Why cruise with Celebrity

[CruisingChick]

I don't find any of the Celebrity ships define Modern Luxury. I guess my definition of Modern Luxury is different than Celebrity's.

 

Having said that - we have always had a great time on our Celebrity cruises (well almost always).

 

I do feel their ads are misleading, especially for us peasants that book inside staterooms all the time. But we started cruising way before all the ads.

 

Actually I liked the "Staring You" ads. Thought they fit a bit better with Celebrity than this Modern Luxury campaign.

[coolmom]

Thanks for the chuckle:) all I can think of is someone doing turn down service in your tent, rolling up your sleeping bag, pouring fresh cocktails for you, serving your meals, putting on entertainment shows each evening, helping you with your backpack. Love it!

 

Back then, luxury was a hot shower and the morning coffee the nice people in a camper provided to those of us in tents.

 

Now? I would say receiving the fresh flowers in our cabin that were promised when we signed up for Concierge class (and that are still listed as a perk on our welcoming sheet). Not having to repeatedly being seated at a large table despite our asking several times that our party of 4 wishes to be seated at an appropriately sized table so we don't have to crane our necks or shout across the table. Something other than a naked flameless tealight on the dining room table. A spa that labels itself as "Persian Gardens' having, you know, maybe some actual gardens and more than a water fountain for thirsty guests. A website that was fast and user friendly.

 

The things you describe are very nice but they are the industry standard in the upper-end cruise and hotel business. The term luxury implies above and beyond. Celebrity didn't deliver that.

Edited August 7, 2014 by coolmom

[sloopsailor]

It took us safely and without any incident from start to end

 

"Dangerous" to me is something that could cause me harm. You have not provided any proof that you were in harm's way at any time, even admitting that "it took us safely..." to the end of your cruise. When a person titles a post - or story, article, book - in such a way as to deliberately "sucker" the reader into reading it, I consider that dishonest and disrespectful to the reader. First impressions are important, and if someone tricks me into reading something, I find it difficult to believe what they have written. If the title was grossly exaggerated, then to what level of exaggeration is the rest of the post. Even if true, I find little sympathy for the writer since he lied to me at the onset. :mad:

 

OP: Next time you want me to read and accept what you have to say, leave the hyperbolic titles in your mind and use a title that describes with honestly what you want to tell me.

 

I agree but the OP cames from Germany and it is probable that English is not his mother tongue.

 

By reading the post it is clear that the OP understands and uses English quite well, so I rather doubt that his English fails at only the title. :rolleyes:

Edited August 7, 2014 by sloopsailor

[dimiegirl]

We have been on S class ships and absolutely love them! However, when we went on a 12 day russia cruise on the constellation we were disappointed. The service and quality of food were definitely not on par with the S class ships. In addition, I hate the buffet set up on the M class ships..It makes so sense and by the time you have had a chance to walk back and forth, the food on your plate is already cold. I would never travel on an M class ship again, unless the itinerary was way too amazing to pass up..

[boogs]

OP asked: Would I again pay a significant higher price for an average product

 

First, Modern Luxury is in the eye of the beholder and second, I don't think you should pay for anything that you are not happy with. If I were you, I would find a cruise line/vacation that 100 percent meets your expectations.

 

He might as well stay home because he will never find a vacation option that meets 100% of his expectations, no matter what the price.

[NLH Arizona]

Back then, luxury was a hot shower and the morning coffee the nice people in a camper provided to those of us in tents.

 

Now? I would say receiving the fresh flowers in our cabin that were promised when we signed up for Concierge class (and that are still listed as a perk on our welcoming sheet). Not having to repeatedly being seated at a large table despite our asking several times that our party of 4 wishes to be seated at an appropriately sized table so we don't have to crane our necks or shout across the table. Something other than a naked flameless tealight on the dining room table. A spa that labels itself as "Persian Gardens' having, you know, maybe some actual gardens and more than a water fountain for thirsty guests. A website that was fast and user friendly.

 

The things you describe are very nice but they are the industry standard in the upper-end cruise and hotel business. The term luxury implies above and beyond. Celebrity didn't deliver that.

Were there tables for 4 that went unused or was it that they were all filled at the time you went to dinner?

[NLH Arizona]

He might as well stay home because he will never find a vacation option that meets 100% of his expectations, no matter what the price.

Then I think that is someone's choice. They can try to find something that meets their expectations or they can continue to go on a vacation that doesn't and complain about it. If a cruise line didn't meet my expectations, I certainly wouldn't continue to go on them and be miserable because I'm always complaining. But that is just me.

