Why so cheap? Am I missing something?

[Susan-M]

As an aside I see you are from Ontario. I grew up in Montreal and Toronto, went to Queens in Kingston and have been down here in Florida for the last 25 years now. We are heading north in a couple of weeks to see the leaves in full colour so hopefully we have our time right this year.

 

Hi Dale, DH is also a Queens grad.

 

The leaves are just starting to turn here now (in the Niagara area) - you should see some nice colours when you are here!

[JLC@SD]

Okay, now that I've booked I'm getting nervous! Why are the 5-night Century cruises so cheap? I've found as a teacher that February is an expensive time to travel because of all of the schools (like mine) that have mid-winter breaks. I've read that the Century was in dry dock and had a ton of great improvements, so what am I missing?

 

(Please just tell me that I got a great deal on a great cruise and I can relax! :D )

 

The cruise lines' goal is to sail a full ship......and if they have to give a big discount to have a full ship......they will do it......they want people on the ship spending money.......;)

[joelmarj]

The short hops on Century are not a typical Celebrity cruise. The dress code is somewhat relaxed (definitely not enforced) and there are more young passengers than older passengers on board. The casino is always 150% full and there is a heck of alot more drinking.

 

If you like more of a party atmosphere you will enjoy this cruise. Think of it more like you would a Carnival cruise. You will also find alot of South Floridians on board as there are not many who are willing to fly in for such a short cruise.

 

This is absolutely not my findings. I took this 5 day cruise during Easter Break and it could not be further from the experience I had. It is NOTHING like a Carnival cruise. It was very peaceful, elegant and classy as any of my other Celebrity cruises. Formal night was a formal as always, as were all the informal nights. Even casual night was well attended in proper dress. I've been on Carnival, and this was no comparison. There are no loud pool games like you find on carnival and teenager were not at all out of control. And definitely no out-of-control drinking. Perhaps you had a unique experience, but that certainly does not describe my experience.

 

To the OP, you booked a beautiful ship. I'll be sailing again on her in three weeks and can't wait. Enjoy your trip!

[jaxon41]

We did not find this to be the case at all. I actually worried it would be a Carnival atmosphere as we cruised the 5 nighter on Century last Easter week. It was a typical Celebrity experience. Couldn't have been further from a Carnival cruise.

 

You will definitely not regret your cruise. We'd do it again in a heartbeat. The ship is stunning since it's refurb. If the Sky Suites are a good price, try to go with one. They are really nice.

 

Neither did we find it Carnival like -- same atmosphere (ok a few early spring breakers) as other X cruises. We booked 10 cabins and we all flew in -- 5 days works well for new cruisers, and with a mandatory pre-night, there is still a day left for recouping before returning to work. Plus, the price was right. This was our first family vacation -- all adults from 40 - 60. We had a wonderful time.

 

This was my 2nd cruise on the Century -- one pre-stretch to St. Petersburg and Scandanavia. I loved her then, and even love her more

all in her new finery.

[Ships R Great]

Be sure to chech pricing occaissionally/ocaisionally/occaisionally---none of them look right!!!!!!! Somebody help me. Our price has dropped once on one leg and twice on the other since we booked. And now we may even get a small OBC.

[Drew B]

We did not find this to be the case at all. I actually worried it would be a Carnival atmosphere as we cruised the 5 nighter on Century last Easter week. It was a typical Celebrity experience. Couldn't have been further from a Carnival cruise.

 

 

Have all of you who fear a Carnival atmosphere actually sailed with Carnival? After 3 cruises on Carnival (2 of which were 3-day "booze cruises") and 2 on Celebrity, I can honestly say the products aren't that different... There are classy people and trashy people on both. There are drunk people and sober people on both. There are young people and old people on both. Yes, there is a skew towards somewhat more young and raucous people on Carnival, but it's not a monumental difference. And if you're not interested in partying with them in the bars, chances are, they will not impact you at all.

[deborahjo]

We did not find this to be the case at all. I actually worried it would be a Carnival atmosphere as we cruised the 5 nighter on Century last Easter week. It was a typical Celebrity experience. Couldn't have been further from a Carnival cruise.

 

You will definitely not regret your cruise. We'd do it again in a heartbeat. The ship is stunning since it's refurb. If the Sky Suites are a good price, try to go with one. They are really nice.

 

So can yo please tell me just what is a "Carnival Atmosphere."

 

I do not see Carnival playing sex games like RCCL on their Marrriage game.

 

As you can see I am getting ready to go on my 4th Carnival Cruise in 6 years. I see nothing wrong with it. To insult one cruise line to try and make your point just makes you look bad in my eyes.

[caviargal]

... it was different from what I would call a typical Celebrity Cruise.

 

Our 4 nighter on Century was not a typical 7 night X experience, IMHO. More kids, FAR more casual with shorts and sweats in the dining room at dinner, noisy crowd around the pool, few tuxes on formal night, more relaxed on board atmosphere and dining room food and service not up to my previous X cruises.

 

That being said, it was better than the short cruises on RCI so everything is subjective. ;)

[jerseygirl3]

So can yo please tell me just what is a "Carnival Atmosphere."

 

I do not see Carnival playing sex games like RCCL on their Marrriage game.

 

As you can see I am getting ready to go on my 4th Carnival Cruise in 6 years. I see nothing wrong with it. To insult one cruise line to try and make your point just makes you look bad in my eyes.

 

As you can see from my sig line, I have sailed Carnival more than any other cruiseline, so I think I speak from experience. I've had some nice Carnival cruises and I've had 2 that were pretty much cruises from hell (one on Carnival Destiny and one on Carnival Liberty). I'm not trying to insult any particular cruiseline. Carnival is what it is. It's not Celebrity. It's not HAL. I must admit it's not the cruiseline per se that is the problem; it's the clientele. We were so disgusted with our Carnival Liberty cruise because of the people who were onboard. It was practically a brand new ship and two windows were broken and sectioned off with crime scene tape because of fights that broke out between drunken passengers. Kids were out of control. Adults were out of control. It was embarrassing to sit at the pool and hear nothing but four-letter words uttered. I got tired of the loud announcements ("bingo will begin in 10 minutes" "the $10 watch sale will begin tonight", etc.) during dinner in the formal dining room. I got tired of people letting doors slam behind them instead of holding them open for the next person. I got tired of seeing people in bathing suits with no cover-ups eating in the buffet area inside. That being said, I'm not saying I wouldn't sail Carnival again. But I know it won't be a Celebrity experience. I've sailed Celebrity a few times now and I can see the difference, and it is huge. The reason I worried about it being a "Carnival atmosphere" on the Century cruise was because it took a lot to convince my SIL to try cruising again after being on two Carnival cruises that she hated. Within 24 hours of being onboard Celebrity, she was totally captivated with cruising.

 

When you sail Carnival, you have to expect the above to occur, albeit to varying degrees depending on the sailing week and the demographics of the passengers. When we take our 20-something year-old sons, I can take Carnival for a week, but I know what to expect. Actually, I used to think they'd be bored on Celebrity, but they were pretty disappointed with their last Carnival cruise as well. We're giving Carnival one more try next spring. If it's anything like our Liberty cruise, we'll stick to the cruiselines that we feel more comfortable with.

 

As my husband and I get older, we find we prefer a more refined atmosphere that one experiences onboard Celebrity or HAL. It's nice that everyone has options that suit their tastes. Like I said, I've been on Carnival many times and most of them were fine, but they are just not comparable to our Celebrity cruises. That doesn't mean it's bad for others; just not what we look for. And the OP seemed concerned with her selection given the low price she was quoted. I was trying to reassure her that our experience was true Celebrity even on the 5 nighter.

[Drew B]

When you sail Carnival, you have to expect the above to occur, albeit to varying degrees depending on the sailing week and the demographics of the passengers.

 

 

I've never had any of that happen on my Carnival cruises, and I assure you that it is the exception and not the rule.

 

On my last Carnival cruise, there was more drunkenness in the casino than I had seen before (and one girl ended up vomiting in the bathroom, which was pretty unpleasant and inappropriate), but even that was the exception and not the rule. Most of the people in most of the venues were lovely and well-behaved.

 

Overall, the people on my Celebrity cruises have been great, too, but that doesn't mean that there weren't a couple of bad apples there, too. Maybe they weren't drunk and raucous like on Carnival, but perhaps they were rude and nasty to staff and fellow cruisers. I don't see how that kind of unpleasant clientele is any better...

[Cruisenouvelle]

" ...Yes, there is a skew towards somewhat more young and raucous people on Carnival, but it's not a monumental difference. And if you're not interested in partying with them in the bars, chances are, they will not impact you at all."

 

No -I've yet to cruise Carnival. I've read too many negative reviews, and the above quote doesn't help persuade me, either. If I came across a European or TA cruise at a super price, I might consider it. Might. In the meantime, I'll take my chances on a Celebrity 5 -nighter any day.

[Shipyard Cruiser]

I've never had any of that happen on my Carnival cruises, and I assure you that it is the exception and not the rule.

 

On my last Carnival cruise, there was more drunkenness in the casino than I had seen before (and one girl ended up vomiting in the bathroom, which was pretty unpleasant and inappropriate), but even that was the exception and not the rule. Most of the people in most of the venues were lovely and well-behaved.

 

Overall, the people on my Celebrity cruises have been great, too, but that doesn't mean that there weren't a couple of bad apples there, too. Maybe they weren't drunk and raucous like on Carnival, but perhaps they were rude and nasty to staff and fellow cruisers. I don't see how that kind of unpleasant clientele is any better...

 

I have not been on Celebrity yet but we found RCI and Carnival to be about the same which is outstanding.

 

I think all mass market cruise lines including Celebrity will be about the same.

[Drew B]

No -I've yet to cruise Carnival. I've read too many negative reviews, and the above quote doesn't help persuade me, either. If I came across a European or TA cruise at a super price, I might consider it. Might. In the meantime, I'll take my chances on a Celebrity 5 -nighter any day.

 

Don't worry. Nobody will make you sail with them if you don't want to! :p

 

Meanwhile, you were not one of the people bashing them as if you'd had first-hand experience...

[joelmarj]

Yes, I have indeed sailed Carnival before and you will note that I do not sail it anymore. Celebrity has the atmosphere I am more in search of. The belly flop contests, ruckus in the dining room with color wars and constant announcements are not my thing. While there is always a chance that you have poor shipmates (My RCCL cruise was an example), I can overlook that if the overall ship experience is what I am satisfied with. Carnival is a different product than Celebrity. They even advertise as "the fun ship", and thats ok. That is their demographics, but to say Celebrity is of the same caliber is just wrong. From serving sorbet by the pool to have no endless calls to play bingo, it's just different.

 

That being said, the beauty of so many different choices is that there is something to suit everyone's personal preferences. Carnival just does not meet mine.

[Tatka]

The short hops on Century are not a typical Celebrity cruise. The dress code is somewhat relaxed (definitely not enforced) and there are more young passengers than older passengers on board. The casino is always 150% full and there is a heck of alot more drinking.

 

If you like more of a party atmosphere you will enjoy this cruise. Think of it more like you would a Carnival cruise. You will also find alot of South Floridians on board as there are not many who are willing to fly in for such a short cruise.

 

I politely disagree.. We sailed on 5 dayer on April 16, 2007, which was during spring break in many states.

 

Atmosphere was amazing.. as formal as on my last 7 day cruise on her.. even more formal actually. Very classy pax, no drinking, not even enough kids for my son (teen) to have many activities.

 

Service was as great as ever!