Im sad to say, but Im on my way, Goodbye Celebrity.

[nancyshaw]

Nancy, are you saying that children are not allowed on Viking Ocean????

 

Their rules state that it is a cruise line for those over 18.

[Zoedokey]

It’s funny how offended some posters are because some random person on the internet said they were changing cruise lines. If Celebrity doesn’t deliver what a cruiser wants and they decide to try something new, that’s great for them. I truly hope all passengers find what they are looking for while vacationing. I’m not sure what people who are berating this poster wish to have happen. This board is so strange sometimes.

 

 

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[nancyshaw]

Nice twist. No, I didn't actually smear everyone that sails those lines as child haters. I called her out on a couple of specific comments she posted with respect to cruises she's taken on lines that don't cater to adults only. I'm happy to engage in an open discussion, but not if others such as you are going to try and twist my words in order to support their argument.

 

Maybe, just maybe you chose to interpret that someone who wants an adult experience, is a child hater. but that is a really a far stretch.

 

What is a child hater anyway. Hateful even to think about it.

 

Cant imagine all those people who want to be away from children on a cruise, are child haters. A ship full of people who have no children and hate the children of others. This is just too awful to think about.

 

Our children are our most precious, they are our legacy but it does not mean I dont want a holiday without them.

 

Anyway I think I will just pass on this. It is not what I said that labelled me as a child hater, it is how you chose to interpret it. I dont understand why and have to leave it at that.

[Luvcrusn]

 

People post their warnings to others, not to change the cheerleaders minds or to try and take people away from Celebrity, but to set the expectations to realistic levels. For example: Set your expectations for the MDR to slightly better than Olive Garden at sea and you should enjoy Celebrity.

It always strikes me as ironic that people who have complaints about anything on a cruise line classify those who do not share their opinions as "cheerleaders" but would be offended to be classified as "whiners." I'd say both sides are each entitled to their opinions, and neither is more "correct." We are all entitled to put out our opinions and have a healthy discussion. When either side goes to extremes of name calling I think they just cheapen the validity of their points and lessen their credibility.

[cdn_tbird]

Maybe, just maybe you chose to interpret that someone who wants an adult experience, is a child hater. but that is a really a far stretch.

 

What is a child hater anyway. Hateful even to think about it.

 

Cant imagine all those people who want to be away from children on a cruise, are child haters. A ship full of people who have no children and hate the children of others. This is just too awful to think about.

 

Our children are our most precious, they are our legacy but it does not mean I dont want a holiday without them.

 

Anyway I think I will just pass on this. It is not what I said that labelled me as a child hater, it is how you chose to interpret it. I dont understand why and have to leave it at that.

 

Nancyshaw, as I said in a previous reply to you, may you have many many pleasant cruises ahead of you. I sincerely mean it. We both seem to have dug in our heels so let's just agree to disagree.

[nancyshaw]

Nancyshaw, as I said in a previous reply to you, may you have many many pleasant cruises ahead of you. I sincerely mean it. We both seem to have dug in our heels so let's just agree to disagree.

 

Yes I agree with you here. I am sorry you got that impression and if I could, maybe I needed to say it differently to make sure that kind of impression was not perceived.

 

Thank you for good wishes in trying something else. I am sure at some point we will be back to Celeb. When we did our first Oceania cruise, we cancelled the second one we booked because we thought it was too quiet for us, even though the food was outstanding. But here we are trying another quiet line, Viking O, no casinos, no loud music, etc. Will let you know how we fare but it wont be for a long time.

Edited April 8, 2018 by nancyshaw

[nancyshaw]

For us the #1 criteria is food. It's no longer up to snuff in the MDR and paying extra for 'specialty' restaurants nightly bumps the price up significantly. Everyone else is doing it is an excuse, not an argument for Celebrity to try and win the race to food mediocrity.

