Considering Celebrity

[FTLCruiseGal]

I have cruise RCI, Carnival, Norwegian and Disney before. Love Royal, like Carnival, and am on the fence with Norwegian. Disney -- NEVER going back. I am just wondering if anyone could provide any insight into Celebrity. What makes them "better" than the rest. Thank you and enjoy your Sunday.

[garycarla]

"better than the rest"?

 

Some would say Disney is better, but you have indicated you would never sail them again. My point here is that different people have different viewpoints, likes and dislikes.

 

With that said, we have sailed a fair amount. Just returned from our Celebrity cruise and really enjoyed it. Great service. Food was surely a step up from NCL all the way around. Ship was a step up. Not knocking NCL, but this was better.

 

To get better feedback from others, you need to offer a bit more about what you liked on other ships, etc. And what sort of things you do not like.

[JanineM]

Whether you like Celebrity will depend on what you're looking for.

 

If you like a lot of activity at the pool (activities, entertainment), action in the nightclubs and more of a "summer camp" experience, then Celebrity is not for you.

 

Celebrity is more subdued than Royal Caribbean or Disney. There aren't announcements during the day (just the Captain's update at noon) - no bingo announcements, no reminders of sales on the pool deck. While there are people out and about at night, the disco isn't rocking at 2 am (or even at midnight).

 

The service is good, the food is good (but that is subjective of course), and the passengers tend to be a BIT older. On holiday sailings there will be plenty of children, but because there aren't a lot of kids' activities (like on Disney or RCCI), you won't find as many children.

 

If you are a smoker, you won't like Celebrity. No smoking in any cabins or balconies or indoor areas - including the casino.

 

Good luck with your choice!

[cgags47]

Completely agree with Water Baby. I have sailed Royal for the majority of my life, and have never had a problem with them. Took my first Celebrity sailing this past April, and absolutely loved it. It is a much more laid back atmosphere. You can spend all day napping by the pool, because the music is not as loud, there are no announcements over the PA, and no belly flop/hairy leg contests. There is a nightclub, but it is sparsely populated past 1 or 2 am. I always enjoy the food on RCL, but I found it to be superior on Celebrity. Also, Celebrity offers various drink packages that RCL does not. Even if you aren't a big drinker, there are non-alcoholic packages, water and coffee packages as well, and they just make the whole experience more convenient. As for the age of fellow passengers, Celebrity does average a little older than Royal. I would say that average age was around mid 40's. But this is really what you make it. For instance, I'm 26 and traveled with others in our mid 20's, and we loved Celebrity. I think that if you are going with a group of people, or with kids, then RCL might be the better choice. RCL has more activities that fit a wider range of interests. However, if you are traveling with just one other person, and are looking for a more refined, yet also laid back experience, I would highly recommend Celebrity.

[dgparent]

I am a smoker going to a certain place to smoke does not bother me, as long as I can sit down with a beer and have a smoke I am ok with it.

 

We have only sailed Carnival before - last year - it seemed most of the people just wanted to pay for the cheapest cabin on board and not spend 1 more cent, so the bars were not really that busy IMO, but the lines for food were long.

 

 

 

Whether you like Celebrity will depend on what you're looking for.

 

If you like a lot of activity at the pool (activities, entertainment), action in the nightclubs and more of a "summer camp" experience, then Celebrity is not for you.

 

Celebrity is more subdued than Royal Caribbean or Disney. There aren't announcements during the day (just the Captain's update at noon) - no bingo announcements, no reminders of sales on the pool deck. While there are people out and about at night, the disco isn't rocking at 2 am (or even at midnight).

 

The service is good, the food is good (but that is subjective of course), and the passengers tend to be a BIT older. On holiday sailings there will be plenty of children, but because there aren't a lot of kids' activities (like on Disney or RCCI), you won't find as many children.

 

If you are a smoker, you won't like Celebrity. No smoking in any cabins or balconies or indoor areas - including the casino.

 

Good luck with your choice!

[Kevnzworld]

Celebrity is relatively smoke free, which appeals to me.

I think the single best thing about Celebrity in my mind is the ship and crew. The ships are clean, modern and beautiful and they don't feel overcrowded..

The food varies from acceptable to very good.

[TLCOhio]

I have cruise RCI, Carnival, Norwegian and Disney before. Love Royal, like Carnival, and am on the fence with Norwegian. Disney -- NEVER going back. I am just wondering if anyone could provide any insight into Celebrity. What makes them "better" than the rest. Thank you and enjoy your Sunday.

