Going from Princess To Celebrity need help.

[HEINER]

We are new to Celebrity and I need some help.

We were booked on the Royal Princess next year and they cancelled the cruise we were booked on. So now we are going to cruise with Celebrity.

 

Silhouette is the ship we will book. What deck would be good?

 

So I need help with the cabins. The Sunset deluxe veranda aft deck 8 cabin 8351 or 8355 do they have a cover over them we do use the balcony a lot. Can you look strait down at the sea from those cabins?

From the picture it does not look like you can. And can people from above see you.

 

On the side of the ship in the middle of the ship that bows out cabin 8383 or 8255 A1 cat. would this be a better location?

 

Last question:

 

What is the differents in the Veranda and the Concierge and is it worth the differents in price to upgrade?

 

Also do these rooms have a refrigerator?

 

Thanks so much for any information you can give us!

 

Betty

[julia]

Hey girlfriend! Welcome to the Celebrity board! Let me see if I can help answer a few.... :)

 

There is no difference in the verandah vs concierge cabins in terms of size and layout. The concierge cabins are on a good deck, and have some added amenities (nicer robes, towels, priority embark, etc). All cabins have a fridge.

 

Your "hump" choices look really good... (8255). There is no elevator noise on Celebrity, and Deck 8 is a good choice.

 

Can't help with the aft balcony questions, sorry.

[HEINER]

Hello my friend! I see you have been sailing on Celebrity the last few cruises do you like it better than Princess? What type of cabin is your favorite on Celebrity? We have only booked Mini Suites on Princess so this is all new.

 

We need to cruise again had so much fun with you guys!!

 

Thanks for you help!

 

Betty

[julia]

Betty:

 

Yes, we have sailed Celebrity pretty much the last few years. We feel it is a good fit for us (more so than Princess).

 

We've sailed in AQ and Concierge cabins. Same size, just different decks and amenities. Celebrity cabins are rather small..... but well appointed. I can send you photos. You would need to book a suite in order to have anything comparable to a Princess mini, and that would be $$.

 

Their ships are sleek and pretty, food good, and great entertainment. We like their itineraries better than most others.

[onespots]

Hi Betty

 

You will get lots of answers & opinions to your questions. We have been on the Silhouette several times & it is our favorite ship in its class.

 

Cannot not answer your questions about veranda cabins in the stern. Depending on location, I believe most of the balconies are open with no protection from the weather. I believe the only place where you can look straight down from the stern is on deck 12 where the outside seating area is for buffet dinning. Your picture of these cabins in the stern are correct.

 

The mid-ship cabins on the hump offer larger square footage verandas & are protected. Each stateroom does have a refrigerator in your category. Decks 7-9 are very nice & mid-ship gives the smoothest ride. However this ship rides very well in all sea conditions, so location is not all that important.

 

We have done both veranda & concierge staterooms. For my money there is little to no difference. They are the same stateroom, concierge offers a few (unimportant amenities ) better sheets ? pillows ? some late afternoon appetizers, which we asked them not bring anymore after the second day on a 14 night voyage, maybe the bed is turned down...? We found the service levels to be of the same quality.

 

You will truly enjoy this vessel. It has some very nice features, crew, & interesting passengers to enhance your trip.

 

John

[GUT2407]

Most of my cruises have been Princess with just the one Celebrity.

 

You will find them similar.

 

Concierge s, in reality just another category of Balcony with a few extras thrown in, personally I don't think the extras are worth much if anything, but the better located cabin may be. [As an aside we had a concierge because it was actually less when we booked].

 

In my opinion you will notice as much difference between P and C as youy would between two different class P ships.

[HEINER]

Betty:

 

Yes, we have sailed Celebrity pretty much the last few years. We feel it is a good fit for us (more so than Princess).

 

We've sailed in AQ and Concierge cabins. Same size, just different decks and amenities. Celebrity cabins are rather small..... but well appointed. I can send you photos. You would need to book a suite in order to have anything comparable to a Princess mini, and that would be $$.

 

Their ships are sleek and pretty, food good, and great entertainment. We like their itineraries better than most others.

 

Yes Julia, can you please send us some photos? Not sure if you have my email so here it is bettyhbank @ aol.com

 

Thanks so much for your help!! I need to get this booked tomorrow?

 

Betty

[hillsprint]

The stern balconies are slightly stepped back on each higher floor, so if you are on Deck 8 you will look down and see the last two feet or so of Decks 7 & 6. The ship also then steps out at Deck 5 so those on Deck 6 cannot see straight down. However the majority of the veranda cannot be seen from above.

 

There is one set of stern verandas that are fully covered, Deck 12 but they are under the outside eating area of the buffet and you may get some noise due to that.

