Celebration eastern itinerary review

[irun5k]

There is no shortage of onboard activities.

 

The ropes course is pretty cool- there are two ways to attack each segment so you could do it twice and not repeat a single challenge.  The first segment includes a zipline option.  We did this three times and actually never had a very long wait.  I do not enjoy heights and noted that my fitness band recorded a HR over 160 even though it isn't a cardio challenge, lol.

 

 

The basketball court was always packed- seemed like way too many people to be enjoyable to be honest.

 

We signed up for the Bolt but it was down for technical reasons almost the entire day and we weren't able to rebook.  Anecdotally I heard someone say they tried to ride it three times unsuccessfully on the Mardi Gras so perhaps they're still working out how to do a coaster at sea.  I am not sure if the system allows this but if it does, I would create multiple reservations, maybe one at the beginning and one at the end of the cruise.  If you don't actually want to do it twice you could cancel one... but at least you'd have two shots to ride it.  I thought they could have handled the messaging a little better the day it was down- they sort of beat around the bush a bit almost like they just didn't have the guts to tell people they lost their chance to ride it this cruise.

 

The water slides are all pretty good.  Plenty of screams on the drop slide, which I didn't do but my son said the drop is the worst part and then it slows down.  The yellow slide speeds up in the middle to the point where I was wondering what was going on!  It looks fairly tame from the outside.  The blue side is fun because you ride head first on a mat and it doesn't go super fast.  This is by far the best option for someone that doesn't want something wild.

 

The mini golf course (9 hole) is pretty good as well.  My daughter like mini golf so we went after breakfast one day before it got busy, and it was nice.

 

The running track... wait, there is no track.  There is a wide line painted through a very busy deck with people all over, but no running track.

 

There are foosball tables, a table shuffleboard thing (not sure what it is actually called), ping pong, and corn hole in different areas of the ship.  I think this is great as it gives a lot of extra variety of things to do.

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by irun5k

[irun5k]

The fitness center is pretty solid.  Lots of state of the art treadmills with large screens and programming to where you can run or walk through an area of your choice.  I took a jog past the end of the road on the Big Island where the lava flow covered the highway.  I was hoping to see more of the sail away from St Thomas out the window from the treadmill but the viewing angle is a bit off.  If that isn't a first world problem then I seriously do not know what is!

 

There is something really odd on this ship, however!   There is no locker room attached to the fitness center.  I asked a spa salesperson that was trying to corner people in the elevator lobby and she said to go into the spa.  The front desk told me where to go, which I believe was down a hall and down some internal stairs.  At this point I'm navigating the inner bowels of the spa, passing treatment rooms, relaxation rooms, etc.

 

Finally I find the men's locker room.  I was actually looking for the free sauna which I'd heard was in this area.  Couldn't find it and finally asked a fellow passenger in the locker room.  So, you go out an unmarked back door of the locker room and the dry sauna is near the women's locker room.  Due to the magic auto hand wave doors, the women's locker room door was open all the way and staying that way for an extended period which was uncomfortable because no matter how fast you look away you always feel like it wasn't fast enough.

 

The sauna is co-ed, which I knew ahead of time so I went in with a towel and board shorts.  Another couple came in and they were in their full on workout clothes including socks and shoes.  It is 120 degrees inside here.  That seemed odd but then I questioned whether I was the one doing something odd.

 

Anyway, when all this was over I stumbled out an exit door that took me directly back into ship.  I looked back at the door and it was completely unmarked but I do believe if you knew where it was you could just open it and go in that way and it would be much more direct that going into the spa.

 

Anyway!  The locker room and dry sauna are nice once you find them.  However I could also see them just closing this off to only spa guests at some point but hopefully that won't happen.

 

 

[MacMarauder]

Nice pics and review, also impressed that you have a Pikachu Squishmallow those are hard to find lol. 

 

Also one question you said you ate at the MDR first night, how busy was it? I've had bad experiences with the first night of MDR being chaos and then settling down as the cruise went on. Not sure if that was the case for you or not.

Edited March 24, 2023 by MacMarauder

[irun5k]

8 hours ago, MacMarauder said:

Nice pics and review, also impressed that you have a Pikachu Squishmallow those are hard to find lol. 

 

Also one question you said you ate at the MDR first night, how busy was it? I've had bad experiences with the first night of MDR being chaos and then settling down as the cruise went on. Not sure if that was the case for you or not.

 

Haha, good catch.  My 8 year old was certainly excited about the Squishmellow when she found it at the drug store and had to buy it so I'm glad to get external confirmation that it is actually an in-demand item as she said it was.

 

The MDR was great the first night.  We went to get our time reassigned to early and they changed it and seated us on the spot.  We had a great table right inside the dining room behind a divider.  I would say the dining room never seems to be nuts.  The busiest dining establishment for us was the night we went to Chibang- it was packed and pretty loud.

