Celebrity at a crossroads

[4774Papa]

We haven't encountered drunks passing out or crudely dressed hyper party types on any X cruises, but our last one was in 2021.

We lean more to Royal C., due to more favorable pricing.

NCL was our first cruise line and we haven't done them in four years, but still don't remember drunks passing out.  I have heard of that on the 3 day Bahamas cruise for NCL.

I think shorter cruises tend to draw more party drunks.

 

We like longer cruises that tend to draw more seniors.

[JLS07]

2 minutes ago, jmfdr said:

I am with you 100%.  We will never go on another E class ship.  Your #2 reason is what frustrates me the most.  I really missed the forward facing lounge.  This was always our favorite place for evening drinks and daytime reading.  Now it seems that forward area is designated for suite guests, but I am not sure in what configuration---pool deck, lounge etc----since I am not allowed in that area,

I feel this 100%

 

I am torn between:

E-Class:

Absolute perfect art around the ship - just breathtaking

Better food choices in MDR and specialty dinning (Eden and Le Voyage >> Murano and Tuscan)

 

S-Class:

Balcony

More outward facing areas (Sky Lounge)

That center area with views all the way up through the sky light

Lawn area on the top (nothing better than sitting with a drink and feet in grass on a sea day)

 

If they could fix the food issues I would probably only do S class going forward.  In the last 2 E class cruises, other than lobster, I have ordered 1 thing from the MDR signature menu verse the exclusives in the various MDR.

[DISFANS3]

Good info.

[toucan49]

On 3/20/2023 at 10:47 AM, JLS07 said:

I have written and rewritten this post several times.  I know this is likely going to upset some people, and I am sorry for that.

 

Just for some perspective, I am mid to late 40’s, been sailing Celebrity for 12ish years, have a 16- and 10-year-old that have been on every cruise they could have gone on (10 or so for my daughter and 8 for my son).  I have only ever sailed Celebrity (other than one Carnival to Havana).

 

As the title says, I think Celebrity is at a crossroads for which direction they should go.  We have always loved the elegance and higher class on Celebrity, but the last two cruises (both Apex and post covid) have seen a significant decrease across the board.

 

To me, celebrity is currently trying too hard to fit into too many categories, be it the older crowd that doesn’t want kids around (you should see the nasty comments on our spring break cruise’s Facebook page), the family crowd, or the party crowd (never seen as many drunks on all my celebrity trips combined as I have the last two).

 

We have simply encountered a quality of people that we had never seen before on celebrity.  We encountered:  Multiple people passed out on St. Patrick’s Day by the pool (yes passed out - we were watching them start taking shots at breakfast), Eating as much fried this or that as physically possible all while barely able to stand, people who absolutely reeked of cigarettes everywhere, nasty rude people who snapped back at anyone around them (one lady snapped at me when I offer her a seat on a particularly rough sea day).

 

We have two more cruises already booked and paid for over the summer.  I will use those as one more chance to determine if Celebrity is still what we want to continue travel on.  

 

If you have considered moving from Celebrity due to the drop in quality, which lines did you consider as a replacement?

I enjoy Azamara cruises...I'm sure you will love it

[NMTraveller]

On 3/22/2023 at 3:19 PM, markeb said:

 

Honestly, I don't think they're segmenting or targeting on age at all.

I think so.  Their E class specialty dining venues are more loud and shouty than on S class where they are segmented.  The ship was designed around a different demographic.  One that likes shiny and new over function.

 

If you look at the posts in this thread there are a bunch where cruisers say their 30 somethings loved the ship.

 

Anyways regarding loud and shouty in dining,  it is a thing with the 30 somethings.  Go to the STK Steakhouse in Las Vegas and it probably will be the loudest dining venue that you have been to.  Frequented by a much younger crowd.  Yet go to a fine dining steakhouse and it is frequented by an older crowd.  The fine dining steakhouse is quiet and has much more spacing in between tables.

Edited March 24, 2023 by NMTraveller

[basenji56]

20 hours ago, JLS07 said:

 

 

I miss Murano on Edge class ships.  

[Big_G]

Me 11:00am at the Sunset Bar...

 

 

I draw the line at fried foods though.

[LobsterStalker]

On 3/22/2023 at 10:35 AM, C4HCG said:

We will be the exceptions to the rule, we are inexperienced cruisers (in our 50s so not young) with a grand total of 4 all on the Equinox, and have no desire to try Edge class, just love everything about the Solstice class not least because there are very few suite exclusive areas (don’t even know where the often mentioned Luminae is but no doubt walked past it and the Retreat sun deck is tucked away somewhere and have never looked and wished we had access), also love the balconies in rooms, and the Grand Foyer. Sure one day we will try E and M class but not for now.

I take offense to that ... 50 is just gettin started !

 

Cheers

[cgolf1]

Apparently we are at a crossroads too. We are looking at booking a last minute Cruise on HAL and if I am being honest I am really excited about it, incredible itinerary, assuming the wife gives the go ahead. Who knows we may find another cruise line that we like as a secondary option.

