Celebrity at a crossroads

[bikerunner]

Been thinking about this overall.  Many people say that Celebrity is going for a different demographic overall.  Are they or are they just as cruisers we are all getting older and now Celebrity does not appeal in all the same way it did 10-15 years ago.  Celebrity still is catering to that crowd more,  I can see that, yes they have changed but more to stay enticing for the demographic they are shooting for.   I started with them in my early 30s overall.  The experience from ships to being now is very different, I still enjoy it completely, have tried others, but I also as mentioned usually take the 9+days at a minimum, which draws a different type of cruiser overall.  

[Bo1953]

19 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?

To be sure, your family members will be fine just as long as they are not "fall down drunk and rude" and they do not venture beyond the smoking areas aboard AND not get any nasty looks except by a few who believe that those who smoke and drink should not  be allowed on-board... so not to worry, go, enjoy and have some great memories!!!

 

Most passengers aboard X's ships are "nice" people also, to be sure, IME!!!

 

bon voyage

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 hours 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.

I need to take a closer look at Oceania. If I’m remembering correctly, they don’t offer many 7 night itineraries, no?  While I’m retired, DH is not so longer itineraries are a struggle. 

[TeeRick]

3 hours ago, montythecat said:

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.

 

 

 

 

HAL does lean toward the older cruising clientele.  As for Celebrity, some of us long time (and older!) cruisers (like me) are not the highest priority for them anymore.  We need to just accept that or move elsewhere (like to HAL).  Sure they will still take our money.  But why pay out perks for Elite and above when they can attract younger people just starting to cruise and just starting to get hooked on their CC Loyalty program?  And stay in suites.  That is their economic future.  You need to look no further than the 3 Edge class ships sailing, and soon followed by Ascent.  And then a 5th one in the works.  Most, but not all, of us more seasoned Celebrity cruisers prefer S-Class and M-Class.  So why build 5 new E-class ships with Infinite Verandas and large dedicated suite areas?  For the younger, up and coming crowd.

[kathynorth]

10 hours 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.

This may be the case for those who book at the suite level, but the lowest priced cabin on Oceania is way more expensive than the typical veranda, oceanview or inside cabin on Celebrity. 

[CruisingWalter]

21 hours ago, JLS07 said:

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.  

 

Is your complaint more with Celebrity Cruises service for the 'quality of people onboard'? I'm not sure what you would expect on a cruise that holds 2000 - 4000 people but you're going to find partiers, drunks, big eaters and like on every single cruise ship. We've sailed 8 different cruise lines, the people who sail each cruise line are basically the same. And there are many new people who are finding cruising since the pandemic. MANY new people finding cruising since the pandemic. 

 

Celebrity still seems to be the same Celebrity it always has been. Casual Luxe with a very similar vibe as Virgin Voyages. Still great service, food and ships. We've sailed NCL, Carnival, Princess, Virgin and Royal since the restart. Will be on Celebrity again soon. Pretty much the same crowd of folks across the board. Of course more adults only on Princess and VV, but pretty much the same crowd of folks on any of those ships. 

[CrazyTrain2]

I've learned over the years that if you need to rewrite a post or letter 5 times, it's probably not worth posting.

 

I do believe that cruising does bring together a cross section of the country (other than ethnic diversity) and sometimes when you see all those architypes in one place it can be a reminder that it ain't all pretty out there. (I only rewrote that sentence 3 times)

[Spif Barwunkel]

46 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

HAL does lean toward the older cruising clientele.  As for Celebrity, some of us long time (and older!) cruisers (like me) are not the highest priority for them anymore.  We need to just accept that or move elsewhere (like to HAL).  Sure they will still take our money.  But why pay out perks for Elite and above when they can attract younger people just starting to cruise and just starting to get hooked on their CC Loyalty program?  And stay in suites.  That is their economic future.  You need to look no further than the 3 Edge class ships sailing, and soon followed by Ascent.  And then a 5th one in the works.  Most, but not all, of us more seasoned Celebrity cruisers prefer S-Class and M-Class.  So why build 5 new E-class ships with Infinite Verandas and large dedicated suite areas?  For the younger, up and coming crowd.

