Here's why someone on NCL told me to not cruise on Celebrity

[davekathy]

This thread and others like is exactly why we would never let another's opinions and or experiences positive or negative influence any part of of cruise decisions. 

Edited May 17, 2023 by davekathy

[jerseyblue]

We sailed with Celebrity on ten out of seventeen cruises. We never sailed NCL, so I could not give a comparison but I was on a September 2022 Alaska Celebrity sailing. It did feel a bit older but we were so busy it didn't bother us to much. I picked it for the itinerary. That was the primary reason. I did consider NCL, RCI  and Princess for Alaska but their itinerary did not work for me. Some ports are the same and some are not. My past experience with Celebrity also carried weight so I choose them.   Very happy I did.  Loved Alaska.... would go again. Have a wonderful trip.

[Fly and Sail]

On 5/15/2023 at 10:47 AM, jelayne said:

I really do dislike the mandatory history lectures and test afterward😉

 

I failed this morning and was told I'm not getting ANY dessert tonight. 🤬

[poffles]

2 hours ago, catgirl411 said:

The more I read Live Reports, the more I realize that everyone looks for something different from their cruise experience. Some people want to lie in the sun and drink, some want to party all night, some want to gamble, some want to go on excursions, some love trivia and game shows, some love music and production shows, some love good food…etc, etc. you just have find what fits for you. And that probably has little to do with the relative age of the crowd.

 

This ⬆️  Says it all really and it has taken me years to recognize that what I think I am missing out on, or even not participting in, is not really missing for me at all.

[catgirl411]

So true. The first time you go on a cruise you feel like you have to try everything. Eventually you find your niche (and that might vary from cruise to cruise) and just relax and enjoy. that’s why I prefer 10 day+ cruises…it takes me that long to get the rhythm of a particular cruise and what it offers me.

[The Traveling Man]

On 5/15/2023 at 12:02 PM, njsmom said:

They were quite derogatory about our cruise, saying we should cancel and cruise on NCL instead. The reasons they said we should cancel:

 

—You'll be cruising with a "bunch of boring old people in their 50's and 60's" (we're 51 and 55)

—All you'll do is listen to lectures and have to learn about history and educational things (sign me up now!) 
—It's boring and no one does anything at night (sensing a theme here)

A)  The average age of passengers is actually older than 60 on many NCL cruises

B)  I have sailed on more than 30 NCL cruises on which there were exactly zero enrichment lectures

C)  NCL may not have the "party ship" reputation of some other cruise lines, but the dance parties and entertainment venues on NCL ships usually run til midnight on most cruises

[Sailing12Away]

We booked our first Celebrity cruise for the Galapagos in 2024. Figured we should try a 'normal' Celebrity ship first for a realistic comparison between them and what we're used to (and enjoy) with NCL, so now we'll be on Summit in November this year.

 

Everyone we talk to has an opinion as to which they think we'll enjoy more, but they're all swayed by what THEY find value in. Nickel & dime, nickel & dime.... fans of Celebrity love to throw NCL under the bus for that one. Again, we'll see for ourselves if there are any additional charges on our Celebrity trip, or if we enjoy the things that are included that we normally wouldn't choose to pay for with NCL.

 

But on the surface level when adding in things which are important to us and looking at similar experiences (Haven vs Retreat) - NCL has always come in as the winner price wise. We're going into it thinking this is a Celebrity cruise and being open to the new experience - not with the intention of nit picking what is different from NCL and why one is better/worse than the other.

[Baynanno1]

4 hours ago, davekathy said:

This thread and others like is exactly why we would never let another's opinions and or experiences positive or negative influence any part of of cruise decisions. 

 

Absolutely true for random strangers, however, I would and do listen to the opinions of well traveled friends and then weigh up options if a particular option appears to be under a cloud.

