Dear Santa... A Wish List for the NEW Celebrity Ships

[Seabourn Pearls]

An aquarium window and viewing area below the waterline with food for fishes when in port.

 

Bright lights mounted on the stern below the waterline to illuminate the ship's wake in the evening. Perhaps with changing colors. Used selectively not all the time but it would be fun to look at from the Sunset Bar as night overtakes day.

[darbs7]

Love that everyone is saying keep the "fun-park at sea" away! AGREE

 

1. Love the idea of an ironing room

 

2. Dance area starting earlier

 

3. Love the idea someone had of a casino/lounge/dance club combo

 

4. Promenade deck that goes all the way around!

 

5. steel drums playing daily

 

6. comedy club for adults

 

7. Margarita bar or lounge with chips salsa and tapas

[DrKoob]

An aquarium window and viewing area below the waterline with food for fishes when in port.

 

Bright lights mounted on the stern below the waterline to illuminate the ship's wake in the evening. Perhaps with changing colors. Used selectively not all the time but it would be fun to look at from the Sunset Bar as night overtakes day.

 

I LOVE people who think outside the box. Outstanding ideas. Not sure how feasible but really great ideas.

[DrKoob]

Wish list:

 

-- Elevators at both ends as well as the middle

-- Footstools on all verandas. A balcony without them is not worth the cost.

-- A T Pool, or at the very least a heated indoor one in an adults-only solarium

-- More comfortable adjustable loungers in the solarium

-- Accessible cabins near elevators

-- M-class closets (near door, more drawers)

-- True nightstands with drawers (as on M-class) and nearby electrical/USB outlets

-- Outlet in the bathroom

-- iPod dock in the cabin

-- Retractable clothesline in the bathroom

-- More hooks on the cabin doors and/or walls

-- Refrigerators that actually keep things cold!

-- More careful overall attention to sound spillover

-- No more loud entertainment in the atrium!!! Please design an appropriate venue instead.

-- At least one venue for quiet music (piano, acoustic)

-- No smoking areas anywhere near public spaces or cabins. One designated smoking lounge, period.

-- A more clearly defined adults-only outdoor pool

-- Rendezvous Lounge an all ships

-- Adequate space for Select Dining 2-tops

-- If there's a lawn, please ditch the cabanas. They spoil the view and no one likes them!

-- If a self-service laundry isn't feasible, offer a reasonably priced pre-boarding purchase option.

-- Reallocate Library space. We love libraries, but X's current ones are poor indeed.

-- Nice spaces for the hardworking crew, who make X cruises truly special.

 

Please keep:

 

-- X's subtle, refined decor -- no gaudy, tacky stuff or neon please!

-- Adults-only solarium

-- Cafe al Bacio (even larger?)

-- Sunset Bar

-- Alcove-style connecting cabins

-- Quality art in the public spaces (but please avoid ugly cabin art like the current S class)

-- S-class bathrooms (good storage, shower doors)

-- Sofas in the cabins -- much prefer one to chairs

-- Relaxation room

-- Dark verandas for stargazing

-- Please continue favoring timeless sophistication over edginess.

 

Things that would drive us away:

 

-- Zip lines, water slides, rock walls and similar gimmicks, theme parks at sea

-- Anything frenetic that smacks of Carnival ambience

-- More garish art like that in the S-class cabins. It looks like a cheap motel.

-- Even more space carved out for paid specialty dining. Please improve on/replace the concepts you have instead. (One should focus on local specialties, changing as the itineraries change.)

 

Thanks for considering your customers!

 

I can't think of one of your suggestions that I don't heartily agree with. No wonder--you live here in the Seattle area. We could truly cruise together, we see things so eye-to-eye. Love your smoking area idea. Always drives me crazy on M-class that one of them is right outside the Aqua Spa cafe. If you sit in the AS to eat, you get a face full of smoke every time the door opens!

 

Jim

[Kleasie]

I absolutely loved the Equinox when I did my first cruise a couple of years ago and I'm booked on Solstice in March.

 

My only complaint would be the bathroom in the Celebrity Suite. I would love it if Celebrity would remove the bath from the Celebrity Suite (or even just a couple of them as a trial).

