Celebrity vs NCL, which of these cruises would you pick?

[DocJohnB]

Lastly, the Concierge level rooms would cost us $300 more ($150 more each). Are the perks worth it or is it silly to pay $300 more for an identical room that has a few "small" perks? Are the evening canapes really special?

IMO, no. We have sailed c/c twice. Once on Solstice and once on Century. On the Century we got a great price reduction (see previous response). We paid $140 p/p more (but we went from a plain outside - no verandah to the c/c) and it was a 14 day cruise. Basically it cost $10 p/p per day more. Now, IMO, that was worth it.

 

As to the evening canapes in c/c. Are they really special? I can best answer this by saying that after the 1st day on the Solstice, we asked to have them changed to crackers and cheese and continued that while on the Century. I found the canapes to be rather blah and mostly stale.

 

The weather is always a crapshoot. We have cruised 4 or 5 times in the Sep-Oct timeframe. Never experienced bad weather (and no hurricanes). Some of our worst weather cruising, like yours was in January.

[Project_gal]

vegasbb

 

I do not know if this will help you:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=879492&highlight=celebrity+suite+ncl+penthouse

 

Sue

[swigso]

I've really enjoyed reading all the responses - thanks to everyone that has responded so far. I'm willing to take the risk on the October Hurricane thing because a) our anniversary is in October, but more importantly b) I've had my worst weather luck on Caribbean cruises in Dec-Jan-Feb. Maybe it's just my rotten luck but we had a cruise in January where it rained everyday for 7 days straight! So miserable! We do prefer the off peak times because there's usually less kids, and prices are lower, plus some of the ports don't seem as crowded.

 

I think I've already sold myself that the balcony is worth going from the $599 interior to the $799 veranda. The question is - how great are these "bump out" balconies? Would you pay $100 more for one? Also, do any of the balconies get any sun or is this just a crazy dream of mine. I'm guessing because they are covered that would be impossible but I figured I'd ask.

 

Lastly, the Concierge level rooms would cost us $300 more ($150 more each). Are the perks worth it or is it silly to pay $300 more for an identical room that has a few "small" perks? Are the evening canapes really special?

Hi,

Try this link it will give you an insight to the best cabins

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1155885

 

for a 7 night cruise the CC ugrade is not worth the extra but if you do book,

keep a lookout for price drops.

Celebrity always honour them.

By the way, go for the Solstice.

[gdpups]

I was on the NCL Pearl (ports that include Samana) in January with 7 girlfriends for our annual cruise. Between us all we've been on too many cruises to name and have been on all the cruise lines.

 

This was most of the ladies first time cruising with NCL and because of so many negative posts we went with low expectations, but wanted to experience NCL for ourselves.

 

Let me tell you we had a wonderful time on that cruise!!! Not ONE complaint from any of the ladies, which is a first!!! We decided we wanted to experience each of the specialty restaurants, so only ate in the MDR once for dinner. Every meal was great and we really enjoyed the variety. We ate breakfast and lunch in the buffet and everyone's comment was it was the best buffet we've experience on a ship. Everything was freshly made and the variety was terrific. Apparently, they've taken the negative to heart and have really improved the food, at least on the Pearl.

 

Staff was wonderful, ship was newer and clean and we had a blast with the entertainment.

 

You have to look at not only the cruise line but at the reviews for each ship. Be sure to look at the review section and you'll see the Pearl gets very good reviews.

 

We're booked next year on the Summit because we like the itinerary it offers and I've checked the reviews of the ship and everything looks great. Lots to consider when you choose a cruise! Just have fun!

[kath00]

I am concerned about the nightlife. I heard the Pearl was really fun at night and draws a younger crowd in general (therefore more music, dancing, etc) than Celebrity ships. We are looking at an Alaska cruise and the choice is between the Millenium and the Pearl for us.

 

Everyone tells me the Millie "goes to sleep" at 10pm. :eek:

 

Katherine

[hat776]

I've only cruised in the Med on NCL and MSC and was happy on both lines - I must be easy to please. Or when on holiday I refuse to get upset !

