Celebrity Now vs Then

[runningtide]

My first cruise was 2005 on Celebrity Horizon. That trip to Bermuda hooked us on cruising. Actually, as a life long sailor, I didn't want to go on a "cruise ship" ...., memories of the Love Boat show kept flashing back....., I thought it would be too lame. But my 90 year old mother in law's birthday arrived, and rather than bareboating in the BVI, I figured a cruise might be easier on her.  My wife, youngest Son, and I accompanied her on a Bermuda trip out of Norfolk VA. No big surprise..., the trip was a hit. And it started a love of cruising for me and my family in the years that followed.

[terrydtx]

Our first Celebrity cruise was on the Century in 2006, it was a 10day Mediterranean cruise. We were in one of the very tiny cabins that had been converted from an OV to a balcony.  We went with my parents who loved Celebrity and did many cruises with the line. The one thing I remember that is not being done now is the Captain Club brunch in the MDR during one of the sea days. It had some of the best food on the cruise, we got to accompany my parents to the brunch.  

 

Since that time with the addition of Aqua Class and Retreat amenities like Blu and Luminae I think Celebrity is far superior and beats their mass marketed cruise line competitors.  We have been splitting our cruising between Celebrity and HAL since 2006, but our HAL cruise next year will be our last since they can not compete any longer with Celebrity.

 

Next year we are also going to do our first Oceania cruise and I think our future cruising may be split between them and Celebrity. We are retired and want a better cruise experience like Celebrity's  Retreat and Oceania luxury..

Edited August 7, 2021 by terrydtx

[dkjretired]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

We started sailing with Celebrity right from the beginning in 1991.  If you were lucky, Amanda Reid was your Social Hostess.  We came to know her quite well and she invited us to the Captain’s Table for dinner twice.  Two formal nights and two semi formal……DH had a tux and a dinner jacket on a 7 night cruise.  Those were the days of elegance and glamour, at least for our one week.  It all felt so special and we just couldn’t wait for the next cruise.  Loved the old Meridian to Bermuda…..the best cruises ever!

We still love Celebrity,  but we also sail with Princess and HAL.  It’s not the same, but we go with the flow and enjoy being on the sea.  We started out in tiny inside cabins and now we must have our balcony, so that’s an improvement.  The food has not improved,  nor the service,  but still suits us just fine.  Thank goodness for our wonderful memories. 

 

Remember Amanda well....

[dkjretired]

2 hours ago, George C said:

I know micheals became the suite lounge , what started us cruising Celebrity is they currently host lots of music charters , so I have seen some great acts in last few years including Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, America, Air supply, Todd Rundgren and many others , we pay extra but entertainment is amazing, next is next February on Summit.

Michaels Club was introduced on the Century and it was originally a cigar bar.   We had a tour as CC members in NYC before its first cruise.

[dkjretired]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I am sitting on the Seabourn Ovation looking over at the Apex here in Piraeus.  There was a time when we would have happily been on the Apex looking at the Seabourn vessel.  Now we need something like Seabourn to get the quality we used to experience on X.  By the way, the Apex looks gorgeous except for that ugly Magic Carpet thingee

 

Hank

Agree about the MC, always thought it looked like an upside down Golden Gate Bridge....

[graphicguy]

32 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Our first Celebrity cruise was on the Century in 2006, it was a 10day Mediterranean cruise. We were in one of the very tiny cabins that had been converted from an OV to a balcony.  We went with my parents who loved Celebrity and did many cruises with the line. The one thing I remember that is not being done now is the Captain Club brunch in the MDR during one of the sea days. It had some of the best food on the cruise, we got to accompany my parents to the brunch.  

 

Since that time with the addition of Aqua Class and Retreat amenities like Blu and Luminae I think Celebrity is far superior and beats their mass marketed cruise line competitors.  We have been splitting our cruising between Celebrity and HAL since 2006, but our HAL cruise next year will be our last since they can not compete any longer with Celebrity.

 

Next year we are also going to do our first Oceania cruise and I think our future cruising may be split between them and Celebrity. We are retired and want a better cruise experience like Celebrity's  Retreat and Oceania luxury..

