What has improved on Celebrity recently?

[cherylroslyn]

Casinos improved tremendously.

 

The Aqua Spa Café, although they don't seem to serve the grilled fish anymore, I still think the SPE certification is an assurance of consistency so it is a very healthy option.

 

Bistro on Five

 

The availability of a drink package....and I'm not even referring to the free packages that everyone seems to get now...just the availability of the "for cost drink packages" was an industry first as far as what is available on the packages, and the fact that there is no limit, and the fact that all parties in the room were not required to purchase it.

 

And the cost of the two cruises that I take every year have been completely consistent, no sharp fare hikes.... with that said, I do not sail holidays or summer. And my friends who I travel with either book really early or really late, that seems to be the key to excellent fares..... (I book with the casino program so my situation is a little different)

Edited October 9, 2014 by cherylroslyn

[phoenix_dream]

It has been my experience on the cruises I have looked into that the pricing over the last few years has risen substantially. Certainly my upcoming cruise is much, much higher than the identical cruise I took two years ago (granted, I really got a deal on that one).

 

As for improvements, honestly I find it hard to come up with many. I have been cruising with X since 1992 and while over the years there are certainly some improvements, as of late I am hard-pressed to come up with them. I think the drink package and similar offers are an improvement in some ways - and yet at the same time I think they are part of the reason for the huge fare increases. The upgrades to Captains Club were nice for some. I personally feel the Elite+ additions were much ado about nothing (don't drink much specialty coffee and never use the internet at all), but certainly Zenith cruisers get a wonderful deal.

 

IMHO it is very, very hard to come up with improvements that are included in the cost - most changes have been to add up-sell spaces/activities. When I cruised Summit two years ago, it was probably my least favorite cruise ever on Celebrity (out of 25). I have read reviews that seem to indicate a lot of the problems we experienced have been handled, so am looking forward to seeing if that is the case. She was one of my favorite ships, and I love the S. Caribbean itinerary so I will be boarding with fingers crossed.

 

I no doubt will get flamed (I can even predict from whom:)), but I truly feel cost-free improvements have been virtually nil. I hope my next cruise proves me wrong - I would very much love to be wrong about this:)

[NLH Arizona]

From a lot of reports, it looks like Canyon Ranch is an improvement over Steiner's, especially when it comes to the hard sell on products.

[fleckle]

........ I personally feel the Elite+ additions were much ado about nothing (don't drink much specialty coffee and never use the internet at all), but certainly Zenith cruisers get a wonderful deal.

We totally agree with you, as do most others we meet at Elite functions whenever this subject comes up.

 

Considering that the points required for Elite + are more than double the points required for Elite, the disproportionately meager additional perks provided are very disappointing.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2014 by fleckle

[need2bespoiled]

We totally agree with you, as do most others we meet at Elite functions whenever this subject comes up.

 

Considering that the points required for Elite + are more than double the points required for Elite, the disproportionately meager additional perks provided are very disappointing.

 

 

 

So even if the perks are "disapointing" to you and most others you've met, they're still MUCH better than they used to be, which was nothing. Hard to argue that.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[fleckle]

So even if the perks are "disapointing" to you and most others you've met, they're still MUCH better than they used to be, which was nothing. Hard to argue that.

Quite the contrary, I would rather they had waited to implement the Elite + level until they could provide a new level that was worthwhile and meaningful, the way they did with Elite and with Zenith.

 

The way they introduced Elite + was actually more as though you had been informed at work that you would be receiving a very nice Christmas bonus, you eagerly looked forward to it, and then they tossed you a small box of candy while giving the top executives a sizable raise. ;)

 

[hulamoon]

Twice I have been told a change is likely. How soon, I do not know. Or maybe they changed their minds.

[Kevnzworld]

It has been my experience on the cruises I have looked into that the pricing over the last few years has risen substantially. Certainly my upcoming cruise is much, much higher than the identical cruise I took two years ago (granted, I really got a deal on that one).

 

As for improvements, honestly I find it hard to come up with many. I have been cruising with X since 1992 and while over the years there are certainly some improvements, as of late I am hard-pressed to come up with them. I think the drink package and similar offers are an improvement in some ways - and yet at the same time I think they are part of the reason for the huge fare increases. The upgrades to Captains Club were nice for some. I personally feel the Elite+ additions were much ado about nothing (don't drink much specialty coffee and never use the internet at all), but certainly Zenith cruisers get a wonderful deal.