Anyway, I am now going on the Eclipse and I'm really looking forward to it. I understand that men usually wear a DJ on formal nights so that involves the problem of extra weight as we're flying to the UK.

[bbcstt]

Maybe I am a cruise snob or something but I like to live large. Only the best, a suite and 1st class, it kills my accountant. First, I have never sailed on NCL and doubt I ever will. I have personally heard horror stories and read far more on these boards. But NCL is a fit for some people and that's fine. It all depends on what one WANTS.

 

I go by itinerary, ship size and cruise line reputation. Yes Regent was awesome. Did a Cat B on the Seven Seas Navigator a few years back, 490 pax, I was in heaven. Also have sailed on RCCL twice, Celebrity also twice and once each with Princess and Carnival. Was pleasantly surprised with Carnival (Legend) until disembarkation, then it was mayhem.

 

Now to your issue, you really know what you want, I just don't think you can see it. I had a similar experience with my upcoming cruise, but you come first.

 

You seem to be a seasoned traveler who does not shy from parting with a buck but it has to be worth it. You mentioned that you and DW dive so less sea days and more and better port days is the way to go. Given the 3 options you posted, Celebrity is the better fit, more ports, better itinerary, better food, better service. To NCL's credit, their rooms are usually larger within category, but the way I am reading this, it is probably not a deal breaker. Go with Celebrity.

 

Not that it matters, but this was my situation. Booked a cruise on HAL ( Veendam to Bermuda) this July. Deluxe Verandah Suite, great ship size 1300 pax, Neptune Lounge, yes I like to live large. It costed but I was willing, THEN they did a refit to the ship, no big deal, right, wrong. Afterwards they realized or maybe always knew that the ship was to big to get through the town cut into St. George and dock at the pier in town. Now we would have to tender in from what they call Murray's anchorage. A nice 30 minute ferry ride to St. George. Also meant spending a night anchored in the Atlantic Ocean outside the coral reef. This was not what I signed up for. Then they continue to sell the cruise as docking in St. George and Hamilton, but they put a little asterisk next to St. George and noted "tender required". They never told the travel agents or informed booked passengers of this slight change. Well it gnawed at me for a few months and I decided to look elsewhere. I OWE ALLEGIANCE TO NO CRUISELINE, JUST TO MYSELF and DW who somehow puts up with me.

 

I found a Celebrity cruise that only did one day in Bermuda but was also going to Newport, RI and Boston,MA and I am a YANKEE FAN who bleeds ROLL TIDE. It was perfect. It saved Bermuda for me, though only one day (will get my Dark n' Stormy and my Rum Swizzle though), and also gets me New England too. This was great because I had to cancel a cruise to NE/Canada a few years back when I broke my leg and ankle.

Called my TA (she's on speed dial) after doing my usual research an they had the suite I wanted in mid May. So out with HAL, and in with Celebrity. Hello butler.

 

Point is, I thing you know what you want, you want reassurance. I think we all do, but it's a personal choice. GOOD LUCK. Enjoy your vacation. Hope I helped.

[youngcruiserFL]

First, let me thank anyone in advance who reads this entire post and offers to help! I'm having such a hard time deciding and really appreciate the insight of others.This is a cross post also on the NCL boards.

 

My husband and I are in our late 20's/early 30's. We've been on 15 cruises before. We've cruised Regents (our favorite, but not in the budget this time around), Carnival, RCI, and NCL. My issues with NCL have been food quality and service related, but no need to get into that here. I don't mind paying extra for specialty restaurants and I do like how many options NCL gives you. We have never sailed on Celebrity .

 

We are taking a cruise for our 1st anniversary, and have narrowed it down to three options:

Celebrity Solstice with this itinerary:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Mexico, Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico, Roatan, Honduras, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

NCL Pearl with this:

Miami; Roatan; Belize City; Costa Maya; Key West

 

or NCL Pearl with this:

Miami; Samana; St. Thomas; Tortola; Great Stirrup Cay

 

I know, so many ports to think about! We've done west before but never east. Our favorite cruise port in the world is Costa Maya because we adore non-crowded local little beach towns. Out of this trip we're looking for lots of beach time. We might do one scuba dive (we are certified), but otherwise lots of beaches.

