Thinking of trying Celebrity

[msppilot]

We are thinking of trying Celebrity for our next cruise and we are wondering what the differences are between Celebrity and other cruise lines. We have previously sailed on NCL, Princess, and Carnival. Out of the three lines we have been on Princess was our favorite with NCL coming in second. What can we expect on Celebrity? Is there a difference in entertainment, activities, ships....ect? Thanks for any advice.

[maxsales]

We are thinking of trying Celebrity for our next cruise and we are wondering what the differences are between Celebrity and other cruise lines. We have previously sailed on NCL, Princess, and Carnival. Out of the three lines we have been on Princess was our favorite with NCL coming in second. What can we expect on Celebrity? Is there a difference in entertainment, activities, ships....ect? Thanks for any advice.

 

You are probably going to get hundreds of opinions here. My advice would be to try Celebrity. Many aspects of cruising are very subjective so you really won't know till you try something yourself. Food is the perfect example. If you search cruise critic you will fin many that love a particular lines food and probably an equal number who don't.

 

We have sailed on all the lines you mentioned with the exception of Carnival. Each cruise was a great experience. Celebrity will be most similar to Princess and you can find many posts debating the merits of each.

 

Celebrity won't disappoint you can expect to have a fun cruise!

Edited March 20, 2014 by maxsales

[Elsie Eisle]

You will love Celebrity. Step above those listed...3 above Carnival.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Forums mobile app

[Bruin Steve]

We are thinking of trying Celebrity for our next cruise and we are wondering what the differences are between Celebrity and other cruise lines. We have previously sailed on NCL, Princess, and Carnival. Out of the three lines we have been on Princess was our favorite with NCL coming in second. What can we expect on Celebrity? Is there a difference in entertainment, activities, ships....ect? Thanks for any advice.

 

I have cruised with seven different cruiselines, most multiple times...

IMHO, of the "mass market, big ship" lines, Celebrity stands out as head and shoulders above the rest...

 

First, I think Carnival is clearly the bottom of the barrel--cut too many corners, jam too many passengers on each ship. I don't rank NCL much above them, but, of course, my experience uwith NCL is not on par with my experience with the others. I have cruised with both Carnival and Princess multiple times (and a very many times on Celebrity). Of course, ANY cruise is better than staying at home and going to work.

 

We were on Celebrity in July and Princess in November and could really compare the two from recent experience.

 

Every cruise line does a lot of the same things--feed you, entertain you, take you to various ports...they each provide pools, spas, casinos, bars, buffets, etc. The differences can be fairly subtle...and unnoticeable to many. But, when you experience them in close time frames and when you analyze them in depth, you can see those differences.

 

The most important factor I look for is the space per passenger ratios. Inn this category, Celebrity simply plows away the others--fewer passengers in more space. Where this manifests itself is in the areas of comfort and service. Celebrity ships feel a lot roomier--because...they ARE a lot roomier. It means fewer lines, fewer waits. We've notced that on Princess, for example (and especially on Carnival), in order to get a decent seat for the nightly "show", one needs to get to the showroom early. Typical Princess ship has a 900 seat main showroom--but the ship carries over 3,000 passengers...two shows, sometimes one--not enough space to accommodate everyone. Celebrity showrooms are larger and have to accommodate fewer passengers. Similar issues elsewhere around the ship--such as availability of deck chairs near the pools...

 

It also manifests itself in the area of service. We have become accustomed to choosing the "anytime" type of dining...On Princess, we have even been given buzzers and have had to wait for tables...This has NEVER happened to us on Celebrity. And once seated, the service is better--Celebrity waiters serve fewer total passengers per dinner seating...

 

Another interesting note is that we've found our Celebrity cabins to have a roomier feel...Our Caribe deck balcony on Golden Princess and our Concierge class cabin on Celebrity Silhouette were supposed to be approximately the same square footage...HOWEVER, the Celebrity cabin is arranged better. The Princess cabin had no real "sitting area", just a chair...The Celebrity cabin had a sitting area with a sofa and coffee table. If the Princess cabin had any advantage, it was a bit more storage room (drawers/shelves) in a more accessable location--but I find that minor compared to the feeling of roominess.

 

I could probably go on for pages as to the differences, but Ithink I have given you enough. Go ahead and give Celebrity a try. My guess is that you will love it.

