New CEO of Celebrity Interesting but happy they stay within for promotions.

[NMTraveller]

22 minutes ago, jelayne said:

 If the S class ships have what you want then book them.  
We prefer the E class so that is what we 75% if our cruises are booked for.  

Not sure why people don’t just book what they like and quit debating the pro & cons of others choices.

I believe that we are debating the pros and cons of the ships and choices of the former CEO or more likely CFO.

 

 

[jelayne]

This debate has gone on since before the Edge launched.  Debating what was decided years ago doesn’t change what exists and just fuels taking sides and defending one’s preferences.

[Spif Barwunkel]

No doubt, the debate over the pros and cons of Edge Class ships is way overdue for retirement. And yet it seems that the same perpetrators continue to infiltrate and permeate any and all X topics with their dissatisfaction. In the beginning it was helpful and informative to participate in worthwhile discussion. It has morphed into a boorish, non-pragmatic harangue against anything Edge related. Time to exercise some self-control.

[NMTraveller]

Ah yes, but I think that they will fix their mistakes in the next Generation of ships.  E class good for the suite cruisers,  not so good for others.

 

I would expect it to match the percentage of people who prefer the IVs to people who prefer balconies.

 

Perhaps lesson learned?

 

You can look at other lines and they have an S+ class of ship for non-suite cruisers.  (A version of the ship that has forward looking views,  real balconies, and quiet places to relax plus is updated to current decor...  More of a luxury experience IMHO)

 

I do wish that there was more intra cruiseline comments on these boards to give the cruiser an informed decision vs the rah rah of having the board broken down by cruise line.

 

I do not get the loyalty or why it matters which cruise line is chosen?  Why is choosing a different cruise line a bad thing?  Who cares what cruise line I choose?

Edited April 8, 2023 by NMTraveller

[NutsAboutGolf]

27 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

No doubt, the debate over the pros and cons of Edge Class ships is way overdue for retirement. And yet it seems that the same perpetrators continue to infiltrate and permeate any and all X topics with their dissatisfaction. In the beginning it was helpful and informative to participate in worthwhile discussion. It has morphed into a boorish, non-pragmatic harangue against anything Edge related. Time to exercise some self-control.

 

We can all have our own "retirement wish lists"...For many, myself included, the debate that needs to retire its tipping yet that's been going on longer than I've been alive, 50+ years and is unfortunately, still going strong

[NMTraveller]

And yet some of the discussions that have been retired give me less information on which ship I should choose.  M class vs S class.  I know S class  and E class but my information on M class is limited.  And yet my next cruise is on M class.  

[Spif Barwunkel]

38 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

We can all have our own "retirement wish lists"...For many, myself included, the debate that needs to retire its tipping yet that's been going on longer than I've been alive, 50+ years and is unfortunately, still going strong

Ain't that the truth. Isn't it nice to have all that figured out, and we did not have to rely on anyone telling us how to do it? I would never ask another person how to spend my money nor would I ever tell anyone how to spend theirs.

[Spif Barwunkel]

23 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

And yet some of the discussions that have been retired give me less information on which ship I should choose.  M class vs S class.  I know S class  and E class but my information on M class is limited.  And yet my next cruise is on M class.  

Knowing how much you apparently dislike many things about E Class, you are going to appreciate M Class. I'll not pre-dispose you to anything but count on a very enjoyable experience. Try the non-informed newcomer approach and figure it all out for yourself. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

3 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

I'll not speak to your cruising experiences, but considering your contributions to these forums over time I will assume that they are many. Between December of last year and June of this year I will have sailed on the three classes of X ships. Each had, and will have, totally different itineraries and exciting ports of call. Unless you have exhausted your cruising bucket list or just have no place else to go, I consider your comment a cop out and an excuse to further speak against Celebrity. There are many similar itineraries on all X ships. If one is pre-disposed to negativity, for any reason, nothing looks good.

