These boards are scaring me. Has Celebrity dropped THAT much in quality???

[magmagee]

I understand your worry because I too have a Panama repo cruise booked (Nov also) on the Infinity and the comments on the boards of late have left me feeling a little sad. When I booked this cruise 11 months ago, the boards were much more positive...I could hardly find anything negative as a matter of fact.

The advantage I have is that this is my first X cruise, so I don't have a previous X cruises to compare it to and most likely won't feel any decline in the line, if in fact there is a decline.

I will go with an open mind. I'm not too hard to please actually and most likely will love this cruise. I did want to say that if you're on the Nov 5th sailing, please join our roll call. :) if you decide to keep your booking.

 

You are going to love the Infinity. Our two trips on her were so wonderful. You will not want to get off. She was my choice for this last trip we took to Alaska in May but we could not make the dates work. Our next trip will be the Panama Canal so you will have to let everyone know what a great time you had.

[aznails]

I also have to wonder why you started the thread... looking at your posting history one wonders if you were just attempting to provoke some more controversy.

 

I looked also, and it appears that she is looking at HAL - Veendam! Ed, if your suspicions are correct, this is a new low for Cruise Critic.

 

Who's trying to start the controversy here? This poster asked a legitimate question and is making a decision based on how he/she felt about the answers to those questions. The poster thanked everyone for their input and made a decision.

 

Greatam - whatever you decide to do, have a wonderful and safe trip and let us know all about it upon your return. It's an itinerary that I'm also thinking of for the future.

 

P.S. Personally, the food and service in the dining room was the highlight of my Celebrity cruise!

[greatam]

I looked also, and it appears that she is looking at HAL - Veendam! Ed, if your suspicions are correct, this is a new low for Cruise Critic.

 

What are you talking about? I already have the Infinity deposited and the QE2 on hold until Friday.

[magmagee]

Now you see the problem. If I have to spend $60.00 per night (x 14 nights) to have what I have had previously on X, why should I not go to Cunard?

 

First, I think the Normandie service is a cut above and you will not get that service in the main dining room. Have you ever dined in one of the specialty restaurants? They try to create the atmostphere like you were really on those special ships of days gone by. It is really an experience. The main seating is elegant in its own right. They could not seat 2,000 people each night and serve them dinner like they do in the Normandie or the SS United States . That is the restaurant on the Infinity. Maybe you know all of this anyway. Since my first cruise on Infinity in 2004 and then 2005 and then the Summit this May I have not seen a decline in anything on those ships. I am being perfectly honest and not trying to sell X. Have not reason to do that. Also, I would not want to be saying all of this good stuff and then have you spend all of your hard earned money on something I did not believe in. I started posting on this site so I could share my experiences and also I do want to hear all of the good and bad even though it does sound scary at times.

Have a great cruise and we will be here waiting to see how things worked out.

[chily3]

I

 

I want an upscale ship, I want a clean ship, I want pax to appreciate formal night and show their appreciation by dressing accordingly. I don't care about the shows. I do like good food, but am not a foodie. And I really appreciate the waiters carrying trays in the buffet. Everything X has always been (haven't sailed X in two years).

 

Are these reports from disgruntled cruisers, first timers, non dress code people, etc., or are they from regular Celebrity cruisers?

 

OK here goes, The ship is clean and they spend a lot of time daily keeping it that way. Just like anyplace with 2,000 people, you will find some area, if you look hard enough, that is not perfect. Not even Disneyland is perfect.

 

90-95% of PAX respect formal night, Again some people just don't get the message. I will never let 5% of anything ruin my time on a ship or anywhere.

 

The staff on the Infinity is great, we just got off the infinity on 4-17-06 after the cruise of lifetime through the Panama Canal and speak with recent experience.

 

Yes the wait staff will carry your tray in the buffet. Remember the ratio is not one wait staff for each passenger but they do a good job in helping with your trays.

 

In spite of the negatives, which are blown out of proporation you will enjoy cruising with celebrity, AND We do not even own stock.

 

:)

[Leela]

oops, I wanted to delete this but can't figure out how

[kitty9]

catmand, you did not understand what I was trying to convey with my statement about the "veggies". It used to be that there were more on the plate than what they are giving now which to me points to what could be seen as cost savings. Yes, I do understand, after taking 45 cruises, that you can order however much of what you want. But my point was, it does appear that things are being cut back in terms of food. I don't want to order a bowl of veggies, but when the menu says "boiled red potatoes" and all you see is one on the plate, it's quite different from what Celebrity presented in the past.

