Considering Celebrity for next cruise

[caliber35]

'Now, would you please leave one line for those who cruise precisely because they look forward to the opportunity to dress up, which they don't have at home?'

 

Amen! Celebrity is one of the few remaining lines, along with Crystal, where people really dress nicely for dinner. Living in South Florida, as I do, I get tired of all this resort casual stuff. Men look great in a Tux and the Women radient in their gowns. If you want casual and open seating, there are plenty of other lines. I, for one, enjoy the elegant, educated and well-travel people I meet on Celebrity.

[caviargal]

I hate to quibble over semantics, but those like you who look forward to the opportunity to dress up could do so on ANY NIGHT ON ANY LINE. The dress codes state the minimum allowed, but you would not be asked to leave the dining room if you wore full on tails on a casual night, even on Carnival or on NCL.

!

:)

 

No, you would not but you would look ridiculous with everyone else in their jeans, dockers, shorts and capris.

[Rev22:17]

Drew B,

 

I hate to quibble over semantics, but those like you who look forward to the opportunity to dress up could do so on ANY NIGHT ON ANY LINE. The dress codes state the minimum allowed, but you would not be asked to leave the dining room if you wore full on tails on a casual night, even on Carnival or on NCL.

 

You really don't "get it," do you???

 

The norms of social etiquette dictate that the guests at a social function are to wear the attire prescribed by the host(ess). On a cruise ship, the host(ess) is the master of the vessel. Failure to do so is exceedingly gauche, rude, ill-mannered, and inconsiderate.

 

And you may think otherwise, but that principle applies every bit as much to overdressing as to underdressing. IOW, it's every bit as crass to show up for dinner in a business suit on a "casual" evening as it is to show up in "casual" attire on a "formal' evening.

 

But for some reason, the people who enjoy dressing up are not as arrogant as those who want to dress down and are determined to do so on a cruise line that prescribes more elegant standards of dress.

 

No, your issue is not being able to dress how you want -- it's wanting everybody else to dress the way you want! That's fine and I support you in it, but it's important to pose these things accurately!

 

Wrong. Rather, the issue is proper etiquette in a social situation.

 

The decision to book on one cruise line or another is a matter of personal choice. I have consistently suggested that we all should choose a cruise line that is a good match for our personal style. There are options for everybody. If you want an "all casual" cruise in the "premium" segment of the market, check out Oceana Cruises and Disney Cruises -- both of which, BTW, have recently ordered new ships. If you want a couple "formal" evenings and the rest of the evenings to be "casual," check out Princess Cruises and Holland America Lines. If I were to book on one of those lines, I would conform to their published standards of dress because that's the proper thing to do. And it's quite reasonable to expect that those who choose to cruise on Celebrity will follow Celebrity's standards of dress in the same way. IOW, you sign up to follow the cruise line's dress code, whether you like it or not, when you book a cruise.

 

And yes, Celebrity does offer "alternative casual dining" with full table service, albeit in the seating area of the buffet restaurant, and a different set of menus from those of the main dining room for those who decide while onboard that they don't want to dress up for a "formal" or "informal" evening. Nonetheless, Celebrity has very little in the way of "alternative casual entertainment," the "formal" and "informal" evenings typically are at least half of the evenings on a Celebrity cruise, and the stated policy is that "[t]he prescribed evening dress code applies throughout the ship, except designated casual areas." Thus, I have to recommend, in the strongest possible terms, that those who don't want to dress up for the "formal" and "informal" evenings should book on a line other than Celebrity.

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

KreiderCarter,

 

Thanks for the info. I called Celebrity today to make sure I could book a cruise with them while on board my sailing with Royal Caribbean (good news, we can) so we have about a month to think about it.

 

Yes, I knew that there would be no problem booking a cruise with Celebrity during a cruise aboard a Royal Caribbean ship. You'll get all of the onboard booking benefits, too, though I undertand that the company recently restructured the program so I don't know what the new benefits are.

 

As for the shows, our last couple of cruises with Royal have been disappointing as far as the entertainers they have brought aboard (I'd compare them to poor vaudville and lousy Vegas lounge singers) with a couple of exceptions but the ships dancers/singers have been excellent. What type of shows can we expect aboard Celebrity?

