Is Celebrity loosing it's luster? I hope not.

[NLH Arizona]

There have been a lot of misses on Celebrity the last couple of years as evidenced by countless threads and comments (not just from me ;p)

 

Does anyone know who or what's causing all of this. It doesn't appear to be restricted to one ship. There are nuggets of great crew that have to deal with it. However I get the impression even they're getting tired of it.

Companies have to make changes otherwise they become stagnant and that is what Celebrity is doing. Some people like the changes and some don't, it is really just personal preference. In reading all the threads, it seems that there are just as many posters who either like or have no issues with the changes, as there are those that have issues with the changes. I'd bet that there will be more changes in the years to come, some will like them and some won't, but in order for a company to evolve, they have to try different things and if you look at some of the other cruise lines' threads, they are dong the same thing. Customers are a strange breed, we want the lowest of prices, but we want things to remain like they were or are improved upon and unfortunately if a business wants to stay in business, they can't give us both

[Hlitner]

There have been a lot of misses on Celebrity the last couple of years as evidenced by countless threads and comments (not just from me ;p)

 

Does anyone know who or what's causing all of this. It doesn't appear to be restricted to one ship. There are nuggets of great crew that have to deal with it. However I get the impression even they're getting tired of it.

 

This seems to be a case where the buck (and blame) goes right to the top.....who is Lisa Lutoff-Perlo (sometimes called LLP here on CC) who is the current Celebrity CEO. She came to this position in December 2014....from her senior job at RCI. Ms. Lutoff-Perlo made it clear that she wanted to make some big changes to Celebrity including increasing pricing and modifying some onboard practices. To this outsider....it appears she is following an all too typical CEO path (in the USA) of making changes that immediately benefit the bottom line. American executives are often accused of playing the short game (to quickly increase profits) while ignoring long term consequences. Since many CEOs have bonuses (tied to profits) as part of their compensation package...one can just wonder if that is the case here.

 

Last December, when we were on the Eclipse we had a private conversation with a senior member of that ship's staff (a gentleman we have known for years) who expressed some frustration with policy changes coming down from Corporate. Consider that even a small cut-back can result in major cost savings....when its done across the entire fleet. In Blu, we started to laugh at the almost daily use of less costly cuts of meat such as beef shank, pork shank, etc. One night they served a "rib eye" that could not have been more then 1/2 inch thick. Its not a cut of meat we would even consider using at home...so no reason to expect it on what is supposed to be a higher end mass market line. One morning, at the Lido, we asked the egg cook to please make us an omelet with real eggs (not the processed liquid that comes out of a box). He had plenty of real eggs (they use them to make things like over easy) but told us her was not permitted to use real eggs to make an omelet (he quietly apologized for the policy). The so-called Fresh squeezed OJ that is sold at the bar in the Lido...is no longer real fresh squeezed OJ. Even in the Elite breakfasts....the previously real fresh squeezed OJ had been replaced by what they told us was a "premium" product. That stuff was not nearly as good as the basic OJ we buy in our supermarket. These are very small changes...but they start to add up which is why I called it "death by a thousand cut-backs."

 

Hank

[rose6]

NLH Arizona

 

I strongly disagree with your argument above. The they can't give us both argument is merely a defense of their poor policy changes. If a company fails to meet the expectations of it's loyal customers they will go elsewhere.

Hank is correct, short term profit gains may hurt long term returns.

[bigbenboys]

I've cruised on Celebrity for many, many years and it has not lost it's luster for me. Others, feel differently. Opinions differ due to anticipated experiences, likes, dislikes, the want for it to never change, the want for things to change, etc. There have been changes, but none have affected my cruising experience nor my perceived value.

 

The above statement is true for my family.

 

My other thoughts are. We did a cruise on Connie 14 night in the Caribbean. I told myself never sailing on Connie again. On the Caribbean cruise the people were so old. I really thought that some of the people in the shade by the pool were in their lounge chairs all day and night because they dont remember where their cabins were. :eek: (PS I might be one of them if I live another 15 years) 2 year after that. Friends wanted to do a Mediterranean cruise. The best cruise that went where we wanted to go was Connie. We had a great Mediterranean cruise on Connie. The cruise was 12 nights.

