Returning To Celebrity After A Long Hiatus ... What To Expect

[jewopaho]

We are long-time cruisers, and have sailed primarily with Royal Caribbean over the past several years. Our absence from Celebrity was strictly a matter of logistics, scheduling, itinerary, and (in the case of overseas voyages) price. Living less than an hour from Galveston, TX we do at least four trips a year from that port. To date me more precisely, my last Celebrity cruise was on a ship no longer in the fleet (Galaxy), probably in the early '90s.

 

We were attracted to the 12-night Australia-New Zealand trip out of Sydney aboard Solstice in February of 2016, and will book it on our upcoming cruise aboard Navigator of the Seas in a couple of weeks. Thankfully, we'll be enjoying the benefits of the Captain's Club Elite membership, as we're D+ on Royal.

 

I certainly understand that cutbacks are a part of today's cruise industry ... but I'm just wondering what we may expect. At the time of my last Celebrity sailing, the line was considered an upgrade ... not to the point of Regent or Oceania, but a definite ascension in quality and service. We had it on a par with Princess at that time ... but we've sailed with them on several occasions, and have noticed the effects of its acquisition by Carnival. It took a while, but it finally did happen.

 

So ... where is Celebrity on the scale? What significant changes have occurred over the past decade or so? Does it still have that reputation of a more elegant experience than Royal Caribbean? Any input will be greatly appreciated. Smooth sailing to all.

 

Al

[PORT ROYAL]

We are long-time cruisers, and have sailed primarily with Royal Caribbean over the past several years. Our absence from Celebrity was strictly a matter of logistics, scheduling, itinerary, and (in the case of overseas voyages) price. Living less than an hour from Galveston, TX we do at least four trips a year from that port. To date me more precisely, my last Celebrity cruise was on a ship no longer in the fleet (Galaxy), probably in the early '90s.

 

We were attracted to the 12-night Australia-New Zealand trip out of Sydney aboard Solstice in February of 2016, and will book it on our upcoming cruise aboard Navigator of the Seas in a couple of weeks. Thankfully, we'll be enjoying the benefits of the Captain's Club Elite membership, as we're D+ on Royal.

 

I certainly understand that cutbacks are a part of today's cruise industry ... but I'm just wondering what we may expect. At the time of my last Celebrity sailing, the line was considered an upgrade ... not to the point of Regent or Oceania, but a definite ascension in quality and service. We had it on a par with Princess at that time ... but we've sailed with them on several occasions, and have noticed the effects of its acquisition by Carnival. It took a while, but it finally did happen.

 

So ... where is Celebrity on the scale? What significant changes have occurred over the past decade or so? Does it still have that reputation of a more elegant experience than Royal Caribbean? Any input will be greatly appreciated. Smooth sailing to all.

 

Al

 

Celebrity is heading towards RCL in dumbing down of dress codes. In addition various eateries have suffered reductions in variety and quality of food.

 

Do not set your sights high, as one feels you will be dissapointed

 

If yiur wish is fir old style cruising, then book Cunard

[jewopaho]

Celebrity is heading towards RCL in dumbing down of dress codes. In addition various eateries have suffered reductions in variety and quality of food. Do not set your sights high, as one feels you will be disappointed. If your wish is for old style cruising, then book Cunard

Hardly ... we're far from "old style," and avoid cruise lines such as Holland America for precisely that reason. Nor are we "come as you are" on formal nights (or any time, for that matter) ... we've never dressed for dinner in shorts, flip-flops and baseball caps.

 

We don't have any particular standards or expectations, and have surmised that Celebrity has followed the path of the other cruise lines in offering less ... at today's prices, it's to be expected. We enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean ... just trying to determine what (if any) differences we can anticipate.

 

Al

[phoenix_dream]

I have certainly seen some downgrades on Celebrity in the past ten years, but in my opinion when compared with Royal Caribbean it remains a step up in many regards. Service is usually great (which it can be on RCI also), food, while not what it used to be, is still a step up in my opinion, and the overall ambiance still tends to be more sophisticated and 'classy' without being stuffy. The M class ships compare to ships like Jewel or Radiance, while the S class ships are somewhat like Freedom class without the child-oriented bells and whistles. There is less nightlife on Celebrity than RCI, and these days less live music, although there is still quite a bit.

