benbess
-
Posts
345 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by benbess
-
-
One of the reasons they're so cheap is that they have you onboard spending money for all of those days. However, Celebrity is especially good about activities for a transatlantic. There will be lectures on a wide variety of subjects that can range from navigation to history to major league baseball. They may also show recent movies in the theatre during the day. You'll also find arts and crafts classes, dance lessons, cooking demos, etc. Then there's always curling up in a quiet corner with a good book.
Yes, curling up with a good book while looking out at the sea sounds very nice. As does all the rest of it. Wish I could go!
-
Yes! we are going to book this, but I need help we normally cruise on Carnival the price of this cruise is perfect for us the only problem is 6 day on this cruise doing nothing can someone who had been in this ship tell me what to do on sea days.Thanks
Here are some possibilities for sea days at the Cruise Critic review:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=621
"Celebrity Reflection Overview
By Colleen McDaniel, Managing Editor; Updated by Tiana Templeman, Cruise Critic contributor
Editor Rating
5.0
Cool sophistication is the unmistakable vibe onboard Celebrity Reflection, the final -- and biggest -- of the five ships in the line's Solstice Class. Sure, the Solstice Class blueprint is still in place; you can't miss the Lawn Club, Solarium and themed dining venues found onboard all five ships. But Reflection, which debuted in October 2012, turns it up a notch. There's also the sheer size of the 126,000-ton, 3,046-passenger ship. It's bigger and about two feet wider -- a change necessary to accommodate the additional weight. You might not notice the change in width, but Reflection is loaded with 89 more cabins and about 150 more passengers than its siblings.
With ample room, Reflection added 42 suites, including three new classes: the Reflection Suite, the Signature Suite and the AquaClass Spa Suite. While the Reflection Suite, with its cool all-glass cantilevered shower, gets high marks for creativity, the 32 AquaClass Spa Suites might be the most coveted among suite-lovers. Passengers booked in AquaClass and AquaClass Spa Suites receive complimentary access to Blu, a private dining room with a focus on light yet flavorsome "spa cuisine". Suite passengers also receive complimentary access to Blu, based on availability, as well as their own dedicated restaurant, Luminae.
This time around, the line did away with nightclub Quasar, replacing it with a conference center that can serve as a meeting center, conference room or banquet hall, but mostly it's used for art auctions. Night time activities have shifted to the pool deck and to the Grand Foyer, where entertainment ranges from low-key in the evening to full-throttle after hours, and the DJ is usually found in the Sky Observation Lounge.
It's impossible to miss the art, a multimillion-dollar investment, on Reflection. It's big. It's bold. And it's everywhere. Perhaps the most stunning piece is the Grand Foyer showstopper: a live tree that grows tall, while an illuminated aluminium tree hangs from the base. Celebrity calls it a tree reflecting on itself and, of course, reflection is the theme of the art onboard. Photography is also a feature with an eclectic range of images lining the stateroom corridors. You could spend hours trying to figure out how each piece expresses the theme, ranging from the grand to the puzzling.
Celebrity's famous Lawn Club onboard Reflection hasn't changed much from Silhouette's design, with its half-acre of grass, up-charge restaurants (the Lawn Club Grill and The Porch) and eight alcoves -- private rentable cabanas for those who want shade and a little privacy but away from the pool area. Whereas the Lawn Club on Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse is wide open and has a real park feel, the later iterations feel decidedly more divided, with less space for playing bocce, enjoying lazy picnics or sunning.
Other old favorites return, as well, including Sky Observation Lounge with its stunning sea views and the Martini Bar, famous for its entertaining bar staff and elegant cocktails. Celebrity espouses the virtues of "modern luxury" and there are touches of that throughout from comfy chaise lounges with oversized cushions to the glass-enclosed Solarium.
Entertainment is a hit, from big production shows to more low-key options, such as a guitar and vocal duo. Service overall is warm and attentive however the widespread upselling of drink packages and specialty dining, particularly during the first 48 hours of the cruise, can be somewhat off-putting for those seeking a relaxing cruise vacation.
