Stateroom free movies eliminated

[phoenix_dream]

10 hours ago, txflood33 said:

This thread is amusing to me...and I say that with all due respect.

 

Look, I get it. I have watched a movie in the room before...more than once. There will be an adjustment. This thread makes it sound like they removed breakfast.

 

It makes sense to be disappointed. Everyone has their routines and comfort zones. There are tons of things that can be a swap for a movie.

• Read
  • I understand some ships have better libraries than others. E-Readers are amazingly inexpensive. If you're not looking to spend the extra money, most of us have an ipad or tablet of some sort. Kindle has a free app and you can read on your current tablet.
• White noise to relax
  • many free apps that could be used on your smartphone 
• Music
  • make a playlist from Apple Music or spotify or your own collection of digital music. Relaxing songs...upbeat songs to get the evening going...the sing-a-long songs you both love. Make multiple playlists that are about your destinations.
• Laptops and tablets
  • I know this is a huge assumption on my part, but the majority of us travel with a tablet or laptop. For work or for entertainment on the flight or whatever the reason...the bulk of us have them and bring one, if not both. Get a thumb drive and load it up with movies.

There was a poster that said her son liked to play his switch on the tv......I don't really know how else to say this, but, the Switch is a handheld game system...designed to be played in single player mode or across a LAN in handheld mode. The ability to play on the tv is a nice feature, but is not needed. It's absurdly silly to use the Switch reasoning for being upset you can't access the HDMI ports.

 

I guess what I'm saying is put it into perspective. You're in a floating hotel somewhere in the world where you were not yesterday. Send the emails. Express your displeasure. However, this is a relatively easy problem to solve. Is't one of the cool things about vacation trying new things?

My "perspective" is that this is just another thing in a long, long, long list that Celebrity is taking away from its passengers while raising it's prices out of proportion to the economy.  It is not necessarily really 'easy to solve' for many of us.  I cruise to relax and the last thing I want to do at my age is to have to worry about downloading movies on my tablet, or trying to figure out how in the heck to connect that to the TV to hopefully watch something beside soccer or news.  And yes, it is cool to try new things.  I cruised Celebrity 8 times last year and 8 times this year. I cruise primarily for relaxation rather than adventure, and one of the ways I like to relax in the late afternoon and sometimes before bed is to watch tv.  So for me it is not a small thing. 

 

And again, I think part of the big reaction is that Celebrity keeps taking more and more away from people (especially non-suite people) and yet the prices continue to go higher and higher.  Many of us very loyal customers are after many, many years considering other lines that seem to care more about their passengers.

[Jeremiah1212]

At least we have moved on from the footstool hysteria....

 

Just like many domestic airlines have done as a result of improved WiFi, it makes more sense for passengers to bring their own phone/tablet/laptop. Providing on demand movies is expensive and I highly doubt that many people watch them. 

[deliver42]

I, for one, don't go on a cruise to watch movies. There are so many other things to do, including relax.

[TeeRick]

16 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

At least we have moved on from the footstool hysteria....

 

Just like many domestic airlines have done as a result of improved WiFi, it makes more sense for passengers to bring their own phone/tablet/laptop. Providing on demand movies is expensive and I highly doubt that many people watch them. 

I think I would rather have a footstool, but having a footstool and watching free movies is even better!

[TeeRick]

15 hours ago, Fouremco said:

A hotel we stayed in recently had lovely large flat screen TV's mounted to the wall, making access to any of the input ports impossible. However, they also had a panel on the wall with all the same ports, wired to the TV. There you could have popped your USB stick into the panel, or connected a device using an HDMI cable, and watched movies to your heat's content.

 

I'd be quite content to see Celebrity drop free movies if they would enable use of the various TV inputs in a similar fashion, but I'm not holding my breathe.

