Seasoned cruisers, New to Celebrity. Help, please with some questions?

Hi. After 14 cruises on NCL, we want to try Celebrity but have so many questions. I may call them in a bit.

We are considering the Equinox or the Sihlouette for a W. Carib 7 day in Feb. Looking at cabins... I am leaning to an Aqua Class A2, or an unobstructed Veranda. I see aqua class has complimentary dining at Nu and passage into the Persian room or relaxation room included, but I don't see any water in the spa/relaxation room. Am I missing something? No hydrotherapy pool? So...we are foodies. And I'm wondering if it would make more sense, financially to book the Veranda and just pay the cover charges for specialty dining. Not sure what they are. I see some offers now offer onboard credits, and am wondering if those could be used to purchase a dining package? Can we order multiple apps or desserts in Blu or specialty?

I guess what I'm really asking is which ship would you choose? What category cabin? (We've only stayed in balconies on NCL Pearl, Dawn, Sun, and Jewel.) Is the entertainment any different/preferred from one ship to the other? Or CD? We're pretty laid back people, not party people. We like to relax, eat good food, swim, read, listen to good music, and I enjoy a massage or two. Looking for your best tips to newbies here.

Thanks for listening. I know I'm rambling....it's just all so new after the familiarity of 15 years with NCL. Thanks!!!

See below

Hi. After 14 cruises on NCL' date=' we want to try Celebrity but have so many questions. I may call them in a bit.

 

We are considering the Equinox or the Sihlouette for a W. Carib 7 day in Feb. Looking at cabins... I am leaning to an Aqua Class A2, or an unobstructed Veranda. I see aqua class has complimentary dining at Nu BLU and passage into the Persian room or relaxation room included, but I don't see any water in the spa/relaxation room. Am I missing something? No hydrotherapy pool? So...we are foodies. And I'm wondering if it would make more sense, financially to book the Veranda and just pay the cover charges for specialty dining. Not sure what they are. I see some offers now offer onboard credits, and am wondering if those could be used to purchase a dining package? Yes OBC is like cash applied to your account and can be used for most anything, including Specialty plans, excluding cash in the casino. Can we order multiple apps or desserts in Blu or specialty? Yes

 

I guess what I'm really asking is which ship would you choose? What category cabin? (We've only stayed in balconies on NCL Pearl, Dawn, Sun, and Jewel.) Is the entertainment any different/preferred from one ship to the other? Or CD? We're pretty laid back people, not party people. We like to relax, eat good food, swim, read, listen to good music, and I enjoy a massage or two. Looking for your best tips to newbies here. Both are newer, S-Class, and wonderful ships.

 

Thanks for listening. I know I'm rambling....it's just all so new after the familiarity of 15 years with NCL. Thanks!!!

Have a great time, and I don't think you can go wrong with either

I've cruised Celebrity 2x already and this time on the Silhoutte. We just get the regular unobstructed room and the food is never an issue. If you love food anywhere on this ship where you eat buffet or speciality dining you will enjoy the food and the service is impeccable. The vibe on celebrity is very calm and caters more to 40yrs/older which we in our 40's love it as in Chicago we act like 20yrs going out every weekend. The conv and ppl you meet on celebrity are very well traveled and worldly so great ppl to meet on Celebrity. There will no drunken late nite partying as everything pretty much shuts down by midnite and you will not be disturbed with noises in the hall way. Very clean ships Silhoutte and Reflection. Enjoy you will never go back to any other ships if you want to be pampered and have an upscale experience..

Specialty restaurants on Celebrity are very expensive compared to NCL and most other cruise lines, and since their menus don't change we would find it very limiting to dine only in specialties. Blu restaurant is a big step up from the main dining room, but there are complaints that the menu choices are limited. The best way to enjoy Celebrity (IMHO) is to get a Sky Suite -- not a true suite, but a larger cabin and with super amenities starting with Luminae restaurant [even better than Blu -- on a part with the best specialties but with a menu that changes every day, and you can also order off the MDR menu if you want], Michael's Club, and a Butler. As to entertainment, I would prefer Equinox because it has the Corning Hot Glass Show, which we have found mesmerizing.

I would say first and foremost that Celebrity is more low key than NCL. We like Celebrity to relax, unwind, enjoy champagne on the balcony at sunset, etc. On NCL we found we were running around more to see this show or that performance. Persian room is nice but NCL takes the cake with that hydrotherapy pool. They do not have this on S-class ships. There is Jacuzzi, thermal loungers, steam room and sauna. The dining may be well worth it though. Also look at sky suites- if you are foodies you will love to dine at Luminae. They are more expensive but they include all 4 perks. Otherwise a concierge class balcony will get you priority check in, 2 perks and a special lunch upon embarkation. Yes you can use your obc for specialty restaurants and order multiple items. The ships are comparable as they are sister ships, you will love either one! Entertainment usually includes one show for each dinner sitting nightly, game shows and various musical acts throughout the ship. They dobsome specialty parties like 80s and disco night for example. They also have the silent disco which I find odd haha. Hope this answers some of your questions. We have sailed both lines and find Celebrity far superior.