 

When I go on vacation, if I am going to have a bath it would be in a gorgeous tub with a great view, not trapped in a tiny room with no windows and a shower curtain :).

 

I think it would be amazing if they could just ditch the bath and that god awful shower curtain that reminds me of my grandmothers mid 80's and put in a nice walk in shower with glass door.

 

I loathe the bath/shower curtain so much I have considered booking Royal Suites for our next upcoming cruises because I understand they have their own shower. I just can't justify paying almost double the price of a Celebrity Suite just so I can have a shower. Also I really love the corner lounge layout of the Celebrity Suite.

 

First world problems but if I found one day I could book a Celebrity Suite with a shower only I would be booking, booking booking!

[need2bespoiled]

I absolutely loved the Equinox when I did my first cruise a couple of years ago and I'm booked on Solstice in March.

 

My only complaint would be the bathroom in the Celebrity Suite. I would love it if Celebrity would remove the bath from the Celebrity Suite (or even just a couple of them as a trial).

 

When I go on vacation, if I am going to have a bath it would be in a gorgeous tub with a great view, not trapped in a tiny room with no windows and a shower curtain :).

 

I think it would be amazing if they could just ditch the bath and that god awful shower curtain that reminds me of my grandmothers mid 80's and put in a nice walk in shower with glass door.

 

I loathe the bath/shower curtain so much I have considered booking Royal Suites for our next upcoming cruises because I understand they have their own shower. I just can't justify paying almost double the price of a Celebrity Suite just so I can have a shower. Also I really love the corner lounge layout of the Celebrity Suite.

 

First world problems but if I found one day I could book a Celebrity Suite with a shower only I would be booking, booking booking!

 

While I agree, shower curtains are YUCK, PLEASE don't do away with the bath. I also prefer a nicer bath and bigger bathroom than the current CS S-Class set-up (and even the M-class, though it has a window), it is better than nothing.

 

My current MAIN wish for the new ships would be a separate pool area, maybe aft, outdoors adults only in ADDITION to the indoor pool. The two outdoor pools on all current ships are too close together on sailings with lots of kids even when one of those two pools is adults only.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[Orator]

Heard from a highly placed and reliable source that the new build will have oversized lifeboats that will be used to transport passengers into smaller ports. This will allow for small ship itinaries with large ship amenities.

[need2bespoiled]

Heard from a highly placed and reliable source that the new build will have oversized lifeboats that will be used to transport passengers into smaller ports. This will allow for small ship itinaries with large ship amenities.

 

It's a good idea but there are many places, like on our trip to Asia, where the small port was 2 hours by car from where the "big ship" (M-Class) had to dock, vs a small ship could dock. Adding oversized tenders won't change this much. Of course, there are other ports where it will help, but it's not the same as docking / walking on and off as tendering is a challenge even with a short ride. First on, wait until another 200 (current tender is 150) or 300 board. Then maybe wait until some or all of those are off. Ooops, I forgot something, is no easy run back to the cabin with a tender of any type. I can remember a port or two where we couldn't find our guide and we had to run back to the cabin for a forgotten number.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[upwarduk]

-----there are other ports where it will help, but it's not the same as docking / walking on and off as tendering is a challenge even with a short ride. First on, wait until another 200 (current tender is 150) or 300 board.

 

I just hate tendering, my worst experience was Tender ticket #34. It took 3 hrs before we could get off Eclipse in Split.

So certainly no waiting for passengers to fill the tenders there.

Edited February 13, 2015 by upwarduk

[Cruising Finn]

As a Northern European couple in our 40's with no kids we really like the modern and luxury feel and decoration of the S class ships. Since the trip to Florida is so long and expensive we prefer taking long Caribbean cruises for 10-14 nights (yes we have 5 weeks paid vacation a year here).

