Time to switch to Celebrity? Need opinions please!

[jabrown40]

My husband and I have been on approx 5 cruises - 4 with NCL, one on

Disney as well. We are now in our mid 50's and 60's. Just got back from our NCL Western Caribbean trip last week, and were not thrilled with the service, food, or language barrier issues. It had been 7 years since our last cruise with them. Thinking of making a switch to Celebrity for our next cruise. I know it is pricier, and I hope its because the food is better. I looked into Oceania, but the age group might be a little older for us. Does Celebrity have open sitting for dinner, or are dinners at set times with shared tables? Lots of kids on board? We still like to have a good time, but maybe less pool games and forced fun atmosphere. Any recommendations? Will I do better with Celebrity or Oceania?

[micmacmissy]

I've never been on Oceania, but I think Celebrity is a good one to try first. Definitely a step up from NCL. You won't find belly flop contests, hairy leg/sexy man contests, or any other pool nonsense (except maybe a caribbean band).

 

Yes, you can choose either early, late, or anytime dining on Celebrity. You can do tables on your own, or shared tables...you have that option.

 

We cruise without our kids sometimes, and that's when we choose Celebrity. Unless you're going during summer, christmas, or spring break, there will be fewer kids on board.

[kayehall]

Yes Celebrity has the flexible dining option. If you chose this option, you must pre pay gratuities. Which is not a total bad thing. We are in the same age group and really enjoyed our first cruise with Celebrity. Our second one will be in Feb and then in November we are sailing with RCCL. Celebrity had a little bit more adult feel. Our cruise did not have many kids but that probably changes with the vacation/school schedules. And we met a bunch of really great people that we have kept in contact with. Have not sailed Oceania.

[Gordoncruickshank]

We had been on 6 Princess cruises before we tried our first Celebrity cruise in Nov 2012. We have now completed 4 cruised sync have 5 more booked.

 

May be worth a try.

[rjrpar]

Celebrity is a step up in elegance from NCL but not in a league with Oceania. Celebrity is a good compromise and a good value; good food, beautiful ships, and a nice mix of passengers

[Jtm1979]

The last 3 yrs, when planning our cruise, we have looked at Oceania but continue to fall back to Celebrity. Truthfully, we are always "comfortable" when sailing with them. The few children we've noticed are always well behaved with good manners at dinner. (compliments to the parents/grandparents). The age group is a little older and the atmosphere is relaxing. Oceania has port options that Celebrity doesn't offer and that might be the deciding factor for you.

 

1987 NCL M/S Skyward

1988 RC Sovereign of the Seas

2004 Carnival

2006 Celebrity Infinity

2007/2009 Celebrity Constellation

2012/2013 Celebrity Equinox

Mar 02, 2014 Celebrity Silhouette

Sep 14, 2015 Viking Star

[GeorgiaPeach51]

I would agree with the previous posters. Have not been on Oceana, but we are certainly enjoying Celebrity after Carnival, Princess and Holland America.

 

One big difference (and this can be viewed as a plus or minus) is the strict smoking policy. None in your cabin or on your balcony; restricted to a few outside locations...perhaps one inside? Not sure.

 

Casino is smoke free. So if you're a non-smoker, as we are, this is a huge plus. If you smoke you may not be as much of a fan....

[boogs]

I would agree with the previous posters. Have not been on Oceana, but we are certainly enjoying Celebrity after Carnival, Princess and Holland America.

 

One big difference (and this can be viewed as a plus or minus) is the strict smoking policy. None in your cabin or on your balcony; restricted to a few outside locations...perhaps one inside? Not sure.

 

Casino is smoke free. So if you're a non-smoker, as we are, this is a huge plus. If you smoke you may not be as much of a fan....

 

None inside. Smoking is only allowed outside in designated areas. Never having smoked in my life, this is one of the things I love about Celebrity.

Edited January 19, 2014 by boogs

[brady19]

I have been on Celebrity, ECL, NCL, HAL & Princess, IMHO NCL is by far the worst. The service is seriously lacking and the food is so-so. If you are switching to Celebrity you will be very happy. It is by leaps & bounds better than NCL, regardless of age group!

[hapicruisin]

Up to last year we have only sailed with Celebrity or Azamara. I wanted a

change, so last summer we were on Oceania 'Riviera'. The ship was beautiful.The food was good, with lots of lobster and crab, which we love.

But the staff were not at all friendly or helpful, which really surprised us. I do not think it was us because a number of people we came across on the cruise expressed the same opinion without any prompting from us.

 

I would only book an Oceania cruise again if the price was very good and the itinerary also. We have since booked 2 Celebrity and 1 Azamara cruise.

 

Good luck with your choice. hapicruisin

[ads127]

I only cruise one time a celebrity but is still the best. You cannot go wrong on celebrity.

 

 

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[rebeccalouiseagain]

Celebrity is a step up from NCL. The food is good but it is mass produced. I always feel that the food in the MDR is like being at a nice wedding reception more than a restaurant. The specialty restaurants onboard are better then the MDR in my opinion. The buffet items include sushi, pizza, and there is a good selection of international dishes. There is Spa (low calorie)Cuisine which is included in the price. I think you will like Celebrity but it is not gourmet.

