Are things 'changing' at X?

[Duanerice1]

Luckily I booked my first Celebrity cruise BEFORE I found Cruise Critic. I was sold by the commercials :) Yes, the commercials. It wasn't until after we went on the cruise, the Summit, that I found Cruise Critic. Little did I know all the problems with Celebrity. Glad I didn't know the problems before we went because we had a fabulous time. Anything from, we were in a bad room (loved it) to the food had gone down hill (loved it), and the service was terrible (awesome service).

 

The point is, there will be more complaining here than people saying good things. I'm sure it is the same way over on the RCCL or Hal boards. For example, I had a long weekend trip booked on RCCL Navigator. I read all the reviews and wondered what was wrong with the ship, crew, and food. Hardly anything good was said about the boat. Glad I didn't listen to them. We had a great time. Service was good, ship was cool and the food was OK.

 

I have sailed on Carnival and RCCL but spend most of my time on Celebrity. We like the product and get our money's worth. I'll stick with them for now. Solstice up next!

 

enjoy,

Duane

[TRadle]

Luckily I booked my first Celebrity cruise BEFORE I found Cruise Critic. I was sold by the commercials :) Yes, the commercials. It wasn't until after we went on the cruise, the Summit, that I found Cruise Critic. Little did I know all the problems with Celebrity. Glad I didn't know the problems before we went because we had a fabulous time. Anything from, we were in a bad room (loved it) to the food had gone down hill (loved it), and the service was terrible (awesome service).

 

The point is, there will be more complaining here than people saying good things. I'm sure it is the same way over on the RCCL or Hal boards. For example, I had a long weekend trip booked on RCCL Navigator. I read all the reviews and wondered what was wrong with the ship, crew, and food. Hardly anything good was said about the boat. Glad I didn't listen to them. We had a great time. Service was good, ship was cool and the food was OK.

 

I have sailed on Carnival and RCCL but spend most of my time on Celebrity. We like the product and get our money's worth. I'll stick with them for now. Solstice up next!

 

enjoy,

Duane

 

Excellent post! Our first cruise was on the Century many years ago. Since then we have been doing multi-generation cruises on RCCL....great line for that. This past spring it was just the two of us again and we went back to Celebrity on the Millie. Right before our cruise was the Millie bashing season here on CC and I got a tad worried. Just a tad.

 

We had a fabulous cruise and found the food, service, and the ship to be wonderful. Now, nothing in this world is perfect....but the Millie was wonderful. I can't wait to sail on the Constellation in December. :D

[Verity]

Luckily I booked my first Celebrity cruise BEFORE I found Cruise Critic. I was sold by the commercials :) Yes, the commercials. It wasn't until after we went on the cruise, the Summit, that I found Cruise Critic. Little did I know all the problems with Celebrity. Glad I didn't know the problems before we went because we had a fabulous time. Anything from, we were in a bad room (loved it) to the food had gone down hill (loved it), and the service was terrible (awesome service).

enjoy,

Duane

 

I wrote the exact same comment a couple of weeks ago stating that I was and am really glad that I never heard of cruise critic until after our Summit cruise. Cruise Critic is great for information. But, it really is important to keep in mind that only a small percentage of cruisers post or even heard of cruise critic. Blogs always seem to attract more people with complaints than with praises. We always feel that we get our money's worth when we cruise on Celebrity.

[JNCRUISEBUMS]

WOW!!! Flashdog, (Phyllis) well stated! We get to be on The Constellation for 3 weeks, Nov. and Dec. can hardly wait! We were on the Galaxy and the Summit and loved them both. X is the way to go! Nancie:cool:

[woody14h]

It is not a bad thing to express one's opinion good and bad. If you are a fan or need more info, these posts can be extremely helpful. As you noticed most X reviews are glowing reports with some negatives along the way. Some people can never be pleased while others have had legitimate gripes. In the final analysis, the CC board is a stepping stone for completing your due diligence. I believe that this is a valuable board but not the end all be all for research. Many times you will find reviews written by tyros or some anti folks looking to get back at the lines for some perceived slights. Take each with a grain of salt. For specific info re. cabins, ports, ship amenities etc. this board is golden. For the subjective parts, everyone is entitled to their opinions. Choose wisely while weighing all posts plus! This holds true of ports, excursions et. al.

 

We have taken over 20 cruises. All were great with some better than others. At no time would I be deterred from taking more cruises. Cruising is what you make of it. The old saying holds true, is the glass half full or half empty?

 

Celebrity 7

HAL 11

Princess 2

Cunard 1

[C.a.p.t.a.i.ns.g.i.r.l.]

Interesting read and opinions on X.

