Q&A with President Laura Hodges Bethge

[rmedistro]

Just watched the most recent Captain's Club webinar. Hit my inbox an hour ago.

They mentioned monitoring online cruise forums multiple times during the Q&A.

[PoodleMom102022]

Just saw this email... our cruise isn't until next year but figured we may as well start accumulating points! Interesting that they mentioned monitoring forums, perhaps they'll consider some of the feedback.

[NutsAboutGolf]

X, do better with your food and increase the food budget.  You used to be known as the foodie brand, now you have to answer a bunch of questions about the reduction in food quality and selection

 

Initially, I was happy they were taking some of what they call hot topics but in many cases, they were like politicians, answering only parts of the topic

 

A few examples...

Cookiegate: They answered something like they charged a fee to keep down the congestion and didn't do a good job communicating it.  That's only part of cookiegate as they simultaneously removed the free cookies from the Cafe.  While free cookies existed in the buffet (and reportedly while the fee cookie was for sale, not the chocolate chip flavor) with all of X's cutbacks, how long would the free buffet cookies last?  For what's worth, I'd be a fan of the fee cookies as long as the free cookies were available.  Not sure why they don't try fee cookies again but leave the free cookies in the cafe

 

Why did AI change?  Something like to serve you better and we now allow Sail Only with Aqua...IMO, they dropped tips because, unlike wifi and drinks, it costs X the full price.  X has to pay the full tipping amount to the crew.   With wifi and the drinks, they sell them at "retail" prices but it costs them "wholesale" prices

 

While there were some food questions asked, it was quite vague and shifty, "we removed some items but brought them back"...They eliminated the everyday items and added SOME of those items back on a rotational basis

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

Laura also said numerous times --- we sent out request for questions to our most loyal customers and then --- and a question for a Select Member and Elite Member....   Maybe I didn't listen close enough but only heard one question from a Zenith Member - Andy - about Access to Retreat.   I don't think I heard a single one from an Elite Plus.

[rmedistro]

5 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

X, do better with your food and increase the food budget.  You used to be known as the foodie brand, now you have to answer a bunch of questions about the reduction in food quality and selection

 

Initially, I was happy they were taking some of what they call hot topics but in many cases, they were like politicians, answering only parts of the topic

 

A few examples...

Cookiegate: They answered something like they charged a fee to keep down the congestion and didn't do a good job communicating it.  That's only part of cookiegate as they simultaneously removed the free cookies from the Cafe.  While free cookies existed in the buffet (and reportedly while the fee cookie was for sale, not the chocolate chip flavor) with all of X's cutbacks, how long would the free buffet cookies last?  For what's worth, I'd be a fan of the fee cookies as long as the free cookies were available.  Not sure why they don't try fee cookies again but leave the free cookies in the cafe

 

Why did AI change?  Something like to serve you better and we now allow Sail Only with Aqua...IMO, they dropped tips because, unlike wifi and drinks, it costs X the full price.  X has to pay the full tipping amount to the crew.   With wifi and the drinks, they sell them at "retail" prices but it costs them "wholesale" prices

 

While there were some food questions asked, it was quite vague and shifty, "we removed some items but brought them back"...They eliminated the everyday items and added SOME of those items back on a rotational basis

 

 

 

Drinks are more like manufacturer prices. Highest return of any consumable item.

[rmedistro]

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

Laura also said numerous times --- we sent out request for questions to our most loyal customers and then --- and a question for a Select Member and Elite Member....   Maybe I didn't listen close enough but only heard one question from a Zenith Member - Andy - about Access to Retreat.   I don't think I heard a single one from an Elite Plus.