-
The prices for some of the upcoming transatlantic cruises on X seem amazing. For instance, with a residency discount, this 13-day cruise on Silhouette going to England is 719 a person for a balcony. I realize that once you add taxes and tips it would be more like 1000 for the trip, but that still seems like an amazing trip in a nice room for a low price. My work schedule won't let me take these, but I hope some of you are taking advantage of it. I'm surprised it hasn't already sold out at these prices, but I guess for a lot of people it's difficult to take a cruise that's two weeks long....
13
Nights
Special offer!! Celebrity Silhouette
SI 13 NT CAPITAL CITIES TRANSATLANTIC
$719 USD
Avg. per person
DEPARTING:
APR 10, 2016
STATEROOMS:1
Veranda
Day 1 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
EMBARK
5:00PM
DAY 1 APR 10, 2016
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
DAY 2 APR 11, 2016
At Sea
DAY 3 APR 12, 2016
At Sea
DAY 4 APR 13, 2016
At Sea
DAY 5 APR 14, 2016
At Sea
DAY 6 APR 15, 2016
At Sea
DAY 7 APR 16, 2016
At Sea
DAY 8 APR 17, 2016
At Sea
DAY 9 APR 18, 2016
At Sea
DAY 10 APR 19, 2016
Lisbon, Portugal
DAY 11 APR 20, 2016
Vigo, Spain
DAY 12 APR 21, 2016
At Sea
DAY 13 APR 22, 2016
Le Havre (Paris), France
DAY 14 APR 23, 2016
Southampton, England
-
....We learned as we went (you will be at an advantage since you have cruised X before), were always patient (there may be a "line" of people wanting help from the Michael's club concierge, especially the first day or two).
Another tip that I learned from CC. I made it a point to learn the names of the people providing me the excellent service we received and about 2 days into the trip, obtained "comment" cards from the concierge or from the service desk. I wrote specific positive comments for each person, what they had done above basic service levels that we appreciated and returned these cards to the service desk that day. I did this several times during the cruise. These comments were obviously received by the team members and they told us how much they appreciated being recognized....
emelle:)
Excellent points. A little personal recognition to the hard-working staff goes a long way. (And extra tips are classy and always appreciated. +++)
-
PS By any chance do you have any pictures to share?
-
Great review. Thanks for the detailed write up.++ Sounds like the Summit was terrific even before the dry dock. The suite seems expensive but worth it!
-
We found an upgrade for our upcoming cruise on the Eclipse , an FV with 2 bedrooms - woohoo ! :) :D
Amazing room. What's the square footage?
-
Great review. Thanks!++ Glad it was such a good trip.
-
Imho it would be a smart move by Celebrity to turn a thread like this into a c. 2 minute online commercial (giving the OP a deluxe free cruise for the privilege). Such great pix and memories.
-
Great thread! Thanks so much for all of the pictures, stories, and impressions.++++
-
Take a look at this post from the thread on the new Summit dry dock from a long-time Celebrity passenger :
"Blue Ribbon Cruiser
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,213
cabin needs more than new linens
Recently completed my 5th cruise on the Summit since the previous drydock. The cabins seem to be the place that gets passed by. On my most recent cruise in Jan. 2016, my cabin looked shabby. There was a large hole in the carpeting, stains on carpeting and some bedding, sagging beds, sofa had worn spots, bathroom sink had lots of dings, tile was chipped, latch on sliding glass door didn't latch, peep hole had lost its cover, rack in the closet to hold belts/ties was broken off, and furniture had worn spots. It was clean and the essentials worked. AC, TV, lights, and toilet were all working well. When I heard about the upcoming drydock, I hoped that the cabins would be renovated. They really need a face lift. I am sorry to hear that the indoor pool is going to be renovating. I loved it as it was. I also liked the chairs in the indoor spa pool area. They had soft pads. The outdoor chaises are like sitting on a brick. The proposed changes are set and I am sure they will look nice. I hope that some changes are made in the cabins. I will be on the Summit again in May."
