Never again Aqua!

[gatormom0524]

Thanks! I went ahead and booked 1116 which should be real close to where you were.

 

We just got off the Infinity. We were on an 11 night British Isles trip. We were in cabin 1108 & it was great. Nice size balcony-loved the shower with the doors. Our room was very quiet & we could not smell any smoke from people smoking.

[ghstudio]

Ths M class ships have been our favorites since they started sailing. We've siled them 18 times. The last 2 after solsticization. Everything you are concerned about is true. We don't plan on sailing them again.

 

They've gone from comfortable ships to overcrowded. The purported new amenities don't begin to make up for what's been lost.

 

Sorry, but I'm not seeing this overcrowding. We spent 28 days on the millenium this year and never had a problem finding a deck chair, seat in the theater and so on. We were in Aqua and the short waits at Blu were no different than the solstice class ships. We don't eat in the buffet...it's always been a mob scene (on pretty much any celebrity ship).

[shipshape sam]

The first illustration is what they have done to all M-class ships.

 

They have also done something similar on the new S-Class Reflection going into service in October, but instead of the Fun Factory as on the M-class ships, they are adding very high priced suites to the left side of the lounge area. I would bet a dinner in any specialty restaurant that these new suites will be added to all S-class ships when they get their first major drydocking.

 

M-CLASS FUN FACTORY TO LEFT OF LOUNGE.......................S-CLASS REFLECTION SUITES TO LEFT OF LOUNGE

 

 

Sometimes I just do NOT understand smart business people. What a way to muck up a great ship layout with a few extra cabins. I understand they can make more money, but at the expense of great views and a great venue with a feeling of openness. We always enjoyed going up to the Sky lounge and enjoying the expansive views, play cards, enjoying drinks, etc.

 

Just as they have put the cabanas on the S class lawn, again IMHO, a way to muck up a great concept!

 

I have typically been a defender of Celebrity management, but chasing the $$$ has maybe got in the way of realizing "small" things do matter too. People do understand that most of these changes are for the benefit of making more money, NOT because of customer demand/input.

 

I can't imagine anyone writing Celebrity, " Hey, why not close off a large portion of the Sky Lounge, put in some cabins so WE can pay to have a private veranda view at that location.

 

Sorry, for the rant. Just is making me sick as I have promoted Celebrity for many years and to see this transformation is sad IMHO and a shame for what the ships used to be which for me were great open public areas, now being chopped up for more cabins.

[ghstudio]

Yes, the sky lounge is one area that has been cut in size. Honestly, with the exception of the elite cocktail parties and other events, I've never seen that venue even close to full.

 

There are far more changes on the reflection that lead to crowding....they are promoting specialty restaurant reservations to reduce the greater load on Blu which wasn't increased in size enough to handle the new aqua passengers and their apparent new practice of admitting more suite guests anytime. They went all out for the $'s on that ship.

 

I would much rather be on an M-class ship then on the reflection from a crowding standpoint. The earlier S-class ships seem to work the best overall...but I'm biased because I like the glass shows.

[Rick-cruiser]

Sometimes I just do NOT understand smart business people. What a way to muck up a great ship layout with a few extra cabins. I understand they can make more money, but at the expense of great views and a great venue with a feeling of openness. We always enjoyed going up to the Sky lounge and enjoying the expansive views, play cards, enjoying drinks, etc.

 

Just as they have put the cabanas on the S class lawn, again IMHO, a way to muck up a great concept!

 

I have typically been a defender of Celebrity management, but chasing the $$$ has maybe got in the way of realizing "small" things do matter too. People do understand that most of these changes are for the benefit of making more money, NOT because of customer demand/input.

 

I can't imagine anyone writing Celebrity, " Hey, why not close off a large portion of the Sky Lounge, put in some cabins so WE can pay to have a private veranda view at that location.

 

Sorry, for the rant. Just is making me sick as I have promoted Celebrity for many years and to see this transformation is sad IMHO and a shame for what the ships used to be which for me were great open public areas, now being chopped up for more cabins.

