X serves up another change to Free In Stateroom Movies

[Nymich]

4 hours ago, txflood33 said:

This whole thread is simply whining.

 

X took free movies away. Everyone complained. They said they would put free movies back...and they did...just not the same as they were. When you book and it said you get free in room movies, that's what you are getting. 2 free movies meets that criteria.

 

X is a business and wants to make money. They make no money when you are in your room. Getting you out of your room increases the opportunity of you buying a cocktail, a soft drink, a coffee, or maybe visiting the casino or the shops.

 

There are fixes to this but the choice here seems to be yell at X until they cater to you. When you step back and look at it, it's pretty selfish. 

Ok we have your vote.  Let's hope you never post anything you feel was a cut and get called selfish for it.  Now you have to be perfect.

[fb0075]

THEY'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   From Celebrity

 

The message we have received has been loud and clear! I am very pleased to say that because of input from guests like you, we have decided to reinstate complimentary stateroom movies aboard our Celebrity ships, effective immediately. When sailing with us, you’ll now continue to be able to enjoy a selection of films, free of charge, from the comfort of your room.

 

FRANK

 

 

[txflood33]

1 hour ago, Nymich said:

Ok we have your vote.  Let's hope you never post anything you feel was a cut and get called selfish for it.  Now you have to be perfect.

 

I never claimed to be perfect. I openly admit I am selfish about things.

 

X took movies away and you started a thread with pitchforks and torches demanding action. I genuinely applaud you. Your action caused a reaction. X brought movies back but not to your satisfaction so you got the torches out again.

 

As I said, I'm selfish, but my bar is set higher than not getting free movies in my giant floating hotel taking me to other parts of the world.

 

Wow....when you read it like that it almost sounds petty also.

 

I know I'm in the minority here. I understand and agree with all of your reasons for the in room movie desires. However, now we’re just complaining to complain. We know the situation with X. They gave you free movies. Solutions have been offered. I have to believe there is only a small segment of the traveling population that does not travel with some form of digital entertainment ...phone, tablet(take your pick, there are many different brands and sizes), laptop...with some sort of movie(s), seasons of tv shows, audio books, whatever. If you fall into that segment it might be time to make some changes.

 

I would also like to give a hearty LOL to the ones that think anyone with only 2 cruises under their belt is any less worthy than 10, 15, 30, or 50 cruises. If you look at it from a marketing perspective, you are a regular cruiser that will return. They don't have to cater to you as much because you have shown them every time you travel with them, it was good enough to book again. Myself, however, I only have 2 cruises under my belt. 1 Carnival  and 1 X with another X coming up in March. I have not shown them that I will stick with them. However, I have shown them the amount I will spend for a cruise. I am a better target demographic to cater to.

[CulverCityCruisers]

1 minute ago, fb0075 said:

THEY'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   From Celebrity

 

The message we have received has been loud and clear! I am very pleased to say that because of input from guests like you, we have decided to reinstate complimentary stateroom movies aboard our Celebrity ships, effective immediately. When sailing with us, you’ll now continue to be able to enjoy a selection of films, free of charge, from the comfort of your room.

 

FRANK

 

 

Well that's god news if it happens.  Lets see how long this 2ND time around lasts!!

We enjoy a movie now and then in the stateroom as frequent cruises as the entertainment gets old when you sail frequently.  Fingers crossed

[hcat]

Very confused...are the movies really back???

We had them on EDGE in Nov.....but then posts said they were gone on other ships.

Can someone from Celebrity clarify???

 

I just ignore posts that complain about people posting about legit  issues that concern them and others. .

 

[oneputt18]

We just finished a 10 day on the Reflection, there was a choice of 13 free On Demand movies.

 

[mahdnc]

I am on Solstice right now. We have 26 free on demand movies on our stateroom television. I have posted screen shots of the movies on the other active thread on this subject:

 

 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2718695-complimentary-movies-are-back/?tab=comments#comment-59002597

Edited December 25, 2019 by mahdnc

[The_Big_M]

On 12/25/2019 at 1:43 AM, txflood33 said:

This whole thread is simply whining.

 

X took free movies away. Everyone complained. They said they would put free movies back...and they did...just not the same as they were. When you book and it said you get free in room movies, that's what you are getting. 2 free movies meets that criteria.

 

X is a business and wants to make money. They make no money when you are in your room. Getting you out of your room increases the opportunity of you buying a cocktail, a soft drink, a coffee, or maybe visiting the casino or the shops.

