Alternative to Celebrity

[papuchon]

Guten Tag Frank. We are on the Reflection sailing on 12/7 as well. Ich hoffe wir werden euch treffen

 

 

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[Denny01]

It seems that MSC has become the main subject on this thread. I was more than a bit surprised, considering I thought a Line such as Princess which is a fine Line would be mentioned more as a Celebrity alternative, it being a bit more of a ‘tradtional’ Line, but compatible with Celebrity.

 

I’ve never cruised on MSC and I realize that the main discussion has been on how great the “Yacht Club” experience is, so I looked up a number of sites that compared Cruise Lines and where the various comparisons had MSC:

 

Escapehere: Rated MSC as the worst Line of those evaluated. It was at the bottom of the Best/Worst Line.

Comment by Escapephere:

MSC fleet of 12 ocean liners provide budget-conscious families and passengers a more European cruising experience than some of the other big cruise companies out there. Expect ships to be full of families since children up to 11 years old sail for free and those between 11-17 sail for a reduced rate. You may be surprised to see a popular cruise line such as MSC on the bottom of our worst list but the customer ratings speak for themselves. A 3 star overall rating was due to reviews which list issues such as lackluster food, dingy outdated rooms and countless reports of poor customer service with few English speaking staff members.

US News Cruise Line comparison:

1. Best for the Money: #8 of 8 - MSC
   
2. Best for Families: #5 of 5 - MSC
   
3. Best for Couples: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
4. Best for the Caribbean: #8 of 9 - MSC (Beat out Costa)
   
5. Best for the Mediterranean: #9 of 10 - MSC (Beat out Costa)
   

Consume Affairs:

MSC was 11 out of 12 (beat Costa)

Cruisecritic:

1. Best for Couples: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
2. Best for Weddings: 10 of 10 - MSC
   
3. Best that stay overnight in ports: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
4. Best Suites: Top 10, MSC not listed.
   
5. Best Coffee: 8 of 10 - MSC
   
6. Best for Honeymoon - Top 10, MSC not listed
   
7. Best Shows: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
8. Best workout: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
9. Best Special Cocktail: 5 of 11 - MSC
   
10. Best for First Timers: Top 12, MSC not listed
    
11. Best Alternative Restaurants: Top 15, MSC not listed
    
12. Best Bar: 6, 11 and 16 of 30 - MSC (# 11 was Cigar Bar, ugh)
    

Just thought I’d share that with everyone. MSC doesn’t seem to do well on overall reviews. Maybe the Yacht Club is isolated enough from the rest of the ship so you don’t have to worry about the issues mentioned.

Den

[Tatka]

To me Princess and HAL are first alternatives which are close in ambiance and quality.

[grandgeezer]

It seems that MSC has become the main subject on this thread. I was more than a bit surprised, considering I thought a Line such as Princess which is a fine Line would be mentioned more as a Celebrity alternative, it being a bit more of a ‘tradtional’ Line, but compatible with Celebrity.

 

I’ve never cruised on MSC and I realize that the main discussion has been on how great the “Yacht Club” experience is, so I looked up a number of sites that compared Cruise Lines and where the various comparisons had MSC:

 

Escapehere: Rated MSC as the worst Line of those evaluated. It was at the bottom of the Best/Worst Line.

Comment by Escapephere:

MSC fleet of 12 ocean liners provide budget-conscious families and passengers a more European cruising experience than some of the other big cruise companies out there. Expect ships to be full of families since children up to 11 years old sail for free and those between 11-17 sail for a reduced rate. You may be surprised to see a popular cruise line such as MSC on the bottom of our worst list but the customer ratings speak for themselves. A 3 star overall rating was due to reviews which list issues such as lackluster food, dingy outdated rooms and countless reports of poor customer service with few English speaking staff members.

US News Cruise Line comparison:

1. Best for the Money: #8 of 8 - MSC
   
2. Best for Families: #5 of 5 - MSC
   
3. Best for Couples: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
4. Best for the Caribbean: #8 of 9 - MSC (Beat out Costa)
   
5. Best for the Mediterranean: #9 of 10 - MSC (Beat out Costa)
   

Consume Affairs:

MSC was 11 out of 12 (beat Costa)

Cruisecritic:

1. Best for Couples: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
2. Best for Weddings: 10 of 10 - MSC
   
3. Best that stay overnight in ports: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
4. Best Suites: Top 10, MSC not listed.
   
