Celebrity No Longer #1, According to T+L Readers

[wahlct]

I will say VV is NOT for everyone.  It was a much more diverse group of passengers.  Anyone that is easily offended should stay away. 

I remember a X cruise to Key West years ago that docked during Fantasy Week.  Many outraged passengers, lol.  Those people should not try VV.

I just recommend doing your research.  As I said, we had a great time.  The food was incredible and far better than anything X is doing these days, whether it's the DMR, specialty, Blu, or Luminae.  And it's included.  The biggest issue as pointed out above is the small fleet and limited options.

[Tom and Ingrid]

2 minutes ago, wahlct said:

The food was incredible and far better than anything X is doing these days, whether it's the DMR, specialty, Blu, or Luminae.

Food schmood! Folks really want to know if you can wear shorts to dinner? And a t-shirt? Flip flops? Or a baseball cap! 😱

[wahlct]

Just now, Tom and Ingrid said:

Food schmood! Folks really want to know if you can wear shorts to dinner? And a t-shirt? Flip flops? Or a baseball cap! 😱

You can wear anything you want to dinner, except swimwear.  Although most people seemed to dress to impress for a lot of nights.

[RichYak]

8 minutes ago, wahlct said:

I will say VV is NOT for everyone.  It was a much more diverse group of passengers.  Anyone that is easily offended should stay away. 

Ok, I'll bite. Offended by what?

[wahlct]

6 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Ok, I'll bite. Offended by what?

Diversity and adult themes.

I would guess on our cruise at least 25% were outwardly gay couples, and at least 30% non-white passengers.  This was a very different demographic than what I've experienced on X.

 

As for adult themes, the first night is a pajama party. Not that anything weird happened, but some people just acted weird and offended about it.  There is a resident drag queen on each ship.  Lots of late night parties.

 

It's a very different vibe on the ship.  And it was an absolute blast.  I'd recommend watching the series "The Cruise" on Amazon Prime.  It follows a VV cruise, and portrays the cruise very accurately.  It's what convinced us to try it.

[cruise47]

How are votes cast on the T & L to determine the #1 cruise line ?

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, cruise47 said:

How are votes cast on the T & L to determine the #1 cruise line ?

 

They claim 300K+ T&L reader votes.  Like any award, it's possible voting bots were used by cruise line cheerleaders to increase votes and/or T&L was influenced by the advertising dollars cruise lines spent.  VV is well known for having some of the best complimentary food on a mass market line as they don't charge for specialty restaurants 

[chefchick]

5 hours ago, Judyrem said:

I have not been on a cruise since the covid debacle.  Most of the time I go on land vacations but  when  I went to Tuscany and Sicily for two weeks with four other women recently , we all realized our struggles with suitcases, and steps were becoming problematic for us, ergo cruises or private group tours.

 

I can't always find women to go with because they still have husbands and can not travel as easily as I fortunately able to do.

 

BTW, in one week my friend and I are on Queen Mary 2 for a TA to Hamburg and five days Hamburg.

 

I have a "solo" on Beyond in October, a solo Western Caribbean on Constellation in Jan, a March Infinity sailing from Greece and an October sailing on Apex to Portugal and the Canaries.

But you specifically said you would be uncomfortable on Virgin as a solo older woman and I am curious as to why?  Or are you saying you’ve never sailed solo on any cruise line?  If so, I’m not sure why you single one cruise line out, but maybe I’m reading this wrong.

[KKB]

On 7/18/2024 at 12:50 PM, wahlct said:

We took our first VV cruise a couple of months ago, and the differences are drastic.  We mainly wanted to take the cruise as it's adult only.

 

IMO, VV beats Celebrity in:

1. Food.  All of VV's restaurants are included, and the quality is at least as good as X specialty restaurants.

2. Entertainment.  More adult oriented and more varied.

For me, X has gotten stale, and the quality/$ is dropping.  Food quality and service has dropped while prices have gone up substantially.  All of the X ships have basically the same restaurants with the same menus for years. The menu in Tuscany is the same as when I first dined there in 2011.

To answer your question, they need to get back to what set them apart originally.  More "luxury".  Stop nickel-diming me on everything like all the other lines.  Stop taking away service.  Bring back the sea day brunch buffet.  Bring the food back to where it was. 

In the past 2 years, we've been on 4 lines, and X ranked 3rd for us, behind Azamara and VV, even though it was the most expensive.

Now, we have not tried VV yet (had a comp last weekend...unfortunately had to cancel, dangit).

But u mention entertainment is better than X.

Have you sailed Eclass? The shows on Eclass are a big step above M & S class, imo. 

More in line with the Broadway offerings of NCL (which they are thinning considerably) & RCCL.

 

[wahlct]

25 minutes ago, KKB said:

Now, we have not tried VV yet (had a comp last weekend...unfortunately had to cancel, dangit).

But u mention entertainment is better than X.

Have you sailed Eclass? The shows on Eclass are a big step above M & S class, imo. 

More in line with the Broadway offerings of NCL (which they are thinning considerably) & RCCL.

