Celebrity at a crossroads

[mickeysgal]

1 hour ago, basenji56 said:

I love their fish and chips.  

 

Apparently since it’s fried, these are on the naughty list 

[Mike07]

On 3/20/2023 at 10:47 AM, JLS07 said:

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

 

 

Going on a HAL cruise in a few weeks and giving them another shot after a lackluster first (and only) time with them thru Alaska. If HAL doesn't do well, I have one final trip on Princess to burn up some FCC, and that may be my last with them for a while. Celebrity has been good to me, but I just can't do their Edge class ships. I find most of the class' execution to be perfect, but the overall upsell to be repulsive.

 

If HAL is a bust, it's not tier for me --- Oceania.... Won't care for the prices, but the 4-6 weeks a year I end up on a ship might as be the best that they can be.

[Mike07]

On 3/27/2023 at 10:59 PM, CruisingWalter said:

 

And exactly who is this target crowd that is unrefined? These folks from Celebrity's current marketing are all folks I would gladly cruise with. I'll probably even buy some of them a drink. 

 

 

 

You can tell this is marketing, because it 100% is not the reality of cruising clientele.

[NMTraveller]

6 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Can you expand on that? I've always found cruise ship food to be "perfectly adequate". Sometimes really good, but mostly satisfactory. That includes Celebrity. But I keep hearing the food on pick-a-line, mostly recently Oceania or now VV, is better without explanation. We're open to a smaller ship, premium cruise but if "better" is simply more of things that aren't horribly important to me (prime rib and lobster, for instance) or huge portion sizes then it's a difference that makes no difference. Thanks.

 

 

 

[jaywoods678]

On 4/1/2023 at 3:51 PM, jonthomas said:

Reasons why we will be sailing on O....

 

We left Celebrity after they divided the main dining room in half....those in suites and everyone else...for us in a regular balcony, the food in main dining room and buffet became very low quality and taste. Prices for suites are higher than a balcony on O. 

 

O has very few kids,  there is nothing for them to do.

The food is so much better than Viking, Celebrity or Azamara...all lines we have tried.

Lectures on O were wonderful...

To be continued...

Totally agree!

[Loracpin2]

Anyone remember the cruising experience with Celebrity before RCI acquired the line in 1997??

 

I clearly recall the evening we were dining in the Century MDR (first European cruise) and the Maitre'd told us they were just informed RCI purchased Celebrity.  Since we hadn't sailed RCI yet we didn't realize the possible impact. We do know now!!! 

[markeb]

11 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

Anyone remember the cruising experience with Celebrity before RCI acquired the line in 1997??

 

I clearly recall the evening we were dining in the Century MDR (first European cruise) and the Maitre'd told us they were just informed RCI purchased Celebrity.  Since we hadn't sailed RCI yet we didn't realize the possible impact. We do know now!!! 

 

Given that Chandris dissolved at about that time, yes, we know the impact. There's still a Celebrity...

 

Celebrity would have either been bought or dissolved. I don't know if there were other offers at the time. Hard to say if someone else would have been able to better navigate a global pandemic and economic downturn. All the parent corporations have challenges these days.

[Loracpin2]

13 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Given that Chandris dissolved at about that time, yes, we know the impact. There's still a Celebrity...

 

Celebrity would have either been bought or dissolved. I don't know if there were other offers at the time. Hard to say if someone else would have been able to better navigate a global pandemic and economic downturn. All the parent corporations have challenges these days.

We are Elite-Plus (39 cruises with Celebrity) and have been on 10 RCI cruise. Latest was on the Anthem in 2017 to Celebrate our 50th Anniversary with Children & Grandchildren. We had the 55th booked for the Oasis in July 2022 but cancelled because of Covid. All three RCI sailings were booked because we wanted all 8 Grandkids to have a great time and they did. Based on our experiences, RCI has had a major impact on the Celebrity brand.

[markeb]

17 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

We are Elite-Plus (39 cruises with Celebrity) and have been on 10 RCI cruise. Latest was on the Anthem in 2017 to Celebrate our 50th Anniversary with Children & Grandchildren. We had the 55th booked for the Oasis in July 2022 but cancelled because of Covid. All three RCI sailings were booked because we wanted all 8 Grandkids to have a great time and they did. Based on our experiences, RCI has had a major impact on the Celebrity brand.

Most of our cruises were on RCI, and I wasn’t cruising on Celebrity pre Royal, so it’s hard for me to judge the impact. I see many posts around here that consider it a negative, but sounds like yours isn’t one of them. So I probably misunderstood you. We really enjoyed our Royal cruises as well, but there are no kids so no grandkids which made Celebrity a better fit in our lives. 

