Any Celebrity fans left in here?

[QuestionEverything]

17 hours ago, OceanCruise said:

I am Elite Plus and was a huge Celebrity cheerleader. We had not looked elsewhere for the past 15 years or so. My realistic expectation for my two 2024 cruises was that I understood inflation and was willing to pay Sky Suite prices significantly higher than past cruises because I "knew" what I was going to get (before the recent changes). I will wait and see how my cruises are this year and decide at that time whether I will book again with Celebrity given the current price points. My philosophy has always been that no cruise is a bad cruise. However, I will say I do not have the usual excitement that I normally have in anticipation of sailing. Because of the gaslighting Celebrity did in saying the detrimental changes make for "an elevated experience", I have fully lost trust in Celebrity and am waiting for another shoe to drop that would continue to impact my upcoming sailings negatively and cost me more money. Rather than eagerly awaiting "luxury" and "not having to lift a finger" (Celebrity's words), it is hard to keep an open mind when I have legitimate concerns that an overworked room attendant (aka Retreat Host) might not clean my room adequately, that the food will be just ok, and only low-end wine is included for the exorbitant prices I am paying. What has Celebrity done recently to show they care about their customers? Have they added anything of value? All they had to do to soften the blow about butler removal would have been allowing cancellation without penalty or offering some gesture of goodwill.  They could have grandfathered in those with a premium package to give an increased upper limit of $19. Instead, they made many of us feel taken advantage of and created a negative opinion of Celebrity which we never had before. What I may be open to in the future is to book veranda or Aqua class at a much more palatable price point, take full advantage of my loyalty perks, and no longer book Sky Suites.

100% well said and accurate.

I would also say that this sentiment applies to other cruise lines.

As a former Celebrity fan, I moved to Oceania. Then they undertook the forced Simply More, so I have cancelled them.

I am a dissatisfied consumer and my $ moves to where I am satisfied. Loyalty is 0.

[zitsky]

5 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

100% well said and accurate.

I would also say that this sentiment applies to other cruise lines.

As a former Celebrity fan, I moved to Oceania. Then they undertook the forced Simply More, so I have cancelled them.

I am a dissatisfied consumer and my $ moves to where I am satisfied. Loyalty is 0.

What is Simply More?

[Wedgeh]

I think (alongside Cunard) inside cabins on Celebrity are excellent value. The included food options, especially the buffet, are ahead of the other lines I frequently cruise on (RCL & Princess). Of course there's no perfect line, I'd dearly love to have princess's cocktail menu available on Celebrity, but X is still my favourite.

[QuestionEverything]

29 minutes ago, zitsky said:

What is Simply More?

Morning zitsky!

It is a new mandatory inclusive price increase to cover alcohol at lunch and dinner (only those times......) and shore excursions.

You must pay for these even if you do not use same.

This is a major change for Oceania - who used to have an al a cart menu that you could customize your experience.

Hence, since I do not do either - I have cancelled Oceania.

On the Oceania site it is advertised as FREE - which of course is a bold faced lie.

It is not only Celebrity who is significantly changing their product to the detriment of the customer.

 

[Ipeeinthepools]

4 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

Morning zitsky!

It is a new mandatory inclusive price increase to cover alcohol at lunch and dinner (only those times......) and shore excursions.

You must pay for these even if you do not use same.

This is a major change for Oceania - who used to have an al a cart menu that you could customize your experience.

Hence, since I do not do either - I have cancelled Oceania.

On the Oceania site it is advertised as FREE - which of course is a bold faced lie.

It is not only Celebrity who is significantly changing their product to the detriment of the customer.

 

 

Sounds like "Simply Less" to me.

[QuestionEverything]

41 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Sounds like "Simply Less" to me.*yhut

It is 100% less.

The issue of alcohol is a significant one as many people can not drink it due to health and medication or non interest, like me. It is a forced purchase.

Now that there is forced excursions, everyone is booking, and the excursions are now in limited supply - meaning one is compromised in getting an excursion.

It is totally disgusting and as a former Oceania customer - I have cancelled them.

