1st Celebrity Cruise: The Good and the Bad

Just back from a 5-day cruise to Key West and Cozumel, ports we had visited several times before. The Constellation--all 91,000 tons of her--was by far the biggest ship we have sailed on. And the pax total of 2100 the largest as well.

(Just as background, our cruise experience is: 1 Regent, 4 Oceania, 5 Seabourn and 1 Crystal.)So we were a tad apprehensive about the ship's size and, well, culture.

We are mindful that their is a price/value relationship in cruising as in everything else.

With that background, here is a summary of good and bad.

The Good. The crew were superb. Every bit as focused on passenger satisfaction as, say, on Seabourn or Crystal, though far more stressed by work load and the odd circumstances of this cruise. (See below.) Our cabin steward, Asep, was unfailing prompt at replacing towels and toiletries as needed, and cleaned and tidied the Aqua-class cabin efficiently. The cabin itself was certainly comfortable, offered plenty of storage, and would be a comfortable home for much longer than a 5-day cruise. Blu, the Aqua and suite class dining option, was perhaps the most refined place on the ship. Service here was amazingly good, waitstaff always cheerful and helpful. The experience flawed by inconsistent food, sometimes very good, sometimes terrible. A NY strip seemed a distant cousin, twice removed, from any such cut I've enjoyed elsewhere. Lamb chops one night were so tough the neighbor at the next table sent his back while I persevered, In truth, a circular saw would have helped. My wife's halibut served one evening was tough. (Rare to apply that word to a fish, but entirely accurate.) Soups and salads were always excellent, as was my wife's lamb shank one evening. Bartenders everywhere were focused, efficient, and the mixed drinks they offered were good. Only a gin and tonic disappointed, and we blame the drink's acid taste on the ice, which may have come from desalinated water.We never ate in the main dining room, but we did enjoy dinner one night in Ocean Liners, and it was excellent throughout. (Rather pointedly, the vast wine menu included only one wine by the glass that fell within the Classic beverage package.An irritating upsell)

Embarkation was well-organized, staff was welcoming. Disembarkation was perhaps the very best we've experienced, partly because of the Port Everglades layout, partly because the whole process moved along at a fast pace. And the ship herself was a remarkably stable platform even in choppy seas.

The Bad.There were more than 1,000 spring breakers on board. They completely monopolized the outdoor pool and got tubs, occasionally spitting into them. To be sure, there were many kids who behaved themselves. But there were many who did not. They crowded the bars, shoving each other (and others) demanding to be served, reacting venomously when told they could only buy one drink per card. About half-way through the cruise the bar tenders began to ask for proof of age, a minor barrier to service since phony id's seemed to be prevalent. Young men and women in bathing suits routinely appeared at El Bacio, crowded the elevators, bounced around and through the lines of people waiting at Ocean View Cafe.(The Captain addressed the passengers several times a day, always including a reminder of the dress code.) We were told that on 2 occasions security had to be called to the San Marco dining room to suppress fighting. Several young passengers were kicked off the ship in Key West. We noticed no diminution of noise or drinking.

On three successive nights, we were awakened at 3:00am by a horde of intoxicated celebrants running up and down the Aqua corridor.

Eventually we went to see the Guest Relations Manager. Well, I thought, she would offer us a meal at one of the premium restaurants, or a free massage, or? Not at all. She pointedly said that we should have known the composition of the passenger list. (More than parenthetically, there were seasoned Celebrity cruisers aboard who had no inkling of the cruise being a magnet for college kids.) Well, I said, when you market a cabin with an obstructed view, you label it as such, Surely if you knew the composition of this cruise, and the likely consequence, you could have alerted us. A shake of the head. What about some compensation--something, anything?

"If I do it for you, I will have to do it for everyone else."

I don't think any fair-minded person would accept that answer, It clearly implies that they sense an obligation to correct the dysfunctional aspects of the cruise, but choose not to because of the breadth of the compensation. Meaning they would have to offer some or many of the non-spring breakers something.

I am sure that this cruise experience was not typical of Celebrity. I suspect that the stonewalling over compensation--mind you, the offer of a glass of champagne as a gesture would have been calming--is significant. In that it reflects a marketing viewpoint in which you the individual are relatively unimportant, and the crowd trumps all.

