What changes would you suggest?

[LMaxwell]

18 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

I believe the majority would prefer Five Guys over the Mast Grill, Porto's Bakery over the current lackluster desserts, Maggiano's Little Italy over Tuscan, the Capitol Grill to the steakhouse, add a PF Changs, etc.  If X didn't continually lower food quality, we wouldn't even need to suggest adding chain restaurants but they simply can't be trusted to maintain a quality product

 

I don't go to chain's at home and don't want to when traveling. I know it comes down to a matter of branding, and I do think a Five Guys burger is must better than a mast grill one, but in general I don't want exactly the same meal I could get at home, or one whipped up by Chef Mike. 

[C4HCG]

I think they don’t need to change anything. What I don’t like others will, what others don’t like I will, that’s life. If you dislike the Celebrity offering so much then cruise with another. 

[LMaxwell]

6 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

I think they don’t need to change anything. What I don’t like others will, what others don’t like I will, that’s life. If you dislike the Celebrity offering so much then cruise with another. 

That's how you get more cutbacks. It's OK to have preferences. 

[C4HCG]

3 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

That's how you get more cutbacks. It's OK to have preferences. 

I don’t understand what you mean.  Never said wrong to have preferences but we are all different. I don’t get the art gallery, waste of space, or the casino, waste of more space. But many people love both I would imagine.  Celebrity can’t possibly meet everyone’s preferences so as I said before, if they don’t yours then try elsewhere.

[NutsAboutGolf]

18 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

I don't go to chain's at home and don't want to when traveling. I know it comes down to a matter of branding, and I do think a Five Guys burger is must better than a mast grill one, but in general I don't want exactly the same meal I could get at home, or one whipped up by Chef Mike. 

 

The whole idea though is my last sentence you quoted or to put it another way, there is no way trust X won't do future cutbacks unless they partner with chains

[C4HCG]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

The whole idea though is my last sentence you quoted or to put it another way, there is no way trust X won't do future cutbacks unless they partner with chains

Agree, and see no reason why they shouldn’t. Choosing the right partners obviously.

[LMaxwell]

Just now, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

The whole idea though is my last sentence you quoted or to put it another way, there is no way trust X won't do future cutbacks unless they partner with chains

 

The very first quick casual chain to have a cruise ship partnership was Johnny Rockets, and it was free when it came out and remained free for a few years. Then a charge was added. Yes, there was a handful of upcharge dinner venues at that time, but this was the first quick casual / tied in to a name brand on land. Royal offered some half hearted excuses as to the reason for the charge and loyalists parrot them to this day, and so basically Royal is the only cruise line that has gotten away with charging for basic poolside hamburgers in part due to their partnering with a brand. I consider that a cutback 

[NutsAboutGolf]

15 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

I think they don’t need to change anything. What I don’t like others will, what others don’t like I will, that’s life. If you dislike the Celebrity offering so much then cruise with another. 

 

Like most things in life, nothing is perfect, you have to take the good with the bad.  I would imagine Ritz has the best food at sea (a GOOD).  But their pricing is insane (a BAD).  Just one example...

[LMaxwell]

3 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

I don’t understand what you mean.  Never said wrong to have preferences but we are all different. I don’t get the art gallery, waste of space, or the casino, waste of more space. But many people love both I would imagine.  Celebrity can’t possibly meet everyone’s preferences so as I said before, if they don’t yours then try elsewhere.

Well, as you said, you aren't a fan of art gallery or casino, and that's fine. But by your logic I would tell you to take your business elsewhere because not 100% of the things appeal to you. Nothing appeals to anyone 100% in life. Chasing perfection is a fools errand. If you have something you mostly enjoy though, you can always look for ways it can be improved for your enjoyment. 

[LMaxwell]

Just now, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Like most things in life, nothing is perfect, you have to take the good with the bad.  I would imagine Ritz has the best food at sea (a GOOD).  But their pricing is insane (a BAD).  Just one example...

How do you beat me by seconds each time?  Are you just me, but with brevity? 

