goodoldan

On 2/11/2023 at 8:25 PM, buckeye8810 said:

Since the start of the year, I know there’s been a lot of handwringing about the changes Celebrity has made. We just got back from a 10-night Eastern Caribbean…and I can confirm things are worse than before, in literally every way.

 

Ships are more crowded, and there’s clearly not enough staff to accommodate the increase in passengers. Food is significantly worse…and the wait staff was running around like their hair was on fire. Even in Murano, the food was disappointing. Not to mention several people in our group reported stomach issues on multiple days after dinner.
Unrelated, but it seemed like half the people on the ship were coughing and hacking, which probably means Covid was running rampant.

 

All in all, there’s no reason to pay premium prices for Celebrity anymore, because it’s no longer a premium brand. With the changes they’ve made, it’s not any different than NCL. Not saying I wouldn’t cruise with Celebrity again, but there’s no chance I would pay current prices. We felt ripped off, considering when we booked this cruise we were expecting the level of service from years past.

 

 

I'm on the Celebrity Edge right now on the first night of a 10-night cruise, and the dinner selection at the Ocean View Cafe is pure crap... worse even than the reports here but in line with the dismissive Tweet that I received from Celebrity when I inquired about the changes during dinner hours effective January 1st of this year. I experienced some of these changes aboard the Constellation during the first few days of January, but things were nowhere near as bad as they are now aboard the Edge (and presumably now the other ships in the Celebrity fleet as well).

I talked with a manager in the OVC tonight, and his first response parroted the response I received from Celebrity corporate about "how much food was being wasted".  I feel sorry for Celebrity that they (suddenly?) can't seem to manage a buffet as well as competing cruise lines. Tonight my dinner was a few pieces of cheese, an uninspired slice of pepperoni pizza (virtually the only variety they offer), some leftover pasta salad from today's lunch, and a chocolate eclair so stale I put it down after the first bite. The only available fresh food was from a "stir-fry" station that was so backed up it might have taken 15 minutes to produce an order. Pathetic.

The food in Celebrity's main dining rooms and specialty restaurants is generally quite good. But there are reasons why someone might choose to grab a quick dinner at the buffet. Today, I was up at 5 AM to get ready and drive to the port in Fort Lauderdale, go through the boarding process, and grab a nap before some dinner and a show. I didn't really want to spend two hours or more getting a meal in the MDR, so (until now) the Ocean View Cafe would have been a good alternative. Similarly, after a beach day in port folks might want to just opt for the speed and simplicity of the buffet for dinner and just chill out in the evening. Nope... Celebrity says you must either invest a couple hours in a dining room, or eat crap and leftovers in a gutted shell of what used to be an excellent buffet, even (and maybe especially) at dinner.

Celebrity is far from the least expensive cruise line, and they generally provide a product that their customers want and will pay for.  I don't know what crappy market research might have led them to believe that their customers wanted a buffet that is pitiful compared to a Golden Corral. But it is pretty clear that Celebrity has made a BIG mistake in deciding to gut the Ocean View Cafe

I just responded to Celebrity on Twitter, suggesting that a number of their customers don't seem to agree with their rationale regarding the OVC...   https://twitter.com/messages/26728031-388926026 

After I called out Celebrity on Twitter about the fleetwide changes to the OCV this year... this is the response I got today...

ME:

On 10/14/2021 at 6:23 PM, breadandbutter said:

Is this on Constellation?

TIA

B&B

Yes, they played "Deal or No Deal" on our trip aboard the Constellation over the holidays 2022-23.

On 10/14/2021 at 6:23 PM, breadandbutter said:

Is this on Constellation?

TIA

B&B

I've seen it both on the Constellation and the Edge, but my understanding is that it is fleet-wide on Celebrity now.

There's also a "grand finale" "Deal or No Deal" session near the end of the cruise in which players (selected from all players earlier in the cruise) attempt to find a $5000 Grand Prize suitcase. There's also one suitcase that contains an "X", which wins the person who selects that a "free cruise" on Celebrity.