 

As a representative of this customer type we would like:

- More hanger and shoe closet space

- More table space to put your everyday gear (mobile devices, make-up, bags)

- Cheaper internet access (it is free marketing for the Celebrity if we share in the social media the cruise experience immediately as it happens)

- Elevator or stairs also in the back part of the ship

- Possibility to do laundry by myself (because of a long trip +2-3 weeks, delicate clothes and fragrance allergies)

- Formal nights are wonderful

- Theme parties at the deck outside in the evening, places to party and have dance fun (for example a Rihanna theme party after leaving Barbados island, reggae night after Jamaica)

- Instructed excercise or dance classes

- A good variety of new magazines to borrow at the library

- A shampagne bar

- A relaxed bar with a troubadour or a comedian club (to wear jeans and a casual outfit)

- More "private" and calm sunbathing areas, yes we have found the one in the front upper deck

- Possibility to watch new movies in a movie theater (inside is ok)

- More places to have a breakfast of lunch outside in a warm weather (this is something that is exotic for us in the middle of the winter), outside tables are always taken.

 

To be honest, sometimes the ship on a longer cruise looks like an elderly home. I think Celebrity should ALSO focus and appreciate us 40-50 year olds who travel without kids. We will be cruising for the next decades and could become very loyal customers.

 

Any other views from other 40-year olds?

[cle-guy]

As a Northern European couple in our 40's with no kids we really like the modern and luxury feel and decoration of the S class ships. Since the trip to Florida is so long and expensive we prefer taking long Caribbean cruises for 10-14 nights (yes we have 5 weeks paid vacation a year here).

 

As a representative of this customer type we would like:

 

- Cheaper internet access (it is free marketing for the Celebrity if we share in the social media the cruise experience immediately as it happens)

Just of Summit 7 day Caribbean, and they had an unlimited internet plan for $199, and I think maybe a $69 for 1 day unlimited. I'm newly Elite plus and didn't even use my 288 minutes.

 

- Theme parties at the deck outside in the evening, places to party and have dance fun (for example a Rihanna theme party after leaving Barbados island, reggae night after Jamaica)

Summit they host 2 night time theme parties now, 1 called Liquid and 1 called Frozen. Liquid has normally been in the Aqua pool at night, though my last Cruise it was on main pool deck. Frozen is a "white party" in the Sky lounge.

- Possibility to watch new movies in a movie theater (inside is ok)

Again on Summit they had in the Celebrity Today I think even every night, if not at least 3 I specifically remember, a Movies under the Stars each night, setting up a movie screen on top deck. I did not go so don't know how it worked.

[DrKoob]

- Cheaper internet access (it is free marketing for the Celebrity if we share in the social media the cruise experience immediately as it happens)

 

One reason this won't happen (or I am not sure if I would want it to happen until the tech gets better) is that every bit of bandwidth the ships currently have is being used. Between pax and crew and official stuff from the ship the bandwidth is overtaxed as it is on the satellite. I have noted that as more Elites get more internet (and we didn't even use all of ours either on our last 14 day Canal crossing on Infinity) the connection slows down. It crawls now. I would hate to think what it would be like with cheaper internet.

 

Until the tech catches up, I am not sure this is feasible.

[Cruising Finn]

One reason this won't happen (or I am not sure if I would want it to happen until the tech gets better) is that every bit of bandwidth the ships currently have is being used. Between pax and crew and official stuff from the ship the bandwidth is overtaxed as it is on the satellite. I have noted that as more Elites get more internet (and we didn't even use all of ours either on our last 14 day Canal crossing on Infinity) the connection slows down. It crawls now. I would hate to think what it would be like with cheaper internet.

 

Until the tech catches up, I am not sure this is feasible.

 

I believe this was a wish list for NEW Celebrity ships. I know what is happening now. Tech will catch up, it always does. And the new ships will be build many years from now with a new technology, so there will most likely be new technical solutions.

 

Or maybe the new thing is then "Internet free vacation". We will pay extra money so we will not be able to connect into internet.

 

I am an entrepreneur so I also need to check my work email too during vacation. It is not just for fun.

[Giorgi-one]

Definitely more drawer storage. Storage above the bed is not convenient. Drawers on night tales would add space for socks and underwear. however, do not cut back on space for hanging clothes. I know some people travel with a carryon but that is not our idea of a cruise. I did hostels when I was a poor college student!

[BourbonNBluesLuvr]

Hello,

 

*Like many others, I would enjoy a full Promenade Deck(s), even if involves going up/down one deck to do a complete loop. On a Princess Cruise, it was highly enjoyable to do a Breast Cancer Walk, and other daily/nightly walks this way.

