WANTED! Your "Cruise Voice" -- It's your opportunity to be heard!

[LeftcoastBC]

Since this is the =X= forum I will respond only about them.

 

No smoking areas should be expanded to include the pool deck.

 

As someone else mentioned they should retain what has made them our favorite cruise line and not try to be someone else. Solstice is just a big nice RCL ship.

 

More cruise itinerary's on the West Coast of North America eg. Coast of Mexico & the gulf and perhaps mid USA in the summer ?

[Mysticks1]

I would like to echo what others have said about Celebrity - loving the new smoking restrictions that have been put in place. I hope that some of the other lines will follow suit and forbid smoking in the cabins, on balconies and the majority of the public areas. I will definately take that into consideration when booking my next cruise.

As to what TA's can do - I have not been happy with my past experiences in booking with travel agencies. I have found that with the huge amount of information that is at my fingertips (pun intended) that when I decide upon what cruise I want to take that I know much more about it than a travel agent. With them offering the same rates as the cruise line I have no real incentive with booking with them up front and not having personal control over my booking.

On my current booking I booked directly with Celebrity 15 months out - chose the cabin that I wanted (changed to a better one a couple of times:)) and had complete control over "My" booking. As I am comfortable with what I currently have and with my final payment date approaching I have contacted travel agencies and transferred my booking to the one that offered me the highest incentives in OBC, etc. That in my opinion is the only thing in this day and age that will entice me to have a booking with an agency. If the on board credits and other incentives were not offered I would always keep my bookings directly with the cruiseline.

[Veronica13]

Also an Elite Member, and will try not to repeat what's already been shared - most of which I agree with.

• Will not book on mega-ships, or anything over M Class.
  
• Think that since 20% of your pax smoke, they need proper accomodations. What is now available, is not acceptable to me. (see next cruise on Princess below)
  
• Will not book if fixed seating is not available. Since ALL cruise lines sell out their fixed seatings first and are waitlisted, why in the world would you even consider it?
  

Changes I'm not happy with -

• Crew seems spread far too thin lately, and the level of service has reflected that.
  
• Menu quality and choices have declined, along with prices. Would prefer you to raise prices and maintain quality.
  
• The Celebrity Brand is losing focus..."being treated famously" was what I cruised for. I don't find that level of service any longer.
  

What I've always loved and hope doesn't change -

• Captain's Club Customer service is always 5 star - I don't even bother with regular customer service, as you get a different answer each time. When I call CC - they go above and beyond to assist me with details, and I always know the information is 100% correct.
  
• The long term crew that have loyally served your ships for decades in some cases. I have never seen them as disgruntled as this past year. I hope that gets rectified ASAP. Your crew makes or breaks the cruise for the pax.
  

[bobbyleduck]

Thank you for this opportunity.

 

If I mentioned all of the things I enjoy about cruising and cruising with Celebrity there wouldn't be enough space.

 

As for changes that I think should be made:

 

Eliminate the specialty restaurants and upgrade the food in the main dining rooms.

 

We need more cruises from more ports on the West Coast.

We need more cruises from more ports on the West Coast.

Yes, I needed to say it twice, because those all day flights to the East Coast and back or too draining. Four of my five cruises have required at least an all-day flight to and/or from the East Coast. NOT FUN! Also, it is becoming more and more expensive to fly farther and farther away.

 

As stated by others, please reinstate the round-trip cruises to Hawaii, and in fact add similar cruises that starts in Oregon or Washington.

 

Again, thank you for the opportunity to be heard.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[sealover155]

Were I a travel agent serving the cruise industry or a Customer Service agent for a cruise line, I'd have a matrix on my desktop with all ships' features, benefits, and extra charge items. Example: full breakfast room service or not, complimentary robes, ice cream, pizza, sushi, other food items for fee, shuttles to/from ports, specialty restaurants, dining times etc.

 

I'd also be knowledgeable about desirable and undesirable staterooms (is the pool, buffet restaurant or ping pong table directly above your room?), onboard announcement policies, dress codes, dining times, smoking policies etc. advising clients about noisy rooms or extra-large balconies.