 

Overall, if you are happy with RCI and don't want care about stuff like rock climbing walls, ice skating, rinks, etc., then I think you will find Celebrity a nice step up, if not quite as high a step as it used to be.

[cynbar]

We also stated sailing with Celebrity back in the Galaxy era, and while we still love their product, overall it's not as elegant as it was back then. Dinner is no longer the event it used to be, food is pretty good but has slipped, staff has been reduced so service is not as stellar. Celebrity now offers a choice of Traditional or Select dining, but even in Traditional the ambiance is more casual and relaxed with some seats and tables empty every night. There is more emphasis on the specialty restaurants, and that's where you go for the truly special meals that you used to get in the MDR. Celebrity does offer Aqua Class where the assigned DR is the smaller Blu, which offers better service but still not like the old days, and we don't enjoy the meals there as much as some cruisers do. Dress code is more relaxed everywhere on the ship. In our experience, this is true for most of the major cruise lines. We usually find the food fine but not extraordinary. Newer cruisers of course have nothing to compare to, but someone who used to cruise when everyone ate at Traditional should expect to see a change.

Edited January 7, 2015 by cynbar

[richsea]

While Celebrity is still, IMO, an excellent line, if you haven't sailed them since the 90s, you will probably notice many changes. Some that I can recall are:

 

No more chocolate on your pillow

The bread selection has diminished; only one flavor of breadstick

No ice bucket in room, but you can ask for it

No midnight buffet (no lunch grand buffet, but you never had that in the 90s)

No escort to your room upon boarding

No flowers on table in MDRS

Fresh cracked pepper by waitstaff is hit or miss

Activities staff is down to 2 or 3

Michelle Rous not longer designs the meals

Service in MDR is more rushed due to cutbacks; attention to detail that that they were noted for, hit or miss.

No display of dessert tray (it's showtime!)

No sorbet served by the pool, although you may not have had it in the mid 90s

 

Added:

Ice cold towels upon return to ship

Specialty restaurants

Choice of select dining in addition to traditional

No more informal nights, only formal & smart casual. Formalware not required in theater

Diamond+ now get Elite perks, which include private continental breakfast & limited menu free cocktails 5-7pm

More choices for dinner in the Oceanview Cafe.

 

I am sure there are other changes, some for the better, & some not, depending on your point of view, but overall Celebrity still provides an enjoyable cruise experience.

[dkjretired]

While Celebrity is still, IMO, an excellent line, if you haven't sailed them since the 90s, you will probably notice many changes. Some that I can recall are:

 

No more chocolate on your pillow

The bread selection has diminished; only one flavor of breadstick

No ice bucket in room, but you can ask for it

No midnight buffet (no lunch grand buffet, but you never had that in the 90s)

No escort to your room upon boarding

No flowers on table in MDRS

Fresh cracked pepper by waitstaff is hit or miss

Activities staff is down to 2 or 3

Michelle Rous not longer designs the meals

Service in MDR is more rushed due to cutbacks; attention to detail that that they were noted for, hit or miss.

No display of dessert tray (it's showtime!)

No sorbet served by the pool, although you may not have had it in the mid 90s

 

Added:

Ice cold towels upon return to ship

Specialty restaurants

Choice of select dining in addition to traditional

No more informal nights, only formal & smart casual. Formalware not required in theater

Diamond+ now get Elite perks, which include private continental breakfast & limited menu free cocktails 5-7pm

More choices for dinner in the Oceanview Cafe.

 

I am sure there are other changes, some for the better, & some not, depending on your point of view, but overall Celebrity still provides an enjoyable cruise experience.

 

Rich as usual gives a very good summary of Celebrity. I would add you will not find rock climbing walls or ice rinks on Celebrity. They still have a very limited number of announcements which is nice although many have complained about the loudness of the music.

 

I will try and add something to the dining situation. There are many more options for dining however most of them are paid. You do not have to dress up on formal nights for any of the specialty restaurants, Formal nights only apply to the MDR and are not observed throughout the rest of the ship. When you last cruised the dress code for formal nights was formal all over the ship after 6:00P.M.

 

I will also make a broad statement on the food. I have sailed on Celebrity since the Meridian and the MDR has deteriorated in terms of both food and service. They have cutback the number of people who serve you in the dining room and the food in the Specialty restaurants is the equivalent of what you got every night in the Main Dining Room. The food in the MDR is still good but definitely not what it was.