 

Considering going back to X from another brand. It seems as though X ranks along with RCCL, when it used to be a step above.

[Sky Sweet]

I think changes are taking place on all cruise lines, but whether that is good or bad depends on your priorities.

 

While the food may have slipped a little in Celebrity's main dining room, it is still excellent in their specialty restaurants.

 

However, by controlling expenses on food Celebrity is able to keep its prices down which gives its passengers two options.

 

People who are more concerned with price than food can eat in the main dining room every night and pay less for that cruise than they would have if Celebrity had to raise prices to keep up its quality.

 

At the same time, people who are willing to pay more for better food can have better food by dining in the specialty dining room on most nights.

 

On most cruise lines today, I go with the attitude that I will eat in their specialty restaurants a few nights during a cruise to get the type of dining experience that was formerly available in the main dining room. I also realize that cruising today is a bargain compared to what it was years ago, or for a comparable land based vacation, so that doesn't bother me.

[Sky Sweet]

It is not a bad thing to express one's opinion good and bad. If you are a fan or need more info, these posts can be extremely helpful. As you noticed most X reviews are glowing reports with some negatives along the way. Some people can never be pleased while others have had legitimate gripes. In the final analysis, the CC board is a stepping stone for completing your due diligence. I believe that this is a valuable board but not the end all be all for research. Many times you will find reviews written by tyros or some anti folks looking to get back at the lines for some perceived slights. Take each with a grain of salt. For specific info re. cabins, ports, ship amenities etc. this board is golden. For the subjective parts, everyone is entitled to their opinions. Choose wisely while weighing all posts plus! This holds true of ports, excursions et. al.

 

We have taken over 20 cruises. All were great with some better than others. At no time would I be deterred from taking more cruises. Cruising is what you make of it. The old saying holds true, is the glass half full or half empty?

 

Celebrity 7

HAL 11

Princess 2

Cunard 1

 

Hi Woody :)

 

I noticed that you took one Cunard Cruise and have also been on HAL and Celebrity. How does Cunard compare with those two cruise lines?

 

I am curious because we have been on over ten Celebrity cruises, as well as a Holland America Cruise, and are thinking about trying Cunard because the QM2 has a few cruises that go to the Caribbean from New York.

[dmk]

Interesting read and opinions on X.

 

Considering going back to X from another brand. It seems as though X ranks along with RCCL, when it used to be a step above.

 

If you do book a Celebrity Cruise I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The service, quality and food is still a step above RCCL. Try it for yourself and have a great time:)

[Denny01]

I think you will find the set dining time handy with a group, especially with an older couple with you. We enjoyed the flexibility of open dining on a Princess cruise, but we like the set time of Celebrity especially when we are with family/friends. You have a set time to meet each evening and we worked our schedules to meet up at dinner, usually meeting for a drink beforehand. It can get a bit of a chore trying to set a time for all each day. We even find a set dining time better just for my wife and I. We get to know our table-mates better, the waiter understands your preferences in food/wine, and anticipates your desires better, and in truth, it gives the dining experience a special feel - a 'cruise' feel instead of something akin to a shore-based restaurant. Very subjective, but since it's my opinion, it must be very important!

 

As to the complaining you see so much on these threads about the slide in quality - it's funny how much people nitpick and then pay thousands to do it all again! I'm afraid part of the psychology is, I need to complain to show I'm sophisticated. I even saw a woman taking notes on what she saw as deficiencies - she said she did it daily. What a neat way to enjoy a cruise, but I think she was! It is important to point out something that is a problem, but if addressed, then it is not longer a problem. Enough of my complaining about complaining.

 

Denny

[Ma Bell]

Denny,

 

I couldn't agree more. I also sometimes think that people always remember their earlier experiences as being much better than they probably were. They were just so excited they didn't notice the small deficiencies. When I look back at photos I have of some of the early dining experiences, I can see that they weren't any more wonderful than they are today, in fact the choices were more limited in a lot of ways.

[RCCLCARIB]

Well, we have cruised 25+ times on RCCL and have recently decided to give Celerity a try. My parents are avid Azamara/Celebrity cruises, so their comment have interested us in the Celebrity Experience.

 

We are trying the Century and the Solstice in the next 5 months, but some things have already stuck out to me as Celebrity being a step above RCCL.

 

For example:

 

When I called the Captains Club to make my reservation, they were very accommodating, especially since I was new to Celebrity and their ships. They explained to me what a Concierge Class Cabin was, the extensive refurbishment of the Century, as well as some details about the Solstice. I felt welcomed to the cruise line by the agents, which was a nice feeling.

