Celebrity - Booked and Worried

[Poppet1964]

We're booked on the Reflection this December. We booked specifically due to 2 things... it's a wine cruise offered through a national TA and the food seems to get good reviews generally for a mass market cruise line. Yes, it's true, not everyone knows about Cruise Critic BEFORE they book a cruise!

 

I've been very excited about the trip, met some people on our roll call, planned and booked excursions, but.... with final payment right around the corner, these posts about clothing are making me nervous.

 

My first real cruise since the dinosaurs roamed the earth was this summer on NCL and I loved the casual feel, but I"m open to trying something new on Celebrity.

 

What I'd like to say is.. for those of us that haven't cruised Celebrity before, these endless, kind of nasty arguments regarding how to dress are off-putting to say the least. I don't want to start any kind of argument regarding what's the right way to dress, I just want to say that those of you who are Celebrity fans and want to keep them in business might want to tone down the judgements and actually make others feel welcome instead.

 

How about a "What's good about Celebrity and welcome to newcomer's" thread instead?

[BrusselsGirl07]

Hi there Poppet1964 - I think you will have a wonderful cruise! I am a little jealous, I would love to try Reflection! We were originally booked on the inaugural Caribbean, but plans changed and we are now doing another cruise. I hope you come back and let us know what it was like from the perspective of a new Celebrity cruiser. Yvette

[Orator]

We're booked on the Reflection this December. We booked specifically due to 2 things... it's a wine cruise offered through a national TA and the food seems to get good reviews generally for a mass market cruise line. Yes, it's true, not everyone knows about Cruise Critic BEFORE they book a cruise!

 

I've been very excited about the trip, met some people on our roll call, planned and booked excursions, but.... with final payment right around the corner, these posts about clothing are making me nervous.

 

My first real cruise since the dinosaurs roamed the earth was this summer on NCL and I loved the casual feel, but I"m open to trying something new on Celebrity.

 

What I'd like to say is.. for those of us that haven't cruised Celebrity before, these endless, kind of nasty arguments regarding how to dress are off-putting to say the least. I don't want to start any kind of argument regarding what's the right way to dress, I just want to say that those of you who are Celebrity fans and want to keep them in business might want to tone down the judgements and actually make others feel welcome instead.

 

How about a "What's good about Celebrity and welcome to newcomer's" thread instead?

 

You have the right attitude. What you find on these boards and what you find onboard the ship may be quite different. You do get a nasty element on the boards, but many of the worse offenders have never cruised Celebrity or cruise Celebrity very infrequently. Notice the tone of the Roll Calls compared to the general board. People tend to be very polite on the Roll Calls. Perhaps they recognize that they will actually meet their fellow posters and don't want to create a negative impression. My favorite thing about Celebrity is the people, both fellow cruisers and crew. When we return to a ship we feel like we're returning to family.

[islandgirlejfan]

We're booked on the Reflection this December. We booked specifically due to 2 things... it's a wine cruise offered through a national TA and the food seems to get good reviews generally for a mass market cruise line. Yes, it's true, not everyone knows about Cruise Critic BEFORE they book a cruise!

 

I've been very excited about the trip, met some people on our roll call, planned and booked excursions, but.... with final payment right around the corner, these posts about clothing are making me nervous.

 

My first real cruise since the dinosaurs roamed the earth was this summer on NCL and I loved the casual feel, but I"m open to trying something new on Celebrity.

 

What I'd like to say is.. for those of us that haven't cruised Celebrity before, these endless, kind of nasty arguments regarding how to dress are off-putting to say the least. I don't want to start any kind of argument regarding what's the right way to dress, I just want to say that those of you who are Celebrity fans and want to keep them in business might want to tone down the judgements and actually make others feel welcome instead.

 

How about a "What's good about Celebrity and welcome to newcomer's" thread instead?

