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Why do gay men like celebrity vs. Other lines?


Denman

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Hi! I just got off my first Celebrity cruise! I must say, overall it was great time, but I was left wondering why gay men seem to rank it highly as compared to other lines. Although the cabin steward was outstanding, I found the following items to be contradictory toward what most gay men might value:

 

1. The food (especially in the dining room) was so substandard that I would rate it mediocre at best, and I'm not even all that fussy when it comes to my meals! CCL (Carnival and other lines owned by Carnival) is far superior.

 

2. F.O.D. gatherings are not listed in the daily newsletter, but rather on a

board down by the purser's desk. No one ever showed up at the F.O.D. gatherings and later I was told by a couple gay guys that they had no idea

they were even being held. Is Celebrity uncomfortable listing a gay gathering in their daily rag?

 

3. I doubt there were more than 5 other gay men total on this ship which

held 2,000 passengers. Again, I've seen far more on Carnival ships and even Holland America.

 

4. We tend to be a bit more politically correct than most straight travelers,

so why would we tolerate Gideon Bibles prominently placed in our staterooms? I was raised Christian, but I love my Jewish and atheist friends as well. Also, CCL may have been playing holiday music, but not

"Away in a Manger the little lord sleeps", and other Christmas music replete with all the Jesus lyrics.

 

Anyway, I was just surprised. I would not consider it to be very gay-friendly, progressive, nor with the culinary standards of most gay men I know. I've been on 9 cruises in the last 3 years, and although I won't rule out Celebrity, they certainly won't be my first choice.

 

What are your thoughts about why Celebrity has been so highly rated with gay men in the past? Or, are others seeing this change as well?

 

Thanks!:confused:

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Hi! I just got off my first Celebrity cruise! I must say, overall it was great time, but I was left wondering why gay men seem to rank it highly as compared to other lines. Although the cabin steward was outstanding, I found the following items to be contradictory toward what most gay men might value:

 

1. The food (especially in the dining room) was so substandard that I would rate it mediocre at best, and I'm not even all that fussy when it comes to my meals! CCL (Carnival and other lines owned by Carnival) is far superior.

 

2. F.O.D. gatherings are not listed in the daily newsletter, but rather on a

board down by the purser's desk. No one ever showed up at the F.O.D. gatherings and later I was told by a couple gay guys that they had no idea

they were even being held. Is Celebrity uncomfortable listing a gay gathering in their daily rag?

 

3. I doubt there were more than 5 other gay men total on this ship which

held 2,000 passengers. Again, I've seen far more on Carnival ships and even Holland America.

 

4. We tend to be a bit more politically correct than most straight travelers,

so why would we tolerate Gideon Bibles prominently placed in our staterooms? I was raised Christian, but I love my Jewish and atheist friends as well. Also, CCL may have been playing holiday music, but not

"Away in a Manger the little lord sleeps", and other Christmas music replete with all the Jesus lyrics.

 

Anyway, I was just surprised. I would not consider it to be very gay-friendly, progressive, nor with the culinary standards of most gay men I know. I've been on 9 cruises in the last 3 years, and although I won't rule out Celebrity, they certainly won't be my first choice.

 

What are your thoughts about why Celebrity has been so highly rated with gay men in the past? Or, are others seeing this change as well?

 

Thanks!:confused:

You'll find the bibles in most cruise ships.As to the music..GET OVER IT!! I'm not religious at all, but the ship doesn't revolve around just you & your PC. Try Atlantis or RSVP if that's your thing.We always do Cunard & kind of like the "Christmassy" feel duing the holiday cruises. Reminds me of when I was a kid. Celebrity doesn't post FOD or other gatherings. It's just not their thing. Trust me, any line that was homophobic would lose a lot of customers. HAL, Cunard do post the meetings. I'm sure there were far more "family" members. Only a small amount of GLBT on Cunard really went to the meetings. We like the meetings, but don't cruise for the meetings..There's far more things to do. A lot of gays like the overall quality of Celebrity. It's more upscale than Carnival or RCC. We do Cunard, as we like dressing up when we eat, as well as that certain "Britishness" that comes with it. No line is perfect. There were lots of complaints on our Nov.27 trip. This was do to many staff going to train people on the new Queen Elizabeth. Luckily we did the Queens Grill & the staff was fine. Food on Celebrity has taken a hit lately. I feel that this should be corrected soon, as complaints do get responded to. We've yet to try Celebrity, but usually hear good comments overall. As before, no cruiseline is perfect.

