Stepping away from Celebrity

[chemmo]

17 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

With the new Edge Class ships and the other ships being revolutionized. Where are you spending the money you would have been giving to Celebrity? I canceled a 15 night March 2020 cruise. We are going to England for 3 weeks instead. We are also canceling our 17 night Sept 2020 cruise. I booked tickets to see The Music Man on Broadway with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. I'm looking at booking Azamara for Aug 2021.

 

 

 

OP, firstly sincere best wishes for all your future travels both land and sea! Three weeks in England will give you the chance to experience more than just the ‘major’ sights, make sure you get to enjoy a few ‘out of the way’ places and some of our wonderful unique venues to stay and to eat...

 

We have never ‘just cruised’ for our vacations. If we had we may have needed a break by now ourselves! We have always combined cruising with touring holidays (both in the U.K. and the USA) and land stays (villas, AI, apartments...).

 

Last year was the first in a long time we only had one cruise. We simply could not find a suitable Mediterranean break. The two M class ships were not yet refurbished and the Edge suite prices were simply over the top. 

 

I cannot imagine not having at least one X cruise on S class booked...we love the experience still but if prices continue to rise then I can see us cruising less often. We have looked at alternative lines and are unconvinced that any would suit us as well as X so we may simply enjoy more time exploring our beautiful countryside!

 

Again, all the best to you for your future travel adventures!

[Miaminice]

18 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

With the new Edge Class ships and the other ships being revolutionized. Where are you spending the money you would have been giving to Celebrity?

So your self evident conclusion is to make it a fact that Edge and Revolution are inevitable reasons to leave Celebrity?! 
 

We cruised on Edge and absolutely loved it. We thoroughly enjoyed the new dining room concept and liked the modern feel and design. We also like the revolutionized ships and feel the program gave the ships a second wind - especially M class.

 

You are entitled to your opinion and I hope you will enjoy your alternative vacation plans. But like others I fail to see the purpose of you post. If you want to leave Celebrity just do it. Why look for confirmation of your motives or even state them as an obvious reason for others to also leave?

 

Personally I don’t like everything Celebrity does but compared to other cruiselines we still like Celebrity the most. If some day we decide to leave because of changes in our preferences or changes in their product, we‘ll just go... and and the same time we‘ll still be happy for the people who still enjoy their cruises on Celebrity.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Miaminice

[yorky]

14 hours ago, yorky said:

We have always said we still enjoy the Celebrity cruise experience but will pick and chose. We have just booked again for February next year, 14 night Asia cruise on the Millenium. Free Classic drinks package, free Gratuities, and $200 OBC in an inside cabin for £95 pp per night. For us that’s decent value and competitive with other cruise lines of a similar standard. Holland America comes in at £3000 for an inside for the two of us with the only perk being 150 OBC. That’s the same area and month for the same 14 nights which obviously works out far more expensive when you add in grats and drinks.There may be things about Celebrity that are not wonderful, but there are still plenty of other things that are and the latter still outweigh the former for us.

 

[dani negreanu]

13 hours ago, Pushka said:

Equinox got us hooked too and now we’ve been on Silhouette. Will be trying Edge in July and expect it to be a different ship.

 

We got "hooked" on the same cruise... I remember your handle since it resembles Pushkin 😁

 

We'll also "taste" Apex in its pre-inaugural. It's a good "compromise" since the rates are outrageous for an eight nighter and their Med itineraries are, at least for us, been there, done that...

 

Enjoy your suite!! 

[4774Papa]

15 hours ago, alwaysonaship said:

My issue with Viking is they require payment in full immediately

I always compare Viking when doing river cruises, the are competitive, but never have taken a cruise with Viking, since other quality cruise lines always had a better cruise for less money.  Also, hate the pay a year in advance policy.

 

Their ocean cruises are way more expensive than Celebrity, Royal C., NCL or Princess.

[bigbenboys]

9 hours ago, Phxazzcruisers said:

Yes, it is the same class of ship, but we are hoping they tweaked it a little. We use the Retreat, so we do not miss the Sky Lounge.  Edge just did not have the same Celebrity vibe, something was missing.  We are hoping we find Apex improved

 

Yes it is the Celebrity vibe that I get on the other ships that is missing. The Edge might be ok if we were not in suites. The sweet life seems not so sweet on the Edge. Our next cruise on Celebrity is booked for summer 2021 to Alaska with friends on Millie in suites. That does not mean we might take a last minute cruise on Celebrity. 

[Moby Jones]

18 hours ago, Phxazzcruisers said:

We absolutely love Celebrity and Azamara and would never change.  They have always given us excellent cruises and we see absolutely no reason to change.  Azamara for the smaller ship experience and Celebrity for the larger ones.  We were not really thrilled with Edge, but are going to give Apex a chance and see if it "feels" more like the Celebrity experience that we love.

