Celebrity: 2006 vs. 2016

[dkdb]

Our first cruise was on the Summit in 2002 we think. We just got off of the Summit and we think the food was the best we have had. Service was superior. Can't wait to see her again next year. Wonderful cruise, wonderful food, wonderful crew.

[LovetheSea]

My husband and I used to cruise Celebrity a lot. Elite class. Then about 10 years ago we switched to Princess, and Holland America. Mostly to get some different ports. We are leaving for our first Celebrity cruise Saturday. I have to say I am nervous about the food not being as good. My old favorites. Like the Wild Mushroom soup and the bread sticks. And those Chocolate Creamy Martinis with the chocolate syrup inside the glass. I hope they still have those. I can not think of one dinner I did not like. So sad they don't have the Grand Midnight Buffet anymore. Such artistry. And we were lucky to be invited to a few Captain's Table dinners. Sad to hear that has changed as well. I will post a review when I get back and put our cruise video on YOUTUBE.

[SheriffJoe]

My husband and I used to cruise Celebrity a lot. Elite class. Then about 10 years ago we switched to Princess, and Holland America. Mostly to get some different ports. We are leaving for our first Celebrity cruise Saturday. I have to say I am nervous about the food not being as good. My old favorites. Like the Wild Mushroom soup and the bread sticks. And those Chocolate Creamy Martinis with the chocolate syrup inside the glass. I hope they still have those. I can not think of one dinner I did not like. So sad they don't have the Grand Midnight Buffet anymore. Such artistry. And we were lucky to be invited to a few Captain's Table dinners. Sad to hear that has changed as well. I will post a review when I get back and put our cruise video on YOUTUBE.

 

It will be different but nothing you haven't seen before as when you sailed Princess and HAL and watched them decline as well......BUT the chocolate martini's are still there!

Edited February 28, 2016 by SheriffJoe

[jbuch02]

My husband and I used to cruise Celebrity a lot. Elite class. Then about 10 years ago we switched to Princess, and Holland America. Mostly to get some different ports. We are leaving for our first Celebrity cruise Saturday. I have to say I am nervous about the food not being as good. My old favorites. Like the Wild Mushroom soup and the bread sticks. And those Chocolate Creamy Martinis with the chocolate syrup inside the glass. I hope they still have those. I can not think of one dinner I did not like. So sad they don't have the Grand Midnight Buffet anymore. Such artistry. And we were lucky to be invited to a few Captain's Table dinners. Sad to hear that has changed as well. I will post a review when I get back and put our cruise video on YOUTUBE.

 

Don't worry. You will still love it. Go in with an open mind. Things have changed but not enough to still make Celebrity a great cruise experience. There will be plenty of food choices even in the MDR. Something that has been added on some itineraries (don't know what yours is) that we enjoyed in Asia was the local specialty. Tasty and fun.

 

The Chocolate Martinis, along with a host of other good ones, are still there in The Martini Bar which all the S class and now the Solticized M class ships have. Just be prepared for the price increase. With the 18% gratuity, you're looking at $15 per. If you got the Classic Beverage Package as a perk, use some of your OBC to upgrade to Premium. You can down Martinis of every variety to your hearts content.

 

Look for discounts on Specialty dining. Don't shy away from Qsine - its fun but try to gather others to go with you. 6 is perfect. You can try just about everything that way. The Lobster Murano is still served in Murano and just as good as ever. If you're on an M class ship, make sure to get into SS United States, Olympic, etc. These are going to go away and will be missed buy us. 5 Star service and in my opinion still worth the full price. Discount is obviously better if you can wrangle it. Ask and negotiate. If demand is low, you'll get a discount.

[teecee60]

 

What I will remind people is adjusting for inflation it is much cheaper to cruise today then it was back then.

 

 

Well stated... unfortunately, this simple but amazing fact is not recognized by a great many people. :cool:

 

 

 

Comments about changes have been spot on.

 

My only concern with the direction RCCL has taken with the Celebrity brand is that value cruisers could be left behind

as Corporate seeks to target affluent cruisers who are willing to pay for exclusivity.

 

Meanwhile the company has to remain profitable as a Corporate, publically traded entity within a highly competitive industry that includes Carnival Cruise lines and all their separately owned/managed subsidiaries.

 

Difficult tight rope to walk and so far I feel it has been walked credibly, I continue to feel welcomed and valued as a customer.

 

Moreover, the Celebrity cruise experience is still very high quality. Service is still very good. No complaints.

 

We'll likely always compare other lines we might choose to the great times and welcoming feeling we've had on Celebrity ships over the last 14 years. It's like home.

