TIMES ARE A CHANGIN' WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?.

[phoenix_dream]

What keeps me coming back is that despite the cutbacks and various aggravations since LLP came onboard, I still love the product Celebrity delivers.  The ships are comfortable (ok, I have not yet sailed a fully renovated ship, so I may change that comment), the staff and service are superior, the food is very good, the entertainment, while not stellar, is still enjoyable most of the time, the ships maintain a high level of cleanliness.  I also like that most of the year there are not a lot of children (I love children but prefer to have more peace and quiet on vacation).  I like the more sophisticated (and yet not stuffy ) atmosphere of the Celebrity ships. I like a couple of the perks I get as Elite Plus (specifically laundry and internet when I do not purchase all four perks).   I confess I have considered other options after 54 cruises on X because many of the things LLP has done I am not happy with, but Celebrity is still my line of choice.

Edited December 31, 2019 by phoenix_dream

[true45]

I’m one of those no longer loyal to only Celebrity and Royal.  I do compare prices — and when we did Rome to Venice with Greece and Croatia we found Oceania a better value with the airfare and transfers. But I still compare the others and chose Celebrity this sailing.

 

But I don’t compare cruising with land-based vacations.  I didn’t when I lived in New York and don’t now living in Florida near the ocean.  Vacation to me is being on the ocean preferably with my feet up in a balcony and everything entertainment and food-related within walking distance. 

[cl.klink]

21 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I do love the OP's attitude.  We only want to hear good and positive things.  Nothing negative, no comparisons and most of all no truth!   Sounds a little like putting one's head in the sand dune.

 

Hank

 

21 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

Absolutely nothing.

 

juxtapositioning

 

- Joel

[cachouonacruise]

In answer to your question, OP, I will divide it in two:

 

Why we cruise versus land vacations: We love exploring new places and new worlds. For me, 15 minutes on a beach is the most I can handle, then, I need to move. Cruising offers me the luxury of changing location without having to pack and unpack. Furthermore, cruising offers us guaranteed good to excellent food, and some entertainment options. In a land resort, I would likely have these benefits, with the exception of changing location. On a land trip on my own, it’s been hit and miss with restaurants, hotels ( good ones are not cheap) and entertainment. A bonus on a cruise: smelling the sea breeze, being rocked by the ocean and feeling the freedom of being alone in the middle of the ocean with unlimited views.

 

Why we keep going on Celebrity: On RCCL we loved the entertainment, but the food and the frequent loud announcements and loud activities reduced a bit our enjoyment. On HAL, I have to learn to be better prepared to handle their very relaxed sea days. But, their itineraries are interesting, and I may try again.

 

Celebrity is a good mix for us: Less noisy/busy than RCCL and a bit more fun than HAL on sea days. In addition, we love the food and excellent service on X. Actually, the staff we met on X, from captains to cabin attendants have all been present and excellent! The best we had at sea so far! Finally, reading quite a bit on Events at sea and having done the Inside Tour on Solstice, I have observed that Celebrity takes passenger safety seriously, and this helps me feel more comfortable.

 

So we will keep going on X as long as the line has itineraries in world locations that we have not yet experienced and that are interesting for us. Of course, price and itinerary comparisons will be done, X will have the our vote as long as the difference is not too significant.

[hcat]

For those who are " done"  with X,  I am wondering why they come back so often to post negatives,  esp on a thread with this title. Sounds like they had a bitter break up with  their once fav cruise line but have not yet moved on.

 

Glad to see a positive thread  about X,  and happy EDGE reviews!

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

For those who are " done"  with X,  I am wondering why they come back so often to post negatives,  esp on a thread with this title. Sounds like they had a bitter break up with  their once fav cruise line but have not yet moved on.

 

Glad to see a positive thread  about X,  and happy EDGE reviews!

hcat so true.  But I guess they continue to post on the Celebrity board to try to convince others that their decision to abandon cruising on Celebrity for their own reasons was justified and they are seeking like-minded opinions and individuals.  As for me if I was done with Celebrity I would be more focused on the board of my new Utopian cruise line.  Of course until I disliked that one too. 

