What changes would you suggest?

[iandjm]

58 minutes ago, kathynorth said:

CC points cost them practically nothing. On our Oct cruise our room attendant confirmed we were signed up for Go Green, so it’s still running ship side. 

I guess the big problem is once you are elite plus the chances of making zenith are around zero unless I sail with them until I am 250 years old. 

[mrgabriel]

They’re going to make someone mad no matter what they do. If it was me, I would start with:

- eliminate turn down service in everything but suite and concierge classes. Why those? People already pay more for a higher level of service. Also get rid of the decorative pillows on the beds that don’t get turndown. 

- work on food waste. Eliminate things that no one eats. Smaller plates in the buffet so people have to physically walk back to the stations if they want a 3rd helping. 
- bring back Casual Dining in the buffet in the evening. It used to be $2 for a fast sit down service with different choices (like pub food). Provides a viable option for those who don’t want the MDR. 

Longer term:

- Bring in a bunch of lean experts to look at all of the processes. Plenty of inefficiencies everywhere. Streamlined/smart processes will not only improve the bottom line but also the employee experience so they can attract/keep great employees that provide superior service. 
- More smaller dining opportunities where reservations are needed. How much food goes to waste because people aren’t eating in the MDR?

- Find a way to differentiate the offerings so people will be willing to pay premium brand prices. Is that more speakers? Who are your customers now? Who are your desired customers?

[gold1953]

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

[NutsAboutGolf]

7 minutes 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.

They attempted to get rid the chocolate before and after negative feedback they brought it back

[Cruising89143]

I really don’t see how they will be able to make changes without upsetting someone. What affects me may not affect another guest but in the end someone will be unhappy. I certainly understand approx. fifteen months of no income and now trying to pay off massive debt but I think X just needs to be careful as to what changes are implemented. IMHO there is no easy answer. 

[BridgeMates]

1 hour ago, cw2go said:

 

Fantastic idea! 

Yes!

[Lastdance]

32 minutes 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.

You get flowers for being elite, elite+ and Zenith?  We never eat the chocolates, but I guess if the food choices keep deteriorating, we might need to eat them.  I do not need either. I would love to see a list of costs.

[kathynorth]

error 

Edited January 15, 2023 by kathynorth

[kathynorth]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

IMO…

 

I would imagine if they would elect to use a focus group they would be more interested in NEW cruisers vs previous passengers

 

Yet I seriously do not believe they use them for the on board the experience, yet it’s very common for the marketing arm to use them for advertising like TV commercials 

I think you are correct about Celebrity wanting first hand opinions from new cruisers. I think they believe they already collect sufficient input from onboard cruisers through the post cruise survey and other onboard data systems. Last week I sent an email to express my dissatisfaction with all these cuts and received a call the next day. That representive said they are collecting passenger emailed comments for review at a higher level. When I mentioned the poor quality of steak on my recent cruise she asked if I sent it back to the kitchen. She said they keep a record of anything sent back and this data is sent to a central office for review. She said the comment cards that you find in your room or can pick up from guest services are also recorded and submitted for quality control review. I’m not sure if this is accurate or if I was being appeased, but next time I get a thin chewy steak I’ll be sure to send it back.

[Cruising89143]

One area that I thought of. It seems that X is having a difficult time in staffing up at their call center. I would at least like to see the system upgraded to place a caller in line with a “call back” system in place of having to be placed on hold for long periods of time. 

[Ken the cruiser]

What is this "Blue Chip" gambling perk where some get a free veranda and stuff, and does Celebrity really make that much of a profit from those folks that like to gamble onboard their ships? 

[NutsAboutGolf]

6 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

One area that I thought of. It seems that X is having a difficult time in staffing up at their call center. I would at least like to see the system upgraded to place a caller in line with a “call back” system in place of having to be placed on hold for long periods of time. 

