Are we a good fit for Celebrity?

[luckychef]

My fiance & I just returned from our first cruise ever aboard the Carnival Victory & absolutely loved cruising! We are ready to book another for next Oct/Nov for our honeymoon! Although we had agreat time, we feel that Carnival may not be the line for us though. We are a young"ish" couple (35/37) and enjoy having fun, but found Carnival to be a bit "much". We aren't into blasting dance music by the pool, belly flop contests or flashing shot glasses. Also, we do not have children and don't find yours' splashing us in the hot tub the least bit relaxing. We aren't stuffy or snobbish in the least, but we do tend to enjoy educational/ cultural enrichment experiences more when we travel than we do bar top dancing & jello shots. I work as an executive chef & my fiance is a professional engineer in the music industry & blues musician. We know how to have fun, but perhaps are a bit more subtle about it than some of our fellow pax on Carnival. I have received several recommendations on this board & from friends to try Celebrity. We were looking specifically at the Silhouette & Reflection. One small concern I have is that we are night owls and hope there will be some things for us to enjoy late night. Another is that I am a very heavily tattooed female & am wondering if I will be accepted by my fellow pax on Celebrity or will I spend me week hearing rude comments about my artwork & dodging disapproving glances? Everything I have heard & read about Celebrity make it sound like the PERFECT line for us, with the exception of the opinion that the fellow pax can sometimes be unfriendly & snobbish. Please fellow CC folks, clear up this misconception for me!

[tserface]

You may want to give Royal Caribbean a look. It's a bit more upbeat, but otherwise very similar. We tend to switch between RCI and Celebrity. We're a bit older than you, but still like the "fun" of RCI and the elegance of Celebrity. We were not Carnival fans. It wasn't a bad cruise, but a little too over the top cheesy for us. RCI has very fun, but respectful ships. Celebrity is great for when you just want a more upscale a quieter cruise. Both are wonderful choices.

[ghstudio]

Sounds like you will really enjoy a Celebrity cruise. The snobishness/etc that you see here really doesn't exist on the ships. As far as late night activities, they are certainly less than Carnival or RCL, but there is almost some place to go to enjoy music and have a quiet drink. You will not find any hairy chest contests or the like...you also won't hear announcements all day on the PA system..once per day. Good food with excellent specialty restaurants.

 

I suspect that the individual in the music business will not find outstanding musicians on the ship...but they are good. The entertainment is entertaining, but clearly not broadway (or off broadway) quality.

 

As far as tattoos....I'm sure you are already well used to people's reactions and you won't find them any different on a celebrity ship. Small tattoos seem to be the norm on younger folks...full body tattoos generally lead folks to gawk, comment/etc....but you know that already.

 

I think you should try Celebrity...and I think you'll like the cruise more than you enjoyed the one on Carnival.

[tserface]

BTW, I don't think anyone will care one way or the other about tattoos. I've seen all kinds on cruises... and overweight people in speedos and bikinis and.. Well all sorts of people. Diversity is a good thing and beauty comes in many forms.

[tserface]

I fully agree. Cruise Critic is way more populated with opinionated people than the ships. We've met very few people on ships that were anything less than a joy to know.

 

Tom

 

Sounds like you will really enjoy a Celebrity cruise. The snobishness/etc that you see here really doesn't exist on the ships. As far as late night activities, they are certainly less than Carnival or RCL, but there is almost some place to go to enjoy music and have a quiet drink. You will not find any hairy chest contests or the like...you also won't hear announcements all day on the PA system..once per day. Good food with excellent specialty restaurants.

 

[rjrpar]

You will like Celebrity. After cruising on several different lines, it is my opinion that the differences between the mass-market lines are greatly exaggerated on these chat boards.

