D C

For sure. Plenty (most?) people on here are shopping suites which we'll never do despite our means. Just don't see the value in doubling our cost for a space that's still rather small when we spend little time in the room. We were shopping a Thanksgiving cruise on a non-Edge ship. Best option that came up was a 6n Reflection. Non-obstructed veranda.

Nice! I'm impressed that they admitted fault enough to credit you!

Bizarre that you actually wish for other people to have a worse vacation experience. Heaven forbid someone wishes to have a quiet al fresco meal on the back of the ship. It's wonderful, but I'm guessing you would hate it on principle alone. Clearly their experience should be miserable because YOU think they should be having a more "upscale" experience, whatever that is. And again, if you're purely here to elate in the misery of others, you can find plenty of other threads on CC where you can gloat in whatever way you wish. I presume once again that you have not contacted X regarding the changes and thus have not received any response. If you have, please share your experience.

Wasn't on Infinity in November, either

In November on the Infinity, there was no transaction made at the slot machine itself. We went to the cage, asked for whatever amount, and they gave a voucher for the amount (or multiple vouchers). They look identical to the vouchers that the machines spit out. Put multiple slips into one machine, got a single voucher from that machine (didn't like the $ options and wanted to play a little bit) , went to a different machine, played, got a voucher from it, and cashed in.

~800pp vs ~1400pp with premium beverages for the sailing I was looking at.

Did you book while logged in or not? That's made a difference for me (why? No clue). When I do a dummy booking at the big box store with the good rotisserie chickens, they seem to always add in the AI. The Celebrity site was hit and miss last I tried it

Might you mean those who are inexplicably elated that the cruise experience of others has been significantly eroded?

Not sure why it would remind you of that. For the first time since we started sailing, we do not have a future cruise booked with X, nor will we even consider booking one given the absolutely dismal state of things. The dismissive attitude Celebrity has when 'addressing' concerns (and thus the point of this thread) isn't helping their case. On the contrary, we just returned home from our first Princess cruise and have zero guilt over 'cheating' on Celebrity. The ridiculously high prices, severe cutbacks on what matters to us, and X's insistence on nonrefundable deposits has us walking away, smiling ear to ear given what we've just experienced. Despite being elite on X, we now have multiple sailings booked on Princess.

And what you end up with is a cruise that more than doubles in price when you add those perks. That's nuts. Celebrity is approaching the level of cell phone companies. "The room is free, you just have to pay for everything else"

You just need to factor in the upgrade price (+gratuity) if you want premium. That's around $16.50 pp pd from the looks of it.

And this thread has nothing to do with the cutbacks. Loads of other threads on those. Unless, of course, you sent Celebrity a congratulatory thank-you message and received a response.

Good summary. I have no reasonable expectation that the person calling even knows where Lisa's office is located, let alone has any sort of direct line to the senior executives.

Sounds like us. One night I was walking along the Boardwalk and thought I'd grab a beer on my way back to the Swolphin. Balked at the price and walked a little out of the way to the Speedway where a 6-pack of better beer and a bottle of wine cost me barely more than the mouse wanted for a pint can. Trips to see the mouse are decidedly drier than sailing

Absolutely! I'm planning a follow-up email to reflect on my experience with Princess this past week.

Or a verandah, really. Sunset veranda with a specialty package would seem like a nice option.

That's basically how I walked away from the conversation. There was no "we're making adjustments" or "need to manage our costs" or "reduce waste", etc. Nothing to convey that they even acknowledge the cuts are affecting guest experience. It was downright weird to be honest. Just an amazingly generic "we appreciate our guests and feedback".

I sent a general "goodbye celebrity" email to the engagement center and "Lisa's" email as posted. Commented how the changes in multiple areas (being specific) along with increased prices was driving us away. Added that for the first time since we started sailing we don't have a Celebrity cruise booked, and that we had 2 on other lines. I rec'd a phone call within 48h. Essentially "do you have anything else to add?" with a dose of "we appreciate you" that carried on for far too long. I asked if she had any questions for me based on my email and the answer was no. Just a touch point for me to comment more. A quick summary by me, an apathetic (but we appreciate you!) response from them and that was that. Nothing close to "I'm sorry" or anything of the sort. Strangely, despite their insistence, I hung up not feeling particularly appreciated.

Clarified in the OP

I know that many of us have contacted Celebrity through various channels regarding the numerous recent changes (ref:all of the high-response threads), oftentimes receiving a call or other contact in response. Have any of the responses from X been positive? It seems as though they have been overall dismissive (that's just the way it is) or uncaring (I'll listen, but I'm not going to say we'll take any action to address or even consider your concerns). Neither is heartwarming. Any actual positive feedback?

Similarly, non-refundable fare means there's no way we'll book. We saw an attractive itinerary this fall, but there's no way in hell we're booking with X and committing that $ given the sorry state of things.

To answer your question: YES Combined with other things, of course, but the dismal state of the buffet is a very significant factor. When we enjoy, and look forward to quiet, casual, al fresco dinners at the Sunset bar, knowing that the cruise line is serving a worse selection than my kid's college dorm becomes a factor that is significant to our decision. When other lines offer far superior options, both at the buffet and other restaurants, our dollars are spent elsewhere.

Not sure what is more insane, the package price or the individual drink prices. On Princess, one could drink an entire bottle of Woodford reserve, or a host of other spirits, each day ($8/shot) and barely hit the Celebrity premium package price. It's clear that X artificially raises individual drink prices to justify selling premium package upgrades.

Or... I will take my business to the company that best suits my expectations and desires at a price-point that is likewise suitable. Unfortunately for Lisa and her annual bonus, that company is no longer Celebrity.

The Princess sailing I'm on right now had filet earlier in the week, beef wellington last night, filet and lobster tonight (NO CHARGE for extra lobster tails), and has prime rib tomorrow.