[SSFrance69]

21 hours ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Going on a HAL cruise in a few weeks and giving them another shot after a lackluster first (and only) time with them thru Alaska. If HAL doesn't do well, I have one final trip on Princess to burn up some FCC, and that may be my last with them for a while. Celebrity has been good to me, but I just can't do their Edge class ships. I find most of the class' execution to be perfect, but the overall upsell to be repulsive.

 

If HAL is a bust, it's not tier for me --- Oceania.... Won't care for the prices, but the 4-6 weeks a year I end up on a ship might as be the best that they can be.

If your experience on O is like mine, you'll never want to look back. I have one sailing in July already booked on Summit. I'm looking forward to it, because we are trying Aqua and Blu for the first time. Looking forward, I had a choice between booking an X sailing next year on Eclipse, and Oceania Vista (brand new ship to be launched). Oceania Vista French verandah came out around the same price as X Eclipse in Aqua for the same number of days. I would rather sail without the full verandah and have a better overall quality experience. For comparison, the Aqua cabin on Eclipse is 192 square feet and the French verandah on Vista is 240 square feet. Of course it's all personal, and this is just for me. For others Celebrity may be the experience of choice. I prefer the more intimate and personal service and engagement we had with O. I believe guest to staff ratio is about 1.5 to 1. Don't get me wrong... service on Celebrity has always been excellent for us. There is just something different about Oceania. For instance, you got to know the singers and dancers, as they were also in charge of the muster assignments and popped up in other places besides on stage and were a delight to converse with. The food is NO comparison.

[DJLDRUMS]

On 3/20/2023 at 1:21 PM, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

I've been looking at cruises for Fall 2024 or late Winter 2025 and none of the lines (Princess, HAL, NCL, and Celebrity) that I've looked at have been good values per se. But, then again, I wasn't look at insides because hubby has always insisted on at least a balcony. With the prices I'm seeing, I'm thinking you have the right attitude.

 

And, it's absolutely a cost-benefit analysis that everyone must do for themselves. I have 3 cruises booked currently, two on Celebrity and our first on HAL. I'm willing to give other lines a try, but so far Celebrity is still our favorite (with the Beyond our favorite ship).

Can you tell us just what it was about the Beyond that you really liked as much? I'm trying to gather as much information as I can to convince the other half to take a "ride' on the Beyond. Thanks in advance !

 

[RD64]

4 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

Anyone remember the cruising experience with Celebrity before RCI acquired the line in 1997??

 

I clearly recall the evening we were dining in the Century MDR (first European cruise) and the Maitre'd told us they were just informed RCI purchased Celebrity.  Since we hadn't sailed RCI yet we didn't realize the possible impact. We do know now!!! 

Still miss the swan pastries..

[jagoffee]

4 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Given that Chandris dissolved at about that time, yes, we know the impact. There's still a Celebrity...

 

Celebrity would have either been bought or dissolved. I don't know if there were other offers at the time. Hard to say if someone else would have been able to better navigate a global pandemic and economic downturn. All the parent corporations have challenges these days.

Good point.  Apparently whatever Celebrity was going was not working financially.

[jaywoods678]

5 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

Anyone remember the cruising experience with Celebrity before RCI acquired the line in 1997??

 

I clearly recall the evening we were dining in the Century MDR (first European cruise) and the Maitre'd told us they were just informed RCI purchased Celebrity.  Since we hadn't sailed RCI yet we didn't realize the possible impact. We do know now!!! 

Same thing when Carnival bought Holland America.

[Wavedance]

On 3/20/2023 at 9:37 AM, RichYak said:

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!

We really loved Azamara in 2019 on a Europe sailing. But be aware that Azamara was sold to a private equity firm during the pandemic and had a bumpy start under new ownership. Maybe others can comment on whether Azamara has gotten the kinks out by now.

[2Long2NxtCrz]

3 hours ago, DJLDRUMS said:

Can you tell us just what it was about the Beyond that you really liked as much? I'm trying to gather as much information as I can to convince the other half to take a "ride' on the Beyond. Thanks in advance !

 

First, and foremost, the ship itself is beautiful. It has lots of spaces where you can sit and watch the ocean. We loved hanging out at the sunset bar. It has a ton of comfortable seating, most with shade. We played a lot of backgammon (we have a travel set) there during our cruise. We loved Eden for the shows and the views. It's also a good place to relax and watch the sea during the day if you don't want to be outside. The center hub of the ship is very well set up. Between the martini bar and cafe al bacio there's always something delicious to drink. The main theater is impressive with it's technology and the round stage. And all of that doesn't mention the world class bar or the restaurants. We didn't try any specialty dining because the four different MDRs worked great for us. And while the infinite veranda isn't exactly a balcony it does provide a view without being in the elements and extends the size of the room.

 

The embarkation area works really well which is just another example of how well thought out the ship's design is. 

 

If you have any specific questions, just let me know.

[RichYak]

9 hours ago, Wavedance said:

We really loved Azamara in 2019 on a Europe sailing. But be aware that Azamara was sold to a private equity firm during the pandemic and had a bumpy start under new ownership. Maybe others can comment on whether Azamara has gotten the kinks out by now.