[20pluscruises]

My fiance & I just returned from our first cruise ever aboard the Carnival Victory & absolutely loved cruising! We are ready to book another for next Oct/Nov for our honeymoon! Although we had agreat time, we feel that Carnival may not be the line for us though. We are a young"ish" couple (35/37) and enjoy having fun, but found Carnival to be a bit "much". We aren't into blasting dance music by the pool, belly flop contests or flashing shot glasses. Also, we do not have children and don't find yours' splashing us in the hot tub the least bit relaxing. We aren't stuffy or snobbish in the least, but we do tend to enjoy educational/ cultural enrichment experiences more when we travel than we do bar top dancing & jello shots. I work as an executive chef & my fiance is a professional engineer in the music industry & blues musician. We know how to have fun, but perhaps are a bit more subtle about it than some of our fellow pax on Carnival. I have received several recommendations on this board & from friends to try Celebrity. We were looking specifically at the Silhouette & Reflection. One small concern I have is that we are night owls and hope there will be some things for us to enjoy late night. Another is that I am a very heavily tattooed female & am wondering if I will be accepted by my fellow pax on Celebrity or will I spend me week hearing rude comments about my artwork & dodging disapproving glances? Everything I have heard & read about Celebrity make it sound like the PERFECT line for us, with the exception of the opinion that the fellow pax can sometimes be unfriendly & snobbish. Please fellow CC folks, clear up this misconception for me!

 

if late night is a biggie...I would do RC. Come 1:00 am it's pretty dead on the ship. As far as tatoos...lots of baby boomers on Celebrity with the attitude...been there, done that. Our last cruise on Celebrity there was a very large group of motorcycle bikers with tats and all. Nobody looked down on them and they were great fun! Actually, really neat to see all the bikes lined up outside the ship when we docked each morning.

[Gianni15]

I agree, I think Celebrity will be a good fit. You will also notice that the atomosphere on the ship is friendly. We have met great people young/old with diverse backgrounds. Take the plunge :)

[6502programmer]

I would echo what's been said by others.. If you're worried about people, don't. If you're heavily inked, it's pretty clear you have a self-determined sense of appropriateness, and have no problem with dismissing and discounting anyone who looks down on it. Most people will not care, a few may say something about the cool ink, fewer still will cast a disapproving glance your way. IOW, just like pretty much anywhere else.

 

The nightlife thing is a sticker situation. By 12:30, most places are closing down for the night. If hours of bustling nightlife are your thing, consider RC. We always do early dining, so by the time midnight rolls around, I'm ready for bed. I suppose if we did late dining, I too would find myself wanting for more. The service really is so much better on Celebrity ships that I would urge you to consider what's important to you and your vacation. As an executive chef, you'll appreciate the food difference between the two lines.

[Cruising89143]

I think that Celebrity will be a good fit. I do not think that RCI would be a good fit. Their ships are designed for families and they also have the belly flop type contests. Celebrity sounds more in tune with what you're looking for.

[OCruisers]

Celebrity would be a perfect fit for you EXCEPT for the "Night Owl" part. :o

 

