Has Celebrity gone down hill since the new CEO took over?

[ORV]

I made this observation based solely on the litany of complaints Aqua guests have spewed all over this forum abut how the Suite passengers keep taking their spaces and it's too crowded and hard to get in

 

Also from the reports of suite guests that so far it seems again based on these forums, at least 95% (though I can't recall a report here of a single suite guest being turned away from BLU, but I'll allow for that possibility) of suite guests who have requested to dine at BLU have been served in BLU.

 

Yes the rule is "on available basis" for sure, but it seems it's rare, very rare, that a suite guest has been declined.

 

Well Cle-Guy, you've fixed your space, but now your posts are really fouled up. What is going on there?

[maxsales]

Not sure if you have cruised with Sue, I did last spring on my TA to the UK, and she really was an amazing member of the crew. She was able to bob, weave and roll with the flow and punches somehow managing to keep an entire ship entertained and happy for 13 nights cross in the atlantic.

 

She definitely could help with staff training.

 

I do think it's possible staff service levels have declined in recent years with the addition of so much capacity (new S class ships) that may have canabilized cohesive staffing, and I'm willing to give some more time to get all staff up to par. However I will also say, the time is running out to get everyone up to speed....

 

I do believe staff training is an area that X needs to look to enhance. I also think CONSISTENCY is an area they are weak in. I like Marriott's because although all properties have a different look and feel and vibe, they have a core set of standards all across the brand. Consistency does not mean a complete copy of another ship. An example, the cellular service isn't standard across the brand, The bridge view channel isn't standard across the brand, the map channel on the TV isn't standard. The use of the red carpets and VIP lines isn't even standard and always there yet. Even ice buckets in or out of cabins isn't standardized based on reading the forums.

 

Dissemination of corporate polices and view seem to never make it out to staff in a timely fashion. Prime example, on Reflection all staff give a different exude and troubleshooting advice for why an iPhone on AT&T contract won't get on the cellular service they have. End of day, ship should alert ALL staff the iPhone has an issue with the service on the ship, and its different than the service on all the other ships and give them all legitimate speaking points on the matter. But most only know this via cruise critic postings.

 

Another example, the demise of Century, the worst kept secret on the planet, seemed only kept from actual staff members. I mean their sister company under the RCII umbrella put out a PRESS RELEASE saying they were getting the ship last fall (maybe summer?), yet onboard booking staff, kept insisting the ship was just relocating to Venice since the port wasn't allowing larger ships anymore. The press release by a publicly traded company means it is going to happen....unless they retract it later, otherwise, they would be accused of manipulating their stock prices with bogus press releases.

 

Sorry too say but your signature is really annoying :)

[maxsales]

Princess now has the same no-smoking policy as Celebrity & do value their non-suite customers so our next 3 cruises are with Princess. We first picked Celebrity because of the smoking on other lines.

 

Sorry to disagree but Princess still allows smoking in the casino, which is a big deal to me!

[maxsales]

Huh? They are taking some space from the main dining room/select dining area for a small group of passengers, but it will effect everyone else due to the removal of tables. Not sure how this new area effects blu at all...Suite guests were only permitted on a space available basis...so it should actually have zero effect on blu, either way. Breakfast in Blu was never a problem.

 

I agree that there should be little impact, but let's not put blu in that mix...it's uneffected.

 

Sorry don't agree at all that Blu is unaffected. On my cruises in Aqua I never saw a suite passenger turned away! It may say space available but in actual practice the suite passengers were always seated.

So I beleive it will lessen pressure on Blu when suite guests have their own dining room.

[helen haywood]

Best question/comment in this entire thread.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Forums mobile app

 

I agree! I want to know what's wrong with Infinity too!

[Oville]

[quote name='Christine Frances']But pax in the Sky Suites will still be able to dine in Blu on a space available basis right? So they could still have some impact. If the upper suites were all booked how many people would that be that would be relocated to the suite dining room?[/QUOTE]

I believe Sky Suites will be included in the new dining area.

[ghstudio]

[quote name='helen haywood']I agree! I want to know what's wrong with Infinity too![/QUOTE]

There have been reported norovirus problems on the infinity since the antarctica cruise...however they are doing everything right to get rid of it. Norovirus is not uncommon on ships and it's not unique to the Infinity....in fact I think the infinity has only had about 40 folks come down with the virus...it's not rampant..if you wash your hands and are careful, you should have no problem. If everyone washed their hands, there wouldn't be a problem at all....sigh!

We've been on the infinity twice in the past few months...the fall transatlantic and the Antarctica cruise....and we've booked it again for this fall's transatlantic. It's a very nice ship with a very friendly, always smiling crew. Obviously we like the ship since we've booked it again.