TR, do you really think that Celebrity is casting us older cruisers aside in order to make way for a younger, more vibrant maritime crowd? I do not, but I do understand that X realizes that those of us in our sixth, seventh and eighth decade of life probably don't have twenty plus years of cruising left. The younger generations of prospective cruisers need to be wooed and regaled with a product that reflects modern, contemporary change while maintaining a semblance of Celebrity past. Indeed, not all of the younger crowd will prefer 'E' class over 'S' & 'M', but the fact that additional choices are available makes 'X' an attractive product. 

 

You and I (older cruisers) are still very much a part of Celebrity's desired clientele. Perhaps it is us who are at a crossroads in our cruising life. Personally, I have enjoyed the Edge class and will continue to do so, knowing that I can still be well taken care of on Millenium and Solstice Class ships. And TR, 'X' still wants you. 

[Honolulu Blue]

49 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

I do believe that cruising does bring together a cross section of the country (other than ethnic diversity) 

Actually, two of my music charters on Celebrity and the two sailings I've had on Celebrity out of SJ were quite ethnically diverse.

24 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

TR, do you really think that Celebrity is casting us older cruisers aside in order to make way for a younger, more vibrant maritime crowd? I do not, but I do understand that X realizes that those of us in our sixth, seventh and eighth decade of life probably don't have twenty plus years of cruising left.

I agree with your main point that X is not ignoring older cruisers in making their push toward youngsters.  But I did a little calculation, and this is, according to the calendar, my seventh decade of life.  Two decades from now, I won't be THAT old (mid-70s), and I think I'll still be cruising - though maybe not on Celebrity or whomever buys it in the future.

[TravelingCircusof5]

22 hours ago, JLS07 said:

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).

 

Wow! I feel fortunate. We are just off a week on the Beyond, and we did not encounter any of the above. Things were absolutely lovely, as were the people aboard— even when elevators were crowded. We all just joked about it and smiled. 
The only unpleasant thing we witnessed were a few older, mean, entitled people literally saying, ‘i’m a frequent cruiser’ and giving the staff long lists of things that were wrong in their opinions, while everyone around them stared and wondered what in the world was wrong with those sour people. That’s not a smart ass comment. It’s a true report. 

[cruises89]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

HAL does lean toward the older cruising clientele.  As for Celebrity, some of us long time (and older!) cruisers (like me) are not the highest priority for them anymore.  We need to just accept that or move elsewhere (like to HAL).  Sure they will still take our money.  But why pay out perks for Elite and above when they can attract younger people just starting to cruise and just starting to get hooked on their CC Loyalty program?  And stay in suites.  That is their economic future.  You need to look no further than the 3 Edge class ships sailing, and soon followed by Ascent.  And then a 5th one in the works.  Most, but not all, of us more seasoned Celebrity cruisers prefer S-Class and M-Class.  So why build 5 new E-class ships with Infinite Verandas and large dedicated suite areas?  For the younger, up and coming crowd.

So by having Infinity Verandas and large suite areas they will cater to a younger crowd?

[Spif Barwunkel]

12 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Actually, two of my music charters on Celebrity and the two sailings I've had on Celebrity out of SJ were quite ethnically diverse.

I agree with your main point that X is not ignoring older cruisers in making their push toward youngsters.  But I did a little calculation, and this is, according to the calendar, my seventh decade of life.  Two decades from now, I won't be THAT old (mid-70s), and I think I'll still be cruising - though maybe not on Celebrity or whomever buys it in the future.

Quite right, HB. It would have been much more accurate to say 60's, 70's, 80's. Indeed, you're still a youngin'.

[chamima]

1 hour ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

Is your complaint more with Celebrity Cruises service for the 'quality of people onboard'? I'm not sure what you would expect on a cruise that holds 2000 - 4000 people but you're going to find partiers, drunks, big eaters and like on every single cruise ship. We've sailed 8 different cruise lines, the people who sail each cruise line are basically the same. And there are many new people who are finding cruising since the pandemic. MANY new people finding cruising since the pandemic. 

 

Celebrity still seems to be the same Celebrity it always has been. Casual Luxe with a very similar vibe as Virgin Voyages. Still great service, food and ships. We've sailed NCL, Carnival, Princess, Virgin and Royal since the restart. Will be on Celebrity again soon. Pretty much the same crowd of folks across the board. Of course more adults only on Princess and VV, but pretty much the same crowd of folks on any of those ships. 

