Celebrity Cruise in Italy (Language Question)

[shane1]

I am an American and my wife and I plan on going on an Italian cruise in August on the Celebrity Constellation. My concern is that I can only speak and understand English. Can anyone enlighten me on what the main language is on the ship? What language are the shows in, etc?  Thanks,

 

shane

[Jim_Iain]

The main language on all of Celebrity Ships is English.    On some cruises when there are a certain percentage of a certain nationality they will also make announcements in that or those Languages . 

 

Also tours will be in English unless you sign up for one with a specific language listed.    You will also find that in most port you will have limited problems communicating.    Most restaurant menus are  in English, Italian, French and Germean. 

Edited June 22, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[shane1]

Thank you, I appreciate the response.

[Jim_Iain]

BTW - Welcome to your first post on Cruise Critic and you will find a wealth of knowledge.   Also in the main menu area you can search a roll call for your specific cruise where you can share information, planning and often join others for private tours.

[shane1]

Great, thank you!

[WorkerBee74]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

The main language on all of Celebrity Ships is English.    On some cruises when there are a certain percentage of a certain nationality they will also make announcements in that or those Languages . 

 

Also tours will be in English unless you sign up for one with a specific language listed.    You will also find that in most port you will have limited problems communicating.    Most restaurant menus are  in English, Italian, French and Germean. 

 

It's also necessary to understand speaker-ese... as in the completely muffled announcements from the captain that you can barely hear.  Haha...

 

Suggest that it might be helpful to pick up an Italian phrasebook just for 'in port' situations, but the cruise itself is going to be English-friendly as @Jim_Iain states.  

[mom says]

No worries about English only on the ship. It's not an Italian cruise. It's a cruise to Italy.  Now, if you were sailing Costa, you would find Italian used on the ship as the first language, with English as a secondary language. On shore, still not a problem to be an English monoglot. You will be visiting tourist areas in places accustomed to hordes of English speaking tourists. It would still be courteous to learn at least a few of the Italian courtesy phrases.

[Loracpin2]

3 hours ago, shane1 said:

I am an American and my wife and I plan on going on an Italian cruise in August on the Celebrity Constellation. My concern is that I can only speak and understand English. Can anyone enlighten me on what the main language is on the ship? What language are the shows in, etc?  Thanks,

 

shane

Shane, the main language on the ship is English so there is no need to worry. As for speaking Italian once wou're in Italy, don't give it a thought.   My husband and I have been to Italy 12 times on both land trips and cruises.  We are  both 100% Italian and, even though we both grew up in homes with Grandparents who spoke Italian to each other, neither one of our Mom's spoke Italian and as a result neither do we. The majority of Italians who work in the hospitality industry have fortuantely for us learned how to speak English!!    

[cdn_tbird]

8 hours ago, WorkerBee74 said:

Suggest that it might be helpful to pick up an Italian phrasebook just for 'in port' situations, but the cruise itself is going to be English-friendly as @Jim_Iain states.  

Nowadays, just use the translation app on your phone. If needed you can grab a dirt cheap tourist SIM, decent data bucket and most also have voice minutes back to North America.

 

I speak fluent Italian and when I travel to Italy most businesses I go in to and they realize I speak English, they would rather practice their English than continue in Italian.

[Turtles06]

11 hours ago, mom says said:

It would still be courteous to learn at least a few of the Italian courtesy phrases.

I totally agree. And whenever you are traveling to a non-English-speaking country, it’s a good idea to learn how to ask, in the language of that country, “Do you speak English?” This respectfully does not assume that everyone does, even if there is a good chance the person to whom you are speaking does.  (It’s a particularly helpful gesture in France.) 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

22 hours ago, WorkerBee74 said:

Suggest that it might be helpful to pick up an Italian phrasebook just for 'in port' situations, but the cruise itself is going to be English-friendly as @Jim_Iain states.  

 

Or download an app like DuoLingo and learn a little bit before the cruise since you (the OP) have until August. Even being able to greet someone in a ship or restaurant and say a couple of phrases - rather than just expecting the world to speak English - shows that you're trying and will make them much more likely to ask if English is better for you.