Oddly occasionally you get that option but I rarely receive the option.  IMO, they should upgrade their website first to allow you to do more things online without the need to call in the first place

[TeeRick]

2 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Serious answers please. We have been talking a lot on these boards about unhappiness with recent cutbacks. I think any reasonable person has to realize that at least for some period of time something has to give or cruiselines would go under.  They lost tons of $$ during the shutdown.  Many of the current passengers are using up FCC so not generating much income. So what type of cutbacks would you suggest that would help Celebrity survive but not adversely impact your experience in any significant way?

I believe they should not cut back any more than they have already.  The prices have already gone way up.  So how about they just stop building new ships for a period of time?  Save hundreds of $millions$ instead of nickel and diming existing passengers and ship experiences.  Also, when Ascent and the following E-Class ship both launch, there will be an additional strain getting staff to run them and provide services on board.  They will draw from the existing ships.  This is really a big problem right now.

[NutsAboutGolf]

15 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

What is this "Blue Chip" gambling perk where some get a free veranda and stuff, and does Celebrity really make that much of a profit from those folks that like to gamble onboard their ships? 

There’s basically three ways to get comped cruises through the BCC:

 

1) Most Common, you receive a comped cruise offer as an “award” based on your previous sailings play

2) If you have enough status you get one free one per year

3) Based on play at an X partner like the MGM

4) BONUS!  Not a BCC cruise but you go through URComped which has playing requirements

 

Since the house always wins, it does make sense.  Also, unlike other lines, unless you have a lot of play, they do not get any perks.  You would imagine a typical gambler wouldn’t want to “disconnect” and would want the internet

Edited January 15, 2023 by NutsAboutGolf

[Cap_D]

Celebrity should eliminate gimmick promotions with countdown clocks and false sense of urgency. 

 

Celebrity needs to rethink their food offerings and design, and then recalibrate their marketing.  Any new cruiser (of which we were in April 2022) and any prior cruiser will likely be disappointed with the current reduced offerings.

 

Right now the only place a basic fare cruiser can potentially get a full dinner is the now greatly reduced MDR.  That is not competitive with other cruise lines or everyday life. 

 

An additional included food option for dinner other than the MDRs (by whatever name) and the buffet of leftovers (h/t Traveling Gamblers tour of dinner Apex OVC January 2023 @ https://youtu.be/BMGwQTym8NY) seems necessary to compete, especially with the unimaginative and limited MDR menus of mass produced banquet entrees that are on steam tables in the back.   

 

Sometimes one would just like a bowl of pasta (not a scoop of a casserole that is no better than a pot luck at home), a burger, simple protein, hot pizza, etc. that's cooked to order.  Why is that so difficult for Celebrity to offer?  

 

Interestingly, the Rooftop Grill on Edge Class ships is essentially a "grill" menu, or the equivalent of the included bar food or BBQ available on many other cruise lines (including Disney Wish), but the lack of wind screening on Edge and Apex make that space less than desirable especially for a premium payment even if using OBC and the menu doesn't seem to warrant an extra cost when compared to other cruise lines or everyday basic dining. 

 

Perhaps for another thread, but Celebrity's marketing, positioning of OBC (as a promotional tool, and not one to empower dining choice), and kitchens and employee load seem to mismatched for offering anything but banquet steam table fare, wherever the venue, even if on china.  All the ship tours show huge stores, kitchens and prep areas, OVC has multiple kitchens, and none of it is used effectively. 

 

Meanwhile, a flaw of Celebrity, including Edge Class ships, is most of the dining areas suffer from being labeled and decorated for a particular type of food yet rarely achieve the gimmick they are seeking to emulate.  

[RichYak]

4 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

I really don’t see how they will be able to make changes without upsetting someone. What affects me may not affect another guest but in the end someone will be unhappy.

IMO this is because Celebrity has no true identity. If they were truly a Relaxed Luxury℠ cruise line as their marketing suggests, they would just raise prices and maintain quality. Cutting back on quality food is a completely different reality. They are regressing, and that's fine, but they should market themselves accordingly.

