“Ambush” style of new charges!

[luv4cruises]

With more than 50 cruises on 6 different cruise lines Celebrity had become my favorite! As cruising resumed we have experienced cutbacks on Celebrity and other cruise lines. On Celebrity - no welcome aboard champagne, no cabin tote bags, reduced MDR menu, smaller portions, most recently 9.95 + gratuities charge for room service, reduced classics’ menu, discontinuing of Blu option to order from full MDR menu, elimination of canapés for Aqua guests, charge for second lobster, reduced dinner offerings in Ocean View cafe, minimal bathroom products. Add to that  rapidly escalating prices- a$1,000.00increase in 1 month for a 6 day 2024 cruise we were planning to book after Thanksgiving and tried to book after Christmas!  None of the cutbacks alone is any big deal but the TREND is!!!!
Most importantly the manner in which these changes are being rolled  out feels like an ambush to me. No prior notification We have 3 future cruises booked. What Celebrity is delivering is NOT the product we purchased. We are not being treated as valued, loyal guests.  I’m sure if I read the contract  there will be clauses that justify their changes and charges. That is not the point. I always felt Celebrity was classy, a step above Princess and HAL. Modern luxury is on its way out as Celebrity joins the nickel and dime cruise lines. What is next?  Read the boards - your main source of info. 

[Oceangoer2]

14 minutes ago, luv4cruises said:

no welcome aboard champagne,    

-  started with the pandemic;  nice touch but unnecessary

 

no cabin tote bags

- have a dozen, if not more, of them

 

reduced MDR menu,

-  still many and varied items to order

 

smaller portions,

-  way too much food available around the ship, but OV is also available for a before bed snack if still hungry

 

most recently 9.95 + gratuities charge for room service,

-  don't use;  walking to get our own helps to work off calories from too much food

 

reduced classics’ menu,

-  not sure which items have positively or rumoured to have been removed

 

discontinuing of Blu option to order from full MDR menu,

-  not a Blu fan but if booking Blu for the food selection, why order from MDR

 

elimination of canapés for Aqua guests,

-  same as above

 

charge for second lobster,

-  one is enough but will give mine to DH as another poster mentioned

 

reduced dinner offerings in Ocean View cafe,

-  ?...for sure?

 

minimal bathroom products

-  I bring my own anyway

 

So none of this affects our cruise life with X...EXCEPT for the large increase in pricing.  I understand the need to trim the budget (as some of us will do this year with inflation etc) and scale down the offerings somewhat, but in smaller increments,over time, it might not have been noticed ....which is what they've done over the years with little reaction.  Jumping to the extreme was bound to generate strong opinions.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Oceangoer2

[gizmodog]

I agree with the original poster, I too feel that what I booked is no longer what I am getting with all these added surprises that are not good. We shall wait and see I guess.

[sail2day]

31 minutes ago, luv4cruises said:

With more than 50 cruises on 6 different cruise lines Celebrity had become my favorite! As cruising resumed we have experienced cutbacks on Celebrity and other cruise lines. On Celebrity - no welcome aboard champagne, no cabin tote bags, reduced MDR menu, smaller portions, most recently 9.95 + gratuities charge for room service, reduced classics’ menu, discontinuing of Blu option to order from full MDR menu, elimination of canapés for Aqua guests, charge for second lobster, reduced dinner offerings in Ocean View cafe, minimal bathroom products. Add to that  rapidly escalating prices- a$1,000.00increase in 1 month for a 6 day 2024 cruise we were planning to book after Thanksgiving and tried to book after Christmas!  None of the cutbacks alone is any big deal but the TREND is!!!!
Most importantly the manner in which these changes are being rolled  out feels like an ambush to me. No prior notification We have 3 future cruises booked. What Celebrity is delivering is NOT the product we purchased. We are not being treated as valued, loyal guests.  I’m sure if I read the contract  there will be clauses that justify their changes and charges. That is not the point. I always felt Celebrity was classy, a step above Princess and HAL. Modern luxury is on its way out as Celebrity joins the nickel and dime cruise lines. What is next?  Read the boards - your main source of info. 