 

*Love something similar to the new Viking ships, with an infinity pool looking over the stern, and a bar within or in close proximity…(and this would be one of the Adults only pools) !! Love the aft/wake view, and have no doubt this would be a highly popular spot !!

 

*I have never read a single complaint on here about the T Pools on the M Class ships, and I think Celebrity must realize their blunder in not putting them on the S Class…so defintely a T Pool in the Solarium (the other Adults only Pool) !!

 

*Also, and I have made this suggestion to Celebrity already, expand on the GastoBar concept. Hire a Certified Master Cicerone for each ship; Dedicate a Chef to each GastroBar; expand the beer menus and offerings; give the Cicerone the authority and ability to purchase craft beers at different Ports of Call, and then in conjunction with the Chef, come up with nightly, or a few times per cruise, special occasion Beer and Tastings special menu and taste event.

 

*And lastly, and judging by my Screen Name…hugely desired: Create a Bourbon and Blues Bar, with Bourbons and other Whisky/Whiskey from around the world, and featuring nightly acoustic and/or electric Blues musicians. Haven't met a musician yet who wouldn't love to play on a cruise for a week at a time, and very few who don't like Bourbon !:D

 

Thanks Celebrity...Are you listening ??!!:D

 

 

BBL

Edited February 14, 2015 by BourbonNBluesLuvr

[maggie.1008]

More bars with live music and dancing. My last 3 cruises have been on Princess. Most nights there were 3 different bars that offered live music and 2 with plenty room for dancing. Many people were dancing. I don`t care for the loud canned music on X.

[D350024]

Fairly simple wishes:

 

1) A true promenade, on a single deck. Technically you can do the promenade loop around the ship on (I presume) all the S-class ships. You just have to alternate between the Lido and Lawn Club decks. The stairs make for a better work-out, but that seems counter to the idea of a stroll.

 

2) A separate jogging track that isn't also the main circulating path on the Lido deck. Those joggers give the nastiest looks when you 'get in the way' (read: going for breakfast; getting a burger from the grill [sometimes that's the same thing :D]).

 

3) More seating outside, looking out over the aft. While most of the old people prefer to eat inside the OceanView (WHY?!) anyone under 60 was left circling looking for empty tables. Fewer of those low coffee tables, more dining-height tables (or make the little low-ones adjustable for the best of both worlds).

 

4) A whole new nightly entertainment line-up. The 'production' shows are laughably bad. Cheap costumes, absolutely terrible choreography (the dancers must hate what they're forced to do), and entirely dumb concepts (mixing broadway tunes with mouldy top-40 'hits'; Les Miserables meets Star Trek meets Bohemian Rhapsody). They really do have fantastic talent on board, it's just being wasted.

 

5) A steelpan band. Not a steelpan guy playing along to Karaoke tapes.

 

6) Stop playing the Titanic theme song! Haven't they seen that movie?! It doesn't end the way you want your cruise to. It's too ironic. Also, stop playing Margaritaville every couple hours. Stop repeating the same songs over and over and over again in general. There's hundreds of years of music to pull from and yet it still seems like only about 25 songs get played.

 

7) Take the DJ off his corporate leash. There's no way its his choice to play the same small selection of songs over and over again. I get that the old people complain constantly about anything recorded within the last 20 years, but honestly they'll find something to complain about anyway. Let the music be the focal point of their anger. It might give the wait staff a break.

 

8) Self-serve laundry. You need, in essence, three different outfits a day to keep up with the dress-code and your own vacationing activities. Packing for a 14-day cruise would be a lot easier if you didn't need to bring 16 of everything except pants and shorts. Ladies clearly get off a lot easier in this regard.

 

9) Combine the Martini Bar and the Molecular Bar into one. Replace one of them with something more up to date (a sushi-bar or Izakaya? A bar with a rotating theme?) Martinis are sort of over for anyone who lives in a big city — though I can understand why they're popular with the small town crowds. Really glad to hear they're adding craft-beer bars though — that's needed.

 

10) Overhaul/replace Qsine. Quickly. The iPad thing is so cheesy and poorly done that it ruins what should be a really good modern take on tapas. It's 2015. Everyone has an iPad or tablet now, and we all know we should be able to share our menu selections with people at our table instead of just discussing them like a regular menu — and when it comes to finalize your picks, the waiter still sits there and writes it down on a pad of paper.

