Next Chapter for Celebrity

[Oceanview77]

Now that all the Solstice Class ships have been completed and on the heels of RCCL releasing information about Quantum of the Seas, what would you all like to see in Celebrity's next line of ships? Perfection is hard to improve on but I'm sure we can think of something.

 

My 2 cents

Better/more varied entertainment. Like Hairspray or Chicago from the Oasis class ships.

 

Maybe a more expansive pool deck with more "resort" like features. Ex:partly submerged lounge chairs or swim up bar to get the most out of your drink package :D

[cruise kitty]

I'd like to see them focus their time/money on upkeep of the ships they have... S class are so wonderful, keep them like new rather than outlay cash for new ships, & please do more in depth dry docks on the M class (which I love)

[twosit]

My husband went to the Q&A session with the captain on our Silhouette cruise. Someone in the audience asked that question. The response was that they were going to work on bettering what they have. He mentioned that with all the new builds it has been difficult for them to fill the ships with passengers (especially in the down economy) as well as keep up with training all the new staff. I thought this was a really positive comment and IMHO this makes sense and is really positive for the future of Celebrity.

[Lsimon]

I like both the suggestions above!!

 

Better maintenance to keep the ships looking and feeling new would be a big plus as would an improvement in entertainment. I'll take top notch shows and lounge acts over a lawn at sea any day!

 

An uptick in the quality of food and dining service to what it was a few years ago would be nice as well - although we've seen a nice improvement that way in the last two cruises we've taken.

[librarylady19]

I agree that maintenance and improvement of the current fleet is vital, as well as ongoing training to ensure a high level of service. I would also like to see new and more varied itineraries to keep me returning to the ships I have enjoyed so much.

[elena7seas]

My husband went to the Q&A session with the captain on our Silhouette cruise. Someone in the audience asked that question. The response was that they were going to work on bettering what they have. He mentioned that with all the new builds it has been difficult for them to fill the ships with passengers (especially in the down economy) as well as keep up with training all the new staff. I thought this was a really positive comment and IMHO this makes sense and is really positive for the future of Celebrity.

 

I think that strategy makes perfect sense. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles, but I do like solid quality and excellent service.

 

In the short term, I would like them to focus on renovating the bathrooms in M-class ships. I love the M-class ships, and for the most part, liked the changes that were made during "Solsticizing". However, of the six cabins that our group booked in May 2012 (two weeks after Millennium was solsticized), two of the bathrooms were simply not acceptable (black and "red" mould, cracked tiles, thin towels with holes).

 

I do appreciate the ongoing work that is being done to improve the food on Celebrity ships. The food on my last few cruises has been markedly improved over a few years ago. (The Elizabeth Blau period was a real low point for me). I hope they can keep up the trend in that direction.

 

The other thing that I would like to see Celebrity do, that shouldn't cost them much, is to refresh their itineraries.

[Andy]

My husband went to the Q&A session with the captain on our Silhouette cruise. Someone in the audience asked that question. The response was that they were going to work on bettering what they have. He mentioned that with all the new builds it has been difficult for them to fill the ships with passengers (especially in the down economy) as well as keep up with training all the new staff. I thought this was a really positive comment and IMHO this makes sense and is really positive for the future of Celebrity.

 

Hi Twosit,

 

While I hope that Celebrity is brainstorming their next generation of ships, my primary wish is that they focus on improving what they currently have. I feel that Celebrity needs improvement in training new Crew members - especially with the additional 5 ships. I often get the impression that new Crew are barely trained, and it must be tough to maintain high standards, when a ship has a massive crew turnover. At the end of the day, the Guests suffer for it.

 

I'd also love to see Celebrity maintain a more balanced ratio of experienced crew vs new crew on each ship. For the past several years, Celebrity has repeatedly moved the best of the best, to their new ship. I can understand why some feel the need to do this, but when it hurts the rest of their fleet, it's a problem. Now that the 5 S-Class ships have made their debut, I hope Celebrity will put more thought on how to balance this effectively.

 

I also agree with the comments about Cuisine... though it was outstanding on Connie last week - so this is likely happening as we speak, along with a more aggressive maintenance program, so the ships avoid looking tired.

