Never Again On Zenith

[CaroleSP]

I'll be on Zenith again in october, I hope, and I can't wait!

Which date are you considering? We have a nice bunch doing the repo.

[Host Walt]

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[Faith/Hope/Charity]

I contacted customed service on my return, no response to date. Today I e-mailed dhanrahan@celebrity.com, the president of Celebrity Cruise lines. I hope to get some response from him to show that he has been informed of the problem.

[Eleris]

The Zenith being an older ship with less perks is typically not a dirty ship. I am sure there were other cabins that were not up to par and unfortunately you got one.

 

As for HQ and replying to you, I would be surprised at this point if they did much. I would have to agree with them at this point and let me explain why. When I asked you previously if you tipped the attendent and the Chief Housekeeper and you said you did the full amount your complaint lost its credibility. There is no way on this planet I would have left a nickel at that point for either and then you would have gotten someones attention for sure. I have stayed in many nice hotels in my lifetime and if the room was not clean not only did I call and complain but I stood over the maid while she cleaned it. At this point if you took pictures that might help prove your point to HQ.

[DGF]

Faith/Hope/ Charity

 

Any response to yourt e-mail to the President?

[Faith/Hope/Charity]

Nothing so far from customer service or my e-mail to the president. I doubt very much if I will hear anything.

[DGF]

I will be surprised if you don't

[Offtune Angel]

Faith/Hope/Charity: Congratulations for still posting despite the backlash.

 

We had a similar situation on a different Celebrity ship. To us, the cleanliness and tidiness of the cabin is as important as the food and service in the Dining room. Unlike many passengers, we do spend a fair amount of time in our cabin, which is why we book verandah cabins.

 

Our onboard attempts to solve the messes (literally) seemed to be blocked by various (not all) Guest relations members who wanted to go slowly up the chain of command -- when we wanted action 'yesterday'. Finally, by Day four of a 28 day trip, we got beyond Guest Relations.

 

All of the issues were not resolved for various reasons. One of which may have been our reluctance to 'create a scene' or to 'insist on better performance'. (Heck, I can't even bargain at a Flea market.)

 

When we returned home, I wrote to Celebrity, detailing our experiences -- the good and the unpleasant. Within a month, I had a response from Mike Willis, Corporate Guest Relations with Celebrity. His reply was as detailed as my letter to him. He apologized for our experience (and not only by written word).

 

If you haven't had a reply soon, try again, and address your concerns to Mike Willis.

 

I hope you have a good outcome.

 

BTW, we have cruised 31 days w/ Celebrity since then and have just booked another B2B (28 days), a 13 day, and three more cruises (totalling 42 days) with Celebrity.

[alpal1993]

I loved our cruises on the Century, Mercury, Infinity, Millennium, and Constellation, but will not book the Zenith because of all the negative reports I have read about this ship. As I stated on the Bermuda thread, I am very disappointed that it is the only Celebrity ship that will be going to Bermuda next year, and plan to book our cruise to Bermuda on a different cruise line. This will be our first non Celebrity Cruise in seven years.

I am leaving next Staurday on Zenith to Bermuda.I have been on Summit Millenium, and Cenutry many times.I had considered going on NCL Crown but they move the ship to Philly.Empress of the Seas(went on her when Royal Empress didn't go to St George and the rooms are the size of a peanut shell (130 sq feet) Celebrity was the best choice for us.

[Faith/Hope/Charity]

Thanks for the additional information. If I haven't heard anything in another week or so I'll send the e-mail off to Mike Willis. Does anyone know if his e-mail address is mikewillis@celebrity.com, or is there some other address, or would mailing the letter be best? Thanks, any response, (NOT NEGATIVE), would be great.

[Offtune Angel]

Thanks for the additional information. If I haven't heard anything in another week or so I'll send the e-mail off to Mike Willis. Does anyone know if his e-mail address is mikewillis@celebrity.com, or is there some other address, or would mailing the letter be best? Thanks, any response, (NOT NEGATIVE), would be great.

 

It was thanks to another thread that I obtained the name of the person that I originally sent the e-mail to:

jbernheimer@rccl.com

 

The j of the above address stands for Joan.

 

It was Mike Willis that replied to that e-mail and his reply came via the Post Office.