[RichYak]

6 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

Meanwhile, a flaw of Celebrity, including Edge Class ships, is most of the dining areas suffer from being labeled and decorated for a particular type of food yet rarely achieve the gimmick they are seeking to emulate.  

It's clear to me that particularly with E-class, Celebrity wants to be the Instagram of cruise lines. As long as the pictures look good, substance matters little.

[gerelmx]

Eliminate the charge for room service (breakfast)

[Lastdance]

2 minutes ago, RichYak said:

It's clear to me that particularly with E-class, Celebrity wants to be the Instagram of cruise lines. As long as the pictures look good, substance matters little.

Yes, words and photos to sell a certain high level of experience that may, or not be delivered depending on individual cruisers.

[cruisemom42]

19 minutes ago, RichYak said:

IMO this is because Celebrity has no true identity. If they were truly a Relaxed Luxury℠ cruise line as their marketing suggests, they would just raise prices and maintain quality. Cutting back on quality food is a completely different reality. They are regressing, and that's fine, but they should market themselves accordingly.

 

Perhaps the next iteration will be Reduced Luxury℠ ?

[bebe08]

Another way to reduce costs would be to allow for more DIY options for booking activities through the website or app.  For example, the only option I have to upgrade my drink package before cruising is to call.  Why not add the option to upgrade on-line?   Also if I book a dining package I only get the first night reservation and have to book the others on the ship.  Why not allow this to be DIY?  

 

How about the option to opt out of the printed dailies?  So much wasted paper.  Everything should be available on the app.  I understand some people like them so don't think eliminating them entirely would be popular.

[NMTraveller]

42 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

What is this "Blue Chip" gambling perk where some get a free veranda and stuff, and does Celebrity really make that much of a profit from those folks that like to gamble onboard their ships? 

Many of these free rooms are going to people who have never gambled or rarely gamble.  I suppose that they are hoping that these cruisers spend onboard and they break even.  They do pay their share of the port fees.

 

Back to my point that X needs to focus on filling their ships to capacity.  These endless cuts will not do that.

Edited January 15, 2023 by NMTraveller

[RichYak]

23 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Perhaps the next iteration will be Reduced Luxury℠ ?

Then eventually Remember Luxury?℠ 

[High on the Seas]

33 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Perhaps the next iteration will be Reduced Luxury℠ ?

Next stop “Removed luxury”. 

[BOB999]

Sorry in advance for the lengthy post.

 

Fundamentally, Celebrity (and other mass-market cruise lines) aren't going to cut their way to profitability.  They have a lot of expensive capacity that they can't rid themselves of so they need to try to make it work on the revenue side.

 

The mass-market model relies on consistently full ships of full-fare paying passengers and since the restart, that simply isn't happening.  There is a decent portion of the travelling public who may have been open/interested in cruising pre-Covid but now are not or they need big enticements to get onboard.  

 

My suggestions to them would be:

 

- Continue to try to convince the public at large that cruising is safe.  I've been on 3 Celebrity cruises since reopening and will admit that there is a lot of coughing and if I were more Covid-averse I would probably avoid it.  There isn't much they can do in terms of masking/testing requirements that won't turn off others, but it will continue to be a work in process.

 

- More interesting itineraries:  There are only so many Western/Eastern Caribbean cruises one can do.  A lot of people are itinerary first, cruise line second.  Thankfully Celebrity seems to be stepping up here.  More Iceland/Fjords, Egypt/Israel, return to India and the reopening of Asia/Australia are creating a lot of opportunities.  Of the cruises I've been on, the unique itineraries seem to be pretty full and not just Blue Chip freebies.

 

- Decide what Celebrity represents.  For a while it seemed Celebrity was trying to differentiate themselves from the rest with this "Always Included" model (now All or Sometimes included).  Now it seems like they are turning into an airline that tries to be everything for everybody.  Airlines offer anything from Basic Economy to Premium Business/First on the same plane.  It feels like Celebrity, particularly with these cuts are trying to do the same thing.  I don't know if that is going to work.

 

TL/DR:  They can't cut their way out of this, they need to get paying passengers on the ship.