Any Noticeable Cut backs with Celebrity

[GUT2407]

Chocolates left on the pillow are 1/2 the size. That's been my experience. Maybe they give you larger chocolates in Suites. ;):D:D

 

Have they reinstated chocolates, we didn't get them at all in December just a chocolate coated biscuit one night.

 

I missed my chocolate each night, my waist line didn't.

[ChiGal1962]

Quite true. What Celebrity has cutback on is the rate of cabin price increases which haven't kept pace with inflation and cost of food and materials over time.

 

They have done this by carefully taking away some things that a vast majority of cruisers care less about in order to maintain a relatively level cabin fare over several years. That the ships continuer to sail full, proves this out. Some are disappointed, others are new and are quite happy with the experience.

 

Yep, this is no doubt exactly why we've seen Celebrity (and just about every other cruise line, hotel chain, etc.) change over the years.

 

A lot of it is minor to me. Yes, the pillow chocolates and towel animals make me smile. The absence of them doesn't make me dislike the cruise.

 

The more major impacts to me are:

* Food in MDR. I still think it's very good. Is it what it was? No. Is it still as good as or (in most cases) better than the other lines I've been on? Yep.

* Activity staff cutback. This one has affected me more. I love trivia games, and used to play 2-3 times a day. On the Reflection last spring, I think there were 2-3 for the entire week. Now it seems that 90% of all activities were selling opportunities for the cruise line. Not really my speed, and a bit of a turnoff.

 

I wouldn't want to see the prices increase significantly, especially since I pay double as a solo traveler. So far, Celebrity is still my line of choice :)

[awhfy]

Poppy&Nana. We had bread pudding every day on our 14 night Eclipse this past March. I still have the 4 lbs to prove it

[GUT2407]

Poppy&Nana. We had bread pudding every day on our 14 night Eclipse this past March. I still have the 4 lbs to prove it

 

Pavlova does it to me.

[PoppyandNana]

Poppy&Nana. We had bread pudding every day on our 14 night Eclipse this past March. I still have the 4 lbs to prove it

 

Maybe it's an S class thing. Last month on the Summit zero. We're on the Equinox in January. One can hope.

 

Thanks

[PoppyandNana]

That ad is probably from the mid 90s. They used to play "Simply the Best" during sail away when it was their slogan, along with "attention to detail", which used to be true. It's now attention to detail....most of the time.

 

When we first started cruising in 1996 I bought a Fodors Worldwide Cruises book. In it, while describing Celebrity, the author recounted an incident on Celebrity where there was a small blemish on a tablecloth in the MDR. The waiter was mortifie & striped the table bare, in order to replace the cloth..when the author said it was not necessary, the waiter graciously replied " Madam, it is NOT acceptable on Celebrity". They also used to have an =X= on the dinnerware, which was always precisely placed at the 12 o'clock position. In recent years, we have been seated at a table without a bread dish,or a water glass. Attention to detail.

 

We still love Celebrity, but it has come back to the pack of the other main stream cruise lines.

 

I used to love the flourish of the waiter placing the X at high noon. Someone once told me it was a training thing. Who knows.

[Constance331]

The buffet service is the same for those in suites. The entertainment is the same. Service in MDR is the same - no one trips over themselves serving just because one has a suite card in hand there.

 

The prime rib served to suite dwellers in the MDR is the same thickness as elsewhere.

 

The daily activities hosted are the same, but for those with Michaels lounge access, where they get a special 30-45 minutes each evening of entertainment, that is the same as as just being played out at Cafe Al Bacio minutes prior.

 

The music played in public spaces is the same.

 

The chocolates left on our pillows are the same.

 

Requesting an ice bucket and having it filled daily is still done my us suite dwellers.

 

Lines at Martini Bar and Molecular bar are the same length.

 

The overall Celebrity experience does not hinge on being in a suite or not, overall, for all cabins, it's a good value with good service. People make far too much ado about nothing when they talk about suites and how they have caused the rest of the ship services to go downhill.

 

Wow, that's a lot of sameness. I happen to sail exclusively in suites (more often than not as a solo), and now I am asking myself why bother?

