Glad to be a Celebrity convert!

[DB605]

Thought I would dip my toe in the water here having only posted previously on the Cunard threads:o

 

We were regulars in Cunards Queens Grill but after some disappointing experiences on board we thought we would give Celebrity a go last year despite concerns that we would end up being herded like cattle as we have seen on Cunard with those booked in regular cabins:eek:

 

As it turns out it was the best experience we ever had on a ship and we have 4 bookings on Celebrity from Southampton and Fort Lauderdale coming up. The service and attitude on board is outstanding and we have never felt so well looked after.

 

We toyed with the idea of trying Cunard again to see if they had improved and went for a cruise to test them out in January 2015, tempted by a perfect short itinerary and $1000.00 OBC. Wasn't to be as the ship has bearing trouble on the propulsion pods again and is going for repairs so cruise cancelled. Having seen the same thing happen with Celebrity ships I was expecting a similar generous offer of compensation but in traditional British fashion I was offered the deposit back and £100 off a future full price cruise with all other benefits not transferable.

 

Looks like we will be looking for a fifth cruise on Celebrity now!

[runner15km]

I also feel so sorry for those booked in regular cabins, the experience must be horrifying. :rolleyes:

[Tommy3putts]

DW and I just did our first X cruise on Reflection. We loved it. As 50 ish DINKs Celebrity fits perfectly for us. The Solstice class is my favorite class of ships...so far.

 

We are doing a cruise on RCI Allure, In 2016, but X will always be our first stop in looking for a cruise.

[Project_gal]

Thought I would dip my toe in the water here having only posted previously on the Cunard threads:o

 

We were regulars in Cunards Queens Grill but after some disappointing experiences on board we thought we would give Celebrity a go last year despite concerns that we would end up being herded like cattle as we have seen on Cunard with those booked in regular cabins:eek:

 

As it turns out it was the best experience we ever had on a ship and we have 4 bookings on Celebrity from Southampton and Fort Lauderdale coming up. The service and attitude on board is outstanding and we have never felt so well looked after.

 

We toyed with the idea of trying Cunard again to see if they had improved and went for a cruise to test them out in January 2015, tempted by a perfect short itinerary and $1000.00 OBC. Wasn't to be as the ship has bearing trouble on the propulsion pods again and is going for repairs so cruise cancelled. Having seen the same thing happen with Celebrity ships I was expecting a similar generous offer of compensation but in traditional British fashion I was offered the deposit back and £100 off a future full price cruise with all other benefits not transferable.

 

Looks like we will be looking for a fifth cruise on Celebrity now!

 

Glad that you have found and liked Celebrity. We were lucky to find Celebrity first and are more than happy.

 

Hopefully you will also be happy over here on the Celebrity board. I used to think that the Celebrity board on Cruise Critic could be hostile at times but I have recently posted a question on the Cunard board. I was unscathed but I think WWIII is about to break out between the other posters!

 

You say that you were in Queen's Grill on Cunard. As a newcomer to Celebrity, I hope that you are aware of the new suite perks coming in April 2015.

[KirkNC]

We find X to offer a good and reasonably priced product.

[DB605]

I also feel so sorry for those booked in regular cabins, the experience must be horrifying. :rolleyes:

 

Let me elaborate, boarding on Celebrity seems to involve very few lines and everyone moves swiftly and in good order through the process. This would seem to be the general experience posted by the majority of people on here? General boarding on Cunard often involves being put in a holding area sometimes for hours. Same process in the same time frame with several thousand people involved from the same ports but with such a different result.:confused:

[Tommy3putts]

Our first X cruise was an 11 night out of Civitavecchia. At first glance it was odd because the "terminal" is a tent. A big one, but still a tent. It appeared to me to be total chaos at 11:00 am getting out of the car, but we were boarding the ship by 11:20. Great quick organized customer service in getting us onboard.

[DB605]

Glad that you have found and liked Celebrity. We were lucky to find Celebrity first and are more than happy.