 

Yes I have been on the Edge a few years ago, and felt it was much better.  However, I hate the the Broadway type shows generally, lol.  Entertainment is very subjective.  VV had more adult oriented humor, smaller venue magic and comedy shows, and better live musical acts throughout the ship.  The types of music were very different with each group too.  One might be Motown, another rock, country, etc.

They also had another activity that I found very entertaining that I wish other lines would copy.  They did a Grog Walk.  Basically an organized pub crawl.  Was a great way to explore the ship and meet lots of new people.

[Judyrem]

1 hour ago, chefchick said:

But you specifically said you would be uncomfortable on Virgin as a solo older woman and I am curious as to why?  Or are you saying you’ve never sailed solo on any cruise line?  If so, I’m not sure why you single one cruise line out, but maybe I’m reading this wrong.

No I never sailed solo, wanted to but had a friend or a relative accompany me.

 

I want to do solo, but in a more subdued environment.   I get along well with almost everyone but snobs.  I could care less what anyone looks like let alone what they do in private.

 

Baby steps first then I might join a more "lively" cruise line in the future.

 

BTW, I cosplay at Dragon Con as Professor McGonagall so I KNOW what diversity and fun is LOL.  In fact I am going with my family over this Labor day weekend for Dragon Con in downtown Atlanta!

 

Some Dragon Con attendees would make some Virgin passengers blush!🤪

 

Edited July 19 by Judyrem

[KKB]

14 minutes ago, wahlct said:

Yes I have been on the Edge a few years ago, and felt it was much better.  However, I hate the the Broadway type shows generally, lol.  Entertainment is very subjective.  VV had more adult oriented humor, smaller venue magic and comedy shows, and better live musical acts throughout the ship.  The types of music were very different with each group too.  One might be Motown, another rock, country, etc.

They also had another activity that I found very entertaining that I wish other lines would copy.  They did a Grog Walk.  Basically an organized pub crawl.  Was a great way to explore the ship and meet lots of new people.

It IS subjective. I find production shows on other ships "bleh" overall.

Musicians around the ship--you NEVER know what you are gonna get, on ANY ship, ANY line.

We always find at least one or 2 groups/musicians we enjoy on any cruise. Admittedly, most do seem to play a wide variety of all genres as opposed to specializing...which, from a business standpoint (both for the musicians & cruise lines) makes more sense.

Comedians--I never expect much from them except Carnival. 

Pub Crawl--I've seem them organized on many Roll Calls (here & elsewhere) AND they don't cost money!

But we are VERY excited to try VV...just a bit booked up right now!

[wahlct]

3 minutes ago, KKB said:

It IS subjective. I find production shows on other ships "bleh" overall.

Musicians around the ship--you NEVER know what you are gonna get, on ANY ship, ANY line.

We always find at least one or 2 groups/musicians we enjoy on any cruise. Admittedly, most do seem to play a wide variety of all genres as opposed to specializing...which, from a business standpoint (both for the musicians & cruise lines) makes more sense.

Comedians--I never expect much from them except Carnival. 

Pub Crawl--I've seem them organized on many Roll Calls (here & elsewhere) AND they don't cost money!

But we are VERY excited to try VV...just a bit booked up right now!

The Grog Walk was $50, but included 4 drinks, and I won 3 extra shots for some of the games we played.  So much cheaper than buying my own.

[KKB]

Just now, wahlct said:

The Grog Walk was $50, but included 4 drinks, and I won 3 extra shots for some of the games we played.  So much cheaper than buying my own.

Ah, didn't realize it included drinks...seems most have drink package on other lines.

 

[wahlct]

4 minutes ago, KKB said:

Ah, didn't realize it included drinks...seems most have drink package on other lines.

 

VV does not do drink packages 😞

[KKB]

1 minute ago, wahlct said:

VV does not do drink packages 😞

Yep. We have gotten so used to them the last 15 years, it's a tough one to wrap our head around.

But we have been getting some comped casino cruises w/ no drink packages (maybe drink free while gambling), so we have been getting used to it again.

[chefchick]

10 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

No I never sailed solo, wanted to but had a friend or a relative accompany me.

 

I want to do solo, but in a more subdued environment.   I get along well with almost everyone but snobs.  I could care less what anyone looks like let alone what they do in private.

 

Baby steps first then I might join a more "lively" cruise line in the future.

 

BTW, I cosplay at Dragon Con as Professor McGonagall so I KNOW what diversity and fun is LOL.  In fact I am going with my family over this Labor day weekend for Dragon Con in downtown Atlanta!

 

11 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

No I never sailed solo, wanted to but had a friend or a relative accompany me.

 

I want to do solo, but in a more subdued environment.   I get along well with almost everyone but snobs.  I could care less what anyone looks like let alone what they do in private.

 

Baby steps first then I might join a more "lively" cruise line in the future.

 

BTW, I cosplay at Dragon Con as Professor McGonagall so I KNOW what diversity and fun is LOL.  In fact I am going with my family over this Labor day weekend for Dragon Con in downtown Atlanta!

 

 

This makes much more sense.  I would definitely encourage you ( and anyone) who is considering a solo cruise to try it for yourself. It is liberating to truly be in charge of your own time, your own wants and your own vacation.  I love cruising with my husband or my friends but the solo ones just feel special in the best way.  I understand wanting to perhaps try a line you are familiar with as your first solo - that seems like a wise choice.  I would say all the major cruise lines have their pluses and minuses so I don’t think you can go wrong…but when you become addicted (and solo cruising can be very addicting) 😎 I hope you branch out and try them all.

[wahlct]

59 minutes ago, KKB said:

Yep. We have gotten so used to them the last 15 years, it's a tough one to wrap our head around.

But we have been getting some comped casino cruises w/ no drink packages (maybe drink free while gambling), so we have been getting used to it again.

I was able to get a ton of OBC on VV, so it paid for all our drinks, the grog walk, and an excursion, so it was fine

[CruisinKikster]

We are avid X cruisers, but we tried VV a couple years ago for something different. We were hooked - the vibe, the food, the different activities. It all was great! No kids was the big draw for us, and I really do love having adult-oriented entertainment. 

 

The ship can be as loud or as quiet as you want it to be - it just depends on where you hang out (same as X). I personally love all the little nooks and hidey holes where I can chill and read. 

 

In addition to many of the points already raised about differences between Celebrity and VV, I'll add one more. I need for music to move up a few decades. I get tired of the same old 50s, 60s, and 70s songs on X. VV has much more current music throughout the ship and in trivia. 

[Liao]

10 minutes ago, CruisinKikster said:

We are avid X cruisers, but we tried VV a couple years ago for something different. We were hooked - the vibe, the food, the different activities. It all was great! No kids was the big draw for us, and I really do love having adult-oriented entertainment. 

 

The ship can be as loud or as quiet as you want it to be - it just depends on where you hang out (same as X). I personally love all the little nooks and hidey holes where I can chill and read. 

 

In addition to many of the points already raised about differences between Celebrity and VV, I'll add one more. I need for music to move up a few decades. I get tired of the same old 50s, 60s, and 70s songs on X. VV has much more current music throughout the ship and in trivia. 

As much as I really like the aesthetic of the Eclass ships, well Edge anyway, since that was my TA experience.  I enjoy getting out and about and all, but sometimes as you mention, a nice quiet spot to chill is a challenge at times.  The areas around the big central area, martini bar and above, especially Cafe al Bacio and LGB, super crowded and very loud.

[cruiseerf]

For those of us that have sailed Celebrity the last 15 years or so, there have been many negative changes.  The New Management is making Celebrity into RCL "Light".  They are sailing more shopping malls and more mediocre food.  Their rankings have fell across the board and their return guest scores are way down as well.  We have moved 75% of our business away from X.  It was time to try new things and X gave us that opportunity and push in the right direction.

[NMTraveller]

So why are we even debating this?

 

Recent Celebrity polls shot that VV has better food than Celebrity and that 75% of Celebrity cruisers are looking at other cruises...

 

 

[The_Big_M]

6 hours ago, CruisinKikster said:

In addition to many of the points already raised about differences between Celebrity and VV, I'll add one more. I need for music to move up a few decades. I get tired of the same old 50s, 60s, and 70s songs on X. VV has much more current music throughout the ship and in trivia. 

 

Agreed. On my last Celebrity cruises on Edge, the 4 shows were good - but the rest was the same music style of entertainment. We had Queen 4 times from different performers! Sure, there's a certain market who goes for this. But for anyone else, it gets boring.

 

In a similar vein and also to add to your list, the Virgin range of drinks is much more - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Celebrity is incredibly limited. I was shocked and very disappointed that the classic package doesn't even include cider - and the premium package only has one - which is all they carry on the ship (a very basic one). It's far from "premium." Can you imagine just having one beer, or one house wine? And needing to get a premium package just to get that?

 

Celebrity's entire range of drinks is also catering to a certain customer and has very little breadth beyond that. Whereas Virgin, in line with their philosophy, gives more choice for different customers and preferences. 

Edited July 20 by The_Big_M

[CruisinKikster]

8 hours ago, Liao said:

As much as I really like the aesthetic of the Eclass ships, well Edge anyway, since that was my TA experience.  I enjoy getting out and about and all, but sometimes as you mention, a nice quiet spot to chill is a challenge at times.  The areas around the big central area, martini bar and above, especially Cafe al Bacio and LGB, super crowded and very loud.

This is exactly why I don't like the E class ships. I stick with M and S class because I like finding the quiet spots to hang. 

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, CruisinKikster said:

This is exactly why I don't like the E class ships. I stick with M and S class because I like finding the quiet spots to hang. 

If we are going into more detail the issues with the E class ships are:

 

1.  IVs (Infinite Verandas)

2.  Less and larger public indoor spaces.  What you have mentioned.

3.  Food has slipped...  Celebrity used get the awards ...  Now VV does