Cirque du Suk!

ok I didnt like the fact X ruined the Summit, which i am going on next month (now to my regret since I can't cancel) by axing notes and not relocating it to another part of the ship and by eliminating the view at Reflections and keeping it closed during the day so passengers can't go inside and relax and enjoy the view.

But I recently saw a bunch of pictures of what the actually did to this once beautiful lounge and can honestly say now that X has lost me as a passenger for the foreseable future. Basically from the pictures I've seen they threw white sheets all over the place for the supposed "visual effect" and the lounge now has no personality and quite frankly looks like, well you know.

It also looks like on the masquarade night the passangers are overbooked for the event and everyone is crammed in like sardines, so one cannot enjoy the lounge and probably from the looks have to stay seated to not loose their seats. It just floors me that X did not have the sense to try this concept out before expanding it to the Summit and other ships soon. They should have had a small CDS production in the theatre and had some characters roam the ship like the cruise comics do in the vOYAGER CLASS BUT instead of this stuff. The way this has been implemented seems like noone ever thought in the development and marketting department to DO RESSEARCH!!!!

These developments on the Summit combined with the new rumor that they will now have megaship newbuilds leads me to beleive that they are becoming more of a run of the mil line than a "premium line" i dont care what they want to call themselves.

Carnival (and your premium subsidiary lines) sit back and have fun, with competitors like this you can just sit back and watch X self distruct with no effort in your part.

Admiral, The:

I am booked on Summet in March of 2006, 14 day R/T Hawaii-California. I am booked on Infinity this May, 12 day Alaska. Now of course everyone is entitled to their opinion but maybe, just maybe you could wait until you sail?

New ships, no one really knows. Pictures of the lounge, while telling are not 3 dimensonal. I guess it is just me but I found so many beautiful places on Mercury I don't think I would let one lounge, as beautiful as people say it is, ruin my cruise or my association with Celebrity.

There have been so many negative posts about this cruise line recently I am glad I did have the one experience so I know what I can look forward too.

.......just maybe you could wait until you sail?

You took the words out of my mouth! We're on the Constellation May 7, 2005 and I'm really curious about this also. But, I'll wait to pass judgement until after the cruise.

SDT

While I like to read of others opinions, the fact that I am not at all interested in Cirq wouldn't keep me from sailing on X. Please let us know after you sail how it was. I too hate to see that beautiful lounge taken up by this but I could also find other areas to enjoy.

I'm sailing on the Constellation on April 9, 2005. I've only heard great things about the Celebrity lines. They did do a test launch of the Cirque on the Constellation first. I won't be so quick to judge. I'd wait to see.

I think the "concept" megaship may be just to give more options to the growing Celebrity fans. Some of the megaships are not bad. It's kind of like reading peoples opinions of the food on the ships. Some say Fabulous and others say fair. But you never truly know, until you experience it for yourself.

It's a shame you are going on your cruise with that close minded attitude, because you may not get to enjoy yourself fully if you are so hung up about one lounge. Good luck to you.

Admiral, The:

I am booked on Summet in March of 2006, 14 day R/T Hawaii-California. I am booked on Infinity this May, 12 day Alaska. Now of course everyone is entitled to their opinion but maybe, just maybe you could wait until you sail?

New ships, no one really knows. Pictures of the lounge, while telling are not 3 dimensonal. I guess it is just me but I found so many beautiful places on Mercury I don't think I would let one lounge, as beautiful as people say it is, ruin my cruise or my association with Celebrity.

There have been so many negative posts about this cruise line recently I am glad I did have the one experience so I know what I can look forward too.

problem is that the Millenium Class have one less lounge than Century Class so now we have even more limited choices on board....they should have justy waited for the newbuilds and have a specialized area that way if its a disaster like this is theres still plenty of other choices on board. Also they got rid of notes alltogether (from the info. I have) I know that people have said it was always empty but In my expericnce it was always more than half full in all my cruises to Europe and Caribbean. Now they used that big space for ACUPUNCTURE!!!! WOW THANKS X NOW WE HAVE A PRIME LOCATED SPACE THAT ONLY 1% OF THE PASSENGERS CAN ENJOY! I AM IN AWE OF YOUR GENIUS X! :-(

I'm sailing on the Constellation on April 9, 2005. I've only heard great things about the Celebrity lines. They did do a test launch of the Cirque on the Constellation first. I won't be so quick to judge. I'd wait to see.