5. Best Coffee: 8 of 10 - MSC
   
6. Best for Honeymoon - Top 10, MSC not listed
   
7. Best Shows: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
8. Best workout: Top 10, MSC not listed
   
9. Best Special Cocktail: 5 of 11 - MSC
   
10. Best for First Timers: Top 12, MSC not listed
    
11. Best Alternative Restaurants: Top 15, MSC not listed
    
12. Best Bar: 6, 11 and 16 of 30 - MSC (# 11 was Cigar Bar, ugh)
    

Just thought I’d share that with everyone. MSC doesn’t seem to do well on overall reviews. Maybe the Yacht Club is isolated enough from the rest of the ship so you don’t have to worry about the issues mentioned.

Den

 

If you are going to quote ratings, what about Cruise Critic's top ten cruise ships listed on their home page? Only one, the Equinox is listed for Celebrity where there is a Carnival and three Norwegians, and five Royal Caribbean listed. This probably doesn't count as you don't agree.

[Denny01]

If you are going to quote ratings, what about Cruise Critic's top ten cruise ships listed on their home page? Only one, the Equinox is listed for Celebrity where there is a Carnival and three Norwegians, and five Royal Caribbean listed. This probably doesn't count as you don't agree.

No, I do agree. I think there are many other good Lines and ships and don’t look to Celebrity as the ‘be all’. And there is a difference between having ‘only’ one ship on the top 10 ships and the entire Line being listed as the worst, don’t you agree?

 

As I said before, I’ve never cruised on MSC and I don't plan to. And as you can see from my signature, i cruise on multiple Lines. So please don’t start the ‘cheerleader’ inferences. This isn’t a ‘defend’ Celebrity. The point of the thread, from my perspective, is what would be a good alternative to cruising Celebrity, based on liking Celebrity. That’s why I personally mentioned Princess since I find it a good Line with many similarities to Celebrity, so those that like Celebrity would probably enjoy Princess.

 

Den

[Denny01]

If you are going to quote ratings, what about Cruise Critic's top ten cruise ships listed on their home page? Only one, the Equinox is listed for Celebrity where there is a Carnival and three Norwegians, and five Royal Caribbean listed. This probably doesn't count as you don't agree.

 

You are referring to the Top 10 Popular Cruise Ships and you are right, Celebrity had one ship on that list.

 

Now, here is the CruiseCritic 2018 Celebrity Choice Awards:

Best Overall - 5 of 10 are Celebrity Ships, winning #1

Best Cabins - 4 of 10 are Celebrity Ships

Best Dining - 5 of 10 are Celebrity Ships, winning #1 through #3

Best Embarkation - 3 of 10 are Celebrity Ships

Best Fitness - 2 of 10 are Celebrity Ships

Best Public Areas - 5 of 10 are Celebrity Ships, winning #1 and #2

Best Service - 5 0f 10 are Celebrity Ships, winning #1 through #5

Best Value - 5 of 10 are Celebrity Ships, winning #1 and #2

I looked for MSC and didn’t find it. To be honest, MSC is a Euro cruise line and isn’t highly popular with US cruisers who are the majority on CruiseCritic, but I have a feeling that’s not the only reason.

I found a few more Top 10 that include Celebrity and MSC isn’t mentioned, if you really want to keep doing this.

Den

Edited September 24, 2018 by Denny01

[Host Jazzbeau]

I wouldn't expect a veranda on MSC to come close to the experience of a veranda on Celebrity. [As I know from experience that even the experience in a suite on NCL doesn't match a veranda on Celebrity.] For that type of comparison, Princess or HAL would seem the most comparable to me. [A few years ago I would have said Princess only – but they seem to be going downhill and their new ships are extremely large, while HAL has debuted interesting new ships of a reasonable size and has also been upping their game on food and entertainment as they aim for a younger demographic.]

 

However, the suggestion that is causing debate is to compare OP's SV or C1 cabins against MSC Yacht Club. I haven't priced these out myself, but the argument was that they are comparably priced. For that comparison there are definitely points where MSC would win, especially the special Yacht Club restaurant [Celebrity SV and C1 dine in the MDR]. And MSC does match Celebrity loyalty status, which would be an added plus for Elites.

 

My point in making this post is that none of the magazine or web ratings of MSC were limited to the Yacht Club, so they really don't tell us anything about the comparison OP is considering.