LuLu

~~~~

[micmacmissy]

Celebrity would be a perfect fit for you EXCEPT for the "Night Owl" part. :o

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

Agree. Other than that, Celebrity would be a great fit for you. However, don't discount Royal Caribbean...it is NOT a totally family/kid line. If you're looking at cruising during spring break or summer, that's a different story. But Oct/Nov most kids are in school. Look specifically at Allure and Oasis...tons of bars, nightlife, specialty restaurants, etc.

 

Yes, Royal is a little more casual than Celebrity (Royal does have belly flop contests) but I didn't find it to be a horrible drunken party crowd...the two lines are more similar than different!

[Cruise a holic]

My fiance & I just returned from our first cruise ever aboard the Carnival Victory & absolutely loved cruising! We are ready to book another for next Oct/Nov for our honeymoon! Although we had agreat time, we feel that Carnival may not be the line for us though. We are a young"ish" couple (35/37) and enjoy having fun, but found Carnival to be a bit "much". We aren't into blasting dance music by the pool, belly flop contests or flashing shot glasses. Also, we do not have children and don't find yours' splashing us in the hot tub the least bit relaxing. We aren't stuffy or snobbish in the least, but we do tend to enjoy educational/ cultural enrichment experiences more when we travel than we do bar top dancing & jello shots. I work as an executive chef & my fiance is a professional engineer in the music industry & blues musician. We know how to have fun, but perhaps are a bit more subtle about it than some of our fellow pax on Carnival. I have received several recommendations on this board & from friends to try Celebrity. We were looking specifically at the Silhouette & Reflection. One small concern I have is that we are night owls and hope there will be some things for us to enjoy late night. Another is that I am a very heavily tattooed female & am wondering if I will be accepted by my fellow pax on Celebrity or will I spend me week hearing rude comments about my artwork & dodging disapproving glances? Everything I have heard & read about Celebrity make it sound like the PERFECT line for us, with the exception of the opinion that the fellow pax can sometimes be unfriendly & snobbish. Please fellow CC folks, clear up this misconception for me!

 

I think you will truly enjoy the Reflection and Sihouette. The crowd is mixed, so you will see Senior Citizens, younger couples and some kids. I do not think (hope so) that in 2013-2014 people who cruise would look down upon somebody with tats- I am sure that most people have close friends and relatives who have them. They might stare- but just to see the Tat. I am sure if you have it, you are used to people glancing- but not as a result of trying to judge you.

 

Regarding the night life, if you two like to sleep late , and go to bed late in the evening- with the exception of some nice bars and lounges (that will not be heavily populated in the late evening)- If night life is one of the top three reasons you want to cruise- I would recommend the Allure of the Seas- or the Oasis of the Seas- I am a celebrity fan- royal my #2 cruise line favorite- but truth be told IMO the shows aren't Celebrities strenght. I have also sailed on Carnival and they are truly the party ships. We had fun on those ships also. The only cruise line based on our experience I wouldn't recommend is Princess- and perhaps for the two of you- Disney.

 

Enjoy your cruise- I am sure you will have a ball no matter which cruise line or ship you decide upon.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Cruise a holic

[islandchick]

I think Celebrity would be a better Honeymoon choice. However, I am not sure about the night owl thing as I am not one. I believe they have dancing until late at night, but I have never seen it :D. If you go on Celebrity you should consider getting the beverage package and specialty dining package as it will make your trip so much more enjoyable and all inclusive. (The beverage package will most likely be included in the price starting on Friday- not sure for how long you will be able to book that deal). As far as the tats, I don't think it will be any different then what you normally deal with. Have a great time!

[Tiggertastic]

I would suggest that you fall between celebrity and royal caribbean

 

Royal do the flashy glasses but have a good nightclub usually for anyone over 18 where as celebrity don't do the flashing glasses and their nightclub is often quite empty

 

NCL have a good nightlife but dependent on the cruse director can be sophisticated or belly flop competition time and it's hit and miss

 

We got married on NCL and honeymooned on celebrity and it was a good choice

 

We were hesitant as we did a 4 night first on celebrity to test it out and struggled to find our inner teenagers but when we discovered the martini bar would keep going as long as we were buying drinks and that the people are fabulous, we were sold

[cibumcupio]

Here, this thread with the daily schedule on the Reflection might be helpful in determining if the night life is what you want:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1754908&highlight=celebrity+today+reflection

 

There's quite a bit of music at night.

[wpgcycler]

Regarding nightlife, I am encouraged by this excerpt from a recent review of Reflection by SuperTrooper00 which seems to slightly contradict some of the sentiment expressed here about the early shutdown:

 

"I will say this: the music/dancing on board was much better than we had read. There was a live band in Ensemble every night. Usually one in the Grand Foyer. And the DJ played every single night in Sky, usually late into the night. Anyone who thinks they "keep it quiet" for the Suite guests are crazy. The Sky lounge was thumping until 3-4 am most nights. There was also live music and dancing out on the pool deck stage area (which is terrific) several nights. The music/dancing was an unexpected bonus for us since we expected little, and thought they did a good job."

 

