What has happened to exceptional service

[TeaBag]

 

We will admit that some recent posts have us a little concerned. We have two 14 day Eclipse cruises booking in Aqua, which we enjoy because of Blu. But there has been a recent trend of very negative posts about Blu, and some of these posters have a lot of credibility. Our personal experience with Blu is that it does seem to really be dependent on the then current Blu Chef. So we are hoping that the current situation is being noticed by X and they will make suitable adjustments.

 

Hank

You are absolutely right, Hank, that the taste of the food depends on the chef. On Eclipse, (got off on Sunday) in Blu, the chef is Indian and he has a very heavy hand with the salt. Watch out if he is still on board when you sail.

 

As I said in an earlier post, we were disappointed this time in many of the dishes. We saw some entrees others had and they looked naked because of the lack of vegetables.

 

That being said, we did have some really good dishes. The short ribs were melt in your mouth good. The lettuce wedge with bacon and blue cheese was awesome and really big. Loved the Ceviche appetizers and the Lava cake dessert.

[Texed]

The waffles on our Eclipse cruise last week were already made and heaped up in a soggy mess. DH didn't bother to ask for fresh ones, as it seemed a waste with so many already cooked.

 

I ask for fresh ones anyhow. :)

[workstocruise]

I agree about the Chef. We just got off the Equinox and their head chef is Indian. There were several dishes in the Buffet that were curry based which I don't care for at all, but there were also lots of other dishes to choose from and I certainly never went hungry. I will say the waffles and pancakes were some of the best I've had at sea. Two years ago we sailed the Constellation and every meal we ate in the MDR was outstanding. This cruise I found the dining room to be hit or miss. Some nights it was great and others not so great. It sure wouldn't make me change cruise lines as I believe Celebrity is better than most.

[SantaFeFan]

It is interesting also that if you post comments about problems you encounter on your cruises you are a complainer, entitled, never satisfied, glass half empty and on and on and on. Hey, maybe, just maybe, you are posting accurate representations of what happened.

 

The problem with your argument is that it is always the same people who are doing the bulk of the complaining. These people rarely ever post anything positive, but are vociferous with their complaints.

 

Everyone will experience something that didn't quite meet expectations. But some - the glass half empty people - focus ONLY on those shortcomings, often being unrealistic about those expectations in the first place. They will come onto these boards only to gain support for complaints, much like the protester with the loudest bullhorn taking over a public rally to promote his personal cause.

 

Balanced observations are always welcomed here, whether positive or negative, as long as they are realistic and without bitterness.

Edited June 17, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[Cruizen Susan]

Complainers complain loudly, some are never happy. Happy people are usually quiet and content. We've been taking one or two nice long Celebrity cruise each year for many years. We have a 14 night and a 13 night booked. If we were to nit-pick I'm sure we could find fault with something but it would be very small. Don't let the whiners and complainers get you down. Celebrity has a great product and it's why so many passengers come back year after year.

 

YES, thank you!! Some justify their whining and complaining on CC as "criticism" saying after all, that the site is called Cruise CRITIC. Those who nit pik about every little thing are never going to be happy with ANY cruise or vacation, (or probably with ANYthing in their life).

 

I feel that cruise critic is primarily here for finding out information on sailings, such as cabin location, dining questions, activities, ports, etc. etc. etc. and less for grumbling about prices, towels that don't meet their satisfaction, oh gawd I could go on and on.

 

If they don't like Celebrity and find so much fault with it, go to the Carnival forum or pay for a Crystal cruise. Geez!! Thank you for the voice of reason post!!

[LF2C]

YES' date=' thank you!! Some justify their whining and complaining on CC as "criticism" saying after all, that the site is called Cruise CRITIC. Those who nit pik about every little thing are never going to be happy with ANY cruise or vacation, (or probably with ANYthing in their life).

