Didn't Realize How Much I LOVE Celebrity

[katiebeth]

While we have always been huge fans of Celebrity and have sailed the line almost exclusively for the past 7 years, it took me sailing on Carnival this past week to fully appreciate all of the wonderful little things that make Celebrity such a great cruise-line. Just to give a little background information we are a family of four, my husband, myself, and our 2 children ages 15 and 17. We have been cruising since they were 4 and 6. Our most recent cruise was the Solstice over Thanksgiving and the Eclipse in June to the Canary Islands. Most of the cruises we have sailed with Celebrity have been on European itineraries that were 11 to 14 nights. We have also sailed on the Azamara Quest which we absolutely loved and a Med. cruise.

 

A friend of mine wanted to take her daughters on a Spring Break cruise and asked if my daughter and I would like to join them. She had already booked the Carnival Fascination out of Jacksonville, primarily because we live in Tallahassee, Florida and it would be an easy drive to the port and the relative affordability of the cruise. I figured we would have a good time because the girls are all a great group and after all how bad could a cruise be? I knew going into it that I should not compare Carnival to Celebrity and just go with an open mind and a different expectation level.

 

While we did have a great time and the weather was terrific, I was really surprised at how very different Carnival is from Celebrity. We were on a 5 day itinerary on the Fascination which is an older ship. It was well-maintained for the most part and our stateroom was fairly nice. We had a suite (approximately 300 square feet with an extended balcony), comparable in size to a Sky Suite on Celebrity. This is the largest stateroom on the ship. The only perk that comes with the suite is priority embarkation and disembarkation, which was great as both were a very long process, even though the Fascination is the only cruise ship sailing out of JAX.

 

The first impression was not good as the boarding process was very lengthy and took almost an hour, even with priority embarkation. In addition, I was surprised that we boarded in the "bowels" of the ship and not in the main atrium area. (also missed my glass of champagne, although I was not expecting one!). We boarded in the same area as you exit to get off the ship at various ports.

 

We then headed up to the buffet as the girls were hungry to grab some lunch. While I knew not to expect the same quality of food as on Celebrity, I was really surprised at the difference in quality. While I always found something to eat, I would liken the quality to that of a all you can eat restaurant such as a Golden Corral. I found this to be true in the Main Dining room as well. The quality and the selection was poor IMHO. We did, however, have a nice lunch in the Main Dining room on one of the Sea Days, a much nicer experience than the buffet area. The other noticeable difference was the way in which the staff clear the tables. In the buffet area and the pool deck, they push around carts with rubber tubs and throw all the plates and food in the open tubs. It really was not at all appetizing. I like the way Celebrity has the different stations throughout the buffet area and clear the tables in a much less visible manner. I also really missed the wine sommeliers walking thru the buffet area and offering a glass of wine. (no sommeliers in the Main dining room either).

 

We did enjoy the pool area, the younger girls really liked the water slide, but it was always very very difficult to find any lounge chairs, particularly for our group of 8. I was glad that there was not a huge college Spring break crowd on board, as it was mostly families and younger couples. The fellow passengers were demographically different than those on Celebrity, but I was expecting that to be the case. There were definitely a lot of smokers on-board and many of the public areas did have a stale smoke odor. Our stateroom was fine and did not notice any odor of smoke from previous passengers.

 

The shows were enjoyable and the service in the Main Dining room was very efficient. I found a bartender I really liked in the Martini bar and he would make me a very good Cosmo every night before dinner. Unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy the Cosmo in the Martini bar as smoking was allowed, including Cigar. However, I would take it with me to dinner every night and enjoyed it very much.

 

The ship itself was rather dark with low ceilings and lots of chrome and light. I have found the Solsice class ships to be ABSOLUTELY beautiful in terms of design and decor. They really remind me of a high end hotels such as the Four Seasons or even the Ritz Carlton.

 

I know that most think Carnival provided lesser service because they charge much less in cruise fare. However, in pricing my cruise against a week cruise on the Solstice, I could have been in a CC class stateroom for 7 nights for approximately 200.00 more per person, a MUCH MUCH better value in my opinion, give the overall cruise experience. While I know the CC class stateroom is smaller than the one I was in on Carnival there is absolutely no comparison between the amenities and overall quality of the experience. So IMHO, Celebrity is the better value! This may not be true of the newer and larger Carnival ships, but it certainly is true of the Fascination vs. a Solstice class ship.

