Celebrity Cruises after having only sailed on European lines with transatlantic service

[ItalLine2Cunard]

Hi folks.  I'm new to this forum.

 

I'm looking at some transatlantic repositioning options for next year.  There are several lines doing this.  Celebrity Cruises seems to have some interesting itineraries.

 

I've traveled transatlantic on Cunard as an adult and on Italian Line, which no longer exists, as a youngster with my parents.  There were 4 crossings on Italian Line and, so far, 3 on Cunard's QM2 (2 transatlantic and 1 New York-New England-Quebec cruise) plus 1 on Cunard's QE2 a few decades ago.

 

So, with some interesting itineraries on Celebrity, I'm wondering what to expect.  Where is it relative to Cunard for the overall vibe, how casual or formal is it, and what is the demographic profile?  Is the crowd much different on repositioning transoceanic voyages than on ones to other destinations? 

 

I looked through the deck plans.  I know there are newer additions to the Celebrity fleet as well as its older Millennium class ships.  Ships tend to be more squarish these days.  With that, it seems that all the pools are on 1 or 2 decks toward the very top and arranged almost as if in a line.  On the ships I've been on, the pools are placed on different decks and in different parts of the ship so the poolside areas seem to be more defined ... and maybe a little cozier as a result.

 

At this point in my site surfing, some member insight on this "fork in the road" might be helpful.  I think I'd like most cruise lines with the exception of the very expensive and very inexpensive ones, and I wouldn't like Disney and the short "booze cruises," if I may say that.  I'd appreciate your input.  Thanks.

[the penguins]

On 8/21/2024 at 7:12 PM, ItalLine2Cunard said:

Hi folks.  I'm new to this forum.

 

I'm looking at some transatlantic repositioning options for next year.  There are several lines doing this.  Celebrity Cruises seems to have some interesting itineraries.

 

I've traveled transatlantic on Cunard as an adult and on Italian Line, which no longer exists, as a youngster with my parents.  There were 4 crossings on Italian Line and, so far, 3 on Cunard's QM2 (2 transatlantic and 1 New York-New England-Quebec cruise) plus 1 on Cunard's QE2 a few decades ago.

 

So, with some interesting itineraries on Celebrity, I'm wondering what to expect.  Where is it relative to Cunard for the overall vibe, how casual or formal is it, and what is the demographic profile?  Is the crowd much different on repositioning transoceanic voyages than on ones to other destinations? 

 

I looked through the deck plans.  I know there are newer additions to the Celebrity fleet as well as its older Millennium class ships.  Ships tend to be more squarish these days.  With that, it seems that all the pools are on 1 or 2 decks toward the very top and arranged almost as if in a line.  On the ships I've been on, the pools are placed on different decks and in different parts of the ship so the poolside areas seem to be more defined ... and maybe a little cozier as a result.

 

At this point in my site surfing, some member insight on this "fork in the road" might be helpful.  I think I'd like most cruise lines with the exception of the very expensive and very inexpensive ones, and I wouldn't like Disney and the short "booze cruises," if I may say that.  I'd appreciate your input.  Thanks.

First Cunard is just as American as Celebrity.

We love Celebrity TA's and our ships off choice are S class.

The atmosphere on board is relaxed and the "highest" standard of dress required in the evenings is smart casual - no formal nights just Chic which is still optional. No jackets or ties required.

Lots of extra activities during the sea days including extra shows in the theatre, numerous talks from Guest lectures, games and competitions. The officers also get more involved in the day time activities and for example often take part in quizes.

Do as much or as little as you choose.

Smoking/vaping is totally banned from all inside venues including the casino, cabins and balconies.

There is one general pool deck plus an enclosed adult only solarium pool with 2 hot tubs.

The Sky Lounge offers great views at the front of the ship.

 

 

 

[Liao]

On 8/21/2024 at 2:12 PM, ItalLine2Cunard said:

Hi folks.  I'm new to this forum.