__________________

We are seeing across the board is the deliberate reduction in the cruise product all dressed up in lies like:

* supply chain

* environmental concerns

* "free"

It is up to each consumer how much they will tolerate.

I observe much expression of concern by Celebrity cruisers. I note posters on the NCL board raising concern about "changes" to itineraries after final payment, there is the Oceania Simply "Less" (love it) scam.

What I know is that I have 1 cruise booked in Jan 25. Beyond that 0, and no intention of doing so.

All my vacation $ is now moved to land based and a new Magnificent SUV for North American driving vacations.

What ever you choose, hope it works out.

[Gracie115]

2 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

It is 100% less.

The issue of alcohol is a significant one as many people can not drink it due to health and medication or non interest, like me. It is a forced purchase.

Now that there is forced excursions, everyone is booking, and the excursions are now in limited supply - meaning one is compromised in getting an excursion.

It is totally disgusting and as a former Oceania customer - I have cancelled them.

 

 

 

And yet for those of us fed up with Celebrity and having just tried our first Oceania cruise we are completely happy with the product.  Simply More works for us as we do drink some wine on cruises and can make the shore excursions work because we would be booking as soon as available.  We had a credit left from the shore excursion credit which wound up being reducing our final bill by the same amount.  I understand this is not "supposed" to happen, but it happened.  

 

Oceania service outshines Celebrity on every level.....

[QuestionEverything]

1 minute ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

And yet for those of us fed up with Celebrity and having just tried our first Oceania cruise we are completely happy with the product.  Simply More works for us as we do drink some wine on cruises and can make the shore excursions work because we would be booking as soon as available.  We had a credit left from the shore excursion credit which wound up being reducing our final bill by the same amount.  I understand this is not "supposed" to happen, but it happened.  

 

Oceania service outshines Celebrity on every level.....

I 100% agree, Oceania is far superior to Celebrity For Every Guest, in every category; service, food, ocean views, access.

Many posters here do not realize when Celebrity started way back in 2001 (I sailed on the Zenith then), Celebrity was the Oceania of the day - Celebrity was innovative and high end.

The decline of Celebrity from that to a mass cruise line with huge ships, some with no balconies, some with no forward view and ship in a ship apartheid is stunning. Corporate decisions.

I like Oceania, but I am not interested in being forced to pay for items I do not want nor use.

I believe that Celebrity tried the inclusive delivery and it was quickly abandoned.

Have a great time what ever travel you do!

Kindest Regards

[Stockjock]

17 minutes ago, QuestionEverything said:

I 100% agree, Oceania is far superior to Celebrity For Every Guest, in every category; service, food, ocean views, access.

Many posters here do not realize when Celebrity started way back in 2001 (I sailed on the Zenith then), Celebrity was the Oceania of the day - Celebrity was innovative and high end.

The decline of Celebrity from that to a mass cruise line with huge ships, some with no balconies, some with no forward view and ship in a ship apartheid is stunning. Corporate decisions.

I like Oceania, but I am not interested in being forced to pay for items I do not want nor use.

I believe that Celebrity tried the inclusive delivery and it was quickly abandoned.

Have a great time what ever travel you do!

Kindest Regards

I think my first Celebrity sailing was on Century around 2008 or so.  The food was amazing.  On par with an outstanding land-based restaurant.  In the MDR, we ate a filet mignon of a high quality and large lobster tails.

Then, we went on Eclipse, and the food was excellent.  Not as good as on Century, but still of a high quality.

Next, we went on a NYE cruise on Summit, and I'd say the food was very good.

This past summer, we sailed on Infinity and the food was ok.

This fall, back on Eclipse, and again, ok food, not much different than the "non-premium" cruise lines.

We'll be on Ascent this summer, and I'm hoping they won't continue to go downhill in terms of the food served in the MDR.

Edited January 19 by Stockjock

[Moby Jones]

On 1/18/2024 at 12:07 PM, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

So what are "realistic expectations" these days?   I guess I was confused, I thought I was the customer and Celebrity should be looking for ways to meet and exceed my expectations. 

A downgrade in quality and service standards. 

