Is it worth it?

[mfs2k]

My wife and I were regular Carnival cruisers too. We reached an elite status then decided we wanted to try another cruise line when we were in our late 50’s. We tried Norwegian and hated it. In March 2019 we sailed on Celebrity Equinox. We loved it. We’re now booked on Beyond in October and can’t wait. 
Celebrity is more upscale and a bit more low key which is ok with us now that we’re in our 60’s. I have nothing bad to say about Carnival  but I think we just out grew it. 

[ChucktownSteve]

Since you're considering doing a short Celebrity cruise, I recommend staying away from holiday, Spring Break and vacation times.  That's when Celebrity ships, out of the U.S. ports, appear more Carnival like.

 

That may be good or bad depending upon your viewpoint, however you won't get a true feel for the real Celebrity.

[Bo1953]

18 hours 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!

There, pre-pandemic, were lots of live music around the ship...

 

Not sure about now, maybe someone who has been or is on a sailing now will chime in on this.

 

bon voyage

[Bo1953]

17 hours 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?

These types of comments are 'taste bud' dependent, to be sure... valid for the diner, specifically.

 

Read through some of the current posts to get another view point on dining aboard X's ships, mostly great, a few good, a few just okay and even less not good at all. Varies by specific sailing.

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[swjumbo]

4 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

There, pre-pandemic, were lots of live music around the ship...

 

Not sure about now, maybe someone who has been or is on a sailing now will chime in on this.

 

bon voyage

Been on two and there is still lots of love music.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, swjumbo said:

...

 

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

...

 

One of the most irritating people I've come across was on a 2008 Celebrity cruise - we were enjoying a special meal (Ocean Liners Wine Connoisseurs Dinner) with about 6-8 people at the table, and every time this fellow opened his mouth it was to brag about his success and who he knew.

 

You never know where you're going to run into that next "interesting" person!

 

Tom

[Team Stag]

You are on a Celebrity board; so obviously people will lean favorably towards Celebrity here.

 

To me, its worth a little more up front payment for this:

1) 1 announcement a day.  At 10 a.m. from the captain.  I don't need to hear about every event or belly flop contest or whatever.

2) While I'm not a heavy drinker, I love not getting a cringe worthy final bill under my door the final night of the cruise.  If I want an after dinner port or another martini; I do so without affecting the vacation budget.

3) I like kids.  I have kids.  But I'm past the point in my life where kids running around doing their thing all over the place is enjoyable.  Yes there will be kids on Celebrity; yes they may be running around doing their thing; however, I have found considerably less kids & less often in Celebrity.

 

The summary to me can be explained like this - during our last cruise (Thanksgiving cruise) - we returned from our day in Nassau.  Our boat was parked on the same dock as the Mardi Gras.  On the right (the carnival side) they had a high energy team of dancers outside blasting music, whooping it up & welcoming passengers back from the day.  On the left (Celebrity side), passengers were being welcomed with iced towels to cool off and refreshing water and some chairs / couches to relax a little before getting back on the ship.  Two different experiences.

 

As others have mentioned, 4 days cruises tend to be much more lively than a 7 or 10 day cruise especially around holidays or spring break especially with the beverage package included.

Finally, an adage I always try to remember in many areas of life - The lowest cost is rarely the best value.

 

Good luck with your decision & happy cruising!

Edited January 12, 2022 by Team Stag

[occasional cruiser guy]

I have been on one cruise each with RC and Carnival.  Two with celebrity.   Pricing is somewhat more on Celebrity but when you factor in the freebies, to me the price seems about the same.   I typically purchase the cruise a year in advance so I get good prices.  To me, the prices generally go up over time.  

 

The food and service are a step up.  The clientele is a little older and not many children.   The vibe is more chill.  What little experience I have with cruising, I came to the conclusion that RC is better for sailing with kids, Carnival is better for sailing for the party atmosphere and Celebrity is better for adults that want a break from their busy lives.

 

Perhaps you might want to try them all. It would be fun to experience them for yourself.

[LGW59]

45 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

There, pre-pandemic, were lots of live music around the ship...

