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Cruiscs

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    Reflection speciality dining, if you could pick one?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, rcssmom said:

    We just got off a couple of weeks ago.  We did three specialty restaurants.  In order of my favorites:

     

    1. Murano

    2. The Lawn Club Grill

    3. Tuscan

     

    It does depend on what you are looking for however.  

     

    Karen

    Thanks. Have booked the same restaurants but on the Silhouette. Anything you would recommend from the meny?

    Reflection balcony or Beyond ocean view?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    3 hours ago, twins_to_alaska said:

    I just got off Reflection first time (my 3rd S class) with one of the largest off the hump angled balconies and loved it. I like the fresh air and prefer the quiet of my own balcony and eating out there. I was on Ascent in January and loved my first Edge class... Beyond is basically identical and if you haven't tried an Edge class you might want to do that instead. There are a lot of outdoor areas, even with shade! I was in a sky suite on Ascent but I roamed the whole ship. Gorgeous. Reflection hasn't been revolutionized which means that everyone can enjoy the outdoor front areas which is also nice. And it has the best S class outdoor seating area outside the buffet with the bar on the deck above. I ate there many times as well.

    How do you rate Reflection vs Ascent except the stateroom?

    Some musings from a recent cruise on the Equinox.

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 3/30/2024 at 7:11 PM, Hopefulhawkeye said:

    My husband and I have cruised only twice now, both times with Celebrity. Last year we sailed on the Edge for 7 days in the Mediterranean, and earlier this month we were on the Equinox for 9 days in Grand Cayman, Aruba, and Curacao. I wanted to share some thoughts from the recent sailing and compare/contrast a bit between the two experiences. 

     

    The overall experience with Celebrity feels premium whether it is on the newer Edge class or the Solstice class (Equinox). Service is impeccable. I have felt like my stateroom attendant or my poolside server is a friend of mine by the end of each cruise. On both cruises there was someone who went the extra mile to make the experience special. It saddens me to know that certain passengers don't appreciate these wonderful people as human beings. While perhaps an overshare, one staff member told me that some people treat her as if she is their personal slave and she was nearly in tears. Do better cruisers! It's okay to expect a premium level of service from a premium cruise line, but treat these people how you would want to be treated! 

     

    The food on both ships has been a highlight. For main dining, we love the buffet, the poolside grill, and the main dining room (MDR). Only have a few minor complaints with main dining. Neither ships MDR could execute a quality pasta dish -- only Tuscan Grill (specialty dining) had great pasta. I vastly preferred the choice of main dining venue the edge class ships provide and also their ability to better accommodate a private dining experience. I also thought the wait staff was stronger on the Edge class ships -- not for lack of trying, but I couldn't help but be annoyed by the waiter who read every last item verbatim off the menus each night. Give me the highlights -- I can read.

     

    Celebrity could not miss with the specialty dining -- at least for dinner options. On the Edge we tried both Eden and the Fine Cut Steakhouse - both were among the best meals I've ever had. Murano and Tuscan Grille on the Equinox are also incredible -- I loved the tableside lobster preparation at Murano. I find some of the Lunch specialty dining to be unremarkable though - Sushi on 5 (Equinox) is very mediocre. Le Grand Bistro on the Edge was better but still didn't feel premium.  

     

    One thing I've learned between the first cruise and the second is not to buy the drink package. They are not worth it unless you drink like a fish. Consider that you get even less value from it for every day of your cruise where you will mostly be off the ship. I priced out the value of the classic package when it was 20% off per person, per day and it was about $58.00. Our actual spend on alcohol and other beverages was $26.00 per person, per day. Granted we are light drinkers, but its still an awful value - especially when you consider that the classic drink package doesn't cover the vast majority of the cocktails featured on bar menus. You'll be paying a 2 dollar or more (+20%) surcharge at just about every bar for every drink. Celebrity absolutely needs to amend their classic package to allow cruisers more choice without a surcharge. 

     

    One other gripe I have, especially with the more recent cruise, was the heavy-handedness of the sales push onboard. Every drink I got came with a suggestion to get a package, every meal came with reminders of specialty dining, and then there's the spa, the casino, the shops, and on and on....I get that this is the bread and butter for Celebrity and on the front end of a cruise in particular I can forgive this, but this went on through the last night. 

