Celebrity service levels

[Forecheck]

It is obvious to me after being on back to back celebrity and royal cruises that celebrity has made a conscious effort to add in their inclusive drink packages so they can hire less servers. 

 

Most everyone on the celebrity cruises have an inclusive drink package and getting a drink on board is a chore( crowded bars , no mobile servers , ) royal has motivated servers all over the ship wanting to bring you a drink .... I also felt the overall staff in all areas was better on royal ..

 

just my 2 cents .... no offence to the loyalists ..( which I have been for the last 5 years. )

Edited April 28, 2019 by Forecheck

[GastroGnome]

I know things vary massively between the Caribbean cruises and the Europe ones.  And of course drinks packages are not available at all on TAs.

 

I've certainly never had any issue with getting a drink when I wanted one - yes on some cruises my preferred bar has been crowded. So much so I have opted for another bar.  But that has nothing to do with service - just my dislike of crowds.  I don't think a drinks package or not would have made a difference.  If the crowd on the vessel wants the martini bar or the sky lounge or whatever that is just what it is.  Enjoy the crowd or move to another bar.    There isn't a shortage!

[jelayne]

I have never been to a crowded bar on a ship or on land were the service was fast enough for someone with a empty glass or no glass.  

 

Tried  Royal last year after not sailing on them for a few years found bar service  very slow in the R Bar & Schooner Bar.  Forget the Diamond Lounge, lined up to get drinks.

[Denny01]

Just came off an Edge B2B. I saw no problems with getting a drink much any time. Do remember on last Infinity cruise, there didn’t seem to be as many servers wandering around/through the pool area, but I never went hurting. But I don’t get a drink package and got the complementary Elite drinks, so not a pressing concern for me during the day. When I did want one, it seemed easy and relatively quick. 

 

Won’t get into the pros/cons of tipping and when to, but on the Edge, did use the Eden bar area as a frequent place and tipped a bit as usual, and the servers were very efficient. Did the same in favorite spots on other ships  

 

Den 

[mom says]

1 hour ago, Forecheck said:

celebrity has made a conscious effort to add in their inclusive drink packages so they can hire less servers. 

 

What??? Sorry but that attempt at a correlation makes no sense. What you may be seeing is more demand for drinks because of the drinks package, so the servers are busier than in your good old days pre drinks package. On our last B2B I sometimes resorted to walking to the pool bar to get my drink (the horror!), but only occasionally. NBD. And the Martini Bar always seemed jammed in the evenings.  But I put that down to popularity. I don't think they've reduced the number of servers. 

[miched]

Were were recently on the Edge and the Infinity and my wife can verify  that I didn’t have any problem getting a drink. 🤗🤢

 

Was I served as soon as I sat down or went to the bar?  No but I didn’t expect it.  No different then any other bar, lounge restaurant and etc.  

 

 I can say this.  I got my drinks faster on board than I could get at any profession sports game, St Patrick’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, Mardi Gras, News Years Eve Party, Octoberfest, etc  and the bars at the Port of calls.  

 

Drink Up 🍻🤢🥂🍷🍾

 

 

[2flacruisers]

2 hours ago, Forecheck said:

It is obvious to me after being on back to back celebrity and royal cruises that celebrity has made a conscious effort to add in their inclusive drink packages so they can hire less servers. 

 

Most everyone on the celebrity cruises have an inclusive drink package and getting a drink on board is a chore( crowded bars , no mobile servers , ) royal has motivated servers all over the ship wanting to bring you a drink .... I also felt the overall staff in all areas was better on royal ..

 

just my 2 cents .... no offence to the loyalists ..( which I have been for the last 5 years. )

I feel the same way....I have stood at one of the bars on Celebrity and the wait was long...not many bar servers come around tables either...Royal, on the other hand, has bar servers all over the ship...especially around the pool area, which is nice...

[Georgia_Peaches]

I'd rather have a drink package a wait a few, then not have one at all.  Royal doesn't include drinks packages as a perk so I don't sail with them.  Never had a problem getting a drink on Celebrity but since my DH is usually the one getting the drinks, maybe I just don't notice.

[NantahalaCruiser]

3 hours ago, GastroGnome said:

  And of course drinks packages are not available at all on TAs.

 

They are now with the new pricing

[phoenix_dream]

I don't think it necessarily has anything to do with the drink packages.  I think it has more to do with the general cut-back on staff overall on Celebrity.  Waiters seem to handle more tables in the dining rooms.  Room stewards don't have helpers, but their room assignments (while cut) were not cut in half.  Lines at Guest Relations are longer than ever.  Live entertainment in the lounges, which used to play continuously (minus 15 min breaks) from 5ish on now have as much as an hour or more of dead time.  And the list goes on...……...

