Why all the complaints?

[Bo1953]

True, but if I paid for a full glass I want a full glass not one "half" empty or "half full".

 

A full glass is entirely dependent on the pourer's determination of how many ounces or liters that constitutes and NOT how big the glass is actually. Which may mean ones visual of the glass in relation to size to amount of liquid in it are or can be very different e.g. 8 oz of liquid in a 9 oz glass compared to 8 oz of liquid in a 14 oz glass...

 

IMHO - bon voyage regardless of the size glass one prefers and filled... :)

[grandgeezer]

A full glass is entirely dependent on the pourer's determination of how many ounces or liters that constitutes and NOT how big the glass is actually. Which may mean ones visual of the glass in relation to size to amount of liquid in it are or can be very different e.g. 8 oz of liquid in a 9 oz glass compared to 8 oz of liquid in a 14 oz glass...

 

IMHO - bon voyage regardless of the size glass one prefers and filled... :)

 

Full means full. 9 oz of liquid in a 9 oz glass and 14 oz of liquid in a 14 oz glass.

[Northern Aurora]

My husband and I have completed twenty-four cruises on Celebrity and are also shareholders. Host Andy's post (number 33) expresses much of what I currently feel regarding Celebrity. Will be interesting to see where this company is headed.

[Host Jazzbeau]

My husband and I have completed twenty-four cruises on Celebrity and are also shareholders. Host Andy's post (number 33) expresses much of what I currently feel regarding Celebrity. Will be interesting to see where this company is headed.

 

There does seem to be a disconnect between what we think as cruisers and what Wall Street thinks -- three years ago CCL was $38 a share and RCL only $35; now CCL has risen to $54 but RCL has zoomed to $99. Since we are never able to get the alleged shareholder OBC on Celebrity, it's a good thing the stock is doing so well. Maybe we'll have to take those profits and buy a cruise on Princess :)

[chamima]

Hi Everyone,

 

Thanks to the OP for raising the question. It's a excellent one.

 

I think it boils down to a number of items. One glaring item ? So many changes, in such a short period of time. It's making everyone dizzy !!! This leads to questions/comments/confusion/concerns/complaints - you name it.

 

I also think back, about how much we've absolutely loved the Celebrity product over the years, and the joy they've brought to our lives. There are countless fans out there, who think of Celebrity in an extremely passionate way. I know I do ! Many of us worry about what the future holds, especially in light of the recent changes. While some may see the negativity as "complaining", I do not see it that way at all. I see it as passionate Celebrity guests worrying about Celebrity's future direction, and voicing their concerns.

 

It also seems that management is on a mission to reinvent Celebrity, and, doing things their way. I believe many would say they are currently tone deaf to guest concerns. While I sincerely appreciate Celebrity's presence on this forum, IMO, we aren't seeing much activity since their assigned representative left the company. I counted 23 posts this month - many of them being generic replies. We desperately need someone that will connect with us, address our concerns, and keep us up to date. Creating some "buzz", along with a positive feeling for the brand, wouldn't hurt either ! We sorely need that right now.

 

I've been in senior management for over 35 years. One mantra I live by, is that small issues left unattended... become serious issues in a hurry. I see this similar concern with Celebrity. Why not listen to what a growing number of their guests are saying ? Makes a boatload of sense to me. I respect that most executives are under massive pressure to deliver record results, or out they go. I suspect that's amongst the reasons why we're seeing so many changes.

 

To be clear, I'm not blaming Celebrity management for trying new things - but I strongly feel they should communicate more effectively, and, listen to what's being said. There's nothing wrong with reversing decisions, especially when you realize that guests are not pleased. That's what makes a strong management team.

 

BTW, I'm expecting some new developments shortly after the first of the year. One of the items I'm hearing about, should please the Celebrity faithful, as long as it's done right. I'm hopeful it will put some smiles on our faces.

 

Just my .02 cents. Happy Holidays Everyone !

 

My husband and I have completed twenty-four cruises on Celebrity and are also shareholders. Host Andy's post (number 33) expresses much of what I currently feel regarding Celebrity. Will be interesting to see where this company is headed.

 

 

For those that don't want to go back 4 pages this is Host Andy's post #33.

I agree with him also.

Still curious about the "new developments that will put smiles on our faces".

... :confused: ... :confused: ... :confused:

[Hlitner]

Great post by Host Andy. I guess, for many Celebrity lovers (or just cruisers) the problem is that nearly all the "changes" appear to be cost-cutting measures which do not benefit cruisers. And coupled with these cost saving steps, Celebrity has been raising prices...often in a pretty major way. And this is happening during a period when inflation is relatively low (at least in the USA) and fuel prices are about 1/3 of what used to be during the bad years.