 

However the view from the stern verandas is fantastic and in the main you aren't looking straight down.

 

Hope that helps

 

 

Michael

[hillsprint]

Also here is the link to the recent photo session on the Reflection. The staterooms are the same as the Silhouette, apart from the Reflection Suite.

 

http://gallery.cruisecritic.com/ships/celebrity-reflection-621/

[keesar]

Rooms do have a little refrigerator which contains items for sale. There is some room for storage of your items but not a lot.

 

Concierge class does offer a few upgrade amenities but many feel they do not justify the cost. You should compare dollar amounts and see what fits into your budget.

 

The Sunset aft rooms have a nice view. If you do go out towards the end of the veranda, you can be seen from above. Otherwise, there is a roof from the room above which gives you shade and privacy. It is a longer walk to the elevators from these rooms which can be challenging for some.

 

You have chosen one of the better ships in the fleet. Very good food and excellent staff. It has been one of my favorite ships.

[lx200gps]

We're like you, Princess regulars doing our first Celebrity trip, this September around the Med. I found this site hugely useful:

 

http://www.kreuzfahrtinfos.at/forum/index.php/Thread/6339-Celebrity-Silhouette-Ein-Schiffsrundgang-und-Vorgeschmack-auf-unser-Forentreffen/

 

It's a massive photo tour around the Silhouette, with dozens of hi-res shots of all public areas , and should give you an excellent overview of the ship. Text is in German, though.

 

Have a great trip...

[Cruise Raider]

We have traveled extensively on both lines and the S-class on Celebrity is our favorite (Reflection being an S-class ship).

The hump cabins on the S-class ships are fabulous. No worries with connecting rooms or elevator noise. They have designed these ships so the rooms are pretty soundproof once inside.

 

Of note, Celebrity has a more restrictive smoking policy but there are a few designated areas that you may want to steer clear of if you are sensitive to smoke -- being on deck 6 midship on the port side comes to mind.

 

Concierge cabins do offer a few extra luxuries in the room, an expanded room service menu (last time anyways) as well as early boarding and priority tendering privileges. Also, extra points towards your status are given. For me, it really isn't a huge deal -- but if you can get Aqua Class for a decent price...then, a big yes to that. You will still enjoy all the amenities of concierge class, plus access to the Persian gardens and the relaxation lounge....but the biggest benefit for us is dining in Blu -- smart casual is always the dress code if you don't want to lug the formal wear. Others have voiced their dissatisfaction with Blu but we LOVE it there.

 

I think the regular balcony cabins (including the concierge and aqua class cabins) are akin to the mini suites on Princess, as all balcony cabins on the S-class ships have a sofa instead of that one chair as on Princess. Princess's open closet design wins hands down, though. I always bring a small box for the rather poorly designed nightstands on S-class ships. It is more of small shelf than a nightstand. The bathrooms are far superior on these ships, though. They have shower stalls with doors rather than those curtains that stick to you. Balcony furniture is much nice on the S-class and this may not be all that important to you, but the concierge and aqua class cabins have foot stools -- we spent many afternoons napping out on our balcony -- so very useful for us.

 

Drinks are a bit more costly on Celebrity -- if you imbibe, a drink package may be the way to go -- especially if included as a free perk. The drink package includes the good coffee and fresh squeezed OJ....both are such a treat. Celebrity has a strict policy of bring on 2 bottles of wine or champagne when you board -- whereas Princess does allow additional bottles with corkage fees to be paid upon boarding.

 

And as others have mentioned, all staterooms have a mini-fridge. If you choose to use it for your own items, simply ask the room steward to clear out the mini-bar items when you first arrive. The fridges do a better job of keeping things cool rather than cold, similar to those on Princess.

 

I think you will love the experience -- keeping my fingers crossed that you do!

[long time lurker]

We actually sailed in an aft on the silhouette. The view was beautiful but I would not book aft on an S class again. We are currently booked in an aft on a M class. We were on deck 11 and had no protection from the sun from the small overhang. We love to relax on our balcony, but I thought it was unusable on this sailing. It was just too hot. I would go with the hump on this type of ship. As to concierge there is much debate on the boards. It is mainly about location, price and perks (during the previous all in promotions). I agree most of the added amenities are marketing fluff. We booked concierge for location when the price difference was small.

[TeaBag]

The Silhouette is our favorite ship too. We had #7260 on the hump, huge balcony and a great view. This is a 1A cabin. Outside this cabin is an area not well known. It is called the Hideaway and is a quiet area where you can sit and read and get coffee 24/7. We loved it. Not sure if there is one also on deck 8 in the same space.

 

I'm sure you will enjoy your first cruise on Celebrity.