 

Wow.  I think my bucket list is progressing quite well, thank you very much.  I was on an expedition ship in Antarctica in December, a B2B2B for 31 days in the Caribbean in February/March, July will be Norway and Iceland and October will be a repositioning cruise on the Edge from Rome to Singapore, so I'm not sure your cop-out comment applies. The first 3 cruises were on other cruise lines and I enjoyed each of them much more than my last cruise on the Equinox.  It takes an itinerary as special as the Edge repositioning cruise to get me on an E-class ship.  I frankly don't see the need to accept anything less than the best itinerary that I can find on a ship that appeals to me.   Unfortunately, Celebrity seldom offers itineraries that interest me on S and M class ships.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Ipeeinthepools

[Spif Barwunkel]

10 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Wow.  I think my bucket list is progressing quite well, thank you very much.  I was on an expedition ship in Antarctica in December, a B2B2B for 31 days in the Caribbean in February/March, July will be Norway and Iceland and October will be a repositioning cruise on the Edge from Rome to Singapore, so I'm not sure your cop-out comment applies. The first 3 cruises were on other cruise lines and I enjoyed each of them much more than my last cruise on the Equinox.  It takes an itinerary as special as the Edge repositioning cruise to get me on an E-class ship.  I frankly don't see the need to accept anything less than the best itinerary that I can find on a ship that appeals to me.   Unfortunately, Celebrity seldom offers itineraries that interest me on S and M class ships.

Totally agree on the importance and appeal of itinerary. Totally disagree on the inability to find appealing itineraries on S & M class ships. I have done the same three cruises, different ships and number of days, all on Celebrity. Nothing right or wrong here.

[STLCRUISIN]

5 hours ago, OysterD said:

I'm not an engineer, but the smallest suite is at least 50% wider than the IV cabins. I would doubt very much that they could have made an opening IV window that wide, or if so it would have been cost prohibitive and the additional weight and mechanics needed to open it would probably have led to a higher failure rate. Alternative would have been to have one standard opening IV and a fixed pane in each ss suite I guess but that would mess with the aesthetics and generally be a bit odd plus not sure what they'd do for the suites that were wider still. 

We sailed on Beyond with a friend who had an accessible cabin. Those cabins are just about the same size as an SS. The cabin had an IV with the standard size window that opens along with a narrower pane of glass. It looked fine and I think would have worked well in an SS but not for larger suites.

[NMTraveller]

3 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Knowing how much you apparently dislike many things about E Class, you are going to appreciate M Class. I'll not pre-dispose you to anything but count on a very enjoyable experience. Try the non-informed newcomer approach and figure it all out for yourself. 

I tried the non-informed newcomer approach on E class and it was a disaster that I do not wish to repeat.  I spent the first two hours looking for the SkyView Lounge on the ship.  After all a luxury line should have a forward looking lounge right?  Boy was I wrong...

 

However,  my hopes are high for M class.  I just wish there were more M class reviews and dialog.

 

The non-informed approach I do not even prefer for restaurants.  Why do it for cruise ships?

Edited April 8, 2023 by NMTraveller

[NMTraveller]

2 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

I frankly don't see the need to accept anything less than the best itinerary that I can find on a ship that appeals to me.   Unfortunately, Celebrity seldom offers itineraries that interest me on S and M class ships.

OK.  Itineraries are a totally different issue on X.  X has shortened their itineraries to be WAY WAY to short.  The best itinerary in the Caribbean are on HAL.

[NMTraveller]

2 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Totally agree on the importance and appeal of itinerary. Totally disagree on the inability to find appealing itineraries on S & M class ships. I have done the same three cruises, different ships and number of days, all on Celebrity. Nothing right or wrong here.

OK.  Find me a 21 day itinerary in the Carribean on X...

 

That is the one that I would choose if I had not been all over the Carribean.  X used to have a 14 day Southern itinerary that was nice,  but....

 

Who knows.  Maybe the new President will listen to cruisers and not the CFO...

Edited April 8, 2023 by NMTraveller

[Mickey S]

I have a few different "takes", if I can rememebr what has been stated.

First, her departure coudl be all about a strategy shift we do not know about , and thus its time for her to retire. I am not going to go back and see her option based compensation before covid. However, I bet it is not insignificant.

 

Second, I have problems with the culture of X the past few years and thats whwre I have a prpble and I cannot get an answer when I call in.  Or I get 5 or 6 answers from 10 people and thats whtether or not I have used a TA. 

 

:ast three cruises I booked, and canceled, are INHO rather expensive. There were in Beyond retreat and I just did not  feel they provded me with "value" for my money--Thats 101% subjective. Reflection was a far less expensive  option but the wrong boring same ever other week itinerary western Med. However, when I booked them and put them on hold within 3 hours I had someone call  and e mail before I transferred it to a TA saying she could offer me substantial savings --I called quickly back and e mailed  and for the 10 days on hold she did not return e mails or calls with my leaving mssages.

