CruisinShips

Interesting responses to this topic. I see many people said they have taken kids on Celebrity and they love it. Of course, how could anyone not love a cruise! I guess the follow-up question would be How many of those kids who love cruising on Celebrity had previously been on more kids-oriented cruises?

Thanks for that most illuminating insight!

My recent experience at Rooftop on the Apex was good, but....1) I personally wouldn't go there for steaks (didn't have one, I should add). but we went there for the BBQ/comfort food that isn't available in other restaurants (except maybe OVC). Brisket, ribs, corn on the cob, cornbread, etc. That was all very good and fun to eat on a cruise. 2) That was the only restaurant in which the servers seemed harried and stressed. 3) it's definitely weather dependent...we caught it on a nice, breezy night and it was just fine.

Not sure if a kid has to be those things to enjoy waterslides and other kids' activities. Seeing what comes across as almost defensiveness from some people responding in this thread (not directing this at you), it makes me wonder if I had posted this same discussion topic in the RCL forum, the responses would have been completely different.

Very interesting and informative replies. I learned some perspectives I hadn't considered (as my kids, for the most part enjoyed the social aspects of RCL cruises). And that's exactly why I asked the question as I now know I need not feel sorry for the limited kids I see on future Celebrity cruises! Thanks all.

I am pretty sure I didn't say 'all kids".

Interesting and nice to hear. As a Diamond on Royal who used to sail with my kids until they became adults and then we discovered Celebrity, I am glad to hear that. On our recent Apex cruise, I felt bad for the few kids we saw....glad to hear that isn't the case!

I can picture kids, when on a Celebrity ship, docked beside other ships and looking longingly across the pier at the massive waterslides, rock climbing walls, flow riders, etc. and having the beginning seeds of a lifetime of parental resentment!

I'm not asking this because we dislike kids...but to the contrary. Our recent Apex cruise we saw maybe 15 kids the whole time, and each time I couldn't help but think "those poor kids must be so bored". So why do parents with kids choose Celebrity?

We did a 7 day Pacific Coast itinerary on the Eclipse in October that started and ended in LA, and stopped in Catalina Island, San Fran, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Ensenada. Really fun itinerary for us.