On the other topic...according to what's been published, sky suite guests may eat in the new suite dining room however they are not invited to use Michael's club lounge (and I have no clue why they chose to do that....pretty much makes no sense to me since even with the new lounge, it was always empty on the infinity...why not use it as a perk for all suite guests.????) Edited April 7, 2014 by ghstudio

[Christine Frances]

[quote name='Oville']I believe Sky Suites will be included in the new dining area.[/QUOTE]



Thank you! I stand corrected:). Was that the original policy?


Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[jgreenwo17]

[quote name='Oville']Trust me, we have sailed many Celebrity cruises since November of 2009 and everyone was a delight, some not perfect but never anything to ruin our time onboard.

This is a forum for people to praise and vent. Unless you are on a cruise with many CC members who are unhappy for whatever reason you'll never hear a complaint onboard.

Continue to love Celebrity and ignore the whining, just some friendly advice.:)[/QUOTE]
I had to to take a break from all the compaining and go over to the Princess forums for a few minutes. Other than folks complaining about the tiny verandas on the Royal class ships, not very many complaints.

I feel fortunate to sail with X in a couple weeks. I don't have any previous experience with this line. Inspite of all the mumurings, I bet it will be an awesome cruise.

[Christine Frances]

[quote name='jgreenwo17']I had to to take a break from all the compaining and go over to the Princess forums for a few minutes. Other than folks complaining about the tiny verandas on the Royal class ships, not very many complaints.



I feel fortunate to sail with X in a couple weeks. I don't have any previous experience with this line. Inspite of all the mumurings, I bet it will be an awesome cruise.[/QUOTE]


I noticed that as well on the Princess boards bot other than the new design/ features on the Royal and Regal ships, nothing much has changed (tor the good or bad) for a number of years


Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Edited April 7, 2014 by Christine Frances

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

[quote name='jgreenwo17']I had to to take a break from all the compaining and go over to the Princess forums for a few minutes. Other than folks complaining about the tiny verandas on the Royal class ships, not very many complaints.

I feel fortunate to sail with X in a couple weeks. I don't have any previous experience with this line. Inspite of all the mumurings, I bet it will be an awesome cruise.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Verdana"][SIZE="3"]I'll bet you have an awesome cruise!

Sorry about all the negativity on the Celebrity board lately. It hasn't always been that way. I hope people get it out of their systems soon and we can return to sharing our experiences to help make cruising better for everyone.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[johhnnyt]

[quote name='Happy Cruiser 6143'][FONT="Verdana"][SIZE="3"]I'll bet you have an awesome cruise!

Sorry about all the negativity on the Celebrity board lately. It hasn't always been that way. I hope people get it out of their systems soon and we can return to sharing our experiences to help make cruising better for everyone.[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]


[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][SIZE="5"]BRAVO!!![/SIZE][/COLOR]
Life is too short to spend it on the complaint line

[CruisinGirl777]

[quote name='Oville']Trust me, we have sailed many Celebrity cruises since November of 2009 and everyone was a delight, some not perfect but never anything to ruin our time onboard.

This is a forum for people to praise and vent. Unless you are on a cruise with many CC members who are unhappy for whatever reason you'll never hear a complaint onboard.

Continue to love Celebrity and ignore the whining, just some friendly advice.:)[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. Fingers crossed.

[quote name='jgreenwo17']I had to to take a break from all the compaining and go over to the Princess forums for a few minutes. Other than folks complaining about the tiny verandas on the Royal class ships, not very many complaints.

I feel fortunate to sail with X in a couple weeks. I don't have any previous experience with this line. Inspite of all the mumurings, I bet it will be an awesome cruise.[/quote]

We just sailed Princess in February and much preferred X. But you are right, not much complaining on those boards. It's how this one used to be 1+yrs ago.

[jagoffee]

[quote name='ghstudio']On the other topic...according to what's been published, sky suite guests may eat in the new suite dining room however they are not invited to use Michael's club lounge (and I have no clue why they chose to do that....pretty much makes no sense to me since even with the new lounge, it was always empty on the infinity...why not use it as a perk for all suite guests.????)[/QUOTE]

Good point. Since there are not very many Zenith how crowded could in be even if everyone showed up at the same time. Were the drink options good and were they available all day and night?

Thanks

[Host Jazzbeau]

[quote name='Christine Frances']I noticed that as well on the Princess boards bot other than the new design/ features on the Royal and Regal ships, [B]nothing much has changed (tor the good or bad) for a number of years[/B][/QUOTE]

For which we Princess cruisers are grateful. Standards are not slipping on P. So those of you who have preferred X in the past should give P another look -- the balance may have shifted.

[Oville]

[quote name='Host Jazzbeau']For which we Princess cruisers are grateful. Standards are not slipping on P. So those of you who have preferred X in the past should give P another look -- the balance may have shifted.[/QUOTE]

Glad you love Princess, we sailed on this line 4 or 5 times in the last few years and will never again.

