An Unhappy Carnival on Celebrity?

[clipper110A]

I am 84 and my husband is 86,we cruise 4 to 5 times a year mostly on Celebrity.Due to an error of surgery I must use a walker for balance.We enjoy the happy hour,the casino,the music,just about everything on a Celebrity cruise.We met a young 50' couple on our last Equinox cruise and all 4 of us had so much fun we booked a cruise for Dec. with them.Would someone,anyone please tell me how we,or others like us,make or break a cruise? Don't forget old age isn't contagious you will get it all on your own if you are lucky.I know I have used that quote of an older lady on a cruise ship before on these boards but it is the best line I have ever heard for the old age complainers.

 

People who make it into their 80's and are cruising around must be doing something right...ALWAYS have respect for anyone who does not let a physical limitation stop them from enjoying life, their family and friends, other people and the world...For me, while it is difficult for me to see anyone with physical limitation, it is a fabulous, hope-filled thing to see them getting around and still living life...

 

On Suez Solstice last autumn, there was an elderly gentleman who needed constant oxygen...I doubt he was climbing the pyramids at Giza, but he was soaking in what he could of the experience.

 

Partying drunk bimbos in their 20s or "young people" who think they are cover models have a certain attraction. But an octagenarian with a full life experience fundamentally undaunted by their body's natural slowing down is in many ways, much more beautiful to behold for anyone with depth....

[teajak]

People who make it into their 80's and are cruising around must be doing something right...ALWAYS have respect for anyone who does not let a physical limitation stop them from enjoying life, their family and friends, other people and the world...For me, while it is difficult for me to see anyone with physical limitation, it is a fabulous, hope-filled thing to see them getting around and still living life...

 

On Suez Solstice last autumn, there was an elderly gentleman who needed constant oxygen...I doubt he was climbing the pyramids at Giza, but he was soaking in what he could of the experience.

 

Partying drunk bimbos in their 20s or "young people" who think they are cover models have a certain attraction. But an octagenarian with a full life experience fundamentally undaunted by their body's natural slowing down is in many ways, much more beautiful to behold for anyone with depth....

Thanks for the kind words Clipper,we keep trying.tj;)

[clipper110A]

My wife and I have always sailed Carnival. (You can see that in my signature.) We have always enjoyed the cruises as well. We're about to embark on our very first Celebrity cruise in about a week. And while we're both really looking forward to it, I have to admit some of the comments made by people on this side of the forum have given me pause and have me wondering IF this is the right choice for us. Comments such as that "Celebrity is the grown-ups cruise line", for an example.

 

Look, I'm 50 years old. I may grow old, but I'll never grow up. No, that does not mean I want to see a belly flop contest, or enter (again) in the hairy chest contest (I came in second), or even enter the cocktail making contest. Yeah, they were fun, but they're not the reason I cruise. I cruise to relax. Sometimes that means doing goofy stuff and sometimes that means sitting by the pool reading a book. One thing I am definitely looking forward to on this cruise is the Star Chefs Cooking Show during the sea day. And then there's the beer tasting..... :)

 

Anyway, I'm going with an open mind and with the expectation of relaxation.

 

No pause. Your last sentence indicates to me that you will be fine...You are aware it is a different cruise line, so the experience will be different...you already know that. For sure, people will be having a fun time on the ship, and with the attitude/understanding you have going in, it gonna be fun and relaxing time.

 

You may like Celebrity better at the end, you may like Carnival better...or maybe even more likely, you may say Celerity strong in these areas "X, Y, Z", Carnival better when we looking for "A,B,C"....It ALL good...and the accompanying sea and sky around whatever ship always the same kind of beautiful....

[bradpole]

From a very disgruntled CC reviewer of Celebrity Reflection who may have been seeking the elusive Celebrity Conga Line & Lido Limbo:

"If you are looking for fun and excitement, outdoor activities, things like dodge ball tourneys, etc. this is definitely not the ship for you. I was bored out of my skull by the end of the trip.

 

...There were also very few outdoor activities for the guests -- I know of two volleyball games and one celebrity Olympics but I'm used to belly flop contests, xgames, beauty contests, etc.

 

...There are no water slides, water parks, climbing walls, etc. that you probably have experienced with other liners."

I'm always bemused by complainers who grumble about an unhappy purchase when their true displeasure should be with themselves not the product because they did not investigate the purchase beforehand. There's a reason for photography and font in adverts; both are capable of displaying details upon which an educated decision can be made.

