What changes would you suggest?

[jean87510]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Very rarely have I "triggered" the call back system.  I'd guess 95% of the time I have no choice but to remain on hold

I also use the chat option as well.  Not always successful but has worked for me at times.

[NutsAboutGolf]

4 minutes ago, mnocket said:

My prediction is not based on VV making cutbacks.  That said, it's only my prediction and I may well be proven wrong.  Time will tell.

 

Of course; my prediction is they'll stay around well beyond two years but I also could be wrong

[NutsAboutGolf]

Just now, jean87510 said:

I also use the chat option as well.  Not always successful but has worked for me at times.

 

Ditto!  Also asking specific questions (like the latest Starlink deployment schedule) often works

[mnocket]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Of course; my prediction is they'll stay around well beyond two years but I also could be wrong

The good news is one of us is right!

[RichYak]

28 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I have difficulty defining Celebrity, Princess or HAL as "Premium" lines.  They are upper-level mass market lines, at best. Celebrity, of all of them, most likes to pretend to being more, but mainly due to what they provide suite customers. However.....MSC and NCL also have their own insulated suite classes and wouldn't be considered "Premium" because of it.

 

For me: 

Mass Market Family-Friendly Lines = Carnival, NCL, Costa, MSC, RCCL (top of this bunch)

 

Mass Market Higher End/Less Family Oriented = Princess, HAL, Celebrity

 

Premium = Oceania, Azamara, Viking

 

Luxury = Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, Crystal (back in the day)

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

[twincheryl]

36 minutes ago, ehall said:

 I think that therefore - totally eliminating the service may not be good - so people who need or want to have their rooms refreshed should be able to just call and request.

 

Give people who don't want a full sit down meal an easy option that is not the buffet.  I do think the buffet is a big food waste at dinner, but it is really the only option if someone does not want an entire sit-down served meal.

I am also a bit OCD in keeping my room clean... therefore always tell steward on day one that I only want morning service... just put the daily outside the door... no need for chocolate or towel animal or drapes closed.  

 

We always eat in buffet for dinner and so wish this would happen.  Don't need a big meal, but totally understand the waste.  We comment about it every time we cruise.  Holding out hope that even Mast Grill stays open for an extra hour or a Craft Social type venue is added to M or S class ships.

[horseymike]

4 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

They sort of have that with Craft Social although the food menu is limited and is a la carte

 

[horseymike]

i believe there is an extra charge to eat pub food in craft social☹️

[horseymike]

i would rather pay a bit more for the cruise and have good food  INCLUDED in the various included dining options.

[LGW59]

28 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

There's a lot of disingenuity from X.  Just a few examples...You can have a steak in the MDR every night, but does it taste good?  They sell a pre-owned rolex but you can't have it serviced at a rolex dealer.  They make it appear they're selling new handbags but they're pre-owned

I think they start by totally revamping the buffet, AKA as get rid of it altogether.  Personally I think buffets are just individual germ stations.  Gut the vast amount of space they commit to the buffet and replace with with higher end, cooked to order food kiosks, replace the tacky hospital cafeteria style furniture they currently have there, honestly IMO, there is just nothing aesthetically appealing in the buffet.  Four or five food kiosks offering vegan, meat, seafood, Indian, Asian etc.  I'm not a big NCL fan but the videos I have seen where they implemented something similiar on one of their new ships is FAR more appealing.  Just redesign the entire area so it becomes a place one wnats to spend time in enjoying a real meal.  Other lines do it, Celebrity can as well, assuming they really are aiming to compete with those lines. 

[Oville]

Sell the M Class fleet and maybe Solstice and Equinox.  

[cruisemom42]

4 minutes ago, Oville said:

Sell the M Class fleet and maybe Solstice and Equinox.  

 

If they sell the M-Class ships I'll be going where they go.

[NMTraveller]

17 minutes ago, Oville said:

Sell the M Class fleet and maybe Solstice and Equinox.  

Those would not sell for much.  However they could sell off some of the E class ships.  Problem solved.

Edited January 15, 2023 by NMTraveller

[patty1955]

11 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

If they sell the M-Class ships I'll be going where they go.

Us too. Our one cruise on a Solstice class ship was our last. If we sail Celebrity, we sail M class.

[NutsAboutGolf]

22 minutes ago, horseymike said:

i believe there is an extra charge to eat pub food in craft social☹️

mean this in the most respectful way isn’t that what à la cart means?

[miched]

Eliminate the production shows and replace with guest entertainers

 

Return the Elite HH to one lounge and not be available at any other bars or give 2 drinks per day that can be used anytime.  

 

Eliminate the Art Auctions 

 

Replace the balcony furniture with comfortable reclining chairs and foot stools. 
 

More electrical outlets in the cabins and better lighting.  

 

Enforce the rules, regulations,  and codes that they have.  
 

Provide what is promised and don’t use supply issue as an excuse.  If it isn’t available then refund a portion of the cost 

 

Have a better selection of Bourbon and stock it.  

Get rid of Kelly as the designer. 

Bring back the welcome aboard Sparkling wine.   That was the first impression of Celebrity that we had and was sold as it  being the cruise line for us.  

 

Issue wrist bands with medallions to be used instead of cards.  No lost cards and more convenient

Just for fun.  Weight the passengers as they board and then when they  disembark.   Charge them a surcharge per pound gained.  If they lost weight give a refund.     I would wear very heavy clothes plus weigth straps boarding and very light clothing leaving. 🤗

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

[hcat]

Off topic..I guess

 

Celebrity under the tutelage of Royal C.... has come up with many cutbacks on its own..no need to extract more ideas from the " victims".