[2chiefs]

On 5/15/2023 at 4:27 PM, njsmom said:

I've been cruising and booking different lines these past six months to experience different things and see what fits for us. We'd only done Carnival in the past, due to old friends who preferred it. My husband and I did not like it, but we adored our friends, so we went with them. Now we've done Norwegian, which was fine, but nothing spectacular. Although I found the food in the specialty restaurants to be outstanding. Someone said it was because the Prima was new and the best chefs were there. Whatever the reason, it was amazing. And then I sailed on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas with my teenager last month for a spring break cruise and that was fine, but I found the food lacking. He LOVED the cruise, tho. So it was a win since it was for him. And now my husband and I will experience Celebrity on the Millennium in seven weeks. 

We are Celebrity and Royal cruisers. You hit the nail on the head. We cruise Celebrity for the food and adult ambiance. We sail Royal for the shows and entertainment. Both have their strong & weak points (in the eyes of the beholder of course).

 

When they come up with a cruise line that satisfies everyone, then we will all switch and all the current cruise lines will go bankrupt. 🙂 

[2chiefs]

On 5/15/2023 at 6:19 PM, ShawninFL said:

In all honesty, we took 2 Celebrity cruises in our late 20s and early 30s.  Although the food was the best we've experienced on any ship we've sailed, the overall atmosphere at the time was not for us.  At the time, the only option for dinner was the main dining room at either 5 or 8:30 PM.  Entertainment was geared towards an older generation and we at times found ourselved bored at night.  Fast forward 10-15 years and we gave Celebrity another try on a Soltice Class ship and we have been Celebrity loyalists ever since.  That cruise on Silhouette blew us away.  The modern ship, wide array of dining options, lots of entertainment options and the Martini Bar.....my happy place.   Although I said we're Celebrity loyalists, that doesn't mean we'll only go on Celebrity, but when looking for a cruise, we check there first.  With all this said, we'd never told others it was full of old people.  We always said that although we had a good time, we preferred Royal Caribbean as it had more entertainment options and was a bit more laid back.  Our tastes certainly do change as we age.  

👍

[davekathy]

33 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

Absolutely true for random strangers, however, I would and do listen to the opinions of well traveled friends and then weigh up options if a particular option appears to be under a cloud.

We took our first cruise in 1991 and knew no one that had cruised. Also 10 years before joining CC. I respect others opinions and experiences but has nothing to do with our decisions. 

 

What works for you...

[kirtihk]

The Celebrity Edge class is so contemporary (Eden, the Club, and so on)!  So, it's the opposite I've been reading a lot on multiple threads - nicely aged people complain about how annoying the Edge class ships are for them.

[CGinMTL]

On 5/15/2023 at 3:41 PM, ISABELLA said:

I am responding to your post from NCL Gateway. This is our first NCL haven experience. We are enjoying Haven, but have to tell you - most adults are doing nothing but drinking all day long. There is not much of interesting going on on the ship. After this” free style” cruising, I will take boring Celebrity any time. 

Agree. My last NCL was 2018. It really does not fit my personality

[The Traveling Man]

On 5/18/2023 at 2:08 PM, kirtihk said:

The Celebrity Edge class is so contemporary (Eden, the Club, and so on)!  So, it's the opposite I've been reading a lot on multiple threads - nicely aged people complain about how annoying the Edge class ships are for them.

We have sailed on each of the Edge class ships and are booked on one of the first voyages of the next one in the class.  We absolutely love the design of those ships.  I'm not quite sure who you count among the "nicely aged," but I'm north of 70 and my wife is getting there soon.

[kirtihk]

15 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

We have sailed on each of the Edge class ships and are booked on one of the first voyages of the next one in the class.  We absolutely love the design of those ships.  I'm not quite sure who you count among the "nicely aged," but I'm north of 70 and my wife is getting there soon.

I always compare aging with a matured fine red wine.

