tserface

That's great to hear. It should be like that. On our cruise, there were people who were livid because they missed the first night. I know they can't call ever room individually, the the intercom can go into the rooms, and should, on these kinds of cruise. Our our cruise they announced it on the second night, but only on the public speakers and lots of people can't even hear them when their doors are closed. They suggested we turn the TV to a channel, and we did, but it never came across there. So... we just stayed up and slept in the next morning 🙂

We took this cruise last fall (Princess) and really loved it. One odd thing though. The first night we got to a place where they lights were out they didn't make any announcement in our rooms as we were promised. We asked, and customer service said they didn't want to wake people that might not care. We said, maybe someone who doesn't want to see the Northern Lights on a cruise called "Search for the Northern Lights' should think about doing a different kind of cruise 🙂 The customer server person couldn't argue with that...

Yeah, we've been cruising with X for over 20 years as well and still have cruises booked with them. We also don't cruise in suites, typically veranda or sunset verandas, and I agree, Celebrity is not for everyone. But, we still consider it when figuring out where we want to go next. We're not opposed to X, by any means, but, we have seen lots of changes in the last year that diminishes the value somewhat so I can understand what people are talking about.

Be prepared for them to use harsh washing techniques on your clothes. I've had lots of T-shirts ruined by their intensive washing. I only put the through white clothes these days. One thing we really love about Princess is the ability to do our own laundry on long cruises. I wish X had that kind of thing.

I have never heard of them allowing people to buy liquor on the ship without them storing it until the end of the journey. I don't know for sure that this is possible, especially maybe in a suite, I've just never seen it offered in the many cruises we've done. Yes. We usually go to the dining room right after boarding and have always been able to make last minute adjustments. Our grand kids love the kids club. They have all kinds of activities and games. When our kids were younger it was all we could do to get them to go on excursions with us and they just wanted to stay on the ship. A lot depends on how many kids are on the sailing and Celebrity doesn't attract as many families with kids as other lines like Royal Caribbean. When we sail with our grand kids we mostly go on RCL ships. If you've gone on high energy cruises (like RCL) then expect X to be more docile and low key. There are no rock climbing walls, surfing machines, zip lines, or any of that kind of stuff. It's more of a quiet cruise while on ship. Of course, when on shore you can plan whatever you want. People on Celebrity often comment about how they don't l ike kids That's not true of everyone of course, but other lines (like RCL) cater to them better. We like both RCL and Celebrity. When we went with our grandkids last time we went on Symphony with them for a week (they had a blast) and then on Edge the next week by ourselves.

We haven't given up on Celebrity or RCL (our two previous go-to's), but we are considering more Princess Cruises since their on board prices are more reasonable. We've had two Princess cruises in the last year and really enjoyed a lot of the amenities (bingo, more games, better trivia) that we used to have on X and RCL. But, that said, we still like Celebrity and will continue to cruise with them if their itinerary is what we want. We're just starting to branch out. In the old days, our decision was like, we really want to go on "other line", but we get such a great deal for being loyal to X'. That's not such a carrot any longer. I've never been on NCL, but I don't think X has slumped to what, I think, is that level yet. However, they are certainly not the upscale cruise line they used to be.

I think this is very true. Loyalty users don't often do all the special things that make the company more profit. I know a lot of people who cruise a lot, but only in inside rooms, seldom go to specialty restaurants unless they get a discount or comp, and certainly don't frequent the stores on board. I do think a lot of repeat cruisers using the casino since there's a big market for that. To make it worse, once you reach a certain loyalty level (Elite, etc.) it actually costs them a lot for you to cruise if you're not doing any of the add ons. So, I think they focus on a lot of new cruisers and try to do specials and features that support them because there's way more money in that then it super support for loyalty clubs.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have someone who monitors media, but, my guess, is they don't care. It could even get a lot worse and their ships will still be filled with the faithful so they really don't have to care at this point. It's a business and so long as it's booming they don't have a reason to do anything extra. That said, Celebrity still provides a decent product and that's why their ships are sailing at a capacity a lot of the time. So, people are certainly not complaining with the business by going elsewhere. That means 1) The customers don't care either and like X regardless of what they do. 2) The grass isn't really all that greener elsewhere. I'm guessing #2 is the more true.