 

I will post a couple of examples from our February cruises that tell me it's not the same old Celebrity.

 

One evening as we were sitting at the World Class Bar an older EXTREMELY inebriated "gentleman" approached the bar in nothing but his bathrobe (it wasn't totally closed so it was obvious that was all he wore). He wanted a double shot of some liquor they don't have so the bartender politely directed him to the Ensemble Bar where they carried his drink. The "gentleman" then proceeded to walk through the central hall to the Ensemble, got his drink and walked back down the hall (I watched from the side of the World Class) to the elevator.

That's just a funny story but the next one I find horrifying. We became friendly with a young, gay couple who related to us that the day before someone approached them and said "What are YOU doing on here?"

I really can't imagine that happening on the Celebrity I sailed in the past.

[Los_Pepes]

23 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 took my teen kids on a Celebrity cruise a few weeks ago. While the employees were awesome and the food good, the experience left all of us turned off. We will never do a large ship mass market cruise ever again for the exact reasons you state and more. 

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

TR, do you really think that Celebrity is casting us older cruisers aside in order to make way for a younger, more vibrant maritime crowd? I do not, but I do understand that X realizes that those of us in our sixth, seventh and eighth decade of life probably don't have twenty plus years of cruising left. The younger generations of prospective cruisers need to be wooed and regaled with a product that reflects modern, contemporary change while maintaining a semblance of Celebrity past. Indeed, not all of the younger crowd will prefer 'E' class over 'S' & 'M', but the fact that additional choices are available makes 'X' an attractive product. 

 

You and I (older cruisers) are still very much a part of Celebrity's desired clientele. Perhaps it is us who are at a crossroads in our cruising life. Personally, I have enjoyed the Edge class and will continue to do so, knowing that I can still be well taken care of on Millenium and Solstice Class ships. And TR, 'X' still wants you. 

Spif- I did not say "cast aside".  In fact I enjoy E-Class ships too.  But I think they are being built for the next generation of cruising.  I will come along for the ride, but I like S- Class and M- Class better as a personal choice.  Others dislike E-class and there are lots of threads and comments on this topic.  X still wants me because I spend a lot of money and mostly sail in suites.  I'm not so convinced that they want E, E+ and Z cruisers in lower priced categories and have to pay out perks.  But just my opinion.

[Lastdance]

Time has a way with change; for some change is difficult, while others monitor, adjust and find their own special place, whether it be with the same brand, or another.  The last few years have brought an abundance of change, some for better and some not so much.  However, the element of choice is always available.

[C4HCG]

47 minutes ago, Los_Pepes said:

I took my teen kids on a Celebrity cruise a few weeks ago. While the employees were awesome and the food good, the experience left all of us turned off. We will never do a large ship mass market cruise ever again for the exact reasons you state and more. 

That’s a shame, it will be your loss in my humble opinion. There are brilliant experiences to be had on large ships, unfortunate that your recent one wasn’t good.

[C4HCG]

1 hour ago, chamima said:

 

I will post a couple of examples from our February cruises that tell me it's not the same old Celebrity.

 

One evening as we were sitting at the World Class Bar an older EXTREMELY inebriated "gentleman" approached the bar in nothing but his bathrobe (it wasn't totally closed so it was obvious that was all he wore). He wanted a double shot of some liquor they don't have so the bartender politely directed him to the Ensemble Bar where they carried his drink. The "gentleman" then proceeded to walk through the central hall to the Ensemble, got his drink and walked back down the hall (I watched from the side of the World Class) to the elevator.

That's just a funny story but the next one I find horrifying. We became friendly with a young, gay couple who related to us that the day before someone approached them and said "What are YOU doing on here?"

I really can't imagine that happening on the Celebrity I sailed in the past.

I find the first story as horrifying as the second. And I don’t think the second one is more likely to happen now than in the past, I would say the opposite as the world is now far less bigoted than it used to be.  Unfortunately this couple bumped in to a bigot, could happen anywhere.

Edited March 21, 2023 by C4HCG

[Spif Barwunkel]

What say we? Has it been determined that Celebrity is at a crossroads? I say, no. In trying to enhance the product, has Celebrity diminished the product instead? I say, no. Do many 'X' cruisers now look at the brand with one jaundiced eye and an eye patch over the other? I say, perhaps. In the total scheme of things, will it make a difference in my cruising choices. I say, no. what say you?