Take a look at Viking, too.  Some very competitive rates on what is considered a luxury line.

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Take a look at Viking, too.  Some very competitive rates on what is considered a luxury line.

We have looked at Viking but their 100% advance payment when booked  policy is totally unacceptable. No way I pay up to $15k a year or more in advance of sailing to any cruise line. Oceania is 90 days like most cruise lines. We had a canceled cruise last year with Viking and at the time we booked in 2018 the final payment was 6 months out which was a stretch for us, but now FP at time of booking is ridiculous. IMHO, Viking uses advance payments to finance their future ship building so they are basically getting interest free loans form future passengers.

Edited August 7, 2021 by terrydtx

[Silkroad]

20 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We have looked at Viking but their 100% advance payment when booked  policy is totally unacceptable. No way I pay up to $15k a year or more in advance of sailing to any cruise line.

Agree 💯

[jgrkld293]

On 8/6/2021 at 1:17 PM, BigAl94 said:

You will be disappointed compared to your experience 16 years ago in every area.

Correct.  The ships have too many passengers and the food and service suffer.  I miss the banter with the staff, they are now too busy.  The Century class was great a good blend of affordability and quality.

[sasset]

7 hours ago, canderson said:

This is a 'sorta then-and-now' comment, specific to your piano point:

 

You may not ever have sailed Constellation, or perhaps not long enough ago, but how many here recall that Constellation DID have a 'piano bar' - Michael's Club?  And that Perry White held court there on a nightly basis for most of 11 years?  Make of his act what you will, it was usually SRO.  They finally moved his show to the Sky Lounge on the Eclipse just to offer the necessary additional space.

Just a nit to pick: Perry Grant was the lounge guy. Perry White was Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Planet where Clark Kent worked.

[canderson]

9 minutes ago, sasset said:

Just a nit to pick: Perry Grant was the lounge guy. Perry White was Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Planet where Clark Kent worked.

Don't call me chief!

[4774Papa]

On 8/6/2021 at 1:09 PM, crusnbee said:

In 2005, some unusual circumstances had my family cruising on Celebrity Century. It was amazing. I was impressed with the 'little things' that X seemed to do to make them stand out in the growing group of cruise lines.

 

Basic examples - champagne at boarding, iced towels when returning from shore, sorbet as a pallet cleanser in the MDR and also served one sea afternoon at the pool

 

Due to life, I have had the opportunity to cruise many times, but never again on Celebrity until now. I was just wondering if they still do these kind of things or if they had gone away because of the 'big box boat' mentality.

CJ

Yea, but their prices are bundled and very high.

[ChucktownSteve]

On 8/6/2021 at 1:36 PM, LouTheGlue said:

My first two cruises were with Celebrity on Equinox and Summit in 2012. On the last Sea Day we had a huge Brunch Buffet in the MDR that I thought was amazing. Have not seen it since then.

 

That's about the time that LLP transferred from RCL to X to begin the double/double program whereby they doubled pricing and profits by cutting things they had previously done. 

 

Just some of the things include: reducing Aqua class from everyday bottled water to one on embarkation, Moving from a cabin steward and assistant to only the Cabin steward with more cabins, reducing the meat grades in MDR and buffet. The better cuts were reserved for the paying specialty restaurants  while they used more buffet dutch ovens with heavy sauces to hide the change in quality.

 

They tried to do away with the pillow chocolates but with such an uproar they brought them back but a cheaper quality chocolate.

 

Granted these were not major things to most.  However I called it death by a thousand cuts. She is the hatchet queen.

Edited August 8, 2021 by ChucktownSteve

[crimsonbird]

Our first cruise was in 1989 on the Britannis.  The letter X on Celebrity ships pays homage to Chandris...from which Celebrity was born.  Britannis was a Chandris ship and the food was magnificent.  Fun to reminisce. 

 

 

 

 

 

[kimlovesfl]

Our last cruise was on the Equinox in Jan 2020. We still got champagne upon boarding, and iced towels and cold water were awaiting by the ship when you returned from being in port. No idea what is happening with covid and all. 

