Star Princess cruiser needs Celebrity information

[redrobin]

I was booked on the 4/2 Star Princess cruise that was canceled due to the fire onboard. I was very fortunate to be able to book a CC cabin for next weekend on the Millennium to the Eastern Caribbean as a substitute. I've been on one prior Sapphire Princess cruise, but have no Celebrity sailings. All the information I would normally gather from these boards over weeks, months.... I need to learn in just a week!!!

 

I've read the FAQ sticky and the Celebrity Secrets sticky, but at 45 pages long, I may have missed something. I'd sure appreciate any 'need to know' information that Celebrity cruisers would like to share. (Keeping my fingers crossed that the sewer smell problem on the Millennium has been solved.) Also, any comparisons between the Princess product and Celebrity would also be great. Thanks in advance for your help! :)

[CA traveler]

I have been on the Star twice last year and recently on the Caribbean Princess - a few years back I was on the Millie in the Caribbean. What I remember is: I liked the food better on Celebrity. The Millenium has some spa food selections on the far side of the lido deck - at least they used to, and much better buffet selections.

 

I have an upcoming Celebrity cruise and have been reading the boards here to find out more about Celebrity. I have learned they have sushi every night in the buffet area 6-10. Use of the interent is over double the price on Celebrity ($.75 per minute) than on Princess ($.35).

 

I think they are both great ships and you will not be disappointed.

[duke052]

redrobin, Welcome aboard. Join our CC group . We are meeting for cocktails right after muster. Great group and some of us have together in the past. I sailed on the Star last Dec and this is our 11th on X. We had a great time on the Star [ and will Princess again ] but it doesn't compare to X. Hope to c-u on the 4/2 Millie thread.

[msiowa]

I'm so sorry your cruise got cancelled (the Star fire is such a terrible thing - I think it's every cruiser worst nightmare.)

 

I've been on 3 Princess cruises (Grand, Dawn and Caribbean) and 2 Celebrity cruises - Constellation and Summit. I like the Celebrity product better but I think Princess does a nice job as well. If you search this board you'll find a number of threads that address the differences between the 2 lines and you'll find that, in many peoples' opinions, Princess does some things better, and Celbrity does other things better. I think you'll have a great time on Millennium.

 

One thing I LOVE about Celebrity(X) that I didn't learn about until my first X cruise was nearly over, is that during the day in the Cova Cafe, you can get unlimkited free pastries, including (in the morning) freshly baked (hot!) chocolate croissants. Yum!!!!! (It's probably a good thing I didn't know about it earlier!)

 

I like having one announcement per day (at noon) rather than a number of announcements throughout the day.

 

I love the sorbet on parade at the pool around 2pm. It makes me giggle and the sorbet is refreshing.

 

I love the cool towels when returning from port and the chamgagne greeting at embarkation.

 

I love the free, very tasty ice cream on X.

 

I think the food is better on X but I like the fettucini alfredo that is available every night on Princess. I also love the souffles on Princess (the only souffles on X are in the specialty restaurant, which I highly recommend you visit one evening.

 

I prefer the fresh water pools on Princess that stay open 24 hours a day.

 

I love Princess mini-suites (I wish X had something similar) and the huge verandas on Caribe deck. (I was lucky to have an aft CC cabin on Summit that has an ever larger veranda but there are very few of them.)

 

I like having the laundry facilities on Princess. I like to iron my clothes when I take them out of my suitcase but I can't do that on X (or I have to send them out to be pressed.)

 

For the most part I'd say Princess and X are comparable and I'm sure you'll have a great cruise on Millennium.

 

Enjoy!

Joanie

[2ladies]

Spa cafe for lunch and light dinner if you feel like it!!

 

Do check out the casual dining - very pleasant - satellite kitchen with different menu!! More intimate restaurant setting than formal Dining Room. You have to book in the morning and leave a tip of $2 pp.

 

The specialty restaurant is superb!!! A MUST!! In UK this is a $200 pp meal!!! Dining experience!! Book early if you want to go.

 

We cruise a lot and you get smells at certain times in different places on all the ships!! OMG - shock horror - you are on a SHIP!!

 

The evening on the aft deck is delightful!! Usually guitarist and private yacht feel!! Sock hop night is great fun.

 

Was on the Star a few weeks ago and then on the Infinity. Honestly, both Princess and Celebrity have their strengths. I do like the lemonade and guava juice available at all times on Celebrity - and their excellent and FREE ice cream counter!!!

 

There was an amazing buffet on the Caribbean night.