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Sorry, my intention was not to push any buttons around religion, but I stick by my stance that it is inappropriate for a supposedly international cruise line to promote religion on board its vessels. And, I have never seen a bible in the staterooms of any of the other 9 ships I've sailed, including Princess, HAL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. I just found it rather odd, that's all. It certainly didn't keep me from enjoying the cruise. As for the declining food quality, I personally think it has most to do with our unwillingness to pay more for better quality, especially in this economy. We are all so proud of getting ridiculously low fares, and then we (including myself) wonder why the food quality has diminished substantially.

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That Gideon group puts bibles EVERYWHERE. There was one in our NCL Dawn cabin in October. And they have been in the cabins on HAL too. I don't know how you missed seeing them. At Marriott Hotels there is usually a Book of Mormon in the room along with the Gideon bible.

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I like Celebrity because their ships have a lot of style, and for a mass-market line I find they pay a lot of attention to detail. I have also found the food and service overall to be excellent. Of course food is very subjective, and ask 10 different people about the same meal and you will get 10 different responses.

 

I've always had a pretty good amount of fellow gay passengers on my Celebrity cruises. Perhaps not as much as Cunard, but far more than Carnival and most other lines. Of course there is no guarantee as to how many gay passengers will be on any given sailing, and that goes for any cruise line. If you want a guarantee in that regard, try Atlantis, RSVP, or even something like Pied Piper.

 

My sailing on CELEBRITY SOLSTICE was near perfect. Stunning ship, great food and service, superb entertainment, and an eclectic mix of fellow passengers. It left me wanting to sail on the newest versions of the Solstice Class and only strengthened the appeal of Celebrity Cruises for me.

 

My last cruise was on HAL's NIEUW AMSTERDAM in November. It was a decent cruise but didn't compare to Celebrity. There were very few gay passengers onboard and the night we swung by the LGBT meeting there was no one in attendance. We didn't bother the rest of the cruise. The decor was "cozy". Nice, but not stunning like the Solstice Class. Lets face it, gay men like to be surrounded by stunning decor! LOL. As for Carnival's decor, well just plain tacky comes to mind. I've sailed on over 10 Carnival Cruises but it's been years since I have sailed them. I have just outgrown the line. I might consider a sailing on the Spirit Class during the off-season when kids are in school, but that would be about it.

 

Anyway at the end of the day we all have our preferences. That is why the cruise industry is so interesting and dynamic. There is something for everyone. You found Celebrity to be just ok, and that is fine. I feel the same way about HAL and Carnival, and most of Carnival's brands with their cloned Vista Class ships. Big yawn. QM2 is the exception and she is a favorite of mine.

 

Hope you enjoy your next cruise, whatever line it may be on.

 

Ernie

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We are all so proud of getting ridiculously low fares, and then we (including myself) wonder why the food quality has diminished substantially.

 

 

Exactly. Cruise prices are amazingly cheap and frankly cruises are extremely under valued. When I was a kid my grandmother took my brother and I on a lot of cruises. Back in 1980 we sailed on the NORWAY in a 3-berth inside cabin. The fare was something like $850 per person, cruise only! I still have the ticket packet. You don't even pay that today for a 7-day Caribbean cruise, 30 years later. Amazing!

 

Because cruises are so cheap, I don't mind paying extra to dine in the speciality restaurants. I usually like to try them all if possible. On SOLSTICE I think we only dined in the main dining room twice on the entire cruise. On NIEUW AMSTERDAM it was a lot more in the main dining room, because there were not as many alternative choices. On OASIS OF THE SEAS I think we dined in the main dining room once. I just don't mind paying what I feel is a small amount to enjoy a much more intimate, personalized dining experience that is more comparable to lines like Silversea and Seabourn. This is especially important on the large mega-ships.

