How has Celebrity responded? - seems to be alot of negative comments lately...

[Canuckdoc]

I'm just wondering..

#1. Do you think anyone on behalf of celebrity reads these fora?

#2. for those of you who have complained to Celebrity (and not just anonymously on an internet forum), What have they had to say for themselves?

 

I know that forums like this get to be a place for many disgruntled people to freely complain, and many complaints are probably out of context, So I'm sure we're getting a biased and slanted view,but I've always found Celebrity to maintain a standard. It seems as though lately there's been alot of Negative reviews.

 

Has Celebrity fallen that far?

 

Are the complaints the musings of nit-picking faceless people who enjoy the confrontationless atmosphere of an internet forum?

 

Are the Complaints aberrations that Celebrity will work towards eliminating?

 

Given the atmosphere of negativity, I'm starting to get a bit worried about my cruise...I'm just hoping for some positivity on this board.

[dkjretired]

I'm just wondering..

#1. Do you think anyone on behalf of celebrity reads these fora?

#2. for those of you who have complained to Celebrity (and not just anonymously on an internet forum), What have they had to say for themselves?

 

I know that forums like this get to be a place for many disgruntled people to freely complain, and many complaints are probably out of context, So I'm sure we're getting a biased and slanted view,but I've always found Celebrity to maintain a standard. It seems as though lately there's been alot of Negative reviews.

 

Has Celebrity fallen that far?

 

Are the complaints the musings of nit-picking faceless people who enjoy the confrontationless atmosphere of an internet forum?

 

Are the Complaints aberrations that Celebrity will work towards eliminating?

 

Given the atmosphere of negativity, I'm starting to get a bit worried about my cruise...I'm just hoping for some positivity on this board.

 

As someone who has been on this board since its inception, I don't see any difference in the number of complaints.....The complaints are always there and there are always the hit and run complaints. Just the nature of an anonymous board.....I do think however that to a certain extent people are spoiled, they expect everything on a cruise to be 100% perfect and that is just not going to happen.. Too many people asking for compensation for anything....

 

If you could read some of the complaints that have been on these boards over the years you would see how silly some of this becomes. Two that come to mind were placement in a store of sanitary items for women and a woman who actually cancelled her cruise because they served pepsi products instead of coke or vice versa....

 

Its all relative.....

[Winters in NZ]

Perhaps society in general is becoming more disgruntled. Been reading the

Op-Ed section of the papers over the past couple of years ?

In any event, a cruise is what you make it.

We will be enjoying our 17th cruise on Sept. 19, our second time aboard the Mercury. Perhaps I'm easier to please, but the majority of the complaints are certainly subjective with various axes to grind, pet peeves and the occasional feeling of entitlement. Having returned from our most recent Costa cruise in April, Fort Lauderdale to Quebec City, the usual collection of whiners were represented as is the custom on any floating city of 2 000 passengers, and indeed there will always be something to gripe about.

[cruisestitch]

I think that there is a general consensus that the Celebrity customer service agents are inconsistent (some would say, clueless) and that the website is poorly designed. The screamers who come on this board freaking out because their cruise wasn't to their liking are, in my opinion, people who will never be pleased by anything.

 

Case in point: as I went through the process of having my photo taken for the seapass card (so I had barely set foot on the ship), the woman behind me said loudly, "I don't like the looks of this ship, I knew we should have booked [another line]." She had not even seen anything but the entry to the lobby yet and was already complaining!

 

Later that morning, I saw her sitting in the Aqua Spa area looking out at the Statue of Liberty, drinking a glass of iced tea, and complaining about the size of the ice cubes.

 

I'm sure her cruise went downhill from there, as there was nothing that was ever going to make her happy.

 

I've been looking for her to post here, with the thread title "size of ice cubes on Celebrity is unacceptable!" or some such.:)

[dkjretired]

I think that there is a general consensus that the Celebrity customer service agents are inconsistent (some would say, clueless) and that the website is poorly designed. The screamers who come on this board freaking out because their cruise wasn't to their liking are, in my opinion, people who will never be pleased by anything.