 

There are a lot of people who used to promote Celebrity who are no longer promoting them.. For the food or otherwise.. They've come a long way in the past 5-10 years... not for the better.. The very things that made Celebrity unique and characterized their individuality are no longer apparent.. The bargain basement prices have not helped either - they have drawn crowds which have completely changed the general ambiance of the ships.

 

I don't count them out though.. The pendulum may swing the other way, and they may decide to revert back to their old ways.. Stranger things have happened.

 

.

[Kevnzworld]

There are a lot of people who used to promote Celebrity who are no longer promoting them.. For the food or otherwise.. They've come a long way in the past 5-10 years... not for the better.. The very things that made Celebrity unique and characterized their individuality are no longer apparent.. The bargain basement prices have not helped either - they have drawn crowds which have completely changed the general ambiance of the ships.

 

I don't count them out though.. The pendulum may swing the other way, and they may decide to revert back to their old ways.. Stranger things have happened.

 

.

 

I believe that pricing pressure has diluted the overall product. AQ is an attempt to maintain better overall cuisine standards for the higher paying guests.

I spent 37 days eating in Blu on the Equinox recently. I love the atmosphere, but the food and service would never allow it to survive in the real restaurant world.

AQ is a good value, especially on cruises where the price is reduced.

[shipshape sam]

I believe that pricing pressure has diluted the overall product. AQ is an attempt to maintain better overall cuisine standards for the higher paying guests.

I spent 37 days eating in Blu on the Equinox recently. I love the atmosphere, but the food and service would never allow it to survive in the real restaurant world.

AQ is a good value, especially on cruises where the price is reduced.

 

You indicate prices are reduced, but I would suspect they are still a fair amount higher that a regular cabin and also would think AQ is priced higher than CC, with the exception of getting a great deal on AQ.

 

I would be upset if, as I have read, I was within a foot (12 inches) of another table in BLU. Had that happen to us on the one night we ate in the MDR on Allure of the seas. The wait staff had to lean over, turn sideways and I did not like the times the wait staff's butt was facing us. :)

 

I would like to hear what others think of the many little things that do add up and it is like the 'last straw' that breaks the camel's back. Not any one thing is a deal breaker, but over time and with enough changes, you look elsewhere. May not be a better alternative at the Celebrity price point and they are factoring in what I call the 'scorched earth' strategy to price increase and deleting services. They have calculated the number of passengers who will complain and still sail, # who will actually change, and those who have no problem with changes.

 

When I do sail, I still will consider Celebrity, but it is becoming something that I do not have to or want to sail multiple times a year. I am finding a number of land based trips that we are looking to in part due to the elimination of a number of things I enjoyed and put a $$$value on.

[shipshape sam]

There are a lot of people who used to promote Celebrity who are no longer promoting them.. For the food or otherwise.. They've come a long way in the past 5-10 years... not for the better.. The very things that made Celebrity unique and characterized their individuality are no longer apparent.. The bargain basement prices have not helped either - they have drawn crowds which have completely changed the general ambiance of the ships.

 

I don't count them out though.. The pendulum may swing the other way, and they may decide to revert back to their old ways.. Stranger things have happened.

 

.

 

Hope you are right about Celebrity management getting back to a 'Class above' the rest and every decision does NOT have to have an immediate financial gain. I HATE cattle car mentality and atmosphere.

[ghstudio]

Celebrity would like to position itself as the highest quality middle class (as in cruise middle class, not economic status) cruise line. They would like to position themselves above HAL, Princess and RCL...but stay below Azamera, Oceania which would be the next step.

 

At this point they have, IMHO, reduced their offering to about the minimum to hold that status.....they have maintained competitive pricing (up until now) but they are trying to increase their prices, albeit offset by "deals". Slowly, or perhaps not so slowly, the plan is to reduce the deals and maintain the higher prices. But the extra money is not being put back into the food, or ship staff numbers, it's going to the bottom line. IMHO, that's a mistake and at some point folks will realize that the "high quality luxury" marketed by celebrity is more smoke than reality.

 

At this point they seem to believe that the quality doesn't matter....if we say it's great, everyone will believe us. That works, but only for a short while. At some point folks realize that the image they are buying isn't the package that's delivered.

