New to Celebrity - lots of questions.

[CruiseBaby2012]

Our first time sailing on Celebrity, on the February 14th cruise on Silhouette.  We have previously sailed on Azamara, Windstar and Star Clippers, so Silhouette is a really big ship for us.  Does the spa have a steam room and/or sauna that is open to everyone without charge and without a spa treatment appointment?  What is your opinion of specialty restaurants on Silhouette?  Are they worth the price and is it a good idea to buy dining packages?  Do they have special theme nights, such as a White Night on Azamara?

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, CruiseBaby2012 said:

Our first time sailing on Celebrity, on the February 14th cruise on Silhouette.  We have previously sailed on Azamara, Windstar and Star Clippers, so Silhouette is a really big ship for us.  Does the spa have a steam room and/or sauna that is open to everyone without charge and without a spa treatment appointment?  What is your opinion of specialty restaurants on Silhouette?  Are they worth the price and is it a good idea to buy dining packages?  Do they have special theme nights, such as a White Night on Azamara?

Silhouette is our favourite ship! We were on her in September and are on her again October 22.

 

She is quite big but designed really well so you rarely feel overwhelmed by numbers of people. Lots of bars with a wide range of atmosphere…

 

There is an excellent variety of restaurants on board. We always try them all. I will let you read up on the web site but our brief summary would be…

 

Murano, French, quite formal, excellent service, great for a special occasion.

Tuscan, Italian steakhouse, superb wake views.

Le petit chef, fun rather than fine dining, worth doing once.

Lawn Grill, think family BBQ, relaxed and on deck.

The Porch, cafe atmosphere, ideal for lunch although available in the evenings too.

Sushi on five, more than just sushi, a range of Asian inspired dishes. Ideal for lunch or evenings.

 

Strongly suggest you book a dining package. Deals are often available first night too at a discounted price. Some guests do not book a package pre cruise but negotiate once on board. ‘Bargains’ can be hit and miss…some cruises definitely seem to offer more than others. For example, on our last Equinox cruise there were no discounts for Murano after the first night and Tuscan was only offering discounts if you dined late…In contrast on Eclipse they were offering a discount on all three…If you like haggling you may want to wait until you board. 
 

Hope you really enjoy your cruise.

 

 

[Alakegirl]

You seldom see theme nights on Celebrity.  Not that they never have them, but they are rare.  Caribbean night is the only one I can recall.

[4774Papa]

If you go Aqua Class cabin, you get to use the Spas at no extra charge.   If not, I believe you can pay for the Spa without doing a treatment.

 

We rarely do the specialty restaurants on X since the MDR is so good.  We have done Murano and Tuscan, which are excellent, but expensive.

[terrydtx]

Since your apparent cruising experience is with smaller luxury lines, I suggest that you book a Suite or Retreat class cabin like a Sky Suite.  You will get many of the same amenities as what you may be used to on the Luxury lines. The Retreat has a private fine dining restaurant for suite guests only, with service and food we find extraordinary compared to anything else in mainstream cruise lines. The Luminae. You also have access to a suites only lounge with full-service bar service and concierges and you will have a personal Retreat host which is really a Butler. You have priority boarding and disembarkation. Price wise, the Retreat Sky Suites on Celebrity are usually less on a per day basis than the small premium cruise lines like Azamara and Windstar. We have sailed on Oceania and we only book suites now on Celebrity and Oceania for the future.

Edited December 7, 2021 by terrydtx

[awhfy]

If you interested in the steam/sauna book an Aqua class cabin. Otherwise go immediately upon boarding & attempt to purchase a pass for your cruise. They have very few of these passes. I concur with terrydtx, if you’re used to the small luxury lines go with a suite; however, sauna/steam is not included with the suites. Enjoy your cruise

[canderson]

My recollection was that steam and showers were available w/out a Persian pass on M class.  Not so on S class?

[jelayne]

There is no theme night equivalent to the pre pandemic White Night on Azamara.  I was one of the few things we liked about Azamara. 

[39august]

There is no charge for steam room and large showers in the spa. Open to all on S class ships. These are inside the changing rooms. 

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, jelayne said:

There is no theme night equivalent to the pre pandemic White Night on Azamara.  I was one of the few things we liked about Azamara. 

I cannot say the Celebrity version of the White Night was equivalent to the Azamara, but I seem to recall a Celebrity version.  I am a little foggy in my recollection, but I think there was a show and festivities in the Solarium area.  This was pre pandemic and Celebrity did not have it on my recent October cruise.

[Pinboy]

I believe there is a sauna , rather than a steam room in the changing rooms at the Spa on the S class ships. Lockers, several individual showers , large towels, ----no charge.