I locked it in and transfered to my TA which was  flat discount off "list price" (they by accident sent me their commission sheet so with that info I felt it was a fair deal.)

 

I have several pandemic issues but I wrte those off as extraordinary situations , howevee my canceled cruises were not offered agin so I was not a happy camper on the lack of lift and shift, but worse, they were "tone deaf"  on this. They, one person at X  gave me extra OBC to meet me kind of in the middle,  but then took it back telling me the  X inside agent did not have the authority .

 

There is another issue that I will now take to the legal department and see what happens because I had hoped it would get to LLP but they ligerally ignored my memos on that specific issue. Decent change it coudl go class action-but I really do not want to futz around with that route. . But again since they were tone deaf--thats culture and thats the major  responsibilty of the CEO.

 

Now, this all had me doing some soul searching and it does involve the food which mostly I find to be good enjoyable " complementary" food while on board.

 

We taking a land trip which is what we used to do. It will cost far less, and we get the opportunity to immerse ourselves where we go and that includes enjoying the local cuisine., night life, etc. We deermine what we do each day. and night. Except we will not enjoy Andrea Bocelli the night of June 10 in Rome with tickets  at 1500 each, nose bleed seats--his ticket prices are mostly under 100 here in the states. .Hopeful;y I can get scalped tickes at last minute at a reasonable price.

 

Downside of land trip-it is more difficult with the travel packing and unpacking but I built in more time than we really need everywhere but Tuscany but thats a different story.

 

BTW I have been vocal with X that dealing with shore side staff is a consistent problem but to us once on the ship it was magical. That again is the responsibility of the CEO with the culture of the people answering the phones.

 

And another BTW, I have called into X and Royal and had the  same person answer within days and I know that from the sound of a Rooster in the background.

 

Just my 2 cents worth, FWIW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Keys Kathy]

15 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I tried the non-informed newcomer approach on E class and it was a disaster that I do not wish to repeat.  I spent the first two hours looking for the SkyView Lounge on the ship.  After all a luxury line should have a forward looking lounge right?  Boy was I wrong...

 

However,  my hopes are high for M class.  I just wish there were more M class reviews and dialog.

 

The non-informed approach I do not even prefer for restaurants.  Why do it for cruise ships?

M class is great, but not as much emphasis is given to the Suites since the Retreat didn't exist until far after she was built. I believe they have done a great job updating the Millie and the Summit. We have not been on the Connie lately or the Infinity. If you like a good cocktail, go to Cellar Masters, they are so much more than wine. Nice changing rooms at the spa and the indoor pool is a big plus. 

 

IMO, each class of ships has its pluses. We are not a fan of IV, so we get the Sunset Veranda instead. We can't afford suites anymore. I would have liked to have had a suite experience on the Beyond where the Retreat is more like MSC Yacht Club. 

 

Oh well, we'll be in Yacht Club in October.

[Keys Kathy]

15 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

OK.  Find me a 21 day itinerary in the Carribean on X...

 

That is the one that I would choose if I had not been all over the Carribean.  X used to have a 14 day Southern itinerary that was nice,  but....

 

Who knows.  Maybe the new President will listen to cruisers and not the CFO...

I believe they cut back to less than 14 days because the shareholder OBC goes from $100 to $200 on the 14 day.

[OysterD]

51 minutes ago, Keys Kathy said:

I believe they cut back to less than 14 days because the shareholder OBC goes from $100 to $200 on the 14 day.

Pretty sure that most definitely wasn't the reason, hopefully you said that in jest?!

 

A 14 night cruise which would often require a day or so travelling etc either side will often end up being 16 or 17 days away from home. Unless you're retired, not many people under 70 can take 2.5 to 3 weeks off from work/school in one go. I could probably stretch to a 12 night cruise but anything longer would be a struggle. If Celebrity want <70yr olds on their ships, they need to offer shorter itineraries. Which they do.

 

I'm fairly sure handing out an extra $100 of OBC to a handful of shareholders was very last on their list of priorities!

[OysterD]

16 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I tried the non-informed newcomer approach on E class and it was a disaster that I do not wish to repeat.  I spent the first two hours looking for the SkyView Lounge on the ship.  After all a luxury line should have a forward looking lounge right?  Boy was I wrong

Curious why it was such a disaster? 

 

Couldn't you have just looked at any deck plan, anywhere (easily available on celebs website, the app, all over the ships) and realised in 30 seconds there was no lounge at the front? Surely it didn't take 2 hours of walking all over the ship?

