Friction. Tension. Disruption. Why?

[NordicPrince]

Oceania has gotten all our business since we decided to leave Celebrity due to what we feel is a complete downgrade of the product. We had more than 35 cruises on Celebrity, mostly in the RS or PH, and even then, we just don't like the direction that Celebrity has taken in the last two years.

 

BUT, Oceania is NOT formal by any stretch of the imagination. There are NO formal nights and the evening clothing is dressier casual. We rarely see a sport coat, and never have seen a tux or gown. Even their most fancy restaurants don't require a coat and tie and we see women wearing capri pants and slacks at night in all the restaurants. The only thing is you can't wear shorts in the dining rooms except the buffet, at night. But, there are plenty who wear shorts after dinner.

 

 

Just thought I'd put a link into the post to show what a difference in price points you are talking about between Oceania and Celebrity. This is for a 12 night Western Caribbean cruise. If you can afford this, more power to you. If you like sailing on much smaller ships more power to you. For an average person like me, if I had to pay these prices I'd never cruise at all. For DW and I we love the S-class ships of Celebrity.

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Caribbean-cruises/miami-to-miami-REG161117/

 

Enjoy your cruises.

[SPacificbound]

DH and I are Princess cruisers but we are looking for alternatives so that we have more options. Until yesterday, HAL was not an option due to smoking policy. Also, we are maybe a bit young for HAL.

 

Yet, I wonder if we are too old for Celebrity, based on their new marketing direction. I have read that on transatlantic sailings, where most passengers are retirement age or older, the bands are not allowed to play classic rock. Also, there is loud thumping music and they say Miami will not allow them to lower the volume.

 

Now, I have found a Skift article about how Celebrity marketing seeks to be disruptive to the cruise industry (although not as disruptive as Airbnb has been to hotels). Also, they want more friction or at least tension in how they attract consumers. Will this spill into the onboard atmosphere?

 

We don't vacation for friction, tension, or disruption. I know being blasted with loud music would provide all those things for me. I wonder if more changes are in store to make Celebrity less attractive to older cruisers.

 

P.S. We like the idea of Evening Chic.

 

I absolutely do not get the "friction, tension, or disruption".

 

You will never know if you like something unless you try it.

[jabrown40]

I wish there would have been MORE music at the pool. Any kind of music. I was totally annoyed by the stupid pool games, and ended up going to the solarium just to get away from the Port vrs Starboard "Olympic" competition every single day. There was always some sort of line dancing instruction as well. I thought Celebrity would have less of this, but at least there is somewhere else to chill out to get away from the commotion. At least I didn't see a belly flop contest. I did realize after the first day that getting a chair closer to the pool bar was a bit more removed, and will stay away from the stage area in the future.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I've never encountered loud, thumping music on Celebrity. I would say, on an average cruise during the school year, the passenger mix is a little younger than Princess, but it's barely noticeable.

 

I find Celebrity to be a good alternative to Princess. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Azulann]

I absolutely do not get the "friction, tension, or disruption".

 

You will never know if you like something unless you try it.

 

I think the OP just wants to speculate without ever booking a Celebrity cruise.

I think they should try HAL. ;)

Edited October 4, 2016 by Azulann

[Luvcrusn]

I think some folks aren't happy unless they find something about which they can complain. Our experience has been, if you want to enjoy, you will. If you want to find something to complain about, you will. Personally, we enjoy X more than any other, but we have enjoyed all of our cruises. Some we preferred more than others bc of itinerary, companions, etc., but if you love cruising and that type of vacation, there are enough choices to please most. Some cannot be pleased.

[LabGuy64]

It would be easier for you to ponder the issues if you take a Celebrity cruise...then you will know...even listening here you won't be sure as everyone has a different take on things.

 

 

 

DH and I are Princess cruisers but we are looking for alternatives so that we have more options. Until yesterday, HAL was not an option due to smoking policy. Also, we are maybe a bit young for HAL.

