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

[Keys Kathy]

1 hour ago, OysterD said:

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!

You watch the pennies, the dollars take care of themselves!

[PTC DAWG]

12 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

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.

So they have balconies that you don’t count, got it. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

So they have balconies that you don’t count, got it. 

 

No, they don't have conventional balconies.   Please don't take it personally that many of us don't like the IV balconies that don't meet our needs.  It's great that you enjoy other features of the ship.  The point is the CEO should be held responsible for eliminating the most common type of cabin on the ship and replacing them with a cabin concept that doesn't meet the needs of many cruisers.  We will now go to other cruise lines for many of our future cruises.  LLP owns that decision and it was an ill-conceived move. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

This is what LLP should have been building instead of silly E-class ships.  A hit for the non-suite guests, not so much for the suite guests.  No discussion of a ship within a ship concept.  The smoking area by the aft pool is a negative.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/here-s-why-guys-will-love-sailing-on-holland-america-line-s-rotterdam/ar-AA19Dgif?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=b83613daba4943fc95a5b7eec2a866bb&ei=65

Edited April 9, 2023 by Ipeeinthepools

[Bo1953]

3 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

No, they don't have conventional balconies.   Please don't take it personally that many of us don't like the IV balconies that don't meet our needs.  It's great that you enjoy other features of the ship.  The point is the CEO should be held responsible for eliminating the most common type of cabin on the ship and replacing them with a cabin concept that doesn't meet the needs of many cruisers.  We will now go to other cruise lines for many of our future cruises.  LLP owns that decision and it was an ill-conceived move. 

I, respectfully, disagree on this point as most of the E-Class ships are sailing relatively full and have been for a while.

 

Those who have posted here that have actually sailed in an IV and posted they enjoyed or not or thought that they would and did or did not... then there are those who have not sailed in an IV and have posted they would not under any circumstances because they (IV's) are not traditional balconies and I do respect that for sure... as we all want what we want when we sail and should expect that experience as paid for.

 

Now, if you meant to say that the IV do not meet the 'desires' of many current long time X passengers here on CC, then I can readily agree with that statement without question or pause.

 

bon voyage

[mahdnc]

2 hours ago, Straughn said:

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.

Sometimes being inherited by a new boss is not a good thing. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

13 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

I, respectfully, disagree on this point as most of the E-Class ships are sailing relatively full and have been for a while.

 

Those who have posted here that have actually sailed in an IV and posted they enjoyed or not or thought that they would and did or did not... then there are those who have not sailed in an IV and have posted they would not under any circumstances because they (IV's) are not traditional balconies and I do respect that for sure... as we all want what we want when we sail and should expect that experience as paid for.

 

Now, if you meant to say that the IV do not meet the 'desires' of many current long time X passengers here on CC, then I can readily agree with that statement without question or pause.

 

bon voyage

 

Sorry Bo, we'll have to respectively disagree on this one.  The IV balconies do not come close to satisfying the needs of cruisers that spend a lot of time on the balconies.  I think you're mistaken that the small subset of people on CC somehow don't represent the overall cruising population. Some like the IVs some don't.  It would have been nice if they introduced some IV balconies but retained most of the conventional balconies.  But LLP chose to swing for the fences and fouled out.

Edited April 9, 2023 by Ipeeinthepools

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Never mined about the ships , they need to change up the itineraries for the Transatlantic 

match rather hit the   Canary Islands and Madera than Azores , maybe even Cape Verde 

 

Go around Africa ,  or what a cruise from FLL in the January to Cape Verde and back 

I see no point in cruising the Caribbean at anytime 

[Baron Barracuda]

20 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

 

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

You do realize Jason Liberty the RCL CEO and Hodges-Bethge's boss was previously the RCL CFO.  Wouldn't recommend turning a deaf ear to his wishes.

[Quo Vadis?]

Laura Hodges Bethge succeeds Lutoff-Perlo Celebrity Cruises president (seatrade-cruise.com)

[NMTraveller]

5 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

So they have balconies that you don’t count, got it. 

