So What has changed over the last 4 years?

[Lois R]

I haven't sailed with X in a fairly long time......used to be my only choice but I had some life changes and have been on a River Cruise and a couple of Silversea cruises (with one Royal in between)…….so other than Edge coming into the fleet, any other things change? I had the Edge booked for January but cancelled it...…...just

wondering about anything else new?...….I would be able to book a suite and just wondering from suite folks any insights...This would be for the beginning of the year if I do book...…..

 

Thanks.:)

[dkjretired]

I haven't sailed with X in a fairly long time......used to be my only choice but I had some life changes and have been on a River Cruise and a couple of Silversea cruises (with one Royal in between)…….so other than Edge coming into the fleet, any other things change? I had the Edge booked for January but cancelled it...…...just

wondering about anything else new?...….I would be able to book a suite and just wondering from suite folks any insights...This would be for the beginning of the year if I do book...…..

 

Thanks.:)

 

Hi Lois

 

I just upgraded to a sky suite on the 27th of January, just Jeanne and I. We also have a suite with our son in June heading North on the Summit. Interesting to see the difference

[Alabaster Cruiser]

Hi Lois...sounds like life is going well for you. Glad to hear it. We don't book suites but as members of Blue Chip Club we have been invited to Michael's club several times. I can tell you that we really enjoyed that part of the suite perks. Maybe one day we will invest our money in a suite instead of in the casino! Hope you enjoy your next cruise wherever it may be.....Susan

 

 

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[Doctor G]

Lois, I think the suite perks are really great. In particular I like Michael's Club and Luminae. There is a lot of personal attention to those in suites. While I have not sailed on one of the small luxury lines, I think Celebrity's suite experience is probably much like that. I don't always sail in a suite, but wish I could.

 

Carolyn

[Lois R]

Hi Lois

 

I just upgraded to a sky suite on the 27th of January, just Jeanne and I. We also have a suite with our son in June heading North on the Summit. Interesting to see the difference

 

Don, hope you have a great time:)

[Lois R]

Hi Lois...sounds like life is going well for you. Glad to hear it. We don't book suites but as members of Blue Chip Club we have been invited to Michael's club several times. I can tell you that we really enjoyed that part of the suite perks. Maybe one day we will invest our money in a suite instead of in the casino! Hope you enjoy your next cruise wherever it may be.....Susan

 

 

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Hi Susan, hope you are both doing well:)…….things are going ok, thanks. As for the casino, I rarely gamble and if I do it is at the cheap tables.;)

[Lois R]

Lois, I think the suite perks are really great. In particular I like Michael's Club and Luminae. There is a lot of personal attention to those in suites. While I have not sailed on one of the small luxury lines, I think Celebrity's suite experience is probably much like that. I don't always sail in a suite, but wish I could.

 

Carolyn

 

Hi Carolyn:) thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. I do know one of the main and largest differences is the size of the ship. 400 guests as opposed to 2400 guests (or more).

[mahdnc]

I just wanted to say, hi Lois. I hope you are well.

 

David

 

 

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[Lois R]

I just wanted to say, hi Lois. I hope you are well.

 

David

 

 

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Hi David:) thanks and hope you and your family are doing well too.

[Denny01]

Hello Lois!

 

Welcome back to Celebrity. Changes? Still an excellent Line with great service. Have seen a reduction in the number of staff getting drink orders and the MDR staff have more tables to wait on, meaning a reduction in attentive service a bit. But especially if you gonSuites you won’t see that.

 

The big theater entertainment has gotten better in my opinion but don’t have the quartet singing in different venues. They added a string ensemble instead and enjoy that.

 

Enjoy!

 

Den

[Tommy3putts]

Welcome home.

 

We aren’t picky, we still love Celebrity. IMHO, nothing much has changed. The only problem is work keeps getting in the way.

 

Cheers

 

Tom

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

In my view, what has changed is that prices have skyrocketed. If you sail in a suite, you will have fabulous service and good food in Luminae. But this will cost you. I just cancelled a sky suite which would have cost me over $8,000 with the single supplement. Booked a Yacht Club Suite on MSC for less than $2,000 with NO single supplement. No contest.

All that being said, I'm just back from three weeks on the Connie in the Med. I sailed in one of those new OV cabins which used to be conference rooms. Had an excellent cabin attendant! Discovered by accident that the food in the buffet in the evening was better and more innovative than that in the MDR and that they were bringing on locally-sourced foods in some of the ports. So it was an excellent if pricey cruise.

I have 4 more booked Celebrity cruises. Not sure if I'll take any of them. Will see what develops.

