What's the Deal with the Lawn?

[dennbr9]

In one breath you talk about the S class being for 70+, and then you want a promenade for a nice walk or nap in a padded chair?, and nicer Tea Parties??

 

Track on Deck 14 of Silho was about 3-4 times around for a mile, I walked it everyday enjoying the "Zoo" of the Sundecks and people watching. Great activity at Martini and Molecular Bars every evening. Best Shows I have seen outside the Oasis. Blu was great for dinners and breakfast too.

 

Qsine ( table of 14 Cruise Critics) was a blast, I thought the courses would never end, and Murano was one of the Best pay-for Meals I have had. Second only to 150 Park Place on Oasis, and a close second at that.

 

Cabanas look like a mistake as they were never rented on Silho until the last couple Sea Days, they must have offered discounts and agree with some that lawn would be better used without them or fewer of them perhaps.

 

I enjoy HAL ( not a young demographic either by the way) and Princess ( have one booked in Jan) but S Class is now my favorite. Good thing we all have options.

 

Sounds like your view is much different, and you have the right to that view, and nice you have other ships to sail on too. Enjoy!

[librarylady19]

Since youve made your feelings clear that you dont like the lawn, that leaves plenty of room for me to relax, enjoy the grass under my toes while sipping a drink from the Sunset Bar, watching people play lawn games, enjoy the glass show and more.

I didn't realize you had to be in your 80s to appreciate such pleasures. Guess I better come back in 30 years.

BTW, I'm pretty happy they made room for lifeboats on the lawn deck too...even though ships never sink. ;)

[cruisetrail]

 

As for being unacceptable? I think they sail full all the time, so

there must be some passengers who think otherwise....

 

What ship does not sail full?

Costa?

MSC?

:)

 

We took a cruise on the Eclipse right after the HAL Eurodam.

What a difference!

Eclipse: soaring atrium, excellent Murano, beautiful front observation deck.

But: no promenade deck, crammed pool deck, no hydropool in spa (on a larger and newer ship!), the food in general not as good, no proper afternoon tea, freshly squeezed orange juice for $, cheesy shows..

 

 

I am giving Celebrity a long-long break.

 

Are there some passengers who think otherwise?

Sure.

I wish them happy cruises with Celebrity.

[Gonzo70]

My cruise on the Eclipse...

The whole design of the ship caters for 70+ folks (slow pace life, no jogging/no promenade, covered shallow pool, "relaxing" grass lawn).

The food is not as good as on Cunard/HAL/Princess but much better than on other cruise lines.

 

My 86 y.o. uncle will be in haven there.

If they decide to take a cruise, my first recommendation will be Celebrity S-class.

 

 

That is just silly. My wife & I are 41 and 34 and been sailing on Celebrity for a few years now and love it. Celebrity is great for adults of any age seeking a more refined and upscale experience than RCI, Princess and Carnival offer. It is similar to HAL in elegance, but has more energy and is more chic/modern. Celebrity is aspiring to have the ambiance of a W Hotel and IMHO they are succeeding for the most part. Sure they have room for improvement, but for me they have a great product and seem to be striving to make it even better. The only part I agree with you on is I feel that Silhouette and Reflection have commercialized the lawn area too much and it definitely detracts from the Lawn Club's beauty and appeal, though I did enjoy my dinner at the Lawn Club Grill. The cabanas however need to go or drastically change.

[Lois R]

What ship does not sail full?

Costa?

MSC?

:)

 

We took a cruise on the Eclipse right after the HAL Eurodam.

What a difference!

Eclipse: soaring atrium, excellent Murano, beautiful front observation deck.

But: no promenade deck, crammed pool deck, no hydropool in spa (on a larger and newer ship!), the food in general not as good, no proper afternoon tea, freshly squeezed orange juice for $, cheesy shows..

 

 

I am giving Celebrity a long-long break.

 

Are there some passengers who think otherwise?

Sure.

I wish them happy cruises with Celebrity.

 

I was just meaning all ships sail full...with a lawn or without one

and that some folks like it.

The original poster made it clear they did not but I don't think

it is a waste of space (just my opiinon too).

 

Enjoy your next cruise too, whatever line and ship you choose:)

[north49th]

What ship does not sail full?

