phoenix_dream

I wouldn't count on the app to be accurate. I've seen several posts on other sites indicating a change. To say I am unhappy about this is an understatement! First there is the once again promise one thing and deliver another. Then there is charging $19 a glass (above premium package) for the couple of wines I always enjoy on the ship, for which price at home I can purchase an entire bottle. One of our favorite times on the ship is relaxing with our favorite wine and a nice dinner. Honestly, if this is how it's going to be I am done with Celebrity after 30+ years and over 70 cruises. Some other changes have annoyed me but I was willing to compromise. This is not one of those, if truly rolling out fleetwide.

I couldn't agree more. The continued release of bigger and bigger ships is destroying the experience in many ports, as well as causing ports to prohibit ships completely. Where will it end?!?? And it's not just ports. Was just at FLL on Sunday morning after disembarkation. It was a nightmare of crowding. I know travel in general is up but i have to think it had a lot to do with the many large ships in port that morning. The United lounge literally had every single seat filled. Not to mention the huge increase in hotel costs and crowds anywhere near the port. The nice, relaxing cruise experience that kept me loyal for 30+ years is no more. I have to think this build more and more huge ships strategy bubble will have to burst at some point. Is it just me?

Exactly. Could it happen? Yes, especially these days. Bit highly unlikely

Which for some of us is a blessing. Love to sit out on balcony and its nice to be able to do that without the hot sun beating down on you.

There was a news article i read this week where people were bumped off a Royal Caribbean cruise. Same ownership. Rare but these days apparently not impossible.

You don't get the OBC anymore which made a considerable difference. You also now don't get gratuities included but the prices rose rather than dropped. I know this isn't true of everyone but we are lucky enough to be Zenith so the beverage and wifi perks we don't need. Even so, some of the prices are double or more of the non-suite cabins. With sales you can get pretty decent upgrades from classic and surf for those bookings that are all included. If you consider higher than a sky suite the prices are outrageous. And yes, we actually do keep records of our bookings. We've sailed the Caribbean at similar times of year around 50 times over the years, usually 6-9 per year since retirement. So we do have a good handle on what is a good versus outrageous price, at least for our normal cruise choices.

Wow that's alot! What ship? We're on Equinox for a b2b in January and there are only a handful available. But they're 9 N ABC cruises which are very popular.

I think the only thing that will get their attention is if bookings drop. Why pay attention to people complaining (and rightly so) and refusing to book when there are other people who will. Suites are sailing full. I know most at this time were booked before the changes. We'll see how new bookings go looking forward.

On Reflection now. It is very nice. Large, comfortable, and lots of seating and a nice bar area.

I am not downgrading any current reservations but definitely can't afford suites going forward anymore! Will book AQ and maybe consider move up bids if reasonable. Won't sail E class without a regular balcony so will only book if we can get one of the few nonsuite cabins with balconies or if the suite prices tumble (not holding my breath on that!) Suite prices are already outrageous and with the cuts in service and perks like obc and gratuities I just can't justify it anymore. But it won't change until bookings drop. Sigh......

I completely agree. E class ships seem to get the best of everything Celebrity has to offer. Kinda frustrating. Other than things venue specific by necessity, offerings should be completely the same. Consistent inconsistency is unfortunately a Celebrity trait.

Better not to take a chance. We take charging cubes with multiple outlets. Never had an issue on multiple cruises

It should be either fully decorated when you board, or decorated during your sailing. They usually start right after Thanksgiving, although this year it is the earliest date it can be so it may start a little later but should definitely be at least started for your sailing.

That’s good to know.

I guess it depends on how you define team. Primarily team means the room steward now does 90% of what the butler used to do, in addition to his/her other duties. That’s been my experience. Makes one wonder how this may affect staff retention/hiring going forward. They were already very, very busy with tons of cabins and no assistants any longer.

Personally I don't like the vibe of the World Class bar. Too much out in the open, with lots of people walking back and forth going to shops, shows, etc. Someone said it is more 'intimate'. In the sense that it is smaller, yes it is. But it's very much out in the open so to speak. I do agree that the Martini Bar can be a madhouse at times, but there are areas along the sides and the windows where you can relax a bit - or try to luck out at a seat at the bar where it is more lively and you can watch the bartenders get fancy with pouring their martinis at times. A lot of fun.

My vote would be Alaska or Norway - beautiful! Hubby's favorite cruise was the Panama Canal. Didn't think I'd enjoy it but I loved it. So interesting, and I got to add a few more countries to my visited list that I otherwise would not have known such as Guatemala and Costa Rica. If you decide to do that one, I'd advise spending time in San Diego before or after, depending which way you cruised. SOOOO much to see and do in that area!

The Hilton Long Beach is not near the port.

I don’t like being all the way aft. More motion, and ABC cruises can be rocky especially the sea day to and from the ABCs. I don’t like the very long walk to the back. I love eating in Blu, definitely better than the MDR. I don’t use the spa but book AQ primarily for Blu when I can’t afford a suite.

Would I? I just did last month - b2b in Sky Suites. We spend little time in the Retreat deck anyway so didn’t really miss it. Also prefer the old Michaels Club to the revolutionized version (although E class has the best lounges in our opinion). Personally I think Retreat prices on ships without all the amenities should be lower to reflect that, but as long as they keep selling well that won’t happen. To us, the main perks of Retreat are the larger cabin and balcony, the better service (and sometimes food) in Luminae, the lounge, and the help of the Retreat team or concierge if we have issues or need help with something rather than waiting in long lines at Guest Relations.

On an upcoming cruise we have over a thousand from Celebrity. Got $300 pp with the suite, and booked online which gave us more, and there was some kind of promotion going on at the time as well. With the OBC dropped from suites now people in suites will have quite a bit less going forward unfortunately.

I don’t know where you were in Long Beach but our experience was way different than yours. We stayed at Hilton Long Beach, and for dinner or shopping we walked or took the hotel shuttle to the area by the very nice aquarium. We never felt unsafe and never encountered homeless people bothering anyone, and honestly I don’t remember even seeing any. I’m guessing like any fairly large town there are good and bad areas. I just felt I needed to clarify for people that not all of Long Beach is like that.

I've done many B2B, but the max time I've been onboard is 21 days. Honestly, that was enough for me. I do like the shows, so I get frustrated when they stay the same sailing to sailing. I also get bored with the same (usually) music in the bars week after week. As to menus - can mix that up a bit so that isn't an issue for me.

I was one of those who would feel like an entitled snob by walking on the red carpet. I never used it no matter what. I confess I use the priority boarding for tender boats, and even then I feel pretty awkward doing it. At least that's a published perk which is my rationalization.

I have sailed out of FLL dozens of times on Celebrity and never saw an option to stay on the ship past the standard all disembarkation time of around 9 am.