I agree with your post. Celebrity is now joining the other lines in the same cost cutting measures. Very soon all lines will offer the same product. I'm not sure what their end game is here. 

[PTC DAWG]

discontinuing of Blu option to order from full MDR menu,

-  not a Blu fan but if booking Blu for the food selection, why order from MDR

 

This, I have never understood this.  I am a fan of Blu...if the menu doesn't suit me, I'll eat elsewhere.  

[RichYak]

Usually cutbacks are incremental, making them less obvious to the customer. The fact that X has ripped off the bandage with such flourish makes me wonder what else behind the scenes has been cut back. Security? Healthcare? Quality food sourcing and handling?

[CrazyTrain2]

Remember when a regular airline ticket included: seats, 2 checked bags each, a meal, leg room and a plastic pair of wings for the kids??  Now you practically need to fly business class or above to be treated as a human.

 

What got us to this state - Corporate debt and the need to make a profit.

 

As far as cruising goes - it's going to get a lot worse.  The debt racked up by the lines during the pandemic is extraordinary and that interest nut needs to be serviced.

[Tudy]

It is dismaying to see the list of all the cutbacks. Very few of us feel all the cutbacks because the rarely is one person effected by all of the cutbacks.

 

I know that I am not booking new cruises right now. I am waiting to see how all of these changes shake out. Maybe it's time to do more resort style vacations or just plain land vacations.

[Luvcrusn]

We disembarked Equinox on 12/26 before the newest room service charge rolled out and before the new charge for a second lobster tail. We are long time X cruisers and fans of the line. We noticed quite a few changes that had occurred even before the rollout of the most recent ones since our last cruise. There were far fewer choices for lunch in the OVC and the daily choice of sliced meats offered were cheaper proteins. There were not a single oatmeal raisin cookie to be found the entire cruise. They did not put out late afternoon tea offerings that we'd enjoyed on previous cruises like tea sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, etc. The choices in the MDR were most nights heavy on chicken and port choices. There were fewer amenities in the bathroom of our cabin like shower cap, cotton swabs and cotton balls. No one knew how to make a Frozen Toasted Almond, my favorite drink treat unless I told them how to make it. I had never on all of our previous X cruises had anyone at any bar, theater or pool not know, even on our cruise on Equinox the previous year. It is available on the Classic package, so certainly not exotic! We'd gotten used to the welcome champagne not being there due to covid, but it's not back even though the Covid protocols have been dropped. 

All that being said, we just yesterday booked another X cruise for 2024.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Luvcrusn

[bikerunner]

11 minutes ago, Tudy said:

It is dismaying to see the list of all the cutbacks. Very few of us feel all the cutbacks because the rarely is one person effected by all of the cutbacks.

 

I know that I am not booking new cruises right now. I am waiting to see how all of these changes shake out. Maybe it's time to do more resort style vacations or just plain land vacations.

I always have at least one All Inclusive booked every year along with a few cruises to go on.  Work gets in the way for more.  Its across the board with prices and other small cutbacks at places.  I noticed at the AI when I was there in Nov/Dec.  Nothing major but there was a difference from staffing to some other little things.  Did have an impact on my vacation, absolutely not, already booked again for this year.  

[luv4cruises]

25 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

 

discontinuing of Blu option to order from full MDR menu,

-  not a Blu fan but if booking Blu for the food selection, why order from MDR

 

This, I have never understood this.  I am a fan of Blu...if the menu doesn't suit me, I'll eat elsewhere.  

For one when I have been in Aqua - French Onion Soup and other popular items have not been on the Blu Menu. Also Blu also has a more”exotic” menu that does not always appeal to me. The ability to enjoy the beautiful Blu ambience with expanded menu options was valued by me. 

[Oceangoer2]

29 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

 

discontinuing of Blu option to order from full MDR menu,

-  not a Blu fan but if booking Blu for the food selection, why order from MDR

 

This, I have never understood this.  I am a fan of Blu...if the menu doesn't suit me, I'll eat elsewhere.  

