Super Awesome Celebrity Experiences Before, During, or After (Open Thread)

[Georgia_Peaches]

26 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

I never said those memories or positive experiences are a waste, nor did I mention anything about it being anyone's fault.  My issue is if I am looking for reviews to make a decision I want recent reviews. I feel like this thread is a bit of a poke at the other posts with recent negative experiences, maybe I am just taking it wrong?  Even now as I have been planning my Japan cruise and looking at tours, I do not look at any reviews prior to covid because so much has changed.  Sorry but if I am going to be spending a lot of money I want to be as up to date and informed as possible. 

I get it.  and I agree that recent reviews in your situation are in order so that you can make an informed decision.  I think the OP is definitely trying to counter the negative reviews and I'm ok with that.  I have been pretty vocal in the negative threads as well...but I'm trying not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I'm just trying to keep everything in perspective in this seemingly fluid situation regarding Celebrity.  I certainly hope you find the perfect cruise!  I encourage you to totally shop around.  We did and found a great fit for our upcoming Med cruise...on Regent.

[micruiser2002]

3 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I get it.  and I agree that recent reviews in your situation are in order so that you can make an informed decision.  I think the OP is definitely trying to counter the negative reviews and I'm ok with that.  I have been pretty vocal in the negative threads as well...but I'm trying not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I'm just trying to keep everything in perspective in this seemingly fluid situation regarding Celebrity.  I certainly hope you find the perfect cruise!  I encourage you to totally shop around.  We did and found a great fit for our upcoming Med cruise...on Regent.

We are actually already booked on Millie and depart this October.  I am still looking forward to the cruise because we are in a SS and at least will have different food options.  Plus to be honest for this itinerary I am not as concerned about the ship.  But I have also have 2 cruises booked next year on Ascent and will be keeping an eye on the reviews.  

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

We are actually already booked on Millie and depart this October.  I am still looking forward to the cruise because we are in a SS and at least will have different food options.  Plus to be honest for this itinerary I am not as concerned about the ship.  But I have also have 2 cruises booked next year on Ascent and will be keeping an eye on the reviews.  

If you're like us, a trip abroad is more about the ports of call and less about the ship...but good food is always welcome 😁. 

We are on the pre-pre-maiden voyage of Ascent in November in a b2b 4 night/3 night cruise.  We booked a porthole balcony for the first leg and a SS for the second leg.  I plan to do a live review but I'm sure our cruise will be much more of a guinea pig event than yours...I'm happy to help them work out the kinks though!

[JackE]

3 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

If you're like us, a trip abroad is more about the ports of call and less about the ship...but good food is always welcome 😁. 

We are on the pre-pre-maiden voyage of Ascent in November in a b2b 4 night/3 night cruise.  We booked a porthole balcony for the first leg and a SS for the second leg.  I plan to do a live review but I'm sure our cruise will be much more of a guinea pig event than yours...I'm happy to help them work out the kinks though!

We are also on the 3 night Ascent in November the Sunday after Thanksgiving! We booked a Sunset SS which we have never tried. Looking forward to experiencing the new ship. It’s our reward after Thanksgiving with the family. 🤪

[Dreamer68]

2 hours ago, JackE said:

It’s our reward after Thanksgiving with the family. 🤪

🤣😂🤣 All the best at Thanksgiving! 

[Silkroad]

3 hours ago, micruiser2002 said:

I'm sorry but not sure what good it is to get reviews of cruises 20 years ago.  The issue with all the negative posts recently is the fact that recently, Celebrity has been making what are seen as negative changes.  I have cruised Celebrity for many years and always loved them but I am concerned with some of the changes.  Specifically the new menus, sorry they do not look like anything close to past Celebrity standards.

I can’t speak for the OP, but I didn’t think this thread was meant to be a series of reviews. I thought it was intended to give all of us an opportunity to reflect on the positive aspects of our experiences on Celebrity cruises. 

[Bejay219]

3 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

We sailed on Equinox in January 2020 and that was our first Sky Suite experience. Our waiter in Luminae was Jose and we loved him! Let's fast forward to the restart and the Edge in July 2021. Our first E-class Sky Suite and who is in Luminae ???? Jose !!! We all recognized each other and he affectionately referred to us as "mama" and "papa". It was so nice to see a familiar face after the previous 18 months. Also had Hussein and Joao in Retreat Lounge, also from Equinox. 

 

We were also lucky to meet @KKB on this cruise and her Mom. If you need a partner for any music trivia, its @KKB!! 

 

We were back on Edge in October 2021 and who is in Luminae ???? Jose !!!! By now, I almost felt like his papa!  We were on a roll so we went back on Edge in March 2022, but (sigh) Jose was no longer there --- he had gotten a promotion to Butler --- I really wonder how he has fared with the latest butler changes. 

 

We had the same Butler (Al) on Edge in 2021 and Apex in 2022. 

 

This year has been the year of Beyond, with a January and April sailing. Petre as Luminae Maitre'd and Mariana as Luminae host were on both sailings and are both moving to Ascent -- hopefully we will see them in January 2024. 