 

 

People post their warnings to others, not to change the cheerleaders minds or to try and take people away from Celebrity, but to set the expectations to realistic levels. For example: Set your expectations for the MDR to slightly better than Olive Garden at sea and you should enjoy Celebrity.

 

Brilliant, I wish I had said it that way.

[ShawninFL]

We all have our likes, dislikes and experiences. We also all do something to earn our disposible income which allows us to choose how we want to spend that money. Change can be good. I am 46 and my husband is 50. We took our first cruise when we were in our 20s. Carnival Inspiration - and we had a blast. Five years later and a few Carnival Cruises under our belt we tried Royal Caribbean. This led us to become R.C. loyalist and are now Diamond Plus. Over the last 18 years since that first R.C. cruise we have seen drastic changes. The ships have gotten bigger with more options to entertain yourself than we ever could imagine; however, with that we've also seen a decrease in the personal service and food quality. We started mixing in some Celebrity Cruises as we got older and disappointed with the food quality and service on Royal. We now feel more at home on Celebrity. In additional we've also tried, Norwegian and Princess. We've never had a cruise we didn't enjoy but we definitely enjoyed some over others. We also know that our tastes and expectations have changed as we've gotten older and we've moved on to different lines to see if something different was a better fit. We've come to the conclusion that on the mass market lines you pay for a basic vacation. If you want something better than the basic, you have to pay to upgrade your experience. It took a number of years, but I accept that's the way it works. We still find Celebrity as the best fit of what we've tried so far. If we want something better than the MDR, we look into Aqua. We did a Greek Isles cruise two years ago and ended up getting married a month before the cruise. Thus we decided to make the already booked cruise our honeymoon and upgraded to a Suite. Luminae on Equinox was spectacular and I expected it to be as that's the main perk for booking the higher dollar cabin. Anyway, we all change in addition to the cruise lines changing and I don't think there's anything wrong with trying something new. You may actually find something that makes you happier. No matter what, happy cruising.

[richsea]

Yes, probably based on that.

So it was voted by a particular group of responders, not evaluated and rated.

I remember a conversation I had with a person on the deck of the Solstice. Another Solstice was moored next to us but in the opposite direction.

The person looked a few times at the bow of our ship and at the stern of the other ship and asked: "I know they must be identical. But why do they look so different?"

This is a true story.

So "voted by the readers of..." will only tell me that a product is generally good or not so good.

No comparable ratings (A is better than B) sourced from surveys of that kind would make sense to me.

Without a doubt Celebrity product is generally good.

It was based one people who cruised on the ships, came home, came on cruise critic, and wrote a review of their cruise. Part of submitting a review is to rate different aspects of the ship, based on what they experienced. So if you take all of the reviews for all of the ships from all of the cruise lines and average out the scores that all of the people gave, you come up with the results. Really, who would you like to “evaluate and rate”? Results certified by an large accounting firm? What exactly are you looking for? In the end, most people are going to cruise on a line that THEY prefer, based upon what THEY are looking for in a vacation.

[jkgourmet]

Their rules state that it is a cruise line for those over 18.

 

Sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but you're incorrect.

 

From the viking ocean terms of service:

 

Children/Minors

 

Due to the nature of our cruise and travel itineraries, the Carrier does not maintain facilities or services for children aboard cruise vessels or otherwise during the trip. On all cruises and cruise journeys, minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied and share a stateroom with a parent, legal guardian or other responsible adult over the age of 21. We reserve the right to limit the number of minors under the age of 18 years on board and on land excursions booked through us.

[The_Big_M]

Not this class. They are getting older but that's not a problem for me.

I want to be on one of them before they go away. Want to visit Millie or Connie to see their "ocean liner" specialty restaurants. I've heard that these iconic venues were replaced on the Infinity and Summit with the generic Tuscan Grille.

Not sure because I'm not following these ships closely.

A hint would be appreciated.

 

All specialty restaurants have already been replaced by Tuscan Grille, over a year ago.

