Is it worth it?

[DCPIV]

Allow me to add something about value with Celebrity. 

 

The live music on board tends to be outstanding, and there's lots of it. When I recently was on Summit and Millennium, there were live acts going on in at least three locations every evening and night, and I'm not counting the theater shows. That was just in bars and lounges.  Those ships only hold about 2,150 guests maximum (and had far fewer than that, as this was last year).

 

I'll reiterate that the performers are outstanding. 

[FiremedicMike151]

14 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

Allow me to add something about value with Celebrity. 

 

The live music on board tends to be outstanding, and there's lots of it. When I recently was on Summit and Millennium, there were live acts going on in at least three locations every evening and night, and I'm not counting the theater shows. That was just in bars and lounges.  Those ships only hold about 2,150 guests maximum (and had far fewer than that, as this was last year).

 

I'll reiterate that the performers are outstanding. 

I did forget to mention that we enjoy live music.  I am a guitar player (Sunday warrior) so I get easily sucked into those performances!

[Islandhop9]

Not been on a cruise with Carnival to compare. 

Have been on several with Royal, NCL and Celebrity. 

 

We felt the Celebrity ships were similar to Royal. Main difference was a more mature set of passengers and few to no children. (weekend cruises not so much) More high end shops.

You also don't have the water slides, surfing, etc. like you find on Royal/NCL. 

 

We thought the food and staff in the MDR were better on Royal than Celebrity. We've only been on Celebrity AFTER the pandemic so maybe that has had an impact...  Buffet was good, a bit above Royal. 

 

The larger Celebrity ship we were on had a better buffet and entertainment. 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by Islandhop9
Correction

[RollWave]

Based on your description of an ideal cruise Celebrity sounds like a perfect fit!

 

Personally, we feel Celebrity is worth it. With the exception of two times in the last 15 or so years we have only sailed on Celebrity. The two times we did not sail with Celebrity we sailed with Royal for the large ship experience. For us it is worth the expense for the reliability & atmosphere Celebrity provides.

 

Years ago we sailed on Norwegian, Princess, and Carnival. We describe our last Carnival experience as - we were held hostage on a Carnival ship upon arrival in Miami. When the entire ship was finally released, we said never ever again. It was back in the old days and policy & procedures have changed but still never again. They would not let anyone off of the ship while they called the same five people over & over & over to come forward and settle their bills. I do not remember exactly how it was resolved but we are usually one of the first off the ship and we were not off until around 11am

[LB_NJ]

2 minutes ago, Islandhop9 said:

 

 

We thought the food and staff in the MDR were better on Royal than Celebrity. We've only been on Celebrity before the pandemic so maybe that has an impact...  Buffet was good, a bit above Royal.  

 

 

Interesting, have been on Royal but not Celebrity.  The MDR on Royal was OK for us (not the best but acceptable).

 

 I am surprised that Celebrity MDR was not as good as Royal.  I thought one of Celebrity's selling points was better food than Royal?

[davekathy]

5 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

 

Interesting, have been on Royal but not Celebrity.  The MDR on Royal was OK for us (not the best but acceptable).

 

 I am surprised that Celebrity MDR was not as good as Royal.  I thought one of Celebrity's selling points was better food than Royal?

Subjective. 

[Islandhop9]

4 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

 

Interesting, have been on Royal but not Celebrity.  The MDR on Royal was OK for us (not the best but acceptable).

 

 I am surprised that Celebrity MDR was not as good as Royal.  I thought one of Celebrity's selling points was better food than Royal?

Corrected above, have only been on Celebrity after the restart and Royal before. 

We were expecting more in the MDR. The menu also seemed a bit heavy on lamb/beef. 

We're going to try Apex, not sure if they'll have the same menus. 

 

[deliver42]

We've sailed on all the cruise lines in the Caribbean except HAL, and found that Celebrity has the best food and service of all of them. If you go without the AI the prices will be competitive with Carnival on their newer ships and Royal, with a much better experience if you are tired of the slide, etc. If you add just the drink packages on Carnival and Royal, then you will see the small difference.

[Pinboy]

51 minutes ago, verizon said:

Is it worth it?  As others say, it's up to you.

I have 50+ on Celebrity 1 on NCL and 2 on RCCL.

Celebrity ships is like my 2nd.home.

I got free WIFI,Premium drink package and free Laundry every time I cruise on Celebrity.

I sometimes get free specialty dinner one night on my sailing.

( A little humor on a frigid day ) 

"I have 50+ on Celebrity".

" I sometimes get free specialty dinner one night on my sailing ".

LOL-----Sometimes ???  Only on One night ??   

As I say " Is it worth it " ???

Wait, -------forget it ---- I didn't notice the " free laundry on every sailing " .