 

If dropping free movies is not reversed by Celebrity, I agree that this is a good compromise solution.  People should not have to bring a list of hacks to defeat the TV security, or their own cables and remotes.  I would prefer bringing a simple data stick that I could pre-load with everything I would personally want to watch on a plane or a ship.  I would not care what Celebrity offered then.  In fact I think this choice would be a step forward for at least some of us.

[Mike981]

8 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

Understand completely.

This is an excellent example of why cruise lines are trying to attract new customers. Passengers who want to see and do everything available. People who want to have and document (pictures) new experiences.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

 

I agree, and I also feel that there isn't a viable business out there that isn't trying to increase their customer base or they wouldn't survive just based on attritian.

[Nymich]

1 hour ago, PENNST66 said:

I found this post from Chicago Paul  who is currently on the Millennium, I though I share with you! I will find out next month for myself, but thanks to this thread I will be downloading some movies to my IPAD for the upcoming cruise. Here is the link to Chicago Paul post; 

 

It was already reported in this thread that The Millennium still had movies but after X was exposed on this thread that they were stopping free movies they said ALL SHIPS will lose free movies in the cabin.

[Nymich]

38 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

At least we have moved on from the footstool hysteria....

 

Just like many domestic airlines have done as a result of improved WiFi, it makes more sense for passengers to bring their own phone/tablet/laptop. Providing on demand movies is expensive and I highly doubt that many people watch them. 

Your post might make some sense but Celebrity DOES NOT have improved Wi Fi  and it isn't free like the airlines.   We have you down in the minority.  

Edited September 13, 2019 by Nymich

[rimmit]

For the minority that argue that we should just bring our own iPads/laptops/movies and that since they don’t use the on demand movies it’s not a big deal for them.

 

I don’t eat breakfast in the mornings.  I bring protein shakes and powder with me on the ship and have one when i wake up and one after my AM workout.  If they got rid of breakfast altogether or even just the MDR breakfast or buffet it would not matter to me. I bring my own.  For those that eat breakfast,  bring some allowed breakfast foods with you onto the ship.  Easy solution.  Celebrity made a problem,  but there is an easy fix to the problem.

 

If you dont like the solution you can eat the specialty breakfasts for 14.99.  That is the equivalent of what you are asking the on demand movie watchers to do. There are tons of food options on the ship.  But eliminating a food option causes second thought despite there being ample food (in our case entertainment options).

 

While elimination of breakfast wouldn’t be an issue for me, it would effect many people.  And I would fight for it nonetheless regardless if I used it or not as it is just a continuing cheapening of a product that has only continued to be devalued over the years.

Edited September 13, 2019 by rimmit

[rimmit]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

If dropping free movies is not reversed by Celebrity, I agree that this is a good compromise solution.  People should not have to bring a list of hacks to defeat the TV security, or their own cables and remotes.  I would prefer bringing a simple data stick that I could pre-load with everything I would personally want to watch on a plane or a ship.  I would not care what Celebrity offered then.  In fact I think this choice would be a step forward for at least some of us.

 

While not ideal,  this would be a very acceptable solution.  Making it easier for us to hook up our own devices would ease the pain of the loss of on demand movies much more bearable.  Or instead of a “internet package” replace with a “media package” that allows unlimited internet and movie use throughout the voyage.  At least you could use the on demand and if the internet is good enough (big IF) you can steam your own.

Edited September 13, 2019 by rimmit

[The_Big_M]

10 hours ago, DYKWIA said:

 

 Next time you are on a plane and the in flight entertainment doesn’t work a good alternative is to look out the window or browse the inflight magazines....

 

 

Funnily enough, on another forum I'm on there's a lot of complaints every time there's a failure of the inflight entertainment on a flight, and airlines frequently give compensation if that occurs. We're talking about those long distance flights, which are more comparable to a lengthy cruise, not just a 1 hour flight which is really only about transport and not comparable to a cruise holiday.

 

Similarly, many also rate the quality of inflight entertainment, based on the range of movies, and tv shows - and that's still only for say half a day or less. Yet oddly some here seem to think none of that's relevant or it's not important to most...