 

As for a cruise - we're looking for good food, we don't mind paying upcharges. I also love laying out on beach chairs by the pool on the deck - any insight as to how crowded either of these ships get by the pool? Impossible to get a chair?

 

So if costs were equal (they are! , actually celebrity is a bit cheaper), which would you choose and why ?

 

This is a no brainer: go for the Celebrity Solstice!!!!! There are tons of reasons, but it essentially comes down to the fact that the Celebrity Solstice is a much better ship and you will love everything about it (even the stateroom bathrooms, I promise).

 

Avoid Belize, for it is a dump.

[Conanc]

One word: "SOLSTICE"! ;)

[Giorgi-one]

The MDR food on Celebrity is better the NCL but I doubt it will compare to Regent. We sailed on NCL twice in 2008 and had a great time on both cruises. MDR food was OK and when we did not see something we liked on the menu (check it around 3 PM) we just headed for one of the other restaurants. Le Bistro is definitely one of our favorite restaurants on any cruise ship. We never had a problem booking a restaurant on NCL. On our Celebrity cruise in January, only times available were very early or very late. That said, the biggest advantage of sailing on NCL is the variety of suite staterooms. We had a Penthouse suite on both of our NCL cruises (this is their lowest category suite) and it was fantastic. Large cabin, separate dining table, great dressing area and vanity, large bathroom, expresso maker in cabin. Balcony cabins on S-Class ships are small and storage is really bad. With suite on NCL, you also get to eat in Cagney's for breakfast and lunch which is really nice. I hate buffets. Best perk of all may have been the concierge service. Need a dinner reservation - no problem. Had to get off the ship early, concierge took us to the front of the line and we were first off. Price was unbelieveable. We did a 13 day Med cruise for less than $2500 per person. I think we paid $1700 PP for 11-day Caribbean cruise leaving from NYC. Would have cost almost twice as much on Celebrity and $5000 pays for a lot of alternative restaurants. Not dishing either line but if you are going on NCl, get a suite. If will make the entire experience 10 times better.

[kath00]

I agree with the above post. If you compare prices and go for the Suites and the specialty restaurants, you will have a much larger room, amazing service and fantastic food via the specialty restaurants.

 

Not to ever knock the 6* cruises but we booked the largest suite on the Millenium (1350sf) for 1/2 the price of a little 250sf room on Crystal Cruises!!! These specialty cruise ships have some serious competition from the amazing resources on larger ships. The "differences" they rely on often disappear when you cruise the Suite Life.

 

I think the NCL/X comparison is sort of the same. Yes X is classier and nicer and newer but you'll get some AMAZING deals on NCL suites -- which are pretty unbelievable rooms with private spas and your own 'back yard' right outside the room. ;)

 

Katherine

[hajekfam]

I am concerned about the nightlife. I heard the Pearl was really fun at night and draws a younger crowd in general (therefore more music, dancing, etc) than Celebrity ships. We are looking at an Alaska cruise and the choice is between the Millenium and the Pearl for us.

 

Everyone tells me the Millie "goes to sleep" at 10pm. :eek:

 

Katherine

 

Remember - on an Alaskan cruise, there is a lot of port activity - long days in port - getting up early to do it all over again. We found that on our Celebrity Alaska cruise, there wasn't a lot of nightlife - you were either resting for a full day excursion the next day or were out on deck enjoying the dusk, dawn, and views. We went in June and it never really got nightime dark - just dusk and then dawn with maybe a short time of real darkness - so you were really able to enjoy the views.

[kitty9]

Darcie - thanks for the quick response. We do care about food. Which cruise lines have you sailed and do you think the food on Celebrity is significantly better in the MDR compared to the "budget" lines? Particularly on the Solstice?