 

Ernie

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I like Celebrity because the whole "package" is both affordable and gives an excellent environment. As other notes the ship feeling is classy yet modern, most of the time the attention to details is great, the mix of the crowds is good, and the staff attitude is great. The relative absences of children while the crowd is not pre-morbid gives a good expreience for me.

 

All RCL companies do not publish the FOD meeting in the daily. It is what it is. That said, if it important to you, join the Roll Call here and be proactive. In my recent cruise we had a roll call that was not very active, however we all meet for a sail away drink, were very open with meeting other guys on board and letting them know that we are going to meet every day and in what time. Basically we daily took over one of the bars which became the "gay bar" for the ship. If that is what important for you don't except anyone to do it for you - take the initiative and do it yourself.

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Everyone is entitled to an opinion and here is mine. Background is have taken about 20+ cruises, 1 Carnival,3 Atlantis, 6 Pied Piper, 1 RSVP, 1 Cunard, 1 RCL, 1 Princess, 1 HAL and the rest Celebrity.

I've always found Celebrity extraordinary in the way gay people (really any people) are treated. Years ago, think maybe on the Mercury in about 2002, regular straight cruise. Two guys dancing on the dance floor. Some drunk mumbles something loud enough for people to hear about "fags shouldn't be able to dance in public". Ships officer steps in says loud enough for people to hear, "Sir if you insult any guest on this ship again, we'll drop you off at the next port", drunk guy says "I'm sorry I didn't really mean it", officer say, "Well sir, like I said "if you insult any guest on this ship again, we'll drop you off at the next port and I do mean that".

1. The food thing is kind of a non issue to me as every cruise line is cutting back, where else can you get a room and food for <$100/day? Three friends of mine were recently on Crystal and said its no longer prawns on board, just shrimp. I really haven't seen much of a change in quality on Celebrity go down just quantity. No more midnight seafood buffets or all you can eat lobsters, but still better than almost any hotel food you'll find. Did one Carnival a few years back and that was poor quality, it was cafeteria food.

The top quality stuff is still there, now though in the specialty restaraunts where you end up paying around $25 extra for it. Do I like that? No, but its same think hotels did with mini bars, or airlines with meals & baggage. The option is raise cruise prices, at least this way you still can decide for yourself if you want the *** or **** experience.

2. Only meeting Celebrity or RCCL put in the daily planner is Friends of Bill meetings, thats just policy not a judgement. I think its keeping with keeping PA announcements in general to a minimum. I kind of like that they streamlined the daily programme, although I wish FOD meetings were still listed.

3. Odds are a lot more than 5, I think 9% is national average for gays in the mix

4. Simple Solution-Leave it in the nightstand like at any hotel, and pretty silly if you expect them to play non-denominational Christmas music. There job is to try and please as many people as possible.

 

My feeling I guess is that the overall experienced is better on Celebrity than any other cruise line I've tried. I like the elegance and being treated like a guest rather than just a customer, Just something spectacular about a waiter that is geneuinely concerned with how I enjoyed the meal or a asst cabin steward that takes pride in keeping my bathroom clean.

 

One other thing I like but almost shamed to admit. Celebrity has a great smoking policy limiting where they allow smoking (I think its the most restrictive in the industry) . I quit 3 years ago and grateful for their policy, since some people can be a bit inconsiderate. Scary thing is, I still enjoy the smell.:confused:

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Everyone is entitled to an opinion and here is mine. Background is have taken about 20+ cruises, 1 Carnival,3 Atlantis, 6 Pied Piper, 1 RSVP, 1 Cunard, 1 RCL, 1 Princess, 1 HAL and the rest Celebrity.

I've always found Celebrity extraordinary in the way gay people (really any people) are treated. Years ago, think maybe on the Mercury in about 2002, regular straight cruise. Two guys dancing on the dance floor. Some drunk mumbles something loud enough for people to hear about "fags shouldn't be able to dance in public". Ships officer steps in says loud enough for people to hear, "Sir if you insult any guest on this ship again, we'll drop you off at the next port", drunk guy says "I'm sorry I didn't really mean it", officer say, "Well sir, like I said "if you insult any guest on this ship again, we'll drop you off at the next port and I do mean that".

