Was Celebrity ever a Premium brand?

[bigbenboys]

It is also time for us to look at places that Celebrity does not cruise. Like the Black Sea or Seychelles Islands.

[Jeremiah1212]

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I think what many Celebrity cruisers like about the line is the more premium cruise experience on a large ship with all the features and benefits only a larger ship can provide. Azamara ships are 30,000 tons. Only the very first and only Celebrity ship, the Meridian was of that tonnage. The M Class is 3x the tonnage. For me I would never want to sail anything smaller than the former Century Class at 70,000+Tons.  

 

Right. Totally different experience. There is one particular 9 night Croatia cruise on Azamara Journey that I am interested in. No sea days, average of 10+ hours in port. 4 tender ports. The port-intensive schedule makes up for the lack of anything to do on the ship. However at that point we end up doing lunch and some dinners in port. Not much drinking so that is null. Then I have to question why I am paying $9k to use my shoebox cabin as a taxi and having to shower with the door open since I don't even fit in there.  

[ECCruise]

2 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Not directed at me and I'm probably not Azamara's target, but I would probably chose to cruise Aqua class on S or E class, or definitely Retreat on E Class, over Azamara any day. It's not for everyone. 

Yes, all depends on your perspective.

 

Have sailed AQ many times on =X= and over a dozen Azamara cruises.  No comparison IMHO.  Wouldn't even put them in the same ballpark for itineraries, service, staff involvement, food, well travelled clientele and a whole lot of extras (e.g. White Night, Azamazing Evening for starters) that make a big difference at the end of the day. 

 

For us, it would be Azamara in a walk. 

[Baron Barracuda]

X suffers from multiple personality disorder.  Suites, especially higher level ones do provide a premium experience though at an absurdly high price.  Aqua class might be considered premium by those overly infatuated with Blu and the spa.  For the remaining 75%+ of passengers however what we saw as a premium line 30 years ago (and maybe still 10 years ago) has steadily descended into upper mass market.

[PTC DAWG]

4 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Some people may need to take a 4 night Carnival cruise, find a chair on the pool deck of an NCL ship at 1pm or cruise in a Princess cabin that looks like a Holiday Inn lobby from 1987. It may be quite the reality check! 

Exactly..

[Loracpin2]

4 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said:

When we first sailed Celebrity, Horizon seemed to be a premium brand.  Being a smaller ship with less passengers, the attention to even the smallest details...quality of service and menu, was possible and appreciated.  Migration to the bigger ships changed our experience, some for the better...eg more entertainment, balconies for many, specialty restaurants ...but the 'little things' went by the boards.  Now I'd say it's still bordering on premium but not quite there for those of us who've experienced the best days on X....IMO.  Re balconies....the E class seems to have gone backwards...😉.

Our first cruise was also on the Horizon in 1993 and I agree, even without balconies and after sailing NCL prior, it was most definitely a Premium brand. My biggest fear is that little by little RCI has managed to chip away at the things that made Celebrity a Premium line and will bring it down to the RCI level which is far, far, far, from premium.  This comment is based after our recent July experience (sailing with adult children and grandchildren) on the Oasis.

[kwokpot]

51 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Right. Totally different experience. There is one particular 9 night Croatia cruise on Azamara Journey that I am interested in. No sea days, average of 10+ hours in port. 4 tender ports. The port-intensive schedule makes up for the lack of anything to do on the ship. However at that point we end up doing lunch and some dinners in port. Not much drinking so that is null. Then I have to question why I am paying $9k to use my shoebox cabin as a taxi and having to shower with the door open since I don't even fit in there.  

My husband is a casino gambler and we benefit from sailing on casino comped cruises from a variety of cruiselines. We were on the Carnival Pride last summer in Europe for 32 days on three separate cruises, all casino comped. The ship was old and tired, but we had some amazing Ports of call, Norwegian Fiords, Bilbao, Lisbon, Porto, etc, none of them repeating and many were new to us. The food was subpar but I looked at it as a floating hotel and with all the casino benefits we had some really, really great experiences. I cannot complain (But I did.lol)

[Texed]

I am not very good on classifications, but Celebrity was an excellent cruise line when the Chandris family owned it before being bought out by RCG.  

[doghog]

Booked our first Celebrity cruise in 1994 on the Zenith for the itinerary. Same reason for all our cruises going forward from that year. As long as we feel like Celebrity is a good value and we are enjoying ourselves at what were doing on the cruise it doesn't matter to us what Celebrity calls itself. 

[snowbird1]

2 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

I think Celebrity was a Premium brand. Time will tell if it still is. We over 50 cruises and 36 of those with Celebrity. I do like Celebrity suites. With Celebrity moving away from Al. It make me think of a budget airline, everything is ala carte. Celebrity's dress code has been the one big reason not to try higher end cruiselines. Also no smoking inside. We tried Azamara once while the cruise was nice. The ship was boring, just not to much to do. I love the glassblowing. Already booked 2 glassblowing for next month on Eclipse with OBC. 