 

I think the "concept" megaship may be just to give more options to the growing Celebrity fans. Some of the megaships are not bad. It's kind of like reading peoples opinions of the food on the ships. Some say Fabulous and others say fair. But you never truly know, until you experience it for yourself.

 

It's a shame you are going on your cruise with that close minded attitude, because you may not get to enjoy yourself fully if you are so hung up about one lounge. Good luck to you.

the "test launch" was not so...they opened this stuff on the Constellation first but even after the horrible reviews, irate passengers and refunds to cruisers they went ahead (because they know more than us who are paying what we want) and implemented the same thing on Summit. X needs to get another marketing resseacrh team....the current one doesnt seem to have a clue!

This news disgusts me to no end. We are booked on Summit for the Alaska/CA Coast repo cruise in Sept. We spent a lot of time in the upper observation lounge on Mercury the last time we went to Alaska. It should be even colder on this trip, so I'll probably want to be inside even more- but no more observation lounge up high, up front? Not a good thing. I wouldn't go to the Cirq thing if it were free.

Ken

Hey,get a life.Celebrity owns the ships,not us.If you don't like what they are doing,don't go.We're on the Summit next January to celebrate our 20th Anniversary and have 4 other couples joining us who are very interested in the Cirque experience. Some of the best times we've had on Celebrity are sitting outside (100 degrees for 5 hours going through the Panama Canal (thanks for the iced washclothes and sherbert,Celebrity!) and around Cape Horn (thanks for the 50 MPH winds and the 30 foot seas,and the bottles of champagne you delivered at 7 AM to us on deck 14,Celebrity).The best way to experience it,is to experience it,not from inside,but outside!

I too hate to see that beautiful lounge taken up by this but I could also find other areas to enjoy.

There aren't that many lounges on this class of ship. That's the problem.

Good Morning,

We are just off the Summit 10 Day Ultimate 2-18 to 2-28, our 25th Anniversary. It was and is, a beautiful ship. Yes, Reflections has been replaced by the Cirque du Soleil. However, do remember that it is an "experience".

Our sailing allowed us to privately view the Bar at the Edge of the Earth before it was opened on the 2/28/05 sailing. Yes, it is quite imaginative. You do have the feeling as though you are in a watery environment (the silk jelly fish interpretations, as an example). However, much thought and care and design has gone into this endeavor. And, while we were unable to enjoy the "Cirque" experience on this itinerary, you can be sure that we will on an up-coming cruise.

Just remember that it is all subject to interpretation, and not everyone will find it appealing. However, to "trash" something BEFORE you have sailed on the Summit is not productive.

I think some people just sit around and make up things to complain about. There are other lounges on the ship and place to sit to see the scenery. How do you know if you will like it or not until you see it. If someone has been on the Constellation or Summit since the change is the lounge closed during the day. Try MSC if you do not want to go on Celebrity. You will be back real quick.

I leave on the Constellation tomorrow and would be happy to give a review of the experience when we return. We have been to several CDS shows and enjoy the environment they create as well as the performances. My guess is we will enjoy the "experience" for what it is and we will have a great time.

I find it interesting that people say X has ruined the ship and lost customers. The Cirque experience was a tie-breaker for us when we decided which cruise to take, and I have to believe we are not the only new customers drawn to X by the changes they are making. With so many cruiselines and cruiseships, it is important to differentiate your brand. X wants to be an upscale cruiseline and draw an upscale crowd. CDS tends to draw a more affluent and upscale crowd to their shows, so the match seems to fit.

I will be happy to answer questions we I return.

and can honestly say now that X has lost me as a passenger for the foreseable future. .

Bye, bye! Seriously, at least wait until you've experienced the changes before you so flippantly condemn them. And, when you're actually on the Summit, again, unless you attend the CDS ball and the Bar at the End of the Earth, you still won't have the right to a fair opinion.