[Iamcruzin]

5 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

And again, I think part of the big reaction is that Celebrity keeps taking more and more away from people (especially non-suite people) and yet the prices continue to go higher and higher.  Many of us very loyal customers are after many, many years considering other lines that seem to care more about their passengers.

I'm not loyal to one brand or company. Sure if I'm satisfied with a product due to price and performance I will stick with it. However as soon as I become disenchanted I will see what the competition has to offer. With that said, having sailed on 4 of the main lines over the past 30 years I can tell you that it's becoming more and more difficult to book a cruise whether it's about price, itinerary, ambiance, or food and service. The gap is being bridged among all of them. Now I even look towards lines that I would have never considered like Carnival and NCL. While their prices are creeping up towards Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity, the latter 3 are heading in their direction with a decline in food, service, comfort and ambiance. I consider myself a free agent since I never got caught up in any of the loyalty programs so that is never a consideration when I choose a cruise line.

Edited September 13, 2019 by Iamcruzin

[hcat]

2 hours ago, rimmit said:

 

While not ideal,  this would be a very acceptable solution.  Making it easier for us to hook up our own devices would ease the pain of the loss of on demand movies much more bearable.  Or instead of a “internet package” replace with a “media package” that allows unlimited internet and movie use throughout the voyage.  At least you could use the on demand and if the internet is good enough (big IF) you can steam your own.

 

I  see this coming....Take away the existing perk and then offer a new package of movie watching for an extra charge.  I believe this will be along very soon. We won't pay for indiv movies or a media package...perhaps worth it to some  We will just go without for a week to 10 days.

[Baron Barracuda]

20 hours ago, rimmit said:

 

I agree.  I just got an email and a call from X about this.  I told them, they need to enable the HDMI ports on the TVs if this is going to be the future.

 

The girl on the phone, Ashley Sandy, was very apologetic of the situation.  She said she took her FIRST cruise this august on X and loved it, and one of things she loved and was shocked about was that the movies were free.  She stated she was very upset to find out they cut them as she just learned about it last week she said.  She said she has received a lot of complaints regarding the matter, and categorizes complaints into categories.  She stated she prioritizes each one of these, and on top of that states that it is adversely effecting the guest experience.  (from how she was talking about the categories, it seems as though there is some for not legitimate complaints, one time issues, and a category for things that are reasonable and truly effecting the guests, among others).  She genuinely seemed upset about losing the free movies as well.

 

If enough people complain there is hope.  She hopes they will go back to drawing board and cut something else back instead as well.  It's not common for companies to go back on changes, but like i said before, RCI has had several where they responded to guest feedback. Sometimes almost immediately in the case where they got rid of the free 24 hours of internet for Diamond and 2 free days for Diamond Plus on RCI. They got SOOO many complaints about that, that within a week they had reversed the decision to get rid of the coupon.  I was on the sailing where they instigated the change mid sailing, and by the end of the 12 night cruise it was reversed.  The Loyalty Ambassador was SOOOO tired of hearing complaints, that when I went to ask what happened to the coupon (it disappeared mid cruise.  about two days in.) You could see the exhaustion in her eyes, and was just like "We are changing it back.  Until then go to guest services and they will credit your account." and she said it with much exhaustion and distain and eye rolling.

 

20 hours ago, rimmit said:

 

 

So, X's response is if they restore the movies they will have to cut something else.  Why is their first instinct always to take something away?  

 

Those relatively new to X may not understand why the great to do over a few movies.  This is about more than movies,.  They are just the latest in a long list of cutbacks instituted by LLP including footstools, water in Aqua class, chocolates on pillows, lower quality food, less live music, staffing reductions throughout the ship, etc, etc.  Individually they're small potatoes, but taken together they reflect a management with little focus on the customer experience.  Even as services slip fares increase, gratuities increase, beverage packages  increase and X has about the highest priced specialty restaurants at sea.  So please pardon X veterans for being frustrated.  And also please don't make the "they're a business" argument.  Businesses that constantly charge more while giving less are soon out of business.  