On another note....when dining in Luminae, with few menu choices - and I admit to being too picky - I HAVE TO order from the MDR menu.  If they stop that (and I understand they don't offer the MDR menu on the E class ships due to logistics), and except for the larger cabin, it won't be worth the $$$$s to me to book Retreat class. 

Edited January 5, 2023 by Oceangoer2

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

43 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

 

So none of this affects our cruise life with X...EXCEPT for the large increase in pricing.  I understand the need to trim the budget (as some of us will do this year with inflation etc) and scale down the offerings somewhat, but in smaller increments,over time, it might not have been noticed ....which is what they've done over the years with little reaction.  Jumping to the extreme was bound to generate strong opinions.

 

It's great that none of it affects you. But there are clearly plenty of people it does affect. 

 

Maybe you'll be able to enjoy private sailings for a bit - if you can afford the rates they'll have to charge to stay afloat.

[MarkWiltonM]

I suspect cutbacks are so they don't have to raise the overall fare prices dramatically while demand remains tepid. Suite prices on Celebrity appear to be through the roof, but there's a lot of demand for suites (on many cruise lines) and they tend to sell out first, so that explains that. We travel exclusively in veranda cabins, and we've been able to get more or less the same fares, with careful shopping, that we were getting a few years ago. Meanwhile, in so many other industries prices have risen far more drastically. Anyone tried to buy a decent pair of running or tennis shoes lately? Price are 50 to 75 percent higher than a couple of years ago. Groceries? Restaurants? Huge increases in price and in the case of restaurants we are finding that many land-based restaurants are, like cruise ship dining rooms,  also not as good as we remember (food and service) despite the higher prices. 

[sanjay]

I agree with this as well.

 

It is ok to make changes to manage a budget - that is how every business works.

 

I don't think it should have been done to cruises which were already past final payment.

 

 

[C-Dragons]

11 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

I suspect cutbacks are so they don't have to raise the overall fare prices dramatically while demand remains tepid. Suite prices on Celebrity appear to be through the roof, but there's a lot of demand for suites (on many cruise lines) and they tend to sell out first, so that explains that. We travel exclusively in veranda cabins, and we've been able to get more or less the same fares, with careful shopping, that we were getting a few years ago. Meanwhile, in so many other industries prices have risen far more drastically. Anyone tried to buy a decent pair of running or tennis shoes lately? Price are 50 to 75 percent higher than a couple of years ago. Groceries? Restaurants? Huge increases in price and in the case of restaurants we are finding that many land-based restaurants are, like cruise ship dining rooms,  also not as good as we remember (food and service) despite the higher prices. 

👍👍

[LGW59]

40 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

We disembarked Equinox on 12/26 before the newest room service charge rolled out and before the new charge for a second lobster tail. We are long time X cruisers and fans of the line. We noticed quite a few changes that had occurred even before the rollout of the most recent ones since our last cruise. There were far fewer choices for lunch in the OVC and the daily choice of sliced meats offered were cheaper proteins. There were not a single oatmeal raisin cookie to be found the entire cruise. They did not put out late afternoon tea offerings that we'd enjoyed on previous cruises like tea sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, etc. The choices in the MDR were most nights heavy on chicken and port choices. There were fewer amenities in the bathroom of our cabin like shower cap, cotton swabs and cotton balls. No one knew how to make a Frozen Toasted Almond, my favorite drink treat unless I told them how to make it. I had never on all of our previous X cruises had anyone at any bar, theater or pool not know, even on our cruise on Equinox the previous year. It is available on the Classic package, so certainly not exotic! We'd gotten used to the welcome champagne not being there due to covid, but it's not back even though the Covid protocols have been dropped. 

All that being said, we just yesterday booked another X cruise for 2024.

Glad to hear that you booked another cruise on X.  There must be a reason that you did so, because the list of what you posted here is like a scary novel, not that I agree, because on my TA this past fall NONE of what you mention here did I encounter.  All that being said, I just booked a cruise on O for May 2023.