 

IMHO it is very, very hard to come up with improvements that are included in the cost - most changes have been to add up-sell spaces/activities. When I cruised Summit two years ago, it was probably my least favorite cruise ever on Celebrity (out of 25). I have read reviews that seem to indicate a lot of the problems we experienced have been handled, so am looking forward to seeing if that is the case. She was one of my favorite ships, and I love the S. Caribbean itinerary so I will be boarding with fingers crossed.

 

I no doubt will get flamed (I can even predict from whom:)), but I truly feel cost-free improvements have been virtually nil. I hope my next cruise proves me wrong - I would very much love to be wrong about this:)

 

I agree with most of what you wrote. I hope your next cruise is better.

Personally, I like the new Elite + coffee perk because we drink coffee and tea and enjoy being able to get the better stuff at Cafe Al Bacio.

Overall the improvements for things included in the cruise fare seem somewhat minimal, but they exist.

[Orator]

I agree with most of what you wrote. I hope your next cruise is better.

Personally, I like the new Elite + coffee perk because we drink coffee and tea and enjoy being able to get the better stuff at Cafe Al Bacio.

Overall the improvements for things included in the cruise fare seem somewhat minimal, but they exist.

 

You can have the Specialty Coffees and Teas in any dining venue. Not confined to al Bacio.The benefit is not extended to room service however. Forte Iced teas are not included, but I always had them bring the hot tea and free ice. On most ships they just brought me the iced tea when they saw what I was doing. Would generally skip desert in MDR and just go to al Bacio for some sweets and tea. I really appreciated the benefit.

Appreciated your kind words. Easy to be friendly to people like you.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Orator

[need2bespoiled]

Quite the contrary, I would rather they had waited to implement the Elite + level until they could provide a new level that was worthwhile and meaningful, the way they did with Elite and with Zenith.

 

The way they introduced Elite + was actually more as though you had been informed at work that you would be receiving a very nice Christmas bonus, you eagerly looked forward to it, and then they tossed you a small box of candy while giving the top executives a sizable raise. ;)

 

 

Or not add any benefit at all. *shrug*

 

I guess, while I enjoy some of the benefits, I still cruise because I just like to cruise.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[genegri]

I think the price increase has more to do with that overall economy has improved rather than X has improved. I see similar pricing in comparable lines.

[cle-guy]

Patty -- totally agree about the coffee! DH and I were commenting that last month's Summit cruise had the first decent coffee we'd ever had on X -- well, except for the really good stuff that they've always served in the specialty restaurants. :cool:

 

I agree. I'm a coffee snob, and had avoided buffet coffee in the past. On this one I actually did enjoy the buffet coffee.

[cle-guy]

This is especially relevant IMO because Celebrity's fares have risen by 50-100% over the last few years.

 

This is simply not true on an overall basis. If one checks the websites that monitor pricing, one will see that for the 2014-2015 season, pricing is actually DOWN overall (suites of course being the exception, they have gone up a bit, but not 50-100%). It is UP a bit from the 2011-2012 season.

 

I may agree that starting prices have risen, and are then offset by lowered pricing for last minute cabins booked, but the general trend and overall average cabin fares of all celebrity ships and sailings taken as a group, standard cruise fares are actually down overall.

 

It's interesting to see the marked jump in fares for the 2012-2013 season from prior then back down for the 13-14 season.

 

Fares for the cheapest inside cabins, perhaps one could surmise a 50% increase from 2011-12, but compared to 2012-2013, fares are down, and just a bit higher than the 11-12 season.

[Duanerice1]

Guess I am in the minority. I love my Celebrity cruises and really haven't seen the price jump. OK, I love all cruises, some just better than others. I only go every other year on Celebrity lately so I don't have the experience many of you do. But my upcoming 10 day doesn't cost much more than my last 7 day Celebrity cruise 2 years ago. And I get a beverage package too. Sweet!

 

Not sure what they took away, at least not anything I really need. I guess sandwiches in the Cafe but I never got them anyway. Never did the Zumba at the pool either but that came and went since my last cruise so I never had the chance :) Food is still pretty good in my opinion but I am not a foodie so as long as it tastes good it's alright by me. Unlike some other lines I still get a hot breakfast on my balcony every day. What's not to like?

 

This is our first cruise being Elite and I appreciate the perks. A little free internet and free laundry. Never had internet on a ship before. It will be nice to download a few emails. This is a lot more ($ wise) than I get with my "elite" hotel programs.