We have sailed 4 times since X started back up. The biggest problem I see is in lack of returning staff.

 

20+ years sailing with X and 12 years since we have sailed on Princess. Trying Princess next Feb in a suite. Feb I'll see how Celebrity compares to Princess. Is a 7 night cruise in a Celebrity Suites next month worth $3k to $5k more than an aft Penthouse Suite on Princess. I might be ready for smaller high end cruise ships in 5 years when I turn 70.

Celebrity is no longer what it was, the Bean Counters have hit hard especially in the MDR.  My last two cruises have definitely been lacking compared to say even a year ago.  

[hcat]

our opinion

Celebrity, for us , over  many yrs  was like a secret Country Club at Sea. Fewer ships, folks who sailed 4 or more times a year, running into each other frequently, and a  staff that was like family. Many friendships formed back then.

 

It had great smaller " modern" ships with brass,  glass and wood decor.  Exceptional dining service and cuisine  Excellent live music, shows, lectures, wine events etc   All guests were well treated by the staff and officers....no big " class " divisions. Nice loyalty program. .Managenent that cared!

 

As the line grew, we still enjoyed the  ships and the  upscale classiness of the brand at great pricing.

 

   Then came the Royal C. influence. LLP began the slide, and the new mgmnt team is completing the obliteration of X.. Celebrity will be just another part of Royal C's  moderate level cruise line..Royal will never allow it to be anything more 

 

so in our opinion   it was premium but not anymore...

Edited August 30, 2023 by hcat

[Loracpin2]

1 hour ago, Texed said:

I am not very good on classifications, but Celebrity was an excellent cruise line when the Chandris family owned it before being bought out by RCG.  

It most definitely was an excellent cruise line!  It was on our 1997 Galaxy cruise when, during dinner, the maitre'd informed us RCG had just acquired Celebrity. Our table of 8 all looked at each other and agreed this can't be good and two decades of Celebrity cruises later we were definitely right!!!!. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

I have always viewed Celebrity to be in a premium mass market cruise line as it relates to the other mass market lines.  When we graduated from Carnival and RCL to Celebrity (after our kids flew the nest) it was like a breath of fresh air to switch over to Celebrity.  I still think Celebrity has a lot of quality to offer and I would book with them over Carnival or RCL any day of the week, though no longer in a suite (apart from the two I already have on the books).  Despite changes, the atmosphere is still as classy as I remember it to be when we first boarded in 2015.

 

As far as a premium (mass market) suite product I think MSC's Yacht Club is a step above Celebrity...it's more premium in that area.  Step outside YC and you have yourself a Carnival/RCL atmosphere.  Nothing wrong with that at all....just a comparison to say that in my view, Celebrity is the most consistent in total ship atmosphere...which I still consider to be premium.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[mahdnc]

6 hours ago, Cruisegoer said:

I'm sure we can all agree that Celebrity has always been a step above the major RCI, CCL, NCL lines but in the last year alone with re-branding away from "Always Included" and the numerous quality cuts to both service and food quality, do you think Celebrity ever was or is still a Premium brand? Please understand by Premium I don't mean on the level with Viking/Crystal/etc because the price tags simply don't align.

 

I don't know if Celebrity was ever technically a premium brand but they certainly were much much better in the past.

[Azulann]

My first cruise ever was on the Century in 2008 , 11day  Western Med cruise. It was in an inside cabin with friends who had a beautiful big aft balcony across the hall. I was in heaven about service, food and destinations. The Panama Canal cruise on Century years later was  fabulous. The best Celebrity cruise was on  Constellation, 15 day cruise around Iberia peninsula called " Running with the Bulls". My  sister did that memorable   excursion. At that time the  premium beverage package was $29.00 pp per day. 

fond memories  of the m class  ships, Murano's and great itineraries  in Europe. We had great roll calls, and great guides both ship and  private. The mix of passengers were US, UK, AU and NZ.

 Then Viking Ocean came upon the cruise scene. Did one and never looked back. But I still read trip reports on Celebrity forum because they re some the most fun  folks who are all having great time.  👍🏻🥂

Edited August 30, 2023 by Azulann

[awhcruiser]

Doesnt this post say the same thing?

[hcat]

3 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

Our first cruise was also on the Horizon in 1993 and I agree, even without balconies and after sailing NCL prior, it was most definitely a Premium brand. My biggest fear is that little by little RCI has managed to chip away at the things that made Celebrity a Premium line and will bring it down to the RCI level which is far, far, far, from premium.  This comment is based after our recent July experience (sailing with adult children and grandchildren) on the Oasis.

Oasis can have that effect!

Very non luxury..!

[bigbenboys]

3 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Right. Totally different experience. There is one particular 9 night Croatia cruise on Azamara Journey that I am interested in. No sea days, average of 10+ hours in port. 4 tender ports. The port-intensive schedule makes up for the lack of anything to do on the ship. However at that point we end up doing lunch and some dinners in port. Not much drinking so that is null. Then I have to question why I am paying $9k to use my shoebox cabin as a taxi and having to shower with the door open since I don't even fit in there.  

