Is cruising losing its sparkle?

[gordylad]

I just wonder with a lot of negative reviews. In fact we had dinner with friends who were on the Reflection cruise in September and when discussing it they merely mentioned it was okay, food not great, ship needs an upgrade.........nothing really enthusiastic. And by the way one of them tested positive for covid after getting off the ship.

 

Personally we will continue to cruise but I just wonder how others feel.

[mfs2k]

I read 99% positivity and can't wait to cruise in 3 weeks. 

 

The whole world has changed since March 2020.  Including cruising.  

 

I don't know the numbers in the UK where you're from, but about 45,000 Americans are getting Covid daily (reported numbers) so hearing someone got Covid after getting off the ship doesn't shock or bother me.

Edited October 7, 2022 by mfs2k

[dlh015]

3 minutes ago, gordylad said:

I just wonder with a lot of negative reviews. In fact we had dinner with friends who were on the Reflection cruise in September and when discussing it they merely mentioned it was okay, food not great, ship needs an upgrade.........nothing really enthusiastic. And by the way one of them tested positive for covid after getting off the ship.

 

Personally we will continue to cruise but I just wonder how others feel.

Let's see...no cleaning...no vacuuming...somebody else makes the food...somebody brings me drinks...there's a pool...there's an ocean...I get to see new sights...meet new people...no phone calls...no knocks on my door...

 

Nah...I'll stick with cruising...

[RTShaker]

4 minutes ago, gordylad said:

I just wonder with a lot of negative reviews. In fact we had dinner with friends who were on the Reflection cruise in September and when discussing it they merely mentioned it was okay, food not great, ship needs an upgrade.........nothing really enthusiastic. And by the way one of them tested positive for covid after getting off the ship.

 

Personally we will continue to cruise but I just wonder how others feel.

I think part of the problem is that while not cruising for 2+ years, people have looked back at their cruising memories through rose coloured glasses. Many fondly remember past experiences being better than they were, even moreso as time passes on. That's not to say there aren't some lackluster experiences, but....

[canderson]

@gordylad

Quality of experience has been a little hit and miss since the restart.  If you catch a cruise where the crew:pax ratio is significantly lower than X's usual 1:2.3 standard, that's going to show somewhere.  

 

That said, our best X cruises ever were just this last November.  That said, crew:pax ratio on those cruises was much higher than would normally be the case.

 

Cruising is a service business, and can lose a lot or gain a lot of sparkle depending upon staffing levels vs. bookings.

[motherchic]

We will be cruising in several weeks, it will be our first cruise since the pandemic. Sailing on the Apex, looking forward to it very much. Honestly so much has changed since the pandemic, many things not for the good but I honestly cannot imagine being unhappy with this cruise. I feel so lucky that we can afford such a luxury

[GORDONCHICK]

The sparkle is in the eye of the beholder.  Look for sparkle and you're bound to find it.  Look for everything wrong and you will find that, too.

 

I've found that the longer people have been shut off/shut in, the more sour their perceptions of just about everything.

 

I'm a realist in expectations, but I choose joy in most cases.  We've sailed may different lines.  We've had a good time on all of them - because we choose to look for the good.  We don't overlook the bad.  We know if it's there.  But to us, almost any time spent at sea is a good time.

[phoenix_dream]

Ten cruises since the pandemic and enjoyed every single one of them!  Different in some ways but still very enjoyable.  

[SunNFunCruzer]

We agree its losing its luster.  When we first started cruising, we cruised for itinerary. Then, as we continued to mature, we cruised to relax and see new places, but the brand, vibe and entertainment mattered. Then we started cruising HAL more often, and the entertainment and service took on even greater importance.

 

After our last, and most recent, experiences on HAL and Celebrity, if the itinerary isn't spectacular, we've decided to book resort and land based vacations. The Solstice must be a training ship, because while HAL post-Covid wasn't a true HAL pre-Covid experience, the Celebrity Solstice at times was a true disappointment.

 

We have been called debbie downers with an agenda, but we have no agenda. See for yourself, if you want to be enlightened, look for Solstice reviews from average state room folks, not just Suite Life folks. Everyone knows Suite, and on Solstice, Aqua passengers are treated differently, and I'd guess are assigned the best staff. Of course, if you pay twice or three or four times as much for 6 star service and dedicated rooms, bars and staff, you may have a better experience than the average cruiser. 

 

Thank you for posting this question, Gordylad.

[deliver42]

We've been on 4 cruises since the restart, Royal and MSC, with the Beyond coming in December, and the sparkle for us is still there. Expand my signature, and you will see that I'm not a newby.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Our New Year's cruise on Reflection will be our 3rd since cruising resumed.  Really looking forward to it.  The only negative for us is the old, tired, underwhelming Luminae menu. 

[dlh015]

Deleted. I wouldn't want to violate guidelines...

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by dlh015

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, gordylad said:

I just wonder with a lot of negative reviews. In fact we had dinner with friends who were on the Reflection cruise in September and when discussing it they merely mentioned it was okay, food not great, ship needs an upgrade.........nothing really enthusiastic. And by the way one of them tested positive for covid after getting off the ship.

 

Personally we will continue to cruise but I just wonder how others feel.

We still enjoy cruising and have future cruises booked. Just returned from our 3rd cruise for this year.  

Edited October 8, 2022 by davekathy

[mayleeman]

1 hour ago, SunNFunCruzer said:

We have been called debbie downers with an agenda, but we have no agenda

 

No agenda, but your downer is showing...

