Would I like Celebrity?

[Teresa Price]

Hi everyone and happy new year!

 

We usually cruise with HAL or Princess but have been tempted by Aqua Class cabins and are wondering if we might try Celebrity. We are 52 [me] and 66 [him] and have been cruising for nearly 20 years. We love private space on a cruise as well as meeting people from all over the world. We also like good food and plenty of choice.

 

So far the only 'downer' is that the cruises are not as long as we like - we often do b to b in the Med. Is there wireless reception in the cabins at all and is it costly?

 

Thanks for any ideas and comments,

 

Teresa

[Hawaiidan]

First, there are no bad cruises or ships, these are however, subjective takes on everything from food to the carpet.

 

You will see 3 people reporting on the same cruise each 180 degrees of the other.

 

Will you enjoy it? Well it is your choice as to whether or not...As the say it"isnt the arrow but the indian". You can be happy anywhere you choose or not.

 

I also have been cruising for 20+ years and mainly on Regent and Holland America. I didnt look at any other ships because of size. I like under 1000 and ships that look like ships. I also like 30 day cruises.

 

This next year I am taking a 28 day on Celeb. Infininity on (to me) a huge ship 2100 folks, and more resort than ship. It has a ton of alternative restauraunts and entertainment which should give you plenty of choices

The line I discovered is targeting younger cruisers under 40 where as Holland tagets those 50 and over. Both are nice ships and offer upscale products.

My research indicated much of what is offered free on on Holland is only available for fee on celeb. Ship design is very modern on celeb. and very traditional on Holland.

Celeb. ships are much larger 50 to 30% larger than Holland so ask your self go crowds turn you off?

I selected infinnity based on price because it was 30% cheaper than any other for the same cruise (Antarctica) I am thus going more for the ports and landscape than what the ship has to offer or dosen't .

I will have a great time because I want to. As to whether I will sail them again, is still up in the air

Ball is in your court......;)

[Teresa Price]

Yep I realise it is a silly question. It is such a difficult decision every time. Like you, we used to sail Regent. Sadly, they are now beyond our purse - particularly as we go away at least 4 times a year. Hope you enjoy your trip - love a longer cruise!

Teresa

[Leeroy-Jenkins]

Is there wireless reception in the cabins at all

 

Varies.

 

and is it costly?

 

Yes.

[TLCOhio]

Hi everyone and happy new year! We usually cruise with HAL or Princess but have been tempted by Aqua Class cabins and are wondering if we might try Celebrity. We are 52 [me] and 66 [him] and have been cruising for nearly 20 years. We love private space on a cruise as well as meeting people from all over the world. We also like good food and plenty of choice. So far the only 'downer' is that the cruises are not as long as we like - we often do b to b in the Med. Is there wireless reception in the cabins at all and is it costly? Thanks for any ideas and comments, Teresa

 

Greetings to Teresa in the wonderful UK! YES, there is lots to do and enjoy with Celebrity, especially their classy and well-designed Solstice-type ships. Below are a few of my photo highlights to reflect their quality, options and style. These ships are innovative, yet simple—clean and crisp with an edgy vibe that is very roomy, nice . . . and modern!

 

As is true on most ship, the wireless is not cheap, nor super-fast as you would have at home or work with cable/high-speed connections. On the ship, the wireless can be a little "iffy" depending on your location and luck that day. The wireless works in most area, but not all places. On our cruises, I have taken my laptop, allowing me to download my pictures, do some edit, posting those visuals on-line, etc. With your own laptop on the cruise, you can be much more efficient in composing messages off-line, saving much time and money.

 

Celebrity has lots of great 12-night options in the Med, including from wonderful Barcelona, Rome, etc.

 

Does this help? Reactions? Where are you planning to sail?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 54,182 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

On the top, back of the Solstice, here is a wider view of Corning Hot Glass show area, plus the green grass and the unique covering designs for this special area of the ship. Classy design touches and style!!:

 

 

 

The Solarium was one of our favorite areas on the Solstice. Food and drinks were nearby and it was very relaxed and sophisticated. Quieter, too, as it is an adults-only area. Two hot tubs here. Not crowded, especially in the evenings. Nice art and design are there as a part of this sparkling ship facility.:

 

 

 

Personally, sushi has not been my big favorite, but they put together a nice variety of options and the waiter did an added sauce option that was great to test and vary the flavors. Liked it LOTS here at Silk Harvest!! Testing new things is a good value/purpose for such cruises. Fun, also!!:

 

 

 

For the handy and quick Oceanview Cafe buffet, here is one visual sample showing how large and open are these various serving areas. This area includes getting items from the pizza-pasta bar area, various hot and cold items, free tea and juice machines, etc.:

 

 

 

I liked to ride one of the eight glass elevators in the mid-ship courtyard with nice views out to the different floors, enjoying the ship architecture, people being active, etc. You can see the relaxing library in this shot. Classy design on this ship! Some tradition, but not too dated or old.:

 

 

 

Many times at the pool, the “party band” is going at it with great tunes, adding to the fun and excitement around the pool area.:

 

[Starry Eyes]

...My research indicated much of what is offered free on on Holland is only available for fee on celeb....

 

court......;)

 

:confused:I have not heard this before. I sailed HAL once; I do not recall getting freebies I would have paid for on Celebrity. Can you tell me what

HAL freebies are charged for on Celebrity? Are you perhaps getting these HAL freebies as part of the HAL Loyalty program?

[Denny01]

It isn't a silly question, but did understand that it is so subjective....but to give it a cut, from what you describe as what you enjoy about cruising it what we enjoy and we find Celebrity to be the Cruise Line that provides that atmosphere. We don't need the Line to provide us a lot of entertanment, we do that ourselves...we enjoy our travel mates or meeting new friends. Relaxation, meetng new friends, and good dining is our primary focus and Celebrity, in our opinon provides that in spades.

 

We are trying Aqua Class this next cruise (less than 2 weeks!) and looking forward to it. As to incabin internet, yes we got a good signal most of the time, but as you've experienced on other cruises, the signal can be lost. But the point is, the internet is avail throughtout the ship When it is avail.

 

So give it a go. We've enjoyed Princess and go with it for specific itineraries, but find Celebrity to be more in line with what we find important.

 

Den

[Teresa Price]

Thanks everyone,

Terry - love your photos. Do you have to pay to go to the solarium? Haven't decided what to do yet - could be Med could be further north. Still weighing it all up,

cheers Teresa

[Lois R]

Thanks everyone,

Terry - love your photos. Do you have to pay to go to the solarium? Haven't decided what to do yet - could be Med could be further north. Still weighing it all up,

cheers Teresa

 

Hi Teresa,:) there is absolutely no charge for the Solarium Pool area.

No charge for the food in the Aqua Spa Cafe either. It is open for

breakfast and lunch. The food is on the healthier side and is (in

my opinion) very delicious too.:)

[TLCOhio]

Thanks everyone, Terry - love your photos. Do you have to pay to go to the solarium? Haven't decided what to do yet - could be Med could be further north. Still weighing it all up, cheers Teresa

 

The pricing for the wonderful Solarium is . . . PRICELESS . . . or free. No extra charges there.

 

Appreciate the kind ratings on my pictures. Glad to know you're a person of such class, great taste and wonderful judgment in doing photo comments.

 

Let us know any other questions. Lots of great cruise options for the Med, Baltics, Norway Coast, etc. Have done all of the these, plus the Greek Isles and Turkish Coast.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 54,182 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 55,835 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923