 

Poppet....three of my five cruises were on NCL. We cruised before and after the Freestyle was in place.....we had cruised both traditionally and the casual way, so we did have a clue to how we should dress, however when I started reading these boards, I was very concerned about our 2010 December cruise on the Eclipse and that it really was going to be something different then what we was used to. I ended up so concerned about these posts that I thought of canceling. I have a number of great people that were on my first Celebrity roll call to thank for making our transition from NCL to Celebrity a good one! We are very sold on the cruise line....so much so we purchased two cruise credits while onboard. My advice to you is don't let these boards scare you....a very small cross section of the ship will even know about Cruise Critic. This board sometimes sounds more serious than it is onboard. You will be fine. Go and enjoy and don't let anyone steal your sunshine!:D

[Denny01]

We are on Reflection this November and really looking forward to it. We've done this S-Class type ship for a number of cruises (4!) and love it. For us, it is the most beautiful class of ship, and when you add the outstanding Service Celebrity is well lknown for, it is fantastic And although dining is very subjective, we've loved the MDR and the speicalty restaurants. One of our favorites is the Bistro on 5, a low-key diner that costs $5pp. Love it!

 

Yes, things get dicey on this forum sometimes, but on board, I've never heard anyone discuss dress, tipping or such subjects that are favored here. And these types of overwrought discussions are on most all of the forums, so no one would cruise if they thought this is how people talk. We get all wrapped up and sometimes and even scare ourselves.

 

I stick with the Roll Calls when I focus on my cruise. And I'd focus on the good threads on this forum that discuss lots of good info that are helpful in planning.

 

enjoy. We will give our review when we get back. I'd not worry about your cruise.

 

Den

[dln929]

We're booked on the Reflection this December. We booked specifically due to 2 things... it's a wine cruise offered through a national TA and the food seems to get good reviews generally for a mass market cruise line. Yes, it's true, not everyone knows about Cruise Critic BEFORE they book a cruise!

 

I've been very excited about the trip, met some people on our roll call, planned and booked excursions, but.... with final payment right around the corner, these posts about clothing are making me nervous.

 

My first real cruise since the dinosaurs roamed the earth was this summer on NCL and I loved the casual feel, but I"m open to trying something new on Celebrity.

 

What I'd like to say is.. for those of us that haven't cruised Celebrity before, these endless, kind of nasty arguments regarding how to dress are off-putting to say the least. I don't want to start any kind of argument regarding what's the right way to dress, I just want to say that those of you who are Celebrity fans and want to keep them in business might want to tone down the judgements and actually make others feel welcome instead.

 

How about a "What's good about Celebrity and welcome to newcomer's" thread instead?

 

Poppet, some subjects ought to be taboo because they bring out the worse in people. You know how they say you should never discuss politics or religion at a nice dinner party? Well, likewise you should never discuss dress codes on a cruise forum. It's like waving a red flag to a bull. You know you're not going to be happy if you read the posts but you can't help wanting to know all the lurid details, or worse yet, contributing. And you walk away with a skewed vision of what kind of people go on that particular cruise line.

 

I guess the only thing to keep it all in perspective and not to get you sour on Celebrity (which is really the most wonderful cruise line) is to tell yourself that thousands--yes thousands--of people fill a cruise ship on every sailing, and there are several ships sailing at any given time. So you have to think of all those thousands of people who are on the seas enjoying themselves...and how many are on the computer huffing and puffing about what to wear when and working themselves into a tizzzy? A handful? It's such a small percentage that it's not worth worrying about. Go on your cruise and have fun!

[mek]

I have cruised on all of the mass lines, and I really haven't noticed much difference in the way people dress in the MDR. There are always a few exceptions who dress ultra casual and "get away with it." Some people wear Tuxes and long dresses; most people fall somewhere in the middle. Have fun.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We're booked on the Reflection this December. We booked specifically due to 2 things... it's a wine cruise offered through a national TA and the food seems to get good reviews generally for a mass market cruise line. Yes, it's true, not everyone knows about Cruise Critic BEFORE they book a cruise!

 

I've been very excited about the trip, met some people on our roll call, planned and booked excursions, but.... with final payment right around the corner, these posts about clothing are making me nervous.

 

My first real cruise since the dinosaurs roamed the earth was this summer on NCL and I loved the casual feel, but I"m open to trying something new on Celebrity.

 

What I'd like to say is.. for those of us that haven't cruised Celebrity before, these endless, kind of nasty arguments regarding how to dress are off-putting to say the least. I don't want to start any kind of argument regarding what's the right way to dress, I just want to say that those of you who are Celebrity fans and want to keep them in business might want to tone down the judgements and actually make others feel welcome instead.

 

How about a "What's good about Celebrity and welcome to newcomer's" thread instead?

 

Poppet, please take the dress code threads with a VERY large grain of salt. Just go, dress nicely, and have a ball. I promise you, the dress code police will not be at the door to the MDR. My guess would be that 99% of the people could care less what you are wearing.