My other thought on food on Celebrity. Over all we as cruisers have more options for food than ever before. How can that be a bad thing. My Chateaubriand steak in Murano last month was fantastic. My rib-eye at Tuscan Grill last March was bad, and we were dining with officers. Maybe it is just me. For the last 3 years at home I've been buy prime steak. So the question is, did my taste change or the quality of the steaks.

This coming Nov 3, 2017 we will be on Reflection for a 14 night Caribbean cruise. I'm just wondering will it be another Connie? At this time we have 4 Caribbean cruises booked. Only one is 14 nights the others are all 7 nights.

[NLH Arizona]

NLH Arizona

 

I strongly disagree with your argument above. The they can't give us both argument is merely a defense of their poor policy changes. If a company fails to meet the expectations of it's loyal customers they will go elsewhere.

Hank is correct, short term profit gains may hurt long term returns.

Rose6, and I strongly disagree with your argument. If Celebrity doesn't meet someone's likes and wants, there probably is another line that does. As a loyal long time customer, I still find value in Celebrity, if others don't, so be it.

[NLH Arizona]

This coming Nov 3, 2017 we will be on Reflection for a 14 night Caribbean cruise. I'm just wondering will it be another Connie? At this time we have 4 Caribbean cruises booked. Only one is 14 nights the others are all 7 nights.

I was on the Reflection in January and there was a good mix of ages, but it was a 7 day cruise.

[Host Jazzbeau]

A lot of posters on threads like this take the position that since they don't like the changes, the cruise line is headed for disaster. Sorry folks, none of us is really important to any of the companies we deal with -- if the change tests well, there will be 3 people to replace every 'loyal' customer who leaves. [And don't trot out that old stuff about how it's cheaper to keep an old customer than earn a new one: except for the lady who lives on Crystal, they have to sell every new cruise whether it's to an Elite or a newbie] As a Baby Boomer, I liked the way Celebrity used to be and don't really like the new loud vibe -- but we aren't the generation they are seeking any more. The Edge and S-class ships will appeal very well to a younger crowd as a step-up from Carnival. [i still don't see how they will be able to market the M-class to this new market, but maybe those ships are heading off somewhere else anyway]

[hcat]

Right you are... a step up from Carnival.....that's the future of X

 

BUT....

If Edge has an amazing spa it will appeal to me no matter what.....that and my AQ glass window balcony!

 

And there may then be better deals on S class,,,enjoy BLU best we can and specialty dining and the spa...try to avoid the loud stuff!

[neverbeenhere]

Thanks Jazzbeau, you said what I was thinking in a far less snarky way than I would present the thoughts. I surely would have commented that if one has been cruising for 40 years, Celebrity could care less about you, unless a person started cruising at 1 or 2 years old.

 

--- To all the older cruisers: Spend the family fortune because your children and their millennial children will be glad to spend it for you.

 

The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. --- Lesley P. Hartley

[grandgeezer]

A lot of posters on threads like this take the position that since they don't like the changes, the cruise line is headed for disaster. Sorry folks, none of us is really important to any of the companies we deal with -- if the change tests well, there will be 3 people to replace every 'loyal' customer who leaves. [And don't trot out that old stuff about how it's cheaper to keep an old customer than earn a new one:

]

 

 

At least get the phrase right, "It cost 10 times more to get a customer back than to keep them in the first place".

[TommyD3]

Sounds like you love X. We met a lady on our Crystal cruise last month that has cruised on the Serenity for the last 9 years straight. The only time she has not had a room on the ship is when it either went into dry dock or was charted out and she wasn't allow to stay aboard. When we finally give up the farm, full time cruising sounds like a lot of fun!

There is a gentleman on the Summit who also sails EVERY cruise the ship is not chartered. Name is Albert. Only passenger who gets to sit with Captain Kate for dinner.

