I See Two Groups-Lovers & Haters

[Drew B]

I have regularly heard people talking about how people follow the dress code on Celebrity, and while technically, I guess that is true, I was surprised how few tuxedos I saw on formal nights. Only about 30% of the men seemed to be wearing tuxes. Now, to be fair, nearly all of the remaining 70% were dressed perfectly appropriately in their dark suits. However, after all of the comments about this one issue, I expected to see at LEAST 50% in tuxedos...

[newmexicoNita]

I have been reading the Celebrity threads for several days. There does not seem to be a middle ground, either you love Celebrity or you hate them. I have been a RCI cruiser for well over a decade and have had three cruises in a row that have been way below satisfactory (food poisoning, horrible sewage stench, horrible service, etc.). I do consider myself as someone who can look beyond the inevitable itinerary changes, the occasional malcontent who is supposed to be serving you, and I do try extremely hard to not let minor negatives upset me. But, RCI went too far this last cruise when my wife was virtually in tears and my daughters were mad enough to chew nails. (RCI admitted to the screw-ups, but were too busy pointing fingers to fix the problems.) I am looking to try another cruise line, and even though X is owned by RCI, I thought I may give them a look to keep from totally losing the perks that come from our Diamond status with RCI. We are looking for a line that would at least be close to the old RCCL of 10 or more years ago and had hoped that X would be the way to go. Yet, reading the X threads, it seems to be a passion of "don't slam my cruise line" or " this cruise line sucks". Well I guess this may be your opportunity to sell your position. My question is very simple...Why would I want or not want to sail with Celebrity? I truly hope that there will be some insight provided.

I am giving my opinion without even reading what others have written. Love/hate, this is true with all lines for good reasons I am sure. Is Celebrity a step up from the other mass marketed lines; well it is about 1/2 step up, but it has certainly gone downhill like most lines in the past 5 years. Right now we all have to compare the prices we are paying with the prices the cruise lines are paying for everything, mostly due to fuel costs. This certainly isn't the only thing that affects the pricing and quality of cruising.

 

Though Celebrity isn't my favorite line, close though< I would say give them a try. There are little nicities that set them apart from RCI and NCL. Of course there is always Princess, but they too are getting very mixed reviews.

 

The one thing we have noticed about cruising the past few years: food isn't even close to what we became accustom to back in the 80s and 90s nor is the service as smooth. We were on the Zenith last December, the ship was sparkling clean and we loved the small size, but our waiter forgot to give DH a menu 2 out of 5 nights and spent more time telling us how hard he worked for us than he did really serving us; I got the impression every smile said "tip me please" The activity staff was unorganized and didn't seem to really like what they were doing. Even with that our cruise was fun, the food good and our cabin clean and well maintained. The Connie 2 years earlier had a better staff. Our last 2 RCI cruises have not been anywhere near up to par.

 

I hope I am not sounding really negative because that is not me, I just think we all have to examine what we expect from our cruise experience and understand, like everything cruising has changed. NMNita

[WECoyote]

The posts I have seen today are exactly what I was hoping to see. You have given me true observations and little emotions (exceptions to this statement have also been noted :p)

 

With the slightly more formal atmosphere, this cruise line may actually be what this "old dog" has been looking for. We will give Celebrity a try and press on from there. Thank you all.

 

To PhoenixCruiser...hello neighbor. By the way we have been on every class that RCI has to offer with the exception of the Freedom class. You are absolutely correct that the Radiance Class ships are a cut above for the most part. Unfortunately, being on the left coast like we are, it can be difficult to cruise from the right coast on short notice (when the stress makes it time to get out of the desert). I do admit that we will have to accept the fact that we will have to adjust our plans to sail from the east coast more often if we stick with X over RCI.