[MisterBill99]

Disclaimer: I haven't read all of the posts here, just the most recent page.

 

Here are my 2 cents on MSC, as we sailed Seaside in January (cabin sold as a suite but just a bigger room, no added perks). We had a terrible experience. With a couple of exceptions, specifically the pizza and gelato (which wasn't free), the food was not nearly as good as Celebrity (and that's compared to the current version of Celebrity, not the better version of a few years ago). No anytime dining unless you pay for the more expensive Aurea experience. An Italian line that doesn't even offer a freshly cooked pasta station at the buffet (forget about in the MDR). When I came back here to CC to complain about my experience, the MSC fans told me "well, it's a budget line, you can't expect it to be the same". Excuse me? That's not how it's advertised! The only way I would ever sail MSC again is in the Yacht Club (and probably not even then), and some people on our sailing said that the food there wasn't great, either. I have said it before and will say it again -- Cruise Critic did themselves a MAJOR disservice when they named MSC Seaside the best new ship on 2017 based solely on hype (the cruise was on its inaugural sailing when the award was announced). MSC is advertising the heck out of that award and people who have a poor experience will not trust CC's opinion after that. I only hope that Edge doesn't disappoint because I'd be willing to bet real money that it's going to be the 2018 best new ship.

 

The other CC awards mentioned here are really just popularity contests so I'm not sure that I'd believe them, either.

 

As for real alternatives to Celebrity, I would suggest Holland America and Oceania, both of which we have sailed this year. Obviously Oceania is much more expensive and has much smaller ships but I know a LOT of Celebrity cruisers were on my sailing (granted it was out of NYC so easy to try). We really enjoyed it and would definitely sail them again with the right itinerary.

 

Holland America has a very good product and I found it superior to Celebrity in many ways. I really enjoyed the Music Walk where they have dueling pianos, classical music and a jazz club. MDR food was as good or better than Celebrity. If you have Carnival Corp stock it is MUCH easier to get the shareholder discount on HAL than on Celebrity, where it's nearly impossible unless you book an inside cabin. Despite their reputation, the age range did not seem to be that much older than Celebrity, especially for longer cruises we've been on recently (which normally attract an older crowd, even on Celebrity). I did miss the Elite Lounge, since we're fairly low on the totem poll on HAL (although I don't think they have that, even at the higher level).

Edited September 24, 2018 by MisterBill99

[MisterBill99]

And MSC does match Celebrity loyalty status, which would be an added plus for Elites.

Having used the status match, it really doesn't do that much for Elites. Yes, you get Black Card status, which gives you 5% off on your cruise, but I think every level gets that. We were originally supposed to get 2 free specialty dining meals per person, but they changed that a couple of weeks before my sailing and only gave us 2 total per cabin, so basically one meal for 2 instead of two meals for 2 (that really upset me but they refused to honor the previous wording). There is no Elite lounge or nightly free drinks.

[villauk]

Disclaimer: I did miss the Elite Lounge, since we're fairly low on the totem poll on HAL (although I don't think they have that, even at the higher level).

 

Having used the status match, it really doesn't do that much for Elites.There is no Elite lounge or nightly free drinks.

 

 

Where is there an Elite Lounge on any X ship? I’ve definitely missed that one over the years :confused:.

[MisterBill99]

Where is there an Elite Lounge on any X ship? I’ve definitely missed that one over the years :confused:.

Whatever it's called. I'm sure that most know that I'm talking about the spots where they serve Elite breakfast and evening free drinks (and you likely know it as well).

 

Bottom line is there is nothing comparable to that for being Black level on MSC or higher Mariner levels on HAL.

[diesel1973]

I agree that MSC only matches status level,not the perks. A 5% discount,a chocolate ship, and free internet(which never worked) Big deal! Not to mention other perks such as terrible food,service,and size of rooms. I think MSC stands for Masochisticly(word?) Satisfying Cruises!!!!

[eileenover]

For years and years we cruised with Princess. We usually saved hard so that we could afford really good suites. However, the standards dropped and so we changed to Celebrity.

 

We saved even harder (DH had to work in the treacle mines of Kent) and have always stayed in both CS and SS on X ships ever since.

 

From we have observed, the majority of the passengers on an X ship get a better experience than the majority on Princess. Suite guests get a far better deal ---but it costs more! Fair enough.... DH will need to sell his little remaining hair and take in ironing as well as continue in the treacle mines.

