Call me a cheerleader if you must

[C4HCG]

54 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Yeah, and I took a paid-cheerleader-accusation "bullet" meant for you in the Japan cancellation thread a little over a month ago, if you remember.  The posts have since been deleted.

😂Thank you and sorry for that! Wonder who the accusation came from 🤔. Don’t have to look far!

[TravelingCircusof5]

We were on the Beyond February 2023 and just booked Apex for 2024. We loved on Beyond sailing. The ship is gorgeous! We are both 50, so kind of in between cruising age groups.  We joined in to some of the Game Show type club events and dance lessons, which is something we normally wouldn’t do, and had a great time. The service was very good. Yes, the food was not mind-blowingly great, but we enjoyed it.  It was never a problem to get a drink, and even with ‘just’ the Classic package, we were satisfied. Anytime dining worked great for us. We did have two nights of specialty reservations, but the other nights, just showing up at the door, we never waited more than 2 minutes to be seated. 
We were disappointed in both of our excursions, which were not at all what was advertised.

 

Edited June 4, 2023 by TravelingCircusof5

[cw2go]

5 hours ago, C4HCG said:

I have learnt lots from here, but agree some posters can be nasty. I’ve been called a cheerleader, hence my tongue in cheek post earlier, and it was even suggested that some of the aforesaid cheerleaders were paid by Celebrity to post 😂. I suppose that’s the thing with social media.

This went completely over my head, no clue about any suggestions? My post to you was just to gain your perspective based on your statement, nothing more. 

 

Patty 

[C4HCG]

3 minutes ago, cw2go said:

This went completely over my head, no clue about any suggestions? My post to you was just to gain your perspective based on your statement, nothing more. 

 

Patty 

Fine. No offence was taken, I am always happy to provide my perspective and back up what I say. But I am seriously no cheerleader, first time I have a bad experience on Celebrity and likelihood is we will be gone, just done 4 out of 4 cruises with them that have been brilliant. If that does happen though I won’t continue posting here trying to put people off Celebrity, and to be frank, I can’t think it will ever happen but who knows.

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

What happened to that post?  Why deleted?

I don't know what happened. However I can't find it anymore along with the associated posts. 

[Jim_Iain]

19 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

While it could be my imagination, ✋🏿✋🏿✋🏿, usually by day three (3) staff and crew treat us like we were on the sailing before and the sailing after... then again we sail every year... in sub-$3k accommodations, usually, and never had a suite as they would be way beyond our desired budget...

 

I admit that "frequently", per my spouse, I can be spoiled and require lots of attention when not at home!!! Food, cocktails and room service are what I seek special treatment for!!! LOL 

 

At any rate, that is our experience and it appears not others who have posted as such... as the acronym goes YMMV and sounds like it does.

 

bon voyage

 

Bo -  Tell your spouse you deserve all the attention you can get.   Of course you are on Vacation and need to be treated like a King. 

 

[Bo1953]

13 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Bo -  Tell your spouse you deserve all the attention you can get.   Of course you are on Vacation and need to be treated like a King. 

 

LOL ji... IMO it is de rigueur, so it is happening!!!

 

bon voyage (89 days Barcelona we will be there!!!)

[NMTraveller]

8 hours ago, C4HCG said:

I’ve been called a cheerleader, hence my tongue in cheek post earlier, and it was even suggested that some of the aforesaid cheerleaders were paid by Celebrity to post 😂. 

I suppose that all of us social media influencers should pick up the next bar tab😂😂😂😂

Just saying ... 😂

 

If I meet you on a cruise the I will purchase the drink .. 😂

 

I hear @phoenix_dream wants to join the Cheerleader club.  Denied!

Edited June 4, 2023 by NMTraveller

[NMTraveller]

 

I’ve been called a cheerleader, hence my tongue in cheek post earlier, and it was even suggested that some of the aforesaid cheerleaders were paid by Celebrity to post 😂. 

