NCL Suite Cruiser thinking about trying Celebrty

Hi all. I usually cruise in suites on NCL but just started researching a Bermuda cruise on Celebrity. Can anyone tell me how they differ? I am so confused as to the differences between the suites and also aqua class. What I love abour NCL suites is the priority boarding and debarkation, the suite only dining room and the extra cabin room and balcony space. From what I am reading it seems that starting next April the suites will have a seperate resturant. Does that include dinner? Is it set dining times? Will all levels of suites be included in this?

I appreciate any advice or help anyone can give me. I love NCL, but am getting a little bored and need a change and want to see what other lines can offer. Thanks in advance.

You should find the Celebrity experience more relaxing. Celebrity is also known for its restrictive smoking policy which frees all of the interior space and a huge majority of the outdoor space from cigars and cigarettes.

Currently the Bermuda run is on the Summit. I don't know if that is the same ship that will do the itinerary next year. The Summit is a M class ship. It is mid-size with a wonderful layout. The indoor activities will basically take place on decks 4 and 5.

The Aqua class cabins are on decks 9 and 11. They are the same size as the Concierge class cabins...a little larger than the standard balcony cabins. The smallest suite is the Sky Suite and it has a tub and walk in closet. Some of the Sky Suites have larger balconies.

At present suite passengers can dine in Blu restaurant on a space available basis. On the M class ships this is not a big problem. The regular dining would be in the MDR. The Sky suite passengers will not dine in the former Michael's Club. Blu is open seating as mentioned. The MDR offers three seatings, early, late, or open. By booking early you can usually get your choice. If not then you can see the maître 'd when you board to change your time.

With the larger suites you should get at least one gratis evening in a specialty restaurant in addition to the new suite restaurant coming in the spring of '15.

If you are looking at a S class ship every cabin up to the suite level are the same size. All other factors relating to dining remain as above. The S class ships are both newer and larger but equally wonderful.

Suite passengers do get priority boarding but honestly seek the shortest line. Some ports lump the suite passengers, agua class and members of the Captain's Club (frequent cruiser club) in the same line. Any desk attendant can handle your check in. Suite passengers also get priority disembarkation and if the itinerary calls for a tender they also get priority tickets.

While every sailing differs you may find fewer children on Celebrity ships. They have a wonderful children's program but it is not Disneyesque in any way. Children are not permitted in the indoor Solarium pools so this is a very peaceful spot.

You can find many threads about to suite perks, or just go to the Celebrity web site. There are also some threads about specific cabin types with detailed descriptions and pictures.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I hope my very brief descriptions have enticed you to join the X fans.

Hi all. I usually cruise in suites on NCL but just started researching a Bermuda cruise on Celebrity. Can anyone tell me how they differ? I am so confused as to the differences between the suites and also aqua class. What I love abour NCL suites is the priority boarding and debarkation, the suite only dining room and the extra cabin room and balcony space. From what I am reading it seems that starting next April the suites will have a seperate resturant. Does that include dinner? Is it set dining times? Will all levels of suites be included in this?

 

I appreciate any advice or help anyone can give me. I love NCL, but am getting a little bored and need a change and want to see what other lines can offer. Thanks in advance.

As of April 2015 when I am presuming you're doing your cruise, this is what you need to read to decide on suite amenities:

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/14037410_CEL_Suites_FAQs.pdf

NCL vs Celebrity: I will say the butlers and suite service is very, very good on NCL, maybe a touch better than what Celebrity is BECOMMING (which is better with every cruise and I expect to be even better as of April). BUT everything about the rest of the Celebrity ship _experience_ is better, except maybe the entertainment.