 

We're loyal people and usually stay with a brand unless there is a huge dive in the delivery.

 

Sadly, we'll not be with X in 2020 because it cannot deliver an itinery involving small ports. So, we'll be enjoying a long cruise from Portugal to South Africa on an Azamara ship.

 

Why has X not purchased/ordered any smaller ships? Why has Princess sold off all but the Pacific Princess (and rumours abound that AZ are after that one too!) and mostly promoted large ship cruising?

 

The bottom line.

 

Well, yes and no. AZ would not be in the market with its current three ships if the bottom line disappointed the share holders. So I guess that AZ offers a fine product that's a more expensive but possibly more enjoyable experience than either Princess or X.

 

One last point: read some of the postings on the AZ pages of CC and you will find negatives amongst the positives e.g. in many rooms the showers are too small and have a curtain

 

The grass is always greener on the other side!

[kelmac]

Here is our preference in cruise lines as of today (this is a moving target):

Note: We will eliminate the more expensive upscale lines we have cruised. (i.e. Azamara, Oceania...,)

 

#1 -- Celebrity is still the best bang for buck. Great food, large cabins, good entertainment, and a modern uncrowded ship.

#2 -- MSC Yacht Club is a bit more expensive, but it is all inclusive. We do an inside cabin to save money. Ship within a ship set up. Very upscale feel.

#3 -- Holland America is now one of the great deals in cruising. Very inexpensive for what you get. Improved smoking policy and great service.

#4 -- NCL, but a lot of buts. We prefer the smaller Jewel class ships, as the newer ships are very crowded. We only eat evening meals in the alternative restaurants which are very, very good. This requires purchasing an ultimate dining package. Their free drink package requires a service charge. Nickel and dime city. It's a great experience, but it pushes NCL to a cost now above HAL and Celebrity. Plus, their taxes + fees are the highest in the cruise industry. Excellent entertainment.

#5 -- Cunard is HAL on steroids. Very formal, but kind of fun doing that old school Titanic British experience (sans the iceberg). Good MDR food, but the buffet is iffy.

#6 -- Royal Caribbean. Family fun, with loads to do. Food basic, so you need to get at least a three night dining package. Entertainment is very good.

#7 -- Princess. We don't get it. People love this line and we have had nothing but mediocre experiences in three tries. Crowded, so so food, and small venues. Great deck spaces however.

 

Never cruised Carnival, Costa or Disney.

 

Your milage may vary,

Enjoy!

Kel

[gordylad]

we have never cruised MSC but a friend did and she said that although the cruise was ok she wouldn't do MSC again due to the focus on European cruisers and preference is given to foreign language. Also the food and entertainment is aimed at these guests.

Edited September 25, 2018 by gordylad
spelling

[villauk]

Here is our preference in cruise lines as of today (this is a moving target):

Note: We will eliminate the more expensive upscale lines we have cruised. (i.e. Azamara, Oceania...,)

 

#1 -- Celebrity is still the best bang for buck. Great food, large cabins, good entertainment, and a modern uncrowded ship.

#2 -- MSC Yacht Club is a bit more expensive, but it is all inclusive. We do an inside cabin to save money. Ship within a ship set up. Very upscale feel.

#3 -- Holland America is now one of the great deals in cruising. Very inexpensive for what you get. Improved smoking policy and great service.

#4 -- NCL, but a lot of buts. We prefer the smaller Jewel class ships, as the newer ships are very crowded. We only eat evening meals in the alternative restaurants which are very, very good. This requires purchasing an ultimate dining package. Their free drink package requires a service charge. Nickel and dime city. It's a great experience, but it pushes NCL to a cost now above HAL and Celebrity. Plus, their taxes + fees are the highest in the cruise industry. Excellent entertainment.

#5 -- Cunard is HAL on steroids. Very formal, but kind of fun doing that old school Titanic British experience (sans the iceberg). Good MDR food, but the buffet is iffy.

#6 -- Royal Caribbean. Family fun, with loads to do. Food basic, so you need to get at least a three night dining package. Entertainment is very good.

#7 -- Princess. We don't get it. People love this line and we have had nothing but mediocre experiences in three tries. Crowded, so so food, and small venues. Great deck spaces however.

 

Never cruised Carnival, Costa or Disney.

