Galaxy

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misa

Guest
Hi all,

As the subject suggested we are considering Galaxy for our March 08 10days Southern Carribean cruise. Now, this would be our very first time on the ship, let alone on the cruise. We are both around 30-35 yrs old, no kids. We would be flying from Europe especially for this.
While I'm more than happy with itinerary I'm slightly concerned regarding the ship as I see it will go for upgrade basically after our cruising. Does that mean it's worn out ?
I'm very very picky when it comes to aesthetics, details, cleanliness, worn'out factor. If we go for typical vacation it will always be 5star hotel.
Helo me by your honest oppinion about the possibility of me being dissapointed. Of course I don't fret if there are only 3 towels instead of 4, I don't annoy the staff about silly things but the interior needs to be pleasing.
What do i think, should I consider another ship ?
Thanks
 
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Ted_D

Guest
Misa,

This is a tough question you have asked. Galaxy is a fine ship. I have sailed on it twice. And, you will like Celebrity's first class food and service. For main stream lines, they are tops in my opinion. You can also be assured that the crew will be cleaning, sweeping, painting, etc right up to the minute it enters dry dock for its refurb. But, one of the main reasons that it is scheduled to go in is that the public area carpets and furniture have reached the end of their useful life and need to be replaced. So, even though they will be tidy and clean, you will encounter wear and tear that will show. Honestly, for a first cruise you probably will be so busy doing things and having fun that you may not even notice. But, if there are other ships or other itineraries that suit you equally, and the prices are about the same, why take the chance?

Perhaps you should look at the Constellation 10 or 11 day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. Constellation is Celebrity's highest rated ship (and their newest). I have sailed it three times and it is by far my favorite.

Ted
 
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wave runner

Guest
[quote misa]Hi all,

As the subject suggested we are considering Galaxy for our March 08 10days Southern Carribean cruise. Now, this would be our very first time on the ship, let alone on the cruise. We are both around 30-35 yrs old, no kids. We would be flying from Europe especially for this.
While I'm more than happy with itinerary I'm slightly concerned regarding the ship as I see it will go for upgrade basically after our cruising. Does that mean it's worn out ?
I'm very very picky when it comes to aesthetics, details, cleanliness, worn'out factor. If we go for typical vacation it will always be 5star hotel.
Helo me by your honest oppinion about the possibility of me being dissapointed. Of course I don't fret if there are only 3 towels instead of 4, I don't annoy the staff about silly things but the interior needs to be pleasing.
What do i think, should I consider another ship ?
Thanks[/quote]

Hi Misa:

From what you are expecting and are used to such as five star hotels, I would say at this time the Galaxy is probably about a one star hotel or at most two star. There are many things that do need to be fixed. Even the windows in one of the main observation areas are fogged over and you can not see out of them. This has been true for going on four years now. As another poster reported the Galaxy, at this time, is in very poor condition. There are also many reports of broken and stained furniture on the Galaxy and I feel that you would be very disappointed if you choose that ship. It is very true that after the dry dock it will be a fine ship again but for now especially considering that aesthetics are important to you, as they are to me, I would avoid this ship at all costs. The Constellation is in better shape but it is over five years old and is showing signs of wear. Princess has many much newer ships and I feel would offer you a much better overall experience. There are also many other good cruise lines that have much newer ships and offer the same good food and service that you would find on Celebrity. I think we are both thinking along the same lines in that a cruise is about the whole experience of the cruise and not just oh well, the ship is in bad condition but the ports are great.
Hope this helps.
 
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bearanddollie

Guest
I found wave runner's posting most interesting. Does anyone know if, generally speaking, Celebrity does not refurbish it's ships as often as other lines do?
 
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wave runner

Guest
[quote bearanddollie]I found wave runner's posting most interesting. Does anyone know if, generally speaking, Celebrity does not refurbish it's ships as often as other lines do?[/quote]

Hi bearanddo:

The answer to your question would be that Celebrity is not as good at maintaining their ships as most other cruise lines are. That said, some of the Celebrity ships are in acceptable condition. The problems that I mentioned about the Galaxy are only just a few of the problems that have been going on for, in my opinion, far too long. A couple of more examples are stains in almost every bathroom sink on the ship, worn and unvarnished balcony railings. Even the retractable pool roof had been stuck for about four years. This turned the covered pool area into a sauna when the ship was sailing in warm climates. Reports on the present situation with the broken pool roof are about split, with half saying it is still stuck and half saying they have seen it change position.

Celebrity was a good cruise line but at least at this time there is a limited choice of good ships. The only two that I would recommend sailing right now are the Century and the Constellation. The Mercury was just refurbished last year but I have been still hearing quite a few complaints about the Mercury. The Infinity, Millennium and Summit are not in any way, near the condition of the Galaxy but suffer from a design defect that has caused mechanical breakdowns about once every year on all three ships. This has resulted in missed ports on many cruises and 17 cancelled cruises. At least in my opinion the choices are very limited by these two factors when considering a Celebrity ship.
 