 

How about ideas to bring X back up to its previous high standards? Starting with mdr dining... full menus,  full service and a decent res system...? Room service at no cost during reg restaurant hrs? Full buffet for lunch and dinner..staff to serve and cook special items?

[Cruising89143]

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

They do have a call back system.  

I read that they put one into place for the TA community but I have yet to experience it on the guest side including twice yesterday where I gave up each time after over sixty minutes on hold and today I finally got through after over ninety minute wait. 

[cruzzzinma]

1 hour ago, ehall said:

Would love to see more pub style food and even a sit down pub style restaurant. 

Sounds like the Golden Lion on the Cunard Queen Mary 2.

[NutsAboutGolf]

32 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I think they start by totally revamping the buffet, AKA as get rid of it altogether.  Personally I think buffets are just individual germ stations.  Gut the vast amount of space they commit to the buffet and replace with with higher end, cooked to order food kiosks, replace the tacky hospital cafeteria style furniture they currently have there, honestly IMO, there is just nothing aesthetically appealing in the buffet.  Four or five food kiosks offering vegan, meat, seafood, Indian, Asian etc.  I'm not a big NCL fan but the videos I have seen where they implemented something similiar on one of their new ships is FAR more appealing.  Just redesign the entire area so it becomes a place one wnats to spend time in enjoying a real meal.  Other lines do it, Celebrity can as well, assuming they really are aiming to compete with those lines. 

 

100% agree, I touched on NCL following Virgin in an earlier post with replacing the self-serve buffet with a made to order "food hall".  However, I have no idea what X is doing with food as they continue to downgrade the quality and selection including at the buffet.  I've suggested many times on here why not serve the MDR menu at the buffet, all the items already plated?  You would have to imagine that requires less labor than eating in the MDR

 

With all that being said @LMaxwell states X is revamping the dining experience but won't share the details

[Cruising89143]

2 hours ago, mnocket said:

 

 

Predictions:

1. The distinction between premium and mass market cruise lines will shrink to the point where there is little to no difference.  I wouldn't be surprise if parent companies decide that the premium category is no longer sustainable and they fold these ships into their mass market brands. Either this or one or more of the premium branded companies will declare bankruptcy (I don't know enough about how  the parent companies are organized to know if say Celebrity can declare bankruptcy separate from the other RCCL companies).
2. Virgin Voyages will be no more in 12-24 months.  Their target customer base failed to show up in the anticipated numbers causing the company to shift directions.  The result is they are stuck in no-man's land.  I just don't see a path to viability - Virgin does eventually cut loose unprofitable brands.

This was one of my thoughts. I could see RCG folding some of the X ships into RCI who has some ships that will need to be replaced.  As I stated in a previous post, the line that separates cruise lines like RCI and X is becoming thinner each day. It might come to this to survive. Carnival has the same issue. MSC is eating Costa’s lunch. I read an article a few months ago that stated Carnival Corp. needed to rid itself of some brands. HAL, P&O Australia, Cunard were a few lines mentioned for various reasons. I think the cruising landscape will look different in a few years. As you stated, time will tell. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

17 minutes ago, hcat said:

Off topic..I guess

 

Celebrity under the tutelage of Royal C.... has come up with many cutbacks on its own..no need to extract more ideas from the " victims".

 

How about ideas to bring X back up to its previous high standards? Starting with mdr dining... full menus,  full service and a decent res system...? Room service at no cost during reg restaurant hrs? Full buffet for lunch and dinner..staff to serve and cook special items?

 

RCG is the parent holding company of both X and RCI.  X and RCI are literally polar opposites in the majority of areas.  Some random examples, X has the below average Mast Grill, RCI has Johnny Rockets.  RCI has all sorts of attractions like flo-rider, a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, etc, X literally has nothing like that.

 

To ensure food quality, as I stated earlier, partnering with existing restaurants will ensure they adhere to specific recipes and food quality and equally as important, immune from future budget cuts.

 

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

[LGW59]

17 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

100% agree, I touched on NCL following Virgin in an earlier post with replacing the self-serve buffet with a made to order "food hall".  However, I have no idea what X is doing with food as they continue to downgrade the quality and selection including at the buffet.  I've suggested many times on here why not serve the MDR menu at the buffet, all the items already plated?  You would have to imagine that requires less labor than eating in the MDR

 

With all that being said @LMaxwell states X is revamping the dining experience but won't share the details

@LMaxwell states X is revamping the dining experience but won't share the details.  Well until then and while we all wait with baited breath for him/her to share said details, we will all just speculate until the facts (as only he/she can present) are shared with CC as we all wait on pins and needles

[Cruzinforpeace***]

Sell some ships, raise the prices and return to previous higher standards in all areas.  People

may sail less often but when then do they will spend more.  X won’t do any of these things except maybe sell some ships out of necessity; they’re far too greedy and desperate at the moment. 

[LMaxwell]

1 hour ago, sherylc said:

My answer might not be popular, but I think Celebrity needs to find the cruise price that allows them to offer the previous quality of service/food that their loyal customers have come to expect. 
 

 

💯 agree.

 

That opens up a new can of worms about "which" previous level; but so long as their is consensus that downmarket ain't the right way, that's a good way forward.