 

I'd make sure I was up-to-date about visa requirements and special protocol advice in countries such as those in the Middle East and Asia. These are value added reasons to enlist a travel agent but the agent must be on top of changes and trends.

 

We've heard alot of complaints recently about minimal airline connection times when air-inclusive cruise fares are purchased. The airline may consider 45 minutes to be a legal connection but in reality, it's nearly impossible and frequently luggage is delayed or lost. I'd monitor and suggest alternatives, were I in charge of those plans.

 

 

For me, the most significant new change in cruising is Celebrity's brave new smoking policy. Having suffered through several cruises with nearby smokers rendering our balcony unuseable, this is a welcome change.

 

Just a few ideas to share.

[dhindo]

I have used Travel Agents in the past and I have found that with very little effort I can do everything they do faster and to my liking.

 

I would like to suggest that the Cruise Lines give a break to customers who don't use a Travel Agent. Afterall, they don't have to pay out that commission when I book using the Web Site and not through a Travel Agent.

 

If the Cruise Companies would just make it 5% - 10% less by using the web site it would be a tremendous drive to web site usage.

 

Thanks for the chance to express an opinion.

[bubbie617]

THINGS I LIKE

The new smoking policy on Celebrity/RCCL. Those of us who do not smoke have not been able to enjoy our balconies for a long time. I understand how the smokers feel, but when their enjoyment ruins mine, I have to vote with the non-smokers.

 

I like that there are not a lot of announcements on Celebrity. When I go on RCCL, it's something I've learned to expect, but I do like it quieter. I also think that if you make fewer announcements, people will listen more closely when they do hear a voice on the loudspeakers.

 

I like that there is a choice for traditional seating or MTD. We are going on Princess this summer and have chosen Personal Choice. It will be our first time with non-traditional dining and I'm looking forward to trying it.

 

THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGED

 

Bring back roundtrip California cruises to Hawaii. We've been to Hawaii twice. Once we flew from the east coast to Honolulu and cruised from there. We loved having a few extra days in Honolulu before the cruise to explore in greater depth although the flight was sooooo long. The second time we went to Hawaii, we cruised from San Diego roundtrip. It was heavenly not to have to make that excruciatingly long flight, and we loved the extra sea days.

 

Make some changes in the loyalty program at Celebrity. Not much is worth anything. I'd love to see some free or greatly reduced price computer time and free or reduced price laundry and dry cleaning services for starters.

 

Bring back combinable discounts for long-standing loyal cruisers. We are Diamond Plus on RCCL and Elite on Celebrity. For many years, we combined several discounts, i.e. shareholder OBC, balcony/suite discounts, company issued coupons, credit card point OBCs, future cruise booking OBCs among others. This kept us loyal ever since we started cruising in 1983. Now I don't feel the same loyalty; there is no incentive to do so.

 

Also, allow travel agents to forfeit some of their commission if they wish and give us better prices. As long as the cruiseline gets "their share", why not allow the travel agents to run their businesses as they see fit?

 

Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinions.

[lucky white heather]

It would be superb if many of the " needs improving" points listed here are considered seriously.

 

1)

We would have a vested interest in hoping that some ship might be deployed to cruise from Scotland because for residents here long airline travel just to join a cruise ship adds very considerably to our costs and time spent , so it is an immense consideration when alternative cruiselines can offer "nearer home " departures and caters adequately in other respects to our required standards.

2)

We would also like parity with North American cruisers in Terms and Conditions.. UK T's and C's have recently changed even more restrictively than they were before..why haven't theirs?

If you want to alienate your regular UK cruisers (like us) who view this as still more grossly unfair treatment , there are other cruiselines who offer fairer booking arrangements and you are driving us to them !

 

3)

It would be nice to think you appreciate our loyalty but frankly the in- cabin booklet which is supposed to reward us for our loyalty has never been used . Combine this with the new UK ...T's and C's ....and you are virtually condemning Celebrity to our "less preferred" list despite years of booking with you in preference to alternatives.