 

Awesome post! Agree completely on almost all points. :)

 

I am as "value driven" as anyone can be, and for the last 5+ years I have ALWAYS been able to find incredible deals on Celebrity. Not everyone may enjoy repeated transatlantic cruises, but they are the very best vacation value I have found! (especially on Celebrity!!)

 

The best example right now is the 14 night Equinox T/A in a balcony for $679pp! :eek: :D ;)

Edited February 28, 2016 by teecee60

[need2bespoiled]

I didn't see anyone answer you're questions about the propulsion, but maybe I missed it.

 

There are diesel generators now, that are often use in port or on slow moves. Remember the "engines" are generators that create electricity to power electric motors in the azipods under the ship, power the ship hotel functions, etc. they have 2 turbines and 2 diesel generators. They use a combination as necessary to maximize efficiency.

 

Most ships are cleaner now due to eps regulations and additional scrubber technology and cleaner fuels or a combination of both they are required to use. Still, these are giant fossil fuel consumers so don't think it's overly environmentally friendly regardless but I doubt the upgrades and changes have impacted the vibrations. I think the change was probably more due to the use of pod drive as opposed to shafts. This is even common now on pleasure boats from 35-70 ft or so.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[OzKiwiJJ]

Theonly really negative change was the Martini bar. It used to be a nice place to sit and enjoy a drink. Music was background atmosphere. Now it was always very loud and the had a DJ playing very loud electronic music.

 

It was the same on Solstice over Christmas. We really loved the Martini Bar drinks but often felt it wasn't even worth trying to get a seat there due to the extreme volume of the music. Plus if you didn't actually get a seat at the bar itself you had to be very careful what you sat on - there were some incredibly awkward and uncomfortable seats in the areas close to the bar.

[benbess]

Well stated... unfortunately, this simple but amazing fact is not recognized by a great many people. :cool:

 

 

 

 

Awesome post! Agree completely on almost all points. :)

 

I am as "value driven" as anyone can be, and for the last 5+ years I have ALWAYS been able to find incredible deals on Celebrity. Not everyone may enjoy repeated transatlantic cruises, but they are the very best vacation value I have found! (especially on Celebrity!!)

 

The best example right now is the 14 night Equinox T/A in a balcony for $679pp! :eek: :D ;)

 

Great point.

 

But where are you finding these prices?

[benbess]

I didn't see anyone answer you're questions about the propulsion, but maybe I missed it.

 

There are diesel generators now, that are often use in port or on slow moves. Remember the "engines" are generators that create electricity to power electric motors in the azipods under the ship, power the ship hotel functions, etc. they have 2 turbines and 2 diesel generators. They use a combination as necessary to maximize efficiency.

 

Most ships are cleaner now due to eps regulations and additional scrubber technology and cleaner fuels or a combination of both they are required to use. Still, these are giant fossil fuel consumers so don't think it's overly environmentally friendly regardless but I doubt the upgrades and changes have impacted the vibrations. I think the change was probably more due to the use of pod drive as opposed to shafts. This is even common now on pleasure boats from 35-70 ft or so.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

Thanks Jenna.

 

So I guess natural gas propulsion just isn't economically or technologically viable....?

[The_Big_M]

We took our only other Celebrity cruise in 2006 also and just got off the Connie this week. Our kids sound the same age as yours also but we did the last one without kids. What set Celebrity apart for us was the staff. We did notice that there seemed to be less staff per person.

 

That has happened - but not in perhaps the more obvious way.

 

The passenger capacity of the Millennium class has increased by about 200 people since you first sailed. While the staffing count has remained the same. Additional to that, staff have been separated off to speciality and premium restaurants which has reduced the servicing ratios in MDR even further (due to minimum service levels in the other restaurants).

 

They have achieved that by a 40% increase in table coverage by MDR staff. To compensate for that, they reduced the menu complexity/no of courses as mentioned earlier. You can see from those metrics why the received service is not as it once was though.

[The_Big_M]

I'm very glad to hear they now have a no smoking policy. That's very good news.

 

To clarify, there are still smoking areas on one side of the open decks, and some external bars.

 

Just that the restrictions above have been added from before, but it is not entirely non-smoking.

[benbess]

To clarify, there are still smoking areas on one side of the open decks, and some external bars.

 

Just that the restrictions above have been added from before, but it is not entirely non-smoking.

 

Thanks for clarifying that. Seemed a little too good to be true. Still, a major improvement....

[The_Big_M]

I didn't see anyone answer you're questions about the propulsion, but maybe I missed it.

