Identity crisis

[kruzerci]

First off, I love Celebrity, just an observation while on Reflection. 
 

I feel like the brand is in an identity crisis. They advertise to a younger demographic, play modern pop music, advertise a “relaxed luxury resort at sea” etc., but their primary client base is 50+, they are cutting corners and nickel and diming as you would never see at a luxury resort, and their programming onboard is definitely greater toward an older demographic. 
 

It’s very much an anomaly to me. It seems like the older people think Celebrity is going downhill, the young people think it’s too old, and the folks looking for a more upscale experience think it falls short.  Just interesting that they try to straddle so many things, but seems they don’t excel at any of them. Luckily we are younger but prefer a calm environment, good food, good shows, etc., so none of this really bothers us and we enjoy the product.

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

I feel like the Celebrity product falls under two different umbrellas:  Hip and trendy E class and Quiet and refined S/M class.  They set out to appeal to a younger demographic with their E class ships and then decided to try and have some of that E class vibe spill over into the other classes.  I wish they would have just left S and M classes alone and allowed all the products to flourish in their own right.  I agree that there is an identity issue within the branding but by and large I still enjoy the product.  I'm 56 years young...

[D. B.]

2 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

First off, I love Celebrity, just an observation while on Reflection. 
 

I feel like the brand is in an identity crisis. They advertise to a younger demographic, play modern pop music, advertise a “relaxed luxury resort at sea” etc., but their primary client base is 50+, they are cutting corners and nickel and diming as you would never see at a luxury resort, and their programming onboard is definitely greater toward an older demographic. 
 

It’s very much an anomaly to me. It seems like the older people think Celebrity is going downhill, the young people think it’s too old, and the folks looking for a more upscale experience think it falls short.  Just interesting that they try to straddle so many things, but seems they don’t excel at any of them. Luckily we are younger but prefer a calm environment, good food, good shows, etc., so none of this really bothers us and we enjoy the product.

 

The trying to appeal to a younger demographic thing is mostly for the Newer Edge Class ships and all the 3-4 day Caribbean cruises. 

 Reflection and the other S and M class ships have always been appreciated by a more "?" mature group of cruisers. 

 Our first ever cruise was on Celebrity in 2020 and we have matured (well gotten Older) in the last 24 years but the Celebrity product on the older ships still hits all our buttons as we sail on towards the sunset.

 We tried some of those "upscale" cruise lines but found out the more you Pay the Less Fun there is. 

 The Cruise client can range from 18 years old to 100 and all the market research has the management gazing at their crystal ball trying to be all things to all people. 

 The Big group of Baby Boomers have been influencing the cruise market but as that Big generation passes it has been  a challenge to predict what the Next big thing will be?

[Arizona Wildcat]

Got a younger feel in the Caribbean.   On a recent TA the vibe was 60s and cruisers were 70ish.

 

[zitsky]

Go sail on Viking.  Then you’ll thank god for Celebrity.  But I agree that the new music they play on board sucks.  Who thinks that Mozart and Beethoven is good music?  Bach all day man!  Baroque is where it’s at.  Stop that classical crap.

[kruzerci]

15 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Go sail on Viking.  Then you’ll thank god for Celebrity.  But I agree that the new music they play on board sucks.  Who thinks that Mozart and Beethoven is good music?  Bach all day man!  Baroque is where it’s at.  Stop that classical crap.

I don’t think it sucks, I like the product, I just find the branding and market position odd. Premium but not, young but not, old but not HAL, etc. 

[hcat]

We like E Class ...as seniors we miss out on some of the late night stuff but are happy as it is.    A ship can appeal to more than one type of cruiser..teens, couples, singles etc. 

 

 

The key is a  Modern Luxury experience,  rather than pigeon- holing guests. Great food, service and entertainment are what we look for..

 

Example..

on ASCENT during one day, the  younger cruisers seemed to enjoy the outdoor pool, loud music and beach party vibe.  At the same time, a diff crowd was SRO around the Grand Plaza area enjoying a top notch show with a Bllly Joel tribute singer..

