shorefolks Posted March 24, 2015 #26 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Improve the embarkation day experience by (1) having the staterooms available upon boarding, and (2) having an MDR open for lunch. These are both things that Princess does and, as people who sail on both lines with about equal frequency, we can testify that these are touches that really add to that on-vacation-now feeling. Both lines have strong and weak points (and as the cruise proceeds we invariably appreciate Celebrity's attributes), but it seems we always start a Celebrity cruise with the negatives outweighing the positives. You will note that I have not mentioned the website. It is obvious Celebrity just does not get it and probably never will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendaJ Posted March 24, 2015 #27 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Improve the embarkation day experience by (1) having the staterooms available upon boarding. Be careful what you wish for. They can accomplish that quite easily by not letting anyone board until 1:30 p.m. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxo Posted March 24, 2015 #28 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Improve the embarkation day experience by (1) having the staterooms available upon boarding, and (2) having an MDR open for lunch. These are both things that Princess does and, as people who sail on both lines with about equal frequency, we can testify that these are touches that really add to that on-vacation-now feeling. Both lines have strong and weak points (and as the cruise proceeds we invariably appreciate Celebrity's attributes), but it seems we always start a Celebrity cruise with the negatives outweighing the positives. You will note that I have not mentioned the website. It is obvious Celebrity just does not get it and probably never will. Totally agree. Why does it take so long for the turn-around when other cruise lines do the same thing? I personally don't believe the other cruise lines are no better or worse in prep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise47 Posted March 24, 2015 #29 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Bring back the Thalassotherapy pools for any new builds and the Solstice Class ships. Change design of new ships to eliminate the Atrium use for entertainment purposes. Bring back more quiet areas. Fix the Celebrity and Royal Caribbean websites. I think the RCL website is even worse than Celebrity's. Ditto on the above and add more lounge chairs on the pool deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-Airbalancer Posted March 24, 2015 #30 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Get rid of the grass on the sides replace it with more tables and chairs and keep the grass in the middle, If you want a chocolate go to Cafe, they have tons down there :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmodog Posted March 24, 2015 #31 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Stop raising prices in the specialty restaurants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatevergoes Posted March 24, 2015 #32 Share Posted March 24, 2015 My husband takes his own guitar on board with us. We affix a room trash to the case ( locked ) and it shows up at our door with our luggage. Never damaged or lost. He can't go that many days without his guitar. I then run to the T pool for the day if he starts playing:rolleyes::rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsb3233 Posted March 24, 2015 #33 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Put an electrical outlet next to the bed. I charge my cell phone every night, but I also use it as an alarm clock, and to check the time if I wake up in the middle of the night, and as a flashlight, and sometimes for research (or entertainment, since the TV selection is usually bad - which is another thing) for a while when laying bed at night. I want to leave it on the bedside table while charging, but the ONE outlet is usually on the opposite wall. Before the cruise, I load all sorts of stuff onto my cell phone for offline reference for each port, like maps, tour info, screencaps, pics of our passports in case we lose them, etc. It's much more efficient than carrying guidebooks and paperwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldridge Posted March 24, 2015 #34 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Put an electrical outlet next to the bed. I charge my cell phone every night, but I also use it as an alarm clock, and to check the time if I wake up in the middle of the night, and as a flashlight, and sometimes for research (or entertainment, since the TV selection is usually bad - which is another thing) for a while when laying bed at night. I want to leave it on the bedside table while charging, but the ONE outlet is usually on the opposite wall. Like, Like and Like!!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stateroom_Sailor Posted March 24, 2015 #35 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Ziplines in the MDR and off the pool deck into the ports. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudiaB Posted March 24, 2015 #36 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Bring back a better Hawaii cruise with overnights in Kauai, Oahu, Maui and two or three stops on the big island. Spend 10 days there and then the 4 or 5 days one way to the Pacific coast. Make it a 14 (or 15, depending on where on the west coast) night cruise but make most of it IN Hawaii, not most of it coming and going. Do a British Isles cruise that begins and ends in Southampton and goes around the entire area for 2 to 2-1/2 weeks. Do a better Norway cruise. We are doing Azamara's version in 2016 which is the best we found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
