First time on Celebrity!

[sarlin]

Hello All!  For my retirement cruise we have just booked the Celebrity Edge!  I am so excited.  I retire this Fall-I'm a Teacher-but we decided not to go until Dec. 3 2021.  We have cruised NCL, Royal, and Carnival (never again).  We have stuck with NCL because we keep getting perks but we decided on something different this time around.  Anyway I'm usually a "lurker" on these boards so I'll "see" you all around.

 

If you have any tips for a first time Celebrity cruiser let me know!

Toni

 

[Spif Barwunkel]

15 minutes ago, sarlin said:

Hello All!  For my retirement cruise we have just booked the Celebrity Edge!  I am so excited.  I retire this Fall-I'm a Teacher-but we decided not to go until Dec. 3 2021.  We have cruised NCL, Royal, and Carnival (never again).  We have stuck with NCL because we keep getting perks but we decided on something different this time around.  Anyway I'm usually a "lurker" on these boards so I'll "see" you all around.

 

If you have any tips for a first time Celebrity cruiser let me know!

Toni

 

You will enjoy Celebrity. You have chosen Edge as your initial X ship. The first of a new class of ship in the fleet, she presents somewhat differently than the other classes. I think in a good way. Having sailed all classes of the X fleet - like many on this forum - the Edge draws rave reviews from some and is vilified by others. She is lovely, well appointed and subtly sophisticated. Some of the entertainment is like none other seen on X and public spaces offer new looks. The Infinite Veranda cabin (our choice when we sailed) is a new twist on an old theme. Again, some folks got it and some did not. Granted, for seasoned Celebrity cruisers Edge is very different. That radical a change is not appreciated by everyone. That's cool, there are many other beautiful X ships to enjoy.

 

Most importantly the Celebrity vibe is there, good service, good food, friendly crew and good fun. I believe your introduction to Celebrity is well chosen. If you enjoy your experience, be sure to try as many ships as possible and have a good time.

 

When next you cruise, only the best of times.       

[grandgeezer]

I don't think anybody can give you an accurate answer of this question. With the changes brought on due to the virus and the financial burden put on the lines having to shutdown for 4 1/2 months so far, things will be drastically different for quite awhile. Social distancing will have a major effect, if they enforce it.

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, sarlin said:

Hello All!  For my retirement cruise we have just booked the Celebrity Edge!  I am so excited.  I retire this Fall-I'm a Teacher-but we decided not to go until Dec. 3 2021.  We have cruised NCL, Royal, and Carnival (never again).  We have stuck with NCL because we keep getting perks but we decided on something different this time around.  Anyway I'm usually a "lurker" on these boards so I'll "see" you all around.

 

If you have any tips for a first time Celebrity cruiser let me know!

Toni

 

Provide Celebrity's Captains Club (1-800-760-0654) with you RCs Crown and Anchor numbers. The Captains Club and CAS tier levels are reciprocal up to elite (Celebrity) and diamond (RC). 

Edited June 8, 2020 by davekathy

[pumpkin 11]

The celebrity crew is excellent

[Pinboy]

22 hours ago, sarlin said:

Hello All!  For my retirement cruise we have just booked the Celebrity Edge!  I am so excited.  I retire this Fall-I'm a Teacher-but we decided not to go until Dec. 3 2021.  We have cruised NCL, Royal, and Carnival (never again).  We have stuck with NCL because we keep getting perks but we decided on something different this time around.  Anyway I'm usually a "lurker" on these boards so I'll "see" you all around.

 

If you have any tips for a first time Celebrity cruiser let me know!

Toni

 

Assuming and hoping all the " restrictions " will be removed by the time of your cruise , and things are as we are used to,  I'm sure you will become a loyal Celebrity cruiser as most are on this site.

From our experience, the service , cleanliness of the ship , the ambiance on board, and --- the Food has been outstanding .

Really, I can't remember anything we had a complaint about in all the cruises we took.

( I'm surprised myself by this comment, but, it's true ). 

LOL---Oops, I just thought of the guy with the big cowboy hat , a loud mouth , and a " honey " 40 yrs younger than him in Murano .  

