iIfeel like the new kid on the block

[suekay]

....and I'm nervous:o

 

After multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean (only one cruise away from diamond+) I've just booked a cruise on Silhouette and feel I know NOTHING about anything to do with Celebrity. Now I know how it feels to be the new kid:)

[newcruisergal]

I'm with you! 3 cruises on RCCL and feeling like I know every nook and cranny of the ships and now it'll all be brand new on Celebrity! But that's a great thing, and honestly from what I've read on these boards it seems a lot of things that we would have considered "extra" on RCCL seem to be standard on X, especially service wise.

 

And from the pics I've seen I am ready to be blown away by X's food! DH and I keep saying we feel like we are moving up from Chevy to Cadillac, I hope we still feel that way when the cruise is over :D

[Waihekean]

Welcome Suekay to the Celebrity board:)

 

But just think, it is also a new adventure to explore a different kind of ship and you might get another favorite line:D

[DebbieMacG]

We all have to be the new kid sometime :)

 

I'm sure you will love Celebrity!

[newsier]

....and I'm nervous:o

 

After multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean (only one cruise away from diamond+) I've just booked a cruise on Silhouette and feel I know NOTHING about anything to do with Celebrity. Now I know how it feels to be the new kid:)

 

I'm with you! 3 cruises on RCCL and feeling like I know every nook and cranny of the ships and now it'll all be brand new on Celebrity! But that's a great thing, and honestly from what I've read on these boards it seems a lot of things that we would have considered "extra" on RCCL seem to be standard on X, especially service wise.

 

And from the pics I've seen I am ready to be blown away by X's food! DH and I keep saying we feel like we are moving up from Chevy to Cadillac, I hope we still feel that way when the cruise is over :D

 

We too are "flipping-over" from Royal.

 

We are Diamond+ and Royal has become very routine. A good cruise friend booked a Celebrity cruise and I started to look at X - you are right, seems X takes the extra step.

 

So with this said - Celebrity has taken us back to 1991 when we were "the new kids on the block".

 

We didn't have Cruise Critic back then - you got on a ship with nothing more than advice from a friend or family member that took a cruise, if that. Everything was newly learned by being on the ship itself. What a great experience.

 

Now - there are no surprises - but that's not a bad thing - I enjoy scanning CC and learning.

 

I like being "the new kid" again - what a pleasure. And we have plenty of time to soak up a lot of info as we do not sail on X till May 2013 in a big way. A east-bound TA then a B2B around the Britsh Isles. 24 glorious days.

 

See you on board!

 

Glenn

[dkjretired]

You realize of course that since you are Diamond on Royal you can translate that over to Celebrity. You will qualify as Elite in the Captains Club which has different perks but nice ones on Celebrity. A link is below to show the perks. Best are the nightly coctail hours, morning continental breakfast and some coupons which come to the room.

 

Make sure you call Celebrity Captains Club with your C@A number, get your Captains Club number and assoicate with any cruises you have booked.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/captainsclub/membershipBenefits.do#captains_club_tier_elite/captainsclub/membershipTierDetails.do%3Fpagename=captains_club_tier_elite

[vtcruising]

That was the way I felt last year after booking the Silhouette after only sailing RCI for years. Learning about the ships, the cabins, the restaurants, bars, etc., mostly on CC, was a lot of fun - the people on this board have it pretty much covered!

 

We absolutely loved our cruise and have 3 more Celebrity cruises booked. We realized that this is a better fit at this point for us - we booked Oasis and Allure in part for all the activities like the zipline, wave runner, rock wall, etc. but have been there, done that. We love children (raised 4 and have 2 grandchildren), but I must say that I really enjoyed the adult atmosphere on the Silhouette (only 15 kids on that cruise, who also looked like they were having a great time!). The food and service were a bit of a step up, being in AQ was wonderful and having the premium beverage package made us feel even more pampered. Things I didn't miss from RCI: the announcements (only 1 at noon on Celeb), checking pool towels in and out, having to pre-book shows (on some ships), the smoke on adjacent balconies and public indoor spaces. The things I missed from RCI were: the amount of storage space, separate Diamond lounge on many ships (and concierge lounge if in a suite) and longer complimentary cocktail hours, Central Park on Allure and Oasis (Lawn Club is nice, but really enjoyed the feel of Central Park), the shows, which were amazing on Allure and Oasis (we didn't really attend many of the Silhouette shows - we were pretty busy having fun doing other things). Obviously, these were not deal breakers or we wouldn't be booked for 3 more cruises with Celebrity.