 

Good luck:)

[HELENROSE]

Faith Hope & Charity, don't get discouraged by all the negative responses. Just because something like what you encountered doesn't happen to every one else, does not mean it doesn't happen to others.

 

We were on the Horizon a number years ago. It was a fantastic cruise. Close friends of our happen to sail one week later, same ship same ports and their tastes in cruising identical to ours. It was the cruise from H__l for them. Everything that could go wrong, did. So things happen. It is just that you should have been more firm in getting results. We were on one Celebrity ship that had a cigar smoker in the cabin just before us. (Please no smoking bashers) We told our cabin stewart the smell was bad. He tried to clean the cabin. We did see him try, so it wan't his fault. We tried to sleep the first night and the pillows blankets everything had the smell. The next day I just went to Guest relations and quietly said that if something wasn't done, we would sleep out on deck. They told us to stay out of our cabin all day. That night the cabin was 95% better. We had everything new or scrubed, including the carpeting. We received a bottle of wine, a note from house keeping, and a phone call saying how sorry they were. They followed up every other day with notes or phone calls making sure everything was still OK.

 

So some times it is best to calmly state your case. But most important, do it while you are still on the ship. Keep after them. Celebrity is a great cruise line. But something like this can happen on any line.

[Faith/Hope/Charity]

It was thanks to another thread that I obtained the name of the person that I originally sent the e-mail to:

jbernheimer@rccl.com

 

The j of the above address stands for Joan.

 

It was Mike Willis that replied to that e-mail and his reply came via the Post Office.

 

Good luck:)

Thanks for the info, I'll try that route if I don't get a reply of some sort soon. Thanks again.

[LindaandJeff]

Just got back and I simply asked for a new shower curtain and got one right away. I found the staff to be quite responsive to requests to fix things.. Zenith is an old ship. She is much like a well-loved family room rather than an upscale living room. I will post photos later this week and you can judge for yourself.

[Leela]

I was on the same trip as Linda and Jeff, and I think Linda's comparison to a family room is apt. The Zenith was comfortable, but on the outdated and worn side. She wasn't ugly on the inside (she's gorgeous on the outside to me), just not beautiful. Just very "lived-in." For instance, the coffee table in our room was made of painted white wood (dated), and the paint was chipping (worn). Not unlike on the black painted coffee table in our living room at home....:)

 

And, like being a guest in someone's family room, the service was warm and friendly, nothing was lacking, and faults were handled so quickly that they did not become problems. We ran out of shampoo and so called guest services. In less than ten minutes someone was there with four(!) new bottles. Our sink backed up one night, and two plumbers were dispatched quickly and it was fixed in plenty of time for us to get ready for dinner. The plumbers were so cheerful and quick that we mentioned them by name in our final cruise survey! Really, all the things "wrong" with Zenith are in the "no harm, no foul" column in my book. There was bad weather one day and so the harbour master in St. George's closed the port to cruise ship traffic. No big deal, passengers took the island's bus service or ferries up and explored this quaint town. We had to move to another slip in Hamilton and tender in to the ferry dock. No worries, other than a few wistful sighs that it was a bit inconvenient. People on our ship, both passengers and staff, were cheerful and adaptable.

 

If someone is looking for the ultimate luxury experience in cruising to Bermuda, Zenith is not it. In fact, I don't think it exists any more since Radisson pulled out of Bermuda. Or maybe since the Queen of Bermuda stopped sailing in the 60's or whenever it was! But for a lovely time and good value for the money, it's more than worth enduring some faded upholstery to sail there on Zenith!

[BrooklynGirl2]

Linda and Leela...very well put!

 

I really don't think there is a better experience than Zenith to Bermuda. The food and service are excellent, the public rooms are nice and comfortable and the ship is a great size. We leave in less than 2 weeks and I can't wait!:D

[Leela]

I just read this thread again from top to bottom and I will add a few comments.

 

We stayed in 1025 on Zenith, and as I mentioned above the white-painted furniture was showing chips but not much grubbiness. I think the corners of the coffee table could have stood to be hit with some elbow grease and Formula 409, but it was all sort of Family-Room with older kids grubby -- not Family-Room with toddlers grubby. The carpet in our room was not new but was very clean. Nothing was dusty. There were some very faint dirt stains on the wallpaper in high-traffic areas (around light switches) and that's when it ocurred to me that the entire ship could use some real love and updating and MONEY spent on it to make it so. She's a lovely lovely ship but is being treated like the old auntie who no one wants to deal with when it comes to refurbisment.