 

There are diesel generators now, that are often use in port or on slow moves. Remember the "engines" are generators that create electricity to power electric motors in the azipods under the ship, power the ship hotel functions, etc. they have 2 turbines and 2 diesel generators. They use a combination as necessary to maximize efficiency.

 

 

Unless I've missed something they retained and continued to use their 2 gas turbines. However, some years back they added a diesel generator as well.

 

The reason was that the cost of the gas fuel supply was escalating, so diesel was added for cost reasons. While they still run off gas, adding the diesel lowered the overall ongoing cost as they didn't need to use as much gas in total.

[tutak]

Thanks for the thoughts—from you and everyone. Not to discount the negative reviews too much, but some people may have unrealistic expectations. I'm usually a happy camper most of the time and see the glass as half full.

 

I would like to take another cruse, but finding the time when my wife could join me is the trick....

 

Don't worry whether the glass is half full or half empty. Just add two shots of scotch and some ice.

[benbess]

Don't worry whether the glass is half full or half empty. Just add two shots of scotch and some ice.

 

lol!!

 

You're probably not the right person to ask, but is the tap water on board drinkable? I vaguely recall that in 2006 my wife and I just had tap water along with a glass of wine with dinner, and iirc it was ok with a bit of lemon...? Or is bottled water $$ always the way to go?

[benbess]

That has happened - but not in perhaps the more obvious way.

 

The passenger capacity of the Millennium class has increased by about 200 people since you first sailed. While the staffing count has remained the same. Additional to that, staff have been separated off to speciality and premium restaurants which has reduced the servicing ratios in MDR even further (due to minimum service levels in the other restaurants).

 

They have achieved that by a 40% increase in table coverage by MDR staff. To compensate for that, they reduced the menu complexity/no of courses as mentioned earlier. You can see from those metrics why the received service is not as it once was though.

 

Interesting analysis. That makes sense.

[benbess]

Are the new Celebrity "Edge"-class ships, due starting in 2018, meant to replace the M-class ships? Or are they just in addition to the M-class.

 

It's difficult to believe, but the M-class is now sweet 16, but in Cruise ship/dog years that means that maybe in 5 years or so they might be due for retirement and sale to another line? The last Celebrity ship that was retired, Century, lasted about 20 years with Celebrity, I think, from c. 1995 to c. 2015....Here's an article about the new Edge-class ships:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6353

 

I think the M-class ships are nicer looking in terms of their profiles than any other ship currently out there. Maybe it's just me, but imho the Solstice class doesn't look quite as elegant from the outside, although I know on the inside they are stunning.

Edited February 28, 2016 by benbess

[dkjretired]

Are the new Celebrity "Edge"-class ships, due starting in 2018, meant to replace the M-class ships? Or are they just in addition to the M-class.

 

It's difficult to believe, but the M-class is now sweet 16, but in Cruise ship/dog years that means that maybe in 5 years or so they might be due for retirement and sale to another line? The last Celebrity ship that was retired, Century, lasted about 20 years with Celebrity, I think, from c. 1995 to c. 2015....Here's an article about the new Edge-class ships:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6353

 

I think the M-class ships are nicer looking in terms of their profiles than any other ship currently out there. Maybe it's just me, but imho the Solstice class doesn't look quite as elegant from the outside, although I know on the inside they are stunning.

 

They are being built to add to the fleet for now. Same thing was said at the time the S class ships were built, additions to fleet but then they got rid of Horizon, Zenith, Mercury, Galaxy and Century. Who knows.

 

My own thoughts on the article are what I said at the time it came out. The new ships will have the suite areas closed off from the rest of the ship, sort of going back to class system. NCL has somewhat done that.

Edited February 28, 2016 by dkjretired

[dkjretired]

lol!!

 

You're probably not the right person to ask, but is the tap water on board drinkable? I vaguely recall that in 2006 my wife and I just had tap water along with a glass of wine with dinner, and iirc it was ok with a bit of lemon...? Or is bottled water $$ always the way to go?

 

Tap water is fine to drink, probably better than the bottled water. Some people have expressed some concerns about sodium in the water which can effect some illnesses.

[tutak]

lol!!

 

You're probably not the right person to ask, but is the tap water on board drinkable? I vaguely recall that in 2006 my wife and I just had tap water along with a glass of wine with dinner, and iirc it was ok with a bit of lemon...? Or is bottled water $$ always the way to go?