 

Yet, I wonder if we are too old for Celebrity, based on their new marketing direction. I have read that on transatlantic sailings, where most passengers are retirement age or older, the bands are not allowed to play classic rock. Also, there is loud thumping music and they say Miami will not allow them to lower the volume.

 

Now, I have found a Skift article about how Celebrity marketing seeks to be disruptive to the cruise industry (although not as disruptive as Airbnb has been to hotels). Also, they want more friction or at least tension in how they attract consumers. Will this spill into the onboard atmosphere?

 

We don't vacation for friction, tension, or disruption. I know being blasted with loud music would provide all those things for me. I wonder if more changes are in store to make Celebrity less attractive to older cruisers.

 

P.S. We like the idea of Evening Chic.

[varoo]

I wish there would have been MORE music at the pool. Any kind of music. I was totally annoyed by the stupid pool games, and ended up going to the solarium just to get away from the Port vrs Starboard "Olympic" competition every single day.......

They had those competitions on our first Carnival cruise, years ago.

We found it silly and annoying, being treated like children at summer camp, the way they kept urging us to cheer for "our" team, something we could not care less about.

Many of us would just get up and go retreat to the privacy of our balconies whenever they started it.

 

So we were happy to learn they were no longer doing it when we took our next Carnival cruise a few years later.

But we cruise with Carnival so infrequently that we really don't know if it is a regular practice with them, or just the whim of whoever happens to be running the activities at the time.

 

 

We never expected to encounter it on Celebrity, and were very surprised to find the activities staff encouraging it on our last Celebrity cruise.

It was not only at the pool, but even in the lounges they kept urging the port and starboard sides to compete to see who could make the most noise.

 

I am guessing this was likely the "bright idea" of some employee who came over to Celebrity from Carnival, or one of the other cruise lines that promote those type of noisy rah-rah competitions.

 

The relaxing, laid-back vibe on Celebrity has been among the features we find most appealing about this line.

 

Those brochures from Oceania are starting to look more attractive. :D

 

 

[chemmo]

I absolutely do not get the "friction, tension, or disruption".

 

You will never know if you like something unless you try it.

 

I don't get it either..

 

We cruise Celebrity for rest, relaxation and service...

 

We were concerned when we took our first Celebrity cruise that we could find it boring after being regular RC cruisers...we tried, we liked.

 

We like the fact there are venues with a wide range of music being played. If the music is loud for us in one venue we go to another....Having a variety of styles around the ship does mean it can appeal to a wider market, I have no issue with that. Variety is the spice of life and if you make the effort to try something new you can even find you enjoy it!

 

Another vote to give it a try...

[johhnnyt]

That cruise must have been a Caribbean cruise. ALL cruise lines try to cater to the crowd and itinerary of that particular cruise. I have cruised on Reflection twice (not in the Caribbean) and it was the same both times, refined but lively; friendly but plenty of room to find your own quiet space when desired; top notch staff, officers, cuisine, and presentation. The Reflection is one of our favorite ships but we avoid Caribbean cruises on any ship for the reasons stated above.

 

I've found every Celebrity Cruise the same way "lively; friendly but plenty of room to find your own quiet space when desired; top notch staff, officers, cuisine, and presentation". I'm 59 btw

 

As far as marketing to the next generation, they would be remiss to their responsibility to shareholders if they didn't start now trying to attract a new generation of traveler. Only 30% of Celebrity's passengers are repeat cruisers, 25% are people who have cruised on another line but are new to Celebrity, so that leaves 45% are new passengers to cruising. So if 70% of your client base are new to the brand, you certainly need to try and attract them.

[hubofhockey]

The disruption in the article was regarding the marketing not the cruise experience. There was no reason to think it would impact the ships atmosphere. The "cola wars" didn't change the taste of the drinks.

As to Celebrity looking for a younger demographic, read the boards. That conversation has been going on for a long time. Of course they're marketing to the younger crowds, the older crowd is thinning. For all the gloom and doom on the boards, we've only had one bad experience on Celebrity and I think that had more to do with the ship itself.