 

We still like Celebrity when it's a deal or travelling with friends....but we're moving on and up for the quality that used to be Celebrity....and Royal Caribbean/Celebrity are losing us and our $'s....and I'm sure we aren't alone.

 

Given their current marketing thrust at the affluent 40/50 year olds ... e.g. the music volume in the martini bar and elsewhere on some cruises...etc. I'm not sure they care if we stay or not.....and again, IMHO, that's a terrible business decision because your current customers are far cheaper to keep happy as returning customers than finding new customers.....marketing 101.

[grayjay]

We used to love booking AQ whenever the prices were reasonable. After my last cruise on "Infinity" is over, I'm not so sure any more. The Persian Garden was almost always empty - but the dark room and the smell of mould let us flee after two attempts.

The shower is nice, I'd love to have those shower doors in Concierge class, too. Eating in Blu is still the best perk, the service was outstanding even if sometimes a bit slow because the kitchen obviously couldn't cope with the amount of food they had to prepare, but the food was beautifully presented and mostly very good, even if I wondered a bit to be offered both duck and pheasant three or four times during an 11-day cruise. But I really wasn't too happy that we had to wait quite often 10-15 minutes for a table if you didn't arrive very early or very late. And the tables are really so near together that you could count the peas on your neighbour's plate, if you wanted that... And sometimes we had really nice neighbours and loved to chat a bit with them but some we would have loved to ignore some of the less nice ones but couldn't do that when you practically sit side by side. The waiters were small, light and quick on their feet but sometimes it was almost impossible for them to weave through - simply to many guests with all those new cabins on deck 11 and the suite guests on top.

[maggie.1008]

I have done 18 cruises on Celebrity and 40 total. I have been one of their biggest fans and many friends have sailed on them because of my recommendation. Our last cruise last month on the Solstice was not the Celebrity that I have grown to love. They will loose many loyal fans if $ bottom line is all that counts.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Waiting 10-15 min for a table :eek:

 

Really that silly to be upset about that

 

Most restaurant there is a wait even if you have a reservation :rolleyes:

[Rick-cruiser]

I think the real issue you should be concentrating on is the 12 inches that separates your table of 2 from the other tables of 2.. It's extremely awkward and uncomfortable if you've never experienced it.. The space is just enough so that you're technically not sitting with them, and yet you hear every single thing they're saying to each other, even when you're trying not to.... extremely surreal.. The fact that Celebrity would set up tables this way is simply unacceptable, and by far a deal-breaker for us.

 

,

[ghstudio]

I think the real issue you should be concentrating on is the 12 inches that separates your table of 2 from the other tables of 2.. It's extremely awkward and uncomfortable if you've never experienced it.. The space is just enough so that you're technically not sitting with them, and yet you hear every single thing they're saying to each other, even when you're trying not to.... extremely surreal.. The fact that Celebrity would set up tables this way is simply unacceptable, and by far a deal-breaker for us.

 

,

 

That's not a problem for us...we aren't looking for an intimate dinner for two in blu or at normal restaurants at home. If we want that special ambiance, we eat at Tuscan or murano...or at a fine restaurant at home. We have more than enough time during the day and evening to talk privately. we actually prefer to dine with others on cruises...and blu or select allows us to dine with various, mostly interesting, folks.

[richsea]

That's not a problem for us...we aren't looking for an intimate dinner for two in blu or at normal restaurants at home. If we want that special ambiance, we eat at Tuscan or murano...or at a fine restaurant at home. We have more than enough time during the day and evening to talk privately. we actually prefer to dine with others on cruises...and blu or select allows us to dine with various, mostly interesting, folks.

 

That may not be a problem for you, but I would think that most people, if they walk for a table for 2, wish to dine alone,& therefore, it would be a problem. Personally, I prefer a large table & a chance to meet new people, especially those from other parts of the world.

 

Also GH (sorry, I do not know your name!), in a previous post, you mentioned moving on, or up, to other cruise lines. I am curious as to what lines you are considering, Oceania, Cunard?