[villageneighbor]

Quick thoughts on changes in the last 4 years:

1) MDR used to have 4 courses - starter, then salad or soup, then main, then dessert, now 3 courses with starter/soup/salad offerings are grouped.

2) Wine by glass list used to be deeper. Still good, but less variety

3) More beer offerings

4) Notice more of staff trying to learn/remember/use your name

5) Evening Chic - is less formal than the formal nights

6) First day there's a lot of upselling - specialty dinners, upgrade drink package, etc. but stops after that.

7) Estimate that more people have at least the classic beverage package - as more of Celebrity's cruises have bundled pricing

8) Not changed - Service still very high quality, ship officers very visible,

[chemmo]

If you book the higher suites (RS/PH) you are now getting much more for your money....Premium drinks package, unlimited speciality dining, WiFi, laundry, room bar set up 2 bottles spirits of choice, beer, soda and water refilled in your minibar daily plus butler and access to Michael’s Club and Luminae. Another plus is these perks include possible guests 3/4 so if you are cruising with family the perks have even more value....

 

We did cruise a PH pre these changes and apart from one speciality dining and the spirit set up that was all that came with a big room. You were still paying out for your drinks, wine and speciality dining unless you wanted to just dine in the MDR....Big improvement!

[4774Papa]

In my view, what has changed is that prices have skyrocketed. If you sail in a suite, you will have fabulous service and good food in Luminae. But this will cost you. I just cancelled a sky suite which would have cost me over $8,000 with the single supplement. Booked a Yacht Club Suite on MSC for less than $2,000 with NO single supplement. No contest.

All that being said, I'm just back from three weeks on the Connie in the Med. I sailed in one of those new OV cabins which used to be conference rooms. Had an excellent cabin attendant! Discovered by accident that the food in the buffet in the evening was better and more innovative than that in the MDR and that they were bringing on locally-sourced foods in some of the ports. So it was an excellent if pricey cruise.

I have 4 more booked Celebrity cruises. Not sure if I'll take any of them. Will see what develops.

I wish to address two issues.

1) suites- We upgraded to a Skysuite on Millennium a couple of years ago and it was very nice, but we will never do that again, since we missed dining with our new cruise friends in the MDR. Luminae was great, the extra space is great, but we don't need a hand holding butler. Also, paying upfront for a suite is way over our priceline.

2) Celebrity's prices in recent years-We have done 10 X cruises and virtually all that can be done in the Med. We don't do the Caribbean after one there. We booked Royal C for our Transpacific in April/May and it was very similar to X, with better entertainment. Loved the ice shows. Also, the Royal C happy hour (Diamond Club) is superior to the Elite happy hour. It runs from 4:30 to 8 and you can order wine in the MDR up until 8. We didn't spend a penny on alcohol on the 23 day cruise.

Also, Celebrity bundles it prices with drink packages that we don't want. Its prices are inflated, except for the Transatlantic and Repo cruises that don't bundle. We have a great Royal C. cruise booked for June 2019 in Norway up to the Arctic Circle. Looking forward to that one. Still, we are booked as well on the Eclipse from Chile to San Diego in March/April, since it is a cheaper Repo cruise.

[jcpc]

Hello Lois,

 

Glad to see you back on the Celebrity boards and considering another Celebrity cruise.

 

I sail exclusively M class, in particular, Summit and I think the service and attention to detail by the staff and crew has gotten better over the years if that's possible. All the production shows changed about 2 or 3 years ago so they are all new (of course, after you sail a few times these shows then become "old"!) Also, on Summit,, I think the guest entertainers they have been booking are great. I a not a fan of "S" class ships as they are too big for me. I am booked on Edge in January (very curious to see new ship), but then I'm sure I'll return to my Summit.

 

I agree pricing has skyrocketed but there are deals to be had. (Recent example 6 night Summit repo was selling for $309 per person for inside cabin - now that's CHEAP!. And the RS pricing was very low - at least 1/2 of what you pay for a RS on a 7 night cruise).

 

I am fortunate in that I sail in suites. Suite perks of Luminae and Michael's Club are excellent. I believe the quality of the food in Luminae has decreased since the inception of this restaurant, but the food is still very good. What makes Luminae outstanding is the quality of service you receive and the atmosphere of the restaurant. It is much quieter and more relaxing than the MDR. Obviously the quietness varies from week to week and actually from night to night - but it is a much more relaxed atmosphere - you don't have the noise or hub-bub that you have in the MDR. The maitre'd and servers really get to "know you" and your likes and dislikes. And the servers in Luminae make sure that you are happy with your meal - whether your order from the Luminae menu or the MDR menu. The chef is more than happy to make "special meals" for you with a little bit of notice.