I'd suggest Apex will be an identical vibe to Edge. Clearly there are many cruisers who don't appreciate the direction that E class ships are going in. But it's inevitable IMHO. The numbers of those who like traditional cruising will decline as time progresses which is something the big lines are acutely aware of. 



 

[cgolf1]

I guess we are going the other way. We sailed on the Edge last year and loved the ship and the food and service where the best we have had on a ship. We are on a pre Edge booked RCCL cruise this year and then the Apex in 2021 and just booked the Constellation in 2022 this morning. For a mass market line Celebrity covers most of our wants and needs best and the added perks they are marketing now make it a better deal. After that we will try some other Celebrity ships is my guess. 
 

 

[kelmac]

23 hours ago, hcat said:

No change for us.  Enjoyed 2 cruises on EDGE and booked on APEX.... E Class is different,  modern and refreshing..with just enough of the X experience we enjoy,

 

Also booked on Summit and Connie...and maybe again on Silhouette if it comes back to Port Ev.   Spend more time at our place in Fla these days..but still enjoy cruising on X.

 

We can get into NYC for Broadway so would not consider that an alt vacation..just an expensive weekend outing for us...

hcat,

I agree 100%.  The Edge is our new favorite ship and we even love the IV cabins.  Not a balcony fan, but the IV really enhances the atmosphere of the cabin.  Just got off Crystal, HAL, MSC YC, and RCL -- bottom line, Celebrity is still the best bang for the buck.  We will be back on the Reflection in March and the Infinity (just out of dry dock) next fall.  

We like other experiences on different lines, but Celebrity is still our go-to favorite.

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[cruznjan]

We prefer Celebrity, but when looking at itineraries we go with where the price is right.

[TeeRick]

4 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

Yes it is the Celebrity vibe that I get on the other ships that is missing. The Edge might be ok if we were not in suites. The sweet life seems not so sweet on the Edge. Our next cruise on Celebrity is booked for summer 2021 to Alaska with friends on Millie in suites. That does not mean we might take a last minute cruise on Celebrity. 

The Edge really was built for the suite life so could you explain your comment please? Why is it not so sweet?  That seems against what most people have reported who have sailed in Edge suites.

[Phxazzcruisers]

6 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

The Edge really was built for the suite life so could you explain your comment please? Why is it not so sweet?  That seems against what most people have reported who have sailed in Edge suites.

We sailed in the Suites.  For one thing, as there are so many suites on the Edge Class,  Luminae is much larger than it is on the S and M Class.  For us, it was way too loud and we felt like is was just a large MDR, it totally lost its charm.   We wound up eating with our friends that traveled in Aqua Class in Blu and enjoyed that dining experience much more,.

[Quo Vadis?]

We cruised on Edge in November, silhouette in December, Infinity last week and are presently on Equinox.

 

we will be back on Edge next week.

 

The infinity “balcony” is a larger room with a window that opens.  It’s not a veranda cabin but we don’t mind.  We like the Edge as long as the price is right... which means whenever it is less than a balcony cabin on an S class.  It’s not the cabin that decides which cruise we wish to be on.  As long as the staff and crew is (are) as friendly as we expect them to be we will continue to sail on a Celebrity ship.

[Pushka]

7 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

I always compare Viking when doing river cruises, the are competitive, but never have taken a cruise with Viking, since other quality cruise lines always had a better cruise for less money.  Also, hate the pay a year in advance policy.

 

Their ocean cruises are way more expensive than Celebrity, Royal C., NCL or Princess.

We went on an 11 night cruise to Alaska on Viking. It was their first journey to Alaska and let’s just say their logistics required a lot of improvement. We didn’t even have a berth in Vancouver and had to wait until 7pm to Board. And a whole lot of other things. Their service was Ok but we ended always had excellent service, maybe even better, with Celebrity so I wonder if those on Viking who rave about it might not have cruised with other lines other mid stream ones.  Not Surprisingly the cost of that cruise is the same as our 11 night on Edge in a Suite with full package etc etc. Thankfully for our Alaska cruise, the weather was simply perfect so we weren’t disappointed with the cruise as such, just a disappointment with Viking and which we know will be matched with Celebrity in a suite. And then some. We’ve only had a usual verandah previously and still very happy. 

Edited January 19, 2020 by Pushka

[TeeRick]

2 minutes ago, Phxazzcruisers said:

We sailed in the Suites.  For one thing, as there are so many suites on the Edge Class,  Luminae is much larger than it is on the S and M Class.  For us, it was way too loud and we felt like is was just a large MDR, it totally lost its charm.   We wound up eating with our friends that traveled in Aqua Class in Blu and enjoyed that dining experience much more,.

We were in a suite on Edge.  Yes I agree about the less intimate experience in Luminae.

[Pushka]

2 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

We were in a suite on Edge.  Yes I agree about the less intimate experience in Luminae.

That may or may not bother us as we’ve only been in Aqua for one cruise and a usual verandah for the rest. 

