Celebrity at a crossroads

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, JFontaine said:

To the original poster: I can't let this go. You are judging the 'quality of people' by the amount of fried food that they eat (how can you possibly know), and their physical disability ('they can barely stand').   You do realize that you are talking about some very nice people here who are reading your words. Do you care? 

Don't dwell too much on the OP's post.  We all have expectations for cruising decorum I imagine.  I guess there is a certain expected class of people with a high degree of sophistication that maybe goes along with the images in the Celebrity ads and commercials.  But they still let me on the ship anyway!  BTW, I do eat some fried foods on occasion (when DW is not looking!).  Last cruise I had severe back problems too (true story) so at times I could barely stand!  But I don't smoke and I wear decent clothes to dinner so I guess I get some points for that.  Perhaps I will get booted down to RCCL at some point.☺️

[Travelicious]

6 hours ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Posts like these worry me.  We are only going on our 2nd Celebrity cruise next year and we are taking family who have never sailed Celebrity before.  I am overweight although I can certainly stand.  My family members do enjoy drinking and smoking.  We are nice people.  Will we be judged and given nasty looks?

Prior to my first Celebrity cruise, I read a lot of comments about how it was classier than other lines, such as NCL which I usually cruise.  I was also a bit hesitant, being somewhat of a southern hick, that I wouldn't fit in and that people would not be friendly.  That, however, was not the case.  Sure, you can always run into people who think they are better than anyone else, but that can happen anywhere.  I found most everyone to be friendly.  I'm about to go on, I believe, my 4th Celebrity cruise.  My advice:  don't worry about other people's judgments and the way they look.  Just enjoy your vacation.

[Georgia_Peaches]

6 hours ago, RichYak said:

Just circling back to add that I'm moving on from Celebrity not because of the drop in quality, but because of the drop in value. The Retreat is now way overpriced for a mass market cruise. I'm sailing Millennium in Retreat next week, maybe for the last time. I'm also sailing Summit in August in a regular balcony cabin.

 

That's another example of Celebrity trying to be too many things at once--a mass market line for the masses and a luxury brand with luxury pricing at the same time. It doesn't work for me.

 

For a replacement, I have MSC Yacht Club booked for next March and have my eye on an Azamara itinerary next summer. I've never sailed with either. I'm looking forward to trying new things!

I'm with you on this but I've made my move gradually.  I really like MSC and the YC but they still don't go all the places we want to see...like Alaska.  I think the YC offers a far superior suite experience than Celebrity and IMO, it's a better value as well.  Having said that, I just booked an Alaska cruise in a Sky suite on the Edge for May 2024.  The price was more than I've paid for YC at $2600 pp but I thought it was a pretty good price compared to some of the recent Celebrity fares I've seen lately.  Much as I hate it feeling like we are phasing Celebrity out or our cruise plans, I feel like we need to go where we feel we get the most bang for our travel buck.  If MSC sailed to Alaska, it would have been a no brainer to book with them.

[Georgia_Peaches]

6 hours ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Posts like these worry me.  We are only going on our 2nd Celebrity cruise next year and we are taking family who have never sailed Celebrity before.  I am overweight although I can certainly stand.  My family members do enjoy drinking and smoking.  We are nice people.  Will we be judged and given nasty looks?

I should think not.  I've only ever met very nice people on Celebrity ships...people of all walks of life, ages, shapes and sizes.  I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[AstoriaPreppy]

7 hours ago, JLS07 said:

I have written and rewritten this post several times.  I know this is likely going to upset some people, and I am sorry for that.

 

Just for some perspective, I am mid to late 40’s, been sailing Celebrity for 12ish years, have a 16- and 10-year-old that have been on every cruise they could have gone on (10 or so for my daughter and 8 for my son).  I have only ever sailed Celebrity (other than one Carnival to Havana).

 

As the title says, I think Celebrity is at a crossroads for which direction they should go.  We have always loved the elegance and higher class on Celebrity, but the last two cruises (both Apex and post covid) have seen a significant decrease across the board.

 

To me, celebrity is currently trying too hard to fit into too many categories, be it the older crowd that doesn’t want kids around (you should see the nasty comments on our spring break cruise’s Facebook page), the family crowd, or the party crowd (never seen as many drunks on all my celebrity trips combined as I have the last two).