Yup, it's worth it.

I think we were on the same cruise  ?

Are you the person the Captain presented a gold ( ish ?? ) medallion to on your 50th cruise and we all cheered like " crazy " when the CD shouted for everyone to  " put your hands together " for  you ?? 

 

 

 

[TeaBag]

Have never sailed Carnival and never will.  Like someone said, the name says it all.  We started out with Princess but then discovered Celebrity and have sailed with them for nearly 30 years. We love their food and the quietness on board.  The passengers are usually well travelled.

I think you would enjoy Celebrity especially in suite class but 4 days is not long enough!!  I would book a verandah and sail on a longer cruise.  We usually book Aqua class as we enjoy the experience in Blu.

I hope you will be happy with whatever you choose.

[kwokpot]

48 minutes ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

I did forget to mention that we enjoy live music.  I am a guitar player (Sunday warrior) so I get easily sucked into those performances!

On the Celebrity Apex last month. 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by kwokpot

[bigeagle12]

Used to be able to book Celebrity, HAL, Princess, Royal, and Carnival all for around the same price.  Now that Celebrity is trying to be “all inclusive” and include the drink package you can no longer do that ☹️

[davekathy]

4 minutes ago, bigeagle12 said:

Used to be able to book Celebrity, HAL, Princess, Royal, and Carnival all for around the same price.  Now that Celebrity is trying to be “all inclusive” and include the drink package you can no longer do that ☹️

Wrong. It's called "Always Included" and not all bookings/cruises offer AI. 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by davekathy

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 hours ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

Lol I appreciate the enthusiasm, but maybe a brief note on why you think it's worth it would be helpful 🙂
 

Pretty simple.  Very few children.  Mostly middle age and older adults.  Activities organized- in normal times - accordingly.  No belly flop contests or water slides like Royal.  Great martini bar where people socialize, but nobody overserved.

Food is very good to excellent.  Good specialty restaurants.

Pool areas are usually both not crowded and relatively quiet.

Lounge acts and shows along with adult type activities.  Classes and trivia during the day . . .or simply find a quiet spot and read a book, play cards or take a nap.

[DCPIV]

1 hour ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

I did forget to mention that we enjoy live music.  I am a guitar player (Sunday warrior) so I get easily sucked into those performances!

 

I'm no musician, but I love music. Over three Celebrity Cruises, I've only been to two shows in the theater because I'd rather listen to the lounge acts. 

 

Did I mention that they are outstanding? 😉

[bigeagle12]

13 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Wrong. It's called "Always Included" and not all bookings/cruises offer AI. 

 

What is wrong?  Pricing always has been about the same. I track cruises for lowest prices on every cruise and have documentation on all of our 28 cruises.  And the Always Included are more expensive because the drink package is “forcibly” included.

[JamieLogical]

I will be a voice of descent and say that I did not find the Retreat "worth it" on my last Celebrity sailing. I did a B2B on the Summit. The first 5 days was in a Sky Suite and the second 4 days was in an Aqua Class veranda. I just don't think I am cut out to take advantage of what the Retreat has to offer. I barely set foot in the Retreat Lounge and I only saw my butler once a day when he brought me my room service breakfast that was exactly the same as the room service breakfast I had in my AC cabin. I would say the main benefits of the Suite for me were the extra space in the room and getting to know some of the other Retreat guests in Luminae.

 

Be sure to factor in the upgrade to the Premium beverage package and the OBC you receive when booking a Suite when comparing the price to a normal veranda.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

4 hours ago, clojacks said:

I would add, that after about 4 cruises on Carnival and approx 12 or so on Celebrity, at my demographic and interests, I don’t know if I would sail Carnival for 1/3 of the price.

 

We're nearing our 75th on Carnival... so at least hanging in there (short/inexpensive quickies to pad the count) until we get to that Milestone number, and enjoy 75% of our cruise fare as OBC 🙂

 

As far as our preference for lines - I'd say that it also depends on which class of ship, and what level of suite. For suites, our usual mode of travel, Carnival can't hold a candle to NCL, Royal, or Celebrity. I prefer the Haven restaurant on NCL to Luminae on Celebrity. I think that Celebrity does a better job of overall service in suites. I like that both NCL and Celebrity include some form of basic perks, which includes a beverage package.

There's a reason that Carnival is often less, you often get less. Having said that, we have had situations where Celebrity was less than Carnival (same week, generally comparable - flagship of the fleet) for balconies. It's not always a given that Carnival is the least expensive option.

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 hours ago, RollWave said:

Based on your description of an ideal cruise Celebrity sounds like a perfect fit!

