Hi everyone...Newbie here and totally confused

[flyingv4me]

I cruise Celebrity so am a bit biased, but want to try Princess soon. S-class is Celebrity's newer and larger ships while M-class are their slightly older and smaller ships. I love and have sailed both. To get a good idea of the layouts of the different ships for many cruise lines I recommend you Google cruise deck plans. You'll get a wealth of information from different sites. I don't know if you smoke, but Celebrity is very restrictive, with smoking allowed on a few open deck areas only. No smoking indoors or on verandas.

 

We are late-50's and fell in love with cruising in 2012. Trust me, it's addictive!

[southernshug]

We use to be smokers but thankfully both of us quit years ago. I truly can appreciate a smokers point of view and I don't mean to sound rude.....I just prefer to not be around the smoke anymore! Of course hubby is fine with a casino being smoky, as he doesn't really gamble, and said that if it is, it will save him some money, hahaha. 33 years and I still adore that man! :)

[Bbearz]

Hi! If you are brand new to cruising I would highly recommend that you seek out a travel agent...Not just book on line... a qualified, reliable travel agent can help you out with all your questions... your individual style, etc. Look for a travel agent, it will be so much better than trying to read opinions... We have used one for ALL of our cruises- the same one! and have Never been worried!!!

[Grandma Dazzles]

I am sure you will find a TA and enjoy your cruise once booked. The more you read, the more you research, the more you will learn.

 

One thing no one has mentioned, and not sure if you knew, but Celebrity and Azmara are owned by Royal Caribbean. Princess is owned by Carnival.

[SuiteTraveler]

Right now I'm looking at either Princess or Celebrity......any thoughts on those?

 

I have sailed on both of these lines. They are fairly comparable. I will say the Celebrity ships are more modern in decor and I think the food is at least somewhat better, but Princess is still good as well. Where Celebrity fails is in entertainment - which tends to be more of an opportunity for older people to see young attractive people wearing pretty costumes. On the other hand, if you are not into going to shows and want a quiet sophisticated cruise with not a lot going on onboard and you like fine dining and wine and a martini bar, Celebrity fills the bill.

 

I would suggest you consider sailing on a Celebrity Solstice Class ship in the Caribbean or Med unless you plan to do something extraordinary for your first cruise such as going to Antartica, Polynesia or doing the Galapagos - which are more limited on ship choice, but, oh, my what fabulous cruises!

 

BTW, if you tell us where you plan to sail, we can give you much better guidance on ships, ports, itineraries, etc.

 

I've noticed people are recommending travel agents. I want to recommend that you AVOID using one at all costs. You are FAR better off booking the cruise on your own. You can compare online travel agencies to see which is offering the best perks - usually onboard spending money. Look for perks like:

free gratuities

free specialty dining

free drinks package

as well. Then compare the price for the same stateroom on the cruise line's website and across different online travel agency websites. So easy to get the best deal that way and stay in control of your booking.

Edited July 12, 2016 by SuiteTraveler

[southernshug]

I have sailed on both of these lines. They are fairly comparable. I will say the Celebrity ships are more modern in decor and I think the food is at least somewhat better, but Princess is still good as well. Where Celebrity fails is in entertainment - which tends to be more of an opportunity for older people to see young attractive people wearing pretty costumes. On the other hand, if you are not into going to shows and want a quiet sophisticated cruise with not a lot going on onboard and you like fine dining and wine and a martini bar, Celebrity fills the bill.

 

I would suggest you consider sailing on a Celebrity Solstice Class ship in the Caribbean or Med unless you plan to do something extraordinary for your first cruise such as going to Antartica, Polynesia or doing the Galapagos - which are more limited on ship choice, but, oh, my what fabulous cruises!

 

BTW, if you tell us where you plan to sail, we can give you much better guidance on ships, ports, itineraries, etc.