[Forecheck]

16 hours ago, mom says said:

 They already have your money via the perk - so they don't need to provide the service levels  as there is no incentive for them to sell you drinks... I  know from my experience there are many more servers on the Royal ships who are motivated to sell you drinks ( because most don't have the drink perks )    - Its a conscious business decision which Celebrity have made in my opinion ( easier to provide the perk for people who likely wont drink their quota and hire less servers ) -Hope this makes sense to you now

16 hours ago, mom says said:

What??? Sorry but that attempt at a correlation makes no sense. What you may be seeing is more demand for drinks because of the drinks package, so the servers are busier than in your good old days pre drinks package. On our last B2B I sometimes resorted to walking to the pool bar to get my drink (the horror!), but only occasionally. NBD. And the Martini Bar always seemed jammed in the evenings.  But I put that down to popularity. I don't think they've reduced the number of servers. 

 

[Bo1953]

18 hours ago, Forecheck said:

It is obvious to me after being on back to back celebrity and royal cruises that celebrity has made a conscious effort to add in their inclusive drink packages so they can hire less servers. 

 

Most everyone on the celebrity cruises have an inclusive drink package and getting a drink on board is a chore( crowded bars , no mobile servers , ) royal has motivated servers all over the ship wanting to bring you a drink .... I also felt the overall staff in all areas was better on royal ..

 

just my 2 cents .... no offence to the loyalists ..( which I have been for the last 5 years. )

A loyalist here and no offence taken here, either.

 

It just points out to me, IMO, that you are better suited to Royal for drinking and service? No more X cruises for you....

 

Getting a drink on X has rarely been a chore, for us, deciding what and when to drink has been more of a challenge! LOL

 

Cheers and bon voyage

[Forecheck]

17 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

A loyalist here and no offence taken here, either.

 

It just points out to me, IMO, that you are better suited to Royal for drinking and service? No more X cruises for you....

 

Getting a drink on X has rarely been a chore, for us, deciding what and when to drink has been more of a challenge! LOL

 

Cheers and bon voyage

Cheers to you and thanks for the potshot - service is service - some provide good service and some don't - Have a nice day 

[Bo1953]

21 minutes ago, Forecheck said:

Cheers to you and thanks for the potshot - service is service - some provide good service and some don't - Have a nice day 

Not a pot shot by a long shot...

 

You wrote it and I commented accordingly...

 

You are correct, 'service is service' and how good it is depends on what ones demands or requirements are regardless of package(s) or not.

 

Service we have received is rated B+, most often, and as such we do not complain about it... it is understood that some passengers can and do receive less than stellar service at times... just not our experience and happy to write so.

 

I do want, what I want, when I want it, when on a cruise and most often have it that way..... When I do not get the service timely or otherwise, I do not look for reasons other than it was not happening and very rarely get upset as it is not an emergency for the service desired only a want. Yet, there are times when I really, really, really need it too... LOL

 

cheers and bon voyage

[Denny01]

18 hours ago, miched said:

Were were recently on the Edge and the Infinity and my wife can verify  that I didn’t have any problem getting a drink. 🤗🤢

Was I served as soon as I sat down or went to the bar?  No but I didn’t expect it.  No different then any other bar, lounge restaurant and etc.  I can say this.  I got my drinks faster on board than I could get at any profession sports game, St Patrick’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, Mardi Gras, News Years Eve Party, Octoberfest, etc  and the bars at the Port of calls.  

Drink Up 🍻🤢🥂🍷🍾

 

I agree with Miched. Just went to a nice local lounge and stood at the bar a few minutes - when I go to a hotel with happy hr/complementary drinks, I’ll stand in a line. Most hotels that have complementary drinks, never have servers, you just stand in line. And I’ve never heard anyone complaining about having to wait for their ‘free’ drink. 

 

Understand it can be irritating waiting, especailly when you’ve paid for a drink package and feel you are being ignored, but believe me, the bar and drink service is Much better than what I experienced on another Line, the US Navy. Their drink service was terrible!!

 

Den

 

 

[Baron Barracuda]

4 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

I don't think it necessarily has anything to do with the drink packages.  I think it has more to do with the general cut-back on staff overall on Celebrity.  Waiters seem to handle more tables in the dining rooms.  Room stewards don't have helpers, but their room assignments (while cut) were not cut in half.  Lines at Guest Relations are longer than ever.  Live entertainment in the lounges, which used to play continuously (minus 15 min breaks) from 5ish on now have as much as an hour or more of dead time.  And the list goes on...……...

 

In the world of LLP  X needed to eliminate waiters, servers, entertainment staff, stewards, etc.  to free up berths for much more important revenue generators -  art auctioneers, masseuses and people who sell $10 watches.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Baron Barracuda

[Chicago Boy]

We don't drink much so if the bar is crowded and the service is slow it doesn't matter to us. We just won't spend the $$$$ on the ship is all.   It our gain and someone else's loss.

