Help regardig Celebrity

[sandravb79]

Hello all,

 

As I'm searching possible cruises for an upcoming vacation, Celebrity is coming up as a possibility.

 

I have only cruised once (Carnival) and not too many people over here have done Caribbean cruises. We also have no publicity/ commercials or so regarding cruise lines, so therefor following questions:

 

How are Celebrity cruises? Are they very fancy? Very formal atmosphere? Or is it a casual, relax vacation atmosphere?

How are the staterooms? (size) (we are looking for an oceanview room, no need for balcony)

 

Thanks for answers!

 

Sandra

[agabbymama]

I sailed Celebrity to New England/Canada, but can't imagine a big difference between that and the Caribbean. Celebrity is a lot more upscale than Carnival. And I think the age demographics would be a little older on Celebrity. Traditional dining, as well as a buffet, and hamburger/hot dogs by the pool. Also alternative dining (like a steakhouse or Italian restaurant at extra cost).

 

I wouldn't call it casual at all. Not stuffy, but definitely more formal attire all the time, not just formal nights. No belly flop or beer drinking contests on Celebrity, and no continuous announcements about sales promotions. Bingo was held in the theatre and had lots in attendance. We did have a White Formal Mask Ball that was fun and lots of folks were dressed crazy for that.

 

Staterooms are a good size. I had a Concierge Class Balcony cabin, so can't really say what the ocean view cabins are like, but we had plenty of room for two people. And I liked the sofa as well as a couple of chairs for seating.

 

Have a great cruise whatever you decide.

[sandravb79]

Thank you for the reply.

I am now browsing their website.

 

We have no problems with upscale, as long as it's not stuffy/ snooty. I work all year long in such an environment, on vacation I just want to relax and not worry about the perfect crisp white blouse :)

[wolfshadow]

We love Celebrity. And, no, it is not stuffy or snooty. But, it is more upscale than Carnival. Just to correct the above post, their specialty restaurant is not a steak house or an Italian Restaurant, that is Royal Caribbean. But, their specialty restaurant is quite the 5 star experience, well worth the extra $30/pp. Celebrity does not have the constant announcements that many other cruiselines have, too. The service is fantastic and they do have dress codes but other than the formal nights the attire is listed as Smart Casual. So they do not wish you to be dressed down in shorts and jeans all of the time, but you don't have to be dressed up at all times either. The dress code is not that hard to follow. Hope this helps!

[sandravb79]

It helps a lot, thank you!

[mardon]

We have gone on 16 cruises, 13 of which were Celebrity and we wouldn't switch. We loved the perks you get with Celebrity and this past cruise (May 08 to Alaska) was our first time we ate in the Specialty Dining Room and I must say It was GREAT! Our whole table went so we couldn't say NO. We went during the 2nd week. Had we gone during the first week, we would have gone again. We cruise March 6 to the Caribbean on the Constellation. That is our favorite ship. Go with Celebrity, you won't be sorry.

 

marlene

[CruisingChick]

We love Celebrity. We have been on 9 Celebrity cruises. The last 3 were on Constellation. We've done 2 Caribbean cruises. The first was a 10 night Southern Caribbean on Millennium and the second a 7 night Eastern Caribbean on Infinity. They were both a lot of fun. The service is great. The ships are great and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. We really like the staterooms.

 

Have a fun time choosing your vacation.

 

Anne Maria

 

 

PS - Hi Marlene - ready for the snow?

[Bellfree Bat]

We (47 and 51 yrs old) just got back from our first Celebrity cruise on he Summit and would highly reccommend it! We usually sail on Royal Caribbean and found the atmosphere to be more upscale but certainly not stuffy. It is more relaxed and no Bingo announcements every 15 mins. The food and service was a step above RCCL and the attention to detail was noticed. Even with our port intensive itinerary, we felt so relaxed the whole time.

 

Good luck with your planning and hope you enjoy your cruise!

[sandravb79]

Thank you all for the feedback, it's very helpful!

[sandravb79]

I have another question: which meals and/ or drinks are included in the price?

 

I assume only the specialty restaurants have extra charges, right?

Are there any drinks included in the price (like coffee, tea, lemonade, water)?

[CruisingChick]

You really don't pay for any food. The charge in the Speciality Restaurant is a service charge - $30 per person. It's worth it if you've never been to it.

 

As for drinks you have to pay for soda, alcohol, bottled water and specialty coffees (i.e. capuccino, Irish Coffee, etc).