1. The food thing is kind of a non issue to me as every cruise line is cutting back, where else can you get a room and food for <$100/day? Three friends of mine were recently on Crystal and said its no longer prawns on board, just shrimp. I really haven't seen much of a change in quality on Celebrity go down just quantity. No more midnight seafood buffets or all you can eat lobsters, but still better than almost any hotel food you'll find. Did one Carnival a few years back and that was poor quality, it was cafeteria food.

The top quality stuff is still there, now though in the specialty restaraunts where you end up paying around $25 extra for it. Do I like that? No, but its same think hotels did with mini bars, or airlines with meals & baggage. The option is raise cruise prices, at least this way you still can decide for yourself if you want the *** or **** experience.

2. Only meeting Celebrity or RCCL put in the daily planner is Friends of Bill meetings, thats just policy not a judgement. I think its keeping with keeping PA announcements in general to a minimum. I kind of like that they streamlined the daily programme, although I wish FOD meetings were still listed.

3. Odds are a lot more than 5, I think 9% is national average for gays in the mix

4. Simple Solution-Leave it in the nightstand like at any hotel, and pretty silly if you expect them to play non-denominational Christmas music. There job is to try and please as many people as possible.

 

My feeling I guess is that the overall experienced is better on Celebrity than any other cruise line I've tried. I like the elegance and being treated like a guest rather than just a customer, Just something spectacular about a waiter that is geneuinely concerned with how I enjoyed the meal or a asst cabin steward that takes pride in keeping my bathroom clean.

 

One other thing I like but almost shamed to admit. Celebrity has a great smoking policy limiting where they allow smoking (I think its the most restrictive in the industry) . I quit 3 years ago and grateful for their policy, since some people can be a bit inconsiderate. Scary thing is, I still enjoy the smell.:confused:

 

Thanks to you and eroller for your reviews. We'll be on our first cruise with Celebrity (Equinox) in March and look forward to the experience. Then again, perhaps because we're older, we've found very little to find fault with on any of our previous cruises. Merry CHRISTmas too!

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Sounds like you were on the M class of ships. They weren't for us but others love them, go figure. We love the Solstice class, while others don't. People are different and what makes one person, gay or otherwise, pleased with the voyage is different from what pleases the next. For me, a bible in the nightstand or Christian lyrics in Christmas music don't cause the sense of effrontery that the OP experiences. Presuming that all gays abhor christianity, or vice versa, is as lazy as presuming that one line exists that would please all gays. We're all different. Some like the formality of Cunard while others race to the freestyle ways of NCL. Some want a party organised for them by the cruise line while others would never attend one. Diversity is supposed to be the point, isn't it?

 

We like Celebrity on the Solstice class but not so much on Millenium class. I think they have the most enjoyable bars and lounges afloat. We liked Carnival and HAL for their food, we love RCL for its entertainment and we thought the prices on Princess were great for the product they sell. None of them were perfect but there's most often something to like everywhere.

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Hi Denmen,

 

I and my partner sailed on Celebrity Summit with Pied Piper travel. Our group of 50 - 60 gay men and women felt very comfortable on the ship. On our dailies F.O.D. meetings were listed. There were about 10 - 15 'family' members traveling outside of our group and we welcomed them in to our gatherings.

 

My partner and I enjoy Celebrity for the quiet, adult atmosphere. Despite our love for Disney and theme parks you'd think we'd gravitate towards Carnival or Disney lines. But we need sanity at sea and not a ship full of sugar-shocked tots.

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Despite our love for Disney and theme parks you'd think we'd gravitate towards Carnival or Disney lines. But we need sanity at sea and not a ship full of sugar-shocked tots.

 

 

Like you I'm a huge fan of Disney and Walt Disney World. In fact I try to get up there as much as possible, and love staying at Disney resorts.

 

It took me 12 years to finally sail on Disney Cruise Line. My partner and I sailed on DISNEY WONDER and I absolutely LOVED the experience. What kept me away for so long were the high prices (typical Disney) and the fear of being trapped with hundreds of unruly children. Well we finally took the plunge and could not have been more pleased. The ship was wonderful and like new, and in true Disney fashion the attention to detail was amazing. The shows were by far the best I've seen at sea (although OASIS OF THE SEAS comes close with Hairspray) and we really liked the "rotational dining". The best part is that the kids were never a problem. They have so many of their own amazing areas that they were not running wild through the rest of the ship. Also the ship had plenty of adult only areas (Palo, adults pool, Spa, and bars/clubs) that honestly we could escape all kids if we wanted to.

