Celebrity Management Undercover? 👀

[jules27556]

4 hours ago, Bobsgonecoastal said:

Years ago I had her email address and used it.  I don’t believe she gives that out anymore.  I guess one needs to sail on a President’s cruise to make direct contact.

It is my understanding that some of those who have been emailing are receiving a phone

call.  Of course not from LLP.

 

 

Chief Executive
Lisa Lutoff-Perlo
President and Chief Executive Officer
1050 Caribbean Way
Miami, FL 33132
lLutoff-Perlo@celebritycruises.com

 

 

 

[High on the Seas]

7 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

You can look at all cruises and cruise dates.  

 

Select the Today or calendar at the top.  It brings a list of days down for your cruise.  At the bottom there is a Change Ship/Dates selection.  Choose that.

 

Perhaps someone can explain better than me?

When I do that it only brings up the cruises I have bookings for.  Am I missing something obvious. 

[High on the Seas]

Just now, High on the Seas said:

1 minute ago, High on the Seas said:

When I do that it only brings up the cruises I have bookings for.  Am I missing something obvious. 

If I pick another ship with an earlier cruise date I can see other info. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. 

[catgirl411]

7 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

They should attempt to eat the poor food choices in the MDR and OVC.  And then go on a Princess cruise to experience a better menu.  

 

Once they do this LLP will want to move to another cruise line.

 

Or just put their menus back to their previous goodness.

 

Just got off Princess and their food was pretty sad. And if you go to their forums there are lots of people complaining there and vowing to never sail Princess again.

[Oceangoer2]

8 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

As far as I know, the only "bad publicity" X is getting is on CC...

 

No publications OR TV/Cable News unless I missed it???

 

bon voyage 

I did read a column reporting cutback in buffets on RCL and Carnival and people were NOT happy about it.  I think it was last week so can't find the link.

[Northern Aurora]

4 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Two thoughts. Perhaps some levity...

 

.....

 

And thank you for the voice of reason.  We plan to board the Eclipse in March for a B2B2B2B, and I will form my own opinion then.

[RichYak]

42 minutes ago, High on the Seas said:

When I do that it only brings up the cruises I have bookings for.  Am I missing something obvious. 

At the bottom of that screen it says "Browse our ships." Click that link.

[Ipeeinthepools]

5 hours ago, TeeRick said:

On Equinox for the 9 night now.  It all seems mostly normal and what I expected.  I can guarantee that there is plenty of food and drink on board.  We are in a suite, boarding was a snap, and Luminae is still the same as far as I remember. The OVC had most stations open breakfast and lunch.  Lots of choices, and good table service.  We have not checked out the OVC dinner but I’m sure it is cut back in offerings.  I will walk by there this evening to see for myself.   We will not be using the MDR so no comment there.  We have reservations at Murano and Tuscan G this cruise so will report on them too.  The ship does not seem full and an officer told me that we had 2500 on board.  One thing on a positive note - the Starlink internet has been very good and a big improvement in general.

I hope you have an enjoyable trip and you’re not affected by any cutbacks.  Although you’re not eating in the MDR, can you do us a favor?   Can you stop by the MDR on a couple of days in the afternoon and post some pictures of the evening MDR menus?  I think that would help this discussion.  Thanks

[suzyed]

4 hours ago, catgirl411 said:

Just got off Princess and their food was pretty sad. And if you go to their forums there are lots of people complaining there and vowing to never sail Princess again.

I agree that the MDR food is not as varied or as tasty as it was the before.  The Specialty restaurants  are still really good and the buffet on our recent sailing was pretty great....and I usually hate buffets. We have done cruises where we never stepped foot in the buffet but this time we went there every day for either breakfast or lunch. They had every kind of food that you could imagine and for most part very good!  Lots of fresh fruit and my favorite bagel and lox each day for breakfast.  
Even when the food is just ok or sub par that is not an influence when we consider booking our next cruise. The beautiful ships, service, staff, cabin stewards, cruise director staff, musicians, etc are all great!  That's what we care about most!
(Of course experiences differ by ship...your experience may be different)

Edited January 23, 2023 by suzyed

[Bobsgonecoastal]

5 hours ago, suzyed said:

Who are you cruising with now and do you feel you made the right decision?

We began cruising with Princess on the Royal.  Our first cruise was in a mini suite reserve class (previously called Club Class).  We found the quality of food very good, and service was great.  Loved all of the lounges and musical entertainment (we rarely go to the big shows on any cruise).  While on board, we purchased fully refundable $100 book deposits.  So far we’ve booked 2 additional cruises with $200 fully refundable deposits.  I really appreciate the flexibility that provides.

when you purchase these on board, you also get additional OBCs.  It’s really no risk with a bonus.  Every change or cancellation with X costs $200.  No more lift and shift or courtesy changes unless you pay more for a refundable booking.