 

We have simply encountered a quality of people that we had never seen before on celebrity.  We encountered:  Multiple people passed out on St. Patrick’s Day by the pool (yes passed out - we were watching them start taking shots at breakfast), Eating as much fried this or that as physically possible all while barely able to stand, people who absolutely reeked of cigarettes everywhere, nasty rude people who snapped back at anyone around them (one lady snapped at me when I offer her a seat on a particularly rough sea day).

 

We have two more cruises already booked and paid for over the summer.  I will use those as one more chance to determine if Celebrity is still what we want to continue travel on.  

 

If you have considered moving from Celebrity due to the drop in quality, which lines did you consider as a replacement?

 

Nothing better than a pearl-clutching Cruise Critic post, harshly judging other passengers for not being up to your "quality of people" standards. Yikes and double yikes. 

 

I'd say this was trolling if it wasn't so earnestly written.

[Lastdance]

Personally, I love TA’s and cruises in Europe, but do have a couple Caribbean cruises planned in the next two years; however, those cruises are not during the weeks of Spring Break for all the reasons mentioned above.  My DH and I are retired(although I work part time)so, we have learned a lot with research and just being older and wiser about what we want in a cruise.  The OP was just sharing what was seen through the scope of a cruise during Spring Break/St. Patrick’s Day.  Live and Learn, but still seize the day!

[RichYak]

58 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

If MSC sailed to Alaska, it would have been a no brainer to book with them.

Did you consider Explora Journeys for Alaska? I've been trying to make an Explora 2023 sailing work because of the 25% discount deal going on now for MSC Diamond members. I just can't fit one in.

[JFontaine]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Don't dwell too much on the OP's post.  We all have expectations for cruising decorum I imagine.  I guess there is a certain expected class of people with a high degree of sophistication that maybe goes along with the images in the Celebrity ads and commercials.  But they still let me on the ship anyway!  BTW, I do eat some fried foods on occasion (when DW is not looking!).  Last cruise I had severe back problems too (true story) so at times I could barely stand!  But I don't smoke and I wear decent clothes to dinner so I guess I get some points for that.  Perhaps I will get booted down to RCCL at some point.☺️

You probably don't mean it, but you are going down the same path: 'class of people', 'high degree of sophistication', 'cruising decorum'.  His complaints: people sleeping at the pool, people who eat fried food, disabled people who can hardly stand, and someone who snapped at him for being nice. Other than the last incident, they have nothing to do with sophistication  quality of people or decorum.   And now there are 4 pages of posts about how Celebrity has gone down hill.  Kids in school are taught 'not to judge a book by its cover, adults should do the same. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by JFontaine

[Georgia_Peaches]

35 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Did you consider Explora Journeys for Alaska? I've been trying to make an Explora 2023 sailing work because of the 25% discount deal going on now for MSC Diamond members. I just can't fit one in.

Yes, I have looked at EJ but it’s pricey. Looks beautiful, though. That 25% discount makes it more appealing. I’m not at the diamond level yet, but working on it 😊. 

[Spif Barwunkel]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I'm with you on this but I've made my move gradually.  I really like MSC and the YC but they still don't go all the places we want to see...like Alaska.  I think the YC offers a far superior suite experience than Celebrity and IMO, it's a better value as well.  Having said that, I just booked an Alaska cruise in a Sky suite on the Edge for May 2024.  The price was more than I've paid for YC at $2600 pp but I thought it was a pretty good price compared to some of the recent Celebrity fares I've seen lately.  Much as I hate it feeling like we are phasing Celebrity out or our cruise plans, I feel like we need to go where we feel we get the most bang for our travel buck.  If MSC sailed to Alaska, it would have been a no brainer to book with them.

I do not give much credence to what most people say and how they say it when it comes to separating themselves from Celebrity. You, on the other hand, having always been an even keeled and sensible poster, give me pause for consideration and understanding for what it is that you have to say. If I should stray from X, I would never consider MSC as an option, no particular reason why. Perhaps it just doesn't feel right. However, your endorsement may cause me to change my mind, should it ever come to that. I certainly do not see change in the near future. Your reasoning is valid and sound, without malice or insult. Smartly written and easy to read. 

 

Enjoy MSC. Perhaps we can continue to enjoy you occasionally where X marks the spot.

[dlh015]

14 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

having always been an even keeled and sensible poster,

And that's @Georgia_Peaches in a nutshell...and she somehow puts up with riff-raff like me  😃

[hrhdhd]

59 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

Kids in school are taught 'not to judge a book by its cover, adults should do the same. 

