Such Negativity-Anything Positive to Say?

[hcat]

On 1/14/2024 at 7:42 AM, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I think the biggest difference between pre and post Covid cruise experience sailing , in a non suite, is the level of experience of the staff and the number of staff 

All cruise lines lost staff during Covid ,

Celebrity has add two larger ships so their less staff doing more work , 

The staff they have are hard working but less experienced and less of them

Also people , I believe are nastier to staff , and less likely to follow common sense rules making it harder for staff 

 

 

for us.... many of our negatives are  sourced from the new  corp mgmnt team.   They are not upscale cruise line people but more aligned with mainstream Royal C ..Hope they catch on to the  differences.

[QuestionEverything]

"From my marketing background I just wonder what it will cost them to replace a 23 year exclusive Celebrity customer that sails in suites 3 or 4 months of the year.   I have a feeling the next  generation of cruisers will not be dedicated to a single cruise line and will jump ship at time like fees on a dog."

Jim-lain - exactly.

Celebrity appears to be discarding their customer base and chasing the 45 year old and under demographic.

Best of luck to them, this age of customer is busy paying mortgages and other expenses. 

I used to be a Celebrity regular, started in 2001 and discarded Celebrity in 2018 when the serious downgrading started, folks it started well before Covid. Moved to Oceania, Regent as well as I eliminated most cruising in favor of escorted land trips and well, I have to say it, got a Porsche and did driving trips all over North America. 

The combination of land trips and a few cruises works well for me. 

I wish cruising well but I do not think the so called boom will last.

[Irish clare]

as a solo traveller as well as cruiser i am aware of the single supplement .. and i have accepted it as been part of my travels ... it is everywhere not just in cruises 

i have done 6 Celebrity cruises and have 4 more planned in the next two years 

i was on the Beyond at Christmas and the only issue i had was that it came to an end 🙂 

as a poster has already mentioned people with issues seem to post .. people that had an amazing time do not post 

 

[PelicanLvr]

Manage your expectations......  and you'll be fine.

[markeb]

7 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Simply put, people aren’t seeing the value they used to

-Price…X’s parent company, RCG, openly brags during their earnings call that they can keep raising the pricing (for context, way above inflation) and bookings don’t suffer

 

Wouldn't any CEO feel the same way? Like it or not, if they can do that, they need to ride it. At some point they may have to balance current gains against long term viability but they have a ton of debt and I'm assuming a bunch of shareholders that would like to see a return on their equity.

 

None of us like it as consumers, but cruising is a luxury, not a need. Luxury goods are the classic example of inelastic demand; demand increases when price increases. And that's apparently across RCG so even though most of us wouldn't consider RCG a "luxury", other than maybe Silversea, apparently at least for now the market does and is behaving that way. And a lot of the food, beverage, and service changes don't appear to be impacting that bottom line. It has to be a strange place to be corporately...

[NMTraveller]

6 minutes ago, markeb said:

At some point they may have to balance current gains against long term viability ...

This.  It will happen sooner or later...

 

Then they will be wishing that they had kept their frequent cruisers around.

Edited January 15 by NMTraveller

[markeb]

8 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

This.  It will happen sooner or later...

 

Then they will be wishing that they had kept their frequent cruisers around.

 

That's an interesting question. We all assume that, but what if it's not the case? What if they (corporate they, not just Celebrity) are able to reset while they can charge whatever they want? I really have no idea. I've not seen a clear strategy from Celebrity (or really RCG) to suggest that's what they're doing. But right now the default strategy is do whatever we can to raise revenue, and I doubt that's unique to Celebrity.

 

And BTW, for the OPs question (these threads all become one continuous thread at some point), we thoroughly enjoyed our most recent Celebrity cruise in November (which I'm sure I'll be reminded was before the most recent round of changes...). We went in expecting it to be a bit different than our last cruise but also expecting to enjoy it. Both were true.

[CruiseImage]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

for us.... many of our negatives are  sourced from the new  corp mgmnt team.   They are not upscale cruise line people but more aligned with mainstream Royal C ..Hope they catch on to the  differences.

 

What new "team" are you referring to?

All new and recent promotions are from within Celebrity not Royal, its only Laura that's comes across.

Keith was/is X and so is Katina, so they are very much as "upscale" as can be.

All hotel, new build, F&B employees etc are all Celebrity. 