 

No one was unhappy!

[hcat]

28 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Go sail on Viking.  Then you’ll thank god for Celebrity.  But I agree that the new music they play on board sucks.  Who thinks that Mozart and Beethoven is good music?  Bach all day man!  Baroque is where it’s at.  Stop that classical crap.

We like it at select venues!  It's classic & classy,  or are u pulling our leg again,

[SkystheLimit]

While we enjoyed our recent cruise on the Reflection, we agree about an identity crisis.  We definitely put that in our comments.  Music was SO loud everywhere and the selections were all over the place. The grand foyer really wasn't designed for games but it was used frequently for that.  Nor was it designed for a DJ playing music until midnight or later.  It reverberated all the way to the top decks. Service was still good and we were pleased with the food which we weren't expecting based on reviews a couple of months old. Just didn't feel right on the Reflection one of our favorite ships.

[hcat]

I do agree about having sports all over the place on ASCENT...golf putting  in EDEN , Pickle Ball on the Roof top garden, curling in the Club...hard to find a  mellow place!

[kruzerci]

26 minutes ago, SkystheLimit said:

While we enjoyed our recent cruise on the Reflection, we agree about an identity crisis.  We definitely put that in our comments.  Music was SO loud everywhere and the selections were all over the place. The grand foyer really wasn't designed for games but it was used frequently for that.  Nor was it designed for a DJ playing music until midnight or later.  It reverberated all the way to the top decks. Service was still good and we were pleased with the food which we weren't expecting based on reviews a couple of months old. Just didn't feel right on the Reflection one of our favorite ships.

Completely agree. I’ve never heard volume on Celebrity like this. It was more like Royal. Maybe gearing up for the 3/4 day sailings.  

[paulh84]

Celebrity is definitely trying hard to be the jack of all trades. They need to choose a direction and stick with it.  But every time they make a change the "loyalists", as they call themselves, don't agree with, they cause hysteria then Celebrity reverts. This is where the disconnect comes in between their marketing and what the actual product is on board. 

 

Their target market can be 40-55 year olds all day long. Where they fail is realizing that 40 year old me is a very different customer than my parents were at 40. But as long as they continue to pander the 65, 70, 80+ crowd they will have a tough time bringing in a new crop of repeat younger new customers. 

 

We're fine with it largely because we know what to expect but I'm curious how many of the recent new Celebrity customers actually come back.

[zitsky]

Celebrity has pax of all ages and multiple cabin types and multiple ship categories.  Of course they’re trying to be all things for all people.  Good for them!

[dleahy4444]

14 hours ago, kruzerci said:

First off, I love Celebrity, just an observation while on Reflection. 
 

I feel like the brand is in an identity crisis. They advertise to a younger demographic, play modern pop music, advertise a “relaxed luxury resort at sea” etc., but their primary client base is 50+, they are cutting corners and nickel and diming as you would never see at a luxury resort, and their programming onboard is definitely greater toward an older demographic. 
 

It’s very much an anomaly to me. It seems like the older people think Celebrity is going downhill, the young people think it’s too old, and the folks looking for a more upscale experience think it falls short.  Just interesting that they try to straddle so many things, but seems they don’t excel at any of them. Luckily we are younger but prefer a calm environment, good food, good shows, etc., so none of this really bothers us and we enjoy the product.

 

Well said. However we like that there seems to be something for everyone. I loved our Ascent sailing. The cruise director, Luigi, was high energy and he always had fun, party vibe to his activity options. We are late 60’sbut still had a blast. On our subsequent sailing on the Apex it felt like the cruise director was in slow motion.  The activities were fewer and much more sedate. We still had fun at this slower pace, but preferred having a more upbeat atmosphere. That is just us. I did see younger couples on both sailings. I think it’s great to have a mix of ages and interests. Even within the older demographic that we are in, there is a mix of interests and outlooks. 