 

We used to think of Celebrity as an upscale RCI....which was a step-up for many RCI cruisers who found themselves outgrowing that line (for various reasons). We now wonder what niche Celebrity is trying to fill and how they will market. Cuisine is no longer up to the quality of years past although it is still darn good. Entertainment has been cut-back in many ways (although we think X has improved their Guest Entertainers) and just about everything onboard has seen price increases. We were somewhat surprised that our recent Regent Princess cruise surpassed our recent Eclipse cruise in a few ways. Although we have long cruised on both Princess and Celebrity (and other lines) we always considered Celebrity a few steps above Princess. Now, we would have to rate them nearly equal on an overall basis. Among the mass market lines we will continue to cruise on Celebrity, Princess and HAL....but our mix among these lines might change. We had stopped cruising HAL for the past year, but after our recent 2 weeks on the Eclipse we quickly went and booked a 55 day cruise on HAL. We had considered doing several back-to-back Celebrity cruises (in Europe) but with the decline in X we thought that HAL should be back in the mix.

 

Hank

[hulamoon]

I would appreciate a smile too. He said faithful, so I am guessing its a zen thing. lol

Edited December 27, 2015 by hulamoon

[npb]

I believe a well written/typed letter to HQ would get their attention and a response, good - bad -indifferent, quicker than expecting change through a CC posting, regardless of the fact that someone 'may' be reading all of the threads and noting them.

 

IMO

 

bon voyage

 

We have over 40 cruises on Celebrity. On our last cruise on the Reflection we had a bad experience which I won't repeat here. No, it was not about towels or chocolates. On our return we contacted HQ via snail mail and email. We received a phone call three weeks later acknowledging our many cruises with them and asking for additional information. We were promised a return phone call. It has been over a year and we have heard nothing.

 

FYI. We neither asked nor expected anything but an apology.

[npb]

There is some value to perks if they fit in to what you want. For example, we are Elite Plus not bragging just stating a fact. For each cruise we each get 240 internet minutes ($109 each), two bags of wash and fold laundry ($20 each), 2 hours of free drinks, every night except embarkation and Officers party(put your own price in depending on what you drink), free unlimited specialty coffee drinks ($5+ each), one scoop of gelato ($5.50), free pressing of two items, one free dry cleaning, and others that we don't use. All this plus a great time on the cruise stopped us from looking anywhere else, until now. The cutbacks and rising prices have made us step back and rethink cruising for now. For the first time in thirteen years we have no cruises planned or none that we are even watching.

We'll see what happens in the future, but we are not very optimistic that things will change.

 

Totally agree. We also enjoyed the benefits of Elite+, but after our last cruise we have no interest in future cruises. After reading this thread it seems that the newer cruisers or those with fewer than 10 are happy with the product, but the loyalists are looking elsewhere. Time will tell if this strategy works for Celebrity.

[El Crucero]

but the loyalists are looking elsewhere.

 

I hope the loyalists will let us know when they find something better.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We have over 40 cruises on Celebrity. On our last cruise on the Reflection we had a bad experience which I won't repeat here. No, it was not about towels or chocolates. On our return we contacted HQ via snail mail and email. We received a phone call three weeks later acknowledging our many cruises with them and asking for additional information. We were promised a return phone call. It has been over a year and we have heard nothing.

 

FYI. We neither asked nor expected anything but an apology.

 

Totally agree. We also enjoyed the benefits of Elite+, but after our last cruise we have no interest in future cruises. After reading this thread it seems that the newer cruisers or those with fewer than 10 are happy with the product, but the loyalists are looking elsewhere. Time will tell if this strategy works for Celebrity.

 

So that's over a year of no Celebrity cruises for one, and maybe no more for another. I hope Celebrity is paying attention.

[MrsKNZ]

I did not intend for this thread to become yet another celebrity complaints thread. I wanted to hear from all the people like my self that enjoy the experience and why.

 

 

 

I am not loyal to any cruise line I will pick the itinerary first that fits my time scale and do like to try different ships. All the cruises that I have been on have had some things I like and some things I don't. I find life on land just the same there are things I like and things I don't as well as people I like and some, lets just say I avoid. That in my opinion is quite normal. I do not have the expectation that I will go on a ship and everything will be perfect. I also do not need "to be served". I realize that things move on and change and change is healthy. Perhaps those that complain all the time should try out some of the new offers and ideas, it may give them a new lease of life and they just may find that they like them.

