Celebrity To Add Another Ship - Celebrity Quest

[Susan-M]

Xpedition, with less than 100 passengers and a true "ecotourism" itinerary seems like apples to oranges vis a vis Journey and now Quest. They may be smaller and somewhat more upscale than the M or C class, but still nothing like Xpedition.

 

I'm surprised too that they are including these two new ships in the Expedition Class. On the Galapagos trip, their survey asked, Would you be interested in other Xpedition type cruises and if so, to where?" My response was "yes...to Antarctica" but I had visions of another "mega yacht" as opposed to a "cruise ship". But, I will be watching closely to see what the S.A./Antarctica itineraries are as they are destinations that appeal to us.

[JORAY]

I hope they go up the Amazon river as two other lines are going, these ship are the right size.

[SheilaNC]

Interestingly, on the NEW Web site, they list Expedition class and Journey Class (Journey is not included with Xpedition). AND Zenith is still listed as only ship in Horizon class - guess it will remain so until after its last cruise. Quest is not yet listed.

[RLM77]

While their "R" ship experience has proven to be very popular, their market research seems to indicate that some of their passengers are looking for a little more cabin space, and more room for entertainment, etc.

 

Obviously, Celebrity wants to emulate the very successful formula that Oceania has crafted. It is interesting to note that the demise of the small ship experience has been grossly exaggerated.

 

It will be interesting to see how Celebrity pricing stacks up against Oceania, as one will be able to do an "apples to apples" comparison.

 

I, for one, am extremely happy to see more competition in this segment.

I will also be very interested to see how the Journey and Quest are positioned, in terms of both pricing and the overall experience. It is interesting that Royal Caribbean, the company that has led the way in building ever larger ships, would look to a pair of ships less than half the size of the Millenium and Radiance classes (and about 25% the size of Freedom of the Seas) to add a new dimension to the Celebrity brand.

 

Will Celebrity offer open seating on these ships? That is a feature that I, for one, would love to see.

 

Will the specialty restaurants be $30 (or more) per person or available at no additional cost a la the Oceania model? (I have a pretty strong feeling about what the answer to this question will be!:eek: )

 

Will X try to maintain many of the entertainment options of the C and M class, or migrate toward the minimalist entertainment style that is said to be part of Oceania's product?

 

Finally, if Quest and Journey are being positioned as upscale alternatives, does that mean that the larger ships shift further away from Premium, more toward standard mass market?

 

It will be very interesting to see how the two products (C and M class vs. R class) develop, especially with Solistice entering service just a year or so after Quest.

[FinelyCruising]

Right now with Oceania's style of Country Club casual and Celebrities desire to insist on Formal dress, if pricing is identical and the amenties were identical, and let's throw in no loyalty perks, I'd select the more laid back Oceania. JMO and my personal preference for dressing at and dinner and the dining times/options available at this point in my cruiselife....

[dkjretired]

Curious if in the summer of 08 they will go back to sending two ships to Bermuda, the press release only mentions initial sailings Oct. 07.

[ocngypz]

Curious if in the summer of 08 they will go back to sending two ships to Bermuda, the press release only mentions initial sailings Oct. 07.

 

 

Hi Don:

 

I doubt it. Bermuda has been getting softer.. and softer.. and softer. There are so many other choices from the NE now for folks during the summer. And keep in mind, there are very few third and fourth berths available on the R-class ships.

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens to Bermuda once NCL replaces the Majesty with the Dawn.