 

As for the food--it's reasonably good, sometimes excellent. You have to remember that they are feeding thousands of people at once. Just don't go expecting the world's greatest food ever and you will be fine.

 

Welcome to Celebrity!

[cocobakerchica]

We're booked on the Reflection this December. We booked specifically due to 2 things... it's a wine cruise offered through a national TA and the food seems to get good reviews generally for a mass market cruise line. Yes, it's true, not everyone knows about Cruise Critic BEFORE they book a cruise!

 

I've been very excited about the trip, met some people on our roll call, planned and booked excursions, but.... with final payment right around the corner, these posts about clothing are making me nervous.

 

My first real cruise since the dinosaurs roamed the earth was this summer on NCL and I loved the casual feel, but I"m open to trying something new on Celebrity.

 

What I'd like to say is.. for those of us that haven't cruised Celebrity before, these endless, kind of nasty arguments regarding how to dress are off-putting to say the least. I don't want to start any kind of argument regarding what's the right way to dress, I just want to say that those of you who are Celebrity fans and want to keep them in business might want to tone down the judgements and actually make others feel welcome instead.

 

How about a "What's good about Celebrity and welcome to newcomer's" thread instead?

 

Hi Poppet1964;

The boards can be a bit rough:rolleyes:, and when I started here not too long ago, it was pretty fascinating(and amusing and horrifying)to read some of the threads. It can be a bit like high school, everyone learning how to get along(and somewhat succeeding, thanks to moderators like Host Andy), and unfortunately, the anonymity of the internet can remove some civility from what is often an "agree to disagree" discussion(it's not just here, it's all over the place!), and it can get ugly....but not always.

 

As for a "What's good about Celebrity" thread, there is one! Below is a link to a not too long ago thread started by cruisestitch, which really brings home why we all love Celebrity, and it's not just for the obvious enjoyment of cruising on a gorgeous ship! By the way, welcome to Cruise Critic!:)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1677979

[Cruise Junky]

Please go and enjoy your cruise. There are extremely opinionated people on this board about dress. The atmosphere onboard is not even close. If you actually read over most of the dress code threads, very few (shout out to Don) actually contain fact of what happens onboard. Most are just opinion...and you know what they say about those. Enjoy Reflection

[Chi Diva]

It was our travel agent that told us about cruise critic after he convinced us to book our first Celebrity cruise. Before our first cruise I felt much like you do now. There was a thread about eating French Fries in the MDR that was in the same tone as the recent dress code threads. Scared me a little. But we went on our cruise and had a fantastic time and met so many great people. Celebrity Is definitely our cruise line of choice, for so many reasons.

 

Now I find these touchy threads here on cruise critic kind of funny. My husband, who is not a member, enjoys hearing about the latest drama. We can find the amusing side of these threads because now we know that they don't represent the onboard experience.

 

I hope you give Celebrity a chance, and have a great cruise.

[smtcan]

Luckily I didn't discover Cruise Critic until after our first cruise or I would probably have felt as you do. As many have said, the atmosphere on board does not reflect the tone of many of the dress code posts. On a recent cruise we met one of the most intolerant posters on this subject. I had always thought I would not like a person who expressed such judgmental ideas, but in fact this person was quite charming and unlike the image projected on these boards.

Don't worry, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

Sheila

 

BTW the gentleman at the table next to us on the Eclipse TA last spring wore an open necked shirt, suspenders and no jacket every night, formal or not. It didn't impact on our enjoyment at all even when we were wearing our 'formal outfits'. He was well spoken and a good conversationalist. He obviously was allowed into the dining room without a jacket although I believe this is unusual.

[Chirpbird]

This is an excellent point...the tone of the roll calls is definitely nicer and more like the demeanor of the folks I meet on-board. Some of the snarkier threads are fun to read in an "Oh, no they didn't" way. Just so long as I an not the person being reamed by some smart Alec. I have a wee little temper, a great command of the English language, and I'm the youngest of 4 girls. I know how to use words to slay a foe. I have to rein myself in sometimes when someone is truly mean.

 

Sincerely, Sambelina's Galaxy.

[rwr235]

Hi,

 

Please stop worrying...and rest assured you will have a GREAT time !!

 

I've learned quite a bit on these boards...but some of the issues discussed are completely "non-issues" once you step on board and start your vacation !

