What happened to Celebrity?

[dfhnis]

Just got off the Connie 15 day Trans Atlantic our 14th Celebrity Cruise. seems CELEBRITY Is losing its class. We ate in a speciality Restaurant. PAID $35 which is fine

Food was great but WHY charge an extra $4 for a small cup of regular American Coffee?

Landed in ports where it was too far to walk to town so Celebrity has a shuttle bus ,. Guess what? $15 pp. $30 per couple cab cost me $7 Laundry Service nice convenience at $1.95 for a pair of socks $2.50 for one Tee shirt Come on Celebrity raise the fares a few bucks and stop nickel and dimeing us to death

[ghstudio]

Just got off the Connie 15 day Trans Atlantic our 14th Celebrity Cruise. seems CELEBRITY Is losing its class. We ate in a speciality Restaurant. PAID $35 which is fine

Food was great but WHY charge an extra $4 for a small cup of regular American Coffee?

Landed in ports where it was too far to walk to town so Celebrity has a shuttle bus ,. Guess what? $15 pp. $30 per couple cab cost me $7 Laundry Service nice convenience at $1.95 for a pair of socks $2.50 for one Tee shirt Come on Celebrity raise the fares a few bucks and stop nickel and dimeing us to death

 

No clue why they charged you for american coffee...that's always free at meals and should be included (IMHO) in any fee. We never drink coffee other than breakfast, so no experience here.

 

Like many, we object to the high prices of shuttle busses by celebrity....and we almost always just take cabs or the local shuttle that celebrity doesn't tell you about (that happens more often than not...just get off the ship and follow the signs to the local shuttle).

 

Yes, laundry prices are higher than if you did it yourself, but it seems reasonable compared to hotels. We generally just take advantage of the special offer of a bag of laundry for $x and don't worry about it.

[cruisestitch]

The OP probably ordered "caffe Americano" which is an espresso-based drink, not the regular filtered coffee available in all the restaurants at no charge. Perhaps the order was made in error, but Caffe Americano is an extra-charge drink at the restaurants.

 

If the OP has cruised 14 times with Celebrity, as stated, the first bag of laundry should have been free. A very nice loyalty perk.

[Starry Eyes]

The OP probably ordered "caffe Americano" which is an espresso-based drink, not the regular filtered coffee available in all the restaurants at no charge. Perhaps the order was made in error, but Caffe Americano is an extra-charge drink at the restaurants.

 

If the OP has cruised 14 times with Celebrity, as stated, the first bag of laundry should have been free. A very nice loyalty perk.

 

I suspect you are correct about the coffee. Maybe the order was a misunderstanding....for example maybe waiter asked if they might like an espresso or "caffe Americano", and the waiter thought the OP ordered the latter.

 

If the "we" in the OP's post refers to a spouse or sailing companion who has also been on so many Celebrity cruises, they each would have gotten free laundry. As you say, nice perk.

[Orator]

The OP probably ordered "caffe Americano" which is an espresso-based drink, not the regular filtered coffee available in all the restaurants at no charge. Perhaps the order was made in error, but Caffe Americano is an extra-charge drink at the restaurants.

 

If the OP has cruised 14 times with Celebrity, as stated, the first bag of laundry should have been free. A very nice loyalty perk.

 

Would have had 30 items washed and folded; two items pressed; one item dry cleaned as an Elite benefit. If there was a companion who was also Elite then items times 2. It is a wonderful benefit indeed. There is also a coupon that covers an extra charge coffee in a Specialty Restaurant. I agree that the transportation charges are often high. My guess is that if the port doesn't provide it free, Celebrity hires a company and gets their percentage. I know that different companies with different prices provided transportation in Barcelona on different trips.

[KaththeTaff]

Given the choice, I'd rather be able to decide for myself whether to pay the high prices for the shuttles, laundry and so on, rather than have something I don't necessarily want included in a higher cruise fare.

