Celebrity First Timer - some observations

[Tapi]

Hello:

 

We returned from our first Celebrity cruise a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share some of my observations from this experience. Overall, we had a great cruise and considered that Celebrity delivers a solid product. We sailed on a Mexican Riviera itinerary from Los Angeles aboard Celebrity Solstice over Thanksgiving. This was our first time doing this itinerary as well. 

 

What we liked:

 

• Embarkation and Debarkation: Both were as easy as it gets. We selected a 1:00pm arrival time. We walked into an empty cruise terminal, the agent scanned our passports and took our photos using a handheld device, and within 10 minutes, we were boarding the ship! Upon debarkation, we opted for self assist, got off the ship at 7:30am (with no lines) right into an empty terminal, walked to face recognition machines, and we were outside in maybe 5 minutes. We were at the LAX airport by 8:30am for our 11:30am flight back to the east coast. 
• Cold towels and flavored water upon boarding and at all ports of call: It's a small detail, but one that differentiates Celebrity from other mass market cruise lines. It was much appreciated.
• Quiet spaces: Maybe it's because I'm getting older (late 40's), but I enjoying having quiet spaces throughout the ship. This ship had plenty. 
• The lawn club: Before sailing, I thought that this area would be a big waste of space. On the contrary, it was a wonderful area to relax, or watch something on the big screen. 
• Buffet selection and layout: A step above other cruise lines in terms of selection and quality. Because of the layout, we never found ourselves standing in line. Also, there were plenty of tables available, even during busy periods.
• No chair hogs! We didn't spend too much time at the pool, but even if we went there in the middle of the day during prime hours, there seemed to be chairs available, even at prime locations. Could've been because the air temperature was a tad on the cool side, although it was still very enjoyable. 

 

What we didn't like:

 

• Crew seemed to be understaffed: Our cabin steward was absolutely fantastic (probably one of the best we've ever had), but he was working alone. He never seemed to stop no matter what time of day it was, and he looked exhausted most of the time. At the main dining room, the service was disappointingly slow and all over the place. I'm guessing that they may have had new crew members recently join the ship and who were still learning their way around. More than once, we were escorted in circles to our table because they couldn't find our table number. Some times we would sit down and wait while tables that were sat after ours had their food and drink orders taken right away. 
• Connecting door layout: We had two connecting balconies. On Solstice, the connecting door is outside the actual staterooms, creating a small alcove that connects the rooms. Clever, but a bit impractical. In addition to the key cards to our respective staterooms, additional key cards had to be issued for the exterior door, as well as additional keys to operate the other room main door. So all of us had to carry 3 keys to ensure we always had access and were never locked out of the other room. 
• Main stage entertainment: Besides two shows, the performances the rest of the week were a bit of a letdown. Uninspiring and unimaginative. Several solo artists in front of a black curtain. Compared to performances on other cruise lines, it fell considerably short of expectations.
• Solstice is a very nice, well kept ship, but it feels like she's ready to for an update. I had read that Solstice had been scheduled to be "revolutionized", but that it had been pushed back due to covid. Honestly, I was expecting for the ship to look run down so I was pleasantly surprised to see that it didn't. It looked well kept with no serious signs of wear and tear. However, her decor feels a bit outdated, somewhat like staying at an older Marriott or Westin. Not in bad shape, just ready to be modernized a bit. Somewhat killed the "modern luxury" advertising. 

 

Overall, we had a GREAT time, and the more time I spent on the cruise, the more I appreciated what Celebrity has to offer. True, not everything was perfect, but the short list of negatives was far outweighed by the positives. The overall vibe was a step above other cruise lines we've sailed on without feeling overly stuffy. We would definitely love to sail on Celebrity again. Here are some photos from our cruise. 

 

[jelayne]

I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise.  We are currently on the Solstice getting off tomorrow🥲.

 

The ship is short staff but are adding new crew.  We have met a number of crew who are on their first contract.  Although they have had similar positions on land there is still quite a learning curve.  But they are excited and smiling. 
 

On Celebrity the Cabin Attendants have not had assistants for a number of years.  When they had assistants they had more cabins to take care of.  When the change occurred most were happy with the new arrangement .

[NutsAboutGolf]

36 minutes ago, Tapi said:

Hello:

 

We returned from our first Celebrity cruise a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share some of my observations from this experience. Overall, we had a great cruise and considered that Celebrity delivers a solid product. We sailed on a Mexican Riviera itinerary from Los Angeles aboard Celebrity Solstice over Thanksgiving. This was our first time doing this itinerary as well. 

 

What we liked:

 

• Embarkation and Debarkation: Both were as easy as it gets. We selected a 1:00pm arrival time. We walked into an empty cruise terminal, the agent scanned our passports and took our photos using a handheld device, and within 10 minutes, we were boarding the ship! Upon debarkation, we opted for self assist, got off the ship at 7:30am (with no lines) right into an empty terminal, walked to face recognition machines, and we were outside in maybe 5 minutes. We were at the LAX airport by 8:30am for our 11:30am flight back to the east coast. 
• Cold towels and flavored water upon boarding and at all ports of call: It's a small detail, but one that differentiates Celebrity from other mass market cruise lines. It was much appreciated.
• Quiet spaces: Maybe it's because I'm getting older (late 40's), but I enjoying having quiet spaces throughout the ship. This ship had plenty. 
• The lawn club: Before sailing, I thought that this area would be a big waste of space. On the contrary, it was a wonderful area to relax, or watch something on the big screen. 
• Buffet selection and layout: A step above other cruise lines in terms of selection and quality. Because of the layout, we never found ourselves standing in line. Also, there were plenty of tables available, even during busy periods.
• No chair hogs! We didn't spend too much time at the pool, but even if we went there in the middle of the day during prime hours, there seemed to be chairs available, even at prime locations. Could've been because the air temperature was a tad on the cool side, although it was still very enjoyable. 

 

What we didn't like:

 

• Crew seemed to be understaffed: Our cabin steward was absolutely fantastic (probably one of the best we've ever had), but he was working alone. He never seemed to stop no matter what time of day it was, and he looked exhausted most of the time. At the main dining room, the service was disappointingly slow and all over the place. I'm guessing that they may have had new crew members recently join the ship and who were still learning their way around. More than once, we were escorted in circles to our table because they couldn't find our table number. Some times we would sit down and wait while tables that were sat after ours had their food and drink orders taken right away. 
• Connecting door layout: We had two connecting balconies. On Solstice, the connecting door is outside the actual staterooms, creating a small alcove that connects the rooms. Clever, but a bit impractical. In addition to the key cards to our respective staterooms, additional key cards had to be issued for the exterior door, as well as additional keys to operate the other room main door. So all of us had to carry 3 keys to ensure we always had access and were never locked out of the other room. 
• Main stage entertainment: Besides two shows, the performances the rest of the week were a bit of a letdown. Uninspiring and unimaginative. Several solo artists in front of a black curtain. Compared to performances on other cruise lines, it fell considerably short of expectations.
• Solstice is a very nice, well kept ship, but it feels like she's ready to for an update. I had read that Solstice had been scheduled to be "revolutionized", but that it had been pushed back due to covid. Honestly, I was expecting for the ship to look run down so I was pleasantly surprised to see that it didn't. It looked well kept with no serious signs of wear and tear. However, her decor feels a bit outdated, somewhat like staying at an older Marriott or Westin. Not in bad shape, just ready to be modernized a bit. Somewhat killed the "modern luxury" advertising. 

 

Overall, we had a GREAT time, and the more time I spent on the cruise, the more I appreciated what Celebrity has to offer. True, not everything was perfect, but the short list of negatives was far outweighed by the positives. The overall vibe was a step above other cruise lines we've sailed on without feeling overly stuffy. We would definitely love to sail on Celebrity again. Here are some photos from our cruise. 

 

Compared to other cruise lines, what did you think of the food overall?

[Northern Aurora]

I always find it interesting to "see" Celebrity through the eyes of someone who just experienced their first Celebrity cruise.

 

We have been on the Solstice a number of times.  We were actually on her in March 2020 on what would have been a B2B2B2B set of cruises in New Zealand and Australia, and left the ship the day the global suspension of cruises began.  When we boarded in June 2022 for a B2B I felt like I was in some sort of the warp -- the ship looked just the same as the day we left.  While the Solstice decor is certainly dated we found it to be in good repair.  

 

And, if my memory is correct, Celebrity changed from two stateroom attendants to a single attendant about a decade ago.  It was the same time the stateroom attendant carts were re-designed.

 

 

[RichYak]

Thanks for taking the time to write up and share your review.

[Oceansaway17]

I sailed Equinox and loved the decor.

Careful what you wish for as the trend is for more glitzy neon modern which for me is not always pleasing to eye.

I love a ship with classic wooden design and tasteful designs but I like more modern colors for carpets.

[mahdnc]

Thank you for posting your review.  It is interesting to read things from your perspective.  We have been on Solstice twice and will be sailing on her a year from now.

[Georgia_Peaches]

I so appreciate your post.  We are doing this cruise on the Solstice in 83 days and it will be my first time back on Celebrity since 2019.  Thank you for sharing your pictures as well.  When you say you selected a 1 PM embarkation time, can you elaborate on how that came about?  Email?  online check in?

[Tapi]

2 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Compared to other cruise lines, what did you think of the food overall?

Main dining room: Comparable to what we’ve enjoyed on Holland America Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Better than MSC , Disney and Carnival. 
 

Buffet: Pretty much better quality and selection than all others except Holland America. 

[Tapi]

33 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

 When you say you selected a 1 PM embarkation time, can you elaborate on how that came about?  Email?  online check in?

During the online check in, you’ll be asked to select a check in time in 30 minute intervals. We selected 1:00pm because we don’t like to get there too early and find out that cabins aren’t ready. It worked perfectly. 

[Tapi]

52 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I sailed Equinox and loved the decor.

Careful what you wish for as the trend is for more glitzy neon modern which for me is not always pleasing to eye.

I love a ship with classic wooden design and tasteful designs but I like more modern colors for carpets.

I liked the wood throughout, but furniture and carpets looked a bit out of date. Not in bad shape, just not as modern looking. 

[Tapi]

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

On Celebrity the Cabin Attendants have not had assistants for a number of years.  When they had assistants they had more cabins to take care of.  When the change occurred most were happy with the new arrangement .

I asked our cabin attendant how long he’d been with Celebrity and he was on his first contract. Just a few months onboard. He also shared that he had 18 cabins to take care of. Don’t know how that compares to how things used to be. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

I think 18 is a lot, probably 12 when the change from a cabin attendant and assistant was made. We just opted for the Go Green program which I hope will cut down on  the attendants work load.

[Northern Aurora]

Tapi:  When commenting on the connecting door you mentioned that each one of your party had to carry 3 sea pass cards.  Were you traveling with small children who used the Fun Factory?  If so, what did you and they think of the experience?  

[foodsvcmgr]

As a frame of reference the leading hotel workers union contract calls for housekeepers to clean 14 standard rooms per shift, so 18 is challenging.

[grandgeezer]

2 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

As a frame of reference the leading hotel workers union contract calls for housekeepers to clean 14 standard rooms per shift, so 18 is challenging.

How many hours do the union workers work more than eight hours a day?

I think they work  twelve hours per day, seven days a week on the ship.

[Tapi]

11 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

Tapi:  When commenting on the connecting door you mentioned that each one of your party had to carry 3 sea pass cards.  Were you traveling with small children who used the Fun Factory?  If so, what did you and they think of the experience?  

Our kids are “new teenagers” (first time traveling as teenagers). Contrary to other cruises where they begged to go to the kids club and wanted to spend every waking moment there, this time they refused to go. I couldn’t even get them to check it out. They wanted to do their own thing so unfortunately I have no feedback about the kids facilities. Sorry. 
 

But they were happy with the fun they created for themselves. They wanted to go to the basketball court, to the pool, attend game shows, and dance events. Since they had their own cabin, they’d retreat to their quarters and watch movies between activities. We also traveled with friends who were on their first cruise ever so the kids  wanted to spend time with them and show them around.  Ashore, we selected activities that would be fun for them like off-roading in ATV’s. 
 

