Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

What Makes Your Cruise Great?

Montana

By Montana,
in Celebrity Cruises

 Share

Recommended Posts

Orator

Orator

Posted
Posted
There is often such a variation in reviews as to what makes a cruise great or just ok, that it makes me wonder. What makes it great for you?

 

The people, both staff and fellow passengers make or break the cruise for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
WEGL81

WEGL81

Posted
Posted
The people, both staff and fellow passengers make or break the cruise for me.

 

 

Echo this. The attitude of staff from top to bottom can really make a cruise. It's one of the big reasons I like Celebrity. Meeting cool people can really make a cruise as well. We had Select dining on one 5 day cruise and just happened to be sitting next to a couple we really hit it off with. I still think of that simple 5 day cruise as one of my favorites.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
shipshape sam Great Review Rare

shipshape sam

Posted
Posted

Expectation of our cruise and a good attitude when things do not match our perfect expectation.

 

I love sea days and the sun/breeze/ watching the water and a good craft beer. Then we switch to martinis and wind with old or new friends for the evening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Project_gal

Project_gal

Posted
Posted

For us, it is usually the unexpected.

 

Celebrity, in line with many organisations, requests feedback in terms of "meeting expectations". If your cruise is good, your expectations increase each time you cruise.

 

We have been lucky enough for "Celebrity" [more correctly, one person or department on board] to surprise us with something "special" on most of our cruises. As we approach the tenth anniversary of our first cruise, I do wonder how long they can keep doing this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
onespots

onespots

Posted
Posted

1. Always interested in a well planned cruise & all options for shore

excursions

2. Meeting new & interesting passengers from outside of the USA or Canada

3. Happy crew members with a smile. Who engage in conversation about

their background & country of origin

4. Officers around the ship who engage with the passengers

5. Good food quality in the main dinning room

6. Experienced fellow travelers who are polite & likes to share their

experiences with you. Perhaps helping us decide on a future cruise or a

new & interesting place visit.

7. Bartenders that can serve a drink quickly

8. Policing chair hogs at the pool on sea days

9. Good weather, this may have the greatest effect on the overall trip

 

Things may not always go our way... so have a back-up plan to ensure a good time. We have never had a bad cruise, just some better. Treat your fellow passengers & crew members the way way you like to be treated & most likely you will have a great cruise...

 

Happy Travels, John

Link to comment
Share on other sites
chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
Posted

Staff and fellow guests as so many others of you have said...

 

We do spend a lot of time planning, however, and some of our vacations both land and sea have been really enhanced by doing our 'homework'.

 

For example, really researching the best place in a port to try a local speciality (food or drink), finding a hotel pre cruise where we can get up early and watch the ship sail in, finding out about a non standard 'excursion' - a sea plane trip or a local boat trip....

 

Three levels of pleasure...the planning, the experiencing, the memories...

 

The snag is as Project_gal said, you do worry the more great cruises you have how much better they can become.....we were so looked after on our recent Solstice cruise my final reflection was how can 'Eclipse' (next cruise) eclipse this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hvbaskey

hvbaskey

Posted
Posted (edited)

What really makes our cruises special are the ports of call and what we do with them. We love nature and we love visiting the uniqueness of cities/towns throughout the world. Therefore, we try and combine both "when possible" during a cruise and balancing our two passions out. The more balancing we do, the happier we are on the cruise :)

 

Within the past two days (pre-cruise, we board our ship tomorrow) - we saw the beauty of the City of Venice "inside of her and outside of her". We are also staying three-nights post-cruise in Venice, to continue seeing her in both shades of light.

 

This photo is outside of Venice, in the Southern Lagoon where hundreds of Flamingos are visiting (Venice skyline is in the far background):

 

venicelagoon_flamingos-L.jpg

 

This photo is within Venice - entitled "Rialto at Night"

 

DSC_7761-L.jpg

 

To experience the beauty of the port of call in various ways is what makes a cruise special for us.

 

Heather & Anthony

Ontario, Canada

Edited by hvbaskey
Link to comment
Share on other sites
WesternBroncoCruiser

WesternBroncoCruiser

Posted
Posted

I actually just started a thread on this, but for me the most important part of the cruise is the service and ambiance.

 

I like attentive service that is friendly and approachable. I like a sophisticated and non-condescending ambiance that is fun but still classy.

 

Ports are good, but some of my best cruises have been on repeat itineraries.

 

I like engaging entertainment. But reallly that attentive service and elegant ambiance that takes me away from my work and every day grind is so important.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Redtravel

Redtravel

Posted
Posted

A great cruise is stress free. Everyone does what they are supposed to do. People are polite. No request is too much for the cruise staff to handle. Cabins are well maintained with good needs, fluffy towels, besutiful bed linens, lots of hangers, water pitchers and ice, lots of shampoo, etc. there is no need to request extra anything. You have more than enough in your cabin. On a great cruise, all the dining venues serve promptly. Food is hot and tasty. What you order is what you get. There are no lines. Cruise staff are ready and willing to help. On a great cruise, there are enough tables/chairs that you never have to wait to be seated. On a great cruise, there is good entertainment. The real test of a great cruise is people are happy. There are no complaints because everything is perfect. A great cruise makes you want to rebook. On a great cruise, people only contact guest services for information. Everyone on the ship smiles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FamilyMooner

FamilyMooner

Posted
Posted

I am not an experienced cruiser by any means with only two under my belt (10 day Vancouver to Hawaii on Radiance of the Seas and 7 day Western Caribbean on Silhouette) but what makes cruising great for me:

- spending quality time with my husband and teen daughters

- sea days!!!

- good food and drink (that I don't have to shop for, prepare, or clean up after)

- seeing new places

- sleeping on the ocean

- attentive service

- relaxing

- did I say sea days?!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...