Those are the obstructed balconies.  Why settle for less...

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

I, respectfully, disagree on this point as most of the E-Class ships are sailing relatively full and have been for a while.

 

Those who have posted here that have actually sailed in an IV and posted they enjoyed or not or thought that they would and did or did not... then there are those who have not sailed in an IV and have posted they would not under any circumstances because they (IV's) are not traditional balconies and I do respect that for sure... as we all want what we want when we sail and should expect that experience as paid for.

 

Now, if you meant to say that the IV do not meet the 'desires' of many current long time X passengers here on CC, then I can readily agree with that statement without question or pause.

 

bon voyage

I am not sure if I totally agree with you.  Hear me out.  I do agree that the new ships have been sailing full or close to it for awhile.  In my experience on one, the crowd was decidedly younger than the Celebrity crowd I've been used to.  I know that is what LLP wanted.  But I wonder, as I do with all travel these days, how long it will continue.  Every trip I have taken lately land or sea has been a full house.  Lots of families and younger people.  Heck, just got back from Las Vegas and it was jammed, with a high percentage of families with young children (I'll spare you my opinions on choosing Las Vegas as a spring break wonderland for grade school kids).  Anyway, my point is - when will it end?  Credit card debt is the highest it has been in years (ever?  not sure about that).  Will this demographic have the time and the $$$ to continue to fill up the cruises as they are doing currently?  I just feel the bubble has to burst after a period of time, once the "Covid is over so let's party" crowd gets a slap in the face by reality when the credit card bills come in and the stimulus money runs out.  If that does happen (and maybe you don't agree) then I think Celebrity will wish they hadn't chased away all those 50+ passengers with comfortable retirement coffers who filled their cabins pre-Covid by doing things like taking away our nice, comfortable balconies.  I guess time will tell.

[Ipeeinthepools]

13 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I am not sure if I totally agree with you.  Hear me out.  I do agree that the new ships have been sailing full or close to it for awhile.  In my experience on one, the crowd was decidedly younger than the Celebrity crowd I've been used to.  I know that is what LLP wanted.  But I wonder, as I do with all travel these days, how long it will continue.  Every trip I have taken lately land or sea has been a full house.  Lots of families and younger people.  Heck, just got back from Las Vegas and it was jammed, with a high percentage of families with young children (I'll spare you my opinions on choosing Las Vegas as a spring break wonderland for grade school kids).  Anyway, my point is - when will it end?  Credit card debt is the highest it has been in years (ever?  not sure about that).  Will this demographic have the time and the $$$ to continue to fill up the cruises as they are doing currently?  I just feel the bubble has to burst after a period of time, once the "Covid is over so let's party" crowd gets a slap in the face by reality when the credit card bills come in and the stimulus money runs out.  If that does happen (and maybe you don't agree) then I think Celebrity will wish they hadn't chased away all those 50+ passengers with comfortable retirement coffers who filled their cabins pre-Covid by doing things like taking away our nice, comfortable balconies.  I guess time will tell.

 

Celebrity will be able to find us on the new HAL ships.

[PTC DAWG]

5 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Never mined about the ships , they need to change up the itineraries for the Transatlantic 

match rather hit the   Canary Islands and Madera than Azores , maybe even Cape Verde 

 

Go around Africa ,  or what a cruise from FLL in the January to Cape Verde and back 

I see no point in cruising the Caribbean at anytime 

Go around Africa?  Exactly who does that regularly on the larger cruise lines?  

Edited April 10, 2023 by PTC DAWG

[PTC DAWG]

50 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Celebrity will be able to find us on the new HAL ships.

Good deal, I’m not old enough. Enjoy…I’m curious, does HAL have a forum on CC? 

[Ipeeinthepools]

2 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Good deal, I’m not old enough. Enjoy…I’m curious, does HAL have a forum on CC? 

 

Guess what?   You're old enough.

