Does The Ship Match The Cruise?

[rswallis]

Is it me or does it seem that Celebrity doesn't quite get how to match the right ship with each itinerary? I guess there are so very many factors involved in figuring out ships’ calendars that I might not even begin to understand, but for one, this beautiful new Solstice looks too high end for an endless 7-night Caribbean cruise. It seems that she would do better traveling on longer, perhaps more exotic trips, and then X could keep (still large capacity) older Millennium ships to the Caribbean.

 

I was similarly bummed when X spent all that time and money making over the Century and then stuck it on the endless 5-night cruise out of Miami. We took the trip and had a great time, but wouldn’t it be fun to take her somewhere new? (Yes, I know she goes to Europe, too.)

 

I guess I just wish they’d mix ships up more and decide what kind of cruise line they want to be. I love X very much—the service, the casual elegance, the value—but they are spread too thin, trying to cover the whole world with too few ships.

 

And I assume when more Solstice ships come onboard, things will change yet again.

[Sky Sweet]

Is it me or does it seem that Celebrity doesn't quite get how to match the right ship with each itinerary? I guess there are so very many factors involved in figuring out ships’ calendars that I might not even begin to understand, but for one, this beautiful new Solstice looks too high end for an endless 7-night Caribbean cruise. It seems that she would do better traveling on longer, perhaps more exotic trips, and then X could keep (still large capacity) older Millennium ships to the Caribbean.

 

I was similarly bummed when X spent all that time and money making over the Century and then stuck it on the endless 5-night cruise out of Miami. We took the trip and had a great time, but wouldn’t it be fun to take her somewhere new? (Yes, I know she goes to Europe, too.)

 

I guess I just wish they’d mix ships up more and decide what kind of cruise line they want to be. I love X very much—the service, the casual elegance, the value—but they are spread too thin, trying to cover the whole world with too few ships.

 

And I assume when more Solstice ships come onboard, things will change yet again.

 

Hi Rswallis :)

 

I posted a similar opinion on another thread. I can't understand why Celebrity is using the beautiful refurbished Century for short Caribbean Cruises while they are using the old Mercury, which has extensive deferred maintenance, for Austrailia.

 

However, after reading a number of posts, it appears that a lot of people don't care about the condition of a ship as long as the service is good and they like the itinerary, but we are not one of them. I would never knowingly book any cruise on a ship that is not in good condition. If anything, this is an even bigger consideration for us when we are taking an expensive cruise to European ports, as well as other interesting parts of the world.

 

One of the reasons why we booked our cruise to the Greek Isles on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas instead of Celebrity is because we didn't want to take this cruise on the old Galaxy, which also has a lot of deferred maintenace.

[Karynanne]

Hi Rswallis :)

 

I posted a similar opinion on another thread. I can't understand why Celebrity is using the beautiful refurbished Century for short Caribbean Cruises while they are using the old Mercury, which has extensive deferred maintenance, for Austrailia.

 

However, after reading a number of posts, it appears that a lot of people don't care about the condition of a ship as long as the service is good and they like the itinerary, but we are not one of them. I would never knowingly book any cruise on a ship that is not in good condition. If anything, this is an even bigger consideration for us when we are taking an expensive cruise to European ports, as well as other interesting parts of the world.

 

One of the reasons why we booked our cruise to the Greek Isles on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas instead of Celebrity is because we didn't want to take this cruise on the old Galaxy, which also has a lot of deferred maintenace.

 

Sky, you seem to believe that Mercury isn't in good condition...based upon 1 or 2 negative reviews. We were on this ship last May, and it was a lovely ship, and will be on again, next week for 29 days.

 

I'll post a comprehensive review.

[caviargal]

I agree that Century is wasted on these short cruises which really cause wear and tear on ships.

 

As for Solstice, I think it is being positioned properly for it's size and capacity. I believe this ship will appeal - by design - to the non traditional Celebrity cruiser and the marketing will be more aggressive and also different. There are lots more cabins to fill as this class of ship sets sail. That is harder to do on more exotic itineraries.

 

Karynanne, Sky Sweet sailed on Mercury so her opinion is based on experience. I felt the same way:)

[luvtocook]

I have to agree as well--Mercury is not my favorite ship. We only sailed her once and definitely had a great time with exceptional service, but the lack of specialty restaurant, little martini bar & no spa cafe just does not make us happy. :(

I am also disappointed Solstice will be doing short 7 nt cruises, I'd love to sail her, but don't want 7 nts, don't enjoy samo samo port b2b's, so until longer itineraries become available, I will stick to the M class ships which I LOVE! OR the Brillance ships on RCCL.:D

[ccletzgo]

Solstice will be huge, with alot of cabins to fill. It looks like it is meant to be a very "family friendly ship", like the Voyager class is for RCCL.

 

In general, Family's choose 7 day cruises. I think they are placing the Solstice exactly where it needs to be.

 

I wish they would put either the Galaxy or the Mercury on a west coast Mex Riv run. YEAR ROUND.

[Ma Bell]

Mercury was in for a cosmetic refurb last April and when we sailed on her in May she was looking good. Not perfect by any means, but certainly good. Lots of new carpeting and upholstery.I do enjoy the martini bar and specialty restaurants on the M-Class ships too.

[Drew B]

New cruisers don't tend to do exotic, 14-day itineraries. They do shorter ones (7 days or less), often in the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera, depending on where they live. Celebrity wants to use its best-looking ships for these itineraries that attract newbies because they want the newbies to come back. Attracting and keeping newbies is crucial for the future success of this or any other cruise line...

[caviargal]

New cruisers don't tend to do exotic, 14-day itineraries. They do shorter ones (7 days or less), often in the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera,.

