Suggestions from Celebrity Veterans!

[Poodlecrazy]

Hi

 

I hope someone can help me! I am currently a QE2 devotee but am starting to wonder what I will do after November 2008. Celebrity seems like a really good option and I've heard some really good things but thought I would find out some more!

 

We are a three generation family travelling, my mother, myself and my daughter. By the time we travel on Celebrity my daughter would be 5.5 years old. We LOVE the formal nights on the QE2 and would be interested to know how formal Celebrity is i.e. how many formal nights, what are the other nights and how formal are they all?

 

The childrens club seems great and open in the evening which is great for a stress free dinner all round!

 

There seems to be different classes of ships and of course on the website it doesn't say which one is 'better' so what is the general view on that?

 

What are the cabins like? Until now we have gone with a twin and a single on the QE2 but would be happy to go with 3 in a cabin as I believe the modern ships have much bigger cabins, but any thoughts on that would be greatfully received.

 

Also we are travelling from the UK so any ideas of good voyages that aren't too hectic on the travelling?

Sorry for all the questions. My mother has said that after our final voyage on the QE2 she won't cruise again but I think she will. However, I want to make sure that the experience is good as you can imagine!!

 

Thanks

 

Px

[chessbriar]

I reccomend you look to the M class ships. Millennium, Summit, Infinity, Constellation. They should foot the bill well for you.

[Poodlecrazy]

Thanks will do!

 

P

[Jimsgirl]

I agree the M class would suit. Celebrity is less formal than Crystal, but more formal than most other cruise ships.

 

Re flights. Of course going from a UK port would be the easiest, there are several cruises for you to choose from. A flight to a European port would be next easiest. Anywhere in USA will involve a very long and probably expensive flight plus a hotel bill.

 

Suggest you still keep to two cabins, three people in a regular cabin is crowded, unless you have a suite.

 

Myself -I am going to use QM2 have two cruises booked so far, plus toying with idea for a third cruise using Celebrity.

 

My cruises have been on Crystal, Celebrity, Cunard, HAL, Seaborne, RCC, etc.

[Post Captain]

Hi

 

I hope someone can help me! I am currently a QE2 devotee but am starting to wonder what I will do after November 2008. Celebrity seems like a really good option and I've heard some really good things but thought I would find out some more!

Hello, PX. I share your taste in ships. My wife and I had hoped to sail on QE2 again, but now that seems unlikely...

We are a three generation family travelling, my mother, myself and my daughter. By the time we travel on Celebrity my daughter would be 5.5 years old. We LOVE the formal nights on the QE2 and would be interested to know how formal Celebrity is i.e. how many formal nights, what are the other nights and how formal are they all?

 

I would say that Celebrity is just slightly less formal than Cunard. On our April 2006 transatlantic on the Constellation, I believe there were only two or three formal nights, compared to four formal nights on QE2's six-night crossing. However, on the Constellation, the level of formality on those nights was comparable to that on the QE2.

 

We found that the food and service in the Constellation's main dining room (the San Marco Restaurant) were far better than what we experienced in the Caronia Restaurant on the QE2. (Frankly, we were quite unpleasantly surprised and disappointed by that aspect of our QE2 voyage--the dining room service was atrocious!) However, Celebrity recently hired a new master chef (to replace Chef Michel Roux), so I cannot say how the current menus and meal quality compare to the current QE2 menus and quality.

 

As an Anglophile American who grew up around British ships, I do miss the British atmosphere on Celebrity. The officers are Greek and (in our limited experience) are less personable than the officers on the QE2, although the captain of the Constellation (Captain Papanicolau--I may be mispelling it) on our voyage was quite a charming gentleman and seemed to be a fine seaman.

 

Afternoon tea is served on sea days, sometimes in the Rendezvous Lounge and sometimes in the main restaurant. It's not quite the experience that it is in the QE2's Queen's Room, but it's not bad by any means.

 

As on the QE2, many of Celebrity's cabin stewards and waiters are from the Philippines and from India. IMHO, they are among the friendliest, most competent, and hardest-working crew members you will find anywhere.