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist since you said you were called both but only denied the one! 😆

Edited October 8, 2022 by mayleeman

[dlh015]

11 minutes ago, davekathy said:

We still enjoy cruising and have future cruises booked. Just returned from our 3rd cruise for this year.  

Noticed you folks were gone for a while...figured you were gracing some ship some where...lol...

[davekathy]

Just now, dlh015 said:

Noticed you folks were gone for a while...figured you were gracing some ship some where...lol...

12 Night NE/Canada cruise, 21 September on the Summit. 🍷

[Georgia_Peaches]

Most people who take the time to post a review Do so because they have a complaint or ten. So I remind myself to take them with a grain of salt. 
 

Before cruising resumed to a sense of normalcy that was comfortable for us (no mask mandate or social distancing) we did a few all inclusive Vacays in Mexico. The resorts were great. We enjoyed the food, the drink, the beach, most of the entertainment but at the end of the day it wasn’t a cruise. September marked our first cruise since March 2020. It was pure perfection. To say it sparkled would be an understatement. It was pure brilliance. I think you have to lose something you enjoy in order to appreciate what you once had. I will never again take cruising for granted. 

Edited October 8, 2022 by Georgia_Peaches

[ShelleyQT]

2 hours ago, SunNFunCruzer said:

We agree its losing its luster.  When we first started cruising, we cruised for itinerary. Then, as we continued to mature, we cruised to relax and see new places, but the brand, vibe and entertainment mattered. Then we started cruising HAL more often, and the entertainment and service took on even greater importance.

 

After our last, and most recent, experiences on HAL and Celebrity, if the itinerary isn't spectacular, we've decided to book resort and land based vacations. The Solstice must be a training ship, because while HAL post-Covid wasn't a true HAL pre-Covid experience, the Celebrity Solstice at times was a true disappointment.

 

We have been called debbie downers with an agenda, but we have no agenda. See for yourself, if you want to be enlightened, look for Solstice reviews from average state room folks, not just Suite Life folks. Everyone knows Suite, and on Solstice, Aqua passengers are treated differently, and I'd guess are assigned the best staff. Of course, if you pay twice or three or four times as much for 6 star service and dedicated rooms, bars and staff, you may have a better experience than the average cruiser. 

 

Thank you for posting this question, Gordylad.

 

We just got off the Solstice 6 days ago.  Service and food were spectacular!  Everyone, including staff and guests were so friendly!  Definitely our best cruise yet.  And, I want to point out that we were in a basic balcony cabin, so not in Aqua class or above.

Edited October 8, 2022 by ShelleyQT
Did not mean to hit share yet.

[Tak8]

It's still a thrill for me.  I enjoyed 2 weeks cruising in May and am looking forward to one next May.

[SusieAV8R]

3 hours ago, dlh015 said:

Let's see...no cleaning...no vacuuming...somebody else makes the food...somebody brings me drinks...there's a pool...there's an ocean...I get to see new sights...meet new people...no phone calls...no knocks on my door...

 

Nah...I'll stick with cruising...

So love your positive attitude dlh!  Don't think you missed a reason for cruising!

[Josie201]

18 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Most people who take the time to post a review Do so because they have a complaint or ten. So I remind myself to take them with a grain of salt. 
 

Before cruising resumed to a sense of normalcy that was comfortable for us (no mask mandate or social distancing) we did a few all inclusive Vacays in Mexico. The resorts were great. We enjoyed the food, the drink, the beach, most of the entertainment but at the end of the day it wasn’t a cruise. September marked our first cruise since March 2020. It was pure perfection. To say it sparkled would be an understatement. It was pure brilliance. I think you have to lose something you enjoy in order to appreciate what you once had. I will never again take cruising for granted. 

We’ve only been on one cruise post 2020 but going on the Edge in November.  Can’t wait.  Throughout the shutdown I echoed your comments continuously - I will never take cruising for granted again.  

[Lastdance]

Yes, we will continue to cruise with our glasses half full. It is a choice to find and seek happiness; life is way too short not to travel the world.  As for Covid creating so many issues, I see that all over the place.  Cannot wait to make memories on my upcoming b2b/TA.  I even won my low bid Move-up to a suite for the first cruise, as I refused to pay the price for a suite, as it was more than my S1 corner aft for the TA.  My plan was not to move from my SV cabin at all, but couldn't resist a low bid.  

 

Remember that some ships are much older and if you like new, that could be a disappointment.  I always try to research and read about all the ships, but love E-class.  Celebrity has always taken good care of us onboard, so when an issue arises, we just deal with it and move on to better things.  None of us is getting any younger, so seize the day your own way!

Edited October 8, 2022 by Lastdance

[Cruise Junky]

I don’t know if it’s losing its sparkle. We haven’t cruised for a year or two before Covid.  I do know though that we’re leaning far more to land trips unless it’s a super unique cruise itinerary.  It could be a phase, and the older we get we’ll lean back towards cruises but we like the casualness and flexibility of land trips. 
 

I always thought we’d do Tahiti by ship, but that also turned into a land trip for next year. 

[Random Cruizer]

I had my first cruises this summer--Equinox (verandah) and Apex (deluxe porthole).  I wasn't in a suite on either.  I had a wonderful time!  Loved the older Equinox and the beautiful new Apex--different, but both enjoyable for different reasons. I'm hooked--I'll be cruising again!

[Arizona Wildcat]

It is certainly different.   Had a cruise this August.   There was certainly sparkle.  There was also the obvious situation of a business starting back up.  No different from many others.  Supply chain issues and personnel shortages will improve over time.  Did  we have a good time - absolutely.  Have 3 more upcoming cruises.  Expect that each will move a bit more toward the standards the cruiseline has for its passengers.