[chessbriar]

Everyone has a different perspective. What is important one one, may be insignificant to another. My perspective on cruising really changed my last cruise when my father in law had to be evacuated from his cruise vacation due to an injury. I cruise to spend time with family because who knows how much time we have with them. That's what important to me, not the fact the ship may have some wear and tear.

 

That being said, my last two cruises on X have been on Summit and Century after several on S class ships. It was so nice to come back to the smaller ship. The larger ships are just too impersonal. On the S class I feel like a passenger, on the M and C class, I feel like a guest.

 

Give me Century or an M class ship any day over a S class ship. Yes, they are beautiful ships and we've had great cruises on them. The smaller cruises have been so much more memorable.

 

I hope the OP finds a cruise line that meets their needs at a price they like. Good Luck

Edited August 7, 2014 by chessbriar

[wallie5446]

Brooding over what to do because of a 20 min wait in a line.

 

Why could you have not returned when there was no line so you could be number 1. Were the fellow passengers in front of you of less value than you?

 

Just had an experience with the same me first type person at a store with my wife. 4 customer svc reps working, a person 2 behind us 'brooding' that the line was not moving fast enought and the store needed to hire more help. I asked if they would like to skip past all us lowly people to the front of the line:rolleyes:

 

I guess the Captian should have pulled the ship into the nearest port and dialed up the local temp agency for some extra help, so they had someone to take care of you ASAP!

Edited August 7, 2014 by wallie5446

[phoenix_dream]

On the S class I feel like a passenger, on the M and C class, I feel like a guest.

 

In one sentence you have managed to sum up exactly how I feel about the Celebrity experience! :).

[Project_gal]

This puts me in mind of my first cruise on Eclipse after many on M-class ships. The captain asked me what I thought of the ship and I replied that I loved the M-class ships but there was something really special that I could not quite put my finger on about Eclipse. She was stunning. His reply really surprised me but, I have thought about it a great deal since, and I am sure that it is very true. He said "Eclipse was German-built and the M-class ships were built in France". He went onto say that it is the sum total of all the little things that make the S-class ships work so well that adds the aura of luxury. He meant things like, for example, the perfect timing of the automatic sliding doors. The conversation took place at the start of the cruise and, from that point, I paid attention to the engineering detail of the ship and, he was right, it just all worked so smoothly. Perhaps, the OP being from Germany, is more sensitive to the engineering perfection of the S-class ships and, therefore, was made more sensitive to thins like rust that happens on all ships.

 

As far as I am concerned, Constellation was our first ship and will always have a place in our hearts but I thought that the original Infinity was the most beautiful of the M-class ships [until they all became so much more similar following Solstication]. It is unfair of the OP to suggest that Infinity has not been maintained in any way since she was built. I would still sail on these ships and have a cruise booked on Millennium but I am most excited about returning to Eclipse on the other two cruises we currently have booked.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Project_gal

[TeaBag]

I find it odd that the OP is using the word dangerous in his title while he is objecting to Celebrity using the title Modern Luxury. Yes, I know English is not his native language but his English is very good nonetheless. Dangerous implies peril, risk, unsafe etc. Celebrity is none of these.

 

I, too thought he was using dangerous correctly to imply that cruising on Celebrity was addictive and therefore, dangerous (at least to your savings account and your waist)!

 

If we have to wait in a line for something, we use the time in getting to know the guests either in front of us or behind. You meet some great people that way.

 

I'm sorry he did not enjoy his cruise. Hopefully he will return to the S class and enjoy future cruises.

[Host Jazzbeau]

A poster above linked the S-class "wow factor" to Modern Luxury. To me, that's like saying that Las Vegas is more luxurious than Paris. Nope. S-class has wow factor, M-class has grace and patina. Some people will prefer one over the other, but IMHO luxury has always been more about grace and patina than glitz.

[fortinweb]

I too feel that the OP deceived us with the title. I opened up the thread to find out if there was anything that I should be concerned about regarding my safety. Instead, it was a rant about the OP's opinion of the "Modern Luxury" label not being to his satisfaction. I personally despise being duped into reading something, especially when it is only a vehicle for complaining. :mad:

[Celebrity Cruises]

Misleading forum titles are dangerous.

 

We're sorry that you didn't enjoy your cruising experience with us, but we were under the impression we may have had a serious emergency to deal with.

[Tommy3putts]

OP why the need for DRAMA? Turned what might have otherwise been a valid worthwhile cruise review int totaly useless. You loose all credibility so you can raise a firestorm thread? Hope it was worth it.

 

Oh BTW wonder if the OP will ever return to this thread?