 

 

 

[txtechmk]

We chose a Celebrity cruise sailing in the Mediterranean a few years ago after my husband retired.  At the time we had sailed on many different cruise lines, but never Celebrity.  Well, we are hooked!  Loved the service and the food.  The cruise couldn't have been any better.  We are looking at a Baltic Sea cruise next.....after the pandemic.

[Georgia_Peaches]

First, congratulations on your upcoming retirement.  As a retired educator myself, I can tell you that nothing beats the feeling of not having to schedule your potty breaks around a bell schedule or your vacations around a school calendar!!  You are going to love it!

 

Celebrity is one of our go-to cruise lines.  We think the Celebrity product is among the best and have also done a lot of NCL and RCL cruises as well.  Celebrity has a more laid back but upscale feel without being stuffy.  I haven't been on Edge yet but think you picked a great ship to get your feet wet with the Celebrity experience.  If you can find a good deal, I highly recommend an Aqua class cabin or even a suite if you're going for a splurge.  You can't beat the amenities offered in either.  Don't get me wrong, you'll have a great time in any category!

 

Having said all that, be advised that the evening entertainment on Celebrity is much more subdued than what you will find on the others.  Be prepared for live music in areas about the ship, some atrium dancing, a production show, a comedy show...the usual things but just more scaled down.  We enjoy the productions shows and the casino...all smoke free.  

 

 

[ready2cruzagain]

On 6/8/2020 at 12:14 PM, sarlin said:

Hello All!  For my retirement cruise we have just booked the Celebrity Edge!  I am so excited.  I retire this Fall-I'm a Teacher-but we decided not to go until Dec. 3 2021.  We have cruised NCL, Royal, and Carnival (never again).  We have stuck with NCL because we keep getting perks but we decided on something different this time around.  Anyway I'm usually a "lurker" on these boards so I'll "see" you all around.

 

If you have any tips for a first time Celebrity cruiser let me know!

Toni

 

 

Hey, I am on that cruise and the one after that one!  We already have a roll call, you should join!

[sarlin]

On 6/8/2020 at 2:44 PM, davekathy said:

Provide Celebrity's Captains Club (1-800-760-0654) with you RCs Crown and Anchor numbers. The Captains Club and CAS tier levels are reciprocal up to elite (Celebrity) and diamond (RC). 

 

Good to know! I will do that-Thanks

[sarlin]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

First, congratulations on your upcoming retirement.  As a retired educator myself, I can tell you that nothing beats the feeling of not having to schedule your potty breaks around a bell schedule or your vacations around a school calendar!!  You are going to love it!

 

Celebrity is one of our go-to cruise lines.  We think the Celebrity product is among the best and have also done a lot of NCL and RCL cruises as well.  Celebrity has a more laid back but upscale feel without being stuffy.  I haven't been on Edge yet but think you picked a great ship to get your feet wet with the Celebrity experience.  If you can find a good deal, I highly recommend an Aqua class cabin or even a suite if you're going for a splurge.  You can't beat the amenities offered in either.  Don't get me wrong, you'll have a great time in any category!

 

Having said all that, be advised that the evening entertainment on Celebrity is much more subdued than what you will find on the others.  Be prepared for live music in areas about the ship, some atrium dancing, a production show, a comedy show...the usual things but just more scaled down.  We enjoy the productions shows and the casino...all smoke free.  

 

 

I'm really excited to retire now. This cruise will be something to look forward to.

[PROCRUISE]

I suspect you will be very pleased with Celebrity. Have cruised with: HAL, X, RCCL, NCL, Princess, CCL, Viking Ocean and Windstar. Can honesty say I've never been on a "bad" cruise including NCL and CCL. However, after my first cruise on the Celebrity Equinox (my favorite X vessel) I was hooked. I still cruise with other lines but always seem to come back to Celebrity. You will too, most likely. Enjoy!

[FOXTROT]

We did our first Celebrity cruise in March. It will also be our last. 

[clackey]

If they don't get cancelled we will have our 19th and 20th cruises this fall.  Number 20 will be our first on Celebrity.. Really looking forward to it.  11 night Southern.  YEAH!

[DENIE]

Congratulations on your first Celebrity cruise.  They have become our line of choice, and our next one is booked on the Reflection for August 2021 (Baltic cruise).  Haven't tried the Edge-class yet, but would love to.  You will enjoy!  The Celebrity staff on each of the ships we have been on have been great!

