Is cruising losing its sparkle?

[AndyCapn]

Service does seem to be an issue since passenger counts have increased, and I wonder if that lessened "sparkle" is due to oft-mentioned labour shortage.

 

It's a trade off. If people are going to want the cruise service of the past, they're not going to get it for the same price it was back then. Getting and keeping good people in costing more than ever before.

[bothluv2cruise]

Our last cruise was in November 2019.  We are doing a transatlantic on the Reflection leaving October 31st from Barcelona and can't wait! It will be our third time on the Reflection and although she won't be as new as when we previously sailed on her, I feel very positive that she is not in disarray and that we will thoroughly enjoy our cruise.

[aggiejd2000]

We were underwhelmed when we were on the Solstice in June to Alaska.  Our overall requirements for cruising are pretty simple.  We just like a relaxing atmosphere.  We don't need shows, live music, bars, pools, spas, etc. but when it comes to the food, our standards are high and we found the food in the MDR to be very disappointing.  We felt the food in the MDR has declined since we first started cruising with Celebrity over a decade ago.  We were thinking we needed to step up to suite class or try other lines known for food, like Oceania.  However, we were lured back by offers from the BCC.  We booked because we were able to upgrade to Aqua class and thought we'd give Blu a chance to see if the food experience is better.  

[wineoclock]

I haven’t cruised for 7 years. We have done lots of land holidays.

 

My attitude to being on a ship is I get better service than I do at home. I’m not cooking, cleaning up or waitressing for the home workers in my family.

 

This is my me time. I relax far more on a ship than any land holiday. I’m so looking forward to it 😍

[chemmo]

What an interesting post! Thanks gordylad…

 

’Sparkle’ comes from many things…

 

Novelty of experiences (ship and itinerary)

The build up and looking forward to

Exceptional service

The company you meet

Your manner and attitude on boarding

 

No wonder some  reports are a little lacking in enthusiasm…

 

Many are choosing an ‘easy’ cruise rather than a preferred itinerary that could have travel issues

Hard to truly enjoy the planning when a simply test could stop your cruise

We are aware some ships are struggling with staff

There is a risk to socialising with others vs keeping to yourselves 

After the last few years perhaps many are boarding with rose coloured glasses…

 

To quote Lastdance “Seize the day your own way”…

 

Our recipe to have ‘sparkle’ every cruise is to board with enthusiasm, an attitude to ignore any minor issues and savour all those wonderful things so easily taken for granted.

 

Like the smell of the sea

Sitting down to a meal you haven’t made and don’t have to clean up.
Sipping your favourite tipple and listening to that live music.

Just sitting and watching the world go by or sharing a conversation with strangers 

 

We should be heading off to Southampton today. Hope whoever secured ‘our PH’ on Silhouette has a wonderful cruise! Unfortunately health issues intervened a few weeks ago.

 

Our glasses are still half full but believe me next time we can board there will be enough sparkle in our eyes to light up a full ship!

 

Special sparkling wishes to all boarding the Silhouette tomorrow  for her Canary Island cruise!

 

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by chemmo

[Cruise a holic]

We love cruising on big new Royal and Celebrity Ships.  However, I must admit we did a couple of All inclusive resorts in Cancun and absolutely loved them.  So while cruising is still our number one choice for a vacation, the AI's are another great option for us.

[cw2go]

3 hours ago, chemmo said:

What an interesting post! Thanks gordylad…

 

’Sparkle’ comes from many things…

 

Novelty of experiences (ship and itinerary)

The build up and looking forward to

Exceptional service

The company you meet

Your manner and attitude on boarding

 

No wonder some  reports are a little lacking in enthusiasm…

 

Many are choosing an ‘easy’ cruise rather than a preferred itinerary that could have travel issues

Hard to truly enjoy the planning when a simply test could stop your cruise

We are aware some ships are struggling with staff

There is a risk to socialising with others vs keeping to yourselves 

After the last few years perhaps many are boarding with rose coloured glasses…

 

To quote Lastdance “Seize the day your own way”…

 

Our recipe to have ‘sparkle’ every cruise is to board with enthusiasm, an attitude to ignore any minor issues and savour all those wonderful things so easily taken for granted.

 

Like the smell of the sea

Sitting down to a meal you haven’t made and don’t have to clean up.
Sipping your favourite tipple and listening to that live music.

Just sitting and watching the world go by or sharing a conversation with strangers 

 

We should be heading off to Southampton today. Hope whoever secured ‘our PH’ on Silhouette has a wonderful cruise! Unfortunately health issues intervened a few weeks ago.