 

Personally, we feel Celebrity is worth it. With the exception of two times in the last 15 or so years we have only sailed on Celebrity. The two times we did not sail with Celebrity we sailed with Royal for the large ship experience. For us it is worth the expense for the reliability & atmosphere Celebrity provides.

 

Years ago we sailed on Norwegian, Princess, and Carnival. We describe our last Carnival experience as - we were held hostage on a Carnival ship upon arrival in Miami. When the entire ship was finally released, we said never ever again. It was back in the old days and policy & procedures have changed but still never again. They would not let anyone off of the ship while they called the same five people over & over & over to come forward and settle their bills. I do not remember exactly how it was resolved but we are usually one of the first off the ship and we were not off until around 11am

 

LOL - sailed on Carnival Conquest over Christmas, and just wished the CD would shut up (he thought himself quite clever). And, YES, they will incessantly call the same people over and over again - no doubt for $ reasons. I think they'd be better served to cut people off when their credit runs out and/or not subject others to the "noise" when things go south.

 

Tom

[MamaFej]

@FiremedicMike151, I'm going to come at this from a different angle. I've been married to a recently retired firefighter for 30 years. As you are likely well aware, such folks are always on edge when on duty. Sure, you get to go to bed during your 24 hour (or frequently much longer) shift, but you're never truly resting. Like a parent of young children, you're at least subconsciously aware that you could be needed at any second, so you probably never actually sleep well, even if you have a rare overnight with no calls.

 

At least for my husband, a cruiseship is a place where he can truly relax. We mostly travel via RV. He is constantly aware that, if something goes wrong, we need to take care of it. At home, there are always projects to be done. On a ship, he knows that the most he'll need to do for someone else is render aid until crew arrives and takes over. They're not going to ask you to "drive the boat" nor to fix anything that breaks. 

 

All that is to say, that if you are looking for a truly relaxing vacation, Celebrity may be right up your alley, for the reasons stated above. You can certainly choose to be very active, but you won't be cajoled into being so. You will find plenty of quiet, relaxing spaces when you prefer, and fun activities when you prefer those. 

 

As for children, in our experience, Celebrity cruisers tend to like the classy, but not stuffy atmosphere, and they are raising their children in such a way that the kids behave appropriately for that atmosphere. There are exceptions, of course, but we've found it overwhelmingly to be this way. 

 

I agree with those suggesting that you give X a try, then you can discover if it's right for you. If you do, I hope you'll come back and tell us what you think. 

[davekathy]

4 hours ago, bigeagle12 said:

What is wrong?  Pricing always has been about the same. I track cruises for lowest prices on every cruise and have documentation on all of our 28 cruises.  And the Always Included are more expensive because the drink package is “forcibly” included.

As I said not all Celebrity cruises/bookings offer the AI. So one size doesn't fit all. 

Edited January 12, 2022 by davekathy

[Spif Barwunkel]

It is worth it if you want it to be. If you fret about the pricing, already negative on the happy meter. You can't spend your whole cruise comparing, not going to work. If you choose to try Celebrity, do only one thing that is familiar to you. Book the same type of stateroom that you prefer. There is your connection with Carnival and thus familiarity. Let everything else be new - within the total familiar cruising experience - and that way you give Celebrity and yourselves a fair chance to get along. It will be a totally different vibe. Relax and enjoy it.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Spif Barwunkel

[Mike981]

6 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

 

 I am surprised that Celebrity MDR was not as good as Royal.  I thought one of Celebrity's selling points was better food than Royal?

 

Their past (deserved) reputation, is still what is shared by many today. It is simply not the case. 

[sunshine002]

I have sailed lots on Carnival and Royal.  i have also sailed Princess and NCL.  I must admit I find that the food and experience can vary from cruise to cruise even within the same line.  After doing many RCL cruises the last few years I recently did a Carnival cruise and had a great time.  I do find Carnival overall to be more fun.  I loved  my first few Princess cruises but the last two which were 14+ days not so much. 

 

I will be doing my rd or 4th X cruise soon, I am sure it will be great but I enjoy most of my cruises.  Often a cruise is the experience and the people you meet and yes the entertainment and the food, but that can be subjective.

 

I agree I have often found I can cruise more reasonably on Royal.

 

Honesty if you see a cruise and a ship that you like then by all means try it and see if its for you.

[swjumbo]

firemedicmike have these comments persuaded you?

 

This is a nice thread to follow and even the tone of the debate speaks volumes regarding the type of a Celebrity guest.

 

One contributor suggested it’s like a Miami hotel. I’ll go one further. It’s the W Hotel at sea.

 

People are well heeled, respectful and not trying to outdo each other. Yes there are children on board yet you wouldn’t know. 
 

I do not wish to repeat other remarks needless to say time as a Retreat guest will spoil you forever.

 

Please tell the waiting masses what your decision will be!