Luvcrusn

Disney is currently dealing with a drop in revenue due to aggressive pricing and dealing with the repercussions. I suspect that until the cruise lines see a similar revenue drop these negative changes will continue. As I said previously cost increases are something that we've unfortunately been accustomed to in all walks of life and are widely, albeit grudgingly accepted. However, when those increases are accompanied by a reduction in quality and quantity of the product, customers often do not accept them. This is a unique kind of retail experience since the product provider, by contract wording, is free to change the product offered after the purchase has been made. 

You can go when you like but there might be a short wait depending on time you want to dine. You'll be given a pager. You can make a reservation when if you want to do that. Other times may open once you're on board. The app sometimes (read that many times) is not up to date before and sometimes on board as well. Also, I've often called Captains Club to make reservations. Their number is

800-760-0654. Don't press any menu options, just hold until you get a person.

48 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

What is a kettle bell?

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

In all fairness, X’s cruise contract allows them to make cutbacks/changes at will.  What’s disappointing is virtually nothing is being added

The only things I've noted that have been added are extra charges for things that were once included in our cruise fare.

Considering the ever-widening fare difference between Verandah and Aqua, it would be nice to receive those extra amenities that were included when we booked them. While none of these little niceties alone account for much, little by little they are eliminating them and at the same time are cheapening the menu items offered and cutting down on the number of choices as well in Blu and the MDR.  Our next cruise on X will most likely go forward since we have vacation plans both before and after the cruise, but looking ahead I question whether we will be booking X much. All of these little things added up to an enhanced experience that X offered to customers not provided by other mainstream lines. It looks like the new CEO is hurriedly bringing X down to the competition.  We've been accused of being X cheerleaders in the past, but things change. Our last cruise on Equinox in December 2022 had quite a few noticeable and unpleasant surprises. While the crew was wonderful, there were quite a few noticeable changes. Afternoon tea selections in the afternoon...gone, OVC lunch selection not nearly as abundant as on previous sailings, dinner selection in OVC cut way back (almost looked like it was closed), menu items featuring much cheaper proteins evident each evening. Since then, cheesecake and chocolate cake were removed as everyday dessert options, shrimp cocktail has been reported to have been discontinued as an everyday option, (after the shrimp have gotten smaller and fewer), appetizers seemingly have been replaced with soups and salads only, tilapia shows up multiple times over the course of a week, much more chicken and turkey options. There's been another active thread here reporting chocolate chip cookies for sale for $2 + 20% gratuity! I would ask what next, but I don't think I want to know the answer.

2 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

terry I hear they are looking for dedicated butlers for the upper suites.  Perhaps you could do this on board during your next cruise.

I think there'd likely be a charge for him to do that, after all, they'd have to provide a name tag and ID. That would be at least $50 + 20% gratuity to hand it to him, not to mention the fee for the photograph.

We ask for ours to be emptied and use ours to keep bottled water and soda cans we get from our drink package chilled and handy in our cabin lol. 

8 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Interesting discussion, but not really about PowerUp points anymore. Perhaps a new thread is in order

It will revert to PUP discussion with the next PUP opportunity,  never fear. That's probably coming with the new CEO video.

Cruisedeckplans.com doesn't show anything and there's no red star that indicates noise issues.

9 hours ago, Cap_D said:

Depending on their supplier, but here's one they use frequently, the cookie costs 37.4 cents.   

 

https://gfsstore.com/products/675504/

 

 

 

If using frozen dough and baking onboard the price drops to 16.6 cents from a frequent supplier.  

 

https://gfsstore.com/products/113125/

 

The likelihood anyone is mixing flour, sugar, eggs, fat, salt, etc. from scratch is very low.  

 

A single Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookie trails for $3.19 at some malls, and a  single cookie at Whole Foods is $1.50 - $2 depending on location, but less if you buy a package. 

However at the mall you've not had to pay $$$K to enter.

I never cared for LLP, but the new CEO has her beat in the outrageous department! She's only a few months into her reign. I can hardly wait to see what outrage is next. Our next booked cruise will likely be our last booking with X if all of these changes stay. Hiking prices and keeping the quality of the product is one thing. Hiking prices and then charging for every little thing is entirely another.😡

On 8/13/2023 at 8:32 PM, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Except we've been cruising and enjoying Murano's since well before 2018. I just looked at the menu the shoreside concierge sent us and it is the same as the one you posted.  Looking on the app for our Equinox cruise it is the same menu we remember from years of dining in Murano's. We'll find out in 3 weeks or so.

Please post your experience after your cruise. If the Dover Sole and the Lobster Murano are removed we'll likely cancel our specialty dining package.