 

I agree with you on the Edge class design and style in general.  The Eclipse design reminds me a little of that, too. I mentioned Eden, because it was my hiding place on the Edge on our 2 cruises (I spent there every night for hours and also more time during day on sea days - the first cruise was Transatlantic crossing in April-May 2019).  We also liked Thermal Suites going there every day for couple hours.  In general we prefer Celebrity from all main non-luxury cruise lines.

[lv2cruisgrl]

On 5/15/2023 at 4:27 PM, njsmom said:

I've been cruising and booking different lines these past six months to experience different things and see what fits for us. We'd only done Carnival in the past, due to old friends who preferred it. My husband and I did not like it, but we adored our friends, so we went with them. Now we've done Norwegian, which was fine, but nothing spectacular. Although I found the food in the specialty restaurants to be outstanding. Someone said it was because the Prima was new and the best chefs were there. Whatever the reason, it was amazing. And then I sailed on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas with my teenager last month for a spring break cruise and that was fine, but I found the food lacking. He LOVED the cruise, tho. So it was a win since it was for him. And now my husband and I will experience Celebrity on the Millennium in seven weeks. 

We love Celebrity and years ago did Royal mostly.  After years of cruising only Celebrity we did Wonder of the Seas. Thought the food was way below par.  We are sticking to Celebrity from now on. 

[ISABELLA]

We just returned from our NCL Haven cruise. We enjoyed it, but a lot of things that NCL offer does not fit our likes. We will only sail in Haven, and will have to be for the right price and itinerary.

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, ISABELLA said:

We just returned from our NCL Haven cruise. We enjoyed it, but a lot of things that NCL offer does not fit our likes. We will only sail in Haven, and will have to be for the right price and itinerary.

We did our one and done NCL cruise in the Haven and thought at the time, it was far superior until we did our first Retreat cruise and we would not be interested in another Haven or NCL cruise.

[Sigyn]

On 5/21/2023 at 7:48 AM, terrydtx said:

We did our one and done NCL cruise in the Haven and thought at the time, it was far superior until we did our first Retreat cruise and we would not be interested in another Haven or NCL cruise.

We weren't in Haven on NCL, but we will be in the Retreat for Celebrity. So, I have no doubt we'll come away singing the praises of Celebrity over NCL. But not necessarily a fair comparison. 

[mizLORInj]

Haven't had a bad cruise yet--on ANY of the major lines.

 

 

[miched]

We were frequent cruisers on Carnival and Princess.  We reached their highest loyalty level.  We enjoyed the cruises and had great times.  We were walking down the pier back to our ship in a port.  A young male asked us what ship we were on.   We said the Carnival.  He said he was on the Celebrity ship.  He asked us how we liked the Carnival and we said that we loved it.   We asked asked about the Celebrity ship as we never sailed on them.   He said it is too stuffy and he didn’t like it and was thinking of Carnival.  
 

As we kept walking I said to my wife we need to try Celebrity.  She said “why?, Carnival is fine”.   

I investigated a Celebrity cruise and booked AQ.   When we walked on board and was given that glass of bubbly we were hooked.   When we entered our AQ cabin and seen the set up and then dined in Blu the first night my wife said “No more Carnival”    We are now within a few cruises of being Zenith.  If we would have sail Celebrity instead of Carnival we would have been Zentih when that level was introduced.

 

Everyone has to decide for themselves want line is the best and sometimes you have to go outside the box.   As we age our life styles change and along with that every business changes, if not they will go out of business.   Every cruise line has changed since our first cruise in 2000, along with everything else.  If we don’t like something vote with your feet and money, try something different.   Never know what is best for you.  
 

;Celebrity didn’t suit that person but it did us. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Sigyn]

11 hours ago, miched said:

Everyone has to decide for themselves want line is the best and sometimes you have to go outside the box.   As we age our life styles change and along with that every business changes, if not they will go out of business.   Every cruise line has changed since our first cruise in 2000, along with everything else.  If we don’t like something vote with your feet and money, try something different.   Never know what is best for you.  
 