Allen

I can give my review now. We were on the 12/4 Connie which was the start of the Cds mess. Yes it was a waste of money and yes we did get our money back as well as everyone else. Yes the view is gone and yes most days the lounge is closed. I agree that the marketing team needs to be replaced. After all the negative comments from the first several weeks they still refuse to listen to there customers. We sail on the Summit in 3 weeks and have no intention of wasting any time with CDS . Will this turn me away from X ,no it will not. The part of taking the ships out of the Caribbean will and thats why we are sailing Princess in Dec.

I just got off the Constellation last week and although I was disappointed in loosing that area as a general gathering area for before dinner drinks or during the day, I was pleaseantly surprised at the feel of the room based on others views. We were able to sit in there at any time functions weren't going on, and I thought it was something different. I did not attend the "White Night", however, I did venture in there on other nights while the experience was going on, and I didn't mind it all. It was different, but a good different. I will not change my choice of cruise line because of this. I think with more passanger feedback and some tweaks, it will be just fine.

problem is that the Millenium Class have one less lounge than Century Class so now we have even more limited choices on board-(

Actually, they have only decreased the number of lounges by one. They have added a completely new avant garde venue which many who have actually experienced it, as you have not, have said they really liked. It's also still a work in progress and will only get better. I've been on an 11-day cruise on Summit, and a 14-day cruise on Constellation, and I never saw anyone in Notes. Perhaps your seeing it as being so crowded was an example of either wishful-thinking or the seeing-only-what-you-want-to-see syndrome.

I think Celebrity's M-class ships are the ultimate in cruising comfort and number of options available to the passengers. They obviously are doing a lot of things right, or they wouldn't be our favorite cruise line, would they? The CDS efforts, and the "rumored" new open-seating ship, are increasing the number of options that we Celebrity fans have. We also will have the option of selecting the Celebrity ship which best reflects OUR preferences, while allowing others to select THEIR favorite Celebrity ship. This should result in a greater percentage of ALL X passengers being able to have exactly the type of vacation they want.

Allen

After all the negative comments from the first several weeks they still refuse to listen to there customers.

Many people have indicated that Celebrity HAS listened, and is constantly making changes and tweaking the CDS experience. And more and more people from recent sailings have said that it was a very interesting and enjoyable experience.

We all have our likes and dislikes and you can never please everyone. But you CAN try to be open-minded and not condemn everything which doesn't meet YOUR speficications and try to realizer that the world is actually NOT meant to be constructed only to match YOUR blueprint.

Allen

Hey,get a life...

I really hope to live long enough to discover what this means and how it contributes to any debate...really no place for this here.

I can give my review now. We were on the 12/4 Connie which was the start of the Cds mess. Yes it was a waste of money and yes we did get our money back as well as everyone else. Yes the view is gone and yes most days the lounge is closed. I agree that the marketing team needs to be replaced. After all the negative comments from the first several weeks they still refuse to listen to there customers. We sail on the Summit in 3 weeks and have no intention of wasting any time with CDS . Will this turn me away from X ,no it will not. The part of taking the ships out of the Caribbean will and thats why we are sailing Princess in Dec.

Hi Duke !

Yes, I agree about your Caribbean comments. I feel Celebrity has made a huge mistake, by reducing their Caribbean itineraries so much.

I would have NEVER considered taking another Cruise line other than Celebrity.... but we will likely be sailing with Princess this Summer, as Celebrity will have nothing to offer those of us who want to sail the Caribbean.

This is very bad planning, as you should NEVER want a loyal and happy Customer to go spend their money elsewhere. Let's hope Celebrity will rectify this, at least somewhat, when the new schedules are released.

I also agree about CDS. As the original poster did, I cannot possibly see how someone can condemn it, without even seeing it. While I know the reviews have not been kind, I will NOT comment on it, until I can see it for myself. Fortunately, that will happen in 2 weeks, when I am on Summit.

As you said quite well....Would CDS turn me away from Celebrity ? No.

Would not having an itinerary we want to go on turn us away ? Yes. That is the real disappointment for us.

I think Celebrity's M-class ships are the ultimate in cruising comfort and number of options available to the passengers.

Allen

Then you obviously need to get on some other line's 85,000 to 92,000 ton ships. The Millennium ships have some of the fewest options available for their passengers per size of ship. Carnival's Spirit class has far more options, for example.