 

I'm looking at some transatlantic repositioning options for next year.  There are several lines doing this.  Celebrity Cruises seems to have some interesting itineraries.

 

I've traveled transatlantic on Cunard as an adult and on Italian Line, which no longer exists, as a youngster with my parents.  There were 4 crossings on Italian Line and, so far, 3 on Cunard's QM2 (2 transatlantic and 1 New York-New England-Quebec cruise) plus 1 on Cunard's QE2 a few decades ago.

 

So, with some interesting itineraries on Celebrity, I'm wondering what to expect.  Where is it relative to Cunard for the overall vibe, how casual or formal is it, and what is the demographic profile?  Is the crowd much different on repositioning transoceanic voyages than on ones to other destinations? 

 

I looked through the deck plans.  I know there are newer additions to the Celebrity fleet as well as its older Millennium class ships.  Ships tend to be more squarish these days.  With that, it seems that all the pools are on 1 or 2 decks toward the very top and arranged almost as if in a line.  On the ships I've been on, the pools are placed on different decks and in different parts of the ship so the poolside areas seem to be more defined ... and maybe a little cozier as a result.

 

At this point in my site surfing, some member insight on this "fork in the road" might be helpful.  I think I'd like most cruise lines with the exception of the very expensive and very inexpensive ones, and I wouldn't like Disney and the short "booze cruises," if I may say that.  I'd appreciate your input.  Thanks.

I now only will do TA's and for me Celebrity hits the spot.  I briefly considered VV, actually booked one but have cancelled.  I have done two TA's on the EDGE my next is on APEX in March.  This upcoming cruise will be my first outside of the Retreat.  The Retreat is really a very elevated, though costly, experience and I always enjoyed it.  For a variety of reasons I am next sailing Aqua Class.  I have to say though, anywhere on any Celebrity ship that I have sailed on, the level of service EVERYWHERE on board is always very high standard.  TA's tend to have very few kids, if that matters to you, though on my last TA I was told there were 100 kids on board, and I think I may have seen 10 of them, very well behaved.  I like the dress "code" on Celebrity, meaning I do not want to dress up, wear a jacket, tie etc. so what Celebrity suggests suits me just fine.  RE your "booze cruise" comment, my last cruise was a B2B where I combined a 5 night and a 4 night, and honestly they both felt like a booze/party cruises, esp. the 4 nighter.  It was on the Summit though, which is a LOVELY ship, so if you see a longer itinerary on her, and it interests you, the ship and the service will not disappoint.  Good luck with whatever decision you make.  

[mrgabriel]

Demographics: the vast majority of passengers are over 35, and repositioning cruises skew older. Celebrity’s repositioning cruises are longer and not everyone can take 14+ days away from work. So that means more retirees. The martini bars are very busy!

 

On our last TransAtlantic in the 2023, there were exactly 3 people under the age of 18. Very few children. 
 

We really enjoy repositioning cruises. I’m more social and attend lots of activities (trivia , exercise classes, art classes) and my husband reads and goes to movies & enrichment events. Then we meet in the martini bar 🥂 

[ItalLine2Cunard]

15 hours ago, the penguins said:

First Cunard is just as American as Celebrity.

We love Celebrity TA's and our ships off choice are S class.

The atmosphere on board is relaxed and the "highest" standard of dress required in the evenings is smart casual - no formal nights just Chic which is still optional. No jackets or ties required.

Lots of extra activities during the sea days including extra shows in the theatre, numerous talks from Guest lectures, games and competitions. The officers also get more involved in the day time activities and for example often take part in quizes.

Do as much or as little as you choose.

Smoking/vaping is totally banned from all inside venues including the casino, cabins and balconies.

There is one general pool deck plus an enclosed adult only solarium pool with 2 hot tubs.

The Sky Lounge offers great views at the front of the ship.

 

Thank you for the thoughtful answer.  It covers most of the things I was inquiring about.