 

I've noticed people are recommending travel agents. I want to recommend that you AVOID using one at all costs. You are FAR better off booking the cruise on your own. You can compare online travel agencies to see which is offering the best perks - usually onboard spending money. Look for perks like:

free gratuities

free specialty dining

free drinks package

as well. Then compare the price for the same stateroom on the cruise line's website and across different online travel agency websites. So easy to get the best deal that way and stay in control of your booking.

Thanks so much for all the great info. We are looking to do a Caribbean cruise. 7 or 8 day

[GUT2407]

we think that if you went on a ship from Celebrity and a ship from Princess, you would have trouble knowing which was which if there were no signs etc.

 

Somethings celebrity does better others princess.

[Host Anne]

Southernshug ~ welcome to Cruise Critic and the wonderful world of cruising. I've been fortunate enough over the years to sail on a variety of lines - Royal Caribbean, NCL, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America and Carnival. For the most part, we've had great cruises on all ships, some better than others, even within the same line.

 

A cruise experience is dependent upon so many factors. If you know what's important to you (I noticed that Celebrity's smoking policy appeals to you - me, to) that will help you determine what might be a good fit for you. But other factors can impact the cruise experience. While we've had many great experiences on Celebrity ships, our worst experience was also on a Celebrity ship during Spring Break one year when the college kids were so far out of control that "we don't have enough place to lock them all up" we were told when I visited with the hotel director. So factor in the time of year (February should be a fine time) and if there is anything special going on over your selected dates. Things like Mardi Gras or St. Patrick's day could have an impact for example.

 

The Celebrity S class ships are beautiful...among my favorites. But we've enjoyed nearly all the ships we've been on except for the Carnival where I didn't care for the ship decor (think plastic eggs on the dining room ceiling and pink and grey zebra circles on the elevators) and there was a revolt because they changed the itinerary due to the swine flu in Mexico (long story). Many people have their favorite lines and are loyal to them. We have some we like more than others but we select our next cruise on the itinerary, ship, pricing and things like that.

 

Finally, I need to note that we don't permit asking to be emailed for travel agent information here on Cruise Critic (sorry about that). If you begin doing research on finding a good travel agent, you'll find lots of good information. In fact, here's a link to Cruise Critic's sister site that may be helpful: http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/travelers-ed/how-to-find-the-right-travel-agent

 

Be sure to come back and let us know how your first cruise goes and once you select your cruise be sure to visit our Roll Calls section of Cruise Critic to join your roll call and start chatting with others on your sailing!

[OzKiwiJJ]

I've been on Celebrity Solstice (S class ship) and Golden Princess, which are both similar-sized ships.

 

Although we prefer Princess overall, one of the negatives for us is the size of the bathrooms and the shower compartments in particular. For that reason alone I'd recommend you pick Celebrity.

 

Apart from that they are very similar. I prefer the food on Princess, I think there is more variety, especially for the appetisers.

 

We cruised in cabin 7185 on Solstice and found that to be an excellent location. We've booked a similar location for our next cruise on her.

Edited July 13, 2016 by OzKiwiJJ

[southernshug]

Again I just want to say thank you to everyone for taking the time to help an old girl out with some wonderful information. Cruising is completely different than just finding a hotel room for the week ,lol.

I also want to extend my apologies to Host Anne for breaking the rules. I blame myself completely.....I should've read everything when I begin but I was so excited to get started that I didn't read the rules thoroughly. It was not my intention to cause any problems and I thank you Anne for handling this will such classy gloves!!! :)

[capecodmercury]

So an "s" class is just a different layout than one before? Have I got that right?

 

S class on Celebrity refers to the "Solstice" class ships which are Celebrity's biggest and newest class of ships. They can take approximately 2800 passengers and are beautiful. You can find deck plans and information on the ships on the Celebrity web site.