 

Also why should a luxury line have a forward looking lounge? As I've said before, the E class equivalent is Eden which is far superior and has 3 story windows looking out over the wake. That is far more luxurious to me than 8ft high windows looking over the front of the ship. 

[hrhdhd]

1 hour ago, Keys Kathy said:

I believe they cut back to less than 14 days because the shareholder OBC goes from $100 to $200 on the 14 day.

It goes to $250! Got it for my transatlantic last October.

[Straughn]

This is an interesting thread. My first reaction when I heard the LLP had accepted a new position was that she didn’t have a choice. The new CEO wants his team and she is a Fain person. I saw this happen on Royal shortly after they bought Celebrity. They brought in an airline guy to run the new company. In the process, they terminated a very senior RCL executive who had been with the company since its inception simply because he was a hold over. I saw it happen to my DH in the aerospace industry. New CEO unloaded several executives whom he considered “the enemy” simply because they had been hired/promoted by his predecessor. New CEO’s want their team, people they know, trust, have similar management styles, and think the same way.

 

Add to that, the E class debacle with the IV and the Magic Carpet. I happen to be one of the few people who likes Eden, but I can see why many don’t. If I sail on an E class, it is in a SV or I pick another ship. I used to sail in suites, but the pricing has gone thru the roof. LLP bears full responsibility for that class of ships as the M &S classes were already there when she took over.

Overall, I think Jason Liberty wanted new, younger, blood. LLP had outlasted her usefulness as, I suspect, there will be a gradual shift in a different direction for X. Not sure what that will be, but it will happen.

[weregoingcruising]

On 4/8/2023 at 10:54 AM, Bobsgonecoastal said:

From what I gathered on the last two post Covid cruises, full is not the same thing as being at capacity.  I’ve read that bookings were being cut off at 50 to 60% due to fewer crew members available and supply chain issues.  From what I witnessed, their ships have not been at their designed capacity.  Am I wrong about this?

Maybe

[PTC DAWG]

20 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Wow.  I think my bucket list is progressing quite well, thank you very much.  I was on an expedition ship in Antarctica in December, a B2B2B for 31 days in the Caribbean in February/March, July will be Norway and Iceland and October will be a repositioning cruise on the Edge from Rome to Singapore, so I'm not sure your cop-out comment applies. The first 3 cruises were on other cruise lines and I enjoyed each of them much more than my last cruise on the Equinox.  It takes an itinerary as special as the Edge repositioning cruise to get me on an E-class ship.  I frankly don't see the need to accept anything less than the best itinerary that I can find on a ship that appeals to me.   Unfortunately, Celebrity seldom offers itineraries that interest me on S and M class ships.

I don’t like Carnival, I don’t post on their boards constantly stating what I don’t like.  What is your point here? The record has been skipping for a while, give it a break. 
 

FWIW, E class ships do have non suite traditional balconies, but you know that. 
 

Back to the original subject, LLP appears to be transitioning into retirement, I say good for her. 

Edited April 9, 2023 by PTC DAWG

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 minute ago, PTC DAWG said:

I don’t like Carnival, I don’t post on their boards constantly stating what I don’t like.  What is your point here? The record has been skipping for a while, give it a break. 
 

FWIW, E class ships do have non suite traditional balconies, but you know that. 

 

Nope sorry they don't but you know that.  I don't count the couple of port hole balcony cabins or the Sunset veranda balcony cabins.  Some of don't like to be at the rear of the ship because of the increased possibility of vibrations or the extra distance to walk anywhere.  I'm talking about most of the cabins along the side of most any newer cruise ship.  I'm sure you can find one, they are the most common type of cabin on most newer ships.

[Keys Kathy]

Personally, I love the common spaces on the Edge ships, we just can't stand the IV. Eden is my favorite for the bar, the Cafe, and the restaurant. We were not in favor of the Martini Bar because it was so limited, but I understand they have changed that on Beyond and beyond.....

 

Eden is a great place to meet people and dance! The restaurant has one of the best desserts I have ever had. It was the Aztec something. YUMMY!

 

Steak house? Meh, Bistro? Really good but a bit pricey for a luncheon tuna sandwich. Raw on 5? We have had good and bad experiences there. It is worth it if you are getting a decent discount. 

 

Real Estate in the Keys has changed and we have to cut back. Does anyone out there want to buy or sell property in the Florida Keys, or know of anyone? Please fund my cruise addition!