On a trip last year, I happened to be one of the people selected to open a suitcase during that last game and picked the "X" suitcase, winning the "free cruise".  😉

Date of Cruise: 11/11/2022                                                                                                                                                 

Ship: 

Celebrity Edge

Cabin #:                                                                                                                                                             

9139

Deck #:                                                                                                                                                

9

Cabin Category:                                                                                                                                                              

E1

Cabin Location:                                                                                                                                                

Port Forward

Bed Position:

Outboard, forward wall                                                                                                                                                   

Balcony Type:  

Infinite Veranda                                                                                                                                                

Balcony/Window Size:                                                                                                                                                  

Balcony/Window View/Obstruction: 

None                                                                                                                      

Balcony Overhang?:

No                                                                                                                                                    

Magic Carpet Issues?:

No                                                                                                                                                

Noise Issues?:

No                                                                                                                                                  

Wind Issues?:

No                                                                                                                                                  

Connecting Cabin? Where Does it Connect?:

No, N/A       

Suite Details: 

N/A                                                                                                                                                   

Advantages/Problems/Comments: 

Not far from forward elevator bank, but little traffic in hall. Location proved to be very convenient.                                                                                                                        

Would You Book It Again?:

Yes

Photos or Photo Links:

On 11/26/2022 at 12:36 PM, Charles4515 said:

Again it is not just the speeds it is the bandwith. Beyond is new so the backend is likely the newest and latest. They probably have not done any upgrade of the backend on Oasis and my experience with Royal/Celebrity is that they have not upgraded the backends. They will still advertise it as Voom or Xcelerate and charge the same prices for lower quality service. 

Not sure about the other ships, but the Celebrity Edge-class ships have a WiFi access point in EVERY cabin. A poorly designed or overloaded WiFi design could cause more problems than the satellite connection... and at least on the Edge that doesn't seem to be a problem. A recent trip on the Edge (late November 2022)... it's first with Starlink active.. showed typical speed tests (with the premium package) of about 4 MBPS down and 2 MBPS up from my cabin, and about a 60 mSec (idle) latency. That's about comparable to my 4G cellular connection at home. I conducted several long (like 1 hour) phone calls using Google Voice over the link, and each one was fine, with no drop-outs, etc. Also watched some streaming HD video (recorded on my Xfinity cable box at home) and it was perfect.

Going out on the Constellation in a couple of weeks... no telling if they'll have Starlink by then or not.

This makes the StarLink connection (at least using the "premium" package) roughly comparable to a normal 4G cellular data connection with good signal.

I learned a few days before boarding that our 11/11/22 trip on the Celebrity Edge would be the first "go live" sailing using SpaceX Starlink internet connectivity instead of older satellite systems. As a sort of geek, this was a real feature of this cruise for me and I was pretty excited to see how it worked out.

A bit of background first. Until recently, internet connectivity on ships at sea was typically accomplished via geosynchronous satellites orbiting about the Earth at an altitude of about 25,000 miles. That altitude allowed a very large area of coverage on the earth from a single satellite, but required complex antennas on the ship and, more importantly as relates to internet and other data, introduces delay (known as latency) due to the time it takes radio signals to make that 50,000 mile trip to the satellite and back to earth (more on this in a minute). That system is also dependent on that one satellite to continue operating correctly.

Starlink on the other hand uses multiple (as in thousands) of satellites in low Earth orbit (aka LEO), only about 150-200 miles above the Earth. Since the satellites are SO much closer, the latency is similar to terrestrial data circuits on the Earth. Antennas are much smaller and simpler, and the failure of a single satellite is of little consequence since the many remaining satellites carry on seamlessly. A single LEO Starlink satellite is "in view" from a given point on the ground for a relatively short time as it flies overheard, but then another comes into view and continues to provide service. Think of it like a cell phone network in reverse... one in which you remain stationary (or relatively so) while the cell towers move quickly by you.