 

It was such a great experience that I can't wait to sail on DISNEY DREAM. While I have no intention of sailing on Disney exclusively, I would not hesitate to return even as two gay adults with no children. Of course it really helps if you love Disney!

 

Ernie

 

ps - Fireworks at sea is a Disney exclusive and it's not to be missed. Of course Disney puts on a great outdoor show as part of the experience and Mickey even gets involved. LOL

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Like you I'm a huge fan of Disney and Walt Disney World. In fact I try to get up there as much as possible, and love staying at Disney resorts.

 

It took me 12 years to finally sail on Disney Cruise Line. My partner and I sailed on DISNEY WONDER and I absolutely LOVED the experience. What kept me away for so long were the high prices (typical Disney) and the fear of being trapped with hundreds of unruly children. Well we finally took the plunge and could not have been more pleased. The ship was wonderful and like new, and in true Disney fashion the attention to detail was amazing. The shows were by far the best I've seen at sea (although OASIS OF THE SEAS comes close with Hairspray) and we really liked the "rotational dining". The best part is that the kids were never a problem. They have so many of their own amazing areas that they were not running wild through the rest of the ship. Also the ship had plenty of adult only areas (Palo, adults pool, Spa, and bars/clubs) that honestly we could escape all kids if we wanted to.

 

It was such a great experience that I can't wait to sail on DISNEY DREAM. While I have no intention of sailing on Disney exclusively, I would not hesitate to return even as two gay adults with no children. Of course it really helps if you love Disney!

 

Ernie

 

ps - Fireworks at sea is a Disney exclusive and it's not to be missed. Of course Disney puts on a great outdoor show as part of the experience and Mickey even gets involved. LOL

 

Glad to read this. We've been considering a Disney transatlantic in order to miss the kiddies. My only real concern is the all-Disney, all-the-time entertainment might get old. Any thoughts?

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Glad to read this. We've been considering a Disney transatlantic in order to miss the kiddies. My only real concern is the all-Disney, all-the-time entertainment might get old. Any thoughts?

 

 

It's really hard to say. As you probably know, Disney entertainment is highly programmed and sort of an exact science. I'm not sure what it would be like on a longer cruise such as a transatlantic. What amazed me was that on a three day cruise, they had three extremely professional, elaborate, and entertaining production shows. The sail away party and deck party with fireworks could count as two more shows, as even those were like full-on production shows. It was a LOT of entertainment for three days, and I could see why Disney charges more, as just the entertainment alone must cost a fortune to produce. On most lines you are lucky to have three production shows on a 7-night cruise, and they would be no where near the professional level of Disney.

 

Sorry I don't have any more insight. I would be interested myself to know what Disney would schedule on something like a 14 day crossing.

 

I took a lot of pictures of DISNEY WONDER if you are interested. They can be found at this link:

http://gallery.mac.com/ekroller#100479

 

I'll also mention that Disney's private island, Castaway Cay is by far the best of the lot, and I've been to them all. Once again the level of detail is unsurpassed. I loved the adult beach, where the BBQ included steaks instead of just burgers, etc. They even have unlimited fountain soda and soft serve on the island just like on the ship.

 

Ernie

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Glad to read this. We've been considering a Disney transatlantic in order to miss the kiddies. My only real concern is the all-Disney, all-the-time entertainment might get old. Any thoughts?

 

 

I have a question for you. I see you sailed on CARNIVAL DREAM. What did you think? To me it just seems like a Destiny Class on steroids with that many more passengers piled into the same deck space and lounges. I'm not a big fan of the Destiny Class to begin with, but I do love the Spirit Class (great size and layout).

 

Anyway, I would be curious to hear your thoughts about the ship, specifically if it felt overly crowded.

 

Thanks!

 

Ernie

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We prefer NCL - Norwegian has always made it a point they accept gays - even as employees. They host Friends of Dorothy - GLBT meetings everyday and you always feel part of the big NCL family --- try NCL !!