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[chrismch]

I have been reading the threads lately and it does seem that RCL & Celebrity have been trounced on a bit more than normal. And having read the posts on these threads I have to agree with others who've said that all the cruiselines have had a downhill slump in service. I've cruised RCL, HAL,NCL, Princess, Carnival, Celebrity and Crystal and have seen changes in the last 10 yrs. So here's my take on the different cruise lines...Carnival is definitely for the under 35 and heavy drinker and not for me. RCL - it was ok, liked the artwork on board, but much of the food was inconsistent and much too crowded(check "space ratios" under 35 is crowded) also one time had problems with sewer smells in the hall on our deck. NCL - we've only done an inaugural cruise that had all the bells and whistles and were showing off for the TA's & special guests so I don't know if the service was stellar because of that or if it was the norm. Princess good quality, good space ratio - desserts lacking in sugar and butter (cruised with 2 chefs who also made the same comment) good age mix, however last cruise we had the worst dining room servers - we were the only ones at our table for 6 and they started removing the bread, butter, glasses etc before we finished our entrees. HAL - lovely ships, smaller staterooms, great artwork, lovely china - looks and feels like the elegant style of early 20th century cruising and with passengers of the same age range. Celebrity -great pastry chefs (read all the raves of cafe Cova) good space ratios, nicely designed ships not too glitzy just elegant enough we've had good cabin stewards and others who seemed forgetful of what was needed. Lastly, Crystal Cruises - by far the best...well laid out staterooms, great space ratio, outstanding choices for what to do on board, stewards and staff who definitely make you feel that you are valued clients. However, they are 50% or more in price to all the others. so the question is - how often do you want to cruise?:p

[dmk]

I have been reading the threads lately and it does seem that RCL & Celebrity have been trounced on a bit more than normal. And having read the posts on these threads I have to agree with others who've said that all the cruiselines have had a downhill slump in service. I've cruised RCL, HAL,NCL, Princess, Carnival, Celebrity and Crystal and have seen changes in the last 10 yrs. So here's my take on the different cruise lines...Carnival is definitely for the under 35 and heavy drinker and not for me. RCL - it was ok, liked the artwork on board, but much of the food was inconsistent and much too crowded(check "space ratios" under 35 is crowded) also one time had problems with sewer smells in the hall on our deck. NCL - we've only done an inaugural cruise that had all the bells and whistles and were showing off for the TA's & special guests so I don't know if the service was stellar because of that or if it was the norm. Princess good quality, good space ratio - desserts lacking in sugar and butter (cruised with 2 chefs who also made the same comment) good age mix, however last cruise we had the worst dining room servers - we were the only ones at our table for 6 and they started removing the bread, butter, glasses etc before we finished our entrees. HAL - lovely ships, smaller staterooms, great artwork, lovely china - looks and feels like the elegant style of early 20th century cruising and with passengers of the same age range. Celebrity -great pastry chefs (read all the raves of cafe Cova) good space ratios, nicely designed ships not too glitzy just elegant enough we've had good cabin stewards and others who seemed forgetful of what was needed. Lastly, Crystal Cruises - by far the best...well laid out staterooms, great space ratio, outstanding choices for what to do on board, stewards and staff who definitely make you feel that you are valued clients. However, they are 50% or more in price to all the others. so the question is - how often do you want to cruise?:p

 

Thank you for your opinion. It was well thought and helpful, with pros and cons:)

[Holiday on ice]

FinelyCruising....Do you still have your picture link of Andrea Grilecova? If so would you mind posting it again?? Thanks

[ebk2795]

On our Mexican Riviera cruise, we had Andrea as our waitress. Here is a picture of her. Hope this works.

[tuggers]

RCI has cut so many corners in the dining room that I no longer find it a good experience. To me the service (very personable and friendly) and the dining (higher quality food served in a more traditional setting) plus the

general ambiance that exists when most all of the pax conform to the dress code are the things that bring me back to X.

[C 2 C]

I used to believe that each cruise experience was different. I switched from HAL (150 days), Princess (110 days) to Celebrity. Now that I have passed 400 days cruising on X I'm ready to switch back just to avoid the boredom of the same food, same entertainers and declining quality.

The superior food and "dress code" is slipping on each X sailing..

I just read a Century thread that stated wine was removed from luggage on Century's last sailing. Perks are non-existent, on board booking rewards have been reduced. If all the cruise lines are aiming for the lowest common denominator it won't matter which cruise line you pick.

Look for an itinerary you like, a price you're willing to pay and enjoy yourself. Don't be afraid to try the different cruise lines. There's a line for everyone and none of them are perfect.