The latency, or time the data signal is delayed in transport, can produce undesirable effects like "lag" in games, unnatural delays in voice communications, freezing video, etc if it becomes excessive. Keeping this latency to a minimum is important for data integrity and user satisfaction, and for a space-based system Starlink does this very well since the distance to the satellites is relatively small.

So... what does all this mean to us folks out there on a cruise somewhere? It means that your internet experience will be very much more like what you might experience in your home or office. I took advantage of this first Starlink cruise on Celebrity to put it through it's paces.

I did purchase the "Xtreme" streaming internet package for this cruise which does not promise higher speeds, but does allow streaming video, fle uploads, etc. The Edge-class ships have ubiquitous WiFi throughout (with an access point in each cabin and throughout the ship), so your phone and the Celebrity app become an important part of the cruise experience. Celebrity has provided ample support resources to help folks get the app installed.

I tried a few tests that I knew could be challenging. The first were some VoIP (voice over IP) phone calls, using Google Voice from my cell phone ("airplane mode" on to prevent cell phone use/charges, with WiFi enabled). The calls were natural-sounding and effortless. I raised the bar by making a call to another phone on the ship, with each of us using Google Voice but with the call now making two trips through the StarLink connection. Still sounded good. The next test was to watch a HDTV show I had recorded back on my Xfinity X1 cable box at home, using the Xfinity app on my phone. This worked just fine too, without and freezing or pixelating.

Since you are sharing the StarLink connection with your shipmates, don't expect the blazing fast internet speed tests you might get on your fiber-connected home internet. To quote Mick Jagger... "You can't always get what you want, but you get what you need". The shipboard network does allocate you enough speed (but no more) on the limited StarLink resource so that it's useful for everyone. The "basic" internet package is likely further "throttled" than was my "premium" package. So... below are what you geeks have been waiting for... actual internet speed and ping tests using Starlink via the shipboard WiFi on the Celebrity Edge:

3 hours ago, RSWBADGER said:

There are some exceptions. It works for our 10 Day November 21, 2022 Cruise.

 

At a Glance

Beginning with departures on November 2, 2022:

All travelers, regardless of vaccination status, are welcome to cruise with us and will no longer be required to provide proof of pre-departure testing, except for specific sailings where vaccination, testing, or additional documentation are required by law. Exceptions currently include:

Bermuda Itineraries

Galapagos Itineraries

Australia New Zealand Itineraries

Transatlantic/Transpacific Crossings

Select Caribbean Itineraries (those visiting Haiti (Labadee) and Turks & Caicos)

Select Central and South America Itineraries (those visiting Honduras, Colombia, Brazil, and Chile)

Please visit our Country Travel Requirements for more information regarding your cruise vacation.

 

 

COVID-19 Cruise Health & Safety Protocols | Celebrity Cruises

I just called Celebrity and verified the new testing policy for our Nov 11th sailing on the Edge (that doesn't visit any of the listed exception ports).  We'll probably each take a home test and have a negative antigen test photo (or the actual test result) with us when we arrive for check-in, just in case someone didn't get the memo.

Been down all day... still down. Starting to show signs of life, though.

On 9/7/2022 at 5:56 PM, rucruisn2 said:

Just checked my emails.  Blue chip has a new offer for free veranda cabin, out of Florida to be used before the end of this year.  I scored a cabin on the Beyond for Dec. 4.  

Yep, I got the same and grabbed a nice E1 Infinite Veranda, deck 9 port side on the Edge, for a 10-day to the Southern Caribbean in November.  Thank you Celebrity!

Yes, thanks... that helps a lot. I wondered if the room key thing worked via wifi and the app or via NFC (which not all phones have)... as you say I expect it's much easier to just use your card. The guest to guest texting could be useful... if you remember to look at the app (sounds as though it's more like email than texting.).