 

 I suppose that all of us social media influencers should pick up the next bar tab

😂😂😂😂

Just saying ... 😂

 

If I meet you on a cruise the I will purchase the drink .. 😂

 

I hear @phoenix_dream wants to join the Cheerleader club.  Denied!

 

@phoenix_dream the Cheerleader designation is reserved for the best of the best.  Only for the select entities that can prove that they can contest a position where there is no contestable position.  The best example would be of the Japan cruises where the cruisers were kicked off of the flipping boat and not given adequate compensation. 

 

Again I will buy the drinks from my paltry influencer wages... 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

Yet that was not me that called you a cheerleader on that post...  It did not effect me.

Edited June 4, 2023 by NMTraveller

[phoenix_dream]

10 hours ago, TeeRick said:

@phoenix_dream first off a big Congrats for making Zenith! 

 

In regards to your thread and post(s) why even bring up the concept of Cheerleader?  It carries a negative connotation here that some (mostly disgruntled) members use for everybody and anybody that enjoyed their Celebrity cruises and have positive things to say about them.  You have opinions I respect and you always come across as balanced and pretty accurate.  I am glad you are enjoying cruising on Celebrity, and many here forget how much we missed it in the dark days of the pandemic shutdown.  Again, congrats and thanks!

Thanks for your comments! And I agree, you do have a point about even mentioning cheerleader- it’s too often used to insult anyone defending Celebrity for something.  

[mahdnc]

37 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

It was during a round of posts back and forth (not you) from a userid I can't remember right now...but remember poster was from NJ on their id...that was also the poster that brought up folks being paid to post here and defend Celebrity. And I think that was why moderator deleted that series of posts. 

 

It was a mess. That poster couldn't even understand when you were making jokes about being a paid poster. I do believe that eventually he apologized when he finally got the point. 

 

It was a mess...you were indeed incorrectly singled out by that poster.

 

Yes. Most importantly, once the error was realized, an apology was offered and accepted. 

[OysterD]

On 6/3/2023 at 10:28 PM, NMTraveller said:

Oh most definitely.  I am not sure that you will like the answer...

I am curious, when did you last set foot on a Celebrity ship? Or any cruise? From the literally hundreds of negative complaining posts you've made since January one would expect you've been on multiple, utterly abysmal cruises in the last few months and each was no better than the experience one might expect on an overnight truckers ferry. 

[yogini06]

On 6/3/2023 at 1:49 AM, Jim_Iain said:

Hi Cheerleader !

 

It is nice to occasionally read an upbeat thread. 

 

I have to jump on you bandwagon and say that I have enjoyed all of the cruises I have taken this year.    Things have changed a little but to be honest I see more things the same than changes and deterioration of service.

 

We ate a number of times in OVC for lunch and with the exception of finding one dish unacceptably cold all was perfect.    A wait person asked me if I was enjoying the meal I pointed out the cold dish,  to my surprise about 20 minutes later a Maitr'D had tracked me down and wanted more information of which dish.   He promised he would make sure it was corrected immediately.

 

I have to say that on a couple days they had Pot Pies -  Chicken and Beef.   They were incredible.

 

Choices were exceptional and changed often.    Surprising stations that I enjoyed -  A Banana Split Station -  A Trifle Station with a variety of items to build you own trifle .... Yum.

 

On one French Themed Day they had Duck Pate, French soft and hard cheeses and many french dishes.  

Currently on the Apex.  I agree with your assessment of the OVC.  We have had outstanding service and food in the MDR.  Our waiter checks in with us shortly after our entrees have been served. He offers to bring another dish if we don’t care for it.  Sommelier has been equally attentive and my wine is never empty.  My room attendant has also been excellent.  We are having one of our best cruises ever

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, yogini06 said:

Currently on the Apex.  I agree with your assessment of the OVC.  We have had outstanding service and food in the MDR.  Our waiter checks in with us shortly after our entrees have been served. He offers to bring another dish if we don’t care for it.  Sommelier has been equally attentive and my wine is never empty.  My room attendant has also been excellent.  We are having one of our best cruises ever

 

Love reading your positive report.    I can say I was never disappointed in any venue with the exception of Raw on 5.   Was just a weird experience and maybe an off night.   About 45 minutes before we left the Sommelier walked by and said good night.  Food was exceptional and service was OK but not great.