 

11) Cheap internet. No where on earth, even in the middle of the sea, is +$350 for two weeks of slow internet access a thing. Get a new set-up. The social-media value alone is worth the cost.

 

12) Aggressively target a younger market. Not everyone wants wave riders and rock walls. A lot of us come for the stylish digs, the excellent service, and the experience of seeing a ton of places in a short time. Beats an all-inclusive resort into the ground. It's not always super fun when you're one of only 10 people under 40 on-board who aren't working.

 

13) Aggressively target a more diverse market. I think I saw only 3 non-white faces out of 3,000 pax. That's creepy and weird in 2015.

 

14) Get the chefs a new cookbook. Some of the menus were like period-pieces. Beef Bourguingnon?! Chicken Kiev?! Hahahaha REALLY?! These must be the last restaurants on earth seriously serving either. Was super surprised not see more regional dishes on the menu — nothing seemed to acknowledge we were sailing through the Caribbean. Give us curried goat rotis and plantains, and pepperpot, and cook-up rice. The Baked Alaska was satisfyingly retro though.

 

15) More activities. There just wasn't a lot to do but sit by the pool (super enjoyable even so).

 

16) Spend more on the physical design of the ship. The railings are clunky, the struts holding up the top floors are unsightly and ridiculous. It reads as inexpensively constructed, but richly furnished.

 

17) Better elevator planning. The dual bank of elevators in the atrium is pretty, but inefficient. Even beyond the layout, the programming of the elevators is clearly off — too much time spent waiting for cars (even accounting for people using the elevators to go up or down one floor).

 

18) Let the staff interact with the passengers more. They're quite obviously forbidden and it feels weird. It was like Downton Eclipse.

 

19) Enough with the 'Save the Waves' BS. We're burning millions of years worth of dinosaurs and extinct plant life cruising an apartment building across the world, and belching a powerplant's worth of soot and pollution as we go. Surely there's a less ironic way to remind people not to throw napkins and glasses over the railing.

 

20) Does anyone really need a Michael Kors at sea? A shopping plaza with the basics you need is all that's neccessary (suntan lotion, some hats, beach crap). A purse boutique in a prime location across from the lawn, not so much.

 

21) A shopping 'guide' that isn't exactly the same store recommendations every time, in every place. I don't think anyone needs to see every island's Diamond International.

 

:D :D :D

Edited February 14, 2015 by D350024

[AuntMom]

As a Northern European couple in our 40's with no kids we really like the modern and luxury feel and decoration of the S class ships. Since the trip to Florida is so long and expensive we prefer taking long Caribbean cruises for 10-14 nights (yes we have 5 weeks paid vacation a year here).

 

As a representative of this customer type we would like:

- More hanger and shoe closet space

- More table space to put your everyday gear (mobile devices, make-up, bags)

- Cheaper internet access (it is free marketing for the Celebrity if we share in the social media the cruise experience immediately as it happens)

- Elevator or stairs also in the back part of the ship

- Possibility to do laundry by myself (because of a long trip +2-3 weeks, delicate clothes and fragrance allergies)

- Formal nights are wonderful

- Theme parties at the deck outside in the evening, places to party and have dance fun (for example a Rihanna theme party after leaving Barbados island, reggae night after Jamaica)

- Instructed excercise or dance classes

- A good variety of new magazines to borrow at the library

- A shampagne bar

- A relaxed bar with a troubadour or a comedian club (to wear jeans and a casual outfit)

- More "private" and calm sunbathing areas, yes we have found the one in the front upper deck

- Possibility to watch new movies in a movie theater (inside is ok)

- More places to have a breakfast of lunch outside in a warm weather (this is something that is exotic for us in the middle of the winter), outside tables are always taken.

 

To be honest, sometimes the ship on a longer cruise looks like an elderly home. I think Celebrity should ALSO focus and appreciate us 40-50 year olds who travel without kids. We will be cruising for the next decades and could become very loyal customers.

 

Any other views from other 40-year olds?

 

We just returned from a 12 night cruise on Celebrity (3rd cruise...we're just starting our "cruise careers", whom we love.

