Poll for Celebrity Loyalists

[a350flyer]

Wondering how many people out there are thinking of sticking with Celebrity or considering another line.

[canderson]

The question uses the word "leaving".  Not leaving, but branching out a bit.  So didn't vote.   Last cruise was Silversea, next is Celebrity.

[gizmodog]

I have already switched to HAL for my next 3 cruises just need a break from celebrity. Just got back from Alaska, going to Greece, then Hawaii. I find it very comparable to celebrity except for entertainment which I normally don’t care about anyway. It does not cost as much as celebrity with their extras ie: specialty dinners, actually a free specialty dinner is part of their package as is so much off a shore excursion. 
happy right now….we will see.

[mac_tlc]

I agree with the previous characterization of "leaving". We are indeed branching out. Our first HAL and Oceania cruises scheduled for next year. Also considering MSC YC for our family cruise in August next year. 

 

But we have also booked the Beyond for Thanksgiving and Silhouette for April 2026. Why? Because we got a price that we consider reasonable. Both are Retreat at less than $380 pppd.

 

At those prices we will still sail X, but also look around a bit.

 

 

mac_tlc

[NMTraveller]

My next cruise is on Princess.  The E class ships have the better itineraries,  but I will not sail in a IV (open/close) window.  I prefer a real balcony.

Edited Tuesday at 12:34 AM by NMTraveller

[Rina155]

I didn’t “vote” as not leaving but not being exclusive to celebrity. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

12 minutes ago, Rina155 said:

I didn’t “vote” as not leaving but not being exclusive to celebrity. 

Same.

[DaKahuna]

 I saw the line said "leaving" but the poll question said something else. 

 

 Are you considering cruising on another line instead of Celebrity?

 

So I answered Yes.  Already sailed on MSC once and am sailing on MSC again in September. 

 

[screwsmcernst]

We will be looking for sailings to the British Isles in 2026.  If Celebrity goes where we would like to go and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, then we will sail with X.  If there is something better, then we will look at another line.

[George C]

We do a annual music charter on celebrity next year will be 7th year in a row , we always do a second cruise this year it’s on MSc yacht club, other years it may be rccl or sometimes celebrity again.

[Tigerfnan23]

I always look into other cruise line options when we plan a cruise but we seem to end up back with Celebrity once pricing out our other options and what you get for those prices.   Doesn't mean that might not change on the next one though.   

[wrk2cruise]

39 days on Windstar motor yachts so far this year and 14 more before the end of the year.  First venture away from Celebrity since 2004.  But we leave for 23 days on Apex tomorrow and have an Eclipse sailing in Oct.   So like others they are forcing me to look elsewhere as well.

[Liao]

Voted yes, though I too am not leaving, just want to try something new, Oceania.  I’ve got a TA booked on Eclipse in March and very much looking forward to it.

[bjahil47]

Not leaving as we have two booked on Celebrity but we are looking at different cruise lines.

[jcpc]

Not leaving.  But also now doing MSC Yacht Club cruises rather than Celebrity Retreat cruises.  When sailing Celebrity I now usually do Concierge Class or Aqua Class (although I am booked in a Sky Suite on Apex in December.......I believe this will be my "last hurrah" in Celebrity Retreat class!

[BeasleysMom66]

Not leaving but my next cruise is on Princess.  I got it from my casino loyalty program and it is worth it to try something else and see how they perform and compare.

[chefchick]

I’ve been cruising for over 30 years yet I did not vote as I am not loyal to any one line.  My next cruise is my first time on an Edge ship class though and I’m excited for it!

[chemmo]

When cruising from foreign ports at present we are sticking with Celebrity. Quite simply we love the S class ships and our preferred rooms in them. However, as prices from Southampton (usually our second cruise of the year) are prohibitive (and E class) we have booked alternatives. AI in Turkey, chalet breaks in our own beautiful country and something later this year to be decided…

 

We have been following reviews on other cruise lines with interest. Sincere thanks to those of you who have posted them. MSC doesn’t appeal as we enjoy a full ship experience, Princess, their suite options are limited….I would never say never but at present whilst ‘loyal’ to Celebrity when cruising we are definitely enjoying far more none cruise holidays…

 

 

[bikerunner]

I was done with celebrity but added a b2b cruise in December now only because of Blue Chip Club. But my next cpl are not celebrity and none of the ones I have next year are Celebrity.  Will I use them again, maybe if its an Itinerary I like but I am trending towards smaller ships now, ie Azamara, Oceana, river cruises for my main trips the next few years.  

[PTC DAWG]

Alternate with Celebrity and MSC Yacht Club..occasionally Royal or NCL with younger family members

Edited Tuesday at 12:50 PM by PTC DAWG

[Mangrove Snapper]

I didn't vote as I wouldn't consider myself a "loyalist" to Celebrity or any cruise line. 

 

To answer the question, we already have cruised on lines other than Celebrity and will also continue to cruise with Celebrity.  We have four upcoming cruises booked on four different lines, one of which is Celebrity.  I like variety and have never seen the point in limiting myself. 