[julia]

We have traveled extensively on both lines and the S-class on Celebrity is our favorite (Reflection being an S-class ship).

The hump cabins on the S-class ships are fabulous. No worries with connecting rooms or elevator noise. They have designed these ships so the rooms are pretty soundproof once inside.

 

Of note, Celebrity has a more restrictive smoking policy but there are a few designated areas that you may want to steer clear of if you are sensitive to smoke -- being on deck 6 midship on the port side comes to mind.

 

Concierge cabins do offer a few extra luxuries in the room, an expanded room service menu (last time anyways) as well as early boarding and priority tendering privileges. Also, extra points towards your status are given. For me, it really isn't a huge deal -- but if you can get Aqua Class for a decent price...then, a big yes to that. You will still enjoy all the amenities of concierge class, plus access to the Persian gardens and the relaxation lounge....but the biggest benefit for us is dining in Blu -- smart casual is always the dress code if you don't want to lug the formal wear. Others have voiced their dissatisfaction with Blu but we LOVE it there.

 

I think the regular balcony cabins (including the concierge and aqua class cabins) are akin to the mini suites on Princess, as all balcony cabins on the S-class ships have a sofa instead of that one chair as on Princess. Princess's open closet design wins hands down, though. I always bring a small box for the rather poorly designed nightstands on S-class ships. It is more of small shelf than a nightstand. The bathrooms are far superior on these ships, though. They have shower stalls with doors rather than those curtains that stick to you. Balcony furniture is much nice on the S-class and this may not be all that important to you, but the concierge and aqua class cabins have foot stools -- we spent many afternoons napping out on our balcony -- so very useful for us.

 

Drinks are a bit more costly on Celebrity -- if you imbibe, a drink package may be the way to go -- especially if included as a free perk. The drink package includes the good coffee and fresh squeezed OJ....both are such a treat. Celebrity has a strict policy of bring on 2 bottles of wine or champagne when you board -- whereas Princess does allow additional bottles with corkage fees to be paid upon boarding.

 

And as others have mentioned, all staterooms have a mini-fridge. If you choose to use it for your own items, simply ask the room steward to clear out the mini-bar items when you first arrive. The fridges do a better job of keeping things cool rather than cold, similar to those on Princess.

 

I think you will love the experience -- keeping my fingers crossed that you do!

 

Nice reply.... but I must disagree with the statement above. Aside from the sofa, there is NO comparison between a Celebrity cabin and a Princess mini. Mini = 323 SF, with huge balcony, and X (including concierge and aqua) = 194 with average balcony.

[julia]

Betty:

 

You have mail.... :p

[HEINER]

Thank you everyone for all the great information!

 

We are not going to book Aft.

 

Looking at the bump area. Has anyone stayed in Cabin 8197 or 8162?

 

I have been all morning looking at information on cabins I'm driving myself crazy!!

 

I have seen pictures of what looks like a long tunnel on the balcony of some of the cabins. Don't want that!

 

Again thanks!!

 

Betty

[CathyCruises]

Thank you everyone for all the great information!

 

We are not going to book Aft.

 

Looking at the bump area. Has anyone stayed in Cabin 8197 or 8162?

 

I have been all morning looking at information on cabins I'm driving myself crazy!!

 

I have seen pictures of what looks like a long tunnel on the balcony of some of the cabins. Don't want that!

 

Again thanks!!

 

Betty

 

That usually comes from taking the picture with a fish eye lens. They're not tunnels, but they are longer than they are wide. Sun usually only very close to the railing except very early or late. My personal preference is the cabins on the flat part of the hump; the balconies are standard size, but you can see both fore and aft easily, and the location at the midship elevators is perfect. Any floor is good, possibly other than Deck 6 portside due to the smoking area below.

 

However, if you plan to spend a lot of time on your balcony, you may want one of the larger ones. We didn't care for them because we thought they made the cabin gloomy, but MANY others will argue that point. I just like bright and sunny. There is a lot of wasted space, just the standard two chairs and table, so we didn't really find the extra room useful. But of course YMMV,

[gimletgal]

This is what your veranda would look like in either 8197 or 8162. I think either one would be a good choice. Enjoy!

 

[HEINER]

This is what your veranda would look like in either 8197 or 8162. I think either one would be a good choice. Enjoy!

 

 

Thank you, so much for this picture..we didn't end up taking this cabin we booked 9298 it's a concierge cabin. Not really sure it's worth it for the price. I thought it would be better to book by the bump.

 

 

Thank again,

Betty

[lkneller]

We have been on the Royal Princess and the Celebrity Silhouette. Would pick the Silhouette over the Royal if everything else was equal. It is a stunning ship.