 

I still feel like a new kid compared to the many people here who have so much experience with Celebrity - I learn something here every day to help me with planning my up-coming cruises. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

[debandbruce]

You will definatly love Celebrity and the Silhouette. The ship is incredible and the staff is wonderful. I have to warn you though, you will have a hard time going back to other lines after sailing X. I know we do.

[olemissreb]

Having only been on 4 cruises, each on a different line, I always feel like a new kid. Even now that we are going on our second X cruise, I'm still feeling like a new kid - and we're sailing the sister ship to the Connie! Of course Millie has been Solsitized so it's almost like it's a whole new ship.

 

One of these days, I'll get to the point where I don't feel like the new kid, but then I think I'd have to stop cruising! ;):)

[cruising to paradise]

We were the new kids last year when we took our 1st Celebrity cruise in the Meditterean after doing only Royal. Well we are doing Celebrity again this year for a TA.Its a great cruise line, definitely a step above Royal. We love Royal too, it depends on the cruise I think. Try the beverage package, its great.

[newsier]

That was the way I felt last year after booking the Silhouette after only sailing RCI for years. Learning about the ships, the cabins, the restaurants, bars, etc., mostly on CC, was a lot of fun - the people on this board have it pretty much covered!

 

We absolutely loved our cruise and have 3 more Celebrity cruises booked. We realized that this is a better fit at this point for us - we booked Oasis and Allure in part for all the activities like the zipline, wave runner, rock wall, etc. but have been there, done that. We love children (raised 4 and have 2 grandchildren), but I must say that I really enjoyed the adult atmosphere on the Silhouette (only 15 kids on that cruise, who also looked like they were having a great time!). The food and service were a bit of a step up, being in AQ was wonderful and having the premium beverage package made us feel even more pampered. Things I didn't miss from RCI: the announcements (only 1 at noon on Celeb), checking pool towels in and out, having to pre-book shows (on some ships), the smoke on adjacent balconies and public indoor spaces. The things I missed from RCI were: the amount of storage space, separate Diamond lounge on many ships (and concierge lounge if in a suite) and longer complimentary cocktail hours, Central Park on Allure and Oasis (Lawn Club is nice, but really enjoyed the feel of Central Park), the shows, which were amazing on Allure and Oasis (we didn't really attend many of the Silhouette shows - we were pretty busy having fun doing other things). Obviously, these were not deal breakers or we wouldn't be booked for 3 more cruises with Celebrity.

 

I still feel like a new kid compared to the many people here who have so much experience with Celebrity - I learn something here every day to help me with planning my up-coming cruises. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

 

Looks like you are on the second half of our B2B next May.

 

Here is the thread for that cruise, stop by and say hi:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1594792

 

g

[H2Oregon]

I am sure you will enjoy cruising with X. We have cruised both Royal and Celebrity recently. The one difference that really struck us was the smoking policy. We cruised on Mariner OTS in February (second cruise on Mariner) and the first thing we noticed when boarding was the tobacco smell in the ship. Walking through the casino and it had a very strong smell of tobacco. Smoking is very limited on X and it makes quite a difference in the public rooms.

 

Have a great cruise.

[CathyCruises]

I am in the opposite situation. Have cruised Celebrity for years, know the classes of ships, nooks and crannies, do's and don'ts, etc. But some family members, who have never cruised, said they would consider Alaska, and I happened upon a great deal on a Princess cruise tour--so off we go. I feel like a fish out of water! I have cruised with Princess in the past and it was fine, too many announcements and fliers for 'gold by the inch', but we should be fine--I hope! If it was just me and DH, I wouldn't even give it a thought, but now I feel responsible for the whole group having a spectacular time for their first cruise--yikes!!!

[CruiseImage]

....and I'm nervous:o

 

After multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean (only one cruise away from diamond+) I've just booked a cruise on Silhouette and feel I know NOTHING about anything to do with Celebrity. Now I know how it feels to be the new kid:)

 

:D he he - be very nervous....... I totally agree with the below comment

 

You will definatly love Celebrity and the Silhouette. The ship is incredible and the staff is wonderful. I have to warn you though, you will have a hard time going back to other lines after sailing X. I know we do.

 

You just might never go back...... the current staff on the X SI are just awesome, and you'll see from recent reviews 99% of people will agree.

