So we are boarding Eclipse tomorrow for an Alaskan cruise, this is something we have looked forward to for years , but I am getting apprehensive with all the bad reviews.
A little background, I have cruised about 10 or so times as an adult, this will be our fourth since covid. The other three post-pandemic were Carnival, NCL and Royal. All were enjoyable experiences, though the post-covid-cutbacks are apparent across the board.
But I had thought Celebrity was supposed to be different. Certainly it was the one time I sailed Reflection around 10 years ago when it was the flagship. From the champagne on boarding, to the sleek and stylish entertainment, to the excellent food and wine list, to the creperie and pastries at Al Bacio, to the stunning art and glass everywhere, it was clearly a cut above.
Now I am reading scathing indictments across the board. Gristly steaks, pedestrian drinks, long waits at bars and restaurants, poor quality food, wine a activities and entertainment, nickel & diming at every turn, and you sure AF can forget about your embarkation champagne, at this point it sounds like you’ll be lucky to get a comfortable mattress if not just three hots and a cot.
And if that is the way it is, so be it, but it certainly doesn’t make sense to pay these prices for a substandard product. I am extra nervous because I had talked up Celebrity to my wife and her parents who we are sailing with, all of whom have not sailed X before. If this falls flat I am going to be honestly be pretty embarrassed.
Either way, we’ll still be in Alaska and I am sure we will still have a great time. The one bright spot I keep reading about is the service and the efforts of the crew, for whom I have the utmost admiration and respect. It’s gotta be a very tough racket.
With all the negatives any good news to share? Hoping to alleviate some very real anxiety I should not be feeling 24 hours before boarding a luxury cruise ship.