 

There are fixes to this but the choice here seems to be yell at X until they cater to you. When you step back and look at it, it's pretty selfish. 

 

So business should operate in any way to maximise revenue, no matter what the customer experience and service is like, and customer preferences - remember, they only said 3 months ago they were listening and would reinstate this service.

 

However, it's "selfish" of customers to want to maximise their enjoyment and continue with a service that has always been in place.

 

Wow, just wow. The shareholder is strong in you.

[wpgcycler]

Is "The free movies are back!!!" the new "The new phonebook is here!!!"?

[ECCruise]

19 hours ago, txflood33 said:

 

I never claimed to be perfect. I openly admit I am selfish about things.

 

X took movies away and you started a thread with pitchforks and torches demanding action. I genuinely applaud you. Your action caused a reaction. X brought movies back but not to your satisfaction so you got the torches out again.

 

As I said, I'm selfish, but my bar is set higher than not getting free movies in my giant floating hotel taking me to other parts of the world.

 

Wow....when you read it like that it almost sounds petty also.

 

I know I'm in the minority here. I understand and agree with all of your reasons for the in room movie desires. However, now we’re just complaining to complain. We know the situation with X. They gave you free movies. Solutions have been offered. I

When you posted this the first time I knew you had never or rarely sailed with Celebrity. Why?  Because the "solution" you are touting like a compromise has been on Celebrity ships for at least 15 years and maybe the whole 20 years we've been sailing them. 

Please do some research before castigating people who know the real story. 

And yes, those with 20 or 30 or 50 cruises likely have access to a tad more info than someone who has done one. Even if you think you are the target demographic, which by the way with Celebrity shifts as much as free movie decisions.  

[txflood33]

2 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

 

So business should operate in any way to maximise revenue, no matter what the customer experience and service is like, and customer preferences - remember, they only said 3 months ago they were listening and would reinstate this service.

 

However, it's "selfish" of customers to want to maximise their enjoyment and continue with a service that has always been in place.

 

Wow, just wow. The shareholder is strong in you.

 

They did reinstate free movies. 

 

I am not a X shareholder....or RCI or Carnival or NCL or any cruise line 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, wpgcycler said:

Is "The free movies are back!!!" the new "The new phonebook is here!!!"?

Isn't a phonebook that thing you used to keep beside your rotary-dial telephone? 

[txflood33]

45 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

When you posted this the first time I knew you had never or rarely sailed with Celebrity. Why?  Because the "solution" you are touting like a compromise has been on Celebrity ships for at least 15 years and maybe the whole 20 years we've been sailing them. 

Please do some research before castigating people who know the real story. 

And yes, those with 20 or 30 or 50 cruises likely have access to a tad more info than someone who has done one. Even if you think you are the target demographic, which by the way with Celebrity shifts as much as free movie decisions.  

 

I understand where you are coming from. Please know that I have worked in the service industry for 30+ years in both Operations and Marketing. They all work the same way...with exception of a very few. They all want to boost the bottom line. They see what they can cut without customers jumping ship...no pun intended. Sometimes they try out ideas as tests. Sometimes they just jump in the deep end. Sometimes it works and sometimes it fails miserably.

 

When I say I am their target demographic, I mean I have sailed with them(eaten there/shopped there...all the same) 3 times or less. They focus on the newbies to make sure they return. I thought I heard/read somewhere recently that the average age of X's passenger had dropped a little. If this is true, X would be wise to cater to that age range, if that is the largest group sailing. 

 

I say this very respectfully, it does not matter what X did in the last 10 years. What matters in the analytic data and the projected trends. I don't need the info for 10-20 cruises. I just need to be able to understand business trends and forecasts to get an idea of why they are doing what they are doing.

 

 

[rimmit]

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

When you posted this the first time I knew you had never or rarely sailed with Celebrity. Why?  Because the "solution" you are touting like a compromise has been on Celebrity ships for at least 15 years and maybe the whole 20 years we've been sailing them.  

the scheduled movies has been going on since at least 1990 on all the cruise lines back then.  Over time the scheduled movies have been pulled from most cruise lines.  Thankfully, X, HAL, Princess, and Disney has still maintained free movies in some form unlike the lower tier mainstream cruiselines like NCL and RCI.

[VitaminSea53]

29 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Isn't a phonebook that thing you used to keep beside your rotary-dial telephone? 

I think it is a code name for a booster seat that you use on the seat at the dinner table when your 5 year old isn’t tall enough. 

