Super Awesome Celebrity Experiences Before, During, or After (Open Thread)

[Cap_D]

Note:  Not looking to supplant cruise reviews or live threads.  Please use those methods for full reports. 

 

With all the talk of cutbacks, negativity, uncertainty, and more, here's a place to make mention and discuss super awesome Celebrity experiences before, during or after a cruise, even if it's something previously reported (link it).   Maybe it was a great booking experience, a speciality restaurant, a crew member making magic, a dish at the MDR, a room configuration, distance of room to coffee or tea, room service, gym, the decor, coke vs pepsi, a chocolate on the pillow, something we can't think of... 

 

Info that may be useful:  the ship and date/time period; price (if relevant); if you think it would be repeatable given the types of cutbacks that have been reported; if you think it's unique to Celebrity or comparable to what you would receive from any resort; if you think the price would be worth it if you had to pay (a) a la carte on top of the same or a higher cruise fare, or (b) a higher cruise fare (paid 90 or more days prior to sailing). 

[Boston lab girl]

I hope this what you are looking for.

last year we were on the summit and the cruise director was the best. She did a tai chi class on the top deck. ( free) It was sooo hot. She called housekeeping and had them bring up cold wet towels so everyone could cool off. That is the service we have come to expect from celebrity and it’s the little things like that make us keep coming back.

[chemmo]

We nearly cancelled a cruise when I realised I would still be wearing an orthopaedic boot when walking…However we decided to go ahead…

 

Pool side staff super helpful getting me in/out of the pool using the ducking stool!

Ladies cloakroom attendant helping me access as I limped on my crutches…

People poolside manoeuvring their sun beds to fit me in…

Tuscan staff seeing me struggle to get comfortable on a chair and descending with a multitude of pillows…

 

I couldn’t have been better looked after.

 

It is the staff and the clientele on Celebrity that create the ambiance that keep us returning!

 

OP, thank you for this breath of fresh air post!

[emmas gran]

All our cruises on Celebrity we have met and maintained some wonderful friendship, also some wonderful staff

[Mark_T]

The quality of the ships resident musicians, as evidenced by the number of times the guest artists have praised them and often even featured them in their acts. 

 

This level of quality on Celebrity has been consistent from ship to ship and has always impressed.

[Pinboy]

I've posted many times that in all of our cruises we never had " anything " to complain about.

Absolutely true. 

I joke about the time our Waiter forgot to bring my 3 shrimp cocktails at the same time.

A " super awesome Celebrity experience" :  The Edge in March 2023

Late on the first night we went up to the Rooftop Garden restaurant to " check it out " as we say.

The place was empty, the staff were cleaning up and we were approached by a Waiter.

Within a few minutes other staff members came over and joined the conversation ( just general chit chat about them ,their background etc and how cold it gets in winter where we are from ). 

The next day at lunch , a gentleman introduced himself and told us he is the Manager at the Rooftop Garden and invited us to be his guest the next night. 

" I was in the background and saw that you spent time chatting with my staff .

They said you showed interest in them, their work, their background etc, and they really appreciated it. We would like you to be our guest tomorrow night ".

After a few "It's not necessary ", we accepted and enjoyed an exceptional dinner with superb service.

All we did was showed some interest in themselves and that qualifies as a " super awesome Celebrity experience" !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mayleeman]

I am eager to see some experiences here that are contemporary! 

[KKB]

Sailed Celebrity for the 1st time in 2014 after 10 years mostly w/ Princess but also RCCL & DCL.

We were hooked--we just felt food & service were a step above.

 

Sailed the Edge July 2021, only 6 weeks after cruising got back up. 

1/3 full, Captain Kate & Eclass--OMG, I was HOOKED! 

I put Eclass a step above other Celebrity ships for style, food & service.

 

Sailed Apex  in March, Equinox in Nov & Beyond in April (Retreat on that one); all fairly full.

 

Service--having sailed almost monthly the last year, I'm finding service to be great overall on all the ships we have sailed. One waiter on Princess was terribly stressed in Oct & our FULL poker cruise on NCL felt understaffed--but they still were striving to do the best they could.

 

Food--I still put it a small step above other lines.

 

On the Edge in 2021, no surprise crew was FANTASTIC. Glad to be back working, few passengers, Cap. Kate the quintessential hostess. They had time to really get to know you.