Of course, now my concern is all the food fights, cussing, bar-stool hogging (by teetotalers no less!) and poo slinging as discussed in this family values and morality thread.

 

Looks like we got trouble - right here in river city.

[fredflint]

one thing to remember is that all cruise lines pretty much will be packed with kids during the school breaks so choose your time and cruise carefully. Cruises with more expensive airfare like a cruise not going out of any US port would tend to have less kids. For me Southern Caribbean ports are better than the East-West group.

 

Found this Oct 27th 14 nights you will have plenty of time to relax and hang out virtually no kids for sure. The cruise I was on had less than a dozen kids on it.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/searchResultsVacationItinerary.do?packageid=EQ14T103&dest=T.ATL&shipCode=EQ

[bighairtexan]

I love Celeb. And i've been known to have a tat (or two or three….) but the night life on Celebrity is USUALLY pretty tame and sometimes by midnight there is nothing to do but the casino. (which is where I am anyway so no biggie for me) MAYBE the martini bar will be hopping. Not saying all of my Celebrity cruises are like that but several have been.

 

I agree that a happy medium between Celebrity and a shorter Carnival cruise would be Royal Caribbean.

 

But the tats…not to worry. A bunch of unruly kids pushing all the elevator buttons… not to worry. Disco into the wee hours…ya might have to worry.

[newyorkray]

I am a night owl too and I found Celebrity doesn't have much of a night crowd. We find ourselves walking the ship at night. The disco was crowded on the Summit cruise a year ago March but on the Reflection last January there was 10 people in at at midnight. It may just be the time of year.

[wallie5446]

Everything I have heard & read about Celebrity make it sound like the PERFECT line for us, with the exception of the opinion that the fellow pax can sometimes be unfriendly & snobbish. Please fellow CC folks, clear up this misconception for me!

We have cruised Celebrity since 1993, just off the Reflection, the main place you will find unfriendly and snobbish comments are here on CC, certainly not on a Celebrity ship from fellow pax. Book it!

 

ps: the casino bar stayed very 'active' late into the wee hours.

Edited November 27, 2013 by wallie5446

[neverbeenhere]

You may like Celebrity, but as said, if you want late night(after 12:30) action, you would be better served on Royal. Unless, you have the personality to bring your own crowd to the venues on Celebrity, then you can party(dance, listen, drink) until morning. You might hit a Celebrity cruise here and there with a good late scene, but they are few and far between.

 

As for your paint, you will get plenty of comments on Celebrity, (we have a another condition that leads to comments.) But, no one is going to make you walk the plank, so if you try Celebrity, sit back and enjoy the ride. Cruise on.

[ariawoman]

My fiance & I just returned from our first cruise ever aboard the Carnival Victory & absolutely loved cruising! We are ready to book another for next Oct/Nov for our honeymoon! Although we had agreat time, we feel that Carnival may not be the line for us though. We are a young"ish" couple (35/37) and enjoy having fun, but found Carnival to be a bit "much". We aren't into blasting dance music by the pool, belly flop contests or flashing shot glasses. Also, we do not have children and don't find yours' splashing us in the hot tub the least bit relaxing. We aren't stuffy or snobbish in the least, but we do tend to enjoy educational/ cultural enrichment experiences more when we travel than we do bar top dancing & jello shots. I work as an executive chef & my fiance is a professional engineer in the music industry & blues musician. We know how to have fun, but perhaps are a bit more subtle about it than some of our fellow pax on Carnival. I have received several recommendations on this board & from friends to try Celebrity. We were looking specifically at the Silhouette & Reflection. One small concern I have is that we are night owls and hope there will be some things for us to enjoy late night. Another is that I am a very heavily tattooed female & am wondering if I will be accepted by my fellow pax on Celebrity or will I spend me week hearing rude comments about my artwork & dodging disapproving glances? Everything I have heard & read about Celebrity make it sound like the PERFECT line for us, with the exception of the opinion that the fellow pax can sometimes be unfriendly & snobbish. Please fellow CC folks, clear up this misconception for me!

 

OK you didn't mention where this cruise is, but i'm going to guess it's Mediterranean?

 

I'm a night owl as well - however - on a med cruise, you are up early, walking all day, coming back, having dinner, seeing a show....by the time i'm done all that, I actually want to go to bed LOL. This coming from someone that is up until 1-2am on weeknights despite having to work in the morning.

 

I think Celebrity would be a good fit based on everything else you said. I started on them when I was 37 (39 now). I've tended to be on the younger side of the crowd, however that's never bothered me in the least. Less the case in the med than it was here going to Canada.

 

I'm doing my honeymoon on X in May, Italy/Croatia on the Silhouette!

[Br00klyn102]

I have only been on one Carnival and knew that it wasn't for me, I've also been on one Celebrity and LOVED it, my husband and I are going on another for our honeymoon in May. We're 28 & 29 and while we can be late owls - both cruises have been so port heavy that come midnight or 1 o'clock we were ready for bed and to gear up for the next days adventures. I too, an heavily tattooed and have never had an comments, stares or the like so I think you will be just fine.

[luckychef]

Thanks for all the input & great responses all! Celebrity really does seem perfect for us in almost all aspects. If only they would adopt their sister line's policy on the 24hr pool/hot tub, we would be set! We are currently going back & forth between Celebrity Silhouette & Allure of the Seas. They both have a Caribbean itinerary in November we like. Oh...decisions, decisions :p