I'll just do this with some bullet points. EMBARKATION DAY: Easy peasy. First of all, we live about 38 minutes from Port Everglade, so that part is a pleasure and part of why cruising is such a stress free escape for us. Terminal 25 is beautiful...we arrived at about 11 and as Retreat guests, we were guided to some elevators where we were checked on an ipad and walking up the gangway within minutes. We walked to our room and entered with the seapass cards. Our room wasn't quite ready (which was fine) and our butler Ari appeared before we left the room and introduced himself. We dropped our stuff off and commenced our initial exploration. Lunch in Luminae...more about Luminae shortly. OUR CELEBRITY SUITE: Beautiful, clean, spacious. Very blessed to be able to cruise that way. It was our second CS (first was on the Eclipse last October) and the luxury of having two rooms when you are a couple with different sleeping patterns was nice. I am a very early riser and it's nice to be able to slip out of bed and close the door and put on the TV in the other area. Bathroom was nice...could use a little bit of counter space, but no complaint really. Our TV in the living area started pixellating badly at one point, and one phone call and apparently they were able to reboot it remotely and it was fine after that. Location with 11th deck forward of the aft elevators...we liked it so much we booked the exact same suite on the same ship for the same time next year. BUTLER/STATEROOM ATTENDANT: Both were ever-present, amiable as can be, always smiling, always anxious to help. Butler (Ari) brought us coffee at the same time every morning (as requested) and helped us to juggle around a couple of specialty restaurant reservations we decided to cancel and/or change. I don't think we are overly demanding at all, but he never failed to take care of what we asked. LUMINAE: We had breakfast pretty much every morning, and dinner 5 of 7 nights. The food was always good...not 5 star restaurant good, but very good for a cruise ship and better than any MDR fare I've had in years of cruising. Selection was fairly limited, but I was always able to find choices I ended up enjoying. Portion sizes were definitely on the small side, but I assume that's in part because they expect people to order more than one dish. My wife, who is a more basic eater was happy with the classics options. It's great to have the same server at every meal...that's what cruising should be IMO...and we never had to wait long for bread, coffee refills, wine refills, etc. The entire staff was great...great personalities, working hard with smiles on their faces. SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS: This cruise we ended up only dining in Eden and Rooftop Garden. After hearing so many wonderful things about Eden, I was frankly a little disappointed. Not that it was bad...it just didn't blow my socks off. My food was a little under-seasoned and portions were small. Nothing worth complaining about, and I will likely try it again in the future. Service was very good. Rooftop was a nice surprise. While the vibe was a little strange...and all the servers seemed to be overworked a little stressed, the comfort food was really enjoyable. We probably pigged out more there than at any other time on the cruise. Ribs, brisket, cornbread, corn on the cob, chicken. Yum. RETREAT LOUNGE: We loved hanging out there before dinner with our pre-dinner cocktails. Staff is absolutely delightful (perhaps you're seeing a pattern here). By day 2 they knew us and our drinks and we began to get to know them as well. Somehow Celebrity manages to find the best humans to work on their ships lol. My one little complaint about the Lounge was there was absolutely no variety in the food/snack choices from evening to evening. Same cheeses, same crackers, same olives and roasted red peppers, same potato chips, same peanuts. I wish they would have changed it up a little from night to night...but somehow we seemed to keep coming back lol. RETREAT SUNDECK: Again, great staff with great attitudes. More shade would have been nice, but we spent a lot of time up there and loved the hanging chairs over the pool in particular. There are three of them and everyone who wanted to spend time in one seemed to be able to. I will mention one time some guy actually placed his shoes on the chair to hold it when he walked away...that was a little off-putting for sure. The area got pretty crowded on sea days...you could almost always find a lounger, and a couple of times I did see staff remove towels when a chair was empty for a while. Note to fellow cruisers: it's a nice thing to do to at least crumple up your towels when you are done with your chair so others know you're not coming back! ENTERTAINMENT: Good for the most part. I won't get too specific because I assume it changes, but the comedian was very funny, the acrobatic shows amazing. We did slip out during a strange Tina Turner revue that was just a little odd. But the theater is beautiful. OVERALL: Gorgeous ship, wonderful suite, very good food, unbelievable staff. Very few complaints, and nothing that would keep us away from Celebrity in the future (we have two more Edge class cruises booked). Prices are definitely getting out of hand, so that may be an issue. But I work hard all year long and we take two cruise vacations a year. It's just worth it to us to splurge for them and I we are blessed to be able to do it. Thanks for reading if you did!

I wish I knew why I get Captains Club emails that are personalized to my wife's first name to my email address. I got the survey in her name and completed it, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to change this. It's the same email address I log into my account with, and she has her own login with her own email address. It's no big deal because we always travel together, but it's just strange and I can't figure it out (and it's not worth calling about).

That is what recently happened with me.

Just got off our second Celebrity cruise last weekend. First was on the Eclipse in October '23, this one on the Apex. Both in the Retreat. We are in our early 60s; Diamond on Royal, and have cruised on Virgin, HA, NCL and Carnival (years ago). While we had previously been in love with the Oasis class Crown Loft suites and the whole suite Lounge/Coastal Kitchen setup, since cruising Celebrity, it's become hands down our favorite way to cruise. We enjoyed our CS on the Eclipse, but the Apex is a whole new level and we will have a tough time going back to anything else. I get that those of you who have been cruising X for many years are more impacted by the cutbacks, but frankly we have seen nothing to cause us to feel disappointed in our experiences. It's mostly due to the staff IMO...they are amazing. The food is very good for mass produced, large ship dining...not necessarily equivalent to a 5 star NYC restaurant by any means, but very good based on expectations. I had better note here that I acknowledge others have had less than perfect experiences (noisy cabins seem to be thing) and I begrudge no one for being disappointed for those things. I also acknowledge that the Retreat usually makes a huge difference when making comparisons. But our two Celebrity experiences have exceeded expectations in every way.

