Celebrity Evolution - Cadillac or Oldsmobile?

[need2bespoiled]

There has been a lot of discussion on these boards regarding the changes that many have seen onboard over the last year, two years, 5 years and longer. Many see them as cutbacks. For example, less staff in the dining room, however there is certainly more staff in other areas, like the Martini Bar. I hope they're working on finding a balance.

 

Celebrity is clearly trying to change and capture a new market. An article I recently read made me think of Cadilac. Is Celebrity's evolution something along those lines, where it is changing and going after a different market or is it simply cost cutting to drive the bottom line? I hope the former and not the latter as I'd prefer not to make an analogy with Celebrity and Oldsmobile in the future.

 

Clerly management doesn't think it will remain successful doing and being what it always has been, whether their steering the ship to new horizons is yet to be seen, but for now, we've been happy.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[cle-guy]

Cadillac.

[wallie5446]

Cadillac, because if it was Oldsmobile it would be closed down and gone, and we would be looking for another line to sail.

[need2bespoiled]

Cadillac, because if it was Oldsmobile it would be closed down and gone, and we would be looking for another line to sail.

 

I understand, but I was thinking moving forward.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[Antonintassie]

Hi

We are very new to cruising and have a Celebrity cruise booked for Jan 2015 Eclipse cruise in a suite.

We travel alot for work and pleasure and I have to say that the cruise industry is unique in ability to attract and maintain brand loyal customers.Sure we have a couple of favourite airlines and maybe one or two hotels we repeat stay with but in general we look for new experiences.

Our first trial of cruising was in a suite on the new Royal Princess for 12 days in Europe last September ,was it Cadillac ,no to unrefined for us but it obviously was a tested and tried formula and repeat cruisers seemed to think it was better than average.

We are hoping that Celebrity will be a little more intuative service wise ,perhaps a little better at providing a more modern stylish experience perhaps BMW to use a car comparison.

As a newbie one of the challanges I think cruise industry really has is maintaining its loyal repeat customers whilst attracting a new group of clients and changing things is not always the answer "if it is not broken dont mess around with it "

On the other hand you do need to attract new clients who have the income and the inclination to pay for a high end product on a larger ship and I think the new suite enhancements that Celebrity are rolling out will appeal to a new group of customers whilst making repeat customers feel even more appreciated.People like to be LOOKED after when the holiday and do not want stress or cutbacks in service change however is an evolution that all business have to try if the want to stay in the game alas Oldsmobile just did not attract enough buyers with a product that did not evolve.

[C 2 C]

 

Celebrity is clearly trying to change and capture a new market.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

Modern Luxury involves Audis.... that's the target market in the sales pitch presented to travel agents onboard when Reflection reached North American shores.

[wallie5446]

I understand, but I was thinking moving forward.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

I understand Jenna. We first sailed X in 1993, the Reflection last Nov, and this Nov the Equinox cruise will finally give us the point total to reach the Elite level in the Capt Club. I read the Reviews by long time cruisers, sailing Celebrity for the first time who 'RAVE' about the quality compared to the line they have sailed for years. Then read the comments by long time Celebrity cruisers about how bad it has gotten, and scratch my head in wonder.

 

Hence my response, Oldsmobile is dead and gone, never again to travel the highways and byways. Cadillac is still Rollin down Rt 66!

[teecee60]

 

The first time I saw a Cadillac commercial with music by Led Zeppelin, I knew "the torch had been passed to a NEW (older, MY) generation." :D :o

 

With some of the music at the Martini Bar lately, I wonder how long it will be until the marketing geniuses at Celebrity start programming songs by Eminem, KoRn, and Dope. :eek: :rolleyes:

Edited August 18, 2014 by teecee60

[MicCanberra]

Being an aussie I do not get the analogies totally but I think the jist of what your saying is X would want to move to capture new markets without losing the previous clientel. They are most likely prepared to lose some but certtainly not all.:D

[marco]

It seems to be true with all lines. Rates have not gone up substantially (and in some cases, hardly at all) over the years. Therefore, there have to be cut backs be it in staff, food, amenities etc etc. and onboard alternative revenue producing venues continue to increase.

[Pilot70D]

Right now I would say that Celebrity is more like the Ford Taurus. It's not entry level or bargain basement but it's also far from upscale, luxury, etc, etc.

 

Now before all you =X= cheerleaders get your knickers bunched up, we are dedicated Celebrity cruisers. Back when we started cruising with Celebrity it was an upscale line, far better in our opinion than HAL or Princess each of whom we had cruised with three times before moving to Celebrity. Now, we think that Celebrity has slipped downward and is now just another mass market cruise line. We still like the product offered by Celebrity well enough to cruise with them but it's not as good product as it was ten years ago.

 

There are true luxury or up scale line out there, Crystal, Seabourne and so forth. Now before everyone starts hollering apples to oranges it really isn't in some circumstances. We generally book Sky Suites on Celebrity. We are booked on the combined Christmas and New Year's cruise on the Eclipse. We were on her for the last New Year's cruise. We liked that cruise, that cabin enough that we booked the same cabin this year. HOWEVER, for the prices Celebrity is now charging one can sail any of the upscale lines for fewer bucks. The current rate for an S1 for two people is a little over $21,000.

 

Admittedly we buy extras - premium alcoholic beverage package and the ultimate dining package. Still even without these extras we could cruise one of the up scale lines for less. Still we like Celebrity enough that we keep coming back but realistically it isn't as good a product as when we first began with Celebrity.

 

Everyone enjoy that next cruise and have a great day.:D:):D

 

Edited August 18, 2014 by Pilot70D

[Loracpin2]

Given your two choices, I would say cadillac. When we first sailed Celebrity on the Horizon in 1993, I would have said Mercedes.

