floridacruisers

Thanks for the feedback. Please keep the comments coming as I know that the CC crowd is best for this kind of infromation. Thanks to all...:)

Phil...........floridacruisers

Just returned from a trans Atlantic cruise on the Silhouette and here's my take briefly..

..service and crew were excellent

..food varied from good to excellent, (but is subjective)

..the ship is beautiful and clean

..nice Aqua class cabin and quiet dining in Blu.

..great benefits for Elite+ level (26 cruises on Celebrity)

Now you are wondering why I am asking about HAL. It is the music and the shows. They are so blasting loud as to leave you mostly deaf or your ears ringing afterwards. We enjoy going to shows even on a cruise ship. We also like to dance without being bombarded by rap or hip-hop at ear splitting levels!!! Celebrity even played rap at one of their outdoor specialty dining venues:mad:.

We have sailed HAL before. The last time was the Zaandam in 2004. I would appreciate some good truthful feedback from you HAL faithfulls.

Thanks,

Phil..........floridacruisers

Should you ever decide to do a trans Atlantic or trans Pacific, you would probably get up to $300.00 (y)obc that you would not get today. Celebrity stopped giving out obc on those types of cruises a few years ago. I'd hang on to it and just go with whatever the current promotions are being offered now.

Keep that in mind.....

I genrally keep a roll call on the cruises that I go on. I do NOT post those types of messages on my lists now. I need a real first name and a geographic location before I post the new list. I NEVER ask or want last names or cabin #'s. That is a potential opening for whoever. Hope CC doesn't keep these messages coming. They are confusing to those of us who do keep a list.

Thanks,

Phil.............floridacruisers

I wonder if anyone in Celebrity is aware of the Magic Carpet "Ride." Guess they weren't around in the 60's smoking whatever came their way......;p. Check this out:

The water stirred up by the bow thrusters would show much more bottom mud than you see there if it came anywhere near grounding. It did look a bit close though..

Well, we did it. Booked Equinox for Western Caribbean in August with Concierge Class. Also booked Millennium for August of 2018 for Alaska, no concierge class in that one.

 

 

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As a retired teacher, I know being treated nice is a BIG change from the classroom. If you can swing it, do try Aqua Class. The extra perks (especially the restaurant, Blu) are, IMHO, worth it.

You have earned it. Makes you forget those days you wish you called in sick.......

Phil........floridacruisers

I think you will have a good time on this trip. We'll be on this cruise and we have always had a good time on Celebrity's shorter Caribbean cruises. The longer the cruise, the older the crowd. Also the destinations of this cruise (Key West, Cozumel and Grand Cayman) are fun places. Give it a try. I think you will enjoy.....

Phil.........floridacruisers

andrea2609...

Being Italian (I am of Italian decent), I suspect food is very important to you. I would go with Aqua class if a suite is too costly. This way you have two places to choose from every night to eat. You can dine in Blu, which we like, or you can go to the MDR. All you have to do is check with the Maitre'D in Blu should you want to eat in the MDR. They will take care of it for you. I don't know what ship you are looking at but I would go with either the Silhouette or the Reflection since only those two currently have the Lawn Club Grill. It is our favorite specialty restaurant because we like the food and dining al fresco, but you are still under a cover.

Regards,

Phil...........floridacruisers

We were on the same cruise (although somehow our paths didn't cross) and I concur with your comments.

We were in Blu except for a fun night in the Lawn Club Grill and found the food to range from good to excellent. Granted, it is a subjective opinion so take that comment it for what it's worth. The cheeseburgers were GOOD as were the fries!

I still do not understand why a ship with 75-80% baby boomers is playing the type ( and sometimes excruciatingly LOUD!) of music that doesn't fit the demographics. I like a good mix, but make it a MIX! A miami dj hasn't a clue as to what the generation on that ship likes. It would be like me selecting appropriate crap err rap music to play for some teens.

We had excellent service from all crew members, even the Guest Relations people were fine for me. Then again, I didn't have much of a problem to report.

Would I go again???? Well, I booked a future cruise on the Equinox so yes, I will continue to go on Celebrity, for now..........