[dleahy4444]

13 hours ago, hcat said:

We like E Class ...as seniors we miss out on some of the late night stuff but are happy as it is.    A ship can appeal to more than one type of cruiser..teens, couples, singles etc. 

 

 

The key is a  Modern Luxury experience,  rather than pigeon- holing guests. Great food, service and entertainment are what we look for..

 

Example..

on ASCENT during one day, the  younger cruisers seemed to enjoy the outdoor pool, loud music and beach party vibe.  At the same time, a diff crowd was SRO around the Grand Plaza area enjoying a top notch show with a Bllly Joel tribute singer..

 

No one was unhappy!

I think I was on the same sailing as you and totally agree with your comments! 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

15 hours ago, kruzerci said:

They advertise to a younger demographic

like me and my hubs. We are just a hair short of 50. And our teen kid.

 

15 hours ago, kruzerci said:

play modern pop music

some of it is very good, indeed. I am so tired of Princess playing Sinatra and the like all the time. Thankfully, on our last cruise on Enchanted we were super pleasantly surprised with much more modern performances and music.

15 hours ago, kruzerci said:

advertise a “relaxed luxury resort at sea” etc.,

we are not luxurious people, but we do like good food and a clean, well maintained ship. And a relaxing atmosphere. So, we are looking forward to experiencing what X has to offer. I will even bring my 70+ yo parents with us next year.

 

Now, MSC definitely targets a much younger, family audience, but they have barely met our expectations. And talk about nickel and diming - $5 per extra entree in MDR and $5 for a soft serve cone which has traditionally been free on other cruise lines...

 

Also, didn't we just discuss all of that in this thread?

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2991149-are-you-new-to-celebrity-if-so-what-did-you-think/

 

Edited March 23 by Itchy&Scratchy

[doghog]

5 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

some of it is very good, indeed. I am so tired of Princess playing Sinatra and the like all the time. Thankfully, on our last cruise on Enchanted we were super pleasantly surprised with much more modern performances and music.

Good to hear that. We board the Enchanted on 27 March. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Just now, doghog said:

Good to hear that. We board the Enchanted on 27 March. 

June 1 for us! And I booked her again for summer 2025.

[ldubs]

To me 50+ is a younger client base.  😃

[NMTraveller]

Royal 2.0 ...

 

Sunroom as a balcony on E...

 

My favorite class of ship is M,  S is sailable,  and E is just too crowded...

 

E class tends to have a younger crowd.

 

 

Edited March 23 by NMTraveller

[markeb]

These are always fun threads…

 

I actually think Celebrity is trying to target a lifestyle. Affluent young and young at heart who enjoy relaxed luxury. We can argue whether they’re truly delivering that product and how effective they are with their targeting. I think age is a proxy and advertising firms tend to operate better with traditional demographics than behavioral segments. They can’t grow market share targeting their current customers.They need new ones. 
 

“Modern music”?  I don’t know that I’ve heard much of anything onboard that was released in the past 15 years. Most of it’s over 25 years old. The Beatles came to America 60 years ago, Hotel California is 47 years old and Nevermind is 33 years old. Adele’s 21 is 13 years old; there are very brave house bands that attempt Rolling in the Deep on each cruise. Some of what the DJs play is probably current but it’s not something I know. But it’s hardly modern pop music!

[Ferry_Watcher]

7 minutes ago, markeb said:

The Beatles came to America 60 years ago, Hotel California is 47 years old and Nevermind is 33 years old.

 

LOL, how is this possible?!!!  ;  )

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

48 minutes ago, markeb said:

The Beatles came to America 60 years ago, Hotel California is 47 years old

 

And not music, but Little House on the Prairie is 50!!!!

[doghog]

And everyone of you are saying the same thing your parents said.🤣

Edited March 23 by doghog

[RedIguana]

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

LOL, how is this possible?!!!  ;  )

It's not. The seventies were just a couple decades ago!