Lisa Lutoff-Perlo and X's new direction

[20pluscruises]

When was your last stay at the Nugget? Of the 7 lines we have sailed, NONE are as low brow as the Nugget.

 

So which is it? In post #70 you compared X to Disney, which is the farthest thing from the Nugget there is.??

 

Actually, the Nugget is not all that bad these days with the new upgrades, but it is no where near the Bellagio.

[bogofman]

I like to think of myself as a 'young' 60 year old.

 

The way i think of age is we tend to fix our age/outlook at an age when we were most comfortable

 

mine was around 24 and i don't think i've changed much since, but my 24 is fixed as a 24 year old in 19**

 

and not with the outlook of a 2016 24 year old :rolleyes:

 

i assume most others are the same

[kenevenpar]

They also cut the size of the martini glasses at the martini bar. All are now small. Makes it difficult to take a nice drink to dinner and knowing it is grey goose and not made with the bar brand.

 

So one no longer needs the premium package at the Martini bar? That will save some $$.

[K.T.B.]

So one no longer needs the premium package at the Martini bar? That will save some $$.

 

Glasses are smaller, prices remain the same.

[grandgeezer]

Celebrity has gone downhill as have many of the cruise lines when it comes to food and service in particular. Many of the recent changes are to appeal to a young demographic but they are missing the most crucial points:

 

Young people and that includes even those under 45 do not have the luxury of taking a cruise that is longer than 10 days either due to time constraints or money

 

The majority of cruisers that are on the young side mostly cruise in the Caribbean.

 

Older cruisers (those 50 and above) are not their parents generation. They are more affluent and more fit and lastly are expected to have longer and healthier lifespans. They will cruise for many years many well into their 80s.

 

Older cruisers will prefer longer and more exotic cruises with more overnights outside of the Caribbean.

 

The simple solution is to treat the length of cruises differently as they will attract a different age profile. Cruises of a length of 10 days or more especially outside of the Caribbean should cater to an older crowd and those shorter obviously to a younger crowd.

 

A monolithic approach on all ships will not work when it comes to young vs. older passengers.

 

It is time for Celebrity to think outside the box and approach the problem from a perspective that weighs cruise length and geographic location.

 

Just my thoughts,

 

Rodan

 

Along the same lines, though the younger generation might spend more money, how often will they/can they cruise? The number one goal for Celebrity is fill the ships, the rest will follow. They might cruise once or twice a year versus people like us cruise 40-60 days a year, which is about four times. Due too the new modern luxury, we will do 22 days this year and none scheduled. Ooops, we are doing a seven day Princess next year because our friends talked us into it. Unless things change we will probably go back to Plan B, a condo in Maui, which is what we did before we got addicted to cruising, and loved it.

[20pluscruises]

So one no longer needs the premium package at the Martini bar? That will save some $$.

 

Sorry, you still need the premium package at the martini bar for martinis. Friends had to upgrade. I'm not certain if that was due to her trying all of the specialty martinis, but she did have to upgrade from the classic package for the ones on the menu.

[kenevenpar]

Glasses are smaller, prices remain the same.

 

Sorry, you still need the premium package at the martini bar for martinis. Friends had to upgrade. I'm not certain if that was due to her trying all of the specialty martinis, but she did have to upgrade from the classic package for the ones on the menu.

 

That is actually almost funny :confused::eek: But not surprising.

[20pluscruises]

That is actually almost funny :confused::eek: But not surprising.

 

IKR? We all scratched our heads with that one. :confused:

[TomTN]

Accusing all millennials of listening to rap is the same as me accusing all Boomers of listening to the Grateful Dead. :)

 

I did not accuse all millennials of listening to rap. Hey, I live in Nashville. I know really bad music.;)

 

i mentioned rap because it has become a popular type of music since 1990?

 

Just like music I've heard from different generations for 25 years of cruising the music of tomorrow will be primarily the most popular 20-40 years ago.

 

I would be pleased with no top 40 from any genre.

[wvufan]

Howdy

 

We are E+ and almost every cruise is at least 10 nights or a back to back.

 

Our biggest complaint is that the same kids who used to drive up and down our street at all hours of the night with their stereo blaring and the bass on full blast are apparently now controlling the "music" on board.

 

Somehow, the bean counters have guessed that loud techno music triggers an instinctive compulsion to buy booze.

 

Fine, let the music blare in some venues, but leave a little space somewhere so we can relax, nap, and read a book without being assaulted by a constant thump thump thump.

 

We have started cruising more and more on longer RCL cruises in part because of proximity of departure ports but also because the line between RCL and Celebrity is becoming blurred.