 

OH and BTW, I'm not picking on things and posting negatives over and over again. As I've said many times, I like Celebrity, and continue to cruise with them, but I have seen a downward trend in some areas since my first couple of X cruises.

[Jim_Iain]

Very interesting posts. I enjoy reading the perception of other passengers both complimentary as well as those who express their disappointment.

 

I have sailed M-Class ships 7 times and Mercury once. To the point of wheter things have changed I would have to say yes. The M-Class ships are not show room new and fresh but generally they are well maintained and the staff is well trained.

 

I just sailed Infinity (May 8 - Alaska Cruise out of San Francisco) -On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate the cruise experience as follows -

 

Overall Service - 9

Butler Service - 10+

Stateroom Servic - 10

Waiter - 10

Condition of Ship after Dry Dock 9

Celebrity Suite Condition 8

Entertainment 5 (Personal opinion downgraded due to only 3 late seating shows were after dinner)

USS United States - 10+

Food Late Seating - 8.5

 

From previous cruise I know that the staterooms are constantly being upgraded during the normal sailing season. I was surprised that the Sofa and Side chair in the Celebrity Suite were worn and in need of replacement. I had assumed they would have been replaced during drydock. Having said this it in no way distracted from my cruise experience.

 

In comparison to my first cruise on Celebrity, I would say things have changed but not sufficently to dissuade me from sailing Celebrity as often as I can.

[catmand]

catmand, you did not understand what I was trying to convey with my statement about the "veggies". It used to be that there were more on the plate than what they are giving now which to me points to what could be seen as cost savings. Yes, I do understand, after taking 45 cruises, that you can order however much of what you want. But my point was, it does appear that things are being cut back in terms of food. I don't want to order a bowl of veggies, but when the menu says "boiled red potatoes" and all you see is one on the plate, it's quite different from what Celebrity presented in the past.

 

OH and BTW, I'm not picking on things and posting negatives over and over again. As I've said many times, I like Celebrity, and continue to cruise with them, but I have seen a downward trend in some areas since my first couple of X cruises.

 

I JUST posted in another thread how I never directly quote people, and I don't. But since Darcie/Kitty is telling me i didn't understand the statement, i would like to "point-counter point". And I realize we are not arguing here, actually I think the subject is sort of funny.

Kitty/Darcie Yes, I think I did understand what you meant, as I have seen what may be evidence of this as well. MY POINT was, (and again this was in a little frustration) why bother with something like that? It could be said they are putting less on the plates to combat waste. Sort of like those that complain about lack of mid-night buffets......................like there isn't any room service. I do apologize however as I was at that point in the thread just skimming and the potato thing jumped out at me a couple of times right along with the "I didn't get the weather card." (..........hope that wasn't you).

[C 2 C]

OH and BTW, I'm not picking on things and posting negatives over and over again. As I've said many times, I like Celebrity, and continue to cruise with them, but I have seen a downward trend in some areas since my first couple of X cruises.

I have the same conclusion. When you order an item with mushrooms, you might receive 1 or 2 in the entree. On Galaxy my wife ordered Rum Raisin ice cream for dessert and got one raisin. The second time on the menu she received three raisins. On other X ships this is the only dessert she orders and it has always been wonderful. After the third attempt and comments to the assistant maitre'd she just gave up. The cold soups were similarly below Celebrity (and even RCL standards). The strawberry soup tasted exactly as, and as thin as, the juice remnants of defrosted strawberries. I just believe that this was the result of Galaxy's head chef not the result of Celebrity alterations. The beef quality on the May 6 transatlantic was great with several special cuts: tournedeau, filet mignon, prime rib etc. But these items were mostly deleted from the May 22 cruise and replaced with two evening theme buffets. We noticed a distinct decline in food choice and quality on the voyage in the Mediterranean.

As I have mentioned, we booked five more X cruises for the next year but all five are on Century, the ship we love the most and now the newest vessel in the fleet. When you check the prices Celebrity still offers some of the best deals in the industry. BUT I do notice a decline in food quality that is not fleet wide. I suspect that ships are competing with one another to produce the most revenue per passenger at a time when fuel costs are increasing and fares are not keeping pace with that increase.

[renebfl]

I was on the May 7th Summit and have posted several times about my cruise. Yes, I had negative words about the way things were handled, but I did not think negatively of the cruise. I really am not sure if I would sail them again because of the trust issue. If none of those things had happened, I too, would be a Celebrity follower. I though our staff, food, and ship were just what we wanted. I agree with the above posting about the food, like vegtable serving, potato serving, but I certainly had excellent quality meat that was the best we have had on any cruise. If things had not gone wrong, it would have been the best cruise out of 12 we have taken.

