New to Celebrity

[doone]

Thinking about giving Celebrity a try after years of sailing Holland America. We like to eat in the Lido and someone told me there is a charge on Celebrity to eat there, is this true?

 

What is sail away like on Celebrity and how are the shows onboard?

 

Thank you in advance......

Edited February 17, 2015 by doone

[vulcan1971]

Thinking about giving Celebrity a try after years of sailing Holland America. We like to eat in the Lido and someone told me there is a charge on Celebrity to eat there, is this true?

 

What is sail away like on Celebrity and how are the shows onboard?

 

Thank you in advance......

 

doone -

 

While you may be new to Celebrity, it appears with more than 4200 posts you are not new to Cruise Critic. You probably know how to search the forum for answers to your questions.

 

No charge to dine at the Oceanview Cafe (equivalent venue to the Lido Restaurant on HAL).

 

Take a look at the hand FAQ on the Celebrity website. Here is the link:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/frequently-asked-questions

 

Good luck with your first Celebrity cruise.

[doone]

Excellent and thank you. While I am not new to cruising, I still like to post and hear everyone's opinions while searching for info as well.

 

I am glad to hear there is no charge for casual dining, I was told there was a while back.

 

What ship would people recommend for a 10 day cruise to celebrate a group of high school friends celebrate their 60th birthdays??

[dwhe]

Ask as many questions as you want doone, I can only apologise that I can't answer what hasn't been answered already because I never attend shows and always do sailaway from my balcony.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We enjoy sail away from our balcony. The shows on Celebrity are the standard production shows, comedians, singers, etc. On the larger S class ships they have an amazing aerial act, not sure about the smaller M class.

 

I recommend you check out the various ships on Celebrity's web site to see what you would like as a group. One caution, if you want to dine together, unless the whole group books an Aqua class stateroom you should avoid that class. One benefit of Aqua class is Blu for dining but you need to be booked in Aqua or a suite to dine there and suite guests are welcome on a space available basis.

[Lois R]

Excellent and thank you. While I am not new to cruising, I still like to post and hear everyone's opinions while searching for info as well.

 

I am glad to hear there is no charge for casual dining, I was told there was a while back.

 

What ship would people recommend for a 10 day cruise to celebrate a group of high school friends celebrate their 60th birthdays??

 

Hi, is this a Caribbean Cruise? Equinox is the ship that does 10/11

night Caribbean Itineraries from late November until April.......then in

April the ship goes to Europe. What time of year are you wanting to sail?

Eclipse does 14 night itineraries....the other Caribbean cruises are either

4, 5 or 7 nights with the exception of a few "individual sailings".......

This year for example, Constellation just did an 8 night cruise.

 

Equinox is the S class...larger ship, newer.

Constellation is the M class ship, smaller, older. If you wanted to do

2 short cruises, 5/5 you could choose her.

But if you want one cruise, your option is Equinox.

 

Everyone has their own opinions about every ship.....either one is

good to me:D

[Bruin Steve]

What ship would people recommend for a 10 day cruise to celebrate a group of high school friends celebrate their 60th birthdays??

 

Most has already been answered...

But let me chime in on the question of "which ship"...

 

Aside from the Xpedition--which is a special case--all Celebrity ships currently in service fall into two classes--usually called the "M Class" and the "S Class"...

 

The M Class are the "older" of the two...built between 2000 and 2002:

Millennium, Infinity, Summit, Constellation...

 

The S Class were built between 2008 and 2012:

Solstice Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette, Reflection

 

The M Class are 91,000 gross ton ships carrying around 2100 passengers

The S Class are 122,000 gross tons carrying 2850...

(the exact numbers vary slightly from ship to ship due to minor changes, but the ship designs are basically the same. Reflection is slightly larger than the other S Class at 126,000 gross tons with a slightly larger number of passengers).

 

Basically, though, you will not notice much difference at all between any of the M Class or between any of the S Class...

 

The M Class will seem a little smaller--but the space per passenger ratios are excellent... The decor on the S Class is a bit more modern...

 

The amenities are all pretty much the same...

 

IOW, there is no "best ship"...Choose instead by the itinerary...

Where would you prefer to go? Where do you prefer to cruise from?

[TeaBag]

The casual dining on Celebrity ships that is fee based is Bistro on 5 ($7/pp). Maybe that is what you read. The buffet, Aqua Spa cafe (not to be confused with Blu which is for Aqua class passengers) and the Pool Grill (best hamburgers anywhere) are all free.

 

Good advice has already been given on the different classes of ships. When you choose your ship, you should join the roll call for that sailing and "meet" your fellow passengers. There is usually a sailaway party at the sunset bar where the roll call people meet. Enjoy your cruise.

