A few Observations from a Celebrity Cruiser

[quickrate]

Passenger to staff ratio is less on Celebrity since their ships are smaller and there are fewer passengers. This really makes a big difference. If you were to be on one of RCCL mega ships, you would feel the same way as you did on Carnival.

 

MARAPRINCE

I think this hits the nail right on the head. Staff is dealing with a whole lot more passengers. The server passing the plate in front of me would have bothered me and in all my cruises on Carnival, can't remember this ever happening. The staff not acknowledging me in hallways etc., wouldn't bother me at all.

Pat

[malibudez]

OP thanks so much for sharing your experiences...just great to know the budget cruise was worth it for you all being used to a premium line....and your nice pros and cons comments can do nothing but help improve status quo IMHO!!!!

 

It was worth it because we took the kids. They loved it and didn't know the difference. Was it a great value, definitely. 7 days in the Carribbean for 4 people for under 2 grand. Would it be the same great value for my wife and I sailing solo? No. We would rather pay the extra, and get what I consider, the exceptional service Celebrity provides.

[malibudez]

This is sad to me. Carnival used to be the BEST crews for friendliness. Other lines it was friendly but professional. Carnival was like a buddy greeting you. I noticed in my last 2 cruises it was not the same. I have 2 more Carnival cruises booked before I am done with them for a bit (next cruises will be Southern Caribbean and I won't do the Fantasy class ship they are assigning to that itinerary for a week). I look forward to seeing if other lines are experiencing the same thin staffing issues.

 

I was not saying the were not friendly, as most of them were, IF, you were engaged with them. If you were not engaged with them, then most looked at the floor as they passed you. A few smiled here and there, but for the most part all we saw were baldspots and buns! On The Summit, from the moment you board and are handed the champagne flute, you are greeted and welcomed with a smile. It appears that same attitude flows throughout the ship through the duration of the sailing, from waitstaff, to photographers to the security guy who dings your keycard disembarking the ship. On 2 Celebrity cruises they always addressed my wife and I by name and told us to have a great day, and welcomed us back the same way. Just different standards/expectations I suppose. But those differences made a huge impact on us and where I will chose to spend my cruising $$$.

Edited March 19, 2015 by malibudez

[malibudez]

I think much of it is cultural. I had 2 issues, I think on the Legend (which has been our best Carnival cruise), and the waiter always asked me, ahead of my wife , for our meal orders. Being one to still open doors for ladies, this ground me and I did address it with our head waiter. Second was the reaching across also. I can live with this but I can't live with the personal hygiene of some of the staff. Plate going by nose, okay. Pungent armpit going by, definitely not okay. I did not address this and after Day 4, we just stopped going to the MDR.

 

Again, it all goes back to leadership, and standards. I am in the customer service business, and my boss holds me accountable for my practices and hygiene. If either of these are below standards, I get sent home to clean up (thank God that has never happened), or re-training.

Pungent armpits, ugh. I guess we can all vote with our feet, and sooner or later the message will be clear. I am old school too, and get kind of annoyed at not holding doors, or order taking prior to wife. Just not cool.

[malibudez]

I think this hits the nail right on the head. Staff is dealing with a whole lot more passengers. The server passing the plate in front of me would have bothered me and in all my cruises on Carnival, can't remember this ever happening. The staff not acknowledging me in hallways etc., wouldn't bother me at all.

Pat

 

Your correct, I am sure they are dealing with a whole lot more pax. Cuts have killed the service industry. However, a smile and a "hello" are very simple tasks that go a long ways in acknowledging the customer and saying, "I appreciate you". The passing of plates in front of the "guest" is just poor training, and easily correctable. My issue was it happened all week, and many of her staff saw this, and did nothing. Did it stop us from eating in MDR? No. Did it do anything to build brand loyalty? Absolutely NOT! It made Carnival look like a "hokey" operation. The server was just the face of that. With the cruise industry, it is the little things that count, because it is an Ultra competitive market.

[figdu]

14 Carnival cruises on 8 different ships. Two on the Valor and I have to say the crew interaction on the one last fall from San Juan was not at it's best. But I would also say that in general the passengers were also the rudest I have ever encountered.

[malibudez]

We've had most of the crew on Carnival acknowledge us. On the other hand, they almost never acknowledge us on Princess.

 

And Princess is a Carnival subsidiary. Go figure, right? When you figure it out, let me know, Lol

[malibudez]

I'm going on the Summit to Bermuda in August for my 4th year in a row, and I've been on short cruises with Carnival (2) and MSC (1) in the same years. Carnival and Celebrity are different, but I've never had a bad cruise on either of them. I've always raved about the crew on both lines, so I'd be surprised if the Carnival crew was disengaged.