 

Also, I love the idea of Concierge Class Cabins. Even though some might agree they are a waste of money, items like wine, flowers, bathrobes, bigger rooms, a pillow menu, etc is something nice to break up the monotany of a normal stateroom.

 

Personally, I think these are difficult times where change might be necessary in order to continue to maintain the Celebrity Cruise Line that many still support and love today. None of the changes at RCCL have been drastic.

 

We are looking forward to trying Celebrity, and once I return, I will be able to compare RCCL and Celebrity and decide which one better suits my lifestyle.

 

We think that Celebrity will be a refreshing and exciting experience for us, which is why we are counting down the days until our Century Cruise!

[Sky Sweet]

Well, we have cruised 25+ times on RCCL and have recently decided to give Celerity a try. My parents are avid Azamara/Celebrity cruises, so their comment have interested us in the Celebrity Experience.

 

We are trying the Century and the Solstice in the next 5 months, but some things have already stuck out to me as Celebrity being a step above RCCL.

 

For example:

 

When I called the Captains Club to make my reservation, they were very accommodating, especially since I was new to Celebrity and their ships. They explained to me what a Concierge Class Cabin was, the extensive refurbishment of the Century, as well as some details about the Solstice. I felt welcomed to the cruise line by the agents, which was a nice feeling.

 

Also, I love the idea of Concierge Class Cabins. Even though some might agree they are a waste of money, items like wine, flowers, bathrobes, bigger rooms, a pillow menu, etc is something nice to break up the monotany of a normal stateroom.

 

Personally, I think these are difficult times where change might be necessary in order to continue to maintain the Celebrity Cruise Line that many still support and love today. None of the changes at RCCL have been drastic.

 

We are looking forward to trying Celebrity, and once I return, I will be able to compare RCCL and Celebrity and decide which one better suits my lifestyle.

 

We think that Celebrity will be a refreshing and exciting experience for us, which is why we are counting down the days until our Century Cruise!

 

Hi RCCLCARRiB :)

 

I just wanted to let you know that the Concierge Class Cabins on Century are significantly smaller than the D-1 balcony cabins on RCCL's Radiance Class ships and the Concierge Class cabins on Solstice will also be smaller.

[shotei]

I've been on 5 cruises with 3 different cruise lines, and am looking forward to my first X cruise in September. On each cruise, in talking with others, I've met folks who said that this one is their best cruise, and that this one is their worst cruise. On the SAME cruise. It's a very subjective discussion.

 

One thing that I've noticed is that there are a group of folks who demand perfection, and complain loudly when something comes up short of that standard. In my mind, I explain that by the history of cruising, when the cruise lines would give some sort of a freeby to anyone who complained loud enough. In recent years, the cruise lines have learned to turn a deaf ear to the "whiners". That just aggravates some of them enough that they whine on public forums like Cruise Critic.

 

On the whole, your experience will be what you make of it. That's the bottom line.

 

Marc

[mocro]

Our family did our first Celebrity cruise last August on the Infinity and we had a great time. We're hoping to do Northern Europe w/Celebrity in 09.

 

I've been blessed to have traveled extensively and very nicely for business in the past; first class air and Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons accomodations and we've sailed w/Crystal as well when I did work for them. Now that we're traveling in our own dime (!!!), Celebrity seemed a good compromise and it was. I felt we got excellent value for our money and the whole experience was terrific. Not Crystal or Regent, but we weren't paying those prices and didn't expect the same product.

 

There's been talk on this thread of things having gone "downhill" and I would say that any even slightly negative experiences we had on the ship were a function of our fellow passengers not the cruise line. Has polite behavior in general gone downhill in my lifetime? Sure.

 

I would wish people would talk in conversational tones; wouldn't chew gum w/their mouths open; would treat waiters w/courtesy; wouldn't wear gowns cut for a 20 year old when they're 50; would remove their children from the table when they throw a tantrum....but we can't blame the fact they somestimes don't on the cruise line.

 

I hope if you try Celebrity you'll have as much fun as we did. Happy sailing.

[Drew B]

All this time based on travel books and reviews I thought that rule of thumb was that Crystal-Seabourne-etc was like the Ritz or Four Seasons, Celeb-HAL was like Marriott/ Hyatt, and the others were like a Fairfield Inn, Courtyard etc?

 

I certainly understand the urge to make a comparison to hotel chains, but don't forget that cruise ships and hotels are VERY different products. I would guess that in some areas such as room size, even the fanciest most expensive cruise lines' cabins aren't as big as the rooms in some $25/night motels. On the other hand, the view from your balcony on even the cheapest cruise line is probably going to blow away the view from your room at most Ritz-Carlton's or Four Seasons'.

