If you were going to upgrade from Celebrity, where would you go?

[micmacmissy]

We have cruised Celebrity a few times and really enjoyed those cruises- especially the S class.

 

However, we're looking for a 20th anniversary cruise (possibly Alaska, or a different 10-day itinerary in Caribbean) and we're thinking of going a little more deluxe. Important for us: nice ship, great itinerary, good food. We're not big on nightlife or activities.

 

Anyone out there who has enjoyed Celebrity and upgraded to a different line? Which lines are worth looking at? Was it worth the extra cost? Or would you stick with Celebrity and just do a suite instead?

 

Any suggestions or pointers for us? Thanks in advance!

[Bo1953]

We have cruised Celebrity a few times and really enjoyed those cruises- especially the S class.

 

However, we're looking for a 20th anniversary cruise (possibly Alaska, or a different 10-day itinerary in Caribbean) and we're thinking of going a little more deluxe. Important for us: nice ship, great itinerary, good food. We're not big on nightlife or activities.

 

Anyone out there who has enjoyed Celebrity and upgraded to a different line? Which lines are worth looking at? Was it worth the extra cost? Or would you stick with Celebrity and just do a suite instead?

 

Any suggestions or pointers for us? Thanks in advance!

 

MM - congrats on the 20th... What I have done is look at a number of the CC sub-forums of the cruise lines which may be of interest, i.e. Crystal, Seabourn, Azamara, Oceania the like, to monitor posters demeanor and types of questions/"issues" and other such being posted.

 

I think you will find it very interesting, at minimum, and may be able to decide along with some other research you will do of course, which line you really would like to be on for this special occasion.

 

I have found CC to be very helpful in that having the ability to see the other lines posting has allowed me to make future cruise reservations/decisions...

 

Good luck, congratulations and bon voyage... Let us know what you decide.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Bo1953

[rockdoctor]

In Alaska, the itinerary is important, not the ship. I would upgrade to Princess. They have more history and better itineraries, including Glacier Bay.

[Host Jazzbeau]

For the qualities you seek ("nice ship, great itinerary, good food. We're not big on nightlife or activities"), I would recommend you look first at Azamara -- because their loyalty program is part of Celebrity's so points flow back and forth. Beyond that, Oceania has similar small ships plus two newer larger ones. Above that level, Crystal has the best food but cabins are smallish -- this wasn't a problem for us, because once you go outside the cabin you are on a very nice ship.

[hurwitz5]

Princess ships, food, service, etc. are not an upgrade over Celebrity. We think Celebrity is better in those areas. However, Princess does offer some interesting cruise tours versus Celebrity in Alaska, so if Alaska is your destination you may wish to consider them. The cruise lines that have better food, service, etc. are Oceania, Azamara, Crystal, and Seabourne. Those lines cost considerably more than Celebrity and have smaller ships and a more intimate feel. As I haven't sailed on those lines, I don't know if the variety of entertainment compares favorably with Celebrity. You would have to check the boards for those lines to see the pluses and minuses.

[martinchem]

In Alaska, the itinerary is important, not the ship. I would upgrade to Princess. They have more history and better itineraries, including Glacier Bay.

 

I'd go with Rock Doctor on this one. Princess has great Alaskan packages. Don't do just a cruise, do at least an 11 night cruise tour. Holland would also be an excellent choice. If you can only do the cruise maybe a Norwegian haven would work.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I would check out Oceania. They have some very interesting itineraries. That said, most likely for a very special cruise, I would upgrade to a really nice suite on Celebrity rather than just try out a more expensive cruise line.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Gangway Style

[az_tchr]

Princess ships, food, service, etc. are not an upgrade over Celebrity. We think Celebrity is better in those areas. However, Princess does offer some interesting cruise tours versus Celebrity in Alaska, so if Alaska is your destination you may wish to consider them. The cruise lines that have better food, service, etc. are Oceania, Azamara, Crystal, and Seabourne. Those lines cost considerably more than Celebrity and have smaller ships and a more intimate feel. As I haven't sailed on those lines, I don't know if the variety of entertainment compares favorably with Celebrity. You would have to check the boards for those lines to see the pluses and minuses.