[Beachlover1989]

My only concern for our February cruise is if there are cutbacks that affect my packing - for instance, bathroom amenities, slippers, umbrella, etc.  Hopefully this isn't a problem for us.

[RichYak]

48 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

...All that being said, we just yesterday booked another X cruise for 2024.

[Cruising89143]

I wonder how popular the retreat/suites will be once all of the FCC’s are used up? I suspect that was one reason why they were so popular. I looked at a few sailings in the retreat for 2023 and I refuse to pay those prices. Especially after experiencing the X retreat product last month on the Solstice. 

[mfs2k]

1 hour ago, luv4cruises said:

With more than 50 cruises on 6 different cruise lines Celebrity had become my favorite! As cruising resumed we have experienced cutbacks on Celebrity and other cruise lines. On Celebrity - no welcome aboard champagne, no cabin tote bags, reduced MDR menu, smaller portions, most recently 9.95 + gratuities charge for room service, reduced classics’ menu, discontinuing of Blu option to order from full MDR menu, elimination of canapés for Aqua guests, charge for second lobster, reduced dinner offerings in Ocean View cafe, minimal bathroom products. Add to that  rapidly escalating prices- a$1,000.00increase in 1 month for a 6 day 2024 cruise we were planning to book after Thanksgiving and tried to book after Christmas!  None of the cutbacks alone is any big deal but the TREND is!!!!
Most importantly the manner in which these changes are being rolled  out feels like an ambush to me. No prior notification We have 3 future cruises booked. What Celebrity is delivering is NOT the product we purchased. We are not being treated as valued, loyal guests.  I’m sure if I read the contract  there will be clauses that justify their changes and charges. That is not the point. I always felt Celebrity was classy, a step above Princess and HAL. Modern luxury is on its way out as Celebrity joins the nickel and dime cruise lines. What is next?  Read the boards - your main source of info. 

it's called Inflation and Covid Recovery

Cruise lines are going bankrupt.  They need to become more profitable.  Many people have stopped cruising and there are added costs they've incurred because of Covid cancellations. 

The only way they will become more profitable is by selling more cabins, reducing expenses and raising variable charges to guests.  

This should not come as a surprise.  There's a new world out there.  Get used to it. 

The cheese has moved.  Find the cheese. 

[Luvcrusn]

4 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Glad to hear that you booked another cruise on X.  There must be a reason that you did so, because the list of what you posted here is like a scary novel, not that I agree, because on my TA this past fall NONE of what you mention here did I encounter.  All that being said, I just booked a cruise on O for May 2023.

I am a chronic over-packer, so the lack of bathroom amenities really didn't matter. Although oatmeal raisin cookies are our X favorite, they aren't a deal breaker. The lunch offerings in OVC, although fewer didn't affect us too much except for requiring us to walk around a bit more to find what we wanted. That walking was a bonus since we didn't make it to the gym. The tea offerings we did miss, but perhaps their absence contributed to a lower weight gain during the cruise. Once I told them how to make a Frozen Toasted Almond they managed to get it right. If they hadn't that might be another story.😜

[davekathy]

At least the titles to some of these threads about some of the changes are getting more entertaining. 😁

[Mike45LC]

Last month, Christmas cruise, we ordered from MDR every night in Blu (onion soup).  No problem.

 

we had tote bag in cabin, along with two umbrellas, robes, slippers, yoga mats, binoculars.  
 

No sparkling wine, but I think that is “on request” and I did not request.

 

canapés every afternoon until I asked steward to stop abandoning stinking plates of crap in my cabin every day.

 

smaller sized entrees? I didn’t notice.  Fewer beef selections and cheaper cuts?  You are right!  

 

I did notice that lack of shower cap and emery board, but that didn’t bother me.

 

I still had a great cruise and I still love the X product. I booked another X cruise while still on board.

 

[Oceangoer2]

1 hour ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

It's great that none of it affects you. But there are clearly plenty of people it does affect. 

 

Maybe you'll be able to enjoy private sailings for a bit - if you can afford the rates they'll have to charge to stay afloat.

🥲