Aqua class is a standard balcony with the following amenities:

Special shower spray

Water in your cabin

Special (no better than suites) toiletries

Free bottled water

Dinning in Blu (suites can do on Space Available, almost never a problem)

Self-guided workouts on your TV

Free access to Persian Gardens in the Spa (though I heard this may not be available to Suites)

Plus, Aqua and Suites get everything that Concierge Class gets. Concierge class is generally considered one step below Aqua Class. These amenities include a free bottle of wine, fresh fruit (a couple of apples usually), some flowers (not very impressive generally), nicer bath towels, nicer robs, and some other things like personalized stationary, nice beach bags, pillow menus (haven't actually seen these), etc, etc

This is the order of Suites on Summit, with some basic differences:

Penthouse: largest suite, only 2, HUGE balcony stern. Arguably the best cruise ship balcony at sea, on ANY ship. 1500 sq ft with a hot tub

Royal Suite: Separate bedroom from living/dining area, large balcony with jetted tub, separate tub and shower

Celebrity Suite: Beautiful suite, separate bedroom from dining/living area, midship, GREAT windows, balconies are pretty small as they were added later during refurb, bathroom isn't large but nice, jetted tub/shower combo

Sky Suite: Single room, nice cabin, 6145/6146 are preferred as the nicest by many as they are larger, especially the bathroom, a few others have larger balconies, there are two versions, S1 and S2, except for accessible versions, and 6145/6146 all of the cabins are the same, just the balconies and locations differ.

If you cruise in anything above a Junior Suite on NCL, you'll probably want a Sky Suite on Celebrity (similar to an SE or an SF) or above. If you're happy with a Junior Suite, you'd probably be ok with Aqua Class.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Others have described the differences very well, but for me personally, the difference is that I would only sail on NCL if I was in a suite, but I am happy in a non-suite on Celebrity. The difference between a "regular" cabin on NCL vs a Suite is astounding... but on Celebrity the difference is a lot less, mainly because the amenity of the "regular" cabins (meals particularly) are of a higher standard.

We sail Celebrity most often but also have sailed several times in suites on NCL, and I have to say, NCL is the leader in the suite experience. Of course, this may change when the new suite restaurant is introduced, but no one has any idea what this will be like. There is no concierge on Celebrity to organize everything for you, like there is on NCL. If you choose Aqua Class, your assigned dining room will be Blu and your cabin is theoretically in a better location, but the other amenities don't mean much and otherwise there is no real difference from a regular balcony cabin. All of this sounds negative and I don't mean it to be, but I don't feel that Celebrity offers anything to equate to the overall suite experience on NCL. However, we love Celebrity for other reasons. It is a different ambiance from NCL, more sedate and elegant and dignified. Smoking is carefully controlled, which is a pleasure for all the non smokers. Food in the MDR and Blu is a big step up from the MDRs on NCL, although you don't have the variety of specialty restaurants to choose from. Service is excellent. Dress code is observed by almost everyone, making the evenings seem more like an event. Celebrity offers a lot of special little touches, like cool towels and cold drinks when you return to the ship in port. We agree with you that it can get a little boring to always cruise the same line, so I suggest you give Celebrity a try and see for yourself how the two compare.

I'll also include a link to menus from Blu, to give you some idea what that is like:

http://eclipse2011ta.webs.com/blumenus.htm

Even with the added benefits, which are nice, Celebrity has nothing like The Haven on NCL.

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We loved our aft suite on NCL for the extra space and large balcony and mostly for breakfast and lunch in Cagneys, BUT we had really poor service both sailings from the concierge and butlers. Also, the MDR service went downhill each time and the last cruise, we ended up in the buffet most dinners.

We tried an S1 on Celebrity and were hooked. The service, atmosphere and other passengers was much better than NCL. We ate breakfast and dinner in Blu or in a specialty restaurant and loved the food and service. We had a wonderful butler who brought us whatever meals and snacks we wanted. He even hung up clothes!

We would give NCL a try again, but every time we priced a cruise with NCL and Celebrity, Celebrity always comes out better! I think NCL is pricing themselves out of the suite market compared to Celebrity.

Our cruises are port intensive in Europe. It may be different for Bermuda.

