Searching for quiet and privacy on Celebrity--help

[ddcruiser]

Hello,

 

We are used to cruising on Oceania (small ships), Azamara, and Regent. We would like to try Celebrity, but don't know whether Aqua or another type of room/suite would offer the quiet and relaxation we are looking for. Would like your thoughts. Thanks, ddcruiser

[WonderMan3]

Celebrity's ships are much larger than those others you listed so you are going to encounter more people throughout the ship. For a "quieter" cabin I would recommend an aft corner Sky Suite on any deck except 12 (you'd be right below the buffet outdoor seating there). These cabins are at the very back corners of the ship so you don't get a lot of foot traffic going by your cabin and they are removed from the pool deck where noise can emanate. The balconies are a bit larger and wrap around to the side a bit giving you a wider view. You will hear the constant noise of the ship's wake when out on the balcony many (including me) find that relaxing.

 

There are also a number of quiet areas throughout the ship to retreat to during the day. The Sky Observation Lounge at the front of the ship is dead quiet during the day when there is no event going on. There is also the library. I actually have been surprised at how quiet the ship is on sea days. Of course we cruise in January when there are next to no kids on board so that probably helps.

[geduffer]

I've been on Celebrity several times. I've never had a problem finding quiet and privacy if I need it.

 

 

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[Fish Lover]

I would recommend sailing on the Summit. It's a much smaller ship. The Aqua class cabins on Deck 9 are very quiet. They have an overhang on the balcony that shelters you from the glaring sun and rain. Very peaceful. Also Blu would be your restaurant and it is a much smaller venue. Meals are cooked to order and nearly all the tables are just for two. There are also rarely any children in Blu. (In fact, unless school is on vacation there are very few children on board. Those that are always seem well behaved.) There are numerous quiet spots. Persian gardens (which is a perk in Aqua class) and the solarium are particularly peaceful. The rendezvous lounge is also usually quiet unless there is a event scheduled on a sea day. There are other outdoor quiet areas with lunges as well.

[ghstudio]

While there have been scattered reports of loud music everywhere on some Celebrity cruises, I think that's a thing of the past...although on holiday cruises or "spring break" cruises, the volumes may be louder.

 

However, there are many public places for quiet...and unless you have noisy passengers above or to either side of your cabin, the cabins are very quiet and private.

 

Based on your cruising experience, you probably would be happier in Aqua Class and the Blu restaurant, or in a suite, dining in Luminae. The MDR can be a bit overpowering with tables close together and more "noise".

[Knolmom]

If you sail on the "S" Class ships in Aqua, you will recieve a complementary pass ( key card) to the Relaxation Room. This is a wonderful space above the spa/ gym ( on deck 11 believe) in the far front of the ship that offers chairs, loungers, infused tea and a quiet haven where you can read, relax or even nap. On occasion, it is used as a waiting room for people waiting for spa treatments but I have never seen more than 2 or 3 people in there at any time. It is located on a deck with Aqua Cabins in the 1500 numbers. I love to do the sail away from that area rather than standing on a windy or chilly balcony when we sail in Europe.

[Hlitner]

Unfortunately, even though we are long time Celebrity fans, the concern of the OP is well founded. DW and I are outdoors folks and love to relax in a lounger on deck during many afternoons. But there are many times when we are driven out of our chairs by constant noise (loud music from a DJ or bank, cruise director staff blasting out commentary over the PA system for silly pool games, etc). When we get our fill of all that trash noise we sometimes retreat to our own cabin and balcony where i can actually hear my music (through ear buds) and the sound of the sea.

 

As a long time (over forty years) cruiser who has been on many many lines and ships we have learned the basic rule of cruising. The more expensive and exclusive the line, the quieter it shall be! Cruise on Seabourn, Silverseas, Crystal, Regent, and you will actually be able to carry on a quiet conversation while on deck or in many places inside the ship. On some of the mass market lines you actually can pay more money to get a quiet spot (such as the Sanctuary on Princess). My dream cruise is one when I never hear the voice of the cruise director or his/her staff, there is no background music blasting all over the ship, etc. We once had a cruise director on HAL who only made a single announcement every day (at noon...along with the Captain's daily update). His philosophy was that the schedule of everything was printed in the daily schedule (delivered to every cabin) and everyone aboard could read. To this day he remains my favorite CD.....although he is no longer a CD but has changed to a future cruise expert.