 

4)

We like Formal nights/ and would prefer much higher standards of dress for the other nights than you now demand. Celebrity was known for its "classy" cruising image....since the lower dress code standard has been in force ( and even that has not always been enforced ) it is simply becoming the same cruise that you can buy cheaper on many alternate cruiselines.

 

5)

Traditional dining..if you do away with this we won't cruise with you, we'll take our money to another cruiseline who still offers this option.

 

We have stuck with Celebrity because in the past it always offered the type of cruisestyle we enjoyed and repeated time and time again ..but if the cruiseline no longer delivers what is required for us , then we'd be forced to seek alternatives.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read our views.

[If only]

We have been on 32 Celebrity cruises & have seen many changes over this time.

1. It is great to see the Non Smoking on most of the ship.

2. No announcements except at noon by the Captain great.

3. We have never really had poor meals but they are not the standards they were 5 years ago. Maybe too many specialty restaurants coming out.

4. The staff is second to none but we too have noticed that they tend to be not quite as happy as they usually are. Staff on board can make or break a ship.

5. Formal nights should be kept that way, that is why we chose Celebrity in the first place.

6. We like the set dinner time & are not interested in any time dining again why we chose Celebrity.

 

We obviously do not cruise with Celebrity because of the perks you get from the Captain's club. We keep hearing that it is going to change but never does. I have never enjoyed the perks that I hear people get with RCI as we have only been on 1 RCI but we did get a price for a cruise with them for the winter & found out that we also would get a credit off our balcony price as we are Diamond, with Crown & Anchor. Why does Celebrity not give us this as well. They will give upgrade on outside cabin but not balcony are they trying to make us go to RCI??? I am not ready to yet but getting close.

 

Thank you

Shirley:)

[C 2 C]

I would like Celebrity to improve it's Captain's Club communications data bank.

 

Yesterday we heard from two sources that NEW! Captain's Club benefits have been introduced on board ships:

Michael's Club will be available as an Elite Lounge for breakfast.

There is a free Elite Happy Hour in Michael's Club from 4-6

There is free internet up to $50 value depending on CC level.

When I tried to confirm these reports with Captain's Club, they, including a supervisor, knew nothing about the improved benefits.

 

When Millennium (?) damaged her prop in Europe, it was a Cruise Critic passenger that informed us on line about trip delays and Captain's Club had not been informed as yet. These events indicate the importance of Cruise Critic to travellers but at the same time reveal the weakness of Celebrity communications between departments.

[shipshape sam]

I would like to see many of the things others have suggested also.

 

Specifically, I would like to be able to via computer transfer affinity miles on cruise line credit cards to the appropriate dept/person and not have to go through getting paper certificates and then forwarding to cruise line.

 

Further, it would be great for customers, to be able to see more of the details of booked cruises. For example, see OBC's, to see where I have ordered gifts (this is now being done somewhat) to see where I have sent in OBC from an affinity credit card and it has been received. Currently you have to call after the fact and at times, it is not posted or posted in an esoteric fashion.

[factor30]

One of my constant complaints about marketing in the cruise industry is regarding the imbalance of 'perks' given here in the UK compared to those (generous) on offer in the US market.

 

Having raised this question with Celebrity UK, I was told that marketing is done differently in the US. It seems unfair that the same product is available to all but the US have more discounts/offers/inducements to make a reservation i.e.for senior citizens or at least over 55's; military, depending on which State you reside; pre-paid gratuities, free flights, etc. In the UK, if you blink you'll miss a discount or offer or you find out too late - and more often than not, it's only an OBC for the occasional sailing.

 

Quite honestly, it is very annoying when our American friends regularly tell us that there are so many offers they 'just could not refuse'. We don't have that luxury.

[tashalmc]

I would love to see Celebrity back in LA round trip to Hawaii for 2010.

 

I would love to see dress codes inforced in the dining room

 

I would love an industry standard that past guest rewards are calculated by the days sailed not the cruise.

[Lois R]

I would like Celebrity to improve it's Captain's Club communications data bank.

 

Yesterday we heard from two sources that NEW! Captain's Club benefits have been introduced on board ships:

Michael's Club will be available as an Elite Lounge for breakfast.