 

I have cruised Oceania and it is a nice cruise line but it does cater to 70 plus crowd. The dress is business casual (polo shirts by day and nice clothes at night) but I did see people getting very dressed up for dinner- more jackets and ties than polo shirts. It's upscale. The food throughout the ship is excellent and I would give it 5 stars. The ships are small and intimate. I am sure Amazara is the same- since they are the same vessel. There is NO nightlife onboard. You have to make your own fun in the small casino or in the empty bars. People go to the show and then off to bed. The pool has really nice padded chairs. The cabins are no bigger than Celebrity but have nice furnishings, pillows and comforters. There aren't many on board activities but we did play Passenger Feud and I was the Magician's assistant. I had fun because I was with my family. If you are a nightowl and are looking for bingo and that sort of thing- this cruise isn't for you. It's really laid back. I loved the library on board. I felt a lot of motion during dinner in the specialty restaurants and it made me a bit queasy. I know I would not take a ship this size across the Atlantic or Pacific. It is not a good ship for anyone in a scooter or wheelchair. There are heavy non automatic doors and thresholds where the hallways meet the elevators and stairs.

 

One thing we all loved about Oceania is the ease of getting on and off the ship. No lines and long waits for tenders. Also- you can't beat some of their itineraries.

Edited January 19, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Up to last year we have only sailed with Celebrity or Azamara. I wanted a

change, so last summer we were on Oceania 'Riviera'. The ship was beautiful.The food was good, with lots of lobster and crab, which we love.

But the staff were not at all friendly or helpful, which really surprised us. I do not think it was us because a number of people we came across on the cruise expressed the same opinion without any prompting from us.

 

I would only book an Oceania cruise again if the price was very good and the itinerary also. We have since booked 2 Celebrity and 1 Azamara cruise.

 

Good luck with your choice. hapicruisin

 

It's funny you should say the staff wasn't friendly- I hadn't commented on that but it I know that spa staff hated their jobs. They basically told me so. The only other staff member that perplexed me was a French waiter by the pool area (I was on the Regatta). He tried to joke around with me and was really sarcastic with me all the time- the way school boys tease you when they have a crush on you. I didn't think it was professional at all and I was not remotely interested in this guy. My sisters thought it was funny but I was a customer and did not welcome his "joking" around with me. If I asked for something like ketchup, he would say something like "here you go Princess"- like I was being demanding and walk away. I couldn't believe it. Naturally, I avoided him after that.

Edited January 19, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[cynbar]

We prefer Celebrity and Princess but have cruised several times on NCL and enjoyed those also, but you need to be aware that there is a difference in atmosphere. NCL is way more casual than Celebrity, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your perspective. On Celebrity, the dress code is observed by most everyone in the evenings. On a 7 day cruise, you will have 2 formal nights. The days of the tuxes and long gowns are pretty much gone, but most men will wear at least a sport coat and you'll see more dark suits than anything else. Ladies won't wear gowns but will wear long skirts or pants with a sparkly top or cocktail dresses. It's true that specialty restaurants (and Blu for Aqua Class cruisers) are aways smart casual so formal isn't required, but the ambiance on the ship will be dressier and more elegant than you have seen on NCL where many people are VERY casual in the evenings. The overall atmosphere on Celebrity is refined and dignified, quite different from the energy you get on NCL. As long as you are fine with this going in, I would definitely give Celebrity a try --- the food in the MDR and service may be more what you are looking for.

[Hockeylovinmom]

I have been on Celebrity, ECL, NCL, HAL & Princess, IMHO NCL is by far the worst. The service is seriously lacking and the food is so-so. If you are switching to Celebrity you will be very happy. It is by leaps & bounds better than NCL, regardless of age group!

 

Disagree. We think Princess is not as nice as NCL, but we have been spoiled by their "suite" life. Service was impeccable and personalized. It's really hard to beat, but we are looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise!

 

 

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[Lastdance]

No one can say for sure if you'll like Celebrity or not, but the comments above are right on target! Nothing is really wrong with NCL, but that may have been for a different time in your lives...Celebrity might just be exactly what you're looking for on a cruise. That is what my DH and I found out, and we haven't looked back. Just do it! Life is way to short!:) No, I don't get paid for saying this...

Edited January 19, 2014 by Lastdance

[jabrown40]

Thank you everyone. After reading your comments, I think we will start with Celebrity, and see how we like it. Now, we just have to choose another destination......!

[surus]

Our first cruise was on Oceania. That was about 8 yrs ago, Rome to Barcelona . We loved it and were hooked. A couple years later we did Azamara from Athens to Istanbul and had a ball. We met two fun couples the first day and enjoyed their company throughout the cruise although we mostly like to spend our time as a couple. We are on our 60s and they were probably late 40s. We hit the disco with them several nights, yes there is some nightlife on Azamara. Last year we did a Caribbean cruise on Oceania out of Miami. Not great. First of all, we felt young! Walkers and scooters and canes, oh my! It gave me hope that we will be cruising for at least 20 more years. Beyond that, two of my meals were so bad I had to send them back, and I almost never do that. Also, even though we had reservations in two specialty restaurants, the invites that are normally placed on your door the night before never came. After the first night, we called customer services and were bounced to 4 different people. When it happened again we figured they were just lax in service. When we compared the price of a cruise on Oceania to Celebrity (about double) we decided to give Celebrity a try. We have a cruise to Bermuda in June and an Adriatic cruise in September. We are looking forward to both!