Completely agree that Princess is not an upgrade. Having Alaska as a destination is a must - sail one way to or from Seward and then explore Alaska on your own. The circle route is certainly easy to see on an alaska map and if you go in May reservations are easy. The train trip to Fairbanks is run run run with little time to see things at your own pace. If you are comfortable doing Alaska on your own then rent a car in Anchorage and do the circle in about 10 days!

The other cruise lines are an upgrade and simply there you need to choose the itinerary that suits.

[worldspan]

Agree too, Princess is not an upgrade. Next step up is Oceania or Azamara

[dabear]

Agree, Princess is not an upgrade to Celebrity. The next level is Oceania and Azamara, both have better food and service. If you want to go further upscale, try Regent or Crystal.

[maggie.1008]

I am trying Oceania Riviera in March for the first time. I think it will be most like Azamara which we enjoy. Back on Infinity in May and will let you know how they compare. Oceania Regatta sails RT out of Seattle this summer. I think they also have 10nt. Vancouver to San Francisco. Both go to Alaska.

[jules815]

We haven't cruised with X yet, but we will soon! I recently spoke with a travel agent here in our town, just to see what benefits would be available to us if we booked through her agency. (I've always booked our own travel -- I really enjoy it!) Explained we've been mostly with RC, getting ready to try X, and she really thinks we need to give Azamara a try.

 

I've also been really curious about Haven on NCL, but not sure if we'd like other parts of the ship.

Edited December 31, 2015 by jules815

[FloatSomeMore]

Crystal, hands down. We sail different lines to see what each line offers and they each have their own niche but Crystal scores a "10" on all levels. We enjoy the different experiences but for special sailings it is Crystal.

[Hlitner]

We do like Crystal. But you could really go all out and upgrade to Regent or Silverseas. As to Princess, although we do like that line it is not an upgrade from Celebrity but pretty comparable. But some of the Princess ships in Alaska (the Ruby comes quickly to mind) do not have a covered pool (or a retractable room/pool) and this does matter to some folks. So if choosing Princess take a good look at the deck plan prior to booking.

 

Hank

[Host Jazzbeau]

I will add to my earlier posting that while Princess in general is not an upgrade to Celebrity, for Alaska it is the best line of all. Here's why: only Princess and HAL have licenses to get into Glacier Bay, and HAL's liberal smoking policy means that it attracts such a high proportions of smokers that it is a real problem. Second, Princess has one ship (Coral Princess) that is ideal for Alaska because it has so many public outside viewing areas -- in fact, IMHO you don't even need to pay for a balcony because you should be moving around to whichever angle is best. Finally, Cruise Critic has a very active Alaska forum where you can get lots of great information about DIY for a land portion before or after your Princess Voyage of the Glaciers.

[Cruise Junky]

Have a look at a Seabourn too. I read recently that they're heading back to Alaska.

[KW Cruisers]

I find this thread quite interesting...we have only cruised with X, and in the past few years only in high end suites. We enjoy the Royal Suites, and tend to now stick with those. However, we have never tried another cruise line, and a high-end suite on Crystal or Regent is out of the snack bracket.

 

So for those of you who have cruised these other lines, would you suggest sticking with X in an RS, or trying Crystal (for example) in a regular stateroom?

 

We keep wondering if we are missing something with these other lines? However our RS and CS experiences on X have been great, so we figure "why mess with a good thing?"

 

Shawn

[marienbad]

I find this thread quite interesting...we have only cruised with X, and in the past few years only in high end suites. We enjoy the Royal Suites, and tend to now stick with those. However, we have never tried another cruise line, and a high-end suite on Crystal or Regent is out of the snack bracket.

 

So for those of you who have cruised these other lines, would you suggest sticking with X in an RS, or trying Crystal (for example) in a regular stateroom?

 

We keep wondering if we are missing something with these other lines? However our RS and CS experiences on X have been great, so we figure "why mess with a good thing?"