Edited January 7, 2015 by dkjretired

[We're The Groupnors]

We have sailed Celebrity for many years (not as many as you), and have also sailed Princess and RCI (RCI only once). We've been in both balcony cabins and suites on Celebrity and Princess, and our experiences in both levels have been a notch up on Celebrity. We really enjoyed our one RCI cruise, but choose not to travel with them if Celebrity is doing a similar itinerary as we found RCI much more child-oriented, and we do not travel with children.

 

My "notch-up" comment for Celebrity over Princess comes down to a few major areas:

Service - Staff seem happier and more willing to go above and beyond on Celebrity. On our last Princess cruise the morale was low in every area, but we've never experienced that on Celebrity.

Food - Even with the cutbacks we still give the nod to Celebrity over Princess in the MDR, and a big nod over Princess in the buffet. Specialties are on par for both lines.

Entertainment - We are not fans of big production shows, and prefer Jazz Quartets or Acoustic Guitarists, or String Trios, whatever, in smaller venues as our evening entertainment. Celebrity still offers better choices in this area.

Solarium Pool - Love having the indoor solarium pool (and adjacent Aqua Spa cafe) for cooler itineraries, or times we just want to be out of the sun in a quiet, child free atmosphere.

Little extras - Celebrity has sommeliers in the dining room to assist with and serve your wine. Neither RCI nor Princess have this, and we find it's great as it not only provides us with assistance for choosing wines, but also frees up the Assistant Waiter to provide better meal service. The other little extra we like is that all suites on Celebrity get butler service. Even in the largest suite on the Emerald Princess we did not have a butler, and our room steward was far too busy to accommodate us for things like in suite dining, etc.

 

Bottom line, if you like an elegant, but laid back atmosphere with good food and service, and won't miss the flow riders and rock climbing walls on RCI I'm sure you'll still enjoy Celebrity.

[AnchorsAweigh2011]

Michael M. Johnston

 

Excellent summary of all the changes and improvements at Celebrity!

[dkjretired]

 

Little extras - Celebrity has sommeliers in the dining room to assist with and serve your wine. Neither RCI nor Princess have this' date=' and we find it's great as it not only provides us with assistance for choosing wines, but also frees up the Assistant Waiter to provide better meal service. The other little extra we like is that all suites on Celebrity get butler service. Even in the largest suite on the Emerald Princess we did not have a butler, and our room steward was far too busy to accommodate us for things like in suite dining, etc.

 

Bottom line, if you like an elegant, but laid back atmosphere with good food and service, and won't miss the flow riders and rock climbing walls on RCI I'm sure you'll still enjoy Celebrity.[/quote']

 

Just as an FYI, Celebrity has always had sommeliers in the dining room and they are great as you said. One of the differences from when they used to sail is Celebrity also had an individual in the dining room who took care of drinks, whether they be alcohol, soda, etc. Basically, you had a waiter, assistant waiter, sommelier and drink person so actually the workload on waiter and assistant has increased because now they get the drinks.

 

Also, to the OP I would suggest perhaps checking out Aqua Class cabins, biggest advantage is their own dining room with a separate menu etc.

[Duanerice1]

Everyone above has said it all.

 

But, why wait to book on board? Right now they have the 123 all in including $25 deposits this week only. There is no advantage to booking on board as this also gives you OBC (assuming your cruise and cabin are covered). I booked on board a few weeks ago and could have just waited and put down $50 versus $300. Not the end of the world but still $250 :)

 

Don't wait, book this week.

enjoy

[dkjretired]

Everyone above has said it all.

 

But, why wait to book on board? Right now they have the 123 all in including $25 deposits this week only. There is no advantage to booking on board as this also gives you OBC (assuming your cruise and cabin are covered). I booked on board a few weeks ago and could have just waited and put down $50 versus $300. Not the end of the world but still $250 :)

 

Don't wait, book this week.

enjoy

 

Yes, the $25 deposits as stated are only this week celebrating Celebrity's 25th anniversary.

[Oville]

Everyone above has said it all.

 

But, why wait to book on board? Right now they have the 123 all in including $25 deposits this week only. There is no advantage to booking on board as this also gives you OBC (assuming your cruise and cabin are covered). I booked on board a few weeks ago and could have just waited and put down $50 versus $300. Not the end of the world but still $250 :)

 

Don't wait, book this week.

enjoy

 

But you got a second OBC for booking onboard.

