Thinking of trying Celebrity - What do I need to know?

[graceinga]

We are in our mid 50's and have sailed with Carnival, Holland, Princess, Disney, NCL and RC. We haven't sailed with Carnival in years and Disney was only with grandson. Our preferred line is NCL followed by RCL. I'm getting bored with the Caribbean but hubby loves it so I thought it might be fun to try a new cruise line to mix things up a bit. We are very easy-going travelers, love freestyle dining and eating alone, love nightly shows in the theater, a little gambling and reading for hours on deck but in the shade. Gave up sun worshiping long ago. We don't drink much other than diet sodas and water. Not a fan of formal nights.

 

So, having said all that - what do you think? Would we like Celebrity? What should we know?

[cynbar]

Celebrity has a different atmosphere from NCL and RCL. Those lines are livelier, with more entertainment and more activities. Celebrity is more elegant, sedate, dignified I'd have to say. There is entertainment but it is not as much of a focus, the emphasis is on enjoying lovely ships with good food and service. Dress code is followed by most, no more formal nights but cruisers do change and clean up for the evening. There is less emphasis on specialty restaurants than you find on NCL, usually 2 or 3 and the cost is higher (around $50 pp although they sometimes have specials.) Select (or anytime) dining is available and there is a nighty buffet, if you're into that. Smoking is restricted to a few outside spaces, not allowed inside including the casino and staterooms. Anyway, as long as you are OK with a quieter and more structured ambiance, give Celebrity a try and see what you think.

Edited January 15, 2017 by cynbar

[merinski]

I think you will like it. It's a nicer class of cruising, but not stuffy. Food is better, entertainment better... We have done RCL and NCL in the past, we might do them again, but not if we can do Celebrity.:)

[helen haywood]

Celebrity ships have a lovely covered pool in the Solarium that is adult only (except in cases of really inclement weather when children are allowed for a few hours.) Also on Solstice Class ships (Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette and Reflection) there is a beautiful Sky Lounge at the very bow of the ship with beautiful views and a good place to read/gaze. You can certainly request a table for two if you choose Select dining (Celebrity's anytime dining.) Just be aware that the table next to you will be two inches away. You can chat with your neighbors or not as you wish.

 

We are Elite Plus on Celebrity (which just means we've cruised Celebrity a lot) but I felt I wanted a change from the same MDR menus, etc. and we tried NCL Getaway and MSC Divina. I just loved exploring all the new and different things! I'm not saying the food was better...just I was so ready to see a different menu and shows!

 

I think you'd very much enjoy giving Celebrity a try! Just keep in mind that the Solstice Class ships I mentioned are the newer and larger ships. Celebrity also has the Millennium Class; they have a following as well, but the S Class is my favorite.

 

 

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[AnOnymously]

Read up the issues of leaving your cabin at 7am on D-Day on these threads. So you know what to expect.

Edited January 16, 2017 by AnOnymously

[davekathy]

..So, having said all that - what do you think? Would we like Celebrity?...

 

Book a Celebrity Cruise go with an open mind and decide for yourself.

[keesar]

You will find that you may be among the younger on the cruise. You will find few children aboard compared to other cruise lines. If you want a chair in the shade, get there early to beat the chair hogs. :)

 

We enjoy the restrictive smoking policy, great food and service. The Specialty restaurants are a real good place to celebrate a special evening.

[cGypsy]

Of course, when you travel will also make some difference -- during school breaks even Celebrity has a lot more families onboard -- but overall the above comments are right. Celebrity is a bit more refined but still fun & enjoyable. I like the options of enrichment lectures or activities like cooking classes.

 

Bon voyage!

[helen haywood]

There are plenty of chairs in the shade if you aren't looking right by the pool. The OP said they wanted to read in the shade.

 

 

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[pepster1]

You'll find different things on Celebrity than you'll find on Royal, e.g. real linen hand towels in the bathrooms, real China - not plastic dishes in the buffets, a welcome glass of champagne upon boarding, no checking out of pool towels - help yourself to towels draped on the pool chairs, cold towels waiting for you at the dock when boarding from a day at a port, and other details that make Celebrity two notches above Royal. We are Diamond plus on Royal, but now choose Celebrity as our cruise company of choice.