[chemmo]

Congratulations on your retirement!

 

You will find Celebrity Cruises much quieter than RC, a focus more on rest and relaxation than action and adventure. We find the food across the board better, everything from the buffet to the speciality restaurants.

 

Please ensure you have researched your room category well as on Edge rooms are quite innovative.  For example, the infinity veranda rooms are not traditional balcony rooms.  I am not say they are better or worse, simply different. I have recently been researching some suite rooms and found You Tube videos far more useful indicating layout/space that flat pictures.

[Saturngrl]

May I echo everyone's congratulations on your retirement?  I have sailed Carnival (blecch), RC and Celebrity.  I LOVE Celebrity!  In addition to the other posts,  Celebrity's passenger contingent is a little older (middle age and up), with fewer children on board, and tend to be better-behaved than the other cruise lines.   

 

If you can live without rock-climbing walls, hairy chest contests,  and ice-skating shows, you will like Celebrity! 

[TeeRick]

On 6/8/2020 at 1:05 PM, Spif Barwunkel said:

You will enjoy Celebrity. You have chosen Edge as your initial X ship. The first of a new class of ship in the fleet, she presents somewhat differently than the other classes. I think in a good way. Having sailed all classes of the X fleet - like many on this forum - the Edge draws rave reviews from some and is vilified by others. She is lovely, well appointed and subtly sophisticated. Some of the entertainment is like none other seen on X and public spaces offer new looks. The Infinite Veranda cabin (our choice when we sailed) is a new twist on an old theme. Again, some folks got it and some did not. Granted, for seasoned Celebrity cruisers Edge is very different. That radical a change is not appreciated by everyone. That's cool, there are many other beautiful X ships to enjoy.

 

Most importantly the Celebrity vibe is there, good service, good food, friendly crew and good fun. I believe your introduction to Celebrity is well chosen. If you enjoy your experience, be sure to try as many ships as possible and have a good time.

 

When next you cruise, only the best of times.       

I totally agree with Spif's comments.  Congrats on retiring and hopefully a return to cruising with great cruise on Edge.  By Dec 2021 hopefully there will be a new normal in cruising with a lot of the early rough "edges" gone. 😄

[diamondintn]

Congrats on your retirement! My hubby is retiring in April 2021, The clock is ticking and we can hardly wait until April 9th to board Reflection to go island hopping!

This is our 2nd time on Reflection and the best part of our cruise is the crew, hands down. They do all they can to ensure that you enjoy your cruise. 

[davekathy]

12 hours ago, FOXTROT said:

We did our first Celebrity cruise in March. It will also be our last. 

Bon Voyage...🥂

[FOXTROT]

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Bon Voyage...🚫

Should have said last on Celebrity. Was not worth the extra money. I know RCL owns them, we enjoy RCL much more. The food was not better, entertainment was not any better, the Elite Lounge was a joke & service was definitely not any better. 

Edited June 10, 2020 by FOXTROT
added information

[davekathy]

14 minutes ago, FOXTROT said:

Should have said last on Celebrity. Was not worth the extra money. I know RCL owns them, we enjoy RCL much more. The food was not better, entertainment was not any better, the Elite Lounge was a joke & service was definitely not any better. 

This is why we would never book a cruise line, ship or itinerary based on someones positive or negative experiences or opinions.  One persons floor is another persons ceiling. We cruise both Celebrity and RC and like the differences and similarities between each including the CC and C&A perks/benefits for the top three tier levels.  Bon Voyage...🥂

Edited June 10, 2020 by davekathy

[K.T.B.]

I've been on 3 Celebrity cruises and they're all in my top 5 cruising experiences.  I'm also a former Carnival cruiser as well and, like you, never again.  The food has always been excellent and the service was impeccable.  I've talked with and interacted more with Celebrity's senior officers on one cruise more than I ever did on all my Carnival cruises combined.  They're very visible and always friendly.

Edited June 10, 2020 by K.T.B.

[sarlin]

Thanks everyone for your congrats to my retirement.  I am very excited.  You all have offered great info for me to consider.  Thanks so much!

Toni