 

Our shower had some of the dark under-caulking mildew in two corners. A lot of bleach might be able to fix it, but it wasn't on the surface or slimy. Just another indication as to how a complete renovation is in order for this lady of the seas.

 

Some of the hand towels in our cabin had bleach stains. They were perfectly clean and fluffy, but there were bleach stains. Now, if I were in charge and had the time and monetary resources to make everything perfect, I'd have these towels thrown out or only used as rags. Why they got placed in a passenger cabin is beyond me. They weren't dirty, they didn't smell, but they weren't as beautiful as a cruise ship deserves.

 

I noted two bedding issues. The first was that, because of a bit of seasickness one night, we decided to strip one of the beds "just in case." The underlying mattress was very unpleasant looking. I had heard that Celebrity was going to replace the soft goods last November, but I guess that didn't extend to the mattresses in our cabin. I flipped the mattress over and it was much cleaner on the other side. But still it makes me wonder...Celebrity doesn't seem to be wanting to spend money to make and keep Zenith nice. It's such a shame. It's like owning a classic car and not keeping it nice. In the top of one of our closets were a couple of extra sheets and pillow cases, so we just made up the bed again (it was around four in the morning) and left the rest in a pillowcase in the corridor. They were gone by morning.

 

The other issue was that there was a couple of small holes in the bottom sheet on my bed. It looked like the laundry machine had chewed up the sheet a little. The sheet was otherwise clean and stain-free, but once again I wondered why no one in the housekeeping department took that sheet out of circulation. Doesn't Celebrity have an ongoing budget for Zenith to replace things of this nature?

 

I would travel on Zenith again, but only if it were going to Bermuda. I have no interest in taking any of her other itineraries because they are served in various combinations by Celebrity's other ships.

 

I just wonder overall about Celebrity's intentions with Zenith. If they want to sell a four-star experience (and talk about it as if it were five-star), then they have to get on the ball with this ship. They could make her into a jewelbox of a ship, and really work the "sophisticated classic cruising" angle. After all, in the overall sense they've got the ability and experience service-wise to do it. She could be Celebrity's stake in the "boutique" cruising market. If she were renovated to be on par with the top 2nd tier hotels (the top tier being the likes of The Peninsula and The Four Seasons, so think one notch down from that) then I would gladly pay a premium price to sail her on itineraries other than Bermuda. Celebrity already has (with a few exceptions) very-good-to-great food service, cabin service, and so on. I see so much potential in Zenith even though she's the oldest ship in Celebrity's fleet. It's a shame to see it go to waste.

 

We had a great time on our cruise, my Mom is even taking the same trip in exactly one year with my Dad. I'm sure they will have a great time, but the bottom line is that Zenith wasn't as pretty inside as Century or Mercury, and that our Concierge Class cabins on Century and our Sky Suite on Mercury had our Zenith Suite beat in terms of overall look-and-feel, freshness, and mattress comfort. And it's not a layout or infrastructure issue (I could care less about the darn balconies) -- it's really about interior decorating and just showing as much care for the ship as is shown for the passengers.

[DGF]

Leela

 

Well written input and thanks.

 

Would you mind us asking what cabin you were in

[Leela]

We were in 1025. By the way, if you are going to Bermuda, book on the odd-numbered side for the best views while in Hamilton. The whole time we were there (four nights), we looked out over the harbour to this little island that had a yacht club on it. The club house was pink and white. I took a dozen pictures of it because it was so pretty.

[cinnamon]

We will be sailing on Zenith in November on a 2 week Caribbean cruise. There are no other X ships sailing out of Tampa, none doing 2 weeks and no other ships of that size, i.e. smaller and more intimate than most, in the Caribbean, at such a good price, let alone with the X level of food and service.

 

While I hope that our CC cabin will be clean and the soft furnishings OK, there are other reasons than Bermuda to sail on her.

