Good news with Celebrity cruise. Report the changes

[Captain100]

On 3/29/2024 at 11:00 PM, OceanCruise said:

Room steward (aka Retreat Host) kept us supplied with bottled water in our room without us asking

There were different steak options every night in Luminae (short cruise) and they were really good

The free sparkling wine (champagne?) was actually decent in the Retreat and Luminae (in our experience it was usually mediocre on past cruises)

The production show "Life" was a huge improvement over past production shows 

Luminae had more chocolate desserts than I remember in the past

Thank you for these comments! We will sail with "Silhouette" on an TA from Fort Lauderdale on April 22nd, and really look forward to have the same great experience as we always had with Celebrity: We did 10 cruises on different ships (Insignia, Constellation; Summit, Equinox and Reflection),  8 x Sky- / 1 x Celebrity- and 1 x Signature Suite, always had the same great level of service. Love the Luminae and Reatreat areas. Although we are Germans Celebrity is still our favourite cruise line.

Heard so many negative comments about downsizing of quality & service along with ridiculous price increase. Well, prices are really now on a level for "Retreat" that Luxury cruise lines like "Silversea" , "Oceania" or the new "Explora" are interesting too (did also Oceania once and loved it due to the food, which is really excellent).

Agree to you concerning the Champagne, never liked it, look forward now to the "Haslinger & Fils" (prices for bottles are an expensive joke, at least for a German 😉).

Let's be positive and see what we will experience - save travels to all of you👍...

[keesar]

22 minutes ago, Nashna said:

 We just sailed on the Vista and really missed the lively Celebrity vibe.    That is why I've been hoping that things improved since 2023.

 

"Lively Celebrity vibe."  I think I have been missing something.  

[keylimecake]

Just off 1st Oceania cruise.  It was not our vibe but we choose for the Panama canal experience which was so informative and interesting.  

So much hype about the food which did not live up to its reputation. The quality was okay.  In speaking to many long time loyal O guests the complaints were many and they quite upset.  Tuscan steak was mediocre and underwhelming.  I will say that the exception were the desserts which were consistenly good and wonderful variety. 

Working on a cruise ship must be intense and exhausting and the crew seemed overworked and quite distracted.  Our boarding was quite delayed due to an outbreak onboard on previous sailing.  Perhaps many crew were still ill?  I found it difficult to relax when it is so apparent that the crew appeared to be  exhausted and overworked.  

We were in an A1 room which was quite small and we are still laughing about the size of the 'shower' if that is what it is called.  I guess this ship is a holdover from the old R cruise line and boy does it show.  

 

Edited March 31 by keylimecake
mistake

[phoenix_dream]

On 3/30/2024 at 11:02 AM, bessinfl said:

 

"The majority of us" don't live close to Port Canaveral? I'd say the majority of people in the U.S. DO live closer to Canaveral than to Fort Lauderdale or Miami, which are three or four hours farther south. And for those of us who live in Central Florida (myself included), a Celebrity ship going out of Canaveral would persuade me to cruise more often. Thanks, Celebrity! 

If you need to fly, which a high majority of cruisers do, it is much less convenient to fly into Orlando and have to find an hour's transportation, than to fly into FLL or MIA where it is quick and easy to get to the port.  It is not about number of hours per se, or the number of miles.  It is about convenience.  I'm glad it works for you - for very many of us it makes it more complicated and more expensive overall.

Edited March 31 by phoenix_dream

[phoenix_dream]

20 hours ago, Liao said:

I'd say the majority of people in the U.S. DO live closer to Canaveral than to Fort Lauderdale or Miami,  This is really irrelevant when the majority are flying in for their cruise, and in fact most are.

As I mention above in reply, it is not about number of hours, or the number of miles to fly.  It is about convenience from the airports.  It is vastly easier to fly into FLL or MIA and get to port, compared to flying into Orlando and having to get an hour's transportation to Port Canaveral.  I know, I've done both when sailing on Royal.  

[bessinfl]

Yes to the fact that it's harder to fly to Port Canaveral than to Miami or Fort Lauderdale. But there's only one ship currently scheduled to sail from Canaveral (the Equinox) and several from the ports farther south. Surely this is not a deal-breaker for you all?