The only Azamara cruise we did was Rome to Venice with stops at Taormina, Dubrovnik, Split might have been a couple more stops. I did enjoy the white party bbq out at the pool deck. I will add that I was in my 40's when I sailed on Azamara.

[Charles4515]

7 hours ago, Cruisegoer said:

I'm sure we can all agree that Celebrity has always been a step above the major RCI, CCL, NCL lines but in the last year alone with re-branding away from "Always Included" and the numerous quality cuts to both service and food quality, do you think Celebrity ever was or is still a Premium brand? Please understand by Premium I don't mean on the level with Viking/Crystal/etc because the price tags simply don't align.

Celebrity was never a premium cruise line it was always an upscale mainstream cruise line in my opinion. When I started cruising the upscale mainstream lines were Celebrity, HAL and Princess. After Carnival bought Princess they dropped below Celebrity and HAL between RCL and Celebrity and HAL. Carnival and NCL are budget mainstream cruise lines. Celebrity has now dropped to the Princess level and might drop down to RCL level if they continue their current course. 

[mango puddin]

Stayed on a suite in Millennium. I had a good holiday, but I did not find it very premium or luxurious. The price was quite premium, but the experience was not very premium. I don't expect perfection and anyone can make mistakes, but this was not 5 star. 

 

I read many reviews of Celebrity before embarking and have relatives who've tried their suites several times. They said that Celebrity's standards have declined.

 

Some staff were excellent and we thanked/tipped them extra. Others were rude/unhelpful.

 

Some food was very good and some was inedible.

 

Luminae - mixed experience. Certain dishes were good, but the quality of certain items (esp seafood) was not up to par. Some staff members excellent, others not so much.

Room service suite menu - good enough for room service. Much better than the buffet food.

Buffet - poor. I would have been disappointed if this was my only (included) option besides a main dining room.

 

Drinks - variable. Staff in Cafe al Baccio were lovely, all really helpful. Coffees were ok. 

 

Gelato - pleasant enough, but nothing special. The ice creams/sorbets in Luminae were better.

 

Some amenities were good (Frette robes) and some were below par: stained (large, brown) towels in the retreat, made in China toiletries, instant coffee in the suite.

 

The main pool/deck areas were overcrowded, loud and stressful. 

 

Retreat:

 

Good: plenty of space, not crowded, provided SPF selection and aloe aftersun, blankets, headrests, peaceful environment 

Bad: brown stains on several towels, unhelpful bartender

 

I don't wish to cruise again with Celebrity.

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by mango puddin

[Jeremiah1212]

7 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Celebrity was never a premium cruise line it was always an upscale mainstream cruise line in my opinion. When I started cruising the upscale mainstream lines were Celebrity, HAL and Princess. After Carnival bought Princess they dropped below Celebrity and HAL between RCL and Celebrity and HAL. Carnival and NCL are budget mainstream cruise lines. Celebrity has now dropped to the Princess level and might drop down to RCL level if they continue their current course. 

 

I'm always surprised to see people considering Princess and Celebrity, especially E class, on the same field. My Princess experience is fairly limited but it just doesn't have the same feel IMO. You can feel the Carnival influence. The Sun looks nice enough but it's priced right alongside Celebrity for the most part until you reach upper suite level where Sun doesn't offer similar cabin. 

[Loracpin2]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

Oasis can have that effect!

Very non luxury..!

That's putting is mildly!!! I could go into detail and hit every area individually but that might open up "Pandora's box" of rebuttle comments both pro and con🤩. 

[RD64]

No offence, but if you didn’t start cruising pre 1995, you have no idea what premium cruising was for the average person. In my opinion, by 2000 everything started getting dumbed down for the masses.

[NMTraveller]

I would say yes.  When I started cruising X was better than Royal and NCL.  The foods was better,  the number of people on the ships was lower.  All in all a better experience.  We would just book the next cruise while onboard.

 

Now the line between Royal and X is diminishing...

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, RD64 said:

No offence, but if you didn’t start cruising pre 1995, you have no idea what premium cruising was for the average person. In my opinion, by 2000 everything started getting dumbed down for the masses.

My first cruise was my honeymoon in 1992. We sailed on Carnival Fantasy, a new ship. I thought I was in the lap of luxury with the midnight buffet complete with ice sculptures and fruit carvings. I had no frame of reference and continued sailing with Carnival for quite some time afterward. It wasn’t until 2005 when I sailed on my last carnival cruise…Fantasy once again but this time I found myself among clientele worlds apart from my maiden experience. You know it’s bad when you feel like you have to seek refuge on the topless deck just to escape the mayhem. And why is it that the only people brave enough to go topless are the very ones who shouldn’t?  But, I digress…

Edited August 31, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches