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Virgin fires a shot across Celebrity’s bow

kk20

By kk20,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Lastdance

Lastdance

Posted
Posted (edited)

This was bound to happen, especially when the new product from Celebrity is swirling around the drain.  Just very sad indeed to see a wonderful company undergo a makeover of this extent; however, that is the company’s new model (business plan) for going forward, so customers will take their money elsewhere if they feel a better opportunity is available.  I have a great cruise, in a suite, booked on Oceania Vista, but will not be booking again due to the excursion policy included.  Of course, that policy many also change in the near future.  VV is not in my future, but Crystal might be...TBD.  Then again, Celebrity may start feeling the pressure, making some reversals, or just keep the cuts coming, along with more customers running...

Edited by Lastdance
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Pinboy

Pinboy

Posted
Posted
51 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

“we appreciate your feedback”

 

17 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

"We understand your concerns and"

How about a personal letter instead of the standard " form " letter( I'll use myself as an example )

" Pinboy, NOW what ? I told you 4 times -- YOU are not entitled to receive a free cruise because your Waiter forgot to bring your 3 shrimp cocktails at the same time.

Also, You claim you heard that a guy overheard another man who knew someone who's friend received a free cruise because there were no round tomatoes in the buffet and his wife was served cold French onion soup. That is not true-- All they received was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries --- which you refused because you break out in hives when you eat strawberries.

About your recent request for 2 free room service deliveries in lieu of the complimentary cruise you were refused -- We have forwarded your request to Head Office for consideration and hopefully receive a reply prior to the end of the cruise ".

 

 

 

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Ex-Airbalancer

Ex-Airbalancer

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Work2cruz! said:

I just canceled a Celebrity Cruise to try Virgin.  The last 2 Celebrity cruises the food and service was sub par and lots of changes in the menu.  Meatloaf was one of the mains  in Blu on the last night. 
 

Celebrity has increased prices, taken away amenities and is providing sub par service and food.   Now they have a major cruise line targeting their loyal customer base by offering the Match and Sea Program.

it will be interesting to see if they do any damage control or if the profits for all the changes compensate for any lost customers.   Only time will tell.   

Did you know They had meatloaf as a main entree in Blu in 2012 😁

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Team Stag

Team Stag

Posted
Posted (edited)

I like their edgy advertising.  And strike while the iron is hot. 

We booked our fall cruise this year with Virgin.  We haven't really had a bad Celebrity trip.  But for us, the one thing Covid changed for us - we will always sail with a real balcony going forward.  Which meant, the E-Class Oceanview room with glass that goes down but controlled by someone else is not an option.  We did some Sky Suites while the prices were low; but now that demand is back it was time to look for something else.  Just to see.  And when we returned; we booked our next cruise with Celebrity.

They do some stuff different for sure.  They cover it in the ad.  Let's start with the room.  The red hammock is a nice touch.  One night - I dozed off in it while listening to the music from the pool deck & looking at the starts.  It was great.  But the other chair is so uncomfortable that you aren't sitting in it long.  Which means two people don't get the chance to enjoy the balcony together for any extended period of time.  The room looks like it's decorated by Ikea.  The bed is so low to the ground that you have to unzip your suitcases in half to get them to fit.  Not a huge deal; except for being a little older & trying to get out of bed at 3:00 a.m. with a bad knee was always a fun experience.  And for the record, they only clean the room.  I did't think it would matter; but we really missed the turndown service.  We didn't know how much we enjoyed it; until it wasn't there.  And the lack of couch in a standard balcony room was also missed.  There one chair - slightly more comfortable than the metal thing on the balcony but not comfortable enough to sit long term.  I never thought I'd miss a couch; but apparently I sit on it more than I remember.  

The food.  We love food.  Our family celebrates life with food.  We love all food and respect the effort and style of the different chefs who prepare it.  It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive for us to enjoy a product that those in the kitchen work so hard to make.  So hearing about Celebrity taking a step back was always concerning to us.  Hearing how great VV food is was a big reason we booked with them.  The food is really good. The sourcing (quality) is better than standard Celebrity fare - if we are looking solely at base ingredients.  The preparation was a more basic than Celebrity.  It lacked flavors to make a meal outstanding.  We complain on this board about Lobster.  VV solved that issue by not serving any.  We did order the seafood platter in Wake to compare to raw on 5.  The quality of VV platter was not as good as what we have on Celebrity.  Many on here would have fun reviewing their lobster tail 😄 .  There was tons of fun food that we liked around the ship - Popcorn, soft pretzels, etc.  The hamburger was definitely better than the grill (but not better than lumanie burger).  And we complain on here about menu cuts; the VV menus are pretty simple as well - just a handful of dishes; so longer cruises the food will get repetitive.  

We have done the all included so regularly with Celebrity; items like no Tips, or wifi included was not a noticeable change for us.  Leaving with a bar bill was.  Everyone we talked to was having an incredible time.  A common theme was "one of the best cruises I've ever been on".  And most of those people were coming from Carnival.  With a few from Norwegian.  I did not meet anyone who cruised Celebrity regularly.  Although we did see one of their beach bags on someone's shoulder.

The night time entertainment was lively.  I can honestly say we willingly stayed up later than we have on any other cruise & we danced (we don't often) more than any other cruise.  It was a great product.  We will return. But as someone who plays an Engineer in real life and is focused on Efficiency & Water Reduction (& Lean manufacturing & Six Sigma and whatever buzz word to increase production, eliminate waste and raise profits is) - there were noticeable things.   For example, no table clothes.  Even in their "fine dining / speciality restaurants".  One less thing to change, one less thing to wash.  No real uniforms for the staff.  They basically wore polos.  Again - no uniforms for them to clean and press.  The crew ate with the passengers (no additional dining area).  And bottled water was no where to be found.  Anywhere.  It was fill up your cup at the water station (although carafe of water in the room was nice).

 

I encourage people to branch out and try something new.  You may find something you like better than Celebrity.  You also may realize that Celebrity isn't that bad.  Cheers.

Edited by Team Stag
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Team Stag

Team Stag

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, markeb said:

 Good news is they probably didn’t acquire as much debt during the shut down. But…

They did just go out to secure additional funding.  As well as have one of their ships delayed indefinitely while canceling / adjusting their schedule a bunch.  And just got a new CEO as well.

Not saying they are as bad off as other cruise companies; but they are working through their own set of challenges as they get into a rhythm.  

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warmwinds

warmwinds

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, Team Stag said:

I like their edgy advertising.  And strike while the iron is hot. 

We booked our fall cruise this year with Virgin.  We haven't really had a bad Celebrity trip.  But for us, the one thing Covid changed for us - we will always sail with a real balcony going forward.  Which meant, the E-Class Oceanview room with glass that goes down but controlled by someone else is not an option.  We did some Sky Suites while the prices were low; but now that demand is back it was time to look for something else.  Just to see.  And when we returned; we booked our next cruise with Celebrity.

They do some stuff different for sure.  They cover it in the ad.  Let's start with the room.  The red hammock is a nice touch.  One night - I dozed off in it while listening to the music from the pool deck & looking at the starts.  It was great.  But the other chair is so uncomfortable that you aren't sitting in it long.  Which means two people don't get the chance to enjoy the balcony together for any extended period of time.  The room looks like it's decorated by Ikea.  The bed is so low to the ground that you have to unzip your suitcases in half to get them to fit.  Not a huge deal; except for being a little older & trying to get out of bed at 3:00 a.m. with a bad knee was always a fun experience.  And for the record, they only clean the room.  I did't think it would matter; but we really missed the turndown service.  We didn't know how much we enjoyed it; until it wasn't there.  And the lack of couch in a standard balcony room was also missed.  There one chair - slightly more comfortable than the metal thing on the balcony but not comfortable enough to sit long term.  I never thought I'd miss a couch; but apparently I sit on it more than I remember.  

