Carnivalization of Celebrity??

[sollan]

Do you honestly think a CEO of a corporation this large would actually allow such a misguided selection? Do you not think the Board of Directors or shareholders would oust him for making such a choice in firms?

 

Or is this just more rhetoric.....

 

I do not know wheat firm (if any) they've hired, but I do continue to point to the general upward rise of the share price in the last 5 years time. So whatever consultants they do have on board, seem to be providing sound guidance overall.

As a CEO I would think twice - at least when it comes to the IT department....:rolleyes:

[ORV]

Do you honestly think a CEO of a corporation this large would actually allow such a misguided selection? Do you not think the Board of Directors or shareholders would oust him for making such a choice in firms?

 

Or is this just more rhetoric.....

 

I do not know wheat firm (if any) they've hired, but I do continue to point to the general upward rise of the share price in the last 5 years time. So whatever consultants they do have on board, seem to be providing sound guidance overall.

 

Cle, were you around for the X The Rules fiasco? That should answer your question right there.

[cle-guy]

Cle, were you around for the X The Rules fiasco? That should answer your question right there.

 

I wasn't but a quick google search leads me to a 2011 marketing push that seems the say the message was celebrity is breaking the traditional mold of cruising?

 

Seems like a neat idea. X the rules, break the rules, do something different that other lines do?

 

I'd like to know what the fiasco part was...?

Edited March 6, 2014 by cle-guy

[shofer]

I am just off Silhouette this past Sunday and was following the "loud music" threads before I departed. The only time I found the music intrusive was in the casino one night when they were also having a raffle. The MC was also shouting over the microphone and the result was oft-putting to say the least.

 

After that, there was no loud music anywhere. There were a few dance parties in the atrium and by the pool with live music which were lively but not offensive. They also didn't last longer than an hour. Sure do miss the Caribbean music they used to have on these itineraries.

 

Quasar looked empty every time I passed and the Sky Lounge was totally underused. They had the Select/Elite cocktail party there with a combo for music which was very well attended. Made me wonder why there wasn't something up there every evening.

 

Sue

[wednesday]

Wow, you guys sure know how to make a young gal feel welcome...

 

So Celebrity shouldn't be catering to a specific age range unless they happen to be catering to your age range then it's A-OK, yes?

 

I'm expected to happily shell out $7000 for a cruise but I can't expect the cruise line to be inclusive of my tastes because the older set has decided the company can't evolve?

 

FTR, I don't enjoy zip lines, body shots, rock walls or insanely loud music either but it seems like every time this topic comes up it turns into a NO YOUNGIN'S debate.

 

I am a 30 something and I am appalled by some of the comments on this thread:mad: but I can tell you that this is not representative of the attitude I have found amongst the passengers onboard. We just returned from 10 nights on the Equinox (with a mostly older crowd) and with the usual exception of a few jerks, we found everyone to be very friendly towards us and it was one of our best cruises ever.:) I don't care your age as long as you are friendly and engaging and I enjoy cruising with a diverse crowd. Crew and fellow passengers really make or break a cruise for us, we loved this one so much we booked the same cruise for next year while still onboard.

 

I also want to say that we are younger and do not like overly loud music either, I really wish people wouldn't make generalizations...

[C-Dragons]

I wasn't but a quick google search leads me to a 2011 marketing push that seems the say the message was celebrity is breaking the traditional mold of cruising?

 

Seems like a neat idea. X the rules, break the rules, do something different that other lines do?

 

I'd like to know what the fiasco part was...?

Ah, so you're not aware of the campaign here on the CC boards that resulted in X's CEO changing that marketing ad? Maybe you should Google a little more... ;)

[baldercash]

I do not know what firm (if any) they've hired, but I do continue to point to the general upward rise of the share price in the last 5 years time. So whatever consultants they do have on board, seem to be providing sound guidance overall.

 

Not sure what stocks you buy but pretty much all stocks have gone up in the past 5 years.

Obama has been printing 85 billion a month to prop up the economy and the cash has to go some where.

But what goes up can also come down!

Not sure what X's plans are but judging from the responses on these threads to loud music X has a volatile problem that someone at headquarters needs to address promptly.

