First time Celebrity cruiser...(past Carnival cruiser)...help

[jessykaw]

I am having a hard time with the Celebrity Cruise site. Aside from the comparisons on guests, I am trying to figure out how different our Celebrity cruise is going to be from our previous Carnival cruises. Please help if you have cruised with both cruise lines.

 

1.) Dining - With Carnival, you have many different “free” dining options open to all guests. There seems to be only one or two upgrade “paid” dining options. From what I am reading about Celebrity, it seems most of the dining options are for a fee or only available to certain cabin levels. Is this true? I am very confused.

 

2.) Amenities - Carnival didn’t really have anything outside spa services that would cost extra. Are all areas available to all guests, or are there off limits area for us “steerage” folks? From what I am reading, it seems to be more of a class system. Is this the case?

 

3.) Entertainment - Outside of dance shows and the casino, what other activities can people find onboard? Is there a lively crowd?

 

Normally, I would find my answers on the cruise site, but the Celebrity site is horrible. Having someone who has cruised with both cruise lines would really help. We are booked on the Summit in July to head the Bermuda. Thanks for any help.

 

 

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[TFLG]

Dining, for dinner you have two free options. The main dining room or the buffet. There will be 3 or 4 options you pay for. The food is better than Carnival. You won't starve. There are two private dining rooms for suites and aqua class.

 

The Spa is about the only area on the ship you pay for, same as carnival. And of course the shops. There's no class system, other than the special dining and one small lounge (micheals club) the ship is open to all. Celebrity has a lot of room categories that sound impressive but really don't offer much more than a regular cabin. Only Suites get the fancy stuff like butlers and a separate lounge.

 

The crowd will be more mature than carnival for sure but usually not stuffy.

 

The entertainment is lacking compared to carnival. The main theater shows will be sorta similar but there are less options as far as lounges/clubs go. The crowd varies, some cruises are lame others there is a good crowd and the dancing can go to all hours. You can run into an older less active crowd on longer itineraries.

Edited February 1, 2018 by TFLG

[jelayne]

It looks like you will be on the Summit. The included dining options are the Main Dining Room, the Oceanview Buffet, the Pool Grill and the Aqua Spa Cafe. The desserts and pastries at Cafe al Bacio are also included but the speciality coffees and teas cost extra.

 

Luminae is the Dining room for Suite Guests and Blu is the Dining Room to Aqua Class Guests. The fee restaurants are Sushi in 5, Tuscan Grill, and Qzine.

 

Like Carnival the spa, wine tastings, shops, art auctions and some classes in the fitness center are opportunities to spend money. The fitness center is available to all as is the Solarium and Pool/Hot Tubs.

 

You will find in addition to the nightly shows there is a DJ playing at various venues around the ship as well as a house band and other entertainers. There is trivia, bingo, karaoke, game shows and Silent Disco always draws a crowd. The Martini Bar is a fun place and the Lounge has a nice sized dance floor.

 

What you won’t find is announcements, hairy chest or belly flop contests, water slides. mini golf and if you have a beverage package you don’t have a limit on the number of beverages you can have per day.

[alcpa1]

Just off our fourth sailing on the Summit so perhaps I can help.

Dining options on the Summit revolve around the main dining room. The restaurant is on decks 4 and 5. Your assigned deck will coincide with your seating option - early late or Celebrity's style of anytime. On deck 10 you will have the Oceanview (buffet) with seating inside and out. Do note that different fare may be available on either side of the central kitchen area. Pizza is on the port side toward the aft and Pasta is starboard toward the aft. At the aft of the central area there is a sandwich station with different slaws, potato salads and green salads. Also on deck 10 near the pool is the grill with hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers fries etc. Farther forward inside the Solarium is the Aqua Spa Cafe with light fare.

Room service offers additional choices and the dining room menu can be requested. There is plenty to eat on your ship. There are three dining areas with a charge - Tuscan Grill, QSine and Sushi on 5.

The entire Celebrity fleet is not as flamboyant as Carnival. There should be a wide mix of passengers in July....more children too than you might find on a two week cruise during the school year. Evening entertainment might not be what you are used to particularly during your Bermuda stay as many will be off the ship in the evening. There are venues and shops and restaurants/bars at the port.