 

Lastly, some new Captains Club Levels would be exciting news :)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I second the motion for upgrading what they already have and improving service and training! And I would LOVE to see some new itineraries. I've done the same 2-week Southern Caribbean itinerary three years in a row. Enough already. How about some new islands???

[mathgeek1978]

Transition from being the low-tech leader to being the high-tech leader.

[Kevnzworld]

There have been improvements, the new Internet is an obvious one.

I'm sure that the new generation of ship is already in the planning stage, possibly for 2016-7. It would be about that time that some of the older ships would be ready to be sold off given that they would be about 15 years old.

I hope the new ships aren't larger. We don't need a celebrity version of the Oasis of the seas. New and exciting dining options would be exciting, along with a bigger better pool deck.

Celebrity needs to open up more Asian destinations with Sostice class ships, not just the millennium ....maybe a new ship that's just dedicated to Asia?

[dkjretired]

There have been improvements, the new Internet is an obvious one.

I'm sure that the new generation of ship is already in the planning stage, possibly for 2016-7. It would be about that time that some of the older ships would be ready to be sold off given that they would be about 15 years old.

I hope the new ships aren't larger. We don't need a celebrity version of the Oasis of the seas. New and exciting dining options would be exciting, along with a bigger better pool deck.

Celebrity needs to open up more Asian destinations with Sostice class ships, not just the millennium ....maybe a new ship that's just dedicated to Asia?

 

They are also going to have rethink Bermuda, perhaps put an S class ships there. NCL is putting the brand new Breakaway into Bermuda and Summit may not be able to compete.

[tom_uk]

This is perhaps a contrary view, but the one thing that I don't enjoy about Celebrity is that the ships seem to try to persuade you that you're not at sea. For example, in the case of the S class there is no wrap-round promenade deck, you can't look out over the bow, and you can't look out over the stern. Even in the case of the 'boat deck' walkway, along most of its length the boats are between you and the view. The most exciting things in the ship - the atrium and the MDR, for example - draw your attention inwards, not outwards. Even the lawn club is an example of reproducing something that you would expect to find ashore. So if they develop a new line of ships I would like to see the return of features that accentuate the fact that you're at sea.

[tomcruiser1234]

I agree with all above.

 

Its quality and service, not quantity that sold us on the Celebrity experience.

 

Love all the new ships but the edge of excellence is missing in many areas due to the expansion of the fleet.

 

Before the S class ships came around you had so much competition among the staff to be the best and receive promotions to better positions.

 

5 new ships has required 7500 more new crew members and we all know that all these new ships came quite fast. I believe almost too fast to maintain the standards as we have all come to love. I believe Celebrity has not lowered there standards but simply have a huge task ahead of them. Keep up the good work Celebrity. It's all about your people and maintenance in my opinion.

 

:)

[Andy]

They are also going to have rethink Bermuda, perhaps put an S class ships there. NCL is putting the brand new Breakaway into Bermuda and Summit may not be able to compete.

 

Hi Don,

 

I totally agree. Celebrity should at least *consider* deploying an S-Class ship in Bermuda. While I love the M-Class ships, I believe that an M-Class ship vs Breakaway, will put Celebrity on the losing end of the battle. The question is - are the per-diems high enough to warrant putting an S-Class ship in Bermuda ? I'm not sure of that. Against Breakaway, IMO it would be a huge gamble. According to the 2014/2015 deployment list, it seems that Celebrity is returning to Bermuda, and will be interesting to if Celebrity steps up their game there.

 

IMO, Celebrity should consider the merits of the short cruise business. While I believe they can succeed, I often scratch my head as to why it's not working for them. Is it supply and demand ? Is it the lack of marketing ? Whatever it is, Constellation's pricing is ugly this season. Previous seasons were mediocre as well. As if that weren't enough... there will be even more competition next season, with Ruby Princess added to the mix. I'm confident it will prove to be a nasty battle - Good for consumers though ! If Celebrity opts to remain in this market, my wish is for a Century refurbishment, and for her to be deployed on the 4 & 5 night sailings. A Solsticized-like Century would be the perfect ship for this itinerary.