 

A few thousand X loyalists have now read these threads and many will be on X cruises in the next few weeks if not this weekend, these cruisers are now aware of the loud music issue so they will be more sensitive to it and will be more likely to address it and confront staff to have it reduced. They now know it is not just them!

 

Cruisers will be documenting volume with decibel apps on their cell phones or bringing decibel meters on board. They will be talking with other cruisers on the ship and raising their awareness of loud music on board. I imagine passing around a petition during the Elite nightly get together and gathering signatures in the CC gathering will get on board attention from staff. One may even be invited to meet the Captain which will only highlight and escalate the situation.

 

They will be reporting back on CC threads on which ships have loud music issues and how the volume level is addressed and if not who refused to lower it and they will document the interaction and conversation accurately.

 

This will not fad away but be escalated if X does not come to some standardized policy fleet wide quickly. Someone who gets some crazy high decibel readings may get the press interested in whats going on and how X has dropped the ball.

 

Now that we are retired we no longer do the winter Carribean cruises we don't need to relax in the sun as we are not working and no longer need to vent and party. Been there and done that multiple times on numerous cruise lines over the years.

 

At 60 years of age I am now using cruising as a mod of travel. We are taking the Oasis TA this Sept 1st to Europe instead of a plane and will spend a month there before returning on her Oct 14th when she leaves dry dock.

We just did a Nov 35 day X cruise on Millie from Honullu to Singapore and then flew to Thailand for a land trip. We met many others doing similar, our friends are doing a China land vacation but sailing from LA to Shanghai to get there and will fly to Tokyo and get on Millie to do a Pacific TA to get home.

 

Many have talked about different generation profiles, Boomers are a product of the 60"s and are very difficult to control and contain.

 

I don't see this going away unless addressed by Head office.

We will see what Modern Luxury means shortly.

Edited March 6, 2014 by baldercash

[Lois R]

I wasn't but a quick google search leads me to a 2011 marketing push that seems the say the message was celebrity is breaking the traditional mold of cruising?

 

Seems like a neat idea. X the rules, break the rules, do something different that other lines do?

 

I'd like to know what the fiasco part was...?

 

Hi..do something different would have been ok but basically, (or my

take on it anyway).....they were saying no rules at all for anything.

The meaning of being "different" was really not what most people

took the "X the rules" to be.......

I could be wrong of course...(been wrong many times before and will be

wrong after this too)...now, not saying "everyone" didn't like it but there

was definitely alot of people who thought the PR dept made a big

mistake with that slogan.....

[cle-guy]

Hi..do something different would have been ok but basically, (or my

take on it anyway).....they were saying no rules at all for anything.

The meaning of being "different" was really not what most people

took the "X the rules" to be.......

I could be wrong of course...(been wrong many times before and will be

wrong after this too)...now, not saying "everyone" didn't like it but there

was definitely alot of people who thought the PR dept made a big

mistake with that slogan.....

 

Thanks for the recap.

 

wow, so everyone really thought the message was do anything you want, no rules, anything goes? what normal, reasonable person could ever imagine that was the meaning. :confused:

 

Seems like it may have been during the time period NCL started their freestyle cruising concept, bending the traditional rules of cruising - i am recalling from watching Celebrity Apprentice is where I remember this concept coming from.

 

I guess the massage was intended for me - although I didn't get it back then - since I got the concept right away.

[ORV]

Thanks for the recap.

 

wow, so everyone really thought the message was do anything you want, no rules, anything goes? what normal, reasonable person could ever imagine that was the meaning. :confused:

 

Seems like it may have been during the time period NCL started their freestyle cruising concept, bending the traditional rules of cruising - i am recalling from watching Celebrity Apprentice is where I remember this concept coming from.

 

I guess the massage was intended for me - although I didn't get it back then - since I got the concept right away.

 

It wasn't that long ago, seems like it was shortly before Bayley took over.

 

Does it not make you go hmm, that a failed ad campaign that was a PR nightmare for Celebrity resonates with you?

 

I have always realized that the things I like and enjoy are out of the norm of the masses and generally my likes aren't going to be catered to. Many people don't get that.

 

I'm far from an old fogey but I believe Celebrity is relying on some bad theories. There just aren't enough of the demographic group they seem to be shooting for to fill their ships on an ongoing basis.

[cle-guy]

There just aren't enough of the demographic group they seem to be shooting for to fill their ships on an ongoing basis.

 

Curious, is there a place to find out what capacity ships sail at?

 

I've not yet found a source for this type of data, other than anecdotal information from onboard crew, which isn't always the best source of information as we can see from these boards on miscommunications and misunderstandings. Also I read many stories on these boards of peole wanting to swap cabins for this or that reason, and ind they can not since every cabin is full. Clearly sometimes empty cabins do sail - just curious how one can have real data to know.

 

I've used that fishing site and that scanning site sometimes to get info in advance of sailing, but have no historical records to refer to.

[Duanerice1]

Cruisers will be documenting volume with decibel apps on their cell phones or bringing decibel meters on board. They will be talking with other cruisers on the ship and raising their awareness of loud music on board. I imagine passing around a petition during the Elite nightly get together and gathering signatures in the CC gathering will get on board attention from staff. One may even be invited to meet the Captain which will only highlight and escalate the situation.

 

 

Wow! What a waste of valuable cruise time. I sure hope you are joking. I can't imagine anyone would do this on vacation.

[happy cruzer]

Have you guys not been inside a trendy bar or restaurant lately? It's loud everywhere, not just on cruise ships. Everyone is complaining about it, especially the employees.

 

I agree. For many decades, loud has equalled fun. Quiet = stuffy according to industry studies. Many are totally obliviously, happily spending away, and a minority complain.

 

I carry ear plugs.

[wallie5446]

Curious, is there a place to find out what capacity ships sail at?

 

.

 

Useing a pencil and paper:D ruff figuring, nuttin in blood, here I goes,,,,

10 ships, say, at 85-90% each week, ruffly, 20,000 X 52 weeks would mean around 1,000,000 pax per year, 1000 are members of Cruise Critic, and a few hundred comment on a regular basis. A hundred or so are taking their toys and going to a different friends house to play because no one clears tables in the buffet, there is grass:eek: on the top deck, there are cruises where the noise is too loud, there are Zumba classes by the pool, the storage in the cabin stinks, the cheap watches dont hold up, 2500 people cant all get off in 30 minutes, and the free drinks, yada, yada, yada:)

It is no wonder people that have never cruised think we are a bunch of spoiled brats, who have cashed in the silver spoon we were born with in our mouths.

Now calm down, we like to enjoy our time on a ship too, but so much of this can and does reach a spot of being silly.

[Cruising89143]

We are in our early 50's and were on the Reflection in February. The music at the pool was not all day long blaring music. They had Zumba, pool games, ice carving, bands etc... Dance classes. We never thought the music was too loud. The martini bar was louder, band playing, people cheering over them pouring 20 something Martini's at once. The Passport Bar was always quiet. The wine bar was always quiet. There was never anyone in Michaels. Very quiet. I think there are places to get away from the music if you don't like it. It uplifting to see people having fun, don't you think? I would highly recommend the Reflection.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Very nice post. We didn't have an issue last year on the Reflection and will be back on board again next Saturday. I expect a great time like we had last year. IMHO if they correct this so called issue then those same people will find something else to complain about. It never ends.

[keithm]

Just off the Celebrity Reflection. So much about the cruise was excellent: the stunning ship, consistently superior food, spotless cleanliness, friendly service, officers, crew. So many people working so diligently to provide a first class "modern luxury" experience.

 

Unfortunately, there was also a big and easily resolved concern.

 

Around the main pool, the "music" of the Miami DJs was unacceptably LOUD! So loud at sail-away that one could not even hear a person standing right next to one.So loud that one's whole body vibrated. So loud that the speakers distorted the sound. The issue is not so much the kind of music, as its volume. It rendered the main pool area unusable.

 

Likewise, the party band Vibe was so loud in the foyer as to render the core of the ship unusable. They disturbed people in the Library, Hideaway, Game Room, Martini Bar, Cellar Masters, Bistro, Cafe Bacio, Passport Bar, Guest Relations, Elevator lobbies etc.