 

[rimmit]

3 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

 

 

So, X's response is if they restore the movies they will have to cut something else.  Why is their first instinct always to take something away?  

 

Those relatively new to X may not understand why the great to do over a few movies.  This is about more than movies,.  They are just the latest in a long list of cutbacks instituted by LLP including footstools, water in Aqua class, chocolates on pillows, lower quality food, less live music, staffing reductions throughout the ship, etc, etc.  Individually they're small potatoes, but taken together they reflect a management with little focus on the customer experience.  Even as services slip fares increase, gratuities increase, beverage packages  increase and X has about the highest priced specialty restaurants at sea.  So please pardon X veterans for being frustrated.  And also please don't make the "they're a business" argument.  Businesses that constantly charge more while giving less are soon out of business.  

 

 

I agree with you a 100 percent.  Cruising for 30 years now and the cutbacks keep coming.

 

The ships still Sail full though and that’s what allows them to justify it.  At some point the price is too much for the product.  Disney finally outpriced themselves this year and saw a 3 percent dip In attendance despite Star Wars land.

 

When cabins sail empty that is when things will change.  Land hotels have only improved over the last 30 years.  Better breakfasts.  Better rooms, better WiFi.  Social hours.   Reason being is that the supply is greater than the demand most of the time so they have to lure the traveler.  Ships sail full pretty much 99 percent of the time so they can afford to cut.   Frequent hotel travelers pick a hotel based on the dinkiest things from the breakfast offered, type of shower, type of pillow, etc. The buyer has the power in business travel.  Not so much with cruise ships.  

 

RCI has cut so much I don’t think they can cut much more without putting ship maintenance and safety at a risk.  Ships seem to be breaking down more and more lately on RCI as the fleet ages.  They can’t cut back much more on the service front.

[rimmit]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

 

I  see this coming....Take away the existing perk and then offer a new package of movie watching for an extra charge.  I believe this will be along very soon. We won't pay for indiv movies or a media package...perhaps worth it to some  We will just go without for a week to 10 days.

 I personally would only get it if it was a “get all 4 perks” offer.  The internet is the last perk I typically go for.   But if it’s bundled with the internet that would be better than paying for it.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Why is their first instinct always to take something away?  

 

Because customers tend to prefer getting a little bit less for the same price than getting the same amount for a higher price. While Celebrity's prices have increased, they haven't gone up as much as many other holiday options.

 

1 hour ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Businesses that constantly charge more while giving less are soon out of business.  

Not when all of their competitors are doing exactly the same thing.

[Iamcruzin]

19 hours ago, missm said:

The tv viewing options are terrible already on Celebrity, and eliminating the few free movies is a bad move. Americans are now used to a huge selection on their home tvs and for Celebrity to make watching tv onboard more boring and expensive seems to be a bad business decision. We are packing this weekend to spend almost two months on the Solstice, and I have to confess that I am dreading having nothing to watch every night before we go to sleep. They should be expanding their in-cabin entertainment, not limiting it.

I can live without TV/ Movies 7 to 10 days because it's a vacation and there are other things to do and see that I don't get to do at home but a month or two, is just barbaric. If you spend time any place for a month or longer I would consider that a residence and you should have the simple comforts of home.

Edited September 13, 2019 by Iamcruzin

[Robb]

Is there a charge for movies in the Celebrity Suite (the hump suites) ?  Thanks for the responses.

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 minutes ago, Robb said:

Is there a charge for movies in the Celebrity Suite (the hump suites) ?  Thanks for the responses.

 

I asked the same thing about the RS.  No answer so I'm assuming at this point, nobody really knows for sure.  I also asked One Touch in my e-mail but there has yet to be a response on the matter.  I'm going to assume that all categories will be assessed the $14.99 fee until or unless I'm told otherwise.