There is a free Elite Happy Hour in Michael's Club from 4-6

There is free internet up to $50 value depending on CC level.

When I tried to confirm these reports with Captain's Club, they, including a supervisor, knew nothing about the improved benefits.

 

When Millennium (?) damaged her prop in Europe, it was a Cruise Critic passenger that informed us on line about trip delays and Captain's Club had not been informed as yet. These events indicate the importance of Cruise Critic to travellers but at the same time reveal the weakness of Celebrity communications between departments.

 

Hi:)looks like a new post about this today. Someone just

home from Constellation posted FREE Laundry too:)

That would be very nice as well:D

[Ms. J.]

Thanks, firstly, for the chance to offer opinions. The reason I cruise with Celebrity is:

---Getting rid of those bombarding activities announcements! Especially from the cruise director, the art auction guy, etc. They are already listed in the daily! (Captain's noon annoouncment is fine)

---With the exception of customer service, the crews are great, and especially the bartenders and wait staff....and especially on your smaller ships.

---The new smoking policy

---The keeping of traditional seating in the MDR

---The constant cleaning and refurbishing

---The way Cruise Critic members are treated. On my 10-22-08 Hawaii cruise on Mercury, we were delayed a day getting back to San Diego. The Captain knew that we CC-ers were a sizeable group, so toward the end of the cruise, he threw a stand-up, full bar cockatil party complete with hors de oeuvres in Michael's Club.....AND he stayed and answered questions until the party was over! That's real class.

 

As far as the things I would like to see changed:

---Like you have soda cards, please introduce a cocktail/wine/beer card, and make it a substantial savings per drink. Charge enough for it (say $100) so that you know at least that much will be coming in to you. Those of us who like to drink would welcome a card that saves them say a dollar per drink.

---Improve customer service communications. I have learned things on Cruise Critic that your land staff has not even heard of!

---PLEASE bring back cruises from San Diego to Hawaii. I would take two of those cruises a year....they are so relaxing.

---Please keep your smaller ships!!!!!! The Mercury and Century are the only ones left. There is a "spirit" among the crew of these ships. They are so friendly and helpful. Why so many short cruises for Century? That's a good way to really wear down a ship. If you need to continue these short cruises because some people can't take or afford a long one, or to introduce newbies to cruising, then make it a larger ship. You'll make more money filling up one of the larger ships, and you will leave the more traditional, smaller ships to those of us who cruise frequently. I only cruise on a ship like Mercury and Century...and even smaller ones. I won't even try your new mega ships....just too big.

---Please make the muster drill go a little more smoothly. It's hard to be out on deck in the hot sun for even a short period of time....this goes for all cruise lines. In fact, all my comments are addressed all cruise lines.

---Give more discounts and perks for frequent, loyal cruisers. I have 4 cruise lined up on Mercury and I'm getting ready to book a fifth. Something of value, like free internet, discounts on the cruise price and other perks go a long way in keeping loyal pax.

---And finally, I would like to see more open discussions like this one between passengers and the cruise lines. Thanks very much. Jini

[Straughn]

I hope I am not too late to provide a little input to the conference "later this month" ( Note to CC- a date by which to submit comments would have been nice.)

 

First and foremost for me, and apparently a lot of others as well, is get all the customer service reps and the staff on the ships, up to date with consistent and accurate information. The future bookings person on the ship needs to be extremely knowledgable about all the itineraries, all the ships' layouts, and all the cabins. You guys ought to be able to figure out a way to disseminate info to your staff quickly. If nothing else, send them a tweet.

 

Secondly, and this is aimed at all cruise lines, not just Celebrity- enforce your published policies. If it says that acceptable dress in the dining room is jacket required, then turn away those who don't have a jacket. A lot of the compliants that I have, and that I hear, have to do with the dress code and those who don't follow it. It seems almost all of the cruise lines have a casual alternative dining venue for dinner. Send the passengers whose idea of getting dressed for dinner is a clean football jersey on formal nights to those places to dine. I personally am a huge fan of formal nights. I will survive if the cruise line does away with it. Until then, enforce the dress code.