 

So maybe I am missing something but we are real easy to please. Try to book an ocean front hotel room and see what you pay. I'd pay more than I am for a cabin that's for sure and I get food and drink.

 

So, back the original question, what has improved? I don't know, all I know is they've kept prices reasonable and still deliver a great product.

enjoy,

Duane

[NLH Arizona]

Guess I am in the minority. I love my Celebrity cruises and really haven't seen the price jump. OK, I love all cruises, some just better than others. I only go every other year on Celebrity lately so I don't have the experience many of you do. But my upcoming 10 day doesn't cost much more than my last 7 day Celebrity cruise 2 years ago. And I get a beverage package too. Sweet!

 

Not sure what they took away, at least not anything I really need. I guess sandwiches in the Cafe but I never got them anyway. Never did the Zumba at the pool either but that came and went since my last cruise so I never had the chance :) Food is still pretty good in my opinion but I am not a foodie so as long as it tastes good it's alright by me. Unlike some other lines I still get a hot breakfast on my balcony every day. What's not to like?

 

This is our first cruise being Elite and I appreciate the perks. A little free internet and free laundry. Never had internet on a ship before. It will be nice to download a few emails. This is a lot more ($ wise) than I get with my "elite" hotel programs.

 

So maybe I am missing something but we are real easy to please. Try to book an ocean front hotel room and see what you pay. I'd pay more than I am for a cabin that's for sure and I get food and drink.

 

So, back the original question, what has improved? I don't know, all I know is they've kept prices reasonable and still deliver a great product.

enjoy,

Duane

Duane, you are not in the minority.

[New Hampshire]

I don't see the fare increases at all since I started sailing Celebrity in the 90's. We are early bookers and have had our cabin price decrease as much as $1400 from the time of booking until before final payment, and we have received the price adjustments. Our cruise aboard Eclipse next week will have increased for our CC2 cabin by $1800 from the time we booked more than a year out. The ship was almost completely sold out by the time of final payment. Early booking certainly paid off on this one. There was not a 123Go Promo being offered at the time we booked.

[hulamoon]

New Hampshire...I think you did see fare increase of $1800. Your style of cruising has kept you from having to pay it!! Good for you.:)

 

I also was thinking before my first cruise a friend told me that to get a rate of 100 per day was excellent and that was for insides. These days I frequently see insides even lower that that. So categories may have something to do with what people are actually paying too. People booking these categories may actually be very satisfied.

 

I think the pricing has been more volatile the last couple of years. Higher and lower, in some categories.

Edited October 10, 2014 by hulamoon

[phoenix_dream]

Quite the contrary, I would rather they had waited to implement the Elite + level until they could provide a new level that was worthwhile and meaningful, the way they did with Elite and with Zenith.

 

The way they introduced Elite + was actually more as though you had been informed at work that you would be receiving a very nice Christmas bonus, you eagerly looked forward to it, and then they tossed you a small box of candy while giving the top executives a sizable raise. ;)

 

 

I think this is an excellent analogy. I still love to cruise, I still love Celebrity, and I still appreciate the perks I do receive. But all the hype prior to the new benefits implied a next level would have some great additional perks. It did not, and that was disappointing. Had it not been talked about that way, expectations would have been different.

[Kevnzworld]

I just returned from a month on the Silhouette , a Holy land Mediterranean cruise followed by a transatlantic . I will write a more detailed review later, but since I started this thread I thought I should update it with my thoughts and observations. I have spent about 23 weeks on six different Celebrity ships since Jan 2012 to put my experience into perspective.

 

I am pleased to report that YES, some things that aren't extra $ have improved since my previous cruises.

The first : The new pool BBQ for lunch. It's a great idea, and everyone seemed to love it. They offered it on two sea days on the transatlantic.

2). The Liquid lounge nightclub. It's held at 10:30 PM in the solarium. It's new and needs work, but a Vegas style nightclub at sea other than the lame Quasar place? Great.

3) Better internet software. Easier to sign up and add minutes.

4). Blu's food was better, especially the notorious game birds...

 

Re: price increases ...We looked at the new pricing for Europe 2016. Except for the transatlantics, Suites start at about $900 per day. That's about a 50% increase from 2013-14.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Kevnzworld

[hulamoon]

Good news Kevin. Trying to put solarium and night club in same brain, will check it out in a couple of weeks.

 

Looking forward to review.