Costa?

MSC?

:)

 

We took a cruise on the Eclipse right after the HAL Eurodam.

What a difference!

Eclipse: soaring atrium, excellent Murano, beautiful front observation deck.

But: no promenade deck, crammed pool deck, no hydropool in spa (on a larger and newer ship!), the food in general not as good, no proper afternoon tea, freshly squeezed orange juice for $, cheesy shows..

 

 

I am giving Celebrity a long-long break.

 

Are there some passengers who think otherwise?

Sure.

I wish them happy cruises with Celebrity.

 

OK fair enough, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Thank you for sharing yours.

 

One question though, if you're not happy with your Celebrity experience and you're "giving Celebrity a long-long break", why are you cruising the Celebrity Board? You're unhappy obviously. Why not move on?

[kkorman]

The lawn is an attempt to make S-class different, to advertise something "unlike any other" or "the first at see".

Just marketing.

In fact this is an unprecedented waste of upper deck space "unlike anywhere else".

The lawn takes about 1/3 of the ship.

Result: crammed pool deck.

Another major design flaw of the S-cless - lack of promenade deck.

This is unacceptable.

 

The whole design caters for 70+ folks.

This is a modern floating IKEA-style hotel, not a ship.

 

Disagree.

 

I do not understand where your catering to 70+ folks comes from either...

 

Perhaps Celebrity is not for you.

[swsfrail]

The lawn is an attempt to make S-class different, to advertise something "unlike any other" or "the first at see".

Just marketing.

In fact this is an unprecedented waste of upper deck space "unlike anywhere else".

The lawn takes about 1/3 of the ship.

Result: crammed pool deck.

Another major design flaw of the S-cless - lack of promenade deck.

This is unacceptable.

 

The whole design caters for 70+ folks.

This is a modern floating IKEA-style hotel, not a ship.

 

My cruise on the Eclipse...

The whole design of the ship caters for 70+ folks (slow pace life, no jogging/no promenade, covered shallow pool, "relaxing" grass lawn).

The food is not as good as on Cunard/HAL/Princess but much better than on other cruise lines.

 

My 86 y.o. uncle will be in haven there.

If they decide to take a cruise, my first recommendation will be Celebrity S-class.

 

Note the size of the lawn.

Note crammed pool deck.

Note the row of life boats where the promenade deck should have been.

 

The sun/pool deck is a zoo on sea days.

 

Things are getting worse on the Silhouette: instead of free The Hot Glass Show and free lawn you get another $$ eatery and $$ cabanas for rent..

 

What ship does not sail full?

Costa?

MSC?

:)

 

We took a cruise on the Eclipse right after the HAL Eurodam.

What a difference!

Eclipse: soaring atrium, excellent Murano, beautiful front observation deck.

But: no promenade deck, crammed pool deck, no hydropool in spa (on a larger and newer ship!), the food in general not as good, no proper afternoon tea, freshly squeezed orange juice for $, cheesy shows..

 

 

I am giving Celebrity a long-long break.

 

Are there some passengers who think otherwise?

Sure.

I wish them happy cruises with Celebrity.

 

With your pompous and insulting comments about the type of people who like Celebrity's S-class ships, I pray that you will stay with HAL and away from any cruise I may be on. I prefer civilized companions on my cruises. I favor the S-class ships over all other cruise ships sailing today, and especially enjoy the wonderful lawn where a blanket and a picnic basket are real pleasures to enjoy. I have certain ships that I don't favor, but I don't make a point of being so critical about them, while insulting anyone who likes them in the process.

[Bobal]

With all the people loving the lawn I think I'm probably in a minority. We just did our first sailing with X (on Equinox) and whilst the lawn was a novelty feature and I could see some people would enjoy it, I thought it was such a waste of a big space. I couldn't believe how crammed in the beds on the sundecks were, literally not an inch of space between them - and all that space taken up by the lawn on top. Since we were on Equinox there were no cabanas and no Lawn Club Grill.

 

A huge fan of Celebrity but not a fan of the lawn, I'm afraid.

