Changes for the better or worse

[sarahc78]

I noticed in a couple other threads that prices have increased for Bistro on 5 as well as the other speciality restaurants.

 

Its been almost 2 years since I've sailed w/ Celebrity. Has there been any changes...for the better or worse...in that time period?

 

Is sushi still held every evening in the buffet area? Can you still order the dinner menu back to your room? Is it still free of charge or has it changed like RCL & room service is a fee? Chocolates on pillows in the evening?

 

Just a couple of things I wonder if they still are doing.

[ghstudio]

I would suggest you start two different threads...one for negative changes and another for positive ones. The reason being that you may miss the positive changes as this thread grows.....based on what's been posted here in previous threads.

Edited April 13, 2015 by ghstudio

[sarahc78]

I would suggest you start two different threads...one for negative changes and another for positive ones. The reason being that you may miss the positive changes as this thread grows.....based on what's been posted here in previous threads.

:eek: Ugh! That doesnt sound good at all!

[CruisingChick]

For us most of the changes have been negative. But we are Captain's Club Elite + members and are very happy with the perks given (except I think Elite + members should get 50% discount on drink packages).

 

So they sort of cancel each other out.

 

Now that they have a suite only restaurant I will be interested to see if the service and food for us peasants in the MDR suffers at all.

 

Very unhappy about the raise in price of Bistro on 5, other specialty restaurant and drinks.

[Oxo]

I would suggest you start two different threads...one for negative changes and another for positive ones. The reason being that you may miss the positive changes as this thread grows.....based on what's been posted here in previous threads.

 

So, what are the positives? This should be a small posting.lol

[CruisingChick]

Did the chocolates come back yet? I thought the new President said they were going to do that again, but I have not heard or read anything about it?

[matt0148]

Did the chocolates come back yet? I thought the new President said they were going to do that again, but I have not heard or read anything about it?

 

Yes..they're back (at least on the Silhouette)

[CruisingChick]

Yes..they're back (at least on the Silhouette)

 

Are they any good?

[sarahc78]

For us most of the changes have been negative. But we are Captain's Club Elite + members and are very happy with the perks given (except I think Elite + members should get 50% discount on drink packages).

 

So they sort of cancel each other out.

 

Now that they have a suite only restaurant I will be interested to see if the service and food for us peasants in the MDR suffers at all.

 

Very unhappy about the raise in price of Bistro on 5, other specialty restaurant and drinks.

We arent Elite or stay in suites either. I always found the MDR food to be delicious. I hope thats still the case. We especially enjoyed being able to order the MDR food back to our room & eat on our balcony.

 

I saw the thread w/ the new suites only restaurant. I really wish that would be a paying option for the rest of us because the food looked delicious.

Did the chocolates come back yet? I thought the new President said they were going to do that again, but I have not heard or read anything about it?

Some times its the little things that matter. I know the kids loved getting back to the room to see what type of chocolate was on their pillow. I normally saved mine and a couple weeks after we returned from our sailing would put one on their pillows. They thought it was so special & brought back memories of the cruise. So that will be disappointing if they've done away w/ those :(

[matt0148]

Are they any good?

 

Can't help you on that. I either forget to eat them or fall asleep on them!! :D

[CruisingChick]

Can't help you on that. I either forget to eat them or fall asleep on them!! :D

 

Okay.:(

[Robkat]

Chocolates were back ... and they are good. We don't usually eat them on the ship though, but save them and bring them home, and have them at a later time. (Not saying that they're truffles, or Lindors, or Godiva ... but they're definitely good quality.) :)

[wallie5446]

We arent Elite or stay in suites either. I always found the MDR food to be delicious. I hope thats still the case. We especially enjoyed being able to order the MDR food back to our room & eat on our balcony.

 

I saw the thread w/ the new suites only restaurant. I really wish that would be a paying option for the rest of us because the food looked delicious.

 

Some times its the little things that matter. I know the kids loved getting back to the room to see what type of chocolate was on their pillow. I normally saved mine and a couple weeks after we returned from our sailing would put one on their pillows. They thought it was so special & brought back memories of the cruise. So that will be disappointing if they've done away w/ those :(

 

IMHO, 95% is still at the level when we first sailed with Celebrity in 1994.

We compare this to sailing RCCL in 2011, Princess in 2012, back with X on the Reflection in 2013, then the Equinox 2014.