Edited March 24, 2023 by cgolf1

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 minute ago, cgolf1 said:

Apparently we are at a crossroads too. We are looking at booking a last minute Cruise on HAL and if I am being honest I am kind of excited about it assuming the wife gives the go ahead. Who knows we may find another cruise line that we like as a secondary option.

Good time to buy some stocks for some OBC 

[chamima]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

I think so.  Their E class specialty dining venues are more loud and shouty than on S class where they are segmented.  The ship was designed around a different demographic.  One that likes shiny and new over function.

 

If you look at the posts in this thread there are a bunch where cruisers say their 30 somethings loved the ship.

 

Anyways regarding loud and shouty in dining,  it is a thing with the 30 somethings.  Go to the STK Steakhouse in Las Vegas and it probably will be the loudest dining venue that you have been to.  Frequented by a much younger crowd.  Yet go to a fine dining steakhouse and it is frequented by an older crowd.  The fine dining steakhouse is quiet and has much more spacing in between tables.

 

 

The loud and shouting between tables was definitely happening in Blu this past February. Even the waiters commented that they had never seen that before. (And hopefully never again)

[cgolf1]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

I think so.  Their E class specialty dining venues are more loud and shouty than on S class where they are segmented.  The ship was designed around a different demographic.  One that likes shiny and new over function.

 

If you look at the posts in this thread there are a bunch where cruisers say their 30 somethings loved the ship.

 

Anyways regarding loud and shouty in dining,  it is a thing with the 30 somethings.  Go to the STK Steakhouse in Las Vegas and it probably will be the loudest dining venue that you have been to.  Frequented by a much younger crowd.  Yet go to a fine dining steakhouse and it is frequented by an older crowd.  The fine dining steakhouse is quiet and has much more spacing in between tables.

 

Being mid to late 40s sailing the Edge twice now with the Constellation between those, we had a different opinion of the Edge second time around. The first time we loved it and the music vibe that they had on the ship. The live music was insane along with the production cast. The second cruise on the Edge with the exception of one singer was just meh, so we found we enjoyed the ship less. We still love the magic carpet, but besides that it was difficult to find an outdoor space to play cards due to how the wind travels through the ship.

 

The Connie, man we loved that ship. We do want to sail it full, less than 600 when we were on, but it is what a cruise ship layout is to us. We are going on an S class in 2025 so we will see how that goes and how we like it. So far M class is #1 for us, but there are things we like about the E class and have no issues with booking on them again.  

[Hawkstar33]

I think you may have had a one time bad experience.  We sail majority Celebrity, with several RC Oasis class, under our belts.  On a few occasions, we have seen witnessed a person who needed an assist to walk back to their cabin.  But no harm, just a bit too much fun.  

[D. B.]

On 3/23/2023 at 11:14 AM, toucan49 said:

I enjoy Azamara cruises...I'm sure you will love it

We have done 25+ X cruises along with many on similar lines.

 In 9 days we are on our first Azamara cruise around Japan. Why? Because the cruise stops 14 times in 15 days. The Japan cruises on X seem to stop only in large ports so they have fewer stops.

   The $$ it cost are a stretch for our budget but we will see if the itinerary makes it worth it.

 We will miss the great Production Shows and Casino on X so staying busy and few sea days will be keeping us busy.

  

 

   

[jaywoods678]

On 3/22/2023 at 8:53 PM, NMTraveller said:

1.  The lack of real balconies.  The IVs ARE NOT balconies.

2.  The lack of a forward facing bridge type view such as the Sky Lounge.

3.  The total lack of views in general around the ship.  The E class ships have inward facing views and not many outward facing views except for the rear.  Compared to S class E class is Helen Keller.  I do not get on a cruise to look at fancy shops that I will not shop in.  I would like windows to see the views outside.

4.  We found E class to be loud and shouty.  Especially in places like Fine Cuts where you get the noise from below.

5.  In general there are not as many small intimate places to get a drink,  more large places such as Martini Bar where you will wait to get  a drink.

6.  The Magic Carpet is overhyped.  It is nice for tendering,  but gets too windy when the ship is moving.

7.  The E class theater is nicer than S class, but where are the acts?  

8.  The E class lacks quite a bit of grandiosity.  On S class you can look up and see the libraries, and other levels all of the way to the top.  On E class you feel more boxed in on many levels.

9.  I could go on and list another 10 or so more reasons but those are many of the reasons why I try to stay away from E class.

 

I completely agree with 100% of everything you said.

[jaywoods678]

On 3/23/2023 at 10:26 AM, ABoatNerd said:

I was a Celebrity patron from 2001 to 2018, that is along time. During those years Celebrity was the Oceania of the day.

I have moved on to the premium and luxury lines for 5 main reasons:

1) The class apartheid - suites versus no suites. Not interested, despite being well able to afford suite class. I despise the Segregation and lack of ability to meet the guests on this ship. 

2) The inward focus on their new ships - As others have said, no forward lounge, fewer balconies, less and less open space. It is of course designed to keep the passenger inward looking and spending $. 