 

As noted by others, much depends on what you personally like, need, desire, seek and want. Tell us more!! Below are some of my visuals for what we liked last year in the Med with the Celebrity Solstice. Plus, many more details and pictures on the food, entertainment, features, etc., are shown and detailed on my live/blog that has been fairly popular.

 

If we know your "shopping list" and where you are planning to cruise, we can share much, much more.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 112,532 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

On the top, back of the Solstice, here is a wider view of Corning Hot Glass show area, plus the green grass and the unique covering designs for this special area of the ship. Classy design touches and style!!:

 

 

 

The Solarium was one of our favorite areas. Food and drinks were nearby and it was very relaxed and sophisticated. Quieter, too, as it is an adults-only area. Two hot tubs here. Not crowded, especially in the evenings. Nice art and design with this facility. Wonderful setting for relaxing and watching the outside water/shore views, enjoying subtle inside action, etc.:

 

 

 

For entertainment in the Solstice Theatre, it was called “Solstice -- The Show” featuring a European-style dance, air acts, music, etc. Very dramatic and interesting as they swing, twirl and soar over the audience and stage. It is a “state-of-the-art” theatre with these "Cirque-type" dancers being able to “do their thing”. Here is one example of the “air show” put on by the show performers.:

 

 

 

During the Brunch Buffet on the Solstice, here is one of my visual samplings. This is an example for the creativity with the many carved ice sculptures among the many salad options. This includes unique flower carving creations. You will not got hungry on such great cruises!!:

 

 

 

This is a view of the library area on the tenth floor that overlooked the central, open core area of the ship. Not a great book selection here, but it is a nice-looking area with a quiet reading hideaway.:

 

 

 

Super loved it when there were times at the pool in the afternoons on the Solstice last June when the “party band” was going at it with great tunes. This added to the fun and excitement around the pool area of our ship. Just like done by some famous California pop groups, we were hearing “fun, fun, fun” underneath the sun!!:

 

[gambee]

Do you mind if I ask you why you hated Disney so much?

 

 

I love that Celebrity ships are almost smoke free, I will certainly look forward for that. While in our RCCL cruise I always avoided the Port side of the ship for that reason.

[john_galt]

We are usually Princess people but we are giving X a shot because the suites are butlered. I did a Century Suite on the Century many years ago and loved it.

 

No more Carnival for me. There was a fist fight in the MDR when I was on the Conquest in 2008. Too many drunks...

[FTLCruiseGal]

To answer your questions, I am looking to relax. I am basically looking to see the difference between the cruiselines, and why everyone chooses Celebrity over other cruiselines.

 

As for the person that asked why I did not like Disney -- quite honestly, I do not like children. Just me -- there is no need to flame me for this.

 

I think that everyone has made up my mind for me and I will definitely try Celebrity. Like the non-smoking factor (huge plus). While I like dancing, I don't need to dance until 2AM.

[garycarla]

..As for the person that asked why I did not like Disney -- quite honestly, I do not like children. Just me -- there is no need to flame me for this...

 

 

I think it is important to point out that you were not in favor of children - vs Disney - which of course does mean children. But, on most ships during certain times, there are lots of kids. We love kids, but not so much on a cruise. Normally due to parents who have no idea how to control them.

 

Our just completed 7 day had almost no children onboard. If you were to go in two weeks, I would GUESS that would change.

[dadofjessie]

I have cruise RCI, Carnival, Norwegian and Disney before. Love Royal, like Carnival, and am on the fence with Norwegian. Disney -- NEVER going back. I am just wondering if anyone could provide any insight into Celebrity. What makes them "better" than the rest. Thank you and enjoy your Sunday.

 

We have been on Celebrity twice before and will be on the Celebrity Reflection at the end of January. We have also cruised Princess. The one thing that I would say was the biggest plus for us between celebrity and Princess was the service. In the main dining room or the cabin stewards or the pool butlers, the service was above par and that's why we will be cruising with Celebrity again.

[vermonter16]

DH and I have always sailed on Carnival or RCL. This year we took our first Celebrity cruise....and that did it. I don't think I could go back to the two other lines which we have never had an issue with. It is just our preference. With Celebrity, the ship didn't feel crowded, there weren't announcements all of the time, and overall - it was just so much more relaxing. But - it was all based on our personal preference and what we were looking for. Is the cost a bit more - it can be. Is it worth it to us? Yes.