[OuiOnboard]

We haven't cruised in almost three years. We found cruising to be an irresistible antidote to the stress of our jobs. Now retired, we no longer need to physically escape the pressure-pot to maintain sanity. We now enjoy the water views from our oceanfront and lakefront abodes with frequent retreats to the hobby farm. Sprinkle in the odd land trip or cruise, and we are good-to-go.

Celebrity is still our favourite line, but we will check others and I am sure we'll book another cruise sooner than later. The costs of cruising, just like the cost of living in general, have risen and we all must make choices. For us, the combination of a decreased overall thrill from cruising and an increased hassle of travelling to/from the ship are larger factors in our getaway planning.

Edited December 31, 2019 by OuiOnboard

[Spif Barwunkel]

This thread has become a very interesting and informative read for me. Due in full to all responses from the fine folks whose cruising acumen has made it so.

 

Far and away, the changin' economic and financial times are primary in what drives people away from Celebrity cruising. No surprise there. It is evident that others are on the cusp of change. For certain regular cruisers, the constant squeeze on their hard-earned dollar is not enough to dampen their enthusiasm for X and what it has to offer. It's what brings them back.   

 

Obviously, rising consumer costs make cruising financially unaffordable for some, while others whose pocketbook is not threatened, set a threshold limit as to what monetary amount becomes an unreasonable price to pay for the product offered. Once entangled in that cruising conundrum, everything else that we immensely enjoyed about the X product becomes magnified to the negative. Is it only a down turn in prices that will bring those that jumped ship, back? When the mind clears and the money box seems not as threatened, perhaps Celebrity will once again enjoy the pleasure of their company, in a modified and more tolerable cruising experience.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2019 by Spif Barwunkel

[aml3679]

Every cruise line has the same problems - more costly, etc.  We love Celebrity and it is our only cruise line of choice. We keep coming back because:

 

We love to cruise.

 

They have excellent customer service.

 

Their food is great.

 

I feel like a queen the whole time.

[Georgia_Peaches]

We have returned to Celebrity time and again because it feels classy without being stuffy.  Price increases for the suite product have forced us to explore and experience other options but there is a sense of familiarity when we step foot back on a Celebrity ship.  We are finally Elite, but honestly, with the revolution of the ships that we have grown to love, I fear that we won't be around too much longer.  And though times are indeed, "a changin" some things are perfect just they way they are.  

[George C]

We are cruise addicts but not necessarily celebrity addicts, we cruise every year at least once for decades. Love celebrity suite perks, luminae and suite lounge , would love this take Edge, just returned from msc yacht club which also has great suite perks for a much cheaper price. Also loved rccl for last 30 plus years for the entertainment. Doing out first royal suite on a infinity charter next month. 

Edited January 1, 2020 by George C

[Swordfish1949]

On 12/30/2019 at 9:36 AM, TeeRick said:

We cruise mostly Celebrity and sometimes RC.   Earlier with our kids it was RC only 7-day Caribbean. Now as early retirees, we come back to Celebrity for all of the reasons mentioned by Spif and for the more interesting, longer, more global itineraries with an excellent suite experience and quieter atmosphere than RC.  The Celebrity ships are well maintained overall and the service is generally excellent.

Just echoing TeeRick's comments - we keep coming back to Celebrity for longer itineraries to places we have never been before, That and the suite experience (albeit at higher prices these days), have kept our loyalty over the years.

[clskinsfan]

We just had our fist Celebrity Cruise last May in Alaska. We have cruised on all of the other mainstream lines in the past but most of our cruises were with Carnival while the kids were young. It was a cheap family vacation that allowed us to show our children the world. We did a few Royal cruises, one HAL and one NCL as well. We booked an 11 nighter for October with Celebrity because my wife I both considered our one Celeb cruise the best we have ever been on. Now is it more expensive? Maybe slightly. But the experience is FAR better than the other lines in our opinion. There was a relaxing upscale feel to the Eclipse that we had never experienced before on a cruise. The food was a notch above the other lines as well. Since both of our kids are grown and out of the house we dont need all of the activities either. Celebrity just fits us where we are currently in our lives. An nice relaxing vacation. Now. We will cruise other lines in the future if an itinerary catches our eye. And I would never talk down on Carnival or Royal if you have kids. It is a great way to travel as a family. But for us Celebrity is just better.

[hurwitz5]

When I got up this morning to a sink full of dishes and a dishwasher to unload, and sheets to be changed and laundered, I was happy to think about the 3 weeks of cruising that we will experience in January and February.  We love cruising in the Caribbean to escape from the cold weather in the northeast.  We feel very taken care of on Celebrity cruises.  The prices for cabins go up and down.  Since we aren’t particular about which cabin we book, we watch the prices and book when the price is fair to us.  

[tvlgoddess]

We are trying to come back to X but it is getting really hard.  We are elite plus and Celebrity was our choice when we first started cruising.  We have done pretty much all the itineraries Celebrity has to offer and it has become stale.  We have no more places to go.  We have 4 cruises booked on board three years ago and had to keep pushing these bookings out hoping to see new itinerary but only to be cancelled since we can’t find an itinerary that would interest us.  This year we will be cruising around Africa with HAL and later on Viking Oceans with a fabulous itinerary that Celebrity cannot come close to.

 

[reallyhooked]

Started cruising Celebrity last year . Wanted to try something different. Taking 3rd one this year. Enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere. Fewer kids.

[reallyhooked]

Started cruising Celebrity last year . Wanted to try something different. Taking 3rd one this year. Enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere. Fewer kids.

[reallyhooked]

Started cruising Celebrity last year . Wanted to try something different. Taking 3rd one this year. Enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere. Fewer kids.

[reallyhooked]

Started cruising Celebrity last year . Wanted to try something different. Taking 3rd one this year. Enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere. Fewer kids.

[chemmo]

19 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We have returned to Celebrity time and again because it feels classy without being stuffy.  Price increases for the suite product have forced us to explore and experience other options but there is a sense of familiarity when we step foot back on a Celebrity ship.  We are finally Elite, but honestly, with the revolution of the ships that we have grown to love, I fear that we won't be around too much longer.  And though times are indeed, "a changin" some things are perfect just they way they are.  

 

‘Classy without being stuffy’ is a great description...We describe the experience as ‘fitting us like a glove’...

 

We are less worried now about the Revolution marring rather than improving the experience than we were. We cruised on Equinox (part Revolutionised) in September and did like the decor in the suite lounge, could see the potential of having a suite deck (although Equinox’s is far from perfect) and found our RS was still extremely comfortable. We have booked the Revolutionised Silhouette for October and we are really looking forward to it.

Edited January 2, 2020 by chemmo

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

‘Classy without being stuffy’ is a great description...We describe the experience as ‘fitting us like a glove’...

 

We are less worried now about the Revolution marring rather than improving the experience than we were. We cruised on Equinox (part Revolutionised) in September and did like the decor in the suite lounge, could see the potential of having a suite deck (although Equinox’s is far from perfect) and found our RS was still extremely comfortable. We have booked the Revolutionised Silhouette for October and we are really looking forward to it.

Thank you for chiming in about the revolution.  Your perspective makes me feel a lot better.  For sure, I need to experience it before judging.  Have been worried about comfort and many reviews suggest some of the new furnishings are less than so.  Nevertheless, we have a 2021 booked on Connie for 11 nights in a RS.  Refurbishment or not, I just don't think one can go wrong with a RS so I will remain open-minded. We also have an Alaska cruise booked for late August 2020 in a Sky suite and the price was less than competitors...I know it's nearly off peak season so that has something to do with it.

Happy New Year!