[capecodmercury]

After reading and reading.....I think we're gonna go with Celebrity. I admit, the smoking policy is definitely having a huge impact on the decision. I love going to a casino and don't really want to be dealing with smoke while I'm in there. Not being judgmental, hubby and I both smoked but we worked hard to quit :)

 

Have fun, Celebrity is a wonderful line and known for their good food and wonderful bars (the Martini Bar is a favorite of mine). One tip while selecting a cabin, on Celebrity, the balcony class is the "Veranda" (and the classes priced above this).

 

But, be careful when selecting a cabin, particularly if smoking is an issue. Celebrity has a designated smoking area on the port side of the 5th deck near midship. This can cause smoke wafting up if your balcony is on deck 6 above it.

 

The Celebrity Board on here has a great resource that can help you find out about potential cabins. Pinned to the top of the board are two threads (one for M Class and one for S class) that contain reviews of various cabins in each class. There are spreadsheets in these threads that compile the information. A great tool to find out the low down on the cabins that are available, because all cabins within a category are not created equal. (For example, the difference between port and starboard can make a huge difference on some itineraries). Also, remember that Celebrity S class ships do not have an aft bank of elevators or stairs (not sure about M class), so a cabin near the stern can mean a bit of a stroll to get anywhere.

[southernshug]

Awesome info capecodmercury. I didn't even think about the smoking sections! Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever figure this out, lol.

Are these areas marked on the deck plans?

Edited July 13, 2016 by southernshug

[capecodmercury]

Awesome info capecodmercury. I didn't even think about the smoking sections! Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever figure this out, lol.

Are these areas marked on the deck plans?

 

Unfortunately, no and the smoking policy does not state them either, other than they are all out on the decks. I'm not a smoker so I've never searched them out. I'm pretty sure it's standard on the S ships to be just aft of the elevators on the fifth deck (and maybe near the front elevators too) The other areas are the port left area near the Sunset bar and up port forward on an upper deck (near mast bar?). Best option to find out for a specific ship is to search the Celebrity board using smoking areas and name of the ship. Another option as I mentioned before is to look on the cabin sticky. I did have a midship hump cabin on deck 6 on the Silhouette and did notice the occasional smoke smell, but it never got too obnoxious.

 

If you are really interested in Celebrity, you need to check out its dedicated board to find out lots of great info. And, don't worry about figuring it all out. Cruising is wonderful for a pampering vacation. Dinner in the Main Dining Room, a romantic night out at a Specialty restaurant with your hubby, Room Service on the Veranda while enjoying the view, Any or all of it will create memories to cherish.

[morbihan]

Once you have decided what class of ship you want to try, you can then decide what class of cabin you want to try:D:D

 

Then you can decide on what 'free' perks you want to try!

 

I agree with the others about choosing a cabin not under the gym or a restaurant. I never even thought about it. We like the aft cabins. Long walk from the lift but worth it to us. We have been in the same aft cabin - sunset veranda - on Silhouette twice. Top deck on Constellation but not impressed.

 

All we need is that cabin and the classic drinks package. Anything else is a bonus and there are free gratuities, internet and on board credit available. There is Aqua Class and the other that has slipped my mind.

 

You decide the ports you want to visit. See who sails there. Look on the site for comments about the ships (You will find everything you need to know) Look at the deck plans. Check the cabin comments and then

 

 

Close your eyes and stick a pin in the brochure:D

[Cuervosar]

Cabin selection will depend on budget and priorities.

 

Least expensive will be inside. There will be no view unless you are on one of the newer ships that are projecting the outside world onto monitors.

 

View cabins will have a window to the sea.

 

Balcony cabins (veranda?) will have your own private balcony with chairs. (Check with the various boards here for which balconies may have obstructed views -- that would suck)

 

Suites will be larger and usually but not always have a balcony.

 

We are balcony snobs. For us there is nothing better than room service breakfast on sea days on our balcony in warm weather. You can also keep the door open if the climate is right and listen to the waves.

 

Suites will typically smother you in luxury. Read the descriptions carefully and pick the one you want.

 

Mid ship is supposed to move less.

 

Aft cabins with a balcony are highly sought after for the view.

