Challenge!

[ElmaLee]

5 hours ago, georgiaguy said:

How many threads can we start in a single day complaining about everything we hate about Celebrity? I think we can break our previous record of….

 

Seriously though, I used to enjoy coming here to read actual cruise reviews or to find tips for my next cruise or ask a question that I didnt know the answer to. Lately however it seems like three or four threads a day complaining. I get it, people are upset but really. I mean the cookie thing has at least two threads complaining about it and beyond one ship it hasn’t been rolled out fleet wide. Again I get it people are upset, but I see people talking about reconsidering cruises after reading what folks are posting here. Anyone else feeling the weight of the negativity? 

This is a trend across all social media and many news platforms.  "Bad news travels fast".

I'll make two comments:

1  I still get some benefit from this forum, although I have to filter through what I consider 'trivial' matters.  Generally when I've asked for specific information , it's been forthcoming.

 

2 I'm just back from my first Celebrity cruise since before Covid.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.   The restaurants were very good. Edge was amazing and staff very helpful.  I'm looking forward to my next Celebrity cruise in 2024.

[chemmo]

4 hours ago, jelayne said:

I don’t disagree that there have been many changes that aren’t positive but it seems to me that this board has gone into overdrive looking for the negative. So they try selling warm cookies on 1 ship and all h—- breaks loose.   but someone posts about their great cruise and that thread dies a quick death.
 

All cruise lines are making changes and cuts some the same as X but this is the only board that had become so negative.  
We have 7 bookings and hope to take all of them but until we are onboard and experience the changes for ourselves I’m not ready to write off a cruise line that has given us 40 wonderful cruises.  If they don’t deliver on our B2 B in November we will try something else. 

I think those of us who are regular followers of  CC will focus on the reports of those we know give balanced reviews.

 

I know your reviews will state what the actual situation is on board, the facts (included, not included…) plus then you will give an overview of your ‘whole’ experience…The opinion…

 

We are aware that it isn’t only Celebrity making cuts nor is it just cruise lines. Many UK hotels suddenly are now offering good prices for rooms but are charging extra for breakfast and parking which previously were included in the price…Definitely rattling regulars! Restaurants are reducing the number of items on the menu, early bird offers are becoming increasingly rare….Quite simply it seems the whole hospitality industry post lockdown has rethought its ‘best’ options to reduce cost and maximise income…

 

I do think Celebrity has been misguided in the way it has introduced change…quietly slipped in as if no one would notice…It has come across as both underhanded and petty. I honestly think it would have been better if they had ‘campaigned’ what we see as cuts as part of a bigger package with some clear ‘gains’…

 

I don’t know if it is just me but I do think Celebrity has been misguided and missed some revenue options as it has been too focused on just saving $. For example, having made room service chargeable why not balance that by offer things people may see as worth paying extra for? For example, a brunch menu between 9am and 11am. Then people may at least feel that something better is on offer than there was before even if it does incur a cost…

 

Looking forward to your reviews…

 

 

[OysterD]

2 hours ago, budmeister said:

Well, I am pretty happy about your post! I did not realize that the cookie charge was only for one ship! Cookies on Infinity in two weeks for me!  Yeah! 

 

I'm glad you read this thread then and found the truth about cookiegate, and I hope you enjoy your cruise in a few weeks, which I'm sure you will do 🙂

 

However, this is EXACTLY the problem with this board at the moment! Any positive news is completely lost amongst the horde of negative posts from a few repetitive moaners. 

 

The whole cookie nonsense is the perfect example. It's been pointed out several times on the 15+ page thread of moaning  about cookies that:

a. it is currently just one ship

b. It is a trial

c. The free cookies ARE STILL AVAILABLE

d. There is the option on this one ship to purchase a different type of cookie, warm and larger, for $2. 

e. The sky is not falling in

 

However, the several times this has been pointed out (several emails and messages from X HQ now have been posted with explanations of the above) it gets lost or ignored and people just continue moaning about it. It's insane! 

