Celebrity cruiser defects!

[cruiser2004]

Just wanted to comment that I love the tone of this thread ...this is what cruise critic is all about ...being able to exchange pros and cons about a particular cruise line without the fear of being ridiculed.

 

This is highly refreshing ....I haven't posted as much lately because of the harshness I have seen on the Celebrity board in particular.

 

To the original poster ....I too would like to see some positive/exciting changes made by headquarters in Miami .... I would love to see them "shake things up a bit" with some new itineraries, programs, menus, perks for frequent cruisers, etc. I think the product overall could use a bit of "refreshing".

 

Anyway, I have enjoyed reading this thread,

 

Nancy

 

Nancy, You are correct that it is nice to see both the pros and cons without being ridiculed. You are correct that this is what cruisecritic should be about.

[many cruises]

I couldn't agree with you more. Cruise Critic can give you a world of information about cruising. Unfortunately, sometimes the info. may be negative rather than positive. Negative information doesn't mean that the poster should be torn apart for posting the truth. I wish someone would have posted a warning to us about the Infinity and its pod problems before we wasted our hard earned money on our 1 and only cruise to Alaska. It would have given us an opportunity to check into the matter further and we probably would have not taken a chance on Celebrity.

[Cathy Maneri]

I'm an avid Celebrity and Royal Caribbean (Brilliance and Jewel of the Seas my favorite ships on that line).

 

I find though that the more I cruise the more I would like to relax and not have a set time for dinner.

 

Celebrity has options for eating in another venue other than the dining room (which I find very noisy.) They have their casual dining option which I finally tried twice on my last cruise. I would use it again in future cruises. Their specialty restaurant is also nice, but does require a dress code (a man must be in a jacket).

 

I've decided on my next Celebrity Alaska cruise next May that I would like to try not going to the dining room at all and use the casual dining, buffet, sushi bar and room service (I have a Celebrity Suite so I have a dining table in my cabin).

 

It's a test to see if I like cruising the informality way and not give up my preferred cruise line.

 

I would like to see the new Celebrity ships have different upscale dining venues for a "Freestyle" type of cruising. They could still have a dining room for those who want to dine with large groups.

 

I think it's time for the cruiselines to start looking at different options for "our cruising experience."

[caviargal]

I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to large ship cruising and tend to prefer set dining times. On small ships, I enjoy the open dining options and the flexibility they provide.

 

I sailed with NCL several times in 2002/2003. While not a big fan of Freestyle, I was able to satisfy my personal preference for a reserved table by booking reservations at the ala carte restaurants. I also enjoyed the sushi bar on two nights (great for solo sailors:)) and actually the Captain was the only other guest there on both occasions so that made for nice conversation, and my very own "Captain's Table" experience.

 

Because the cost of the ala carte venues were so reasonable, it was painless to dine in one each evening and only impact my overall tab by less than $100. I actually only used the main dining room a couple of times on all of my NCL cruises combined.

 

I found the Sun to be a very nice, modern ship, although my inside cabin was so small I could only climb into bed from one side. But, for one person it was just fine. NCL Dream was another story as it was pretty run down. I was also on Dawn and found her to be bright and boldly decorated in a pleasing way.

 

While NCL is not my personal preference, it is a well priced option with newer ships that meet the needs of many. I personally enjoyed my NCL cruises far more than those on Carnival and would consider the newest ships for a future cruise.

[C 2 C]

While NCL is not my personal preference, it is a well priced option with newer ships that meet the needs of many. I personally enjoyed my NCL cruises far more than those on Carnival and would consider the newest ships for a future cruise.

NCL might be in a bit of financial trouble however:

 

08-09-2006: Star Cruises on S&P's CreditWatch, with negative implications

 

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P's) has placed its ‘BB’ corporate credit ratings on Star Cruises Ltd and its wholly owned subsidiary, NCL Corp Ltd, on CreditWatch with negative implications.

Star Cruises is the third-largest cruise operator globally, and NCL is the North American arm of the group.

"The placement on CreditWatch negative reflects our concerns over the aggressive and further weakening in the financial risk profile resulting from the proposed acquisition of two new vessels by NCL," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Greg Pau in a statement on Sept 8.

S&P's said NCL had placed orders for two new cruise ships, each with capacity of over 4,200 passengers, at €735 million (RM3.42 billion) each to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2009 and the second quarter of 2010.