[AGGSBAGGS]

Would transatlantic have many ports stops

[miched]

Every port that I have been in no matter what cruise line has always had a charge for a shuttle, or ride to town if it was too far to walk. :confused: Even if it was within walking distance and there was a shuttle, cabs, etc there was a charge.

 

Some ports may have a courtesy tram to take you to the end of the pier into the shopping mall but never into a town.

 

Don't know where the OP has traveled before but they must have always stayed on the ship.

 

 

.

[Fouremco]

Every port that I have been in no matter what cruise line has always had a charge for a shuttle, or ride to town if it was too far to walk. :confused: Even if it was within walking distance and there was a shuttle, cabs, etc there was a charge.

 

Some ports may have a courtesy tram to take you to the end of the pier into the shopping mall but never into a town.

 

Don't know where the OP has traveled before but they must have always stayed on the ship.

 

 

.

 

OP was commenting on the high cost of Celebrity's shuttle, not the fact that there was a charge. A taxi was less than half the price.

 

[lais]

We paid the $15 pp shuttle fare because we didn't have a clue. The port info tells you it is a 30 minute walk to town but nothing about taxi's. We were bummed after we paid and then passed by all of the waiting taxi's a short walk away where you couldn't see them from the gangplank/disembarking area. So we learned our lesson at the cost of $30. didn't do it again at the next stop and will definitely research next time. Got us!!

[dinosaurdem]

Every port that I have been in no matter what cruise line has always had a charge for a shuttle, or ride to town if it was too far to walk. :confused: Even if it was within walking distance and there was a shuttle, cabs, etc there was a charge.

 

Some ports may have a courtesy tram to take you to the end of the pier into the shopping mall but never into a town.

 

Don't know where the OP has traveled before but they must have always stayed on the ship.

 

 

.

 

Just got back from 32 days in SE Asia on Princess. Princess did not provide shuttles, but the ports did, for free.

[bigbenboys]

Every port that I have been in no matter what cruise line has always had a charge for a shuttle, or ride to town if it was too far to walk. :confused: Even if it was within walking distance and there was a shuttle, cabs, etc there was a charge.

 

Some ports may have a courtesy tram to take you to the end of the pier into the shopping mall but never into a town.

 

Don't know where the OP has traveled before but they must have always stayed on the ship.

 

 

.

 

Azamara Club Cruises has free shuttles. Not at all ports, it depends on the distance to town. You can also do your own laundry free of charge. Richard

[baldercash]

Just got off the Connie 15 day Trans Atlantic our 14th Celebrity Cruise. seems CELEBRITY Is losing its class. We ate in a speciality Restaurant. PAID $35 which is fine

Food was great but WHY charge an extra $4 for a small cup of regular American Coffee?

Landed in ports where it was too far to walk to town so Celebrity has a shuttle bus ,. Guess what? $15 pp. $30 per couple cab cost me $7 Laundry Service nice convenience at $1.95 for a pair of socks $2.50 for one Tee shirt Come on Celebrity raise the fares a few bucks and stop nickel and dimeing us to death

 

Trans Atlantic cruises tend to be discounted heavily and the ports of call not the best with docking remote to reduce port fee's

How much did the nickel & dimeing cost? You have outlined a total expense of

$4 for coffee

$30 for a shuttle but a cab was $7 one way so $16.00.

$4.45 for laundry.

So you seem to be upset over $24.45 of surcharges?

How much do you suggest they raise the fare before you complain it is too high?

Doesn't it make more sense and be much cheaper and fairer for each person to just pay as they go?

[SantaFeFan]

Just got off the Connie 15 day Trans Atlantic our 14th Celebrity Cruise. seems CELEBRITY Is losing its class. Landed in ports where it was too far to walk to town so Celebrity has a shuttle bus ,. Guess what? $15 pp. $30 per couple cab cost me $7

 

We paid the $15 pp shuttle fare because we didn't have a clue. The port info tells you it is a 30 minute walk to town but nothing about taxi's. We were bummed after we paid and then passed by all of the waiting taxi's a short walk away where you couldn't see them from the gangplank/disembarking area. So we learned our lesson at the cost of $30. didn't do it again at the next stop and will definitely research next time. Got us!!