 

I can't wait for my next Celebrity cruise!

 

Happy Sailings,

 

Nancy

[Hollywood Traveler]

Thanks for the wonderful post. Very informative and very nicely written.

[momzcruzing]

Yes, I agree that Celebrity has spoiled me terribly and I am loving every minute. Especially Aqua Class and dining in Blu.

 

Like you, my Carnival days are behind me. Thanks for the review.

[Miss SeaBee]

I remember when you posted awhile back that you were considering this cruise, and decided to go for it. (At least I think it was you? It was a similar story, anyway.) I am so glad you posted your experience! I have never been on Carnival, but people I know who have never been on any other line try to say that Carnival is the most wonderful experience. I'm glad you confirmed what I suspected! There are more important things to consider than who has the most rock-bottom price. It's all about the quality! Thank you for your post! Makes me feel that much better about our Solstice cruise in April!

[eastoftheboston]

In fairness to Carnival, Fascination is in their oldest class of ship currently sailing, so comparing to Solstice class really is apples to oranges. Their newer ships like the Dream may be much nicer.

 

When I sailed the Imagination, same class of ship, we boarded in the atrium area, so I know that Carnival CAN do that, and I agree, you don't get the same "wow" factor when you're first boarding a ship if you don't come in the right area.

 

With all that being said, the second we stepped on the Solstice we realized we couldn't ever go back to Carnival. Carnival is/was definitely a Fun Ship and I had a great time on the cruise, but there really was no comparison. And we got to eat in Blu since we sailed in AQ, and that pretty much sealed the deal. We're spoiled and won't be going back.

[gelo7]

While we have always been huge fans of Celebrity and have sailed the line almost exclusively for the past 7 years, it took me sailing on Carnival this past week to fully appreciate all of the wonderful little things that make Celebrity such a great cruise-line. Just to give a little background information we are a family of four, my husband, myself, and our 2 children ages 15 and 17. We have been cruising since they were 4 and 6. Our most recent cruise was the Solstice over Thanksgiving and the Eclipse in June to the Canary Islands. Most of the cruises we have sailed with Celebrity have been on European itineraries that were 11 to 14 nights. We have also sailed on the Azamara Quest which we absolutely loved and a Med. cruise.

 

A friend of mine wanted to take her daughters on a Spring Break cruise and asked if my daughter and I would like to join them. She had already booked the Carnival Fascination out of Jacksonville, primarily because we live in Tallahassee, Florida and it would be an easy drive to the port and the relative affordability of the cruise. I figured we would have a good time because the girls are all a great group and after all how bad could a cruise be? I knew going into it that I should not compare Carnival to Celebrity and just go with an open mind and a different expectation level.

 

While we did have a great time and the weather was terrific, I was really surprised at how very different Carnival is from Celebrity. We were on a 5 day itinerary on the Fascination which is an older ship. It was well-maintained for the most part and our stateroom was fairly nice. We had a suite (approximately 300 square feet with an extended balcony), comparable in size to a Sky Suite on Celebrity. This is the largest stateroom on the ship. The only perk that comes with the suite is priority embarkation and disembarkation, which was great as both were a very long process, even though the Fascination is the only cruise ship sailing out of JAX.

 

The first impression was not good as the boarding process was very lengthy and took almost an hour, even with priority embarkation. In addition, I was surprised that we boarded in the "bowels" of the ship and not in the main atrium area. (also missed my glass of champagne, although I was not expecting one!). We boarded in the same area as you exit to get off the ship at various ports.

 

We then headed up to the buffet as the girls were hungry to grab some lunch. While I knew not to expect the same quality of food as on Celebrity, I was really surprised at the difference in quality. While I always found something to eat, I would liken the quality to that of a all you can eat restaurant such as a Golden Corral. I found this to be true in the Main Dining room as well. The quality and the selection was poor IMHO. We did, however, have a nice lunch in the Main Dining room on one of the Sea Days, a much nicer experience than the buffet area. The other noticeable difference was the way in which the staff clear the tables. In the buffet area and the pool deck, they push around carts with rubber tubs and throw all the plates and food in the open tubs. It really was not at all appetizing. I like the way Celebrity has the different stations throughout the buffet area and clear the tables in a much less visible manner. I also really missed the wine sommeliers walking thru the buffet area and offering a glass of wine. (no sommeliers in the Main dining room either).

