Returning to Celebrity after 5 years-concerned about poor reviews

[Freelancer]

After a five-year absence from Celebrity, my DH and I are considering two Celebrity cruises for this fall--one on Millennium and one on Infinity.

 

However, we have some trepidation after reading less than stellar reviews of several Celebrity cruises. We realize that in this recessionary economic climate cruise lines will decrease services to save money, but reviews comment on poor food quality, lack of services, limited entertainment, poorly maintained ships, etc.

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

[leoandhugh]

You have good reason to be wary of X these days and it started its downward slide long before the current economic condition. Seems that in order to finance their new and expensive ships of the Solstice class, they have cut corners elsewhere. And IMO it is most evident in the food and service which are where X used to shine:)

[mardon]

Let me just say that we continue to cruise Celebrity (20 so far) and we have NO complaints. Food continues to be great, entertainment is great except for a few repeats, staff is EXCEPTIONAL. Cleanliness is great. I am amazed each time when we cruise how the crew remembers our names. 4 years ago on the Constellation we had a lovely stateroom attendant Lisa from the Phillipines. We cruised last year on the Constellation and she saw us and remembered our names and even remembered the exact room we were in. We have cruised many times on the Constellation and the crew has spoiled us. We switched ships and I was not excited about going on that cruise - Millenium - because I felt none of the crew would know us. Well I didn't realize that when the crew goes home on vacation and then prepare to return to their ship, they sometimes end up being sent to another ship to work and so when we got on this ship, there were 5 waiters that recognized us and the whole time we cruised they would stop by my table to make sure everything was ok always asking if there was anything they could get us or do for us AND ALWAYS with a smile. You will be very happy cruising with Celebrity. We have cruised the Millenium twice and in Sept. are doing the Panama Canal on the Infinity. You can't always go by negative reviews. Some people are hard to please.

 

marlene

[Bridge Maven]

After a five-year absence from Celebrity, my DH and I are considering two Celebrity cruises for this fall--one on Millennium and one on Infinity.

 

However, we have some trepidation after reading less than stellar reviews of several Celebrity cruises. We realize that in this recessionary economic climate cruise lines will decrease services to save money, but reviews comment on poor food quality, lack of services, limited entertainment, poorly maintained ships, etc.

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

The main difference is that five years ago, Celebrity was a step above the other mass market cruise lines and now all of the mass market cruise lines, including Celebrity, are more alike than they are different. If you take a cruise with that realistic expectation you should enjoy your cruises.

 

Around ten years ago my husband and I took cruises on Celebrity and Carnival within the same time frame and felt that Celebrity was so much better that we would never sail on Carnival again. Then last year we took a Carnival cruise by default because it was the only cruise line that had a NYC to Canada itinerary during the summer. To our surprise the food on Carnival had improved so much during the past ten years that it was better than what we have experienced recently on Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Celebrity.

[merrilyanne]

I am very sorry to tell you that I also thought Celebrity was supposed to be rated above the rest - until I recently took a cruise on the Summit. It was a terrible experience. It is one thing to have disappointing food and service, but the unsafe and unsanitary conditions were unacceptable. I have read posts on this site and another site, that indicate that for months, Celebrity has received hundreds of complaints about the mold and mildew in the washrooms, and the showers that don't work, and have done nothing to correct them. You either get freezing cold or scalding hot and they suddenly change without warning. I did not take a "5 star" cruise to have to go up 7 decks to shower in a public area every morning. I had one tiny bar of soap for the entire week. I did not see my cabin steward for the first few days, despite complaining about my filthy washroom. The shower curtains were shredded beyond belief, and very dirty. This ship was supposed to have had a "refurbishing" recently and I was told that the bedding was all new. My bedding consisted of one dark sheet and one mismatched light sheet, the entire week. No amount of polite complaining helped.

 

Passengers have also complained about construction materials being left indefinately in the hallways, and the uneven carpets in the hallways and dining rooms that are safety hazards. I injured myself on the Summit and when I went to the desk to inquire about medical treatment, the crew member called the medical centre but a nurse told her that the doctor was at a party and that she was also leaving and she wouldn't open the medical centre or even give me surgical tape. This was around 5 ish, so not really late at night. No medical report was made out, no follow up.

 

I was also charged triplicate on my credit card bill, and despite spending days and weeks on the telephone, could not even get anyone to return my calls, let alone reverse the charges.

 

This is the brief version of my problems with Celebrity. I have sailed on many ships to many countries with many different cruise lines, and am not demanding or do not have unrealistic expectations, but I do not believe anybody's standard of cleanliness is as low as Celebrity's washrooms.

