Why I Sail Celebrity

[Wiseask]

On September 1, 2017 my wife and I took the 10-night Italy & Greek Isle cruise on board the Celebrity Reflection. We had sailed with Celebrity many times before, most recently on the Eclipse to the Caribbean, but this was our first cruise on the Reflection and our first trip to Europe. We traveled with another couple, spent three glorious days in Rome before boarding the ship, and had a totally fabulous time. It was a perfect combination of a great ship, great weather, great food, great service, great company and some great ports.

 

About the Ship. The Reflection is the newest and largest of the five Celebrity Solstice Class ships and is, in a word, magnificent. As we set sail from the port of Civitavecchia we were docked near one of Cunard's Queens, which looked old and tired by comparison. There is no mistaking the majesty of the Solstice Class ships like the Eclipse and the Reflection: when they sail into port, people take notice. In our various ports of call, the locals would ask if we were from the "big" ship, and you could tell by their tone they meant grandeur as well as size.

 

Our cabin was a balcony on Deck 9 in Concierge Class, more than adequate in size and storage space for the limited time we spent there, with very comfortable pillows and bed linens. In past cruises on the Eclipse we had sailed Aqua Class, which gave us access to the exclusive restaurant Blu. But Blu has recently lost its pre-eminence thanks to Luminae, the new exclusive restaurant for Suite guests; we were getting bored with the Blu menu which had remained unchanged for the three years in a row we had booked Aqua Class; and we're not especially fancy eaters anyway. More about the food below.

 

There is an atrium on the Solstice ships that defies description. It towers nine decks and houses the glass-enclosed mid-ship elevators. Most nights Decks 3, 4 and 5 on the Reflection were rocking -- and I mean rocking -- with music and dancers, and you would even see passengers and professionals dancing in the elevators as they soared up and down the atrium. It was quite a sight on a cruise line never really known for launching party boats. But each evening without exception the Reflection came alive, people packed the non-smoking casino and bars, and everyone looked like they were having a blast.

 

About the Service. None better at sea. Period. Our cabin steward was simply superb. Our bar server was also superb. During the entire cruise I didn't encounter any crew member who didn't greet me with a smile. No request was too small, too large or too difficult. In short, if you are looking for exceptional service at every level, Celebrity is your cruise line. By the way, in addition to a comprehensive survey I was e-mailed after the cruise, Celebrity was even soliciting the opinions of passengers during the cruise, wanting to know what the crew could do to improve their performance. And listen to this: we had chosen Select (anytime) Dining, and by happenstance were served one evening in the Main Dining Room by a waiter named David, who had served us two years before on the Eclipse in Blu and he remembered us by name! Think about it: thousands of passengers later and two years later on a different ship in a different dining room in a different part of the world, and David remembered us by name. Amazing.

 

About the Food. I already admitted above that we're not especially fancy eaters, but we know good food when we taste it. We have also eaten in most of Celebrity's pricey Specialty Restaurants where the food is generally most enjoyable when not too rich for our tastes. But Celebrity's best kept secret is dinner in the Oceanview Café, the stylish and splendid buffet restaurant with selections so plentiful they are nearly inexhaustible. Popular for breakfast and lunch, the Oceanview was nearly empty at dinner time, and our one regret is that we ate there only three of our ten nights. To give you an idea how good it was, our cruise companions, who unlike us are foodies, canceled their reservations in the fancy specialty restaurants Murano and Tuscan Grille just to join us in the Oceanview.

 

About the Ports and Shore Excursions. We booked our excursions on Malta, Santorini, Athens, and Capri (from Naples) through Celebrity and they were well worth the expense. The guides were very good and because we were among the first off the boat we got to our destinations early to avoid the long lines -- and in Oia (Santorini), Mdina (Malta), and Anacapri (Capri), to avoid the crowds. The bazaars in the scenic ports of Mykonos and Rhodes were fun and fascinating for shopping. My wife, a former Personal Shopper for Bloomingdale's, is from the Middle East and felt right at home. The only disappointing port was Messina, which was virtually deserted when we docked there on a Saturday.

About Rick Steves. I had taken on my trip a copy of "Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports." The short biography on the book's cover failed to mention that the author is a pompous jerk.

It turns out that the author, Rick Steves himself, was a passenger on our cruise for the full 10 days. So when I called his cabin to ask Mr. Steves if he would spare a minute and do me the favor of autographing my copy of his book, I was astonished to hear him say that he was "very sorry" but "too busy." I don't know how much time Mr. Steves thinks it takes to sign his rather short name. Evidently he forgot that he writes books showing the location of public toilets, et cetera in cruise ports, and for a deluded moment must have thought he was Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald. You know, a real author with a long name he was just too busy to sign.

