“Ambush” style of new charges!

[mnocket]

5 hours ago, eroller said:

Sad to read a thread like this on the Celebrity board.  Unfortunately there is similar type thread for every major cruise line on CC.  The trend on them all is get less and pay more, and cutbacks.
 

It’s not even a matter of writing off one line and moving to another because they are all doing it.  To what extent and degree varies but it appears this will be the trend for 2023.   
 

Might be a good time to take a break from cruising, unless it’s a dirt cheap deal.  The value proposition is diminishing and so many of the unique attributes that make cruising so special are vanishing.  If they are adamant about becoming more like the hotel industry might as well just stay at a hotel.  Sad.  

I was wondering about this, so earlier today I actually posted a query on the Oceania board.  It seems that they have also experienced some cutbacks and price increases, but the posters there still seem to be happy overall with Oceania.

 

 

This may change of course, but for now it's a very different tone than the Celebrity and Princess boards.

[eroller]

41 minutes ago, mnocket said:

I was wondering about this, so earlier today I actually posted a query on the Oceania board.  It seems that they have also experienced some cutbacks and price increases, but the posters there still seem to be happy overall with Oceania.

 

 

This may change of course, but for now it's a very different tone than the Celebrity and Princess boards.

 

Lots of discontent on the NCL, Royal, HAL, and Carnival boards as well.  It’s all the same story.  Price increases and service cuts.  It’s almost as if all the major cruise lines joined forces to dilute their brands at the same time.  No escaping it.  

[Nemanoxer]

I am done cruising Celebrity for the time being. It´s not that I am in a huff but what wth is going on? I am aware of all the bs that goes on in the world, making it hard for tourism industry to keep their business over water. 

But having higher prices AND worse service AND worse food? I don´t know...

For the 5000 $ that a 10 day cruise costs me, I can fly Business Class to Dubai or Singapore or Rio or Bali or (insert your fav vacay spot) and have my (insert your fav body part) pampered and powdered in some really high class resort. 
Wth would I go on a cruise with cuts in about every area of having fun or paying extra for about everything?
Naaa... Not going there any time soon.

 

[hawkesbaynz]

We are currently trying Oceania (cruises Nov 22 & Feb 23) and have been reading up on the Oceania Forum and other social media sites. There has been a fair amount of grumbling about the quality of the vaunted best cuisine at sea and service. We found the food great but service no better than Xs.  Less personal. Very different entertainment (zzzz). The CC Forum has  hardcore O groupies who will be on every thread whilst the other site has a wider group of respondents.

 

Oceania's alleged new trick is to sail slowly to save fuel (claiming good for the environment). This has limited time ashore for trips. Oceania is well known for great itineraries but it is frustrating when you only get six hours in Port xxx when you need eight hours because the sites are two hours by road. 

 

The 'sailors' on the Virgin Voyages topics page seem a happy bunch. Just wish Virgin did longer more interesting cruises. 

 

I have three more X cruises (and am trying Princess too). Fingers crossed. 

[kearney]

13 hours ago, D C said:

A 1 bedroom vs a veranda is perhaps not the best comparison.  A studio or efficiency would be a better comparison.... or bump up to a suite room on the cruise. 

Alas they did not have one available for comparison with a water view for the time period... but it would be a bit cheaper....not a lot based on past experience..

[Luvcrusn]

18 minutes ago, kearney said:

Alas they did not have one available for comparison with a water view for the time period... but it would be a bit cheaper....not a lot based on past experience..

When we have no rooms available in a category they are free.🤣

[AnnaNicole]

5 hours ago, Nemanoxer said:

I am done cruising Celebrity for the time being. It´s not that I am in a huff but what wth is going on? I am aware of all the bs that goes on in the world, making it hard for tourism industry to keep their business over water. 

But having higher prices AND worse service AND worse food? I don´t know...

For the 5000 $ that a 10 day cruise costs me, I can fly Business Class to Dubai or Singapore or Rio or Bali or (insert your fav vacay spot) and have my (insert your fav body part) pampered and powdered in some really high class resort. 
Wth would I go on a cruise with cuts in about every area of having fun or paying extra for about everything?
Naaa... Not going there any time soon.

 

We are thinking along the same line.    No huff. No puff.   We just see better value for our vacation money.  I have a Celebrity cruise booked for February and I am still considering Windstar for Tahiti.  I will see how it goes.