 

Basically similar. Some of the shows by the "Celebrity Singers and Dancers" are very good and some are fantastic. In nine cruises, I think that I saw only one that I really would rather not see again -- but only because the music was not exactly my style. The singers and dancers have always been very good!

 

Between the production shows, Celebrity gets an amazing variety of headliners who do all kinds of acts. I have variously seen concert pianists of various styles, puppeteers, comedians, illusionists, jugglers, some guys who balanced on ladders, and a variety of other specialty acts. All of the shows have been suitable for general audiences, too, so you need not worry that young children might see something that they should not if you bring them to the show.

 

Since I don't see myself boxing while on a cruise (not sure what RCCL was thinking there) that makes zero difference with me.

 

Same here. I probably would not do the rock climing wall, either. OTOH, the ice skating rink might be fun....

 

Any idea how many formal nights on a 14 night cruise?

 

Yes. Fourteen night Celebrity cruises usually have three (3) "formal" evenings, four (4) "informal" evenings, and seven (7) "casual" evenings.

 

I'm not a tuxedo wearer and my wife isn't a gown person but we do dress up(suit for me, classy dress for her) is that acceptable attire?

 

That sounds fine for the "formal" evenings. The business suit does not have to be black, but make sure that it is DARK.

 

You also will need a sport coat for the "informal" evenings (according to the latest brochures, a necktie is now optional). I would strongly recommend that your wife wear nice dresses on those evenings also, as a significant fraction of the ladies who cruise on Celebrity tend to err on the side of overdressng.

 

To be totally honest though we enjoy the destinations much more than the ships themselve's and since obviously Celebrity isn't going to roll out tramp steamers and try to pass them off as classy we don't really see it as an issue and will just look closely at the itineraries.

 

Celebrity does offer some great destinations, too!

 

FWIW, consider a transatlantic cruise. You'll have a few more days at sea when the ship puts on a lot of activities and events that the schedules of most other cruises simply can't accommodate due to lack of available time. Best of all, you'll get a two week cruise with some unique ports of call that other itineraries generally do not visit for about half the fare of other itineraries. I have been to Gibraltar, Malaga, and the Medeira Islands (twice) on crossings. and I really would like to do a crossong that stops in the Canariy Islands. You won't find those ports of call on standard itineraries!

 

Thanks again.

 

Your're welcome!

 

Norm.

[Drew B]

You really don't "get it," do you???

 

 

Actually, yes I do. I get it perfectly well, but I maintain that your wording was inaccurate. Your issue is AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN propriety. You want people to show the proper etiquette and follow the proper dress code regardless of which line they choose. For the record, I agree with that. Propriety is a big issue for me as well, and I would never dream of violating the dress code.

 

In this post:

 

Now, would you please leave one line for those who cruise precisely because they look forward to the opportunity to dress up, which they don't have at home?

 

though, you made it sound like your major issue is the opportunity to dress up. That is not your major issue. If you were on an X cruise and all of the other pax wore formal wear every single night, you would be up in arms because they were rude and gauche and overdressed for the informal and casual nights. You would be CORRECT to be upset about this, but that would have nothing to do with your opportunity to dress up which is 100% unaffected by what others do.

 

The big issue is that as long as there are dress codes (and I think there should always be dress codes), they should be enforced stringently in both detail and spirit. As long as they are considered "optional", gauche people will violate them and people who value etiquette such as yourself will be frustrated. That goes for any cruise line. It is not a matter of X being reserved for a classier group of cruisers...

[DaveFr]

Norm,

 

In a message to Drew B., you said:

 

"The norms of social etiquette dictate that the guests at a social function are to wear the attire prescribed by the host(ess). On a cruise ship, the host(ess) is the master of the vessel. Failure to do so is exceedingly gauche, rude, ill-mannered, and inconsiderate.

 

And you may think otherwise, but that principle applies every bit as much to overdressing as to underdressing. IOW, it's every bit as crass to show up for dinner in a business suit on a "casual" evening as it is to show up in "casual" attire on a "formal' evening."

