Can any Carnival cruisers tell me about Celebrity?

[Dixie24]

I am platinum on Carnival, but have never tried another cruise line. In looking for a cruise in April, Celebrity's prices from Florida are very similar to Carnival and include a free drink package. Can anyone who has been on both tell me the differences?

[ilovetexas]

Celebrity:

 

Food is better. Decor of ships is more sedate and elegant. Only ONE announcement per day, as opposed to all day every day. Dress code adhered to in dining rooms. You do not walk into a Celebrity MDR in shorts and a t-shirt; tuxes are common on formal night, jackets and tie if not a tux. Clientele tends to be older, we are in our 40s and felt right at home in the Caribbean but on the young side in Alaska. Enclosed pool area in case of inclement weather.

 

They are VERY different experiences and I love Celebrity. I appreciate Carnival's price point but am still bummed we had to cancel our Reflection cruise this March. That 1-2-3-Go Promotion is wonderful. We used it last spring on the Silhouette.

 

If you are finding it for a similar price, BOOK IT!!!!

[Cruising Rules]

I am platinum on Carnival, but have never tried another cruise line. In looking for a cruise in April, Celebrity's prices from Florida are very similar to Carnival and include a free drink package. Can anyone who has been on both tell me the differences?

 

Well as as also a Platinum cruiser with Carnival (26 cruises) I can tell you that the difference is like comparing a Holiday Inn to a Ritz Carlton. Starting with the ships themselves for those of us who have been long time Carnival "neon" junkies, when walking into a Celebrity ship you are surrounded by a much higher end decor. From the moment you walk on board and presented a glass of champagne (in a real Champagne flute) you begin to notice the small differences. The wide selection of entertainment, the lice cooking demonstrations and enrichment lectures combined with heated pools and many food options. If I was to be at all critical I would offer that their specialty restaurants are more expensive then most but do offer amazing food quality.

The cabins are slightly smaller then Carnival but not enough to make you uncomfortable. With a little shopping you can find very reasonably priced sailings and you will experience something on Celebrity you don't any longer seem to get on Carnival, you will be made to feel special.

[RuthlessBoss]

Well as as also a Platinum cruiser with Carnival (26 cruises) I can tell you that the difference is like comparing a Holiday Inn to a Ritz Carlton. Starting with the ships themselves for those of us who have been long time Carnival "neon" junkies, when walking into a Celebrity ship you are surrounded by a much higher end decor. From the moment you walk on board and presented a glass of champagne (in a real Champagne flute) you begin to notice the small differences. The wide selection of entertainment, the lice cooking demonstrations and enrichment lectures combined with heated pools and many food options. If I was to be at all critical I would offer that their specialty restaurants are more expensive then most but do offer amazing food quality.

The cabins are slightly smaller then Carnival but not enough to make you uncomfortable. With a little shopping you can find very reasonably priced sailings and you will experience something on Celebrity you don't any longer seem to get on Carnival, you will be made to feel special.

 

my Celebrity cruises were years ago, very nice. I never saw a lice cooking demonstration though :eek::eek::eek:

[ibcnusoon]

Our price of the Summit for this coming Thanksgiving was MUCH cheaper than Carnival out of Florida.

 

With the 1-2-3 Program (we have balcony with free classic drink package and DD's connecting balcony has the $200 OBC perk).

 

With those perks alone, that brought our overall cruise price down LOW LOW LOW, would be foolish NOT to book it! :eek:

[SkyMaster]

I love Celebrity too, but don't really think there's as much difference as Cruising Rules seems to think. Celebrity is ABSOLUTELY a step above Carnival, RCI, or NCL, and does indeed make you feel a bit more special. Yes, the rules for dress in the dining room are enforced, as they should be, and that too, makes for a more formal, special, experience. Overall, Celebrity is a very good cruise, and I'd highly recommend that you try it. I think you'll agree that it's a step above most of the others. ;)

 

"SKY"

[Cruising Rules]

my Celebrity cruises were years ago, very nice. I never saw a lice cooking demonstration though :eek::eek::eek:

 

You mean you never had cooked lice in a nice garlic sauté? What the heck is wrong with you!! You have no lived until you have experienced that dish!!! Sorry for my poor typing skills. Did not notice this until I pushed submit. I hoped that no one else would either. :-)

[Max Circus]

My thoughts (and there are some repeats from what others have said). I love the product Carnival offers for the price they offer. And also am willing to pay a little more for what Celebrity offers. If you are finding comparable prices, absolutely book Celebrity especially with the promotion.