Celebrity seems to be going out of its way to reduce its appeal to repeat cruisers in an attempt to attract a different demographic. If these changes make Celebrity more profitable, management is doing the right thing for its investors. Over the last three years (about 25 cruises) I have not noticed a single change that has improved my Celebrity cruise experience. I still have a number of active X bookings but I no longer think X offers a product superior to its competitors.

[Dr. Cocktail]

I couldn't agree more with C2C! I wasn't able to cruise for a four-year period while taking care of ill parents and when I returned to Celebrity, I was shocked at the difference. It certainly wasn't bad but it was no longer the product that John Chandris had personally launched.

 

If Celebrity has an itinerary or sailing length that appeals to me - great. While I am still idiotically loyal, I will no longer go out of my way to "bend" my work schedule to fit Celebrity's timetable nor will I pass on an interesting itinerary on someone else.

 

Frankly, I really don't understand the logic or strategy of alienating your most frequent and loyal clients. Unfortunately, everything at Celebrity/RCC is based on statistics, meetings and various corporate goals. Perhaps they feel that if HAL can get away with meaningless certificates in place of benefits of true value, they can too!

 

I will certainly go on my upcoming Constellation cruise primarily because I got one of my "cherished" aft verandas and a huge onboard credit. I however, thought that Crown Princess had a much better Baltic itinerary so I cancelled Constellation and will now have the experience to try something new. I think that we most frequent Celebrity cruisers are so vocal because we truly feel let down or even betrayed. I always viewed Celebrity as a trusted "friend" - an organization that could always be counted on to provide a quality and dependable experience with many small surprises. No longer.

[DrKoob]

Their service HAS deteriorated over the last decade and I am hoping to find a line that will be close to our original experiences.

 

I want to know why I should consider Celebrity to fulfill that desire. That is the whole point of my original question.

 

If you want service beyond your wildest dreams, then X is what you are after. We have never been so pampered as we have been on our four Infinity and one Galaxy cruise and we can't wait to reboard Infinity in August and Century in October. Service is the best thing about X.

[chessbriar]

One random thought as a fan of X. Do the recent cutbacks at RCCL and X have anything to do with all the new ships they have on order as well as the purchase of Pullmantur Cruises?

 

We'd be sill not to look long and hard at that as a reason continuing changes in what we've come to expect.

 

As they allienate their loyal customers, what's going to happen when they have all these new ships to fill?

 

That being said, I would still pick X over any other mass market line. But only if the itinerary and price fit my desires.

 

By the way, if you look at my upcoming cruises, only one is on X. And either the X or the second RCCL cruise will be canceled in favor of a Princess cruise.

[LovetheSea]

C2C.. I totally agree with you. We are Elite members and love Celebrity. But who is running the show over there these days? I don't get it? They have RCCL ships, if they want to lower their standards. We have cruised on Princess, Carnival, Holland America, RCCL, and Norwegian. But mostly Celebrity. I have to say my last Princess cruise was better than my last Celebrity cruise. After finding out they cut their food budget dramatically, we will no longer cruise Celebrity unless we really like the itinerary, or they drop the prices to be the same as the cheaper lines that they seem to want to emulate. Looking at the Millie Eastern Caribbean for next year, I don't see a big draw for us ( Casa De Campo again?) We will go for Holland or Princess for our Winter 08 cruise.

[Friendly Cruiser101]

We have been avid cruisers for the past 10 years; mostly with X. May 1 we are on X for a Trans Atlantic to Rome. About 2 month ago, for the first time, I started reading and contributing to the post on this site.

I have to say that there is so much negative stuff here that it does not seem worth the while to read through the different threads. People complain before they even book a cruise, complain before the go on the cruise, while on the cruise and when they get home.

It is sickening. It is like when I visit my 88 year old mother in the nursing home, everyone complains, about the food, the service, etc. etc.

Today I was seriously thinking about giving up all this post stuff, I did great before without it and can go great without it again.

People just make up stuff, when it is pointed out that they are wrong, we just never hear from them again.

