Considering Celebrity for next cruise

[loungelizard]

I'm seriously interested in Celebrity for my next cruise and I'd like opinions as to what would be the best ship to begin with? Itinerary is secondary to me as I really enjoy the ships more than the ports. Thanks.

[LoveSt.Thomas]

Personally I think that my favorite cruise line would have to be Celebrity Cruises. I think it's the little things that make a big difference. Celebrity goes to alot of amazing cities and has alot of exotic itineraries. Their are so many to choose from. Their are a few different class ships. I think Mexico or the Caribbean would be great places to start. I also heard that they do some amazing European cruises. For some they like Alaska but personally I dont like the cold and I would rather go some place where you can lounge around the beach, get a nice tan, and take a dip in the pool if you knwo what I mean. So you can do some of the bigger ships like the Millenium, Summit, Constellation, or the Infinity. Then their is the Century, Mercury, and Galaxy in the Century class and they are fairly sized ships. The Horizon class in the Zenith, and is their oldest ship. If you go on a smaller ship the crew to passenger ratio is less so you are more individualized and get more attention from the crew, along with that their might not be as many kids which can get a good or bad thing depending on your travel companions. Hoped I helped. Bon Voyage.

[tally10]

We took our first Celebrity cruise, a transatlantic, on the Constellation in April '05. A friend told me that that was her all time favorite ship, and since she cruises all of the time, I felt she knew what she was talking about. Having been on the Jewel of the Seas in '04, I was NOT impressed, initially, with the Connie. I thought the Jewel was so much prettier. However, the service is the best bar none and the food is a lot better. I did the Baltic on the Connie last year and next month I will again be on her for the transatlantic. She has really grown on me. While I still like RCCL, Celebrity is now our favorite and our first choice.

Don't hesitate.

[whotom]

We have cruised multiple times on Celebrity and on mulitiple ships including Galaxy, Infinity, and Summit. We are scheduled to sail on Zenith in three weeks. The only difference in our experience from one ship to the other has only to do with the size of the ship. The amenities are all similar, food quality all outstanding ... I would suggest that your best choice for a ship depends on your preference for very large (M Class), medium sized (Century Class) or smaller, like Zenith.

[Drew B]

Many people are mentioning Zenith, but she will be leaving the line very soon (end of April, I believe). X will have two new ships that are even smaller called "Journey" & "Quest". These ships will be even more upscale (e.g. butler for every cabin) with the price tags to go along with it. They also do more exotic itineraries...

 

Finally, don't forget Xpedition, the eco-cruising vessel with less than 100 passengers doing year-round cruises in the Galapagos.

 

Have fun!

[SANDY BEACH]

I love Celebrity and feel their service is outstanding. I would suggest one of the M class ships. My two favorites are the Millennium and the Constellation.

[loungelizard]

Thank you all for your input....it's very much appreciated. One of my dream cruises is the Galapagos Islands but it's a bit too much money for me right now.

[rjg41]

Celebrity can offer a great cruising experience. Anyone considering Celebrity should read the sticky about the pod problems on the M-class ships. These problems can have a great impact on your cruise.

 

As a long time Millie class ship cruiser, having just returned from our 5th Millie class cruise, I think this issue is way overblown. We have never a ship that encountered a problem while we were on board.

 

There has been a problem and Celebrity is getting it arms around it. First, you should note that Constellation has never had a pod bearing problem. Secondly, in the immediate future, all pods will receive a new bearing solution from Rolls Royce.

[caviargal]

As a long time Millie class ship cruiser, having just returned from our 5th Millie class cruise, I think this issue is way overblown. We have never a ship that encountered a problem while we were on board.

 

There has been a problem and Celebrity is getting it arms around it. First, you should note that Constellation has never had a pod bearing problem. Secondly, in the immediate future, all pods will receive a new bearing solution from Rolls Royce.

 

 

It is possible that you think the issue is overblown simply because it has not affected you personally. I had a cruise - not on X - cancelled three days prior to sailing due to pod problems. It was my honeymoon and I was not happy. So to generalize that problems are "overblown" simply because you have not been been affected is really not accurate.

 

To the OP, I would choose Journey or Quest. The open dining, smaller ships that will likely appeal to an adult demographic, country club casual atmosphere and interesting itineraries make those the mose appealing for me.

