finoky

Background, we are an early 60's married couple with 22 Carnival cruises behind us. We sailed with another couple in their late 60's also with many Carnival cruises. This was our first Celebrity cruise. We booked it as a celebration of our 35th wedding anniversary. We already have an AI and a beach week coming up later this year so we were looking for a lower cost option and went with this 6 day cruise. We got the all-in package when it still included gratuities for $1700 for inside cabin 3148. We upgraded to premium for $6.99 pp/pd. Some of you may have seen that we got our cabin upgraded for free to obstructed balcony 6171 a week before sailing. Our friends did not as they stayed in ocean view 3150 which we were originally across the hall from. It was hard to not compare our cruise to Carnival throughout the week. I will say that Celebrity wins in just about every way. It wasn't really that close. We are saying goodbye to Carnival and now have two more Celebrity cruises booked. Embarkation- A+ Easiest ever. We had 1130-1200 check-in time. Our Uber dropped us off outside terminal 29 at 1140. Within 10-12 minutes we were walking on the ship. Had already watched the muster videos and made the quick stop at our muster station. Then dropped our carry-ons at our cabins and up to Oceanview Cafe for lunch. Had no problem finding a table by the windows. Cabins- A+ We were mid-ship on the port side in 6171. Loved everything about it. The lifeboat did not really bother us. After all it was a free upgrade so can't complain. Loved the layout of the cabin. Plenty of storage and hangars. We like the shower door vs the curtains that Carnival has. We also liked that there were no cabins across or down our hall from us as well as the little enclave for the cabin doors. F&B- A+ Always subjective of course but we loved all the food. We had breakfast each morning in the OC. Lunch was burgers from the MG. Dinner each night in Opus with select. We had picked 630 or 7 each night in the app months ago. We never had to wait and was immediately directed to our table in the same area each night. Some of my favorites was the escargot, prime rib, halibut, and I thought the cobia with the salmon tartare app was one of the best meals I have had at sea. We also liked the burgers from MG. They were not dry. They tasted juicy and full of flavor. Maybe a step below Guys on Carnival but not by much. Breakfast was just fine each morning for us in the OC. Many options so we never grew tired of eating the same thing. Celebrity wins hands down. We are early risers as we set a 5am alarm each morning to get up for some coffee, walk the open decks, and enjoy the sunrise before breakfast. We were ok with coffee each morning on the OC but of course preferred the Al Bacio offerings much more. All of our alcoholic drinks came with a good pour. I had my share Grey Goose and cranberry. Never had a problem with getting service at the bar as well as up on deck 15 by the servers walking around. They always seemed to come around at just the right time. Entertainment- A We loved Elysium in the Theater. The other shows were not bad. We like all of the musicians acts on board and they played a good variety. I think that house band Elektrofonika may have been new to the ship. They rarely started on time and seemed to have setup/sound issues that they were always working on. Our first time participating in a silent disco and it was so much fun. The ship- A+ The sailing was sold out but it never felt crowded to us. Yes, there were a lot of guests everywhere but we always managed to find our spot without too much effort. We found it to be clean and with lovely decor. While I realize it hasn't been revolutionized we have nothing to compare that to since this was our first Celebrity cruise. We would definitely sail this ship again. Debarkation- A+ We chose to drag our own stuff off the ship. We were out of the cabin by 7 so the team could prepare it for the next guests. We had breakfast in the OC and then just relaxed just outside by the pool to let the ship clear out some. We were then easily able to walk off around 9 and quickly through customs. Very painless. Overall- A+ We loved everything about this cruise and Celebrity. As I said earlier we have booked two more. We have a SV on the Apex in Feb and an ABC booked on the Silhouette in Apr/2026. We have enjoyed our cruises on Carnival but the product just doesn't suit us anymore. We feel much more at home with Celebrity and regret not making the move sooner.

We got back Saturday from the cruise. Our original cabin was 3148 and our friends were across the hall in 3150. They said they saw a mom and daughter come out of our original cabin. Our free upgraded cabin was 6171. The obstruction from the lifeboat was not bad and we were extremely pleased. Had zero issue with smoke from deck 5 below us. Thank you Celebrity!

We have the 8 day ABC in a Havana aft facing balcony on the Horizon booked for April 2026.

We are sailing our first Celebrity cruise next weekend on the Reflection. Have sailed 25 cruises with other lines mainly Carnival. Well, we had originally booked an inside on deck 3 with the all-included back when you got the tips as well for $1600. Today I got an email from Celebrity with new documents and luggage tags that has us in a balcony on deck 6. For free! I didn't bid or call or anything. Our original cabin wasn't an HC cabin. Just a regular inside for 2 people. I am overjoyed!!

We are rookie Celebrity cruisers in our 60's. For my wife would she be ok in a coverup for breakfast in the OVC?

Deck 4 casino annex is non smoking. While smaller it does have most all of the table games and a good selection of slots.

Great to hear. We have never sailed in a Havana cabin but have 9477 on the Horizon booked for April 2026. Long way off but looking forward to it.

Called yesterday to book a cruise for 2026 to the ABC islands. They would not let me select a specific aft facing cabin. Called in twice and got the same answer both times. Would not allow my request to speak to someone higher up. I just said cancel everything and we booked the cruise on a different cruise line. We have been on 26 cruises and always pick our cabin. No way will I book a guarantee cabin and let Princess put us where they want.

Thanks for posting. We just upgraded to premium at the $6.99 price for our upcoming cruise on the Reflection in April.

Exactly. We have cruised 25 times but never on Celebrity. We recently decided to switch over to them and have two cruises currently booked. The no smoking/vaping anywhere indoors was one of the big deciding factors for us. This news is not good at all and will negatively affect our cruise experience.

The points Guy wasn't on my last Carnival cruise. The food was very sub par.

Why not board later with them? That's what we did on our recent cruise. We simply arrived at their appointment time and did everything with them as if we weren't of the rich and famous.

I am of the opinion that Carnival is more interested in Blues and Reds. After 25 Carnival cruises we are moving on.

We have a SV booked on the Apex for Feb, 25.

I have been on two cruises since October and not once did I order the CMC. Not a fan at all.