 

Your milage may vary,

Enjoy!

Kel

 

My mileage does vary: ‘uncrowded’ and ‘Reflection in the Med in the summer’ just don’t fit in the same sentence.

 

 

I think there does appear to be several posts quoting differences in MSC as they are not comparing the same product i.e. the Yacht Club which sounds more comparable to X as opposed to the rest of the ship?

[Ginger Pop]

Hello!

 

My name is Frank and I have been cruising with Celebrity regularly for the previous eight years, usually in November/December. My wife and I are from Germany and we have mostly cruised on S-class ships. We usually went for SV or C1 cabins because of their pretty decent price-performance ratio. Celebrity used to offer 14-day-cruises to the Caribbean in winter time. The 14-day-cruise on the Reflection this upcoming December seems to be the last cruise of this length. In addition, prices have increased significantly so we will be looking for alternatives.

 

Because we are Elite with Celebrity I already got Diamond with Royal. So it makes sense to check their cruises as well. For winter 2019 I found interesting 9/10-days-itineraries on the Explorer and the Serenade of the Seas.

 

But are these ships serious alternatives to S-class ships at all? Or could somebody give me other, maybe better alternatives?

 

Frank

We also enjoyed the 14 day Caribbean on Celebrity and are elit plus. We have 30 cruises with Celebrity and found several cruises that are b2b as our 9 night western car. and a 11 night eastern and stay in same room. They are definitely getting more expensive due to the new remodeling program underway. I am interested in responses to see if Royal is cheaper but with the quality i’m happy with on Celebrity.

[kelmac]

My mileage does vary: ‘uncrowded’ and ‘Reflection in the Med in the summer’ just don’t fit in the same sentence. If you pour loads of kids into any ship it will feel crowded. The Reflection has the lowest space ratio of all the s-class ships @ 41.37. The Equinox is 42.80. Your upcoming Caribbean Princess is at 36.94, so watch out!

 

 

I think there does appear to be several posts quoting differences in MSC as they are not comparing the same product i.e. the Yacht Club which sounds more comparable to X as opposed to the rest of the ship?

I agree, the Yacht Club experience is excellent, but the rest of the ship feels more like an NCL mega ship. As of now, I would not cruise MSC unless I could score a Yacht Club cabin.

[Denny01]

As to the space ratio discussions, I agree the ratio is a useful number for comparisons, but the design of common areas and flow of passengers is a key also.

 

Celebrity does have a decent space ratio compared to similar Lines, but one of the reasons I prefer Celebrity over other Lines I’ve tried is the common area design. The theater is large enough to accommodate most passengers (2 main shows/night) and the bars and other areas are well designed and don’t feel crowded much of the time. Yup, the bars can get very full, but many times they are quite nice. The ‘flow’ to dinner and to the theater is a problem with so many moving through an already crowded casino to get to the theater and lined up through the aft lounge into the MDR, not too bad there.

 

But the Princess, whose ships have similar, and in some cases better, space ratios, feels more crowded. The theaters in the 3 Princess ships we sailed were way too small - you had to be there at least 45mn before a good show to get seats together, and there were more than a few wth very restricted views. And the common areas for relaxation were full most of the time. THat’s one of the big reasons I don’t cruise on Princess unless I join a group.

 

Den

[villauk]

I agree, the Yacht Club experience is excellent, but the rest of the ship feels more like an NCL mega ship. As of now, I would not cruise MSC unless I could score a Yacht Club cabin.

 

 

Been on Caribbean Princess previously and she feels nowhere near as crowded as Reflection was. We have to sail in peak season so that’s a moot point regarding charging times ;). Even Oasis felt less crowded than Reflection and she holds over 6000 pax. I just hope the rest of the X fleet doesn’t start to feel crowded once the new cabins/suites have been installed after all the refurbishments.

[kelmac]

Been on Caribbean Princess previously and she feels nowhere near as crowded as Reflection was. We have to sail in peak season so that’s a moot point regarding charging times ;). Even Oasis felt less crowded than Reflection and she holds over 6000 pax. I just hope the rest of the X fleet doesn’t start to feel crowded once the new cabins/suites have been installed after all the refurbishments.