 

Did the disgruntled down marketer not notice a lack of pictures on Celebrity's web site highlighting the solarium's phantom hairy back contest?

 

Next!

 

The full displeasure review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=114112

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

Personally for me the reviewer lost all credit with this statement, "...The Reflection was REALLY rocking from side to side..."

 

REALLY? A floating object on massive ocean will rock? SHOCKING! :)

Sorry, that's my nails on a chalkboard moment when I hear people say things like that. If you don't want any motion, stay in a hotel!

(full disclosure, I easily suffer motion sickness, if I don't take my Bonine daily I'm miserable!)

[Northeast Jake]

I love reading all the different takes on this topic. I rarely post, but I do read a lot of the posts on this site. IHO there are a select amount of people who are very loyal to X and get very defensive when people give X a bad review. Two years ago my wife and I tried X and sailed on the Solstice, previously we had taken 10 RCCL and 1 Princess Cruises. We loved the quiet, laid back feel of the X cruise experience. In 2 days we are sailing the Silhouette and also taking a TA on the Silhouette in December. We love RCCL, we took our 2 sons on nine of those cruises. Because are sons are now grown men, we have been able to cruise alone on our last cruise and upcoming cruises. I work as a firefighter in a very busy fire department and look forward to a nice quiet and relaxing cruise environment. I will write a review upon our return, it will include what was good and any that was no so good. Both our sons are taking their own cruises with their girlfriends and chose NCL for the activities and itinerary. I have to agree with one of the previous posts, people should try not to be so nasty, its only a cruise review, do not take it as a personal attack. Just my 2 cents, leaving single diget temperatures tomorrow to go to 80 degrees and sunny, life is good.

[richard1s]

"I am 84 and my husband is 86, we cruise 4 to 5 times a year mostly on Celebrity. Due to an error of surgery I must use a walker for balance. We enjoy the happy hour, the casino, the music, just about everything on a Celebrity cruise. We met a young 50' couple on our last Equinox cruise and all 4 of us had so much fun we booked a cruise for Dec. with them. Would someone, anyone please tell me how we, or others like us, make or break a cruise? Don't forget old age isn't contagious you will get it all on your own if you are lucky. I know I have used that quote of an older lady on a cruise ship before on these boards but it is the best line I have ever heard for the old age complainers."

 

 

Thank you for posting your comments; you expressed a perspective that I have never seen on this site before. But it is refreshing and a good reminder that stereotyping people can be very hurtful and mean-spirited. It always amazes me how defensive and obnoxious people can be responding to someone's observations or opinions. It seems important to some to make sure that they let another know how ignorant they are to have an opinion different than their own.

[UpcountryTravelers]

Note --- CARNIVAL WILL ALWAYS HAVE FULL SHIPS ! That is why they are making money and are the largest in the world. ------- BTW WalMart is also the largest in the world .....

 

That is why they own so many of the cruise lines who DON'T (or didn't) have full ships. Enjoy it while you can.....

 

Could that be why RCCL owns Celebrity ?

 

Carnival CRUISE LINES does not own any other cruise lines. Carnival Corporation owns Carnival Cruise lines and several others. Each of which is run independently and is its own profit center.

 

Saying that Carnival owns, for example, Cunard or Costa, would be like saying Chevrolet owns Cadillac or Buick. Not the case - they are both owned by the parent company, GM in that example.

[Texed]

I am 84 and my husband is 86, Don't forget old age isn't contagious you will get it all on your own if you are lucky.

 

I for one, would love to cruise with y'all. :)

[UpcountryTravelers]

...Don't forget old age isn't contagious you will get it all on your own if you are lucky.....

 

I LOVE it! May I quote you??? :D

[nyfarmgirl]

One of the most wonderful things about cruising is that there is a line out there to suit everyone's individual taste. I do wonder why more people don't spend any time actually comparing the different companies and ships. I also think the best part of the cruise is all of the different people you meet of varied age ranges and backgrounds.

[swedish weave]

Carnival CRUISE LINES does not own any other cruise lines. Carnival Corporation owns Carnival Cruise lines and several others. Each of which is run independently and is its own profit center.

 

Saying that Carnival owns, for example, Cunard or Costa, would be like saying Chevrolet owns Cadillac or Buick. Not the case - they are both owned by the parent company, GM in that example.

 

Have you purposely inserted words and your ideas into my post so you can dispute what I said. I did not use the term Carnival Cruise lines. Those are your own words.

 

Carnival DOES own several cruise lines. Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity.

 

Toyota owns a good portion of GM, but that is not part of this thread.