[PTC DAWG]

3 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Guess what?   You're old enough.

I’m old enough to know better than to cruise on a Carnival owned company, I will say that.  Who else are you going to pimp for on this thread? 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

44 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Go around Africa?  Exactly who does that regularly on the larger cruise lines?  

HAL, NCL, Azarama , Oceania, MSC. Etc all have a ship that does Africa 

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

I am not sure if I totally agree with you.  Hear me out.  I do agree that the new ships have been sailing full or close to it for awhile.  In my experience on one, the crowd was decidedly younger than the Celebrity crowd I've been used to.  I know that is what LLP wanted.  But I wonder, as I do with all travel these days, how long it will continue.  Every trip I have taken lately land or sea has been a full house.  Lots of families and younger people.  Heck, just got back from Las Vegas and it was jammed, with a high percentage of families with young children (I'll spare you my opinions on choosing Las Vegas as a spring break wonderland for grade school kids).  Anyway, my point is - when will it end?  Credit card debt is the highest it has been in years (ever?  not sure about that).  Will this demographic have the time and the $$$ to continue to fill up the cruises as they are doing currently?  I just feel the bubble has to burst after a period of time, once the "Covid is over so let's party" crowd gets a slap in the face by reality when the credit card bills come in and the stimulus money runs out.  If that does happen (and maybe you don't agree) then I think Celebrity will wish they hadn't chased away all those 50+ passengers with comfortable retirement coffers who filled their cabins pre-Covid by doing things like taking away our nice, comfortable balconies.  I guess time will tell.

I understand and accept, to a great degree, the concerns about ships being full over a certain period of time for vacationers who might run out of money to do so...

 

Yet, it is my clear recollection that pre-pandemic, E Class ships were running full and there were a group of us contributing to this discussion, pro or con.

 

At that time, here on CC there were those (some who remain around) acclaimed that the pricing could not be sustained at those levels... then as now, I believed that supply and demand would dictate pricing and not ship building based on what a few vocal few demanded or disliked. 

 

E Class was here to stay... the following builds had modifications made based on comments from passengers and crew. Did each one make the cut, obviously not... 

 

Not all of the 60+ 'loyal' passengers were chased away, only a few. Those who remain (and not on CC) continue to fill The Retreat lodgings, to wit on the next few sailings we have booked very few suites are available and those that are, are well outside our budget so we are very happy to sail in an IV without any attachment to the cabin style only the location.

 

I accept that there will be dissent on new presentations/designs and do accept that some 'loyal' passengers will defect to other lines, permanently and that is great. Choices. Spend money where one will be happiest and accommodated on many levels.

 

Just because some of us enjoy the new setup does not mean that everyone else needs to enjoy it..

 

Thank you for your input, regardless and bon voyage

[Ipeeinthepools]

10 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

HAL, NCL, Azarama , Oceania, MSC. Etc all have a ship that does Africa 

 

Careful, someone may accuse you of pimping for those lines.  😉

[Bo1953]

Just now, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Careful, someone may accuse you of pimping for those lines.  😉

Nahhh, just providing info on the question asked... LOL

 

bon voyage

[Ipeeinthepools]

48 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

I’m old enough to know better than to cruise on a Carnival owned company, I will say that.  Who else are you going to pimp for on this thread? 

 

Perhaps you should do some research and see the differences between lines owned by a company.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Careful, someone may accuse you of pimping for those lines.  😉

😱

I am trying to guilt Celebrity into changing things up 😉

since Celebrity does thing Cruise Critic members ask for , right 🤔😁

[Ipeeinthepools]

3 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

...

 

E Class was here to stay... the following builds had modifications made based on comments from passengers and crew. Did each one make the cut, obviously not... ..

 

 

I keep hoping they sell all of the E-class ships to Pullmantur.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

Good deal, I’m not old enough. Enjoy…I’m curious, does HAL have a forum on CC? 

If you are over 35 you are too old for the new E class targeted demographic... 🙂