 

Case in point: as I went through the process of having my photo taken for the seapass card (so I had barely set foot on the ship), the woman behind me said loudly, "I don't like the looks of this ship, I knew we should have booked [another line]." She had not even seen anything but the entry to the lobby yet and was already complaining!

 

Later that morning, I saw her sitting in the Aqua Spa area looking out at the Statue of Liberty, drinking a glass of iced tea, and complaining about the size of the ice cubes.

 

I'm sure her cruise went downhill from there, as there was nothing that was ever going to make her happy.

 

I've been looking for her to post here, with the thread title "size of ice cubes on Celebrity is unacceptable!" or some such.:)

 

Size of the ice cubes reminds me that there are ways to complain and use it as constructive criticism. I like to get up in the morning and get a cup of coffee and Celebrity's coffees cups have historically been really, really small. Instead of harping about it, I found the best way to address it was to advise cruisers to bring a travel cup for use...

[pumpkin 11]

Canuckdoc= the ice cube thing is extremely funny!!!

Anyway summer rewiews always seem to be bad, don't know why, maybe some people just expect alot more out of there cruise, especially if it is the only vacation time they can get. However, people find so many things to complain about, whether it's the size of the ice cubes or there is no coke, people should just enjoy their cruise.

[CCJack]

No worries,,, I just got off a celebrity cruise - excellent cruise no complaints......

[Project_gal]

#2. for those of you who have complained to Celebrity (and not just anonymously on an internet forum), What have they had to say for themselves?

 

We have, once, had cause to complain to Celebrity. Their response was much better than we could possibly have anticipated. They had clearly followed up with the ship and taken necessary action. Their reply was detailed and appropriate. I fail to see how posting our complaint here could have addressed the issue.

 

Incidentally, we have on many more occasions had reason to write to Celebrity [and Azamara] to praise especially good service.

 

Sue

[PartyAllDaTyme]

If you could read some of the complaints that have been on these boards over the years you would see how silly some of this becomes. Two that come to mind were placement in a store of sanitary items for women and a woman who actually cancelled her cruise because they served pepsi products instead of coke or vice versa....

 

If DW could not take her Coke on board with her, I might have the same problem.:rolleyes: Seriously, the smoking policy is the deciding factor for us, and if there were another cruise line with the same policy but served Coke instead of Pepsi, and if both lines declared no soda carryons, we'd be gone. That is, if I ever brought it to her attention.;)

 

There's currently a thread going on how Celebrity is apparently modifying their policy by actually going after chair hogs. I'd like to think it's as a result of complaints on CC, or at least in part. There was another thread recently where it was commented on that Celebrity does monitor these boards. It's been mentioned by various X staff that they do.

 

What would be great would be if there was a poster equivalent to fjdelrio, CEO of Oceania, who regularly posts on their board. Maybe not Dan Hanrahan, but someone high up in the chain who could address questions directly. Celebrity, if you're monitoring this thread (and I know you are:D), how about it?

[Karynanne]

Size of the ice cubes reminds me that there are ways to complain and use it as constructive criticism. I like to get up in the morning and get a cup of coffee and Celebrity's coffees cups have historically been really, really small. Instead of harping about it, I found the best way to address it was to advise cruisers to bring a travel cup for use...

 

A perfect example of adjusting to the situation!

 

Canuckdoc, after being a member of this board for 10 yrs. you tend to see it all. Complaints, plaudits, and observations. But only your own experience will be of value to you. And bear in mind...only a very small percentage of the cruising public, actually posts on Cruise Critic. Opinions are like noses...everyone has one.

 

And yes, Celebrity does read this board. I can't tell you how many times I have spoken with a Senior Officer about one issue or another, and they have mentioned that they had either heard or read about it already on Cruise Critic.

[warmwinds]

Just got off the Summit and yes they now have larger coffee cups! (and the same smaller ones that look better suited to tea). They also have non-dairy creamer (in the little vials) AND half and half in a big dispenser.

 

We had a soaking wet floor from a broken a/c or toilet and didn't complain (because it was quickly fixed).

 

I do fill out the comment card at the end and are brutally honest as to what I did and did not like in terms of food, entertainment, changes I've noted since our last cruise, etc.