Edited August 8, 2018 by jcpc

[Lois R]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate them. I have some time to make a decision so the posts give me some food for thought.

[richsea]

Hi Kois, good to see you back on the Celebrity boards. Miss your insightsand trip reports. Lots of changes reported here, but I would say that they are basically the same as you recall. I can’t speak to the suite experience, but the commentson the boardsare mostly favorable. I suspect that with your positive attitude, you will have an enjoyable cruise back on Celebrity. Try one sailing and then you decide which experience you prefer. It’s great to have choices! Like you, we no longer sail exclusively with Celebrity, but still enjoy their product. Again, welcome back!

[maggie.1008]

Hi Lois, I know we have talked on several different boards. For the last 18 months we have been on Oceania, Crystal and Seabourn. We have not done a X cruise for 2 years. I now have 3 X cruises booked. It all depends on what size ship you like. We love the luxury lines and feel that X prices forced us back to them , after 25 cruises on X. My next 4 cruises on X are 2 in AQ and 1 in A1 and Edge with SV. ( no suite bookings ) If you look around the premium and luxury lines are about the same as X suites.

I think X is the very best of the mass cruise ships, but they are not worth the price of their suites. You still are cruising with 2800 passengers.

 

I do have a cruise booked on the Edge as I feel that ship will be a industry changer. What are your reasons for canceling the Edge. I am cruising in Jan 2020 when the rates go down a bit. Not worth the money right now. I can go on Seaborn or SS for those prices.

 

Hope we sail together soon, Heather

[maggie.1008]

Forgot to mention they don`t do the Captain`s table on formal / Chic night in the main dining room. At least not on the cruises we have been on. I think Officer`s still host a small group in the Spec. Dine. rooms. We sat with Staff Captain in Murano`s in 2015.

[Lois R]

Hi Heather, you asked me my reasons for cancelling Edge......well, more than one reason really. My recent sailings have been a small ships...…(less than 500 and less than 400) and I just wasn't excited anymore about sailing a larger ship. So the size and I don't mean to sound jaded but I love the small ship experience. I realize I loved Celebrity for many years but sometimes things change. The entire ambiance...….hard to put my finger on it. I know I would enjoy myself (I always do) if I do choose an X cruise and I just wanted to know if anything changed. I was never able to sail in a suite previously and I would be able to do that so that would be different for me for sure.

 

Anyway, thanks for all the input.

[Lois R]

Hi Kois, good to see you back on the Celebrity boards. Miss your insightsand trip reports. Lots of changes reported here, but I would say that they are basically the same as you recall. I can’t speak to the suite experience, but the commentson the boardsare mostly favorable. I suspect that with your positive attitude, you will have an enjoyable cruise back on Celebrity. Try one sailing and then you decide which experience you prefer. It’s great to have choices! Like you, we no longer sail exclusively with Celebrity, but still enjoy their product. Again, welcome back!

 

Hi Rich:)…..yes, I do try and always have a good time;) but I have been spoiled by a "small ship experience"

Seems the staff knows your name after 1 day...…

 

Anyway, you are right about one thing, I would have to try X again to see how it goes...…...

[RodPat]

Lois, so good to see you back here on the Celebrity boards. We now are only sailing in suites as we love the extra room, the 4 perks, Luminae and Michaels Club. We enjoy our butler and the suite concierge in Michaels has been wonderful in making all our reservations. We don't have to pay for luggage valet and the Michaels club concierge takes care of everything for us. We love being walked off the ship by the Michaels club concierge also. We just feel special in a sea of people. We have a Celebrity suite coming up on our next cruise and also booked one on the Edge. As we get older we just spoil ourselves for all our years of working hard.

My favorite ship was the Mercury but times change and if you have an open mind that change just could be for the better.

 

Pat

[Lois R]

Hi Pat:)…...I agree with you that things are always changing;)…….I stepped away from X....that was a change.

LOL…..the one constant thing in life? Change...…..a new day happens every 24 hours...…

 

Give my best to Rod and happy sailing to you both.

[RodPat]

Hi Pat:)…...I agree with you that things are always changing;)…….I stepped away from X....that was a change.

LOL…..the one constant thing in life? Change...…..a new day happens every 24 hours...…

 

Give my best to Rod and happy sailing to you both.

 

Same to you Lois, may all your cruise days be on flat seas and with sunny skies.

 

Pat