I'll probably spring for the "premium" internet for just one device... there's a pre-sailing discount plus a bit more off for Captain's Club. I thought about trying the "basic" first and seeing what I could make work, but I don't want to be the IT guy on my vacation. Got a smokin' deal on the cabin so I guess I'll splurge a bit on tech.  😉 

Do you need an internet plan to use the WiFi-based features in the Celebrity app (e.g., texting to another guest onboard, making reservations, electronic room key, etc?).  The app makes it sound like you can connect to the onboard WiFi without an internet plan to do those sorts of things.

The term "WiFi calling" takes in a lot of different and dissimilar technologies, and the differences may determine whether calls would be successful on the "Surf" WiFi plan.

The "WiFi calling" offered by some cellular providers in the US (that allows you to access your cellular service using WiFi from your mobile phone when cellular signal is not available) utilizes some specific internet ports (as in TCP-IP ports, not places where the ship parks) and I expect is a service that is easily blocked and not available on the "Surf" plans. Actual VoIP (Voice over IP) calling (services like Vonage, VoIPo, CallCentric, Ooma, 8x8 and others) uses a simpler interface protocol and many different TCP-IP ports, and is used much less frequently than the cellular "WiFi calling. I would expect this would be much more likely to work on the "Surf" plan (although I'll find out on my trip on the Edge this November).  Google Voice is another VoIP service with a still different protocol and using different ports... again, this would have to be actively blocked and they may not have bothered doing this. Again, I'll find out on my trip on the Edge this November.

1 hour ago, gadaboutgal said:

Medicare Insurance Facts:

Will Medicare pay for medically-necessary health care services I get on a cruise ship?

 

In a word, NO, as a practical matter. I have a Plan "G" Medigap policy, and while there is a limited amount of "foreign" coverage ($50K lifetime), it would be difficult to use and does not provide key features (medical evac/repatriation, etc).

I ALWAYS buy a good trip insurance policy that includes $500K+ medical insurance (primary coverage) PLUS medical evacuation and repatriation. You won't find that at the cruise line.... several excellent providers are online. For the past several years I have also purchased a standalone international travel medical policy from GeoBlue that allows unlimited foreign trips (up to 70 days each) with a limit of up to $500K.  A bit redundant, but covers quick trips to Canada or wherever, too.

So if you couldn't keep someone from hogging deck chairs, smoking in no smoking areas or violating a dozen other rules that were in place on ships "pre-COVID", what's to make anyone think that irresponsible/selfish folks on cruises will suddenly follow the rules relative to COVID?  The same jerks who won't follow a mask requirement on land aren't likely to cooperate on a ship, either... their viewpoint is that the rules are for "sheep", and certainly not for them. 

Much credit to the cruise lines for trying to make this work, but in addition to their new guidelines I think that until we have vaccines and a vaccination certificate is required to board (without exception)... sadly, cruising will be difficult and there will be episodes of ship-wide disease spread as we saw early in 2020.  Try as they might, I don't think the cruise lines are going to be very successful in changing the behavior of some customers... to the detriment of us all.

46 minutes ago, Beardface said:

 

I see this kind of reaction often on these boards, when someone had to miss a POC for whatever reason, and suddenly the entire cruise was a disaster...

Yes, people (me included) sometimes set ourselves up for failure that way.  A scheduled port can always be missed for unavoidable issues (weather that makes docking unsafe, civil unrest, etc). Several years ago I missed out on seeing the pyramids in Egypt when the Egyptians were misbehaving and our stop at Alexandria was cancelled... but then got to spend two days in Istanbul instead (which was a net win, much to my surprise).