Would we give Celebrity another try?

Maybe. I honestly don't know. We did meet some people from Miami and Montreal whom we look forward to seeing again, and that alone suggests another cruise might be warranted. I'd certainly take the same crew, and ship. With equal certainty, a different itinerary and Guest Relations Manager, though.

Just back from a 5-day cruise to Key West and Cozumel, ports we had visited several times before. The Constellation--all 91,000 tons of her--was by far the biggest ship we have sailed on. And the pax total of 2100 the largest as well.

(Just as background, our cruise experience is: 1 Regent, 4 Oceania, 5 Seabourn and 1 Crystal.)So we were a tad apprehensive about the ship's size and, well, culture.

We are mindful that their is a price/value relationship in cruising as in everything else.

With that background, here is a summary of good and bad.

The Good. The crew were superb. Every bit as focused on passenger satisfaction as, say, on Seabourn or Crystal, though far more stressed by work load and the odd circumstances of this cruise. (See below.) Our cabin steward, Asep, was unfailing prompt at replacing towels and toiletries as needed, and cleaned and tidied the Aqua-class cabin efficiently. The cabin itself was certainly comfortable, offered plenty of storage, and would be a comfortable home for much longer than a 5-day cruise. Blu, the Aqua and suite class dining option, was perhaps the most refined place on the ship. Service here was amazingly good, waitstaff always cheerful and helpful. The experience flawed by inconsistent food, sometimes very good, sometimes terrible. A NY strip seemed a distant cousin, twice removed, from any such cut I've enjoyed elsewhere. Lamb chops one night were so tough the neighbor at the next table sent his back while I persevered, In truth, a circular saw would have helped. My wife's halibut served one evening was tough. (Rare to apply that word to a fish, but entirely accurate.) Soups and salads were always excellent, as was my wife's lamb shank one evening. Bartenders everywhere were focused, efficient, and the mixed drinks they offered were good. Only a gin and tonic disappointed, and we blame the drink's acid taste on the ice, which may have come from desalinated water.We never ate in the main dining room, but we did enjoy dinner one night in Ocean Liners, and it was excellent throughout. (Rather pointedly, the vast wine menu included only one wine by the glass that fell within the Classic beverage package.An irritating upsell)

 

Embarkation was well-organized, staff was welcoming. Disembarkation was perhaps the very best we've experienced, partly because of the Port Everglades layout, partly because the whole process moved along at a fast pace. And the ship herself was a remarkably stable platform even in choppy seas.

 

The Bad.There were more than 1,000 spring breakers on board. They completely monopolized the outdoor pool and got tubs, occasionally spitting into them. To be sure, there were many kids who behaved themselves. But there were many who did not. They crowded the bars, shoving each other (and others) demanding to be served, reacting venomously when told they could only buy one drink per card. About half-way through the cruise the bar tenders began to ask for proof of age, a minor barrier to service since phony id's seemed to be prevalent. Young men and women in bathing suits routinely appeared at El Bacio, crowded the elevators, bounced around and through the lines of people waiting at Ocean View Cafe.(The Captain addressed the passengers several times a day, always including a reminder of the dress code.) We were told that on 2 occasions security had to be called to the San Marco dining room to suppress fighting. Several young passengers were kicked off the ship in Key West. We noticed no diminution of noise or drinking.

On three successive nights, we were awakened at 3:00am by a horde of intoxicated celebrants running up and down the Aqua corridor.

 

Eventually we went to see the Guest Relations Manager. Well, I thought, she would offer us a meal at one of the premium restaurants, or a free massage, or? Not at all. She pointedly said that we should have known the composition of the passenger list. (More than parenthetically, there were seasoned Celebrity cruisers aboard who had no inkling of the cruise being a magnet for college kids.) Well, I said, when you market a cabin with an obstructed view, you label it as such, Surely if you knew the composition of this cruise, and the likely consequence, you could have alerted us. A shake of the head. What about some compensation--something, anything?

 

"If I do it for you, I will have to do it for everyone else."

 

I don't think any fair-minded person would accept that answer, It clearly implies that they sense an obligation to correct the dysfunctional aspects of the cruise, but choose not to because of the breadth of the compensation. Meaning they would have to offer some or many of the non-spring breakers something.