 

In a message to KreiderCarter, you said:

 

"You also will need a sport coat for the "informal" evenings (according to the latest brochures, a necktie is now optional). I would strongly recommend that your wife wear nice dresses on those evenings also, as a significant fraction of the ladies who cruise on Celebrity tend to err on the side of overdressng."

 

Are you really saying that a significant fraction of the ladies who cruise on Celebrity are really exceedingly gauche, rude, ill-mannered, inconsiderate and crass because they tend to err on the side of overdressing? :D

[Rev22:17]

Drew B,

 

If you were on an X cruise and all of the other pax wore formal wear every single night, you would be up in arms because they were rude and gauche and overdressed for the informal and casual nights. You would be CORRECT to be upset about this, but that would have nothing to do with your opportunity to dress up which is 100% unaffected by what others do.

 

Well, whether I would be "up at arms" or not is another issue. As a fellow guest, it is not my place to say anything to a guest who dresses inappropriately. Nonetheless, i have not encountered a situation in which grossly overdressed guests were an issue.

 

The big issue is that as long as there are dress codes (and I think there should always be dress codes), they should be enforced stringently in both detail and spirit. As long as they are considered "optional", gauche people will violate them and people who value etiquette such as yourself will be frustrated. That goes for any cruise line. It is not a matter of X being reserved for a classier group of cruisers...

 

On that point, I fully agree with you. And here, I think that Celebrity made a good move in changing the wording on the dress code from "suggested" to "required" even though both actually carry the same weight in this context. Unfortunately, human nature is such that somebody invariably refuses to comply with any set of rules unless there's also enforcement of that set of rules. Nonetheless, I would rather have a few passengers upset because the line enforces rules that they did not expect the line to enforce than have a lot of passengers upset because the line does not enforce its rules.

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

DaveFr,

 

In a message to Drew B., you said:

 

"The norms of social etiquette dictate that the guests at a social function are to wear the attire prescribed by the host(ess). On a cruise ship, the host(ess) is the master of the vessel. Failure to do so is exceedingly gauche, rude, ill-mannered, and inconsiderate.

 

And you may think otherwise, but that principle applies every bit as much to overdressing as to underdressing. IOW, it's every bit as crass to show up for dinner in a business suit on a "casual" evening as it is to show up in "casual" attire on a "formal' evening."

 

In a message to KreiderCarter, you said:

 

"You also will need a sport coat for the "informal" evenings (according to the latest brochures, a necktie is now optional). I would strongly recommend that your wife wear nice dresses on those evenings also, as a significant fraction of the ladies who cruise on Celebrity tend to err on the side of overdressng."

 

Are you really saying that a significant fraction of the ladies who cruise on Celebrity are really exceedingly gauche, rude, ill-mannered, inconsiderate and crass because they tend to err on the side of overdressing? :D

 

Not quite. Rather, the real issue is that the lines between standards of dress have gotten a bit blurred, especially with regard to ladies' attire. As a result, cocktail dresses are now appropriate for both "formal" and "informal" evenings. Thus, you see a lot of ladies wearing very dressy attire on the "informal" evenings. Thus, it's safer to go with the dressier option on Celebrity if in doubt.

 

Norm.

[julieanne]

KreiderCarter,

 

 

 

If you try to compare Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, you very quickly discover that you are in an "apples and oranges" situation because the companies offer different experiences geared toward different segments of the cruise market.

 

>> Celebrity Cruises is a "premium" cruise line that offers a fairly refined, and very traditional, cruise with outstnading service, sophisticated (predominantly French) cuisine, a lot of other "grace notes" here and there. The ships offer a wide variety of activities, but there's usually only one announcement per day (the noontime navigation announcement at sea and the "you can go ashore now" announcement in port) over the public address system, so you have to mind the time if you want to participate in anything. Celebrity also retains the tradition of "informal" evenings in addition to the "formal" evenings, for which most passengers really do "dress to the nines."

 

>> Royal Caribbean International is a "mainstream" cruise line that's geared toward younger adults and families. The line's newer ships offer innovative activities including an ice skating rink, a boxing ring (!), and a rock climbing wall. Royal Caribbean consistently gets good marks on food and service, but not as high as Celebrity. You probably also will find more of a "party" atmosphere among the passengers on this line.

 

Both lines offer great shows, excellent children's, youth, and teen programs, computer centers, guest lecturers, etc.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Norm.

Oh boy Norm! I have to take issue with this in a very polite way of course! Celebrity is not considered a premium line. Their cruises and itineraries are priced competitively across the board with the mid-range lines. The premiums are Oceania, Seabourn and Crystal, etc. Our last cruise on the Millie last year, I will say the food was very good and that was in drect comparison to the mediocre food served by RCI and CCL. The specialty restaurant was outstanding and that is exactly what the food used to be like many years ago! I find that Celebrity gives us a much more formal experience with a bit of a more mature crowd. We are, however willing the give the others a chance after a long absence. I also feel that we have more cruisers who generally respect the dress code in this more formal environment, but I have seen quite a few who don't. We. too enjoy the more formal atmosphere, but we're willing to try new things as well! :D

 

6/72 Song of Norway Caribbean 7/73 Sun Viking Caribbean 12/74 Fairsea Mexico 6/75 Golden Odyssey E. Mediterranean 4/76 Odessa Yucatan 6/76 Fairwind Transcanal 5/77 Sun Princess 8/77 Fairstar Australia/S. Pacific 12/77 Monarch Sun Caribbean 6/78 Danae Mediterranean 12/78 Festivale Caribbean 7/79 Fairstar S. Pacific 12/80 Nordic Prince Caribbean 12/82 Tropicale Mexico 10/84 Jubilee Mexico 4/88 Fairsea Mexico 9/91 Dawn Princess Ensenada 4/95 Jubilee Mexico 6/96 Century Caribbean 12/97 Song Of America Mexico 11/98 Grand Princess Caribbean 12/98 Monarch of the Seas Ensenada 11/99 Rhapsody of the Seas Mexico 4/00 Norwegian Sea Transcanal 11/00 Splendor of the Seas Caribbean 11/01 Mercury Transcanal 12/02 Sun Princess Mexico 12/03 Pride Mexico 4/04 Galaxy Transatlantic 5/05 Mercury Transatlantic 5/06 Millenium Transatlantic 4/07 Splendour of the Seas Transatlantic

[Rev22:17]

julieanne,

 

Oh boy Norm! I have to take issue with this in a very polite way of course! Celebrity is not considered a premium line. Their cruises and itineraries are priced competitively across the board with the mid-range lines. The premiums are Oceania, Seabourn and Crystal, etc.

 

Hmmm....

 

It appears that you are confusing the terms "premium" and "luxury" with regard to cruise lines. The major travel guides put Crystal, Cunard, Regent Seven Seas, Seaborne, Seadream, and Silversea in the "luxury" segment. The "premium" segment includes Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, and Princess. Carnival, Costa Crociere, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean International are "mainstream" lines. At one point, there was a "budget" segment with lines like Commodore, Dolphin, and Premier, but most of these were crushed by pricing pressure caused by discounting in the "mainstream" segment a few years ago. In recent years, the term "mass market" has come to encompass the "mainstream" and "premium" segments. I generally stick with that stratification because most people understand it.

 

Oceana markets itself as a "premium" cruise line. Its product is both more inclusive and more expensive than the other "premium" cruise lines, but I'm not convinced that Oceana is a match for the luxury lines, either.

 

Our last cruise on the Millie last year, I will say the food was very good and that was in drect comparison to the mediocre food served by RCI and CCL.

 

Food is very much a matter of personal taste. Celebrity's cuisine is more sophisticated than that of other mass market lines, but it is also decidedly French. If you don't care for French cuisine, it grows old very quickly.

 

The specialty restaurant was outstanding and that is exactly what the food used to be like many years ago!

 

Hmmm....

 

The food in Celebrity's specialty restaurants certainly is very good. Nonetheless, I doubt that the food on any "premium" line ever was as sophisticated as the cuisine in Celebrity's specialty restaurants, with many tableside preparations and fully synchronized service.