 

First, I got to take a look at S class ships (Solstice, and "Solstice" was the first, so that's how they kick off a new genre within their fleet) and do see that they positioned quite a bit of glass up above, and above the bridge in general.  That means more great views.  S ships come in at about 122,000 tons and M ships come in at around 90,000 tons.

 

It's great to know about the dining situation and the dress code.  For Cunard, I only brought one suit with several shirts and ties.  There are minimum of 2 gala nights on a TA crossing, and a dark suit and tie is the basic admission fee, so to speak.  I also brought along several slacks and collared buttoned shirts.  This sounds even better for me, though I will probably still bring one suit.

 

You mentioned the things I like - presentations, shows, games, quizzes, but I'm guessing no movies.  I also like a fitness center, which they all have, and just sitting by the pool or in the hot tub.  And just relaxing watching the sea go by.

 

I would agree that Cunard is now as North American as it is British.  That holds for QM2, which, on some days, felt like an extension of NYC at sea! From the one experience on QE2, I'd say that felt more British, but that was a few decades before sailing on QM2.

 

I'm wondering if the more southerly route across the North Atlantic during a TA offers benefits like a smoother ride.

Edited August 23 by ItalLine2Cunard

[Ex-Airbalancer]

22 minutes ago, ItalLine2Cunard said:

 

Thank you for the thoughtful answer.  It covers most of the things I was inquiring about.

 

First, I got to take a look at S class ships (Solstice, and "Solstice" was the first, so that's how they kick off a new genre within their fleet) and do see that they positioned quite a bit of glass up above, and above the bridge in general.  That means more great views.  S ships come in at about 122,000 tons and M ships come in at around 90,000 tons.

 

It's great to know about the dining situation and the dress code.  For Cunard, I only brought one suit with several shirts and ties.  There are minimum of 2 gala nights on a TA crossing, and a dark suit and tie is the basic admission fee, so to speak.  I also brought along several slacks and collared buttoned shirts.  This sounds even better for me, though I will probably still bring one suit.

 

You mentioned the things I like - presentations, shows, games, quizzes, but I'm guessing no movies.  I also like a fitness center, which they all have, and just sitting by the pool or in the hot tub.  And just relaxing watching the sea go by.

 

I would agree that Cunard is now as North American as it is British.  That holds for QM2, which, on some days, felt like an extension of NYC at sea! From the one experience on QE2, I'd say that felt more British, but that was a few decades before sailing on QM2.

 

I'm wondering if the more southerly route across the North Atlantic during a TA offers benefits like a smoother ride.

On Celebrity they do show movies , sometimes in the theatre, sometimes outside , and Celebrity Central on S class ships  

[ItalLine2Cunard]

12 hours ago, Liao said:

I now only will do TA's and for me Celebrity hits the spot.  I briefly considered VV, actually booked one but have cancelled.  I have done two TA's on the EDGE my next is on APEX in March.  This upcoming cruise will be my first outside of the Retreat.  The Retreat is really a very elevated, though costly, experience and I always enjoyed it.  For a variety of reasons I am next sailing Aqua Class.  I have to say though, anywhere on any Celebrity ship that I have sailed on, the level of service EVERYWHERE on board is always very high standard.  TA's tend to have very few kids, if that matters to you, though on my last TA I was told there were 100 kids on board, and I think I may have seen 10 of them, very well behaved.  I like the dress "code" on Celebrity, meaning I do not want to dress up, wear a jacket, tie etc. so what Celebrity suggests suits me just fine.  RE your "booze cruise" comment, my last cruise was a B2B where I combined a 5 night and a 4 night, and honestly they both felt like a booze/party cruises, esp. the 4 nighter.  It was on the Summit though, which is a LOVELY ship, so if you see a longer itinerary on her, and it interests you, the ship and the service will not disappoint.  Good luck with whatever decision you make.  