 

They took a few mementos out from the previous décor e.g. bell, plate, photos and placed them beside the casino, but that's all that remains.

[sft429]

Sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but you're incorrect.

 

From the viking ocean terms of service:

 

[/font][/color]

 

Imagine that. Conflicting information from a Cruise Line.

[Cyber Kat]

Sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but you're incorrect.

 

 

 

From the viking ocean terms of service:

 

 

 

[/font][/color]

 

 

 

They apparently exercise that part about limiting the number of minors under 18 often, or people with children don’t bother to sail with them because there are only cabins for 2, and no connecting cabins. You may occasionally find a child on a Viking Ocean cruise, but it’s rare.

 

 

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[tugboat]

Brilliant, I wish I had said it that way.

I see you like long goodbye's

You don't mind if I choose for myself do you?

[Doug & Cindy Scrap Hunter]

Food not edible in MDR and OVC. Poor service, poor entertainment, aging ship.

 

Food was so salty people with high blood pressure were told by the Medical facility to stop eating in MDR. A waiter off the record told us that it is salted for a reason, to make it more palatable.

 

Folks talk up this Celebrity line like it's hot tickets, but at the end of the day we've never experienced this on Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Medical staff and waiters warning peeps to stay away.

[lais]

 

After cruising Oceania I was so spoiled that when we booked Celebrity I was thinking it would be a letdown but we were pleasantly surprised by the good service etc.

Oceania is still in our hearts but just booked another celebrity and I know we’ll have a great time.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

After cruising Oceania I was so spoiled that when we booked Celebrity I was thinking it would be a letdown but we were pleasantly surprised by the good service etc.

Oceania is still in our hearts but just booked another celebrity and I know we’ll have a great time.

 

Great to hear, we're definitely open to luxury-light, especially a cheaper reposition cruise (some great ones hitting Aleutians). Hopefully it would be similar to how we value hotels, in bang per buck. We've typically stayed at La Quinta and Marriott's, but are recently leaning towards Sheraton/Westin in port cities. As long as the beds are comfy, the room is clean, I don't think twice when going back.

 

While I believe this thread began as a bit of sour grapes, Viking O does seem like an attractive product. If one books suites anyways on a mass market, wants a less crowded / more intimate experience, it might even be better value. Since the OP seemed resistant to even book Aqua, the wallet is going to take a hit.

[Silkroad]

OP you’ve expressed your dissatisfaction with Celebrity on many recent threads, and now you’re saying goodbye to Celebrity. I assume you’ve been trying to be helpful by posting your experiences and opinions, so I hope you will post a review comparing your Viking & Celebrity experiences on this board.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Silkroad

[nancyshaw]

Sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but you're incorrect.

 

From the viking ocean terms of service:

 

[/font][/color]

 

Have not researched it myself, just went with what was said on Viking O forum...but it also says this...

 

• virtually no children on board-- because cabins accommodate only two people--no bunks, no sofa beds --and children can not occupy a cabin without an adult in the cabin; also, no children's programming
  

[nancyshaw]

OP you’ve expressed your dissatisfaction with Celebrity on many recent threads, and now you’re saying goodbye to Celebrity. I assume you’ve been trying to be helpful by posting your experiences and opinions, so I hope you will post a review comparing your Viking & Celebrity experiences on this board.

 

I will definitely do that but it wont be till next year.

[TeeRick]

TeeRick,

 

No likes no dislikes for cruise lines.

 

Ships mean everything. Not cruise lines.

I cannot tell you enough about what I think of HAL management ("cruise line"), but our recent cruise on the NA was superb.

As was the ship (although not as good as before - thanks to the "cruise line").

We cruise on the ships, not on cruise lines.

 

A couple of weeks ago I was looking (almost with tears) at this beautiful ship, knowing what actions the "cruise line" was going to take. But shall I say that I don't like Royal Caribbean?

 

 

 

That's why I told the OP: there is no sense in "leaving" a cruise line.

