LabMom57

Thank you for sharing your trip with us! It helped pass the time till our next cruise on the Westerdam in a week. Love reading your posts!

We like HAL but we don't need a lot of entertainment/lectures since we like port-heavy cruises. I would not advise doing a long trip your first time out unless the itinerary is your driving force.

As others have said the food and staff are very good on HAL. We had a ball on our first HAL cruise. We leave on our second one in a week. 

YMMV!

I agree. We recently sailed on the Edge. We upgraded to a Retreat class suite and that made the entire journey for us. The Retreat areas were the only place we felt welcome and were treated well. I will not sail on Celebrity again without a suite with Retreat access. Unfortunately for them, that prices them way beyond HAL. We are sailing on HAL in 10 days. It's only our second HAL cruise but I anticipate many more. Far superior crew.

We just return from a 12-day sailing from Sydney to Auckland on the Celebrity Edge. We have sailed on other cruise lines and usually book a veranda cabin. When we booked this cruise it was due to the itinerary, which turned out very well. We arrived early in Sydney and got to enjoy that city before the cruise. We also had a few days in Auckland after the cruise.

What we loved:

- We bit the bullet and bit on an upgrade to an Aqua Sky Suite. No butler but you do have the Retreat Lounge, Retreat pool and sundeck, and Luminae. Having the Retreat class access made the trip for us. This was because we love to drink wine and in Luminae, the Retreat Lounge, and the Retreat Pool bar, there was never an upcharge on the wine. This might not mean much to you, but on this itinerary wines nearly all outside of our package. There was only 1 chardonnay that was within the limit but the bars didn't carry it. 

- Service in Luminae was outstanding at every meal.

- Cafe al Baccio and il Secundo make excellent capuccinos and it WAS included in our classic drinks package.

- Water bottles were plentiful every day. I drink a lot of water and having it rationed with a limited on number of drinks per day is annoying. (Yes, I do use tap water if I have ice cubes.)

- Medical providers. I became ill and needed treatment on the ship. This accomplished with no problem including the 2 medications I needed. I thought the cost was reasonable for out of network provider and medication. I do have medical travel insurance so will try to get reimbursed but it won't be devastating if that doesn't work.

- Viewing the sounds was fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed that part of the cruise.

- The sail on the ship was wonderful. Waves hitting the bow did not bang due to the design, and ship stabilization is fabulous.

What we didn't love:

- Prices for drinks. In Eden bar, the martini's were $24 and in Martini's bar they were $20. When we were on Holland America in August, the same drinks were all included in the Have it All package -- no upcharges. This was my top complaint.

- Oceanview Cafe buffet is self serve. Post COVID, I hate using utensils used by others.

- Inability to get reservations for any of the 4 main dining rooms using the app -- ever. I would have liked to try them but they were apparently totally booked up before the cruise.

- Shore excursions:  Hit or miss. My main issue with these was that the descriptions were often very wrong. Example: Seal Safari Coastal Tour. It was pleasant enough but given the price, 15 minutes spent looking at half dozen seals and 3 hours spent driving back and forth did not make me happy. We drove through farm land with windmills on it. This might be nice for some but it looks exactly like Eastern Washington. I would have preferred more information to make a better choice. 

- Venues were PACKED. I thought having multiple bars and music locations would mean we could find one to enjoy. We did -- in the Retreat. Don't try to drink in Martini's. The place is always packed and good luck getting service anywhere other than the bar.

What surprised us:

- The carpet in the hallways was visibly dirty. They need to be replaced or professionally cleaned.

- The Cruise Director, Guisseppe, was fabulous. He's over the top but in a good way.

- The ship's production shows were very good.

- The 7:30 show was full every night.

There are pros and cons for all cruise ships and cruise lines. We choose based on itinerary, cost, and value in that order. This cruise wound up costing us much more than originally planned but we had a good time. I don't think we will ever sail on such a large ship again but I'm glad we did it.

I hope these thoughts help someone.

19 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Any thoughts on how you do the comparison?

There is a secret to getting a good price on Oceania. You have to plan far ahead. The best pricing is when they first release the itineraries. The sailings are almost never less than that. Admittedly, it is still higher than I'd like with Simply More, but if I add up what we spend on drinks, food/dining, and excursions (assuming we do ship excursions which really depends on the itinerary), Celebrity is still higher at the end. Our trips tend to be longer and further away. We don't typically sail Caribbean itineraries. We like Oceania for the specialty restaurants and small ships and port intensive itineraries. We like HAL for overall value and itineraries. We chose Celebrity for the price and itinerary for Sydney to Auckland. I'm sure we will love the cruise. It's just coming out much more expensive than I had planned after adding in the excursions, specialty dining (I didn't get the discount prices), and cost of drinks.

YMMV.

Just now, calicakes said:

We have 2 X cruises booked( Edge coming up next month, booked when the prices were still all inclusive and we got a great deal and we booked Galapagos for 2025.  Will move back to Oceania if we book another cruise.  The miso glazed cod in Red Ginger is probably the best seafood dish I've had on a cruise.  Maybe even on land. 

We are also booked for the Galapagos in January 2025 on the Xpedition!

16 hours ago, maureenk said:

Am I being naive or are the prices for Eden and Fine Cut on Edge excessive?!  Im thinking we already are entitled to a nice meal in the dining room. While I’d love to try them both, not sure I’ll spend for them if my shipboard credit ends up being refundable. The fees seem high then they tack on another 20% for gratuity. I’m all about different and new experiences so I get that AND it’s vacation so why not live it up?!  Do you feel these are worth the surcharge?  Seriously interested in opinions. Thank you!

