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What Makes Celebrity Special?

MR_T

By MR_T,
in Celebrity Cruises

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MR_T

MR_T

Posted
Posted

Hi All,

 

As we are all different I was just wondering what are the special things that make celebrity stand out from the other cruise lines and what is it that makes you book your first cruise... Your second cruise... Or even your 10+ cruise with celebrity...

 

For us we booked our very first cruise with celebrity purely by luck as we won a couple of tickets to have a tour around the celebrity eclipse in Southampton with a free lunch... We got off well and truly hooked and couldn't wait to get Onboard for a proper cruise experience!

 

Now we have only done 4 cruises so far (3 on celebrity 1 on p&o) and have another 3 booked with celebrity over the next 18 months so I guess we are still considered newbies but for us we really love the chilled out feel of the whole ship experience and the high end design of the ships along with the great food and drink available!

 

It would be interesting to here what are the other reasons people book with celebrity so please jump in and let us know! :)

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C 2 C

C 2 C

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Posted

Celebrity on board staff training that is responsible for (almost) everyone greeting you with a smile no matter where you are on the ship. On Royal it seems almost everyone is trained to give you privacy. Only our own room steward greeted us daily on Oasis and Allure this year. Officer visibility is designed to show that they do care about your enjoyment on board an X ship.

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TLCOhio "Live from...." Rare

TLCOhio

Posted
Posted
It would be interesting to here what are the other reasons people book with celebrity so please jump in and let us know!

 

Appreciate the good question and comments. We have done two Celebrity sailing. Three quick items/thoughts:

 

1. Classy, nice ship

2. Good value for the money

3. Nice itineraries covering places/ports we desired.

 

Below are a few of my items of "evidence" to back up those comments. Seeing is believing!! As noted below, we loved our Australia-New Zealand trip earlier this year.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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 76,063 views for this fun posting.

 

Did a “Solstice: Visuals, Highlights Shared!” summary from two different adventures on this ship with many pictures and other details on its many options. This includes our recent Australia to New Zealand sailing. Check it out, including these recent updates, at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477

Now at 24,354 views for this posting.

 

 

Super loved it when there were times at the pool in the afternoons on the Solstice in June 2011 when the “party band” was going at it with great tunes. This added to the fun and excitement around the pool area of our ship. Just like done by some famous California pop groups, we were hearing “fun, fun, fun” underneath the sun!!:

 

SolsticePartyBandAtPool.jpg

 

 

I liked to ride one of the eight glass elevators in the mid-ship courtyard with nice views out to the different floors, enjoying the ship architecture, people being active, etc. You can see the library area in the background:

 

SolsticeElevatorsGlassHighView.jpg

 

 

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!!:

 

SolsticeGlassGrassBack.jpg

 

 

The Solarium was one of our favorite areas. Food and drinks were nearby and it was very relaxed and sophisticated. Quieter, too, as it is an adults-only area. Two hot tubs here. Not crowded, especially in the evenings. Nice art and design with this facility. Wonderful setting for relaxing and watching the outside water/shore views, enjoying subtle inside action, etc.:

 

SolsticeSolariumPoolWide_zps15de9fe0.jpg

 

 

Here is a photo highlight from our ship's production show called "Ghostlight--The Spirit of Broadway". Lots of great tunes, including many from the Four Seasons as done on Broadway with Jersey Boys. Nice lighting, staging, sets, etc.

 

SolsticeShows17_zps45d5d28d.jpg

 

 

For dining in Tuscan Grille on the Solstice in January while sailing from Australia to New Zealand, we started with a nice glass of sparkling Italian wine (Prosecco Spumanti). The best is always saved for last . . . a nicely designed and super tasting of this Italian favorite, Tiramisu.:

 

TuscanampBridge1_zps179efed3.jpg

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ECCruise

ECCruise

Posted
Posted

We've sailed Celebrity 20 times of our 55 or so cruises.

 

Compared to the other mass market lines, food is generally better on =X=, some entertainment better, service a notch above.

 

Pretty much everything else a toss up with the other mass market (RCCL, Princess, NCL, HAL) lines.

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jkgourmet

jkgourmet

Posted
Posted (edited)

1. Price

2. Itinerary

3. 123GO saving me from buying alcohol and wine (see #1)

 

Food and service were better than many of the other cruise lines we've sailed with as well, especially in the MDR. However, I could easily do without the formal nights.