 

On of the activities staff (Chrystal) was on our Cozumel excursion & we found out she was from OK, and we became fast friends. My mother (who was battling cancer) joined me for week 2 after DH went home. Chrystal called our room one day & said she had a 4 hour break & did we want to com play cards with here & another activities staffer. That made our cruise!!

 

 

 

[Cap_D]

Pre new management - Our own examples would include Apex crew interactions with our then young son, arranging for meeting the magician who was just awesome with kids and a good spirit; Luminae staff accommodating a seating preference, food allergies, and saving a particular dessert for me to enjoy twice; the kids camp staff; our room attendant making a towel animal because we had a child and I invited it (if they've worked on most any other line they will know how to make them, it's passed down and around among crew); Retreat hosts being attentive and engaging; Eden food and staff, and other similar examples.  And, senior staff that pivoted and made adjustments when things were mentioned.  Hotel Director down to team leader for rooftop grill were sharp and on top of things that could have added up.  

 

And, first cruise in March 2022 on Edge with full testing, 60-70% occupancy, but full Retreat, was also good (remarkable with the testing in hindsight) and got us to the one above.  Butler, Gordon, was a great guide for first timers. 

 

Important caveat to the above, I always felt the crew, brand, onboard resources (like menu items and ingredients), culture, reasonable expectations, were aligned.

Edited August 28, 2023 by Cap_D

[JLMcruise]

Spent 2 weeks on the Millennium early this month. Booked last minute and we stayed in our "first" inside cabin deck 2  (20 cruises under our belt). We usually travel in Aqua and Retreat.  The Hotel Manager remembered us and sent a bottle of champagne, Celebrity sent us a bottle of wine and one night we received 12 chocolate covered strawberries. Our room steward treated us like we were in the Retreat! On the disembarkation day - the elevators were full - random crew members carried our luggage up 2 decks of stairs for me without me even asking for help. Many crew members remembered us from previous cruises and treated us like great friends and gave superb service!

[D. B.]

We were on Millie in June 2021 (The First post Covid X cruise!) out of St. Martin.

we loved a table by the big back windows in the MDR.

The head waiter was really good to us.

One month later we were back on Millie going to Alaska on Celebrites First post Covid Alaska cruise.👏

On entering the MDR the head waiter recognized us and escorted us to our favorite table and promised us we would have it every night.

Ayear later on a different ship we saw him again working in Qsine and he still remembered us and  made us feel valued.

Not a big deal but we appreciated it.

[Joker54]

We started cruising X in 2016 and cruise a lot. We will be Zenith in Jan 24. All have been amazing cruises and we have made many friends passenger and associate alike. There were issues here and there but nothing that impacted our holiday.

 

We were on the Equinox Nov 22 for a 9 night Caribbean cruise.  We were surprised at the super awesome treatment we were receiving.

 

The Matre'd in Luminae reserved a window table in the back of the restaurant. He put a bottle of wine on it so no one would be seated there. We never asked for special seating it just happened. We also had the same wait staff for every meal we enjoyed there.

 

We asked about the Chocolate Bomb and the waiter mentioned it was only available on cruises of 11 nights or more, wasn't a big deal to us and we figured we would wait until our next longer cruise. A few minutes later the Matre'd stopped by to ask what night we wanted the Chocolate bombs. We were booked in specialty restaurants for the remainder of the cruise so he asked us to pick a night and said just stop by Liminae for desert - which we did and the Chocolate Bombs are amazing!

 

Every venue we went to on the ship a glass of both my and the DW favorite adult beverages would appear without us asking. Which is really great except if you were interested in a tea, but you cant refuse a drink that arrives without asking:) We finally noticed a sheet of paper near a register with our boarding photos and the drinks that we enjoyed. Amazing

 

We sent a letter to LLP while on the ship with the names of everyone who was making our cruise magical. The hotel director stopped by to let us know that LLP called the ship and had a conference call thanking those crew members for the service that went well above anyone's expectations.

 

That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and would never expect that level of service or attention going forward.

[Cap_D]

35 minutes ago, Joker54 said:

We sent a letter to LLP while on the ship with the names of everyone who was making our cruise magical. The hotel director stopped by to let us know that LLP called the ship and had a conference call thanking those crew members for the service that went well above anyone's expectations.

Classy.  If this happened today I fear the conference call would be from the revenue department chiding the crew or worse.  

[Kmangel]

On our most recent Celebrity cruise, I collected the inserts to go in the necklace each day.  I was collecting the bits and bobs for my seven year old granddaughter.  Each day I would go to the shop that had the different pieces for my collection.  My friend who was also on the same cruise has two young granddaughters so she asked in the shop if she could have two sets of the inserts plus an additional necklace for her granddaughters.  She was willing to pay for the extra necklace and the inserts.  She was told no.  Only one per guest.  That is until we left the shop.  A few minutes later the sales person caught up with us with a complete set of the necklace and inserts--gratis.  My friend was pleasantly surprised and pleased!

[Reel Love]

Thanks so much Cap_D for starting this thread!  Not sure if my experience is the kind of example that you are asking for, but will share anyways.....

One of my favourite experiences was on our first X cruise in April of 2012 on the Eclipse.  In port until 11:00 p.m. in San Juan and on the lawn they had a musical trio (men in tuxes and the singer in an elegant long gown - very classy) playing smooth jazz under the stars.  They had little "candles" (aka tealights with batteries) around the lawn and blankets to lay out on and servers walking around offering wine and cheese.  A beautiful and relaxing evening!!   

And of course have had the pleasure of interacting with so many excellent, hard working, friendly crew members who have enhanced each cruise experience greatly!!

 

[mlparker]

All 10 of my Celebrity cruises, including the recent ones, have been incredible from activities director sitting down with me to plan a family scavenger hunt to medical crew tending to my husband and later Captain coming to our cabin to check on him, and so many more. 

[Dreamer68]

Love. This. Thread! Thanks, OP! My first contribution is to celebrate the ease of check-in on embarkation day. We were on the Apex in January 2023, right after the Christmas and New Year sailings. Yes, chosen specifically to avoid a full ship. From the time we entered the terminal building at Fort Lauderdale to the time we stepped onto the ship, it was 10 minutes! We encountered professional, seamless, smiley (mostly) service. We had picked an 11:30 am time slot.

It was also a thrill to know our cabin was available immediately and we were able to explore the gorgeous ship easily without lugging anything clunky... 🥰

Special appreciation for free WiFi in the terminal building as someone traveling from overseas without phone and data service in the USA. YES, people like me exist. 🙂 That free WiFi allowed me to access my app and other documents easily although I'm old school and had everything printed as a back-up and on debarkation day, gave me a chance to double-check transportation and routing details to explore FLL for the day before our evening flight back to Canada. 

[hcat]

An  enjoyable thread..

Agree 100% about the very professional musicians on board as well as the hardworking Celeb singers and dancers!

[zitsky]

The treatment we received in the Beyond Retreat made us want to do it again.  Even though the maitre’d in Luminae was not welcoming.  The staff was good overall.  Rudy the butler and Indu the waiter were great!

 

We had a problem with a group tour in Greece and they arranged a private tour at no extra charge.  Sent us out with a simple lunch.

 

And I enjoyed the banana split in Luminae.

 

We tried to be low maintenance.  We’ve booked another SS on the Millennium.

Edited September 2, 2023 by zitsky

[JackE]

We just got off the Edge a few weeks ago on a seven day sailing from Barcelona to Rome. We were lucky enough to sail in a Sky Suite, and our experience in Luminae was wonderful. Our favorites were Leticia as host, Ariel as sommelier, Dewa as our waiter, with assistance from Bagus, Estephanie, Carla, Charles, and Mary. Every meal was like spending time with good friends. Jonathan in the Retreat Lounge was as charming as ever (we previously sailed with him on the Apex last summer). And we had very good experiences in Eden, Fine Cut and Rooftop Garden Grill. We made a lot of friends in the casino, both staff and passengers. It was a terrific cruise and we had the best time (despite being 95 - 100 degrees every single day!).    

 

Thanks for creating this thread! 💗

[Georgia_Peaches]

About a week prior to our cruise on Equinox over July 4th weekend, I emailed the executive office regarding the vaping trail that was implemented the week ahead of our embarkation.  I received a response from a person whose name begins with A and who may be the same person whom others have engaged with as well.  In her e-mail she asked if she could give me a call to discuss my vaping concerns and we set up a time for the following afternoon.  However, the call never came, nor did a follow up e-mail.  We embarked on Equinox the following week and had a fabulous time.  I had the opportunity to express my vaping concerns to an officer on board and our cruise progressed and ended on a high note.

 

Fast forward to yesterday when I received an e-mail from A of the executive office.  She apologized for her absence and explained that she had been on unexpected bereavement leave and was just now catching up on her correspondences.  She asked if we could set up a different time to talk and also offered $50 OBC each for myself and DH for our upcoming cruise on Ascent. The OBC is a nice gesture and completely unnecessary but I accepted graciously and have a new appointment set to speak with A from the executive office.  I guess we may talk about some of the changes summarized by @Jeremiah1212 but all that to say, it was a nice gesture from the executive office.  

[micruiser2002]

I'm sorry but not sure what good it is to get reviews of cruises 20 years ago.  The issue with all the negative posts recently is the fact that recently, Celebrity has been making what are seen as negative changes.  I have cruised Celebrity for many years and always loved them but I am concerned with some of the changes.  Specifically the new menus, sorry they do not look like anything close to past Celebrity standards.

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

I'm sorry but not sure what good it is to get reviews of cruises 20 years ago.  The issue with all the negative posts recently is the fact that recently, Celebrity has been making what are seen as negative changes.  I have cruised Celebrity for many years and always loved them but I am concerned with some of the changes.  Specifically the new menus, sorry they do not look like anything close to past Celebrity standards.

Lest we forget that it is not the fault of those who sail with us (the crew) on our Celebrity journeys, most of whom are willing to move mountains to ensure that we enjoy our experience on board ship.  And lest we forget that upper management in the executive office are responsible for the changes you reference, not the boots on the ground employees.  Lest we forget that in spite of all those changes, many people continue to cherish the memories made from as far back as 20 years ago to as recent as last week...positive comments on experiences from near or far should never be viewed as a waste, imo.  Is it possible to be down on upper management and their cockamamy ideas while simultaneously cherishing the good and give credit where credit is due?

[micruiser2002]

12 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Lest we forget that it is not the fault of those who sail with us (the crew) on our Celebrity journeys, most of whom are willing to move mountains to ensure that we enjoy our experience on board ship.  And lest we forget that upper management in the executive office are responsible for the changes you reference, not the boots on the ground employees.  Lest we forget that in spite of all those changes, many people continue to cherish the memories made from as far back as 20 years ago to as recent as last week...positive comments on experiences from near or far should never be viewed as a waste, imo.  Is it possible to be down on upper management and their cockamamy ideas while simultaneously cherishing the good and give credit where credit is due?

I never said those memories or positive experiences are a waste, nor did I mention anything about it being anyone's fault.  My issue is if I am looking for reviews to make a decision I want recent reviews. I feel like this thread is a bit of a poke at the other posts with recent negative experiences, maybe I am just taking it wrong?  Even now as I have been planning my Japan cruise and looking at tours, I do not look at any reviews prior to covid because so much has changed.  Sorry but if I am going to be spending a lot of money I want to be as up to date and informed as possible. 

[mac_tlc]

We sailed on Equinox in January 2020 and that was our first Sky Suite experience. Our waiter in Luminae was Jose and we loved him! Let's fast forward to the restart and the Edge in July 2021. Our first E-class Sky Suite and who is in Luminae ???? Jose !!! We all recognized each other and he affectionately referred to us as "mama" and "papa". It was so nice to see a familiar face after the previous 18 months. Also had Hussein and Joao in Retreat Lounge, also from Equinox. 

 

We were also lucky to meet @KKB on this cruise and her Mom. If you need a partner for any music trivia, its @KKB!! 

 

We were back on Edge in October 2021 and who is in Luminae ???? Jose !!!! By now, I almost felt like his papa!  We were on a roll so we went back on Edge in March 2022, but (sigh) Jose was no longer there --- he had gotten a promotion to Butler --- I really wonder how he has fared with the latest butler changes. 

 

We had the same Butler (Al) on Edge in 2021 and Apex in 2022. 

 

This year has been the year of Beyond, with a January and April sailing. Petre as Luminae Maitre'd and Mariana as Luminae host were on both sailings and are both moving to Ascent -- hopefully we will see them in January 2024. 

 

Of course, it was great sailing in April with some CC friends, @KKB, @Silkroad, @GenerationX, @Mrs_Tiki . 

 

So, it's really about the people --- crew and fellow passengers. Those are what we will miss as we are investigating alternatives, due to the crazy future Retreat pricing.  

 

mac_tlc