 

Compared to the lovely seagoing lines of the QE2, the Constellation looks like a cross between a shoebox and a floating apartment building from the outside. But inside she is really well designed and feels like a ship. The Martini Bar/Campagne Bar (actually a single lounge) has a 1930s art deco feel; the Rendezvous Lounge reminds me of 1950s continental decor. The San Marco Restaurant has two levels and is very large but does not feel overwhelming.

 

The Ocean Liners Restaurant, the Constellation's "speciality" restaurant, is a lovely room reminiscent of the great liners of the early- /mid-20th century. It incorporates wood panels from the Ile de France, and has numerous paintings of classic ocean liners, similar to the Stephen Card paintings found throughout the QE2.

 

In fact, throughout the ship the decor is elegant rather than glitzy.

There seems to be different classes of ships and of course on the website it doesn't say which one is 'better' so what is the general view on that?

 

Our Celebrity experience so far has been limited to one Millenium-class ship, the 92,000-ton Constellation. (I don't count the Zenith, as she has been transferred out of the Celebrity fleet and is now operated by Pullmantours in Spain.) Although that is larger, tonnage-wise, than the QE2, we found that the ship still has an intimate feel.

 

We would like to try the Century-class (a bit smaller and a bit older than the M-class) someday, but have no desire to try the new Solstice (well over 100,000 tons), due out next year.

What are the cabins like? Until now we have gone with a twin and a single on the QE2 but would be happy to go with 3 in a cabin as I believe the modern ships have much bigger cabins, but any thoughts on that would be greatfully received.

Well, there are no cabins like the QE2's cabins! That can either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view. By which I mean, the QE2's cabins are wonderfully quirky--they come in all kinds of odd shapes & sizes. Our C4 cabin was wonderful--ideal for a couple with modest expectations--but we also saw lots of pokey little cabins (mainly Mauretania-class) on QE2 that we wouldn't want to stay in.

 

By contrast, the Constellation's staterooms are much more standardized, and have less character than what you will find on the QE. (Again, it depends on the definition of "character.") Standard outside staterooms begin at something like 174 or 179 square feet. The bathrooms have only a smallish-medium shower, not bathtubs. (That C4 bathroom was marvellous!) Storage space is adequate. I'm not personally familiar with Celebrity's verandah cabins, Concierge-class cabins, and suites, but I believe they are somewhat larger, probably well over 200 square feet. The Celebrity website has deck plans and more complete information regarding all the stateroom categories.

 

My wife & I have no problems with a standard outside cabin, but I think a three-person, three-generation family would it rather confining. I'd suggest that you look into the higher-level categories I mentioned above.

 

Also we are travelling from the UK so any ideas of good voyages that aren't too hectic on the travelling?

The Constellation cruises out of Dover (and/or Harwich?) during the summer, mainly on Baltic itineraries. I believe the Century does summer cruises out of Amsterdam.

 

My mother has said that after our final voyage on the QE2 she won't cruise again but I think she will. However, I want to make sure that the experience is good as you can imagine!!

 

Your mother sounds exactly like my mother. She has sailed on the QE2 more than 20 times, on lots of different itineraries. For her, QE2 is theship--she loves the vessel and the crew, the British atmosphere and the formality. She has made lots of friends on board over the years, and keeps in touch with all of them, to the extent that she visits her British friends when she is in Britain and they visit her when they come to the U.S. When Cunard made their announcement, she too said she would never take another cruise. (She is a widow, and the fact that the QE2 has single staterooms has always been a big plus for her.)

Having said all that, my wife and I have been talking up Celebrity to her, so she may find herself on the Constellation or one of the other Celebrity ships after 2008.

In conclusion--you will have gathered that, much as we regret the passing of the QE2 (a ship the like of which we won't ever see again), we are also big fans of the Constellation in particular. We are booked on her September 2008 transatlantic repositioning crossing/cruise. And John Maxtone-Graham, who was on our QE2 transatlantic last year, will also be on board. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for us!

 

I hope this information is helpful. Bon voyage!

[ocngypz]

As one who has sailed both lines extensively, Celebrity's ships are no way near as formal as the QE2, which is the more formal of the two Cunard ships (including voyages not merely crossings).

 

Judging by the way the QV sold her first world so quickly, I think she will pick up QE2's gauntlet.

 

It'll be interesting to see what the 09 schedules look like.