One board was talking about the possible bomb threat in Casablanca, well what about the guy who was sitting in his living room watching TV and a driver high on drugs was being chased by cops at 100 MPH, he lost control of his car and drove right through the guys house and killed the guy. So does that mean that I should not watch any more TV?

People just go on and on about the most ridiculous things and take every chance they get to take a shot at X.

4 or 5 years ago, when we were on X the head chief gave a talk and told us that he had 3 cooks working full time around the clock making fried potato baskets, (they looked like small Easter egg baskets) that vegetables were served in. Except for green beans which were served tied in a bundle. Now X does not do that any more, would I say that the service has gone down hill.

Look for all you complainers out their, this is a cruise where we are treaded like Kings and Queens and remember before they write another complaint here think about our finest in fighting over seas eating out of a metal box and taking a dump in a hole in the ground and then burning it.

For us, we grew up in the Bronx, Mr. parents NEVER went on a vacation, my wife went once a year, a few times on those long hot drives from New York to Florida (Gas was 19 cents a gallon). So you see humility has to come into play here. Relax it a vacation, even in the best of places something goes wrong. Enjoy. Forget about the gotchas.

Finally to answer your question X is fine book a trip.

[DrKoob]

I have regularly heard people talking about how people follow the dress code on Celebrity, and while technically, I guess that is true, I was surprised how few tuxedos I saw on formal nights. Only about 30% of the men seemed to be wearing tuxes. Now, to be fair, nearly all of the remaining 70% were dressed perfectly appropriately in their dark suits. However, after all of the comments about this one issue, I expected to see at LEAST 50% in tuxedos...

 

Our experience as to tuxes is that it has a bunch to do with two things; how long the cruise is and where it is going.

 

I have a tux and enjoy wearing it but I did not take it on our 3 day repo cruise on Infinity last year. We knew there would only be one formal night and we planned on dinner in the United States that night so I skipped it.

 

On our 14 day Galaxy Eastern European cruise last year the cruise was very port intensive. And it was a long way from home. I just did not see myself dragging my tux half way across the world to barely make dinner after a long day ashore. That said, I wish I had as I would guess that tuxes were worn by at least 60% of the men. I will definitely take it on our Century Western Med cruise.

 

Lastly, I think that some of the declining tux use has to do with the airlines new restrictions on the weight of baggage. I am six foot, two inches tall and a pretty big guy. When you add my tux and the shoes to go with it, you add about 10 lbs to my luggage.

[Texed]

Ships o'tool,

 

Great post!

[Rev22:17]

WECoyote,

 

I have been reading the Celebrity threads for several days. There does not seem to be a middle ground, either you love Celebrity or you hate them. I have been a RCI cruiser for well over a decade and have had three cruises in a row that have been way below satisfactory (food poisoning, horrible sewage stench, horrible service, etc.). I do consider myself as someone who can look beyond the inevitable itinerary changes, the occasional malcontent who is supposed to be serving you, and I do try extremely hard to not let minor negatives upset me. But, RCI went too far this last cruise when my wife was virtually in tears and my daughters were mad enough to chew nails. (RCI admitted to the screw-ups, but were too busy pointing fingers to fix the problems.) I am looking to try another cruise line, and even though X is owned by RCI, I thought I may give them a look to keep from totally losing the perks that come from our Diamond status with RCI. We are looking for a line that would at least be close to the old RCCL of 10 or more years ago and had hoped that X would be the way to go. Yet, reading the X threads, it seems to be a passion of "don't slam my cruise line" or " this cruise line sucks". Well I guess this may be your opportunity to sell your position. My question is very simple...Why would I want or not want to sail with Celebrity? I truly hope that there will be some insight provided.

 

There has been a problem on this board for a while with a few very disgruntled individuals coming in and starting new threads with disparaging postings -- most of which with a few common themes -- about how terrrible Celebrity is, and sometimes grinding the same axes in existing threads. The handles seem to disappear when either clear lies get exposed or an overwhelming majority reply with contrary experiences. In reality, the pattern suggests very strongly that such posts are coming from the same individual, or perhaps two or three individuals, reregistering for the site under new user names.

 

Hmmm.... JTOL, we're is looking at some novel techniques to identify whether two pieces of text (1) have the same author and (2) are about the the same topics, or perhaps related topics, for another application in my work. It might be interesting to test it on some of these "drive-by" posts when the time comes....