[CruiseImage]

On 1/13/2024 at 8:10 PM, Jamietravelstheworld said:

I am a very experienced cruiser but have my first Celebrity cruise booked for January 2025 on the Edge. Reading the posts here, everything is so negative. Should I cancel? Or are the people with positive things to say just not posting? No cruise line is perfect, and every cruise has made cuts due to budget, but is it so extreme on Celebrity. My favorite cruise line is Azamara and I often cruise solo. I also like Oceania but find there's not a lot to do on the ships. I like Princess too, but they don't do enough to engage the solo travelers or help them meet each other.

 

.... welcome to CruiseCritic 😝 

 

from the experience you have cruising with the lines you mention, you'll be perfectly fine and will have no issues finding your way around. 

Ive just been on Edge for 52 nights and the team are amazing and definitely has the best Captain in the fleet, who tag teams with a superb Cruise Director, always plenty going on.

[ldubs]

On 1/13/2024 at 12:20 PM, jean87510 said:

There are a few reviews about the Edge about peoples experiences that may be helpful to you.  I'm not sure of what exactly you are focusing on that constitutes negativity.  Is it comments about the Retreat, food, tips, chair hogs, lack of true balcony?  If you can narrow down what exactly concerns you, maybe you may get an answer that will reassure you.  I happen to love Celebrity but will only sail with them now for a reasonable price for me.

 

In general it has seemed to me that the Celebrity board has been pretty negative.  I have not been on Celebrity since pre-Covid, so can only hope (and I suspect) the reality is better.  I notice it is now happening with the Princess forums too.  Of the three, Carnival seems to have the happiest cruisers.  

[kabmab]

As Elite level cruisers, Celebrity has definitely changed.  Just got off the Apex and have one more X cruise on Ascent.  After that trying out Sun Princess (elite on Princess also).  Almost all people we talked to last week were first time cruisers or first time Celebrity cruisers.  They LOVED Celebrity.  Mostly Generation X, possibly their target market.

[CruiseImage]

11 minutes ago, kabmab said:

As Elite level cruisers, Celebrity has definitely changed.  Just got off the Apex and have one more X cruise on Ascent.  After that trying out Sun Princess (elite on Princess also).  Almost all people we talked to last week were first time cruisers or first time Celebrity cruisers.  They LOVED Celebrity.  Mostly Generation X, possibly their target market.

its now moving to the "GEN Z's" as the target audience and currently the most social media savvy 😝

[Tyler414]

2 minutes ago, CruiseImage said:

its now moving to the "GEN Z's" as the target audience and currently the most social media savvy 😝

Gen Z was born in early 2000's....  Doubt that is their target audience.

[CruiseImage]

Just now, Tyler414 said:

Gen Z was born in early 2000's....  Doubt that is their target audience.

the Z's start from 1997 and in todays would that's already 25+ , and very much fall into the target market 

[jean87510]

21 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

In general it has seemed to me that the Celebrity board has been pretty negative.  I have not been on Celebrity since pre-Covid, so can only hope (and I suspect) the reality is better.  I notice it is now happening with the Princess forums too.  Of the three, Carnival seems to have the happiest cruisers.  

You are correct.  The reality is better.  And Carnival definitely has happier cruisers on Cruise critic and on board.  BUT in the main non Retreat area of our Equinox sailing last February, people appeared much more pleasant and happier then Royal Caribbean or the non YC area of MSC.  And yes, this is just my observations!  

[ldubs]

32 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

You are correct.  The reality is better.  And Carnival definitely has happier cruisers on Cruise critic and on board.  BUT in the main non Retreat area of our Equinox sailing last February, people appeared much more pleasant and happier then Royal Caribbean or the non YC area of MSC.  And yes, this is just my observations!  

 

A long time ago a poster here on cruise critic says they would not be guided by a negative post.  I think that is very good advice.  I have always enjoyed Celebrity.   I'm sure, and you reinforce, the on board atmosphere is not what this forum might reflect from time to time.  

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

Wouldn't any CEO feel the same way? Like it or not, if they can do that, they need to ride it. At some point they may have to balance current gains against long term viability but they have a ton of debt and I'm assuming a bunch of shareholders that would like to see a return on their equity.

 

None of us like it as consumers, but cruising is a luxury, not a need. Luxury goods are the classic example of inelastic demand; demand increases when price increases. And that's apparently across RCG so even though most of us wouldn't consider RCG a "luxury", other than maybe Silversea, apparently at least for now the market does and is behaving that way. And a lot of the food, beverage, and service changes don't appear to be impacting that bottom line. It has to be a strange place to be corporately...