 

Miami DJs and Vibe would be great in a separate venue, such as Sky lounge or Qasar. Let those who like it come to those venues. The issue was that this was inflicted on a majority of the passengers who did not pay their hard earned money to be subjected to this new un-Celebrity-like experience.

 

Now here is the really scary part.:eek:

 

I attended the Cruise Critic gathering, along with 60 or 70 others, and several ships officers. When the issue of the loud music was raised by several guests, the Cruise Director explained that the Reflection, as the flagship, was leading the way introducing a new entertainment concept, which would be taken fleet wide! The key was a shift in the demographic profile of their target guests, from 50s to 30-something. The loud music reflected this new direction. Apparently someone in Miami thinks that ultra-loud music = 30 something demographic!

 

There was a lot of dissenting discussion. During the course of this the Cruise Director made it very clear that if the loyal, traditional Celebrity customer did not like this direction, they should find another line to cruise :eek:

 

I love the Celebrity experience, and have done some 20 cruises with them. I see this as the Carnivalization of the brand! Given that they already own Royal Caribbean, which appeals to a younger demographic, I do not see the business sense in taking Celebrity in this direction, and upsetting their large established loyal base of customers.

 

I would be interesting in hearing from other Cruise Critic members who were at that infamous CC gathering.

Well first off do a little studying!! Celebrity is owned by RCCL. Carnival has no ownership in RCCL or Celebrity. I think this is done by ship. We heard about the loud music on this site. We found the Eclipse to be quite quiet. I think the longer the trip(which Eclipse does a lot of)you'll find the music is more geared towards the percieved age of the pax. I think the longer trips have an older crowd(retirees & more wealth)

[Lois R]

Very nice post. We didn't have an issue last year on the Reflection and will be back on board again next Saturday. I expect a great time like we had last year. IMHO if they correct this so called issue then those same people will find something else to complain about. It never ends.

 

Hi,:) I normally would agree with you and usually I am not a complainer.

And I still had a wonderful time on my recent cruise on Century:)

But..yes, there is a but.....I love the Martini Bar....and honestly

it was so loud I could not stay there:(......actually a couple of my

dinnermates wanted to try it as well.....they went one evening before

it got busy (actually it was empty) and they asked the bartender to

please lower the volume.....he said he was not allowed...they left

because they just could not sit there with the volume as it was......:(

 

That was my one major issue....if I am part of the complainers?

Oh well.

[gisnered]

That was my one major issue....if I am part of the complainers?

Oh well.

 

Of course you are!

 

The fact that you have consistently been a rational but supportive poster on the Celebrity board has nothing to do with it. The cheerleaders will brook no disparaging comments cast upon the mighty “X”, your experience notwithstanding. .

[Cruising89143]

Of course you are!

 

The fact that you have consistently been a rational but supportive poster on the Celebrity board has nothing to do with it. The cheerleaders will brook no disparaging comments cast upon the mighty “X”, your experience notwithstanding. .

 

LOL....complainers and cheerleaders. Glad that we straightened that out.:rolleyes: Now cue in the Andrew Sisters or Glenn Miller and we will have a happy bunch on the X board....;)

Edited March 6, 2014 by cruisingator2

[Lois R]

Of course you are!

 

The fact that you have consistently been a rational but supportive poster on the Celebrity board has nothing to do with it. The cheerleaders will brook no disparaging comments cast upon the mighty “X”, your experience notwithstanding. .

 

Huh?....when I am unhappy with something I post about it. I have

never said Celebrity was perfect:eek:...but I still like the product.

I was replying to the post because she said there will always be

folks complaining about something.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Lois R

[Cruising89143]

Huh?....when I am unhappy with something I post about it. I have

never said Celebrity was perfect:eek:...but I still like the product.

I was replying to the post because she said there will always be

folk complaining about something.

 

She is a he! :)

[Lois R]

She is a he! :)

 

Oh, sorry....my mistake.

[Cruising89143]

Oh, sorry....my mistake.

 

No problem. :). It's all good.

[dbsb3233]

It is part of a plot by Celebruty. They entice the younger crowd to book a cruise with the 123.

Free all-you-can-drink alcohol promotions just seem like a bad idea to begin with.

[bar_20]

Change to Disney! There they play music for 8 year olds. It's a small world after all!