Celebrity WOW Factors

[EvelynAlexa]

What are the WOW Factors on a Celebrity cruise?

 

We cruise on Princess and large RCL ships. Now ready we're want to try another line.

 

Initially, the Celebrity Suite benefits looked good but the cost/benefit analysis has us contemplating a Veranda with pay as we go visits for specialty dining.

 

Ports are not the draw, we prefer mass-market ships for friendly passengers, dining options, entertainment and places to lounge.

 

Why book Celebrity? Does the cruise run smoothly for dining, activities, getting on/off ship. Do some ships have better WOW Factors?

 

Thanks,

Eve

[WEGL81]

What are the WOW Factors on a Celebrity cruise?

 

We cruise on Princess and large RCL ships. Now ready we're want to try another line.

 

Initially, the Celebrity Suite benefits looked good but the cost/benefit analysis has us contemplating a Veranda with pay as we go visits for specialty dining.

 

Ports are not the draw, we prefer mass-market ships for friendly passengers, dining options, entertainment and places to lounge.

 

Why book Celebrity? Does the cruise run smoothly for dining, activities, getting on/off ship. Do some ships have better WOW Factors?

 

Thanks,

Eve

 

For us, because we always book Aqua, it's being able to dine in Blu for breakfast and dinner. Additionally, being able to go into the Persian Gardens anytime has been nice. We also found the food to be better quality on X than RCCL. It's not a line for people who like Flowriders, Rock Climbing, or waterslides. But being in our mid-50s, we don't care for that stuff anyway. I will say the entertainment is a notch below RCCL.

[az_tchr]

The larger ships have more WOW that you seem to be looking for. Remember RCCL and Celebrity are the same company. Larger ships have more nooks and crannys, more restaurants and generally neat stuff. Celebrity passengers are generally a bit older than RCCL and especially so on non-caribbean cruises and longer cruises. Food is the buffett is great on Celebrity and only so so to not so good on RCCL and Princess.

[lovemylab]

We have never cruised with Princess, but have done several with RCL.

 

We feel the food is better on Celebrity, the ships are more elegant and it's a more refined atmosphere. You won't find sexy leg contests, cartoon characters, large TVs by the pool or loud announcements throughout the day on Celebrity.

Edited April 3, 2015 by lovemylab

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

I too am trying Celebrity for the first time in 2016. Having sailed on 25 Princess cruises, I am interested in the differences.

[Martinjjd]

We did our 2nd cruise on Celebrity Solstice in March & we thought that several of the shows were outstanding & in fact we enjoyed them all.The three specialty restaurants were well worth the extra cost with excellent quality food & service where nothing was too much trouble.The Buffet food was good with so many choices.There are areas where you can find more peace & quiet when you need it despite the number of people on board as it is a very large ship.Cafe Al Bacio is a great place for coffees & pastries at least a couple of times every day !!We were lucky enough to tour the engine room & the Bridge which was a real eye-opener as to how advanced this ship is.

[Karynanne]

It may not be a big Wow, but Celebrity doesn't have incessant hourly announcements. Just once daily from the Captain and Cruise Director.

[keesar]

Food is much better on Celebrity ships.

You will probably be disappointed with the lack of activities on board, even more so with the cutbacks. Celebrity has a much older group of cruisers most of the time and they go to bed early.:) Royal Caribbean has a higher energy level.

[jelayne]

Refined adult versus family activities. Have sailed both RCCL & Celebrity ( not Princess) if taking kids would do RCCL; adult cruise Celebrity.

[Skigal]

We have sailed RCCL once, Celebrity four times, with a fifth booked for 2/13/16. The first three cruises were B.K. ... before kids. We have found the food and service on Celebrity to be excellent (superior to RCCL). Everything we've read (and experienced) is that Celebrity is the best/highest-end of the mass market lines that are a good fit for families with young children (ours are 11 & 7). The fantastic specialty restaurants are a draw for us. Truthfully, We've become find of the suite life--our kids have a little privacy and so do we. And while we don't have any recollection of waiting in lines before we started booking suites, the added perks with the suite really make a difference to us. Other pluses: Our kids love the Fun Factory; we like the conviviality of the dining and cocktail venues. Lots of people on the boards seem to be unhappy with the fact that Reflection's main dance venue is in the atrium, but it creates a festive atmosphere (and, admittedly, awesome people watching). Also, there are nightclub "pop-ups" each night, karaoke in one of the lounges, wine and martini tastings each afternoon, and more. We take a lot of trips throughout the year (camping, family visits, business travel) but only one resort-style vacation, and the "modern luxury" vibe suits us for that particular trip. Hope this helps!!!

[keesar]

The best comparison between RCL and Celebrity is that the dance floor in the Atrium on Celebrity can hold about 12 couples. When we were on RCL, there were hundreds of people doing line dances, etc.

 

As for number of children, on our recent Celebrity cruise during a vacation week, there were 25 children on board. I was really surprised. That is telling. Not much for them to do especially when there were only 2 port stops in 7 days. We took ours on RCL and everyone loved it. Alot of activities for all.

 

Celebrity has excellent specialty restaurants and the food is a notch above.

[EvelynAlexa]

The comments are helpful in comparing Celebrity with other lines.

We agree the buffets on Princess and Royal Caribbean have deteriorated in quality over the years.

 

Emerald Princess has the most WOW factors for us: Int'l Café, MUTES, 2 deck Solarium, long promenade just off the main corridor and lounge areas.

 

Freedom Class RCL ships have indoor and outdoor promenades that are hard to beat for ocean views and/or people watching. Vision Class is now a small ship cruise for us. We like the big ships.

 

We must try the Oasis class for the ultimate in entertainment but we want to try Celebrity for variety. Is it food, service, cabins, amenities, décor, lack of announcements and maturity of passengers that makes Celebrity a line of choice for this forum?

 

We thank you for your comments and wish you smooth seas.

Eve & Alex

[Oxo]

The comments are helpful in comparing Celebrity with other lines.

We agree the buffets on Princess and Royal Caribbean have deteriorated in quality over the years.

 

Emerald Princess has the most WOW factors for us: Int'l Café, MUTES, 2 deck Solarium, long promenade just off the main corridor and lounge areas.

Eve & Alex

 

Have you tried the Royal or Regal Princess? Those two are outstanding. The only thing that Celebrity S Class is better in is the cabins and verandas which are bigger. But, other than that Princess is better in entertainment and food. Even in the new Buffets. JMHO!

[grandgeezer]

We find the buffet on Celebrity is excellent for breakfast. For lunch, we have found the food to be hit and miss. We quit trying so we restrict our lunch meals to the hamburgers, deli sandwiches, and pizza. Most of the time the desserts are pretty good, especially the cookies. We eat all our dinners in the main dining room. We find RCL quite similar.