varoo Posted March 24, 2015 #37 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Ziplines in the MDR and off the pool deck into the ports. :) Extra long zip lines for tender ports! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsb3233 Posted March 24, 2015 #38 Share Posted March 24, 2015 (edited) Put an electrical outlet next to the bed. I charge my cell phone every night, but I also use it as an alarm clock, and to check the time if I wake up in the middle of the night, and as a flashlight, and sometimes for research (or entertainment, since the TV selection is usually bad - which is another thing) for a while when laying bed at night. I want to leave it on the bedside table while charging, but the ONE outlet is usually on the opposite wall. Before the cruise, I load all sorts of stuff onto my cell phone for offline reference for each port, like maps, tour info, screencaps, pics of our passports in case we lose them, etc. It's much more efficient than carrying guidebooks and paperwork. Forgot to add... I know it would be almost unrealistic to retrofit a wall outlet. But there's always lamps either mounted in the bedside table, or mounted in the wall by the bed. They could retrofit by replacing the lamps with the type that have an outlet built right into the base. Or, if there's not enough amperage delivered to ceach cabin for another 110/220v outlet, then just provide USB outlets there. They're low voltage and have very little drain. It's mostly phones and tablets that people would want to plug in there so USB power would be sufficient. Edited March 24, 2015 by dbsb3233 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted March 24, 2015 #39 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Take away the loud jarring afternoon music at the outdoor pool. On Caribbean it should be steel drums, Jimmy Buffet, etc. it was so bad on our last cruise we had to leave. There was no melody, just loud thumping sounds. Strongly agree... get rid of Miami DJs....everywhere on board, add Jimmy Buffet, Island band, jazz, latin....anything but the loud DJ and bongo bangers! get some good DJs like they used to feature in the clubs Better/functional website offer more free current movies in staterooms enforce dress codes and rules about kiddies in hot tubs.. open the lawn and its cabanas to all guests Keep striving to deliver an upscale, elegant, enjoyable cruise experience..,,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSpitfire Posted March 24, 2015 #40 Share Posted March 24, 2015 raise prices by $25 and restore some of the takeaways....including the OJ, the flowers, the chocolates (already rumored to be coming back), the string quartet or a cappela group (or some other live group). I don't necessarily want "the old celebrity" but I think $25 a person would not even be noticed and that would give them some $50-70K per cruise to re-invest in passengers..it's called investing in marketing. I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, if cruise fares went up a little bit more than you proposed, it might be applied to the per capita meal costs and the already decent X meals might get closer in quality to the Michael Roux era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlynn Posted March 24, 2015 #41 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I spent all morning trying to get my confirmation from the web site....a complete exercise in futility. How can such a good cruise line have such a bad web site!! Also wish they could get their brochures out earlier for the following year like their competitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlynn Posted March 25, 2015 #42 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Actually that's a very good point - a lot of the tours are very vague and it's often not clear what the differences are between several tours at the same Port costing different sums of money. The Alain Ducasse 6 hour tour in the South of France is a good example - for $18000 ( yes, 18 thousand) for 2 the description is "Enjoy a one-of-a-kind culinary experience in Provence inspired by the world-renowned Alain Ducasse at his rustic hideaway in Moustiers on this Celebrity Exclusive. Board a private helicopter for a 30-minute flight over the French Riviera to La Bastide de Moustiers, where you’ll enjoy a specially prepared meal with fresh ingredients from the gardens. After lunch, tour the nearby grounds, including the lush gardens and groves, and the medieval village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie before returning to port. Highlights: • Fly over Provence following a special flight plan and land on the helipad at Alain Ducasse’s private inn in Moustiers. • Enjoy a four-course lunch at the Michelin star-winning French chef’s world-famous La Bastide de Moustiers restaurant. • Walk the inn’s verdant vegetable gardens and olive tree grove to see where the ingredients of your gourmet meal were picked." Not a lot of information really when they're asking for the price of a small family car! No mention of meeting Alain Ducasse, big deal the meal will be from fresh ingrediants, a meal "inspired" by Alain Ducasse".... We stayed at this lovely property for two nights about ten years ago. We had a GORGEOUS room, ate 2 wonderful dinners, with the same fresh vegetables from his garden, (with a lovely bottle of wine each night) and breakfasts there both mornings , and our total bill there for two both nights was well under 1500 Euros. That is one hell of an expensive helicopter ride! We didn't meet Mr. Ducasse, but I did buy some gorgeous pottery in the quaint little town :} Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kborth Posted March 