Work2cruz! Posted September 19, 2023 #26 Share Posted September 19, 2023 I just canceled a Celebrity Cruise to try Virgin. The last 2 Celebrity cruises the food and service was sub par and lots of changes in the menu. Meatloaf was one of the mains in Blu on the last night. Celebrity has increased prices, taken away amenities and is providing sub par service and food. Now they have a major cruise line targeting their loyal customer base by offering the Match and Sea Program. it will be interesting to see if they do any damage control or if the profits for all the changes compensate for any lost customers. Only time will tell. 17 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rj59 Posted September 19, 2023 #27 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Well, it worked...I did my first 5 Celebrity cruises last year, but after an Eclipse Mexico trip in November was $440 for 2 people but $1300 for a solo, I decided to expand my cruise universe. Virgin had always been out of my price range, but due to delays for a new ship and rerouting Resilient Lady, they had a 9-night Barcelona to Athens cruise in October 2024 for under $100 a night, with solo cabin options as well, and a $600 drinks credit (no premium vs basic package nonsense pricing), loyalty matching for premium wifi, $10 daily coffee credit, and a free bag of laundry, and of course regular wifi and gratuities included. And even free Coke machines. I sail solo and cheap, so a lot of the X cutbacks don't affect me, and most of my sailing has been on HAL and Princess, so their cutbacks irk me even more (no more free Alfredo's pizza, HAL cutting out all their production shows), so I've learned that in the current climate of cutbacks and huge demand, it helps to be cruise line agnostic. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare markeb Posted September 19, 2023 #28 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Before everyone gets too excited, Virgin has 3 ships. The Virgin Group is estimated to have a value of £3B. Good news is they probably didn’t acquire as much debt during the shut down. But… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted September 19, 2023 #29 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Hope X will continue to build back. We do not like the Virgin ships decor etc...not switching. The ad is a bit in the face of X but hope ad will stir competition! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mac_tlc Posted September 19, 2023 #30 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Clever marketing, but VV is not on my radar. I'm not their target customer and I have no desire to try them. mac_tlc 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer321 Posted September 19, 2023 #31 Share Posted September 19, 2023 I'm considering switching my spring 2024 transatlatic cruise from Ascent to Virgin Voyages. When you factor in included tips and WiFi as well a a complimentary non-alcoholic beverages, I would come out ahead. I've heard lots of good thing about the food on VV. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basenji56 Posted September 19, 2023 #32 Share Posted September 19, 2023 (edited) I am doing a cruise on VV over Christmas. The lack of children is a plus. I got an insane amount of sailor loot ($900) and a $600 bar tab. Competition is good. Celerity is in a race to downgrade the cruise experience as much as it can get away without losing inertia driven loyalists. Particularly suite customers. Edited September 19, 2023 by basenji56 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doghog Posted September 19, 2023 #33 Share Posted September 19, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, ymncruise said: Yes, their itineraries don’t look appealing and is the reason I haven’t already tried them. Maybe they will read these comments and make some changes 😉. I hope MSC also is listening. Their Caribbean intinaries aren't any better. That's why we haven't booked with MSC. Edited September 19, 2023 by doghog 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doghog Posted September 19, 2023 #34 Share Posted September 19, 2023 1 hour ago, ymncruise said: I didn’t miss the evening service at all, but we did request an extra supply of towels in case we needed them. With RC we choose the morning service. Still got ice twice a day, clean towels twice a day and the Cruise compass each evening. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doghog Posted September 19, 2023 #35 Share Posted September 19, 2023 1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said: Now the elephant in the room, will Celebrity do anything in response? Start Emailing the executive office. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deliver42 Posted September 19, 2023 #36 Share Posted September 19, 2023 I saw that and they hit a direct broadside. It was solely aimed at Celebrity. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted September 19, 2023 #37 Share Posted September 19, 2023 6 minutes ago, doghog said: Start Emailing the executive office. I regret to inform you I'm way ahead of you “we appreciate your feedback” 2 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mahdnc Posted September 19, 2023 #38 Share Posted September 19, 2023 1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said: Now the elephant in the room, will Celebrity do anything in response? Yes. “Be a Celebrity and not a Virgin” 2 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warmwinds Posted September 19, 2023 #39 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Many of you might remember me as being a 20 year Celebrity loyalist, last 10 years in Aqua/Blu. We were getting bored and didn't appreciate the food decline, so decided to...try Virgin. I was apprehensive and thought I'd be running back to Celebrity. 