 

I strongly feel there's far better deployment options for Constellation. She's way too beautiful of a ship to be wasted on short sailings. In the Winter Season, I continue to hope for Connie to be deployed on a mix of longer (9-12 night) Caribbean sailings (which are hot hot hot right now), along with some round-trip partial Panama Canal sailings from FLL or MIA, as she fits through the canal. Princess offers a similar itinerary, which can be improved by Celebrity, and it's always in strong demand. Why not test the waters this way, by mixing 2 distinct deployments on 1 ship ? Why must a ship do the same thing over and over each season ? Be creative. Think outside the box !!! With my idea, the risk isn't severe, and an ideal way of getting a snapshot of what works best. If one of the two itineraries performs better ? They can add more of it the following year. Makes sense to me.

 

I'm confident the above strategy would prove to be a win-win for Celebrity and their Guests.

[MVPinBoynton]

One thing that I would really like on all ships is the id scanners when you enter or leave the ship, like they have on the Oasis class ships. It is a little thing; but the lines move so much faster when the card can just be swiped by the sensor rather than inserted into the machine the correct way.

 

It doesn't take much to make me happy. :D

[swigso]

Andy,

Your last suggestions are Spot on,

I wish they would do more 12/11 night mix ups,

I also wish they would go to St Kitts rather than

Antigua,

Also with the free Classic Drinks offer do you

think that they are maybe looking to go down

the Azamara route of all inclusive wine/coffee.

[wednesday]

I agree with Tom_UK about having a true promenade.

 

I would also like to see something along the lines of the interior promenade found on a lot of the Royal Caribbean ships, I like the concept of the larger, less partitioned indoor areas.

 

I feel like a combo of the Solstice class and RCCL Voyager class would be ideal for me.

[TommyD3]

One of the Guest Relations managers told us a few months ago that the next generation of ships will be larger than the Solstice class. Probably similar to the RCL Quantum size (160K+ tons, 4000 passengers).

 

I personally prefer the size of the Century and M class ships. We were on the Connie recently and the buffet and theater were MUCH less crowded than the S class ships.

[twosit]

Andy-

It seems to me that the 4-5 night sailings are best directed at introducing new cruisers to Celebrity. Newer cruisers typically equal younger cruisers and it's like any other business--they need to attract new/younger clientele in order to survive. Pleasing both groups must be difficult. I think the classic beauty of Constellation and other M-class ships might not be appreciated by the target audience.

 

Maybe an S-class would be a good idea for the shorter cruises?

It's an interesting point about the S class and Bermuda. I agree, it seems like M-class would not be successful against the brand new Breakaway.

 

I think maybe Celebrity could take a cue from Princess and maybe use the Century and an M-class on some unique longer itineraries. Linking together several itineraries to make a more world cruise experience seems to fit right in to a lot of the current Celebrity demographics.

 

Haha--I'm full of ideas--too bad they aren't paying me.;)

 

Hi Don,

 

I totally agree. Celebrity should at least *consider* deploying an S-Class ship in Bermuda. While I love the M-Class ships, I believe that an M-Class ship vs Breakaway, will put Celebrity on the losing end of the battle. The question is - are the per-diems high enough to warrant putting an S-Class ship in Bermuda ? I'm not sure of that. Against Breakaway, IMO it would be a huge gamble. According to the 2014/2015 deployment list, it seems that Celebrity is returning to Bermuda, and will be interesting to if Celebrity steps up their game there.

 

IMO, Celebrity should consider the merits of the short cruise business. While I believe they can succeed, I often scratch my head as to why it's not working for them. Is it supply and demand ? Is it the lack of marketing ? Whatever it is, Constellation's pricing is ugly this season. Previous seasons were mediocre as well. As if that weren't enough... there will be even more competition next season, with Ruby Princess added to the mix. I'm confident it will prove to be a nasty battle - Good for consumers though ! If Celebrity opts to remain in this market, my wish is for a Century refurbishment, and for her to be deployed on the 4 & 5 night sailings. A Solsticized-like Century would be the perfect ship for this itinerary.

 

I strongly feel there's far better deployment options for Constellation. She's way too beautiful of a ship to be wasted on short sailings. In the Winter Season, I continue to hope for Connie to be deployed on a mix of longer (9-12 night) Caribbean sailings (which are hot hot hot right now), along with some round-trip partial Panama Canal sailings from FLL or MIA, as she fits through the canal. Princess offers a similar itinerary, which can be improved by Celebrity, and it's always in strong demand. Why not test the waters this way, by mixing 2 distinct deployments on 1 ship ? Why must a ship do the same thing over and over each season ? Be creative. Think outside the box !!! With my idea, the risk isn't severe, and an ideal way of getting a snapshot of what works best. If one of the two itineraries performs better ? They can add more of it the following year. Makes sense to me.