Unfortunately, in many schools today, kids are specifically taught to judge by covers.

[Georgia_Peaches]

16 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

I do not give much credence to what most people say and how they say it when it comes to separating themselves from Celebrity. You, on the other hand, having always been an even keeled and sensible poster, give me pause for consideration and understanding for what it is that you have to say. If I should stray from X, I would never consider MSC as an option, no particular reason why. Perhaps it just doesn't feel right. However, your endorsement may cause me to change my mind, should it ever come to that. I certainly do not see change in the near future. Your reasoning is valid and sound, without malice or insult. Smartly written and easy to read. 

 

Enjoy MSC. Perhaps we can continue to enjoy you occasionally where X marks the spot.

Spif, I am truly humbled by your compliment. Thank you.  
 

Regarding MSC, I would only consider the Yacht Club. The ships are beautiful and they have a very nice suite product (for less money) but, IMO they lack serenity in public spaces. I’ve always appreciated Celebrity’s calm vibe. And to be fair, we have not tried the Edge class ships and feel like we need to give it a go for a truer apples to apples comparison (YC vs Retreat). So they aren’t quite rid of me yet 😊. 

 

[RichYak]

29 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yes, I have looked at EJ but it’s pricey. Looks beautiful, though. That 25% discount makes it more appealing. I’m not at the diamond level yet, but working on it 😊. 

I’ve not yet sailed MSC but matched to diamond using my status from Azamara, which I also never sailed. What a time to be alive 😂

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, JFontaine said:

You probably don't mean it, but you are going down the same path: 'class of people', 'high degree of sophistication', 'cruising decorum'.  His complaints: people sleeping at the pool, people who eat fried food, disabled people who can hardly stand, and someone who snapped at him for being nice. Other than the last incident, they have nothing to do with sophistication  quality of people or decorum.   And now there are 4 pages of posts about how Celebrity has gone down hill.  Kids in school are taught 'not to judge a book by its cover, adults should do the same. 

Sorry trying to just add a bit of humor to an already off the rails thread.  

[jaywoods678]

10 hours ago, JLS07 said:

I have written and rewritten this post several times.  I know this is likely going to upset some people, and I am sorry for that.

 

Just for some perspective, I am mid to late 40’s, been sailing Celebrity for 12ish years, have a 16- and 10-year-old that have been on every cruise they could have gone on (10 or so for my daughter and 8 for my son).  I have only ever sailed Celebrity (other than one Carnival to Havana).

 

As the title says, I think Celebrity is at a crossroads for which direction they should go.  We have always loved the elegance and higher class on Celebrity, but the last two cruises (both Apex and post covid) have seen a significant decrease across the board.

 

To me, celebrity is currently trying too hard to fit into too many categories, be it the older crowd that doesn’t want kids around (you should see the nasty comments on our spring break cruise’s Facebook page), the family crowd, or the party crowd (never seen as many drunks on all my celebrity trips combined as I have the last two).

 

We have simply encountered a quality of people that we had never seen before on celebrity.  We encountered:  Multiple people passed out on St. Patrick’s Day by the pool (yes passed out - we were watching them start taking shots at breakfast), Eating as much fried this or that as physically possible all while barely able to stand, people who absolutely reeked of cigarettes everywhere, nasty rude people who snapped back at anyone around them (one lady snapped at me when I offer her a seat on a particularly rough sea day).

 

We have two more cruises already booked and paid for over the summer.  I will use those as one more chance to determine if Celebrity is still what we want to continue travel on.  

 

If you have considered moving from Celebrity due to the drop in quality, which lines did you consider as a replacement?

I agree. And Holland America is in a crossroads as well.

[jaywoods678]

9 hours ago, RichYak said:

Just circling back to add that I'm moving on from Celebrity not because of the drop in quality, but because of the drop in value. The Retreat is now way overpriced for a mass market cruise. I'm sailing Millennium in Retreat next week, maybe for the last time. I'm also sailing Summit in August in a regular balcony cabin.

 

That's another example of Celebrity trying to be too many things at once--a mass market line for the masses and a luxury brand with luxury pricing at the same time. It doesn't work for me.

 

For a replacement, I have MSC Yacht Club booked for next March and have my eye on an Azamara itinerary next summer. I've never sailed with either. I'm looking forward to trying new things!

