Sebastien V

We traveled with both Celebrity, on the Beyond (a transatlantic crossing) and the Princess Diamond, for seven days, to the Southern Islands of Japan and Keelung. We were there at the beginning of September, and were faced with a typhoon, which added two days at sea. In short, compared to the Beyond, the Princess Diamond boat seemed a little old to us, while still retaining beautiful remains. The service was nothing short of excellent. The entertainment seemed two or three notches below what Celebrity offers. The quality of the MDR, on the other hand, was much higher than what we experienced on that of Celebrity. Unfortunately, their steakhouse was replaced by another concept, Brazilian grills, which spoke less to us. We also really liked the wines on Princess. Whatever the choice, please keep in mind that our Japanese friends, the majority on the Princess Diamond, are generally much more reserved than the Europeans (we are from Belgium) and Americans. They don't know much English. However, they are definitely more respectful of others, and their enthusiasm for all dances is extraordinary!

Hello to all, After having read all the messages above, I thought it would be useful to refocus on the main subject, the transatlantic cruise on the Celebrity Beyond, and to propose our experience, necessarily subjective. First of all, this is my first message on this platform, and our experience of cruises in general is quite limited. Before the pandemic, we had traveled twice with RCCL. Enchanted by the experience, we had several projects in Asia in 2020-2021, which were each time cancelled for reasons we all know. So we left with an extraordinary desire to travel. You will also excuse the language mistakes: I am a French speaker. The transatlantic trip itself was disrupted by particularly bad weather for two days, which others have already explained. I am especially sorry for the other travelers and for the crew members who got sick, because for me it was not a problem. I was expecting this kind of situation. Maybe even worse. I had been warned that the Atlantic was a stormy ocean. We met so many kind and interesting people on board this ship that the desire to cruise only grew stronger. Cruises also allow me to disconnect for a while from a exhausting work life. Not being able to access my emails or receive any messages on my cell phone is an incredible luxury in this day and age. The transatlantic aspect reinforces these two elements. On the other hand, I am really disappointed by the lack of staff on board. This lack was felt everywhere. Those who had not booked the specialty restaurants weeks in advance, as we did, were unable to reserve a table. The MDR was on the verge of dying some nights, with a staff that kept its kindness despite the terrible conditions. Waiting times in most bars at night were nothing like what we had experienced on RCCL. Perhaps the fact that all passengers had a drink package accentuated this. I hope that all this is not an omen of the evolution of cruises towards a policy aimed exclusively at profit. Or maybe I have an idealistic view of things. By the way, we were also victims of the total unpreparedness of the cab services upon arrival. We too waited for a good two hours, under the yelling of an overwhelmed staff. We even saw an ulcerated passenger try to hit one of these staff members with her bag - an inexcusable thing. We paid $110 excluding tip to be driven with another couple to our hotel in Manhattan. But we don't blame Celebrity. We would simply have appreciated better communication between the port authorities, the ship owner and the cab companies. Such a communication is in the interest of all actors. Will we travel with this company again in the future? If the price is right, and the destination suits us, probably. But Celebrity did not convince us to give them exclusivity. Seb