 

If you are in Concierge Class and order breakfast, make sure your steward lays it all out nicely (i.e. not tray plonked on table) on white tablecloth and orchid on the balcony and order the smoothies!!! It makes you feel great!!! If you don't like the canapes at 4.30 ask for shrimp!!

 

Any other questions?

[redrobin]

Thanks for the warm welcome and all of the X information!

 

Read that you can buy soda stickers onboard. Other than coffee and tea (and the guava juice and lemonade), are there other drinks provided at no charge? Any specialty Caribbean drinks you recommend? I was looking forward trying the Chocolate Banana recommended on Princess. Does Celebrity have wine tasting similar to Princess - one for a nominal fee and a second one later in the week costing more?

 

I didn't do it yet, but want to add the suggested gratuity to my shipboard account once onboard. What do you recommend for other tips? Do you add them to your account at the end of the cruise, or do you suggest tipping for things like room service, specialty restaurants... in cash throughout the week? Thanks again!

[tabasco]

we sailed the grand princess last spring break and celebrity galaxy this spring break. We liked celebrity a lot better - you will be pleased with your celebrity cruise.

[Host Anne]

Red Robin ~ welcome to the Celebrity board. While I am one of the hosts here, I've sailed Celebrity and Princess pretty interchangably. We enjoy both lines and have always enjoyed our cruises on both lines a great deal.

 

To answer some of your last questions:

 

You can add your gratuities to your shipboard account on Celebrity now. We still like to personally give tips to our service staff (it's a personal thing) but many people put them on their account. If we have exceptional service (and we often do), we'll tip more than the recommended (I usually carry $10 international phone cards with me to for someone who's done something special for us but may not be our regular waiter or cabin attendant). For the specialty restaurant, the additional fee you are charged is for the gratuity. We have given some extra tip to the specialty staff as well, but we had truly outstanding service (the specialty restuarants on the M-class ships are by far the best we've been in, including those on Princess ships). But tipping is a personal thing. Do what you feel comfortable doing.

 

Coffee, tea, juices, water (in the Waterfall) are included. Soda stickers are available but things anything alcoholic, coffee specialty drinks, smoothies, etc are an extra charge. Anything that you don't see on a drink menu, ask and they'll make it for you. My husband is always making up martinis for the bar staff to create and they love doing it. Gives them a chance to be creative.

 

Yes, Celebrity does have wine tastings as you've described. You'll pretty much find the activities offered on Celebrity similar to those on Princess.

 

Do book a reservation in the specialty restuarant early upon boarding.

 

You will have a great time -- by the way....our favorite spot on the ship is the aft outdoor dining area at the back of the Waterfall Cafe. A wonderful spot to have breakfast or lunch and usually not overcrowded.

 

ENJOY and BON VOYAGE!

 

By the way, here's a link to the roll call for Millie on April 2

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=266445

[redrobin]

Thanks again for the replies. Two other questions.

 

Used to the Anytime Dining on Princess. If I'm in port and miss my set dining time, it looks like my options are - the Olympic restaurant (if booked successfully in advance), casual dining (but not a buffet), or room service (where you can order off of the regular dining menu). Is that correct? Is it rude to just not show up, for instance, do you let the wait staff or other people at your table know in advance that you may not be there?

 

Also, was wondering about the port times in Puerto Rico, Antigua and St. Maarten especially because of Daylight Saving Time. Does the ship change time to match that in each port and what would that be?

 

I'm really pretty excited to try Celebrity and will report back after the cruise!

[Host Anne]

RedRobin ~ you are right about the dining options if you skip the dining room. If you know in advance that you aren't going to make it to the dining room, it's a nice courtesy to let your waiters and fellow tablemates know (for example, we make specialty reservations when we board and then let our waiters know what night that will be so they aren't waiting for us that particular evening). If you don't know ahead of time, that's OK, too. They know if you aren't there within ten - fifteen minutes of your dining time that you probably aren't coming.

 

Celebrity normally changes time to match port time. You'll find this information in the Celebrity Today newsletter that is in your cabin every night.

 

I'm so glad to see that you are looking at this change in plans as an opportunity to try something new. I hope you have a fabulous time!

[hajekfam]

I would disagree about the ship always changing to local time - on half our Celebrity Caribbean cruises, we changed to local time, on the the other half we stayed on ship time (Florida time). There will be a notice in the daily if the time is changing as well as a reminder card on your pillow with your chocolates.