Thank you all for the valuable information. I usually do penthouse suites on NCL so no haven for me. I could live without the concierge, especially without all of the resturant choices. IfI stay in an aqua class cabin, the I have to eat in Blu? I cannot eat in a main resturant? I love the eat anywhere policy that NCL has. I even have lunch in the main dining room over Cagneys sometimes just for variety. Love that the menus at Blu change daily for dinner. Is that true fornreakfast and lunch also?

Does the spa on the Summit have a therasy pool or is it just steam rooms and saunas? I really can't find that much info on the celebrity website. Can you buy a spa pass for the cruise like you can on NCL?

What is the casino like? Do they have a craps table? Lots of slots? Is it smokey?

Thanks again for all of the help. Hope folks on the ships are as welcoming as ya'all!

Blu only does breakfast and dinner, and the breakfast menu is the same every day. What really sets Blu apart from the MDR is the service --- it's a smaller venue and the kitchen seems more open to special requests, where in the MDR it seems the plates are all made up the same and it's more of a problem to get a variation. If you are in AQ, you are assigned to Blu and the expectation is that you will eat there most of the time for dinner. Celebrity has basically 4 slots for dinner and all are capacity controlled: Blu for AQ cruisers, Select Dining which is go when you want, and 2 Traditional seatings at about 6:00 and 8:15 where you have the same waiters and table every night at the same time. If you are AQ and want to dine in the MDR one night, the policy is that you go first to the maitre d' in Blu and he arranges it. You may be sent to Select, but that option is very popular on some cruises, so you may be sent to an opening at one of the traditional seatings. It's really not designed for AQ diners to just drop in at the MDR, although of course you could go to the buffet or a specialty restaurant. And, eating in the MDR may be more of a problem if your cruise is very full. My advice would be to look at the menus and decide if you think you would prefer Blu or the MDR, then choose your cabin based on that since Blu is really the reason most book AQ.

Here is a link to the MDR menus on Reflection, this will give you an idea of what to expect as they don't seem to vary much fleet wide:

http://www.thepreismans.com/ecarib_reflection_menus.htm#opus

I should also add that the casino is not smoky at all, Celebrity prohibits all smoking indoors and in cabins/balconies. There are a few outside designated places for smokers, but that's it.

I should have said cynbar was the exception for fellow passengers on NCL. They were great! I would try it again if the price were comparable to Celebrity or a mini-suite on Princess.

We cruise on both NCL and Celebrity, but not in suites. We have done Aqua on Celebrity and very much enjoyed that.

Celebrity is a class cruise line with few irritations, announcements, nickel and dime stuff, etc.

NCL does have some of that.

The food in the MDR for Celebrity is as good as the specialty restaurants on NCL.

Entertainment is about the same with NCL having a slight edge.

Excursions on Celebrity are cheaper than on NCL.

Celebrity is our first choice.

There is no concierge on Celebrity to organize everything for you, like there is on NCL.

That is not correct. Celebrity does have a suite concierge available to higher level suites. The concierge is located in Michael's Club, a private lounge for higher level suite guests and those in the top tier of Celebrity's Captain's Club.

NCL was my first cruise in 1986. Loved it and it hooked me to cruising. Cruised on the Norway in 1994 and it was a nice cruise due to the ship. Went back to NCL in 07 and 09. It was enough for me to know that I will chose RCI or Celebrity over NCL. The suite perks on NCL are great but for us that's where it ends. Service and overall ship atmosphere on NCL does not match RCI or Celebrity IMHO. I put NCL on the level with Carnival. Not bad but there are better options.

We have cruised Norwegian in suites and while we enjoyed it, I don't think I will ever go back (Norwegian keeps calling me though!:p) to cruising them. We are really hooked on Celebrity. To me, the experience is just so much nicer. Love the AQ...there is no added expense of buying a spa pass if you book that. We felt as pampered on Celebrity as we did in the suite on Norwegian without the price. Both of us are sold!

donnabonna -

as you can see from my cruise history, I have sailed both on NCL and Celebrity. When I sail on NCL, it is a high end suite. When I sail on Celebrity, it is usually Concierge or Aqua staterooms; however, I am tempted from time to time to do a suite. I'll do my best to answer your questions as well as contrast/compare my answers with some of your specific questions.