For example I've just got off Beyond. The menu in Luminae was a disappointment. Clearly they are using cheaper ingredients in their menu. Our party who are all seasoned E+ Captains Club members also thought portions looked just a little smaller and that service was a lot slower than what we are used to. 

Bars also had smaller selections of beverages available compared to previous sailings. 

So if you lower your expectations compared to what they were previously, you might enjoy your cruise more. 

[NMTraveller]

4 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

Our party who are all seasoned E+ Captains Club members also thought portions looked just a little smaller and that service was a lot slower than what we are used to. 
 

We just got off of the Millenium.  We noticed similar portion reductions.  The portion reductions are not a big deal in my opinion.  But the Branzino was sliced/filleted much thinner which meant that it was always overcooked ...  A disappointment when you are paying for specialty dining most nights.

[Moby Jones]

Just now, NMTraveller said:

We just got off of the Millenium.  We noticed similar portion reductions.  The portion reductions are not a big deal in my opinion.  But the Branzino was sliced/filleted much thinner which meant that it was always overcooked ...  A disappointment when you are paying for specialty dining most nights.

Obviously you can always order more if you want. It just shows a little bit of desperation with the cut backs going too far. I'm pleased you noticed it also though. 

The crème brûlée is certainly thinner than it used to be! 🙂

[NMTraveller]

1 minute ago, Moby Jones said:

Obviously you can always order more if you want. It just shows a little bit of desperation with the cut backs going too far. I'm pleased you noticed it also though. 

The crème brûlée is certainly thinner than it used to be! 🙂

No need to order more overcooked Branzino 🤣

 

I would have preferred a thicker but smaller filet cooked to perfection...

Edited January 21 by NMTraveller

[hcat]

On 1/19/2024 at 8:17 AM, QuestionEverything said:

Morning zitsky!

It is a new mandatory inclusive price increase to cover alcohol at lunch and dinner (only those times......) and shore excursions.

You must pay for these even if you do not use same.

This is a major change for Oceania - who used to have an al a cart menu that you could customize your experience.

Hence, since I do not do either - I have cancelled Oceania.

On the Oceania site it is advertised as FREE - which of course is a bold faced lie.

It is not only Celebrity who is significantly changing their product to the detriment of the customer.

 

Ugh.... we were just starting to think we 'd try the new Oceania ship from Miami.. small but not too small, and an upscale decor scheme.  Itins go to Carib islands we have not been able to visit on X...BUT we do not agree with a forced added fee for alcohol we do not drink, or excursions we might not want! 

So back to X  and  thoughts of Cunard!

[Angel RG]

Big fan of Celebrity.  I've been researching other lines recently and would probably only do SilverSeas or Regent level, which are higher priced and seems to be more focused on ports than onboard features.  May be a little too "stuffy" for me.  Plan to stick with Celebrity unless I have a bad experience. Definitely prefer E Class ships.

[markeb]

53 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

A downgrade in quality and service standards. 

For example I've just got off Beyond. The menu in Luminae was a disappointment. Clearly they are using cheaper ingredients in their menu. Our party who are all seasoned E+ Captains Club members also thought portions looked just a little smaller and that service was a lot slower than what we are used to. 

Bars also had smaller selections of beverages available compared to previous sailings. 

So if you lower your expectations compared to what they were previously, you might enjoy your cruise more. 

 

I guess I largely have different expectations. We were on Equinox in November. The menu in Luminae was limited, as it was the two previous times we were in a suite. There continue to be too many boring beef options, but there were very nice lamb offerings, the seared tuna was actually rare, and the black bass delicious and not overcooked this time. My wife enjoyed a great vegetarian dish one night. The serving sizes were appropriate instead of huge. We left the dining room comfortable where previously the options were stuffed or leave food on the plate. 

 

I will agree that service was quite a bit slower. And the availability of good whisk(e)y at the bars had definitely decreased. Equinox was pretty much all in on the martini bar and there was plenty of gin and vodka and gin and vodka drinks.

[Moby Jones]

23 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

I guess I largely have different expectations. We were on Equinox in November. The menu in Luminae was limited, as it was the two previous times we were in a suite. There continue to be too many boring beef options, but there were very nice lamb offerings, the seared tuna was actually rare, and the black bass delicious and not overcooked this time. My wife enjoyed a great vegetarian dish one night. The serving sizes were appropriate instead of huge. We left the dining room comfortable where previously the options were stuffed or leave food on the plate. 