As far as the casual dining, they like reservations to be made by 5:30 pm, but I have heard of several people that end up missing their dinnertime or are just too tired after shore excursions to dress and go to the casual dining without reservations.

[redrobin]

Thanks, didn't realize reservations were suggested for casual dining. Also, checked the port times, and, if I'm correct, all islands are one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time, but none have Daylight Saving Time. So, ship time and port time should be the same for the whole cruise which makes things simple!

 

BTW, can you still do the document dance if you only have time to get e-documents? :) Printed the shore excursion brochure from the website and will have to fill out my luggage tags at the port.

 

A few new questions after looking at them:

The documents recommend boarding no earlier than 1:30, but we sail at 4:30, so I'm guessing people will show up around 11, with boarding beginning around noon. Is that correct?

See Celebrity gives you e-mail addresses. Does anyone use them? I'm only looking to correspond with family once or twice, and was wondering what would be easiest. Not taking a laptop along.

Was unable to prebook shore excursions because of the late timing. With Celebrity, how is availability when booking on the ship? With Princess, a lot of people prebook because you don't have to prepay and can cancel onboard if necessary.

 

Thanks!

[Host Anne]

RedRobin ~ of course you can still do the doc dance. You should be dancing all the way to the ship....you deserve it!!!! :)

 

Yes, you can board earlier than the recommended time. We usually arrive around 11:00 AM for all cruises and provided that they hasn't been a delay in disembarkation, we're typically on board between 11:30 - Noon at the latest.

 

Haven't booked a shore excursion through the ship in quite some time so I'm not going to be of help in letting you know how full they might be when you board. Visit the excursion desk as soon as you can and I'm sure they will do their very best to accommodate you. Maybe someone who has recently booked excursions on board can be of more assistance.

[Antyo]

We were due to sail on the 4/16 Star... and we are now on to "Plan B".

 

My TA is holding a quad balcony cabin for us (category 2B) on the "Millie" for the 4/16 voyage. I will be cruising with my mother, my daughter and her friend (both 15). I am wondering if anyone can give me some information on the teen programs. We sailed the Carib. Princess last year, so that is all I have to compare it to.

 

After reading these boards, I have no doubt that my mother and I will have an incredible time (pamper me PLEASE! and show me to the casino;) !)

 

Can anyone give me any information about the teen programs? Thanks so much and I hope to see you all on board on the 16th!

 

- Anty (a very hopeful future Celebrity cruiser!):D

[Lois R]

Hi Anty,:) I don't have any kids but I have always heard

positive comments about X's programs.

 

And I am sure she won't mind me saying this but Anne's daughter

has sailed many times (she is in college now) but I know from when

she was small until now she has sailed and I think she has always

enjoyed her cruises:)

I am sure Anne can give you some first hand info when she checks

in again.

 

I have sailed Summit and Constellation (sister ships of Millie)

and had wonderful times on both. Welcome to X and hoping

you have a great cruise too:D

[jojogo]

Just a quick note regarding time. This Saturday night we 'Spring Ahead' for daylight savings so it should not be a problem.

The Celebrity Today will list all daily dining places & times for your perusal.

Hope you enjoy!:D

[redrobin]

Back from the Millennium and had a wonderful cruise! Thought I’d share a few thoughts for those upcoming Princess cruisers trying Celebrity for the first time, like me. Note that my comparisons are limited to two ships, my 7-day Alaska cruise on the Sapphire Princess and this 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Millie.

 

• The crowd was older, with fewer children and young adults than I'd imagine you'd find on other lines especially during Spring Break time.
  
• About 650 people on the cruise were part of a cooking 'group' with Paula Deen from the Food Network. They had some special events together throughout the cruise and were a nice group to interact with.
  
• Everyone dressed nicely, especially at night, but shorts, swimsuits and casual attire was fine for the day. Saw fewer jeans on X, but that may have more to do with the destination than the cruise line.
  
• The Millie showed some wear in the stateroom, compared to the newer Sapphire, but overall it was well-maintained and a very nice ship. Noticed the artwork displayed around the ship. The Concierge Class stateroom was comparable to a Sapphire mini-suite.
  
• X tries to give you more of an upscale feeling - the glass of champagne for everyone upon embarkation and, in the buffet, the cloth placemats on the tray and waiters offering to carry them to the table for you. Not an issue, but no one escorted us to our room upon embarkation, and only once thought I saw the cool towels available upon reboarding the ship in port.
  
• Would give the edge to X as far as food, especially at the buffet. Still like the Anytime Dining on Princess, but did fine with the traditional seating. Had excellent service from our waiter and assistant waiter and other crew members we encountered on the ship.
  