Phil...........floridacruisers

We're going on our second trip on the Silhouette in two weeks. We have been on the Solstice five times and on Celebrity 25 times. Either we're a bit crazy or Celebrity is doing something right. HAL is good too, but we prefer the lighter atmosphere of Celebrity. Don't go by a few miscreants ravings about what's wrong. No one gets everything right. Enjoy the moment.

Grab the 123go and go for it. That's my recommendation.

Phil............floridacruisers

Does anyone know if we can use the OBC we get from Celebrity to buy a Celebrity Passages while on the ship? I have $450.00 OBC for an upcoming cruise that I can use. Would be nice to use some of it to buy a Passages.

Thanks,

Phil............floridacruisers

I just went to "My Celebrity" and updated my most current reservation for online check in. I have two more cruises booked and all info showed up. And I did this with IE! Go figure.......

Phil.........floridacruisers

A lot like some of the airlines are doing thee days like Fontier and Airtran.

 

They have a bare bones price, and a business select fare that included free bags and a drink coupon and entertainment for free (but not first or business class seating, that's yet an additional cost). Leave it to the consumer to choose. I do really like this idea.

I agree. Also, does this not sound like what NCL is doing (to a degree) or is it me?????

Phil.....floridacruisers

The ship is still not moving, but the lights have just come on. Don't know what that means. Sure hope they get going soon.

How about........ "If you can't sell the steak, sell the sizzle"

or "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with B.S."

Thank you for an honest and straight forward evaluation. It's good to hear about the differences and it confirms my preference for Celebrity (although that doesn't stop me from going on other lines).

Phil.....floridacruisers

As far as ships go, comparing the Princess Sapphire and Celebrity Century is like comparing apples and oranges. The Sapphire is 10 years newer than the Century and a more up to date ship. A better comparison ship to ship would be Celebrity's "M" class (Infinty, Summit....). The problems you did have should not have happened. The Century is leaving the fleet next year so Celebrity probably doesn't want to put a lot of money into it. Still, it needs to be maintained properly. Do try the newest ships in the fleet like the Silhouette (a favorite of mine) and see if that is a better fit. If I wanted to try Princess again, I would go on the Royal. That IMO, would be a good match to the Silhouette.

Phil........floridacruisers

We were not alone complaining about the volume on the ships. It seems that even Carnival cruisers are complaining about the volume. Who would have thought that!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2021270

I think it is a little of both. The more you consume of a product, the less satisfying it becomes. That first strawberry sundae was great. The twentieth may not give you the same sense of satisfaction. We have been on 25 Celebrity cruises so either we need our heads checked or they are still doing something right. It is true some things aren't the same and we're not happy with the changes. However, we still like cruising with Celebrity and will continue to do so unless things REALLY go downhill. So far IMO that hasn't happened.

Phil...............floridacruisers

Celebrity HAD to merge with RCCL or it wouldn't have survived. I was told this when we were on the Century in 1998. Costs were killing Celebrity back then and they (Chandris) were thinking of shutting it down. It is true it's not like it was back then. Our first trip was the Zenith in April, 1992 and it was unreal. I still enjoy Celebrity, but if cuts keep coming I will look elsewhere.

However, I can not imagine trying to get a hold of food costs these days even with bulk purchases. Going to our local grocery store now is a heart stopper. Fuel is no fun either! All this and turn a profit too.

Plan on doing a Trans Atlantic in the fall. Not sure exact ship, but the cruise will be from the Mediterranian to Fort Lauderdale in November. What side (port or starboard)do you recommend and why?

Thanks,

Phil........floridacruisers

I too suffered with sinus congestion and headaches and all the wonderful misery to go along with it for years. Although it might be too late for you to have done before the cruise, I just had an in office procedure called Balloon Sinuplasty. It has really helped my condition. Ask your ENT doctor about it. It just might do the trick. Good luck...

Phil

Festivale, Jan. 1981. Cool ship. Very smooth running steamship. The old S.A. Vaal

It looks like the BEAN COUNTER'S have struck again. Was going to do Chops on our next trip on the EOS, but not now anymore.......Grrrrrr

Phil..........floridacruisers