 

Not sure about now, maybe someone who has been or is on a sailing now will chime in on this.

 

bon voyage

Bo, check out post #61 from kwokpot from one of his recent cruises.  A live guitar player/singer in Eden

[graphicguy]

55 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

There, pre-pandemic, were lots of live music around the ship...

 

Not sure about now, maybe someone who has been or is on a sailing now will chime in on this.

 

bon voyage

Just remembering from this past July on the Edge, There always seemed to be someone performing in the Eden bar area.  Always seemed to be either the house band or a DJ at the Martini Bar.  That doesn’t include all the activities around the ship and all of the main shows.

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, Bo1953 said:

There, pre-pandemic, were lots of live music around the ship...

 

Not sure about now, maybe someone who has been or is on a sailing now will chime in on this.

 

bon voyage

 

I was on the Summit in November, which is one of the smaller ships, but there was always live music somewhere on the ship and often there was live music and 2-3 venues at the same time. Cellars and Rendezvous Lounge nearly always had something and often there was music at the Sunset Bar, Sky Lounge, Pool Deck, and in the Grand Foyer.

[graphicguy]

21 hours ago, Pushkin said:

As others have mentioned, you have to add the price of drinks (alcohol, non-alcohol, water, coffees). wi-fi and gratuities to Carnival's prices to get the true picture.  Also, here are a few offerings from the main dining room from our recent cruise:  Escargot, shrimp cocktail, Blue Cheese soufflé, Prime rib, Beef short ribs, lobster, Beef Wellington, seabass -- and asking for more than one appetizer or entree is totally fine.  I think that the cost of dinner (plus drinks)  for one night would easily exceed $100 in one of the better restaurants in Cincinnati.

The service of the crew is also exceptional and better than I have experienced on other cruise lines.

Speaking of which, I dropped $200 at Montgomery Inn Boathouse last weekend.  For the “non-Cincinnatians”, that’s our Ribs place locally (and a good one).

[graphicguy]

47 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

One of the most irritating people I've come across was on a 2008 Celebrity cruise - we were enjoying a special meal (Ocean Liners Wine Connoisseurs Dinner) with about 6-8 people at the table, and every time this fellow opened his mouth it was to brag about his success and who he knew.

 

You never know where you're going to run into that next "interesting" person!

 

Tom

Generally speaking, I think I’ve run into someone similar on every cruise I’ve taken, regardless of cruise line….every single time.  As my late Father used to say, “if they have to tell you how successful or rich they are, they’re not”!

[FiremedicMike151]

Real quick before I book - on the Summit - how are the deck 6-mid cabins?  On Carnival I always take great care to book a cabin in between two other cabin floors due to past bad experiences.  I see deck 6 is right above the main area and am worried about music/noise from below at night..

 

Thanks!
 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Generally speaking, I think I’ve run into someone similar on every cruise I’ve taken, regardless of cruise line….every single time.  As my late Father used to say, “if they have to tell you how successful or rich they are, they’re not”!

 

I wish I had the ability to come back with something to shut someone like that down, but instead I just wait it out - and get out as soon as possible.

 

Tom

[Bo1953]

3 minutes ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

Real quick before I book - on the Summit - how are the deck 6-mid cabins?  On Carnival I always take great care to book a cabin in between two other cabin floors due to past bad experiences.  I see deck 6 is right above the main area and am worried about music/noise from below at night..

 

Thanks!
 

Good, you will be happy...

 

Also, give the cabin reviews here a quick scan to see if there are any recent reviews of the cabin you are planning on booking.

 

In fact you can book the cabin you think you want and then change it if not what you desire.

 

bon voyage

Edited January 12, 2022 by Bo1953

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I wish I had the ability to come back with something to shut someone like that down, but instead I just wait it out - and get out as soon as possible.

 

Tom

Exactly why we will not sit at a table with people we do not know.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Just now, LGW59 said:

Exactly why we will not sit at a table with people we do not know.

