Ship tour

[beloum]

I am going on my first Celebrity cruise this fall and was wondering if anyone could tell me if Celebrity offers a behind the scenes ship tour. If so, what is the cost, things included, if is worth it, etc? Thanks.

 

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[jelayne]

There is usually a free galley tour. For the behind the scenes tour I would suggest you check with guest relations. It is offered but not sure of the cost.

[sujac]

This is from the Celebrity website, I have had the opportunity to do each of these separately and I think it was well worth it. The below tour is offered on at sea days and the cost is $99. It takes about 2-2.5 hours. You can book in advance.

An Insider's Look at Your Cruise

 

Enjoy behind-the-scenes access to exclusive areas on board your Celebrity ship, and witness just how we deliver the ultimate cruise vacation. Learn about our massive propellers and intricate machinery in the Engine Control Room, and stroll down the busy "I-95" – the crew's main corridor. Tour our impressive laundry facilities, provisions area, and Main Galley, where our chefs prepare all your onboard meals. Finally, gaze out at the open ocean from the Bridge – the very place your Captain charts the way to your destination.

 

Join us for the Inside Access tour, as we pull back the curtain and reveal every detail that goes into bringing your award-winning Celebrity experience to life.

 

 

[Maligator]

The galley tour is usually one of the first sea days. Since 2010, we've noted they've been getting shorter and shorter. You'll walk through a small area and end with the hard sell in a specialty restaurant. The guides are typically senior chefs.

 

The engineering tour takes you to the control room and that's about it. Most of the below-decks areas are off-limits due to security restrictions. We've never been on this one, since it's so limited.

 

The theater tour takes you on-stage and into the dressing room. I think ours was for Elites.

 

The bridge tours are for a fee, which was $150 the last I looked. It might have been paired with the engineering tour, but I don't remember for sure. I thought the bridge was really a great experience, though I'm not sure I'd ever plunk down $150 for it. We got in with a tour for AAA agents, arranged by our TA.

 

Finally, there can sometimes be a helipad sail-away event for certain groups. On Eclipse in 2016, it was in St Maarten for Suites and Zeniths. We were added after I asked the CD if there would be an event. On Connie in 2015, we had one out of Venice (score!) for Concierge Class and up, and one in Valletta for Elites and the Cruise Critic Connections group. Technically, it's not a "tour" but you get access to an area most don't and it lasts longer than some actual tours.

 

In short, they're pay-to-play, one way or another. Either pay a fee or get them as perks for Suites or Captain's Club status. If you find yourself with extra cabin credit or feel like dropping some cash, you'll enjoy it.

[beloum]

Thanks for the info,!

 

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[Rob the Cruiser]

We did the "Inside Access - See How It's Done Tour" during our Caribbean cruise on Eclipse in December 2016.

 

Tour included:

 

Bridge tour with Captain Leo

 

Anchor Room

 

Theater

 

Crew areas, including 2 dining halls, bar and a store.

 

I-95

 

Control Room

 

Deck and Engine Office

 

Storage/provisions rooms

 

Food prep - it's different area from galleys

 

Galley - MUCH more detailed than the regular Galley Tour

 

Lunch in Tuscan

 

$199 per person, limit 12

 

2 security checks, including metal detectors and pat-down

 

Was it worth it? Absolutely!

[leehal]

On our last cruise there were so many people on the free tour that we didn't bother.

[hcat]

What were the free tours and stops?

 

We have been invited to the bridge on M and S Class, very interesting. The photog charged for pics with the Capt last time.,.

 

DH has done a free galley tour.,enjoyed it as well...

 

Would love a tour on Edge ..but hope they offer parts for free to E and above.

[cruzzzinma]

The inside access tour is listed on cruise planner as a shore excursion for two of our upcoming cruises on Eclipse.

[Banjo]

On my last cruise I had them do a print-out of excursions for an upcoming cruise with descriptions. On the print-out the included the "In-side Access Behind the Scenes Ship Tour" The price of the tour is $99 for 2 hours. Here is what they list for highlights:

-Join a crew member for a rare inside-access look at the inner workings of your Celebrity Cruise ship.

-Visit the Bridge, Engine Control Room, and Laundry for a 1st hand look at how the ship's critical areas operate.