 

Just another good example of how important it is for visitors to research where they are visiting before they get there. Doing an internet search about a port takes only a few minutes and you can learn all about available transportation, currency specifics, and cultural details. I have never visited a new area without doing this research. It is the visitor's responsibility to learn about the places they are visiting, and not the cruise line's job to hold their hands at every turn.

 

It amazes my how people want to blame someone else for their lack of preparation. This is not Celebrity's mistake or shortcoming.

[AndrewM]

It is the visitor's responsibility to learn about the places they are visiting, and not the cruise line's job to hold their hands at every turn. It amazes my how people want to blame someone else for their lack of preparation. This is not Celebrity's mistake or shortcoming.

 

Still shame on Celebrity for charging their passengers triple what a taxi would cost.

[happy cruzer]

OP called his thread "what happened to Celebrity" which seems a bit extreme. If you can go on a longer cruise or land vacation and only have those few issues, you have done well. Travel is not perfect. There are always gotchas out there.

 

Some of this may be shame on him, he could have asked if there was a charge for the coffee if it matters so much. Rules do change from cruise to cruise and venue to venue. Same think with laundry, you can check prices and options if they matter that much.

 

If shuttle prices are important, you can research ahead of time to plan your port time.

 

Wanting the cruise line to absord items that were his choice seems a bit extreme.

 

Most just assume there will be unexpected expenses and inconveniences as part of travel and don't moan about what is happening.

 

To me sounds like he must have had a great cruise in general, I surely hope so.

[WELSH WIZARDS]

I don't think Celebrity has lost it's class, it's just trying to juggle lots of diverse cost issues.

Yes, cruise lines such as Azamara provide shuttles etc, but most also cost much more to sail on .

In my opinion Celebrity provides a high quality experience for its cost.

As for the expense of the buses, the taxis are guaranteed a fare for each ride they provide , Celebrity is running costly buses for the time in port , much of the time almost empty.

I never use them , so like many , I contribute to other passengers rides, but this is all part of the costs of cruising. This applies with all other cruise lines, and all other expenses , so don't spoil your quality experience by dwelling on the small things.

[lucinjo]

I have problems understanding the OP on several levels. First, he is clearly an experienced Celebrity Cruiser(14 cruises by their count) and none of these issues mentioned is new. How can Celebrity be "losing its class" when nothing has changed? Also as elite, I would assume there were coupons for free laundry and free premium coffee in specialty restaurant.

There has never been self service laundry, and prices have always been "hotel level". Regular coffee has always been free and if OP was indeed charged $4 for a cup of regular coffee at a specialty restaurant, did he ask waiter to remove the charge? Even if an "Americano" was inadvertently ordered I would think the restaurant would remove the charge once the confusion was discovered.

Shuttle service is a profit center for Celebrity and is designed for those who don't want to research ports in advance (for bus service, taxis, walking etc) or who don't want the stress of worrying about language barriers, finding return transit, etc. $15 isn't cheap but it does guarantee a ride into town and back to the ship.

Sounds to me like Celebrity hasn't changed, but maybe the expectations of the OP have.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I was on the same cruise as the OP and have a few things to add/say.....

 

If he ordered an "American coffee" the staff most likely interpreted that as meaning a cafe Americano which is an espresso based coffee and would incur a surcharge. Using terms like "American coffee" to denote you want the standard filtered coffee are a bit demeaning to the staff and I find little sympathy. The staff in Tuscan were some of the best on the ship and they bend over backwards to please.

