1st time on Celebrity. What can we expect?

[Postman806]

We have cruised Carnival 5 times, RCI once and Norwegian once.  Wondering how Celebrity differs.  To be honest my wife and I are very laid back and we like to be comfortable on vacation.  I’m hoping the Celebrity crowd is not too sophisticated for our liking.  During the daytime while just kicking around the ship do people where T-shirts and jean shorts and flip-flops?  Or is it polo shirts and pleated dressy shorts?   We don’t do formal nights in the dining room so on the other nights are jeans (men and/or women) and button up shirts common?   Is their karaoke nightly?   Generally how is the live music?   Rock/pop bands or string quartets?   Just trying to get a feel for the vibe in general.  Thanks in advance

[davekathy]

19 minutes ago, Postman806 said:

We have cruised Carnival 5 times, RCI once and Norwegian once.  Wondering how Celebrity differs.  To be honest my wife and I are very laid back and we like to be comfortable on vacation.  I’m hoping the Celebrity crowd is not too sophisticated for our liking.  During the daytime while just kicking around the ship do people where T-shirts and jean shorts and flip-flops?  Or is it polo shirts and pleated dressy shorts?   We don’t do formal nights in the dining room so on the other nights are jeans (men and/or women) and button up shirts common?   Is their karaoke nightly?   Generally how is the live music?   Rock/pop bands or string quartets?   Just trying to get a feel for the vibe in general.  Thanks in advance

Celebrity no longer has formal evenings It's now called evening chic. Lots of options for the suggested dress guidelines (listed on Celebrity's website) for the MDR in the evening. During the day on the ship it's is very casual. Anything goes. Breakfast and lunch in the MDR shorts and t-shirts are allowed. Day and evening entertainment varies. Rock/pop bands, yes. No smoking anywhere inside Celebrity ships. You are allowed to bring two 750 ml bottles of wine onboard at the embarkation port. Your cruise is what you make it. We like Celebrity. 

Edited February 23, 2019 by davekathy

[jelayne]

Celebrity is much quieter than Carnival or Royal (haven’t done NCL).  Only 1 announcement a day, no belly flop or hairy chest contests rather pool volleyball or bocci ball on the lawn.  

 

Fewer  kids, no water slides, mini golf, rock wall, etc.   Carnival to me is like Las Vegas, flashy, hyper.   Celebrity is a more refined and understated experience with, IMHO, better food and service.  Entertainment isn’t at the level of Royal and no Comedy Club or piano bar.

[TeaBag]

You can eat dinner in the buffet area any night.  They have a selection of fresh meats/seafood which you can have grilled to your liking as well as all the other things. 

The do have karaoke some nights, I believe.

 

Silent Disco is also very popular.

 

I think you will like Celebrity.

[NantahalaCruiser]

4 hours ago, Postman806 said:

We have cruised Carnival 5 times, RCI once and Norwegian once.  Wondering how Celebrity differs.  To be honest my wife and I are very laid back and we like to be comfortable on vacation.  I’m hoping the Celebrity crowd is not too sophisticated for our liking.  During the daytime while just kicking around the ship do people where T-shirts and jean shorts and flip-flops?  Or is it polo shirts and pleated dressy shorts?   We don’t do formal nights in the dining room so on the other nights are jeans (men and/or women) and button up shirts common?   Is their karaoke nightly?   Generally how is the live music?   Rock/pop bands or string quartets?   Just trying to get a feel for the vibe in general.  Thanks in advance

As with most of the cruise industry, Celebrity continues to evolve: formal went to evening chic (which, by the way, includes designer jeans), string quartets went to guitarists, smoking in cabins and many public inside areas went to no smoking anywhere inside.

 

On the other hand, Celebrity still tends to be more genteel and more elegant than many other mainstream cruise lines. And "laid back" is in fact part of their refined culture. I'm sure that you would be quite comfortable on a Celebrity cruise.