Requests vs Responses are two different metrics. Maybe very few Zenith responded, even though they are the most loyal segment. They obviously selected questions that both fit their agenda, and addressed some of the chatter online. Whether they skewed the presentation on the answers is up for debate. I've personally never had an issue on any cruise I've been on. HAL/NCL/X 
There's always something to dig at, if you are looking. But, I focus on enjoying the time away from my business, and not caught get caught up in worrying about how many times potatoes are served in the MDR. 🙂

[gordylad]

Interesting answer regarding infinite veranda...."you either love them or hate them, personally I wouldn't book one because my husband likes a lie in and I like mornings so I can go out to my balcony and read"

 

So Please stop building ships with these silly open windows you call infinite veranda

[sunlover33]

Though it a bit disingenuous to say the up charge in the MDR was due to a divide between some family members wanting to eat in the speciality restaurant and some in the MDR so they decided to charge in the MDR for steak and lobster! But liked the honesty about  the infinite balcony split with some hating it. Also interesting that Edge 5 may have more real balconies. But who are all these loyal guests that asked for Coco cay? 

Edited September 26, 2023 by sunlover33

[Jim_Iain]

Just now, rmedistro said:

Requests vs Responses are two different metrics. Maybe very few Zenith responded, even though they are the most loyal segment. They obviously selected questions that both fit their agenda, and addressed some of the chatter online. Whether they skewed the presentation on the answers is up for debate. I've personally never had an issue on any cruise I've been on. HAL/NCL/X 
There's always something to dig at, if you are looking. But, I focus on enjoying the time away from my business, and not caught get caught up in worrying about how many times potatoes are served in the MDR. 🙂

 

I can only speak for myself but I nor any Zenith's I spoken to received a request for questions.

 

I'm happy that you are so satisfied with your cruises but many of us aren't  and after 23 years of exclusive traveling Celebrity I made my first non-Celebrity Cruise last week.    I have also booked a second non-celebrity cruise.

 

I only travel in suites so not concerned about potatoes

[truckswain]

I just watched the whole presentation and I thought it was excellent.  They answered all the questions that have the boards up in arms, butlers-did not eliminate them.  Vaping in the casino-not happening, No changes to amenities for Aqua and Concierge.  Cookiegate, bloody ridiculous they even had to address it.  

 

The comments have already started that it was all corporate double speak.  

 

My take away is a) Celebrity addressed the hot topics and did so quite well, and b) some people just like to complain and be continually pissed off that things change.

[poffles]

13 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Laura also said numerous times --- we sent out request for questions to our most loyal customers and then --- and a question for a Select Member and Elite Member....   Maybe I didn't listen close enough but only heard one question from a Zenith Member - Andy - about Access to Retreat.   I don't think I heard a single one from an Elite Plus.

 

But Jim ... now you can book an inside cabin and still go the Retreat area !!!  Score 🙂 😁

 

Will add though that kidding aside the change to not allow was a sad decision cause getting to Zenith is huge and something I will never achieve.

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by poffles

[rmedistro]

3 minutes ago, gordylad said:

Interesting answer regarding infinite veranda...."you either love them or hate them, personally I wouldn't book one because my husband likes a lie in and I like mornings so I can go out to my balcony and read"

 

So Please stop building ships with these silly open windows you call infinite veranda

They did mention they are evaluating the number of IV cabins for Edge #5 based on feedback.

[Jim_Iain]

1 minute ago, sunlover33 said:

 But who are all these loyal guests that asked for Coco Key? 

 

Not me -   we would never book a cruise for Coco Key.    I'm sure some enjoy it and I respect that BUT not our thing

[NutsAboutGolf]

5 minutes ago, gordylad said:

Interesting answer regarding infinite veranda...."you either love them or hate them, personally I wouldn't book one because my husband likes a lie in and I like mornings so I can go out to my balcony and read"

 

So Please stop building ships with these silly open windows you call infinite veranda

 

Agreed but I'm sure there are contractual obligations and/or penalties.  I'm very curious to see what's after the E-Class

[rmedistro]

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I can only speak for myself but I nor any Zenith's I spoken to received a request for questions.

 

I'm happy that you are so satisfied with your cruises but many of us aren't  and after 23 years of exclusive traveling Celebrity I made my first non-Celebrity Cruise last week.    I have also booked a second non-celebrity cruise.

 

I only travel in suites so not concerned about potatoes

Supply and Demand is the economics of business. I walk that fine line in my business also.
The only metric that would cause X to revert any of these recent decisions is decreased number of paid passengers. Time will tell.

