Remember When Celebrity Was the BEST Cruise Line?

[ThursdaysChild]

Oh! That explains the reviews on Viking Ocean. I sailed Royal Viking in 1986; they went out of business before my next booked cruise with them but they were the tops! I was devastated to see them go and didn't cruise again until the late 90's.Thanks for this info; I need to look at them closely as an alternative.

 

 

After about page 5 I stopped reading each entry in detail, so maybe this has been mentioned.

 

What????- "Do you remember when Celebrity was the best cruise line?" And exactly when was that? I know that Celebrity is a wonderful cruise line and the favorite of many, but if some think that at some time it was the BEST, no wonder folks are disappointed with many of the changes overtime.

Having been cruising and a cruising fan since the mid 1970s I found some comments interesting. For example:

 

1. One related to the newness of Viking Ocean cruises and their high ratings. The comments was something like 'how can such a new line be so good and Celebrity is losing groun? or something to that effect. REMEMBER - ROYAL Viking (same corporate leadership) was a top tier OCEAN cruise line in the 1970s and 1980s. Not as formal as Cunard (QM, QE, QE2) but far above the other cruise lines. Then they closed shop (bankrupt???? do not remember). Then at some point the same Management folks started Viking River Cruises and now have returned to Ocean cruising. We were fortunate enough to cruise with Royal Viking and that set a standard have never been able to duplicate at prices we can pay.

[excitedofharpenden]

 

I did not realize I couldn't delete so much. I apologize for messing things up.

No worries Joe.

 

Phil

[ThursdaysChild]

Excellent point, and completely agree.

 

I'd suggest food stands out as you want to enjoy your cruise.

 

Sadly, there were three nights where I didn't really eat any dinner at all (including the last night) on my last Celebrity cruise, and even the others it was mostly very 'average.' That was probably the most negative lingering memory, but it's very significant, especially at the increased prices Celebrity charge.

 

I may as well pay less for a similar experience with a 3* cruise line.

 

Bingo! Where's the darn LIKE button? That is exactly my view!

[boscobeans]

Bosco, I live 25 mi from NYC, so tried NCL out of NY just once. Never again...horrid food, even at the highest rated specialty restaurants (I literally had to spit out food at 2 of those meals!), inescapable crowds and noise, impossible to get a seat at a bar, and the smell of smoke seemed to waft through the common areas.

 

We can only go by what others say when it comes to our choice to TRY Norwegian.

 

From the posts on the NCL board it is hard to find as many complaints about the quality of service, the ships and the meals served on the many venues they offer, as we have seen over the past few years on the Celebrity board. ??

 

Smoke has been a problem to many, not us and we don't smoke, on Royal Caribbean, where we have noticed the smoke from the casino does infiltrate to other parts of the ship.

 

We have had mostly great meals in the Celebrity specialty restaurants but did have a very poor experience on the old Normandy restaurant. Food was poorly prepared, presented, rushed and not what it was like back in the Olympic. The more recent specialty venues were very good, if not overpriced.

 

Given the proximity to the port, what we have read on the NCL board, the stateroom we managed to get, the date of the sailing, the itinerary along with the Beverage package and Dining package we will give it a try.

 

It is a little like sailing into uncharted waters, but what the heck, we will let others know how we managed once we are back.:)

 

bosco

[NLH Arizona]

I was sorry too. It's such a fall from what they previously offered, and as mentioned, average choices on land.

Hopefully, you will find a cruise line that doesn't leave you hungry. Crystal has outstanding food.

[The_Big_M]

Hopefully, you will find a cruise line that doesn't leave you hungry. Crystal has outstanding food.

 

So I hear. I think the discussion is about Celebrity rather than me looking for a cruise line though.

[4774Papa]

We can only go by what others say when it comes to our choice to TRY Norwegian.

 

From the posts on the NCL board it is hard to find as many complaints about the quality of service, the ships and the meals served on the many venues they offer, as we have seen over the past few years on the Celebrity board. ??

 

Smoke has been a problem to many, not us and we don't smoke, on Royal Caribbean, where we have noticed the smoke from the casino does infiltrate to other parts of the ship.

 

We have had mostly great meals in the Celebrity specialty restaurants but did have a very poor experience on the old Normandy restaurant. Food was poorly prepared, presented, rushed and not what it was like back in the Olympic. The more recent specialty venues were very good, if not overpriced.

 

Given the proximity to the port, what we have read on the NCL board, the stateroom we managed to get, the date of the sailing, the itinerary along with the Beverage package and Dining package we will give it a try.

 

It is a little like sailing into uncharted waters, but what the heck, we will let others know how we managed once we are back.:)

 

bosco

We have cruised both cruise lines, 9 on Celebrity and 6 on NCL. Celebrity clearly has the advantage on dining and service. Celebrity has shown more consistency for food quality and service, particularly in the MDR. We upgraded to a suite once on Celebrity Millennium and dines in Luminae. It was fantastic, loved it.

 

We rarely dine in Celebrity's specialty restaurants, since the prices are high and the MDR is good.

 

NCL has more variety for its specialty restaurants and quality there is better, so we dine more at the specialty restaurants. Prices are al a carte now, but lower than Celebrity's.

 

I will say that on our last cruise in Alaska, on the NCL Sun, we found the dining to be an improvement over earlier NCL cruises. The Sun has an Indian Chief Chef, that really knows now to cook.

[lysolqn]

What is amazing is how a new cruise line...has managed to get just about everything right..... while many of the most experienced cruise lines keep working at degrading their product. Color me "puzzled."

 

Hank

 

Spot on observation! It is amazing, isn't it? Perhaps it has something to do with Viking targeting a niche market while the more experienced cruise lines are just looking for anyone with a heartbeat and a wallet.

[4774Papa]

Spot on observation! It is amazing, isn't it? Perhaps it has something to do with Viking targeting a niche market while the more experienced cruise lines are just looking for anyone with a heartbeat and a wallet.

It is easier to get things right when your cruises cost double a main line cruse line.

 

Have you priced any Viking cruises?

[lysolqn]

VERY interesting. People who sale Celebrity bemoan the "old days" when the experience was so much "classier" and "luxurious" and some mistakenly feel less expensive. Yet these are often the very same people who praise the relaxed dress code, less formal atmosphere, and more kids. You simply can not have both.

 

Fifty-plus cruises under our belt, the majority of which have been on Celebrity. A lot of changes over the years - many good, some not so good - but X still remains our cruise line of choice. A "relaxed dress code, less formal atmosphere and more kids" did not bring about changes to the X product; it was changes to the product that resulted in a more relaxed dress code, less formal atmosphere and more kids. The dress code, atmosphere and kids had nothing to do with X making changes that resulted in the cruise line moving further and further away from being what not too long ago was considered by many to be a premium cruise line and more and more toward being a mainstream cruise line, albeit one of the better ones in the mainstream category. Nothing wrong with mainstream, just not what X used to be. JMHO.

Edited July 29, 2017 by lysolqn

[boscobeans]

Nothing wrong with mainstream, just not what X used to be. JMHO.

 

And the opinion is shared by many. Great post.:)

 

bosco