 

Bring back the Zenith. ;)

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE Baby :D:D Bob and Phyl

[CruisingChick]

Somehow, the bean counters have guessed that loud techno music triggers an instinctive compulsion to buy booze.

 

90+% of the ship have already bought their booze as drink packages are given out to almost everyone onboard. You'd think they would try to be discouaging drinking.

 

That DJ plus percussion they were doing last year on our cruise was the most annoying after 10 minutes I couldn't take it anymore.

[Viva_la_Vida]

As someone in her mid-30's, I find some of the disparaging remarks about people in my age bracket rather rude. There are a lot of different types of people in the age group and to clump us all together as one is ridiculous.

 

Yes, I am money conscious - I have to be as my salary is not as high as I would like and I live in a "high rent district". Yes, I have student loans, but I also made really smart moves to get them consolidated at a low interest rate. I also save my money and carefully budget and plan. Yes, I enjoy more adventurous vacations. However, that doesn't mean I don't also enjoy a Celebrity cruise. As a single person, my greatest challenge is finding someone to go with me due to so many preconceived notions. Some of the changes that X has been undergoing have helped me to convince one of my closest friends and best travel buddies to give X another try, so I am appreciative of that.

 

Truthfully, I would like to see X add more varied entertainment options such as more live music, more comedians, piano bars, and figuring out a way to get more people partying at night. I don't know all the answers, but what I do know is that in January my entire family is going on a cruise to celebrate my Grandmother's 90th birthday. Celebrity fits the bill for a group of us aged 1 to 90. No other cruise line fit all of our needs. Will I go searching for my adventure? Yes - jet skiing in Grand Cayman and look for something else in another island.

 

Life is about finding balances and Celebrity is trying to find theirs. In order to continue, they cannot rely solely on one demographic. They absolutely have to appeal to more than one age group.

 

I 100% agree, well said!

[4774Papa]

Howdy

 

We are E+ and almost every cruise is at least 10 nights or a back to back.

 

Our biggest complaint is that the same kids who used to drive up and down our street at all hours of the night with their stereo blaring and the bass on full blast are apparently now controlling the "music" on board.

 

Somehow, the bean counters have guessed that loud techno music triggers an instinctive compulsion to buy booze.

 

Fine, let the music blare in some venues, but leave a little space somewhere so we can relax, nap, and read a book without being assaulted by a constant thump thump thump.

 

We have started cruising more and more on longer RCL cruises in part because of proximity of departure ports but also because the line between RCL and Celebrity is becoming blurred.

 

Bring back the Zenith. ;)

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE Baby :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

Your post had me LOL. Glad I wasn't drinking my morning coffee.

 

I know what you mean about the volume of the music. Just because they are near deaf doesn't mean that we are.

[villauk]

Celebrity has gone downhill as have many of the cruise lines when it comes to food and service in particular. Many of the recent changes are to appeal to a young demographic but they are missing the most crucial points:

 

Young people and that includes even those under 45 do not have the luxury of taking a cruise that is longer than 10 days either due to time constraints or money

 

The majority of cruisers that are on the young side mostly cruise in the Caribbean.

 

Older cruisers (those 50 and above) are not their parents generation. They are more affluent and more fit and lastly are expected to have longer and healthier lifespans. They will cruise for many years many well into their 80s.

 

Older cruisers will prefer longer and more exotic cruises with more overnights outside of the Caribbean.

 

The simple solution is to treat the length of cruises differently as they will attract a different age profile. Cruises of a length of 10 days or more especially outside of the Caribbean should cater to an older crowd and those shorter obviously to a younger crowd.

 

A monolithic approach on all ships will not work when it comes to young vs. older passengers.

 

It is time for Celebrity to think outside the box and approach the problem from a perspective that weighs cruise length and geographic location.

 

Just my thoughts,

 

Rodan

 

As I said in a previous post, not all those under 50 only take 7 day cruises. You appear to assume that the rest of the world only has 10 days annual leave per year. Take a look at my signature, I'm not going to pay for flights all over the world for only 7 days at a time :eek:. You need to consider areas cruised before you stereotype everyone ;). Perhaps younger Americans travelling to the Caribbean fit your profile, but not so for many other pax from different countries.

[Rob the Cruiser]

Your post had me LOL. Glad I wasn't drinking my morning coffee.

 

I know what you mean about the volume of the music. Just because they are near deaf doesn't mean that we are.

 

Blame it on Mick Jagger. I do. :D

[DYKWIA]

i mentioned rap because it has become a popular type of music since 1990?