[Cruising89143]

I would take Coco Cay over some of the other Caribbean ports.
 

Also, there were questions from Elite Plus answered on the call. I don’t remember specific questions but they were there. 

[jelayne]

14 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Laura also said numerous times --- we sent out request for questions to our most loyal customers and then --- and a question for a Select Member and Elite Member....   Maybe I didn't listen close enough but only heard one question from a Zenith Member - Andy - about Access to Retreat.   I don't think I heard a single one from an Elite Plus.

There were a few from Elites and Elite Plus.

[patty1955]

18 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Laura also said numerous times --- we sent out request for questions to our most loyal customers and then --- and a question for a Select Member and Elite Member....   Maybe I didn't listen close enough but only heard one question from a Zenith Member - Andy - about Access to Retreat.   I don't think I heard a single one from an Elite Plus.

Elite Plus here and we never got the email asking for questions.

[TeeRick]

If they selected who got the emails asking for submitted questions, it was probably not random.  They maybe had a %negative comments score here on CC as a criteria.  The lower, the better.  Haha most posters here would have been excluded!  LOL.😀

[jelayne]

2 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

Elite Plus here and we never got the email asking for questions.

The link to submit questions was offered twice that I saw.  It may have been in a marketing email on one occasion.  i'm Elite Plus and had the opportunity to submit a question, although I didn't.

[Ken the cruiser]

I just watched the webinar as well. Sure glad no Aqua cabin amenities have changed, although it seems to me in 2022 we got canapés every afternoon in our Aqua cabin and on our 2023 transpacific B3B we were told only Concierge cabins got them. We also got our bottle of bubbly in our Aqua cabin in 2022, but not in 2023, and there was no guidelines given to us at the beginning of the cruise explaining that we had to remember to ask for the canapés or bottle of bubbly. She must have meant there have been no changes to Aqua or Concierge cabin amenities since she took over in June 2023.

 

I also noticed no one asked why the 20% penalty was added for booking a cruise with a refundable deposit. I guess that’s just us that has an issue with that.

[rmedistro]

4 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

Elite Plus here and we never got the email asking for questions.

Now, we'll suffer from 100+ replies of people that didn't get selected, or didn't check their inbox thinking they didn't get selected. Life is tooooooooooooooooo short for the self inflicted mental anguish people generate! 🙂

[TeeRick]

Just now, Ken the cruiser said:

I just watched the webinar as well. Sure glad no Aqua cabin amenities have changed, although it seems to me in 2022 we got canapés every afternoon in our Aqua cabin and on our 2023 transpacific B3B we were told only Concierge cabins got them. We also got our bottle of bubbly in our Aqua cabin in 2022, but not in 2023, and there was no guidelines given to us at the beginning of the cruise explaining that we had to remember to ask for the canapés or bottle of bubbly. She must have meant there have been no changes to Aqua or Concierge cabin amenities since she took over in June 2023.

 

I also noticed no one asked why the 20% penalty was added for booking a cruise with a refundable deposit. I guess that’s just us that has an issue with that.

I think they meant nothing in Aqua changed since last week.  😀

[jelayne]

1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I just watched the webinar as well. Sure glad no Aqua cabin amenities have changed, although it seems to me in 2022 we got canapés every afternoon in our Aqua cabin and on our 2023 transpacific B3B we were told only Concierge cabins got them. We also got our bottle of bubbly in our Aqua cabin in 2022, but not in 2023, and there was no guidelines given to us at the beginning of the cruise explaining that we had to remember to ask for the canapés or bottle of bubbly. She must have meant there have been no changes to Aqua or Concierge cabin amenities since she took over in June 2023.

 

I also noticed no one asked why the 20% penalty was added for booking a cruise with a refundable deposit. I guess that’s just us that has an issue with that.

What penalty?  

[patty1955]

1 minute ago, rmedistro said:

 Life is tooooooooooooooooo short for the self inflicted mental anguish people generate! 🙂

Too short for snarky comments too, but here we are.