Changing standards

[grandgeezer]

Hmmm. We're still paying about $150 a day for a verandah stateroom, but getting beverage package and other perks. So, while I do miss some niceties, there have been other improvements over the 15 years we've been cruising. Certainly, the value proposition is what is most important.

 

I feel we're still getting good value for our dollar. It is NOT one of the high end lines...but is still a good value. The food in the MDR has suffered and then improved over the past five years.

 

We also aren't passive cruisers, and when we have an issue, we judge the response to it, not that it happened in the first place. Perfection is illusory, and expecting it can be frustrating.

 

I would love to sail on Crystal again, but the money is considerable. We sail on Cunard once in a while, and Princess when there's a deal we want.

A

In all, the market is driving all lines to hone their business models, and pay-to-play is the current trend.

 

My advice: go with friends and have your own good time. At this price point ($300 per night including food) we still think the value is there. That said, when we find a better value, we'll explore it.

 

Until recently, we've never paid more than $100 p.p. for a veranda and that's including taxes, fees, and tips, except for the Oasis class ships and cruises in Europe. The mentioned perks are of no interest to us, especially the drink package. Hence cruising on Celebrity is not a good enough value to warrant our hard earned money, at least not at this time. I can't vision any vacation experience, of any length, worth $300 per day per couple.

[Blazerboy]

Until recently, we've never paid more than $100 p.p. for a veranda and that's including taxes, fees, and tips, except for the Oasis class ships and cruises in Europe. The mentioned perks are of no interest to us, especially the drink package. Hence cruising on Celebrity is not a good enough value to warrant our hard earned money, at least not at this time. I can't vision any vacation experience, of any length, worth $300 per day per couple.

We like the drink package, and it's worth about $50. a day for us, so we're even. When they add in a $300 per cabin credit or include gratuities, we're ahead of the game. Cruising isn't 'one size fits all' and so if you find a better proposition elsewhere, that's where I'd go.:)

 

Coming from an urban environment, hotels are rarely less than $200 per night, and don't include anything else, so that may explain whey we feel it's a good value, but others might not.

[russg140]

Hi

 

I am interested in hearing the thoughts of those who, like me, have sailed with Celebrity in the last few years. This line has long been my company of choice but now I feel that standards may be changing. Please watch my short video which carries my thoughts.

 

http://www.karlcooper.co.uk/index.php/9-uncategorised/80-changing-standards

 

I'd love to hear your experience of sailing with Celebrity.

 

Karl Cooper

 

I'm going back to the OP.

 

I work in the hospitality business and I deal with people like you all the time.

 

I'm sorry to ask, but what do you eat at home? Who "serves" you? What would your wife say if you said "I asked for it medium rare and you served it to me rare"? I can only guess.

 

I deal with people like you all the time. You pay minimum price and expect 5 star service, never recognizing any effort made to do the best for you. You are a nitpicker and a complainer.

 

You did the right thing by telling your server something wasn't right. But instead of saying "I thanked him for my delicious lamb" all you wanted to do was complain that it was tough and say how your friend "Had to send it back a third time". Do you know how far the server has to walk each time to get your "perfectly cooked" lamb.

 

If you don't like the standards under which Celebrity operates (and I in no way think they are perfect) go somewhere else. For those of us that enjoy the experience all you are doing is ruining for the rest of us.

[bphman]

We, too, have sailed on 14 different cruise lines and have enjoyed the different experiences. Our last 2 cruises were with HAL and we noticed a decline in level of service mainly in cabin service. The food was fine in the MDR but the service at the pizza bar and also the grill was borderline rude so these issues are not unique to Celebrity.

 

Prior to our two HAL cruises, we sailed Celebrity in both Sky Suites and AQ. Unfortunately they did not have Luminae but we did dine in Blu and enjoyed it. This was in 2014. We returning to Celebrity for our Baltic cruise next year because of price and itinerary. Celebrity is a bargain compared to HAL for a very similar itinerary and we are booked in AQ for a little more than a HAL balcony. Hal does not have anything comparable to AQ and their suites don't really compare to the perks of Celebrity suites.

 

I share the opinion that this is more of an industry problem than an issue with Celebrity. When you compare the cost of cruising with what we paid in 1991, cruising remains a bargain. With lodging, transportation, drinks included, I'm not complaining. Things won't be perfect and I accept that. I won't let that ruin my vacation. But, don't expect paradise on any other mass market line. I've been there. You are going to have to move up a notch and pay accordingly.