I am sure that this cruise experience was not typical of Celebrity. I suspect that the stonewalling over compensation--mind you, the offer of a glass of champagne as a gesture would have been calming--is significant. In that it reflects a marketing viewpoint in which you the individual are relatively unimportant, and the crowd trumps all.

Would we give Celebrity another try?

Maybe. I honestly don't know. We did meet some people from Miami and Montreal whom we look forward to seeing again, and that alone suggests another cruise might be warranted. I'd certainly take the same crew, and ship. With equal certainty, a different itinerary and Guest Relations Manager, though.

Nice review, sorry to hear about the spring break experience. I would not think X is known for that. We are going on the Reflection in May for 11 days and hope not to have the same problem.

I'm sorry you had such a poor experience but I would never book a cruise less than 7 days during spring break. I think your experience is pretty much what I would expect from a 5-day cruise out of Florida this time of year.

Five-day cruises in general are usually much more "livelier" than longer ones, on any line.

I think your main issue is that you don't feel that celebrity values your business. That's a relatively common part of threads across topics....and it should be of some concern to someone at Celebrity. I think there are quite a few of us who feel that way at this point....the focus on suites only has accentuated the feeling of a "lack of love" There is no apparent over-riding Celebrity thought that "customers are valuable" or "when dealing with an issue, start from the premise that the customer is always/many times right".

That lack of customer focused attitude seems to have become pervasive throughout Celebrity in the management/executive/ship officer areas....thanks, in part IMHO, to Michael Bayley's tenure and single minded focus on improving the bottom line at any cost.

Hopefully the new CEO will see this major attitude issue and start to try to re-steer the ship.

I am sorry the "party crowd" impaired your enjoyment of your first Celebrity cruise - it sure did on our one and only 4 night cruise during the same time frame. We decided that if we were cruising March break ever again the itinerary would not be shorter than 12 nts, 14 preferably in hopes of not running into those idiots lol Please try Celebrity again - considering your sailing history I am pleased about your positive comments and experience on X (other than the few misses in Blu)

So sorry to hear about the passenger and crowd problem....we did the same cruise but on 2/21-2/26 - and it was delightful. Pools were very crowded, but not rowdy or obnoxious in any way. Pax mix skewed older, but still a nice mix of all ages. It's totally a timing issue. If you try a diff time or as others said, a longer sailing, it's likely to be completely different.

Thanks for posting your review.

Don't write Celebrity off because of this unfortunate experience. I believe you would have had the same experience on any line doing a short cruise during Spring Break. Either a longer itinerary or a different time and you'd have been able to enjoy yourself more. Give Celebrity another try! Try an S-Class ship.

We were on the same cruise, and, as well, first time on Celebrity. This cruise was booked as a last minute getaway, and was hoping that we would enjoy some sun and relaxation.

I totally agree with writer100...the college crowd were the most rude, obnoxious and loudest group we have ever encountered. It was difficult to get served at the bars, the staff were trying their best. One time I went to get a drink and caught the eye of the bartender, he served me right away and was given a lot of grief from the spring breakers. (Believe me, they had been served many times over by him!)

We got a laugh with the "lame"announcements of respecting the dress code and respecting others, but I am sure the kids were still sleeping when they were made.

Not once did I see a staff member ask a barefoot bikini clad student to leave the ocean view cafe, or ask them not to drink their beer in the hot tubs (which were not available for use, since they were full of students all afternoon).

I have 3 college aged children, and I know that they are entitled to their fun, as we all are, but not at the cost of others. We have travelled with our children, and hopefully taught them well. There was zero respect.

We are booked on a Mediterranean cruise in June, and hopefully, we will enjoy what Celebrity has to offer.

We ate in the dining room every night, food was good, nothing spectacular, but good. The ship was beautiful, very clean, and service was OK.

Thank you for the review. The good parts are what we know and love about Celebrity and your bad points are the very reason we never sail for less than 10 days. There is no way we'd sail on a Caribbean cruise out of Florida or anywhere on the Gulf Coast during spring break, particularly on a short cruise. Those are cheaper, they appeal to younger demographics with less money and less time to spend, and there is no secret why they are affectionately called a booze cruise.