 

Laundry coupons were provided to ALL Elites in the form of 1 bag of 30 items free, 1 bag for $20, plus 2 items pressed for free and 1 item free dry cleaning. I sent out all that and more and expected about $40 in laundry charges, but never got charged! Maybe it was a fluke, but even if I'd been charged I felt that $40 to cover all my laundry needs with no time out of my day was well worth it. If the OP has sailed 14 times they should be well aware of the laundry perks afforded Elite members and if they didn't get their elite coupons should have gone to the Captains Club desk.

 

Shuttle buses were provided at the cost the OP listed, but a seasoned traveler should know to always look at alternate options before just paying blindly. Madeira was an easy walk into town, maybe 15-20 mins, Lisbon city center was easily accessible by public tram, ho ho bus or taxi, Dover had an efficient tourist bus for a low cost that dropped off at the town center and the castle, LeHavre had a public bus that came right to the pier, as well as taxis (really a port to do a tour though), and the pier in Amsterdam is within walking distance of the central train station. At all ports ample taxis were on hand and the locals were pleasant and willing to assist. In no case did Celebrity use a remote dock vs a more central location. Only in Lisbon were there multiple docking locations and a Holland America ship was docked at the pier more central to the city, but they also arrived earlier than us. Again I feel little sympathy for not taking a few minutes to be an informed consumer.

 

 

I noticed long queues at customer relations every day, almost all day. It seems many people wanted to fill all those glorious sea days by finding something to complain about. I think Celebrity, and the Connie in particular, provide an excellent product especially given the price we paid! The items the OP complained about have always had a fee associated with them since I first started cruising Celebrity, so not I'm not really sure what the real issue is. I've been on cruises with free port shuttles, free espresso based coffees and free self serve laundry, and guess what, I paid about 10 times the amount for those cruises (and still had to pay for spirits and shore tours!). So if you want a more inclusive cruise, it's out there!

[dfhnis]

I was on the same cruise as the OP and have a few things to add/say.....

 

If he ordered an "American coffee" the staff most likely interpreted that as meaning a cafe Americano which is an espresso based coffee and would incur a surcharge. Using terms like "American coffee" to denote you want the standard filtered coffee are a bit demeaning to the staff and I find little sympathy. The staff in Tuscan were some of the best on the ship and they bend over backwards to please.

 

Laundry coupons were provided to ALL Elites in the form of 1 bag of 30 items free, 1 bag for $20, plus 2 items pressed for free and 1 item free dry cleaning. I sent out all that and more and expected about $40 in laundry charges, but never got charged! Maybe it was a fluke, but even if I'd been charged I felt that $40 to cover all my laundry needs with no time out of my day was well worth it. If the OP has sailed 14 times they should be well aware of the laundry perks afforded Elite members and if they didn't get their elite coupons should have gone to the Captains Club desk.

 

Shuttle buses were provided at the cost the OP listed, but a seasoned traveler should know to always look at alternate options before just paying blindly. Madeira was an easy walk into town, maybe 15-20 mins, Lisbon city center was easily accessible by public tram, ho ho bus or taxi, Dover had an efficient tourist bus for a low cost that dropped off at the town center and the castle, LeHavre had a public bus that came right to the pier, as well as taxis (really a port to do a tour though), and the pier in Amsterdam is within walking distance of the central train station. At all ports ample taxis were on hand and the locals were pleasant and willing to assist. In no case did Celebrity use a remote dock vs a more central location. Only in Lisbon were there multiple docking locations and a Holland America ship was docked at the pier more central to the city, but they also arrived earlier than us. Again I feel little sympathy for not taking a few minutes to be an informed consumer.

 

 

I noticed long queues at customer relations every day, almost all day. It seems many people wanted to fill all those glorious sea days by finding something to complain about. I think Celebrity, and the Connie in particular, provide an excellent product especially given the price we paid! The items the OP complained about have always had a fee associated with them since I first started cruising Celebrity, so not I'm not really sure what the real issue is. I've been on cruises with free port shuttles, free espresso based coffees and free self serve laundry, and guess what, I paid about 10 times the amount for those cruises (and still had to pay for spirits and shore tours!). So if you want a more inclusive cruise, it's out there!