[CABINET]

I'm going back to the OP.

 

I work in the hospitality business and I deal with people like you all the time.

 

I'm sorry to ask, but what do you eat at home? Who "serves" you? What would your wife say if you said "I asked for it medium rare and you served it to me rare"? I can only guess.

 

I deal with people like you all the time. You pay minimum price and expect 5 star service, never recognizing any effort made to do the best for you. You are a nitpicker and a complainer.

 

You did the right thing by telling your server something wasn't right. But instead of saying "I thanked him for my delicious lamb" all you wanted to do was complain that it was tough and say how your friend "Had to send it back a third time". Do you know how far the server has to walk each time to get your "perfectly cooked" lamb.

 

If you don't like the standards under which Celebrity operates (and I in no way think they are perfect) go somewhere else. For those of us that enjoy the experience all you are doing is ruining for the rest of us.

 

Seriously - you expect somebody who has been asked how he would like his meat cooked and then receives it incorrectly cooked, followed by finding that the replacement product is tough to say "thank you for my delicious lamb". Don't be absurd.

Edited October 9, 2016 by CABINET

[villauk]

Seriously - you expect somebody who has been asked how he would like his meat cooked and then receives it incorrectly cooked, followed by finding that the replacement product is tough to say "thank you for my delicious lamb". Don't be absurd.

 

It's also not the waiter's fault, or the chef's really, if the piece of meat is tough - I presume he/she has to work with what X purchase in bulk. Admittedly it is the chef's if not cooked correctly, but why didn't the diner have a word with the F&B manager if he was that appalled? Sorry, that may have been said at the end of the clip, however, I didn't watch it all because I find it ludicrous that the OP had to film what he wanted to say, and read it off crib sheets, only my opinion of course ;). It then reduces the claim in my eyes because it's all about how many 'hits' he's had rather than the actual complaints. Why do you need to record yourself every time your bacon doesn't arrive?

 

If you're not happy, as others have stated, move to a different line. If enough people abandon ship, then X will consider what's wrong - if there is indeed a problem in their eyes i.e. they're not filling their ships. It's not your job to worry about their standards falling (they have a department for that :D), yours is to spend your money where you best feel you are obtaining your needs and wants at a price that suits ;).

[DYKWIA]

...

I work in the hospitality business and I deal with people like you all the time.

 

I'm sorry to ask, but what do you eat at home? Who "serves" you? What would your wife say if you said "I asked for it medium rare and you served it to me rare"? I can only guess.

 

I deal with people like you all the time. You pay minimum price and expect 5 star service, never recognizing any effort made to do the best for you. You are a nitpicker and a complainer.

 

You did the right thing by telling your server something wasn't right. But instead of saying "I thanked him for my delicious lamb" all you wanted to do was complain that it was tough and say how your friend "Had to send it back a third time". Do you know how far the server has to walk each time to get your "perfectly cooked" lamb.

 

If you don't like the standards under which Celebrity operates (and I in no way think they are perfect) go somewhere else. For those of us that enjoy the experience all you are doing is ruining for the rest of us.

 

What a totally bizarre answer. Comparing what you get at home is ridiculous - it is one of the reasons people dine out... to get a professionally cooked meal to high standards - whatever price point! Why would I pay to dine out to get worse service and food than at home.

 

Where in the hospitality industry do you actually work?

Edited October 9, 2016 by DYKWIA

[CABINET]

It's also not the waiter's fault, or the chef's really, if the piece of meat is tough

 

I couldn't agree more and I am not defending the whinging but nobody is going to be rhapsodizing over a tough piece of meat are they?

[villauk]

I couldn't agree more and I am not defending the whinging but nobody is going to be rhapsodizing over a tough piece of meat are they?

 

We agree to agree :D.

[geeky13]

Thanks you very much for all the excellent responses to my post. I appreciate all that has been said. I will post another video pulling together some of your feedback and adding in more detail of the service we've experienced this so far, on board the Eclipse.