 

http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_8c710f4f-cb73c03a-1f1f38e0-b510c710

[Dr. Cocktail]

It figures - I take one NCL cruise and I throw them into financial turmoil. I knew I shouldn't have had that extra burger on deck. I thought all the problems ended with my heartburn. (I mean, I even took my own soaps and shampoo - tiny cruise ship soaps, now that's another thread).

 

In all the discussions, I was curious if anyone had tried Windstar? I would like to take "a step up" and it looks appealing but I would like some opinions.

[hammybee]

Hello,

I am a HAL loyalist but cheat at least once a year with X, RCCL, NCL and Carnival. We sailed NCL summer 2005 for the intinerary and port time. We too were pleasantly surprised by the experience as we have been with sailings on the newer Carnival ships. It seems to me that the lower priced lines are delivering a lot of bang for the buck while HAL and X are economizing in ways that have historically distinguished them.

 

I think Oceonia is going to give both HAL and X a run for their money.

[Host Kewlguy]

We sailed on NCL once. We enjoyed the cruise and will sail with NCL again in the future. BUT, we felt the food was most definitely inferior on NCL compared to Celebrity. The food lacked flavor, especially the soups. The embarkation from Manhatten was a disaster. Long lines and total confusion. Royal/Celebrity has the embarkation system down to an art.

[shoreless]

I've really enjoyed this thread and, as a new cruiser, plan to try as many lines for as many cruises as I can afford.:)

 

The posts about the benefits of having many lines to choose from really strikes a chord right now. In the past, certain stores evoked memories of the cities they were in -- Filene's in Boston, Marshall Field's in Chicago, etc. Now it seems like the whole country has one main department store (Macy's), and it just isn't the same.

[bandit0000]

Hi,

 

We went on NCL Jewel twice last year & loved it. We will definitely do NCL again as the new ships come out.

The 10 restaurants were very appealing, the no pay extra food was lovely & the reasonably priced pay restaurants very good, the choice is great. Steakhouse, teppenyaki, chinese, mexican, french, fish & chips etc and we found the buffet to be great no complaints about the food there from us.

Breakfast in the dining room was very, very good. Staff all very polite & helpful.

We had a mini suite with the bath which was lovely for a reasonable price.

I just wish I could fit another holiday in before xmas on their new Pearl which is a fantastic price for transatlantic inaugral sailing (£499 including flights for us Brits).

 

However having said all that we are still so looking forward to our upcoming Century cruise. We still feel Celebrity are a cut above, although we haven't sailed with them for about 3 years, so I hope it hasn't changed.

 

At the moment Celebrity is still number one with us, with NCL second. Although a lot does depend on price & itinerary.

 

I don't think anyone would be disappointed with NCL's new ships.

 

Lisa:)

[rebeccalouise]

I have sailed NCL (Wind, Sky, Majesty and Spirit) and had nice cruises on all of them. The Celebrity ships are just so much nicer though.

But having said that, the food, service and fun on NCL is a very good value. I would not hesitate to sail NCL in the future.

[Cinnamon Seahorse]

DH and I started cruising 15 years ago, for our 10th anniversary. The ship was NCL's SS Norway, and befitting the occasion we had an interior room with bunk beds. We were amazed at the friendliness of every crew member, and wanted to take our room steward home with us.

 

Our most recent cruise was March of this year, for our 25th anniversary, on NCL's Dawn. I must agree with the comments about the food in the main restaurants. From what I understood at the time, they were testing a new menu offering far less variety, and lower quality, than what we were used to with NCL. On the plus side, I never went to bed hungry as I did on RCCL.

 

In addition to the extra-cost alternative restaurants, the Dawn had a couple no-cost alternative restaurants--Salsa, an absolute abomination, and Blue Lagoon, which had a good menu and was open extended hours.

We tried all of the extra-cost alternatives--the Tepanyaki room, Japanese restaurant, sushi bar, steakhouse, French restaurant, and I feel like I'm missing something.

 

The older/smaller ships were not designed for freestyle, and are being replaced over time. The Crown has been sold, but will remain in the NCL fleet at least through 2007. I undersand the Majesty is also up for sale, but I don't have any specifics. Considering the increased passenger capacity/revenue opportunities of the newbuilds, I have no concerns about NCL's financial condition at this time.

 

I'm a "traditional" seating fan, and appreciate the fact I can make a reservation in a main restaurant for a set table and time for the whole cruise, by speaking with the maitre 'd. That is exactly what I'd do on one of the older ships.

 

For the most part, the restaurant staffs were very pleasant and capable, but we did have a couple of meals where we weren't feeling the love. NCL has, hands down, the best entertainment we've encountered at sea.