[Christine Frances]

We also stated sailing with Celebrity back in the Galaxy era, and while we still love their product, overall it's not as elegant as it was back then. Dinner is no longer the event it used to be, food is pretty good but has slipped, staff has been reduced so service is not as stellar. Celebrity now offers a choice of Traditional or Select dining, but even in Traditional the ambiance is more casual and relaxed with some seats and tables empty every night. There is more emphasis on the specialty restaurants, and that's where you go for the truly special meals that you used to get in the MDR. Celebrity does offer Aqua Class where the assigned DR is the smaller Blu, which offers better service but still not like the old days, and we don't enjoy the meals there as much as some cruisers do. Dress code is more relaxed everywhere on the ship. In our experience, this is true for most of the major cruise lines. We usually find the food fine but not extraordinary. Newer cruisers of course have nothing to compare to, but someone who used to cruise when everyone ate at Traditional should expect to see a change.

 

I don't understand this comment. (my bolding) We always book the early seating but does that mean we have to dine there every night:confused: We usually do though, but on our last B2B I think we ate in the buffet 3 times as we were tired/late back from ports. So are people looking over the railing, seeing our empty 4 top and guessing that Trad Dining has lost it's luster or we are not happy with the food? The food and service was excellent for the whole 28 days!

[jewopaho]

Thanks to all for the great information ... pretty much what I figured. At one time, if you were willing to pay an additional few dollars for a more upscale experience, Celebrity was an excellent option. Now, with price being an ever-increasing factor, and families becoming a more significant target market (along with first-time cruisers), things simply can't remain as before ... but it's nice to know that it's still a step up, particularly for adults.

 

We're not concerned about $25 deposits ... gotta pay for the cruise sometime. We're leaving on the 18th, and whatever promotion is in effect now should be there at that time. Our primary concern is accumulating enough miles on our Capital One Venture Cards for free air to Sydney ... we're fairly close right now, and will continue to run everything through the cards to reach the 350,000 mark.

 

Thanks again for your terrific responses.

 

Al

[richsea]

I'm sure you'll have a great time! You've picked an awesome itinerary! Solstice is a beautiful ship!

Any other questions, let us know.

[jewopaho]

I'm sure you'll have a great time! You've picked an awesome itinerary! Solstice is a beautiful ship! Any other questions, let us know.

We've wanted to take a trip down under for quite some time ... but most cruises involve either Australia exclusively or a bunch of sea days to and from New Zealand with only departure and arrival from Sydney. This itinerary includes both countries, within a time frame that's practical for us.

 

We've been reading up on Solstice, and are anxious for the time to fly by, so that we can experience what appears to be a gorgeous ship.

 

I'm certain we'll have questions as the time approaches, and will certainly be back to the Celebrity forum. All of your input is much appreciated.

 

Al

[cynbar]

I don't understand this comment. (my bolding) We always book the early seating but does that mean we have to dine there every night:confused: We usually do though, but on our last B2B I think we ate in the buffet 3 times as we were tired/late back from ports. So are people looking over the railing, seeing our empty 4 top and guessing that Trad Dining has lost it's luster or we are not happy with the food? The food and service was excellent for the whole 28 days!

 

That is exactly the point I was making. In the old days, pretty much everyone ate at their Traditional table every night. Cruisers made friends with table mates they saw every night, and the dining room was bustling. Now, there are a number of other options, so a number of seats are empty on any given night. I haven't done Traditional for awhile (prefer Select at this point), but several cruisers have commented that they feel uncomfortable alone at a table for 6 or 8. Is this the end of the world? Of course not. But it is a different ambiance from the days of all-Traditional dining, which is when the OP last cruised Celebrity.

[Christine Frances]

That is exactly the point I was making. In the old days, pretty much everyone ate at their Traditional table every night. Cruisers made friends with table mates they saw every night, and the dining room was bustling. Now, there are a number of other options, so a number of seats are empty on any given night. I haven't done Traditional for awhile (prefer Select at this point), but several cruisers have commented that they feel uncomfortable alone at a table for 6 or 8. Is this the end of the world? Of course not. But it is a different ambiance from the days of all-Traditional dining, which is when the OP last cruised Celebrity.