 

Hi Drew:). We are not newbies but we like to cruise the Caribbean for 7 or 8 days. We prefer land trips for visits to places we really want to experience. I wish there were more options for those of us who love the Caribbean and short cruises but not the big ships that dominate there.

[Sky Sweet]

New cruisers don't tend to do exotic, 14-day itineraries. They do shorter ones (7 days or less), often in the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera, depending on where they live. Celebrity wants to use its best-looking ships for these itineraries that attract newbies because they want the newbies to come back. Attracting and keeping newbies is crucial for the future success of this or any other cruise line...

 

Hi Drew B :)

 

If I didn't know people who have done otherwise, I would have also thought that most people, who are new to cruising, would take a one week cruise in the Caribbean or on the West Coast. However, I have quite a few friends and relatives who have only been on long European Cruises.

[Schplinky]

I think Solstice could easily have been deployed on longer itineraries. We are coming back to Celebrity just to check her out and I think a lot of people who would have less interest int he traditional Celebrity experience will eb interested in her as well. That said, we're a little overwhelmed at all the amazing looking things to do (and eat) and wonder how we will cram it into 7 days. As for size, while it is a buit larger for X, it is really a mid-sized ship by most standards and most lines in the same price-point as X (Princess, RCL) have little trouble filling much larger ships for longer itineraries. I would have thought X might have leveraged the appeal and profile of a new class of ship to sell a longer cruise,.

[caviargal]

Hi Schplinky:). I think your post illustrates very well the appeal of Solstice. RCI fans such as yourself who like all the bells and whistles and eateries will be attracted to Solstice because it is much like the larger ships of RCI in those areas just perhaps in a more sophisticated package.

 

Time will tell if there really is a difference in areas of food and service versus current ships beyond the large variety of offerings. And I will be very interested to see how many of the venues are extra charge as I bet most will be.

 

IMO that is exactly what X is doing, broadening their appeal beyond their traditional base and going after Princess and RCI's big ship market.

 

I consider Solstice a large ship, not a medium size one. At least until the monster Genesis ship sets sail;).

[Schplinky]

Hi Schplinky:). I think your post illustrates very well the appeal of Solstice. RCI fans such as yourself who like all the bells and whistles and eateries will be attracted to Solstice because it is much like the larger ships of RCI in those areas just perhaps in a more sophisticated package.

 

Time will tell if there really is a difference in areas of food and service versus current ships beyond the large variety of offerings. And I will be very interested to see how many of the venues are extra charge as I bet most will be.

 

IMO that is exactly what X is doing, broadening their appeal beyond their traditional base and going after Princess and RCI's big ship market.

 

I consider Solstice a large ship, not a medium size one. At least until the monster Genesis ship sets sail;).

 

I think you've summed me up perfectly in your first paragraph. We liked the M class but there didn't seem to be enough "oomph" to bring us back. Solstice certainly has oomph!

 

If you look at celebritysolstice.com, you'll see blu, tuscan grille, silk harvest and murano all listed as specialty restaurants, while all the rest of the venues are listed under main dining or cafes and bistros. I'm taking that as a sign as to what will imply an extra fee and I'm totally fine with it. I just hope that the quality in the main room does not suffer to push people into paying. That would not be fair.

[caviargal]

If you look at celebritysolstice.com, you'll see blu, tuscan grille, silk harvest and murano all listed as specialty restaurants, while all the rest of the venues are listed under main dining or cafes and bistros. I'm taking that as a sign as to what will imply an extra fee and I'm totally fine with it. I just hope that the quality in the main room does not suffer to push people into paying. That would not be fair.

 

Schplinky, or they could take the Princess approach and have some items free and some at a charge in the same venue. For instance, the wine bar on Crown and Emerald Princess, some snacks are free but sushi is extra. And there are even extra charges on the extra charges in the specialty dining depending if you want the main menu or choose lobster.

 

I will be at an X seminar on Solstice later this month and have along list of questions. I will be sure to post what I learn to this thread.:)

[Schplinky]

Schplinky, or they could take the Princess approach and have some items free and some at a charge in the same venue. For instance, the wine bar on Crown and Emerald Princess, some snacks are free but sushi is extra. And there are even extra charges on the extra charges in the specialty dining depending if you want the main menu or choose lobster.

 

I will be at an X seminar on Solstice later this month and have along list of questions. I will be sure to post what I learn to this thread.:)

 

I think NCL does a similar thing in its steak house.

 

I do think that our first hour or so on Solstice is going to be much busier now, as we scurry around making reservations.

[rswallis]

I think NCL does a similar thing in its steak house.

 

I do think that our first hour or so on Solstice is going to be much busier now, as we scurry around making reservations.

 

Schplinky -- I was thinking the same thing; if we want to eat where and when we want to, we better have a game plan. It's funny to feel that pressure so far in advance...but that's what I do. Worry.

 

I know I booked a specialty restaurant once before my cruise to Hawaii through the Captain's Club number. I wonder if CC members can do the same thing for the whole slew of options on Solstice.

 

Everyone else -- It just goes to show you, like almost everything on this site, everyone has their own likes and dislikes. I guess if we all liked the Infinity best, we'd never be able to book it. :)

[Cruiseman2003]

I would like to way in on this. Some are right about the century needs to have longer cruises. I believe that she should do a 9 night cruise once a month in the caribbean. As some have stated though the short cruises that they are doing gives folks who have never tried celebrity a chance to see what they are all about. Here are my options for long and short cruises.

 

1. Aruba, Cuarcao, Jamacai, Grand Cayman-9 day

2. Barbados, St. Lucia, St Kitts, St Thomas-9 day

3. Labadee, Jamacai-5 day

4. Coco Cay, Key West, Turks and Caicos-5 day