I think the prices for the specialty restaurants and wines by the glass are outrageous on Celebrity. I am truly shocked. We have our first trip with them in just over a week and it has run much more than I had anticipated. Lesson learned. We are still going and will still enjoy it, but given our retired status now, this will be our last (non expedition) Celebrity cruise I'm afraid. Dollar for dollar, both Holland America and Oceania are a better fit for our budget.

2 minutes ago, alexandria said:

Our own (now adult) children were raised to be well-behaved and respectful (even addressing other adults by "sir", "ma'am" and only by their last names "Mr...." and/or "Mrs....") and they were regularly complemented by other adults

Sounds like you and I are from the same generation and probably region.

On 1/11/2024 at 3:19 PM, FLCruiser97 said:

And is bottled water included in the 15 drink limit.

Yup. We regularly get 5 -6 cans of water per day -- more if we can depending on how much wine we drink that day. Obviously, we consume more on the ship on sea days than port days.

Read the fine print. Celebrity's GCs are far more restrictive than the others.

Add me to the parenting fail votes. When our kids were little, my husband and I took turns eating/taking the child outside. There is no excuse for poor adult behavior. There should not be a need to restrict who comes to the dining room. I've seen plenty of well behaved children on cruise ships. Babies can't be in control. It's the parents' job.

I also agree that the person who said they will stick to Viking should probably do so. Celebrity is NOT the same as Viking in any aspect. They are not in the same class and it isn't fair to compare. That's like expecting a Carnival cruise to be on par with Regent Seven Seas.

What would be the average cost to get from the Hilton in Auckland to the airport? The cruise transport option is $70 per person, which seems really high.

Thanks!

On 12/27/2023 at 1:50 PM, markeb said:

 

There have definitely been nights when I'd love a simple dinner salad and maybe a little soup. 

 Our last cruise was our first Penthouse cabin on Oceania. It afforded us dinner from anywhere on the ship. We had more than one dinner in our cabin that was just a salad or sandwich. We also have learned to listen to our bodies when we cruise!

Ship: Edge

Length of Cruise:11 nights 

Cruise Sail Date: 04 February 2024

Date email offer received: 23 December 2023

Captain’s Club Tier: Preview

Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: TA

Current Cabin: C2 Concierge

Bid? Yes/No: Yes 

If YES - Bidding Details:

Cabin Category: AquaClass Sky Suite

Bid Offer: $1700 (US) pp

Notification Date: 08 January 2024

Accepted / Rejected: Accepted

We have a cruise from Sydney to Auckland coming up. We will stay a few days at each end. Do we need to obtain local currency for any reason or will credit cards suffice?

Thanks!

I was also on this cruise and spoke to this gentleman's wife about her experience in Toscana's. It should NEVER have happened as it did. She was publicly humiliated for something she could do nothing about. Her attire was always fabulous and in the evening in question, she was very well dressed. Between that and the pool deck repair nonsense on a Caribbean cruise, I don't blame them for never wanting to sail on Oceania again. 

@schmidlapp Please give my best to your wife (from Ellen).

54 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I've posted the Wine List from Fine Cut twice now... You should be able see it at   

 

Thanks Jim. I did see your post. That is where I learned there are no chardonnays by the glass that fall within the classic beverage package price (which is $12 a glass for Australia cruises). I am disappointed in Celebrity. When I booked the cruise, I believe there was a chardonnay in the price range. Even with a 20% gratuity included, the price is absurd for a glass of chardonnay compared to other lines we sail. Guess we will suck it up for this cruise!

We are leaving on a cruise from Sydney to Auckland in a few weeks, and I am concerned that I should not have bothered to purchase the Classic Beverage package. My husband drinks mostly chardonnay by the glass. On looking at some recent posts, it doesn't appear that he will be able to find a glass of chardonnay that will be covered by the drinks package. Am I seeing correctly? 

My original plan was to pay as we go on this cruise. I'm thinking I should cancel the package and go back to that. Has anyone seen a chardonnay by the glass on this itinerary for $12 or less?

9 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Now you do you and every else can make any decision they want.  

@Sthrngary Thank you for bravely telling me what you did. 🙂 I very much appreciate it!

@Sthrngary Thank you for such a comprehensive document. I love reading all of your posts and the detailed information you share.

We just upgraded to a penthouse for our cruise next week on Oceania. We have never had a butler before, so your information was really invaluable and timely. May I ask what you usually tip the butler? I have always found tipping upfront makes everyone happy and improves our experience. I'd like to follow your lead on this as well.

6 hours ago, Sebbiesgrammy said:

Not true when we spent 32 days on Nautica this year. We ordered  2 of the same drink, one for each of us, every afternoon

I should have added YMMV.

If you both drink the same drink, the server won't have any way to know if you share or will turn a blind eye. They don't want to police the policy.

42 minutes ago, harbourside said:

I have heard that you cannot share drinks. eg. Cannot share with wife.  Is this true.  Sounds a bit weird.  

In my experience,  yes. The 2 for 1 drinks are per person.

We have previously paid for our drinks rather than take the pricy drink package when sailing on Oceania. The 2 for 1 happy hour was great for us in this regard. We have an upcoming cruise which was booked prior to Simply More, so we plan to pay as we go again. Does anyone know if they till have 2 for 1 happy hour?

Enjoy your trip and the penthouse! Thank you for continuing to share your experience.

Thank you for doing this! We are booked on this cruise in 2025.