 

We had an owner's suite, and it was amazing. I bring this up only in response to Dr. Cocktail's concern about the little soaps. They are a pain! I suspect far fewer of them travel with their masters than they used to, simply due to strict bagage weight limitations. In both our master bath and guest bath, our toiletries were L'Occitane. Okay, THOSE we did bring home. And considering your board name, Dr. Cocktail, you would have liked the fact that in addition to the welcoming bottles of champagne and wine in the Owner's suites, you also get to select three liters of alcohol from a good selection of choices. And all the mixers you could dream of.

 

I had the distinct pleasure of sailing Celebrity's Millennium in 2000, and had a wonderful experience. The experience had been so great that I was excited to book her again, this time with DH and two other couples December, 2004. We had a Celebrity Suite, and it had the potential to be stunning. If only they had fixed things instead of just putting a strip of electrical tape over those areas. Pretty.....

 

The food was okay, but inferior to my 2000 sailing. I think the most obvious example was in the alternative Olympic Dining Room. What had previously been a $15/20 super-yummy seven-course meal with excellent, genuine service, had become a $35 three or four-course meal with robo-waiters. I was fairly certain towards the end of the meal that if there was one more execution of butterfly service with a chorus of "Voila!" when the domes were lifted, it wouldn't be the only execution.

 

There were a few other problems on this sailing, mostly related to service. Our butler was the most inept butler I've ever experienced. We ordered some canapes and such for a cocktail party in our suite. We received one additional plate of the tired looking canapes suite guests receive every evening. When I tried another time to bypass our butler, he intercepted our request. Ugh.

 

Contrary to Celebrity advertising, our butler did not know how we liked our tea. Every single day we had to send him back for milk. We had brought some special cheese with us, and the day we wanted to enjoy that with our friends, we asked for crackers for the cheese, advising exactly what our intended use was. We received eight 2-cracker packages of Saltines.

 

Our suite had none of the promised amenities. The "fresh" flowers were nonexistent, with only an unattractive little silk arrangement in the suite. We could understand that, if perhaps there was a shortage of flowers. Suspect that wasn't the case, though, as the other couples were staying in Concierge class staterooms, and had fresh flowers. How embarrassing for a traveling companion to notice the lack of flowers, and order an arrangement for you from the on-board florist. We didn't even get a tote bag. Can we live without flowers and a tote bag? Obviouilsy, but the lack of promised amenities, combined with poor service, didn't match my prior sailing on the Millie, or Celebrity's ad campaign promises.

 

Based on the poor quality of butler service, and lacking amenities, we decided Celebrity would never get the big bucks from us again--if we sailed them again it would be in an inside stateroom.

 

Our favorite experience though, was a twist on the campaign advising you'll be treated famously onboard Celebrity. In our case, it was more like infamously--we were treated like criminals.

 

Our travel agent had sent bottles of wine to all three staterooms. By day four of the cruise, one of our friends went to inquire as to where the wine was, showing the card from our agent. She was basically accused of trying to scam Celebrity, and that the bottle of champagne in her room at embarkation was all she was entitled to. Okay, I don't see how you can mistake a bottle of Concierge Class amenity champagne, for a bottle of red wine. DH and our cousin went down later, and got the same rude treatment. Considering what we had paid for the suite, and that our stateroom account balance was already at four figures, why in heaven's name would we try to scam a bottle of wine? The customer service desk finally agreed to check with Maimi. We checked on day five, still nothing. Day six we were advised that there was an error, and Miami had confirmed the wine for two of the staterooms, but not the third.

 

The guy at customer service advised they still needed to get confirmation on the third couple. I told him what they NEED to do, is deliver all three bottles of wine, as this was the final night of the cruise. Imagine our delight to arrive at dinner that night and see all three bottles of wine open on our table. And only three of the six of us were drinking. Silly me, I thought they would have been delivered to the staterooms to drink at our leisure (or at this point, just take home).

 

During dinner, the "men in black" showed up. All three in severe black suits with white shirts, and we'd never seen any of them before. They spoke with our fun, spirited waiter, and he returned and became very serious, no joking, nothing. He finally couldn't take it, and asked me very quietly if someone had caused me harm in any way on this cruise. I told him about the wine, and he was back to his charming self.

 

I spent a lot of this cruise wondering why it would be so different from the one four years prior. I think some of the answer was found upon disembarkation when I saw the row of wheelchairs lined up, all labled RCCL. I'd forgotten Celebrity had been purchased by RCCL.