[Florida Mom3]

16 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

Yum 😋 

[eroller]

2 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

We are currently trying Oceania (cruises Nov 22 & Feb 23) and have been reading up on the Oceania Forum and other social media sites. There has been a fair amount of grumbling about the quality of the vaunted best cuisine at sea and service. We found the food great but service no better than Xs.  Less personal. Very different entertainment (zzzz). The CC Forum has  hardcore O groupies who will be on every thread whilst the other site has a wider group of respondents.

 

Oceania's alleged new trick is to sail slowly to save fuel (claiming good for the environment). This has limited time ashore for trips. Oceania is well known for great itineraries but it is frustrating when you only get six hours in Port xxx when you need eight hours because the sites are two hours by road. 

 

The 'sailors' on the Virgin Voyages topics page seem a happy bunch. Just wish Virgin did longer more interesting cruises. 

 

I have three more X cruises (and am trying Princess too). Fingers crossed. 

 

I hate when cruise lines use a cause when it suits them (such as the environment), to justify cost cutting.  I would respect them far more if they would just be transparent and honest.  
 

I’m recently off my first (and not last) Virgin Voyages cruise.  Absolutely loved it and booked another.  Such a refreshing experience and I never felt nickel and dimed. I also love they don’t try to be all things to all people and they don’t apologize for what they are.  I can’t say if they have cut any corners compared to a year ago as it was my first experience.   Of course they were not sailing pre-Covid so can’t compare to that either.  
 

Regarding Princess, I’ve read lots of posts about cost cutting on them.  In general it seems the Carnival Corp brands are the worst, although there is discontent on them all.  

[Linsie]

On 1/5/2023 at 12:02 PM, mfs2k said:

it's called Inflation and Covid Recovery

Cruise lines are going bankrupt.  They need to become more profitable.  Many people have stopped cruising and there are added costs they've incurred because of Covid cancellations. 

The only way they will become more profitable is by selling more cabins, reducing expenses and raising variable charges to guests.  

This should not come as a surprise.  There's a new world out there.  Get used to it. 

The cheese has moved.  Find the cheese. 

Know it all

[eroller]

1 hour ago, AnnaNicole said:

We are thinking along the same line.    No huff. No puff.   We just see better value for our vacation money.  I have a Celebrity cruise booked for February and I am still considering Windstar for Tahiti.  I will see how it goes.

 

I love cruising and usually take several a year.  Based on what is happening in the industry right now it seems like a great time to scale back.  I can’t justify paying more and getting less. Now if a great deal pops up I might go for it, but right now seems like a great time to explore other options outside the cruise industry.  

[ABoatNerd]

3 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

We are currently trying Oceania (cruises Nov 22 & Feb 23) and have been reading up on the Oceania Forum and other social media sites. There has been a fair amount of grumbling about the quality of the vaunted best cuisine at sea and service. We found the food great but service no better than Xs.  Less personal. Very different entertainment (zzzz). The CC Forum has  hardcore O groupies who will be on every thread whilst the other site has a wider group of respondents.

 

Oceania's alleged new trick is to sail slowly to save fuel (claiming good for the environment). This has limited time ashore for trips. Oceania is well known for great itineraries but it is frustrating when you only get six hours in Port xxx when you need eight hours because the sites are two hours by road. 

 

The 'sailors' on the Virgin Voyages topics page seem a happy bunch. Just wish Virgin did longer more interesting cruises. 

 

I have three more X cruises (and am trying Princess too). Fingers crossed. 

 

You are absolutely correct. Myself and my husband and best friends have many O cruises under our belt. Other than a few O "enforcers", people are very upset at O for the food downgrading (the main dining room is no better than Celebrity), the reduction in port time is a huge issue for O customers as O markets their itineraries which is the reason I have cruised with them, O has the worst arrival % of any cruise line as many posts over the years have noted and their ship Regatta is particularly prone to dead in the water situations which just occurred again this week, their staff are cold, on board management avoids contact with guests, onboard communications is very the poorest of any cruise line I have been on.  

Offsetting this is the inclusive nature of the ship, all guests go everywhere in most situations, there is none of the Celebrity class apartheid, the food is generally better than the mass lines and their ships are smaller so less crowding and less nickle and diming.

It is important that consumers know precisely what they value in a cruise and evaluate all the cruise lines, best not to rely on any cruise line; being an "obedient consumer" seems to not provide the value it used to.

I personally have discovered Mighty Trains and have numerous land trips booked with customized guides, local hotels and local great restaurants so I can really experience a place. 