[NutsAboutGolf]

14 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

The very first quick casual chain to have a cruise ship partnership was Johnny Rockets, and it was free when it came out and remained free for a few years. Then a charge was added. Yes, there was a handful of upcharge dinner venues at that time, but this was the first quick casual / tied in to a name brand on land. Royal offered some half hearted excuses as to the reason for the charge and loyalists parrot them to this day, and so basically Royal is the only cruise line that has gotten away with charging for basic poolside hamburgers in part due to their partnering with a brand. I consider that a cutback 

 

Carnival has Guys Burger and that is free; Guys Burger isn't a land restaurant so there could be something like that partner with a famous chef dynamic for the complimentary items, not just for suite guests

 

According to one forum member, they ordered the steak in luminae, disliked it, spoke to a manager who stated X changed their beef supplier for all restaurants including luminae (except for the specialty dining) in 2023 and that the manager has already heard several complaints.  Just an example that X can't be trusted

Edited January 15, 2023 by NutsAboutGolf

[C4HCG]

1 minute ago, LMaxwell said:

Well, as you said, you aren't a fan of art gallery or casino, and that's fine. But by your logic I would tell you to take your business elsewhere because not 100% of the things appeal to you. Nothing appeals to anyone 100% in life. Chasing perfection is a fools errand. If you have something you mostly enjoy though, you can always look for ways it can be improved for your enjoyment. 

Fair enough, think we are on the same wavelength. We love Celebrity and mostly enjoy almost everything on it. I do think people on here are looking for the perfection that as you say, doesn’t exist. Sometimes I think this forum should celebrate what Celebrity do well rather than continually criticising it.  Can’t wait for our Equinox cruise in September and we are looking at booking our 2024 one too, again on Celebrity.

[gold1953]

they can also eliminate the carry bags  that they give us . Easier to use a back pack anyway

[NutsAboutGolf]

6 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

they can also eliminate the carry bags  that they give us . Easier to use a back pack anyway

 

On the Sept 30th Millie sailing the bag wasn't present, attendant told us they no longer have them.  It's entirely possible they were out at that time and got more later 🤔

[phoenix_dream]

2 hours ago, RichYak said:

I agree with all of this. Characterizing Celebrity, Princess and HAL as Premium is an insult to Premium lines.

I would have characterized differently.  In my view, in the past, Celebrity could definitely be considered a premium line as I feel it exceeded its peers (like Princess for example) in every way except probably entertainment. Currently,  I tend to agree that it has become much more mass market tailored to adults over families. But the prices IMHO are out of line with the current experience. 

[phoenix_dream]

7 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

Less than 5% of current bookings are FCC's. 

 

I would suggest they start charging corkage at time of boarding. That's $20 per bottle of revenue and no one is restricted from having what they want. Only those that want to bring wine are charged. It is totally optional, non-punitive, and does not negatively impact my experience to add that charge. Other cruise lines already do exactly this and there is *no* logical counterpoint to it. 

 

Other than that, Celebrity can make unpopular and shortsighted decisions on their own; a better thread would be suggestions for improvements. 

Curious how you know about the 5% FCCs?  Doesn't seem right to me but I am using my gut, not statistics.

I think the improvements thing has been discussed to death, mainly in the complaints about cutbacks with improvements being go back to normal.  But common sense says they have a lot of money to recoup.  And in response to another poster, as a now Zenith cruiser who loves Celebrity yes, it is my problem if they can't do that in a manner I can live with as the option is to no longer sail them which I don't want to do. So by posting this question hoping to generate some ideas that are a win-win. No one change of course suits everyone,  but some ideas would be helpful I think. And I do understand there's a risk any of these ideas could be implemented in addition rather than in place of current changes but I'll try to think positive. 

[WNCtourist]

20 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Fair enough, think we are on the same wavelength. We love Celebrity and mostly enjoy almost everything on it. I do think people on here are looking for the perfection that as you say, doesn’t exist. Sometimes I think this forum should celebrate what Celebrity do well rather than continually criticising it.  Can’t wait for our Equinox cruise in September and we are looking at booking our 2024 one too, again on Celebrity.