 

We did enjoy the pool area, the younger girls really liked the water slide, but it was always very very difficult to find any lounge chairs, particularly for our group of 8. I was glad that there was not a huge college Spring break crowd on board, as it was mostly families and younger couples. The fellow passengers were demographically different than those on Celebrity, but I was expecting that to be the case. There were definitely a lot of smokers on-board and many of the public areas did have a stale smoke odor. Our stateroom was fine and did not notice any odor of smoke from previous passengers.

 

The shows were enjoyable and the service in the Main Dining room was very efficient. I found a bartender I really liked in the Martini bar and he would make me a very good Cosmo every night before dinner. Unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy the Cosmo in the Martini bar as smoking was allowed, including Cigar. However, I would take it with me to dinner every night and enjoyed it very much.

 

The ship itself was rather dark with low ceilings and lots of chrome and light. I have found the Solsice class ships to be ABSOLUTELY beautiful in terms of design and decor. They really remind me of a high end hotels such as the Four Seasons or even the Ritz Carlton.

 

I know that most think Carnival provided lesser service because they charge much less in cruise fare. However, in pricing my cruise against a week cruise on the Solstice, I could have been in a CC class stateroom for 7 nights for approximately 200.00 more per person, a MUCH MUCH better value in my opinion, give the overall cruise experience. While I know the CC class stateroom is smaller than the one I was in on Carnival there is absolutely no comparison between the amenities and overall quality of the experience. So IMHO, Celebrity is the better value! This may not be true of the newer and larger Carnival ships, but it certainly is true of the Fascination vs. a Solstice class ship.

 

I can't wait for my next Celebrity cruise!

 

Happy Sailings,

 

Nancy

Thanks, this was very insightful, Now I really can't wait to board the Eclipse.

[tally10]

I totally agree with you that the Solstice class of ships are the best of the bunch. However, we sailed on the Carnival Freedom in the Mediterranean in 2008 and had a much different experience than your Carnival experience. The Freedom was fairly new then compared to the Fascination, so as a previous poster mentioned, you really are comparing apples to oranges. Our cruise was not a party/spring break type of atmosphere that you encountered and maybe it is different on a longer, European cruise. However, the food in the MDR on the Freedom was every bit as good as we experienced on the Eclipse and much better than our cruises on the Connie (and MUCH better than RCI's). It is difficult to lump an entire cruise line as inferior to another based on one ship and one experience. But all in all, I would take Celebrity over Carnival mainly because I really like the Solstice class ships and the non-smoking policy that Celebrity offers.

[happy cruzer]

Century's short cruises might be a fairer comparision. Over on the review page Century is not doing too well currently because of the shorter cruises. Almost all lines do not get very high ratings at school holidays or short cruises, they just seem to be different than the longer cruises.

 

I surely hope that Century does better when she goes to NZ/Australia.

 

You are dead on with your observations. The fact that Carnival gives a good product within driving distance of many people is what keeps many of us enjoying them for home port cruising. Can't drive to the Med from where I live. :)

[RuthlessBoss]

True, Celebrity has a nice product. My first 2 cruises was on Century when the sailing was at least 7 days. Both were perfect. I've since sailed with Carnival due to price and convenience to where I live (1 hour away). The atmosphere is not as classy, but enjoyable. The food (on Sensation) was very much above what you'd expect. I'll be going on the Dream in a week. The ship is large and new. I assume it will be a little classier than the short trips on Sensation.

[aloanldy]

Nice evaluation! I agree, we've sailed both Carnival and Celebrity, and while both serve a purpose, I prefer Celebrity.

 

Both of our Carnival cruises were 7 night. Both were new ships when we sailed them. The last one was Triumph when is was brand new. While the accomodations were nice, and the bartenders great, the service and food were not good. People at our table in the MDR returned food quite often, once being myself.