 

That makes sense since these trips take around 2 weeks.  I definitely don't want the atmosphere of Miami to Bahamas or L.A. to Mexico aboard one of the much .lower priced voyages for a younger demographic where drinking seems like the main reason to the be there.  I bought drinks sporadically and especially if meeting up with people after a show or right before dinner, so it's not something that is overly interesting to me.  I don't run up the onboard spending other passengers might.

 

11 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

Demographics: the vast majority of passengers are over 35, and repositioning cruises skew older. Celebrity’s repositioning cruises are longer and not everyone can take 14+ days away from work. So that means more retirees. The martini bars are very busy!

 

On our last TransAtlantic in the 2023, there were exactly 3 people under the age of 18. Very few children. 
 

We really enjoy repositioning cruises. I’m more social and attend lots of activities (trivia , exercise classes, art classes) and my husband reads and goes to movies & enrichment events. Then we meet in the martini bar 🥂 

 

The demographic sound fine, then.  My interests sound like a mix of what you and your husband partake in, along with unfocused relaxation and some recreation.  I tend to look back at the end of a sea day and think that there wasn't enough time.

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, ItalLine2Cunard said:

 

Thank you for the thoughtful answer.  It covers most of the things I was inquiring about.

 

First, I got to take a look at S class ships (Solstice, and "Solstice" was the first, so that's how they kick off a new genre within their fleet) and do see that they positioned quite a bit of glass up above, and above the bridge in general.  That means more great views.  S ships come in at about 122,000 tons and M ships come in at around 90,000 tons.

 

It's great to know about the dining situation and the dress code.  For Cunard, I only brought one suit with several shirts and ties.  There are minimum of 2 gala nights on a TA crossing, and a dark suit and tie is the basic admission fee, so to speak.  I also brought along several slacks and collared buttoned shirts.  This sounds even better for me, though I will probably still bring one suit.

 

You mentioned the things I like - presentations, shows, games, quizzes, but I'm guessing no movies.  I also like a fitness center, which they all have, and just sitting by the pool or in the hot tub.  And just relaxing watching the sea go by.

 

I would agree that Cunard is now as North American as it is British.  That holds for QM2, which, on some days, felt like an extension of NYC at sea! From the one experience on QE2, I'd say that felt more British, but that was a few decades before sailing on QM2.

 

I'm wondering if the more southerly route across the North Atlantic during a TA offers benefits like a smoother ride.

The weather is always a gamble. That said we have sat out on our balcony on almost every sea day on every TA. As soon as we board we get 6 blankets from the Spa Pool, if the blankets are not out the staff will happily get them for you, which we keep for the duration of the cruise. We always return them to the Pool area the last afternoon - doesn’t seem fair to expect the Cabin Steward to do it.

[canderson]

@ItalLine2Cunard

You asked about the weather for a "southern route".  If you're asking for a contrast between cruises that terminate at Cape Liberty, NJ and those that terminate in Florida, you can certainly expect the latter to be warmer for more of the cruise for a westbound TA.

[Essiesmom]

There is a website that lists nearly all of the transatlantic voyages.  It is not a travel agency site, although I have posted it several times before and once it was removed.  Try cruisetransatlantic.com.  If the link is removed it is cruise transatlantic dot com without the spaces.  EM

[canderson]

26 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

There is a website that lists nearly all of the transatlantic voyages.  It is not a travel agency site, although I have posted it several times before and once it was removed.  Try cruisetransatlantic.com.  If the link is removed it is cruise transatlantic dot com without the spaces.  EM

The one odd thing about that site is that it seems to have a preference for eastbound TAs.  If you click on "Itineraries", that's the only way they break them down.  Westbound is only found under "Cruises".  There, however, they do a really good job of showing them all by date and by line.

 

 

[ItalLine2Cunard]

On 8/23/2024 at 3:49 PM, the penguins said:

The weather is always a gamble. That said we have sat out on our balcony on almost every sea day on every TA. As soon as we board we get 6 blankets from the Spa Pool, if the blankets are not out the staff will happily get them for you, which we keep for the duration of the cruise. We always return them to the Pool area the last afternoon - doesn’t seem fair to expect the Cabin Steward to do it.