 

Free drinks include, juices, lemonade, ice tea, coffee, decaf, a wide assortment of teas, hot chocolate, milk, regular tap water.

 

What ship are you looking at booking?

 

Anne Maria

[sandravb79]

It would be the Century for a 4 or 5 night cruise. It would be part of our Florida vacation.

[geoherb]

We were on Century for a 4-night cruise last month. The only thing wrong with it was it did not last long enough.

 

We tied it into two nights beforehand in Miami. We had never stayed in Miami before, and we had a good time. But if you're going to be able to have more time in Florida, I'd recommend going to the Keys. We rented a car and drove to Islamorada before a cruise a long time ago. We stayed at Cheeca Lodge.

[CruisingChick]

I've never sailed on Century, but have sailed on Mercury. I think they are similar ships(?). Anyway, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time if you decide to book her. I'd do 5 nights....the longer the better.

 

Actually my husband and I can't stand to take anything shorter than a 10 night cruise now. We are so spoiled. Once I'm on the ship I don't want to leave.

 

Anne Maria

[sandravb79]

I can imagine that if you're realy into cruising, the longer means the better. :)

 

We are going to Florida for Disney (i am a huge Disney fan), and the cruise is an "extra" and a good way to discover some islands (I'm not a beach-and-sea type, so I won't do the 14 days in Jamaica vacation).

 

I only can take 2 weeks off at one time at work, there is the cruise, Disney, shopping (because everything in the US is so cheap for us), ... That all will determine the cruise length

[wolfshadow]

I've never sailed on Century, but have sailed on Mercury. I think they are similar ships(?). Anyway, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time if you decide to book her. I'd do 5 nights....the longer the better.

 

Actually my husband and I can't stand to take anything shorter than a 10 night cruise now. We are so spoiled. Once I'm on the ship I don't want to leave.

 

Anne Maria

Hi - I noticed that you have been on all four m-class ships. I am very jealous! Sorry for interrupting the OP's thread for a second, but I wanted to ask you, have you heard of any plans to fill in the hole above the Rendevous Lounges on the Connie, Millie and Summit, like they did with Infinity? When I was on Infinity back in 2006, it was still open, and on the Millie last year it was open. My DH and I will be on Infinity again next year and I'm curious as to how this now looks. I really enjoyed standing at the railing off of the Martini Bar and watching the band and dancing going on below. So far, I haven't heard any plans to do the same to the others and I'm kind of hoping that they don't. Have you heard anything??? TIA! :)

[CruisingChick]

Hi - I noticed that you have been on all four m-class ships. I am very jealous! Sorry for interrupting the OP's thread for a second, but I wanted to ask you, have you heard of any plans to fill in the hole above the Rendevous Lounges on the Connie, Millie and Summit, like they did with Infinity? When I was on Infinity back in 2006, it was still open, and on the Millie last year it was open. My DH and I will be on Infinity again next year and I'm curious as to how this now looks. I really enjoyed standing at the railing off of the Martini Bar and watching the band and dancing going on below. So far, I haven't heard any plans to do the same to the others and I'm kind of hoping that they don't. Have you heard anything??? TIA! :)

 

Don't be jealous!!! Unless green looks good on you.

 

I have not heard any rumors of them filing in the holes on any of the M Class ships. But having said, that I did not even know they did that on Infinity until I read it on a Message Board. I was very upset to hear that.

 

I agreee I really enjoy the openess of it while sitting in the Martini Bar and let me tell you I spend a lot of time in the Martini Bar. When I was on Constellation back in October no one mentioned it, so hopefully it was just an experiment on Infinity and they will not go forward and do it to the other M Class Ships. I'd hate to have something else to gripe to Celebrity about.

 

It's too bad because I really liked Infinity when we sailed her but that was back in April 2004. Wow time flies when you get old.

 

Anne Maria

[wolfshadow]

Don't be jealous!!! Unless green looks good on you.

 

I have not heard any rumors of them filing in the holes on any of the M Class ships. But having said, that I did not even know they did that on Infinity until I read it on a Message Board. I was very upset to hear that.

 

I agreee I really enjoy the openess of it while sitting in the Martini Bar and let me tell you I spend a lot of time in the Martini Bar. When I was on Constellation back in October no one mentioned it, so hopefully it was just an experiment on Infinity and they will not go forward and do it to the other M Class Ships. I'd hate to have something else to gripe to Celebrity about.

 

It's too bad because I really liked Infinity when we sailed her but that was back in April 2004. Wow time flies when you get old.

