Jumping the ship from NCL to Celebrity

[dmp223]

Here are some photos of the cabanas at Coco Cay for suite guests:

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/128581486@N04/pR43W0

 

[Tiggertastic]

To add Luminae will make your DD a small Birthday cake:)

 

 

All restaurants will make you a free cake if you mention its your birthday or anniversary

 

 

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[gwsster]

Our first Celebrity cruise will happen in September of 2017. We have found that the price gap (the gap, not the affordability) between cruise lines has lessened making sailing on different cruise lines an viable option for us. We generally sail NCL but have been on Princess and Disney and now waiting to try Celebrity. We found a great price on an Alaskan cruise in September in a sweet 16 cabin so grabbed it. We will be sailing with friends on this cruise and can't wait to experience this cruise line.

[luv2cruisecats]

For all of us who are "value cruisers" but enjoy a high level of service/flexibility do not overlook booking in AQ to have access to Blu dining. True it is definitely not eating in Luminae, Murano, or even Tuscan on X but the service level can be outstanding given having one of the better head waiters. Do not forget you can also buy up to these other specialty restaurants and if you know how to negotiate you may get a decent deal.You also will need to reserve one of the cabana cubicles for the daytime if this degree of isolation is important to you and you do not enjoy meeting new folks.

 

We do X to NCL at about a 3:1 ratio because we have not been on a cruise without prepaid drinks and gratuities for probably 4 years. We love sea days so when doing a Transatlantic are pretty much limited to NCL for these. Other than these we always go AQ on X. Our favorite ships are essentially all the S class.

 

I am a bit surprised by the OP's comments about the Haven suites on NCL (we have never tried these since we are, as I said, "value cruisers") as many posters on this site state that suites/perks on X are not quite as good as Haven on NCL. Strange...

[getaway4fun]

When you embark your butler will sit down with you and explain his services and take any special requests. Ours were small (water in the room each day, down pillows, coffee service at 7 am). He will get menus for you as well.

 

 

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Thank you so much for your thoughtful answer. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. :)

[getaway4fun]

For all of us who are "value cruisers" but enjoy a high level of service/flexibility do not overlook booking in AQ to have access to Blu dining. True it is definitely not eating in Luminae, Murano, or even Tuscan on X but the service level can be outstanding given having one of the better head waiters. Do not forget you can also buy up to these other specialty restaurants and if you know how to negotiate you may get a decent deal.You also will need to reserve one of the cabana cubicles for the daytime if this degree of isolation is important to you and you do not enjoy meeting new folks.

 

We do X to NCL at about a 3:1 ratio because we have not been on a cruise without prepaid drinks and gratuities for probably 4 years. We love sea days so when doing a Transatlantic are pretty much limited to NCL for these. Other than these we always go AQ on X. Our favorite ships are essentially all the S class.

 

I am a bit surprised by the OP's comments about the Haven suites on NCL (we have never tried these since we are, as I said, "value cruisers") as many posters on this site state that suites/perks on X are not quite as good as Haven on NCL. Strange...

 

Not sure why you posted this on my thread. I do not believe that I, in any way, said that i wanted to isolate myself and in fact, I do enjoy meeting new people, but it is my holiday and sometimes it is nice to just sit and read my book without being interrupted. I simply wanted more info on the Suites since we booked a Royal Suite and have never cruised Celebrity before. Having sailed NCL and been in the Haven 4 times, I believe I am allowed to have an opinion on the perks and service and really just wanted a few simple questions answered by someone that has experienced the Suite perks/service on Celebrity.

[getaway4fun]

All restaurants will make you a free cake if you mention its your birthday or anniversary

 

 

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Thank you so much! DD will enjoy having cake and possibly the attention surrounding getting the cake.;)

[getaway4fun]

Here are some photos of the cabanas at Coco Cay for suite guests:

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/128581486@N04/pR43W0

 

 

The cabanas look wonderful, but unfortunately we aren't going to Coco Cay. Maybe next cruise with Celebrity!!:D

[getaway4fun]

Our first Celebrity cruise will happen in September of 2017. We have found that the price gap (the gap, not the affordability) between cruise lines has lessened making sailing on different cruise lines an viable option for us. We generally sail NCL but have been on Princess and Disney and now waiting to try Celebrity. We found a great price on an Alaskan cruise in September in a sweet 16 cabin so grabbed it. We will be sailing with friends on this cruise and can't wait to experience this cruise line.

 

Hope you have a fabulous cruise! We priced an equivalent suite on NCL to the one that we booked on Celebrity and it was $4000 more which I think is crazy. Having not been thrilled with our Owners' Suite or food in general on our last cruise, plus the price difference, we felt it was time to branch out and try something new. :)

[getaway4fun]

We're platinum on NCL, as well. All cruises in the Haven. Unfortunately, our last couple of cruises on NCL were not up to par and have also moved on. We've sailed X five times in suites and love it. The RS is our preferred category and has a much larger balcony than most Haven rooms. The only downside is no reserved outside area for suites. We book an Alcove for the entire cruise and it has worked well for us. It provides a guaranteed spot for us to hang out every day without the noise around the pool deck. However, if quick access to the pool is important to you, the Alcoves will not be a good choice. They're located a deck above the pool surrounding the Lawn Club.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise. We have found the restaurants and overall feel of X a notch nicer than the Haven on NCL and haven't looked back.