 

While there are no doubt differences among the mainstream cruise lines, most of those differences are subjective and don't lend themselves to easy hierarchical organization. For example, I've sailed Celebrity and Carnival. I always felt that Celebrity had impeccably polished and unobtrusive service. I've always felt that Carnival had extremely warm and friendly service. Which service was "better"? It depends upon which style you prefer. My best waiter was on Celebrity and my worst was on Carnival. However, I've had individual waiters on Carnival who were better than individual waiters on Celebrity. My best room steward was on Carnival (I could not say I've ever had a "worst" steward), but I've had stewards on Celebrity that were better than others on Carnival. You see what I'm saying? It's partly the luck of the draw...

[RCCLCARIB]

Hi RCCLCARRiB :)

 

I just wanted to let you know that the Concierge Class Cabins on Century are significantly smaller than the D-1 balcony cabins on RCCL's Radiance Class ships and the Concierge Class cabins on Solstice will also be smaller.

 

Hmmmm.....I know the cabin on the Century was smaller than rccl's D-1, but the Solstice too??

 

I heard the CEO of Celebrity say that the Concierge Class on the Solstice would be much larger that the fleetwide standard of 190 sq. ft. Is this the case??

 

Oh well, I will have to see the pictures of the cabins once people start sailing the Solstice.

[Sky Sweet]

Hmmmm.....I know the cabin on the Century was smaller than rccl's D-1, but the Solstice too??

 

I heard the CEO of Celebrity say that the Concierge Class on the Solstice would be much larger that the fleetwide standard of 190 sq. ft. Is this the case??

 

Oh well, I will have to see the pictures of the cabins once people start sailing the Solstice.

 

Hi RCCLCarib :)

 

When the original announcements for Solstice came out their concierge class cabins were suppose to be larger than their regular balcony cabins, but more recent information indicates that their concierge class cabins will be the exact same size as their regular balcony cabins, which is approximately 190 SF. That is quite a bit smaller than the D-1 balcony cabins on RCCL's Radiance class ships which are 208 SF. I know from experience that our 208 SF D-1 balcony cabin on Brilliance of the Seas felt much more spacious than our 190 SF concierge class cabin on Celebrity's M class ships.

 

I recently called Celebrity's Captain's Club to inquire about the descrepancy in size of Solstice's concierge class cabins and was advised that the smaller number is correct. We book concierge class cabins on M class ships because they are larger than standard balcony cabins, but I am not willing to pay extra for a concierge class cabin on Solstice for just for amenities. If we find an itinerary we like on Solstice we will either book a regular balcony cabin or a suite.

 

However, since the D-1 cabins on RCCL's Voyager/Freedom class ships are smaller than those on their Radiance Class ships, they are probably very similar in size to the concierge class cabins on Solstice.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

"There's been talk on this thread of things having gone "downhill" and I would say that any even slightly negative experiences we had on the ship were a function of our fellow passengers not the cruise line. Has polite behavior in general gone downhill in my lifetime? Sure. "

 

I would wish people would talk in conversational tones; wouldn't chew gum w/their mouths open; would treat waiters w/courtesy; wouldn't wear gowns cut for a 20 year old when they're 50; would remove their children from the table when they throw a tantrum....but we can't blame the fact "they somestimes don't on the cruise line"

 

Amen. Regardless of what cruise line, what hotel chain, it seems decorum and basic courtesy is growing more out of style.

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi RCCLCarib :)

 

When the original announcements for Solstice came out their concierge class cabins were suppose to be larger than their regular balcony cabins, but more recent information indicates that their concierge class cabins will be the exact same size as their regular balcony cabins, which is approximately 190 SF.

 

This news bite from Cruise Critic seems to indicate differently:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=694

 

Phil

[woody14h]

Hi Woody :)

 

I noticed that you took one Cunard Cruise and have also been on HAL and Celebrity. How does Cunard compare with those two cruise lines?

 

I am curious because we have been on over ten Celebrity cruises, as well as a Holland America Cruise, and are thinking about trying Cunard because the QM2 has a few cruises that go to the Caribbean from New York.

 

We took a Cunard cruise in Alaska. Not one of the Queens. Only complaint we had was that the rooms were exceedingly small. Claustrophobic. Ship was good, service excellent and food more than fine. Except for the cabin size we would not hesitate to use them again. Still prefer X and HAL, overall.

[Sky Sweet]

We took a Cunard cruise in Alaska. Not one of the Queens. Only complaint we had was that the rooms were exceedingly small. Claustrophobic. Ship was good, service excellent and food more than fine. Except for the cabin size we would not hesitate to use them again. Still prefer X and HAL, overall.

 

Hi woody :)

 

Thanks for responding to my question :)