Your story is not the first I've heard of that. One would think that would be just Carnival but no, it seems to be pretty much any 4 and 5 day cruise. Those don't appeal to me anyway, as by the time you settle in you're getting ready to leave. And it's more stressful on staff as they never really get to know preferences before they're getting a whole new passenger load, and they have so much to do on first day and last day and those happen all too often.

So very sorry you got caught up in that, but since you have sailed other wonderful lines before, I hope you'll give Celebrity another chance on an S-class ship (even larger but seems more spacious). When you do, try the filet and the fish in the specialty restaurant Tuscan Grill. The best ever, I promise. We have eaten in Blu in the last 6 cruises either staying in Aqua or a suite, and we've never had a bad meal. Sometimes we get something not completely perfect but haven't had the toughness you experienced. I tend to not order too much fish, however, as we live in south Louisiana and our seafood here is unparalleled and pretty much anywhere else it's never as good.

Sorry that your cruise did not exceed your expectations. I am not really surprised given your cruise history. i would never take a cruise of 5 days especially over holiday times even the summer. If your schedule,will allow I really enjoy the Celebrity cruises of 10 days or longer.

Good luck on your next cruise.

Thanks for your review. I never take cruises during March and April due to spring breaks (I did once on Crystal and vowed never to do it again). There are always the college crowd or families with children on during those time frames, even on Celebrity. I must say, I don't understand why one would think a cruise line owes them any compensation because of the age, rudeness, etc., of other passengers. I also don't think it is not up to Celebrity to explain who will be on their cruises....just a little due diligence by cruisers and this situation could have been avoided.

Just back from a 5-day cruise to Key West and Cozumel, ports we had visited several times before. The Constellation--all 91,000 tons of her--was by far the biggest ship we have sailed on. And the pax total of 2100 the largest as well.

(Just as background, our cruise experience is: 1 Regent, 4 Oceania, 5 Seabourn and 1 Crystal.)So we were a tad apprehensive about the ship's size and, well, culture.

We are mindful that their is a price/value relationship in cruising as in everything else.

With that background, here is a summary of good and bad.

The Good. The crew were superb. Every bit as focused on passenger satisfaction as, say, on Seabourn or Crystal, though far more stressed by work load and the odd circumstances of this cruise. (See below.) Our cabin steward, Asep, was unfailing prompt at replacing towels and toiletries as needed, and cleaned and tidied the Aqua-class cabin efficiently. The cabin itself was certainly comfortable, offered plenty of storage, and would be a comfortable home for much longer than a 5-day cruise. Blu, the Aqua and suite class dining option, was perhaps the most refined place on the ship. Service here was amazingly good, waitstaff always cheerful and helpful. The experience flawed by inconsistent food, sometimes very good, sometimes terrible. A NY strip seemed a distant cousin, twice removed, from any such cut I've enjoyed elsewhere. Lamb chops one night were so tough the neighbor at the next table sent his back while I persevered, In truth, a circular saw would have helped. My wife's halibut served one evening was tough. (Rare to apply that word to a fish, but entirely accurate.) Soups and salads were always excellent, as was my wife's lamb shank one evening. Bartenders everywhere were focused, efficient, and the mixed drinks they offered were good. Only a gin and tonic disappointed, and we blame the drink's acid taste on the ice, which may have come from desalinated water.We never ate in the main dining room, but we did enjoy dinner one night in Ocean Liners, and it was excellent throughout. (Rather pointedly, the vast wine menu included only one wine by the glass that fell within the Classic beverage package.An irritating upsell)

 

Embarkation was well-organized, staff was welcoming. Disembarkation was perhaps the very best we've experienced, partly because of the Port Everglades layout, partly because the whole process moved along at a fast pace. And the ship herself was a remarkably stable platform even in choppy seas.

 

The Bad.There were more than 1,000 spring breakers on board. They completely monopolized the outdoor pool and got tubs, occasionally spitting into them. To be sure, there were many kids who behaved themselves. But there were many who did not. They crowded the bars, shoving each other (and others) demanding to be served, reacting venomously when told they could only buy one drink per card. About half-way through the cruise the bar tenders began to ask for proof of age, a minor barrier to service since phony id's seemed to be prevalent. Young men and women in bathing suits routinely appeared at El Bacio, crowded the elevators, bounced around and through the lines of people waiting at Ocean View Cafe.(The Captain addressed the passengers several times a day, always including a reminder of the dress code.) We were told that on 2 occasions security had to be called to the San Marco dining room to suppress fighting. Several young passengers were kicked off the ship in Key West. We noticed no diminution of noise or drinking.