[cgolf1]

21 hours ago, JLS07 said:

 

2) celebrity can easily do 3 things and change the crowd quickly. 
  1) increase prices by 20-25% and bring back quality food in the MDR and buffet.

  2) limit smoking to one location. Most of the time I can’t even go to the sunset bar due to the smell. 
  3) enforce clothing requirements. Case in point. There was a gentleman in front of us at a MDR that had pressed golf shorts and a nice polo tucked in with a belt. Very presentable for non-chic night. He was turned away for his clothing. Fine - shorts aren’t welcome. However, a mid aged woman walked out at the same time with daisy ducks barely covering her butt and a spaghetti top that let you see a lot more than you should. My wife walked to the hostess and said “How is that okay?  Her attire bothers me a lot more.”  The reply “We only have a dress code for men.  Women can wear what they want.”

 

If you do those three things then the quality of the customers change quickly. 

 

I highly disagree with #1. People are people regardless of the amount of money they have. It's always a toss up whether you will get a great group of passengers or not regardless of the line you are sailing. 

[CruisingWalter]

2 hours ago, chamima said:

I will post a couple of examples from our February cruises that tell me it's not the same old Celebrity.

 

Neither of those stories have anything to do with Celebrity Cruise Lines. "Those" people have been on Celebrity long before now.

 

Before the pandemic I was at the World Class Bar on either Equinox or Reflection as a man berated the bartender for not making the drink he DEMANDED right now. It was a drink not included on the WCB menu. He didn't care, "I'm TOP LEVEL (whatever that level is on Celebrity)" and he demanded that as a top level suite guest he can order any drink from any bar. It was stupid, he was stupid and stormed off to 'get someone who can fix this situation.'

 

As for the guy with the robe, that would have been some nearly naked folks who were just waking up on lounge chairs by the pool when we last sailed Equinox, I think in 2018,  Clearly waking up from really tying one on the night before as us early morning walkers were walking the track. 

 

Yep, those folks have been on Celebrity all along, you just didn't have the pleasure of seeing them until now. 

[jwlane]

Is the sky falling or not?

[cgolf1]

2 minutes ago, jwlane said:

Is the sky falling or not?

 

It must have after our trip which was a lot of fun last month. Since we are fairly new to Celebrity though, we have a different sky;)

Edited March 21, 2023 by cgolf1

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

What say we? Has it been determined that Celebrity is at a crossroads? I say, no. In trying to enhance the product, has Celebrity diminished the product instead? I say, no. Do many 'X' cruisers now look at the brand with one jaundiced eye and an eye patch over the other? I say, perhaps. In the total scheme of things, will it make a difference in my cruising choices. I say, no. what say you?

I say all of your above answers were obviously predictable. 😃

 

Perhaps it's all of us that are at a crossroads. Perhaps, after the shutdown, we now look at the Celebrity product through a different lens. For many, change is uncomfortable and for the most part, the product seems largely the same. For others, it's the impetus that is needed to try new products. It really doesn't matter which group is wearing blinders, rose colored glasses, or has sniper vision. We all have to do what feels right.

[Cruising89143]

21 hours ago, alyssamma said:

LOL, good luck with MSC. They probably have the worst problems of any cruise line and their YC product has steadily increased in price and declined in perks/qualities post covid.

 

I used to sail them all the time until I found X. Now they are my line of choice, but YMMV.

We had five separate cruises all in the YC booked over the last few years on MSC. All during the pandemic. We found MSC great to deal with on canceling the first cruise. Quick refund and a great response from their agent. The remaining four…..not so much. All cruises were canceled by MSC due to the pandemic. We followed their guidelines/rules. Their Ft. Lauderdale based customer service reps left a lot to be desired. As much as I tried to deal with them on getting refunds, we hit a wall each time and rude and worthless does not even begin to describe their attitude. I ended up having to contact Amex. Who jumped in and took care of it. 
 

While I feel that most cruise lines are not great at times with customer service, MSC takes first place. Never say never but they are no longer on our short list to try. It’s a shame as we have read great things about the YC but between dealing with their direct reps and the website, we will pass for now.