 

Decor on Celebrity more like a fine hotel (although the Breeze was comparable to some of the older Celebrity ships). You won't find some of the "crazy" neon designs on the older Carnival ships.

 

Not as much night-time entertainment or bars open on Celebrity - although we loved the Martini bar so much on Summit that we never had to search for another option.

 

The MDR has an actual wine steward/sommelier - something Carnival did away with years ago. We found this very helpful with the 1-2-3 package where he would always pick out some wines based on what we were eating based on what was included in teh package. He got a very nice tip (which made some other wines outside the package available to us - YAMMV).

 

Speciality restaurants are far superior on Celebrity. Q-Sine is an amazing place.

 

Loved how the MDR menu was very clear about whether an item was vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free. Found the food on Celebrity a bit better overall.

[ilovetexas]

I wasn't greeted with a glass of champagne when boarding Silhouette last March but I had the drink package so I didn't care. Also, they were passing it out during sail-away. That reminds me, when returning from shore excursions in Alaska, we were welcomed back onboard with hot chocolate.

 

I love Celebrity!! (Even though I have been so irritated with their online system as of late.)

 

As far as drinks and open bars....we found the Molecular Bar and spent every evening of our cruise there. We loved our Liquid Chef.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Celebrity:

 

Food is better. Decor of ships is more sedate and elegant. Only ONE announcement per day, as opposed to all day every day. Dress code adhered to in dining rooms. You do not walk into a Celebrity MDR in shorts and a t-shirt; tuxes are common on formal night, jackets and tie if not a tux. Clientele tends to be older, we are in our 40s and felt right at home in the Caribbean but on the young side in Alaska. Enclosed pool area in case of inclement weather.

 

They are VERY different experiences and I love Celebrity. I appreciate Carnival's price point but am still bummed we had to cancel our Reflection cruise this March. That 1-2-3-Go Promotion is wonderful. We used it last spring on the Silhouette.

 

If you are finding it for a similar price, BOOK IT!!!!

 

Did you do the Lawn Grille and if so how was it?

 

Bill

[ilovetexas]

Did you do the Lawn Grille and if so how was it?

 

Bill

 

Not exactly. We went there on the last sea day for a beer tasting and they cooked some meats to go with our beers. Personally, I wouldn't spend the upcharge (I think it's $40 each) since I read some less than favorable reviews. However, everyone is going to view that one differently. We went there for the beer tasting because DH wanted to and probably would have liked it for dinner. I, on the other hand, wanted to go to QSine and he didn't, he thought it sounded weird. You may want to check out some of the reviews on the Celebrity board.

 

Sorry, that's not very helpful!

[CRUZBUDS]

The smoking policy is much better on Celebrity for those of us who hate being around cigarette smoke. To us it adds to the overall more upscale feel. :)

[Dixie24]

Thanks for the replies. Glad to know Celebrity is a cut above NCL, Carnival and RC as I did not know where they fit in. I think I am going to try Celebrity based on the responses. Only thing that concerns me is that I know so much about Carnival and nothing about Celebrity. Guess that is what the Celebrity board is for!

 

One quick question: Is MDR food on Celebrity better than Carnival? I am looking at the Constellation FYI

Edited January 6, 2014 by Dixie24

[CRUZBUDS]

One quick question: Is MDR food on Celebrity better than Carnival? I am looking at the Constellation FYI

 

I think most people would say that Celebrity food is better, but we don't think it is dramatically so.

 

(we do love Guy's burgers ;) )

[2 cruzen]

Our first cruise was on a Celebrity ship and we fell in love with cruising. However, Carnival,is what we can afford, most of the time. Our parents paid for the first cruise. What I found superior is the attention to detail and service in the MDR. Much more formal, and for that cruise, it was very special. I liked how the menu was separated in to appetizer, soup, salad, entree, and then dessert menu. It was like they WANTED you to try something from each category. Now I know you can order as much as you want on Carnival, but the presentation just isn't the same. Plus, Carnival is doing away with many of their delicious soups. Sad.

[Mysticks1]

Thanks for the replies. Glad to know Celebrity is a cut above NCL, Carnival and RC as I did not know where they fit in. I think I am going to try Celebrity based on the responses. Only thing that concerns me is that I know so much about Carnival and nothing about Celebrity. Guess that is what the Celebrity board is for!

 

One quick question: Is MDR food on Celebrity better than Carnival? I am looking at the Constellation FYI

 

The MDR in my opinion is better. The buffet area was a great deal better than Carnival. So good that we chose to eat there on a few nights of our Med cruise as we didn't feel like dressing for dinner. We sailed on the Solstice in an Aquaclass room and it was the best cabin that we have had. Join your roll call as well, we met a lot of very nice people on ours and got a lot of good information from them as well during the planning phase.