 

Hank

Edited December 20, 2016 by Hlitner

[Cruise Raider]

I would recommend sailing on the Summit. It's a much smaller ship. The Aqua class cabins on Deck 9 are very quiet. They have an overhang on the balcony that shelters you from the glaring sun and rain. Very peaceful. Also Blu would be your restaurant and it is a much smaller venue. Meals are cooked to order and nearly all the tables are just for two. There are also rarely any children in Blu. (In fact, unless school is on vacation there are very few children on board. Those that are always seem well behaved.) There are numerous quiet spots. Persian gardens (which is a perk in Aqua class) and the solarium are particularly peaceful. The rendezvous lounge is also usually quiet unless there is a event scheduled on a sea day. There are other outdoor quiet areas with lunges as well.

 

I've actually heard complaints that those rooms, either under the pool deck or under the oceanview cafe can be very noisy ... depending on which one you are assigned. Not from personal experience but ate with a couple staying in that area and they had to change rooms as there was no sleep to be had.

[jelayne]

Solarium is a quiet place with loungers. If you are looking for quiet and sun generally it is quiet around the loungers on the Solstice deck. The deck chairs by the Sunset bar are another quiet area to read & relax. The library or Hideaway inside are quiet areas as are the alcoves by the Martini bar before 4

 

As mentioned if you are in Aqua you have access to the Persian Gardens.

[sanger727]

We sailed on the reflection and there were plenty of places for quiet. The lounge chairs away from the pool for outside, the hideaway was a nice inside spot with seating and fresh coffee/tea. Also the solarium was nice, just hard to find seats. Personally as far as a quiet room, usually book between two decks of cabins and never encountered noise issues.

 

 

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[Hlitner]

We sailed on the reflection and there were plenty of places for quiet. The lounge chairs away from the pool for outside, the hideaway was a nice inside spot with seating and fresh coffee/tea. Also the solarium was nice, just hard to find seats. Personally as far as a quiet room, usually book between two decks of cabins and never encountered noise issues.

 

 

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As I recall, the hideaway is located on an upper deck opened to the atrium. And Celebrity has a habit of doing things in this Atrium (depending on the cruise and the weather) which can involve blasting dance music throughout the entire Atrium...where it can be heard in nice quiet places like the hidaway (deck 8) and the "quiet" library above.

 

Agree that the Sunset bar is an option although one does run the risk of cigarette smoke in that area.

 

Hank

[jelayne]

As I recall, the hideaway is located on an upper deck opened to the atrium. And Celebrity has a habit of doing things in this Atrium (depending on the cruise and the weather) which can involve blasting dance music throughout the entire Atrium...where it can be heard in nice quiet places like the hidaway (deck 8) and the "quiet" library above.

 

Agree that the Sunset bar is an option although one does run the risk of cigarette smoke in that area.

 

Hank

 

Normally music in the Atrium is in the evening not daytime.

The deck chairs on the Port side by the Sunset bar may get some smoke, the Starboard side is non-smoking.

[chemmo]

Hello,

 

We are used to cruising on Oceania (small ships), Azamara, and Regent. We would like to try Celebrity, but don't know whether Aqua or another type of room/suite would offer the quiet and relaxation we are looking for. Would like your thoughts. Thanks, ddcruiser

 

Book a suite and you can get the best of both worlds...a big ship with all its entertainment and facilities but with small ship ambiance.

 

There are a range of suite rooms...the larger ones really are almost a destination in their own right with separate sleeping and living areas, butler service in suite dining, well furnished balconies with jacuzzi...We also love the fact that you can have an in suite bar set up (check each suite category carefully for what is included). It is so nice to enjoy a ship with lots of experiences and venues but then be able to retreat to your own space...

 

There is a suite restaurant and a suite lounge, Michael's Club, which we really enjoy for pre and post dinner drinks....The concierge will sort out lots of little treats like helipad sail aways and bridge tours...

 

There are quite a lot of you tube ship tours and suite tours so do some browsing and see what you think!

[Hlitner]

Normally music in the Atrium is in the evening not daytime.

The deck chairs on the Port side by the Sunset bar may get some smoke, the Starboard side is non-smoking.

 

Not always the case. We have seen dance classes in the Atrium during daytime with canned music blasting. But what do we know, only Elite Plus :). We actually wrote this up on a cruise evaluation a few years ago. This is a design fault of the Solstice Class (which we really love) and the mis use of the Atrium. On our recent cruise (2 weeks ago) on the Eclipse we noticed a lot less loud activity in the Atrium. But if the design puts what is supposed to be quite places (i.e. the Hideaway, Library, etc) on the Atrium...then the Atrium should be kept relatively quiet. Otherwise these other rooms need to be appropriately soundproofed.