[msppilot]

Thanks everybody for the information. We just got back from a Carnival Victory and eventhough the ship was crowed, we did still have a great time. There was a Celebrity ship in port and my wife said we should try Celebrity on our next cruise. She doesn't have to ask me twice. I am ready to go. I think we will give Celebrity a try next time.

[Shake]

For the first time with Celebrity and if you can find an itinerary that suits you, choose one of the 5 "S Class" Celebrity ships over the older "M Class" ships.

[Elsie Eisle]

For the first time with Celebrity and if you can find an itinerary that suits you, choose one of the 5 "S Class" Celebrity ships over the older "M Class" ships.

 

i totally agree. DO NOT go on Century...they are getting ready to sell her off to their sister line in Germany and even though she just went through refeb. all they did was mechanical. It is sad when they let a ship go like that.

[Little Nell]

i totally agree. DO NOT go on Century...they are getting ready to sell her off to their sister line in Germany and even though she just went through refeb. all they did was mechanical. It is sad when they let a ship go like that.

 

What is the name of her sister line in Germany? Pullmantur?

[Purplsmurf]

We tried Celebrity for the first time last year after sailing on Princess, RCCL, NCL and Carnival. We will NEVER sail NCL or Carnival again....especially Carnival. I would definitely compare Celebrity the closest to Princess. We really like Princess a lot as well. Our first experience with Celebrity was on the Summit, An M class ship. We loved it and believe it or not our teenage children said it was their favorite so far! We are going on the Silhouette next month. I'm sure we will love the S class ship as well. Give it a try, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[cynbar]

Just be aware that Celebrity has a very different feel from NCL, which is casual all the time. On Celebrity, there is a dress code and really most everyone observes it. Also, the atmosphere is quieter, more dignified and elegant, with fewer entertainment options. I agree that Celebrity is closest to Princess, but although I love Celebrity, I don't really agree that Celebrity is head and shoulders above Princess. All the lines have their devoted fans, and of course not everyone agrees! You have to decide what works best for you, so if you liked Princess, give Celebrity a shot and see what you think.

[Happy2cruise]

My feeling is if I could take all the things I like about Princess and their ships and the things I like from Celebrity and their ships, put them together....it would be the perfect cruise experience......IMO:D

[OCruisers]

My feeling is if I could take all the things I like about Princess and their ships and the things I like from Celebrity and their ships, put them together....it would be the perfect cruise experience......IMO:D

 

You said this perfectly and I totally agree! :)

