Cutbacks or Omissions!!!!

[Ruthk]

Are these cutbacks, or, service just not being what it should be? We were on the Eclipse Jan.25-Feb.8th and several of the many differences I noticed were:

1. no special brunch on a sail day

2. no evening Chocolate buffet

3. CC & Aqua - no more flower vase in the bathroom

4. as for the flowers in the cabin, they never changed them and by the end of our 2 week cruise all the petals had fallen off and still not replaced.

5. no more personal stationery

They all may be small things but when they started with Concierge service, and we paid a higher price for this service, we got these things, and now we are paying for it but it doesn't seem to happen. They use to also set up our breakfast table with a lovely table cloth with a rosebud vase and now they dump the tray on the table and you help yourself.

 

This was also our second time being very close to the penthouse and the theory is that you get the best cabin attendants because of being around high real estate. I must now say, I totally disagree and will never book around the penthouse. I found our attendants were so busy with the penthouse and suites, and we all know they are overworked, but we were poorly looked after.

Our attendant never even came to introduce himself to us, which use to always happen when you boarded the ship. We never did meet him, but we did meet his assistant.

 

And does anyone else think it is silly to fill out the appetizer sheet daily on what time you will be in the cabin to receive it? Who cares, it's not like we are dealing with 5-star food and on vacation I certainly don't want more paperwork. And the basket of fruit now being one pear, apple and orange. Do you think the apple or pear ever ripen?

 

Once upon a time, at the buffet, if an elderly person, or a disabled person, needed some help, I would see staff carry their plate to a seat. We had lots on people with canes on our sailing and I truly can't say I found one staff member help someone with their plate.

 

I love Celebrity and have been faithful to them - I just wonder will they stay faithful to us?

[CaroleSS]

IMHO, they are cutbacks.

 

I do t think there's been a chocolate buffet in a while. There is a chocolate fountain with the brunch, but no midnight buffets and no chocolate buffets. Our last cruise DID have a brunch.

 

I find the advertisement of "fruit" disengenuous. An apple that I can get at the buffet placed in my room on day 1 is silly....flowers are nice, but nice silk ones last longer.

 

Waitstaff has been reduced....doing more with less. :(

[teecee60]

Are these cutbacks, or service just not being what it should be?

 

I love Celebrity and have been faithful to them - I just wonder will they stay faithful to us?

 

If it means loosing money then the answer is no. :o

 

The cruise industry bears almost NO resemblance to what it was even 15 years ago.

 

Just like airline service bears NO resemblance to what IT was in the 60's.

 

Reliable and fuel efficient turbofan engines on mass produced large commercial aircraft, (747s) put flying within reach for 10s of MILLIONS in the 70s as opposed to tens of thousands in the 50s.

 

Assembly line production of HUGE cruise ships has done the same for cruising.

 

World wide, the number of cruise ship passengers just hit TWENTY MILLION per year.

 

Right now there is an excess of available cabins that still MUST be filled even at cut rate fares. Celebrity is the PERFECT example, adding 5 new S Class ships in almost as many years, effectively TRIPLING the company's capacity.

 

TEN THOUSAND new berths (MINIMUM) are being added EVERY year. :eek:

 

I think it's GREAT!!! :D ...because I couldn't afford to cruise at the prices (measured with inflation adjusted dollars) of 30 years ago, when cruising was limited to a VERY small percentage of only the wealthiest people...

 

I don't need flowers in my bathroom, a fruit bowl in my cabin, or someone to help me in the buffet.

 

But that's just me and my (relatively?) low expectations!

Edited February 21, 2014 by teecee60

[Duanerice1]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[ABC Cruisers]

As you said, they are small things....things that really shouldn't be ruining your vacation enough that you are starting a thread about. When I saw your title, it caught my attention, but I don't think a missing flower in your bathroom or a fruit basket warrant such disappointment. There is plenty of food and fruit on the ship, but I'm sure your attendant would have changed your flowers and brought more fruit if you asked. The personalize stationary is kind of silly, just a keepsake that you bring home & throw in a drawer, at least that's what we have done with it in the past. According to Celebrity's web site, this is what's included with Concierge Staterooms, it looks like you did received everything that is included, I do hope the rest of your vacation was enjoyable

 

Services:

Priority check-in

Express luggage delivery

Personalized Concierge service

Priority disembarkation based on your travel needs

Complimentary shoeshine service

Access to the exclusive Concierge Class Pre-departure Lounge

Dining

 

Main and specialty restaurant seating time preferences

Expanded room service menu

Amenities

 

Welcome Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine with a commemorative label featuring exclusive art work from the ArtCenter/South Florida artists

Pillow menu to suit your sleeping preferences

Daily delivery of Afternoon Savories

Plush bathrobes

Fresh fruit

Fresh flowers

Custom-blended bath amenities

Use of binoculars and golf umbrella

Oversized 100% cotton bath towels

Extra handheld hair dryer

Celebrity tote bag

Stateroom Features

 

Hansgrohe® massaging showerhead

[TeaBag]

How long is it since you have sailed with Celebrity? Some of these things have been gone for a while. Frankly I don't need flowers in the bathroom, there is little enough counter space. As for fruit in the room, we really do get more than enough to eat and I wonder why they bother with this. We still get the chocolates on the pillow:) and I love them for that. I do hope you enjoyed your cruise otherwise. We are looking forward to our next one soon.