[cruisecriticmember]

I'm sure I will probably be the only person who thinks like this, but I see that as mistake on X's part that could result in the loss of life.

everyone should be required to get their life jacket, and everyone should required to put it on. You never know when your life will depend on doing that.

 

I agree totally.

[MGK]

Two cruises with Celebrity, both on Summit, and cabins were CS and RS in that order. We have a 3rd cruise scheduled for next August to Bermuda.

 

Positives:

 

Small individual served portions in Oceanview Café. I found the food was always hot, and ultimately would reduce food waste overall.

 

Better bar service in some but not all locations onboard. Sunset Bar is the best consistently.

 

Poolside Grille remains a favorite. Always fast, and as good a burger as I can get at my local Five Guys.

 

This ship is extremely clean. All public areas are very well maintained.

 

Ken Mills the Cruise Director is hilarious.

 

Negatives:

 

As a Suite guest, I guess I don't get the whole Michael's Club thing. Too stuffy for me, and I think the space could be better utilized by X to increase revenue in some other fashion.

 

Photos continue to remain the equivalent to grocery shopping at 7-11. Wicked expensive!

 

The Main pool area continues to be a wild west atmosphere, while the Thallotherapy (sp?) Adult pool is guarded like Fort Knox. Why can't the pool staff pay equal attention to the obnoxious chair hogs in the main pool area?

 

Overall, I love the Summit. It is actually hard to think of negatives in the grand scheme of things.

[BrendaJ]

Just came back from the Equinox a few weeks ago (and was on Silhouette earlier this year).

 

1. The internet seemed to be much faster, and much easier to use with an iPad. And using the Elite+ coupon was much simpler. No visit to the internet cafe required.
   
2. Getting on and off the ship seemed to be quicker, now that they scan everyone's card with the hand scanner, rather than having the uncoordinated masses try to push their card in the slot.
   
3. Entertainment in the main atrium, including dancing most nights was very popular, and they had a cool Venetian-themed masked party in the atrium one night.
   
4. Buffet seemed to have new, appealing items, like little pieces of cucumber with cream cheese and/or salmon at breakfast. Lots of choices for my gluten-free friend. They also did not dumb down the Indian food - some of it was nice and spicy. Unfortunately, my resolution to have salad at lunch was defeated by walking by the Indian food each time. It was far too tasty to resist.
   

 

My only complaint would have been the odd music in Quasar; a DJ spinning unrecognizable tunes with a guy beside him playing guitar and a third guy bopping around. I may be an old fogie but I do like some modern dance music, but I have no idea what this stuff was. We went looking for somewhere to dance one night, and this was the only option past midnight. We ended up just going to bed because the music in Quasar was not our cup of tea and didn't appear to be anyone else's either - the place was a ghost town. However, the DJ did play my request when I asked for some Daft Punk so it wasn't all bad. :D

 

We really loved the drink package, and really had a great time on this cruise, as we do on all of our Celebrity cruises. As for prices being high, I don't pay much attention to what something cost a few years ago compared to now. I just decide how much I'm willing to pay for what I'm getting and make my decisions. So far, I'm getting my money's worth and more. Can't wait for the next one!

[JasonV1]

The prices were competitive for me for the Millennium Concierge class balcony triple I booked for next July, especially when you consider the cost of the beverage packages (for 2) I got thrown in. Those same cabins are a good bit more expensive now, so much so that I could probably only afford an inside, so thankfully I got a good deal.

 

There are sites out that that track cruise prices by the category and provide that data for free. If you are wondering if the current price you are seeing is good, that site will give you an idea.

 

My C3 balcony has sold for 1899-2599pp (the latter the current price), thankfully I bought in at the low price, which has been seen exactly twice since the schedule was released. You can still buy an inside on that ship today for the lowest price it has been, 799pp (for my sailing).

 

I usually book as soon as the schedules are released (fully booked through summer 2016 right now), which gives me the maximum amount of time to watch for deals. I recommend it whenever anyone asks.

Edited November 18, 2014 by JasonV1

[ping1]

I forgot! DH loves the addition of the grill in the buffet in the evening! He has had excellent steaks there (also fish, chicken etc) and it is now a viable option when we are late back from port.

 

"Entertainment changes" on our 28 day Asia cruise on the Millie this spring, our favourite place in the evening was the aft OV bar with a wonderful jazz singer/guitarist. He was funny and personable, took requests and he had quite a following every evening under the stars!

 

Great news! Can you tell us what ship has the grill for steaks? And is it every day?

 

thank you