My older son did say towards the end of the cruise that he was having fun, but that he’d prefer to go on a cruise where there’s more to do around the ship for his age group (we’d watched YouTube videos of the new Icon of the Seas renderings before sailing and that’s what’s in his mind for our next family vacation). 
 

But overall, they enjoyed sailing on Celebrity tremendously. As a side note, there were many kids onboard being Thanksgiving week, but the ship wasn’t overrun with screaming, misbehaved kids running all over the ship unattended as we’ve experienced on more family friendly cruise lines. In general, it was a very pleasant atmosphere with well behaved kids (and adults). 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Tapi

[Ex-Airbalancer]

RCG group is having a hard getting enough staff on both RCL and Celebrity 

If you want to see a ship in a major need of a renovation go on the Voyager of the seas 😱
There was only 3 positive points on the cruise 

1) seeing old friends 🥰

2) the itinerary, it was an Arctic TA 😃

3) 4 Diamond drinks at anytime 🤣
 

For most kids under 18 , RCL would be a better choice depending on the itinerary 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Ex-Airbalancer

[smtcan]

I can see your point about extra key cards for the connecting doors, but for cruisers who don’t want connecting cabins the set up is preferable.  When the outside door is open you might as well be in a regular cabin.  No connecting door in the wall so no noise from next door.

[Tapi]

45 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

For most kids under 18 , RCL would be a better choice depending on the itinerary 

I agree. While the kids had a truly great time on this Celebrity cruise, I know that they didn't have as much to do as on other cruises we've taken. 

 

We've learned though that "more kid stuff" doesn't always translate into them having a better time. For example, they raved more about our sailing aboard Nieuw Statendam than about our sailing on Disney Fantasy. At the time, they were more interested in making friends rather than having tons of activities, and the more minimalist setup at the kids club on Holland America made it easier for them to make friends. But I guess their interests are shifting as they get older.

[Tapi]

34 minutes ago, smtcan said:

I can see your point about extra key cards for the connecting doors, but for cruisers who don’t want connecting cabins the set up is preferable.  When the outside door is open you might as well be in a regular cabin.  No connecting door in the wall so no noise from next door.

I wholeheartedly agree about this. We've had cabins with a connecting door where we could hear coughing, conversations, the hair dryer, the TV and much more, so I always make sure that I don't have a connecting door. on Solstice, having the connecting door outside the cabin was definitely more desirable.

 

I would've been fine with this connecting cabin setup if we'd been able to operate all doors with one key. It was just a bit of a pain to figure out what opened what. Our main key had our information printed on them, but all the others were generic blue cards with nothing printed on them. We had 8 extra cards total. 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Tapi

[Northern Aurora]

Thank you again for your review.

[ZachIsHere]

Very helpful review thanks!

[djvand]

Thanks for the review.  In one of your pictures you are in an off road 4 door ATV.  Which tour was that?

[Tapi]

19 hours ago, djvand said:

Thanks for the review.  In one of your pictures you are in an off road 4 door ATV.  Which tour was that?

We booked directly through ATV Ensenada’s website. They have various tour options available and you can choose between ATV’s for 1 or 2 people, or a Razor for 4. There were 6 of us including two younger kids so we reserved an ATV for two and a Razor for 4. They emailed our confirmation with instructions on where to meet.

 

The tour guide met us just past the security shack at the port with a van. He then drove us to their office where we were fitted with helmets and given our vehicles. We signed the waivers of liability and off we went. There were a total of 10 participants; the 6 of us on one tour and another group of 4 on a different tour. 
 

We chose the shorter, mountain tour (2 hours). We had a tour guide on his own ATV who we followed. We departed the office and rode through town and then started off roading towards the top of the mountain which provided great views of the city below. That part of the tour took about 90 minutes. We then headed towards the beach in Ensenada for a foto op and then we made a stop for drinks and snacks. After the tour was over, we were then driven back to the same spot where we met the tour guide. Everything was perfectly on time. 

 

In all fairness, there’s only so much to see around Ensenada so the views weren’t the best, but it was an exhilarating tour nonetheless and well worth it. The longer tours offered take you all the way out to La Bufadora and/or the vineyards, but we were happy with our shorter tour since it provided extra time to explore on our own once the tour was over. 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Tapi