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BSeabob

Guest
I will add my comments here. Ted-D has it correct. I recently sailed the Zenith which has left the fleet and the Infinity. I found both vessels in good shape although the Zenith had reached its end with X. The INfinity was excellent.
The M class do have the Pod issue but still are great ships. One should just be aware of the possibilities of schedule changes with the pod issues.
My comparisons recently two HAL SHIPS & 2 X

In the past also RCI
I have always found the X ships maintained as well as or better than the others.
 
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Ted_D

Guest
Celebrity "is not as good at maintaining their ships as most other cruise lines are"? I find that an interesting point of view given the FACT that the Celebrity fleet has been rated number one in main stream lines by the Conde Nast readers' survey for three of the last four years, and their M class ships have been in the top tier consistently.

My personal opinion stands. Their product is top notch unless you want to upgrade to a true premium line and pay the premium price. But, like everything in life, it is the differences between us that make things interesting.

Ted
 
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wave runner

Guest
[quote Ted_D]Celebrity "is not as good at maintaining their ships as most other cruise lines are"? I find that an interesting point of view given the FACT that the Celebrity fleet has been rated number one in main stream lines by the Conde Nast readers' survey for three of the last four years, and their M class ships have been in the top tier consistently.

My personal opinion stands. Their product is top notch unless you want to upgrade to a true premium line and pay the premium price. But, like everything in life, it is the differences between us that make things interesting.

Ted[/quote]

Hi Ted: You are absolutely correct about the Conde Nast poll but the problem is that the results of any poll depend on what the questions are and how they are worded. This poll was set up to give a great deal of weight to passenger to crew ratios and service on board. There were few if any questions in the poll about the aesthetics like cabin condition, the condition of public areas and such. The Galaxy was rated eigth in this same poll this year, among all of the much newer and well maintained market cruise ships. Last year the Galaxy DID suffer from all of the problems that I mentioned in my earlier posts. In addition to all of the problems that I have already mentioned with the Galaxy when this "poll" was taken, had allowed all of the deck around the main pool to ware down to bare wood and the hot tubs worked only sporadically through the year. Maybe I am wrong but I have always felt that if you can see things that are have not been maintained then what must things be like that you can't see.

There were also no questions about the reliability, especially when it comes to the Celebrity m-class ships and no questions about customer service when there is a problem. If the poll was fair and asked all the questions that should be asked, with the exception of the Constellation, none of the Celebrity ships would make the top ten of any poll. I think that you can see why I would put very little trust in the accuracy of those polls.

Since the OP indicated their one of their priorities was the aesthetics of the Galaxy there should be little doubt that the Galaxy, in its present condition, is not for them. For me I don't care a thing about passenger to crew ratios or which line has the best wine steward, all I want is a reliable ship that is in good condition with good food and service. As you said to each his/her own.
 
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bearanddollie

Guest
Has anyone heard if there has been some "permanent" fix on the M ships' propulsion systems? I haven't seen any propulsion problems mentioned recently on cruisejunkie.com Events at Sea.

Regarding the polls, I've often wondered what questions are asked, who participates, and how many participate in the Conde Nast poll. Are there polls done by organizations other than Conde Nast?

Working on the "to each his/her own" basis", I feel that there is only so much that can be done to remodel an older ship. For instance, I doubt if Galaxy's 172 sq ft Concierge Class stateooms can be enlarged to the size of those on the M Class ships. I've heard good things about Century, a vessel that has some devotees but I think we'll pass on her. Currently, we'll forgive a nick or a scratch on M class ships and take our chances with the propulson problems because there is so much that we like about these vessels. In the future, I expect that our first choice will be Solstice when we see an attractive itinerary.
 
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BSeabob

Guest
Hey B&D

No news is good news and every time they fix them they hope it's a final fix. Fingers crossed. No one knows for sure though. Last in Dry Dock was the Infinity I think in MAY.

FYI
The connie has never had problems except for it's very first week or so..
 
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Conniemc

Guest
Hmmmm....me thinks Wave Runner has an axe to grind with Celebrity.

I can't imagine anyone comparing Princess sailing with Celebrity, and thinking Princess was a better overall cruise. The class of people are entirely different.

Sure, all ships get old and need to be dry docked. And of course, all experienced cruisers try to book them within a year or two of dry dock.

But you can keep Princess baby. My parents "tried" one six months ago, the newest ship, said the people were "low class" and the food "mediocore"....since it was brand new, I'm sure the ship itself was bright and shiny...but that is NOT the whole cruise experience. Not by a long shot.