[Atlanteans]

With reference to the question of how well Celebrity Cruise Line responds to complaints: we had a few problems with a cruise we took earlier in the year, and after discussing these with our travel agent upon our return, wrote Celebrity a detailed letter outlining these. Also in that letter we noted the things we thought were praiseworthy. We compared two Celebrity ships we had recently sailed on in this letter to better illustrate both the problems and the things we very much enjoyed.

 

We had a very quick first response, acknowledging our concerns and addressing every point made, as well as cruise credits for both of us for a future cruise within a specified time period. We sent a letter back thanking them for both the credits, which were quite unexpected, and their attention to all points raised. As well, we noted their excellent customer relations and mentioned several other things we had very much enjoyed on our recent cruise.

 

 

I think the key is always that if you are going to complain about something, you do it in a way that is constructive: we had never had reason to complain about our several prior cruises with Celebrity, so this most recent cruise was disappointing for us in ways that we considered serious: condition of stateroom, poor steward service, dining room problems, and problems with Concierge Class standards not being maintained. I also believe that if something is a problem, and that if you feel strongly about it, you should put it in writing to the individual(s) directly responsible so that it may be remediated. Posting negative comments on Boards is not appropriate if the cruise line has not had a chance to address the issue first. Of course, if they have been contacted and done nothing, then certainly it is a good way to alert others.

 

I hope our recent positive experience with Celebrity helps you with your query. We are not first-time cruisers, having taken about 10 cruises over the past 10 years on at least half a dozen lines, so we have something to use as comparisons. Enjoy cruising!

[dkjretired]

If DW could not take her Coke on board with her, I might have the same problem.:rolleyes: Seriously, the smoking policy is the deciding factor for us, and if there were another cruise line with the same policy but served Coke instead of Pepsi, and if both lines declared no soda carryons, we'd be gone. That is, if I ever brought it to her attention.;)

 

There's currently a thread going on how Celebrity is apparently modifying their policy by actually going after chair hogs. I'd like to think it's as a result of complaints on CC, or at least in part. There was another thread recently where it was commented on that Celebrity does monitor these boards. It's been mentioned by various X staff that they do.

 

What would be great would be if there was a poster equivalent to fjdelrio, CEO of Oceania, who regularly posts on their board. Maybe not Dan Hanrahan, but someone high up in the chain who could address questions directly. Celebrity, if you're monitoring this thread (and I know you are:D), how about it?

 

The key also is to make your complaint as soon as possible afterward and try to get it corrected then. Also, don't overreact, if the ice cubes are too small, it doesn't require shouting matches and demands for free cruises...

[floridatravelersforlife]

Perhaps society in general is becoming more disgruntled. Been reading the

Op-Ed section of the papers over the past couple of years ?

In any event, a cruise is what you make it.

We will be enjoying our 17th cruise on Sept. 19, our second time aboard the Mercury. Perhaps I'm easier to please, but the majority of the complaints are certainly subjective with various axes to grind, pet peeves and the occasional feeling of entitlement. Having returned from our most recent Costa cruise in April, Fort Lauderdale to Quebec City, the usual collection of whiners were represented as is the custom on any floating city of 2 000 passengers, and indeed there will always be something to gripe about.

 

We baby boomers have been stereotyped as the most entitled generation in the history of man and I have met more than my share of whiners and complainers. Some people will take your whole arm instead of a hand out just because they can. Luckily I don't cross that warped type of person too often albeit there are always some on the ships.

 

As far as Celebrity's resolution of complaints, yes we have had some over the last ten years, but they were all legitimate complaints, not opinionated beliefs of what a cruise line should do, like broken equipment, problem with excrusion, that sort of stuff. Celebrity has always resolved the problem.

 

Once my DW had a bad expereince resulting from an Aquaspa treatment. The charges were refunded. In that case I had a copy made of my questionnaire and after the cruise I sent that copy and a cover letter to Corporate. I got prompt results. Like in my own industry, sometimes there are too many levels of management getting in the way of customer service.