 

Our GLBT parties on NCL were not hosted. Is this a recent change? On our sailing, they just listed them in the daily (usually in a busy bar) and you sort of had to figure out who was there for the party and who just happened to be there but they didn't send a staff member to host people. Princess is the only line we've been on so far that actually hosted the party. They sent a really fun staff member with champagne.

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One additional point of view; in our opinion and this is simply our opinion, the staff/crew of most cruise lines are Gay friendly.

 

The level of service varies greatly from line to line. Based on our own experience on Azamara Journey, we booked an upcoming Panama Canal cruise

on Celebrity.

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I have a question for you. I see you sailed on CARNIVAL DREAM. What did you think? To me it just seems like a Destiny Class on steroids with that many more passengers piled into the same deck space and lounges. I'm not a big fan of the Destiny Class to begin with, but I do love the Spirit Class (great size and layout).

 

Anyway, I would be curious to hear your thoughts about the ship, specifically if it felt overly crowded.

 

Thanks!

 

Ernie

 

Hey Ernie,

 

The Dream was our first CCL cruise so we can't really compare it to other classes. It was definitely a work in progress as we were on the ship in its third month of sailing (or something like that) and they were trying to figure out how to cope with the crowds. I don't think that it was a matter of the number of people so much as design that was not thought all the way through. For instance, they had really interesting options in the buffet like a mongolian grill and a pasta bar. The problem was, these offerings could only serve a few people at a time and so literally, the line could be 45-75 minutes. To make matters worse, they only operated these special things for a couple hours at lunch some days, which is hard to understand. You design something people like and then make it hard for them to enjoy. That's just unacceptable. The lead cruise director, in his blog, yammered on about all ships having lines but then all of a sudden (and luckily before we boarded) they addressed this. They started doing a bbq on the lido deck and a champagne brunch in the dining room to diffuse the crowd. The brunch was imaginative and tasty so we liked it. I pitied the people above the bbq on the lido because charcoal smoke would have wafted up to their rooms daily. Yuck!

 

Speaking of the rooms above the lido, if you go on the Dream, don't take the first deck or two above it because there is very little privacy. The lido sticks out very far, which makes for a nice wide walking space but also means those on their balconies for the first deck or two up will see the lido traffic as opposed to the ocean when they look down. We saw lots of people on the lido chatting with folk on those decks and I would hate that. Also, there are hot tubs on the lido and people always seem to talk loudly in them. To my mind, this is a bad design flaw.

 

We had a cove balcony, which is a balcony built into the ship, as opposed to out from it, on deck 2. It was great to be outside closer to the water and to be able to walk straight up to our room from excursions as opposed to waiting for crowded elevators. I liked it very much except that the balcony door was a traditional door and not sliding glass and lots of people let theirs slam, which got old fast. Still, it was a great novelty and I wish more lines had it.

 

The other area that got crowded, of course, was the pool deck. Actually, the main areas were much like any ship but the free adults-only area was a zoo. Some people "claimed" chairs with towels, which happens on all lines, and that led to some loud discussions and we saw two shoving matches/fights over chairs. Even taking chair wars out of the equation, this area simply wasn't large enough to cope with the demand for it.

 

I don't want to give the impression we didn't like the ship. I was just pointing out areas where the crowds or operations were lacking. We thought the shows were great fun. The service in the main dining room was also great and here's an example of how: our friends had sent us some wine but we were under the weather the first day or two (caught a bug at WDW) and so we skipped the MDR twice. The head waiter actually called to make sure it was not an issue with their service. That's very thoughtful. We also really enjoyed the activities on the ship and would look forward to doing them again.

 

We really enjoyed our CCL sailing and would do it again on a less busy ship. I thought the food was among the best we've had at sea and I didn't mind the decor.

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I like Celebrity because the ships are of a style that does not get old quickly. They are stylish, but not formal. I have found the service extremely polished for a mass market line and never had a "gay" issue.

As for FOD meetings....I have yet to see any of them, regardless of cruise line well attended. In fact I have not seen much effort in gay couples to seek out and strike up conversations onboard most ships. So having a FOD gathering isn't a big draw for me. Me, I'll strike up a conversation out on deck....that has always been succesful.