[Skeezics]

Oops! I must have gotten the extra raisins!

[C 2 C]

Oops! I must have gotten the extra raisins!

 

How about the rum component? I don't think the cork ever left the bottle as the raisins danced by.;)

[Leela]

I do apologize however as I was at that point in the thread just skimming and the potato thing jumped out at me a couple of times right along with the "I didn't get the weather card." (..........hope that wasn't you).

That was me. What is so wrong about me wondering what happened to a nice little touch that I experienced on three previous cruises? I don't consider it a complaint, it was just a question. One theory I had was that because we were in the same port all week, that's why they didn't do it. I'm always willing to look for a begnine explanation for things. I don't think it's fair to pooh-pooh me for asking questions about things I see, simply because they are questions that could possibly be construed as "negative." How am I to learn that it merely didn't happen in my cabin on my cruise, rather than it being a fleet-wide omission? I was just curious...I've said before that it didn't ruin my cruise or anything, that I just was wondering where it was.

[Leela]

How about the rum component? I don't think the cork ever left the bottle as the raisins danced by.;)

Warning! Humor alert!

 

Maybe if they put that much rum in, they'd have to charge for the ice cream as if it were a cocktail! :)

[C 2 C]

Warning! Humor alert!

 

Maybe if they put that much rum in, they'd have to charge for the ice cream as if it were a cocktail! :)

 

HAL has (still?) the nicest ice cream bar. All those liquers to add a little spice to your choice of ice cream and toppings.

[Skeezics]

.....and toooooooooo many raisins, charge as wine! Mystery solved! (What's a day without some smiles)

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

To read some of the people who post here, you would think that the ships are barely seaworthy, the staff similar to what you would find in a one star hotel in Baghdad, and the food no better than the Olive Garden. Oh my God, there was a scratch on a table and a thread hanging from a sofa!! Man the lifeboats!!! Come on folks, give it a rest. We have been on five Celebrity cruises in the past 8 years. The ships' condition, service and food remain first rate. Have some things changed? Yes, of course. Does that mean it's gone downhill, NO. If this cruise line is not meeting your needs, go ahead, jump ship and find another cruise line that will. Of course, be prepared to pay the price that accompanies that kind of experience. It is amazing that Celebrity has been able to maintain the level of service without significant increases in fares given the skyrocketing cost of fuel, increased security measures and expanding itineraries. I can put up with some increased "advertising" in the daily program and some other inconsequential nuisances to keep pricing down.

Celebrity still remains a great value for an above average experience.

[Steamboatin]

We just returned home this Saturday night late from a 14 day cruise on the Celebrity Constellation.

 

We were served several times directly from the galley in the main dinning room at dinner food on chipped plates.

 

Up in the Deck 10 Cafe we found glasses that were badly cracked, had rim chips on them, and had lipstick still on them that were put out for immediate use.

 

Also up in the Deck 10 Cafe there was a torn carpet seam back by the port side windows where they met the stern windows in that back corner. The carpet was and is a safety hazard.

 

For the prices we paid for that cruise these sort of things are totally inexcusable.

 

Paying extra for a cruise will not solve these type of problems.

[Ma Bell]

I give up.

[DaveFr]

Nitpick: "To be concerned with or find fault with insignificant details." :cool:

 

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

[Drew B]

Jeez, Louise! Who is to say which details are significant or insignificant? Obviously, there are SOME details that matter to y'all, or you wouldn't need to select Celebrity over other lines. You'd be equally content to sail RCCL or Princess or NCL or Carnival... I'd be thrilled to sail ANY of them, but that's just me... Why does it bother you if somebody else cares about slightly different details from the ones that matter to you?

[C 2 C]

Jeez, Louise! Why does it bother you if somebody else cares about slightly different details from the ones that matter to you?

“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."— H. Jackson Browne

Amen

[BaltiGator]

Maybe if they put that much rum in, they'd have to charge for the ice cream as if it were a cocktail! :)

 

Cute!! :D

[rjg41]

We have sailed Celebrity 4 times in the last four years including Summit in March this year. (See below) Nothing is perfect but we see NO degradation in service, food, etc. Celebrity is our cruise line of choice. We will be booking Celebrity again shortly for a cruise this spring. Enjoy!!!!!!!