[bwg03]

Just got off my 3rd Celebrity Cruise. Such a different experience. I think entertainment and fun are more prevalent on Carnival.

 

Food is definitely better on Celebrity. Ships are amazing compared to Carnival. All around a better experience for older couples.

 

Carnival is much more of a fun ship that is based around parties. I was asleep at 10pm every night on Celebrity as their nightly activities were slacking.. or just poorly attended.

[ccruisequeen]

Going on my second celebrity cruise in march, but what I liked about Celebrity was the elegance and maturity of the ships. Even the trivia contests were more intellectual and challenging. The piano bars and bands were tuned to the older cruiser (not as much hip hop and rap/more big band and 50s-70s pop and rock). I can't wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[riclop]

I am platinum on Carnival, but have never tried another cruise line. In looking for a cruise in April, Celebrity's prices from Florida are very similar to Carnival and include a free drink package. Can anyone who has been on both tell me the differences?

You said you found there prices simular please give an example. Every where i look they are not close.

[Max Circus]

You said you found there prices simular please give an example. Every where i look they are not close.

 

 

I was wondering the same - although the 8-day Breeze from Miami is 749 for Inside - and the Celebrity Reflection is 699 for Inside. So that is close - just one more night on Carnival.

[BubMunkeyBles]

We booked with the free drink package in an ocean view. It beat Carnivals price by a couple hundred if we had added their package plus their drink package is WAY better (premium coffees, bottled water etc). We're booked on the Summit and leave in a few weeks. It came out to about $1500 with taxes and gratuities for the two of us on Celebrity in an ocean view. A good price considering there's lots of strings sometimes to Carnivals cheapest fares.

 

My biggest worry is that it does seem to gear towards people a bit older than us (I'm in my late 20s). But it's a couples only cruise so I am sure it will be fine. We're very excited to try them out. Lots of good info on the Celebrity board and they've all been very welcoming.

[Rogueperson]

Its really dependent upon your personality. Some people do better than others on Celebrity. Celebrity is a step above. Because of that, you have a different type of passengers.

 

If you enjoy the more mature aspects of a cruise such as classes or demonstrations, you will love Celebrity. However, if you're looking for the energy and party atmosphere of Carnival. You're not going to get it.

 

I found the food on Celebrity to be a step above Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Of all my cruises, I found Celebrity wins out on food. If i was 20 years older, Celebrity would be my favorite line. Because I feel like I drop the average age of the cruising population by 20 years just by boarding, Celebrity will probably be a future favorite, but not one now.

[stormynow]

Both in our mid 70's. Enjoy X but always willing to go back to CCL. Just alot more fun. Crew not so stand offish on CCL. Maybe a good thing for the peeps that like to be called Mr or Mrs. Probably trying to say X is just more reserved and formal, which is fine some of the time.

[Sfdtiller]

We booked with the free drink package in an ocean view. It beat Carnivals price by a couple hundred if we had added their package plus their drink package is WAY better (premium coffees, bottled water etc). We're booked on the Summit and leave in a few weeks. It came out to about $1500 with taxes and gratuities for the two of us on Celebrity in an ocean view. A good price considering there's lots of strings sometimes to Carnivals cheapest fares.

 

 

 

My biggest worry is that it does seem to gear towards people a bit older than us (I'm in my late 20s). But it's a couples only cruise so I am sure it will be fine. We're very excited to try them out. Lots of good info on the Celebrity board and they've all been very welcoming.

 

 

Did the summit in November and loved it. There were a lot of late 20/early 30 couples on board. I recommend upgrading to the premium package for drinks, it's 11.50 per day. We did one upgrade and used it for espresso and sparkling water at dinner plus redbulls. The martini bar was great and a fun way to try different vodkas or gin if you like those things. Michaels was great for beer, but the hours were not great. The nightclub was usually busy in the evenings playing lots of salsa, I assume because many of the couples were Puerto Rican.

 

 

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[szq5231]

Agree with previous posts. I cruise both lines, for different reasons. This summer I am taking my 19 year old on the Breeze and I know we will have a "fun" time. In the late fall, my husband and I are going on the Eclipse for a "relaxing" time.

 

I think the food on Celebrity wins, but that's not to say I don't enjoy what Carnival offers. Love getting the late night pizza and the warm chocolate melting cake at dinner. When we are Celebrity its Crème Brulee and French Onion soup.

 

The ships themselves are very different but each line offers a good product and in the end it's all about good times with family and friends, sailing from port to port and getting away from cell phones and computer!

 

Have fun!