 

And as one passenger on these posts has stated, it was not only that he was scalded by the sudden surge of hot water in his shower, after Celebrity assured him the shower was fixed, but that Celebrity did not care about his burns or follow up to see if he was alright or required medical treatment.

 

These are horror stories and unacceptable.

 

I have complained for two months to Celebrity but am basically put off and met with false statements and intimidation.

 

There were two different people on this site about two years ago that successfully sued two different cruise lines with very little cost ($75. filing fee) in their own town. If anyone remembers who they are, or knows how to contact them, please let me know.

 

And if anyone wants to see my photographs of the filthy mold and mildew and tattered and dirty shower curtain and toilet, please let me know.

[Bobbie John]

You have good reason to be wary of X these days and it started its downward slide long before the current economic condition. Seems that in order to finance their new and expensive ships of the Solstice class, they have cut corners elsewhere. And IMO it is most evident in the food and service which are where X used to shine:)

 

We totally agree with you. You couldn't have said it better!

 

Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity, Azamara and RC and in addition to the expensive Solstice class, RC has the 5400 passenger each Oasis and Allure of the Seas ordered. We feel RCI has overextended themselves and it definitely shows in the food, entertainment, lack of activities that are not expensive, and service. As you notice below we have no more cruises booked.

[Lois R]

After a five-year absence from Celebrity, my DH and I are considering two Celebrity cruises for this fall--one on Millennium and one on Infinity.

 

However, we have some trepidation after reading less than stellar reviews of several Celebrity cruises. We realize that in this recessionary economic climate cruise lines will decrease services to save money, but reviews comment on poor food quality, lack of services, limited entertainment, poorly maintained ships, etc.

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

And then there are those of us who still have

a wonderful time:)

[Stelladoro]

We must have been on a different Summit in April/09. :confused: The Summit was in Drydock for a week in March/09 and was spruced up, incl. carpeting.

We were very pleased with the service, quality of food and overall cleanliness of our cabin and the ship. Service and food were just as good ( if not better) than on our first Celebrity cruise in 06. Most of the entertainment was enjoyable (except for one terrible comedian).

 

We would not hesitate sailing again with Celebrity in the future.

[Ma Bell]

Go and judge for yourself.

[atb]

I am not a cheerleader - but since we began cruising (more than 20 years ago), we have not had a bad cruise. We have also done some land only vacations, and have never had a bad vacation.

I go on vacation to rest and relax and recharge. If I could afford to quit today and live on a cruise ship - I would. My DH may not follow :rolleyes:, but, each person has a different dream.

We have a good time wherever we go. We meet new friends wherever we go.

Some of our funniest vacation stories are about the difficulties we've encountered along the way - and certainly at the time we weren't laughing. But, till we get home, we are laughing, and rememberiing the good times and good friends.

[DocJohnB]

 

And if anyone wants to see my photographs of the filthy mold and mildew and tattered and dirty shower curtain and toilet, please let me know.

 

Please merrilyanne, post them here . . . . in this thread. I can think of no better way of proving/disproving your charges.

[cruiseacecat]

I just cannot keep silent about this. :confused: Are we talking about the same cruise line? I have not been on Summit since her spring ta last year, but it's so hard to believe that so much has happened to her.

 

In the last 15 months, I have sailed Summit, Connie, Millie, Infinity, Galaxy, Mercury and Solstice and just returned from the ta on Century. Yes, it was a busy year for me. :)

 

Was everything perfect? Of course not. Was there the occasional mildew in my shower. Yep. Not a lot, but some. Is the food as good as it was 5 years ago? No, but somehow I always find something on the menu to enjoy. Maybe there are not 4 entrees I want to order, but there is at least one.

 

The comments on service are the ones I really take issue with. I have NEVER had poor service on any of my cruises. Some people try harder than others, some are just naturally very good at what they do. But at no time have I felt that the service has slipped. Just as an example, I was talking to one of the officers on this cruise and mentioned that I was not feeling well. I had caught a nasty cold. He sent his asst. to my cabin twice to check on how I was doing. I travel solo, so this was very much appreciated. It is the little things, like people who remember you from the past and even remember what you drink or that any dessert is ok as long as it is chocolate.

 

Please come with an open mind, and make your own decision. I do not post very often, and do not consider myself a cheerleader. However, I know a good product when I see one.