 

Of course, it was great sailing in April with some CC friends, @KKB, @Silkroad, @GenerationX, @Mrs_Tiki . 

 

So, it's really about the people --- crew and fellow passengers. Those are what we will miss as we are investigating alternatives, due to the crazy future Retreat pricing.  

 

mac_tlc

Jose was on the Apex in May and June of this year, we were on the Transatlantic then 7 day Norway and 11 night British Isles. We were so happy to see him as we sailed with him many times before!  Last year he was promoted while we were on the ship!  You would know his voice from far away!  In May he came running down the hall and gave us a big hug!  We hope he faired well with all the changes. 

[39august]

On Equinox in late April in Sky Suite, our cooler definitely was not cool when we boarded. Mentioned this to our butler that evening. Next morning maintenance arrived and in a few minute  repaired whatever was required. Soon  it began working properly. Two evenings later while in the Retreat Lounge for before dinner drink, the Retreat Concierge approached to apologize for the malfunction and said for our inconvenience, Celebrity would like to offer us ,,,,,wait for it... $800 FCC! We insisted nothing was necessary for the minor inconvenience, but she already had the FCC certificate printed out and presented it to us. We were floored. 

[MamaFej]

We've had so many wonderful experiences on Celebrity cruises over the last 9 years, each having to do with wonderful crew.

 

I think the one that stands out the most was on Constellation in May of 2022. We were B2B and had won our first MoveUp bid to a suite. We had not planned to go to lunch, but I noticed they had pancit on the menu. I mentioned it to PapaFej, and off we went to Luminae.

 

The pancit was fantastic! We mentioned to the waiter that  PapaFej's stepfather is from Guam, and he had grown up on Pacific Islander food. The conversation turned to lumpia, keleguin, and more, including talking about how PapaFej's grandmother cooked in an outdoor kitchen in her backyard in Lemon Grove. The waiter asked if we would like a filipino/Pacific Islander meal one night. We thanked him, but didn't want to be any trouble, so we did not mention it again. Later in the cruise, he asked again, and made it clear that they would really like to do it for us. Well, the next night, we had the best adobo, pancit, and lumpia ever! I said, "It's a good thing your grandmother is dead, because these lumpia are even better than hers, and I wouldn't want her to hear that!" 

 

It was so delightful to share this lovely cultural experience with the hard-working folks who take such good care of us onboard! 

[NutsAboutGolf]

While lately it seems the crew is always understaffed which increases their stress, I've always found the crew pleasant and just overall great

[SusieAV8R]

On 8/27/2023 at 12:51 AM, Boston lab girl said:

I hope this what you are looking for.

last year we were on the summit and the cruise director was the best. She did a tai chi class on the top deck. ( free) It was sooo hot. She called housekeeping and had them bring up cold wet towels so everyone could cool off. That is the service we have come to expect from celebrity and it’s the little things like that make us keep coming back.

Totally agree with you, Boston lab' girl!  Those are the kind of services/experiences that have kept DH and I coming back to X since 2007!  

[SusieAV8R]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

While lately it seems the crew is always understaffed which increases their stress, I've always found the crew pleasant and just overall great

 

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

While lately it seems the crew is always understaffed which increases their stress, I've always found the crew pleasant and just overall great

We didn't encounter stressed staff from "being understaffed".  We did frequently hear (from staff) about stress arising from unhappy guests with "pie-in-the-sky" (my editorial) expectations, (and we had the misfortune to personally witness a few examples of such).   Granted our most recent cruises on X were 13 days over Christmas-New Years and 9 days in April, so maybe things have gone "to heck in a hand basket " in the intervening 5 months.  We'll find out on Thursday when we board Equinox. 🙂

[zitsky]

34 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

 

We didn't encounter stressed staff from "being understaffed".  We did frequently hear (from staff) about stress arising from unhappy guests with "pie-in-the-sky" (my editorial) expectations, (and we had the misfortune to personally witness a few examples of such).   Granted our most recent cruises on X were 13 days over Christmas-New Years and 9 days in April, so maybe things have gone "to heck in a hand basket " in the intervening 5 months.  We'll find out on Thursday when we board Equinox. 🙂

Why not tell us what you think a “pie in the sky” request is?

[RichYak]

14 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Why not tell us what you think a “pie in the sky” request is?

Clearly it's requesting an entire pie in your sky suite.

[zitsky]

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

Clearly it's requesting an entire pie in your sky suite.

Jerry Seinfeld is that you?

[Pinboy]

57 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Why not tell us what you think a “pie in the sky” request is?

We can have a lot of fun with that —How about :

- Can you get me some of them round tomatoes that they are hiding — and hurry up with my 3 rd shrimp cocktail.

- I want my bath “drawn “ at 10:45 - not too hot, not too cold 

- Have the Captain call me about the cold French onion soup I was served 9 days ago. 
-  Tell the laundry department to be careful with my suit - it’s the only one I have—— that fits. 
- Can you open the door to the Retreat so I can see what it’s like in there?

- Ask the VP Marketing to read CC every day and listen to the voice of the people !

Now—Your turn