 

There was a thread awhile back, about when the excitement of your cruise really kicks in. For me, I get goose-bumps and my body tingles as we are driving towards the port, and I catch the first glimpse of the ship !! (and I've cruised on other lines...HAL, Carnival, Princess, RC and even a freighter...but there is just "something" that keeps me coming back to Celebrity) !! Then, as we walk up the gangway, are greeted with a flute of sparkling wine, and a "Welcome Aboard"...my whole being just takes on a different level of a combination of feelings...relaxation/excitement/happiness/contentment.

 

As far as "what's good about Celebrity"...I'll leave most of those discoveries to you...as that's part of the fun about cruising in general, and with Celebrity in particular. But just be assured...you will receive great service from great, caring staff members; you will be on a well designed, beautiful ship with a myriad of activities, venues and spaces to explore; and you'll meet some wonderful fellow passengers who will be just as excited, and feel just as lucky as you...about being able to cruise on a great cruise-line ! Thats just a tease about..."What's good about Celebrity"

 

Enjoy,

 

Woody

[ghstudio]

As in politics, you have to block out the lunatic fringe on both sides :)

 

There seem to be more then a fair share of "my way or the highway" folks who post their opinions and try to convince everyone else that their opinion is right on threads talking about formal wear and the sound level on the ships. Once on the cruise, you won't find any of these folks and if they are on the cruise, they will be deep in conversation with some ship officer complaining about whatever. Some people are just unhappy people.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[lysolqn]

Contrary to the tone of some posts you've read, I think the vast majority of Celebrity pax and even the cruise line itself would agree the matter of evening dress has become increasingly less important over time, thus the variety of venues offered to accommodate those who favor certain attire and those who don't. On the down side, that seems to do little to stop the militant few on both sides of the debate from relying on the anonymity of the internet to push their agendas in, shall we say, a somewhat less than civil manner. On the up side, the issue rarely if ever rears its ugly head onboard. Enjoy your cruise!

[hcat]

We're booked on the Reflection this December. We booked specifically due to 2 things... it's a wine cruise offered through a national TA and the food seems to get good reviews generally for a mass market cruise line. Yes, it's true, not everyone knows about Cruise Critic BEFORE they book a cruise!

 

I've been very excited about the trip, met some people on our roll call, planned and booked excursions, but.... with final payment right around the corner, these posts about clothing are making me nervous.

 

My first real cruise since the dinosaurs roamed the earth was this summer on NCL and I loved the casual feel, but I"m open to trying something new on Celebrity.

 

What I'd like to say is.. for those of us that haven't cruised Celebrity before, these endless, kind of nasty arguments regarding how to dress are off-putting to say the least. I don't want to start any kind of argument regarding what's the right way to dress, I just want to say that those of you who are Celebrity fans and want to keep them in business might want to tone down the judgements and actually make others feel welcome instead.

 

How about a "What's good about Celebrity and welcome to newcomer's" thread instead?

 

it's a good idea to be welcoming--I think most Celeb cruisers are from my experience..

 

but when people are asking honestly about dress, they deserve an answer.. I would hate to show up at a barefoot beach wedding in a tux/formal gown & vice versa... other lines are clearer about what is expected- Cunard lays it all out so no one can say they were not informed...

 

I'd too hate dress codesthreads b/c some are very challenging to the standards set by the cruise line. I would rather have threads about appropriate dress than encounter "wife beater" tee shirts & hairy pits in the buffet like we did on other cruise lines! Not a big appetite enhancer...

[Redtravel]

The clothing issue is blown up by people on this board. I am elite. Dress codes are nice. However, think of them as a guideline. I used to bring fancy formal attire. Not doing that now. I travel light. Most of the time, I wear casual clothes......daytime: shorts or jeans, a teeshirt ....nighttime: long pants or capris with a collared shirt or nice blouse. Formal night: black short skirt or slacks and a dressy top. No gowns or glitter. My husband likes knit shirts or ss broadcloth shirts and long twill pants. On formal nights, he wears either a dark suit or a dark sports jacket. He leaves the tuxedo home. I've seen people wear everything on formal night......even flipflops, jeans, and teeshirts. Wear whatever you want. If you really like to dress up, do it. Don't think that you have to go out and buy a new wardrobe. Keep it simple. Black pants for either sex and a nice top/jacket/sweater works well. In all cases, bring clothes that pack well and don't tend to wrinkle. Chicos travelers are my choice. I once had my luggage misplaced for more than a week. When I eventually got my luggage, the only clothes that weren't wrinkled were the travelers from Chicos.