[Germancruiser]

I would think they don´t need any prove of cut backs, they ordered them- so there is no need to send someone in undercover. They are well aware whats going on.

My last cruise with X was on board Infinity- the old lady was in great shape and there have been some cutbacks ( example- there was wide varity of joghurt - no there is just a bowl with some fruit yogurt) - but nothing to spoil our cruise. The food was great- the Buffet- well,  we always found something to our liking!

[Kittybay13]

8 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Just got off a Princess Cruise.  Better menu?  Balderdash.

Had a steakhouse meal with a COLD "baked" potato.  Walked out of Sabatinis hungry as both courses were terrible.  Dinner service had filet - but got a piece about 2oz.  Waited 45 minutes or longer between courses.  It 10 MDR nights had 1 excellent and 2 good meals.

Combined with a 90 minute wait for everyone to dine the first 2 nights AND 3 hours to tended everyone into Cabo and Princess is struggling just like the rest.

Was on Princess back last April and I was served the weirdest dish ever. Asian Noodle Stir fry... where the description indicated carrots, onions, celery, bean sprouts etc.  What I was served was a bowl of the deep fried crispy noodles you put on your chow mein, or you coat in chocolate at Christmas if you are into that sort of 'baking'.  ONE matchstick carrot, TWO pieces of celery and 4 bean sprouts and a bowl of chow mein garnish with a splash of soy sauce.  Bizarre.  Some meals were good but I generally felt portions were really small, late (45 minutes per course?), and cold.  And yes, the waiting time of 45 minutes to be seated even if you used the slower than dial-up APP each day app to book... just exhausting.

[Kittybay13]

6 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said:

I did read a column reporting cutback in buffets on RCL and Carnival and people were NOT happy about it.  I think it was last week so can't find the link.

I read about the new streamlined menus on RCL.  No more 'left side/ 'classic'.  I wondered if X was following suit as my upcoming cruise has no menus in MDR beyond kids menus (in the APP)

[Kittybay13]

6 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said:

I did read a column reporting cutback in buffets on RCL and Carnival and people were NOT happy about it.  I think it was last week so can't find the link.

Found this on the MDR changes on RCL.  https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/01/07/first-look-royal-caribbeans-new-main-dining-room-menus

[wrk2cruise]

5 hours ago, Kittybay13 said:

I read about the new streamlined menus on RCL.  No more 'left side/ 'classic'.  I wondered if X was following suit as my upcoming cruise has no menus in MDR beyond kids menus (in the APP)

 

There has been nothing said about Celebrity following suit.   Just off Equinox Saturday and the every day items are all there.  The only bizarre thing was that Escargot was missing a couple of days and the Sirloin Steak missing 1 day.  I think this was on the first sailing of the B2B so might have just been some sort of supply issue.   I had the French Onion soup most nights and it was very good.

[TMLAalum]

16 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

I sincerely hope that you have a wonderful cruise. We do Infinity in February and Beyond in May. We too will be very aware of what each has to offer. 

Maybe you should change your CC name to Buzz Lightyear. To Infinity and Beyond!🚀

[randomcruise]

8 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

I would think they don´t need any prove of cut backs, they ordered them- so there is no need to send someone in undercover. They are well aware whats going on.

This^^^^ The executives running Celebrity know full well what they have done and they have no need to go on one of their cruises to find out.  Neither should anyone else who is posting here.  

 

The cutbacks to the menus in the Main Dining Rooms are well documented and can be easily seen by comparing the current menus on the Celebrity app to the past menus. The cutbacks to the evening Buffet have also been well documented with multiple picture reports here and on other social media.  The deletion of free room service for everything other than a continental breakfast is also not speculative.  The Celebrity executives know they are not currently providing what they promoted and what people, including myself and the rest of our party of 18, paid-in-full for months ago, and I don't need to go on the cruise to know that those cutbacks are not acceptable to me.   The main thing I don't know is if those same cutbacks will still be in place for our cruise in a couple of weeks. 

 

Having said that, if the current cutbacks are still in place, I will still  enjoy the aspects of the cruise that have not been cutback and the good company of everyone else in our party.  

[SoBe2010]

"pork&beans"

"Chicken Nuggets"

 

Sounds more like emergency shelter food.

 

What are your "favourites"? 

[jules27556]

7 hours ago, Kittybay13 said:

Found this on the MDR changes on RCL.  https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/01/07/first-look-royal-caribbeans-new-main-dining-room-menus

Interesting.  I looked at the menus and RCL new menus had prime rib, roasted tenderloin, beef dishes,

lobster......and even though an additional charge, there are Premium choices.  Thank you for posting!