[ghstudio]

We're going to try Oceania and some river cruises on Viking and AMA.

[richsea]

We're going to try Oceania and some river cruises on Viking and AMA.

 

We have friends who have done Viking River Cruises,& raved about the experience; totally different. I would love to try them someday, but would have to sail less often due to the cost!:(

[ceba]

I think the real issue you should be concentrating on is the 12 inches that separates your table of 2 from the other tables of 2.. It's extremely awkward and uncomfortable if you've never experienced it.. The space is just enough so that you're technically not sitting with them, and yet you hear every single thing they're saying to each other, even when you're trying not to.... extremely surreal.. The fact that Celebrity would set up tables this way is simply unacceptable, and by far a deal-breaker for us.

 

,

 

We sailed on Azamara in January, and though we were in a suite and able to use the speciality dining rooms (that sounds snotty, but not meant to be), we went to the main dining room for Sunday buffets or lunch. The tables for 2 there are 12in apart. It felt a little weird, but cruises are cozy, right?? Certainly not a deal breaker for us.

[k9x8]

The bargain basement prices have not helped either - they have drawn crowds which have completely changed the general ambiance of the ships.

 

Don'chu worry none. We'uns ain't doin' Clebrity this yere.

[karl_nj]

I think the real issue you should be concentrating on is the 12 inches that separates your table of 2 from the other tables of 2.. It's extremely awkward and uncomfortable if you've never experienced it.. The space is just enough so that you're technically not sitting with them, and yet you hear every single thing they're saying to each other, even when you're trying not to.... extremely surreal.. The fact that Celebrity would set up tables this way is simply unacceptable, and by far a deal-breaker for us.

 

,

 

Sounds like many restaurants in Manhattan, I don't think we even had 12 inches between tables when my wife and I were at Becco last Saturday :-)

 

But you are right, it can be somewhat awkward. It can be very difficult to "ignore" the people sitting next to you when you are sitting that close together. We actually ended up talking about cruises with the couple sitting next to us towards the end of our meal. :-)

[keesar]

The distance between dining "neighbors" is one factor to consider. On our last cruise, we were the second table in from the window with a combined total of 4 tables for 2. The food was served to my wife and then the waiter leaned over her to give me mine. Real awkward. It was real busy in Blu on the Reflection.

[shipshape sam]

That's not a problem for us...we aren't looking for an intimate dinner for two in blu or at normal restaurants at home. If we want that special ambiance, we eat at Tuscan or murano...or at a fine restaurant at home. We have more than enough time during the day and evening to talk privately. we actually prefer to dine with others on cruises...and blu or select allows us to dine with various, mostly interesting, folks.

 

Others may have not had the same thoughts as you did though. When we like to talk to other passengers, we book the MDR for a round table of 8. When we go to a speciality restaurant by ourselves, that is what we would like. We have gone to speciality restaurants with a table of 8, our whole MDR went together once. Other times with another couple(s). Also we don't mind talking to our table neighbors, but sometimes the neighbors have NOT enhanced the meal, NOT enhanced the experience that we just paid for.

[shipshape sam]

We're going to try Oceania and some river cruises on Viking and AMA.

 

 

A river cruise is something we would like to try. Hope you enjoy it! :)

[BosoxI]

We sailed on Azamara in January, and though we were in a suite and able to use the speciality dining rooms (that sounds snotty, but not meant to be), we went to the main dining room for Sunday buffets or lunch. .

 

 

Don't ever apologize for beng successful enough to afford a suite. Let those who can't afford one do the apologizing for not supporting the economy. :p Personally, I wish I could afford a suite on every cruise, but we've only had one once and that was an upgrade! I may not be wealthy, but I am also NOT jealous of those who are.

[ceba]

Don't ever apologize for beng successful enough to afford a suite. Let those who can't afford one do the apologizing for not supporting the economy. :p Personally, I wish I could afford a suite on every cruise, but we've only had one once and that was an upgrade! I may not be wealthy, but I am also NOT jealous of those who are.

 

Very kind words, thank you. It was a wonderful trip. One of those "once in a lifetimers"!!!