On three successive nights, we were awakened at 3:00am by a horde of intoxicated celebrants running up and down the Aqua corridor.

 

Eventually we went to see the Guest Relations Manager. Well, I thought, she would offer us a meal at one of the premium restaurants, or a free massage, or? Not at all. She pointedly said that we should have known the composition of the passenger list. (More than parenthetically, there were seasoned Celebrity cruisers aboard who had no inkling of the cruise being a magnet for college kids.) Well, I said, when you market a cabin with an obstructed view, you label it as such, Surely if you knew the composition of this cruise, and the likely consequence, you could have alerted us. A shake of the head. What about some compensation--something, anything?

 

"If I do it for you, I will have to do it for everyone else."

 

I don't think any fair-minded person would accept that answer, It clearly implies that they sense an obligation to correct the dysfunctional aspects of the cruise, but choose not to because of the breadth of the compensation. Meaning they would have to offer some or many of the non-spring breakers something.

I am sure that this cruise experience was not typical of Celebrity. I suspect that the stonewalling over compensation--mind you, the offer of a glass of champagne as a gesture would have been calming--is significant. In that it reflects a marketing viewpoint in which you the individual are relatively unimportant, and the crowd trumps all.

Would we give Celebrity another try?

Maybe. I honestly don't know. We did meet some people from Miami and Montreal whom we look forward to seeing again, and that alone suggests another cruise might be warranted. I'd certainly take the same crew, and ship. With equal certainty, a different itinerary and Guest Relations Manager, though.

In all honesty a 5 day cruise with that itinery during spring break would have me running miles in the opposit direction, probably just about the last cruise you should have taken given your cruise history.

Nice review, sorry to hear about the spring break experience. I would not think X is known for that. We are going on the Reflection in May for 11 days and hope not to have the same problem.

I don't think that any schools have spring break in May and, generally, 11 days is too long for that crowd. Have a great cruise, and enjoy the Reflection!

My adult daughters and I sailed on the Constellation one year ago - this next week. It was the 5 day to Key West and Cozumel. There was no Spring Break activity on the ship. In fact, my daughters thought the "life" of the ship was boring. :rolleyes: Amazing what a week or two can do to make or break a cruise. :(

I am really surprised and saddened that Celebrity allowed this behavior, but glad that they did kick some off in Key West. My guess is the shorter cruise, lower rates and free drink package enticed many college students to book this cruise rather than booking with a Carnival or RCCL cruise.

My daughters and I head out in two weeks for a 7 night cruise. My DD's are hoping for more "life" on the ship, while I am hoping that we do not encounter what the OP did. I do realize that there may be more children onboard this cruise because of Easter week and SB, but hope that the college students stay clear.

According to this list, the week of March 9th has the highest number of college students on spring break. Many of the Florida schools were on break during that week as well which probably skewed the passenger demographic that much more! I'm sailing on the same itinerary on 3/21 and hoping that things start getting back to normal by then :D

https://www.tripsmarter.com/panama-city-beach/events/spring-break-college-university-dates

We also were on the 2/21 thru 26 cruise this year and it was laid back and nice.... Last year we did the Connie around the same time of your cruise this year and the difference is what made us go 2 weeks earlier. Night and day!

Glad you found good in the cruise, sorry for the "crowd".

If you are going to do a short cruise, I would go with the Fall, after Labor Day and before Christmas break.

Any cruise under 7 nights, this time of year is most likely going to have a Spring Break contingent sailing. In our minds this is to be avoided along with the Christmas and New Year's itineraries - been there - hated it and won't go back. Please give Celebrity another try, get on a longer cruise and I think you will be happy.

We did a 7 nt. in March years ago. Never again. Same rude kids and drunken behavior. X should not offer drink pkg. during spring breaks. They know what will happen and have for years.

Thanks for your review. I never take cruises during March and April due to spring breaks (I did once on Crystal and vowed never to do it again). There are always the college crowd or families with children on during those time frames, even on Celebrity. I must say, I don't understand why one would think a cruise line owes them any compensation because of the age, rudeness, etc., of other passengers. I also don't think it is not up to Celebrity to explain who will be on their cruises....just a little due diligence by cruisers and this situation could have been avoided.