It is expensive, even considering it's an upscale experience. You already paid for food in the MDR and they don't discount for that. That said, Princess still has the best specialty dining prices I've seen. On Celebrity and RCL you'll pay $60 for the steakhouses and still upcharges if you want something more special. So, $39 each is still a pretty good deal comparatively. Also, Princess Crown Grill restaurants are really good. We could easily pay $39 each for that kind of experience on land.

Lamenting lost features, price increases, or various other changes or problems doesn't mean someone doesn't still love Celebrity. We've been on Celebrity several times since the restart (although we don't have your budget 🙂) and we've enjoyed all of the cruises and have others booked in the future. This site is called Cruise Critic, not Cruise Cheerleader so it's isn't so odd that people might come on here to write critiques. So many times when someone just wants to vent or talk about an unpleasant experience they had, they are met with a slurry of "go to a different cruise line then..." kinds of responses. That's not fair either.

It used to be that Celebrity was special. You got sparkling wine when embarking, the service was more over the top, the food was slightly better, and the decor was classier. These days they are pretty equal. There are fewer kids on Celebrity so if you like cruising without kids or without rock climbing walls, etc. you may say Celebrity is better. But, if you like all those things you'll say RCL is better. We still like both, but it's not like it used to be. They are cheaping out in amenities, raising the gratuities and specialty restaurant rates, dropping funs stuff like some of the games and bingo, and the talent isn't as good as it used to be. They are both now charging for extra lobster. I think they are both good for different kinds of cruises and still enjoy them, but neither is what they used to be.

Congratulations on your 66th and getting to cruise with your famliy. I know you don't want to get off the ship much, but one thing we did that was pretty great with our family last year was get a cabana on Coco Cay. It was pricey, but we, basically, just stayed there all day and looked at the ocean and ate the food and drinks. Our kids came and went from the water park and came for lunch. It was a pretty quiet place away from the hustle of the crowds with our own separate space. I had my iPad games, a sunny day under cover, and a really comfortable couch to sit on to watch the kids and grandkids playing in the beach in front of us. It was like heaven. We were included in what the kids were doing, but really didn't have to move around much since it includes a server who brings everything to you. Our kids ate lunch with us as well so we got that time together. It might be worth your checking out for a splurge.

One benefit of having the Plus Package is you don't have to worry about running up your bill and constantly be making decisions about buying drinks based on if you think it's costing too much or not. It's a nice freedom. I know it's funny money, but we pay for our's months in advance so by the time the cruise comes it's already paid off. Also, the Plus Package includes other things like WiFi, normal service charge, and the drinks. We typically look at the cost and subtract what we would pay for service charges to get what it's really costing us extra. For us, if it's anywhere close we opt to do the package. It's so nice to grab a specialty coffee whenever you want, or bottle of water, or soda, or wine with lunch, or whatever you want, without having to wonder how much the drink costs, or how high your bill is climbing. So, there are some non-monetary benefits.

We book Sunset Verandas whenever they are available. As others have noted, it's a longer walk to the elevator, but the room is larger, balcony larger, and we like watching where we've been (the wake). They cost a little more, but are worth the difference, especially on Edge class ships.

I mostly just wear slacks, a dress shirt, and tie and I've never been turned away. It's too warm to wear a jacket to dinner and too much trouble to pack. When we used to be able to use small steamers, airlines didn't charge for extra suitcases, and the cruise lines rented tuxes, etc. it was much easier. But, these days they've made it very difficult (unless you live locally) to pack all the stuff needed. Women have it easy. My wife's stuff compresses down to very small and weighs almost nothing.

If you do bring or rent a scooter, try to make it as small as possible so it can fit through the door to your room and down the halls when they have all the room attendant carts everywhere. It can get crowded at times. I've also noticed some people with scooters having trouble avoiding people's dirty dishes they put out in the hall (different problem) and so having one as narrow as possible (and maybe as light as possible) is a good thing. I know some people have special needs that require more room and stuff so this is just me making some uninformed recommendations based on what I've seen.