LuLu

~~~

[cruisehome]

good comparisons I am interested

[debshomespun]

We love Celebrity. We have been on 6 different mass market lines too, and feel Celebrity is a step above the rest. They are a bit more "refined". We didn't care for Princess, although I know alot of people do. Not sure what it was with them. NCL is very informal, whereas Celebrity is much more Formal. On Formal night, they "may not" let you into the dining room if not dressed appropriately. Depends on the ship and host. The food is very good on Celebrity. Some of these are all personal preference. Definitely try Celebrity and see for yourself if it would be a good fit for you.

[TeaBag]

Celebrity has a great "No smoking" policy, although I hear other cruise lines are following this example. The food is great and the service wonderful. I'm sure you will enjoy whatever cruise you choose. I would try the S class also because they are newer.

[Rala]

Hi...new Celebrity cruiser here. We have our first Celebrity cruise booked for next Feb (14 nights on Eclipse). So far on this thread no one has compared Celebrity to Royal Caribbean where we have done 95% of our cruising. We have worked our way up to Diamond Plus in the loyalty program. I know the two lines are owned by the same company, but was just wondering how they compare to each other. TIA for any input. We are very much looking forward to trying Celebrity!!!:)

[Shake]

Hi...new Celebrity cruiser here. We have our first Celebrity cruise booked for next Feb (14 nights on Eclipse). So far on this thread no one has compared Celebrity to Royal Caribbean where we have done 95% of our cruising. We have worked our way up to Diamond Plus in the loyalty program. I know the two lines are owned by the same company, but was just wondering how they compare to each other. TIA for any input. We are very much looking forward to trying Celebrity!!!:)

 

Here's a good read comparing RCCL to Celebrity. I think you'll be quite impressed with you upcoming Eclipse cruise. Have a great time.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1691097&highlight=royal+caribbean+vs+celebrity

[liverpoollad]

I agree that you will get too many different views as maxsales says, so I would definitely try Celebrity.

 

We have sailed, Celebrity, Princess, for us in the UK the great Ocean Village, P & O, Cunard, Azamara Quest, NCL & MSC,

I would put my preference in the order given.

The dearest cruise was the Azamara Quest, but although the ship & food were excellent we found it the most boring of ships & that is why it is near the bottom of our choice, so it is all down to choice,

Give Celebrity a try, you will not be disappointed.

 

Cheers.

 

p.s. After the praise I am returning to Celebrity after a few years having tried other ships, I hope it is as good as last time.

[keithm]

We are thinking of trying Celebrity for our next cruise and we are wondering what the differences are between Celebrity and other cruise lines. We have previously sailed on NCL, Princess, and Carnival. Out of the three lines we have been on Princess was our favorite with NCL coming in second. What can we expect on Celebrity? Is there a difference in entertainment, activities, ships....ect? Thanks for any advice.

Much better food overall. You'll have much less invasive announcements plugging dumd art show or corny pool antics. The Solstice class ships seem to be more serene than the older Millenium class ships, though it varies ship to ship. The Eclipse has a generally older crowd, mostly due to longer trips. We tried this ship in Jan. & plan to keep with it,as we prefer a more mature crowd(even if we're not)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Princess is very close to Celebrity in food and ambiance. Celebrity is better for service IMO. Princess has better pools and I like MUTS on Princess. There is no outdoor movie screen on Celebrity.

[Cruisin' Along]

Here's a good read comparing RCCL to Celebrity. I think you'll be quite impressed with you upcoming Eclipse cruise. Have a great time.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1691097&highlight=royal+caribbean+vs+celebrity

 

Thanks for posting this link! I've been trying to decide between RCI, Celebrity, and Princess for our next cruise and it helps to read others' thoughts and opinions. After reading this thread, I think RCI is the better fit for us.

[baldercash]

Read through the Cruisers Choice awards X and RCI dominate the Large Class ship awards.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiserschoice_index.cfm?category=Overall

 

X consistently scores high on food and service.

[nekzaad]

Just be aware that Celebrity has a very different feel from NCL, which is casual all the time. On Celebrity, there is a dress code and really most everyone observes it. Also, the atmosphere is quieter, more dignified and elegant, with fewer entertainment options. I agree that Celebrity is closest to Princess, but although I love Celebrity, I don't really agree that Celebrity is head and shoulders above Princess. All the lines have their devoted fans, and of course not everyone agrees! You have to decide what works best for you, so if you liked Princess, give Celebrity a shot and see what you think.

 

Hi,

 

We've always preferred Royal Caribbean since it has a laid back atmosphere and we really don't like to dress up in formals on our holidays. Which is why we were in 2 minds when we booked on Celebrity Silhouette last year. (Celebrity's website does portray a more semi-formal attire than casual) However we were so pleasantly surprised to see that it was just as laid back and informal as its sister conern - Royal Caribbean.

 

Apart from the formal nights, people were dressed as informally/casually as one can on a cruise, and we had an awesome time (This was in Europe).

 

I tend to agree that if you're trying Celebrity for the first time, stick to its Solstice class ships, they are larger, modern, classy and fun.

[Rala]

Here's a good read comparing RCCL to Celebrity. I think you'll be quite impressed with you upcoming Eclipse cruise. Have a great time.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1691097&highlight=royal+caribbean+vs+celebrity

 

Thank you, Shake. Lots of info and "stuff" to think about !!:)

[TLCOhio]

We are thinking of trying Celebrity for our next cruise and we are wondering what the differences are between Celebrity and other cruise lines. We have previously sailed on NCL, Princess, and Carnival. Out of the three lines we have been on Princess was our favorite with NCL coming in second. What can we expect on Celebrity? Is there a difference in entertainment, activities, ships....ect? Thanks for any advice.

 

Agree with the posters that you should like Celebrity. Much also depends on where you are seeking to sail, plus your priorities/needs on port versus ship experiences sought. Tell us more!!

 

As noted in the live/blog below, we just got off of the Solstice last month. Check out these postings for more info/background on this nice ship, its entertainment, food options, etc. Plus, what we did in the Med, Italy, etc., on the Solstice in June, 2011.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity 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 nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 165,032 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

 

Just back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 44,732 views for this fun posting.