Not sure what your reason is for posting your very downbeat comments about Celebrity are, but it has become tiresome. Perhaps you are just trying to stir the pot of negativity while Host Andy is hopefully enjoying a wonderful two week get away on the Eclipse with his family. Edited April 8, 2014 by Oville

[Oville]

[quote name='CruisinGirl777']Thanks for the advice. Fingers crossed.



We just sailed Princess in February and much preferred X. But you are right, not much complaining on those boards. It's how this one used to be 1+yrs ago.[/QUOTE]

No need for fingers crossed, just enjoy,

[wallie5446]

[quote name='Host Jazzbeau']For which we Princess cruisers are grateful. Standards are not slipping on P. So those of you who have preferred X in the past should give P another look -- the balance may have shifted.[/QUOTE]

First Princess cruise was in 1992, yes very nice, but over the years to us it has slipped. After the Ruby in 2012 the wife does not even open the mailers about a Princess cruise.

I too find it strange that a Cruise Critic host would try and flame the fire like this.

[wvufan]

This is Jazzbeau's profile. Interesting that the brag about Princess over Celebrity, but is booked on two Celebrity cruises and three others, but no Princess cruises. In fact, it looks like they have only been on two Princess cruises-both on the same ship.

[B]Booked:
Next Up: Crystal Serenity Mediterranean 5-7-2014
Celebrity Eclipse Southern Carib 3-1-2015
Celebrity Xpedition Galapagos 5-10-2015
AMA Provence 9-3-2015
Norwegian Pride of America Hawaii 9-2016

Sailed:
Coral Princess Panama Canal 1-19-2014
AmaCello Rhine 8-30-2013
Coral Princess Alaska 6-26-2013
Norwegian Dawn Caribbean 3-3-2013
Celebrity Summit Caribbean 1-28-2012
Oceania Insignia Mediterranean 5-17-2011
Fair Dinkum (Erie Canal bareboat) 7-18-2003
Costa Italia Caribbean 5-18-1974[/B]

I don't understand the purpose of their posts on Celebrity

Happy Sails to You

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[stanjj111]

[quote name='wallie5446']First Princess cruise was in 1992, yes very nice, but over the years to us it has slipped. After the Ruby in 2012 the wife does not even open the mailers about a Princess cruise.

I too find it strange that a Cruise Critic host would try and flame the fire like this.[/QUOTE]

this board is a mechanism to express views. people should not be slammed for stating what they believe.

[Guest debbiejohncruise]

We sailed on the Inaugural cruise of the Emerald Princess from Rome to Venice and loved it but we haven't tried them since. I thought they were pretty comparable to Celebrity. We prefer Celebrity now because they don't allow smoking on the balconies or in the casino and it's amazing what a difference that makes.
While we were on the last cruise (21 day B2B) in Feb 2014 on the Equinox I mentioned to a lady next to me that I noticed HAL and Celebrity MDR food was not as great as it used to be causing more people to pay extra for the specialty restaurants and she said "we shareholders love to hear that".....WHAT???
I couldn't believe she said that, but I guess what it comes down to is the almighty dollar :-(

[NLH Arizona]

[quote name='debbiedoesit']While we were on the last cruise (21 day B2B) in Feb 2014 on the Equinox I mentioned to a lady next to me that I noticed HAL and Celebrity MDR food was not as great as it used to be causing more people to pay extra for the specialty restaurants and she said "we shareholders love to hear that".....WHAT???
I couldn't believe she said that, but I guess what it comes down to is the almighty dollar :-([/quote]
Maybe it was her way to cut the conversation short. She might have thought the food was great and didn't want to get into a discussion with you about it, since we all know some of these discussions regarding opinions can go bad quickly.

[cle-guy]

[quote name='debbiedoesit']
While we were on the last cruise (21 day B2B) in Feb 2014 on the Equinox I mentioned to a lady next to me that I noticed HAL and Celebrity MDR food was not as great as it used to be causing more people to pay extra for the specialty restaurants and she said "we shareholders love to hear that".....WHAT???
I couldn't believe she said that, but I guess what it comes down to is the almighty dollar :-([/QUOTE]

If not to make a profit, may I ask what the cruise lines should be doing?

And if they shouldn't be focused on profits may I ask where the subsidies to keep the ships moving shall come from?

[cle-guy]

[quote name='NLH Arizona'] since we all know some of these discussions regarding opinions can go bad quickly.[/QUOTE]

REALLY? do you have first hand experience in this ? LOL

:D

[plutoface]

Celebrity's standard food ( everything that was included with the cruise fare ) was wonderful now it's mediocre at best! Goodbye Celebrity!