[ChucktownSteve]

A lot of posters on threads like this take the position that since they don't like the changes, the cruise line is headed for disaster. As a Baby Boomer, I liked the way Celebrity used to be and don't really like the new loud vibe -- but we aren't the generation they are seeking any more. The Edge and S-class ships will appeal very well to a younger crowd as a step-up from Carnival. [i still don't see how they will be able to market the M-class to this new market, but maybe those ships are heading off somewhere else anyway]

 

I don't feel Celebrity is headed for disaster. I feel Celebrity is headed for the mediocrity of mass market cruise lines. Your statement backs that up when you said, "The Edge and S-class ships will appeal very well to a younger crowd as a step-up from Carnival." THAT and the loud, I don't give a crap about the other passengers attitude is exactly why I don't cruise Carnival.

 

 

Thus if that's what Celebrity wants to attract, then wouldn't I be correct in placing Celebrity in the same category as Carnival?

[ChucktownSteve]

Rose6, and I strongly disagree with your argument. If Celebrity doesn't meet someone's likes and wants, there probably is another line that does. As a loyal long time customer, I still find value in Celebrity, if others don't, so be it.

 

As a long time, loyal customer, what would Celebrity need to do to your cruise experience for you feel they no longer meet your likes and wants?

[Iamcruzin]

I am willing to bet that not one passenger suggested (much less demanded) to Celebrity to eliminate the no-charge burgers at The Pool Grill and replace them with Gourmet burgers for $9.95 at the newly named Top Deck Burger Bar on the Connie.

I swear, I never put on the comment card, "Please remove the sushi from the buffet and kindly charge me an arm and a leg to eat it in a specialty restaurant".

[Iamcruzin]

A lot of posters on threads like this take the position that since they don't like the changes, the cruise line is headed for disaster. Sorry folks, none of us is really important to any of the companies we deal with -- if the change tests well, there will be 3 people to replace every 'loyal' customer who leaves. [And don't trot out that old stuff about how it's cheaper to keep an old customer than earn a new one: except for the lady who lives on Crystal, they have to sell every new cruise whether it's to an Elite or a newbie] As a Baby Boomer, I liked the way Celebrity used to be and don't really like the new loud vibe -- but we aren't the generation they are seeking any more. The Edge and S-class ships will appeal very well to a younger crowd as a step-up from Carnival. [i still don't see how they will be able to market the M-class to this new market, but maybe those ships are heading off somewhere else anyway]

I have to agree 100%. My sons both cruised with us when they were minors. We sailed with Princess at the time. Now that they are adults 21 and 24 they booked their own cruise. One just sailed 9days on the Anthem and the other is going on the Breakaway to Bermuda for 7 days. I don't know what they can possibly do on the M class ships that would attract a younger crowd. If it weren't for the itinerary I wouldn't sail on the M class ships either.

[2Fltravelers]

 

Last December, when we were on the Eclipse we had a private conversation with a senior member of that ship's staff (a gentleman we have known for years) who expressed some frustration with policy changes coming down from Corporate. Consider that even a small cut-back can result in major cost savings....when its done across the entire fleet. In Blu, we started to laugh at the almost daily use of less costly cuts of meat such as beef shank, pork shank, etc. One night they served a "rib eye" that could not have been more then 1/2 inch thick. Its not a cut of meat we would even consider using at home...so no reason to expect it on what is supposed to be a higher end mass market line. One morning, at the Lido, we asked the egg cook to please make us an omelet with real eggs (not the processed liquid that comes out of a box). He had plenty of real eggs (they use them to make things like over easy) but told us her was not permitted to use real eggs to make an omelet (he quietly apologized for the policy). The so-called Fresh squeezed OJ that is sold at the bar in the Lido...is no longer real fresh squeezed OJ. Even in the Elite breakfasts....the previously real fresh squeezed OJ had been replaced by what they told us was a "premium" product. That stuff was not nearly as good as the basic OJ we buy in our supermarket. These are very small changes...but they start to add up which is why I called it "death by a thousand cut-backs."

