for the chocolates but we never eat them. Same with the canapés. They are nice touches, but there is plenty of food to eat on board, we just don’t need them.

[Lena11033]

In March there were no canapes, honestly I love chocolate but I don't like the ones X supplies but I don't think they should take it away either.

[C4HCG]

2 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

In March there were no canapes, honestly I love chocolate but I don't like the ones X supplies but I don't think they should take it away either.

Why?

[manmachine]

5 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Reduction in housekeeping services.

Soon come.

[Lena11033]

7 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Why?

Why I don't like the chocolate or take them away?

I don't like the chocolate because it's not Cadbury or Galaxy chocolate (I find Hershey chocolate to be horrible). But most people seem to want them so should be kept for that reason.

I don't think it would make a huge impact in their $ but at this point X almost seems desperate with testing all these changes at once to see what they can cut and get away with or add a fee. Especially with hearing about the survey for RC with charging for pizza which didn't sit well. It just seems across the board they are trying to find way to charge people for 'extras' that were included before.

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Lena11033

[C4HCG]

6 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

Why I don't like the chocolate or take them away?

I don't like the chocolate because it's not Cadbury or Galaxy chocolate (I find Hershey chocolate to be horrible). But most people seem to want them so should be kept for that reason.

I don't think it would make a huge impact in their $ but at this point X almost seems desperate with testing all these changes at once to see what they can cut and get away with or add a fee. Especially with hearing about the survey for RC with charging for pizza which didn't sit well. It just seems across the board they are trying to find way to charge people for 'extras' that were included before.

 

Take them away.

[D. B.]

26 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Oh, you’re not alone.

We may have paid for the chocolates but we never eat them. Same with the canapés. They are nice touches, but there is plenty of food to eat on board, we just don’t need them.

I told my wife that X probably discontinued the nightly Chocolates because the cabin stewards were finding them in the trash?

Me. I Love to save them and take them Home.

Each time I eat one I think of the great time we had on our cruise.

I Ask to have them every night and we get them every night.😘onboard Summit now.

[kwokpot]

Just now, D. B. said:

Me. I Love to save them and take them Home.

Each time I eat one I think of the great time we had on our cruise.

EXACTLY what we do!

[bjahil47]

I eat the chocolates, and I eat my husband’s chocolates because many years ago my mom told me “What’s yours is yours, and what’s his is yours”.  I follow that rule and all is fine here!  Now I will have to bring a bag of Dove chocolates and have hubby put them on both our pillows.  
 

We sail in 29 days on the Equinox.  We are loyal to Celebrity but because of all the changes it may be our last cruise with them.  What’s next?  Pay bathrooms?  

[SSFrance69]

54 minutes ago, bjahil47 said:

I eat the chocolates, and I eat my husband’s chocolates because many years ago my mom told me “What’s yours is yours, and what’s his is yours”.  I follow that rule and all is fine here!  Now I will have to bring a bag of Dove chocolates and have hubby put them on both our pillows.  
 

We sail in 29 days on the Equinox.  We are loyal to Celebrity but because of all the changes it may be our last cruise with them.  What’s next?  Pay bathrooms?  

Don't give them any ideas... they might just implement them! 😂
Seriously though, we just had a nice time on Summit, but had it not been for Blu I think I would feel very different. It's a shame that they are doing all of this and destroying the brand. We have Oceania booked for next year and I'm afraid we won't be looking back at Celebrity, unless something spectacular happens to them in the future.

[NMTraveller]

The race to the bottom continues...

 

What is next for the Royalization?  Once a day housekeeping and the removal of the welcome aboard sparkling wine?

[doghog]

7 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

They removed the CEO title for incoming Presidents of both Celebrity and Silversea. That wasn't an oversight. Jason Liberty (former CFO now CEO) has more control over all the brands now as there are no competing CEO roles. If Michael Bayley steps down, I would put money on the new RCI head being President minus CEO as well. My take is Laura's position was awarded after her success with Coco Cay and the RCI and the Royal Amplified program. Lisa is now "chair of external affairs" for RGC. I would translate that as they gave her $300k to do some light legacy consulting work and she hasn't been to an office or answered an email since May. 

I know all that and who is running the show. I still blame Laura as Celebrity's is currently her sole responsibility. Another Lisa puppet.  We'll kick and scream for a minute or two concerning changes and cut backs but Celebrity and RC are still a good value for our traveling dollars.

Edited August 25, 2023 by doghog

[NutsAboutGolf]

9 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

The race to the bottom continues...

 

What is next for the Royalization?  Once a day housekeeping and the removal of the welcome aboard sparkling wine?

 

Turndown is currently a "dead man walking" for those not in suites

[doghog]

5 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Celebrity might as well re-instate the $35 ($25?) fee for joining the Captains Club...

Will we be grandfathered in as we paid our dues in 1994. 😁$35.00 each. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by doghog