 

I mean, how much cabin space do I really need? And butlers, what do they do that a cabin attendant doesn't? Also, exclusive lounges and restaurants offer the same liquor & serve the same quality of food. I often do find myself fighting to get a drink at Michael's as when trying to get a drink at Crush. My dishes at Luminae are prepared and served in the same timely manner and with the same flourish as in the MDR. And, most importantly, the pillow chocolates are the same! Who knew...

 

I need to reassess my future ship accommodations...

Edited August 25, 2015 by Constance331

[davekathy]

Not a real biggie but we liked it on sea days while sitting around the pool or the deck above enjoying the hot Caribbean sun the staff would bust out little cups of sorbet to enjoy.

[jagoffee]

Afraid I don't know the "inns and outs" of what had gone before because we were well into the cruise before we shared a table with them. By then she had straws a plenty in her bag which she had acquired herself and it was the lady herself who pointed it out to me. It was obvious from what she was saying that on her numerous previous cruises it had never been an issue so on that cruise something had changed.

 

Royal Princess.

 

Even when we have AI we have always had a paper receipt even though no charge so I can't understand the new policy on paper saving.

 

Too bad about the straws for someone with a handicap. Mi suspect she did not bring it up during the cruise.

 

Funny about the paper receipts on The Royal Princess. I sailed on her last year with the drink package and I thought it was very strange that they always gave a no charge receipt for each drink even when I ordered both of our drinks with two cards. Once I ordered a double for me and a wine for my wife and received three receipts. I figured they were working out the bugs. I really like not having a recept when there is no charge.

 

Thanks for the follow up.

[jj6961]

When they reinstituted the nightly chocolates on the pillow, they are now 1/2 the size from what they used to be. :rolleyes:

 

in addition to the reduced size of the nightly pillow chocolates, I noticed on our July Silhouette British Isles cruise on formal nights in suites each person received a full box of fancy(not great, but pretty and well presented) truffle chocolates...this has been reduced to one per cabin not one per person. Not a big deal, but a cut back just the same.

 

If staying in any suite, Celebrity has always given one per guest of their nice navy zip up bags, on the last cruise it was reduced to one per cabin. We traveled with our parents also in a suite and they had the same experience on both the box of chocolate and the bag, so it was not just a mistake in our cabin.

 

I don't mind the lack of Bvlgari toiletries, find the smell overwhelming so the regular Celebrity shampoo etc was fine with me(which surprised me cause I'm so picky about hair products) however I did notice in the suites the toiletries were almost full size, not mini the way they have always been int he past. I have no idea if this is ship wide or suite only.

Edited August 25, 2015 by jj6961
wanted to add some points to the post

[mcrcruiser]

Of 67 cruises we have over 40 on Celebrity from the 1990s . Imo ,both service & food quality have declined while prices have risen:o .These are the main changes ;which are undeniable:eek:

 

The good is that X has the newer S class ships which have a larger variety of activities than theolder M class ships ;)

[richsea]

Wow, that's a lot of sameness. I happen to sail exclusively in suites (more often than not as a solo), and now I am asking myself why bother?

 

I mean, how much cabin space do I really need? And butlers, what do they do that a cabin attendant doesn't? Also, exclusive lounges and restaurants offer the same liquor & serve the same quality of food. I often do find myself fighting to get a drink at Michael's as when trying to get a drink at Crush. My dishes at Luminae are prepared and served in the same timely manner and with the same flourish as in the MDR. And, most importantly, the pillow chocolates are the same! Who knew...

 

I need to reassess my future ship accommodations...

 

Like!👍👍👍

[richsea]

 

Funny about the paper receipts on The Royal Princess. I sailed on her last year with the drink package and I thought it was very strange that they always gave a no charge receipt for each drink even when I ordered both of our drinks with two cards. Once I ordered a double for me and a wine for my wife and received three receipts. I figured they were working out the bugs. I really like not having a recept when there is no charge.

 

Thanks for the follow up.

 

At least you were able to order a double. On Royal Caribbean last month they would not serve you a double if you had the drink package. Receipts were hit or miss.