Hmmm. Probably most cabins aren't in such rough shape. But this raises some questions. When I was on Infinity in 2006 it seemed like everything was being kept ship shape and repaired or replaced. But this sounds like they have really let things slide in some cabins. Is this typical? Anyway, that is perhaps a change from 10 years ago. But maybe it's also just part of the nature of the life-cycle of the ship?
I looked up parent company RCL's profits, and they seem to be doing very well, making hundreds of millions of dollars of profit a year. But one way they are doing it seems penny-wise and pound foolish. I've read a few reviews that sound like this one, but unlike this forgiving passenger a few are saying they are moving on to other lines....Yikes.
But I'm hoping that conditions like this are the exception rather than the rule. And here's hoping the dry dock this month fixes most of these issues....
-
Sold is not quite the correct word for most of those. Celebrity is wholly owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL). Horizon and Zenith are at Croisieres de France (CDF) also wholly owned by RCCL. Galaxy and Mercury are at TUI Cruises which is a Joint Venture between RCCL and TUI AG - I think (not positive) that RCCL still owns the physical ships. I have seen those four ships within the last two years. Century has gone to Ctrip; I don't think RCCL has any ownership there but again I am not positive.
I have fond memories of sailing on all five of those ships as well as the M-class (as recently as last month on Connie) and S-class, but as far as I have seen my favorite Celebrity ship has not been mentioned at all in this thread: the Celebrity Xpedition:)
Thom
It's fascinating (as Mr. Spock might say) that they haven't really sold most of them, but just keep them for their "lower level" cruise lines. Very interesting.
My guess is that this is what's going to happen to the M-class ships in c. 4-6 years.
-
Recently completed my 5th cruise on the Summit since the previous drydock. The cabins seem to be the place that gets passed by. On my most recent cruise in Jan. 2016, my cabin looked shabby. There was a large hole in the carpeting, stains on carpeting and some bedding, sagging beds, sofa had worn spots, bathroom sink had lots of dings, tile was chipped, latch on sliding glass door didn't latch, peep hole had lost its cover, rack in the closet to hold belts/ties was broken off, and furniture had worn spots. It was clean and the essentials worked. AC, TV, lights, and toilet were all working well. When I heard about the upcoming drydock, I hoped that the cabins would be renovated. They really need a face lift. I am sorry to hear that the indoor pool is going to be renovating. I loved it as it was. I also liked the chairs in the indoor spa pool area. They had soft pads. The outdoor chaises are like sitting on a brick. The proposed changes are set and I am sure they will look nice. I hope that some changes are made in the cabins. I will be on the Summit again in May.
Wow. Unless they fix things up, this seems like a possible reason to go on one of the newer S-class ships.
-
Wow! I didn't know that! :o
Especially considering that I just got off the Connie for the second time. It was really great, but not quite as nice as my three recent trips on the Silly, or two other trips on the Flex. :eek: :D ;)
Reflection="Flex"
Thanks!
(Equinox="Eek"?? No, that's not right.:D)
-
Itineraries that have a high risk of being cancelled and those with no obc have great prices but the desirable routes are way beyond basic prices over the last few years. We too are looking elsewhere for itineraries and better pricing.
And, if I may ask, from your Latin name (more or less) "where are you going?" Are the prices at Princess or Holland America on average better for such cruises?
-
Everything is relative, when Century came out there were people on this board who swore they would never sail on such a big ship.
Indeed. When we cruised on Infinity in 2006 I was stunned by how gigantic (and yet elegant) she was. Just stunned. Couldn't quite believe my eyes. But I was just reading recent reviews of Infinity, and a few said things like "nice for a small ship" or even "I don't like being on ships that are so small"! Infinity is almost a thousand feet long and has twice the tonnage of the Titanic....
It's interesting that the new Edge-class ships are going to be c. 117,000 tons, compared to c. 90,000 for M-class and c. 122,000 for the S-class ships. And so they aren't going larger for the next generation, but instead slightly smaller.