Edited September 13, 2019 by Georgia_Peaches

[Kelowna Cruiser]

Response received today from Celebrity One Touch after I expressed my opinion on Celebrity cutting 

in cabin on demand movies free of charge. They responded quickly.

 

Dear Mr. McWhirter:

Thank you for contacting Celebrity Cruises.

I am very sorry you are disappointed that we’ll no longer be offering free movies in our stateroom television line-up. Although in-stateroom movies will now only be pay-per-view, we want you to know that we’ll continue to show a good selection of new release films in the ship’s public areas, like in the theater and on our outdoor screens. Also, if you prefer to watch shows in the comfort of your own room, you’ll still have access to a variety of free TV channels. We hope you enjoy these viewing options when sailing with Celebrity.

We really appreciate that you’ve taken the time to share your thoughts regarding this recent change to our stateroom movies. Your feedback is extremely important to us, and we are carefully reviewing all comments being sent our way and sharing them with our operational teams.

Mr. McWhirter, we look forward to welcoming you and your wife back soon.
Sincerely,



Heather DeVore
Celebrity Cruises
 

[Nymich]

5 minutes ago, Kelowna Cruiser said:

Response received today from Celebrity One Touch after I expressed my opinion on Celebrity cutting 

in cabin on demand movies free of charge. They responded quickly.

 

Dear Mr. McWhirter:

Thank you for contacting Celebrity Cruises.

I am very sorry you are disappointed that we’ll no longer be offering free movies in our stateroom television line-up. Although in-stateroom movies will now only be pay-per-view, we want you to know that we’ll continue to show a good selection of new release films in the ship’s public areas, like in the theater and on our outdoor screens. Also, if you prefer to watch shows in the comfort of your own room, you’ll still have access to a variety of free TV channels. We hope you enjoy these viewing options when sailing with Celebrity.

We really appreciate that you’ve taken the time to share your thoughts regarding this recent change to our stateroom movies. Your feedback is extremely important to us, and we are carefully reviewing all comments being sent our way and sharing them with our operational teams.

Mr. McWhirter, we look forward to welcoming you and your wife back soon.
Sincerely,



Heather DeVore
Celebrity Cruises
 

I got the same garbage.  That variety of channels are half X sales channels.  The others are CNBC, MSNBC, FOX NEWS, FOOD NETWORK and ESPN1 and ESPN2 Intl version so lots of soccer.

[Bo1953]

Quick question, were/are all the 'free films/movies' in English?

 

bon voyage

[MamaFej]

34 minutes ago, Nymich said:

I got the same garbage.  That variety of channels are half X sales channels.  The others are CNBC, MSNBC, FOX NEWS, FOOD NETWORK and ESPN1 and ESPN2 Intl version so lots of soccer.

Have they gotten rid of BBC World News as well? I really enjoy watching it. The US American cable news channels each have a definite left or right lean to them. I always make a conscious effort to get multiple perspectives as I watch news, but sometimes it's nice to watch a more unbiased channel like BBC World. I don't have BBCW at home, so I especially enjoy having it when we travel. If Celebrity have gotten rid of it as well as the included movies, that's another reason to lean toward Princess when other factors are equal. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

So I just got a call from our shore side concierge for our upcoming cruise on Silhouette (11/22).  She said that my one touch email ended up with her and she wanted to discuss the matter with me.  She was absolutely wonderful and completely empathetic to the issue.  Like someone else posted, she seemed as outraged by the change as the guests and said she was glad I wrote to voice my concern because the more people who do so, perhaps the more top level executives will pay attention.  As we are in a RS, she did confirm that there are no more free movies for any  cabin category.  She also indicated that as a group, the concierges were called together to discuss the change and to determine the appropriate way to respond to guest complaints.  I believe that her dialog to me was very similar to what has already been reported.  At any rate, they are making note of the number of complaints that are coming in on this issue...so keep them coming, I guess.