 

Our Sommelier Ally was truly the best we have had on any ship.

[C 2 C]

19 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 Of course you are on Vacation and need to be treated like a King. 

 

 

[OnTheJourney]

On 6/2/2023 at 5:34 PM, phoenix_dream said:

There are so many posts these days complaining about just about everything on Celebrity.

Yep....including my thread relative to the early opening of Blu on my recent Summit cruise. 😁 Now I understand why you expressed some of the thoughts that you did. There are many great things about Celebrity, and I elaborated on as many of them as I could think of on the post-cruise survey, but having lukewarm food in Blu just about every night didn't impress me. Getting locked in a bathroom stall right before disembarkation - a problem I was told the staff was informed about early in the cruise but apparently didn't address - didn't impress me. Flip side (which is what you're looking for) is that the food was, for the most part, very good to excellent in Blu. Having just come from a Viking cruise, I was perhaps expecting a bit more.

 

So, ok, let's see....good things.....excellent service from all staff and crew, room in great condition and always well cleaned, ship in still beautiful shape (should be since revolutionized not all that long ago), terrific itinerary and ports, great production shows, enjoyed the rooftop terrace movie the one day, enjoyed the smooth, effective, and helpful service during the two tender operations, loved the food in the oceanview cafe for lunch (and a few breakfasts), and more that I can't think of offhand.

 

Hopefully that'll help to balance out what was perceived as negativity during my "Blu" thread.

Edited June 5, 2023 by OnTheJourney

[Pinboy]

On 6/2/2023 at 5:34 PM, phoenix_dream said:

So how about we have some feedback from those who have had some great sailings in the past few years?  Come on, I know you're out there!

Full disclosure--- 

A--- I only look at Celebrity Cruises on CC

B--- LOL, I'm not being paid for anything I've posted-- have taken some "heat " based on a few things that others disagreed with -- had a few posts removed by the Moderator ( no problem with that )--and starting to figure who's who on CC ( trolls included ).

So, here's our feedback------We have been on over 15 cruises ( 2 since Covid ) with Celebrity and truthfully never had a bad or even less than satisfactory experience with service or food ( the most important aspects on a cruise for us ). The entertainment is hit and miss, but, no big deal in our overall " experience ".

IMO-- there are too many folks on CC who complain and look for a " fight " over absolute nonsense things. (No, I will not fall into the " What's nonsense to YOU is important to ME " trap ).

C'est la vie !!

Edit :

LOL---Oops, I almost forgot about the time our Waiter forgot to bring my three shrimp cocktails at the same time--- When I went to Guest Services to remove the gratuities the line was too long and by the next day forgot about it. 

 

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by Pinboy
Forgot a point

[OnTheJourney]

On 6/2/2023 at 6:38 PM, tserface said:

Lamenting lost features, price increases, or various other changes or problems doesn't mean someone doesn't still love Celebrity.  We've been on Celebrity several times since the restart (although we don't have your budget 🙂) and we've enjoyed all of the cruises and have others booked in the future.

 

This site is called Cruise Critic, not Cruise Cheerleader so it's isn't so odd that people might come on  here to write critiques.  So many times when someone just wants to vent or talk about an unpleasant experience they had, they are met with a slurry of "go to a different cruise line then..." kinds of responses.  That's not fair either.

Agree completely....

 

Your quote...."So many times when someone just wants to vent or talk about an unpleasant experience they had, they are met with a slurry of "go to a different cruise line then..." kinds of responses. "

 

For sure...or otherwise snarky replies. Happens all the time on CC.