The food.  We love food.  Our family celebrates life with food.  We love all food and respect the effort and style of the different chefs who prepare it.  It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive for us to enjoy a product that those in the kitchen work so hard to make.  So hearing about Celebrity taking a step back was always concerning to us.  Hearing how great VV food is was a big reason we booked with them.  The food is really good. The sourcing (quality) is better than standard Celebrity fare - if we are looking solely at base ingredients.  The preparation was a more basic than Celebrity.  It lacked flavors to make a meal outstanding.  We complain on this board about Lobster.  VV solved that issue by not serving any.  We did order the seafood platter in Wake to compare to raw on 5.  The quality of VV platter was not as good as what we have on Celebrity.  Many on here would have fun reviewing their lobster tail 😄 .  There was tons of fun food that we liked around the ship - Popcorn, soft pretzels, etc.  The hamburger was definitely better than the grill (but not better than lumanie burger).  And we complain on here about menu cuts; the VV menus are pretty simple as well - just a handful of dishes; so longer cruises the food will get repetitive.  

We have done the all included so regularly with Celebrity; items like no Tips, or wifi included was not a noticeable change for us.  Leaving with a bar bill was.  Everyone we talked to was having an incredible time.  A common theme was "one of the best cruises I've ever been on".  And most of those people were coming from Carnival.  With a few from Norwegian.  I did not meet anyone who cruised Celebrity regularly.  Although we did see one of their beach bags on someone's shoulder.

The night time entertainment was lively.  I can honestly say we willingly stayed up later than we have on any other cruise & we danced (we don't often) more than any other cruise.  It was a great product.  We will return. But as someone who plays an Engineer in real life and is focused on Efficiency & Water Reduction (& Lean manufacturing & Six Sigma and whatever buzz word to increase production, eliminate waste and raise profits is) - there were noticeable things.   For example, no table clothes.  Even in their "fine dining / speciality restaurants".  One less thing to change, one less thing to wash.  No real uniforms for the staff.  They basically wore polos.  Again - no uniforms for them to clean and press.  The crew ate with the passengers (no additional dining area).  And bottled water was no where to be found.  Anywhere.  It was fill up your cup at the water station (although carafe of water in the room was nice).

 

I encourage people to branch out and try something new.  You may find something you like better than Celebrity.  You also may realize that Celebrity isn't that bad.  Cheers.

Just about 2 weeks off of our first VV cruise we still have a lot to learn, but I want to mention a few things that I have found out...did you know that one of the (split twin) beds can be made into a sofa during the day?  You just have to let your steward know.  We actually found the lack of a sofa and especially the huge glass table of X to make the cabin very spacious.  I agree with you about those silver deck chairs - until we put the throw pillow and a towel on them, made them more comfortable.

 

I think the food on VV was not only higher quality but quite tasty.  Didn't find it as simple as you seem to have.  There didn't seem to be that one very upscale, dark, quiet, romantic restaurant that X always had, but we loved all the choices.  The ones that surprised us most were Test Kitchen and Razzle Dazzle.  But I have to agree with you about the midget (half) lobster tail on the Petit Plateau...but that's ok, plain boiled lobster I can get at home.  

 

One thing, being older, that I did miss about X was the music - we love the easy listening dance music, the string quartets, the a capella groups, the acoustic guitar guy on the back deck....quite frankly, the music on VV was really not to our liking a all.  But you have to decide what is most important to you, and I think we made our choice.  After this next VV cruise I do want to try some others, for example MSC, Oceania...just to compare.  I think it's good to mix it up.  But I really think we're done with Celebrity.

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Baggy178

Baggy178

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Kids are messy...with or without paintball.

 

 

I know, we have two of our own.

But I still don't think a twice daily cleaning is really necessary.

I mean most cabins are smaller than our boys' bedrooms and you'd be amazed what results a little bribery can achieve.

No tidy room = no ice-cream.

Simples.

And now they're adults the Bank of Mum and Dad exerts a vice-like grip on them. 🤣

 

Edited by Baggy178
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the penguins

the penguins

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, kk20 said:

Got this email today from Virgin. Looks like they want to see if they can capitalize on all of Celebrity’s cutbacks…..IMG_1061.thumb.png.5f374b58c3a0048f133e739b29b01b80.png

Typical Virgin - in the UK it has run this sort of advert for years starting with its Airline, then trains and finally broadband. The result - airline was bailed out/sold to Delta, the trains handed back the franchise as it couldn't make money and the broadband uses its own cabling which restricts it somewhat.

I note the advert says it's won in the "Mega Ships" category which is not how I would describe Virgin.

But it will "stir the pot'.

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CU64

CU64

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I know this to be true of Viking..not sure of VV.