[still-learning]

Excellent and thank you. While I am not new to cruising, I still like to post and hear everyone's opinions while searching for info as well.

 

I am glad to hear there is no charge for casual dining, I was told there was a while back.

 

What ship would people recommend for a 10 day cruise to celebrate a group of high school friends celebrate their 60th birthdays??

 

It's been mentioned but we love the 10 day Caribbean itinerary on Equinox, it leaves on a Friday afternoon and returns on a Monday morning out of Fort Lauderdale which is easier for us and our schedules.

 

We enjoy the Sail Away party at the Sunset Bar on Deck 15 where fellow roll call members often meet after months of chatting online.

 

The Ocean View Cafe does good job, they have food islands offering different types of food instead of one long cafeteria style line. This set up helps reduce traffic as people can target what they're interested in for that meal. There is also the Aqua Spa cafe that offers salads and other healthy options and the Mast Grill pool side for Burgers, Dogs, and fries, these are also included in cost of cruise.

 

Another feature many enjoy on Celebrity is the No-Smoking policy. Smoking is only allowed in a few designated out door areas. No-Smoking in the casino or on the balconies of cabins.

 

Looks like I was typing while TeaBag posted :) Great minds and all that...

Edited February 18, 2015 by still-learning

[CathyCruises]

I think what the OP may have heard is that years go they used to do a seated dinner in the buffet area with waiter seating. It was a $2.00 surcharge. It got good reviews but was ended ages ago.

[TeaBag]

I think what the OP may have heard is that years go they used to do a seated dinner in the buffet area with waiter seating. It was a $2.00 surcharge. It got good reviews but was ended ages ago.

We loved that for a change. It was awesome to sit in the corner of the buffet area with glass all around you and be served a lovely meal while viewing the port we just left. I wish they hadn't let it go.

[doone]

You guys are great, I love to hear everyone's different take on things. We are looking to sail March 2017 to the Caribbean, so excited to start planning. Thanks a million, please feel free to add on if you think of anything else we may enjoy!!

[RMLincoln]

Been on Constellation and Solstice as well as many HAL cruises. Both X ships are quite lovely. DH says he wouldn't be able to tell Celebrity from HAL except he likes Celebrity's pizza better! :) I'm a little more observant and see a different type of décor but I enjoy both lines very much. I do prefer HAL's library. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to take any Celebrity ship.

 

The Solstice class ships have the glass blowing lab up top which is very nice the first time, if the weather is nice. The acrobatic show is impressive but I personally wouldn't pick a ship for it - to each their own. I think the entertainment is just an edge better on Celebrity and the larger ships offer more venues and times to pick from.

 

The buffet has a very large assortment but is mostly self-serve which works better for some that others. The fresh squeezed OJ in the breakfast buffet has a charge, maybe $2.50 per glass. We didn't eat breakfast in the MDR but I think there is a charge for it there too.

 

Celebrity's specialty dining has higher fees than HAL's and more options, but I can't say much from experience - ate just fine in the MDR.

 

Celebrity has IMHO the best "open dining time" system - it's really anytime! They turn tables over very fast and use a radio system to communicate between the seating host and the dining captains - reservations or walk-up.

 

Sounds like a great way to do a reunion! m--

[doone]

Excellent glad to know the pizza is better on Celebrity, now one other question, are there self service laundries onboard?

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Someone has mentioned not to have some in aqua class and some not if you all want to dine together. Same goes for suites which will have their own dining room. Have your travel agent link all your reservations for dining.

 

I took a group on the Reflection for all of us to celebrate our 70th birthdays. One of the women was a big HAL cruiser. She liked Reflection. I don't know how big your group is. We booked cabins together on the slant off the hump (1A) cabins. They all have larger balconies and we opened the partitions on the balconies and had cocktail hour out there every night together.

 

Not all S class ships have the hot glass show, so if you want that (I'm a major fan), sail on the Eclipse or the Equinox.

 

The specialty restaurants are OK but pricey. Look for deals on board. A fun thing would be to have the whole group go to Qsine one night.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Edited February 19, 2015 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[t923347]

Excellent glad to know the pizza is better on Celebrity, now one other question, are there self service laundries onboard?

 

Love Celebrity but never been on any of their ships that had a self service laundry.

[Lois R]

Excellent glad to know the pizza is better on Celebrity, now one other question, are there self service laundries onboard?

 

Nope, none of their ships offer self serve laundry.

[doone]

Thanks everyone, Celebrity sounds like a perfect choice for us. We are a small group of 8, balcony cabins together is definitely a mus. We will book early to ensure we are all together.