     

    Let's talk demographics. Celebrity ships, despite what there marketing may have you believe, skew very old. On the Med cruise there was at least a contingent of Europeans that were in their 30's/40's, but on the Equinox, you could've fit everyone under 40 at one large table. It also struck us that there was a wide gulf between the mobility of European seniors versus Americans. We saw so many canes, walkers, and scooters on the Equinox. To be clear, I love seniors, I'm just not in a rush to be one. Multiple cruisers (and even Celebrity's security staff!) thought my husband was a dancer for the theatre shows. There was a distinct lack of shows/activities on both ships that appeal to a younger demographic. We left this cruise with a strong feeling that we need to try a Virgin cruise next, if only not to be called "younguns" for just one day of the cruise. 

     

    To be clear, even though most of the shows and activities don't have youthful appeal, there is a ton of talent. The singers (theatre cast and headliners) for both cruises were exceptional. I love the emphasis Celebrity has on supporting live music experiences. The cruise directors are always a ton of fun -- I'm young and I still couldn't maintain that level of constant energy. We even saw our cruise director from the Edge serving as activities director on the Equinox. It was great to see a familiar face ("Hi Dave!"). 

     

    One last tidbit for those who've been curious about the Art aboard celebrity. In addition to the beautiful works that adorn Celebrity ships, both ships have a dedicated art area with pieces for auction. Celebrity appears to lease some of their ship space to a company called Park West to sell art. We didn't engage with this on the Edge, but we did give it a try for the Equinox as we did actually come across a piece of artwork that evoked our Mediterranean vacation that we both loved.

     

    As for the auction process itself, it is very gimmicky. They provide complementary champagne and do a sort of reverse auction where they start at a dollar and have everyone get used to holding up their bid card and then drop their hand as they go up in price -- all intended to loosen you up for a higher dollar transaction. They have a couple high-value items that they auction off at extremely high prices and it isn't immediately apparent whether there was anyone actually bidding on those items or if it was just for show. They tell you that you can pre-reserve pieces at a set price that is 5-10% lower than what the piece will start with at auction and as long as no one bids against you, you will get the work at that pre-reserve price. 

     

    My advice if you see a piece you like is this. Unless you see evidence that others are interested in the same piece, (which is unlikely because art taste is very subjective and there are only 3,000 people on the ship and maybe 150 of them at most are engaging with the auctions) wait until the last day. Make an offer below their "minimum pre-reserve price". You'll find their minimums to be much more flexible at this point. We ended up getting the piece we wanted for about $200.00 less then their "minimum" by doing this. We may well have still overpaid, but the price was fair to us at this point. We loved the piece, we weren't making an investment. 

     

    All in all, another great cruise. I will be back to cruise with Celebrity, probably many more times. I just need a more youthful cruising experience to switch it up for the next go around. Thanks for listening. 


     Which ship do you prefer? Have only done Edge like you and will be on Silhouette soon. 

    Celebrity Solstice - Dry dock?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 2/4/2023 at 9:00 PM, Northern Aurora said:

    We did a pair of cruises on the Solstice in June and then another pair in September.  On the four legs we were in three different staterooms.  While the Solstice hasn't been "revolutionized" all three staterooms were in great condition with clearly some new soft goods (such as mattresses and curtains).  Other areas of the ship had new sections of carpet and so forth, but the color scheme is dated.  Since there are folks who absolutely hate the Kelly Happen color schemes and furniture selections the dated color scheme isn't a serious issue.

    What is dated color scheme?

    Mykokos Greece

    in Greece Ports

    Posted · Edited by Cruiscs

    We will be the only ship there in Mykonos on september 21. It shows tendered but wouldnt we be docked if we are the only ship?

    Celebrity Silhouette Feb. 8-12, 2024 - brief review

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

    I thought the food on the Constellation in May was great. The food in the Sillhouette's MDR in January 2024 was quite disappointing. The menu needs a redo and the head chef needs to go back to culinary school. 

    Ouch. Will be on Silhouette for 11 days later this year. Is the buffet better or should I spend a fortune on speciality dining? 

    • Like 1

    Can Edge-Class feel like Solstice-Class?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    49 minutes ago, amshowers said:

    I’m on Ascent right now and I thought I was crazy, but I feel the same was as the OP.  The additional pain is that we are in a suite and sadly it isn’t living up to the hype.  I miss my bigger balcony, my smaller Luminae and the less busy World Class Bar.  Beautiful ship, but now I know it’s not for me.

    Have you been on M or S class? 

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