 

That's been our policy for at least the last 10-15 years. At events such as Chef's Tables and such (or special meals like I mentioned), it's unavoidable if you care to experience what's offered. BTW, we've had a couple of Chef's Table meals that were similarly uncomfortable. Thus, we'll rarely take that leap nowadays. We did, however, make an exception for a Chef's Table on the Mardi Gras over Thanksgiving, when Emeril was the guest chef!

 

Tom

[Bo1953]

11 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Exactly why we will not sit at a table with people we do not know.

I would not mind at all, it provides an opportunity to ask some very pointed questions... LOL

 

Like, what would you consider your failures to be over your career? or Who helped you get to where you believe you are now? or My question was this not the diversion you chose to take... LOL

 

That would get them moving from my orbit right away... and run when they see me out and about. Talking about a 'no-spin' zone...

 

Then turn to interact with those whom I deem worthy of dining with... and they with me. Subjective for sure... LOL

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

Edited January 12, 2022 by Bo1953

[Harrylinden]

22 hours ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

My wife and I just hit gold on Carnival and are generally OK with them.  We sailed Royal Caribbean once and found it to just be a more expensive version of Carnival..

 

We've always said we were going to try Celebrity once just to experience it, but I am absolutely sticker shocked when I start to book.  We book balconies, which seem to be about 2 times the cost of Carnival if not more.

 

The ideal cruise for us is just to relax.  We like wandering around the boat relaxing by the pool and are past the party point of our lives, we've recently started hitting up the casino on Carnival solely because they are now smoke free.  On port days we generally don't get excursions as they make us feel rushed and interrupt our overall chill vibe on vacation.

 

So I ask, is it worth it?

Just remember ,(You get what you pay for)! I have been on Carnival and there is NO comparison between the 2 cruise lines. It's like comparing  Dollar General store to a Neiman Marcus store!! If you decide to go on a Celebrity cruise ,you will never go back to Carnival!  JMO

[JamieLogical]

19 minutes ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

Real quick before I book - on the Summit - how are the deck 6-mid cabins?  On Carnival I always take great care to book a cabin in between two other cabin floors due to past bad experiences.  I see deck 6 is right above the main area and am worried about music/noise from below at night..

 

Thanks!
 

 

I was in a Sky Suite on Deck 6 on my last Summit sailing. You just want to maybe be careful about location if you are concerned about the view from your balcony. Some are partially obstructed by the rigging for the lifeboats. Noise from below was not an issue for me at all.

[JamieLogical]

3 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I was in a Sky Suite on Deck 6 on my last Summit sailing. You just want to maybe be careful about location if you are concerned about the view from your balcony. Some are partially obstructed by the rigging for the lifeboats. Noise from below was not an issue for me at all.

 

If you are looking to book a Sky Suite, I was in 6126 in November and posted a ton of pics here:

 

 

[davy jones]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

One of the most irritating people I've come across was on a 2008 Celebrity cruise - we were enjoying a special meal (Ocean Liners Wine Connoisseurs Dinner) with about 6-8 people at the table, and every time this fellow opened his mouth it was to brag about his success and who he knew.

 

You never know where you're going to run into that next "interesting" person!

 

Tom

Of all the cruise lines that we have sailed, the most annoying from a "status" respect is Royal.  Far too many people there only seem concerned with your C&A status.  Sometimes, it's almost comical.

[Jeremiah1212]

6 minutes ago, davy jones said:

Of all the cruise lines that we have sailed, the most annoying from a "status" respect is Royal.  Far too many people there only seem concerned with your C&A status.  Sometimes, it's almost comical.

 

Be careful who you ask for directions to the bathroom on RCL. The name badges don't mean they are ship employees 🤣

[clojacks]

38 minutes ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

Real quick before I book - on the Summit - how are the deck 6-mid cabins?  On Carnival I always take great care to book a cabin in between two other cabin floors due to past bad experiences.  I see deck 6 is right above the main area and am worried about music/noise from below at night..

 

Thanks!
 

I would try to find out what decks and locations are being utilized for quarantined guests and crew on Summit, just in case by the time you sail it becomes a concern again. I believe some of the Celebrity ships have been using parts of Deck 6.