 

Hopefully you will also be happy over here on the Celebrity board. I used to think that the Celebrity board on Cruise Critic could be hostile at times but I have recently posted a question on the Cunard board. I was unscathed but I think WWIII is about to break out between the other posters!

 

You say that you were in Queen's Grill on Cunard. As a newcomer to Celebrity, I hope that you are aware of the new suite perks coming in April 2015.

 

Thanks for the welcome, and yes I too have encountered the Cunard mafia on occasion!

 

The suite class sounds great to us. In fact much of what is being brought in is in line with the suggestions we made when we were on Infinity last year when they were testing out some new ideas for extra suite benefits:D So I guess I am one of the folks to blame:eek:

 

Seems to be some controversy on the suites on here, being likened to a class system even? The fact that the extra services are available to everyone that would care to pay for them is far from my definition of a class system. If we needed to have attended the correct school and be the 13th cousin of the Queen to get the suites, that's a class system;)

[dwhe]

Let me elaborate, boarding on Celebrity seems to involve very few lines and everyone moves swiftly and in good order through the process. This would seem to be the general experience posted by the majority of people on here? General boarding on Cunard often involves being put in a holding area sometimes for hours. Same process in the same time frame with several thousand people involved from the same ports but with such a different result.:confused:

 

I think it depends where you embark, Southampton with Celebrity was very quick, but in Venice this year with Celebrity it was very very slow.

[dwhe]

...... If we needed to have attended the correct school and be the 13th cousin of the Queen to get the suites, that's a class system

Yea but you need to have attended the correct school and be related to HRM to be able to afford a suite. Edited August 15, 2014 by dwhe

[miataman19]

Going back to Celebrity in January. Had other options for much less but the entire experience on The Reflection in 2013 was beyond expectations. We'll see if the second time will be as good as the first.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Forums mobile app

[akowilm]

Going back to Celebrity in January. Had other options for much less but the entire experience on The Reflection in 2013 was beyond expectations. We'll see if the second time will be as good as the first.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Forums mobile app

 

Also my favorite cruise thus far. We have booked again for January, and are bringing 3 other couples. We aren't doing the Ultimate dining this time, so I am looking forward to trying the MDR. Will probably still spend one night in each specialty restaurant. The April 2013 cruise was so much fun!!!

[seaproponent]

Thanks for the info on Cunard -- have always been tempted to try them, but now, not so much. I really believe the Celebrity "S" class product is hard to beat, particularly from a price/value perspective.

[Lastdance]

Celebrity does offer a wonderful cruise. We rarely stand in line to board whether it be Southampton, Civitivecchia or Venice, it has been all good. My DH and I have yet to cruise from the US, even though we live here as we enjoy the many different cultures of other countries. In our younger days, the Caribbean and Alaska were fun itineraries...;)

Edited August 15, 2014 by Lastdance

[Project_gal]

Yea but you need to have attended the correct school and be related to HRM to be able to afford a suite.

 

No you do not! It just depends on your priorities in life. We choose to cruise in style.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Project_gal

[downsmead]

"Wasn't to be as the ship has bearing trouble on the propulsion pods again and is going for repairs so cruise cancelled. Having seen the same thing happen with Celebrity ships I was expecting a similar generous offer of compensation but in traditional British fashion I was offered the deposit back and £100 off a future full price cruise with all other benefits not transferable." Quote

 

Cunard belongs to the Carnival Corporation, a big American cruise company whilst Celebrity belongs to another American rival corporation - Royal Caribbean. The lack of a good cancellation package may reflect the attitude of the parent company since Cunard is not British (anymore).

 

We enjoy sailing Celebrity and have two future cruises to look forward to, although we do also sail on Princess (also owned by the Carnival Corp). Both these cruise lines seem to try and ensure that none of their passengers have to endure long boarding queues though obviously there are times when this cannot be avoided, and may be out of the control of the cruise line.