[need2bespoiled]

I guess my point isn't what they are now, or to compare the two brands, or luxury level of Celebrity. I agree with Pilot whole heartedly, except that when you don't sail holidays Celebrity is still cheaper even at the upper ends on Celebrity compared to mid range on luxury lines.

 

My point is more about the evolution and change that Celebrity is clearly trying to make. Cadilac clearly changed its cars and the demographic it was marketing too. Oldsmobile, not so much.

 

Each saw a different fate.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[cle-guy]

Right now I would say that Celebrity is more like the Ford Taurus. It's not entry level or bargain basement but it's also far from upscale, luxury, etc, etc.

 

Now before all you =X= cheerleaders get your knickers bunched up, we are dedicated Celebrity cruisers. Back when we started cruising with Celebrity it was an upscale line, far better in our opinion than HAL or Princess each of whom we had cruised with three times before moving to Celebrity. Now, we think that Celebrity has slipped downward and is now just another mass market cruise line. We still like the product offered by Celebrity well enough to cruise with them but it's not as good product as it was ten years ago.

 

There are true luxury or up scale line out there, Crystal, Seabourne and so forth. Now before everyone starts hollering apples to oranges it really isn't in some circumstances. We generally book Sky Suites on Celebrity. We are booked on the combined Christmas and New Year's cruise on the Eclipse. We were on her for the last New Year's cruise. We liked that cruise, that cabin enough that we booked the same cabin this year. HOWEVER, for the prices Celebrity is now charging one can sail any of the upscale lines for fewer bucks. The current rate for an S1 for two people is a little over $21,000.

 

Your points are generally well taken. However trying to use the Holiday sailings as a basis for comparisons makes the post lose credibility. One could also argue back with the cruise the following week where fares plummet. That would also be inappropriate, and not a good point of comparison. I image even Seaborune and Crystal jack their fares up for the holiday cruises.

 

Renaissance Times Square in NYC charges $199 a night often, but NYE that same room is $600.

 

Marriott in Rio charges $299 a night, but for carnival it's $700 plus requires a 7 night stay.

 

Holiday cruises are all about the supply and demand.

[cle-guy]

Cadilac clearly changed its cars and the demographic it was marketing too. Oldsmobile, not so much.

 

Each saw a different fate.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

There was even a point where cadillac tried to mingle with the oldsmobile crowd, remember the Cadillac Catera - a souped up low-end Olds model with a cadillac badge basically. It was a point in time when cadillac lost favor for a long time. Once Cadillac began to rebrand itself and stand out rather than follow, they came back.

 

There was a point in time where Caddy had all the newest bells and whistles, now I find they are about 3 years behind everyone else, especially in technology. I was a caddy fan for years, but now drive Ford, Ford had their in car technology tied into my lifestyle, working direct with my iPhone etc. Caddy has been saying it's coming, but still not so much, and what they have isn't perfectly useful or intuitive yet. But at least they are working to rebuild the brand. Their styling though is definitely innovative.

[Tommy3putts]

I like to use Las Vegas hotel analogies. Celebrity, Reflection in particular, reminds me of a Steve Wynn property.

[hcat]

Cars Analogy... Automall....or rent whatever you fancy ....trying to please everyone...

 

X used to have fewer ships, a clear identity and market niche.., now just like everyone else.... their ships are great so going with the flow for now...

[GaryT-UK]

As Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are part of the same group I'd also suggest that they are trying to distinguish two different products, Modern Luxury vs Family Fun, so the overall Group has products that appeal to as wide a market as possible.

[cle-guy]

As Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are part of the same group I'd also suggest that they are trying to distinguish two different products, Modern Luxury vs Family Fun, so the overall Group has products that appeal to as wide a market as possible.

 

You know what, this is probably the best and most succinct way to distinguish X from RCI.

[richsea]

I don't think Celebrity is or ever was Cadillac. When we started cruising Celebrity in 1996, I would say they were more like Oldsmobile; that is, better than Ford or Chevy, but not quite Cadillac. In fact their pricing was more like Ford or Chevy.

I recall that back in the day, Oldsmobile was kind of like a test Caddy in that Gm tried out new bells & whistles on Olds before integrating them on Caddy.

 

Now, I would say Celebrity is more like Avalon; a little better than a Toyota.

[miched]

What! It don't look like a Buick.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[C 2 C]

Now, I would say Celebrity is more like Avalon; a little better than a Toyota.

 

 

Avalons are ugly.. we seriously looked at one before buying our ES.

Celebrity is at least like a Lexus, not necessarily the top end models but definitely on the right track.

Why would anyone want to compare Celebrity ships, build in Europe, to anything built in the US? Oldsmobile joined DeSoto, Plymouth, Tucker, Kaiser, Pontiac and a host of others in the dustbin of Auto history.

Cadillac now offers a number of attractive vehicles but the ignition scandal has sullied the GM brand for years to come....

 

Celebrity has to attract passengers from Europe, China, Asia and North America. Cadillac does not appeal to everyone and is probably unknown to many. Chrysler was dumped by Mercedes, now owned by Fiat and Lincolns are upgraded Fusions built in Mexico. There has to be a better comparison than Cadillac for world wide acceptance.

[Antonintassie]

Unfortunately "family fun" often becomes code for less service and refined customer contact hence as a family with an older teen we avoid it .

 

As Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are part of the same group I'd also suggest that they are trying to distinguish two different products, Modern Luxury vs Family Fun, so the overall Group has products that appeal to as wide a market as possible.

[MicCanberra]

As Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are part of the same group I'd also suggest that they are trying to distinguish two different products, Modern Luxury vs Family Fun, so the overall Group has products that appeal to as wide a market as possible.

This is an analogy that the rest of the world can relate to.:D

[Chicago Boy]

Cadillac.

 

 

Cadillac