 

Agree.  Just took a look...4 and 5 night sailings in the Caribbean and nothing too exciting.  Also, in reading the room descriptions it has a real Hard Rock vibe to it.  Really not for me but will likely appeal to some.

I have seen pictures of cabins and think they look too modern & sterile.

Not my type of decor. Put me off going farther. 

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hcat "Live from...." Rare

hcat

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Team Stag said:

I like their edgy advertising.  And strike while the iron is hot. 

We booked our fall cruise this year with Virgin.  We haven't really had a bad Celebrity trip.  But for us, the one thing Covid changed for us - we will always sail with a real balcony going forward.  Which meant, the E-Class Oceanview room with glass that goes down but controlled by someone else is not an option.  We did some Sky Suites while the prices were low; but now that demand is back it was time to look for something else.  Just to see.  And when we returned; we booked our next cruise with Celebrity.

They do some stuff different for sure.  They cover it in the ad.  Let's start with the room.  The red hammock is a nice touch.  One night - I dozed off in it while listening to the music from the pool deck & looking at the starts.  It was great.  But the other chair is so uncomfortable that you aren't sitting in it long.  Which means two people don't get the chance to enjoy the balcony together for any extended period of time.  The room looks like it's decorated by Ikea.  The bed is so low to the ground that you have to unzip your suitcases in half to get them to fit.  Not a huge deal; except for being a little older & trying to get out of bed at 3:00 a.m. with a bad knee was always a fun experience.  And for the record, they only clean the room.  I did't think it would matter; but we really missed the turndown service.  We didn't know how much we enjoyed it; until it wasn't there.  And the lack of couch in a standard balcony room was also missed.  There one chair - slightly more comfortable than the metal thing on the balcony but not comfortable enough to sit long term.  I never thought I'd miss a couch; but apparently I sit on it more than I remember.  

The food.  We love food.  Our family celebrates life with food.  We love all food and respect the effort and style of the different chefs who prepare it.  It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive for us to enjoy a product that those in the kitchen work so hard to make.  So hearing about Celebrity taking a step back was always concerning to us.  Hearing how great VV food is was a big reason we booked with them.  The food is really good. The sourcing (quality) is better than standard Celebrity fare - if we are looking solely at base ingredients.  The preparation was a more basic than Celebrity.  It lacked flavors to make a meal outstanding.  We complain on this board about Lobster.  VV solved that issue by not serving any.  We did order the seafood platter in Wake to compare to raw on 5.  The quality of VV platter was not as good as what we have on Celebrity.  Many on here would have fun reviewing their lobster tail 😄 .  There was tons of fun food that we liked around the ship - Popcorn, soft pretzels, etc.  The hamburger was definitely better than the grill (but not better than lumanie burger).  And we complain on here about menu cuts; the VV menus are pretty simple as well - just a handful of dishes; so longer cruises the food will get repetitive.  

We have done the all included so regularly with Celebrity; items like no Tips, or wifi included was not a noticeable change for us.  Leaving with a bar bill was.  Everyone we talked to was having an incredible time.  A common theme was "one of the best cruises I've ever been on".  And most of those people were coming from Carnival.  With a few from Norwegian.  I did not meet anyone who cruised Celebrity regularly.  Although we did see one of their beach bags on someone's shoulder.

The night time entertainment was lively.  I can honestly say we willingly stayed up later than we have on any other cruise & we danced (we don't often) more than any other cruise.  It was a great product.  We will return. But as someone who plays an Engineer in real life and is focused on Efficiency & Water Reduction (& Lean manufacturing & Six Sigma and whatever buzz word to increase production, eliminate waste and raise profits is) - there were noticeable things.   For example, no table clothes.  Even in their "fine dining / speciality restaurants".  One less thing to change, one less thing to wash.  No real uniforms for the staff.  They basically wore polos.  Again - no uniforms for them to clean and press.  The crew ate with the passengers (no additional dining area).  And bottled water was no where to be found.  Anywhere.  It was fill up your cup at the water station (although carafe of water in the room was nice).

 

I encourage people to branch out and try something new.  You may find something you like better than Celebrity.  You also may realize that Celebrity isn't that bad.  Cheers.

thank you.. appreciate the review

Not the new Celeb for us!

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