We've done a few with the SI already this year, and now just waiting for the Reflection (RF) to be launched.

 

Don't get me wrong, we've done our fair share of Royal cruises too, but there is just something more with X..

 

Trust me (and/or us X lovers) you won't be disppointed.

[newsier]

I am in the opposite situation. Have cruised Celebrity for years, know the classes of ships, nooks and crannies, do's and don'ts, etc. But some family members, who have never cruised, said they would consider Alaska, and I happened upon a great deal on a Princess cruise tour--so off we go. I feel like a fish out of water! I have cruised with Princess in the past and it was fine, too many announcements and fliers for 'gold by the inch', but we should be fine--I hope! If it was just me and DH, I wouldn't even give it a thought, but now I feel responsible for the whole group having a spectacular time for their first cruise--yikes!!!

 

Not to worry - first time cruisers!!! They will have a blast and think everything from the ship to the food is fantastic!

 

Go and enjoy.........

 

g

[cocobakerchica]

....and I'm nervous:o

 

After multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean (only one cruise away from diamond+) I've just booked a cruise on Silhouette and feel I know NOTHING about anything to do with Celebrity. Now I know how it feels to be the new kid:)

 

First off, welcome to Celebrity! Next, it's even possible to feel like the "new kid" even as a regular Celebrity cruiser<lol>. It's very easy to get used to one specific ship(or class of ship), and it's both exciting and a bit scary. One of the best things about Celebrity are the staff and crew; they are top notch, so those nerves will melt away quickly. It'll be an adventure learning the ship and soon you'll wonder why you were nervous. Enjoy your trip!:D

[CRUISING71]

I am feel the same way. We cruised with Carnival and RCCL and kinda know what to expect. I am thinking of booking the Reflection and so nervous with everything. Really want to try something new.

 

I am worry about the formal night. Try to get the feel of how "formal" is formal on the X vs Carnival and RCCL.

[DreadPirateRobert]

....and I'm nervous:o

 

After multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean (only one cruise away from diamond+) I've just booked a cruise on Silhouette and feel I know NOTHING about anything to do with Celebrity. Now I know how it feels to be the new kid:)

 

Can't say I'm nerous but we too are new to Celebrity.

We just booked our first Celebrity ship, the Relection, for a July '13 Med cruise. We are long time Carnival cruisers but always wanted to try Celebrity. Having mostly sailed from Galveston, TX on Western Caribbean routes this will be a big change for us. We are really loking forward to the different environment.

[sabookkeeper]

We too are new to Celebrity. We have only cruised Princess before. We will be on the Silhouette in February. We knew exactly where to go on the Princess ships for lunch after embarking and where everything was. This will be like starting all over and we are excited about finding all the places that are talked about here.

[vtcruising]

Looks like you are on the second half of our B2B next May.

 

Here is the thread for that cruise, stop by and say hi:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1594792

 

g

 

Thanks, Newsier, I looked in early on, but not too much going on at that time - now that it is getting closer, it's time to see what's up.

[suekay]

OP here. Glad I'm not the only one to feel that way. We love Royal and still get excited about upcoming cruises (Adventure OTS in 6 days:D) but have been hankering after a change and from what I've read about Celebrity, it sounds like a perfect fit. It just feels really strange to know so little about everything concerning the ships/cabins/eateries/menus etc etc etc. I'm just going to have to spend even more time than usual researching on CC:)

[Kellie Poodle]

BTDT and you have nothing to worry about. Ask for a map of the ship at the guest relations desk. Better - ask for two one for each of you.

 

The maps are tiny and will fit in any pocket. They will be a big help until you get oriented. The signs near the elevators are also helpful.

 

It was really weird when on our first Celebrity sailing we were Elite but we made friends with the other Elite pax and enjoyed our pre-dinner cocktail each evening.

 

You will probably miss the Tutti salad bar on sea days as I do. Not as many silly activities like hairy chest contests, but on my last X cruise that had a lot of sea days, there were plenty of things to do and a lot of crew interaction.

 

Depending on the Celebrity ship, the trivia prizes are better than Royal's. :D

 

The ships are beautiful and the crews are just as well trained and anxious to please.

 

Celebrity does not give you a logo item at the "Connections" party like you get from Royal at the "Meet & Mingle". No door prize either.

 

Don't worry. You will have a most excellent time.