 

Fantastic tip- thank you! I booked the Alcove for the week as a nice little respite from the pool area. Sorry to hear that your experience with NCL was on par with ours. I hate to lose the Platinum perks, but sometimes change is a good thing. The food looks amazing and I have already warned our friends that there will be lots of food pics being posted to social media.:D

[getaway4fun]

Be sure to avail yourself to Michael's Club dedicated to suite passengers. You will find the bartender and concierge most accommodating, and a peaceful atmosphere if it suits you, or should I say if it suites you?

 

Sounds like a great place to meet people and to partake in a cocktail or two (maybe three!) Thanks for the tip!:)

[getaway4fun]

We are platinum on NCL and 2 of our 3 booked cruises are in suites on X. We have sailed exclusively in suites for the past 15 years but are disappointed in the overall NCL experience (dining, etc) and decided the time is now to try X. We have a corner AFT suite for our next 2 cruises and looking forward to it! We also booked Alcove for 2 days

 

 

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Hope you have a fabulous cruise! Please come back and let us know how it went and if you have any inside tips that you care to share. It is a real shame to hear that you too have jumped ship from NCL. We were so happy with them up until our last two cruises and have just felt the food has suffered. We are big foodies and that is such a treasured part of our holiday. We are looking forward to seeing what Celebrity has to offer. I did take the tip from another kind post to my initial question and booked the Alcove for the week. I think it will be a nice respite when we want to just relax and escape some of the Spring Break crowds.

[getaway4fun]

My DD18 Foodie loves Murano table side prep of food[/quote

 

If your daughter is a serious foodie, avoid Qsine. Very unsophisticated dishes. Go for Murano.

 

I hope you enjoy the Celebrity suite experience. This past fall we spent 30+ nights in a suite on the Solstice and felt very pampered indeed.

 

But regarding the DD's birthday dinner the specialty restaurant menus are available in several locations on the ship, including in Michael's Club. She may find one menu particularly appealing.

 

Thank you all for your wonderful information! Going to wait until we are onboard and able to see all of the menus before deciding on the venue for her celebration. Although she would probably not mind celebrating at every meal - LOL! :D

[dmp223]

The cabanas look wonderful, but unfortunately we aren't going to Coco Cay. Maybe next cruise with Celebrity!!:D

 

I was actually responding to another poster's queries about the cabanas:

 

Thank you all for answering our numerous questions. Your thoughtfulness makes our experiences so much better, I appreciate it!

We have an aft suite booked in April and I have a question about Coco Cay. Is there a seperate area for suite guests? Should we book a cabana/bungalow or do these or loungers come in the suite area if there is one?

Thank you!

[getaway4fun]

I was actually responding to another poster's queries about the cabanas:

 

No worries! Subject that I originally posted about kinda got lost with their post. Still all good info for when we cruise to Coco Bay.:)

[Shadow9612]

I did take the tip from another kind post to my initial question and booked the Alcove for the week. I think it will be a nice respite...

 

Could someone elaborate more about the Alcove. I believe I have seen these around the lawn club, but how are they reserved and are they only for suite guests? Thank you.

[champagne123]

Could someone elaborate more about the Alcove. I believe I have seen these around the lawn club, but how are they reserved and are they only for suite guests? Thank you.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com.au/life-on-board/onboard-facilities/restaurants-cafes/speciality-dining/the-alcoves/

[gwsster]

We booked on a black Friday sale and saved $700 PP over the posted rate. The rate has never dropped to that great price again. Our friends decided to book too! That being said, I love any cruise...am not a Foodie and like the vacation casual atmosphere of NCL. We will book on any cruise line that has an itinerary and a price that meets our goals. We love to find a great booking bargain which are harder to find now.

 

 

 

Hope you have a fabulous cruise! We priced an equivalent suite on NCL to the one that we booked on Celebrity and it was $4000 more which I think is crazy. Having not been thrilled with our Owners' Suite or food in general on our last cruise, plus the price difference, we felt it was time to branch out and try something new. :)

[Merriem]

Our first of 40 cruises was on NCL, and we are platinum with them. However they have in our opinion really gone down hill, and would never go on one of their ships. We like Celebrity. They have an excellent product, and since we book suites the perks are outstanding. Spending time on vacation is great, but ever cruise isn't . Different requirements for different people.

[getaway4fun]

We booked on a black Friday sale and saved $700 PP over the posted rate. The rate has never dropped to that great price again. Our friends decided to book too! That being said, I love any cruise...am not a Foodie and like the vacation casual atmosphere of NCL. We will book on any cruise line that has an itinerary and a price that meets our goals. We love to find a great booking bargain which are harder to find now.

 

Love me a good sale! Well done - $700 is a worthy "push to book" kinda deal. Until I am an empty nester, I am stuck with school holiday cruising so deals are not very plentiful. Looking forward to doing other cruise lines at off times and snagging a bargain or two. I have no doubt that we will end up on another NCL cruise when the price (and itinerary) are right. :)