[Oceangoer2]

7 hours ago, Kittybay13 said:

Found this on the MDR changes on ......

Thanks so much for researching and finding this info.  These menus seem fine to me.......I'd have no problem with ordering (and I'm a picky eater);  I like the themed menu and it seems much thought has been put into the choices and giving the reason why the 'lobster' is 'different' is important.  The Column I read was from a major newspaper...and we know how they love their soundbites and critiques.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Oceangoer2

[hcat]

19 hours ago, davekathy said:

Are you saying Lisa and her entourage won't be hosting a Presidents cruise anytime in the near future. 😁

They are tone deaf so they might still Celebrate themselves!

Their cruise line, their bubble!

[mayleeman]

8 hours ago, Kittybay13 said:

....my upcoming cruise has no menus in MDR beyond kids menus (in the APP)

 

I tried to check the menu for our cruise next year on the app. Same thing, just the kids menu--plus desserts. Had been normal.

[kirtihk]

On 1/22/2023 at 9:56 AM, High on the Seas said:

You won’t find this on the evening news. However, based on many items on this board the feedback is helping people decide whether to move their business to another line, continue with Celebrity, or maybe opt for a different vacation all together.  If Celebrity doesn’t take cruisers concerns seriously they may lose them. It’s a lot tougher to win a customer back then keep them in the fold. 

What's a difference?  Everyone complains about everything for every cruise line and other vacation options (hotels, resorts, restaurants ...) these days.  Sounds like there is nothing to switch to.

 

As I wrote on a few occasions - "Anticipation of death is worse than death itself"" - today we live and world "operates" in aftermath of that anticipation; and I only hope that current conditions are, at last, actual aftermath, not prolonged anticipation like extension of emergency on January 11 (as a "lovely" indeed gift for my birthday - Federal Public Health Emergency Updates for 2022 (asha.org)) after almost 3 years of fear, because, otherwise, eventually, there is nothing be left to complain about.

Edited January 23, 2023 by kirtihk

[suzyed]

9 hours ago, Kittybay13 said:

Was on Princess back last April and I was served the weirdest dish ever. Asian Noodle Stir fry... where the description indicated carrots, onions, celery, bean sprouts etc.  What I was served was a bowl of the deep fried crispy noodles you put on your chow mein, or you coat in chocolate at Christmas if you are into that sort of 'baking'.  ONE matchstick carrot, TWO pieces of celery and 4 bean sprouts and a bowl of chow mein garnish with a splash of soy sauce.  Bizarre.  Some meals were good but I generally felt portions were really small, late (45 minutes per course?), and cold.  And yes, the waiting time of 45 minutes to be seated even if you used the slower than dial-up APP each day app to book... just exhausting.

I think it depends on which ship you are on....although that probably shouldn't matter.  We just got off the Enchanted Princess and the specialty restaurants were spot on. Sabatini's has a new menu and we thought the food and service was wonderful.  We went to Crown Grill twice..the second time even a little better than the first. Bistro Sur la Mar was lovely and different...again, the service was great!  
Heck!  Even the buffet was better than on previous sailings...great variety and everything was fresh and looked appetizing...especially the fruit section and the desserts. (I usually hate buffets but not this time).
The MDR was fine...not great, not terrible.
With all of that said, we don't cruise for the food.  If it's acceptable, we're ok with it and can find something we like at each venue. 

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 1/22/2023 at 9:56 AM, High on the Seas said:

You won’t find this on the evening news. However, based on many items on this board the feedback is helping people decide whether to move their business to another line, continue with Celebrity, or maybe opt for a different vacation all together.  If Celebrity doesn’t take cruisers concerns seriously they may lose them. It’s a lot tougher to win a customer back then keep them in the fold. 

 

I think it's important to remember the niche of the niche of cruisers that Cruise Critic boards ends up being.

 

A great example of this would be Infinite Verandahs. Reading CC, you'd believe them to be like living in a cave, a total miss, and sure to bring down the cruising industry. Oddly, this has not been the case with the general public, who tend to love the rooms. They've been so successful that Royal Caribbean is porting them over to their next new build... the general public loves them, and ~250ish frequent posters on CC hate them! You do the math.

 

As I've mentioned before, I've talked to celebrity execs at some industry events, and CC tends to get a big eye roll, exactly for those reasons. The thing they *do* take seriously are comment cards, and unless passengers provide feedback on those surveys on issues onboard, things are unlikely to change. 

 

In many ways, these boards are the long tail of cruising... a tiny segment of a wide audience. Until these concerns reach that wider audience, it's a moot point.