 

This morning I impulsively booked a cruise on the Carnival Pride for this May. It was half the price of my Summit cruise. It will be my boyfriend's first non-Summit cruise, so I'm curious to know his opinion on Carnival. He's only been on 3 cruises to Bermuda. Ive been on a variety of cruise lines, but seem to find myself on Celebrity and Carnival the most.

 

I have never had a bad cruise either. EVERY cruise it AWESOME. I never go hungry, and am always thankful to be where I am when I am on a cruiseship. Celebrity and Carnival are two totally different products, in the same industry. We all have our preferences as to how we want our experience to play out. Mine played out a little different on Carnival then what I am used to on Celebrity. IMHO, Celebrity is a, hands down, more "refined" experience. But there is a premium to pay for that experience, and it is one I am willing to pay. Hope your upcoming cruise it a good one.

[Abby Normal]

Please allow me to share our experiences with different cruise lines.

 

We first sailed on Carnival Inspiration because it was cheaper and we knew we wouldn't know what we were missing. We found it to be fun, the staff friendly, and the entertainment just that, entertaining. This was a Southern Caribbean itinerary.

 

We next sailed on Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas through the Panama Canal. We loved this cruise. To this day it was some of the best food we had on a cruise ship. The staff and entertainment were second to none.

 

Next was a Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Infinity, which was a great cruise as far as itinerary, staff, and entertainment, but the food was not as good as the hype in our opinions.

 

We then ventured over to Princess Cruises and were so impressed that we settled on this as "our" cruise line. Four cruises later (and a few years) things changed, and not for the good. After a Baltic cruise where the staff were more likely to run over you than serve you, the food on the buffet was moldy, and upon arrival to our stateroom it was obvious that the bathroom had been "wiped down" rather than cleaned...we were done with Princess.

 

We went back to Celebrity and have been with them ever since. The food in the MD was much better than our first experience with X, and the food in BLU is fantastic. The specialty restaurants we have tried have also been top notch. If you shop around you can find deals on X that make it only slightly more than a Carnival cruise. The difference in quality and service make it a bargain in our opinion.

 

I believe that when the economy started to tank, the cruise lines cut staff. This was so evident on our Baltic cruise with Princess because when I requested that the cabin steward come CLEAN the bathroom I was told that it would be a few hours because she was loading luggage onto the ship. Back in the day, a cabin steward greeted you within minutes of arrival to your stateroom. They wanted to know that you knew who they were. This changed (in our opinion) when the gratuities became automatic. That said, once the cruise lines began using staff for double duty they had to know it would hurt their tips, so perhaps that is why tips are now automatic.

 

We are devoted Celebrity cruisers now, but I would still cruise on RCCL if it were the right circumstances. :)

[malibudez]

Please allow me to share our experiences with different cruise lines.

 

We first sailed on Carnival Inspiration because it was cheaper and we knew we wouldn't know what we were missing. We found it to be fun, the staff friendly, and the entertainment just that, entertaining. This was a Southern Caribbean itinerary.

 

We next sailed on Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas through the Panama Canal. We loved this cruise. To this day it was some of the best food we had on a cruise ship. The staff and entertainment were second to none.

 

Next was a Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Infinity, which was a great cruise as far as itinerary, staff, and entertainment, but the food was not as good as the hype in our opinions.

 

We then ventured over to Princess Cruises and were so impressed that we settled on this as "our" cruise line. Four cruises later (and a few years) things changed, and not for the good. After a Baltic cruise where the staff were more likely to run over you than serve you, the food on the buffet was moldy, and upon arrival to our stateroom it was obvious that the bathroom had been "wiped down" rather than cleaned...we were done with Princess.

 

We went back to Celebrity and have been with them ever since. The food in the MD was much better than our first experience with X, and the food in BLU is fantastic. The specialty restaurants we have tried have also been top notch. If you shop around you can find deals on X that make it only slightly more than a Carnival cruise. The difference in quality and service make it a bargain in our opinion.

 

I believe that when the economy started to tank, the cruise lines cut staff. This was so evident on our Baltic cruise with Princess because when I requested that the cabin steward come CLEAN the bathroom I was told that it would be a few hours because she was loading luggage onto the ship. Back in the day, a cabin steward greeted you within minutes of arrival to your stateroom. They wanted to know that you knew who they were. This changed (in our opinion) when the gratuities became automatic. That said, once the cruise lines began using staff for double duty they had to know it would hurt their tips, so perhaps that is why tips are now automatic.