 

Celebrity is no worse or better in Customer Satisfaction than it was 5, 10 years ago.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

"Lady, you wanted a larger ice cube, you got a larger ice cube. I hope you're satisfied."-- Captain Edward J. Smith, April 14, 1912

[Bundles917]

"Lady, you wanted a larger ice cube, you got a larger ice cube. I hope you're satisfied."-- Captain Edward J. Smith, April 14, 1912

 

Oh no you didn't just go there... ;)

[patty1955]

We love Celebrity and really don't like to complain about it, but I've posted some negative comments on these boards since our cruise. We considered writing to Celebrity, but since we weren't asking for any compensation and there wasn't anything they could do to fix the issues, there didn't seem to be a point in making a formal complaint.

We sailed on Century in May and our biggest complaints were the food and the issues arising from the dry dock. Based on what I read here on CC, I expected a spruced up ship, with new carpets, upholstery, etc. What we got was a broken air conditioner, nasty smells and a late departure. If I knew that a ship was just coming out of dry dock, I wouldn't book a cruise on it.

As to the food, I'd love to talk to someone at Celebrity about the problems, but I'm not going to write them a letter and say "the risotto was poorly cooked, the toast on the top of the French onion soup was so big it sealed the soup in the bowl and I couldn't eat it, etc." but when someone starts a thread about the quality of the food, I'm going to respond.

My intent when I post, is to give my fellow travelers a head-up and if Celebrity reads it, so much the better.

[Woobstr112G]

I think that there is a general consensus that the Celebrity customer service agents are inconsistent (some would say, clueless) and that the website is poorly designed. The screamers who come on this board freaking out because their cruise wasn't to their liking are, in my opinion, people who will never be pleased by anything.

 

Case in point: as I went through the process of having my photo taken for the seapass card (so I had barely set foot on the ship), the woman behind me said loudly, "I don't like the looks of this ship, I knew we should have booked [another line]." She had not even seen anything but the entry to the lobby yet and was already complaining!

 

Later that morning, I saw her sitting in the Aqua Spa area looking out at the Statue of Liberty, drinking a glass of iced tea, and complaining about the size of the ice cubes.

 

I'm sure her cruise went downhill from there, as there was nothing that was ever going to make her happy.

 

I've been looking for her to post here, with the thread title "size of ice cubes on Celebrity is unacceptable!" or some such.:)

 

I'd like to say that type of post is sad, but sadly they're becoming more of a reality.....:(:(:(

 

Bob

[Lois R]

Oh no you didn't just go there... ;)

 

LOL, yes he did;)

[Lois R]

Just got off the Summit and yes they now have larger coffee cups! (and the same smaller ones that look better suited to tea). They also have non-dairy creamer (in the little vials) AND half and half in a big dispenser.

 

We had a soaking wet floor from a broken a/c or toilet and didn't complain (because it was quickly fixed).

 

I do fill out the comment card at the end and are brutally honest as to what I did and did not like in terms of food, entertainment, changes I've noted since our last cruise, etc.

 

Hi Warmwinds:) I noticed the larger coffee cups last year:D

When was your last cruise before this one? I do think this size

cup is MUCH better too!:)

[PartyAllDaTyme]

"Lady, you wanted a larger ice cube, you got a larger ice cube. I hope you're satisfied."-- Captain Edward J. Smith, April 14, 1912

 

Oh no you didn't just go there... ;)

 

LOL, yes he did;)

 

Too soon?

[Lois R]

Too soon?

 

No;)..I love to read your posts:D did you see my reply to you on the

other thread?:)

[Funky Face Painter, UK]

I noticed that the Eclipse was getting a real bashing in the reviews on the uk cruise.co.uk website a while back. I suppose most people do reviews who are unhappy than the majority of folks who have a really nice holiday.... Jo

[Bitchansmoan]

I'm with you Don. To many people bitch about small things and like they are the only people in the world who deserves attention.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

No;)..I love to read your posts:D did you see my reply to you on the

other thread?:)

 

Yes, indeed I did. I wanted to say something about how nice it was to be appreciated by someone of your standing (about 40 times as many posts as me, at least 25 cruises to my 2), but didn't want to take away from the topic being discussed there. So I'll just take a quick bow here.