Atmosphere inboard celebrity

[New2cruise1483]

Researching mother/ daughter cruise and having trouble deciding on cruise line. How does the onboarf atmosphere compare to norwegian? I know the obvious differences such as dress code/ formal night, traditional dining and being considered a little more "upscale", but I mean is it a more subdued atmosphere? More or less fun? How does entertainment compare? Also, on formal nights, would we be able to avoid it by eating in buffet or in our cabin, or is it enforced in all public areas. Any input is welcome. Thanks in advance :D

[dkjretired]

Researching mother/ daughter cruise and having trouble deciding on cruise line. How does the onboarf atmosphere compare to norwegian? I know the obvious differences such as dress code/ formal night, traditional dining and being considered a little more "upscale", but I mean is it a more subdued atmosphere? More or less fun? How does entertainment compare? Also, on formal nights, would we be able to avoid it by eating in buffet or in our cabin, or is it enforced in all public areas. Any input is welcome. Thanks in advance :D

 

I have been on both Celebrity and NCL in the last year. Food on Celebrity is far superior to NCL but NCL has it all over Celebrity in entertainment. This is both in the main theater and the various lounges. Celebrity is in the process of changing their lounge entertainment to some acts but more emphasis on DJs. I am not some old timer, I have Lady Gaga on my Iphone but they used to have more varied and better entertainment in the lounges.

 

I am also not someone who goes nuts because someone is smoking near me like some people do however Celebrity smoking policy is far better than NCLs. The casino on NCL is like a smoke stack and Celebrity's policy of no smoking anywhere indoors is really nice.

 

Although both cruise lines sell things on board, NCL is much pushier than Celebrity and Celebrity makes very few announcements on board, usually just the Captain once a day. NCL makes them all day.

 

As far as dress code on formal nights, the dress code on Celebrity is only enforced in the Main Dining Room. The buffet is pretty much anything goes except bathing suits and the other restaurants on Celebrity are smart casual every night regardless of the dress code in the MDR. You can order dinner from the MDR menu to your room during MDR operating hours.

 

Hope that helps.

[New2cruise1483]

Thanks a bunch! Really does help. Mom will be 72, sis will be 48 and I will be 31 at the time of the cruise. Mom has ovarian cancer ( which is currently controlled) so the smoking policy would definately be a big plus for us on celebrity. Really appreciate your input :-)

[wallie5446]

Formal is very overrated, tho we too fall in line and play follow the leader. But:eek: you and your Mom will never tossed out of any venue when dressed nicely. Yes, IMHO Celebrity is more upscale than NCL, which we feel your Mother would enjoy a lot.

[Colorado Buffalo]

I have been on both Celebrity and NCL in the last year. Food on Celebrity is far superior to NCL but NCL has it all over Celebrity in entertainment. This is both in the main theater and the various lounges. Celebrity is in the process of changing their lounge entertainment to some acts but more emphasis on DJs. I am not some old timer, I have Lady Gaga on my Iphone but they used to have more varied and better entertainment in the lounges.

 

I am also not someone who goes nuts because someone is smoking near me like some people do however Celebrity smoking policy is far better than NCLs. The casino on NCL is like a smoke stack and Celebrity's policy of no smoking anywhere indoors is really nice.

 

Although both cruise lines sell things on board, NCL is much pushier than Celebrity and Celebrity makes very few announcements on board, usually just the Captain once a day. NCL makes them all day.

 

As far as dress code on formal nights, the dress code on Celebrity is only enforced in the Main Dining Room. The buffet is pretty much anything goes except bathing suits and the other restaurants on Celebrity are smart casual every night regardless of the dress code in the MDR. You can order dinner from the MDR menu to your room during MDR operating hours.

Hope that helps.

 

is room service an extra charge ? We will not be packing formal wear on our cruise but my wife really wants lobster which is served on formal night so room service would be a way to get it-

[suec12]

I know there are posters that advise skipping the MDR on formal night and going to the buffet BUT the food is very good that night in the dining room. Really, "formal" dress can be simple enough, esp. for a woman - I just wear black pants and a nice top. Even husband just wears a blazer (that he has worn on the plane), maybe a tie, and nice pants.

[4774Papa]

We have done seven X cruises and three on NCL. We like both cruise lines, but prefer Celebrity. The food is better on X, but NCL has a lot of good specialty restaurants that don't cost much to use.

NCL is probably better for young people and people with children. However, NCL has more irritations, like sales announcements, etc.

Entertainment is good on both.

 

NCL can be cheaper for cruises, but their excursions are generally more expensive.

[KaththeTaff]

Celebrity calm, NCL frantic!

 

Seriously, we found the food better on Celebrity - the buffet on the S Class ships is better than the MDR on NCL.

 

But there is definitely something about the NCL offering that we like, maybe it's the 2 for 1 Martini deals we enjoyed in the Star Bar, maybe it was the entertainment in the Spinnaker Lounge, maybe it's the afternoon tea in the buffet thatw e thought was superior to Celebrity?

 

But X is our current line of choice because of the bathrooms, the lack of announcements, the Sunset Bar, the Molecular Bar and their Paradise Martini's!

[New2cruise1483]

Thanks everybody for all the advice and input :D. I'm specifically interested in the southern caribbean itinerary, so if we decide on celebrity, I'm assuming it would be on the summit, which look comparable in size to the Norwegian Dawn. It really looks like a nice, not too large ship

[Clydesmom7865]

is room service an extra charge ? We will not be packing formal wear on our cruise but my wife really wants lobster which is served on formal night so room service would be a way to get it-

 

There are some foods that just cannot be fully enjoyed through room service and lobster would be one of them. Please tell your wife not to worry about formal night. No need to bring a ball gown or get out the Bedazzler to paste plastic crystals on the good jeans. ANY nice simple outfit will be fine. I didn't bring any formal wear and never felt out of place on formal night.

 

Another option for lobster is Murano. They do not require formal wear in any of the specialty restaurants even on formal nights. I am sure she would enjoy the lobster in the state room (assuming it arrives hot or warm) but an intimate evening in Murano or something festive in the MDR would be much more fun.

[CathyCruises]

I think when people read 'formal wear' they think ball gowns for women and white tie and tails for men. I bring nice black pants and a dressy top that packs well and I am fine, I never feel underdressed. Men with a blazer are also fine, and how much room does a tie take?

 

I can't think of anything more depressing than trying to eat a multicourse dinner in my little cramped stateroom with no room for anything when everyone else is living it up in the MDR--just because of clothing!!!:eek:

[cynbar]

We find Celebrity a lot quieter than NCL (some might say calmer), more dignified and elegant but mostly designed for cruisers to enjoy each other's company. Entertainment is much more extensive and varied on NCL, the atmosphere is livelier. We actually don't find it frantic but it IS different from Celebrity. Food in the MDR is better on Celebrity but we like the variety of specialty restaurants on NCL, and prices are lower than for the Celebrity specialty restaurants. It's true that on Celebrity, dress code is enforced, but you can get by on formal nights pretty easily for ladies (nowhere near as formal as it used to be) or you can eat in the buffet or specialty restaurants which are always smart casual. But on NCL, since there is basically no dress code, you can wear whatever you want and stay quite casual all the time if that is what you feel like. So, it depends on what you want in a cruise, but to answer your question directly, yes, Celebrity is much quieter with less energy, less going on, less nightlife overall. We prefer Celebrity but have sailed NCL and will do so again if the itinerary and price are what we are looking for --- we just go into it with different expectations.

Edited March 3, 2014 by cynbar