 

The suite dinning room is already a 'paying option':eek: If you pay what it cost to sail in a suite!:D

[sarahc78]

IMHO, 95% is still at the level when we first sailed with Celebrity in 1994.

We compare this to sailing RCCL in 2011, Princess in 2012, back with X on the Reflection in 2013, then the Equinox 2014.

 

The suite dinning room is already a 'paying option':eek: If you pay what it cost to sail in a suite!:D

Unfortunately w/ kids booking suites wont be possible...once their graduated and off to college maybe...only 12 years to go :rolleyes:

[elena7seas]

Unfortunately w/ kids booking suites wont be possible...once their graduated and off to college maybe...only 12 years to go :rolleyes:

 

Sarah, that time goes really fast.:(

 

We never travelled anywhere, hadn't been to Europe until our youngest was 17. Now we have been on many cruises, many land trips, including many trips to Europe. Whenever possible, I now travel with my granddaughter, who at 8 is going on her 4th cruise in September. (She likes cruising better than Disneyland :)). A cruise on Celebrity is a quality experience for all of us.

 

Although we usually travel in AquaClass (when not travelling with our granddaughter), the food in the MDR on the Silhouette in October 2014 was some of the best MDR dining we have had yet. The food and the experience in the S-class buffet is better than on any other line we have sailed, although I tend to avoid the buffet as much as possible, as I try to skip one meal per day. I do miss that they no longer serve savouries and finger sandwiches in Café Al Bacio. That was a great place to have a tiny bite mid-day. I still like the AquaSpa café, although I miss the grilled-to-order items, like curried chicken brochettes, grilled tuna, etc., that have been discontinued.

 

We don't go to the Specialty Restaurants as much any more because the prices have gone past the TILT mark for me. I will still go to the Bistro on Five on embarkation day, despite the price increase, as DH will enjoy the expanded menu that is more Bistro-like and I like the calm atmosphere. I like the new menu as well, although I did like the original one, and thought it was well-priced at $5.00 per person. We usually go to Bistro 2-3 times per cruise (we cruise longer 12-night-and-more cruises), particularly if we are not in AquaClass, just for the quiet atmosphere, so it's nice to have more menu choices, at a lower price point.

 

Celebrity still provides a great product, but I have to shop much more carefully now, as the pricing for many of the itineraries has gotten out of line, unless you can book after final payment, which my husband can rarely do. We are cruising with Canadian dollars, which is painful at present, and makes us more sensitive to price increases.

 

You will see a lot of commentary one way and another, about what's been lost and what's been gained, but I think you will still have a great cruise on Celebrity.:)

[CruisingChick]

Unfortunately w/ kids booking suites wont be possible...once their graduated and off to college maybe...only 12 years to go :rolleyes:

 

Our son graduated college 4 years ago, moved to Los Angeles and is working. We now need to save for retirement, SO ,we will never be able to book suites unless we win the lottery.

[gergles]

I noticed in a couple other threads that prices have increased for Bistro on 5 as well as the other speciality restaurants.

 

Its been almost 2 years since I've sailed w/ Celebrity. Has there been any changes...for the better or worse...in that time period?

 

Is sushi still held every evening in the buffet area? Can you still order the dinner menu back to your room? Is it still free of charge or has it changed like RCL & room service is a fee? Chocolates on pillows in the evening?

 

Just a couple of things I wonder if they still are doing.

 

Sushi is still there but it's forgettable. You can order dinner items to your room, for free. There are charged room service items but they're only at breakfast (or drinks).

 

No chocolates as of 3/22. You did get one chocolate-covered Oreo randomly during the cruise, though.

[ailetoile]

Sushi is still there but it's forgettable. You can order dinner items to your room, for free. There are charged room service items but they're only at breakfast (or drinks).

 

No chocolates as of 3/22. You did get one chocolate-covered Oreo randomly during the cruise, though.

 

I've read reports that the pillow chocolates were back on the next cruise (3/29 sailing). They were supposed to be back in April, so the timing makes sense.

 

For my part regarding the original question:

 

The biggest cutbacks that I noticed were the activities staff and the room service menu. Room service is still free, but the menu is drastically reduced and all of the things that I loved from a few years ago are now gone.

 

For something positive, I am part of the camp that actually enjoys the MDR food. I've read so much about people thinking the food there has gone downhill, but on our most recent cruise I found that it was still very good overall and had a great time eating there every night!