 

Hank

 

Hank:

 

We noticed similar things in Blu on our Equinox cruise in January. There was pheasant, quail and some other game bird on the menu 5 out of 10 nights and it was repeated on one other night. We found that very odd since we did not recall seeing any of those choices on the menu before. But so many nights when entree choices are limited caused us to seek alternate dining choices on 2 nights when we would normally eat in Blu. It will be interesting to see if these changes in Blu are throughout the fleet when we are on the Summit in October.

[NLH Arizona]

As a long time, loyal customer, what would Celebrity need to do to your cruise experience for you feel they no longer meet your likes and wants?

I would have to feel that there is not the value I want for the money I spend. I could give a hypothetical answer to your questions, but not knowing what future changes might be, it would really be a waste of time, but I'll know it if the time ever comes. Value to each person is different and I respect that you don't see the value I do. Just because some feel Celebrity is dumbing themselves down, by the looks of many posts not everyone feels that way.

[2Fltravelers]

I swear, I never put on the comment card, "Please remove the sushi from the buffet and kindly charge me an arm and a leg to eat it in a specialty restaurant".

 

Perfectly said! We thought the exact thing when we asked where the sushi was and was told it was at Sushi on Five. What a disappointment that place was.

 

I would just like to add that I was invited to participate in a Celebrity focus group last fall. It was a very interesting experience and there were a lot of comments, positive and negative, by the participants. All I can say is that Celebrity is very aware of the competition it faces from new ships coming online and is trying to be innovative. Whether or not the new policies will work remains to be seen. We were not made privy to their exact plans so it is difficult to judge if anything has been rolled out yet or is working. So far, based on my last cruise in January (it does not appear that any of these changes have adversely impacted the Galapagos cruises which I was on in April), I'm not impressed but I enjoy Celebrity enough that I'm willing to wait and see.

Edited June 6, 2017 by 2Fltravelers
Add info

[ChucktownSteve]

I would have to feel that there is not the value I want for the money I spend. I could give a hypothetical answer to your questions, but not knowing what future changes might be, it would really be a waste of time, but I'll know it if the time ever comes. Value to each person is different and I respect that you don't see the value I do. Just because some feel Celebrity is dumbing themselves down, by the looks of many posts not everyone feels that way.

 

I would never presume that everyone feels the way I do. In fact, I expect the opposite. I understand Celebrity will continue to be successful and will probably sail more ships full than not. I don't have a problem with that. As an analogy, some people have a higher tolerance for pain while others don't.

 

I've never had a problem with paying higher prices to get the quality I enjoy. However I do have a problem with paying higher prices and having the quality reduced. But that's just me. I'm glad you still find the value. I hope to find a Celebrity cruise sometime that will feel to me like a value again.

 

In years past, I never considered myself a foodie. But I suppose in reality, I am one. I guess that's my problem with the bulk of Celebrity changes.

[stars0921]

Yes, when the Activity Staff numbers were reduced a few years ago, many of the extra free activities were cut from the schedule. $50 special for a bag of laundry (as posted on the above photo).

 

 

 

We have always managed to find a seat in the theatre, but there is still a section cordoned off. On our last cruise on Millie, we felt the shows were very good. Speakers we have found to be hit or miss.

 

 

 

I think the difference is that the more negative comments on CC are referring to the way that X used to be the mainstream line that had all the extra touches to make it special and to what it's gradually metamorphosing into. By losing many of the things that made it 'special' slowly over time, it's brought it closer to 'all the others' in the market segment. With the addition of the extra charges for many of the once included items, it's lost some of the 'charm' (I use this term loosely).

 

 

 

On the other hand, the suite experience, I am led to believe, has increased greatly. So it depends what you personally are looking for, and also your attitude towards the changes. We attempt to have a fabulous vacation wherever or whatever we choose to do. However, the longer you have sailed on a particular line, and the more they cut back, the more visible the changes are over time. If you're a first time or relatively new cruiser, you would not have any idea of what the experience used to be like and therefore may hear complaints that you feel are from whiners/continual complainers ;).