• As on Princess, prepaid tips before the end of the cruise and added a little extra. Was surprised by the number of people handing out envelopes in the dining room on the last night. Am hoping X does a good job of letting the crew know who tips them. I'm hoping no one thinks I neglected to tip them.
  
• Enjoyed the ice-cream, afternoon tea, breakfast waffles and made to order eggs, pasta station, CC breakfast smoothies, Cova Café chocolate croissants, special nighttime buffets and gourmet bites. The sushi bar and spa dining are nice options too for those looking for something differernt.
  
• Entertainment was very good. A wonderful violinist one night. The Celebrity Theater was never crowded like I remember on the Sapphire. Enjoyed the music in the lounges at night.
  
• Took a tour of the Spa and fitness area, which was similar to the Sapphire, but didn't have any treatments. Noted, but didn't try, the Acupuncture and topless sunbathing available on X.
  
• Lots of public places to enjoy including the library, conservatory (flower shop), internet café, computer lab, movie theater, lounges/bars, shops, casino... Enjoyed time on deck by the pool during the sea days. There were the usual chair savers, but finding a chair wasn't difficult.
  
• Enjoyed the martini tasting. Don't usually drink them, so it was fun for something different.
  
• Thought the art auction was better on the Sapphire.
  
• The internet is cheaper per minute on Princess, although I liked the Celebrity e-mail address you received for the duration of the cruise to send and receive e-mails for a flat $2.
  
• Although things are marked, Port Everglades was hectic and I was glad I had looked at a map in advance to have an idea of where I was going to drop off luggage, park the car, catch the shuttle back to the terminal. Our embarkation was delayed a bit because of the tragic bus accident in South America. Disembarkation was delayed a bit as well, not sure why.

Overall, had a great time, and would be equally comfortable cruising either line again. Thanks again to those who gave me tips beforehand. The advice was spot on and very helpful!

[BrooklynGirl2]

Thank you redrobin for coming back to share your experience with Celebrity. I'm glad you had a good time on X. I enjoyed your review and it was interesting to read your perspective. I hope I am able to cruise an M-class X ship one day.:)

[Deb&GarySD]

Thanks for the detailed review Redrobin. We will be on the Millennium 4/23 Eastern Caribbean sailing and wonder if the sewage odors we've been hearing about have gone away. You didn't mention it, so I'm hopeful that they've resolved the problem. Glad you had a nice trip.

 

Deb

[redrobin]

Thanks for the detailed review Redrobin. We will be on the Millennium 4/23 Eastern Caribbean sailing and wonder if the sewage odors we've been hearing about have gone away. You didn't mention it, so I'm hopeful that they've resolved the problem. Glad you had a nice trip.

 

Deb

 

 

debrajanders,

 

Posted my experience on the thread about that topic, but I'll copy my reply here too so you don't have to search for it. Sounds like Celebrity has identified a problem and is working to correct it. Hopefully that's the case, and it will not be an issue when you sail. Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

Also just off the Millennium on Sunday. Was hoping to report back that I experienced no sewer smells; however, at the end of the cruise was walking down deck 8 one night to go to the Celebrity Theater and encountered a strong sewer smell in the forward hallway. Looking at a map, it was from about stateroom 8046 to 8070. Intentionally walked down that same hallway twice the next day and the smell was gone. Also, never smelled anything near my stateroom or in any public rooms, so it did not detract at all from my cruise experience.

 

When we were docked in St. Maarten I can also confirm that we were without water for awhile during the mid-morning hours, followed by brown water for a time. Overheard people saying that it was due to a broken water pipe on deck 6, but I cannot confirm that. Later that day I asked a woman at the Guest Relations desk what had happened, and was told that it was a 'water emergency' but she had no further information she could give me. Either she didn't know or didn't want to say.

 

Can also say that it seemed we needed to flush the toilets more than on my last cruise. Not wanting to give you more information than you want to know, but sometimes the toilet didn't flush the first time you pushed the button, and often took two or three flushes to vacuum the toilet paper. Don't know that it is an indication of a problem, or just a difference between ships.

[dagadget]

Back from the Millennium and had a wonderful cruise! Thought I’d share a few thoughts for those upcoming Princess cruisers trying Celebrity for the first time, like me. Note that my comparisons are limited to two ships, my 7-day Alaska cruise on the Sapphire Princess and this 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Millie.

 

• The crowd was older, with fewer children and young adults than I'd imagine you'd find on other lines especially during Spring Break time.
  