[ECCruise]

22 minutes ago, txflood33 said:

 

I understand where you are coming from. Please know that I have worked in the service industry for 30+ years in both Operations and Marketing. They all work the same way...with exception of a very few. They all want to boost the bottom line. They see what they can cut without customers jumping ship...no pun intended. Sometimes they try out ideas as tests. Sometimes they just jump in the deep end. Sometimes it works and sometimes it fails miserably.

I think more than a "very few" companies are customer focused first and foremost.

 

I spent many, many years running very large multi-point automobile dealerships and although, obviously, profit was a major goal, it really did fall considerably behind the customer satisfaction focus.  The automobile manufacturers so focus on CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) that they literally can put a franchised dealer out of business if they are not up to standard.  I can never remember a single time of trying cuts to the customer experience in order to boost profit.  Rather, it was let's try this (free snacks in the waiting room, courtesy rides to a local mall, etc., etc.) that would enhance the customer experience (and yes, ding the bottom line) but in the final analysis would improve the customer's experience.

 

Forbes has developed lists of the 100 most customer-centric companies in the US.  Not all are perfect by any means, but for most the effort is there.  And surprise!  They are some of the most profitable companies on the planet.

 

If you operate a business only to please the shareholders to the detriment of the customer, it may be a short term success but will likely never make the final cut.  Probably a great example is Circuit City.  Largest electronics retailer in the nation at the time who thought it would be a good idea to cut commissioned employees, decrease their product lines and other changes designed to cut costs and boost the bottom line.

Circuit City who?

Edited December 25, 2019 by ECCruise

[mayleeman]

Seems to me like people with years and years of cruising and dozens cruises have loads of experience from which I have gleaned a lot. My savings on all the recommendations I have followed here and on the RC forum total probably over a grand in just a year.

 

That said, sometimes what the super-experienced complain about are things that make little sense to the occasional cruiser. When you sail a single cruise ship or line a dozen times, yes, the meals will seem repetitive. So will the shows. So will the itineraries. And the lack of movies will seem more serious to people who no longer go on excursions or have no desire to wander about the ship since they have seen it all.

 

I have no problem with experienced people who want to retain their favorite things and complain if they are taken away. I do think the ones who complain because they are bored by the "same old same old" need to realize that any effort at making changes will over time necessarily result in taking some things away to allow new things to be tried. Refusing to accept loss of certain things can curtail the opportunity for gaining something different.

[RICCruisers]

On 12/24/2019 at 9:43 AM, txflood33 said:

This whole thread is simply whining.

 

X took free movies away. Everyone complained. They said they would put free movies back...and they did...just not the same as they were. When you book and it said you get free in room movies, that's what you are getting. 2 free movies meets that criteria.

 

X is a business and wants to make money. They make no money when you are in your room. Getting you out of your room increases the opportunity of you buying a cocktail, a soft drink, a coffee, or maybe visiting the casino or the shops.

 

There are fixes to this but the choice here seems to be yell at X until they cater to you. When you step back and look at it, it's pretty selfish. 

 

While I may agree with much of what you wrote , I totally disagree with your statement that it is “pretty selfish”.  X is in the business to make money - Correct. We as customers are in the business of getting the most value for our money. If this makes us selfish, so be it. On the other hand you must then be of the opinion that X is being selfish for trying to make money. 

 

I guess what I am trying to say is that BOTH SIDES (Customer and Company) are looking out for their own self interest. It’s nice when both sides feel like they are winners. 

Edited December 25, 2019 by RICCruisers

[txflood33]

27 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

I think more than a "very few" companies are customer focused first and foremost.

 

I spent many, many years running very large multi-point automobile dealerships and although, obviously, profit was a major goal, it really did fall considerably behind the customer satisfaction focus.  The automobile manufacturers so focus on CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) that they literally can put a franchised dealer out of business if they are not up to standard.  I can never remember a single time of trying cuts to the customer experience in order to boost profit.  Rather, it was let's try this (free snacks in the waiting room, courtesy rides to a local mall, etc., etc.) that would enhance the customer experience (and yes, ding the bottom line) but in the final analysis would improve the customer's experience.

 

Forbes has developed lists of the 100 most customer-centric companies in the US.  Not all are perfect by any means, but for most the effort is there.  And surprise!  They are some of the most profitable companies on the planet.

 

If you operate a business only to please the shareholders to the detriment of the customer, it may be a short term success but will likely never make the final cut.  Probably a great example is Circuit City.  Largest electronics retailer in the nation at the time who thought it would be a good idea to cut commissioned employees, decrease their product lines and other changes designed to cut costs and boost the bottom line.

Circuit City who?