3) Too big, not interested in big ships which are nothing more than an apartment building, related to point 2) above

4) Too fake, Celebrity has deliberately minimized the relationship with the sea, related to point 2) above. The Eden with smoke etc simply is beyond fake

5) Destroying cruising traditions. Recently read that the afternoon tea, which used to be in the Sky Lounge on the Zenith and Millie class, is now totally gone. Not even tea sandwiches, scones in the cafeteria. On Oceania, Cunard this tradition remains.

The Connie is my favorite vessel and I may book her and the Millie class some time.

Otherwise, I, like many, have moved away from Celebrity.

 

I completely agree with this. I love the S Class ships. They are pretty close to perfect, as well as the M Class. Celebrity completely lost me with the Edge. Now they're just all about suites, loud blaring music everywhere, and weird performance art in Eden. And now their prices are insane. We still cruise with Holland America, but we also love Oceania (Oceania has replaced Celebrity for us).

[jaywoods678]

13 hours ago, basenji56 said:

I miss Murano on Edge class ships.  

I do too. Even though we really don't cruise Celebrity anymore, I must say Murano is one of the best restaurants at sea by far, along with some of the specialty restaurants on Holland America and Oceania.

[catgirl411]

On 3/20/2023 at 8:04 PM, JFontaine said:

You probably don't mean it, but you are going down the same path: 'class of people', 'high degree of sophistication', 'cruising decorum'.  His complaints: people sleeping at the pool, people who eat fried food, disabled people who can hardly stand, and someone who snapped at him for being nice. Other than the last incident, they have nothing to do with sophistication  quality of people or decorum.   And now there are 4 pages of posts about how Celebrity has gone down hill.  Kids in school are taught 'not to judge a book by its cover, adults should do the same. 

Posters keep saying that OP meant disabled people when they talked about people who can hardly stand. I think they meant people who were so drunk that they could barely stand up. I can’t imagine they were mean-spirited enough to diss disabled people.

 

[JFontaine]

8 hours ago, catgirl411 said:

Posters keep saying that OP meant disabled people when they talked about people who can hardly stand. I think they meant people who were so drunk that they could barely stand up. I can’t imagine they were mean-spirited enough to diss disabled people.

 

They wrote 'people eating so much fried food of this and that all while barely able to stand'.  That means overweight people to me. Perfectly wonderful  and ideal fellow passengers who because of their size have limited mobility. 

[catgirl411]

46 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

They wrote 'people eating so much fried food of this and that all while barely able to stand'.  That means overweight people to me. Perfectly wonderful  and ideal fellow passengers who because of their size have limited mobility. 

I didn’t think of it that way. I was thinking of “falling down drunks”. But I guess the juxtapositioning of

the comment with the fried foods part makes your interpretation reasonable.  As someone who is currently on a weight loss journey, now I’m insulted by their remarks. And I need knee replacement so I have limited mobility.  Frankly I think the most annoying people on any cruise are the demanding, complaining, entitled ones.

[Shep_Proudfoot]

On my last Celebrity cruise this winter I experienced very, very little boorish behavior. In contrast, my first Celebrity cruise nearly two decades ago featured numerous folks far more trashy than anyone I’ve ever seen on Carnival. Seems more like luck of the draw to me, not some menacing trend.

[jmfdr]

17 hours ago, jaywoods678 said:

I do too. Even though we really don't cruise Celebrity anymore, I must say Murano is one of the best restaurants at sea by far, along with some of the specialty restaurants on Holland America and Oceania.

I agree with everything you said. We have switched over to Viking Ocean for most of our cruise bookings.

[basenji56]

11 minutes ago, jmfdr said:

I agree with everything you said. We have switched over to Viking Ocean for most of our cruise bookings.

I think Viking is wonderful.  However, I hate that they often require full payment a year or more in advance.  I also don't like that you can't book the better excursions unless you are booked in the more expensive cabins.  

[jmfdr]

Just now, basenji56 said:

I think Viking is wonderful.  However, I hate that they often require full payment a year or more in advance.  I also don't like that you can't book the better excursions unless you are booked in the more expensive cabins.  

Yes, I agree that full payment a year in advance is frustrating but if you have more than one cruise booked with them you can negotiate final payment dates.  

[Fly and Sail]

On 3/20/2023 at 11:04 PM, CrazyTrain2 said:

I like where Virgin Voyages are positioned - No Kids, No drink packages, Limited Smoking areas, All specialty dining, no pandering to children and a healthy fitness oriented vibe.  My only downside to VV is the limited itineraries since they only have 4 ships. 

 

We are on a Celebrity cruise in about a month just for a wing it cruise and to test out how viable an inside cabin experience is for us (Normally balcony folks).

 

I really hate their ships, and ALL of their vessels will be this way since they follow the same design. I expected something similar to Edge Class, but Scarlet Lady felt like Ikea Class with zero class or elegance. It was a quick comp cruise, so thank god I didn't pay for it.