 

I'm confident the above strategy would prove to be a win-win for Celebrity and their Guests.

[twosit]

I agree with Tom_UK about having a true promenade.

 

I would also like to see something along the lines of the interior promenade found on a lot of the Royal Caribbean ships, I like the concept of the larger, less partitioned indoor areas.

 

I feel like a combo of the Solstice class and RCCL Voyager class would be ideal for me.

I really like the interior promenade too--that combination sounds good to me.

 

I don't mean to be rude--but I can not imagine them focusing on building new larger ships when they seem to have trouble filling their existing ships.

[sea75]

I agree with all the suggestions mentioned.

 

Maintenance of ships, especially the concerns of the bathroom shower floors on the M class ships.

More training of staff and crew; including better management of all departments.

The expansion has left some gaps in the level of service we have come to expect of Celebrity.

Rotating and moving crews and staff to newer ships at the expense of the older ones has had some consequenses.

While we all wish Celebrity (and RCCL, of course) success and profitability; cutting back on crew levels and quality of food are not the answer to savings. In the long run customers will go elsewhere.

 

That being said; I would love to see more educational/learning type offerings.

The art studio comes to mind. This venue is an excellent idea. I wish to see this grow into a truly educational art studio experience.

How about language classes that are not publicity or plugs for Rosetta Stone. I know I could have used some conversational Spanish in most caribbean ports.

What about Beer Making or just tasting/comparisions classes, to enhance the newly launched Michaels Club Beers from around the world.

Another learning experience could be star gazing or learning about the constellations.

These are just a few ideas, I am sure other Cruisers would have better ones. The focus however is the same; to "excite the senses".

 

One other thing I wish to see is Celebrity moving some ships away from the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area to other southeastern ports: Savannah, Jacksonville, and yes, even Cape Canveral. To some of us this would be a cost saver (one thing I know that is cheaper is Cape Canveral parking costs versus Ft Lauderdale/Miami) and TIME saver, especially/mostly for us southerners who drive all those hours to south Florida.

[true45]

I agree with alot of the other suggestions.

 

A promenade would be nice. But after a wonderful Equinox sailing Jan 21 (with fabulous food back again) -- I think what made me select Oceania for 2 future cruises is the itinerary. One in Europe is port intense but we are doing 12-night Apr 2014 on a small ship that goes from Miami to Miami but north & with the overnights in Bermuda Hamilton and St. George being the most appealing ports. I remember one of our 1st cruises to Bermuda on Celebrity's Horizon. Celebrity's carib itineraries are boring -- but we love solstice class & millenium class and century too.

[keels81]

I'll echo the group with ship upkeep and better training.

 

My only other desires are largely itinerary-based, namely a couple of summer options in the Caribbean and a ship that leaves from Texas (Houston or Galveston). Disney and Princess both now cruise out of Galveston - leaving Celebrity as one of the only major lines without a ship leaving from Texas. That said, I want it there for a mostly selfish reason: It's close to me and I'd be more inclined to take last minute trips because airfare wouldn't be required. :D

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

I'll echo the group with ship upkeep and better training.

 

My only other desires are largely itinerary-based, namely a couple of summer options in the Caribbean and a ship that leaves from Texas (Houston or Galveston). Disney and Princess both now cruise out of Galveston - leaving Celebrity as one of the only major lines without a ship leaving from Texas. That said, I want it there for a mostly selfish reason: It's close to me and I'd be more inclined to take last minute trips because airfare wouldn't be required. :D

 

I'd also love to see Celebrity sail out of New Orleans. I live in FL; but Ft Lauderdale is over 8 hrs away to drive, and NOLA is only 4 hrs away. I've gone out of NOLA on Carnival and RCCL only because the port was close and easy to get to. ;)

[keels81]

I'd also love to see Celebrity sail out of New Orleans. I live in FL; but Ft Lauderdale is over 8 hrs away to drive, and NOLA is only 4 hrs away. I've gone out of NOLA on Carnival and RCCL only because the port was close and easy to get to. ;)

 

NOLA works for me, too! And what a great place for a pre/post-cruise stay. :)