 

I must agree with you. There were days on the ship that felt like a geriatrics ward! Now, with that being said we don't want to be on a "Carnival" type ship, with kids screaming and running amuck, and chicken fingers of all varieties available for dinner, but Celebrity should focus on all demographics on their cruise ship. Get some music going, make the atmosphere fun. If elderly guests want "quiet time" than go to other areas on the ship that don't have music or large crowds. The last thing Celebrity needs is to build ships with indoor solarium type areas for the elderly to nap. Just my opinion, and I don't want to offend anyone. Yes, I know we will be old one day too. There should be areas of the ship that satisfy all passengers.

[deelastcre]

Celebrity, please give us comfortable chairs in the cabins and public spaces. You could change the boring entertainment and I would never stray!

[upwarduk]

---- go to other areas on the ship that don't have music or large crowds. The last thing Celebrity needs is to build ships with indoor solarium type areas for the elderly to nap.

 

Space between the loungers in the solarium, so the the elderly can get on them!

 

I suppose at 73, I am considered elderly, but have felt 'restricted' for years as I cannot kneel. It is impossible to get on to a lounger unless there is space between them!

[Iamthesea]

Heard from a highly placed and reliable source that the new build will have oversized lifeboats that will be used to transport passengers into smaller ports. This will allow for small ship itinaries with large ship amenities.

 

 

We are recently off of the Equinox where we talked to the Hotel Director about what he called the "Project H" ships. He said that they would be between the Millennium class and Solstice class in size, although a much more elegant ship. ;)

 

In discussing details of the new ships with the Hotel Director, he said that he really couldn't say more, but that the tendering process would be more innovated...."a faster process to get passengers to and from the ship." :cool:

 

Of course, DH and I had immediate visions of a time capsule, or Chunnel type experience. hahaha :D

 

In reality, I was thinking they may be more likely to be ferrying passengers in Hydrofoils versus the slower ferry or lifeboat systems that are in place at present time.

[Lisah101]

Hello,

 

*Like many others, I would enjoy a full Promenade Deck(s), even if involves going up/down one deck to do a complete loop. On a Princess Cruise, it was highly enjoyable to do a Breast Cancer Walk, and other daily/nightly walks this way.

 

*Love something similar to the new Viking ships, with an infinity pool looking over the stern, and a bar within or in close proximity…(and this would be one of the Adults only pools) !! Love the aft/wake view, and have no doubt this would be a highly popular spot !!

 

*I have never read a single complaint on here about the T Pools on the M Class ships, and I think Celebrity must realize their blunder in not putting them on the S Class…so defintely a T Pool in the Solarium (the other Adults only Pool) !!

 

*Also, and I have made this suggestion to Celebrity already, expand on the GastoBar concept. Hire a Certified Master Cicerone for each ship; Dedicate a Chef to each GastroBar; expand the beer menus and offerings; give the Cicerone the authority and ability to purchase craft beers at different Ports of Call, and then in conjunction with the Chef, come up with nightly, or a few times per cruise, special occasion Beer and Tastings special menu and taste event.

 

*And lastly, and judging by my Screen Name…hugely desired: Create a Bourbon and Blues Bar, with Bourbons and other Whisky/Whiskey from around the world, and featuring nightly acoustic and/or electric Blues musicians. Haven't met a musician yet who wouldn't love to play on a cruise for a week at a time, and very few who don't like Bourbon !:D

 

Thanks Celebrity...Are you listening ??!!:D

 

 

BBL

 

Where is the Like button ? I am also a bourbon fan - whiskey is great also!

[DYKWIA]

... If elderly guests want "quiet time" than go to other areas on the ship that don't have music or large crowds. The last thing Celebrity needs is to build ships with indoor solarium type areas for the elderly to nap. ....

 

At 40 something some of us like the Solarium - very useful on cooler days in less tropical locations

[heidik]

1. Thalassotherapy Pool

2. Promonade Deck

3. AT&T cell service at sea

4. Clocks in stateroom

5. Clothes line in tub

6. DVD players

7. Chocolates on pillow

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Greek food when cruising the Greek islands please

 

And no steel drum band , that would be silly in the Mediterranean or crossing the Atlantic:p