 

One final note on "class" of ships, is that each class of ships will have a different total population on board. Could be a 2,000 person ship, could be a 5,000 person ship.

 

We've done Celebrity and recommend it. My opinion is that if you can swing a balcony on Celebrity, I'd give it a try. We haven't done Princess, but I don't think there is much difference between the two. Ports and itinerary should probably be a bigger factor than line for the first attempt. If you like your experience, consider becoming a loyal customer.

 

Adding an additional $0.02, we've done both Concierge class, and non Concierge class on Celebrity. We had a better time with Concierge. The difference is a few additional perks, better cabin location, and priority embarkation and tendering. Small things matter to us.

 

Once you decide on the type of cabin and the level of service you want, check the deck plan and throw the dice.

[zoncom]

No one ever discusses this. NEVER book a cabin with PUBLIC space above the cabin. Can be noisy and hard to sleep. Also avoid cabins in very forward bow area. Just off a month on Celebrity Reflection. Been on almost all X ships. This is definately their best one, especially the food. Look up ship photos from photo gallery above on this page.

[southernshug]

You guys are the BEST! As soon as I get everything narrowed down, I'm gonna post before I book, just to make sure I've done it right!!! :D

[Cruisin' Chick]

While these forums are a wonderful resource, I would recommend you meet with a local travel agent who is a cruise specialist. S/he will be able to help you with all your questions, give you pricing, etc. Ask about specials like free gratuities or on board credit. Make your travel agent work for you (and I mean that in the nicest way). :)

 

I'm with those who are recommending going into a brick and mortar travel agency that specializes in cruises (some TAs really don't know re cruises -- I was talking with one discount one years ago and I knew more than she did).

 

seriously, ask around. You'll be surprised to find out a relative has just returned from a cruise or a person at a party who's planning their next cruise (I have...the second person was a complete stranger at a child's birthday party, but I didn't need help myself as I've been on several by then). Failing that, google a local agency (Yelp may help) that you can call and ask 1) do they charge any fees for booking or for making changes (don't use them) and 2) if they have a cruise specialist you can meet with.

 

Go in with yr husband with months you have in mind, ports you're interested in (or at least a place you want to see like the Caribbean, Alaska, etc.), idea of budget.

 

Forget "classes". I've been on 6 Carnival cruises and then 5 straight Princess ones, and I couldn't tell you the "class." I do know the approximate gross tonnage of the ships we've been on -- that's more important to us as we decided we prefer 100,000 to 115,000 gt. For us, a dealbreaker is having a self-service laundry as we've been doing two-week cruises lately or at least pairing a cruise with a land stay. Princess has them on every ship but Celebrity doesn't (but it may not be important to you). Princess does have a mini-fridge in every cabin....I don't think Celebrity has them, at least not in every cabin. So it may be a good idea to talk with the TA about features you're interested in (you can go on the Princess and Celebrity websites and get a lot of info about the ships, especially the features, size of ships, etc.).

 

Once you figured out a ship or ships you're interested in, you can look at deck plans if you want to select specific locations for a cabin. Hopefully the TA will help you with this.

 

I definitely would avoid going with an online agency as they won't be hands on with you. The booking agent you might get may have never been on a ship much less seen the ocean. And it won't cost you more to go with an in-person agency. Once you've been on a cruise and feel confident, you can either stick with an agent you feel helped you book a wonderful cruise or try your luck with doing it on your own.

 

One piece of advice: never fly in the same day of your cruise. too many things can go wrong with flights. We always go to the embarkation port at least a day ahead and stay the night, unless we're sailing from the Port of LA, which is an hours drive for us...and even then we're ready to hit the road by 10am at the earliest.