• About 650 people on the cruise were part of a cooking 'group' with Paula Deen from the Food Network. They had some special events together throughout the cruise and were a nice group to interact with.
  
• Everyone dressed nicely, especially at night, but shorts, swimsuits and casual attire was fine for the day. Saw fewer jeans on X, but that may have more to do with the destination than the cruise line.
  
• The Millie showed some wear in the stateroom, compared to the newer Sapphire, but overall it was well-maintained and a very nice ship. Noticed the artwork displayed around the ship. The Concierge Class stateroom was comparable to a Sapphire mini-suite.
  
• X tries to give you more of an upscale feeling - the glass of champagne for everyone upon embarkation and, in the buffet, the cloth placemats on the tray and waiters offering to carry them to the table for you. Not an issue, but no one escorted us to our room upon embarkation, and only once thought I saw the cool towels available upon reboarding the ship in port.
  
• Would give the edge to X as far as food, especially at the buffet. Still like the Anytime Dining on Princess, but did fine with the traditional seating. Had excellent service from our waiter and assistant waiter and other crew members we encountered on the ship.
  
• As on Princess, prepaid tips before the end of the cruise and added a little extra. Was surprised by the number of people handing out envelopes in the dining room on the last night. Am hoping X does a good job of letting the crew know who tips them. I'm hoping no one thinks I neglected to tip them.
  
• Enjoyed the ice-cream, afternoon tea, breakfast waffles and made to order eggs, pasta station, CC breakfast smoothies, Cova Café chocolate croissants, special nighttime buffets and gourmet bites. The sushi bar and spa dining are nice options too for those looking for something differernt.
  
• Entertainment was very good. A wonderful violinist one night. The Celebrity Theater was never crowded like I remember on the Sapphire. Enjoyed the music in the lounges at night.
  
• Took a tour of the Spa and fitness area, which was similar to the Sapphire, but didn't have any treatments. Noted, but didn't try, the Acupuncture and topless sunbathing available on X.
  
• Lots of public places to enjoy including the library, conservatory (flower shop), internet café, computer lab, movie theater, lounges/bars, shops, casino... Enjoyed time on deck by the pool during the sea days. There were the usual chair savers, but finding a chair wasn't difficult.
  
• Enjoyed the martini tasting. Don't usually drink them, so it was fun for something different.
  
• Thought the art auction was better on the Sapphire.
  
• The internet is cheaper per minute on Princess, although I liked the Celebrity e-mail address you received for the duration of the cruise to send and receive e-mails for a flat $2.
  
• Although things are marked, Port Everglades was hectic and I was glad I had looked at a map in advance to have an idea of where I was going to drop off luggage, park the car, catch the shuttle back to the terminal. Our embarkation was delayed a bit because of the tragic bus accident in South America. Disembarkation was delayed a bit as well, not sure why.

Overall, had a great time, and would be equally comfortable cruising either line again. Thanks again to those who gave me tips beforehand. The advice was spot on and very helpful!

 

 

A very helpful post I enjoyed reading it and I am sure that the cruise my wife and I are going on Millie on Sunday the 16th is going to be fabulous. I will have to be careful not to run into the topless areas when my wife is with me I might get tossed overboard ;) Thanks for the information and it's really to bad you can't go again with us. You sound like the life of the party :)

[redrobin]

dagadget,

No resistance here, I'd be ready to go! :) Again, have a great time. I hope all of the upcoming Millennium cruisers report back and let us know what you thought.

[dagadget]

dagadget,

No resistance here, I'd be ready to go! :) Again, have a great time. I hope all of the upcoming Millennium cruisers report back and let us know what you thought.

 

Well I certainly will make my self known when I do get back good (which is what I expect) bad (which I don't) and indifferent (not likely). Anyway I am looking forward to this very much. See you when we get back

[julieanne]

Guess I will add my 2 cents here. The soda card. $80 for two weeks. That was fine, except the soda was always flat and warm. They always gave me the leftovers or the bottom of the 2 liter bottle. I complained and they credited my account back. If that was the worst thing that has happened on "X", then that says a lot! Upcoming will be my 36th cruise (6 th on "X") and I do not have anything bad to say about them. The casual dining is fantastic, food was excellent and service outstanding! We chose to do this on all port days as we had early dining. Remember, you can always cancel the casual dining reservation, but you do have to make a reservation to dine. We are on the Millie for 4/30/06 and I am sure all of us will review when we return! Have a wonderful cruise!