 

Our glasses are still half full but believe me next time we can board there will be enough sparkle in our eyes to light up a full ship!

 

Special sparkling wishes to all boarding the Silhouette tomorrow  for her Canary Island cruise!

 

 

 The post is the sweetest and saddest! Really puts expectations and experiences into perspective.

 

I sincerely hope that you soon find yourself back on the water enjoying all that you just described, 

Patty 

Edited October 8, 2022 by cw2go

[LXA350]

It seems in general the trend in the hospitality business is pay more and get less. YOu also feel this trend on the cruiselines. Even at X, crews are great but when it comes to quality of amenities and also the food the trend is on the negative.

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

For the most part, today is the same as it's always been, pre-pandemic but it's failed to improve/innovate (besides starlink internet which hasn't yet been deployed to all ships yet).  During the pandemic, many did things they haven't done before including food delivery/take out from top rated restaurants and visit all inclusive land based resorts with fast internet, gourmet food (at some places) lots of entertainment.

 

X has improved the internet but not the food quality or entertainment.

1)  Internet, kudos to starlink, this will forever change cruising.

2)  Food quality, needs to improve all across the board, Le Voyage isn't even getting good reviews.

3)  Entertainment, shows are well done but often you have 6 nights of musicals on a 7 night sailing, we need more options in the day time on sea days and more variety; I for one would love if followed in their sister lines footsteps and had a nightly comedian in addition the main show and actual name brand (Cats, Mama Mia, etc) broadway shows.

[Nic6318]

16 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.

 

Hi

 

There have always (at least since I first joined CC) been a lot of negative reviews. The only change has been what the focus of the complaints have been. Most issues nowadays seem to center on how things have deteriorated from times past.

 

So, when you speak of the "sparkle being lost", you are speaking from the point of view from someone who has done this before. From what I have seen, even in the past few years while wearing masks, people that I have sailed with, who were on their first cruise have found it a wonderful experience.

 

Put in perspective, I once thought camping out in tents was a great experience and would do it as often as I could. Would I do it now? Not likely. It isn't the experience that has changed, I have changed.

 

As a vacation choice, cruising is still a very good option, with an unbelievable selection.

 

 

[Texed]

We just returned home from our Beyond cruise. The service, food, and experience was excellent. In fact, the meal we had in Fine Cut ranks as one of the best ever. 😎

[Spif Barwunkel]

We continue to cruise because the appeal remains as strong as it did when we first started, many years ago.  Our priorities and planned experiences continue to be best served on a ship with the varied opportunities presented when sailing the oceans blue.

 

Naturally, as we all become more experienced and cruising becomes our vacation niche, we develop and settle into our comfort zone, a routine that suits us best. As with anything, the more of a cruising veteran we become, the more opportunity to observe and experience the occasional disappointments and unsatisfactory occurrences that are a part of anything related to human nature and interaction. How we react and continue to maintain a positive outlook toward this endeavor will determine how bright the “sparkle” remains.

 

DW and I have cruised three times since December 2021. We have five cruises on the books through October 2023.  Although some things have not been perfect, we adjusted and adapted, and we look forward to good times ahead. So, for us, the cruising luster continues to draw us in.  

[grandgeezer]

Celebrity, and all other lines lost their sparkle, in our humble opinion, long before the pandemic. We aren’t willing to adjust or lower our expectations so we’ll just sit back see what happens.

[PTC DAWG]

been on 4 since the restart…I love it.

[Jim_Iain]

17 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

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. 

LOL --    a woman of my own heart.    A small piece of good news is they have upgraded many of their Amuse Bouche.   Some of them are now pretty good.   Some are the same tiered old things -  e.g. the Cream Cheese Pillows.    I'd hate to sleep on those pillows

[Jim_Iain]

Been on 7 cruises since resumption of sailing and have 2 more this year booked.  I will preface with all have been in AQ and Suites.  Have things changed yes.   Has the sparkle dulled -- well maybe a little.  

 

Have things changed at  restaurants  and Hotels a big yes and sparkle has really dropped.  My last hotel visit for 2 days pre-cruise - they no longer make up your rooms over night that a big luster buster to me.   Celebrity is still servicing your room 2x a day. 

 

Personally I would say the staff are sparkling at 110% -  Food Selection in Luminae and Blue 100% -   Bar service in Retreat 110%  Bar service in public bars 80%.   Food selection in OVC 75%.  

[LB_NJ]

19 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.