 

I think we are closer to agreement/understanding than what may show.

 

You are absolutely correct customer service is important. Having a large background in the restaurant industry, I am a firm believer that people go for the food and return for the service. I can only imagine X's training for any customer contact position has an average number of staff interaction possibilities...coffee, meals, bars, passing by a customer, cleanliness of the room, attention to small requests, etc....all customer service touch points that can be a simple smile and a hello to a 'how are you enjoying your trip?' to a 'can I help you find something'. 

 

I can only assume there was quite a study on the number of movies watched in room and the demographics of the passengers in those rooms. There were probably analytics done for the pros and cons if the movies were removed. Since the movies went away and the 'came back' (to the thread topic of a couple of movies at set times) to now possibly returning as it was, it would seem to me a 'switch' was flipped too soon. To me it makes no sense to drop it to 2 movies and then go back in that short amount of time. 

[ExArkie]

3 hours ago, VitaminSea53 said:

I think it is a code name for a booster seat that you use on the seat at the dinner table when your 5 year old isn’t tall enough. 

Depends on which phone book. Where I grew up, it was thin enough to use under the leg of a wobbly table.

[tfred]

3 hours ago, txflood33 said:

 

 

This is the answer.  

 

They have more than enough data to show who watches and how often.  X pays for the rights to the movies no matter how many times they are watched (although there is probably some per view charge as well)

 

X wants your room comfy but not a place to spend all day watching free movies

3 hours ago, txflood33 said:

 

I can only assume there was quite a study on the number of movies watched in room and the demographics of the passengers in those rooms. There were probably analytics done for the pros and cons if the movies were removed. Since the movies went away and the 'came back' (to the thread topic of a couple of movies at set times) to now possibly returning as it was, it would seem to me a 'switch' was flipped too soon. To me it makes no sense to drop it to 2 movies and then go back in that short amount of time. 

 

[Redtravel]

I have read too many postings discussing changes.  Each ship and each sailing seems to be a new experience. Consistency seems to be missing. Celebrity seems to treat each ship as a separate experience.  I sail on other cruise lines that are consistent. Each ship in the line offers the same amenities, food, excursions, and similar entertainment.  When I sail on a RCCL/Celebrity/Azamara ship, each cruise is different. Some are good. some could improve.  Not sure what to expect. The only consistent activity is people complaining about cuts. 

[cluso]

There are many reasons why people like the on demand movies.  Examples: sick, forced quarantined (NORO or other), hungover, sunburned, just tired, missed your excursion, "alone time" from cabin mate, "alone time" from ship crowds, over did gym workout, like to watch movies while watching the seas roll by, feeling pampered and doing what you want--when you want (movie wise).  😚     

Edited December 26, 2019 by cluso

[cluso]

38 minutes ago, cluso said:

There are many reasons why people like the on demand movies.  Examples: sick, forced quarantined (NORO or other), hungover, sunburned, just tired, missed your excursion, "alone time" from cabin mate, "alone time" from ship crowds, over did gym workout, like to watch movies while watching the seas roll by, feeling pampered and doing what you want--when you want (movie wise).  😚     

And--Weather, missed ports, etc...

[rimmit]

11 hours ago, mayleeman said:

That said, sometimes what the super-experienced complain about are things that make little sense to the occasional cruiser. When you sail a single cruise ship or line a dozen times, yes, the meals will seem repetitive. So will the shows. So will the itineraries. And the lack of movies will seem more serious to people who no longer go on excursions or have no desire to wander about the ship since they have seen it all..

This is an excellent explanation regarding why experienced cruisers are more sensitive to change.  I equate it to a frequent flyer or traveler.   When you stay at a specific hotel chain for a significant amount of time, you begin to notice EVERY nuance of the hotel chain.   You start to expect having a cookie at check in.  You expect a specific type of breakfast at that chain.  You memorize their bath amenities.  You know the types of pillows they have.  You really start to get comfortable and expect certain amenities and service.   The moment that hotel chain starts to eliminate certain amenities, a frequent traveler immediately notices.  If The amenity that was cut was of particular importance,  the traveler may start to look at other hotel chains, as that may be one of the reasons they chose that hotel.  

While that cookie at check in may seem irrelevant to someone staying at that chain for just one night a year,  to the frequent traveler it signals cutbacks and it Causes them to question the direction the hotel is moving in.  Are more cutbacks coming?  Is the chain in financial trouble?  Am I just not worth a free cookie anymore?  Sometimes a cookie isn’t just a cookie,  it’s a sign of goodwill and a service standard.