[hcat]

13 minutes ago, Argo. said:

We cruised on Edge in November, silhouette in December, Infinity last week and are presently on Equinox.

 

we will be back on Edge next week.

 

The infinity “balcony” is a larger room with a window that opens.  It’s not a veranda cabin but we don’t mind.  We like the Edge as long as the price is right... which means whenever it is less than a balcony cabin on an S class.  It’s not the cabin that decides which cruise we wish to be on.  As long as the staff and crew is (are) as friendly as we expect them to be we will continue to sail on a Celebrity ship.

How are things going on EQUINOX,?

We have friends on board who said their suite is great.

[hcat]

Wanted to post  a link to the thread about what "brings you back to Celebrity."....Thought it would make an interesting contrast...but the search feature on CC has again disappointed ne

Maybe someone can find it..

[diesel1973]

We also are "cruised out". After mainly cruising with X,RCCL, and a Disney and NCL cruise we are doing land tours in countrys not easily accessible by cruises.  Oh, I forgot to mention the terrible cruise we did on MSC  Seaside probably because I am still trying to forget it! Have to admit tho, it is the fanciest pirate ship I have seen!!!!!

[Pushka]

I think Aussies, because they have to travel so far to get “north”, always combine a land trip when they cruise and take around 4 weeks off to do so. 

[mahdnc]

On 1/18/2020 at 10:27 AM, bigbenboys said:

With the new Edge Class ships and the other ships being revolutionized. Where are you spending the money you would have been giving to Celebrity? 

 

Celebrity still is our cruise line of choice.   However when our Silhouette cruise was cancelled (originally set to sail in less than 2 weeks from now), we decided to pursue our other interest and visit the national parks.  So we are going to the Grand Canyon instead and we also managed to score a permit to hike the Wave in Arizona.

[CeeeKr]

34 minutes ago, Phxazzcruisers said:

We sailed in the Suites.  For one thing, as there are so many suites on the Edge Class,  Luminae is much larger than it is on the S and M Class.  For us, it was way too loud and we felt like is was just a large MDR, it totally lost its charm.   We wound up eating with our friends that traveled in Aqua Class in Blu and enjoyed that dining experience much more,.

We sailed Edge in a SS... agree re Luminae. It was astounding that there wasn't a restroom nearby either. We ate at Blu, Grande Bistro and Normandy to break it up. We sailed before they expanded the Luminiae menu a bit so we also missed being able to order from the MDR. On the plus side, the view was gorgeous and the retreat lounge and retreat deck area are lovely. Missed a quieter lounge (Rendezvous or Ensemble like) for evening entertainment options - it was Eden or the Martini Bar. The Martini Bar area was big, bright, loud and busy. We couldn't do Eden because they were still heavy on the incense and my DH reacted to it. I hear they've backed off using it a bit and I'm hoping they eliminate it entirely on Apex. The shops were more expensive so we didn't shop. The market will drive that one - if people are spending the money, they'll sell them pricey stuff! Missed the sky lounge... that's our sail-away preference. There's a wall of glass in the retreat lounge as well as an outdoor patio area, but they are side-facing, not forward facing. None of the negatives were dire enough to keep us from sailing E class ships again. We hope Apex will address some of the issues... we'll be on her in Oct/Nov for a b2b. At the end of the day, we'll be on a ship being spoiled with wonderful service, food and alcohol. Life is good.

 

[diesel1973]

27 minutes ago, Pushka said:

I think Aussies, because they have to travel so far to get “north”, always combine a land trip when they cruise and take around 4 weeks off to do so. 

My DW can't handle staying away from home more than 2 weeks. I on the other hand have no problem staying 6 weeks in Alaska every summer fishing ,by myself!

[verizon]

1 hour ago, Phxazzcruisers said:

We sailed in the Suites.  For one thing, as there are so many suites on the Edge Class,  Luminae is much larger than it is on the S and M Class.  For us, it was way too loud and we felt like is was just a large MDR, it totally lost its charm.   We wound up eating with our friends that traveled in Aqua Class in Blu and enjoyed that dining experience much more,.

On last cruise on Edge everytime I passed by Blu i was like walking through the Fish Market.It was so noisy and loud that I can hardly stand the noise just by walking by

[Pushka]

38 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Celebrity still is our cruise line of choice.   However when our Silhouette cruise was cancelled (originally set to sail in less than 2 weeks from now), we decided to pursue our other interest and visit the national parks.  So we are going to the Grand Canyon instead and we also managed to score a permit to hike the Wave in Arizona.

We were in GC last May. Expecting it to be hot we packed our summer gear (we were then travelling on to an Alaska cruise afterwards). Well, some kind of polar thing hit and it SNOWED! In late May? And out came all our Alaska gear. People had only packed shorts etc and so the stores did a great trade in selling beanies and jackets. At inflated costs! Alaska was so much warmer (except on the glaciers).