 

 

 

--

Karl Cooper

[colombiangirl]

We also had bad experience this past August and had extensive conversations with the senior crew on board. They are doing they best that they can with what they are given. We had pretty much made the decision to not go back to X and on our return home got a call from the Miami office. Their food and beverage director adressed my concerns and assured me that changes were already being made. I have been in touch with 2 different people from corporate. People keep voicing opinions on here! They are being read and discussed. We wont be sailing X in 2017 but have booked our April 2018 sailing on the Reflection. Next year we are taking a break and sailing Oceania instead. We shall see what happens.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Forums mobile app

Edited October 9, 2016 by colombiangirl

[Bo1953]

I'm going back to the OP.

 

I work in the hospitality business and I deal with people like you all the time.

 

I'm sorry to ask, but what do you eat at home? Who "serves" you? What would your wife say if you said "I asked for it medium rare and you served it to me rare"? I can only guess.

 

I deal with people like you all the time. You pay minimum price and expect 5 star service, never recognizing any effort made to do the best for you. You are a nitpicker and a complainer.

 

You did the right thing by telling your server something wasn't right. But instead of saying "I thanked him for my delicious lamb" all you wanted to do was complain that it was tough and say how your friend "Had to send it back a third time". Do you know how far the server has to walk each time to get your "perfectly cooked" lamb.

 

If you don't like the standards under which Celebrity operates (and I in no way think they are perfect) go somewhere else. For those of us that enjoy the experience all you are doing is ruining for the rest of us.

 

r1 - Post rated: A1 - my sentiments, exactly. The droning about service and food and 'if we had not already booked x # of cruises we would leave... etc.' we can leave now and go elsewhere, no need to suffer the indignities under which one indicates.

 

This is not to say that there are not times when things go awry and need to be corrected. I support the complainers voting with their cash immediately and let the new comers enjoy their sailing(s) or not.

 

I support members who post negative issues with their sailings, how many times do they need to repeat them? Especially if they have left X for better sailings...

 

Alas, we can only :D when they come on and re-post and not tell us the new line they are sailing or better yet, post on that board and let us find the post, if we chose too...

 

bon voyage

[keithm]

I suspect the pushiest staff I've had for tips and/or good reviews were on Celebrity, I wonder if they put more pressure on the crew.

Never had that issue on the Eclipse. We always found the staff to be most polite.

[keithm]

i'm going back to the op.

 

I work in the hospitality business and i deal with people like you all the time.

 

I'm sorry to ask, but what do you eat at home? Who "serves" you? What would your wife say if you said "i asked for it medium rare and you served it to me rare"? I can only guess.

 

I deal with people like you all the time. You pay minimum price and expect 5 star service, never recognizing any effort made to do the best for you. You are a nitpicker and a complainer.

 

You did the right thing by telling your server something wasn't right. But instead of saying "i thanked him for my delicious lamb" all you wanted to do was complain that it was tough and say how your friend "had to send it back a third time". Do you know how far the server has to walk each time to get your "perfectly cooked" lamb.

 

If you don't like the standards under which celebrity operates (and i in no way think they are perfect) go somewhere else. For those of us that enjoy the experience all you are doing is ruining for the rest of us.

ouch!!

[Bo1953]

What a totally bizarre answer. Comparing what you get at home is ridiculous - it is one of the reasons people dine out... to get a professionally cooked meal to high standards - whatever price point! Why would I pay to dine out to get worse service and food than at home.

 

Where in the hospitality industry do you actually work?

 

d - that was the point, IMO, when your standards are higher than what you receive, on more than one sailing, it is time to move on.

 

Overall, the sailings are of good value to many of us.

 

One can go to Yelp or Trip Advisor as well, to complain about their service, food and etc. on a X ship.

 

But this is a specific board for the sailing public and as such a limited new audience, for the most part.

 

We all have options, some rather complain than exercising them, of course here in the U.S., we may have more exposure to those options and can exercise them, than others in other countries.

 

bon voyage

[keithm]

It's also not the waiter's fault, or the chef's really, if the piece of meat is tough - I presume he/she has to work with what X purchase in bulk. Admittedly it is the chef's if not cooked correctly, but why didn't the diner have a word with the F&B manager if he was that appalled? Sorry, that may have been said at the end of the clip, however, I didn't watch it all because I find it ludicrous that the OP had to film what he wanted to say, and read it off crib sheets, only my opinion of course ;). It then reduces the claim in my eyes because it's all about how many 'hits' he's had rather than the actual complaints. Why do you need to record yourself every time your bacon doesn't arrive?