[techwatcher]

What is the deal with the lawn? I don't get the appeal of a lawn on a cruise ship. Can someone explain this to me? Why would I want to pay oodles of money to sit in a cabana on a lawn on a cruise ship? Why would I pay extra money to assist in grilling meats overlooking the lawn? I don't want to lift a finger on vacation.

 

Thanks for the enlightening :)

 

-aj

 

We were on one of Silhouette's early cruises last September. The lawn is a bit different but didn't seem well used on our cruise other than for a few evening outdoor concerts. We hardly saw anyone use the cabanas and found the concept a little odd; they face inboard so you cannot see the sea and they offer next to no privacy. There's nothing to prevent someone sitting on the lawn directly in front of your cabana.

 

I am with you on the Lawn Club - Celebrity want to charge me to have me cook my food?! (I know you can have the chefs do it but the idea is that the guests do it). Lawn Club was not for us, but it did attract guests during our cruise. I suppose if you are into cooking it could be a fun experience.

[Gracie115]

My cruise on the Eclipse...

The whole design of the ship caters for 70+ folks (slow pace life, no jogging/no promenade, covered shallow pool, "relaxing" grass lawn).

The food is not as good as on Cunard/HAL/Princess but much better than on other cruise lines.

 

My 86 y.o. uncle will be in haven there.

If they decide to take a cruise, my first recommendation will be Celebrity S-class.

 

Note the size of the lawn.

Note crammed pool deck.

Note the row of life boats where the promenade deck should have been.

 

 

 

If you DON"T like "S" class don't cruise on it.....we won't hit your "70's" group for almost two decades and we love it....including the grass..... considering the awards this class of ship has gotten you are OBVIOUSLY among the minority.....to each his own but no reason to be so negative and condemning because X decided to try something new, different and FUN!!

[teacher_md]

Thank you everyone for your candid opinions!

 

I will be trying an S-Class ship for myself and my opinion will be in my review :)

 

I probably won't be renting a cabana or do the upcharge grilling restaurant, however I am all about the options and choice.

 

I find a lot of the comments about the demographics of Celebrity cruisers to be very interesting in this thread. Do you think Celebrity's target demographic is any different than the other other major cruise lines? Seems to me the demographic on board has a lot to do with the length of the cruise and the time of year you sail. If you sail on a week long cruise in Spring Break I would imagine the cruisers would be a bit younger and more festive. My other favorite cruise line is Norwegian, which is actually on the complete other end of the spectrum. I appreciate each company (Norwegian and Celebrity) for their strengths!

 

Good conversation!

-aj

[NukeIT]

I love the idea of the lawn... And being able to throw out a blanket and relax... Does celebrity have blankets for this purpose?? Or are people using beach towels???

[emcee207]

Me like lawn club because of great scenery:D

[6andy6]

With all the people loving the lawn I think I'm probably in a minority. We just did our first sailing with X (on Equinox) and whilst the lawn was a novelty feature and I could see some people would enjoy it, I thought it was such a waste of a big space. I couldn't believe how crammed in the beds on the sundecks were, literally not an inch of space between them - and all that space taken up by the lawn on top. Since we were on Equinox there were no cabanas and no Lawn Club Grill.

 

A huge fan of Celebrity but not a fan of the lawn, I'm afraid.

 

Shhhhh don't say that. Given the petty responses to someone that disagreed with it the lynch mob may throw you on the Lawn Club grill and saute you.....

 

Personally I like the idea and will enjoy it and would much more prefer to be up there than around the pool...but that pool deck does look like a mob scene and anyone that says otherwise needs to apply for a eye test....

[CLQ]

As we recently boarded the Celebrity Eclipse, I had the same skepticism about the Lawn Club. I just couldn't get my mind around the appeal of a large expanse of grass on a cruiseship. Seemed like a bit of a reach to me, and a little gimmicky. However, upon actually being there we came away with some impressions.

 

First, we rarely saw many people up there who appeared to be even 55+. As a mid-40's couple, there were what seemed to be a decent number of similar-aged people. Fact is, there were even more up there who were clearly younger than us. Playing bocce, watching the glass-blowing shows. Enjoying the sun deck spaces. Relaxing.