 

We are devoted Celebrity cruisers now, but I would still cruise on RCCL if it were the right circumstances. :)

 

Now that is experience. Thanks for the insight. Our first Celebrity Cruise did not yet have Aqua Class, however our 2nd one did, and we took it. We will never go without Aqua again. Love the Persian Gardens. And Blu, what can you say other then "fantastic" every night and consistently great food, and exemplary service like I have never had before. Definitely no reaching in front of me or my wife to serve or clear any dishes. And Q'Sine, while maybe a little "gimmicky" had great food, service and atmosphere. Just an all around cool "Vibe".

When we boarded the Valor last week, we did not see our room attendant until 10:00 P.M. and I had to go flag him down. Now mind you, he was good at keeping the room picked up, and did his job well, but he was not very engaging. We did pre-pay our gratuities, so that may have had something to do with it, who knows. Now I did watch a little of the 'hairy chest" contest, and was amused by the antics. Kinda fun, if not a little inappropriate for young eyes. (Like my 12&9 year old boys). At least I was there with them. But saw many youngsters without parental supervision ogling and giggling. Saw a few guys crotch grabbin, chest rubbin, stuff like that. Probably not for younger eyes. Again, all personal observations, NOT criticisms. I let my kids watch SOME of the hairy chest contest until it got a little too "racy". (Incidentally, most of the guys were shaved down, hmmm) To each his own. So, I chose more refined cruising over a circus type atmosphere. Maybe age is catching up with me, and Im getting owly, but it is what I want.

I have had thought of trying Royal, because I want to sail on the worlds largest cruiseship, but this Carnival experience has me a little gun-shy. We will see.

[sjn911]

It was worth it because we took the kids. They loved it and didn't know the difference. Was it a great value, definitely. 7 days in the Carribbean for 4 people for under 2 grand. Would it be the same great value for my wife and I sailing solo? No. We would rather pay the extra, and get what I consider, the exceptional service Celebrity provides.

 

Understood...I have been on oh 5 lines I think over 35 years...things ebb and flow and Celebrity is definitely one of my targets..but I appreciate you had some good experiences and some that could be improved and think folks who are regular Carnival cruisers choose to be for a variety of reasons...including just being able to cruise more....I also think your comments on dining cleanliness and snafus will mean something.

 

Lots of folks ask around to get a good all time dining or set time serving group..

My Carnival cruise on Paradise in 2009 was great and above the call, name memory and keeping wine ready for me dinner to dinner as a solo not finishing bottle etc, on a changing 10 top of solos and couples on a short cruise.,,.and food was much better than a Spirit cruise for service and food in 2012.

 

One should get more paying more..but I am glad Carnival tries and listens and goes through ups and downs and allows so many of us a price that can't be beat with some nicer cruise treats....like Chef's Table, the Spa and the Steakhouse on many ships. As a solo..they have some nice cabins almost full size that while still usually paying for 2..one can often get for 800 to 900 on some well planned 5 to 7 day cruises.

Edited March 19, 2015 by sjn911

[texast518]

Sailed X 4X, one of our favorites, had a suite, might of helped, also great ports.

[SMSACE6]

Thank you malibudez for your review.

 

Recently another Celebrity cruiser was here saying why they prefer Celebrity, and after their first cruise on Carnival, would not be back. My response to them was how lucky they were to find out that they had already found their preferred cruise line, and it only took one lower priced cruise on Carnival to find that out. Some people just keep going around and around and then end up at their first cruise line, after having spent lots of money, and endured some disappointments along the way with other lines.

 

I say this again to you. You tried Carnival, and it is not for you, nice to know this early on.

 

For me, and I mean this in no way disrespectfully, but just my honest experience. First cruise, Norwegian (pre freestyle, but wonderful cruise on an old ship and it got me hooked on cruising) I still remember the room steward and wait staff names on that ship/cruise. Next cruise, Carnival, WoW, blew me away, that being on the Sensation which is now deemed an old ship!, but wow what a cruise, excellent in every way. Then in 2002, Celebrity.

 

It was a fine cruise, but I cannot remember having one single interesting, or friendly conversation on that ship with anyone other than my family. Fellow passengers were very distant, to say the least. Service was adequate, but not friendly, or memorable. Only cruise that I cannot remember any detail about the staff, other cruisers. Granted I will give them that the food both in the buffet and MDR was a bit better than anything I had experienced elsewhere. Entertainment was also not memorable. It was ok, I was never bored, but also never wowed by anything.