 

For home port ships-vary the ship schedule. Finally, RCCL has replaced Grandeur with Enchantment out of Baltimore. Most cruise lines have multiple ships within a class of ships, so if one fits under the bridge, they all will. Move em around.

 

Lastly, and this is important to me: I am now a solo cruiser. If the threads on CC are any indication, there are more and more of us out there. I realize that you depend on the sales generated in the casino, the bars, the shops, etc to met your revenue goals and only one person in a cabin reduces that income. However, if I wasn't paying 175-200% cost for my cabin, I might spend more in those outlets. Do something for your repeat (translate-loyal) solo cruisers in terms of a reduced discount on our basic cruise cost.

[cruise47]

Also an Elite Member, and will try not to repeat what's already been shared - most of which I agree with.

• Will not book on mega-ships, or anything over M Class.
  
• Think that since 20% of your pax smoke, they need proper accomodations. What is now available, is not acceptable to me. (see next cruise on Princess below)
  
• Will not book if fixed seating is not available. Since ALL cruise lines sell out their fixed seatings first and are waitlisted, why in the world would you even consider it?
  

Changes I'm not happy with -

• Crew seems spread far too thin lately, and the level of service has reflected that.
  
• Menu quality and choices have declined, along with prices. Would prefer you to raise prices and maintain quality.
  
• The Celebrity Brand is losing focus..."being treated famously" was what I cruised for. I don't find that level of service any longer.
  

What I've always loved and hope doesn't change -

• Captain's Club Customer service is always 5 star - I don't even bother with regular customer service, as you get a different answer each time. When I call CC - they go above and beyond to assist me with details, and I always know the information is 100% correct.
  
• The long term crew that have loyally served your ships for decades in some cases. I have never seen them as disgruntled as this past year. I hope that gets rectified ASAP. Your crew makes or breaks the cruise for the pax.
  

 

Ditto to all the above comments and please bring back / add more cruising days on the Century in the Caribbean. A five (5) days cruise is to short on this awesome vessel.

[bardstowntraveller]

We have not cruised in the last 10 years but have booked an August cruise on the Solstice. As a relative cruise novice, here is my perspective on the good, the bad and the suggestions:

 

The Good :)

On-line resources: I like the ability to check out prices and options via the internet before locking into a cruise or TA. I also like being able to book specialty restaurants and shore excursions on-line

 

Limited Smoking Policy

 

Cruise Critic Forum: the site has been invaluable in making decisions, getting feedback and making friends

 

The Bad :(

Shore Excursion Prices: I don't understand why I should be able to book a shore excursion independently at a lower price than the cruise line. With their volume, they should be able to provide great excursions at reasonable prices

 

Nickle and Diming: One of the attractions of cruising is the "all inclusive" aspect. However, all the extras -- tips, drinks, shore excursions, etc really add up.

 

Lower prices via TAs than through Celebrity directly: Nearly every travel venue out there today (airlines, hotels, etc) will guarantee the lowest prices if booked through their site. However, that doesn't appear to be the case with Celebrity. Personally, I would rather deal with the cruise line directly but I was able to get a better price with better perks with a TA.

 

Suggestions ;)

Formal Nights: Provide a nice dining alternative to Formal Nights. Not everyone wants to invest in formal wear for a week's vacation but they may not want to eat pasta and pizza as the alternative.

 

Explore a truly "all inclusive" pricing alternative which would include a drinks package, prepaid tips, shore excursions and laundry

 

Have a self service laundry on ship -- including washers, dryers and irons.

 

Allow pre-cruise scheduling of spa services.

[Coco Creek]

I like, really like:

 

1. The very limited smoking policy;
   
2. The art collections on Celebrity ships;
   
3. With one exception, the quality of service of the room stewards and dining room staff.
   
4. The uncrowded feeling of Celebrity ships--but I do not hang around the pool looking for a lounge chair.
   

I really do not like:

1. The increasingly limited itineraries Celebrity offers. I have an extensive bucket list and because of limited routes, I have had to turn to Princess and Holland America to meet my destination goals.
   