 

Will I sail Celebrity again? I already have, and have another sailing booked later this month. They still don't get the big bucks from us, but for the price of an interior stateroom, and the fact the sailings we take are roundtrip Seattle requiring no travel, it would be pretty hard to disappoint us. Especially since we're generally jolly cruisers! Sorry this is so long, but cruise service is something DH and I are rather passionate about.

 

Happy sailing, whichever line you choose, Carla

[katiebeth]

Dear PamperMe,

 

I must agree with the suite experience on the Millennium. We were in a Royal Suite for a 12 night Med. sailing in June of this year and must agree it was rather underwhelmhing. The suite itself was in need of refurbishment and the butler service was very average. We received packages of Saltines with our cheese as well (I thought it was rather odd).

 

We actually enjoyed CC class, as much if not more, when we sailed on the Constellation 14 night British Isles and Norweign Fjords.

 

I have not been on a suite on any other line but it sounds like HAL and Princess have better suite amenities. (designated lounges, plushier bedding, more variety of appetizers, etc.). I am not convinced that the extra cost is worth it on Celebrity.

 

We enjoy cruising Europe and would try a different line if we could find a good itinerary. However, I must say that Celebrity seems to have the most desirable ititneraries in Europe unless you go with a more upscale line such as Oceania (they have great itineraries by the way). We would definitely give them a try but we travel with our children ages 11 and 13 and from what I have read Oceania is not the best choice for families.

 

We are booked on the Constellation next summer for a Baltics cruise. We are holding a Royal Suite (primarily because it will accomodate the 4 of us) not because of the perks. We do like the itinerary and also have enjoyed the shore excursions Celebrity offers.

 

All of that being said, I am extremely grateful that we are able to travel as much as we do. Even though we were disappointed with our Royal Suite on the Millennium (given the cost) we had an absolutely fantastic cruise and the itinerary really can't be beat. We have the fondest memories of all of our cruises on Celebrity with our family.

 

Happy Sailings,

 

nancy

[caviargal]

 

I have not been on a suite on any other line but it sounds like HAL and Princess have better suite amenities. (designated lounges, plushier bedding, more variety of appetizers, etc.). I am not convinced that the extra cost is worth it on Celebrity.

 

 

I have not cruised in a suite with X but have with HAL and the amenities were excellent: plush bedding, Concierge Lounge, catered parties in one's suite with linens and china, the Pinnacle Grille daily for breakfast (specialty restaurant and open in the mornings for suite guests only), Elemis amenities, complimentary laundry and dry cleaning, fresh flowers, fruit baskets, personalized stationary, etc. It was truly a wonderful experience and I am booked again in the same aft suite for next year.

 

It is the attention to detail that truly made the difference. :)

[Davey Interweb]

I'm still surprised that brand loyalty exists in this age of massive, profit-driven corporations whose own loyalties are first and foremost to their shareholders. At least a few times I've come across posts on this board where someone has negatively reviewed their past cruise experience, yet they close with a comment roughly along the lines of "It was bad, yes, but this is the only line we've ever cruised and hopefully our next with them will be better".

 

I like X. Our 14-night T/A on Constellation last year was all sorts of fantastic. However, our cruise last May (11-night on Mercury) was mediocre at best. Evidence of cost-cutting was everywhere, the ship's officers were generally indifferent and/or unpleasant, the ship itself is unremarkable and wasn't in the best of repair. The crew - our servers in the dining room, our butler, and a particular bartender - were great and helped to make up for Celebrity's shortcomings during this voyage. I still believe that X is a good line, though, and we'll likely sail on another M-Class at some point. Our next two cruises are booked on HAL; our first with them.

 

I agree with others here who have cautioned against outright dismissing other lines out of some odd sense of loyalty. Each line and their ships bring their own nuances to the cruise experience, and one may make for a better fit than another on a particular itinerary. RCCL (Jewel) was a great choice for us when we cruised with several of our friends in tow, being that we were mostly a group of sub-thirty-year-olds and a more, uh, lively ship than a X or a HAL was appropriate. NCL (Spirit) afforded our same group a Caribbean jaunt for less money than what it would have cost any of us to eat at home for the week. Like most of you I prefer some lines to others, yet I wouldn't choose HAL for a 3 or 4-night Caribbean cruise and I wouldn't opt for Carnival on a 14-night-plus transatlantic itinerary. Whatever fits best is where my money goes; loyalty never plays a role in the decision.