 

Sorry I Rustled your feathers. i will not pursue a lengthy discussion The coffee at the italian specialty restaurant was in fact $4 In case you didnt notice the average age of the guests was in the 60's and most could not walk into town Yes I did get free laundry and free Internet but i still think certain things should be included. if my itinerary includes a port I should get to the port city free of charge yes i would be willing to pay a little more. Whats next paying to flush the toilet

[Orator]

Sorry I Rustled your feathers. i will not pursue a lengthy discussion The coffee at the italian specialty restaurant was in fact $4 In case you didnt notice the average age of the guests was in the 60's and most could not walk into town Yes I did get free laundry and free Internet but i still think certain things should be included. if my itinerary includes a port I should get to the port city free of charge yes i would be willing to pay a little more. Whats next paying to flush the toilet

 

The Elite coupon for "Specialty Drink" would have covered the cost for your coffee in the Tuscan Grille, so no need to spend the extra cash. I too would like to see free shuttle service. I don't remember a time when every port was free. I know the Celebrity provided a free shuttle in Cayman when we were docked away from the town center. The other lines, including Carnival and Princess, had a fee for their passengers to get into town. I would advise readers not to pre purchase transfers on the ship. There is a spot in every port I've been to where you can purchase transfers after you leave the ship. You would be able to check options prior to purchase.

[paremata2]

Every port that I have been in no matter what cruise line has always had a charge for a shuttle, or ride to town if it was too far to walk. :confused: Even if it was within walking distance and there was a shuttle, cabs, etc there was a charge.

 

Some ports may have a courtesy tram to take you to the end of the pier into the shopping mall but never into a town.

 

Don't know where the OP has traveled before but they must have always stayed on the ship.

 

 

.

 

That's interesting! We have never ever paid for a shuttle during a cruise. However having said that we have only been on three cruises and they were all Azamara.

Our next cruise is on Celebrity so I guess we will be paying or doing a lot of walking!

[C 2 C]

I too would like to see free shuttle service. I don't remember a time when every port was free.

 

"Once Upon a Time in a Galaxy Far, Far Away" ...Celebrity provided free shuttle service in most ports (I won't say all because of CRS syndrome.)

 

I remember a bus dropping us off in Zeebrugge at the train station for Brugge..., a bus for downtown Helsinki ... same in LeHavre..

 

As long as people have the option of walking or arranging a private tour or grabbing a taxi then cruisers can plan...

 

Then there are situations like Livorno where passengers are held captive by Celebrity because no-one is allowed to walk to the port gate and taxis will not take you unless you wish to go on a tour... :(

 

We love itineraries where one can walk off practically in the middle of town... like Quebec, Malta, Kusadasi, Amsterdam.... Rhodes!!

[Hlitner]

The OP has hit on one of our pet peeves about X. It is absurd to charge up to $40 per person I an alternative restaurant and then add-on for coffee or tea. Last year, DW got so annoyed when she saw a charge for tea that she refused to order it! She actually mentioned this to the maître d (after we finished a delicious dinner) and asked what they would do if she brought a teabag from the Lido. "Would you charge me for a cup of hot water?" We just got a smile but no answer.

 

Hank

[Orator]

The OP has hit on one of our pet peeves about X. It is absurd to charge up to $40 per person I an alternative restaurant and then add-on for coffee or tea. Last year, DW got so annoyed when she saw a charge for tea that she refused to order it! She actually mentioned this to the maître d (after we finished a delicious dinner) and asked what they would do if she brought a teabag from the Lido. "Would you charge me for a cup of hot water?" We just got a smile but no answer.

 

Hank

 

I always get tea at no charge at the Specialty Restaurants. I order the standard teas, not the high priced specialty teas. The prices for all specialty extra charge coffees and teas are clearly marked on the dessert menu.