 

 

 

I have read some posts that say Celebrity is trying to attract a younger clientele. That makes perfect business sense to me. Younger people have more time and money left to go on more cruises and spend more money. Age is just a number I have met some 70 & 80 year old's who behave younger and are more active than some 40-50 year olds.

 

 

 

I still think cruising is the most comfortable way to travel and see the world. I like to see a good mix of all ages and I enjoy all the changes that happen as cruise companies compete for our custom.

 

 

 

I

 

 

We haven't cruised Celebrity yet, just P&O in the South Pacific. We are crazily looking forward to our Celebrity cruise next year because (even with the cutbacks that everyone else seems to be going nuts about), it seems like a step up. And if we like it, we'll ditch P&O South Pacific. IF WE LIKE IT. And that's the bottom line, really. We could've complained a ton about our previous experiences, or we could've said - hey, it's something different, it's a low maintenance holiday, and guess which option we took? The one that means we'll try other lines if they fit our itinerary, and we won't complain unless it actually really affects us (major illness or thefts), because there is a shed load of people out there who don't even get the option to try and we are always grateful for what we have.

So please, critics of Celebrity, keep complaining about having to walk to get to water, about not having everyone wear a top hat and tails, and for having people talking in the MDR, and I will keep laughing at first world problems by being grateful for my first world ability to cruise.

[varoo]

......So please, critics of Celebrity, keep complaining about having to walk to get to water, about not having everyone wear a top hat and tails, and for having people talking in the MDR, and I will keep laughing at first world problems by being grateful for my first world ability to cruise.

By all means, keep on laughing, but apparently you have completely missed the point.

 

Just about all cruise problems are first world problems.

Taking a luxury cruise is a first world type of vacation.

 

Certainly most (if not all) of us who are able to cruise are grateful for the ability to do so.

 

People are only complaining about not receiving what they were promised and were expecting when they booked and paid for their cruise.

 

 

To give a parallel example, if you order a new luxury car with the features you want, pay for it in advance, and then when you receive the car, the radio is missing or the air conditioner or the windows are not working, or even if the upholstery is stained or there is a dent in the body, I doubt that you would be happy with it and meekly accept what you receive without complaint.

 

Imagine pointing out the items that are defective or missing, only to be told that you should be grateful to have this wonderful car, and how you should not complain about such first world problems because most people in the world would be thrilled and thankful to have such a car at all. :eek:

 

 

[wallie5446]

I hope the loyalists will let us know when they find something better.

 

And when they don't. :D

 

Many say they are leaving, few ever do, then have no backbone to eat crow.;)

[hcat]

For us the fact is that we still like the ships and Celeb is better than Royal C and others in our price range..We plan to take all our booked cruises unless things really tank!

 

That does not negate the fact that many things are less luxurious or service intensive than in the past including big staffing changes since the Euro beat the dollar.. before that there was a very well trained and experienced dining staff..now they do the best they can with those wiling to work for dollars! Many other cut backs that have bee posted about over and over...

Edited December 28, 2015 by hcat

[followyourheart]

To give a parallel example, if you order a new luxury car with the features you want, pay for it in advance, and then when you receive the car, the radio is missing or the air conditioner or the windows are not working, or even if the upholstery is stained or there is a dent in the body, I doubt that you would be happy with it and meekly accept what you receive without complaint.

 

A more accurate comparison would be to no longer get a case of water with the luxury car.

[woodley]

Celebrity and other cruise lines do give notice about the changes and if its before final payment you can always change your booking to another cruise line that offers the service you want, you may find you have to pay a little more but at least you get what you wanted. It really all comes down to price.

Varoo-

I would not compare the booking of a few weeks cruising to the purchase of a new car. It is more like a rental car and usually you do not get the specific car you booked but one in that category.

Edited December 28, 2015 by woodley

[Gracie115]

By all means, keep on laughing, but apparently you have completely missed the point.

 

Just about all cruise problems are first world problems.

Taking a luxury cruise is a first world type of vacation.

 

Certainly most (if not all) of us who are able to cruise are grateful for the ability to do so.

 

People are only complaining about not receiving what they were promised and were expecting when they booked and paid for their cruise.

 

 

To give a parallel example, if you order a new luxury car with the features you want, pay for it in advance, and then when you receive the car, the radio is missing or the air conditioner or the windows are not working, or even if the upholstery is stained or there is a dent in the body, I doubt that you would be happy with it and meekly accept what you receive without complaint.