 

Shawn

 

We would recommend Crystal highly. The staff, food, entertainment are the best in our opinion. It is all inclusive, and there is no class system.

[NLH Arizona]

I would also suggest Crystal. Everything is fantastic from service to food and everything in between.

[ChucktownSteve]

While we've enjoyed X more than several cruise lines, we're just now in the process of switching cabin types to expand our X experiences.

 

That being said....we really enjoyed our European Oceania Marina cruise about a year ago. We found the food and service quality a step up. Everyone gets to eat in the four specialty restaurants for free.

 

We're trying Azamara in 2017 for a 14 night and feel that would be a step up from X as well. But so are the prices for Oceania and Azamara.

 

As Host Jazzbeau pointed out in an earlier post, maybe Azamara might be a good option since your Captains club membership is a co-membership with the Le Club. They even use the same club membership number. Earning on one simultaneously earns on the other.

 

AZ ships are much smaller so the feel will be more intimate. Plus they can pull into much smaller ports the larger ships can't.

 

Keep your eye out for periodic special promotions that will bring the cost down. We got a double category Azamara cabin upgrade so booked a veranda for the price of an inside. Our cabin after the promotion ended plus one month was selling for $3K more.

 

Good luck in your cruising selection

Edited January 1, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[eandj]

Since the OP specifically mentioned liking the S class ships, I'd ask ...would they be happier on the much smaller ships offered on the more premium lines? We like Oceania but it doesn't have the space and entertainment options like on X or Princess. And it is much quieter . So I'd just warn the OP that by going upscale, everything changes, not just food. ;)

 

I'd choose Princess for Alaska and add the 3-5 days of land stay. Oceania has a nice Carib cruise itinerary.

Edited January 1, 2016 by eandj

[coldweathergirl]

After recently sailing on Oceania Nautica, I wouldn't recommend them. Service level was far below what we experienced on Celebrity last February. They have good food and itineraries but I much prefer Celebrity.

 

For an all together different experience I'd suggest Paul Gauguin in the South Pacific. We've sailed on them twice and loved it. I think it would be perfect for your anniversary as they will do a complimentary anniversary blessing ceremony

[barcrab]

The Crystal Serenity is an amazing ship. We have been on Seabourne and Oceania. I would always choose Crystal in the opening stateroom. There is no caste system and simply a wonderful experience!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Another option, which I recommend with a little hesitancy, is Viking Oceans. Their ships are beautiful and reviews are quite positive -- except when things went wrong in their maiden year (this year) when they really weren't ready for prime time. But hopefully next year they will have it sorted out. Prices are amazing for the luxury on offer.

[Andy]

We have cruised Celebrity a few times and really enjoyed those cruises- especially the S class.

 

However, we're looking for a 20th anniversary cruise (possibly Alaska, or a different 10-day itinerary in Caribbean) and we're thinking of going a little more deluxe. Important for us: nice ship, great itinerary, good food. We're not big on nightlife or activities.

 

Anyone out there who has enjoyed Celebrity and upgraded to a different line? Which lines are worth looking at? Was it worth the extra cost? Or would you stick with Celebrity and just do a suite instead?

 

Any suggestions or pointers for us? Thanks in advance!

 

Hi Micmacmissy,

 

The items you mentioned on your wish list, makes Azamara a wonderful choice. The ships are much smaller (about 30,000 tons/690 Guests), but their ships, cuisine and service are outstanding. In addition, their 2 ships are being revitalized in late January (Journey) and April 2016 (Quest)... which should make their beautiful ships even better. As far as I can tell, Azamara does not have any Alaska itineraries on their schedule, but there are several Caribbean itineraries to choose from.

 

I'm sailing on Journey's first sailing post Drydock, on January 27th, so I'm sure I will have more to add at that time. I recommend visiting the Azamara forum in late January, as I'm planning a "Live From" thread. Stay Tuned !

 

BTW, there's absolutely nothing wrong with sticking with Celebrity, and going for a Suite. IMO, that's a great plan too ! If you have additional questions, please feel free to email me.

 

Hope this is helpful. Congratulations on your upcoming 20th Anniversary, and Happy New Year.