;Celebrity didn’t suit that person but it did us. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Exactly this. It's one of the reasons I've cruised NCL, Royal and about to do Celebrity, all since December, after having only previously cruised Carnival. I want to experience the other cruise lines myself to see the best fit. it's the only way to know. I'm glad you and your wife found your happy place.

Edited May 24, 2023 by njsmom

[Cruise a holic]

On 5/15/2023 at 1:02 PM, njsmom said:

In December, we did a holiday cruise on the Norwegian Prima. I told this one couple, in their 30's and who loved to drink and lay by the pool all day, that we were going on our first Celebrity cruise to Alaska this summer. 

They were quite derogatory about our cruise, saying we should cancel and cruise on NCL instead. The reasons they said we should cancel:

 

—You'll be cruising with a "bunch of boring old people in their 50's and 60's" (we're 51 and 55)

—All you'll do is listen to lectures and have to learn about history and educational things (sign me up now!) 
—It's boring and no one does anything at night (sensing a theme here)
 

Of course, I ignored them and kept my cruise and I'm looking quite forward to it. Just thought I'd share because I found it rather funny. And insulting. Coming from an "old person" in her 50's. 

Having sailed a few times on NCL, unless you are in the Haven a horrible crowded and poorly laid out ships.  The pool deck had people laying on towels on the floor and they  had no main theatre- so many games and activities were held in the small center of the ship.  Food was a true disappointment.  I only liked the Jazz club when leaving the Haven.  SP restaurants tasted like the olive garden- Also the crowd was diverse, as with celebrity.  

[AstoriaPreppy]

Based on my experience in CC and in the real world, for some reason NCL seems to have the most ride-or-die customers. I don't know if it's the ability to wear shorts to the MDR, the unlimited cocktails, the "choice" with dining, or the passenger base, but it's almost inexplicable for the product delivered and price paid.

 

I've had gushing comments about how good the MDRs are (they are ostensibly the weakest of any mass market line). How spectacular the service is (either on-par or below every other mass market line). How there's so many dining choices (moat of these restaurants are par with the MDR on other lines). How great the ships are (huge portions given over to specialty dining and suites, making them surprisingly crowded otherwise). I think it's lack of exposure to other lines and experiences.

 

That said, we're line-agnostic and we sail everything (including NCL this summer), but the NCL fans are hardcore. The only other thing I've experienced that's close is the Royal Caribbean guests who basically give an impassioned TED talk about how you should really work on reaching Diamond when you're chatting in a bar... I've always told my husband I feel like they're trying to sign me up for Amway. 

[Sigyn]

On 5/24/2023 at 11:22 AM, AstoriaPreppy said:

Based on my experience in CC and in the real world, for some reason NCL seems to have the most ride-or-die customers. I don't know if it's the ability to wear shorts to the MDR, the unlimited cocktails, the "choice" with dining, or the passenger base, but it's almost inexplicable for the product delivered and price paid.

 

I've had gushing comments about how good the MDRs are (they are ostensibly the weakest of any mass market line). How spectacular the service is (either on-par or below every other mass market line). How there's so many dining choices (moat of these restaurants are par with the MDR on other lines). How great the ships are (huge portions given over to specialty dining and suites, making them surprisingly crowded otherwise). I think it's lack of exposure to other lines and experiences.

 

That said, we're line-agnostic and we sail everything (including NCL this summer), but the NCL fans are hardcore. The only other thing I've experienced that's close is the Royal Caribbean guests who basically give an impassioned TED talk about how you should really work on reaching Diamond when you're chatting in a bar... I've always told my husband I feel like they're trying to sign me up for Amway. 

Line agnostic. I love it. I feel that way. I'm not attached to one particular cruise line. I look at the benefits you get after multiple cruises and I'm like, eh, a free bag of laundry or a level boost in a cabin category. I'd rather find the cruise itinerary I want, on the date I want, at the price I want, and not be tied to one particular cruise line. (As long as it's not Carnival.)

Edited May 27, 2023 by njsmom