[Baron Barracuda]

On 8/7/2021 at 1:12 PM, terrydtx said:

We have looked at Viking but their 100% advance payment when booked  policy is totally unacceptable. No way I pay up to $15k a year or more in advance of sailing to any cruise line. Oceania is 90 days like most cruise lines. We had a canceled cruise last year with Viking and at the time we booked in 2018 the final payment was 6 months out which was a stretch for us, but now FP at time of booking is ridiculous. IMHO, Viking uses advance payments to finance their future ship building so they are basically getting interest free loans form future passengers.

At first glance VO prices can seem high but factor in all the inclusions and they can be cheaper than an X SS.  They often throw in free air and we've found their payment policy to be negotiable.  Had two VO bookings last year (ultimately cancelled by covid) where they offered us 90 day fp.  Like them a lot

[dkjretired]

18 hours ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

That's about the time that LLP transferred from RCL to X to begin the double/double program whereby they doubled pricing and profits by cutting things they had previously done. 

 

Just some of the things include: reducing Aqua class from everyday bottled water to one on embarkation, Moving from a cabin steward and assistant to only the Cabin steward with more cabins, reducing the meat grades in MDR and buffet. The better cuts were reserved for the paying specialty restaurants  while they used more buffet dutch ovens with heavy sauces to hide the change in quality.

 

They tried to do away with the pillow chocolates but with such an uproar they brought them back but a cheaper quality chocolate.

 

Granted these were not major things to most.  However I called it death by a thousand cuts. She is the hatchet queen.

She also tried to change the free burgers at the grill outside the buffet with some expensive fake Kobe burger. Didn’t last long.

[Denny01]

This is a fun thread….enjoy reading and being reminded of early X cruising. We did our 2nd cruise on the Mercury Nov 1997 right after she started cruising. A fantastic time! We were hooked on X and spent another 25 X cruises repeating the experiences. Did other Lines to join friends, party groups and itinerary, but focused on X when we could…and can. 

 

Differences? MDR staff had fewer tables and spent more time with us, but that also extended the dining experience because of the ‘back and forth’. Enjoyed it but I don’t really miss it. The service is still outstanding and fully meets our needs. And yes, no real dress up nights, but I enjoy a coat and bow tie at times and don’t feel ‘odd’ doing it. Since I don’t look around, except to see some ‘interesting’ outfits, I don’t worry about how different I am from others. 

 

I think one thing thats changed recently is I don’t see as many music groups around the ship during the day. There is always at least one, but use to have 2 or 3 different to ones. Could be just me not noticing. But then there are many more interesting lectures, better theater shows, and I loved the Mercury,  but the new class ships are such a fantastic design/art/public areas. Each are unique so we love M- the S- and now E-Class ships. Which is better? For me? None, each has something special. 

 

Enough. I don’t spend a good deal of time (well none) comparing current experiences with previous. To me, what’s the point. I’ll spend time comparing current Cruise Lines and nitpicking the differences! Much more fun!!

 

den

[graphicguy]

59 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

At first glance VO prices can seem high but factor in all the inclusions and they can be cheaper than an X SS.  They often throw in free air and we've found their payment policy to be negotiable.  Had two VO bookings last year (ultimately cancelled by covid) where they offered us 90 day fp.  Like them a lot

That’s what I noticed about Viking, too.

 

Funny….looking at my Solstice cruise fare for 2 sailing July 2011 in a Balcony Cabin.  It was $4,193. No airfare.  No drink package.  No internet.  Had to pay tips.

 

Leaving this Saturday, I could have booked a Concierge Cabin…all-in (drinks, tips, internet, fees/taxes) for $3,490 for 2.

 

Both Eastern Caribbean itinerary.

 

Even more interestingly, I am in a Sky Suite (albeit solo) for $3,900….premium drinks, tips, streaming internet, $600 OBC.  And, that included Butler, Concierges, Luminae, Retreat Lounge, Retreat Pool, etc.  For 2, about $1,200 more, including everything.