Also, you can purchase a pass for the entire cruise to the Spa ( Persian Gardens ). Do it as soon as you board since they only sell a few . 

Post #2 above is excellent --- I would add , the Specialty Restaurants do offer 30 % ( ? ) discount on nights they are not fully booked as there is competition between restaurants to meet sales " targets ". 

FYI-- We purchase a 3 or 4 night Specialty Restaurant package as soon as we board, usually offered at a reduced rate , and book our preferred restaurants immediately ( day and time ).  Saves time and " energy " trying to get a reservation later on in the cruise.

 

[TeaBag]

Another Silhouette fan here.  We think the Lawn Club Grill is the best restaurant at sea.  I'm sure you'll have a great time.  We usually book AQ class and Persian Gardens is included.  

[CruiseBaby2012]

13 hours ago, Pinboy said:

I believe there is a sauna , rather than a steam room in the changing rooms at the Spa on the S class ships. Lockers, several individual showers , large towels, ----no charge.

Also, you can purchase a pass for the entire cruise to the Spa ( Persian Gardens ). Do it as soon as you board since they only sell a few . 

Post #2 above is excellent --- I would add , the Specialty Restaurants do offer 30 % ( ? ) discount on nights they are not fully booked as there is competition between restaurants to meet sales " targets ". 

FYI-- We purchase a 3 or 4 night Specialty Restaurant package as soon as we board, usually offered at a reduced rate , and book our preferred restaurants immediately ( day and time ).  Saves time and " energy " trying to get a reservation later on in the cruise.

 

Thank you for this very helpful information.  I think we’ll purchase a 4 night package.  Just to clarify - these packages cost less on board than what’s available now before the cruise?  Or is the reduced rate vs what it would cost if you just book each restaurant separately?

[CruiseBaby2012]

23 hours ago, chemmo said:

Silhouette is our favourite ship! We were on her in September and are on her again October 22.

 

She is quite big but designed really well so you rarely feel overwhelmed by numbers of people. Lots of bars with a wide range of atmosphere…

 

There is an excellent variety of restaurants on board. We always try them all. I will let you read up on the web site but our brief summary would be…

 

Murano, French, quite formal, excellent service, great for a special occasion.

Tuscan, Italian steakhouse, superb wake views.

Le petit chef, fun rather than fine dining, worth doing once.

Lawn Grill, think family BBQ, relaxed and on deck.

The Porch, cafe atmosphere, ideal for lunch although available in the evenings too.

Sushi on five, more than just sushi, a range of Asian inspired dishes. Ideal for lunch or evenings.

 

Strongly suggest you book a dining package. Deals are often available first night too at a discounted price. Some guests do not book a package pre cruise but negotiate once on board. ‘Bargains’ can be hit and miss…some cruises definitely seem to offer more than others. For example, on our last Equinox cruise there were no discounts for Murano after the first night and Tuscan was only offering discounts if you dined late…In contrast on Eclipse they were offering a discount on all three…If you like haggling you may want to wait until you board. 
 

Hope you really enjoy your cruise.

 

 

Thank you for this very helpful description of restaurants.  It really helps us to decide which ones to try.  Now we can only hope that this cruise doesn’t get canceled or changed.

[CruiseBaby2012]

16 hours ago, jelayne said:

There is no theme night equivalent to the pre pandemic White Night on Azamara.  I was one of the few things we liked about Azamara. 

Yes, we always enjoy White Nights on Azamara and also their AzAmazing evenings.  The strangest and wildest White Night was in March 2020 when we were stranded on Azamara Pursuit at the official beginning of the pandemic.  The whole world was shutting down and we were partying.  Rather surreal.

[happy cruzer]

Celebrity does offer Interactive Parties on some nights that include the entertainment staff in costume dancing among the cruisers. 

[Pinboy]

5 hours ago, CruiseBaby2012 said:

 Or is the reduced rate vs what it would cost if you just book each restaurant separately?

I believe this is the answer although I never checked. I would guess you save 25% ( ? ).

Another option ( I've heard of, never did it ) -- On boarding , go to the restaurant(s) you want to dine in --- give them your room number --- tell them to call you on any evening if they are offering a discount -- you might get lucky------- ( NO, not that lucky ).

 

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, happy cruzer said:

Celebrity does offer Interactive Parties on some nights that include the entertainment staff in costume dancing among the cruisers. 

Silent Disco to name one...

 

bon voyage

[Pinboy]

38 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Silent Disco to name one...