[paphoslady]

We have been cruising for about 10 years. We tend to cruise, do city breaks and land tours. We have cruised with several of the mainstream companies and X only once before. Why do I like cruising? Its a much needed break from my full time job in the UK. After years of holidaying in our own apartment I enjoy cruising because everything's done for me. It's ideal for my husband as long as we don't have too many sea days as we get to see lots of new places and he doesn't have time to get bored. Its great not to have to make a decision about where we are going to eat every night quite a contrast to our many years of self catering holidays in our apartment. Yes its got more expensive but I'm happy to cruise in an inside cabin, or OV or verandah depending on the price. I'm happy to try new cruise lines to explore new destinations and will be sailing on Oceania in the Summer not because I'm unhappy with Celebrity just because there's lots of choice out there!

[shipshape sam]

On 12/29/2019 at 7:14 PM, Spif Barwunkel said:

Skyrocketing prices, increases in gratuities, decreases in amenities, just a few topics introduced on this forum by concerned travelers whose frustration increases with each change in the cruising routine and expense. All valid concerns and yet the affects on the cruising community vary from one cruiser to another. Economics is a crucial factor in life and certainly makes us all want more bang for our back.

 

Celebrity's service philosophy is to provide it's passengers a comfortable, fun-filled sea vacation with personal attention and care. Celebrity's business philosophy - just as with any other corporate entity -  is to remain solvent while keeping costs in-line with what the market will bear. Therein lies the economic equation  that differentiates us seafaring folks from one another. What it's worth to me, may not be worth it to you. Is it strictly dollars & cents or is the product satisfactory at any cost?

 

Times are a changin'.  What keeps you coming back? Stay strictly in Celebrity's house, and make no comparisons with other cruise lines or land vacations.  

 

What keeps me coming back is the wonderful itineraries, the consistently good service and food, cleanliness of the ships and the expediency of embarkation and disembarkation. I do believe that X's entertainment could be better overall, but that is certainly not a deal breaker. In all cases, nothing is perfect all the time and a glitch will occur now and then. However, the overall experience remains, for me, a quality product that is very much enjoyed and a fair price to pay for play. 

 

 

 

      

For me personally, I love the onboard ship experience.  At time of writing this, the free sunshine, free breeze, the sense of relaxation and naps, the speciality restaurants-Murano's especially with Dover sole, the casino, the dancing, the ability to go to bed and wake up in a new port or a new sea day.  I love just looking at the sea, with a breeze, sunshine, a beer in hand with DW and friends making new memories.

 

 

[Brad1185]

I come back to this site hoping against all odds that something with change back so we can come back to celebrity.  We used to love their product until all the cutbacks and extra charges. 

[ABoatNerd]

We are Elite Plus. Have not cruised Celebrity since 2015. The continual cutbacks, elimination of ship related venues like the Sky Lounge and the class segmentation will not allow us to book Celebrity.

 

We then moved up to the premium lines to acquire the real ships attributes like forward views, full access to the ship and excellent quality service and food - for ALL. Was good for a while.

 

Over the past 2 years, even the premium lines, especially Oceania, have cut back a lot on food and service, so do not think that moving up gives you a better product (check reviews for Oceania from long time regulars, yikes). They are cutting back because they know some patrons of the mass lines are dissatisfied and are moving up to them (us and our group in the past) - so yes more business, so cut back and enhance corporate profits, cause the newbies do not know the earlier product. Not.

 

Given the cuts backs at the premium level, like many who have posted here and elsewhere on CC, we moved most of our travel to land based vacations where we have received the quality and attentiveness and the link to the land, people, the food and history that cruising does not mostly deliver.

 

A trend I notice is that the ship has become the focus, not the itinerary. That is cool, if that is what you want.

 

Prior to 2012, we booked knowing the great food, service etc would be there, every year. That changed in 2012.. That certainty is not there any more.

 

Consider what you need and want from a vacation and look at your options, cruises are just one of many options.