[johnrich]

Southernshug welcome to Cruise Critic. Happy to have you. DW and I (late 40s/early 50s) have cruised on Celebrity, Princess, RCCL and NCL. Based on our experience and what you have stated you are looking for, I think Celebrity is a great choice for you. It's been several years since we've been on Celebrity Summit but we had one of the best bartenders we've ever had. His name was Charles. He remembered our names on the first day and had our room number memorized by day 2 so never asked for our card after that. And it wasn't like we sat at his bar all day. We went there while waiting to get into our room and then for a pre-dinner drink.

 

As others have said, everyone is different. We were RCCL loyalists for the most part until we took an NCL a couple years ago and now like NCL and RCCL pretty much equally. Our one experience on Princess was not good (we didn't Like much about it except for the Captain himself). Our trip on the Celebrity Summit was pretty good but I am a night owl and it was difficult to find anything to do after 10 or 11 pm. On the cruise we went on it felt like we were the youngest people on the ship.

 

Enjoy your research as it can be lots of fun even for experienced cruisers.

 

Be sure to let us all know what you ended up booking. Our favorite Itineraries have been Southern Caribbean ones but once again everyone's taste is different.

[CEOofVacation]

We just came back from an Alaskan cruise on Celebrity Solstice. We are foodies and love the food, especially in the main dining restaurant. We did a lot of research and decided that Celebrity suits us. Entertainment was fabulous too. We had a naturalist for National Geographic Brent Nixon on the ship for various lecturers/presentation on orca, whales, Alaska etc. Amazing. The evening entertainment was great too, we had a comedian the first night and a Billy Joel tribute show that we love. We are recently retired, and enjoy the finer things in life. We just booked our next cruise with Celebrity again in April 2017 and on Regent Seven Seas Explorer in Dec 2017.

Edited July 14, 2016 by CEOofVacation

[SadieN]

Yes, it's not like a hotel, you pick the actual room number ...

 

... unless you get a "guaranty", then it's a bit of a dice roll. Some people do this to save money, but it means you get what they give you, of the same type of room you picked or better. For example a "guaranty balcony" could be a balcony stateroom anywhere on the ship.

 

But generally, yes, you pick your deck and stateroom yourself. I like being on a deck with staterooms above and below it. Look at the deck plans for a ship (many sites will have them) and make sure you are not directly over or under:

 

-- a theater

-- a bar

-- the pool deck or buffet

-- the gym!!

 

(Quiet is important to me--others may not care so much.)

 

 

When looking at deck plans, line up the elevators. By lining them up you'll get a better idea of what's around your cabin.

 

 

Make sure you're not under the galley. It's going almost 24/7.

Edited July 14, 2016 by SadieN

[southernshug]

Yet again, fantastic information! Y'all have been awesome......thank you so much :)

[idil]

I have been reading the boards, info, etc. for a few days now and I notice that the experienced cruisers talking about "classes" of ships. Could someone explain this to me please?

My DH and myself are thinking about a cruise to the Caribbean, either southern or eastern, and I admit, I am totally overwhelmed. I've been looking at maybe Princess or Celebrity? We're both in our 50's and past the loud, party animal stage, so something a little quieter that perhaps Carnival. We also like good food but I wouldn't call us "foodies". I do worry that my hubby, at 6'4 may not fit well in the showers or am I worrying needlessly? See?.....I told you I was lost, lol

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated! :)

 

 

I just came from a Southern Caribbean cruise and here is my review (and there is my view about a party cruise as well) :

 

https://imaginairie.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/on-board-the-carnival-funship-fascination-is-like-living-with-aladdins-lamp/

 

ps-I'm "almost" 50 and my spouse is 52 ...

[southernshug]

I just came from a Southern Caribbean cruise and here is my review (and there is my view about a party cruise as well) :

 

https://imaginairie.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/on-board-the-carnival-funship-fascination-is-like-living-with-aladdins-lamp/

 

ps-I'm "almost" 50 and my spouse is 52 ...

Idil....what a wonderful trip report. Thank you so much for sharing it!!!!

Btw.....I lived in Japan for 5 years. Its an amazingly beautiful country with such genuine people. I treasure the memories I have :)