Identity crisis

[Flafun888]

On 3/25/2024 at 9:47 AM, mtempelaar said:

Star Princess out of Venice, we went down the Grand Canal to Andrea Boccelli singing opera.  It was incredibly memorable, and the best sailaway I ever experienced.

wow...what I would have given to be there for that! Must have been a beautiful experience.

[rj59]

I think most lines are having an identity crisis, but that's to do with changing generations and the surge in cruising demand, people just want to go on any ship, anywhere. Lines are also getting aggressive about reducing debt and expenses, to justify their very high stock prices now. I've done mostly HAL and Princess, which are getting more young people, more families, more diverse crowds, and the old-timers hate it, and want Tradition upheld (they get really upset when people aren't forced to dress up for Senior Prom nights). I did Solstice in Alaska, and several times out of LA, and really loved the vibe and layout and art, although it felt sometimes just like every other cruise line, albeit more aggressive about drinks pricing, pushing packages and upgrades, and begging for good reviews, but I learned to adjust (no I'm not going to order a $5 latte if you're going to give me a package pitch too). Then I tried Apex in March, and it felt very upscale, and even the large number of teens felt reasonably well-behaved, even the boys I spotted climbing all over railings in the Retreat (I wish my parents were that generous). I thought, cool, upscale, younger line, edgy ships (pun intended), great shows and theaters, and then I booked Reflection and it was...same old thing, emphasis on old. Full ship, bickering couples (I even heard 'if you want a divorce I'll give you one!' shouted in the buffet), complaining, sea of white hair boogying at atrium parties. Maybe fewer carts and sticks and walkers than on Princess or HAL, but still very old, but also with redneck partiers and remarkable acts of rudeness, like people screaming and laughing and chatting over a captain's speech at the loyalty reception, and an entitled Karen refusing to go to the end of a line at embarkation when getting off an elevator. So I think part of it is full ships, older ships, Florida demographics, and more strained service, cutbacks, as well as some shows getting repetitive on the older ships, as well as MDR and buffet food getting underwhelming and overfamiliar and buffets getting scaled back at dinner. I loved Celebrity after restart, especially sailing out of LA on Solstice with under 1000 people and getting a solo inside for $300 or so, sometimes with all-included, so I put down deposits on 7 or so cruises. But after Reflection and reflecting, it just doesn't seem right for me, as a predominantly West Coast cruiser, especially with the really egregious discriminatory pricing for solos (I thought of Edge going from Hawaii in May for $550 pp for 9 days or so, but it was $2400 for a solo...really?). I'm really grateful to X for getting me to buy RCL at $40, though. 

[MississippiMom]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:46 AM, paulh84 said:

Celebrity is definitely trying hard to be the jack of all trades. They need to choose a direction and stick with it.  But every time they make a change the "loyalists", as they call themselves, don't agree with, they cause hysteria then Celebrity reverts. This is where the disconnect comes in between their marketing and what the actual product is on board. 

 

Their target market can be 40-55 year olds all day long. Where they fail is realizing that 40 year old me is a very different customer than my parents were at 40. But as long as they continue to pander the 65, 70, 80+ crowd they will have a tough time bringing in a new crop of repeat younger new customers. 

 

We're fine with it largely because we know what to expect but I'm curious how many of the recent new Celebrity customers actually come back.

As a never-sailed-Celebrity cruiser, I am finding this entire thread very educational.

 

You bring up a great point.  We are considering our first Celebrity cruise in 2025; we will be in our late 50s.  We certainly don’t have the energy level of our young adult children, but we also aren’t looking for an early bedtime every night.  We are VERY different than our parents at our age.  Is it a different world or just a different income level?  For us, it’s a bit of both.