 

Of course, you are correct. I think the OP misunderstood the point of the article. The CEO and new CMO are good with the product and looking for new ways to market it that are DIFFERENT from the industry. They say in the article that in the marketing space, the cruise industry is not ready for friction, but maybe some disruption and that disruption is in digital and mobile marketing. There is absolutely nothing about creating a louder or in your face experience.

 

He said he sees big potential for marketing especially in the digital and mobile space.

 

Lutoff-Perlo, who was named CEO in December 2014, told Skift earlier this year that she was “sick of the same sameness” in cruise marketing. With a new ad campaign and rebranding that launched in January, her goal was to more effectively articulate the personality of the brand.

[claudiniusmaximus]

When we were on reflection this summer the music wasn't intrusive. We would look in our daily newsletter and plan where to go when, depending on what entertainment is planned.

 

So we would see that the acoustic guitar was in the sunset bar at, say, 2pm and the cello quartet was in the ensemble at 6 and the duo in the ensemble singing 60s music at 8 and the Irish folk music in the foyer at 9 and go to those places then. Similarly we would see that the 70s night was in the pool deck at 10pm and not bother with that cos it didn't interest us.

 

We found there were so many places with so many different types of music playing or places with none at all and plan our time accordingly. There is no need to be disturbed by any kind of music you don't want to hear at all.

Edited October 4, 2016 by claudiniusmaximus

[lavender29]

They had those competitions on our first Carnival cruise, years ago.

We found it silly and annoying, being treated like children at summer camp, the way they kept urging us to cheer for "our" team, something we could not care less about.

Many of us would just get up and go retreat to the privacy of our balconies whenever they started it.

 

So we were happy to learn they were no longer doing it when we took our next Carnival cruise a few years later.

But we cruise with Carnival so infrequently that we really don't know if it is a regular practice with them, or just the whim of whoever happens to be running the activities at the time.

 

 

We never expected to encounter it on Celebrity, and were very surprised to find the activities staff encouraging it on our last Celebrity cruise.

It was not only at the pool, but even in the lounges they kept urging the port and starboard sides to compete to see who could make the most noise.

 

I am guessing this was likely the "bright idea" of some employee who came over to Celebrity from Carnival, or one of the other cruise lines that promote those type of noisy rah-rah competitions.

 

The relaxing, laid-back vibe on Celebrity has been among the features we find most appealing about this line.

 

Those brochures from Oceania are starting to look more attractive. :D

 

 

 

Totally agree after 3 cruises with celebrity, we do find all the celebrity pool games against officers, and port verses starboard etc so silly and annoying, I just wish celebrity had a outside adult quiet pool, that's the one thing I miss on celebrity ships, I don't like the enclosed feel in the solarium.

[El Crucero]

Totally agree after 3 cruises with celebrity, we do find all the celebrity pool games against officers, and port verses starboard etc so silly and annoying,

 

Some people like these, some don't. They are just not our thing, but they are easy to avoid since they are announced in the Daily Bulletin. There are so many things to do while aboard that it is easy to find the exact vibe you are looking for.

[Rob the Cruiser]

Just thought I'd put a link into the post to show what a difference in price points you are talking about between Oceania and Celebrity. This is for a 12 night Western Caribbean cruise. If you can afford this, more power to you. If you like sailing on much smaller ships more power to you. For an average person like me, if I had to pay these prices I'd never cruise at all. For DW and I we love the S-class ships of Celebrity.

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Caribbean-cruises/miami-to-miami-REG161117/

 

Enjoy your cruises.

 

I agree.

 

$2,399 for an E ocean view cabin for this cruise.