 

Anne

[FinelyCruising]

Not sure what ships the OP has sailed but Princess, so it's all topic hype to me.:rolleyes:

[Texed]

And then there are those of us who still have

a wonderful time:)

 

Ditto! ;)

[Lily's Nana]

I am not a cheerleader - but since we began cruising (more than 20 years ago), we have not had a bad cruise. We have also done some land only vacations, and have never had a bad vacation.

I go on vacation to rest and relax and recharge. If I could afford to quit today and live on a cruise ship - I would. My DH may not follow :rolleyes:, but, each person has a different dream.

We have a good time wherever we go. We meet new friends wherever we go.

Some of our funniest vacation stories are about the difficulties we've encountered along the way - and certainly at the time we weren't laughing. But, till we get home, we are laughing, and rememberiing the good times and good friends.

 

I have only been on 5 cruises, starting years ago, and for the last few years have been averaging one a year, for me there is not a better way to travel, I have already told my daughter that when she "puts me in a home", it better be on a cruise ship. I plan to summer in AK and winter in Hawaii, the Caribbean or the Mediterranean- so hopefully somewhere along the seas I will run into ATB. To me there is nothing better than water on all sides with fabulous scenery to boot!

[Host Anne]

After being on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess and Carnival all within a four month period (we were very lucky to do so, I need to add), Celebrity is still a step above in our opinion. Are they as good as they used to be? Maybe not? But is anything as good as it used to be?

 

When compared to each of the other lines on recent cruises, Celebrity is still came out on top for us.

 

Freelancer, like everything else, give it a try and see for yourself. If you are looking at the mass market lines, I think you'll find similar reviews on most of the lines these days.

 

Good luck!

[Cruising Caribbean]

But is anything as good as it used to be?

 

Could anything be more true? Perfect.

[alicam]

The best judge will be yourself...remember...there are people who take great pleasure in relating their displeasure about things...and they are very likely in the minority

[mtnman100]

Just returned from the Century 14-day transatlantic cruise. Had a wonderful time. Service of nearly all the staff was suburb, and friendly. Food was really good to exceptional, with only a single meal where I was disappointed in my main selection. Stateroom was really nice. In short, we had a wonderful time and I find these negative posts very hard to believe. This was our third Celebrity cruise, second on the Century.

[kelmac]

My wife and I have been on 31 cruises together, including five ships in the past year and half. If I had to rate cuisine and food quality on a 10 point scale, with 10 being perfect: (I will leave out Azamara as it is in a totally different catagory)

 

#1----- Celebrity 9.2

 

#2----- Holland America 9.0

 

#3----- Princess 8.4

 

#4----- Royal Caribbean 7.2

 

#5----- NCL 7.0

 

Just off the Solstice in March and the food is as good as ever! Don't kid yourself, Celebrity's food is still much better than the competition.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Spursgirl]

I too am finding some of these reviews difficult to believe.

 

I just got off the Summit (May 10) and everything was excellent. We could not have had a better cabin steward or waiters and the food was very tasty. All everyone was concerned about was that we had a good time.

 

The entertainment was good, not everything was to our taste but you expect that on a cruise don't you?

 

IMHO Celebrity is more than a notch above HAL, Princess and RC and many notches above P&O.

 

Freelancer give Celebrity a try - I'm sure you'll have a wonderful vacation.

[LeftcoastBC]

And then there are those of us who still have

a wonderful time:)

 

Ditto! ;)

 

Double Ditto ;)

[Solstice23]

We were recently on the Summit, And the food and service was one of the best we have ever had on a Celebrity cruise, I would not worry. The economy has affected all the cruiselines....But they are maintaining there ships, for example the Millie is getting a touch up as we speak. Yes they have to put money into there new ships and thats hars, Rccl went through the same thing 8 years back. Its all good don't read just some peoples comments...some just are looking for things to complain about!

 

Celebrity is still better the HAL, Princess overall when I discuss cruising with my family and friends who have recently sailed some other lines also

[excitedofharpenden]

I read a few poor reviews before a couple of my Celebrity cruises and came back wondering what they'd all been about. Have had a great time on all of them. I don't bother reading reviews now, good or bad. I just go and make my own mind up.

 

Triple ditto;)

[Infinatic]

To paraphrase Mark Twain:

 

The news of Celebrity's death has been greatly exaggerated.

 

The staff is wonderful. The food is not as great as it used to be but the assistant Maitre d' will gladly try to satisfy your wishes. There is an extra dance floor and the music has been great. We've tried the other lines but we love our X, especially Infinity.