 

Next, we began to think back to what is normally up on the same deck of other ships we sail. Besides the miniature golf (which we play at least once a cruise), and a rock climbing wall (which I conquered once!)-- we almost never find ourselves up on a comparable deck when we sail. While the typical "sports deck" amenities seem nice to have on a cruiseship, the reality is that we rarely go there, much less use those features. And, I am a banged up, burned out athlete.

 

Contrary to what has been expressed here, I failed to notice how the architecture of that deck affected any lower deck where a pool or sun space would normally be. Looked to me like the grass simply occupied the same location that a bungee jumping/ rock-climbing/putt-putting area might normally be. There seemed no less lounge-chair space, and no more crowding of the loungers than we are used to on any other ship.

 

At least 4 times on the Eclipse, we were up top and enjoying a glass show or some other relaxing experience. I agree-- the cabanas sat mostly empty. Next Celebrity Solstice-class cruise, I have a hunch we'll be right back up there. Which means we did end up being drawn by the grass, as it turns out.

 

My wife just came bee-bopping downstairs dressed for work. She's wearing her Celebrity Eclipse Lawn Club sleeveless golf shirt! Hmmm...I wonder if I should ask her how she enjoyed the space?

[Denny01]

Shhhhh don't say that. Given the petty responses to someone that disagreed with it the lynch mob may throw you on the Lawn Club grill and saute you.....

 

Personally I like the idea and will enjoy it and would much more prefer to be up there than around the pool...but that pool deck does look like a mob scene and anyone that says otherwise needs to apply for a eye test....

 

Funny on the ref to grilling the poster! But I really don't see a 'lynch mob' response to negative posts on this thread. I see posts responding to a poster who has gone over the top on their criticisms, A poster who has added 40+ negative posts about Celebrity of their 50+ posts overall, including starting a thread badmouthing a ship of another Line because they considered it being 'solsticized'.

 

I spend a good deal of time on this forum - I tell my wife I could be 'lurking' on some other more unsavory website! - and enjoy constructive criticisms but when one poster keeps saying the same thing over and over on numerous threads and has stated they won't be cruising the Line they are putting down but adds nothing but negative posts for 2 months, other posters react.

 

Life on a forum where we aren't face-face and can say whatever.

 

Just an observation of why people react in a way that may appear to be overly protective of 'our Favorite Line'.

 

Den

[Snorkel Dawg]

Having sailed Solstice and Eclipse IMHO the lawn is pretty darn cool. We had fun playing games up there as well. Really enjoyed the hot glass show, but would have enjoyed the show just as much if it was on the deck of a regular ship.

 

It is a nice feeling to walk in the grass barefoot but I've a big lawn at home and can do that all summer. DW & I loved the 3 different Celebrity ships we have been on including the much older Century (x2) and had most enjoyable time on her. We'll sail the Summit next year and don't think we'll miss the lawn that much if at all.

 

I personally would rather see another pool where the lawn club is. I love the pool area on both of the S class ships & the free "cabanas" around the pool are fantastic! I'd just like more of it. The pool deck area is kinda small & at times very crowded.

 

Granted I never attended one of the musical concerts on the lawn at night. Maybe I would have a totally different opinion then? But, we also can do that here at home (nothing like seeing a show while relaxing on a blanket at Ravinia).

 

The great thing is having these choices, like choosing to sail on an S class sailings. How dull life would be w/o these unique choices?

 

Will I choose to sail an S class ship again? Most definately, but it won't be because of the lawn club. It will be because of the great food, great service, that ice martini bar and those awesome bartenders, & great shows (which have been better than just about every sailing I've done except our recent trip on Allure). The Lawn Club might not be my favourite thing, but kudos to Celeb for trying something new & different.

[uktog]

I love the idea of the lawn... And being able to throw out a blanket and relax... Does celebrity have blankets for this purpose?? Or are people using beach towels???

 

 

 

Yes, they provide lovely rugs and it is a great place

 

 

 

 

 

Look at all us oldies enjoying a sailaway jazz concert in the Med on Eclipse last year

[Cruising89143]

The lawn is an attempt to make S-class different, to advertise something "unlike any other" or "the first at see".

Just marketing.

In fact this is an unprecedented waste of upper deck space "unlike anywhere else".

The lawn takes about 1/3 of the ship.