I mentioned the Solarium. It also includes an indoor salt water therapy pool with tables and chaises that every adult can enjoy. There is an outdoor theater on deck 12 and a basketball court.

In essence, there are only three spaces on the ship that are only available to certain stateroom classes and you may never notice them. Two are dedicated restaurants and one is a lounge for suites. Not much in the way of a class system at all. Relax and enjoy.

PS even the most dedicated Celebrity fans hate the website. Cruise Critic is a great way to get your questions answered.

[jessykaw]

Thank you all for the info. That clears a lot up. I was starting to worry that most of the ship was going to be unavailable to us “steerage” class folks. Just pictured us dancing in the bowels of the ship like Jack in Titanic.

 

 

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[Luvcrusn]

Thank you all for the info. That clears a lot up. I was starting to worry that most of the ship was going to be unavailable to us “steerage” class folks. Just pictured us dancing in the bowels of the ship like Jack in Titanic.

 

 

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We've sailed both lines and find Celebrity has a more laid back sophisticated feel with better food and service, fewer announcements. You'll find hand rolled cloth towels in restrooms, only 1 daily announcement at 10AM in public areas by the captain and CD. If you're in your cabin you'll have to listen on your tv or open our door to hear it. You won't find water slides etc. You'll be treated when you board on embarkation day with a glass of bubbly or mimosas. When you return to the ship from a day in port you'll find cool drinks waiting dockside along with chilled towels. You definitley won't feel like you're a second class citizen or that you're in steerage. There will be shows nightly, repeated at 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Occasionally there will be a late show of some sort at 10:30, usually some sort of comedy or game show.

[LBJB2009]

My hubby and I had done 4 cruises with Carnival before going with Celebrity in 2016. I agree about the Celebrity website... just awful...especially when compared to Carnival or other cruise lines site...

I won't repeat what others said above because they have all answered with great detail...

What I will say is that you will enjoy yourself. We were on the Reflection and have another booked on Eclipse this year. Much quieter than Carnival. No need for adults only areas and no chair hogs.....not like Carnival.. by far.. We had plenty of fun and late nights.. the special venues for some passengers never affected us and we barely noticed. We found the specialty restaurants were about the same as Carnival in cost....but quality was way better.. and depending on the ship, Carnival does have a steakhouse, Italian, sushi place, that are all extra cost and to us Celebrity didnt have much different..

We found people even more friendly....maybe cause they are all relaxing and without their kids;) who knows...

We are in our mid thirties and worried about our age and the demographic of the ship and being out of place... We were also in "steerage"..... and we had a blast! Have a great cruise!

[PhD-iva]

Yes, I agree. You will (almost assuredly) enjoy your cruise on Celebrity. You will feel special and rejuvenated.

Avoid the website at all costs!

 

 

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[Jeff90]

You'll have a great FANTASTIC time on Celebrity. We love it....just came off the Reflection and have booked again for next year. We've done Carnival a few times in the past and we enjoyed it. On Celebrity, you will fall in love with everything...you will be forced to relax....it's just simply the best. Enjoy.

[keithm]

I am having a hard time with the Celebrity Cruise site. Aside from the comparisons on guests, I am trying to figure out how different our Celebrity cruise is going to be from our previous Carnival cruises. Please help if you have cruised with both cruise lines.

 

1.) Dining - With Carnival, you have many different “free” dining options open to all guests. There seems to be only one or two upgrade “paid” dining options. From what I am reading about Celebrity, it seems most of the dining options are for a fee or only available to certain cabin levels. Is this true? I am very confused.

 

2.) Amenities - Carnival didn’t really have anything outside spa services that would cost extra. Are all areas available to all guests, or are there off limits area for us “steerage” folks? From what I am reading, it seems to be more of a class system. Is this the case?

 

3.) Entertainment - Outside of dance shows and the casino, what other activities can people find onboard? Is there a lively crowd?

 

Normally, I would find my answers on the cruise site, but the Celebrity site is horrible. Having someone who has cruised with both cruise lines would really help. We are booked on the Summit in July to head the Bermuda. Thanks for any help.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I'm using the Celebrity Eclipse for my comparison.