 

I've sailed on both the Caribbean Princess and the Reflection and the only place the CP shines is on the top decks. That ship has great deck spaces and the area around the Reflection's main pool area can be a zoo. As Den pointed out, the CP's theater holds less than half of the people compared to the Reflection. The buffet funnels down to several choke points and is very claustrophobic, where as the Reflection's buffet is open an flows nicely. Princess bathrooms are too small and it has those nasty shower curtains, but has a walk in closet (??). I'll take Celebrity over Princess any day.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[MisterBill99]

we have never cruised MSC but a friend did and she said that although the cruise was ok she wouldn't do MSC again due to the focus on European cruisers and preference is given to foreign language. Also the food and entertainment is aimed at these guests.

The only place where the foreign language was an issue for me was on the buffet. They had signs for each item in multiple languages, and they were all printed so small that you had to get in real close to figure out what the dish was and what was in it. Granted, I was on Seaside sailing from Miami. It may be different on their European sailings. As for the food, I would have been fine with a European focus if it were actually good.

[Tatka]

I've sailed on both the Caribbean Princess and the Reflection and the only place the CP shines is on the top decks. That ship has great deck spaces and the area around the Reflection's main pool area can be a zoo. As Den pointed out, the CP's theater holds less than half of the people compared to the Reflection. The buffet funnels down to several choke points and is very claustrophobic, where as the Reflection's buffet is open an flows nicely. Princess bathrooms are too small and it has those nasty shower curtains, but has a walk in closet (??). I'll take Celebrity over Princess any day.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

We love Piazzas on Princess ships and all dancing that goes on there. especially on new ones like Royal and Regal, but new ones have worse pool deck design than CP and theater is way too small.

 

Celebrity and Princess are our favorites overall even though we don't get to cruise with them as often as we'd like due to geographical location.

[BosoxI]

We have taken one MSC cruise in the YC on the Divina, so I'll claim to be an expert. I will simply say I would chose it over the two Celebrity suite classes we've had over the years. An excellent experience BUT the MSC Divina as a whole did not appeal to us at all; to our dismay the food in the YC restaurant was mostly average at best, very disappointing for an Italian line. Polenta and gorgonzola were not available, staples in my diet. While the YC was great, we haven't returned so I guess that speaks volumes.

 

I note a lot of negatives in re Princess. It's been several years since we took our last cruise on them, our twenty third on that line. DW likes X's big ships better but the best cruise we'll ever take was a Tahiti to FLL on the Pacific Princess. Classic ship, great food, fantastic itinerary ( no one seems to note the importance of itineraries in these discussions) and dare I say it ? a very classy group of passengers, possibly because of the length and cost of the cruise. We just completed our twenty sixth X cruise with five more in the offing, so I guess we have unconsciously made a decision, but I would never knock Princess for any serious fault.

[MisterBill99]

Sadly, we'll not be with X in 2020 because it cannot deliver an itinery involving small ports. So, we'll be enjoying a long cruise from Portugal to South Africa on an Azamara ship.

 

Why has X not purchased/ordered any smaller ships? Why has Princess sold off all but the Pacific Princess (and rumours abound that AZ are after that one too!) and mostly promoted large ship cruising?

 

The bottom line.

 

Well, yes and no. AZ would not be in the market with its current three ships if the bottom line disappointed the share holders. So I guess that AZ offers a fine product that's a more expensive but possibly more enjoyable experience than either Princess or X.

 

One last point: read some of the postings on the AZ pages of CC and you will find negatives amongst the positives e.g. in many rooms the showers are too small and have a curtain

 

The grass is always greener on the other side!

We did a two week Norway cruise on HAL this year because Celebrity only offered one week itineraries. I originally looked into this while we were on Silhouette last year and the future cruise person suggested Azamara. When she told me the price, I was shocked to find it was over $10k per person for a balcony. I found a better itinerary on Holland (on their newest ship, the Koningsdam) when I got home and while it wasn't cheap, it was way cheaper than Azamara. And it was very enjoyable, obviously not Azamara quality but easily as good as Celebrity.

 

Royal can afford to run small ships on Azamara because they charge so much. Celebrity clearly is not interested in small ships anymore except in the Galapagos where they charge a lot. But some people don't like small ships since there's less stuff to do.

 

As for complaints about cabins on the small ships, people do that about Oceania as well. They have some of the same type ship (R-class). We were just on one of those Oceania ships and thought it was fine. BTW the same people who complain about stuff on the small ships also consider anything over 3000 passengers to be a mega ship, so they would not consider the newer Celebrity ships.