 

I enjoyed most of my cruises with X over the years, but really loved Horizon and Zenith in their heydays and would absolutely choose the new smaller ships should I choose to sail with them again.

[patrioticgirl]

I enjoyed most of my cruises with X over the years, but really loved Horizon and Zenith in their heydays and would absolutely choose the new smaller ships should I choose to sail with them again.

Based upon personal experience, I tend to agree. In my opinion, the smaller the ship, the better the Celebrity experience, especially in terms of service and overall product quality. I'll agree that the M-class ships are lovely and that they may offer a bit more in terms of bells and whistles. However, my overall impression, in regard to atmophere, is that the M-class ships have been less attentive to the little details that I have found so appealing on Celebrity's smaller vessels. My personal observation has been that the smaller class ships exude a sense of employee community and pride in performance that I do not feel is quite as evident when sailing upon the larger M-class product. For this reason, I'd suggest that the OP consider a small or mid-sized Century class vessel for his first Celebrity voyage.

[krusin']

:) We've done 15 cruises in the last 6 years 10 with Celebrity and 5 on the Millie, our favorite. We've gotten to know some staff almost on a personal basis and recently have sailed with former cruise mates. We have visited and keep in touch with many of the people we have met on vaious cruises. These are friendships we would never have made anywhere else.

We are booked on the Quest next February and look forward to

7 Caribbean ports we have never visited. I can't say enough about Celebrity in comparison to the other lines we have cruised with.:D

[Rev22:17]

loungelizard,

 

I'm seriously interested in Celebrity for my next cruise and I'd like opinions as to what would be the best ship to begin with? Itinerary is secondary to me as I really enjoy the ships more than the ports. Thanks.

 

The most important point to understand before booking is that Celebrity's ships are now divided into two fleets that offer very different products.

 

>> The traditional "Celebrity Cruises" fleet consists of MV Century, MV Galaxy, MV Mercury, GTS Millennium, GTS Constellation, GTS Infinity, GTS Summit, and, for another month or so, MV Zenith, with three new ships of the Solstice class on order for delivery in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The "Celebrity Cruises" product retains traditional standards of dress, so about half of the evenings on each cruise are either "formal" or "informal" (jacket "required" for gentlemen) so only about half of the evenings are "casual" -- and the evening dress standard applies throughout the ship, including the Celebrity Theater, all lounges, and the casino, except in designated "casual" areas (basically topside) so options for entertainment are extremely limited if you decide not to dress up. The "Celebrity Cruises" fleet offers a good variety of itineraries to substantially all major cruising destinations. Overall, these ships are pretty comparable with similar basic layouts, facilities, and amenities.

 

>> The new "Celebrity Expeditions" fleet will come together this year with the addition of MV Celebrity Journey and MV Celebrity Quest joining MY Celebrity Xpedition on cruises to more exotic destinations which typically include ports of call that cannot accommodate larger vessels, though MV Celebrity Journey will operate the "Bermuda" season originally assigned MV Zenith this year only. These vessels offer an "all casual" cruise experience with NO "formal," "semiformal," or "informal" evenings, and their main dining rooms are open seating (like restaurants ashore) rather than the traditional fixed seatings of most cruise ships. Their show lounges are not as elaborate as the Celebrity Theaters of the "Celebrity Cruises" fleet, so they cannot feature elaborate production shows like the shows performed by the "Celebrity Singers and Dancers" on the "Celebrity Cruises" vessels. These vessels also do NOT have children's, youth, and teen centers, and we are not aware of any statement as to the availability of programs for minors.

 

So which style is right for you?

 

Norm.

[RuthlessBoss]

Have been on the Horizon when it was sailing, Great. Then the Century before it was refurbished, great. Food, great. Service great. If you want to be spoiled, go Celebrity. If you want a fairly laid back cruise, go Celebrity. The line is quite traditional.:)

[loungelizard]

Thanks again for the information...I now feel I have a much better understanding of what to expect. Time to start planning!

[MrLee]

I got back from Zenith yesterday (a day late due to a cancelled flight :rolleyes: ) and I have to say the food was outstanding. The crew was fantastic and the whole trip was (mostly) relaxing. I could quibble about small things but, especially on a ship that old, little things are to be expected. BTW, she is leaving the fleet the end of next month.