[mcrcruiser]

Simple solution to Xs cut backs is less cruises booked . If people would not book with  X  then the prices would drop   & the marketing enticements would increase  . If they can get away with all these cit backs & still fill ships what is their incentive to change ?

[eroller]

3 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Simple solution to Xs cut backs is less cruises booked . If people would not book with  X  then the prices would drop   & the marketing enticements would increase  . If they can get away with all these cit backs & still fill ships what is their incentive to change ?

 

Exactly.  I do hope there are repercussions.  All the cruise lines love to hype their “valued guests” and how everything they do is guest oriented.  Their actions tell another story.  I understand they are going through tough times, but I’m not sure diluting the experience and charging more is the answer.  Like with most things in life, balance and compromise is often the solution.  Things seem to be getting out of balance right now.  The good thing is that no one has to cruise. It’s a complete luxury.  You can show your discontent with your wallet.  

[Dar & Bob]

6 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Simple solution to Xs cut backs is less cruises booked . If people would not book with  X  then the prices would drop   & the marketing enticements would increase  . If they can get away with all these cit backs & still fill ships what is their incentive to change ?

Unfortunately for us we have already put a deposit down and they are changing the product that was included.  We booked AI Classic now X is eliminating items from the package?  How is that right. If you booked a Sky Suite and all of a sudden the Retreat isn't included now what??  They have retracted prices on cruises 3 weeks after people put their deposits down.  Celebrity just can't keep changing the "contracts"  to suit them.  

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

4 minutes ago, Dar & Bob said:

Unfortunately for us we have already put a deposit down and they are changing the product that was included. 

 

Yup. And if you booked non-refundable you're stuck. Even if you canceled say "I'll lose the $100 per person" the rest is a FCC which doesn't really "show" the line anything as they still have that money.

[Dar & Bob]

16 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Yup. And if you booked non-refundable you're stuck. Even if you canceled say "I'll lose the $100 per person" the rest is a FCC which doesn't really "show" the line anything as they still have that money.

Maybe what is needed is a Class Action suit for switching out products that have been contracted.   Obviously Celebrity is incapable of distinguishing when passengers booked to give them what they actually paid for at the time.  

If they keep it up someone is going to jump on it. 

[mnocket]

5 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

We are currently trying Oceania (cruises Nov 22 & Feb 23) and have been reading up on the Oceania Forum and other social media sites. There has been a fair amount of grumbling about the quality of the vaunted best cuisine at sea and service. We found the food great but service no better than Xs.  Less personal. Very different entertainment (zzzz). The CC Forum has  hardcore O groupies who will be on every thread whilst the other site has a wider group of respondents.

 

Oceania's alleged new trick is to sail slowly to save fuel (claiming good for the environment). This has limited time ashore for trips. Oceania is well known for great itineraries but it is frustrating when you only get six hours in Port xxx when you need eight hours because the sites are two hours by road. 

 

The 'sailors' on the Virgin Voyages topics page seem a happy bunch. Just wish Virgin did longer more interesting cruises. 

 

I have three more X cruises (and am trying Princess too). Fingers crossed. 

 

2 hours ago, eroller said:

 

I hate when cruise lines use a cause when it suits them (such as the environment), to justify cost cutting.  I would respect them far more if they would just be transparent and honest.  
 

I’m recently off my first (and not last) Virgin Voyages cruise.  Absolutely loved it and booked another.  Such a refreshing experience and I never felt nickel and dimed. I also love they don’t try to be all things to all people and they don’t apologize for what they are.  I can’t say if they have cut any corners compared to a year ago as it was my first experience.   Of course they were not sailing pre-Covid so can’t compare to that either.  
 

Regarding Princess, I’ve read lots of posts about cost cutting on them.  In general it seems the Carnival Corp brands are the worst, although there is discontent on them all.  

 

2 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

 

You are absolutely correct. Myself and my husband and best friends have many O cruises under our belt. Other than a few O "enforcers", people are very upset at O for the food downgrading (the main dining room is no better than Celebrity), the reduction in port time is a huge issue for O customers as O markets their itineraries which is the reason I have cruised with them, O has the worst arrival % of any cruise line as many posts over the years have noted and their ship Regatta is particularly prone to dead in the water situations which just occurred again this week, their staff are cold, on board management avoids contact with guests, onboard communications is very the poorest of any cruise line I have been on.  