[teajak]

I for one, would love to cruise with y'all. :)

Our son lives on Tiki Island you can park in his driveway and we could cruise together from Galveston.;)

[teajak]

I LOVE it! May I quote you??? :D

Not mine,the story is an elderly lady was seated in the dining room when a youger couple came to their table,the woman,(no lady) said lets get another table with younger people and this was her reply to them,it started with don't worry dear.I absolutely love it and it is true.:cool:

[UpcountryTravelers]

Have you purposely inserted words and your ideas into my post so you can dispute what I said. I did not use the term Carnival Cruise lines. Those are your own words.

 

Carnival DOES own several cruise lines. Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity.

 

Toyota owns a good portion of GM, but that is not part of this thread.

 

When you say "CARNIVAL WILL ALWAYS HAVE FULL SHIPS" (cut and paste), it is obvious to all readers that you are talking about Carnival Cruise Lines. (That was a common comment of the media last year when they were talking about Costa.)

 

That was the source of my comment. And Chevrolet does not own Buick. Neither does Carnival (the cruise line) own any other cruise lines.

[someguyfl]

Im 30, and based on cruises I've been on (about 10), I prefer Celebrity > Norwegian > Not Going on a cruise > Royal Caribbean > Carnival. I also generally prefer traveling to places and getting to explore around (eg: I can't for the life of me understand why anyone does the Hawaii cruise instead of just flying to the Big Island or Maui and exploring. There's so much to do that even one week per island isn't enough).

 

For me, though, when I go on a cruise, it's for a particular type of trip. I work a high-stress (but well compensated) job, and sometimes I'm just way too fed up to have to deal with too much excitement, and a relaxing cruise is much easier. Living in Miami, I can just drive to the port.

 

At home, I have a high quality diet (both restaurants and home prepared) of healthy, upscale quality. When I travel, if I am going to be spending a lot of time in the hotel, I tend to prefer luxury resorts (Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, Waldorf Astoria, W, Westin, Conrad, etc). If I am booking a $100/night lodge, it's because I plan to spend zero time in the hotel other than sleeping.

 

On a cruise ship, you are a captive audience. If you don't like the food, you can't just go to the other restaurants in the area -- you are stuck with what's there. My experience on the Oasis of the Seas last year was my first/last cruise for RCCL based on the quality of the food (meh), quality of the service (worse than meh), and general nickel and dime-ing of everything.

 

In the end, Celebrity has the best service and best food of any of the large ships, and I like large ships due to the ability to have large shows, large spas, gyms, etc ...

 

With that said, I agree with some of the complaint -- whenever I go on Celebrity, I assume I will be younger than the average guest by approximately half, and most of the guests under the age of 50 are children. Because of this, the entertainment tends to be geared towards a much older crowd.

 

When I'm on a cruise though, I just want to relax -- and while it might be nice to have a club with an 80s-90s rock music theme, I'm just as fine spending the day at the Persian Gardens, and having dinner at one of the speciality restaurants.

[odysee]

My wife and I have always sailed Carnival. (You can see that in my signature.) We have always enjoyed the cruises as well. We're about to embark on our very first Celebrity cruise in about a week. And while we're both really looking forward to it, I have to admit some of the comments made by people on this side of the forum have given me pause and have me wondering IF this is the right choice for us. Comments such as that "Celebrity is the grown-ups cruise line", for an example.

 

Look, I'm 50 years old. I may grow old, but I'll never grow up. No, that does not mean I want to see a belly flop contest, or enter (again) in the hairy chest contest (I came in second), or even enter the cocktail making contest. Yeah, they were fun, but they're not the reason I cruise. I cruise to relax. Sometimes that means doing goofy stuff and sometimes that means sitting by the pool reading a book. One thing I am definitely looking forward to on this cruise is the Star Chefs Cooking Show during the sea day. And then there's the beer tasting..... :)

 

Anyway, I'm going with an open mind and with the expectation of relaxation.

 

You have the right attitude and I am sure you will enjoy whatever cruise you are going on. Don't be put off by some of the comment's on this forum. There are a lot of non-snooty Celebrity cruisers as well.

Enjoy !

[DirtyDawg]

One of the reasons I began to look at CC was all those reviews people are good enough to write. I read the reviews regardless of whether it’s a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ review. Frankly I find reviews where the reviewer had some issues to be of much more use than the ones list everything as perfect , wonderful, amazing etc. For me they are more realistic than the ones written by people who obviously drank the cruise lines' ‘Kool-Aid’. But I find those ones useful too.