 

The one big thing to me, and it's only a personal opinion, was the dress code. On vacation I shouldn't have to "dress up" on 6 out of 11 days (3 days tux, 3 days suit). If you don't mind the formality, you'll love Celebrity.

[KreiderCarter]

We are considering Celebrity for next year as well, we have 5 cruises with Royal Caribbean but the northern Europe itineraries for next year are better with Celebrity...we are looking at one of the 14 nighters out of Harwich aboard the Constellation next May.

 

I know Celebrity and Royal are "sister" lines, how do they compare? How does the Constellation compare to Radiance class ships? Are the ships activities comparable? We aren't the party hard crowd (we are both in our mid-30's) but we do enjoy having a good time.

 

Any info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

[jbuch02]

We are considering Celebrity for next year as well, we have 5 cruises with Royal Caribbean

 

We've done 10 cruises ... 5 on Celebrity (both on Millenium and Century class ships) and 4 on RCL. There's very little difference except that the atmosphere on Celebrity ships is decidely more tradtional and formal ... we like this so tend to favor Celebrity. However, Celebrity has accomdated cruisers who like less formality on their ships with "casual dining." So, if getting dressed up and eating with 9 pieces of silver ware is not your thing, Celebrity has you covered there too.

 

Concur with another poster who pointed out that the smaller Century and Horizon class ships seem to have more intimacy and a crew that takes more pride in delivering the Celebrity product. However, we've enjoyed both classes of ships thorougly. We just completed an 11 day Southern Carribean out fo SJPR on Galaxy (an older ship that carries its age elegantly) and absolutely loved it. I tend to like a smaller ship. RCLs newer ships are BIG - 2800-3200 passsengers - but all of them handle this passenger load very well. The demographic tends to be a bit yonger on RCL. We're in our 60's and Celebrity is a perfect demographic among the premium/luxury cruise lines for us. Depending on the time of year, you usually find a few more families on RCL than on Celebrity although Celebrity has excellent youth programs in the summer months. Hope this helps.

[KreiderCarter]

The demographic tends to be a bit yonger on RCL. We're in our 60's and Celebrity is a perfect demographic among the premium/luxury cruise lines for us. Depending on the time of year, you usually find a few more families on RCL than on Celebrity although Celebrity has excellent youth programs in the summer months. Hope this helps.

 

Actually we are ok with there being less families(children) and that reads as a big plus to us.

 

Thank you for the info.

 

How about Radiance class compared to the Constellation?

[Rev22:17]

MrLee,

 

The one big thing to me, and it's only a personal opinion, was the dress code. On vacation I shouldn't have to "dress up" on 6 out of 11 days (3 days tux, 3 days suit). If you don't mind the formality, you'll love Celebrity.

 

Well, you don't "have to" dress up. Celebrity's dress codes are well published, so you should know for what you are signing up when you book. Also, your travel agent most certainly should have ensured that you understood Celebrity's dress codes before taking the booking. If you don't want to dress up, all that you have to do is book on a line with different standards of dress -- and there are plenty of other options out there! In the same ("premuim") category of the market, Princess Cruises and Holland America Lines now have only "formal" and "casual" evenings while Disney Cruises and Oceana Cruises offer "all casual" cruises, and all of them would be glad to have your business.

 

Now, would you please leave one line for those who cruise precisely because they look forward to the opportunity to dress up, which they don't have at home?

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

KreiderCarter,

 

We are considering Celebrity for next year as well, we have 5 cruises with Royal Caribbean but the northern Europe itineraries for next year are better with Celebrity...we are looking at one of the 14 nighters out of Harwich aboard the Constellation next May.

 

I know Celebrity and Royal are "sister" lines, how do they compare? How does the Constellation compare to Radiance class ships? Are the ships activities comparable? We aren't the party hard crowd (we are both in our mid-30's) but we do enjoy having a good time.

 

Any info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

If you try to compare Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, you very quickly discover that you are in an "apples and oranges" situation because the companies offer different experiences geared toward different segments of the cruise market.

 

>> Celebrity Cruises is a "premium" cruise line that offers a fairly refined, and very traditional, cruise with outstnading service, sophisticated (predominantly French) cuisine, a lot of other "grace notes" here and there. The ships offer a wide variety of activities, but there's usually only one announcement per day (the noontime navigation announcement at sea and the "you can go ashore now" announcement in port) over the public address system, so you have to mind the time if you want to participate in anything. Celebrity also retains the tradition of "informal" evenings in addition to the "formal" evenings, for which most passengers really do "dress to the nines."