Counting down to 78 days to Constellation sailing....
=docdance

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
:chef
 
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Conniemc

Guest
oH, and yes Bob, I also believe our pod issues are behind us...been a long time since I've heard any of my M class friends who've had an issue. Last time would have been the April Infinity sailing.

Like you said FINGERS CROSSED!!!
:daisy
 
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wave runner

Guest
[quote Conniemc]Hmmmm....me thinks Wave Runner has an axe to grind with Celebrity.

I can't imagine anyone comparing Princess sailing with Celebrity, and thinking Princess was a better overall cruise. The class of people are entirely different.

Sure, all ships get old and need to be dry docked. And of course, all experienced cruisers try to book them within a year or two of dry dock.

But you can keep Princess baby. My parents "tried" one six months ago, the newest ship, said the people were "low class" and the food "mediocore"....since it was brand new, I'm sure the ship itself was bright and shiny...but that is NOT the whole cruise experience. Not by a long shot.

Counting down to 78 days to Constellation sailing....
=docdance

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
:chef[/quote]

Excuse me!! "people on Princess were low class", "you can keep Princess baby" and "axe to grind". That does not sound very friendly to me! I don't know if you have ever even been on a Princess ship but I have been on Princess and Celebrity many times and can assure everyone the people on either line are not "low class".

The food service and entertainment on Celebrity are as good as any of the mass market cruise lines. I have no axe to grind with Celebrity. The only point I am making is that ALL cruisers should be aware of the possibility of a mechanical problem on three of the four Celebrity m-class ships. My experience on the Celebrity Summit when I wound up missing over half of my planned Itinerary because of these problems was obviously not good but the way Celebrity handled the matter was much worse. Long story short wound up getting $100 compensation for missing half of a cruise that cost me over $3,000. The only other issue I have with Celebrity is that the customer service folks to this day will deny that there is any possibility of pod problems in the future. This is absolutely not true, as pod problems on Celebrity will continue to be a thing of the future. I am glad that you enjoy Celebrity but I would hope that you could consider the possibility that someone else may not share your view. After all, I would hope that this is a place to share all opinions.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
 
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Conniemc

Guest
EXACTLY! I was giving my personal opinion. And you have yours. All is well in the universe! Sorry if I don't sound "friendly"...but I do try to be honest in my opinions, even when they are strong. And I am quite loyal to Celebrity now, after crusing 30 years on all lines, most of those years HAL.

And I do not believe your statement "This is absolutely not true, as pod problems on Celebrity will continue to be a thing of the future.1" is a fact. A possibility? Sure, anythings possible...but I do believe the issues are for the most part...done with.

ps - As someone who has spoken directly with the President of Customer Relations for all RCCL, I can assure you, if you are persistent enough to speak to the right person, the cruise line is quite accomodating when there are issues. I was also the "victim" of a pod debacle, but RCCL "made it right". I have no complaints..whatsoever.
 
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wave runner

Guest
[quote Conniemc]oH, and yes Bob, I also believe our pod issues are behind us...been a long time since I've heard any of my M class friends who've had an issue. Last time would have been the April Infinity sailing.

Like you said FINGERS CROSSED!!!
:daisy[/quote]

Hi Conniemc: My apologies for even mentioning other ships and getting us off track from the original post asking about the Galaxy's condition.
One correction that really should be noted about the last part of your post about the date of the last pod failure. I know it was kind of confusing the first of this year because both the Millennium and Infinity were having pod problems simultaneously, that began before the start of this year and lasted for each of them until April and May, respectively, of this year. The Millennium went to dry dock for pod repairs in mid April and the Infinity went to dry dock on May 20, 2007 for pod repairs.

My opinion about the Galaxy is that after dry dock it would be a fine choice for a cruise. My only point was that until the Galaxy has been to dry dock, next spring, and given the OP's concern about condition of their ship, this should be a great consideration in their decision.
 
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Conniemc

Guest
Hi Bob, yes of course, the actual dry dock was in May (I was actually staying in Victoria while it was redone). And ABSOLUTELY, always check with a Captain's Club rep about the last date of dry dock. Regular customer service doesn't always know.

I know this is off subject but
Solstice when we see an attractive itinerary

NO KIDDING!! What's UP with that? They put the latest and greatest on one week (yawn) Carribean trips. I'm with "bearandollie" on that issue...No Solstice for me until they get a decent itinerary on her. I was really disappointed not to sail her this year, but only take 10+ day cruises.

EIGHT WEEKS TILL CONSTELLATION....=docdance
 
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viet630

Guest
I agree X does not do a good job in maintaining its fleet. I have sailed with them several times and there ships are not what I expect for a premium cruise line. Carnival, Holand, Princess are all much better maintained and a whole lot cleaner. Unless there are some major changes with X i will not sail with them again.
 
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Conniemc

Guest
[size=large]Well, I'm sure Carnival will welcome you back with open arms my friend![/size]
 
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