1) There is dining in buffet or main dining room. Great burgers can be had at Mast Grill. Food is generally a lot better on Celebrity(though quality has slipped)

There are 4 venues for extra cost dining: Sushi on 5/Murano(our favorite)/Tuscany/Qsine. For suites/Aqua class: Blu(for Aqua class) Luminae(for suites)

2) Small area for suites:Michael's Club(bar) small sun deck. Otherwise most of the ship is for everyone. We love Solarium for quiet times.

3) Pretty much the same as Carnival. There is a games deck. The S-class ships have actual grass on the upper deck. Really nice! The ship, however does quiet down sooner than Carnival.(older demographic, but not like HAL) Then again, you'll not see the fights, rampant drunks, etc. that can be seen on Carnival's shorter cruises. Go to YOUTUBE to see the cruise ship fights. Why does Carnival seem to have the most?

Edited February 4, 2018 by keithm
additions

[keithm]

My hubby and I had done 4 cruises with Carnival before going with Celebrity in 2016. I agree about the Celebrity website... just awful...especially when compared to Carnival or other cruise lines site...

I won't repeat what others said above because they have all answered with great detail...

What I will say is that you will enjoy yourself. We were on the Reflection and have another booked on Eclipse this year. Much quieter than Carnival. No need for adults only areas and no chair hogs.....not like Carnival.. by far.. We had plenty of fun and late nights.. the special venues for some passengers never affected us and we barely noticed. We found the specialty restaurants were about the same as Carnival in cost....but quality was way better.. and depending on the ship, Carnival does have a steakhouse, Italian, sushi place, that are all extra cost and to us Celebrity didnt have much different..

We found people even more friendly....maybe cause they are all relaxing and without their kids;) who knows...

We are in our mid thirties and worried about our age and the demographic of the ship and being out of place... We were also in "steerage"..... and we had a blast! Have a great cruise!

No chair hogs on Reflection??? Really? Wow, I guess we must have had them all on our Eclipse cruises!

[phoenix_dream]

No chair hogs on Reflection??? Really? Wow, I guess we must have had them all on our Eclipse cruises!

True - chair hogs are a continuing, frustrating problem on almost all Celebrity cruises. The pool attendants are supposed to clear chairs after being vacant for 30 minutes, but it is a rare situation when they actually do it.

[upwarduk]

The desserts and pastries at Cafe al Bacio are also included but the speciality coffees and teas cost extra.[/Quote]

 

 

But you won’t have to pay for the coffee if you have a drinks package.

[Fishkillbill]

Just off our fourth sailing on the Summit so perhaps I can help.

Dining options on the Summit revolve around the main dining room. The restaurant is on decks 4 and 5. Your assigned deck will coincide with your seating option - early late or Celebrity's style of anytime. On deck 10 you will have the Oceanview (buffet) with seating inside and out. Do note that different fare may be available on either side of the central kitchen area. Pizza is on the port side toward the aft and Pasta is starboard toward the aft. At the aft of the central area there is a sandwich station with different slaws, potato salads and green salads. Also on deck 10 near the pool is the grill with hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers fries etc. Farther forward inside the Solarium is the Aqua Spa Cafe with light fare.

Room service offers additional choices and the dining room menu can be requested. There is plenty to eat on your ship. There are three dining areas with a charge - Tuscan Grill, QSine and Sushi on 5.

The entire Celebrity fleet is not as flamboyant as Carnival. There should be a wide mix of passengers in July....more children too than you might find on a two week cruise during the school year. Evening entertainment might not be what you are used to particularly during your Bermuda stay as many will be off the ship in the evening. There are venues and shops and restaurants/bars at the port.

I mentioned the Solarium. It also includes an indoor salt water therapy pool with tables and chaises that every adult can enjoy. There is an outdoor theater on deck 12 and a basketball court.

In essence, there are only three spaces on the ship that are only available to certain stateroom classes and you may never notice them. Two are dedicated restaurants and one is a lounge for suites. Not much in the way of a class system at all. Relax and enjoy.

PS even the most dedicated Celebrity fans hate the website. Cruise Critic is a great way to get your questions answered.

 

I thought Pizza was on the right side and Pasta on the left.

[TFLG]

I thought Pizza was on the right side and Pasta on the left.

Well, it really depends on which direction you are looking from;) (back looking forward, or front looking back)