Edited August 7, 2014 by Tommy3putts
edit

[CruisingChick]

A poster above linked the S-class "wow factor" to Modern Luxury. To me, that's like saying that Las Vegas is more luxurious than Paris. Nope. S-class has wow factor, M-class has grace and patina. Some people will prefer one over the other, but IMHO luxury has always been more about grace and patina than glitz.

 

I agree with you. We like M Class ships (liked them a lot more before they "Solsticized" them).

[CathyCruises]

I heard something the other day that really rang true with me, and it was about how to find happiness. The answer was to have low expectations! If you think about it, it's really accurate. Disappointment usually comes with unmet expectations, whether they're realistic or not.

 

So maybe the OP's point was that the tagline of "Modern Luxury" led him to have unmet expectations which resulted in him being unhappy. . .

[richsea]

People who take marketing slogans literally are just setting themselves up for disappointment. It's marketing, another word for bu$$&it. I've never wen anyone who even remotely looks like the models in the brochure on any ship that I've sailed. Marketing should be taken with a very large grain of salt.

[CruisingChick]

I heard something the other day that really rang true with me, and it was about how to find happiness. The answer was to have low expectations! If you think about it, it's really accurate. Disappointment usually comes with unmet expectations, whether they're realistic or not.

 

My previous boss' favorite saying was "A Pessimist is Never Disappointed."

[C 2 C]

Do you remember "Exceeding Expectations"?

 

That slogan implied that their standards would keep on increasing in order to satisfy everyone.

If you loved the product quality, how do you make it better next time? and the next?

 

Did they exceed our expectations? No, we expected excellence and we got it.

Now how are you going to exceed that? Don't make promises you can't keep.

[TwoHearts22]

OP why the need for DRAMA? Turned what might have otherwise been a valid worthwhile cruise review int totaly useless. You loose all credibility so you can raise a firestorm thread? Hope it was worth it.

 

Oh BTW wonder if the OP will ever return to this thread?

 

 

Tommy3, The thread was started at 5:31am today in Germany. You complain about the OP not coming back?

 

Original Poster:

Celebrity marketing got us once. The disappointment steered us to other lines.

You did raise a storm with your comments. Just forget the cheerleaders' drama. We're sorry about the money you spent.

 

Trudy

 

Thank you for the review.

Edited August 7, 2014 by TwoHearts22

[Cruising89143]

Tommy3, The thread was started at 5:31am today in Germany. You complain about the OP not coming back?

 

Original Poster:

Celebrity marketing got us once. The disappointment steered us to other lines.

You did raise a storm with your comments. Just forget the cheerleaders' drama. We're sorry about the money you spent.

 

Trudy

 

Thank you for the review.

 

It wasn't the comments. It had more to do with the title of the thread which has now been changed by the mods. Because someone has a difference of opinion does not make them a cheerleader.

[elena7seas]

I heard something the other day that really rang true with me, and it was about how to find happiness. The answer was to have low expectations! If you think about it, it's really accurate. Disappointment usually comes with unmet expectations, whether they're realistic or not.

 

So maybe the OP's point was that the tagline of "Modern Luxury" led him to have unmet expectations which resulted in him being unhappy. . .

 

HI Cathy:

 

I think you are exactly right.

 

The OP had a wonderful time on the Eclipse, and this experience, along with some reliance on the advertising slogan, "Modern Luxury", clearly established his expectations for his next Celebrity cruise. Unfortunately, those expectations were not met and he felt a need to share his disappointment, as well as his opinion that the Modern Luxury slogan is not justified in the case of the Infinity, and certainly not at the price that he paid for the Infinity cruise. He tried to show with examples, why his Eclipse experience was excellent, and his Infinity experience was average at best.

 

As far as the use of the word "dangerous" in the title, I didn't see the OP's post before the title was changed, but I think perhaps, since English is clearly not the OP's first language, that he's missing the nuance that the word "dangerous" conveys in his post. He feels that the use of the term "modern luxury" is "dangerous" because it sets consumers up for unrealistic expectations. In his case, he feels his expectations were not met on the Infinity. I would not use the word dangerous in this context, but I can understand how it might happen when English is not your first language.

 

Bottom line, he feels that he paid a premium price for an average product, and he's really disappointed, as he expected a little more "truth in advertising" where the Infinity was concerned. But, as many of the posts in this thread show, North Americans don't really expect truth in advertising, and we're surprised when others take advertising claims literally.

 

I've never had a disappointing cruise on a Celebrity ship, but the OP clearly did. I'm inclined to cut him a little slack.

[Big_G]

Perhaps the OP meant 'disingenuous' instead of 'dangerous'? That's the only way I can read this that makes any sense.

 

Perhaps the OP was being 'disingenuous'. ;):D