 

We've sailed on Century 4 times, three of those 4 were the 2 night cruises. We had a blast, met alot of nice people that we cruised annually on that cruise together. The food was still excellent like Celebrity is famous for and the service was as good as Solstice class ships.

 

Carnival is in a different class of cruising.

[CruisinManiac]

We then headed up to the buffet as the girls were hungry to grab some lunch. While I knew not to expect the same quality of food as on Celebrity, I was really surprised at the difference in quality. While I always found something to eat, I would liken the quality to that of a all you can eat restaurant such as a Golden Corral. I found this to be true in the Main Dining room as well. The quality and the selection was poor IMHO. We did, however, have a nice lunch in the Main Dining room on one of the Sea Days, a much nicer experience than the buffet area. The other noticeable difference was the way in which the staff clear the tables. In the buffet area and the pool deck, they push around carts with rubber tubs and throw all the plates and food in the open tubs. It really was not at all appetizing. I like the way Celebrity has the different stations throughout the buffet area and clear the tables in a much less visible manner. I also really missed the wine sommeliers walking thru the buffet area and offering a glass of wine. (no sommeliers in the Main dining room either).

 

 

 

I think that a lot of what you experienced had to do with the ship, and not necessarily Carnival. Rest assured, I am not a Carnival cheerleader, however our three Carnival cruises, while not perfect, were far better than what you are describing. In fact, our cruise in November had some of the best cruise food we have had. Yes, I was even surprised.:eek: I don't know if it had to do with the ship going out of Charleston, SC, or not.

 

BTW - We also had a Sommelier in the dining room. ;)

 

Looking forward to our third Celebrity cruise, and on our first Solstice class ship. 7 weeks and counting! :D

[katiebeth]

Thanks to all who have replied! As I stated in my OP, comparing the Fascination (a considerably older ship) to the Solstice class ships may not be a fair comparison and some of the newer Carnival ships may offer a better overall experience. All that being said, we paid a considerable fare for the Fascination and it does not even come close to the experience we have had on Celebrity for a comparable price. As I said, the quality of the food on the Fascination was that of a Golden Corral or perhaps a Denny's. (this may not be true of the newer Carnival ships with longer itineraries). The whole experience just drove home that the little things make a huge difference and Celebrity really goes above and beyond for a supposedly "mass" market cruise line!!

 

Yes Greensuz ...I posted prior to our cruise on the Carnival Fascination ...what a great memory you have!! I did really enjoy the time with my daughter, my friend Kelly and her girls! The weather was fabulous and I didn't have to cook or clean!! The weather was incredible, and we got lots of R and R. However, I was not expecting such a DRAMATIC difference between the 2 lines. "If I had it to do over again, I would do it the same", because I enjoyed being with all the girls SO much. My daughter is 15 and we only have a few more Spring breaks together!! However, in the future I will not book another Carnival cruise.

 

Celebrity offers a FAR superior cruise experience in EVERY aspect for a nominal difference in cruise fare!!

 

Happy Sailings,

 

Nancy

[Host Anne]

katiebeth ~ thanks so much for taking the time to post.

 

We've sailed a wide variety of lines over the years and sailed on Carnival once almost two years ago on their then newest ship Splendor. We went with a group of friends so I knew we'd have fun regardless of what I might have thought prior to the cruise. We ended up on a not-so-Mexican Riviera cruise due to swine flu. There was a passenger revolt in the atrium (caught on video and put on YouTube) so it made for an unusal cruise. I won't go into all the details but it definitely was "memorable." What I want to mention is that while I don't know what the older ships look like, the Splendor definitely was not something I'd want to sail on again and she was brand new.

 

You were overwhelmed by large circles filled pink and gray zebra stripes. They were everywhere. In the atrium; on the elevator doors...you couldn't get away from them. Then there were the large plastic (about 3 feet in diameter) egg looking saucers (white with green centers) hanging from the dining room ceiling. It reminded me of bad Las Vegas decor. Circus Circus came to mind.

 

But I do have to add that we had very good food on Carnival Splendor. Both the dining room and buffet served very good food and our wait staff in the dining room was outstanding. But I am with you, we much prefer Celebrity on every level.

 

Different folks like different things about different lines and different ships. I think that's a good thing.