 

Cinnamon

[Leela]

I love her smaller size, and thought the public areas were well laid-out and comfortable and accomodating. The Library, Cova Cafe, Card Room, and Michael's Club are especially nice (seems like they got a re-do in recent years). I even like the fact that the elevators and decks are a little confusing (anone who has gotten stuck on deck 7 behind the restaurant and realized they needed to go up or down to get anywhere will know what I mean) -- it makes me feel more like I'm on a ship and less like I'm in a hotel. I also think that, because she is smaller, the food is better (although I felt the newer menu dishes were uneven, but overall the food was great). I especially like the Martini Bar. Really, for all the things I pointed out I did have a great time -- I just wanted to be factual and not mislead anyone into thinking she's in perfect shape, because she isn't. I would so love to see her in perfect shape, though. It would be something to behold, and a treat for people who like a more old-timey style ship (as compared to the way things are being built today).

[BrooklynGirl2]

Leela...I so agree with you. Zenith could be the little jewel of the X Fleet with some refurbishing. And I'm not talking about a major overhaul with balconies etc. I think they need to update the color scheme (change all bedspreads, curtains, artwork, rugs,) in the cabins. Install new bedding too and update the bathrooms. Get new updated outside deck furniture. I found no real problems with the public rooms. The ones you mentioned were great. I love the Cova and have enjoyed the library and Michael's.

 

I love the Zenith, have been on her twice and am leaving again for her in a week. Zenith's crew is quite special. They are like family. I could not believe how well we were treated and how pampered we were. I love the intimate size of Zenith and like you said, you really feel like you are on a ship not a floating Las Vegas resort. I also found it was easier to get to know fellow pax as you saw the same people numerous times and it was easy to fall into conversation. The kids club was great for my now 6 year old and the counselors were all fabulous with him.

 

We have always stayed on the Florida deck (deck 4) and have never had any problems.

 

I do hope X decides to keep Zenith. I think there is a real niche for this size ship and being able to dock in places where the behemoth's can't is a real plus.

[Faith/Hope/Charity]

It was thanks to another thread that I obtained the name of the person that I originally sent the e-mail to:

jbernheimer@rccl.com

 

The j of the above address stands for Joan.

 

It was Mike Willis that replied to that e-mail and his reply came via the Post Office.

 

Good luck:)

 

Still no response. Today I e-mailed the letter to jbernheimer@rccl.com

I still doubt that they will reply. They have had so much trouble with things going wrong on a number of Celebrity ships lately, that I guess they see my problems not worth their time or trouble to respond. The problems were very real to us, and certainly not the Celebrity Experience you hear so much about.

[Faith/Hope/Charity]

Today I received an e-mail from yesterdays letter I e-mailed to Celebrity at the above address. They said a letter was sent to me on May 5, 2006, and if I had not received it in another week or two they would resend it. I'll keep you posted.

[DNCButler]

Ok, I'm jumping into the fire here but just because I think it's important. I LOVE Celebrity, as a matter of fact, when asked what my favorite cruise was, I always answer with Summit in Alaska. Yet, if you ask me if I've ever had a bad cabin attendant and what ship I'd have to also answer Summit in Alaska. I loved the ship and I loved the cruise and the good outweighed the bad. But we did have a terrible attendant that we could not work with. We did go and complain to Guest Relations and it did not help so we went back a second time and asked to have someone else take our room for us. They were unable to accomodate our request but at that point I did notice that she started to take our requests seriously. At one point I DID take our linens off of the bed and left them on the floor by the door. And when I saw her coming I went back to the cabin to make sure that she didn't just put them right back on again. But I was not about to let that one person affect my cruise to the point that I did not enjoy myself. And each time something else popped up I made sure that I went directly to guest relations to ask for assistance and it always got fixed. Even the toilets that seemed to break every day! About mid-way through the week other people in our section also started to complain about her as well and to be honest I think I was the only one who left her any sort of tip and it was reduced at that, she really was terrible and I'm not real picky. I also made sure to turn in my comments on the comment card at the end of the cruise. So, these things can happen. Having a clean cabin is one thing that should be a no-brainer, it's not like your complaining because they don't have a specific "soda" on board or fruit that you like. It's a clean cabin and should be mandatory. But the passenger also has a responsiblilty to report it and keep going higher until it gets resolved, otherwise it's the next set of passengers that will suffer after you. Just think, if the passengers before hand had done so, you might not have ever had this problem from the start. Be persistent but be fair too!!