3 days after getting off of Virgin we have booked another with them. True, they only have a few ships and limited itineraires, but the on-ship experience is fabululous. Who said they didn't like the decor of the ships? We thought they were gorgeous, don't pay attention to the commercials which make everything look RED. That is ONE night, Scarlet Night, and is actually a lot of fun. And I can't say enough about the food. No big dining room, no buffet (but rather sort of a food court), and everythng else in a separate, beautiful free standing restaurant. And the food from breakfast to lunch to dinner to another dinner and another different restaurant - Italian, Steak and Seafood, Vegetarian (sort of), Korean BBQ, Mexican, Molecular (but not too weird)...I could go on and on. So all I have to say is....Celebrity Who? 16 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISABELLA Posted September 20, 2023 #40 Share Posted September 20, 2023 1 hour ago, Work2cruz! said: I just canceled a Celebrity Cruise to try Virgin. The last 2 Celebrity cruises the food and service was sub par and lots of changes in the menu. Meatloaf was one of the mains in Blu on the last night. Celebrity has increased prices, taken away amenities and is providing sub par service and food. Now they have a major cruise line targeting their loyal customer base by offering the Match and Sea Program. it will be interesting to see if they do any damage control or if the profits for all the changes compensate for any lost customers. Only time will tell. We will be trying MSC YC. They also match X status. Elite + got Gold on MSC. Time will tell if X learns their lesson. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doghog Posted September 20, 2023 #41 Share Posted September 20, 2023 (edited) 17 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said: I regret to inform you I'm way ahead of you “we appreciate your feedback” Sorry, not a mind reader. I guess I could have taken a WAG! 🤣 Edited September 20, 2023 by doghog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichYak Posted September 20, 2023 #42 Share Posted September 20, 2023 3 minutes ago, ISABELLA said: They also match X status. Elite + got Gold on MSC. I'm only Elite on X. I don't remember what that equated to on Azamara prior to the split. But I used that status from Azamara, a line that I never sailed on, to match to Diamond on MSC, which I've also never sailed on. What a time to be alive! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschwa2 Posted September 20, 2023 #43 Share Posted September 20, 2023 26 minutes ago, doghog said: With RC we choose the morning service. Still got ice twice a day, clean towels twice a day and the Cruise compass each evening. I was on the millennium last month and chose evening service and unless I kept my do not disturb sign up until I went to dinner she would do morning and evening. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebutlerdidit Posted September 20, 2023 #44 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I’ll definitely be status matching with VV before the end of the year. It’s time to jump ship and see what other lines have to offer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted September 20, 2023 #45 Share Posted September 20, 2023 1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said: Now the elephant in the room, will Celebrity do anything in response? Yes. Double down as they did with the RCG double/double program of a few years ago also instituted on Celebrity. Consider more cuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted September 20, 2023 #46 Share Posted September 20, 2023 34 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said: I regret to inform you I'm way ahead of you “we appreciate your feedback” You forgot to first say, "We understand your concerns and" 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Georgia_Peaches Posted September 20, 2023 #47 Share Posted September 20, 2023 1 hour ago, basenji56 said: plus. I got an insane amount of sailor loot ($900) and a $600 bar tab. Competition Did you book direct or via TA? How does one get a $600 bar tab credit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobsgonecoastal Posted September 20, 2023 #48 Share Posted September 20, 2023 1 hour ago, rj59 said: so I've learned that in the current climate of cutbacks and huge demand, it helps to be cruise line agnostic. Absolutely true. We were diehard X cruisers prior to the restart and all the changes. We have been spreading the business to other lines when it serves our needs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted September 20, 2023 #49 Share Posted September 20, 2023 3 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said: You forgot to first say, "We understand your concerns and" lol. When I asked why they are still serving the inferior spiny lobster when both RCI and CCL are serving the superior Maine lobster, they said something close to: "We're happy to be able to continue to serve complimentary lobster to our guests on sailings seven nights or more and we do not have any plans to change that lobster offering or the type" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonzoWCS Posted September 20, 2023 #50 Share Posted September 20, 2023 44 minutes ago, ISABELLA said: We will be trying MSC YC. They also match X status. Elite + got Gold on MSC. Time will tell if X learns their lesson. Think you will like MSC. We did. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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