For many people, the concern is that Celebrity is cheapening its product by cutting so much regarding food while increasing the cost of cruising. This impacts non-suite guests a great deal. 

 

When Celebrity starts improving its food and service to all levels of guests, I will gladly celebrate.

[phoenix_dream]

43 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Fair enough, think we are on the same wavelength. We love Celebrity and mostly enjoy almost everything on it. I do think people on here are looking for the perfection that as you say, doesn’t exist. Sometimes I think this forum should celebrate what Celebrity do well rather than continually criticising it.  Can’t wait for our Equinox cruise in September and we are looking at booking our 2024 one too, again on Celebrity.

Curious if you've cruised recently? A lot has changed,  even since a month ago. 

[RichYak]

28 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

In my view, in the past, Celebrity could definitely be considered a premium line as I feel it exceeded its peers (like Princess for example) in every way except probably entertainment.

I have a different view. Exceeding Princess doesn't make Celebrity a premium line like Azamara or Oceania. It just makes them a better mass market line than Princess.

[RichYak]

22 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Curious how you know about the 5% FCCs?

From the most recent earnings RC report.

 

In the third quarter, approximately 95% of total bookings were new versus FCC redemptions.

[phoenix_dream]

7 minutes ago, RichYak said:

From the most recent earnings RC report.

 

In the third quarter, approximately 95% of total bookings were new versus FCC redemptions.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. 

[AnnaNicole]

42 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Fair enough, think we are on the same wavelength. We love Celebrity and mostly enjoy almost everything on it. I do think people on here are looking for the perfection that as you say, doesn’t exist. Sometimes I think this forum should celebrate what Celebrity do well rather than continually criticising it.  Can’t wait for our Equinox cruise in September and we are looking at booking our 2024 one too, again on Celebrity.

Constructive criticism benefits the business and the consumer.    I don't see the majority of complaints being about perfection.    It appears to me as if most of the complaints center around product changes since booking (addt'l fees), value for $, and frustration with Celebrity's product decline (esp dining).   

 

Celebrity loyalists want to see Celebrity remain the semi-premium line that they have known and loved.  It seems newcomers are ok with the new mass market business model.    Celebrity is at a crossroads.  I guess we will all see what happens. 

 

 

[mpdog42]

6 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

They have a whole office full of big bucks management that get paid to figure out what to do, let them earn their money. I don’t think the general public knows enough about the whole operation to come up with anything that would save any significant dollars. Awhile back, I suggested the start the fuel surcharge, and even start charging for luggage handling like the airlines do, but that didn’t fly because it would add cost to the cruisers. They, instead, jacked up the drink packages and internet, and that seems to be accepted. With the pandemic, and now inflation, people are more worried about the financial well being of their family than a industry that only a small portion of the world’s population can afford even if they wanted to. 

Are you ready?.....Here we go.....Mic Drop!!!!

Edited January 15, 2023 by mpdog42

[mrgabriel]

6 hours ago, gold1953 said:

get rid of chocolates on pillows and perhaps the flowers for Elite . I like both but not having these does not impact my cruise.

I think this must be hit & miss because we're Elite Plus & we never get flowers, other than the two freesia on the chest. 

 

Should I be offended - lol?

[mrgabriel]

1 hour ago, C4HCG said:

Fair enough, think we are on the same wavelength. We love Celebrity and mostly enjoy almost everything on it. I do think people on here are looking for the perfection that as you say, doesn’t exist. Sometimes I think this forum should celebrate what Celebrity do well rather than continually criticising it.  Can’t wait for our Equinox cruise in September and we are looking at booking our 2024 one too, again on Celebrity.

Absolutely agree 100%.I know that the name of this site is Cruise Critic but honestly, it sometimes feels like no one has anything good to say. Yes, it's important to look for what can be improved but there rarely seems to be recognition of anything that is done right - or better than the competition. Balance the positive with the negative. A day at sea is better than at day at work! 

 

We're looking forward to our third cruise since the end of the pandemic 👏😁