 

As much as I find reviews mostly useful, I find the comments about them to be highly amusing and entertaining - especially the ones that are critical of the reviewer. These people seem to feel that no one should ever be critical of a cruise line or the cruising ’experience’. People - the reviewers are writing about their experiences, from their point of view – they aren’t writing the next Pulitzer Prize winning journalistic article. They are not submitting them to get a job at the Washington Post!

 

So reviewers keep writing your reviews! Ignore the naysayers! But naysayers keep being your critical, self-righteous selves – I haven’t seen a good train wreck for a while and your posts are the next best thing!

:D

[swedish weave]

. And Chevrolet does not own Buick. Neither does Carnival (the cruise line) own any other cruise lines.

 

 

You are right on both statements.

[someguyfl]

Elaborating slightly on my last post -- I absolutely do not want Bellyflop contests or Hairy Chest contests, but it would be nice if there were some CLASSY venues aimed at a "DINK" (dual income, no kids) audience.

 

If Celebrity had areas that played 80s-90s rock music during evening, or had decent (electronic music) DJ's for late night entertainment (think like high-end NYC/Miami nightclubs), there is a large market of 25-35 year olds that have large amounts of disposable income, and ALSO appreciate luxury, quality service, and food, etc ...

 

No problem with older people being around, but it would be nice to have SOME people in my demographics on board.

 

I think the Norwegian Epic is supposed to be marketed towards that type of crowd, and I might check it out on a future cruise.

[dkjretired]

Seems to me that the reviewer got bad information from his TA who was poorly informed on Celebrity cruises. Reminds me of my Uncle and Aunt years ago who were sent on a Carnival cruise when they were used to going on HAL and many of the older Defunct sedate lines.

 

Also, after reading the review I also have to feel its a shame he didn't find this board prior to the cruise. Many things could have been cleared up right from the start.

[gek]

Elaborating slightly on my last post -- I absolutely do not want Bellyflop contests or Hairy Chest contests, but it would be nice if there were some CLASSY venues aimed at a "DINK" (dual income, no kids) audience.

 

If Celebrity had areas that played 80s-90s rock music during evening, or had decent (electronic music) DJ's for late night entertainment (think like high-end NYC/Miami nightclubs), there is a large market of 25-35 year olds that have large amounts of disposable income, and ALSO appreciate luxury, quality service, and food, etc ...

 

No problem with older people being around, but it would be nice to have SOME people in my demographics on board.

 

I think the Norwegian Epic is supposed to be marketed towards that type of crowd, and I might check it out on a future cruise.

 

I think this is a valid criticism of Celebrity. However they really don't need to appeal to this demographic to fill their ships. In fact the venue they do have that might appeal to this demographic (Quasar) is so underutilised that they removed it from the Reflection.

 

Having spent many years as a DINK myself I know the problem you are facing. Not much has changed in 20 years.

[Texed]

Our son lives on Tiki Island you can park in his driveway and we could cruise together from Galveston.;)

 

Works for me. :)

[someguyfl]

I think this is a valid criticism of Celebrity. However they really don't need to appeal to this demographic to fill their ships. In fact the venue they do have that might appeal to this demographic (Quasar) is so underutilised that they removed it from the Reflection.

 

Having spent many years as a DINK myself I know the problem you are facing. Not much has changed in 20 years.

 

I was on the Eclipse 2 years ago, and the DJ they had at Quasar was horrible. I'm not a clubrat or anything, but I think the better analysis of that problem was not that there was no demand, but their attempts at solving that demand were very poorly executed.

 

I'm going on the Reflection next week, so I'll get to see the new sans-quasar design.

 

Also, filling the ships doesn't seem to be a problem for ANY of the major cruise lines. The question is prices paid. And, from what I can see, Norwegian is often able to command a higher price for the Epic than Celebrity is able to command for Solstice-class ships from Ft Lauderdale/Miami. I think that points to the possibility of attracting a higher-paying demographic.

[Lois R]

I was on the Eclipse 2 years ago, and the DJ they had at Quasar was horrible. I'm not a clubrat or anything, but I think the better analysis of that problem was not that there was no demand, but their attempts at solving that demand were very poorly executed.

 

I'm going on the Reflection next week, so I'll get to see the new sans-quasar design.

 

Hi....no Quasar on Reflection. There are conference rooms in that

area now.

[someguyfl]

Hi....no Quasar on Reflection. There are conference rooms in that

area now.

 

Yeah, "Sans-Quasar" as in "Without Quasar" :)