[jkgourmet]

My comments apply to ALL mass market cruise lines. Not just celebrity.

 

This is just one more reason that we nearly always sail in San inside guaranty cabin. We don't miss this trivial stuff, don't feel like we've paid a huge amount of money for an under delivered product, vacation more frequently, and have the pleasure of feeling like we are being treated VERY well for a cut rate price.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Forums mobile app

[Despegue]

Brunch is not being discontinued but is cancelled whenever there are extra countermeasures against Noro Virus onboard.

 

Same for the flowers I guess. The crew is overworked in case of norovirus and needs to prioritize.

 

No more chocolate buffet in years.

[dkjretired]

Brunch is not being discontinued but is cancelled whenever there are extra countermeasures against Noro Virus onboard.

 

Same for the flowers I guess. The crew is overworked in case of norovirus and needs to prioritize.

 

No more chocolate buffet in years.

 

Also, for some reason they don't really advertise the brunch, its usually just a small line in the daily and you really have to look for it to figure out when it is.

[rjrpar]

If it means loosing money then the answer is no. :o

 

The cruise industry bears almost NO resemblance to what it was even 15 years ago.

 

Just like airline service bears NO resemblance to what IT was in the 60's.

 

Reliable and fuel efficient turbofan engines on mass produced large commercial aircraft, (747s) put flying within reach for 10s of MILLIONS in the 70s as opposed to tens of thousands in the 50s.

 

Assembly line production of HUGE cruise ships has done the same for cruising.

 

World wide, the number of cruise ship passengers just hit TWENTY MILLION per year.

 

Right now there is an excess of available cabins that still MUST be filled even at cut rate fares. Celebrity is the PERFECT example, adding 5 new S Class ships in almost as many years, effectively TRIPLING the company's capacity.

 

TEN THOUSAND new berths (MINIMUM) are being added EVERY year. :eek:

 

I think it's GREAT!!! :D ...because I couldn't afford to cruise at the prices (measured with inflation adjusted dollars) of 30 years ago, when cruising was limited to a VERY small percentage of only the wealthiest people...

 

I don't need flowers in my bathroom, a fruit bowl in my cabin, or someone to help me in the buffet.

 

But that's just me and my (relatively?) low expectations!

 

Great post. Addresses all the complaints on cutbacks by the cruise lines. Some people ignore the facts and continue to expect the same luxuries of yesteryear at the lower prices of today.

[milesfromu]

I must agree that the cutbacks referenced are minimal and do not adversely affect most of us. However, the one that does irk us is turning Aqua Spa Cafe into a fee-based specialty venue. We really enjoyed it, and our son loved the salmon and tuna. We are traveling on Summit next month with friends, and he had been boasting about ASC and the fish for weeks.....until he learned that the venue is now fee-based and fish is no longer an offering. Perhaps it does not affect many, but for us it is a loss and not just a cutback.

[vulcan1971]

Is the issue that the salmon is no longer available in the Aqua Spa Cafe or that there is a fee for items such In the cafe? I'm confused.

 

I sailed on the Reflection in Nov 2013 and enjoyed poached salmon and grilled shrimp skewers in the ASC on different days. Both items you had to inquire with a staff person behind the counter on any given day to find out what was being offered and ask to have it prepared, but there was no charge for this (on the Reflection).

 

Honestly, I hear all sorts of comments on these threads (ranging from a FYI to say what someone experienced on a recent cruise to "it really was a disappointment of my whole vacation").

 

I am a one or two cruise person per year. I see some changes in the industry and NONE have been the type to make me rethink cruise vacations or change cruise lines. As I have said to plenty of friends and cruisers, the public at large just doesn't understand how to recalibrate their expectations on each new trip they take... and some folks make their disappointments sound like the world is coming to an end.

 

On my last Celebrity Cruise, I showed up at the baggage carousel to collect my luggage and one piece went missing never to be found. Having already had to deal with filling out a loss report on the ship for clothes that went missing in the laundry service, losing a piece of luggage and its contents at the end of a trip Is a "real" disappointment.

 

Will this stop me from going on cruise vacations? NO.

 

Will this stop me from sailing with Celebrity? NO.

 

However, I may choose to self-disembark with my luggage in the future. It also opened my eyes to the importance of cruise insurance.

 

Celebrity did a terrible job at dealing with this issue that remains open and unresolved. I'm partly to blame, but Celebrity's customer service in that department is horrendous. I really felt like I was just an "issue" to process for them rather than a valued customer.

 

Next time you think you have a "disappointing" cruise, think about all the things that could have gone terribly wrong (and didn't), which would have significant impact to you and your wallet/purse.