On a per diem basis, I now find that Oceania (a true premium line) is the same price and sometimes even less. And for a much better experience.

[LB_NJ]

11 hours ago, wanderlust58 said:

JLS07, Have you had any recent cruises on Royal Caribbean?  If so, how do you compare your recent experiences on Celebrity with RC?  I'm assuming/hoping that Silversea isn't having these problems (yet).  Have you had any recent Silversea experiences?

I was on Royal last year and Celebrity last year and this year.  As far as I am concerned Royal is 2 steps below Celebrity.

 

Note: the passenger mix on any given cruise will vary based on time of year, itinerary, and length.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, jaywoods678 said:

On a per diem basis, I now find that Oceania (a true premium line) is the same price and sometimes even less. And for a much better experience.

Oceania is in my crosshairs. I nearly booked them instead of Summit for NY to Iceland but preferred Celebrity’s itinerary. I’ll almost certainly sail them soon.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I’m booked on Ascent this December, primarily because of my travel companions limited time off capacity. Going forward I’m looking mostly at Viking, Oceania, Azamara and river cruising.  Smaller ships nicely situated between mass market and ultra luxury with high standards of food and service as well as interesting itinerary offerings. 

[Germancruiser]

There is one time I avoid cruising- or traveling - at all costs- and this is Spring Break.

I agree on the point the OP made- Celebrity- our beloved- X is e trying to " Dance on every Party" - cater to all tastes and all age groups. This a " balance act" and a very hard one.

The dempgraphic change has arrived with them. To stay in business they have to move on with times- younger passengers are their future passengers.

When I started cruising with X I was in my early 30´s - that was in 2001. I was in the very young age group back then-  most passengers I sailed with where in their 50´s or 60´s.

I made livelong friends on those early X- cruises ( coming from RCI) , most of them have now sadly passed away.

So - yes X did change- but i fear they HAD TO CHANGE-  to surrive!

[upwarduk]

14 hours ago, RichYak said:

have my eye on an Azamara itinerary next summer. I've never sailed with either. I'm looking forward to trying new things!

We loved Azamara, we did a TransAtlantic to Canada and had 4 

ports each side of the pond.

We had included drinks, which Celebrity didn’t do at that time (2016)and there were no children on board as schools had just returned (September).

[montythecat]

We are Elite Pus so have cruised a lot on Celebrity and only at balcony 

level (occasionally in Aqua) and never in suites. Fortunately, we haven’t 

seen really poor behaviour but standards do seem to have slipped

somewhat. It is obvious that Celebrity have been targeting a 

younger market of late. For example, some of the music played around

their ships is a long way from being what I want to listen to. That is 

the company’s choice, although I am not sure that their new market will 

occupy the gap filled by people such as us who are now cruising with 

other companies. Families, mortgages, lack of time, particularly in

America where holidays are so much less generous than we enjoy

in Europe, are aspects of life for most 40s which are likely to 

prevent many being able to go cruising. So, we have looked

elsewhere and found that Holland America fits the bill. We prefer

their new ships compared to Edge Class and HAL management have

obviously given serious thought to the music most of their clientele 

grew up with and, yippee, on seven of their ships they give us a rock

band six nights a week and a couple of excellent pianists covering

music mainly from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, although newer stuff

is not ignored. A classical quartet play in a dedicated venue, not in

a noisy corner of a bar which is often the case with other companies.

Every base is covered to our satisfaction. In addition we prefer

the food in HAL’s MDRs which is interesting and imaginative and

their drinks package is more extensive than that of Celebrity.

 

 

 

 

[Cruise till you drop]

Everyone has different experiences.

 

Ours on Celebrity have been great.  Classy and friendly staff and fellow guests. Elegant dinners.  Quiet days by the pool.

 

We are Platinum on Carnival and Princess but Celebrity is our preference 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Cruise till you drop

[Honolulu Blue]

13 hours ago, basenji56 said:

I think that we will look back at the period immediately post-Covid as being one of the best times.  Ships half full--sometimes 1/3 full.  No lines.  Casual cruisers frightened away.  

 

I already do look back at those times as the best.  I sailed on the Summit in September '21 along with about 320 other passengers.  Heavenly. 😇  I sailed on a Princess a couple of months later with under 1000 passengers.  That was pretty blissful too, though that ship had some pinch points.

 

I blundered onto a Millie sailing out of San Juan in November that was about half full.  That was also pretty nice.