 

Imagine pointing out the items that are defective or missing, only to be told that you should be grateful to have this wonderful car, and how you should not complain about such first world problems because most people in the world would be thrilled and thankful to have such a car at all. :eek:

 

 

 

Your comparison IS valid, although a cruise is not the same as purchasing a car. When you are promised something when you purchase it you have every right to expect it to happen.....whether that is free bottled water for your stateroom type or whatever else..... if you were told that you would have it and then purchased based on those statements then it should be provided.

[Aldeya]

And when they don't. :D

 

Many say they are leaving, few ever do, then have no backbone to eat crow.;)

 

 

You can't be more mistaken. Many people DO switch the lines.

 

After being very Loyal to Royal for a long time we decided that RCL's overall experience was not working for us anymore. We left in 2009 and didn't cruise with them since. Will we try this line again? I'm sure we will, someday.

 

In meantime we tried new to us cruise lines including Celebrity. We just came back from our 10-days Celebrity Equinox cruise. I think our expectations for "modern luxury" advertised by Celebrity were too high and the whole experience was not as we expected. We are still thinking about our future bookings with Celebrity.

 

We will consider what works for US. But make no mistake, people DO vote with their wallets. All the time.They are just not very vocal about it on CC boards.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Aldeya

[hulamoon]

Shifting loyalty has a lot of different options. If could mean doing half the booked schedule, it could be mixing it up with other lines, it could mean down grading, it could mean choosing to only book last minute if the spirit moves in that direction.

 

There are lines I have left, but then if they are all becoming more the same than different, They could return to the consideration spreadsheet.

 

No, celebrity does not always give notice before removing or changing quality of amenities. Many we discover right here on CC.

[El Crucero]

After being very Loyal to Royal for a long time we decided that RCL's overall experience was not working for us anymore. We left in 2009 and didn't cruise with them since. ..........I think our expectations for "modern luxury" advertised by Celebrity were too high and the whole experience was not as we expected. We are still thinking about our future bookings with Celebrity.

 

Sounds like you are difficult to please with unrealistic expectations on any cruise line, maybe cruising is just not for you anymore :confused:. I mean that with no rancor. I am difficult to please with unrealistic expectations with respect to how my eggs are scrambled. So I don't order scrambled eggs anymore because I am difficult to please. Happy New Year Aldeya

Edited December 28, 2015 by El Crucero

[xmarksx]

And when they don't. :D

 

Many say they are leaving, few ever do, then have no backbone to eat crow.;)

 

Thank you!

 

Back to my original point. Some folks appear to be operating under the belief that repetition of their concerns, on this forum, will somehow dramatically alter Celebrity decision making. Some stuff might be impactful but I imagine most of it becomes white noise. My sailing next month appears to be almost sold out. Wonder why that is?

[chamima]

Thank you!

 

Back to my original point. Some folks appear to be operating under the belief that repetition of their concerns, on this forum, will somehow dramatically alter Celebrity decision making. Some stuff might be impactful but I imagine most of it becomes white noise. My sailing next month appears to be almost sold out. Wonder why that is?

 

 

Look out your window! ;) :p

 

(You may have to live in the Northeast to understand this.)

Edited December 28, 2015 by chamima

[lovemylab]

Thank you!

 

Back to my original point. Some folks appear to be operating under the belief that repetition of their concerns, on this forum, will somehow dramatically alter Celebrity decision making. Some stuff might be impactful but I imagine most of it becomes white noise. My sailing next month appears to be almost sold out. Wonder why that is?

 

The reason why people complain here is because Celebrity monitors these boards. Personally, I think posting a complaint on social media (facebook, twitter or a public message board) is far more effective than sending an email to a customer service department.

 

A few years ago when chocolates were taken away a lot of people complained repetitively. As a result, Celebrity started offering chocolates again. Likewise, last year Celebrity introduced boarding based on what deck you were on. A lot of people complained and that practice has since been discontinued on most sailings.

Edited December 28, 2015 by lovemylab

[Aldeya]

Sounds like you are difficult to please with unrealistic expectations on any cruise line, maybe cruising is just not for you anymore :confused:. I mean that with no rancor. I am difficult to please with unrealistic expectations with respect to how my eggs are scrambled. So I don't order scrambled eggs anymore because I am difficult to please. Happy New Year Aldeya

 

 

No offense taken. Actually we are quite easy to please. It's just after 26 cruises we pretty much know what works for US and prefer to spend our money accordingly.That's all.

 

Happy New Year to you too :)