 

The weather as far as the color of the skies or the temperature would be a gamble.  I was concerned about how rough the ocean might me if headed from the southern U.S. into the Strait of Gibraltar during the season in which they do repositing TAs.  I'm guessing that Celebrity ships should be able to remain composed. 

 

I can always go to a covered pool if the sky is ugly or the temperature leans cold.

 

On 8/23/2024 at 4:01 PM, canderson said:

@ItalLine2Cunard

You asked about the weather for a "southern route".  If you're asking for a contrast between cruises that terminate at Cape Liberty, NJ and those that terminate in Florida, you can certainly expect the latter to be warmer for more of the cruise for a westbound TA.

 

More likely Lauderdale into the Med, crossing somewhere through the Azores or Madeira.  I'm wondering if the difference would be very noticeable compared to the classic Cunard route from New York and nearing Nova Scotia and Newfoundland during a crossing to the UK.

[Fairgarth]

On 8/22/2024 at 12:52 PM, the penguins said:

First Cunard is just as American as Celebrity.

 

Oh, c'mon!  Yes, Cunard is owned by Carnival Corp and the onboard currency is USD.  But...but...guest speakers are Brits, guest performers could be the National Symphony Orchestra or Royal Shakepeare Company or British authors.  When did Celebrity offer Last Night of the Proms?  Golden Lion pub?  Ploughman's Lunch?  British ales on tap?   Proper afternoon tea?  Treacle pudding?  How many baseball caps did you see in the dining room?  Forwards or back to front?  Ugh!!  and again, ugh!!  Enough already.

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, Fairgarth said:

 

Oh, c'mon!  Yes, Cunard is owned by Carnival Corp and the onboard currency is USD.  But...but...guest speakers are Brits, guest performers could be the National Symphony Orchestra or Royal Shakepeare Company or British authors.  When did Celebrity offer Last Night of the Proms?  Golden Lion pub?  Ploughman's Lunch?  British ales on tap?   Proper afternoon tea?  Treacle pudding?  How many baseball caps did you see in the dining room?  Forwards or back to front?  Ugh!!  and again, ugh!!  Enough already.

Agreed they enforce a dress code in the dining room.

No X doesn't have very junior/trainee members of the Royal Shakespeare Company performing.

No National Symphony Orchestra on our cruise so assume

it 's not a regular feature.

We have done one 5 night classical music cruise on X which was fabulous and included a full orchestra, performances by Alfie Boe, Catherine Jenkins, Julian Lloyd Webber and his wife plus a host of other performers

The Guest Performers in the theatre we had seen on Celebrity.

Can't remember treacle pudding on X but we have had spotted dick and custard.

Cheese, pickle and bread are staples in the buffet at lunch on X - it 's just not labelled as "ploughmans".

Guest speakers vary depending on the routes we have had Brits on X when sailing from the UK - best speaker ever, John Maxtone-Graham was English

Proper afternoon tea - clearly you haven't had one in England. X also does them equally poorly. The only thing that came close was the Dutch Tea that used to be served on HAL - on our last HAL cruise this too had been reduced to a poor imitation.

Only Queen Mary 2  is classic liner the rest of the fleet are just cruise ships pretending to be something they aren't.

If you want pubs change to Royal's Independence they have one plus 2 street parties one called "Rock Britannia" which includes the Last Night of the Proms type music.

 

[Essiesmom]

John Maxtone-Graham was Scottish, but born in NJ, USA.  I first saw him on the Inaugural sailing of Star Princess (2002).  EM

[the penguins]

6 hours ago, the penguins said:

Agreed they enforce a dress code in the dining room.

No X doesn't have very junior/trainee members of the Royal Shakespeare Company performing.

No National Symphony Orchestra on our cruise so assume

it 's not a regular feature.