 

 

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[Orlando Vic]

Unlike Princess, Celebrity has no self service laundries. On longer cruises, this is a negative.

 

 

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[NordicPrince]

Read up the issues of leaving your cabin at 7am on D-Day on these threads. So you know what to expect.

 

To me this is a third world issue. You can go to breakfast in the Oceanview Cafe (buffet)(and maybe the MDR, I don;t know for sure) and no body stops you from laying out in a lounge chair until it is nearly your time to disembark.

 

Besides I'm always up and ready to go on the last day because I have an unnatural fear of missing my flight no matter what time it is.

 

As far as reading in the shade outdoors, on the pool deck on the S-class ships the sides of the pool deck have rows of chairs 3 deep on either side under canapies. Plus as was mentioned you can read in the Solarium which has filtered sunlight.

 

Enjoy your cruise. DW likes the S-class ships and I always try to keep her happy.

[boscobeans]

Sounds like Celebrity is a good fit for you. It is not the Celebrity that it was 10 -15 years ago, but might be exactly what you want, eg. no real formal nights, always a place to relax in in the sun or shade and pretty good entertainment and service.

 

7 AM room evacuation may be the odd wrinkle in the experience if it is continued.

[cruisegoal100]

Two other points worth mentioning...you will find the Ocean View Café a major step up from the Windjammer on RCL in terms of both variety and quality of food offered. On the Equinox, Eclipse and Solstice there are also representatives of the Corning Museum of Glass doing glass blowing demonstrations on the outside deck...well worth seeing!

Give Celebrity a try...we're sure you'll like it.

[graceinga]

Thank you everyone so much. We are booked on Reflection leaving 4/15 and cannot wait!!

[DZalumni]

If my time dinning is important to you book Aqua Class or a Suite, otherwise if you are in MDR you'll have two dining choice times. Celebrity has "my time dinning" but it not whenever you want to eat like eating in Blu or Luminaire. Just my $0.02.

[offnoncruiser]

Thank you everyone so much. We are booked on Reflection leaving 4/15 and cannot wait!!

 

We are mid 50's as well, feel we fit right in, and find there is normally a good range of ages on Celebrity. What you won't find is flowriders, ziplines, rock-climbing walls, bumper cars, belly flop contest, etc., etc. Only one announcement a day (hallelujah), and it's from the captain! Shows are subjective, so you can decide, but there's enough live music to please most folks. As pepster1 mentioned, there's just a lot of little things that make a Celebrity cruise more relaxing and enjoyable (yes, even still IMHO).

 

The S class ships (of which Reflection is one) are beautiful and do not feel nearly as crowded as some of the RCI ships (never been on NCL), and has plenty of shaded places to relax. And there shouldn't be too many kids on board, even though I believe you're leaving on Easter weekend.

 

We'll be looking for a post after you get back to let us know what you think.

 

Enjoy!

 

Thx.

[drychi]

Congratulations. My wife and I have been fortunate to sail on Reflection twice. She is a great ship and you will have a wonderful time. If you like spa type experiences be sure and try the Persian Garden on this ship. It is larger than those found on other S-Class ships because it has more heated loungers and it has a "cold room" which is not found on other ships. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

[Clownfish Cruiser]

Thank you! We are in the same age group and had the same questions. Our recent experience has been on Princess, but we are thinking of trying Celebrity.

[AmberCascades]

If my time dinning is important to you book Aqua Class or a Suite, otherwise if you are in MDR you'll have two dining choice times. Celebrity has "my time dinning" but it not whenever you want to eat like eating in Blu or Luminaire. Just my $0.02.

 

 

??? That's not quite correct. If you are in a suite you will eat in Luminae. If you are in Aqua class then you will eat in Blu.

 

Other than that you can get Select (anytime) dining and eat in the MDR whenever you want (during operating hours, of course). You don't need to make reservations. There's not usually a wait. We enjoyed the food so much on our last cruise (well, on all our Celebrity cruises but that last one was just so, so good) that we don't even consider paying extra for specialty restaurants.

[Chewbecca]

Really glad you posted this correction *amber*, we have our 1st celebrity cruise coming up, we're in a FV, therefore MDR on select & I thought that meant we could rock up whenever we are ready which is what we're used to on other lines. We will eat in the specialities too I hope.