In Conclusion. Factoring in the flights, the stay and tours in Rome, the cruise fare, the shore excursions, the dining, the shopping, and the cost of Rick Steves' book I could have done without, planning and arranging this trip with so many moving parts was complicated and expensive. But it was an experience we will remember forever and would repeat in a heartbeat.

[oliver1821]

What a wonderful review!!! So glad you had a great cruise. I agree, Celebrity is awesome!!

[easyboy]

Very informational review. Thanks for the feedback.

 

 

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[The Wilkies]

We have recently returned from our first Celebrity cruise. Yes the cabin, especially the bathroom, and most entertainment was better than Princess, but we found the public areas on decks 3, 4 and 5 very dark and claustrophobic, made worse by the glass elevators which seemed to crowd a small area. Natural light from deck 5 was severely hampered by the lifeboats.

 

We are going on the Constellation in December. Hope it's better or it could be our second and last Celebrity.

 

We had heard so many positive reviews about Celebrity, but were very disappointed with many physical aspects of the ship.

[Flamencacha]

We have recently returned from our first Celebrity cruise. Yes the cabin, especially the bathroom, and most entertainment was better than Princess, but we found the public areas on decks 3, 4 and 5 very dark and claustrophobic, made worse by the glass elevators which seemed to crowd a small area. Natural light from deck 5 was severely hampered by the lifeboats.

 

We are going on the Constellation in December. Hope it's better or it could be our second and last Celebrity.

 

We had heard so many positive reviews about Celebrity, but were very disappointed with many physical aspects of the ship.

 

 

 

Which ship were you on?

 

 

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[The Wilkies]

Which ship were you on?

 

Eclipse

[Flamencacha]

Eclipse

 

 

 

I was in the Equinox, same type ship, then went on Millenium , liked the Equinox better. I will be trying Constellation Jan 2019. We will see what my impressions are.

 

 

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[Taylor D]

Nice review, We will be on the Reflection next July 20th for the same cruise and we have a balcony on deck 9. We did a cruise in Europe for the first time two years ago and had the best vacation ever. We were on the Constellation that was older and smaller but still a nice ship. We were just on the Equinox the past July and really like that ship. I read a lot of reviews good and bad but i can say we have never been disappointed with a Celebrity cruise.

[cruiserchuck]

I was in the Equinox, same type ship, then went on Millenium , liked the Equinox better. I will be trying Constellation Jan 2019. We will see what my impressions are.

 

 

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We also prefer the S class ships vs. the M class. However, we have not been on the M class ships since they made them more like the S class ships, so maybe we would like them more now.

[Bobo2009]

Reflection was the first Celebrity Ship that I sailed on four years ago - Eastern Mediterranean - a fabulous experience. I have since sailed in the Equinox twice and had equally good time.

 

Your review brings back some great memories and gets me excited for my next trip on Reflection next week, from Rome around the Western Med.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[villauk]

Reflection was the first Celebrity Ship that I sailed on four years ago - Eastern Mediterranean - a fabulous experience. I have since sailed in the Equinox twice and had equally good time.

 

Your review brings back some great memories and gets me excited for my next trip on Reflection next week, from Rome around the Western Med.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

TBH, it would have to be a stunning itinerary on Reflection for us to sail on her again in the peak summer months in the Med (note: the Med for us is similar to most Americans visiting the Caribbean ;)). We couldn't believe how overcrowded the ship was - give us Connie any day. I'm sure you won't have that problem sailing in a shoulder month though. Funnily enough, Silhouette (sister ship) never felt busy in the slightest. Possibly the extra deck of cabins does make all the difference?

 

Also shocked to hear that X had better entertainment than Princess; X aren't known for having great entertainment and the new in-house shows don't get exceptionally good reviews on CC. Still have no idea what the ones we saw on Reflection this August were about :confused:.

 

Glad OP had an enjoyable cruise.

[lakemurraykid]

Thank you for posting your review. We are doing our Celebrity cruise in April and it is a transatlantic on the Eclipse. We're very excited to try Celebrity and I can't wait.

[Lastdance]

Thank goodness we all don’t like just one company and one ship...opinions are always subjective and based on the many different filters used to form those opinions! S class is my favorite over M class, but the itinerary is very important to me also. In addition, I am looking forward to do all three classes after my Edge cruise...

 

I do not cruise in the summers any more, and that solves many of the crowding issues, as people seem more relaxed. Of course when I was younger, I did not have a choice.

 

I am doing the same cruise as the OP this April/May for the second time, but in suite class and a different S class ship. I can’t wait!!! It is a wonderful port intensive cruise, but this time our own tours will be fewer and two only 5 hours...so nice to be seasoned travelers who enjoy life and able to have great health so far...we feel blessed! Yes, we have cruised other lines and want to do Viking Ocean and Oceania...