25, 2015 #43 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Bring back a better Hawaii cruise with overnights in Kauai, Oahu, Maui and two or three stops on the big island. Spend 10 days there and then the 4 or 5 days one way to the Pacific coast. Make it a 14 (or 15, depending on where on the west coast) night cruise but make most of it IN Hawaii, not most of it coming and going. Do a British Isles cruise that begins and ends in Southampton and goes around the entire area for 2 to 2-1/2 weeks. Do a better Norway cruise. We are doing Azamara's version in 2016 which is the best we found. Love the British Isles idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted March 25, 2015 #44 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Wish Celebrity would have roundtrips out of Charleston, SC. Years ago, Celebrity Galaxy had 10 day roundtrips out of Charleston. We did two of these and they were great! :D LuLu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatlover19 Posted March 25, 2015 #45 Share Posted March 25, 2015 And remove the wonderful al Fresco dining aft of the Oceanview cafe? And the Sunset Bar? For a pool? No way! I think it could be possible to have both. The aft-pools on Princess are a deck lower than a seating area. Particularly for Caribbean cruises another outdoor pool would spread some of the crowding on the main pool deck. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cle-guy Posted March 25, 2015 #46 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Add a VIP boarding experience for a fee. Include access to suite check-in lines, access to Michaels Club for the embarkation day only up until Muster, true priority luggage delivery, as in hand it to a human who walks it to X-ray and then straight to cabin, have cabin ready on embarkation, include lunch in Bistro on 5. Provide multiple DJ's for varied music tastes Have DJ at pool deck most of the day, turn the volume down a bit, but let the DJ build a lively vibe around the pool. The solarium pool should remain silent for those who don't like the music. Enforce published policies such as MDR dress codes add USB outlets at desk and bedside add an A/V panel that allows one to easily plug in any number of devices to use the TV for video and audio, as many hotels now provide. Add the T pools to S-class and all new builds make the TV Movie system the same fleet wide, that is add the S class system to M class ships Upgrade internet connectivity Allow use of internal wi-fi on the ship, in a way that does not provide internet access (unless you pay for it), so we can link our devices to each other on the ship to communicate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsb3233 Posted March 25, 2015 #47 Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Wish Celebrity would have roundtrips out of Charleston, SC.Years ago, Celebrity Galaxy had 10 day roundtrips out of Charleston. We did two of these and they were great! :D LuLu Agreed. In fact, I'm really disappointed that cruiselines don't do entire US east coast and West coast itineraries. I'd love a one-way itinerary that looked something like this: Boston NYC (2 days) Philadelphia Baltimore Washington DC (2 days) Norfolk Wilmington, NC Charleston Of course, some of those places don't have a cruise port. But with the growth of cruising as a way to travel, I hope that more cities choose to build a port. Especially Washington DC. I know people that live on the East Coast usually just want to get away to the Bahamas or Bermuda or something, but many of us west of the East Coast (or from other countries) would love an actual East Coast itinerary. Same way on the West Coast. Princess has a limited one but I think it's only 1 week in Spring and Fall when repositioning the Alaska ships. Edited March 25, 2015 by dbsb3233 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzeluver Posted March 25, 2015 #48 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Wish Celebrity would have roundtrips out of Charleston, SC.Years ago, Celebrity Galaxy had 10 day roundtrips out of Charleston. We did two of these and they were great! LuLu Yes, yes, and yes!! We are 30 minutes form the port of Charleston. Our cruise from home on Mercury was wonderful!!! I agree with dumping the bad dj's as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20pluscruises Posted March 25, 2015 #49 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Celebrity, if you're listening, I know how you can make a fortune with the lawn / cabana area. I know I would pay top dollar if this was an option. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celebrity Cruises Posted March 25, 2015 #50 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I often wonder what the "Celebrity Official" who monitors this forum thinks or does about the endless website complaints. Are they passed on to some corporate suit who trashes them? Are they just ignored by the CO? Does anyone at Celebrity know or care about how bad the website it, clearly the worst I have ever used (or tried to)?? Periodically we get the "we're working on it" memo, "it should be fixed by Friday" meant to shut us up. Well, many many Fridays have come and gone and it's still a hot mess. When will they stop making excuses and get the damn thing fixed??? Hi there, At a recent Q&A session on the Celebrity Century, our CEO and President Lisa Lutoff-Perlo stated that our website is an extremely high priority, and that she will address the website issues that guests have been telling us about. I'll try to keep everyone updated as soon as I learn more, but simply do want to let everyone know that yes, we are aware of these issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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