Sir: I do agree that if we had known or suspected the presence of Girls (and Boys) Gone Wild on this cruise we would have opted to go elsewhere. We have, in fact, sailed on both Oceania and Seabourn to the Caribbean in March, though perhaps on itineraries that would not attract the hordes of kids.

Do I really think Celebrity owes us--and the dozens of others who registered a complaint--something other than a cold shoulder?

I do. Celebrity sold hundreds of cabins to groups of four college kids, with at least one Classic beverage package per cabin. As by rule, there must be one 21-year old per cabin, making it almost inevitable that underage drinking would take place, followed by behavior I won't detail here.

If I sailed on the Constellation in anticipation of seeing shows in the Celebrity theater at the later time, and discovered that the theater was booked on successive late evenings for a group that had booked half the cabins en masse, would you think I was entitled to compensation? After all, I was denied access to an amenity featured in the cruise brochure as being available.

In this case, the amenity was the pool, hot tubs and surrounding lounges.

Let me contrast that with a premium line, unnamed, on which I (recklessly) booked a gty cabin. It turned out to be a lovely cabin, except that it was under an outdoor dining/bar area, to which the crew attended every morning at 5:00am, shoving furniture around as they hosed the deck, etc. I did ask the on board hotel manager if he could do something. He demurred.

Back on land, my ta spoke to her contacts and compensation was awarded for a future cruise--a discount of several thousand dollars, and an upgrade to the highest available suite in the total category. Now, the leverage here may not be me, a single cruiser, but the significant volume that flows from this ta. Or maybe because the pax loads are smaller, and the prices much higher, the cruise line is (or should be, anyhow) more sensitive to good and bad consumer relations. Maybe?

If I were Celebrity, would I care if this account, supplemented by others who "enjoyed" the same experience, went onto social media? I have no such intention, but good business would seem to suggest that soothing a customer is a better strategy than antagonizing him, or her.

The contrast between the crew--overworked and no doubt under paid--and management's attitude was stark.

After reading about the spring break crowd, I'm beginning to worry about my cruise scheduled for Mar 12, 2016. I've searched the internet for spring break dates for 2016, but have not found a comprehensive breakdown as there is for 2015. I see some colleges do have spring break about the Mar 12 time frame. Does anyone have a url for 2016 breakdown like the one for 2015? Thanks

I'm sure no one on this board was ever a fun loving college student. Lighten up and let everyone enjoy their vacation the way they see fit. I would never consider asking or expect compensation from X because other people were having too much fun on board. In the future, you may want to avoid 5 day cruises leaving from Florida during spring break that call on well know party ports.

All passengers on every 'MASS MARKET' line have to suffer thru this during spring break. Since you have not experienced, nor cruised on anything other than a PREMIUM line, I can see where you would not be aware of the short comings most of us common cruisers are used to.

I feel the CSR was forth coming in not giving in to your desire of something free. Celebrity is a wonderful mass market line, but we will not book during the time when the frat houses like those in the news at the University of Oklahoma are out for holiday.

There was no need for a disclaimer by the Company.

I'm sure no one on this board was ever a fun loving college student. Lighten up and let everyone enjoy their vacation the way they see fit. I would never consider asking or expect compensation from X because other people were having too much fun on board. In the future, you may want to avoid 5 day cruises leaving from Florida during spring break that call on well know party ports.

Sir:Not only was I young once, but I worked at Playboy for a couple of years.If you think vomiting in the hallways is a measure of fun, or literally falling off a chair in El Bacio in a drunken stupor is fun, then you missed a great cruise.

One evening I went back to our cabin to get my wife a sweater. On the elevator ride up, and then, a few minutes later down, a teenaged girl was half-curled in a corner of the elevator. She hadn't moved and was clearly wasted. I asked her if she needed help, and I got only a dreamy smile in response;I trust I don't need to explain wasted. There really are dangers inherent to excess drinking aboard ship. You might want to check and see the numbers of folks who go missing from cruise ships, including a chef from Celebrity's own Constellation. Excess alcohol is generally assigned as cause of the behaviot that leads to such disappearances.