My guess is that the M-class ships will be slowly phased out as the E-class is introduced. It seems like RCL doesn't keep any ships more than about 20-years or so, as far as I can tell. My guess is that there will be a bit of an overlap for a few years, just as there was with the Century-class. The first E-class is scheduled to take its first cruise in late 2018, and second one in 2020, and the third one maybe in 2021. Probably they'll order a 4th one as well for c. 2022?
That might mean that the Millennium will be kept through 2020 or so, for her 20th anniversary, and perhaps some special farewell cruises, but then....?
-
Reading through a few of the recent passenger reviews on Cruise Critic for the M-class ships, I notice that the reviews for the Summit seem to be better than for her sister ships. It could just be chance, but I wonder if the Summit's Captain, Kate McCue, runs an especially good ship? Anyway, it is interesting that on some of the other M-class ships there are complains about service, and even maintenance issues, while Summit seems to get pretty consistently good reviews over the last few months.
Here's are a couple of articles about Captain Kate McCue:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/what-captain-kate-carries-onboard-1441143004
-
And if anyone is willing to take a risk, the October 12 night Holy Land from Istanbul is priced at $799 pp OV and as low as $1,449 aqua, for resident rates. Yes, I am aware that Israel was cancelled at the last minute last year, but at those rates it is worth taking a chance. This itinerary was so outstanding in 2014 and we DID get to all ports, so hopefully we will make it again this year. Last time I checked, the 11 night cruise prior was also an outstanding value.
So there are deals other than transatlantic and you dont have to necessarily wait until after final payment to snag one!:D
That does sound like a great cruise at a great price. Wish I could take it!
-
We have sailed on Princess several times and have decided to try Celebrity. I booked a short Bahamas cruise for October 2016 on the Infinity. I have a few questions about the ship. Is there a wrap around promenade deck? If not, is there a walking track on an upper deck? Is this ship comparable in size to the Princess Ruby? Thanks for any information!
The two ships are similar in size, although the Ruby Princess is a little bit larger. Infinity does have a walking/jogging area on Deck 11. I'm not sure how that compares to Ruby, but here's a plan:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/celebrity-infinity-deck-plans/dp/?shipID=196&deck=11
Have a great trip!
Best, Ben
-
Actually Horizon was their first new build. Meridien was Celebrity's first ship.
I'd forgotten about Meridian, which was a tiny ship by today's standards. Sold off in the late 1990s, it seems she had a bad accident after that.....A few fondly remembered her on this thread from 8 years ago:
-
What are the nicknames for the various Celebrity ships? I know a few, but probably there are others.
Millennium="Millie"
Constellation="Connie"
Infinity=?
Summit=?
Silhouette="Big Silly" according to one CC member.
Solstice=?
Eclipse=?
Equinox=?
Reflection=?
-
:cool:
No offense meant, but in what fantasy land is the cabin price low??? Certainly not on the sailings I've considered/booked! Yes, you can compare prices from many years ago and from that perspective, there has not been a huge change in prices. But consider that the ships and companies were much smaller then and did not have the advantage of the bulk pricing they can take advantage of now. Also, larger ships reduce their cost per passenger ratio quite a bit as well. For example, common areas for a ship with twice as many passengers do not need to be twice as large - perhaps 1/3 as large. Most common areas were never at full capacity anyway; now they tend to be wall to wall people on many cruises. I am sure there are many other economy of scale savings as well.
But compare prices these days to prices just five years ago. Or even two or three years ago for that matter. A base cabin price (again, on sailings I view, mostly Caribbean, US west coast, or Alaska) for a veranda or concierge as compared to two years ago is running sometimes double (yes, double), and virtually always at least $500-$600pp higher. That does NOT make up for the 'free' perks included. I drink little alcohol so that perk does not add much value for me (and I know I am not the only one). As Elite+ I already get a lot of internet and frankly don't want to spend my time on a cruise reading my emails - I could stay home if I wanted to do that. If I try to book another way (using a senior or state discount) the discount is often just $100 less off the base cabin price - netting out to a SUBSTANTIAL increase in prices. And suite prices - fuggetaboutit.