 

Very positive and interesting to read trip reports get lost and attract little attention, but the tiniest thing which might affect a handful of people ends up with a moanfest often reaching dozens of pages long. 

 

We sail in a few weeks and I should be coming on here to get excited about it, reading reviews and comments from people onboard. Sadly, whenever I open this tab on my browser at the moment I have to tell myself to ignore the majority of doom and gloom nonsense and remember that some people in life are only happy when they're complaining. 

 

[Fly and Sail]

Surely all these complaints are the company's fault. It's a death by a thousand cuts.

 

Cruising was never cheap, but now they have taken fees to the next level and charge for a million things. At the same time, staffing is down, auto-gratuities increase all the damn time, and quality goes down across the board.

 

At this point, I can stay seven days at a top-notch Four Seasons resort for the price of a one-week cruise in Aqua Class.

[georgiaguy]

3 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

Surely all these complaints are the company's fault. It's a death by a thousand cuts.

 

Cruising was never cheap, but now they have taken fees to the next level and charge for a million things. At the same time, staffing is down, auto-gratuities increase all the damn time, and quality goes down across the board.

 

At this point, I can stay seven days at a top-notch Four Seasons resort for the price of a one-week cruise in Aqua Class.

 

Sure. The cruise line is making choices and people are reasonable to not like them. But I am pointing out the negative turn of this board and the way some things just seem to be harped to death. People are upset, but do we really need 15 pages of comments to complain about $2 cookies? People are allowed to complain, but are we not allowed to ask us to be better? Nobody has to listen to me and my feelings wont be hurt, but I may just stop coming here cause I come here to dream about my next vacation and not to be demoralized by constant complaining.

Edited August 26, 2023 by georgiaguy

[prmssk]

@georgiaguy I'm with you on this.  I spend less and less time on this board each day because I get tired of sorting through repetitive complaints about every little thing as if there is nothing good at all about Celebrity anymore.  This board has lost any even attempt at balance.  And no, it's not all the cruise line's fault.  People choose to make multiple threads about things like cookies that last 15 pages long and choose not to spend time on threads about anything positive.  

 

I had a great cruise on the Eclipse in May.  Celebrity is still in my rotation of cruise lines I consider each time I book (I've never been loyal to just one brand).  But it may be time to walk away from this board for a while.

[NutsAboutGolf]

23 minutes ago, prmssk said:

@georgiaguy I'm with you on this.  I spend less and less time on this board each day because I get tired of sorting through repetitive complaints about every little thing as if there is nothing good at all about Celebrity anymore.  This board has lost any even attempt at balance.  And no, it's not all the cruise line's fault.  People choose to make multiple threads about things like cookies that last 15 pages long and choose not to spend time on threads about anything positive.  

 

I had a great cruise on the Eclipse in May.  Celebrity is still in my rotation of cruise lines I consider each time I book (I've never been loyal to just one brand).  But it may be time to walk away from this board for a while.

 

The problem isn't that people are intentionally creating multiple threads, its that they're lazy and lie that they searched (when they didn't) which has always been a problem on any forum

 

You can start any thread with "I searched and didn't find anything" and one person did just that about the cookies yesterday.  It only takes a few second to type "cookie" into the search box

 

[bigbenboys]

I have canceled 3 X cruises this year. Only doing one X cruise this year. I'm spending more time on the Princess CC board. I booked a 7 night cruise with Princess in a nice aft suite. Yes Princess has made changes also and people are pissed off. I see myself as new to Princess as it has been 12 years since my last cruise with them. On the Princess board I pass over the negative post. 

 

I'm sure we will enjoy our next 2 cruise with X as we are traveling with family or good friends. I will ask some questions about butler service changes and upcharges for food from the MDR while dining in Luminae. MDR menu that now allows purchases of lobster $16.99, Filet Mignon $19.99 or surf and turf for $34.99. Will we be able to order surf and turf from the MDR while on the Edge class ships. I should be able to order surf and turf if I give them 24 hours notice. 