[Poppet1964]

Thank you all for your kind words of support! I actually feel much better now... there is a happy medium!

 

I'm at the 100 day till cruising mark and will try to stop worrying :)

[letitiar]

I have not read the posts to which you refer. We just returned from a 12-night cruise on Solstice. True, not everyone respects the dress code and we notice that formal is not as formal as when we started cruising, but most people are respectful of the posted codes and of their fellow passengers. Enjoy and ignore the people who are rude on this site; with any luck, they will not be on your cruise. Just hated to see you allow a few people to dampen your enthusiasm for what should be a lovely cruise.

[searoses]

frankly,i think most of those cranky posters are REALLY complaining about the "class" of passengers wearing jeans,etc. cruising used to be an elite activity.....not any more. my mother wore her mink stole to board the ship in nyc. i wore capris and a t. nothing i like better on cc than a lively debate over trivial things pop some poopcorn,get comfy and enjoy!! :D

[happygran]

We went on our first Celebrity cruise in February. After reading all the threads on here regarding formal night my husband packed his tux. We were on the last minute getting geared up, and the fastener on my husband's trousers came off. We were mortified.

 

He ended up going to dinner in a jacket with a shirt & tie. He was fine.

 

Celebrity is a great cruiseline. A little quieter than some other lines but essentially it's a great product.

 

You'll have a ball. We loved it.

[Kevnzworld]

I only sailed on a small " luxury " line for years ( Regent ). I had always heard horror stories about the larger mass market ships. A friend of mine convinced me to join him on a Celebrity cruise in January. I was apprehensive, as the OP is.

I loved the cruise, and by then end of this year I will have sailed on 3 more Celebrity cruises.

[Travel Writing Mary]

We're booked on the Reflection this December. We booked specifically due to 2 things... it's a wine cruise offered through a national TA and the food seems to get good reviews generally for a mass market cruise line. Yes, it's true, not everyone knows about Cruise Critic BEFORE they book a cruise!

 

I've been very excited about the trip, met some people on our roll call, planned and booked excursions, but.... with final payment right around the corner, these posts about clothing are making me nervous.

 

My first real cruise since the dinosaurs roamed the earth was this summer on NCL and I loved the casual feel, but I"m open to trying something new on Celebrity.

 

What I'd like to say is.. for those of us that haven't cruised Celebrity before, these endless, kind of nasty arguments regarding how to dress are off-putting to say the least. I don't want to start any kind of argument regarding what's the right way to dress, I just want to say that those of you who are Celebrity fans and want to keep them in business might want to tone down the judgements and actually make others feel welcome instead.

 

How about a "What's good about Celebrity and welcome to newcomer's" thread instead?

 

I have been on 3 Celebrity cruises with a 4th coming up in 43 days yaaay. I find that black jeans or black slacks and any kind of top that isn't just a plain T-shirt (or stick a scarf or a pin on a T shirt as I do) is fine at regular dinners. For 'formal' nights at least in the Mediterranean there were very few long gowns (packing weight restrictions might have something to do with that). Dressy dresses or sparkly tops with nice slacks were very apparant. I take two knit tops that are sparkly. They take up very little room in my suitcase and with sparkly earrings they look just fine! The attire during the day on board was very casual. I guess because the age group is a little older you don't see much in the line of super-short shorts or cutoffs but any other kind of shorts were definitely in evidence. I think overall the 'formal' nights on Celebrity have become less formal, but most people still dress nicely. About two thirds of the guys had on sports jackets, maybe two tuxes during the time I dined were in evidence; and quite a few had on a shirt and tie, or even a sport coat and an open-collared shirt with no tie. No once seemed to care!

[Travel Writing Mary]

frankly,i think most of those cranky posters are REALLY complaining about the "class" of passengers wearing jeans,etc. cruising used to be an elite activity.....not any more. my mother wore her mink stole to board the ship in nyc. i wore capris and a t. nothing i like better on cc than a lively debate over trivial things pop some poopcorn,get comfy and enjoy!! :D

 

I have never tried poopcorn (see typo above) but I would have loved seeing your Mom in her mink. Good for her! What the heck, it's about having fun!