 

I am thrilled that the OP had a great time with the itinerary and ship. No one wants to spend all that money and have regrets, although cruises for me are always a learning experience and never perfect...don’t know what is either!

 

 

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Edited October 1, 2017 by Lastdance

[MJSailors]

To the OP-

It was interesting to read the review of your recent Celebrity cruise.

You seemed to be very pleased with the service ,food and entertainment that you experienced on the ship.

I am aware that service can vary from cruise to cruise,ship to ship on the same cruise line. Food and entertainment can be subjective.

However,your positive comments makes me hopeful for our summer 2018 cruise on the Summit to Bermuda. We sailed with Celebrity once before during the summer of 2011. Our experience then was less than stellar. The saving feature of that cruise on the Summit was our time spent in lovely Bermuda.

Over the years,our cruise line of choice has been Princess (Platinum level). So, we are accustomed as to what to expect from a cruise on a Princess ship.

While we have a loyalty to Princess,we are taking this Celebrity cruise with family to create travel memories with our two grandchildren.

We are looking forward to this cruise and time spent with our family.

Apparently, the Summit has had a refurbishment in the past few years and we may be pleasantly surprised with the ship.

I do have to say though, we think the Piazza areas (Mid ship Atriums ) on Princess ships-especially those on the Grand and Royal classes ships are open. light and pretty. I am not certain that other cruise line ships' central areas could really compare to those found on Princess ships. Maybe our opinion is skewed because we have enjoyed the Piazza spaces so much on our Princess cruises !

Something else I feel the need to comment on is your note about Rick Steves. I had to reread the part about you calling his cabin.

I am not certain how you found his cabin number.

I thought that information was not shared by the staff to fellow passengers.

If I were him, I am not sure how much I would appreciate another passenger calling me for an autograph . He,along with other passengers on a cruise, should be able to enjoy a relaxing time on the ship. While he is a well known person in the public eye, he deserves to be treated as any one of us would wish to be treated while not participating in a public forum.

IMHO.

[Texed]

Wiseask,

Thanks for posting. :)

[Lois R]

quote by MJSailors:

" am not certain how you found his cabin number.

"I thought that information was not shared by the staff to fellow passengers. "

 

You are correct. Normally, Guest Relations never gives out cabins numbers......that is quite surprising.

Edited October 1, 2017 by Lois R

[Lastdance]

I was able to contact a brother of a friend of mine, even though I did not have his cabin number. I was very surprised when they gave it to me, as I was sure this would not be the case...

 

 

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[ChucktownSteve]

quote by MJSailors:

" am not certain how you found his cabin number.

"I thought that information was not shared by the staff to fellow passengers. "

 

You are correct. Normally, Guest Relations never gives out cabins numbers......that is quite surprising.

 

You don't have to ask for a cabin number. Just asking for someone by name will have the front desk transfer the call to their cabin.

[Lois R]

You don't have to ask for a cabin number. Just asking for someone by name will have the front desk transfer the call to their cabin.

 

I agree with that but I believe the original poster said "they dialed Mr Steve's cabin".......unless of course they had

Guest Relations do it for them.

[Mr. Click]

We have recently returned from our first Celebrity cruise. Yes the cabin, especially the bathroom, and most entertainment was better than Princess, but we found the public areas on decks 3, 4 and 5 very dark and claustrophobic, made worse by the glass elevators which seemed to crowd a small area. Natural light from deck 5 was severely hampered by the lifeboats.

 

We are going on the Constellation in December. Hope it's better or it could be our second and last Celebrity.

 

We had heard so many positive reviews about Celebrity, but were very disappointed with many physical aspects of the ship.

 

And that is why they have chocolate and vanilla. We have been on both S and M class ships in the Celebrity fleet and have enjoyed them all. Never been on Princess so I cannot compare them but compared to Royal and Carnival, there is no comparison. We enjoy the food on Celebrity, we love the service and the itineraries. Nothing is perfect but I know Celebrity tries hard to make it as close as possible.

[Hlitner]

I am on Rick Steve's side....totally! Why folks think that just because there is some kind of celebrity on a cruise...they have the right to disturb that person...is mystifying. He is entitled to the same privacy as any one else! While the OP thinks it was wrong for Rick Steves not to give him some time...imagine several hundred other folks calling (every day) with the same or similar request!