 

 

[irun5k]

I almost forgot- they have outdoor movies several times at night during the cruise.  I'm a bit of an AV nerd and typically hard to please, yet I was pretty impressed with the audio and video quality.  It is brand new, of course, so it should be good equipment.  Had we had time, I would have loved to watch Top Gun: Maverick out there.

 

 

[tradewinds traveler]

What ports? What were your favorite port & why?

[irun5k]

1 hour ago, tradewinds traveler said:

What ports? What were your favorite port & why?

Great lead in!  First up was Amber Cove.  This was a new port for us.  We did the Monkey Land & Taste of Dominican Republic excursion.  I highly recommend this excursion.

 

We boarded a modern coach to head to the location and of course they give you some info on the way there.  Once we arrived we had a session that involved sampling Mamajuana and coffee and hot chocolate that was prepared in front of us using local techniques.  

 

Next we experienced the squirrel monkeys... lots of them.  We weren't rushed at all and we all really liked it.  The monkeys climbed all over us, basically because the guides sprinkled sunflower seeds all over us.  They also take professional photos.  You can buy them for $10 each after (digital), but they had 46 total photos of us so we just bought them all for $40.  There was at least one good solo shot of us each plus a family shot so I figured that was already $50 worth.

 

The only thing about this port call- the ship leaves early.  I think all aboard time was maybe 3 or 3:30.  Our excursion didn't leave until 10:30 so this basically took the whole day.   We did have a short bit of time to look in a few shops.  The tour also gave us all a coupon for a free gift in one of the gift shops which I normally would assume is a scam of some sort (I'm a cynic) but each coupon actually got us one bag with two floating candles, no questions asked.

 

If we had time I was hoping to check out the pool area and do the zipline.  However, maybe it worked out- we didn't have to rush that morning and had a nice leisurely breakfast and then headed to the excursion.  Sometimes it isn't about how much you can possibly cram into a day.

 

 

[irun5k]

Next was San Juan. This isn't a port we've commonly hit and I was actually the only one of the four of us that had been.

 

We took a walk up the hill through Old San Juan and the down the coast to the fort which we also toured.  Overall, it was a nice day. 

 

We tried to eat lunch- at four different places.  I hesitate to say this since it seems anecdotal, but after around three trips to the island it is becoming not anecdotal.  Restaurant service is often lacking and it seems more than just being busy.  Example, one wouldn't seat us ("sort of not taking customers right now", maybe locals only?), and another wouldn't admit that they were out of food and tried to make us order drinks (I'd heard them telling another customer they were out of almost everything.)  Years ago we stayed at a nice Marriott on the beach and it was the only time in my life I've ever left a restaurant without paying.  We did so because we tried- hard- for an hour to get someone to give us the check for our breakfast and they never did.  Maybe I just have bad luck or we're playing the game wrong 😕

 

Anyway it worked out because we got back onboard and had some solid tacos- with a smile and no trickery and at no additional charge- from Blue Iguana.  I do wish that Blue Iguana would toss a few tortilla chips in your basket with the tacos, but, now we're back to first world problems.

 

 

 

[irun5k]

Last up is St. Thomas.  We had never been to St. John so decided to do the "St. John on your own" excursion.  You can elect to go on your own and take ground transportation to the public ferry but this excursion is less stress because you leave on a ferry right at the cruise pier which also serves as a nice tour in itself since it is narrated.

 

Once we got to St. John some folks were on a different excursion and went on an island tour.  However, there was an open air taxi that was happy to load up everyone that was "on their own" that wanted to go to Trunk Bay, and the driver stayed at the beach until it was time to head back to catch the ferry.   So, if "on your own" scares you, it shouldn't- this was pretty well orchestrated.

 

In all, we probably only had slightly less than a couple hours at the beach but it was still worth it.  There are good facilities (showers/bathrooms) as well as a bar and snack bar.  Would another hour at the beach have been nice?  Of course.

 

We lived on Kauai for a while and I still would rank Trunk Bay in my top 5, maybe top 3 beaches I've ever been to- it is fantastic.   For us, I'm sure we all enjoyed this more than a bus ride around the island but it is nice there are options since everyone has different interests.  

 

This tour left the pier at 10:30 AM and the ship leaves early.  Like I said, still worth it especially since the ferry is a bit of a tour in itself but it would be really nice if this tour left around 9 AM, or maybe if the ship would stay later in port allowing a later return.

 

 

[irun5k]

OK folks, I think that is about it.  If you're still here, thanks for sticking with the review.  Happy to answer any questions you might have.

 

Oh, and I promised a verdict on Oasis vs. Excel class, and whether there were any fights!