Edited by jkgourmet
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gcgold

gcgold

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hi All,

 

As we are all different I was just wondering what are the special things that make celebrity stand out from the other cruise lines and what is it that makes you book your first cruise... Your second cruise... Or even your 10+ cruise with celebrity...

 

...

 

It would be interesting to here what are the other reasons people book with celebrity so please jump in and let us know! :)

 

Best Things:

Meeting loads of nice people (even arsenal supporters :cool:)

 

Bars: in particular Molecular (jelena is best bar person ever encountered) & Martini Bar - although service not quite as good last cruise -see below

 

Classy Boat : although the silly grassed area is a bit of a waste of time:eek:

 

Food . MDR always good IMHO. Tuscan Grille is fabulous. QSine bit of fun. Murano excellent but very rich

 

The staff - although I thought most of the bar staff on the last cruise were on a bit of a downer - met the new bar manager and understood why - absolute moron, previously bar managers such as veronica were great and had morale very high. It is amazing how staff from a previous cruise come up to you and say hello even though they must meet thousands of passengers.

 

The gym. not used that much as a bit incompatible with the premium drinks package :( I have ambitions in this area though - who knows one day ....!

 

Solstice deck

 

Not so good things.

Guest Relations if you have an issue. Dont wish to bore anyone with too many examples but how about them refusing to give me the name of the waitress who found my iphone and handed it in to them. what did they think i was going to do to her ?

 

Captains Club. naming of levels.

Some people who have 'elite' status actualy believe that they are 'elite' (just browse through these forums). Someone even described themselves as "(very) elite" :confused:. I look at my 'elite' perks and think :- does the cocktail lounge with free drinks (much use as a chocolate fireguard if you have a package), bit of internet and some socks laundered free make me an elite person ? - nooooooooooooooo. :rolleyes:

Only been on X & RCCI so difficult to comment on whether X is better than , say P&O or Cunard. My golfing pals have been on P&O and it doesnt sound any better than X and whenever we have looked the prices tend to be a lot higher. Plus going from southampton , (long way for us) and spending 2 days on bay of biscay is not my idea of fun.

Edited by gcgold
typo
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cruisecriticmember

cruisecriticmember

Posted
Posted

Best Things:

Meeting loads of nice people (even arsenal supporters :cool:)

 

Bars: in particular Molecular (jelena is best bar person ever encountered) & Martini Bar - although service not quite as good last cruise -see below

 

Classy Boat : although the silly grassed area is a bit of a waste of time:eek:

 

Food . MDR always good IMHO. Tuscan Grille is fabulous. QSine bit of fun. Murano excellent but very rich

 

The staff - although I thought most of the bar staff on the last cruise were on a bit of a downer - met the new bar manager and understood why - absolute moron, previously bar managers such as veronica were great and had morale very high. It is amazing how staff from a previous cruise come up to you and say hello even though they must meet thousands of passengers.

 

The gym. not used that much as a bit incompatible with the premium drinks package :( I have ambitions in this area though - who knows one day ....!

 

Solstice deck

 

Not so good things.

Guest Relations if you have an issue. Dont wish to bore anyone with too many examples but how about them refusing to give me the name of the waitress who found my iphone and handed it in to them. what did they think i was going to do to her ?

 

Captains Club. naming of levels.

Some people who have 'elite' status actualy believe that they are 'elite' (just browse through these forums). Someone even described themselves as "(very) elite" :confused:. I look at my 'elite' perks and think :- does the cocktail lounge with free drinks (much use as a chocolate fireguard if you have a package), bit of internet and some socks laundered free make me an elite person ? - nooooooooooooooo. :rolleyes:

Only been on X & RCCI so difficult to comment on whether X is better than , say P&O or Cunard. My golfing pals have been on P&O and it doesnt sound any better than X and whenever we have looked the prices tend to be a lot higher. Plus going from southampton , (long way for us) and spending 2 days on bay of biscay is not my idea of fun.

 

What is a chocolate fireguard?:confused:

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theborders

theborders

Posted
Posted
What is a chocolate fireguard?:confused:

 

As much use as a chocolate fireguard is a saying (could also be a chocolate tea pot) it is useless would not work as the chocolate would melt, hence getting free drinks as an elite perk is useless if you already have the drinks package.

Google it if I have not explained it well.