 

Hank

Edited December 20, 2016 by Hlitner

[Host Jazzbeau]

I agree with chemmo that a suite on Celebrity is what you want to recreate the small-ship experience of quiet and privacy -- and add that coming from Oceania, Azamara and Regent you will find Celebrity's suite prices right in line with what you have been paying. A Sky Suite gets you all the major suite benefits, a Celebrity Suite adds a nice amount of room (making the balcony quite usable), and the suites above that get even more room and some more perks. I personally think the CS is the sweet spot, but they're all good.

[varoo]

I agree that a suite with a nice large balcony can be great for quiet and privacy. We like to retreat to our balcony and spend a lot of relaxing time there, out in the fresh air away from the crowds.

But it doesn't even need to be a suite. If you can get a regular balcony in a quiet area of the ship, that works nicely too.

 

 

Also, we find that the cruise director can make a difference in the types of activities that are scheduled.

 

A recently introduced activity on some Celebrity cruises that we really dislike are the childish, rowdy Port vs. Starboard competitions, where passengers are encouraged to make a lot of noise. They remind us of the color war competitions at children's summer camps.

We try to stay far away from them.

 

 

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We usually stay in concierge class cabins which are not suites. For quiet we like to book very far forward. There is far less foot traffic up there, as few passengers want to walk that far. Another advantage is you seldom get smoke from the stack. Depending on wind direction, that strong smelling smoke can even dip down on mid ship balconies, but most especially those further back.

 

One disadvantage is that the far forward balconies are smaller that some of the other concierge class locations. That really isn't an issue for me, but others above have expressed a preference for large balconies.

 

A discussion above of daytime atrium noise reminds me of the time we were eating lunch in Bistro on Five (now a sushi restaurant) and we couldn't even converse because music from a dance class on deck three was so loud. Last week, same ship, we watched a hip hop dance class being held in the same location.

 

A quiet place we have found is the buffet at night. I know this idea would be unthinkable to most passengers, but Hubby and I gave up on the MDR several years ago. We much prefer the quieter, peaceful buffet at night. There is a much larger selection of food. We go when we want, eat at the speed we want, and often finish off our meal with a drink on the balcony outside the buffet where we enjoy the stars and the ship's beautiful wake. Most of the time, it is very quiet there unless some folks are having noisy conversation out there too.

[Hlitner]

Gonna take issue with a couple of posts. Yes, it is true that booking a suite (on almost any cruise ship/line) can get you a personal quiet space. But this goes to my complaint in that why do we have to pay more money (a lot more money in the case of large suites) just to obtain a quiet place! Princess Lines has carried this to an extreme where they blast Movies Under the Stars (often under the Sun) sound throughout the pool deck....day and night. If you want to truly escape they will happily sell you (for $40 per person/day) a lounger in their quiet "Sanctuary." The fact they even the cruise line chose to call it the "Sanctuary" proves the point.....that they understand folks want a quiet place. But something is horribly wrong when awful noise pollution is the norm...and we must pay extra for some peace and quiet.

 

We are currently looking at our travel options for the next couple of years. Given that we like to cruise around 100 days a year, cruises will continue to be a major part of our plans. In the past 5 years we have spent a lot of time on Celebrity, HAL, and Princess. But now, we are thinking we need to go back to more pricey lines like Crystal, Azamara, and Regent....not because we think they are a good value....but because one is now forced to high price options just to get some peace and quiet!

 

Hank

Edited December 21, 2016 by Hlitner

[conquesodor]

I've never had a problem finding a quiet or peaceful place on M class to relax. Yes, the areas around the pool can get noisy, particularly when some sort of cruise director led activity is taking place, but there is plenty of other deck space forward and aft that usually isn't crowded and is much quieter. I've also enjoyed time outside on deck 5, either by the railing or sitting on a chair. There are plenty of lounges and public spaces that are very mellow during the daytime too. Cellar Masters or Revelations Lounge come to mind.

 

If you can afford a suite, great, but otherwise I find that my balcony that comes with my standard class cabin is one of my favorite places to enjoy my cruise. :)

 

I've enjoyed the martini bar before dinner, but avoid it at night when it gets very loud.

 

The area around cafe bacio is also very relaxing during the day, especially if you are enjoying a treat from the cafe. :D

 

The aft "oceanview bar" is also a great place to enjoy a drink or take food from the buffet, and usually is pretty mellow.

 

My biggest gripe is the DJ who plays loud music in the atrium area at night, which spoils the ambiance of the entire atrium space. :mad: