JamieLogical's Big NCL vs. Celebrity Thread

[BoundForSea]

Ok. I’m handing this thread over to Ms. Logical! She will do a better comparison than I ever can. If you would like me to do a new thread with photos outlining my experience and comparison to NCL (and MSC) then just like this post so I get an idea if it’s worth doing or not. 

[disneylover89]

Following along and can't wait to read more!

[_Rick_]

23 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Again, a GLARING omission from this page is any sort of a link to what perks you have and what add-ons/reservations you have already booked. It turns out, the only way to find that info is to go to the “Order History” link at the top. Which, by the way, is also where I can see my original Classic Drinks Package and Surf WiFi listed, even though I never “ordered” those.

 

Thanks for this.  I'm new to Celebrity too.  I've been looking all over for this and even though it was right in front of my face, never saw it.  Seems like a weird place to see included perks if you ask me.  I like the way NCL makes it easy to see these on your reservation.

 

We're booked for the July 31 on Edge (first X cruise) in a Sky Suite.  Can't wait!

We're NCL Platinum but weary of waiting on NCL to get their act together and also of NCL's hugely inflated prices, particularly in the Haven.

 

I'm also confused about the DSC charge shown in the Reservation Manager.  As a suite guest, I thought that gratuities were included in the price.  So what is this?  Is the DSC not part of that?  I don't really understand whether we are supposed to pay this DSC or not.

 

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, _Rick_ said:

I'm also confused about the DSC charge shown in the Reservation Manager.  As a suite guest, I thought that gratuities were included in the price.  So what is this?  Is the DSC not part of that?  I don't really understand whether we are supposed to pay this DSC or not.

 

 

Do you sill see the option to pay it? How long ago did you book? I now only have the option to remove it, though I have no idea why I would, since it's free.

[_Rick_]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Do you sill see the option to pay it? How long ago did you book? I now only have the option to remove it, though I have no idea why I would, since it's free.

 

Yes, but is it free?  That's what is confusing.

 

Looking closer, I have 2 cruises booked with X, both in suites with, supposedly, gratuities included as a suite perk.  These were both booked in the last month or so.  The one in July is through a travel agent and there is no link to modify the DSC at all.  Cannot add/remove/change it because it's just not there to see (like the second one is).  The second cruise is in October, booked directly with Celebrity and I am able to add the DSC to my total trip cost.  In fact, it was added in by default at first, but I removed it.  I figured I would just pay it onboard if it has to be paid, but I don't know if it is part of the free gratuities perk or not.  

 

I would call Celebrity to ask about it but their hold time is very long and I figure it will work itself out in the end.  Not too worried about it, but it would be nice to know specifically now before the cruises.

[ericfromri]

17 hours ago, MorganClark said:

 

Thanks! Oh, I forgot to add, Celebrity Edge will be my 2nd solo cruise (I'm booked in a Single Infinite Veranda). My 1st solo cruise is next Sat (7/17) on the Adventure of the Seas out of Nassau, Bahamas.

have fun,        if the adventure is your only RC experience, please dont judge the line by that ship

[MorganClark]

3 hours ago, ericfromri said:

have fun,        if the adventure is your only RC experience, please dont judge the line by that ship

 

Thanks. Adventure of the Seas will not be my only RC experience (by far). Besides Celebrity Edge in Oct, here's my upcoming bookings after my Adventure of the Seas cruise (fall of 2021 to spring of 2022); Oasis of the Seas (Nov 2021), Anthem of the Seas (Jan 2022), Symphony of the Seas (Feb 2022), Odyssey of the Seas (Feb/March 2022) & Allure of the Seas (Apr/May 2022).

 

As a solo cruiser, I have already found RC to be very "solo-friendly" (with their 60% off the 2nd guest promo and their studio balcony cabins on their Quantum class ships). Celebrity, as well (with their Single Infinite Veranda staterooms on their Edge class ships).

 

[ericfromri]

1 hour ago, MorganClark said:

 

Thanks. Adventure of the Seas will not be my only RC experience (by far). Besides Celebrity Edge in Oct, here's my upcoming bookings after my Adventure of the Seas cruise (fall of 2021 to spring of 2022); Oasis of the Seas (Nov 2021), Anthem of the Seas (Jan 2022), Symphony of the Seas (Feb 2022), Odyssey of the Seas (Feb/March 2022) & Allure of the Seas (Apr/May 2022).

 

As a solo cruiser, I have already found RC to be very "solo-friendly" (with their 60% off the 2nd guest promo and their studio balcony cabins on their Quantum class ships). Celebrity, as well (with their Single Infinite Veranda staterooms on their Edge class ships).

 

well, i shall see you on Allure than in april may 22   adventure was the first rc ship i went on

[MorganClark]

56 minutes ago, ericfromri said:

well, i shall see you on Allure than in april may 22   adventure was the first rc ship i went on

 

Cool 😎.  I'll meet you at one of the many bars/lounges onboard and buy you a beer.

[ericfromri]

8 minutes ago, MorganClark said:

 

Cool 😎.  I'll meet you at one of the many bars/lounges onboard and buy you a beer.

oh thanx, i get em for free 6 times a day so the second one is on me   lol

[Jeremiah1212]

The sweet spot for booking Celebrity is to book through a TA. If you can find a group rate you typically are going to receive a refundable deposit without paying a premium and you can get OBC equal to roughly 10% of your cruise fare. Group rates aren't widely available on these summer sailings, but there is a lot of value to be had by booking that way if you are booking in advance. 

[JamieLogical]

Installment #4

 

Check-In

This one is tough, because the check-in process for all cruise lines seems to be different and in flux post-COVID. In the past, I have been able to check in for my NCL cruises as soon as they are booked. Cruise documents have been available shortly after final payment. Right now, on NCL, I was able to partially check-in for my upcoming Breakaway sailings in September and October right away, but there is a new “Health & Safety” section that cannot be fully completed until 21 days prior to sailing. The new section allows you to upload a photo of yourself and requires you to enter and verify an email address and text number.

 

On my Equinox sailing, check-in didn’t open until July 6th, 19 days prior to sailing. Before that, the check-in link just took you to a page that said “Check-in Is Now Closed”. The check-in for Celebrity was significantly shorter. Like on NCL, I had to enter my passport number and expiration date. The difference being that if you check in through the phone app, you can take a picture of the barcode on your passport and it is supposed to auto-fill that information for you. I checked in on my computer, so didn’t have that option. I had to upload a picture, but annoyingly, it wouldn’t accept a picture that was taken vertically, in portrait mode. It turned that picture sideways. So, I had to crop the picture I had to  horizontal, landscape dimensions for it to upload successfully. I also had to put in my basic contact info, my emergency contact, and my onboard payment preference. I will have to go back 48 hours prior to sailing to complete a health questionnaire and I still can’t print my full cruise docs or luggage tags. I can only print my “X-press Pass”, which looks like a boarding ticket.

 

I will say that, post-COVID, I do NOT like the uncertainty around finalizing check-in until so close to the actual sail date. I like to have these sorts of things finished WAY in advance. Not being able to print my luggage tags right now is really stressing me out. I am following someone on this week’s Edge sailing and he wasn’t able to print his until Thursday for his Saturday sailing. I am doing a mud run with my 79 year-old father in PA on the Saturday before my Sunday sailing, so I will be driving down to PA (about 4 hours) on Friday after work, doing the run, driving back home, and I have to be on a 6:00AM flight Sunday morning. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for futzing with printing cruise docs and luggage tags along with packing and sleeping.
 

[JamieLogical]

Installment #5

 

Upgrade Bidding

The ability to bid to upgrade on my Equinox sailing became available on July 5th. It looks like they use the exact same third-party system that NCL uses called PlusGrade. As I am in a normal “Veranda” stateroom, my options for bidding included: Family Veranda Stateroom, Concierge Class Stateroom, AquaClass Stateroom, Sky Suite, Celebrity Suite, and Royal Suite. I believe all of the “Suites” are part of the Retreat, which is Celebrity’s version of the Haven. The minimum bid for me to get into the lowest one of those is $950x2. Like NCL’s Upgrade Advantage, all bids are for double capacity, no matter how many occupants there are. So I have to double my bid, even though I am sailing solo. Needless to say, I am not going to pay $1900 to upgrade to the Retreat, though it would be a bit of a deal since it would have cost me $4670 to book the Retreat directly.

 

[PTC DAWG]

Jamie, enjoy the cruise..my Wife and I will be boarding the Equinox on Aug 1....ready to get back on the seas.  Take care of the ship, look forward to your comments...safe travels.  

Edited July 12, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

Hi, Jamie!  Really looking forward to your thoughts on this topic.  We are platinum with NCL, usually sailing in the Haven.  However, I have booked the Retreat on X for March on a revolutionized Summit.  Everything I have read on the X forum makes me think this will be a good comparison to what we experience on NCL.  Should be interesting.  I am so ready to get back to sailing!!!!

Anyway, I didn't know if you had seen the Drinks & More package on X?  Since we are in a suite, we were already at Premium beverage level, and for $9/day more, we could get the additional package, which includes $50 casino play, 2 bottles of wine, and the mini-bar in the room restocked daily (mini-bar feature only available if both people in room purchase).  Because our sailing is only a 4 day trip, the cost was less than the casino credit!  Now I'm really stoked!

[JamieLogical]

Installment #6

 

Packing/Wardrobe

One of my primary concerns about sailing on Celebrity has been the dress code/expectations. I have been spoiled by sailing on NCL with their complete lack of a dress code. 90% of the time that I am on an NCL ship, I am wearing jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and a hoodie. Side note: that’s what I am wearing 90% of the time in my real life as well. I bring a couple of moisture wicking shirts, some trail pants, and my running shoes for hot port days when I will be doing a lot of walking. And I bring a couple of dresses for if/when I want to “dress up” for specialty dining dinners. Technically speaking, even my jeans and t-shirts meet the dress code at the couple of specialty restaurants on-board that have them.

 

My usual cruise attire:

 

I knew Celebrity would be a big shift for me. I got some input from the folks over on the Celebrity boards and it was clear that jeans and t-shirts would not work for the MDRs at dinner. And even around the ship in the evenings, I would stick out like a sore thumb. I’m not planning to do any specialty dining this sailing, but I do want to eat in the MDRs for dinner. I am not a big fan of buffets for dinner. And, of course, I want to participate in evening activities and attend the shows, so I wanted to be dressed “appropriately”. As much as it chafed and as much as I think it is ludicrous that anyone should care one iota about what other humans are wearing, I sucked it up and purchased some new clothes for the cruise.

 

I ended up spending about $200 in all, which is way more than I should have to, but at least these clothes should serve me well on our January sailing as well. I can’t see myself ever wearing them in my real life, but I might even bring some of them along for our NCL sailings in September, to have more options for when I want to “dress up” for specialty dining. I bought five pairs of wide-legged pants in various patterns, two pairs of shoes, and three button-down linen shirts to wear over camisoles I already own. I do have some sandals that I wear with dresses and with my swimwear on cruises, but I don’t want to have to wear those all the time. So I bought the two new pairs of shoes so I could have something closed-toe that could be worn with socks for most of the day. It was important to me to have outfits comfortable enough to wear all day, but dressy enough to wear to the MDRs, because the idea of changing multiple times a day is completely ridiculous to me. I wanted to only have to change to go swimming or into my moisture-wicking clothing if going into port.

 

Some of the items I bought for celebrity:

 

  

 

I am trying to strongly resist the urge to pack jeans and t-shirts that I know I won’t have much opportunity to wear. But I have done two rounds of practice packing so far. The first time, things were a really tight fit and I concluded that I wouldn’t be able to bring my running shoes in addition to the two new pairs of shoes and sandals. I thought I would have to wear the heftier of the two pairs of shoes for walking when going on shore.

 

However, the other day, I learned about the absolute miracle of “bundle packing”. Watch the YouTube videos, if you don’t know what it is. I did a practice pack with bundle packing and I was able to fit both of my new pairs of shoes, which means I can wear my running shoes to travel in. I was also able to fit an extra pair of jeans and three t-shirts! In all, here is what I fit into my carry-on roller bag while practicing:

 

3 long-sleeved linen shirts
1 long-sleeved dress shirt
2 sweaters
3 cotton t-shirts
2 moisture wicking t-shirts
8 camisoles
2 maxi dresses
1 pair of jeans
2 pairs of yoga pants
5 pairs of dress pants
1 pair of trail pants
3 bras
2 pairs of shoes

 

This trip is also a little unusual in that I will be sailing solo and I plan to bring a laptop with me for the first time ever. I’m also bringing my husband’s 360 camera to try to get some ship tour video. Those things should fit in my backpack with my toiletries, though. Hopefully I will manage to fit everything in my carry-ons so I don’t need to check any bags. I am already taking a risk by flying in the day of. Flying in with checked luggage would only compound the risk.
 

[rwf1]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

One of my primary concerns about sailing on Celebrity has been the dress code/expectations. I have been spoiled by sailing on NCL with their complete lack of a dress code. 90% of the time that I am on an NCL ship, I am wearing jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and a hoodie.

 

Totally agree with you on NCL's casual attire! We want to try other cruise lines, but we just love being casual on a cruise. Dress up if we want, but never required. I look forward to your report on how others dress on Celebrity. We are planning our first cruise without our sons and we would like to try other lines, but the dress codes deter us.

 

I am interested that others advised you that jeans and t-shirts won't work for dinner. I get the t-shirts, but their dress code online indicates jeans are okay for dinner. Hmmmm. . . I thought I could wear a dressier top with jeans, but maybe not.

[JamieLogical]

29 minutes ago, rwf1 said:

I am interested that others advised you that jeans and t-shirts won't work for dinner. I get the t-shirts, but their dress code online indicates jeans are okay for dinner. Hmmmm. . . I thought I could wear a dressier top with jeans, but maybe not.

 

Apparently jeans are okay as long as they are "nicer" jeans with a "dressier" top on normal night, but not the Evening Chic nights? All of my jeans are pretty frumpy. Not holey or frayed, but just not designer jeans by any stretch of the imagination. Also, I don't really have any shoes to wear with jeans besides sneakers and unless they are "nicer" sneakers, like maybe the leather ones my husband has, I don't think those would work either. Remember, some of my concern is what is socially acceptable, not just what is within the "letter of the law", because I don't want to stick out or feel judged.

[rwf1]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

Remember, some of my concern is what is socially acceptable, not just what is within the "letter of the law", because I don't want to stick out or feel judged.

 

Yeah, I totally get that. Which means I am thrilled you are going to be able to report back your observations, specifically, of how dressy/casual everyone is.

 

[kirtihk]

21 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Installment #5

 

Upgrade Bidding

The ability to bid to upgrade on my Equinox sailing became available on July 5th. It looks like they use the exact same third-party system that NCL uses called PlusGrade. As I am in a normal “Veranda” stateroom, my options for bidding included: Family Veranda Stateroom, Concierge Class Stateroom, AquaClass Stateroom, Sky Suite, Celebrity Suite, and Royal Suite. I believe all of the “Suites” are part of the Retreat, which is Celebrity’s version of the Haven. The minimum bid for me to get into the lowest one of those is $950x2. Like NCL’s Upgrade Advantage, all bids are for double capacity, no matter how many occupants there are. So I have to double my bid, even though I am sailing solo. Needless to say, I am not going to pay $1900 to upgrade to the Retreat, though it would be a bit of a deal since it would have cost me $4670 to book the Retreat directly.

 

It makes sense to upgrade to Aqua for a small extra for those who enjoy the Persian Garden (the SEA Thermal Suite on the Edge class); it is free for Aqua cabins only (on our 15-night Edge Transatlantic 2019 crossing the access to it was $400 per person if not in Aqua).  Plus you get breakfast and diner in the Blue restaurant.

[JamieLogical]

3 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

It makes sense to upgrade to Aqua for a small extra for those who enjoy the Persian Garden (the SEA Thermal Suite on the Edge class); it is free for Aqua cabins only (on our 15-night Edge Transatlantic 2019 crossing the access to it was $400 per person if not in Aqua).  Plus you get breakfast and diner in the Blue restaurant.

 

If it was a full thermal suite with tubs/pools like on most of the NCL ships, I would consider it. I always pay the ~$200 for spa passes on NCL's 7-day sailings. So $400 (minimum for me to upgrade) might be reasonable with the other Aqua Class benefits, but I don't think it's worth it without the tubs/pools. Those are my favorite part of the thermal suites!

[PTC DAWG]

23 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Apparently jeans are okay as long as they are "nicer" jeans with a "dressier" top on normal night, but not the Evening Chic nights? All of my jeans are pretty frumpy. Not holey or frayed, but just not designer jeans by any stretch of the imagination. Also, I don't really have any shoes to wear with jeans besides sneakers and unless they are "nicer" sneakers, like maybe the leather ones my husband has, I don't think those would work either. Remember, some of my concern is what is socially acceptable, not just what is within the "letter of the law", because I don't want to stick out or feel judged.

Again, I think you'll be fine, especially on these earlier, less capacity cruises.

 

That said, I don't see how people walk around in the Caribbean in jeans...too damn hot.  I'll take a pair of light khaki's any day....but I'm not a gal.  

[JamieLogical]

22 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Again, I think you'll be fine, especially on these earlier, less capacity cruises.

 

That said, I don't see how people walk around in the Caribbean in jeans...too damn hot.  I'll take a pair of light khaki's any day....but I'm not a gal.  

 

Every ship I have ever been on has been air conditioned. 😋

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by JamieLogical

[trivimp]

26 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Again, I think you'll be fine, especially on these earlier, less capacity cruises.

 

That said, I don't see how people walk around in the Caribbean in jeans...too damn hot.  I'll take a pair of light khaki's any day....but I'm not a gal.  

I'm with you, too hot; I never pack jeans... it's all sundresses in my bag.

My twin sister, on the other hand, cruises with nothing but jeans and loud Hawaiian shirts.

Vive la difference!  

[PTC DAWG]

13 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Every ship I have ever been on has been air conditioned. 😋

 

I find myself outside a LOT.  The sunset bar is hard to stay away from, even in the evening after dinner.  🙂

Edited July 13, 2021 by PTC DAWG