 

I find that Celebrity gives us a much more formal experience with a bit of a more mature crowd. We are, however willing the give the others a chance after a long absence. I also feel that we have more cruisers who generally respect the dress code in this more formal environment, but I have seen quite a few who don't. We. too enjoy the more formal atmosphere, but we're willing to try new things as well!

 

Yes, and likewise here!

 

Norm.

[BILLP1]

If you want to know the difference between Premium and Luxury cruise lines, read the boards on Cruise Critic...

 

There is no discussion about dress codes and chair hogs on the Luxury cruise boards. No one is explaing why they love their inside cabin or how long the lines were at check in..

 

You get what you pay for....

[rickhurley]

I'm seriously interested in Celebrity for my next cruise and I'd like opinions as to what would be the best ship to begin with? Itinerary is secondary to me as I really enjoy the ships more than the ports. Thanks.

Well, i just back(3-25)from a cruise on celeb's Infinity, it is made for the lounge lizard: 3 outdoor bars, small, intimate bars with variety of music, big noisy bars, you name it, they have it. Will caution you that Celeb seems to appeal to an older crowd, so if Carnival is your thing, stay on Carnival.

[B4andAFT]

Don't tell me the "color" police are going to check to see if my husband's suit is DARK enough. :eek:

[sunchic1]

We were on X Galaxy 10 day cruise on March 16-07. The itinerary was Great!! The ship was old and Borring Borring Borring !! The food just OK and the crew lacked personalty and the shows were just OK. After the 3rd night we just stoped going. The actives for the most part were a joke, (We don't play Bingo) They put the Cruise Critic party on the 3rd day at 9AM. Who want's to party at 9AM? We didn't go and I was really looking forward to it. Now the BAD part, when we got to our room we opened the door to a musty meldew smell. We told someone right away, and they said they could fix it, so we started to unpack (Big mistake) we ended up moving to a room just for the night, after looking at 2 rooms that we were not happy with (Bunk Beds in the room) They found us a very nice room the next day, so we went to our room 1105 to pack up and move. By the time we were packed up I had a Bad Bad headache that lasted most of the day. Now I'm really glad to didn't sleep there. They came and moved our bags to our NEW beatiful room. We now lost 2 days of our trip, but we were happy now and they did a great job seeing to that we were happy the whole cruise, but you can't get back 2 days. The itinerary was wonderfull !!!! We went to the Zip Lines in beautiful St.Lucia, lots of Fun..... " shoretrips.com " They have great excursions with low prices! Barbados, we went on a Kat, " Coolrunnings.com " it was GREAT, we swam the Turtles, Snorkeled and went to a beach and had a wonderful lunch and Drinks all day. Great price and we didn't have to pay until we got there. We just made resv. on there Web site. My friends said they go everytime they are in Barbados. Curacao and Aruba were Awsome. All in all we still had a good time, just not as much fun we had on the Sun Princess, April 2005...They have so many fun things to do, you will never be bored. And the shows were great. But if you want to take a cruise to just Veggg, X Galaxy may be the Cruise for you. I Loved the Itinerary, I only wished they stayed in port longer then 5 or 6 PM.

Sunchic1

[hylasgirl]

Educated and well traveled have NOTHING to do with how elegant I dress for dinner on any cruise... and it is offensive to hear that YOU want everyone to dress the way YOU want them to dress at dinner because you think you will be among a higher class of people if we are all in tuxes and gowns.... shows how well traveled you are. But someone NOT wanting to dress up for dinner has nothing to do with YOU wanting to. I am sure you will still be among a few of the well educated... well traveled... elegant people you are craving.

[Rev22:17]

B4andAFT,

 

Don't tell me the "color" police are going to check to see if my husband's suit is DARK enough. :eek:

 

Well, most men's business suits are either very dark (black, brown, navy, charcoal grey, etc.) or very light (light grey, tan, pastel, or cream, with light grey being most popular). There's very little in between, so the adjective "dark" is not exactly ambiguous when used in this context.

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

hylasgirl,

 

I don't know to whom your comments were intended, but I will respond to them.