 

Anne Maria

Green is definitely not my color......lol! Yes, I was very disappointed when I heard what they did to the Infinity hole, too! And, I sure hope they leave the others alone. I truly hope I'll get the opportunity to sail Summit and Connie in the not too distant future. Naturally, it will depend how far we'll have to go to do this! Thanks for your reply, and now back to the original OP's question. Like I said previously, you will not be disappointed with Celebrity!

[Jewells78]

Thank you for the reply.

I am now browsing their website.

 

We have no problems with upscale, as long as it's not stuffy/ snooty. I work all year long in such an environment, on vacation I just want to relax and not worry about the perfect crisp white blouse :)

 

Well, unless you want to stay in your stateroom, on formal nights I would not recommend Celebrity.

If you want a truly relaxing casual cruise, I would recommend Princess, Azamara (which I love but a little more cost), or Norwegian.

I have to tell you "I" find Celebrity to be stuffy and or wanna be snooty, not a bad thing but some people want to dress formally, and feel special, but if you deal with formal in your normal life, as we do, I would choose another line.

:)

I will probably be booted for having this opinion.:(

[sandravb79]

Well, unless you want to stay in your stateroom, on formal nights I would not recommend Celebrity.

If you want a truly relaxing casual cruise, I would recommend Princess, Azamara (which I love but a little more cost), or Norwegian.

I have to tell you "I" find Celebrity to be stuffy and or wanna be snooty, not a bad thing but some people want to dress formally, and feel special, but if you deal with formal in your normal life, as we do, I would choose another line.

:)

I will probably be booted for having this opinion.:(

 

 

Thank ou for your opinion, it helps in making decisions. :)

[CruisingChick]

When did dressing nicely for dinner equate with being snooty or stuffy? If Celebrity cruises were any where near being snooty or stuffy they would never ever let me on their ships.

 

Anne Maria

[Jewells78]

When did dressing nicely for dinner equate with being snooty or stuffy? If Celebrity cruises were any where near being snooty or stuffy they would never ever let me on their ships.

 

Anne Maria[/quote

 

Well there is a difference in dressing nicely for dinner (thinking Seaborn, Crystal, or StarClipper), and dressing in tuxs and gowns.

Okay, Okay don't get insulted, I said "I" in my reply certainly, I do not mean to do anything but state my opinion, and you know opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one.

I only wanted the OP to know what I feel would meet their wants on a cruise and it did not sound like formal nights were a priority:)

[wolfshadow]

When did dressing nicely for dinner equate with being snooty or stuffy? If Celebrity cruises were any where near being snooty or stuffy they would never ever let me on their ships.

 

Anne Maria

 

 

I only wanted the OP to know what I feel would meet their wants on a cruise and it did not sound like formal nights were a priority:)

 

But, the OP did say he didn't mind upscale, just as long as it wasn't snooty, or something close to that. And, I have to agree with Anne Maria, Celebrity would never let my husband on with his pony tail if they were snooty or stuffy. The same looking at it the other way. My husband doesn't think Celebrity is snooty either or he would not sail with them. Both of us love Celebrity for just being Celebrity. They go the extra 'how are you today mam' with a smile or maybe it's the way they dust your table off of crumbs before dessert or maybe it's the wonderful atmosphere or maybe it's the great people we meet, whatever it is it's made our cruises with them fantastic. What more could we want??? :rolleyes:

[llarsen]

Try Oceania, very upscale without the "Formal" nights. We loved it!

[John's Girl]

Tell me if you think this is "snooty." Apparently Celebrity only values the business of people from certain states. We heard that there were deals to be had on our upcoming Celebrity Summit cruise,and that for the price we paid we might be able to upgrade to a higher level. I called to take advantage of this, but found out it is only for people who live in certain states! Ohio is not one of them, so if you are from Ohio you are stuck with what you paid for. If I lived 70 miles further east, I'd be in Pennsylvania, and would be eligible for a better quality cabin! How is that fair?

 

I've sailed twice before with Celebrity, and cannot believe they would do something like this. I really feel like a second class citizen, like my home state isn't "good enough" for Celebrity. In these economic times we are lucky that we can even afford a cruise. To be denied an opportunity to upgrade because of where we live sounds like discrimination to me. Shame on you, Celebrity!

 

Valerie on the Captain's Club line refused to make any allowances for us. Since we booked we have been sent coupons and other deal offers for future cruises, but we had nothing to use on this cruise. This speaks volumes about their practices and will make me very unlikely to take another cruise with them again.

 

Anyone else from Ohio? How does this make you feel?