 

The experience has definitely gotten worse.  After the restart tried Royal, twice. Never again (bad food, too crowded).  We also tried Celebrity Summit and it was OK.  Nothing great however we enjoyed ourselves.  Good enough that we booked a cruise on the Constellation.  If the cruise on Constellation is as good, we will continue booking Celebrity.  We will also try Cunard.  If not, we will try Oceania (our favorite) before we give up cruising altogether.

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

I have taken four cruises since the pandemic shutdown (three Celebrity and one Princess). I was thrilled to be back at sea and greatly enjoyed each of these cruises. I have several cruises booked. Cruises have greatly changed over the years (I started cruising in 1967), but the sparkle is still there for me. 😃

 

Chuck

[C4HCG]

2 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

 

The experience has definitely gotten worse.  After the restart tried Royal, twice. Never again (bad food, too crowded).  We also tried Celebrity Summit and it was OK.  Nothing great however we enjoyed ourselves.  Good enough that we booked a cruise on the Constellation.  If the cruise on Constellation is as good, we will continue booking Celebrity.  We will also try Cunard.  If not, we will try Oceania (our favorite) before we give up cruising altogether.

If cruising really does lose its appeal for you, and all the others on here who seem to have lost their love of it, come to Yorkshire, England. You’ll soon want to be back on a ship 😂😂😂

[davekathy]

Celebrity lost the sparkle. No welcome aboard sparkling wine on our 21  September Summit cruise. 🥂😁

[C4HCG]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Been on 7 cruises since resumption of sailing and have 2 more this year booked.  I will preface with all have been in AQ and Suites.  Have things changed yes.   Has the sparkle dulled -- well maybe a little.  

 

Have things changed at  restaurants  and Hotels a big yes and sparkle has really dropped.  My last hotel visit for 2 days pre-cruise - they no longer make up your rooms over night that a big luster buster to me.   Celebrity is still servicing your room 2x a day. 

 

Personally I would say the staff are sparkling at 110% -  Food Selection in Luminae and Blue 100% -   Bar service in Retreat 110%  Bar service in public bars 80%.   Food selection in OVC 75%.  

Pretty positive review so has the sparkle really dulled? Your commentary would suggest otherwise 

[mac_tlc]

We have cruises 9 times since the restart, four on Royal and 5 on Celebrity. Our most enjoyable ones were last fall when the occupancy was about 1/3, talk about being spoiled. Many of them were booked long ago, so, even though we were in SS’s on Celebrity and in a GS or above on Royal, the rates were “doable”. What has lost some luster to me is the 2023/2024 pricing. Thankfully we have 2023 filled out with sailings booked in 2021. 

 

We have also come to realize that if it is just the DW and me, we greatly prefer Celebrity over Royal—- just too many people on the big girls. 
 

When I no longer see lustre in this:

 

 

I will quietly disappear into the darkness……

 

mac_tlc

Edited October 8, 2022 by mac_tlc

[Gracie115]

We have been on 2 cruises in the last year and getting ready for a TA on the Apex in 3 weeks.  We can't wait.  The "sparkle" is still there for us.  Always just thrilled to be on board.  

 

Both our cruises in 2020 & 2021 were wonderful, outstanding service and great food.  

 

I think attitude can make a huge difference in how you enjoy/experience things.  Both our trips had people wearing masks most of the time and the crew ALL the time, that alone sets the stage for a different experience.  There was significant "social distancing" in the first one, so not as much interaction with other cruisers.  

 

The world has not even come close to recovering from the impact of Covid and considering the financial bind it put on ALL the cruise lines I am just glorious that they are still operating.  If there are hiccups along the way, we just roll with the punches, a hiccup is a lot better than a shutdown.  

 

21 days till we board Apex....WOO HOO!!!!!!

Edited October 8, 2022 by Gracie115

[TrulyBlonde]

For us, cruising has not lost it's sparkle. However, traveling to get to the ship has. We have been all over the World and mainly by cruise ship. No desire now to deal with air travel to get to Europe, etc. anymore.

 

Close to home cruises or land destinations work for us now.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, C4HCG said:

If cruising really does lose its appeal for you, and all the others on here who seem to have lost their love of it, come to Yorkshire, England. You’ll soon want to be back on a ship 😂😂😂

Just after lockdown we booked a lakeside lodge and did the ‘Herriot sights’. Fantastic break, wonderful people and stunning countryside….

 

For those crossing the pond and wanting a taste of real England I would recommend Yorkshire and we live in the Red Rose Region (which is obviously wonderful too).

 

Seriously I do think one mistake people can make is to do ‘cruise, cruise, cruise’ and not add variety to their experiences…

 

Sometimes adding variety to holiday experiences is like adding seasoning to a tasty dish!

Edited October 8, 2022 by chemmo