 

There are 16 cruise lines in my past cruises list, Celebrity included.

Since the appearence of the Edge I love the Solstice class (ex. Reflection) more than ever.

I consider one of their UK itineraries (the ship is good for a colder climate). I'm not frightened by the MDR reviews at all. I trust the OP of course but I know how to figure it out.

Would love to take a Caribbean cruise but the itineraries (Eastern) are dead boring (IMO).

The only one I am looking at is 14-day Southern. We'll see (other options are available).

 

In a few words: I do not like Celebrity, nor I like any "cruise line". I love ships, especially the good ones, no matter what cruise line they belong to.

 

Some poster do not understand how it's possible to sail on Carnival after Viking, or Cunard after NCL.

 

It's hard to find a place where we can discuss cruise ships in general.

The boards are split by cruise lines.

To be a cruise critic on different boards means taking a risk of being flamed.

I am saying this with all the respect, please don't take it personally.

 

I hope this answers your question.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful response. Now I understand.

[nancyshaw]

Imagine that. Conflicting information from a Cruise Line.

 

Not conflicting at all. I had not gone to the rules, just went with what others said on forum. They do limit any and all children by only having 2 beds in each cabin and no children under 18 in a room by themselves. So no cots provided, no cribs. And no babysitting of any kind.

[sft429]

Imagine that. Conflicting information from a Cruise Line.

 

Not conflicting at all. I had not gone to the rules, just went with what others said on forum. They do limit any and all children by only having 2 beds in each cabin and no children under 18 in a room by themselves. So no cots provided, no cribs. And no babysitting of any kind.

 

One page on Viking Ocean's website says "No Children Under 18"

On another page it says they "reserve the right to limit the number of minors under the age of 18 years on board"

Sure looks like conflicting information to me.

[nancyshaw]

One page on Viking Ocean's website says "No Children Under 18"

On another page it says they "reserve the right to limit the number of minors under the age of 18 years on board"

Sure looks like conflicting information to me.

 

Yes, you are correct, that does seem conflicting. In any case, there are No children or maybe just a few because of the way it has been structured.

 

My other question is that for some reason, a few here are angry that I have actually found a line that has No or few children on it. Why is that? When I posted a similar feeling of wanting an adult line, I was told to only travel at certain times of the year or go find a line that is adult. Well I seem to have done that and still there is resentment.

[Denny01]

I agree it’s probably time to move on - for me since I’m the only one I can control. But one last observation - kids on Celebrity is an issue???

 

I’ve cruised 27 times on Celebrity since 1995. Taken my teen/young adult kids on a few, and one cruise after one had a family, with our granddaughter (baby). But on all my Celebrity cruises, I’ve not seen many kids at all. A few, but far between.

 

They do have kid programs and special spots for them and I’d see a group of them tramping through wearing pirate hats and so on marching behind a Celebrity youth leader, but that’s about all..

 

We’ve cruised in the Summer and on holidays and a few more family’s were there, but not that much at all.

 

Been on Carnival and RCL monster ships with all kind of kid-stuff and there were lots of kids. But Celebrity??

 

Maybe I spend too much time at the bar watching the bartenders, or in the casino’s or in the Spa areas (not really) and not notice the hordes of kids, but if the number of kids I’ve seen on any and all my Celebrity cruises is an issue for someone, then I’d strongly suggest moving over to another Line.

 

Viking Ocean sounds just fine. Did a Viking River and enjoyed it. But I compared a Viking Ocean and a Celebrity cruise around S America, and the prices for Balcony's are not close, not by a long shot. And with all the talk of smaller ships being able to get into ports large ships can’t, the itinerary was exactly the same. The Viking Norwegian Midnight Sun cruise looked neat, but again, not worth the big price difference. For us.

 

None of the above is a reason to not cruise Viking Ocean and to cruise Celebrity, just my observations, based on direct knowledge, and subjective opinon of what is worth my dime.

 

Den