My comments below cover my experiences as a suite passenger on NCL and while on Celebrity I have stayed in stateroom types from inside staterooms to low-end suites.

Last but not least, I am adding my own disclaimer here.... all of this was typed in one sitting, from my memory and experiences, without fact checking and verifying exact numbers, square footage, etc. For those rabid Celebrity thread commentors that frequent these threads and post, please don't make petty comments on my lack of exactness here. If there is a glaring error that you want to point out and correct or just provide additional helpful input, please do.

With that said, here goes....

Hi all. I usually cruise in suites on NCL but just started researching a Bermuda cruise on Celebrity. Can anyone tell me how they differ? I am so confused as to the differences between the suites and also aqua class. What I love abour NCL suites is the priority boarding and debarkation, the suite only dining room and the extra cabin room and balcony space. From what I am reading it seems that starting next April the suites will have a seperate resturant. Does that include dinner? Is it set dining times? Will all levels of suites be included in this?

 

I appreciate any advice or help anyone can give me. I love NCL, but am getting a little bored and need a change and want to see what other lines can offer. Thanks in advance.

Embarkation/Disembarkation: Staying in the type of suite you have described for yourself on NCL, that aspect will not compare the same on Celebrity.

For NCL ship embarkation, my only experience is while staying in the Haven. I imagine you know that well enough such that I don't need to describe those types of experiences further.

Celebrity embarkation goes smoothly for all classes of passengers, but Concierge Class, Aqua Class, and Suite Class all have dedicated check-in lanes. In the Suite Class, you now receive expedited boarding with a crew member of the ship that will escort you. Celebrity suites and higher have access to Michael's Club, which is where you may be escorted to upon embarkation to enjoy and relax while rooms are made ready for you.

Disembarkation on Celebrity is not as smooth. Even when I stayed in a suite on Celebrity, the process to exit the ship is much more like every person for themselves, IMHO. With that said, I still think the process works as well as it can. That may have changed some for Suite Class customers as they prepare to upgrade that entire experience to roll out in full by April 2015.

Dining: The differences between NCL and Celebrity are still light years apart, in my opinion. Celebrity's new perks to improve on that experience will get them closer to NCL, but the Suite Class exclusive dining room will not be in place till April/May 2015 timeframe.

Dining on Celebrity does get high marks whether you are in the MDR, visiting the Aqua Class restaurant "Blu", or going to a specialty dining venue. If you book in Concierge Class, you will dine in the MDR as your primary restaurant. If you book in Aqua Class, you will dine in Blu as your primary restaurant. If you are a Suite Class passenger, your primary restaurant is the MDR, but you have access on a "space available" basis to Blu for dinner and breakfast. For a Bermuda cruise, you will receive one free dining certificate good for two people to dine in a specialty restaurant of your choice.

If your cruise is after April 2015, the new Suite Class restaurant should be in place and available to you and will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No set time to dine, you just arrive and they seat you (just like on NCL).

Staterooms: If you are used to staying in a NCL aft penthouse stateroom, my memory seems to recall that these are approximately 600 square feet with 2 balconies? To get that type of space and room layout, you would need to book a Celebrity suite or Royal Suite to come close. When I stay in the Haven, I am a party of two passengers (my spouse and I) and we book a 2 bedroom garden villa (approximately 570 square feet). We love the space and the layout, but the balconies on NCL are notoriously small, even for suite passengers.

On Celebrity, your Concierge Class or Aqua Class staterooms are the same size at 185 square feet (give or take) and the balconies for that type of stateroom can vary depending on location, but generally are larger than the typical stateroom on NCL. The space sounds small, but it is well designed with plenty of storage for 2 people and a nice sized balcony (55-75 square feet). The Suite Class staterooms have even larger balconies. If you book a Royal Suite or higher, you even have a jetted whirlpool tub on your balcony. The Penthouse staterooms on any of the Celebrity ships are just amazing, breathtaking, spaces with larger than life balconies to enjoy.