[bookitdanno]

5 hours ago, georgiaguy said:

 

Sure. The cruise line is making choices and people are reasonable to not like them. But I am pointing out the negative turn of this board and the way some things just seem to be harped to death. People are upset, but do we really need 15 pages of comments to complain about $2 cookies? People are allowed to complain, but are we not allowed to ask us to be better? Nobody has to listen to me and my feelings wont be hurt, but I may just stop coming here cause I come here to dream about my next vacation and not to be demoralized by constant complaining.

Well said. With you 100%. Leaving Cruise Critic until this board is under control again.

There is way too much negativity here. And... some of the leaders of these attacks on Celebrity still, according to their own signature, have over 70 days still booked with Celebrity. Seems odd....

 

[Cruise till you drop]

15 hours ago, georgiaguy said:

I just saw a poll that is literally “what ticks you off?” looking for the top three things that make you most upset 🤦‍♂️

Thanks for acknowledging my thread.  
 

Truth be told, I am a big fan of Celebrity and cruise at least once a year on Celebrity (usually we do 2X a year).  It’s usually Celebrity or Princess but lately we’ve been more Celebrity for a couple of reasons.

 

My intent was not to promote complaining but to get a statistical view of what most people had concerns with.  I like data and statistics and think this is what shows collective concerns and influences the cruise companies.

I can’t prevent people from posting rants or complaints but I had hoped to create constructive feedback on the bigger issues.

 

My only regret on that thread is that I didn’t add a “No concerns” option in the voting.

 

I honestly think most of who visit and post on the Celebrity thread are probably fans as well but all are in shock of the post Covid cruising world and express it in different ways.

 

PS - did you notice I didn’t add cookies or whole tomatoes to the list? 😂 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Cruise till you drop

[sunkey1]

15 hours ago, georgiaguy said:

I just saw a poll that is literally “what ticks you off?” looking for the top three things that make you most upset 🤦‍♂️

It just seems to be the nature of things anymore, “glass half empty” is definitely more common, unfortunately.

[NutsAboutGolf]

33 minutes ago, bookitdanno said:

Well said. With you 100%. Leaving Cruise Critic until this board is under control again.

There is way too much negativity here. And... some of the leaders of these attacks on Celebrity still, according to their own signature, have over 70 days still booked with Celebrity. Seems odd....

 

 

That would be me, most of the bookings were booked before these 2023 cutbacks

[doghog]

20 minutes ago, sunkey1 said:

It just seems to be the nature of things anymore, “glass half empty” is definitely more common, unfortunately.

Our glasses are always full and we are always wearing our rose colored glasses. 🍷😍

[georgiaguy]

27 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Thanks for acknowledging my thread.  
 

Truth be told, I am a big fan of Celebrity and cruise at least once a year on Celebrity (usually we do 2X a year).  It’s usually Celebrity or Princess but lately we’ve been more Celebrity for a couple of reasons.

 

My intent was not to promote complaining but to get a statistical view of what most people had concerns with.  I like data and statistics and think this is what shows collective concerns and influences the cruise companies.

I can’t prevent people from posting rants or complaints but I had hoped to create constructive feedback on the bigger issues.

 

My only regret on that thread is that I didn’t add a “No concerns” option in the voting.

 

I honestly think most of who visit and post on the Celebrity thread are probably fans as well but all are in shock of the post Covid cruising world and express it in different ways.

 

PS - did you notice I didn’t add cookies or whole tomatoes to the list? 😂 

 

 

 

I apologize if I seemed like I was attacking. I actually love data too and that is a fair question. I had just posted my post when I saw yours and I believe I made have made some assumptions. I apologize.  See we can get along!

[Cruise till you drop]

15 minutes ago, georgiaguy said:

 

I apologize if I seemed like I was attacking. I actually love data too and that is a fair question. I had just posted my post when I saw yours and I believe I made have made some assumptions. I apologize.  See we can get along!

Absolutely we can all get along.  But let’s do it on a ship

[Islander500]

12 hours ago, chemmo said:

I think those of us who are regular followers of  CC will focus on the reports of those we know give balanced reviews.