 

First, the onboard activities have some overlap with Oasis class but it really is a different experience.  If you're burned out on flow riders and rock walls, why not try a ropes course and roller coaster?  Dining is where Excel stands out.  Oasis class- in my mind anyway- is still centered around the buffet and MDR and mostly expensive pay-to-eat options.  I also believe Excel has more onboard action in general... not that Oasis is lacking but there is always a ton happening on an Excel class ship.

Where Oasis clearly has the edge is the "wow" factor.  There is nothing at sea like the Oasis class Royal Promenade, Boardwalk or Central Park.  To me, those areas also make the ship easier to navigate because they are big, easy to understand spaces vs. mazes.  I simply can't get lost on the Royal Promenade, and I literally get lost everywhere.

 

Lastly, no fights witnessed!  We did see an attention getter in one of the shows that I'm guessing was asked to leave a few times and eventually did w/o an assist from security.  And of course there is always the very small percent of rude folks that you can either ignore and move on, or dwell on perpetually.   Overall I'd say the crowd on this cruise was not a lot different than our last spring break cruise on Royal.

 

 

[momof4girls]

Excellent review! Thank you for taking the time. I’m hoping to try Excel class within the next couple years. Unfortunately (not truly unfortunate), we already have four booked on other ships

[pe4all]

Great review.  Well-written and concise.  Thanks for taking the time to do so.  Haven't been on Celebration yet - a little too big for me.  (people-wise)

[pcvtmom]

Excellent review! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and perspective!

[ninjacat123]

Great review and pics!!  Thanks for posting!!

[tradewinds traveler]

Thank you for your great review. The photos are fabulous. We have been on the Oasis, I agree with you. It was great to see the Central Park area & Board Walk. I really doubt we do the Oasis again. Looking forward to our Celebration cruise. My thanks again.

[irun5k]

I forgot to comment on debarkation.

 

There were some delays and it was jammed up getting off the ship which we learned was due to a technical issue- it sounded like with the equipment they use to scan you out for the last time.  Also one of the crew mentioned that they were debarking on the opposite side as normal and this somehow was tied in.  They were right because this most definitely wasn't our balcony view when we embarked:

 

 

The delays did not really bother us, we just found seats in the casino and waited to be called.  However once we started rolling, the elevators were opening on the debarkation deck and there was a wall of people and nowhere to go.  It did seem that most of the ship (including ourselves) was debarking with our luggage in tow.

 

Also, three of us had to travel with birth certificates since our new passports did not arrive in time.  Mine still hasn't come and I've written my Senator- I think their new online renewal process has some serious issues.  Anyway, there are two lines in the terminal- a passport line and a birth cert line.  As far as I could tell the passport line was moving as fast as people could walk through the exit doors of the terminal.  The birth cert line was slower than molasses with only a couple agents checking them- and they were barely verifying anything but it was still slow.

 

The moral of this story, get those passports early, and pad the time estimates on their website by a few weeks.  And maybe avoid online renewal for now- one would think it should be faster but that doesn't seem to be the case at the moment.

 

 

 

 

[irun5k]

11 hours ago, tradewinds traveler said:

Thank you for your great review. The photos are fabulous. We have been on the Oasis, I agree with you. It was great to see the Central Park area & Board Walk. I really doubt we do the Oasis again. Looking forward to our Celebration cruise. My thanks again.

 

Thanks!  We're considering a cruise for next year and I've been looking at the Wonder of the Seas and also considering the Mardi Gras.  We're also considering a European cruise next year instead but we've never cruise anywhere but the Caribbean so I have some serious research to do on that.

 

Anyway, I've been doing some research on Wonder and it seems Oasis class hasn't really evolved a whole lot- Im really becoming of the opinion that Royal needs to revisit their dining vision on these mammoth ships. Icon looks impressive but I'm not sure it will be much different in regard to dining.  I have to assume the majority might drop three figures on a specialty restaurant for a once night splurge, but the rest of the time it would be nice to have some variety especially when you're sailing on literally the largest cruise ships on the sea.

 

 

[dixiediva761]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Looking forward to my July Celebration experience. I was on the original Celebration for my honeymoon in 1999. Thanks again.

[irun5k]

24 minutes ago, dixiediva761 said:

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Looking forward to my July Celebration experience. I was on the original Celebration for my honeymoon in 1999. Thanks again.

 

That is very cool about your honeymoon.  I was on it in 1997 for my college graduation.  Looking back I'm glad to have had the opportunity to cruise on an 80's era ship for the nostalgic value.

 

A few years ago we went on her again after Bahamas Paradise bought her.  It was actually a decent ship for the 2 night Bahamas cruises.  On the second day, they fired up a smoker on the back of the ship and had the best BBQ.

[Journey11]

Thank you for this great review. I have jotted down some notes to share with our travel group. We will be on the Celebration in October.

I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise.