Journey Drydock

[kelmac]

Where is the Journey in drydock?

 

After "surfing" for a while, it looks like the Journey is in Freeport, Bahamas.

Kudos to Cruise Critic, as all my searching lead me back to this site:

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=426

 

If you really need cruise information, Cruise Critic leads the way!!:)

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[Dolphins]

Went to a TA today (4/23) and they still don't have a Journey brochure available 2 weeks before her first sailing?

[Lsimon]

Went to a TA today (4/23) and they still don't have a Journey brochure available 2 weeks before her first sailing?

 

They do exist. We got one while on the Galaxy in February. Try calling Celebrity.

[Andy]

Went to a TA today (4/23) and they still don't have a Journey brochure available 2 weeks before her first sailing?

 

Hi Dolphins !

 

I have a brochure. It wasnt easy to get, but they are available. Try calling Captains Club. They were able to put me in touch with the right area. Good luck !

[mike@sea]

Does anyone know why the SV Cabins (front and aft) in contrary to the regular balcony cabins can not be booked for 3 people? Are they smaller despite their description? Or are they maybe wider and not as long which would probably result in a love seat and maybe a chair rather than a sofa bed ?

Other question for those that know the R ships. Does anyone know if it is worth booking the SV cabins other than for the quietness and view. The balcony does not look that much bigger on the pictures that I have seen.

Thank you for any information.

[1cruiselvr]

I've been on this type ship before (once in what X is calling a 1a/2a category and once in what X is categorizing as SS). I wouldn't book a forward SV as they get the most motion. Aft isn't quite as bad. The room is not much different than 1a/2as just a bit larger balcony. I personally don't think it's worth the extra $$. I'd rather spend it on excursions or other cruise extras, but that's me.

PS I know this subject has been beaten to death but my money is on no childrens' programs onboard as there this ship was designed without the space which means they would have to remove another amenity in order to have the room

[Wasasalad]

swigso vbmenu_register("postmenu_9910531", true);

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: liverpool England

Posts: 96

 

 

Quest/Journey

Hi

Just read this on Celebrity web-site

 

 

Celebrity Quest – Ultra-Premium Onboard Experience Highlights

Guests sailing on Celebrity Quest will enjoy a more exclusive guest experience. Celebrity Quest and her sister ship, Celebrity Journey, offer 15 classes of accommodations, all featuring butler service as well as concierge-style amenities, including fresh-cut flowers, fresh fruit, Elemis toiletries, complimentary use of Frette cotton robes, two complimentary pairs of plush slippers, plasma TVs and European bedding.

 

Despite the ships’ smaller size, Celebrity is offering two specialty restaurants onboard – a first for the brand. Guests staying in suites will receive one night of complimentary dining in one of the two specialty restaurants. The ships, which will not require formal attire for dining, also feature open seating in the main dining room.

 

The two ships are the first in Celebrity’s fleet to feature a wine bar, which will offer wine and champagne tastings, seminars, and mini-pairings of food and wine, in addition to its standard menu of fine wines by the glass or bottle.

 

Celebrity Journey and Celebrity Quest will offer an enhanced emphasis on spa and relaxation. The ships’ AquaSpa facilities will offer spa treatments not available on any other ships in Celebrity’s fleet. Guests in suites will be able to enjoy certain spa services in the privacy of their room. The ships will also offer an outdoor spa relaxation lounge and an aesthetics suite offering Celebrity’s popular Acupuncture at Sea, laser hair removal and microdermabrasion.

 

The two ships will each feature an onboard “excursion expert,” who will not only help guests select shore excursions based on their personal interests, but also serve as a destination guide, offering information about the culture and history of each port of call.

 

The retail experience onboard Celebrity Journey and Celebrity Quest will focus on fine art, sculpture, photography, jewelry, and resort wear.

__________________

 

 

 

with all the resources on these boards, it seems odd that nobody has seen or heard anything about the journey or quest. they realy are the best kept secrets ever discussed on these threads. i'm booked for early augist 2007 and none of my e-mails to celebrity have been answered regarding the rooms, size of the deck, or whether there will be a childrens' program on board. i know there are plenty of posters here who say no kids' programs on hjourney or quest, but i need to hear it from celebtiry. why have a cruise ship out of new york to a popular resort island during summer vacation without a kids' program. if no program, i bet there will be a lot of disappointed people; both parents with no time to relax and those with no kids having to deal with the unsupervised hoards. someone from celebrity, please let us know!!!

[Romchek1]

I'll be sailing on the Journey on 7-7-07. I also heard that there will be open seating beginning at 7:15 PM and no formal nights, resort casual dress every night

[CrabbyHarper]

Gosh I hope not! We are sailing on Journey on Sept 8 and that is waaaaay too late for us to begin dinner.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, I just got back from a day onboard in Freeport; the ship's gonna be magnificent. Our photo/video essay, "A Closer Look: Celebrity Journey" will launch either late today -- or early tomorrow. Check it out!

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor

Cruise Critic

 

Anyone have any information on Journey drydock?

[editor@cruisecritic]

...but from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

That's not too late....

We'll be offering all sorts of details in our Closer Look...now have to go back to it so we can finish -- and launch it!

Also, once you've read it if you still have questions, feel free to drop me a note at editor@cruisecritic.com. I'll do my best to offer answers.

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor

Cruise Critic

 

I'll be sailing on the Journey on 7-7-07. I also heard that there will be open seating beginning at 7:15 PM and no formal nights, resort casual dress every night

[kelmac]

...but from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

 

That's not too late....

 

We'll be offering all sorts of details in our Closer Look...now have to go back to it so we can finish -- and launch it!

 

Also, once you've read it if you still have questions, feel free to drop me a note at editor@cruisecritic.com. I'll do my best to offer answers.

 

Carolyn

 

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor

Cruise Critic

 

Carolyn,

 

Thanks -- Cruise Critic is the best!:)

 

Kel

[editor@cruisecritic]

How 'bout I give Mr. Tucker's answers a little tweaking, based on my trip to Freeport Sunday...read below for what's true....

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor

Cruise Critic

 

Just reviewed the deck plans from the Celebrity site for this ship. It is a shame as it appears that they have removed some of the nicer areas that the R class ships were originally constructed with.

 

For example:

 

1. The beautiful library is gone and replaced with Michaels Club/Cigar Bar. Nope not true. The library will be largely intact (including that gorgeous ceiling mural) and used as a library during the day. In the pre- and post-dinner hours, it will become Michael's Club with the addition of a pianist. Bar drinks will be served from the adjoining alternative restaurant bars (so no bar in the club, again, Celebrity's not changing much in the Library) and there will be NO cigars.

 

2. The lounge/martini bar by the casino with all the overstuffed chairs is gone and replaced with a larger casino. The present casino, albeit a little small, certainly was capable of serving the much smaller number of passengers and is frequently empty. Yes, that's true. The martini bar is being moved....

 

3. The casual quiet lounge outside the dining room has been replaced with a Martini Bar. This undoubtedly will add to the noise level in the dining room as they are not separated by full height walls. I don't think so. The restaurant bar was the most under-utilized on the ship, IMHO, and it lacked any kind of character or personality. Basically just a quick spot for a pre-dinner drink but no one ever hung out there.... Re the sound barrier, well that's the kind of thing Celebrity will wait and see on...if it's a problem, they'll fix it. It's a small bar, though, and it just can't get any bigger.

 

4. The nice open area with comfortable seating at the top of the grand staircase has been replaced with the cova cafe with no seating. I need to check on the seating aspect but I believe there will be seating and it will be located on deck five, around the staircase/atrium area, and my impression from knowing that lobby anyway (on other R-series ships) is that it will be gorgeous and lovely.

 

5. The main reception area which was once spacious with overstuffed chairs has been made smaller with the addition of a boutique store. The grand staircase will probably not look so grand anymore. Well, they hadn't yet built the store into the space yet so I can't comment on how it looks (it will sell upscale jewelry) but again, another underutilized space on the R-series ships and it's well back behind the staircase so not sure that it will have any enormous impact at all.

 

6. The card/games room has been removed and the spa has been expanded into that area with an acupunture room. They now have absolutely no facilities for people to play bridge or other table games other than going to the buffet dining area. That's true. There's now going to be a stand alone facility (though adjoining the spa) for acupuncture. The card room has been moved to the forward facing top deck lounge -- where it will occupy a spot on starboard side, by the entrance. Speaking of the lounge, one big improvement I could already see is that the areas of interior walls, that divided the bandstand area, for instance, from the actual windowed seating area, has been demolished so the room's really light and airy now. Very pleasant.

 

I think the biggest losses are the library, card room and the original martini bar. Large open public spaces have been replaced with money making venues which, in my opinion, is not necessary for this small population ship as there are many areas that currently go unused most of the day. There is also a clear absence of any childrens facility. That's true: these ships were built as no-kid ships. There's just not room for a facility and frankly I think there are better options for families. At 30,000 tons and 710 passengers (more or less) there just isn't room for every type of traveler and why should there be? Not every ship has to be the proverbial all things to all people....

 

To me, a big fan of the R class ships, this is truly a very dissapointing move on the part of Celebrity to destroy some of the beautiful ambience that was originally a design feature and selling factor of these ships. It appears the almighty bottom line dollar has taken over the management of this ship. Unfortunate for the future passengers that they are not going to see this ship in what was its true glory. Ironically, you can see the ships in their "true glory" on Pullmantur, where nothing's been changed in 8 or 9 years, and even to an extent on Princess, which has spiffed up a few things but largely left the design intact. And you know what? It's dated. If you've sailed on Oceania, which has spent millions to give their Regatta, Nautica and Insignia a fresher, more contemporary look, you'll see how much more gorgeous they can be! And Celebrity is trying to go head-to-head with Oceania.

And I also want to point out that your comments are premature. You haven't seen Journey yet! Once you see it -- and if it then doesn't measure up -- well that's fair. But I'd encourage you to withhold judgement til you've got more info....

[SheilaNC]

Carolyn,

Thanks so much for your insights...much appreciated. I'm really looking forward to reading your entire article AND to sailing Journey on May 26th. Will certainly write a report from the standpoint of a 'pioneer' cruiser when we return!

[editor@cruisecritic]

I'll get to tour Celebrity Journey on Friday, May 4 but won't be sailing so I can't wait to read your report, Sheila.

One thing that's in my story but does belong here too. And that is that Celebrity's trying a whole new approach with this ship -- they've abandoned the philosophy that it should just be a smaller version of a Millennium-class vessel. It's a different experience and as a real fan of Oceania -- which they want to compete against with these smaller ships -- I'm intrigued. They've even hired away a staffer from Oceania who worked with their ship refurbs (and also was hotel director) -- so we'll see.

One thing he -- David Whelan is his name -- said over and over is that Celebrity knows there's going to be some tweaking and that it looks forward to making changes as passengers comment. The first three cruises especially (that's my surmise) will be tests -- and anyone cruising on those trips is the lucky position of having a real say as to what works and what doesn't.

So I'll definitely be staying tuned to y'all -- until I can get on board :) for a cruise and not just a tour.

Carolyn

 

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor

Cruise Critic

 

Carolyn,

Thanks so much for your insights...much appreciated. I'm really looking forward to reading your entire article AND to sailing Journey on May 26th. Will certainly write a report from the standpoint of a 'pioneer' cruiser when we return!

[editor@cruisecritic]

Celebrity Journey's not the only ship we'll be previewing over the next six weeks...it's insane how many new and refurbished ships are debuting in this time frame. Check out our From the Bridge for details: http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=443.

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor

Cruise Critic

[cruisingdelt]

I'll be sailing on the Journey on 7-7-07. I also heard that there will be open seating beginning at 7:15 PM and no formal nights, resort casual dress every night

 

Romchek,

 

The DW and two older kids I will also be on the 7/7/7 sailing. Best wishes for a great cruise.

[gillianrose]

If Celebrity wants to go head to head with Oceania, can we expect that AT LEAST one of the ships will be entirely NON-SMOKING??? :)

[dabear]

I'm hoping that X does a good job competing w/O. X used to be our favorite line, then were were disappointed with last cruise on the COnnie and tried O. Regatta blew away X on food and service and we didn't have to fight chair hogs. X still had better entertainment and casino. I think X is making a smart move to have different catagory for different pax and if a few ships don't focus on kids, at least everyone has a choice. We're trying Journey in 2/08 for so am.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Nah, that's never going to happen. But Oceania's not smoke-free either (though they're very restrictive)....

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor

Cruise Critic

 

 

If Celebrity wants to go head to head with Oceania, can we expect that AT LEAST one of the ships will be entirely NON-SMOKING??? :)

[celebrityfan65]

:( Bottom line with switching everyone from the Zenith to the Journey is that we were not give all the details. We were promised to have all ammenities as the Zenith. The cruise to Bermuda on the Zenith was a family cruise. Who else sails from NJ during the summer for 7 days??? We are now on a ship that we are being told that there are no kid programs. There will be alot of kids with nothing to do. Yes once we hit the island we are busy but at night it was great for them to mix with kids their own age and have their own things to do. Seems like they told us what we wanted to hear in order to keep our reservations and not jump to another cruise line.

[1cruiselvr]

But there's no place to retrofit this ship for a kids program without taking away adult space - what should go - the library? the spa? the gym? I don't think everyone has a true picture of how small this ship is. It's not like they can add space for an additional amenity. If a kids program is that important to you, then you really should consider another cruise/ship because there is no kids program and not many places they can hang out without disturbing that area's function (library,gym, etc.) Not alot of wide open spaces on this ship. I'm not anti-kid, I'm just trying to explain that Journey and Quest will not be very kid friendly due to their original design and lack of space for the addition of kid amenities. Those families that enjoy and require kids programs should reconsider sailing on the Journey or Quest. Happy Sailing!

[SueM.]

:Who else sails from NJ during the summer for 7 days???

 

Not from New Jersey, but right across the river in Manhatten you could do a 7 day Bermuda sailing on the NCL Crown.

 

sue

[celebrityfan65]

We did consider switching lines but Celebrity promised our group that we would receive all programs that was on the Zenith. To try and switch now and get what we want is too late. When on the Horizon they would have the kids meet in the cafe with counselors or they would close a lounge from 10pm-1am so that they had somewhere to hang out. They did not have specific teen centers. There are going to be a lot of kids with nothing to do.

[kelmac]

We did consider switching lines but Celebrity promised our group that we would receive all programs that was on the Zenith. To try and switch now and get what we want is too late. When on the Horizon they would have the kids meet in the cafe with counselors or they would close a lounge from 10pm-1am so that they had somewhere to hang out. They did not have specific teen centers. There are going to be a lot of kids with nothing to do.

 

What date are you cruising? Perhaps we could help find you an alternative. As we all know, sometimes the customer service people of Celebrity get it COMPLETELY wrong.

As I remember, the Horizon and the Zenith were not all that kid friendly anyway???

 

Enjoy!

Kel