We have done one 5 night classical music cruise on X which was fabulous and included a full orchestra, performances by Alfie Boe, Catherine Jenkins, Julian Lloyd Webber and his wife plus a host of other performers

The Guest Performers in the theatre we had seen on Celebrity.

Can't remember treacle pudding on X but we have had spotted dick and custard.

Cheese, pickle and bread are staples in the buffet at lunch on X - it 's just not labelled as "ploughmans".

Guest speakers vary depending on the routes we have had Brits on X when sailing from the UK - best speaker ever, John Maxtone-Graham was English

Proper afternoon tea - clearly you haven't had one in England. X also does them equally poorly. The only thing that came close was the Dutch Tea that used to be served on HAL - on our last HAL cruise this too had been reduced to a poor imitation.

Only Queen Mary 2  is classic liner the rest of the fleet are just cruise ships pretending to be something they aren't.

If you want pubs change to Royal's Independence they have one plus 2 street parties one called "Rock Britannia" which includes the Last Night of the Proms type music.

 

Sorry, just reread this and somehow my last 2 sentence had disappeared so to complete my Post I had added:

Interestingly none of the current fleet predates Carnivals purchase of Cunard which was completed in 1999 with the QM2 launched in 2003 followed by the Victoria in 2007 and Elizabeth 2010 and Anne just recently. 

Onboard currency is indeed $ which they claim is because Cunard uses the Carnival accounting system but P and O also owned by Carnival uses the same system but happily operates in £'s

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

John Maxtone-Graham was Scottish, but born in NJ, USA.  I first saw him on the Inaugural sailing of Star Princess (2002).  EM

Sorry meant British, a lecturer fondly remembered and sadly missed. His books " The Only Way to Cross" and "Liners to the Sun"  are must read for anyone interested in the history of cruising

[ExArkie]

12 hours ago, Fairgarth said:

 

Oh, c'mon!  Yes, Cunard is owned by Carnival Corp and the onboard currency is USD.  But...but...guest speakers are Brits, guest performers could be the National Symphony Orchestra or Royal Shakepeare Company or British authors.  When did Celebrity offer Last Night of the Proms?  Golden Lion pub?  Ploughman's Lunch?  British ales on tap?   Proper afternoon tea?  Treacle pudding?  How many baseball caps did you see in the dining room?  Forwards or back to front?  Ugh!!  and again, ugh!!  Enough already.

The National Symphony Orchestra, which does perform on select Queen Mary 2 crossings each year, is from the US, with a home in DC's Kennedy Center. There is also an annual Literature Festival at Sea that features US and UK writers, and includes discussion groups with New York Times correspondents.

 

If I were to categorize Cunard, it would be either (1) an American line that clings to traditions of its British past, or (2) a British line that has opened up to American tastes and preferences. So, somewhere in the middle.

[Fairgarth]

5 hours ago, ExArkie said:

The National Symphony Orchestra, which does perform on select Queen Mary 2 crossings each year, is from the US, with a home in DC's Kennedy Center. 

 

I suppose there may a number of 'National Symphonies' around the world.  The one I have enjoyed on QM2 is the English one with maestro Anthony Inglis.

[ItalLine2Cunard]

I inquired about the weather.  The temp. and sky color can be mitigated by going indoors.  What I was hoping to get was some comments on how rough the Atlantic is during October-November and March-April if crossing from Bermuda to Madeira to the Med and vice-versa.  Heavy swell?  Do S and M class ships remain "composed?"

[Ex-Airbalancer]

20 minutes ago, ItalLine2Cunard said:

I inquired about the weather.  The temp. and sky color can be mitigated by going indoors.  What I was hoping to get was some comments on how rough the Atlantic is during October-November and March-April if crossing from Bermuda to Madeira to the Med and vice-versa.  Heavy swell?  Do S and M class ships remain "composed?"

Either it is smooth as glass or swells , but always a great time 😉😁🤣