 

But I digress. Getting back to the subject at hand, Celebrity Cruises offers a great product, albeit with a few glitches on the shore side that really do need attention from management. Nonetheless, that product might nor might not be a good fit for your personal style. Demographically, Celebrity's passengers are a few years older than Royal Caribbean's and have somewhat higher incomes on average -- but those differences are not very significant because the distributions are broad enough to encompass pretty much everybody who can afford to take a cruise on both lines. OTOH, Celebrity's passengers tend to be socially sophisticated individuals who like to dress up for nice evenings aboard ship (note that the line still has "informal" evenings, when gentlemen wear sport coats or "blazers" and most ladies wear cocktail dresses) in addition to the "formal" evenings, so only about half of the evenings are "casual" on a typical Celebrity cruise. That's also true of Celebrity's cuisine, but the French influence on the standard menus is not for everybody. Celebrity also does not announce scheduled activities during the day, so you have to read the daily schedule and get yourself to the right place at the right time if you want to participate in an activity. OTOH, Celebrity does provide outstanding service, not only in the restaurants but also in the buffet area (where waiters are eager to carry your tray to your table for you) and in all of the bars and lounges. The waitstaff seemed a bit stuffy on my first cruise with Celebrity, but have been quite friendly on the other eight so I have to think my first Celebrity cruise was an aberration in that regard. They also have to replace about twenty cabin stewards after each cruise because passengers keep taking them home. Also, on Celebrity, nobody from the ship will bother you or try to drag you into participating in activities if you just want to "chill" on the Promenades or by the pool. Celebrity's night life might be somewhat more mellow than Royal Caribbean's, but the disco and the casino seem to keep going as long as passengers are still there and there's always at least one lounge with live music for dancing until sometime past midnight. So if you are looking for something more sophisticated and dressy, go with Celebrity Cruises.

 

Norm.

[Texed]

Happy cruiser,

You sure DO sound happy! :rolleyes:

[DrKoob]

I have never understood people who come on the X boards and complain about X. If you don't like a product, don't buy it. Tell a few people why you don't like it and then move on. Why stick around and keep arguing the point that you don't like something when that is already pretty obvious. If you are tired of X then go sail someplace else. Find a line you like, maybe one's that cheaper, one's that has better customer service or whatever you are looking for. Then find the board for that line and post how much you love it. But I just can't figure out why you waste so much time bad mouthing something.

 

I once had a super market that I liked. (This is a big deal for me as I love to cook and shop for food.) It changed. I hated if after it changed. I complained about it to a few friends that I missed it and wished it would go back to the way it was. After a few months I got over it and went to other supermarkets. But I don't go out of my way to continue to complain about it. I found a new one that I like even better. Now I tell people about it and I hardly ever mention the old one.

 

So why do some folks insist on continuing to bad mouth X on the X boards. Move on to Princess, HAL, RCCL or whoever. Go and tell everyone how great they are and how much you love cruising with them. And don't tell anyone who you hate cruising with.

[lwing69]

I can' t agree more. Our family truly loves Celebrity but we still liked our cruises on HAL and Carnival. Get a life negabobs.

[caliber35]

I am a frequent and avid cruiser. Given my dithers, I would sail with Crystal every time, as for me, they are the best. But, for a Value Line, X is my favorite and I have sailed on every one of their ships except the Xpedition. My favorite ships are their M class. You cannot beat the amenities, ambiance, food and service at the price. And, as previously noted, the fellow passengers on X are my kind of people. Interesting, polite, well traveled and well dressed. That alone can make or break your cruise. As for not having good customer service, that has never been my experience in over a dozen sailings with Celebrity. They have always gone out of their way to please me, not an easy task!

[DrKoob]

It's called balance. Of what value would these boards be if they were full of people simply gushing about how good Celebrity is. As with anything in life there is the good and the bad and everybody should be entitled to read both sides of the story.

 

When I return from a cruise I write a review. It is shows what happens warts and all. That's both sides of the story. In my last six cruise reviews I pointed out some flaws. I pointed out some things I really hated. But I got over it. I don't continue to bad mouth X every chance I get.