Thanks, I am also aware of the sale of Azamara. I've been lurking on the Azamara CruiseCritic board lately. So far, I'm reading about IT issues as they've recently launched a new website but not much negativity regarding the on board experience.

[di T]

On 4/2/2023 at 2:26 PM, jonthomas said:

Those that have done O, understand what I mean by incentives....the rest probably wouldn't appreciate them as on this V ship, people prefer ro do nothing but drink all day.

 

Sail an O ship, then you can make an informed decision or criticism.

If you like to sail with a large family on a large ship, with kids, definitely stay away from O.

I can't value criticisms of O from those who have never sailed on one of their ships.

We will do our first Oceania in June, but have just left a b2b on Norwegian which although just our 4th cruise with them would book again for the right itinerary.Celebrity b2b in September will be over 30 time with them, but happy to try other lines.Hope we will love Oceania but we always have a good time travelling especially on the seas!

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, di T said:

We will do our first Oceania in June, but have just left a b2b on Norwegian which although just our 4th cruise with them would book again for the right itinerary.Celebrity b2b in September will be over 30 time with them, but happy to try other lines.Hope we will love Oceania but we always have a good time travelling especially on the seas!

We agree with your comments about NCL. We were recently on a 38-day Africa B2B on the NCL Jade, which was only our 2nd time cruising with NCL, and had a great time and have no issues cruising with them again if the itinerary is awesome. In fact, we have a 30-day B3B booked on the Getaway for Oct/Nov 2024, which includes going to Egypt to see the pyramids!

 

But I will also say we started having a lot more fun onboard the Jade once we stopped comparing them with how things are done onboard when cruising with Celebrity or PCL. NCL basically just does things differently. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

33 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We agree with your comments about NCL. We were recently on a 38-day Africa B2B on the NCL Jade, which was only our 2nd time cruising with NCL, and had a great time and have no issues cruising with them again if the itinerary is awesome. In fact, we have a 30-day B3B booked on the Getaway for Oct/Nov 2024, which includes going to Egypt to see the pyramids!

 

But I will also say we started having a lot more fun onboard the Jade once we stopped comparing them with how things are done onboard when cruising with Celebrity or PCL. NCL basically just does things differently. 

I think that is a big mistake people make trying to compare to differences lines 

you need to just go with the flow 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

24 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I think that is a big mistake people make trying to compare to differences lines 

you need to just go with the flow 😁

One of the issues we had to get past was that we could not use the nonrefundable OBC we got from our TA to pay for the Daily Service Charge (aka daily gratuities). Another thing was the “Free” drink package, which was only available if you prepaid the $20 pp/day beverage gratuity charge, and only alcohol drinks were included in the package. Not good if one of you only drinks water and hot chocolate, both of which carry an extra charge when purchased on the ship. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

38 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

One of the issues we had to get past was that we could not use the nonrefundable OBC we got from our TA to pay for the Daily Service Charge (aka daily gratuities). Another thing was the “Free” drink package, which was only available if you prepaid the $20 pp/day beverage gratuity charge, and only alcohol drinks were included in the package. Not good if one of you only drinks water and hot chocolate, both of which carry an extra charge when purchased on the ship. 

Remember the Key to Happiness, lower your expectations 😁

But sometimes you wonder how low can you go 🤣

[Oceansaway17]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I think that is a big mistake people make trying to compare to differences lines 

you need to just go with the flow 😁

you have that right.  I know folks who once they sailed on the newer Carnival ships, really liked them.

And I know folks who swore of Disney because of the kids, then they went and loved that line too.

Nice amenities for adults and good food and wonderful private island.

 

the only really bad cruise line I have read about is that Margaritaville out of Palm Beach.  just a mess of a ship

[Ken the cruiser]

26 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Remember the Key to Happiness, lower your expectations 😁

But sometimes you wonder how low can you go 🤣

So true! For us regarding the NCL DSC (aka daily gratuities charge), when we mentioned the NROBC issue to our TA, she instead gave us a rebate check rather than the normal 8% in nonrefundable OBC for booking with them. 😃

 

As far as prepaying the $20 pp/day gratuities for the beverage package, we passed. I just bought bottles of wine which usually lasted through 2-3 evening meals and drank water the rest of the cruise. On the bright side, I lost 8 lbs on that 38-day cruise! Who knew you could gain so much weight drinking booze on a cruise! 🤣

[jonthomas]

2 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I think that is a big mistake people make trying to compare to differences lines 

you need to just go with the flow 😁

 

Very hard not to compare when it is like night and day...just off a Viking, awful food, awful lectures, powdered orange juice, etc....we have recently done 3 O cruises....so still fresh in our memories...so how do you avoid comparisons, unless you are a simpleton....