2. One Cruies Director scolding the passengers in the noon announcement for not spending enough money.
   
3. The lack of product knowledge of land based customer service staff.
   

I am sailing this coming Friday on the Century. One more destination checked off the bucket list.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this.

 

For port intensive cruises in Europe especially, it would be nice to have fewer ports and more overnighters. I noticed that Celebrity did it in Rome, but where is the sense? The port is so far from the city. Do the pax travel back and forth each day? It would be great for Barcelona, for example.

[Allaboutsailingrc]

Thank you Cruise Critic for this opportunity.

I cruise exclusively Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. In the past, mostly Royal. However, my future booked cruises are mostly Celebrity. Why? Because of the smoking policy change! I cruise single occupancy and have always paid 200% for my balcony staterooms. In the past, I have been chased in from my balcony numerous times because of neighboring balcony smokers. I applaud this decision and look forward to enjoying future balcony time on Celebrity. Are you listening, Royal? Yes, I will continue to cruise Royal, however not as frequently and perhaps considering and ocean view stateroom instead of the useless balcony!:)

[louallard]

We have been sailing Celebrity for several years now, just a couple of suggestions...

 

Entertainment...bring back the headliners please...cirque du soleil shows are not for everyone and a little goes a long way. Mark Preston etc

 

Put the T Pool on the Solstice class ships! The Mercury is why we got hooked on

Celebrity, got used to the solarium on the M class but....but not loving the Solstice class

 

Just my opinion

Lou

[LuLaLuvlee]

Things we like:

We really appreciate the new smoking policy. We were chased off our balcony multiple times by smoke (we have allergies).

 

The once a day message from the Capt. is always informative and not intrusive.

 

The great staff and the things they do that really make us feel "special" and just the simple things like a smile and a friendly greeting as you pass by.

 

The fact that my DH who uses a power chair is never seen as the chair or ignored as if he had no voice. He's always treated with respect, compassion, and dignity by everyone. They see him and not his disability.

 

No laundry room. I am on holiday--I love sending things out and getting them back ready to wear and pressed so nicely.

 

Things we dislike:

 

I think the food quality is not as good as when we first sailed.

 

The coffee is horrid.

[LifeOnTheHighSeas]

Please note that I am an Elite Member with many cruises under my belt.

 

I like

- the pasta station, especially the expanded hours

- the champagne bar, but miss being able to smoke there

 

I dislike

- the ultra-restrictive smoking, which has caused my Celebrity booking to drop 75% in favor of other lines. Having only one tiny corner on the entire ship (inside), in my opinion, is overkill.

- the art shows

- the "fruity" type drinks they try to push on you for $10-15 (souvenier glass!) at every opportunity

- the lack of top quality service I had come to expect from Celebrity

 

I honestly feel Celebrity is now equal to Princess or HAL. I used to feel they were a true step above.

[T0M Cruzer]

I'm sure it's too late for this to make any difference, but I would love to voice my opinion.

 

The good?

 

- The clear management message that crew members be polite and attentive, not just to guests but to each other. That's a smart policy.

 

- We are on the non-smoker side of that debate. I think it's a changing tide and that it's good policy to go with the non-smokers.

 

- We love the food. Others keep telling us it's going down hill. I guess we're simple folk.

 

- We love to dress up. I don't care if others don't. I think those of us who do, do.

 

We have always been loyal to Royal/Celebrity...until recently.

 

- Disembarking the ship is the last memory you have. A little management could go so very, very far. It's a choice and one they don't seem to care about.

 

- It's disappointing that the loyalty program continues to be reduced in a way that is unpleasant. Again, it's a choice as to how something is presented. With the line, they choose not to present anything. Communication is not that difficult.

 

- The web page is almost comical. I don't understand why it isn't designed to be easy to use.

 

- We were on one of the Mexico re-routed trips. When were we told about the change? Oh, that's right, right here on this web site. We never did hear from the cruise line. Our TA spent 20 minutes on hold trying to find out what was going on. We came home and booked our next cruise on a CCL ship, it was a great trip...there goes our loyalty.

 

Those are the biggest items on my list of items I would love to see changed.