 

.

 

Rap has been around and popular for almost 40 years - Rappers Delight - Sugarhill Gang, Atomic - Blondie , both 1979

[russg140]

Howdy

 

... but also because the line between RCL and Celebrity is becoming blurred.

 

 

I was the OP and I think this part of the comment from WVUFan is spot on. Richard Fain, CEO of RCCI, was the one that moved LLP from RCCL to X (presumably based on her success with the launch of the Quantum OTS). Whereas RCCI used to do an excellent job delineating between brands (RCCL: value/moderate, younger, family, active, more price sensitive, name brand conscious; X: premium, middle age and up, service oriented, epicurean, upscale, less price conscious; Azamara: super premium, small ship experience). Now, as WVF says above, the lines are being blurred. So we have to ask "Why?"

 

By moving X closer to RCCL I think the hope is that for slightly more money RCCL (predominantly younger) customers might jump to X, but in order to do so X (which has traditionally had a more "sedate" reputation) needs to change it's image. Hello "Modern Luxury", "Evening Chic", etc. Now the introduction of "Celebrity Distinction" including more overnights in port and events on land (potentially things that appeal to a younger traveler who wants to dive into a destination not just spend 6 hours there). Sorry, but when I book a cruise I want to CRUISE not go to the French Open or Mardi Gras in Rio thank you very much. So in these ways X is changing.

 

Yes there are lots of cutbacks - that's just a product of RCCL trying to remain profitable: the food isn't as good as it once was, the service can be spotty, etc. As someone above said "All the cruise lines are doing it." I would add "for the most part". But I started thread to help me understand whether it was me or whether others felt that X is headed in the wrong direction.

 

We, too, are looking at other lines. Oceania predominantly. We've already booked a cruise on Scenic Eclipse for 2019 to Antarctica. We want to cruise with a line that when they say "Welcome Back" makes you feel like they truly mean it. To me X is not so interested in keeping my business and are really making me feel that way.

[4774Papa]

Rap has been around and popular for almost 40 years - Rappers Delight - Sugarhill Gang, Atomic - Blondie , both 1979

 

When the cruise ships start using RAP, then I will go in the opposite direction.

[DYKWIA]

When the cruise ships start using RAP, then I will go in the opposite direction.

 

Drum N Base is my Bete Noire

[richsea]

Howdy

 

We are E+ and almost every cruise is at least 10 nights or a back to back.

 

Our biggest complaint is that the same kids who used to drive up and down our street at all hours of the night with their stereo blaring and the bass on full blast are apparently now controlling the "music" on board.

 

Somehow, the bean counters have guessed that loud techno music triggers an instinctive compulsion to buy booze.

 

Fine, let the music blare in some venues, but leave a little space somewhere so we can relax, nap, and read a book without being assaulted by a constant thump thump thump.

 

We have started cruising more and more on longer RCL cruises in part because of proximity of departure ports but also because the line between RCL and Celebrity is becoming blurred.

 

Bring back the Zenith. ;)

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE Baby :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

Hi Phil! Very good post! I do have to point out that I find a loud thump, thump, thump is only annoying depending upon the type of thump being provided. Loud techno, or hip hop, would probably get my blood pressure up. However, a thumping "Sea Cruise", or song from that golden era, or pretty much any classic rock, can give me chills of joy! Some music is meant to be loud! Beauty is in the ear of the listener. Unfortunately as time goes by, there are less & less of us "people of a certain age". My Dad hated rock 'n roll lil the day he passed, but my Mom changed with the times, from Sinatra to Dave Mathews, before passing in '03. Normally, each generation has their own musical tastes, which is as it should be.

 

I guess the bottom line is that things change & evolve & we should learn to live with it. I miss much the Celebrity of old, (viva la Zenith!) but so far at least, there is enough of it left to keep us returning; although we do look to stray now, whereas before, we were loyal to X.

Edited July 18, 2016 by richsea

[neverbeenhere]

Far-out, Groovy, and all that... I can see that Cruise Critic Celebrity cruisers are really hep with the hip music scene.

[richsea]

Far-out, Groovy, and all that... I can see that Cruise Critic Celebrity cruisers are really hep with the hip music scene.

 

Hey, we are like "what's happening man?" Long live Cheech & Chong!

[DAKing240]

If someone knows what they are doing at Celebrity, they are either promoted to Royal Caribbean or fired.

[20pluscruises]

Hey, we are like "what's happening man?" Long live Cheech & Chong!

 

"Dave's not here!"

[loubetti]

Celebrity was best when the Chandris family owned it, thus the X on the funnel.