 

I've been on 64 cruises, on most of the mass markets and all of the luxury lines, and I will honestly say that I, and many others, felt that Celebrity's food declined quite a bit in the past couple of years. But now, after my 24th cruise with Celebrity, on Solstice two weeks ago, I can honestly say that the old Celebrity is back, in a big way, in the food department. The food in the main dining room on Solstice was very, very good. And I was surprised, pleasantly so, by the food and the selection of food, in the buffet and I'm not fan of buffets. And then there are the specialty restaurants. I can give you an example of these wonderful places. On our last cruise on Infinity, we dined in the specialty restaurant every night of our 14 night cruise. There was a couple at a table next to us who did the same. They were from France and they both remarked that the food in the specialty was better than many high ranked restaurants in Paris. That's a huge complement.

 

Now, as for your question about food being better on more expensive lines, I'll answer your question with a question. Do you think you find better food, prepared with higher quality ingredients and presented in more interesting ways in a budget restaurant? Someone on these boards did a comparison of what cruise lines spend on food for their passengers, and NCL spends a little more than $7 per passenger while Celebrity is in the $11 to $12 range. Think there will be a difference in quality?

[kitty9]

I agree with the above post. If you compare prices and go for the Suites and the specialty restaurants, you will have a much larger room, amazing service and fantastic food via the specialty restaurants.

 

Not to ever knock the 6* cruises but we booked the largest suite on the Millenium (1350sf) for 1/2 the price of a little 250sf room on Crystal Cruises!!! These specialty cruise ships have some serious competition from the amazing resources on larger ships. The "differences" they rely on often disappear when you cruise the Suite Life.

 

I think the NCL/X comparison is sort of the same. Yes X is classier and nicer and newer but you'll get some AMAZING deals on NCL suites -- which are pretty unbelievable rooms with private spas and your own 'back yard' right outside the room. ;)

 

Katherine

 

I could not disagree more. When you're on a luxury line, you're getting that experience in every part of the ship, but once you walk out of your fancy suite, you're still on a mass market line, in every sense of the word. If you're in one of those garden suites on NCL, when you step out of that suite, you're still on NCL, with their lower quality food and some would say, sub par service. Yes, the specialty restaurants are wonderful on X, but you have to pay extra for that, and not many people want to do that, even if they're in the fancy suite. And again, even if you do the specialty restaurants, you're still on a mass market line, albeit one better, imho, than NCL or RCI or MSC.

 

I can bet you that when you're in that suite on NCL or Celebrity, and you walk into the main dining room, you won't be able to order food prepared off the menu. On Crystal, your food is not mass prepared for 2000 to 3000 people and kept warm for hours on end. On Crystal, you can have anything you want prepared tableside---you won't find that on NCL or any other mass market line, even if you're in a suite. When you're on NCL or Carnival, or Celebrity in the huge suites, you're still on a mass market line and all that that implies. Sorry, but you absolutely cannot compare the suites on NCL or Celebrity in any manner with Crystal even in their smaller cabins. I'd rather be in a tiny cabin on Crystal than in the largest suite on NCL because I know that regardless of what I pay on Crystal and how small my cabin is, I'm going to receive the 5 star Crystal experience. And with all due respect, unless you've cruised on Crystal and experienced the flawless service and sublime food, you really cannot make such a broad judgement. Like I said, once you step out of your fancy suite, you're still just a mass market passenger.

 

Oh and btw, when we sail on Celebrity, which is quite often, we book the PH, but we certainly don't hold Celebrity to a higher standard because of that, nor do we expect a Crystal experience just because we're in the PH>

[bbcstt]

The Crystal argument does not work here. They are not sailing where you want to go. Crystal like many other 6* lines primarily do the Med and the Agean. I don't think you are planning to go there, if so take it. I lucked out with Regent on the Navigator to Bermuda a few years ago because for some GREAT reason they decided to do a few Bermuda cruises out of New York. It was chance. Looking at ships that sail Alaska is fine, but you won't be doing much scuba diving there. If you know what you want then select the best itinerary and ship that goes to where you want to go.

 

A fair wind and a following sea to all, ...... and all are entitled to their opinions as one's choice is up to them.