 

I will agree that service was quite a bit slower. And the availability of good whisk(e)y at the bars had definitely decreased. Equinox was pretty much all in on the martini bar and there was plenty of gin and vodka and gin and vodka drinks.

What we have experienced is that service in Luminae always seems to be slower on the E class ships than the older vessels. The suite restaurant may be larger on the newer ships but I would have expected more staff to maintain pace with customer orders. 

The choice of Scotch, Irish and bourbon was simply terrible on Beyond last week. I'm not going to sugar coat anything, they had some of the cheapest, nastiest brands out there. I don't expect 18 year old Glendronach or Pappy, but the choices were a bit of a bad joke. 

[QuestionEverything]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Ugh.... we were just starting to think we 'd try the new Oceania ship from Miami.. small but not too small, and an upscale decor scheme.  Itins go to Carib islands we have not been able to visit on X...BUT we do not agree with a forced added fee for alcohol we do not drink, or excursions we might not want! 

So back to X  and  thoughts of Cunard!

Greetings hcat. Your posts are excellent.

Oceania vessels are good sized and it allows them to frequent more unique destinations. The food is certainly better than X and that is for every guest on the ship. Service is very high end.

Oceania started the Simply More July 1. I booked not realizing the change and did not realize till later.

My Oceania cruise is Jan 25 to the SE Asia. It is 15 days, 13 ports. So the "free" drinks at lunch are not happening due to excursion timing even though I am forced to pay for them. The "free" drinks are only at lunch and dinner, no other time, get that. Further, you pay over $600 pp for the shore excursions whether you use them or not. If they are cancelled/supplier issues and it does not happen, you do Not get a refund.

This is such that I will not book Oceania again until this anti - consumer decision is removed.

[doghog]

Any Celebrity fans left in here? We are. Just not loyal to Celebrity. 

[mickey89]

Cruising has changed enormously since we first cruised.  Over populated ports due to the emergence of the massive cruise ships has unfortunately killed cruising for us.  Back to Land Holidays for us......

Edited January 22 by mickey89

[Esmerelda]

We haven't sailed on Celebrity yet. Both of us are excited. Our last cruise on the Allure was a 6 out of 10 and that had been one of our favorite ships.  Remaining positive that the Apex is better in Match ☺️

[Ipeeinthepools]

16 minutes ago, Esmerelda said:

We haven't sailed on Celebrity yet. Both of us are excited. Our last cruise on the Allure was a 6 out of 10 and that had been one of our favorite ships.  Remaining positive that the Apex is better in Match ☺️

 

It will depend on if you are a suite guest and your expectations.  What didn't you like about the Allure?

[the penguins]

21 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

Cruising has changed enormously since we first cruised.  Over populated ports due to the emergence of the massive cruise ships has unfortunately killed cruising for us.  Back to Land Holidays for us......

Due to increased mobility and pain issues land touring is now almost impossible for us. However by booking private guides it's still possible to escape to areas which are often practically "tourist free" or to visit popular attractions at less busy times. 

Toursbylocals is always our starting point as we deal direct with the guides which makes customising a tour relatively simple.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

35 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

Cruising has changed enormously since we first cruised.  Over populated ports due to the emergence of the massive cruise ships has unfortunately killed cruising for us.  Back to Land Holidays for us......

I really only find that to be true if you sail the Caribbean, which is a no go for us , better to go a resort if you just want to go to a beach 

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, Esmerelda said:

We haven't sailed on Celebrity yet. Both of us are excited. Our last cruise on the Allure was a 6 out of 10 and that had been one of our favorite ships.  Remaining positive that the Apex is better in Match ☺️

I don’t want to scare you, but I think you’ll have a good time. Don’t listen to the doom and gloom.  😂

 

Don’t forget to do your cruise checkin so you get an early boarding time.  Some ports are better than others as far as embarkation.

 

Get on the ship, have a drink at the Sunset Bar and watch the sail away.