 

$2,349 for a 14 night Caribbean cruise on Eclipse in an Aqua-class cabin. Yes, Oceania has some very nice brochures and their specialty restaurants are are "free" but I'll stay with Celebrity.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Rob the Cruiser

[Luvcrusn]

Unless you're Bill Gates with an amazing super yacht or Warren Buffet with unlimited funds, there's always something better. Hubs and I prefer to enjoy what we have instead of searching to find what's wrong with those things. How lucky are all of us on here to have the health, time, funds and fortune to spend onboard a cruise ship. I think there is always something better out there, but choose to enjoy where I am, who I'm with and what I'm doing instead of dwelling on the negative. There are enough choices aboard that keep me happy. I find it a better way to look at life. Sure there are vacations we've taken that we've liked more than others, but this outlook has made us laugh at the mishaps and enjoy every vacation we've taken. Some we chose to repeat, others not so much...but we do enjoy our times on X. Happy sails

[hcat]

Mostly about marketing ...the term disruptive came into play when she hired the new marketing guru...apparently he is known for "disruptive marketing or advertising " whatever that is...and they sure made a big splash with that new ad,..,offended many but also got alot of attention,

 

When X had fewer ships, the loyal clientele filled them with taking 3 or 4 cruises a year...Now with more and larger ships they need to seek out new cruisers, and will try lots of new stuff...some of it works, some doesn't...seems the loud music is fading away except at the places where it makes sense!

 

We are looking forward to trying the silent dance (headphones) on Infinity in a few weeks,,,Heard it was alot of fun for all ages!

 

Wish they'd copy some of the nicer ideas out there...Cunard has two themed cruises on the Queen Victoria....a garden cruise starting with a stay in a hotel with a private garden tour,,, and one with an art and literature theme,, Royal has an east coast cruise that goes to Charleston, the space center etc,

[kevinyork]

Hasn't this thread missed the original theme? It's the marketing that was discussed, not the onboard experience. Some of the stuff lisa lutoff-perlo comes out with certainly jars with me. She keeps beating on about wanting to attract affluent families. That's not a sector I see amongst X's passengers to any degree and I think it insults the loyal Celebrity passenger base they already have. I can just about cope with the overused Modern Luxury slogan but battling for sunbeds amongst the tattooed masses that were on Eclipse the last two weeks wouldn't pass for luxury. We had a ball and met great people and love Celebrity but I would have loved to beam Ms liftoff-perlo onboard to show the clientele who were having a great time onboard one of her ships. I think she might have got a shock. Still, the sailing was sold out quite a bit in advance so shouldn't she be happy?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bigbenboys]

Oceania has gotten all our business since we decided to leave Celebrity due to what we feel is a complete downgrade of the product. We had more than 35 cruises on Celebrity, mostly in the RS or PH, and even then, we just don't like the direction that Celebrity has taken in the last two years.

 

BUT, Oceania is NOT formal by any stretch of the imagination. There are NO formal nights and the evening clothing is dressier casual. We rarely see a sport coat, and never have seen a tux or gown. Even their most fancy restaurants don't require a coat and tie and we see women wearing capri pants and slacks at night in all the restaurants. The only thing is you can't wear shorts in the dining rooms except the buffet, at night. But, there are plenty who wear shorts after dinner.

 

Glad to here about Oceania. I'll take a look at Oceania again.

[keithm]

DH and I are Princess cruisers but we are looking for alternatives so that we have more options. Until yesterday, HAL was not an option due to smoking policy. Also, we are maybe a bit young for HAL.

 

Yet, I wonder if we are too old for Celebrity, based on their new marketing direction. I have read that on transatlantic sailings, where most passengers are retirement age or older, the bands are not allowed to play classic rock. Also, there is loud thumping music and they say Miami will not allow them to lower the volume.

 

Now, I have found a Skift article about how Celebrity marketing seeks to be disruptive to the cruise industry (although not as disruptive as Airbnb has been to hotels). Also, they want more friction or at least tension in how they attract consumers. Will this spill into the onboard atmosphere?

 

We don't vacation for friction, tension, or disruption. I know being blasted with loud music would provide all those things for me. I wonder if more changes are in store to make Celebrity less attractive to older cruisers.

 

P.S. We like the idea of Evening Chic.

We've only done the Eclipse. We do notice the loud music in the main pool area. For that reason we do the solarium & find it great.