 

From Cruise critic information:

 

"8. Water, water everywhere. No need to lug a case of water with you when you go cruising. The tap water on cruise ships is completely safe and drinkable, having been through rigorous filtration and testing, all of which are overseen by U.S. and European heath agencies. While some cruisers claim that the tap water in restaurants and bars tastes different from what comes out of the cabin bathroom, it is all, in fact, the same water."

 

Rose and I never order bottled water at dinner, but drink the water poured by the waiter. However, since bottled water is included with the beverage package, we always get two bottles to take ashore.

 

John

[benbess]

They are being built to add to the fleet for now. Same thing was said at the time the S class ships were built, additions to fleet but then they got rid of Horizon, Zenith, Mercury, Galaxy and Century. Who knows.

 

My own thoughts on the article are what I said at the time it came out. The new ships will have the suite areas closed off from the rest of the ship, sort of going back to class system. NCL has somewhat done that.

 

I'd forgotten that Celebrity sold five ships in just a few years.

 

Horizon was their first ship (I think), and a comparatively small one. But to put it in perspective, she's c. 46,000 GT, which is about as much as the Titanic. Horizon was in service with Celebrity from 1990-2005. She's still sailing with a French cruise line.

 

Zenith is a near-identical sister ship, serving Celebrity from 1992-2007.

 

Century, a comparatively large ship (72,000 tons, not far from the Queen Mary) at the time of completion in 1995, was sold in 2015.

 

Sister ship Galaxy didn't even last 20 years, and was with Celebrity from 1996-2009. And the third sister ship, Mercury, served Celebrity from 1997-2011, also less than 20 years.

 

Given that, I wonder if the Edge class will slowly edge out the M-class.

 

On the other hand, there's no rule that a ship has to go in 15-20 years. The original Queen Mary was in service for about 30 years with the same line. And I think there are some Royal Caribbean ships that have served 20 years and counting....?

 

I looked it up, and the original construction costs for the M-class was about $350 million per ship, which sounds almost low cost in these days of billion dollar cruise ships. They've certainly had tens of millions of dollars of repairs, maintenance, and improvements over the years. I wonder how long the financing is on the average cruise ship. If an average car is 5 years, and the average house c. 30, my guess is maybe 10? If so, they were long ago paid off maybe making them less costly to run overall even as maintenance costs rise?

 

The recent pix I've seen here of Infinity and other M-ships seem to show that they are in very nice shape....

 

It would be neat if there were a whole coffee table book of the history of Celebrity, but I don't suppose anything like that exists.

Edited February 28, 2016 by benbess

[benbess]

From Cruise critic information:

 

"8. Water, water everywhere. No need to lug a case of water with you when you go cruising. The tap water on cruise ships is completely safe and drinkable, having been through rigorous filtration and testing, all of which are overseen by U.S. and European heath agencies. While some cruisers claim that the tap water in restaurants and bars tastes different from what comes out of the cabin bathroom, it is all, in fact, the same water."

 

Rose and I never order bottled water at dinner, but drink the water poured by the waiter. However, since bottled water is included with the beverage package, we always get two bottles to take ashore.

 

John

 

Thanks for the information. Good to know.

[Host Jazzbeau]

lol!!

 

You're probably not the right person to ask, but is the tap water on board drinkable? I vaguely recall that in 2006 my wife and I just had tap water along with a glass of wine with dinner, and iirc it was ok with a bit of lemon...? Or is bottled water $$ always the way to go?

 

Tap water on the ship is made by desalinizing and filtering ocean water, then adding back some minerals so it doesn't taste flat. It is perfectly acceptable -- much better than the water in some cities as we travel!

[Cruizen Susan]

10 years ago:

 

The experience in the MDR was similar to the specialty restaurants of today. Michel Roux menus were 5 courses. I remember on formal nights' date=' crumbs being swept off the tablecloth, gelato served between courses and petit fours were in addition to dessert. Service was attentive, friendly and usually fast. The wine Sommelier came around quickly.

 

There was a midnight buffet served partway through the cruise that was nothing short of spectacular with it's ice sculptures and food art AND an equally amazing chocolate buffet was offered on a different evening. The poolside party included a wide range of delicious finger foods. If you were in the lounges in the evening, trays of hor'dourves often circulated by white gloved servers.

 

The outside grill served more than just hotdogs, fries and burgers. I remember stirfrys, different types of sausage, pork chops, hot wings and the most delicious mini cornbreads. The menu at the grill had daily specials. Trays were used in the buffet and servers offered to carry them to your table.

 

Waffles were freshly made for you and delish.

 

Aquaspa Cafe offerings included made to order grilled salmon and chicken.