And yet ships are filling up. So either there are a lot of people out there much richer than I am, or people willing to take one cruise rather than the two or three per year we have been enjoying for years and hoped to continue into our upcoming retirement. Or there are many people who really believe that the 'free' perks are actually free and that they are keeping base prices down. I'd like to personally meet them as I have a few bridges to sell them:). Companies these days are not happy to settle for a good profit - they want more and more and more and more (look at what Disney just did with their park prices - yeah, they need the money:confused:)
For the first time in literally years, we booked an outside cabin on an upcoming cruise as everything above was just ridiculously priced. And for the first time in years, after trying a few other lines and being disappointed, we are once again considering other lines for our future cruises. It saddens me. I love Celebrity (have cruised on them since 1992 for more than 25 times) but they are pricing me out.:( But then again, I am in the retiring generation that Celebrity wants to dump anyway (even though my loyalty helped them build their company to where it is now, and for that matter I hopefully have a good 15-20 more cruising years left in me - not an inconsiderable number!)
I realize this is a business, and companies are in the business to make a profit so please, no lectures about that as responses. It's the continued greed of these corporations to squeeze as much out of people as possible that is getting so far out of hand. That and the naiveté of those who don't seem to recognize it for what it is that drives me nuts. I know it won't change, but I had to get that off my chest..
Wow. Quite a post. You make some very good points that come from experience. And you've clearly been very loyal to Celebrity over the years.
Have you considered a transatlantic? Those Celebrity cruises seem to be real bargains....
-
From Cruise critic information:
"8. Water, water everywhere. No need to lug a case of water with you when you go cruising. The tap water on cruise ships is completely safe and drinkable, having been through rigorous filtration and testing, all of which are overseen by U.S. and European heath agencies. While some cruisers claim that the tap water in restaurants and bars tastes different from what comes out of the cabin bathroom, it is all, in fact, the same water."
Rose and I never order bottled water at dinner, but drink the water poured by the waiter. However, since bottled water is included with the beverage package, we always get two bottles to take ashore.
John
Thanks for the information. Good to know.
-
They are being built to add to the fleet for now. Same thing was said at the time the S class ships were built, additions to fleet but then they got rid of Horizon, Zenith, Mercury, Galaxy and Century. Who knows.
My own thoughts on the article are what I said at the time it came out. The new ships will have the suite areas closed off from the rest of the ship, sort of going back to class system. NCL has somewhat done that.
I'd forgotten that Celebrity sold five ships in just a few years.
Horizon was their first ship (I think), and a comparatively small one. But to put it in perspective, she's c. 46,000 GT, which is about as much as the Titanic. Horizon was in service with Celebrity from 1990-2005. She's still sailing with a French cruise line.
Zenith is a near-identical sister ship, serving Celebrity from 1992-2007.
Century, a comparatively large ship (72,000 tons, not far from the Queen Mary) at the time of completion in 1995, was sold in 2015.
Sister ship Galaxy didn't even last 20 years, and was with Celebrity from 1996-2009. And the third sister ship, Mercury, served Celebrity from 1997-2011, also less than 20 years.
Given that, I wonder if the Edge class will slowly edge out the M-class.
On the other hand, there's no rule that a ship has to go in 15-20 years. The original Queen Mary was in service for about 30 years with the same line. And I think there are some Royal Caribbean ships that have served 20 years and counting....?
I looked it up, and the original construction costs for the M-class was about $350 million per ship, which sounds almost low cost in these days of billion dollar cruise ships. They've certainly had tens of millions of dollars of repairs, maintenance, and improvements over the years. I wonder how long the financing is on the average cruise ship. If an average car is 5 years, and the average house c. 30, my guess is maybe 10? If so, they were long ago paid off maybe making them less costly to run overall even as maintenance costs rise?
The recent pix I've seen here of Infinity and other M-ships seem to show that they are in very nice shape....
It would be neat if there were a whole coffee table book of the history of Celebrity, but I don't suppose anything like that exists.
Celebrity Transatlantic Cruise
in Celebrity Cruises
Posted
Wow.
Where are you finding these prices?
Thanks!++