 

My parents and other family members are elite on Celebrity, and the other family members keep having to slip it to me that Celebrity is " a cut above " my preferred line but I just pretend I have not heard that repeated comment.

The entertainment that my parents come back and tell me about is not really anything that I would look for on a cruise.

 

In fact if I won millions of dollars in the next lottery draw, Celebrity would not be on my list of cruise lines to do...neither would Cunard, or Oceania, Seaborn...get it? not my niche.

 

We all find our cruise line niche at some point, and I think that you are lucky to have found that Carnival is not quite yours early on.

 

Hope your next cruise, regardless of cruise line is a better one.:)

Edited March 19, 2015 by SMSACE6

[asalligo]

I would like to hear your thoughts on what you like about Celebrity over Carnival. I have been considering a Celebrity Reflection 7 day out of Miami next spring. Frankly it is only a couple hundred more than my Carnival consideration, but this statement I found online worries me a bit.

 

Celebrity: Lots of things cost extra, from the spa’s Thalassotherapy pool and steam room to Lawn Club cabanas and some classes.

[cruzeluver]

I would like to hear your thoughts on what you like about Celebrity over Carnival. I have been considering a Celebrity Reflection 7 day out of Miami next spring. Frankly it is only a couple hundred more than my Carnival consideration, but this statement I found online worries me a bit.

 

Celebrity: Lots of things cost extra, from the spa’s Thalassotherapy pool and steam room to Lawn Club cabanas and some classes.

 

 

Celebrity has no more extra costs than other lines. The Reflection does not have a thalassotherapy pool. It does have an indoor solarium pool which is complimentary (18 and up only). Celebrity's "M" class ships have the thalassotherapy pools but there is no charge for them. Steam rooms as well are complimentary. The Lawn Club cabanas do have an extra charge but I cannot imagine ponying up for one. They do not have a sea view and are not private. There are only a few per ship (only Reflection and Silhouette have them). The only classes I recall with charges are a few of the fitness classes and some of the art classes (there are complimentary fitness and art classes as well).

 

Whoever made that statement you found Online was incorrect. If the price difference is not that much, then by all means book Reflection. We have! Sailing next March and cannot wait. We like Carnival fine, but like just about everything better on Celebrity.

[malibudez]

I would like to hear your thoughts on what you like about Celebrity over Carnival. I have been considering a Celebrity Reflection 7 day out of Miami next spring. Frankly it is only a couple hundred more than my Carnival consideration, but this statement I found online worries me a bit.

 

Celebrity: Lots of things cost extra, from the spa’s Thalassotherapy pool and steam room to Lawn Club cabanas and some classes.

 

It is a combination of many little things that bring out the best in Celebrity. Food is #1. Carnival cant, and probably doesn't try, to compare. Service, as I have reiterated many times, to me (a 2X Celebrity Cruiser), is far and away better then Carnival. Now a 2X Celebrity cruiser does not make me an expert by any means, but it does give me a pretty broad baseline. I felt like I was on my best friends ship, with all my closest friends with Celebrity. Carnival I felt like I was on my crabby neighbors back porch for a barbecue, only invited because I live next door. Not quite that bad, but you get the jest.

If you travel Aqua class the T-Pool is included, as is the spa, and most importantly, Blu. Blu itself is worth the price of Aqua class. In my opinion, Celebrity's food choices (many) and preparation, and execution of food in both Blu and MDR by the waitstaff is as refined as you get in any 5 star restaurant. I would say Carnival was a 2.5 star experience with the occasional 5 star service. (Only one person hit that mark, and she was the assistant to the waitress. She was exceptional and deserves to be a lead).

[cruzeluver]

If you travel Aqua class the T-Pool is included, as is the spa, and most importantly, Blu.

 

Celebrity Reflection does not have a T-Pool. It has the solarium pool which is open to and included in the cruise cost for all passengers. The spa is also open to all passengers. Aqua class passengers are given complimentary access to the Persian Gardens (hot tile loungers with an ocean view, Heaven!) which those not in Aqua class may purchase access to.

[malibudez]

Celebrity Reflection does not have a T-Pool. It has the solarium pool which is open to and included in the cruise cost for all passengers. The spa is also open to all passengers. Aqua class passengers are given complimentary access to the Persian Gardens (hot tile loungers with an ocean view, Heaven!) which those not in Aqua class may purchase access to.

 

My bad, I have only sailed on Summit. Not sure about Reflection.