Food...I personally feel the Celebrity food dropped in quality and selection when they were bought by RCI. Now with cost cutting.....I think the food has once again suffered, but I think that is with every other line.Just look at NCL....to me high school cafateria food.

The one cruise Line I understand tht has improved a lot with food is Carnival. My guess is that the alcohol revenue in Carnival helps offset the food bills. For years their reputation for food was low and they directed their energy on the situation. I'm not saying Carnival passengers are all big drinkers...but along with the party boat or fun ship image I would suspect the bars do a bit more business. Of course nothing compares to the gay charters where bar business goes up about 700% on a week cruise.

Now Princess...I love the crew. The ships are OK but the interiors are the same on all their vessels which I feel is boring. If I could put Princess crew and staff on a Celebrity ships......fab-u-lous.

HAL...an identity problem. They have ships formal in decor, formal service which would cater to the oler set...yet they continue to try to cater to families with childern. I dont think this works. The crew is very polite, but I think a bit to rigid in the main dining room. I prefer a European waiter and busboy.

Oh for the days of Italian dining staff. Between the accent and the good looks the food could be lousy and I'd never know it.

Back to Celebrity...its the decor and as already mentioned...the attention to detail that brings me back. As a result I have selected Celebrity for my first crossing in October. I will have a great time, and pretend it is like...an affair to remember.:rolleyes:

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If I were not on a gay charter I would not sail on Celebrity. While I do appreciate Celebrity's nice ships for their decor and design, the overall product alone does nothing for me. I want to have fun at night and be out late. Celebrity is almost like HAL with respect to that. There is no nightlife on their ships that runs to any late hour and nor do they do anything to spice it up.

 

Food is subjective to anyone. I find the food on NCL to be just fine and the food on Celebrity to be fine as well. As long as it's not being served by Aramark and it's not Sheppard's Pie then I'm good. Very easy to please after four years of dining hall torture with meals by the swill company. :eek:

 

I prefer the NCL product myself because I'm very much free to do whatever and they've always treated me very kindly onboard. I have never once encountered a staff member who was rude to me for who I am. NCL has pioneered the cruise market with having FODs daily (albeit unhosted) and to continue to advertise them. That's another mark against Celebrity is the deletion of the FOD from their daily hand outs and looking at some board - tacky!! RCI is going back in time with their logic and so they'll never get my money unless I decide to pony up even more and give it to Atlantis for an "all-gay" experience onboard an RCI vessel (which he will not deny he has stock in the company so of course he'll continue to use their vessels).

 

Again just my two cents...

OP: Maybe you should try NCL again! :)

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Our GLBT parties on NCL were not hosted. Is this a recent change? On our sailing, they just listed them in the daily (usually in a busy bar) and you sort of had to figure out who was there for the party and who just happened to be there but they didn't send a staff member to host people. Princess is the only line we've been on so far that actually hosted the party. They sent a really fun staff member with champagne.

 

I believe what the other poster meant was that they set aside daily space for a Friends of Dorothy meeting and they publish it in their FreeStyle Dailies. NCL has not in since I started sailing with them ever had a host present at the meetings but usually it's in a bar with a friendly bartender and waitress - all of whom are very warm and welcoming to the space! :)

 

Princess can keep the champagne... it was nasty but they did have hosted ones but not daily onboard when I used to sail them. :cool:

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Partner and I have sailed on Carnival, NCL Royal and Celebrity, and Celebrity is far and away our favorite.

 

We could not possible care less about FOD meetings.

 

We love great food. Yes I know all the "its subjective" talk. And while there is truth in that, it is also true that Celebrity prepares everything on board from scratch. The other lines we have sailed cannot make that claim. I get this information from a high-ranking member of the culinary staff on Mercury whom I had the pleasure to speak to one-on-one. He informed me he received offers from Princess, Carnival, Costa and Royal but went with Celebrity for that reason.

 

The service we have received on Celebrity has been exemplary. It is far more polished than other lines we have sailed on.

 

We also love their smoking policy and the greater passenger/space ratio Celebrity offers over the other guys.

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