Result: crammed pool deck.

Another major design flaw of the S-cless - lack of promenade deck.

This is unacceptable.

 

The whole design caters for 70+ folks.

This is a modern floating IKEA-style hotel, not a ship.

 

I find it interesting that someone who makes a comment about Celebrity S class catering to the "70+" age group likes HAL. We all know that they don't cater to a more mature age group.:rolleyes:

 

I will be trying Celebrity in the fall and I am several decades away from my 70's. ;)

[acwmom]

I enjoyed the Lawn Club. The grass was soft and green, level, free from fire ants, and other critters. My DH and I were up there several times each day and night.

 

I am in my mid 40's, and he in his early 50's. For us, it was the calm, peace and quiet that were appealing. We were on Eclipse, so enjoyed watching the hot glass show. Bocce was also a big hit on our particular cruise.

 

As far as crowded pool decks-I've not been on a cruise yet that didn't have a crowded pool deck on a sea day! On other days, people would come and go with enough regularity that there were always chairs available. And on the two sea days, we were more than happy to take our towels and enjoy basking in the sun-on the lawn-and we were far from alone.

 

As far as the Lawn Club Grill, I will be on Reflection next spring, and plan on trying it out. And I do plan on cooking myself. I love to cook at home, so anything I learn is a bonus.

 

The Alcoves I'm not too sure about though. They seem to block a lot of the ocean view from the lawn. I'll reserve my opinion on them until after my cruise.

[austinlw]

On our Equinox cruise last fall we spent part of the last day at sea relaxing on the lawn. It was nice sunny day with mild temps in the middle of the Med. Sea, hundreds of miles from land. Yet there were birds (mainly sparrows) that seemed to fly around the vicinity of the ship, return and land on the lawn, and poke around in the grass for insects to eat (must have been some in there somewhere, because they kept doing it). Interesting and nice to hear birds chirping way out at sea. We found the feel of the grass on that beautiful day to be very relaxing and something unique from other cruise ships we have been on. We finally left because the bocce ball games were increasing and coming really close to us, and we didn't want to get beaned by an errant bocce ball.

[riredsox]

There are so many reasons to love Celebrity: the ships are gorgeous, the food is great and the service is top notch.

 

I have been on the Summit, Millennium and Century - all beautiful!

 

Now I am looking into cruising on one of the Solstice class ships. Here is what I don't get:

 

- What is the deal with the lawn? I don't get the appeal of a lawn on a cruise ship. Can someone explain this to me? Why would I want to pay oodles of money to sit in a cabana on a lawn on a cruise ship? Why would I pay extra money to assist in grilling meats overlooking the lawn? I don't want to lift a finger on vacation.

 

Thanks for the enlightening :)

 

-aj

 

If you lived where I do in Fla you would love to walk barfoot on the lawn. Here it is full of sandspurs! I'm going on the Eclipse in Dec and it's the first thing I'm doing. But you're right I wouldn't pay extra to grill there! Enjoy your cruises..... Jill

[TLCOhio]

From our first experience on the Solstice last June, I approached the question and value of these lawn areas with a "mixed" viewpoint. Really, how valuable and important was it? As others have mentioned, it does not get used that much, but it is kind of cool, interesting and different. When you are at sea, it is nice to walk by, get that sampling/reminder of land, etc. Clearly with all of the sea air, it is not the easiest to keep that grass growing and doing well. Long-term, I don't know how it will work out. We are now schedule for the Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Solstice cruise from Sydney to Auckland, NZ. We'll see if both the lawn and glass show make it until that time. The grilling out area also seems to be an interesting option that Celebrity is now testing.

 

In my book, I like different and not being the same-old boring. Below are a couple of my pictures from these Solstice areas. Both pictures rate high in my book on the "cool-looking" scale. If you'd like to see more on the Solstice, its entertainment, food, options, etc., check out my live/blog connected below.

 

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 75,176 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!!:

 

 

 

In the top, back area near the Sunset Bar with live grass, some enjoy this area by reading, playing on the lawn or sun-bathing there. Usually, it’s not too crowded!:

 

[loubetti]

And, of course, at their parent company's ships we have:

 

 

 

I think both concepts are great! :)