 

I am not saying in my previous post that I don't get it about people who express negative comments. I don't get people who do NOTHING but complain about a particular cruise line on the board for that cruise line.

 

Another anology and maybe you will understand. I am a Mac person. I hate PCs. I mean I really hate Windoze. I am a fanatic about Macintosh computers. You know the type. I post on Mac websites all the time. I even complain about certain features of the Mac on those websites. But I would never to go a PC website and complain about Windoze.

 

But people who hate X, stopped sailing her years ago still come to this forum, the X forum and complain about X. That's what I don't get.

[rswallis]

If you just look at my future and past cruises below, you can tell I'm a big Celebrity fan. I've made lifelong friends on cruises and despite hiccups here and there, have always had a great vacation. A few thoughts:

 

- I'm surprised that someone would call X a value line. It may not be as expensive as Crystal and others, but it's certainly not a discount cruise line.

- I like Celebrity's style and approach. They DO appreciate repeat customers. Hell, we have encountered a cocktail waiter TWO years later who remembered us right away and welcomed us back to the Infinity! That says something given the fact that he probably served 10,000 people in between.

- I find that if you have a problem or complaint, you just need to breathe, smile, and be as kind and understanding as you can be and you almost always get what you want. It's the haters who LOOK for things to complain about, who get nasty and spit demands at cruise staff and crew...they lose every time and were probably unhappy before they even got on the ship. So many people are only happy when they have something to complain about. I watch those people on every cruise I have been on, how they treat the "help." It makes me want to slap them.

- I know how people feel about tipping, but here is something that ALWAYS works: tip better than average, everytime, and you will be treated like gold. And if you really want superior cabin service, tip that guy at the beginning of the cruise as well as at the end. You will not believe the results. It's worth the extra dough folks.

- If X is declining in service and quality, I haven't seen it. 99% of the staff and crew we have come across are as good as or better than those we deal with in 4 and 5-star hotels. Plus, the new Century is an awesome example of X's dedication to freshening up older vessels.

- You don't like your waiter or table mates? Speak up and/or move.

- Don't want to wear a tux or dark suit on vacation? Pick another cruise line.

- Want an adult vacation? Avoid super short cruises, school and national holidays, and the summer. We do!

- I'm sure if I cruised 100 days a year, I'd get sick and tired of the food and entertainment, too; that just seems like too much of a good thing to me.

- And, as you can see, I haven't tried anything else yet. Why would I? I love my time aboard an X ship and count the weeks until the next adventure. If that includes a bum cocktail waiter, a missed port, or a less than perfect steak here or there, I'll still be happy.

[DrKoob]

- I like Celebrity's style and approach. They DO appreciate repeat customers. Hell, we have encountered a cocktail waiter TWO years later who remembered us right away and welcomed us back to the Infinity! That says something given the fact that he probably served 10,000 people in between.

 

Scott, I couldn't have said it better. Thanks. You did a great job of summing up why I love X.

 

Now, was the cocktail waiter on Infinity in the Martini Bar? Was it Eliseo? If so, he is the best ever. When we went back aboard six months after our last cruise he ran up to shake my hand, remembered my name and hugged my bride and remembered hers. He is one of the most outstanding servers I have ever met. Anywhere.

 

If it was him (or even it it wasn't) we are looking for him. So, if any of you martini drinkers out there have seen Eliseo (you can see his picture at http://web.mac.com/jimbellomo/iWeb/Travel/Infinity%20to%20San%20Francisco_files/slideshow.html?slideIndex=10) we would love to know where he is? We know he left Infinity in July of 2006 for a well deserved 3 months off (his wife ran the Champagne Bar while he ran the Martini Bar on Infinity and they have been with X since before RCCL bought her) but he promised he was coming back and thought he might be on Galaxy. We have sailed on Galaxy since then and he wasn't there. Let us know if you see him.

[rswallis]

Jim and Kathleen,

 

Thanks! No, it wasn't Eliseo, but I remember him. It was another guy, and I can not remember his name. How horrible am I?! But I also have a photo of him somewhere around here. Overall, they are just a great bunch of people.