 

To get back to the original question, I love Celebrity and am happy they have added one more port to all those they already use. 
 

 

[sofietucker]

4 hours ago, keesar said:

 

"Lively Celebrity vibe."  I think I have been missing something.  

Lol, stated in contrast to Oceania...

3 hours ago, keylimecake said:

Just off 1st Oceania cruise.  It was not our vibe but we choose for the Panama canal experience which was so informative and interesting.  

So much hype about the food which did not live up to its reputation. The quality was okay.  In speaking to many long time loyal O guests the complaints were many and they quite upset.  Tuscan steak was mediocre and underwhelming.  I will say that the exception were the desserts which were consistenly good and wonderful variety. 

Working on a cruise ship must be intense and exhausting and the crew seemed overworked and quite distracted.  Our boarding was quite delayed due to an outbreak onboard on previous sailing.  Perhaps many crew were still ill?  I found it difficult to relax when it is so apparent that the crew appeared to be  exhausted and overworked.  

We were in an A1 room which was quite small and we are still laughing about the size of the 'shower' if that is what it is called.  I guess this ship is a holdover from the old R cruise line and boy does it show.  

 

We've only sailed Oceania once (Elite on X) and won't go back. The vibe was verrry staid: not   laid back/relaxed, just stuffy and uptight. Not fun. As my friend nicknamed it, everything about both the pax and the ship was "tasteful taupe" (well, except for the dreadful art all over the Riviera, which we assume the owner took with him when he left last year). Bad experience in Tuscan too.

Edited March 31 by sofietucker

[Ex-Airbalancer]

9 hours ago, Nashna said:

I've been hoping that things improved since 2023.

Both our Transatlantic cruise in 2023 were very good  

[Spif Barwunkel]

It is very good news that Celebrity has decided to widen its footprint in central coastal Florida. Equinox in November '24, Apex in November '25. Has nothing to do with and will in no way affect cruises from other Florida ports, also good news. Princess too will base ships at PC. Caribbean Princess in November '24 and Sky Princess in November '25. More good news. Definitely shorter driving distance from FLL and MIA airports to respective cruise terminals. When driving into FL on the east coast to go cruisin' Port Canaveral offers a much less stressful destination. Good news!         

[RazMeister]

11 hours ago, Nashna said:

Our last two Celebrity cruises in January 23 we felt the line had gone downhill.  We then booked Oceania, Azamara and Viking.  I occasionally come back to this site to see if things have changed.  It appears that they have.  Two questions...is prime rib back on the menu?  Is lobster a surcharge?  Are chair hogs still and issue or is Celebrity doing anything about them?  We enjoyed the entertainment on Celebrity and miss that on other ships.  We would love to go back if things are better...especially the menus.

  

I sailed CC at the end of Feb, Prime Rib was on the menu twice and lobster once....  On Lobster night, our waiter recommended ordering an entree and adding on a lobster tail.... No charge...  Only upcharge if you ordered the Lobster dinner and added on another tail....

[Peteymil]

On 3/29/2024 at 1:28 PM, keesar said:

A few positives to add:

 

-Check in process at the pier has greatly improved

-Able to drop off your luggage in the room when you board

-No more gimmicks like all female bridge cruises

Why is that a gimmick? Oh right, and I suppose if you see an all male bridge, that's a gimmick too?????

[HopefulCruiser123]

I personally am THRILLED to be departing from Port Canaveral.  We will arrive a few days early and plan to do the Kennedy Space Center tour.  I know for some flying in and taking a cab, Uber or shuttle directly to the port is a priority.  I just am glad that we get to spend some extra time in Cocoa Beach!

[Gracie115]

7 hours ago, HopefulCruiser123 said:

I personally am THRILLED to be departing from Port Canaveral.  We will arrive a few days early and plan to do the Kennedy Space Center tour.  I know for some flying in and taking a cab, Uber or shuttle directly to the port is a priority.  I just am glad that we get to spend some extra time in Cocoa Beach!