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gcgold

gcgold

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Posted
What is a chocolate fireguard?:confused:

 

 

dont suppose u need a fireguard in santa monica!:)

 

its the same as

a concrete parachute or

an ashtray on a motorbike or

a chocolate teapot or

a wetsuit in the sahara

 

get the idea ??

:cool:

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4774Papa

4774Papa

Posted
Posted
We've sailed Celebrity 20 times of our 55 or so cruises.

 

Compared to the other mass market lines, food is generally better on =X=, some entertainment better, service a notch above.

 

Pretty much everything else a toss up with the other mass market (RCCL, Princess, NCL, HAL) lines.

We have cruised NCL and Celebrity and agree generally with this comment. I would add that Celebrity's excursions are generally less expensive than similar ones on NCL.

Also, with Celebrity there is some serenity in terms of the sales push for photos, art, etc. With NCL, sometimes getting off the ship is a problem due to the stupid photographer blocking the line with a person in a costume, wanting to sell photos.

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gcgold

gcgold

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For me it is the crew and the services they perform. I don't think I've ever encountered a grumpy crew member and they just want to make one happy during their cruise.

 

you have been lucky ! on the whole staff are great / fantastic. we once had a maitre d ( or asst) who came very close to be thumped by quite a few passengers. i complained in writing suggesting he needed training in customer service. his response was to make a rude gesture towards me during the brunch on a later sea day. he was seen by a manager and saw him leaving the ship next port with a suitcase - presumably on holiday 😜

 

 

 

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NLH Arizona

NLH Arizona

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Posted
you have been lucky ! on the whole staff are great / fantastic. we once had a maitre d ( or asst) who came very close to be thumped by quite a few passengers. i complained in writing suggesting he needed training in customer service. his response was to make a rude gesture towards me during the brunch on a later sea day. he was seen by a manager and saw him leaving the ship next port with a suitcase - presumably on holiday

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Yes, I must be lucky.

 

Good for you for reporting this person and glad to see that Celebrity sent him packing, either on holiday or on the way home. Hopefully, if he came back, he had an attitude adjustment!

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Scrappytraveller

Scrappytraveller

Posted
Posted
Best Things:

Meeting loads of nice people (even arsenal supporters :cool:)

 

:D:D

 

My favorite thing about Celebrity is daytime on deck. Lots of shade, very few announcements, waiters aren't pushy, music is subdued in the morning, and you can always find quiet in the afternoon if you want it.

 

Unfortunately they've priced themselves out of this solo traveler's budget (other than Caribbean itineraries which don't interest me much). Paying for 2 people but getting only one drink package puts these inflated pick-your-perk prices too high for me. My next 3 cruises after this year's Equinox TA are on other lines. I know I'll miss the quiet sea days on Celebrity, but I expect to find other areas that I prefer over Celebrity. Pros and cons to all lines IMO.
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gcgold

gcgold

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Posted
:D:D

 

 

 

My favorite thing about Celebrity is daytime on deck. Lots of shade, very few announcements, waiters aren't pushy, music is subdued in the morning, and you can always find quiet in the afternoon if you want it.

 

 

 

Unfortunately they've priced themselves out of this solo traveler's budget (other than Caribbean itineraries which don't interest me much). Paying for 2 people but getting only one drink package puts these inflated pick-your-perk prices too high for me. My next 3 cruises after this year's Equinox TA are on other lines. I know I'll miss the quiet sea days on Celebrity, but I expect to find other areas that I prefer over Celebrity. Pros and cons to all lines IMO.

 

sorry to hear that😱

 

i know what. you mean as SWMBO's dad ends up paying almost double . it was nice to have met you 😎

 

 

 

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NLH Arizona

NLH Arizona

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Posted (edited)
:D:D

 

My favorite thing about Celebrity is daytime on deck. Lots of shade, very few announcements, waiters aren't pushy, music is subdued in the morning, and you can always find quiet in the afternoon if you want it.

 

Unfortunately they've priced themselves out of this solo traveler's budget (other than Caribbean itineraries which don't interest me much). Paying for 2 people but getting only one drink package puts these inflated pick-your-perk prices too high for me. My next 3 cruises after this year's Equinox TA are on other lines. I know I'll miss the quiet sea days on Celebrity, but I expect to find other areas that I prefer over Celebrity. Pros and cons to all lines IMO.

I'm always looking at other cruise lines. Which did you choose for your next three cruises and was it that the prices were lower, single supplement lower or better perks? And you are totally correct, all cruise lines have both pros and cons. Edited by NLH Arizona
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