On our last couple of cruises no one has really been adamant about the times. If there are a lot of people all at once, they may start forming lines by official check in time, but if it's not too crowded I don't think they care. Their goal is to make the embarkation process as smooth as possible and they just don't want thousands of people showing up all a the same time. This was especially true during COVID, but they seem to be moving past that.

If we leave anything behind we usually put it in the trash can so it's obvious we didn't do it by mistake. It depends on what you're leaving behind. Obviously, a book or left over coat-hangers wouldn't be something they'd take to a lost and found. I think a lot of people throw away old t-shirts and other clothes after wearing them if they don't want to pack them back home. We've left bottles of wine, tips, and other things in the cabin as well and we assume the attendant just does with them what they want (which is our intention).

I'm just providing my experience. We've always gotten port fees removed from our account while aboard the ship. I don't know if that's been everyone else's experience or if it's mandatory or not. I don't have a link. Sorry.

It used to cost $3/person to use messaging in the app, but not people are reporting that it's free. It's very handy and it would be nice if they did include it. It's way better than people carrying around noisy walkie talkies 🙂

Usually they try to find an alternate port and, if they can't, they give you port fees back if you've paid final price. They usually cancel ports for safety reasons (weather, political climate, etc.), but sometimes it's for other reasons. They have the right (according to the contract) to make itinerary changes if necessary, but they are not cavalier about it since they have get a lot of upset customers when they do. If you haven't paid your final payment you may be able to change cruise dates if that port is important to you . For us, the ship is often the destination and, although we're excited to go to new places, the cruise lines always seem to make it a fantastic vacation regardless of where we go. I hope you enjoy the cruise a lot and this hasn't put a damper on your pre-vacation excitement. Things may still change before you leave and it may be even better than you expected.

If you have any loyalty status on RCI be sure to call Captain's Club ahead of time and they will give you comprable status on Celebrity. One big difference between the other cruise lines is Celebrity is more about relaxing and elegance. You won't find rock climbing walls, flow riders, or any of that kind of stuff. There are pools and lots of things to do, but it's more adulty. S-Class ships are a great size and very easy to get around. Be sure to try all of the goodies at Cafe Bacio and the pizza and waffles (maybe not a the same time) in the Ocean View Cafe. We love the made to order omelette stations as well. Check the app, usually ahead of time, for dinner menus and activities so you can plan specialty restaurant nights if you want to go. We like to plan those for nights when the MDR menu isn't our favorite. You will love the ship and the itinerary. We go on RCI, Princess, and Celebrity depending on the type of vacation we want and itinerary. We like them all for different reasons. Diversity is a good thing.

They always say the cabins will be ready around 1p, but it's typically between 1-1:30p. The luggage coming is hit or miss. FYI: They have to move a lot of luggage around. Sometimes ours has been there when we got to the room, sometimes part of it, sometimes not until later in the afternoon. We've been very lucky and never lost any luggage. So, if there's anything you really need (swimsuit, other clothes, etc.) it's a good idea to bring along a roll aboard bag with some stuff in it. When the rooms are open you can dump it in the room. We always bring a couple extra days of clothes in our small roll aboard suitcases just in case our luggage gets lost somewhere. It's not much trouble dragging them around the airports and onto the ship. You're going to love cruising. It is very amazing and very addicting. Like no other vacation. Be sure to call or visit the Captain's Club people before or after the cruise to get signed up. You will want to start accumulating points. Don't miss any of the wonder. Explore the ship, watch the ocean, be outside at night, do all the things, take some down time, it's incredible.

We're really looking forward to cruising next month. Thanks for your review. There's been such negative stuff posted lately about Ocean View and cutting back on offerings it's nice to hear some recent positive feedback.

For us, having the chance to be pampered for a week or two is one of the reasons we love cruising. We pay the price and think we deserve the service whether we absolutely need it or not. We do our own bed making and laundry at home and like the fact that cruising makes us feel special for a short while.