 

Many years ago we cruised on the NCL Norway for an NBA cruise. There were many NBA players (and their families on the cruise) who tried to be polite....but also wanted their privacy. The biggest celebrity on that cruise was the then famous Jim Valvano. Our young DD was the same age as Jim's DD and the girls became fast friends. This led to us becoming friends of the Valvano's and spending a lot of time with Jim and his wife (why the young girls were off in the kids program). We would watch as many passengers would interrupt Jim...as he was simply socializing, eating, drinking, etc. Jim Valvano was a charming guy with great patience, and he was nice to everyone and never refused to give an autograph. But we saw the toll on him, his wife and his daughter. Strangers seemed to feel that they had some kind of right to bother him....at any time of place (he was even asked for an autograph while at a urinal in a public rest room.

 

So my message to the OP is ''''YOU have a lot of nerve calling a stranger in his cabin....to satisfy your own desire for an autograph." If he made himself available for some public function....then fine. But interrupting him during his own private time is just wrong! Just imagine if a thousand other passengers had one of his books (likely) and decided to do the same thing.

 

Hank

[A Sixth?]

I am on Rick Steve's side....totally! Why folks think that just because there is some kind of celebrity on a cruise...they have the right to disturb that person...is mystifying. He is entitled to the same privacy as any one else! While the OP thinks it was wrong for Rick Steves not to give him some time...imagine several hundred other folks calling (every day) with the same or similar request!

...........

 

So my message to the OP is ''''YOU have a lot of nerve calling a stranger in his cabin....to satisfy your own desire for an autograph." If he made himself available for some public function....then fine. But interrupting him during his own private time is just wrong! Just imagine if a thousand other passengers had one of his books (likely) and decided to do the same thing.

 

Hank

 

 

I had the exact same thought. I like his shows and guides but wouldn't dream of calling him at his cabin....

[Wiseask]

Thank you all for your replies.

ChucktownSteve is correct. I called Guest Relations from my cabin and asked to be connected to Mr. Steves' cabin. Mr. Steves was not "too busy" to answer his phone and in the few seconds it took him to refuse my request he could have signed my book. Let's face it: Rick Steves is not exactly a household name and if he wasn't a pompous jerk you would think he'd be tickled pink that a reader had actually asked him for an autograph.

 

It also wasn't clear whether Mr. Steves was on board for vacation or for work, perhaps to research a new book. A few hours after we had spoken I saw him sitting alone in the Oceanview Cafe. I recognized him from the picture on the back of his book. He did not appear busy in the least (much less "too busy"), but by then Mr. Steves had blown his big chance to be a celebrity, at least in my eyes.

As to Hank's self-righteous sentiments, Mr. Steves should be so lucky if anyone but me had asked him for an autograph, much less the "thousand" he invents. Note that I had no, nor sought any, additional contact with Mr. Steves after he refused my request. He had that right; the same right I have to call him a pompous jerk.

[mom says]

Thank you all for your replies.

ChucktownSteve is correct. I called Guest Relations from my cabin and asked to be connected to Mr. Steves' cabin. Mr. Steves was not "too busy" to answer his phone and in the few seconds it took him to refuse my request he could have signed my book. Let's face it: Rick Steves is not exactly a household name and if he wasn't a pompous jerk you would think he'd be tickled pink that a reader had actually asked him for an autograph.

 

It also wasn't clear whether Mr. Steves was on board for vacation or for work, perhaps to research a new book. A few hours after we had spoken I saw him sitting alone in the Oceanview Cafe. I recognized him from the picture on the back of his book. He did not appear busy in the least (much less "too busy"), but by then Mr. Steves had blown his big chance to be a celebrity, at least in my eyes.

As to Hank's self-righteous sentiments, Mr. Steves should be so lucky if anyone but me had asked him for an autograph, much less the "thousand" he invents. Note that I had no, nor sought any, additional contact with Mr. Steves after he refused my request. He had that right; the same right I have to call him a pompous jerk.

 

Someone is most certainly a pompous jerk; but it is not Mr. Steves. And contrary to your opinion, the man is recognized everywhere he goes where there are Americans or those of other nationalities, who have for nearly 40 years read his books or watched his TV series, or used his website. In other words, he IS a household name to millions of people. I have had the pleasure of meeting him twice by happenstance in Europe. On both occasions he was charming, and friendly. On neither occasion did I interrupt him while he was working, dining, or engaged with other people.

 

You, on the other hand chose to invade his personal space (his stateroom). You have no idea what he was doing with his time when he called. Apparently you are still ignorant of the fact that that particular cruise was a working cruise, and he had his usual filming crew on board with him. He could very well have been in the midst of a production meeting when you called. Frankly, you should count yourself lucky that he had the courtesy to politely refuse your request, and not tell you off for being the importunate jerk that you were/are. Had you, instead, politely approached him while alone in a public place such as the OVC, I think it more than likely that he would have happily signed your book for you. As it is you were out of line.

[The Wilkies]

I have never heard of him or his books. Might just look him up.