 

bon voyage

LOL----Ya call that a party ??? It's more like a bar fight--- swinging purses, arms waiving all over the place----Holly cow, it's dangerous --- 

And, FYI----- That old f--t with the 32 yr old that I keep mentioning ---- Well, they just walked by in case he pulled his back out and would have trouble getting his wallet out of his pocket. 

[davekathy]

22 hours ago, 39august said:

There is no charge for steam room and large showers in the spa. Open to all on S class ships. These are inside the changing rooms. 

Same on the  M class ships.

[Bo1953]

22 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

LOL----Ya call that a party ??? It's more like a bar fight--- swinging purses, arms waiving all over the place----Holly cow, it's dangerous --- 

And, FYI----- That old f--t with the 32 yr old that I keep mentioning ---- Well, they just walked by in case he pulled his back out and would have trouble getting his wallet out of his pocket. 

LOL Now, how did you come to know this about them???

 

bon voyage

[Pinboy]

1 minute ago, Bo1953 said:

LOL Now, how did you come to know this about them???

 

bon voyage

LOL-- Not sure I understand your question.

I took a guess at her age and she seemed tooooo happy and laughed at everything he said-- except when I saw them ( him ) buying that pre-loved Rolex -- Wow, she gave him " some " hug and kiss when they left the shop. 

I wonder if ----- never mind----- probably not.

 

[cangelmd]

7 hours ago, CruiseBaby2012 said:

Thank you for this very helpful information.  I think we’ll purchase a 4 night package.  Just to clarify - these packages cost less on board than what’s available now before the cruise?  Or is the reduced rate vs what it would cost if you just book each restaurant separately?

Discounts on dining are a bit of a crap shoot on Celebrity because it really depends on the passenger load on the restaurants, which can be related to occupancy, amount of onboard credit floating around and how much people want to do specialty dining. Changes a lot cruise to cruise.

The absolute lowest rate we ever got was first night discount (2 for 1, after we walked away from first offer and we were in Aqua class) on La Petite Chef on a TA. First night discounts in general are the biggest reductions, because specialties struggle fill first night.

Packages bought ahead are a good compromise money wise - I think the 30-35% discount is pretty close to what you will get onboard, and you can make at least some reservations up front. Downside is that the times, especially those offered online before sailing, are not the best. If you wait to buy onboard, you may not get the absolute lowest discount than following the sales, but you have made a friend for life from the crew that sold it to you, they get a little cut. When we’ve bought a package, we plan ahead where we want to eat which night, then once we board first stop, after picking up our champagne glass, is to go to Murano or Tuscan and make all our reservations. We aren’t picky about times, so it works for us.

The main time we deviated from this plan was on an Edge Valentines cruise. We wanted an early Fine Cut dinner for Valentine’s Day, and knew we wanted dinner in Eden also AND hit all the MDRs. We factored in no discounts on Valentine’s Day, so just made all single reservations months before sailing.

Hope this helps.

[TeaBag]

9 hours ago, CruiseBaby2012 said:

  The strangest and wildest White Night was in March 2020 when we were stranded on Azamara Pursuit at the official beginning of the pandemic.  The whole world was shutting down and we were partying.  Rather surreal.

We were the other ship (Eclipse) sailing circles outside of San Antonio in Mar 2020. pleading for docking.   We felt lonely when you guys sailed away.  Now, here you are sailing on Celebrity for the first time and we are booked to sail on Azamara for the first time and really looking forward to it.

I think you can usually get a discount on a Speciality restaurant the first night.  We are already booked that way for the Lawn Club Grill.

[CruiseBaby2012]

2 hours ago, TeaBag said:

We were the other ship (Eclipse) sailing circles outside of San Antonio in Mar 2020. pleading for docking.   We felt lonely when you guys sailed away.  Now, here you are sailing on Celebrity for the first time and we are booked to sail on Azamara for the first time and really looking forward to it.

I think you can usually get a discount on a Speciality restaurant the first night.  We are already booked that way for the Lawn Club Grill.

I have pictures of your ship (Eclipse) when you were floating next to us.  It was strangely comforting.  But then we heard that you got Covid on your ship and someone died.  Is that true?  Captain Carl took us safely and speedily through the Panama Canal (which was an added bonus) and we arrived in Miami 1 day before the promised arrival date.  With the deserted streets and empty Miami airport, it felt like we returned from a space mission to a post-apocalypse Earth.  All-in-all, it was a journey of a lifetime, best not to be repeated.

 

Which Celebrity cruise you are taking?  We are also booked on Azamara in June, sailing from Barcelona to Lisbon.  Hope it doesn’t get canceled.  Our previous two reserved cruises were canceled, so we are trying to control our enthusiasm.