Edited June 5, 2023 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

On 6/2/2023 at 10:25 PM, zitsky said:

Now I may try the buffet on my next Aqua cruise.

Definitely do! We were quite impressed with the food offerings and quality in the buffet - did it mostly for lunch. Didn't try it for dinner this time.

[OnTheJourney]

On 6/4/2023 at 8:51 AM, swjumbo said:

We tried a Queens Grill, short Cunard cruise last year to try it out. Needless to say we missed Celebrity and couldn’t wait to get back.

That's interesting and surely either speaks exceptionally well of X or else less than complimentary for Cunard. We've done two Viking ocean cruises right before the recent Summit cruise, and, sorry to say, but food on Celebrity - across the board - did not measure up to Viking. That said, we love RCL and X for the convenience since we have around 2 hours drive to sail with either. No flying needed. And, both RCL and X have a great product that we'll continue to enjoy going forward.

[OnTheJourney]

On 6/4/2023 at 9:35 AM, cw2go said:

Had you sailed pre shutdown?

Since you brought this up, I don't think cruising will ever be quite up to what it was pre-pandemic. Doesn't matter which line.

 

Forgot to mention in my post above...orange juice in BLU was terrific!!! Among the best I've ever tasted anywhere.

Edited June 5, 2023 by OnTheJourney

[grandgeezer]

If you set your expectations low enough, you’ll never be disappointed.

[kirtihk]

16 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

If you set your expectations low enough, you’ll never be disappointed.

It shall be 0, because, otherwise, what's "low enough"?  and by 0 I mean "no expectation" at all (not 0 (as infinite) level) signifying that without expectation, "complaint mentality" is gone from consideration.

Edited June 5, 2023 by kirtihk

[Vagabond Knight]

We're booked on cruises on four different cruise lines over the next year and so I've looked at other forums as well as the Celebrity forum over the past few months.  Honestly, you can find complaints regarding reductions in food quality, cutback of services, and additional fees with just about every line... it's not just a Celebrity thing, it's a cruising survival thing.  It's actually a wonder most of the cruise lines are still around post-Covid, so I assume this will be the cruising status for a while. Will things ever go back to the pre-Covid days of cruising?  Who knows. 

 

For the most part, I think we just need to readjust our expectations. Stop comparing to the pre-Covid days and instead just compare what's available NOW on Celebrity and on other lines and choose what suits you the best.  You can have a wonderful cruise experience if you put your mind to it, and some of the changes only affect those who get kind of ridiculous anyhow.  Carnival, for example, is now charging for the third entrée in their MDR if you order more than two, and this is upsetting some of their customers. Your THIRD entrée?  Is this REALLY a problem for most of us?  We now pay for a second lobster tail on Celebrity, but although I admit to having two in the past, do I really need that second one after multiple delicious appetizers, a salad, my one lobster tail and sides, and before my scrumptious dessert? 

 

I did a Mexican Riviera cruise on Celebrity by myself a few months ago and ate in the MDR every night. There were some options missing from past cruises that I would enjoyed, but I found something absolutely delicious to eat in there every night.  If you look for the fun activities and delicious options available to you on your cruise and don't concentrate on what you may have had a few years back, you'll have a wonderful time.  The ships are still the same, the service is certainly not lacking on Celebrity, and there are many wonderful food experiences to be enjoyed.  

[OnTheJourney]

33 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

If you set your expectations low enough, you’ll never be disappointed.

True enough I suppose. I'm reminded of a line from the movie "Crossroads"....where the guys says "ain't nothin' ever as good as we want it to be", which I don't think applies in all cases cause some things far exceed our expectations. People watch and also read the fancy and glowing commercials and reviews on TV and elsewhere about what great experiences await on the whatever cruiseline, and then indeed maybe expect it to be more than it turns out to be?