 

Educated and well traveled have NOTHING to do with how elegant I dress for dinner on any cruise...

 

I disagree completely.

 

>> 1. Training in social etiquette is just as essential as training in English, history, mathematics, science, arts, music, etc., in a complete education. A person who does not have such training will not know the proper way to dress, to act, etc. A person who, out of ignorance, does not understand that "formal" means "black tie," for example, is likely to show up in something else.

 

>> 2. Travel brings exposure to various situations, circumstances, and cultures that may demand that one observe different customs and social practices than one might observe at home. There's a direct correlation between travel and exposure to such customs and cultures, and those who have previously been exposed to such cultures are more likely to be aware of what's expected and thus to conform. In the context of the present discussion, a person who has taken a cruise on a particular line has seen the majority of other passengers wearing the expected dress, and may have even felt self-conscious as a result of previous failue to do so. Thus, repeat passengers are less likely to fail to conform to the prescribed dress than first timers.

 

The result is that educated and well travelled indivduals are much more likely to conform to the dress code than others.

 

... and it is offensive to hear that YOU want everyone to dress the way YOU want them to dress at dinner because you think you will be among a higher class of people if we are all in tuxes and gowns.... shows how well traveled you are. But someone NOT wanting to dress up for dinner has nothing to do with YOU wanting to. I am sure you will still be among a few of the well educated... well traveled... elegant people you are craving.

 

Again, this is not an issue of what you want to do or what you don't want to do. Rather, each cruise line prescribes proper dress on its ships, and social etiquette demands that passengers follow the prescribed dress. Indeed, there should never be a need for any enforcement of dress codes whatsoever. Cruise lines differentiate themselves by prescribing various standards of dress, thus allowing each of us to choose a line with a standard of dress that matches our personal tastes and styles. IOW, this matter is completely in YOUR hands. YOU have complete freedom to choose a cruise line on which "formal" attire is expected, a cruise line on which jeans and "T" shirts are expected at dinner, or a cruise line with policies that are anywhere in between.

 

So is it "low class" to cruise on a line, or a ship, that prescribes "casual" attire every evening? No, absolutely not.

 

Is it "low class" to cruise on a line like Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, which admits "T" shirts and shorts or jeans 24x7? No, absolutely not.

 

But what is totally lacking in class is to book on a line that prescribes one standard of dress and then show up in a different standard of dress. IOW, showing up for dinner in a tuxedo on Windjammer Barefoot Cruises is "low class," and so is showing up for dinner in "causal" attire on a "formal" evening (or vice versa) on Celebrity Cruises.

 

And if you think this to be offensive, I'll gladly say it again, and so will more than a few other regular posters on this board.

 

Norm.

[caviargal]

In my opinion class has nothing to do with how one dresses, it has to do with how one treats other people.

Happy cruising

 

Class is not defined by only one specific aspect of one's character. How one chooses to dress, when one has been specifically advised of the expectation and provided a clear definition of acceptable attire, has everything to do with class.

 

Since is is respectful to dress in the manner requested for an event (ship or land based), it shows a lack of respect to do otherwise. People with class are generally not ill mannered and disrespectful.

[Kathie44]

KreiderCarter--Connie is sailing out of Harwich? We were on Jewel last June for the Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords out of Harwich and Connie was sailing out of Dover. Pax from Connie stayed at the same London hotel we did. We took a tour from London which included a photo stop at Dover and saw the Connie a couple of hours before she sailed for Scandinavia/Russia. I didn't know her departure port had been switched.

We had a fabulous cruise last year. We chose Jewel for the itinerary, which included Amsterdam instead of Copenhagan. LOVED the ship. Truly, everything about that cruise was every bit as good as any Celebrity cruise we've been on and the ship is the most beautiful one we've sailed.

We stick with RCCL and Celebrity, mostly depending on the itinerary.

 

1/02 Explorer E. Carib.

1/03 Explorer W. Carib.

8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour

2/04 Adventure S. Carib.

2/05 Galaxy Panama Canal

6/06 Jewel Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords + 3 days in London

1/07 Mercury Mexican Riviera

1/08 Mercury Aust/NZ