 

I know your reviews will state what the actual situation is on board, the facts (included, not included…) plus then you will give an overview of your ‘whole’ experience…The opinion…

 

We are aware that it isn’t only Celebrity making cuts nor is it just cruise lines. Many UK hotels suddenly are now offering good prices for rooms but are charging extra for breakfast and parking which previously were included in the price…Definitely rattling regulars! Restaurants are reducing the number of items on the menu, early bird offers are becoming increasingly rare….Quite simply it seems the whole hospitality industry post lockdown has rethought its ‘best’ options to reduce cost and maximise income…

 

I do think Celebrity has been misguided in the way it has introduced change…quietly slipped in as if no one would notice…It has come across as both underhanded and petty. I honestly think it would have been better if they had ‘campaigned’ what we see as cuts as part of a bigger package with some clear ‘gains’…

 

I don’t know if it is just me but I do think Celebrity has been misguided and missed some revenue options as it has been too focused on just saving $. For example, having made room service chargeable why not balance that by offer things people may see as worth paying extra for? For example, a brunch menu between 9am and 11am. Then people may at least feel that something better is on offer than there was before even if it does incur a cost…

 

Looking forward to your reviews…

 

 

Agree completely with you.  Was telling my husband something similar yesterday. On a thread a few days  someone suggested a fee Brunch using one of the specialties or BLU venues on sea days.  I’d pay extra  for that.  

[Pinboy]

What's wrong with people today ?? Is it just me ?? There's so much negativity on CC and mostly about nitpicking nonsense ( another word would have more effect, but, not in my nature to swear---- unless necessary.

( Here comes " It might be nonsense to you Pinboy , etc etc so, stop reading and posting, blah, blah blah ).

What would make someone post about tomatoes, the size of their lobster tail, a cookie , the cut back on the size of a gelato scoop , that their Waiter forgot to bring his 3 shrimp cocktails at the same time or I'm bringing my Stateroom Attendant one of my " famous " Christmas cakes ? 

Oops, delete that one about the shrimp cocktails.

CC is fun to read although it appears that the same threads keep popping up.

It's been a long time since someone posted " Who's the Captain on our cruise in 2026 "?

Here's a new one--- " Our Room Steward forgot to fill the ice bucket--- what would you do " ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Islander500 said:

Agree completely with you.  Was telling my husband something similar yesterday. On a thread a few days  someone suggested a fee Brunch using one of the specialties or BLU venues on sea days.  I’d pay extra  for that.  

Blu staff have other jobs.. lets keep it as is!

[Islander500]

50 minutes ago, hcat said:

Blu staff have other jobs.. lets keep it as is!

Well, it makes a lot more sense for them to serve brunch than shlep drinks or clean tables at the Oceanview madness on sea days.  But who am I to opine? 🙄

[budmeister]

17 hours ago, OysterD said:

 

I'm glad you read this thread then and found the truth about cookiegate, and I hope you enjoy your cruise in a few weeks, which I'm sure you will do 🙂

 

However, this is EXACTLY the problem with this board at the moment! Any positive news is completely lost amongst the horde of negative posts from a few repetitive moaners. 

 

The whole cookie nonsense is the perfect example. It's been pointed out several times on the 15+ page thread of moaning  about cookies that:

a. it is currently just one ship

b. It is a trial

c. The free cookies ARE STILL AVAILABLE

d. There is the option on this one ship to purchase a different type of cookie, warm and larger, for $2. 

e. The sky is not falling in

 

However, the several times this has been pointed out (several emails and messages from X HQ now have been posted with explanations of the above) it gets lost or ignored and people just continue moaning about it. It's insane! 

 

Very positive and interesting to read trip reports get lost and attract little attention, but the tiniest thing which might affect a handful of people ends up with a moanfest often reaching dozens of pages long. 

 

We sail in a few weeks and I should be coming on here to get excited about it, reading reviews and comments from people onboard. Sadly, whenever I open this tab on my browser at the moment I have to tell myself to ignore the majority of doom and gloom nonsense and remember that some people in life are only happy when they're complaining. 