Thank you all for the valuable information. I usually do penthouse suites on NCL so no haven for me. I could live without the concierge, especially without all of the resturant choices. IfI stay in an aqua class cabin, the I have to eat in Blu? I cannot eat in a main resturant? I love the eat anywhere policy that NCL has. I even have lunch in the main dining room over Cagneys sometimes just for variety. Love that the menus at Blu change daily for dinner. Is that true fornreakfast and lunch also?

 

Does the spa on the Summit have a therasy pool or is it just steam rooms and saunas? I really can't find that much info on the celebrity website. Can you buy a spa pass for the cruise like you can on NCL?

 

What is the casino like? Do they have a craps table? Lots of slots? Is it smokey?

 

Thanks again for all of the help. Hope folks on the ships are as welcoming as ya'all!

If you stay in Aqua Class, you DO NOT have to eat all your meals in Blu. First, there is no lunch served in Blu, so you have to eat elsewhere. On sea days, the MDR will be open and that is a nice place to eat lunch. The Oceanview Cafe is the cafeteria style eatery that every ship seems to have. Also, you can opt for Bistro on Five (cover charge of $7 per person). This is a great option on embarkation day if you are not staying in a suite and want to avoid the zoo that is the Oceanview cafe. Blu breakfast menu is stale and never changes, but there are plenty of offerings to pick something different for 7 days. On a 15 day transatlantic, I get bored. Blu dinner menus change every day and you won't be disappointed. The Haven restaurant never changed during the cruise except for one or two daily specials. I will still okay with that as I loved the taste of everything I ate.

In the "Solarium" is the adults area complete with a salt water Thelasso pool (excuse my spelling). The Summit was "solsticized" in 2011/2012 timeframe and has a much improved spa offerings and now run by Canyon Ranch. I won't speak to specifics since I have not cruised on Summit, but I would imagine it is similar to the Millennium and Constellation. I have included a link to a youtube video that I came across when I was putting together some info for my family about my November cruise on the Constellation (sister ship to Summit). There are others you can search for, but this one nicely sums up most of what I think you want to know and will find important to help make your decision.

If you want to take full advantage of all the spa features, your best option is to book an Aqua Class stateroom. You will have full access to all spa features and you will have Blu as your primary dining room. All of this included in your stateroom price and you will feel pampered.

That's it.... if you have more questions, come back and I will be happy to answer.

Walter

Maybe I missed it, but I don't think anyone mentioned that there is no smoking in the Casino.

I board tomorrow, and am hoping with the new(ish) suite concierge, Michael's club, enhanced boarding procedures, etc, it will be more like NCL.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Maybe I missed it, but I don't think anyone mentioned that there is no smoking in the Casino.

 

I board tomorrow, and am hoping with the new(ish) suite concierge, Michael's club, enhanced boarding procedures, etc, it will be more like NCL.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Jenna - I also overlooked the casino/smoking comment, which is a good point to add that Celebrity has a very strong non-smoking policy... No smoking anywhere indoors and limited locations in outdoor areas.

Happy sailings to you... please come back and report on your experience!

Sent from my Samsung Note 2 on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network

Jenna - I also overlooked the casino/smoking comment, which is a good point to add that Celebrity has a very strong non-smoking policy... No smoking anywhere indoors and limited locations in outdoor areas.

 

Happy sailings to you... please come back and report on your experience!

 

 

Sent from my Samsung Note 2 on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network

I will, as long as everyeone crosses fingers and toes, so we don't get rain all week from the tropical weather.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

I will, as long as everyeone crosses fingers and toes, so we don't get rain all week from the tropical weather.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Already crossed! ;)

Sent from my Samsung Note 2 on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network

The one section of Vulcan1971's explanation I would like to comment on is Disembarkation. IMHO, and from only one NCL experience, this was the area NCL did not exceed in the suite experience aspect of the cruise.