2 hours ago, runningaway2 said:

My husband’s renewed passport should be here within the next couple of weeks, but our online check in is about to open. Can we do the online check in without it, or will we have to wait until we actually have the passport in hand? 

We had that same scenario last year. I did my check in and chose a time and started his. When his passport arrived I was able to complete his check-in. 

On 8/20/2023 at 7:01 PM, highway180 said:

And many more are tired of the complaining 

 

concentrate on the positive, this board has turned so negative that I rarely post. 
it used to be a great place for newbies to learn the ins and outs, answers to their questions and alerts on new deals or online sales. Unfortunately it has turned into a bastion of negativity.  
 

enjoy your dismay with Celebrity 

I will focus on the positive and comment no longer on this thread. 
 

I will take your advise and skip 99% of the threads here. 
 

cheers

 

Some cruisers are positive that the current experience is less than what X has led them to expect on board and want to share that. It is fact to them and they are sharing that info. Those posts are no less valid than posts praising their time on board and are equally helpful to readers. I for one have been accused of cheerleading and whining. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Thanks @DaKahuna. Amazon will be making yet another appearance at our door.

1 hour ago, Oceangoer2 said:

We book our reservation as soon as we have our sailing confirmed in order to have our preferred time.  This week I was checking the website for another rez and as you say, late only available in all specialty restaurants.  Onboard you may have a chance with the times they keep open which are not showing online.

I think they also keep some early times open for those who have purchased dining packages as well. We have purchased those and cannot make reservations until we board. We go to a specialty restaurant as soon as we board on embarkation day and haven't had an issue with getting the times we want.

31 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I agree with her about Tuscan we have had more so so or plain bad meals there.  We no longer even try.  Murano we love.

Could not agree more! We've eliminated Tuscan from our to-do list permanently. We decided it's neither a true Italian, nor a true steakhouse restaurant and is more like a mid-level chain restaurant with very inflated pricing for the quality. On M- class we skip specialty dining altogether. The only time we dine in Tuscan is the elite breakfast occasionally for the quiet and the view.

10 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

It's not IT, it's person/team on board not going in and updating them

Whichever it is, X tech is dropping the ball...as usual. Always loved our time aboard despite the IT or lack thereof.😜

7 minutes ago, unittech said:

We will be on the Reflection in February and be our first time on an S class ship.  Was on the Millennium last February and enjoyed our time there.  Will be our 21st cruise with most of them being on Royal.  We will be celebrating our 58th wedding anniversary so looks like we will be making reservations in Murano.  

Happy Anniversary early. We were sailing in March 2020 and had made reservations in Murano for our anniversary. Unfortunately Covid happened and shortened our cruise so we were back home alone on the day of our anniversary. When cruising resumed we did a do-over...in Murano. As always we loved it.

28 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

My experience has been that the menus are hit and miss until about a week prior to or until the day of cruise.  

 

Having said that the work around to check out the offering is to go the app and click the head icon then choose -  Select a Different Sailing -  Go all the way to the end and choose a ship and select a current sailing.     The menus are the same fleet wide but the rotation order may change at the discretion of the Captain and Restaurant Manager.

Thanks Jim. I knew that but was hoping there was an easier way and that I was missing it. Happy sails and smooth seas.

1 minute ago, hrhdhd said:

I'm not sure why I'd expect menus for 2024 to be available in 2023. Given the changes Celebrity is making, the menus may change several times before your cruise.

I agree, I was just curious about the current offerings. We were cruise shopping and wanted to look at the menus. The current menu changes are unacceptable and not what we're used to from X.

6 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

Unfortunately no.

 

My sailing in Feb doesn't have even dessert menu available so I switch to the current sailing if I want to see what they are offering to get an idea.

I guess I knew the answer considering the consistent state of X's IT dept. I was hoping I was wrong. Thanks.

Thanks, that's what I suspected. I knew I could change the sailing date to see a menu, but it's a pain lol. I was hoping I was missing something obvious without changing the sail date/ship.

Recently, the menus for dinner in the MDR only show the desserts on a cruise for next year. I tried uninstall/reinstall to no avail. Anyone have a workaround other than looking at a current sailing?

39 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I used Private Internet Access on our Millennium  Panama Canal cruise April/May of this year.  Had no issues at all. 

 

 I travel with a travel router.  I connect the travel router to the ship's WiFi and then connect my in room devices to the travel router.  I have my MacBook Air, iPad, and my wife's iPad all hooked up and connected to the internet at the same time.  So I do not see why you could not use your phone in the same manner.   Make sure you test at home before boarding the ship. 

 

A travel router is an awesome idea. Would you share the brand and source to purchase one?  TIA I use the VPN all the time at hotels and when linking to public WiFi, but had difficulty onboard X ships in the past.