 

 

We are thrilled too!  It's just infinitely easier to get to Port Canaveral than Ft Laud or Miami.  We are about the same distance from FLL as Port Canaveral but the FAR less traffic and congestion at Port Canaveral makes it a big winner for us.  That was actually part of the reason we booked the fall TA on Equinox which ends in Port Canaveral.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

33 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

We are thrilled too!  It's just infinitely easier to get to Port Canaveral than Ft Laud or Miami.  We are about the same distance from FLL as Port Canaveral but the FAR less traffic and congestion at Port Canaveral makes it a big winner for us.  That was actually part of the reason we booked the fall TA on Equinox which ends in Port Canaveral.

And for us , it almost the reason we didn’t book the Equinox TA 🤣

it is hard to fly out of PC compared to other ports in Florida 

if it is a pain , it will be the last time we use PC 

[Nashna]

21 hours ago, keesar said:

 

"Lively Celebrity vibe."  I think I have been missing something.  

We did miss the vibe on Oceania that we experienced on Celebrity.  We missed the Martini Bar entertainment and the great musical choices in the evening.  O's after dinner choices were a pianist or a string quartet.    

[bebe08]

11 hours ago, RazMeister said:

I sailed CC at the end of Feb, Prime Rib was on the menu twice and lobster once....  On Lobster night, our waiter recommended ordering an entree and adding on a lobster tail.... No charge...  Only upcharge if you ordered the Lobster dinner and added on another tail....

Similar experience for us on the Connie in Feb except our waiter recommended ordering the lobster as appetizer (he explained it was quite small)  and something else for the entree.  Worked well.

[Harrisonkid]

With the Elite Buffet....Can anyone tell me what was on the buffet ? Better then the Oceanview? .or just less crowded ?

[Gracie115]

4 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

And for us , it almost the reason we didn’t book the Equinox TA 🤣

it is hard to fly out of PC compared to other ports in Florida 

if it is a pain , it will be the last time we use PC 

Hopefully it won't be.  There are so many options for getting back to Orlando airport from the port, hope it goes smoothly for you.

[Harrisonkid]

I agree. Many car/shuttle companies to get you to and from Port C...and they are working on connecting a train between Orlando and Cocoa Beach 

[bebe08]

18 minutes ago, Harrisonkid said:

With the Elite Buffet....Can anyone tell me what was on the buffet ? Better then the Oceanview? .or just less crowded ?

Its a very small buffet - continental breakfast offerings.  No hot dishes.  Basically has all the items that are on the Elite breakfast menu, plus a few extras.  Here is what I remember: cold meats, smoked salmon, cheeses, fruit, yogurt parfaits, pastries, croissants, danishes, mini bagels and cream cheese.   There is still a menu for beverages - ie tea, coffee, latte, cappachino, smoothies, juices, mimosas etc.  I also heard someone order a full size toasted bagel and was able to get it, so seemed like you could get made to order items as well but assume just variations of whats already offered.  

 

It was never crowded when we were there and we were on a full cruise on the Connie.  

Edited April 1 by bebe08
edit

[maxsales]

37 minutes ago, Harrisonkid said:

With the Elite Buffet....Can anyone tell me what was on the buffet ? Better then the Oceanview? .or just less crowded ?

It's a cold buffet.  Pastries, rolls cheese cold cuts etc

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, maxsales said:

It's a cold buffet.  Pastries, rolls cheese cold cuts etc

It is a  good place for second breakfast 🤣

[tikigal]

On 3/31/2024 at 3:30 AM, helen haywood said:

It was changed to a plated/menu affair way before Covid.  The “explanation” at the time was the health department (or whatever) would not allow a buffet on a carpeted area.  On S Class where the Elite breakfast is served in Tuscan the buffet was set up specifically for that meal and taken down when it was over to revert back to the full tabled restaurant.  As there is tile at the entrance to Tuscan, no reason the buffet couldn’t have been shifted there…IMHO.

They need more items on the elite Buffett for breakfast.  

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, tikigal said:

They need more items on the elite Buffett for breakfast.  

Like fried eggs pancakes and waffles 🤔😁

[DaKahuna]

6 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Like fried eggs pancakes and waffles 🤔😁

 

 Not to mention omelets. 

 

Seriously, it is not and was not meant to be a replacement for the Ocean View Cafe breakfast buffet.