Was on the same cruise with you, in a CS and agree almost completely with your grades. Wonderful cruise. The ship is gorgeous. Loved our CS and our Butler (Ari) couldn't have been better. Room was immaculate. The crew was absolutely amazing. Luminae staff was great. Retreat Lounge was great...great personalities. Also agree with you on the Tina Turner revue...we slipped out after about 10-15 minutes. The comedian was great and the acrobatic show was also very good. Luminae food was good, but yes, the menus could use some improvement. Everything was tasty. Portions were typically on the small side, but I assume that's because they know so many people order more than one app or entrée (many seem to share a third entrée). But no significant complaints and we ate there every meal except about 3 or 4 times. Dined in Eden which was very good, and Rooftop Garden Grill which was even better than expected for real comfort food. I will never for the life of me know how these people working on the ships can be so damn kind and seem so genuinely nice and just happy to accommodate you. Remembering names and preferences. Just really wonderful humans. Makes me want to move to the Philippines lol. Overall a great cruise and we actually booked the same cruise, same cabin, same ship for the same time next year.

Just off the Apex yesterday and my wife and I were talking about how nice was to see how respectful and appreciative pretty much everyone seemed in Luminae, the Lounge and on the pool deck. We expected to see some entitlement, but saw literally nothing that resembled that. The staff is so incredible…perpetually smiling while working their butts off. Remembering guest names, and being as helpful as they can be. How anyone can be rude to them is beyond me.

@mayleeman fair enough, and I appreciate the way you made your point. Thing is though, I was speaking from an overall place…meaning I don’t spend every waking moment in a retreat area. Crew all over the ship is amazing. Entertainment has been fantastic. Other non Retreat venues have been good. Sure there are things that aren’t perfect. Our Tv stopped working, and one phone call and it was fixed. Today we had our day at Grand Cayman canceled because of wind and choppy waters. Stuff happens. I could name some more imperfect things, but my point was more along the lines of I don’t see much to be that critical of. Again, I think some don’t care for positivity but to each their own

So many people are talking about. Everything has been just fantastic. In all fairness, we are in a CS so my perceptions are based mainly from a Retreat perspective. But the ship is a 10, the staff is incredible…absolutely incredible…the entertainment is of a very high level, the food is very good. Yes selections are a bit limited but still always good options to choose from. Retreat staff could not be a better collection of humans. I swear I don’t know where they find these people with such incredible demeanors. Even the internet is great and we have been able to stream YouTube Tv when we feel like it. We would really have to be trying hard to come up with any complaints and we are 4 days in. I guess the pricing is the main issue, but for our two cruises a year, we can suck it up and feel grateful we can afford it.

I believe you're missing the point. Many people who book suites acknowledge they have "unruly children and crying babies" (or grandchildren they love dearly), but they tend to leave them at home and pay extra to enjoy the type of a vacation where they can escape that for a week or so. The new policy introduced here can potentially change that, and thus requires re-evaluation of vacation choices. The bitterness of wanting to "stick it to" people who are willing to spend more money for the type of vacation they prefer comes across really poorly IMO.

Bringing up this old thread. Going to be on the Apex in the Caribbean, and using ExpressVPN. Does anyone know if it matters what specific US city you spoof to/from?

I don't know about anyone else, but for me, my food tastes MUCH better when the person sitting four tables away is wearing slacks and a polo shirt that I approve of!

Same

Veering a little off topic, and maybe it's me, but I always get lots of irrelevant replies when I do a search. For example, I wanted to see if I could find a recent menu for Luminae on the Apex, and regardless of what combination I tried, I couldn't get to what I was looking for. I use some of the common Google tips (using quotation marks, or adding AND between the words), and I still get much irrelevance. Any tips?

We were on the Eclipse in October in a CS. Had a great cruise...Luminae was very good, and the service we had was excellent. Butler was great, room cleanliness was great. WiFi was horrible as was the TV channel selection (if that matters to you). Entertainment was good (although we really didn't attend many shows, what we did see was very good). The ship does show some signs of age in common areas, but nothing worth complaining about. The room lacks modern amenities found in new ships. The only disappointment was the lack of Retreat amenities as I alluded to above. That's on me, because I didn't really do enough research beforehand. The lounge (AKA MIchael's Club) was, IMO a bit drab and boring with no snacks or appetizers during happy hour. We started going to the Martini Bar before dinner after the second night. Also, the lack of a Retreat sundeck was a big negative as we do like to be outside often and usually book suites to avoid the chair hog issues and have a more mellow experience. Keep your expectations in check and you should have a great cruise!

We have only sailed on the Eclipse, and while the service was excellent, and Luminae was very good, the lack of the sundeck and the less than vibrant Michael's Club diminished the benefits of the Retreat for us.