 

 

 

Sent from my Samsung Note 2 on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network

[welshfamily]

I have to agree with the comment about the flowers, ours was a single twig after about a week so I put it in the bin. I have never seen a slipper for the spa and the tote bags are not always given.

Some of the cutbacks are to stop waste. Food is plentiful on a cruise and a whole basket of fruit may go off quickly if the Passengers are not eating it regularly.

We tend to to travel AQ class. The fruit basket is now a three compartment tray mainly of Apples, however a simple request to our steward saw us receiving Bananas, pears, oranges and grapes. We are great fruit eaters and really appreciated the different selection which was delivered daily.

The chocolate buffet went years ago.

The canapés again have changed but again the steward will bring cheese and crackers or shrimp if asked. We tend to say no and fetch ourselves a snack from the Ocean view or pre order room service if we know we will have time before dinner.

Some stewards introduce themselves, others don't but I have to ask why it matters whether the steward or their asst. helps you. Saying that however the best steward we have ever had was on deck 3 in an Oceanview stateroom and the worst AQ.

I have a rule of thumb....I tip the people who do extra, extra at the end of the cruise who ever they maybe.

[h2ocruiser]

We were on the Jan. 25th sailing of the Eclipse, in Aqua Class and the Brunch was on the next to the last see day. It was advertised as usual on the back of the daily under dining and our servers and asst. servers all made a point to mention it. We did not have flowers in the bathroom but they were in the cabin and pretty fresh. We also had a nice variety of fruit each day. Maybe it all depends on the room steward. I think some things have been cut back but others have improved over the past few years. The food has been much better on our last few cruises, both in the MDR and in Blu. Service and crew staff attitude has been simply amazing.

[Jborosara]

I must agree that the cutbacks referenced are minimal and do not adversely affect most of us. However, the one that does irk us is turning Aqua Spa Cafe into a fee-based specialty venue. We really enjoyed it, and our son loved the salmon and tuna. We are traveling on Summit next month with friends, and he had been boasting about ASC and the fish for weeks.....until he learned that the venue is now fee-based and fish is no longer an offering. Perhaps it does not affect many, but for us it is a loss and not just a cutback.

 

Just back from the Summit and can happily report that ASC is NOT a for-fee venue - the only for-fee items are the smoothies and I think they always have been.

 

No, there is not every fish, every day, but there are wonderful and tasty (yet healthy) offerings everyday - we enjoyed a delicious chicken salad made with greek yogurt instead of mayo - loved the smoothies (they are covered on the beverage pkg) - there were shrimp skewers one day - salmon one day - it varied from day to day, but was always delicious - and included.

[lovespositano]

We sometimes tip our steward when first meeting him/her. It does make a difference. But with or without tip up front, we have always received great service, cruise after cruise. My main disappointment with the changes to cruising in general is the live music. Maybe a lot of people don't care about this aspect of cruising, but it's one of the main things we love, and a decent live band really makes or breaks the trip for us. We first cruise Celebrity in 2009 and I was quite concerned about the quality of the live music we would have as compared to Princess. At that time Princess had at least three live party bands on every cruise plus several pianists, a singer in Crooners and the orchestra. On that first Celebrity cruise there was a jazz band, a string quartet, a classical guitarist, a ballad guitarist, the accapella group, the orchestra, and a fab party band. We loved it all. One by one both lines have pared down this list, but Princess still has lots more live music than Celebrity. And the worst thing is that the wonderful Fillipino bands on Celebrity are disappearing (especially on Mediterranean cruises) and the replacement bands are not nearly as musically talented or as intuitive as to type of music to be played based on the demographics of the audience. Last year we did a Celebrity cruise and a Princess cruise, both were long Mediterranean cruises, and were horrified by the party band on both. The guy in Crooners saved the day for us on Princess, but on Celebrity there was no alternative to the horrific band. We are doing the TA on the Equinox in April and I am already starting to sweat it - if the band is no good, it is going to be a pretty boring cruise for us.

 

Otherwise, we love Celebrity.

[Beachdude]

I guess Sally and I are different, we like being pampered. We also enjoy renting a relaxing house near the beach in Hawaii very much. So when the choice is "not" being pampered on a cruise or relaxing on the beach, we will go the Hawaii route everytime. The only reason we started cruising Celebrity is for those little things that the other lines are cutting away. If Celebrity follows the trends of cutting the little things, that will mean more Hawaii trips for us, WooHoo!

 

Burt

[Ma Bell]

Did you mention any of this on your cruise?

[jgreenwo17]

Well Said! I usually go with no frills insides to stretch the vacation dollars but will occasionally will go with a veranda if the price is right. (Like AQ on Solstice this April).

 

Never cruised with X before and look forward to the experience having only cruised with Carnival corp ships in my cruising past. (Shameful I know)

 

The more I read in these threads, the more I think that mass market lines are pretty much the same. They have their target markets they cater to, but at the end of the day pretty much the same.