[cherylroslyn]

Sarah i think the main dinning room has gotten better over the past year. I dont think you will notice any differences on Summit. I sail her twice a year and she us consistently awesome. And if youband your husband booked with the drink package you will be happier than ever. I feel the value with the new perks is even better than it was in 2013.

[wallie5446]

Unfortunately w/ kids booking suites wont be possible...once their graduated and off to college maybe...only 12 years to go :rolleyes:

 

Sara, ours are 38 & 32:eek: and suites are still not within our desired budget:D

[sarahc78]

Our son graduated college 4 years ago, moved to Los Angeles and is working. We now need to save for retirement, SO ,we will never be able to book suites unless we win the lottery.

I'm thinking we will be in that boat as well! One can dream though! :)

Sushi is still there but it's forgettable. You can order dinner items to your room, for free. There are charged room service items but they're only at breakfast (or drinks).

 

No chocolates as of 3/22. You did get one chocolate-covered Oreo randomly during the cruise, though.

One chocolate covered oreo is totally random LOL

 

Glad to hear its still there. That is/was one of DH things he loved most was being able to have sushi every day. I know its not the best quality but we dont get it that often where we live so its a treat for him.

[CruisingChick]

 

One chocolate covered oreo is totally random LOL.

 

It was very good, not sure why we couldn't get one every night. They could enter into a partnership with Oreo. Great advertising. I had never tried one before and loved them.

 

Oh well. Hopefully we will sail Summit soon and see for ourselves what is going on.

 

Sarahc78 - one thing you can do when you finally get rid of the kids is book guarantee cabins during off-peak travel times. It helps with pricing.

 

Anne Maria

[sarahc78]

I've read reports that the pillow chocolates were back on the next cruise (3/29 sailing). They were supposed to be back in April, so the timing makes sense.

 

For my part regarding the original question:

 

The biggest cutbacks that I noticed were the activities staff and the room service menu. Room service is still free, but the menu is drastically reduced and all of the things that I loved from a few years ago are now gone.

 

For something positive, I am part of the camp that actually enjoys the MDR food. I've read so much about people thinking the food there has gone downhill, but on our most recent cruise I found that it was still very good overall and had a great time eating there every night!

I dont think I've ever had a bad meal in the MDR. If I did get something I didnt enjoy I was always able to find somethign sutible to replace it w/.

 

Do you have a recent copy of the Room Service menu? There were a lot of items on there that we loved. It was nice to be able to get a turkey club, steak, ceasar salad or cheeseburger at 1am! LOL

Sarah i think the main dinning room has gotten better over the past year. I dont think you will notice any differences on Summit. I sail her twice a year and she us consistently awesome. And if youband your husband booked with the drink package you will be happier than ever. I feel the value with the new perks is even better than it was in 2013.

AWESOME! This is exactly what I want to hear Cheryl! I liked the Reflection but found it not as intimate and easy to navigate as the Summit.

 

What are the new perks for the drink packages? I just assumed it was the same as before.

 

DH has been working overtime these past few weeks...He text me Saturday night w/ a copy of his time card showing all the over time and he captioned it "WOOOOO gonna get some drink packages, gonna get some drink packages" Like the cold cuts commercial. I was dying laughing!

[sarahc78]

It was very good, not sure why we couldn't get one every night. They could enter into a partnership with Oreo. Great advertising. I had never tried one before and loved them.

 

Oh well. Hopefully we will sail Summit soon and see for ourselves what is going on.

 

Sarahc78 - one thing you can do when you finally get rid of the kids is book guarantee cabins during off-peak travel times. It helps with pricing.

 

Anne Maria

Anne Maria I actually booked us a gurantee cabin for this sailing.... I was totally nervous about it too. But I got our room assignment last week and we ended up getting upgraded to a better location on the ship! Other rooms in the class we were upgraded too are going for $150 more pp so I am super stoked!

 

Once its been assigned its ours right??? :eek:

[CruisingChick]

Once its been assigned its ours right??? :eek:

 

Yes, usually 99% of the time. But having said that I think I have read sometimes Celebrity has the right to change it.

 

But now that you have a class of cabin assigned if you can find out if there are others in the same class in an even better location you can switch.

 

Example: I book an inside guarantee and they give me a Cat 9 forward on deck 7 and I find a Cat 9 midship on deck 8 is open. I can call and get it changed to that other cabin.

 

Have a great trip.

 

Anne Maria