 

 

 

If we all accepted what was offered without question, then as a whole, we'd all lose out over time. No doubt some of those 'old charm' extras will reappear; after all, most things end up going full circle ;). The midnight buffets, baked Alaska parades, brunch, free sushi etc. may one day return - the nighttime chocolates did :D.

 

 

 

My very first cruise was on celebrity and we had the midnight buffet with all the food carvings and the baked Alaska parade. It was quite the sight! It was several years before our next celebrity cruise and I was so bummed to see they weren't doing it any more! I think one of the huge issues is the drift to the anytime dining. Hard to work round that. I prefer the regular settings. celebrity is still my fave cruise line.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[hubofhockey]

They already have a line that is a step up from Carnival. That's Royal Caribbean. I don't think they're going for that with Celebrity, but others here no better than I do.

[Iluv10is]

I was on a Celebrity cruise last summer through the Iberian Peninsula and there was definitely a smoking area by the pool (no less) that was horrible!!!

 

Wait -- you're the OP. If you hated all these things on your Solstice cruise, what "luster" is there to loose [or even lose]?

 

A few answers to your questions:

 

(1) I believe (and hope) they still have the Corning Hot Glass Show on three S-class ships -- it was a highlight of our Eclipse cruise and is a very unique thing for Celebrity. The newer S-class ships replaced it with another restaurant -- big deal.

 

(2) Game shows other than trivia -- like the "about-to-be-divorced" game or "hairy legs" contests? Wrong cruise line, sorry.

 

(5) We never eat at the buffet in the evening, but at lunch it has a very adventuresome menu including excellent Indian dishes.

 

(7) We have never noticed smoking on Celebrity ships -- they have always had the most restrictive policy of any cruise line. Also Celebrity ships don't have Promenade decks in the traditional sense [the "Promenade" deck on Solstice has no outside areas] Are you confused with HAL?

[CRZR58]

If Celebrity really wants to become a better Carnival, then they are certainly going in the right direction. They are now in direct competition with Royal as well as NCL, MSC and Costa. How many RCI customers will they attract? Quite a few, I'd guess considering the points systems.

 

The only advantage that X has right now is that a lot of cruisers still see them as a higher end brand. That advantage will disappear as more and more ex X cruisers tell others why they left, leaving them to compete for traveler's wallets on a pure cost basis and land based, all inclusive, vacations are always going to be cheaper. (Don't make the mistake of thinking that they are only competing with other cruises)

 

I'm reminded of a Canadian story about a retail chain that owned two major types of stores. One sold higher end stuff and the other sold lower end stuff. Both brands, independently, brought in high priced corporate fixers to tell them how to maximize their profits. The higher end brand was told to bring in more mid range and low end stuff to appeal to a wider market. The low end brand was told to bring in more mid range and high end stuff to appeal to a wider market. Both brands implemented the very expensive restructuring plans and ended up going into direct competition with each other. One of the dumbest things to happen in Canadian retail as it only took a few years before it basically killed 2 brands.

[grandgeezer]

The biggest advantage Celebrity has is their "free" drink package. I used to be a moderate drinker and I still remember how much better the food tasted, the service got better, and the surroundings seemed much better, after a few drinks.

[slidewilson]

 

(1) I believe (and hope) they still have the Corning Hot Glass Show on three S-class ships -- it was a highlight of our Eclipse cruise and is a very unique thing for Celebrity. The newer S-class ships replaced it with another restaurant -- big deal.

 

 

The Hot Glass Show is still on Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse, and will remain there for the foreseeable future. They weren't put on Reflection or Silhouette and I believe that's at least partly due to the demand of having 3 glass artists on board *at all times* (9 fleetwide) that meet the high standards that both Corning and Celebrity require.

 

There's no Hot Glass Show planned on the Edge and I suspect that's both because it's something that would have had to be discussed/implemented from the ground up (a few years ago) and again would require more qualified artists than they may be able to provide.