[bobndee]

We're leaving as we prefer smaller ships. Celebrity and RCI are moving to ever bigger ships.

[Tom and Ingrid]

I've got a list of cruises I'm watching, and they're mostly not X.  We're trying to see what's out there from other lines, and are definitely not "leaving" X.

 

I have MSC, Royal, Cunard, Virgin, and Princess cruises on my current "tracking" list - all different itineraries from each other.  But also a couple X cruises too, like the Tahiti one I am especially interested in for '25 or '26.

 

With matching status on MSC, Royal, and Virgin, plus some perks for Cunard and Princess, I feel ok looking beyond X.

 

Watched another video last night on the Icon, and honestly am trying to see how we could "fit" on a ship like that.  On the one hand, it seems like an interesting chance to explore an at-sea amusement park, but on the other hand it just seems to be too much.  

 

Separately, the MSC, Princess, or Cunard seem like easy "swaps" for X, and Virgin a bit more likely to be easy too.

[Stem to Stern]

I am enjoying the commentary on this thread so far.  I am also not leaving, but I did vote yes.  I am not sure if I would still consider myself a loyalist or not.

 
After trying our first Azamara sailing, DH and I found ourselves on a very rough, nearly year-long cruising hiatus.  We kicked off our return in December 2023 with a side-by-side comparison of our first try in MSC Yacht Club followed by The Retreat.  Both experiences were great in their own individual ways.  Our recent April four-nighter on Silhouette solidified the idea that these short sailings are just no longer our jam, but we still love the Millennium- and Solstice-class vessels and the overall product.

 

Then, a bit of a booking binge took place ending with five deposits to Celebrity.  I am a sucker for a fluke or very attractive price.  After evaluating our first Edge-class sailing later this summer, we will decide whether or not to cancel our Xcel booking.

 

I have an active radar showing Holland America, Oceania, Windstar, and MSC Yacht Club among others.  Close friends have found themselves a very happy second home at itinerary-focused HAL.  I love the size of their smallest vessel, but it is also their eldest.  The newest HAL ships are not overwhelming in size either.

 

As we began to move away from the Caribbean and toward more port-intensive options, we looked at doing Iceland in 2025 via Celebrity, but I wasn’t loving all the sea days.  Windstar has a drop-dead fabulous itinerary, but $$$$$$.  After making the requirement that we start or end in Ireland, the options were suddenly reduced to a precious few.  We ended up booking with Azamara.  

 

So, going forward my cruise booking mantras are:

 

For easy, relaxing, drive-to-Florida-port getaways:

Celebrity, MSC Yacht Club, and others that provide a nice balance of sea days and interesting ports at a good value.

 

For destination-focused, port-intensive itineraries:

HAL, Azamara, Oceania, and others that may release 2026 European itineraries sooner than X and may require a higher spend per day.

 

Time to start checking off places on the bucket list.

Edited Tuesday at 01:15 PM by Stem to Stern

[billc23]

I ventured away from Celebrity about two years ago because of the price increases, service/quality declines, and lack of trust because of the frequent changes from the product originally purchased. I will still book Celebrity - currently have an Apex December booking and will book another sailing once onboard - but I think the majority of my future booking will be on other cruise lines. 

 

Why? 1. The preponderance of shorter cruises that do the same itinerary is of little interest to me because I enjoy longer sailing and doing a B4B to mostly the same ports gets tiring. Not only are the ports the same but the unship entertainment is too. 2. As my family has grown, I enjoy treating all to a winter vacation on a cruise ship. Ages from 3 to 18, 33 to 48, and the old folks (me and my wife) who desire to create great memories for all. Royal is a better fit for this family's trip than Celebrity and this year I am giving MSC a try. 3. The Celebrity Retreat pricing is similar to the true luxury lines, often more. I enjoy the smaller ships ability to get closer to the destination of interest, often able to dock instead of tender, the care that goes into ensuring all passengers have a satisfying experience (a numbers game), and more equal treatment once you leave your cabin. 4. For trips that go to destinations that I am interested in experiencing, I find the logistics of the smaller ship superior. This year, I did the same 2 week sailing on Silversea Silver Moon followed directly by a sailing on the Celebrity Solstice. Same ports but more tendering with Celebrity, shorter time in the ports with Celebrity in general, and often several hours of ground transportation to get to the sites rather than actually docking where you want to be with much less time in ground transportation. These are the reasons that I chose a Silversea sailing for Japan in April 2025 rather the Celebrity. 5. I am thinking that I will prefer Celebrity for Caribbean sailings because the ship is my destination have been to most of the ports. My typical mode of operation is to stroll around off the ship, often grab a lunch somewhere overlooking the ocean, and then return to the ship to enjoy the less crowded spaces while the masses are in port. However, this January I am sailing on the MSC YC for 7 days followed by some land time before 21 days on a small ship - the Silver Moon. I will then be able to have an informed decision for my future Caribbean sailings rather than proclaiming that I would be board on a smaller ship or overwhelmed on MSC. 

 

Sorry for the long post but I need to put some of my thoughts together for selecting sailings based on different locations and whom I'm traveling with.