 

Viking Orion to Bermuda this month with free air, internet, drinks, etc in a Jr Suite, it’s about $3K, regardless of one or two sailing.

 

Long and short, the value today is way better than it was 10 years ago.

Edited August 8, 2021 by graphicguy

[EMBFlyer]

I've been very fortunate to have been cruising since 1986.  I've sailed on a number of lines and many different types of ships (several that no longer exist).

 

My first X cruise was on the Silhouette in 2017.  The first impressions were amazing.  Throughout the whole week, all I could think of is this is what cruised USED to be like.  It reminded me of Royal Caribbean in the early 90s.  Less crowded ships, more extensive service, excellent food and an elevated feeling of luxury.

 

So far, Celebrity remains my favorite line of all the ones I've sailed on.  Can't wait for my Edge cruise in less than 2 weeks!

[canderson]

Anyone remember how great the T pools were on Galaxy and one of the sister ships (can't recall if Mercury or Zenith)?

[Germancruiser]

Oh yes- the T- Pools on board Millenium Class are also great- never experienced those on the older ships- but I asume they were similar to those in M- Class.

RCCL was great when i first started cruising after a pause ( my first cruise was in 1983 on an old greek ship and 1990 on the German Love Boat " Berlin" - both very small ships)  of seven years in 1997- loved their ships with lot´s of glas used- being able to look out to the sea - almost whereever you went.

Well- beginning with the Voyager Class of ships they turned another way- which no longer was to my liking to i turned to X- and loved it- and still do. The changes may be collected like that and not all of them " bad":

 

- MDR- quality of the food slipped a bit

- No more Auld lang syne- well- thats just a minor thing- but i loved it.

- Less staff in the MDR

- No more Midnight Buffet- nice to look at- but a total waste of food

- Loud music in the Atriums - which is hard to escape- either you take part or you have to look for calm corner in the evening. ( Not easy sometimes)

- Canned music all over the place

- Captain and officers have become part of the Entertainment team, which a don´t like at ALL.

- an overall tendency of constant partying- hence the loud music

- no more formal nights- some love it- some not. Even though it takes a little out the festive atmosphere I am not too sad about that.

- The looked for younger pax- and succeded.

 

Maybe I forgot some- but for me thats the major changes.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Germancruiser

[canderson]

7 minutes ago, Germancruiser said:

Oh yes- the T- Pools on board Millenium Class are also great- never experienced those on the older ships- but I asume they were similar to those in M- Class.

They were even better on the older ships.  You could forgo the cost of a neck and shoulder massage, and instead let the higher pressure hydro sources pound the kinks out!

[Aloha 1]

First Celebrity cruise was on Horizon in 1994. Took the family ; 2 girls age 16,13 and twin boys age 9. Heard Celebrity had "upscale food and service over RCL and Princess so gave them a try. First night at dinner, our waiter, Desmond from Jamaica, introduced himself and took drink orders. Next night, our drinks were waiting for us when we sat down! The best waiter we have ever had.  I recall Lobster and caviar one night ( Sevruga) and excellent food. Of course Michel Roux was Executive Chef then. 

A couple years ago, we were in Kusadasi and lo and behold there was a ship there that looked familiar. It's trim was painted in red but the X was unmistakable on the smokestack as was the name -Horizon!

[Oxo]

4 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

First Celebrity cruise was on Horizon in 1994. Took the family ; 2 girls age 16,13 and twin boys age 9. Heard Celebrity had "upscale food and service over RCL and Princess so gave them a try. First night at dinner, our waiter, Desmond from Jamaica, introduced himself and took drink orders. Next night, our drinks were waiting for us when we sat down! The best waiter we have ever had.  I recall Lobster and caviar one night ( Sevruga) and excellent food. Of course Michel Roux was Executive Chef then. 

 

Ours was on the Zenith 9/3/1994 our 15th cruise. Yes, the meals and service were totally outstanding! Remember the small area for the Guest Relations area? It was almost like a small room by itself.

Stay safe!