 

[PhoenixCruiser]

We usually get great service with the drink package but we also tip every round.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Blazerboy]

Just off the Summit, and a few observations: 

 

1. I have never written such a complimentary survey response in the 20 + cruises with Celebrity, and mentioned more than a dozen people by name.  It was great service all around.

2. None of those I mentioned were bartenders, but I didn't have any really notably bad experiences either.  The staff in the Martini Bar were great, as was our sommelier in the dining room.

3. I had more than enough to drink.

4. Bar service was slow at the Oceanview bar, but faster if you let them wait on you rather than go to the bar. To me, that's a win. 

5. Pool waiters were VERY attentive.  If I'd succumbed to every offer, I'd have been blotto for the entire 7 days.

 

Your mileage may vary...

[chemmo]

It goes to show how cruise experiences can vary!

 

We have never really had a problem on X but have on RC! We are E+ on X and D+ on RC so have lots of experience of both lines....

 

Our general experience on RC is that there are probably more ‘prowling’ waiters around the pool on RC but that direct bar service and in lounge service is very similar....

 

Our worst experience was on our last RC cruise (Allure) bar staff were in short supply. When we did order drinks the request for no ice (in mine) was constantly ignored (no matter how firmly I reiterated). We also had a problem with queue jumpers coming up to bars and shouting over the heads of guests who were patiently waiting....It didn’t help matters that waiters seemed to respond to the loudest shouter! Never experienced this on X....Even in the suite lounge service was iffy...

 

The biggest difference between the two lines we have found over many cruises has been the cocktail quality. I do enjoy a cocktail (or three) and we have found both the mix and consistency of mix across bars much better on X than RC...Too often on RC a cocktail of the same name would be totally different in two different bars....

 

We cruise RC less and less now....(it isn’t just the drinks that have disappointed us!). We can see the strengths of RC but just prefer the more laid back atmosphere on X. Perhaps that is why I haven’t noticed poor drink service....I am so chilled I can wait a few minutes for my drink with no ice!

[OzKiwiJJ]

I also think it's more to do with general cutbacks rather than the drinks package. We've done three cruises on Solstice: 2015, 2017, and this year, with the drinks package on all three. Bar service on the first two was great but this year it was noticeably slower and I think that was because there were less waiters serving the various bars. Our dining waiters and sommelier, and our cabin attendant, were as good as ever.

Edited May 4, 2019 by OzKiwiJJ

[yorky]

On 4/29/2019 at 4:50 PM, Bo1953 said:

Not a pot shot by a long shot...

 

You wrote it and I commented accordingly...

 

You are correct, 'service is service' and how good it is depends on what ones demands or requirements are regardless of package(s) or not.

 

Service we have received is rated B+, most often, and as such we do not complain about it... it is understood that some passengers can and do receive less than stellar service at times... just not our experience and happy to write so.

 

I do want, what I want, when I want it, when on a cruise and most often have it that way..... When I do not get the service timely or otherwise, I do not look for reasons other than it was not happening and very rarely get upset as it is not an emergency for the service desired only a want. Yet, there are times when I really, really, really need it too... LOL

 

cheers and bon voyage

Well, to be fair to the op, reading it back it was a pretty rude response. The op has a right to an opinion without being told “ no more Celebrity cruises for you”  Some of your responses can read as somewhat patronising and adding a few nice words at the end does not change what was written before.

Edited May 4, 2019 by yorky

[4774Papa]

On 4/28/2019 at 4:16 PM, Forecheck said:

It is obvious to me after being on back to back celebrity and royal cruises that celebrity has made a conscious effort to add in their inclusive drink packages so they can hire less servers. 

 

Most everyone on the celebrity cruises have an inclusive drink package and getting a drink on board is a chore( crowded bars , no mobile servers , ) royal has motivated servers all over the ship wanting to bring you a drink .... I also felt the overall staff in all areas was better on royal ..

 

just my 2 cents .... no offence to the loyalists ..( which I have been for the last 5 years. )

We did our first Royal C. cruise on Explorer of the Seas on the TransPacific last year.  Since we were Elite on Celebrity (now having done 11 Celebrity cruises) we were Diamond on Royal.

We found Royal to be more similar to Celebrity than different.   We don't ever do drink packages, since we are moderate drinkers and enjoy Elite and/or Diamond happy hour.   I do think that on Explorer the drink service was superior to Celebrity.

Also, Diamond happy hour runs from 4:30-8pm and we were able to order a glass of wine with dinner, since we would normally dine around 7-7:30.  In fact, for the entire 23 days of that cruise, we didn't purchase a single alcoholic drink.  How about that.

 

Since Celebrity's are now almost non-competitive, we are moving more to book Royal.  The dining is almost as good as Celebrity and the entertainment is much better.   We still love the ship design on the Celebrity ships, but when you can save booking Royal, why not.