My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with that yet am pointing out those who think the pricing will level off or inevitably decrease should rethink their views based on those earning calls.  In 2023, carnival elevated their food quality and selection while RCI and X (idk about SS, I don’t follow them) decreased theirs

 

Two questionable short live food additions gave off “royalization” vibe which were the MDR dinner double cheeseburger and the for a few cookie replacing one the free ones (free ones were still available at the buffet but not everyone realized that)

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, CruiseImage said:

 

.... welcome to CruiseCritic 😝 

 

from the experience you have cruising with the lines you mention, you'll be perfectly fine and will have no issues finding your way around. 

Ive just been on Edge for 52 nights and the team are amazing and definitely has the best Captain in the fleet, who tag teams with a superb Cruise Director, always plenty going on.

Captain Matt was better on the Reflection 😁

[Ex-Airbalancer]

50 minutes ago, CruiseImage said:

the Z's start from 1997 and in todays would that's already 25+ , and very much fall into the target market 

Don’t see many Gen Zs on TA cruises 😁

[buncosquad]

Cunard is going through the same pains with their key demographic aging out of cruising. However, they've gone through this with every generation they say goodbye to, yet they've had staying power with each new generation.

 

I'll be testing their current model later this year, but I like their traditions.

 

As for Celebrity, the vibe is definitely appealing to me, and perhaps this is their generational shift.

 

Sure, this is a "critic" site, but the gripes can be exhausting. Don't let the "it ain't like it was" get to you.

 

I love it (at least their new ships and the Retreat on these new ships) and I'll bet if you are new to Celebrity like I am, you will, too (at least if you go on the new ships).

 

Don't fret all the negativity around loss of so-called "all inclusives" or service levels. You still pay the same price when all is said and done and the service has always been excellent.

 

Either go in paying for the best, or pay for the best according to what you can afford, set expectations, and you'll have a great time.

Edited January 15 by buncosquad

[MISTER 67]

On 1/13/2024 at 3:10 PM, Jamietravelstheworld said:

I am a very experienced cruiser but have my first Celebrity cruise booked for January 2025 on the Edge. Reading the posts here, everything is so negative. Should I cancel? Or are the people with positive things to say just not posting? No cruise line is perfect, and every cruise has made cuts due to budget, but is it so extreme on Celebrity. My favorite cruise line is Azamara and I often cruise solo. I also like Oceania but find there's not a lot to do on the ships. I like Princess too, but they don't do enough to engage the solo travelers or help them meet each other.

We’ve been on 10 cruises since the post-pandemic startup, 5 with Celebrity. Cruising for whatever reasons has changed and is not the same product pre-pandemic, not just with Celebrity but with just about all the other lines. That being said we have still had very good cruises with only 1 that was disappointing and that was with Holland America. I would not hesitate booking with Celebrity if I were you, in fact we are sailing on the Equinox next month on a 9 day cruise to Grand Cayman and the ABC islands.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

That's an interesting question. We all assume that, but what if it's not the case?

What if the economy never had a recession again?  That would be great.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

A long time ago a poster here on cruise critic says they would not be guided by a negative post.  I think that is very good advice.

I think that's terrible and crippling advice. What purpose would this site serve if there were only positive comments? I learn from all posts, but I find the most valuable information comes from others' negative experiences. "Here's what to do" is easy to figure out even just from reading a cruise line's own website. "Here's what NOT to do" requires more crowdsourced research from sites like this.

[ldubs]

11 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I think that's terrible and crippling advice. What purpose would this site serve if there were only positive comments? I learn from all posts, but I find the most valuable information comes from others' negative experiences. "Here's what to do" is easy to figure out even just from reading a cruise line's own website. "Here's what NOT to do" requires more crowdsourced research from sites like this.

 

Crippling?  Really?   The need to use such emotionally charged words is a good example of why a lot of negative comments need heavy filtering.   

 

Did someone say this site should only be positive comments?   

Edited January 15 by ldubs

[hcat]

2 hours ago, CruiseImage said:

 

What new "team" are you referring to?

All new and recent promotions are from within Celebrity not Royal, its only Laura that's comes across.

Keith was/is X and so is Katina, so they are very much as "upscale" as can be.

All hotel, new build, F&B employees etc are all Celebrity. 

started with LLP.. purely a Royal C  person..  who brought us the Hoppen decor,  Edenists and Goop..   

 

The Orig Celebrity  no longer exists other than in our  memories and old photo albums.  

 

I agree E Class is cutting EDGE..so thankful for that! But it is a diff  era!