 

You could opt to eat in an alternate evening dining venue for I believe $2/person.

 

Drink stewards were aplenty by the pool and your glass was never empty (without having to get up). Gelato was often circulated around the pool.

 

Ballroom dancing was popular and Celebrity had dance hosts at these events.

 

Michael's club was a piano bar and open to everyone.

 

Prizes for trivia and pool games were much nicer.

 

Water jugs and ice were in your cabin nightly without having to ask for them.

In addition, cotton balls and q-tips were in great supply.

 

No fee for room service, any time.

 

A martini flight was $10 but didn't come with a "show".

 

There seemed to be more live music vs piped music today.

 

Formal night meant FORMAL.

 

 

TODAY:

 

Relaxed dress code

 

Martini bars on all ships :)

 

Auto tipping, no envelopes

 

Drink packages, like cilantro, either you love 'em or hate 'em, BUT NOT ENOUGH SERVERS to accommodate the number of people using them.

 

Bars close earlier. I'm sure this saves a ton wrt the number of people having bev packages.

 

The addition of Aqua Class, Suite Class and separate eating areas, venues & perks creating a segregated ship experience.

 

Specialty restaurants, overpriced IMHO.

 

Service and food quality issues in MDR and OVC are the new norm.

 

No Captain's table

 

S class ships have a lawn and glass blowing.

 

Shareholders can no longer combine their credit with promos.

 

Prices? Really haven't changed a lot until recent years with the whole "free" drink package (wink, wink). But when you take into consideration all of the above, it is apparent why.

 

I'm sure I'm missing tons but these are some differences that come to mind. I am now going to do as my name suggests, and quit whinin';)[/quote']

 

I agree with just about everything noted above.

 

I will say however, that I get more bang for my buck than in "the olden days" There was no such thing back then like free pre-paid gratuities, OBC and don't even think about having a drink package included back then. Our drink tab alone on some cruises exceeded $1,000.

 

As someone else said, we never ate anything anyway at the midnight buffets. If we felt like it, we walked down to the spread and marveled at its presentation and quantity. I used to feel bad about all the waste, and hoped that at least the staff got to enjoy it the next day.

 

I recall the lovely white-glove service, but I can live without it. And I hated the envelope tipping system and am so glad they switched to automatic tipping.

 

I will admit that I miss the brunch extravaganza. Everyone seemed to love it and to participate.

 

Also, fondly recall elegance elegance elegance. I sure hope the casual trend does not totally destroy that aspect of cruising on a premiere line.

 

Every business in the world is cutting corners and costs to keep the corporations profits up, and to keep shareholders happy. Why would cruise lines be any different?

 

So as much as I miss the "good ol days", here I am still enjoying cruising and am leaving on the Equinox in a few days! :) I assume my CC buddies here also still enjoy cruising, or we wouldn't be hanging around these forums!

Edited February 28, 2016 by Cruisen'Susan

[dkjretired]

I'd forgotten that Celebrity sold five ships in just a few years.

 

Horizon was their first ship (I think), and a comparatively small one. But to put it in perspective, she's c. 46,000 GT, which is about as much as the Titanic. Horizon was in service with Celebrity from 1990-2005. She's still sailing with a French cruise line.

 

Zenith is a near-identical sister ship, serving Celebrity from 1992-2007.

 

Century, a comparatively large ship (72,000 tons, not far from the Queen Mary) at the time of completion in 1995, was sold in 2015.

 

Sister ship Galaxy didn't even last 20 years, and was with Celebrity from 1996-2009. And the third sister ship, Mercury, served Celebrity from 1997-2011, also less than 20 years.

 

Given that, I wonder if the Edge class will slowly edge out the M-class.

 

On the other hand, there's no rule that a ship has to go in 15-20 years. The original Queen Mary was in service for about 30 years with the same line. And I think there are some Royal Caribbean ships that have served 20 years and counting....?

 

I looked it up, and the original construction costs for the M-class was about $350 million per ship, which sounds almost low cost in these days of billion dollar cruise ships. They've certainly had tens of millions of dollars of repairs, maintenance, and improvements over the years. I wonder how long the financing is on the average cruise ship. If an average car is 5 years, and the average house c. 30, my guess is maybe 10? If so, they were long ago paid off maybe making them less costly to run overall even as maintenance costs rise?

 

The recent pix I've seen here of Infinity and other M-ships seem to show that they are in very nice shape....

 

It would be neat if there were a whole coffee table book of the history of Celebrity, but I don't suppose anything like that exists.

 

Actually Horizon was their first new build. Meridien was Celebrity's first ship.