[chemmo]

You will find Celebrity much quieter and more relaxing that RC. No constant loud announcements of the next activity. If you want to know what is going on you need to look in your daily information sheet. There are generally less ‘active’ things happening...no flow rider, climbing wall, crazy golf. Don’t get me wrong, there are things scheduled if you want to join something like a dance class but not all the time. Karaoke and silent disco will be listed. 

 

Shows are subjective but in our opinion RC does have a  better and a wide variety of shows. Re individual performers they are scheduled in different areas during the afternoon and evenings. For example, the guitarist may appear at the sunset bar at 2pm then in the ensemble lounge at 8pm. There is a nice mix of music types. Again check your daily paper....Can’t comment on how good the karaoke is,  if I saw it was on in a venue I would run the other way, it just goes to show the need for a range of activities to suit all!

 

You need on your first few days on board to take time to experience the wide range of bars and atmospheres...For example, the Martini bar can be lively and bubbly, the ensemble more for a relaxing drink with background music and chatting to new friends, the sunset bar is a great place to finish the evening...

 

We find the food on Celebrity much better than RC. In particular we find the speciality restaurants a really pleasant experience in terms of both food and ambience. The cafe (Oceanview) is better too. It offers a great selection at all mealtimes. 

 

In our experience less large family groups, fewer children and more couples in terms of clientele. 

 

Board Celebrity with an open mind and enjoy both the similarities and differences between it and other lines....To be honest we were RC loyalists until we cruised Celebrity and now we only cruise them if we can’t get a Celebrity cruise that fits our schedule.

 

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic first Celebrity cruise!

 

 

Edited February 23, 2019 by chemmo

[Postman806]

Thanks for all of the thoughtful comments so far.  I am feeling a little less apprehensive.  

 

What is silent disco, BTW?

 

 

[WackyWayne]

17 minutes ago, Postman806 said:

Thanks for all of the thoughtful comments so far.  I am feeling a little less apprehensive.  

 

What is silent disco, BTW?

 

 

 

The mainstream cruise lines are more similar then they are different, so don't worry too much.

 

Everyone is given headphones which have your choice of 3 music sources.  Then everybody dances.  But people around you may be listening to a different song, so the timing is all funny.  The room itself is pretty quiet, except for laughing.  The headphones have colored LEDs that match your music selection, so you can tell who is listening to the same music as yourself.  Good fun.

 

 

[OCruisers]

Celebrity isn't stuffy ... just more laid back than the other cruise lines you've sailed.

Enjoy your cruise!  

[julia]

Even with all of the accurate replies you've been given, you will never fully comprehend the feeling of Celebrity until you sail with them.  You will (like most), be in "comparison mode" with your previous sailings, and there may be things you like more or like less about Celebrity.  Each line has their strengths, and we've found Celebrity to be a very good fit. No need to be "apprehensive" at all... their ships are beautiful, staff is professional, and the clientele open and friendly.  The dress onboard is anywhere from casual to dressy. You will not be judged.  Jeans are fine, but no shorts in the  MDR in the evenings.    Enjoy!

[HelenREMfan]

There is something for most folks' tastes. There can be a lovely feel to the live music.... maybe singer/guitarist, or violinist in the Ensemble bar. There has also been some jazz..... Later in the evening there can be bands in the Sky lounge. Yes karaoke too - usually held in the Quasar lounge I think there has been the odd competition to find the best karaoke singer of the cruise.  The ambience on the ship is that of relaxation and for people to suit themselves. I love the Celebrity product and so far do not feel inclined to look elsewhere..

[DENIE]

We tried several lines (Carnival, NCL, HAL and MSC), and have pretty much settled on Celebrity, even though we enjoyed all of our cruises.  Celebrity feels very comfortable, the staff is friendly and hard-working, and passengers are very engaging.  Not stuffy at all.  Evening chic is not too restricting either.  Hope you enjoy it!