But OC falls into an entirely different category.  MSC knows precisely the state of construction at OC, since it is entirely their project. It is extremely likely that they knew months ago that the opening date would slip, and probably by how much.  I would have very much appreciated a call from MSC (also months ago) to the effect that "hey guys, it looks pretty likely Ocean Cay won't be finished for your cruise. If it isn't, we'll be substituting (insert any port except Nassau) instead. Does that work for you?  If not, let's look at rescheduling you to a later cruise when OC will definitely be open, if that's OK. (...and please accept these fabulous prizes for your trouble)".  Now there's a company that knows and values their customers...

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Nice to have an official communiqué from MSC on this subject. We are scheduled to call at OC on December 14. Even if we don't, I know we'll have a great cruise. And I'm 100% certain that this will finally silence the MSC naysayers who've promised us it won't open for years, if ever. NOT.

We're on the Divina, with a scheduled port call at Ocean Cay on Dec16. I want to believe MSC, but I've been led down the path SO many times by several cruise lines... who think they can buy me off with $100 of OBC (if that) after screwing up a vacation that cost thousands. Ocean Cay is THE stop on this cruise for Claudia... if they blow this, they've probably lost us for good.

For others, it wouldn't hurt if MSC would be forthcoming, and come up with a more satisfactory solution than another sea day or (God forbid) a stop in Nassau... it might at least be palatable.  

1 hour ago, Até said:

That bid to an Aurea suite with sealed panoramic windows is a total joke, I'd consider it a outright downgrade.  In fact MSC will not give those suites to balconies as a free upgrade because people would have a fit.

Funny thing... in the description of that suite on the upgrade offer page, a picture is shown with the sealed window... and a diagram is also included showing a room with a sliding door and a balcony!  We know there's no balcony, but I wonder how "innocent" the error was to include a diagram of the balcony room?  MSC = Mistakes Seem Constant?

On 8/12/2019 at 12:20 PM, Beardface said:

the ridiculous prices on NCL is what drove my wife and I to MSC, and further to the YC.  For a sailing next summer in the Haven on the Encore, it was going to cost a minimum $4k pp for the cheapest room.  Within the YC, we were able to book an inside room at a lower rate than a bare bones balcony with no frills would have cost us on NCL.  Which is fine, it comes with more perks, I'm willing to pay a little more for it.

 

What I will not pay for is to be gouged up front for the opportunity to choose what I want.  I'm already paying multiple thousands on a vacation, I do not want to be nickel and dimed along with it.  And NCL doesn't even fill up the Haven in all of their sailings because of how high a price they set.  MSC has it right, set a reasonable price, people will buy it up, and it'll be a selling point in getting people within the brand.  For the prices that NCL charges, you're better off sailing on a smaller, actual luxury ship, and not a 'ship within a ship'.

I can't help but wonder if the "ship within a ship" concept (Yacht Club, Haven, etc) won't eventually reach a price point (and maybe already has?) where lines like Regent, Azamara (and maybe Virgin?) draw those customers away with a better experience and level of service.  It seems as though these premium classes on large ships eventually devolve into the same service and product quality level as the rest of the rest of the ship... with the drawbacks of a large ship (crowds, lower classes poaching on upper class perks, etc). Virgin may in fact be onto something... with a larger, premium-class ship concept?

12 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

My option didn't show a relative strength, and it wasn't accepted yet so maybe I'm too cheap. 🤣

That was the other link I tried first...  use the "Click here to get started" text link in your e-mail to see the page with the "strength meter".

I can't help but wonder if the "ship within a ship" concept (Yacht Club, Haven, etc) won't eventually reach a price point (and maybe already has?) where lines like Regent, Azamara (and maybe Virgin?) draw those customers away with a better experience and level of service.  It seems as though these premium classes on large ships eventually devolve into the same service and product quality level as the rest of the rest of the ship... with the drawbacks of a large ship (crowds, lower classes poaching on upper class perks, etc).

3 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Does anyone have a sense of how long it is before MSC accepts/rejects your bid? The email indicates that it may be up to 3 days prior to sailing date, so I'll assume that's accurate unless I hear otherwise. 

I read they can accept immediately or at any time up to two days before sailing.