 

I feel that cruise critic is primarily here for finding out information on sailings, such as cabin location, dining questions, activities, ports, etc. etc. etc. and less for grumbling about prices, towels that don't meet their satisfaction, oh gawd I could go on and on.

 

If they don't like Celebrity and find so much fault with it, go to the Carnival forum or pay for a Crystal cruise. Geez!! Thank you for the voice of reason post!![/quote']

 

I read two damning, highly critical reviews some time ago. One said they would never cruise with X again because they'd changed the smoked salmon and it was inferior and the other complained that X had gone down market because they didn't like the orange juice..............yes, really. Good grief!

[phoenix_dream]

The problem with your argument is that it is always the same people who are doing the bulk of the complaining. These people rarely ever post anything positive, but are vociferous with their complaints.

 

Everyone will experience something that didn't quite meet expectations. But some - the glass half empty people - focus ONLY on those shortcomings, often being unrealistic about those expectations in the first place. They will come onto these boards only to gain support for complaints, much like the protester with the loudest bullhorn taking over a public rally to promote his personal cause.

 

Balanced observations are always welcomed here, whether positive or negative, as long as they are realistic and without bitterness.

I agree that there are a handful of people who only post to complain, and whose reviews are nothing but negative. IMHO though, there are really only a few like that. There have been a lot of what I consider legitimate concerns about certain areas of Celebrity in recent years, particularly from long-time cruisers who have a basis of comparison to how things used to be before cutbacks. I just hope people (and Celebrity!) don't just ignore those concerns and write them off as just disgruntled people. There is truly a lot to love about Celebrity, and I can honestly say we have never had a bad cruise with them in our 26 sailings. Some were definitely better than others, but we enjoyed each and every one.

[Cruizen Susan]

I read two damning, highly critical reviews some time ago. One said they would never cruise with X again because they'd changed the smoked salmon and it was inferior and the other complained that X had gone down market because they didn't like the orange juice..............yes, really. Good grief!

 

Another voice of reason from a positive person!

 

Happy cruising!

 

Susan

[Hlitner]

Come on guys, lets be reasonable. If your life depends on having good smoked salmon then that can be a real deal breaker :). Geez, on our last Celebrity Cruise I was very unhappy because the sliced onions next to the smoked salmon were just sliced too darn thick. To this day I think about those onions day and night! And then there as those tiny bagels, that they have everyday at the Elite breakfast, that are never sliced at all. Does anyone know how hard I must work to cut those bagels with a regular knife (without cutting my hand)? But we must disagree with the poster when it comes to the smoked salmon which we thought was fine :)

 

Hank

[wwcruisers]

This is the second time this OP started a thread like this and failed to come back to respond. Perhaps they will return and respond to comments?

 

It's the exceptional service that keeps me coming back to Celebrity.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2148531

 

Yes, I noticed that too -- this thread, posted on another board, certainly sounds familiar, doesn't it? The OP managed to get a lively and interesting discussion going, here. Too bad he didn't stick around to participate in it.

 

And, as far as the OP's original premise goes, if he goes on a Celebrity Cruise looking for things to find fault with -- he will no doubt find them. However, with a positive attitude, the little problems can usually be resolved. We also, have always received good service on our Celebrity cruises.

[LF2C]

Come on guys, lets be reasonable. If your life depends on having good smoked salmon then that can be a real deal breaker :). Geez, on our last Celebrity Cruise I was very unhappy because the sliced onions next to the smoked salmon were just sliced too darn thick. To this day I think about those onions day and night! And then there as those tiny bagels, that they have everyday at the Elite breakfast, that are never sliced at all. Does anyone know how hard I must work to cut those bagels with a regular knife (without cutting my hand)? But we must disagree with the poster when it comes to the smoked salmon which we thought was fine :)

 

Hank

 

Don't shoot the messenger! I only reported what I read. As far as I'm concerned, Celebrity food including the smoked salmon,and service are excellent. Customer service is something that I'm a stickler for and for me, Celebrity does it very well.