 

You are correct. But in the "old days" there was no alternative. If you missed your seating time (no early/late but just one seating) you were out of luck. Thank gosh for progress:)

[hulamoon]

That is exactly the point I was making. In the old days, pretty much everyone ate at their Traditional table every night. Cruisers made friends with table mates they saw every night, and the dining room was bustling. Now, there are a number of other options, so a number of seats are empty on any given night. I haven't done Traditional for awhile (prefer Select at this point), but several cruisers have commented that they feel uncomfortable alone at a table for 6 or 8. Is this the end of the world? Of course not. But it is a different ambiance from the days of all-Traditional dining, which is when the OP last cruised Celebrity.

 

We tried traditional for the first time in ten years last month. We were the only ones at a table for six the first evening. We never went back.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I wondered the same thing as the OP--except our last Celebrity cruise was Jan 2011. I did not see anything on the list of changes that I would not have expected. I think all of the cruise lines are trying to scale back on staff and food to save money.

[The_Big_M]

As you haven't sailed on this ship before, I think you'll be impressed by the difference on it compared to previous, and other ships you have sailed on.

 

However, the Celebrity service aspects have been well covered. While there are other details that have gone missing since you sailed, if you're comparing to that you will likely notice them, but you've probably got enough for a general impression now. :-)

 

Note: not sure if you're planning to book a suite, but they are introducing separate additional benefits to that by the time you sail. If sailing in a suite, there may be more bonuses compared to what you remember as well!

[Duanerice1]

But you got a second OBC for booking onboard.

 

No we didn't with the 123 all in. I asked.

 

And OP, you can't be assured the 123 all in will be available.

 

Duane

[TLCOhio]

We were attracted to the 12-night Australia-New Zealand trip out of Sydney aboard Solstice in February of 2016, and will book it on our upcoming cruise aboard Navigator of the Seas in a couple of weeks. Thankfully, we'll be enjoying the benefits of the Captain's Club Elite membership, as we're D+ on Royal.

I certainly understand that cutbacks are a part of today's cruise industry ... but I'm just wondering what we may expect.

Al

 

As noted in the live/blog below, we got off of the Solstice eleven months ago from doing a Sydney to Auckland sailing. Overall things worked fine for us and the six other couples in our travel group from Central Ohio. Check out the postings below on my live/blog for more info/background on these many different ports, tour options, visuals, etc.! Happy to answer any questions. Just go the live/blog, post there and I will be happy to respond and share more.

 

As you have wisely noted, certain "things" have changed with Celebrity and most other cruise lines. To be blunt and honest, however, much on this "down under" cruise is about the ports, sights, cities, nature, countrysides, etc. The Solstice is a very nicely-designed ship. Classy, fun, roomy for the number of passengers that it carries. Decent values, many food options, etc. See just a few of my visual samples below to get you excited about this upcoming cruise. We had been on the Solstice in the Med from Barcelona in June 2011. We could see a few things that might have slipped and/or could have been improved. BUT, nothing that I would call that major or dire.

 

Consider doing the two-day, Queenstown overnight excursion. Can explain details on the "why" for that option.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, 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 more info and pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 91,457 views for this posting.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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). Fun, especially as the glass kept being re-filled!! One bread stick (got to save room for the later “good stuff). My first choice for “primi piatti”, crab cake with a good sauce. It’s called Polpette do Granchio. Roasted pepper caponata and basil emulsion. Then, a “warm-up dish” of Pomodora Mozzarella di Bufala. The main course was Lobster Papardella Alfredo. But, the best is always saved for last . . . a nicely designed and super tasting of this Italian favorite, Tiramisu. I also had some Limoncello to top off the dining delights. Did we like it all? Absolutely!! Plus, we had lots wave action to see (and survive) from this great viewing position on the back of the ship with its big glass windows on the fifth floor of the Solstice as we sailed across the somewhat rough Tasman Sea. :

 

 

 

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!!:

 

 

 

The Solarium was one of our most 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.:

 

[cle-guy]

No sorbet served by the pool, although you may not have had it in the mid 90s

 

I didn't know this was a thing....

 

On summit this summer, they passed a tray of raspberry sorbets in small paper cups a couple times daily at pool, on sille in November, they had mango sorbet in small paper cups one afternoon (I spend very little time at pool, so can't comment if its a daily or hourly thing, but the times I was there it was passed out gratis.)