-Stroll down the I-95 corridor in the crew's quarters, named after the longest hwy on the US East Coast.

 

I never did the Celebrity one but I did similar tours on Carnival and Princess. Both of those you had time with the captain and complimentary picture with him on the Bridge. One the things I remember from the Carnival tour is we all sat in a training class room and one the HR officers' went over personnel policies with a Q&A. I enjoyed hearing this but thought it was unusual. On Princess I did get nice bath robe that I still have and use. That tour was more expensive, ran I recall around $150.

 

If you interested in the Celebrity tour recommend doing a reservation right away. I recall the morning of the 2nd day of a Celebrity cruise I tried to book and the tour was already filled.

[hcat]

Info is helpful

 

we already spend a fortune on shore excursions, dining and the spa...but we'll consider it on Edge only because it is supposed to be different

[MixerDave]

Did a tour on Carnival many years ago - NO charge.

[Banjo]

Did a tour on Carnival many years ago - NO charge.

 

Did the Carnival & Princess in 2010. What I recall the Carnival was around $69 and Princess was around $150. Both tours were between 3.5 hours to 4 hours in length. They were very good and they gave a lot freebies out (like a Princess bath robe). Also, as I mentioned, had a Q & A on personnel issues, time to spend with different department heads (like one of the lead engineers in the engine area) and a lot time on the bridge with a picture.

 

 

I remember meeting one of the engineers in the engine area. It was his last cruise before retirement ( I believe he was returning to Italy), he was very happy & very humorously open with his remarks.

[keesar]

On the Reflection, we did the "Behind the Scenes Tour". The cost was $150 and limited to 12.

We visited the theater, bridge, engine control room, anchor area, crew area, food and liquor storage areas, and ended up with a wine pairing lunch at Tuscan Grill with two crew members. We really enjoyed it. There is another tour which does not include the lunch and maybe a stop or two. That one costs $89.

[caribill]

We have done the tour on Princess and Carnival.

 

On Princess it is only offered once per cruise and thus the department heads and Captain see it as a special time to talk about their work.

 

On Carnival it was offered multiple times on every sea day and a shortened version on port days. Being done so often, it is not special to the staff on the ship who seem to view it as a chore to get through with multiple times a day. The Captain on the bridge gave a memorized speech with out any oomph to it and really did not seem happy to be doing it.

[GottaKnowWhen]

I am going on my first Celebrity cruise this fall and was wondering if anyone could tell me if Celebrity offers a behind the scenes ship tour. If so, what is the cost, things included, if is worth it, etc? Thanks.

 

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We have done Galley tours on several ships. Usually too many people, often quite a limited tour. But free and worth spending the time. On the Eclipse recently we did the Behind the Scenes tour booked through the excursions tab on the website. I don't remember the cost. Doesn't matter because "worth it?" is ultimately a personal judgment. We were pleased. Good conversations with many senior staff (e.g., a maitre de talking about dining room operations), good access to places like the freezer room and cold storage and the engineering control room (yes, there are several layers of security checks before you get that far) and ending with about an hour on the bridge with Captain and Staff Captain. Your own experience is going to depend on the ship, the staff who happen to be assigned to the excursion that day, etc. And also it will depend on the others in your group and whether they ask good questions. In our case, we went way beyond the published itinerary and well beyond the published time. On another day it might have been cut short. You pays your money and takes your chances...

 

Stan

[varoo]

Did a tour on Carnival many years ago - NO charge.

In the past Celebrity also regularly provided free bridge tours, galley tours, helipad sailaways, backstage tours, engine control room tours, and Q&A sessions with the senior officers.

 

Then they realized that those activities could be money makers as some passengers were willing to pay extra for them. Some other cruise lines were already selling such tours.

So they combined the individual tours all into one tour, tossed in a few more "behind the scenes" areas, and started selling it as an expensive excursion that costs the cruise line practically nothing.

 

As Maligator noted, they also still continue to offer the individual free tours and events to many passengers, for one reason or another.

 

 

But the free tour that they encourage all passengers to take is the basic galley tour.

 

They want everyone to see how the food for the MDR is prepared and pre-plated banquet style.

I think it is a subtle way of letting us know that we are making extra work for the crew when we request substitutions in the MDR. ;)

Edited April 3, 2017 by varoo