 

If you're not happy, as others have stated, move to a different line. If enough people abandon ship, then X will consider what's wrong - if there is indeed a problem in their eyes i.e. they're not filling their ships. It's not your job to worry about their standards falling (they have a department for that :D), yours is to spend your money where you best feel you are obtaining your needs and wants at a price that suits ;).

Actually, a good chef can improve a tough piece of meat! He/she needs to slice it the correct way to "break" the tougher muscle fibers. I'm in the food industry, and have seen it done. It's true you can never make a piece of "select" grade come out like a piece of "prime" beef but you can improve the toughness quite a bit, provided you have the skills. just ask a good butcher at home.

[royalcruz]

Most of these complaints are due to individual human error and not declining standards. I haven't noticed many significant declines but have met unfriendly and even inappropriate staff (racist comments and arguing with each other in front of guests) on Celebrity. I also feel that there is a decline in the traditional hospitality attitude on Celebrity and other lines and on land...I guess that training programs no longer teach courtesy and customer service in the same ways.

[AnOnymously]

Most of these complaints are due to individual human error and not declining standards. I haven't noticed many significant declines but have met unfriendly and even inappropriate staff (racist comments and arguing with each other in front of guests) on Celebrity. I also feel that there is a decline in the traditional hospitality attitude on Celebrity and other lines and on land...I guess that training programs no longer teach courtesy and customer service in the same ways.

 

For me the things you mention are declining standards, standards are not just the food, the cleanliness etc, but are about staff and how they treat/behave infront of customers.

[Marelaine]

We like the drink package, and it's worth about $50. a day for us, so we're even. When they add in a $300 per cabin credit or include gratuities, we're ahead of the game. Cruising isn't 'one size fits all' and so if you find a better proposition elsewhere, that's where I'd go.:)

 

Coming from an urban environment, hotels are rarely less than $200 per night, and don't include anything else, so that may explain whey we feel it's a good value, but others might not.

 

Same with us. Between cocktails, soda, juice, coffee, special tea, water, we think the drink package is a good deal. It's nice not to worry about the bill at the end of the cruise. We booked our next cruise early and received $400 OBC for our ordinary balcony cabin. All things considered, we paid less for this next cruise than we did for our first Solstice cruise in 2010. We love select dining and evening chic also.

 

I was disappointed on our last cruise that there were no afternoon tea sandwiches at Cafe al Baccio. I miss the live music at the pool on sea days. Some of the nice little extras, such as toiletries, are gone, but we always brought our own. No game changers for us. We are happy with X.

 

The hotel we stay in prior to and after the cruise cost nearly twice as much per night than the cruise per night. Meals and entertainment are extra.

Edited October 9, 2016 by Marelaine

[johhnnyt]

I call that the "Hershey Bar Syndrome". Years back you paid a certain price & got a certain sized bar. Now a days the price goes higher & the bar gets smaller & has cheaper ingredients. I'm willing to pay higher prices to maintain the quality, but not higher prices & reduced quality. So far on our 2 Celebrity trips(both repeat 14 day Caribbean trips on the Eclipse 2014/2015)quality dropping(in our opinion)has been negligible. Having missed Celebrity this year, we'll see how 2017 looks on the Eclipse.

 

I think its the natural progression of everything. My friend own a a TA that specializes in cruises, and every line has nickeled and dimed some to cut costs, and try to maintain a reasonable pricepoint for guests & ROI for investors.

I think its funny to watch as I remember when D Hanrahan took over Celebrity and all the talk on the boards how he lowered the standards,started these horrible Solstice class ships YADA YADA YADA, Bayley takes over same complaints, he doesn't care about loyalty YADA YADA YADA, Lisa LP takes over and the cycle continues about how she doesn't care about loyalty YADA YADA YADA

So like you mentioned I try and keep an eye on the big picture, is my overall experience a good value for the dollar YES IT IS Does the staff treat me good to excellent? YES THEY DO Are their going to be hiccups when they have less staff to passengers? Yes there will be But its really my choice if I'm going to enjoy the holiday, or try and pinpoint minor annoyances that occur at any hotel, bar, restaurant.

 

Like You mention to me its about the overall experience, not a few bumps on the road

[Kevnzworld]

Yes....Celebrity is changing.

It's somewhat better or worse depending on how much you want to spend.

The Veranda / MDR class is deteriorating in quality. I won't eat in the MDR, I don't like the service or lack of it. It's hectic. I don't like food being thrown at me.

 

If you can afford the suites and newer for pay restaurants ( sushi, Gastrobar, Luminae ), Celebrity is somewhat better than it was.

Yes, the pool is still crowded, the Oceanview cafe is like a high school cafeteria and there is the constant up sell f product and services.

That being said....

I still think many Celebrity cruises are still a good relative value. I'm sailing in two weeks...

[travelberlin]

I call that the "Hershey Bar Syndrome". Years back you paid a certain price & got a certain sized bar. Now a days the price goes higher & the bar gets smaller & has cheaper ingredients. I'm willing to pay higher prices to maintain the quality, but not higher prices & reduced quality...

 

I agree, we do find that Celebrity has dropped quality but increased prices. For example our last cruise with the Celebrity Infinity for Carnival in Rio was quite disappointing. It was supposed to be a once in a life experience and we were willing to pay the high prices for the cruise and for the excursion to the Sambadrom to see the parade. The cruise itself was average at the most. The experience at the Sambadrom did not justify the prices charged by Celebrity. Guest relations manager not really in the mood to keep clients satisfied and crew more interested in the experience of carnival in Rio than on passengers. What a pitty, we have sailed several times with the Infinity and we had such a good impression from our previous sailings.

We do hope that Celebrity will not continue this trend. We are willing to return to what used to be our favorite cruiseline.

Edited October 9, 2016 by travelberlin

[CapeCodCruiser]

I'm going back to the OP.

 

I work in the hospitality business and I deal with people like you all the time.

 

I'm sorry to ask, but what do you eat at home? Who "serves" you? What would your wife say if you said "I asked for it medium rare and you served it to me rare"? I can only guess.

 

I deal with people like you all the time. You pay minimum price and expect 5 star service, never recognizing any effort made to do the best for you. You are a nitpicker and a complainer.

 

You did the right thing by telling your server something wasn't right. But instead of saying "I thanked him for my delicious lamb" all you wanted to do was complain that it was tough and say how your friend "Had to send it back a third time". Do you know how far the server has to walk each time to get your "perfectly cooked" lamb.

 

If you don't like the standards under which Celebrity operates (and I in no way think they are perfect) go somewhere else. For those of us that enjoy the experience all you are doing is ruining for the rest of us.

 

 

As soon as my husband starts PAYING me for every meal I cook he can complain about it!

 

When PAYING for a meal the expectation is an edible meal - not unreasonable.

 

When Celebrity starts advertising "MEH - Mediocre food lives here" I won't complain - if they want to advertise themselves as:

 

"Modern luxury comes in such an amazing array of flavors

Dining on board Celebrity Cruises is an experience for all the senses. Choose casual or fancy, sushi or Italian, inside or outside under the stars. With up to a dozen specialty restaurants, and an array of bars, lounges, and clubs, every experience is one-of-a-kind. And with Celebrity's Select Dining℠, when you dine, and with whom, is entirely up to you.Our menus, crafted by Michelin-starred chef, Cornelius Gallagher, are inspired by, and locally sourced from, the amazing regions we visit.

Our Restaurants"

 

THEY HAD BETTER DELIVER

[travelberlin]

As soon as my husband starts PAYING me for every meal I cook he can complain about it!

 

When PAYING for a meal the expectation is an edible meal - not unreasonable.

 

When Celebrity starts advertising "MEH - Mediocre food lives here" I won't complain - if they want to advertise themselves as:

 

"Modern luxury comes in such an amazing array of flavors

Dining on board Celebrity Cruises is an experience for all the senses. Choose casual or fancy, sushi or Italian, inside or outside under the stars. With up to a dozen specialty restaurants, and an array of bars, lounges, and clubs, every experience is one-of-a-kind. And with Celebrity's Select Dining℠, when you dine, and with whom, is entirely up to you.Our menus, crafted by Michelin-starred chef, Cornelius Gallagher, are inspired by, and locally sourced from, the amazing regions we visit.

Our Restaurants"

 

THEY HAD BETTER DELIVER

 

I like the way you put it 👍

[Brad1185]

We feel we don't have too high of standards. Carnival and NCL are below our standards. RCI is barely above and Celebrity is barely above RCI. All cruise lines have extremely cut their quality.

Edited October 9, 2016 by Brad1185