 

And eating cookies....

[Cap_D]

FWIW, thanks to everyone for sharing their insights. If people stop, it would be unfortunate.  These posts and boards are one of the few ways to have any idea about what a cruise might be or would have been, the good, and the bad. And, if anyone has anything good to share or past awesomeness to remember, please share it.  Start a thread on things, and hopefully the conditions are such whatever it is will happen to someone else in the same situation (at the same price). 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Cap_D

[SusieAV8R]

On 8/25/2023 at 10:00 PM, georgiaguy said:

How many threads can we start in a single day complaining about everything we hate about Celebrity? I think we can break our previous record of….

 

Seriously though, I used to enjoy coming here to read actual cruise reviews or to find tips for my next cruise or ask a question that I didnt know the answer to. Lately however it seems like three or four threads a day complaining. I get it, people are upset but really. I mean the cookie thing has at least two threads complaining about it and beyond one ship it hasn’t been rolled out fleet wide. Again I get it people are upset, but I see people talking about reconsidering cruises after reading what folks are posting here. Anyone else feeling the weight of the negativity? 

I totally concur with everything you said.  The Celebrity Board has become very negative.  Postings used to provide positive information.  From reading the multiple threads over the past couple of months,  plus my experience in all level of suites  on X, except Sky Suites, is that a lot of those upset folks are complaining that they can no longer get things they did NOT pay for via their cruise fare.  Only Upper Suites (Royal Suites and above) paid for the Butler to stock their fridges with beer and bottled water, as well as a bottle of wine or liquor. It appears that non-upper suite paz (to wit, SS) believed that  requesting  their Butler to provide such things ("tipping appropriately after the fact"; "I have a premium alcohol package") was what they had paid for.   The pax knew this was nonsense because their fridges would not  have been stocked  with items for purchased if this was indeed true.  (Do not ignore the implied threat to the relevant butler of  bad reviews which translates as a thread to their livelihood.) Let's not forget the requests that those same suites had Butlers deliver room service from the Speciality Restaurants (which if they attended those restaurants would have had to pay the $55-60 per person).  They did NOT pay for any of this.  What is really sad in this situation is that Butlers from countries not as well off financially as cruising paz lost their jobs.  Requesting a Butler to obtain something a paz is not entitled to, ( "I have the premium package" or "my Butler could have said no" , is no defense), makes that paz just as culpable of misappropriation as the Butler.  Thankfully, X has realized that this a real problem before the cost is passed along to all of us (pax and staff).  That said, X owns part of this problem with their stress on positive reviews for retention or promotions of staff.

[Kelownadon]

19 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

At this point, I can stay seven days at a top-notch Four Seasons resort for the price of a one-week cruise in Aqua Class.

Then after you have eaten all your meals at the “top-notch Four Season's resort” your price is equivalent to a penthouse suite. 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Kelownadon

[Ipeeinthepools]

On 8/25/2023 at 10:00 PM, georgiaguy said:

How many threads can we start in a single day complaining about everything we hate about Celebrity? I think we can break our previous record of….

 

Seriously though, I used to enjoy coming here to read actual cruise reviews or to find tips for my next cruise or ask a question that I didnt know the answer to. Lately however it seems like three or four threads a day complaining. I get it, people are upset but really. I mean the cookie thing has at least two threads complaining about it and beyond one ship it hasn’t been rolled out fleet wide. Again I get it people are upset, but I see people talking about reconsidering cruises after reading what folks are posting here. Anyone else feeling the weight of the negativity? 

 

I agree 100%.  Maybe someday we can get back to complaining about the lack of enforcement on dress codes.  Or maybe even a discussion if Kirkland Jeans are really designer jeans.

[TeeRick]

7 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

I agree 100%.  Maybe someday we can get back to complaining about the lack of enforcement on dress codes.  Or maybe even a discussion if Kirkland Jeans are really designer jeans.

Or the IV.  Or the Hoppenization.  Footstools.  Or kids (in general).  All former feast topics.😀