[kitty9]

Just thought I'd put a link into the post to show what a difference in price points you are talking about between Oceania and Celebrity. This is for a 12 night Western Caribbean cruise. If you can afford this, more power to you. If you like sailing on much smaller ships more power to you. For an average person like me, if I had to pay these prices I'd never cruise at all. For DW and I we love the S-class ships of Celebrity.

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Caribbean-cruises/miami-to-miami-REG161117/

 

Enjoy your cruises.

 

It's all in the numbers. On Oceania their fares include airfare, all beverages except alcohol, some shore excursions, and no charge for their specialty beverages. And with their OLife promotions, there's also choices of free internet or $800 OBC. Plus, there are some amazing sales going on right now.

 

Now I know there's the argument that Celebrity has their "free" beverage package. But nothing is really "free" on X as you're paying for all those things with their higher fares.

[DavidYYC]

I first read this post yesterday, and am genuinely appalled at its pompous, elitist, entitled tone.

 

Like it, or not, that's how it came across.

[Luvcrusn]

It's all in the numbers. On Oceania their fares include airfare, all beverages except alcohol, some shore excursions, and no charge for their specialty beverages. And with their OLife promotions, there's also choices of free internet or $800 OBC. Plus, there are some amazing sales going on right now.

 

Now I know there's the argument that Celebrity has their "free" beverage package. But nothing is really "free" on X as you're paying for all those things with their higher fares.

 

So let's compare apples and apples. Look at the Oceana brochure and compare that with a 10 night Caribbean on X. Concierge C2 cabin on X in Dec. on eclipse b4 the last minute price drops to be fair. Cabin chosen by passenger. Cruise fare $1399. with taxes and fees costs for 2 $3021. Additionally cruiser received Classic beverage package (which includes alcohol), prepaid gratuities and $600 onboard credit. Airfare for two passengers paid by them roundtrip for two, another $600 out of pocket. If they choose unlimited wifi, they can book it onboard using the onboard credit or preboarding for $282 less their CC discount 25% either way. Seems like what you're paying for is a lot of extra profit for Oceana. The fares look a lot higher to me on Oceana. They are "giving you" nothing, you are paying for the air, wifi, not getting alcohol, paying more for alcohol if you want it and paying for the "free" shore excursions. I guess what it comes down to for us is X gives us a nice experience for a cost that's acceptable. And although there might be things we'd change, we come home well fed, well pampered, rested and happy.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Luvcrusn
spelling

[cruise101]

We have sailed both X & Princess before (and also HAL). We have enjoyed X & HAL. However, MUTS on Princess really got under our skin. If you are concerned about "loud", MUTS just ditched Princess for us forever. Blaring sound at MUTS at all hours was not our cup of tea. X is polished and I cannot think of any time when sound was an issue on X (or HAL for that matter). In fact we did a TA last fall on the Eclipse and thoroughly enjoyed it. The entertainment (especially the CD) was excellent and with the additional hour each sea day, we rarely got back to our cabins before 1AM (and yes, we are classified as senior citizens). In our opinion, there is nothing that'd hold us back from sailing X. In fact later this month we have convinced one of our friends from down under who has never cruised before to join us on a Med cruise on X. I think you'll enjoy X (especially their S class ships).

[keithm]

We have sailed both X & Princess before (and also HAL). We have enjoyed X & HAL. However, MUTS on Princess really got under our skin. If you are concerned about "loud", MUTS just ditched Princess for us forever. Blaring sound at MUTS at all hours was not our cup of tea. X is polished and I cannot think of any time when sound was an issue on X (or HAL for that matter). In fact we did a TA last fall on the Eclipse and thoroughly enjoyed it. The entertainment (especially the CD) was excellent and with the additional hour each sea day, we rarely got back to our cabins before 1AM (and yes, we are classified as senior citizens). In our opinion, there is nothing that'd hold us back from sailing X. In fact later this month we have convinced one of our friends from down under who has never cruised before to join us on a Med cruise on X. I think you'll enjoy X (especially their S class ships).

We did 1 cruise on the Regal last Feb. True MUTS is rather loud, but it didn't bother us. If we wanted quiet, we did the Sanctuary.