On NCL we were directed to a deserted area [not a room] and waited without any indication that anyone knew we were there. Eventually, the suite concierge arrived looking harassed for the first time. She then lead us passed all the queues to the front of the immigration queue. It was embarrassing beyond belief and the only time on NCL we were made to feel like that.

In our early days of cruising, everyone on Celebrity was crowded into the theatre to await their Disembarkation time. We hated that so much that we used to sit out on deck where the issue was not being able to hear your numbers called. [i have to say that our butlers, then, always insisted that we could stay in our suite until our time but we considered that unfair to all those preparing our suite for the next cruise.]

Much of this is probably out fault because we usually book post-cruise hotels with Celebrity and "Celebrity transport" trumps "Suite" in the disembarkation numbers stakes. Being British, we tend to follow the rules even when it is to our detriment.

Two cruises back, we were flying home straight after the cruise [without Celebrity transfers] and discovered that bliss of using the "Suite disembarkation lounge". This was a much better experience and, as we realised that they ensure that we know when our numbers are called, one we will always use from now on. OK, once your number is called, I agree that it is "everyone for himself" but you have to emerge from the suite bubble at one point and I prefer it to being shoved to the front of the queue.

The one section of Vulcan1971's explanation I would like to comment on is Disembarkation. IMHO, and from only one NCL experience, this was the area NCL did not exceed in the suite experience aspect of the cruise.

 

On NCL we were directed to a deserted area [not a room] and waited without any indication that anyone knew we were there. Eventually, the suite concierge arrived looking harassed for the first time. She then lead us passed all the queues to the front of the immigration queue. It was embarrassing beyond belief and the only time on NCL we were made to feel like that.

 

In our early days of cruising, everyone on Celebrity was crowded into the theatre to await their Disembarkation time. We hated that so much that we used to sit out on deck where the issue was not being able to hear your numbers called. [i have to say that our butlers, then, always insisted that we could stay in our suite until our time but we considered that unfair to all those preparing our suite for the next cruise.]

 

Much of this is probably out fault because we usually book post-cruise hotels with Celebrity and "Celebrity transport" trumps "Suite" in the disembarkation numbers stakes. Being British, we tend to follow the rules even when it is to our detriment.

 

Two cruises back, we were flying home straight after the cruise [without Celebrity transfers] and discovered that bliss of using the "Suite disembarkation lounge". This was a much better experience and, as we realised that they ensure that we know when our numbers are called, one we will always use from now on. OK, once your number is called, I agree that it is "everyone for himself" but you have to emerge from the suite bubble at one point and I prefer it to being shoved to the front of the queue.

Sue - Nice to see you here. :)

I have only had 2 experiences with NCL suites and neither of them sounded anything like what you experienced. In fact, I went back through my memory banks and racked my brain to remember how disembarking the ship went. I clearly remember being escorted by the Haven concierge (both on the Pearl and the Epic) all the way to the "plank" that you walk down to exit the ship. The concierge could turn the elevator into "express" mode to make the transit down to the disembarkation deck level more smooth, but that was it. There was no assistance to navigate the immigration/customs line in the terminal. Given your description, I don't think I would want to feel "singled out" either.

Now, with that said, when I was on the NCL Epic this spring, there may have been two exit areas, one for suites and frequent cruisers with NCL and one for everyone else. Since that was my first time on the Epic, I didn't want to confirm that this was the case, but it would make sense as the line to clear immigration and customs was very short, but we also left the ship at 10:00 AM since we were staying in Miami overnight.

I'm glad you came on to comment on Celebrity's "suite disembarkation lounge" as I don't know that I knew this existed. I will certainly be inquiring about this in future sailings when in a suite. Thank you!

We don't do suites, but after seven Celebrity and three NCL cruises, we have never had a problem with disembarkation as far as leaving the ship and picking up our luggage. We did have a two hour line at Ft. Lauderdale created by INS for customs and immigration on one cruise.

These are some very informative answers everyone has given ! We are suite cruisers on Royal, and had a S1 booked on Silhouette but upgraded to a Celebrity suite based on all the helpful info everyone has been sharing . Thanks for the advice !