[Dr. Cocktail]

In the past, our loyalty to Celebrity was "rewarded" by having a truly exceptional product for the amount charged. You always had the feeling that John Chandris' vision permeated all aspects of the product.

 

As the repeater's program became more formalized (and the product diminished), one kept thinking: "well, I'm sure they will improve by the next cruise." Because of the young nature of the line, those of us who sailed with them from the beginning naturally (but incorrectly) developed a sense of "ownership" and blindly dismissed other people's criticisms. Unfortunately, we are all realizing that Celebrity is really just a differently presented side of RCI. For the most part, Carnival has let HAL, Princess and their other divisions operate individually. For an interesting history and view of how the various lines were established and operate, you might want to check out Devils on the Deep Blue Sea (K. Garrin). He documents how, in retrospect, John Chandris realizes (gasp), that he should have sold to Carnival. Celebrity still delivers a decent product but that original excitement is gone.

[rebeccalouise]

My first Celebrity cruise was in 2001- the Zenith. Loved it. Did the Zenith again that same year (cruise was good but had my 13 mo. old with me and traveling with a toddler wasn't relaxing). Then in 2004 I took my son (now 4) on the Galaxy and had a great time. In 2005 went on the Millenium and had an even better time and finally went on the Constellation in April 2006 and had the best cruise ever! If Celebrity has gone downhill over the years- I haven't seen it. My cruises got better with each ship!

[Dr. Cocktail]

I am not disagreeing with your impressions but I think that your experience was shaped by the fact that you sequentially went on newer and more amenity-filled ships. My original impressions of Celebrity go back to spring of 1990 when the line was first started. Your first cruise on Celebrity came after RCI bought them out (in 1998?). You never had the pleasure of sailing on Celebrity when it was an independent company.

[2ladies]

Unbelievably disappointed with Celebrity. Very interested in comments about NCL - will give them a go!!

 

We are elite and very good customers - and they have treated us abominably - rearranged a cruise date for which we had given a deposit months previously and then refused to honour the new price for the rearranged date when it first came on the computer - regardless of the fact that we are now missing a wedding and two weeks of our vacation!!

 

Our last experience of Concierge Class was awful - won't pay for this again, will just get a balcony.

 

No flowers in cabin and breakfast just dumped on balcony table - no tablecloth, flower etc. The steward didn't want to know until I complained high up the chain of command!! Asked for shrimp instead of canapes and told no. Eventually received them of course!! I don't book CC class to get aggravation, so now just book a regular balcony cabin and order some flowers!!

 

Getting bored on Celebrity in the evenings and find the musical variety on RCCL much better. Actually, we like the buffet on RCCL at night. Freshly prepared stirfry etc. Then there is Chops and Portofinos, so we rarely eat in the Dining Room anyway. Lo and behold - freestyle!!!

 

We have discovered with Celebrity that loyalty doesn't pay - shame 'cos I have good friends who work on board!!

[slotaddict]

Unbelievably disappointed with Celebrity. Very interested in comments about NCL - will give them a go!!

 

We are elite and very good customers - and they have treated us abominably - rearranged a cruise date for which we had given a deposit months previously and then refused to honour the new price for the rearranged date when it first came on the computer - regardless of the fact that we are now missing a wedding and two weeks of our vacation!!

 

Our last experience of Concierge Class was awful - won't pay for this again, will just get a balcony.

 

No flowers in cabin and breakfast just dumped on balcony table - no tablecloth, flower etc. The steward didn't want to know until I complained high up the chain of command!! Asked for shrimp instead of canapes and told no. Eventually received them of course!! I don't book CC class to get aggravation, so now just book a regular balcony cabin and order some flowers!!

 

Getting bored on Celebrity in the evenings and find the musical variety on RCCL much better. Actually, we like the buffet on RCCL at night. Freshly prepared stirfry etc. Then there is Chops and Portofinos, so we rarely eat in the Dining Room anyway. Lo and behold - freestyle!!!

 

We have discovered with Celebrity that loyalty doesn't pay - shame 'cos I have good friends who work on board!!

 

What ship were you on that gave you less than your expectations. I just booked my first CC class.

[superjerryw]

I recently returned from my first "Freestyle" cruise on Norwegian Dawn. I really wanted to do Canada/New England and they had the best itinerary. I was extremely (very!) frightened by trying NCL and - lo and behold - it was terrific.

 

If you were on the 9/2 sailing of the Norwegain Dawn, I was on that sailing as well and I will add my own review later on. I do have to agree that we had a great time and NCL's newer ships are a worthwhile alternative.