 

>> Royal Caribbean International is a "mainstream" cruise line that's geared toward younger adults and families. The line's newer ships offer innovative activities including an ice skating rink, a boxing ring (!), and a rock climbing wall. Royal Caribbean consistently gets good marks on food and service, but not as high as Celebrity. You probably also will find more of a "party" atmosphere among the passengers on this line.

 

Both lines offer great shows, excellent children's, youth, and teen programs, computer centers, guest lecturers, etc.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Norm.

[KreiderCarter]

Norm,

 

Thanks for the info. I called Celebrity today to make sure I could book a cruise with them while on board my sailing with Royal Caribbean (good news, we can) so we have about a month to think about it.

 

As for the shows, our last couple of cruises with Royal have been disappointing as far as the entertainers they have brought aboard (I'd compare them to poor vaudville and lousy Vegas lounge singers) with a couple of exceptions but the ships dancers/singers have been excellent. What type of shows can we expect aboard Celebrity?

 

Since I don't see myself boxing while on a cruise (not sure what RCCL was thinking there) that makes zero difference with me.

 

Any idea how many formal nights on a 14 night cruise? I'm not a tuxedo wearer and my wife isn't a gown person but we do dress up(suit for me, classy dress for her) is that acceptable attire?

 

To be totally honest though we enjoy the destinations much more than the ships themselve's and since obviously Celebrity isn't going to roll out tramp steamers and try to pass them off as classy we don't really see it as an issue and will just look closely at the itineraries.

 

Thanks again.

[UB & AS]

We have a Mercury cruise next month. Is the Michel Roux era over and how is the food now? Is there any real difference?

Thanks for information.

 

Sandy

[DaisyGirl55]

Now, would you please leave one line for those who cruise precisely because they look forward to the opportunity to dress up, which they don't have at home?

 

Norm.

 

Amen to that Norm!

 

To the OP - having cruised the fun ships of Carnival (which we greatly enjoyed), to the sister company of Celebrity - RCCL (which was also fun, but a bit classier than Carnival), we are getting ready to take our first cruise on Celebrity. I did alot of research before choosing this line. You should too, which it seems you are doing by posting your questions.

 

My original cruise with Celebrity was on the Infinity, but it was cancelled 4 weeks before departure due to pod problems. We chose to rebook our "re-cruise" on the Mercury - but mainly because of the itinerary and the dates we wanted to travel. It had nothing to do with the pod problems. They are working on the problem, and it should be taken care of so that no future cruises have to be cancelled.

 

We think Celebrity will be a great cruiseline for us because we are looking forward to the dressing up, to the pampering, to the different ambiance we believe we will find on the Mercury. Good luck in finding the right ship for your cruise!

[MrLee]

MrLee,

 

 

 

Well, you don't "have to" dress up. Celebrity's dress codes are well published, so you should know for what you are signing up when you book. Also, your travel agent most certainly should have ensured that you understood Celebrity's dress codes before taking the booking. If you don't want to dress up, all that you have to do is book on a line with different standards of dress -- and there are plenty of other options out there! In the same ("premuim") category of the market, Princess Cruises and Holland America Lines now have only "formal" and "casual" evenings while Disney Cruises and Oceana Cruises offer "all casual" cruises, and all of them would be glad to have your business.

 

Now, would you please leave one line for those who cruise precisely because they look forward to the opportunity to dress up, which they don't have at home?

 

Norm.

 

Defensive as usual Norm. If you read the entire message, I clearly state that it is a PERSONAL opinion. I have no objecton to anyone who wants to dress, formally or informally, every day. It's just not MY cup of tea. I still enjoyed the cruise.

[Drew B]

Now, would you please leave one line for those who cruise precisely because they look forward to the opportunity to dress up, which they don't have at home?

 

Norm.

 

I hate to quibble over semantics, but those like you who look forward to the opportunity to dress up could do so on ANY NIGHT ON ANY LINE. The dress codes state the minimum allowed, but you would not be asked to leave the dining room if you wore full on tails on a casual night, even on Carnival or on NCL.

 

No, your issue is not being able to dress how you want -- it's wanting everybody else to dress the way you want! That's fine and I support you in it, but it's important to pose these things accurately!