Cruising comfort is subjective, I find a lot uncomfortable about the M class.

Have been reading the controversy over Cirque with great interest. Just thought I would throw in my two cents worth.

My wife and I were on the Summit for the Feb 28th sailing. There are a number of things that Celebrity continues to do very well.

Service – this was our 7th cruise and the service throughout the ship was absolutely top of the line. Courteous, smiling, and always accommodating. Could not have been better.

Food – a little weak the 1st couple of nights, very good thereafter.

Cirque – IMHO (and please folks, it is only an opinion) it is a disaster. To be fair, we are in our mid to late 50’s, but that seemed to be the ship average. As was commented to us several times “It seems that it would have some appeal for 20-somethings”. We did not go to the White Night, as I just couldn’t justify spending from $30 to $100 for a mask that would never be used again. We did try it for the “experience” a couple of nights later and lasted about 20 minutes. We were bored with the whole thing and felt that the “décor” looked like a cheap version of Arabian nights. Entertainment – as has been noted, the loss of the upper lounge to CDC further limits the options. The duo at the Rendezvous lounge were OK but it seemed that except for the last night that they only knew about 15 songs which they did EVERY night. The other couple traveling with us remarked that you could “Set your watch” when we heard

”Besame Mucho” again. Other than the guitar player and the nightly show that was pretty much it. We also stopped by Michael’s a couple of times, and while a pretty sedate atmosphere, the piano guy was very good.

I believe that a majority of the passengers wanted places to dance and have fun. The very well done “50’s/60’s” pool deck event was great and very well attended. It was terrific for the one night, but on balance we just did not think that there were enough things to do in the evening where you could have fun.

Since we had never been on an “M” class ship before we could not help but make comparisons with the Century. I would go back on Century quickly, but suspect that the “M” class is just not for us. Both of us felt that there was entirely too much wasted space. The Champagne/Martini Bar is huge and seemed to be somewhat sparsely used and the Conservatory, while nice for a quick stroll thru again seemed to be a waste.

Again, this is just our opinion. I am quite sure that many of those sailing with us had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat – just not us. BTW, we sailed concierge class and while we enjoyed the extras, I personally hated the overhang on Deck 9. I knew about it beforehand, but guess just did not realize how much it limits your view of the sky. Probably not a big deal for many people, but really bugged me especially at night.

Just a few days till our 3/21 sailing on the Summit.... While we were initially intrigued with the idea, after having read the review and seeing a few snapshots, we will not be attending CDS. We are also concerned that there is nothing to do in the evening… I mean heck.. we our in our early 50’s and can dance till at least 11, 11:30PM… I am glad to hear that there is a 50-60’s night… I just hope this cruise is better than the Nursing Home I worked at when I was a younger man.....or it’s back to Princess and Carnival!

Just a few days till our 3/21 sailing on the Summit.... While we were initially intrigued with the idea, after having read the review and seeing a few snapshots, we will not be attending CDS. We are also concerned that there is nothing to do in the evening… I mean heck.. we our in our early 50’s and can dance till at least 11, 11:30PM… I am glad to hear that there is a 50-60’s night… I just hope this cruise is better than the Nursing Home I worked at when I was a younger man.....or it’s back to Princess and Carnival!

Dont expect much! M class ships have less public spaces and activities and now that Cirque has pretty much closed the biggest public space for most of the day and has very limited appeal whenthe space is used at night..I am prepared to make the most of it when I go but expect we will be unbeleivably bored!!! (like I said, past the cancellation deadline on my booking).

And now that they also eliminated Notes there's only three very small non-cirque lounges non of which is a disco so....be prepared. With all of these changes I find myself ,for the first time ever, wishing we had less days at sea on our 11 night sailing!

OH!!! and by the way I have forgotten to mention in all these posts: I am a Cirque Fan and think their productions are great. I just feel they should have had a condensed production in the theatre and maybe have the characters roam the ship like the cruise comics do on the Voyager class and not take away one of the biggest and nicest public lounges for nothing more than a room full of people just standing there...wating for some character to jump around in front of them.

That would be be like having mickey mouse shake your hand on board and then have X tell you that you had a true disney experience! Please!