Offsetting this is the inclusive nature of the ship, all guests go everywhere in most situations, there is none of the Celebrity class apartheid, the food is generally better than the mass lines and their ships are smaller so less crowding and less nickle and diming.

It is important that consumers know precisely what they value in a cruise and evaluate all the cruise lines, best not to rely on any cruise line; being an "obedient consumer" seems to not provide the value it used to.

I personally have discovered Mighty Trains and have numerous land trips booked with customized guides, local hotels and local great restaurants so I can really experience a place. 

Good input.  I've pretty much decided my next booking is going to be with O.  Input like yours helps to counter the mistake of setting expectations too high.  

 

At the end of the day the only real way to determine if something is for you is to try it yourself.  I have been encouraged by the tone of the O board posters regarding recent cutbacks and pricing - with the exception  of their new go-slow green initiative which really seems to anger people - for good reason.  

 

Thanks for the giving your thoughts.👍 

[ABoatNerd]

12 minutes ago, mnocket said:

 

 

Good input.  I've pretty much decided my next booking is going to be with O.  Input like yours helps to counter the mistake of setting expectations too high.  

 

At the end of the day the only real way to determine if something is for you is to try it yourself.  I have been encouraged by the tone of the O board posters regarding recent cutbacks and pricing - with the exception  of their new go-slow green initiative which really seems to anger people - for good reason.  

 

Thanks for the giving your thoughts.👍 

Thank you for your thoughtful post. Indeed, give O a try and see does the product work for you at this point in your life. You never know until you try.

Kindest Regards and Great Sailing.

[Julma]

1 hour ago, Dar & Bob said:

Maybe what is needed is a Class Action suit for switching out products that have been contracted.   Obviously Celebrity is incapable of distinguishing when passengers booked to give them what they actually paid for at the time.  

If they keep it up someone is going to jump on it. 

You may have luck with the credit card you booked with.  Ask Celebrity, in writing, for a refund of your deposit, stating you feel you're not getting what you paid for.  If they say no or just don't respond, reach out to your credit card company.  I'm surprised people who already booked aren't more upset.  They cut a lot.  It's like buying a dozen eggs and seeing there is only six in the container and saying "well, at least two omelets are better than none".  

[ABoatNerd]

26 minutes ago, Julma said:

You may have luck with the credit card you booked with.  Ask Celebrity, in writing, for a refund of your deposit, stating you feel you're not getting what you paid for.  If they say no or just don't respond, reach out to your credit card company.  I'm surprised people who already booked aren't more upset.  They cut a lot.  It's like buying a dozen eggs and seeing there is only six in the container and saying "well, at least two omelets are better than none".  

Credit card dispute is an excellent way to fight misleading service providers. I won a dispute with Air Canada a year and a half before they finally had to give mass refunds. Make sure you have documents that support what you purchased and the stated reductions.  For example, a poster on another thread indicated they are on a Celebrity ship right now and there is NO afternoon tea sandwiches, scones etc - that is appalling as it has been a staple for decades on Celebrity - document that.

[Julma]

1 minute ago, ABoatNerd said:

Credit card dispute is an excellent way to fight misleading service providers. I won a dispute with Air Canada a year and a half before they finally had to give mass refunds. Make sure you have documents that support what you purchased and the stated reductions.  For example, a poster on another thread indicated they are on a Celebrity ship right now and there is NO afternoon tea sandwiches, scones etc - that is appalling as it has been a staple for decades on Celebrity - document that.

I did take screenshots of the "all included room service" on their website three days after they were charging on ships in real time.

 

[ABoatNerd]

2 minutes ago, Julma said:

I did take screenshots of the "all included room service" on their website three days after they were charging on ships in real time.

 

Do not be nice, be a tough, informed consumer. Highlight this important information and the time line of purchasing versus changes are very important. I wish you much good fortune!

[tfred]

8 minutes ago, ABoatNerd said:

Credit card dispute is an excellent way to fight misleading service providers. I won a dispute with Air Canada a year and a half before they finally had to give mass refunds. Make sure you have documents that support what you purchased and the stated reductions.  For example, a poster on another thread indicated they are on a Celebrity ship right now and there is NO afternoon tea sandwiches, scones etc - that is appalling as it has been a staple for decades on Celebrity - document that.

good luck winning on "no afternoon tea" or "no grilled food at dinner". 

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, tfred said:

good luck winning on "no afternoon tea" or "no grilled food at dinner". 

and be sure to attach a copy of the T&C's