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Hi. After 14 cruises on NCL' date=' we want to try Celebrity but have so many questions. I may call them in a bit.

 

We are considering the Equinox or the Sihlouette for a W. Carib 7 day in Feb. Looking at cabins... I am leaning to an Aqua Class A2, or an unobstructed Veranda. I see aqua class has complimentary dining at Nu and passage into the Persian room or relaxation room included, but I don't see any water in the spa/relaxation room. Am I missing something? No hydrotherapy pool? So...we are foodies. And I'm wondering if it would make more sense, financially to book the Veranda and just pay the cover charges for specialty dining. Not sure what they are. I see some offers now offer onboard credits, and am wondering if those could be used to purchase a dining package? Can we order multiple apps or desserts in Blu or specialty?

 

I guess what I'm really asking is which ship would you choose? What category cabin? (We've only stayed in balconies on NCL Pearl, Dawn, Sun, and Jewel.) Is the entertainment any different/preferred from one ship to the other? Or CD? We're pretty laid back people, not party people. We like to relax, eat good food, swim, read, listen to good music, and I enjoy a massage or two. Looking for your best tips to newbies here.

 

Thanks for listening. I know I'm rambling....it's just all so new after the familiarity of 15 years with NCL. Thanks!!![/quote']

I would choose Silhouette because of the Lawn Club Grill (best restaurant afloat as far as we are concerned). There is a fee for this. I think it is $45/pp. (On the equinox, there is a Corning glass show in the same space where the Lawn Club Grill is on the Silhouette.) We book AQ class mostly and I think you will love Blu. It is quiet and the food is good and yes, you can order more than one appetizer and the same for desserts. In fact, one time we ordered the lobster and our waiter also brought a steak to make surf and turf! We love the breakfasts there as well. Last time we sailed, they were offering 50% off a speciality restaurant on the first night. The letter was in our AQ cabin. Don't know if they still do this. What I do know though, is that they often give a discount on Sp restaurants just for the asking if they are not heavily booked. And yes, you can use your OBC for anything you pay for on the ship. In fact, now you can book a restaurant pkg before you sail, using your OBC.

 

Here is a link to the dining packages offered:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7423

 

 

There is no hydrotherapy pool on the S class ships which is the class you are considering. There is a solarium pool though, which is nice.

 

If you would like to just book a verandah room, I would look for the 1A category which are located on the hump and have balconies 2 to 3 times the size of regular balconies.

 

Sorry, I can't compare NCL to Celebrity for you as we sail Celebrity exclusively. However, I have heard the entertainment on NCL is better than Celebrity and the food is better on Celebrity.

 

I hope you choose one of these great ships and that you really enjoy your sailing. We are about to sail on Equinox.

Two great ships....have sailed both multiple times.Headed back to Silhouette in Jan...

Equinox has hot glass show and Silk Harvest..Silhouette has Lawn Club Grill. Both have nice spas, gym, a solarium ( indoor pool area) and Persian Gardens.. steam, sauna and heated loungers. PG and BLU and aft Relaxation room go along with AQ class rooms..along with nice spray shower and we hear daily bottled water is coming back in AQ

We sail in AQ class..but if prices get too high, we'll take concierge class and purchase a dining package for specialty dining, Concierge gets the embarkation lunch in MDR

Compare prices and iitins..,you can't go wrong...

We haven't been on the Silhouette but have been in the Reflection 3x (almost identical to the Silhouette) and the Equinox 4x both are great.

Some have suggested a Sky Suite and if your budget allows that would be great. We sail in Aqua the majority of our cruises for Blu. The food and service is a step+ above the MDR. The menu changes daily and there are the everyday items if nothing on the days menu interests you one night. Because it is much smaller than the MDR it is not a problem to get items tweaked to suit you. Also breakfast is Blu is excellent.

If you go with AQ I wouldn't recommend a dining package, if you want to try one or 2 the Maitre d in Blu can generally get you a discount.

I prefer the Silhouette for the Lawn Club Grill and love Concierge class! In addition to the perks listed above, Concierge also gets its own pre-departure lounge with coffee and pastries on the day of debarkation. Once on board, you will be asked if you would like to purchase a multi-night specialty dining package. This is a great way to try the specialty restaurants for approximately 25-30% less than full price for each restaurant. I LOVE the Lawn Club Grill, QSine and Tuscan Grille! I am also willing to pay extra to have lunch at Sushi on 5 and at the Porch....it's all great!

Aqua gets their own dining room, closed to all but Aqua.

And suites. :)

And suites. :)

On a space available basis. For whatever reason on our Reflection cruise earlier this month, Blu was slammed and we (Sky suite) could never get in.

I've cruised Celebrity 2x already and this time on the Silhoutte. We just get the regular unobstructed room and the food is never an issue. If you love food anywhere on this ship where you eat buffet or speciality dining you will enjoy the food and the service is impeccable. The vibe on celebrity is very calm and caters more to 40yrs/older which we in our 40's love it as in Chicago we act like 20yrs going out every weekend. The conv and ppl you meet on celebrity are very well traveled and worldly so great ppl to meet on Celebrity. There will no drunken late nite partying as everything pretty much shuts down by midnite and you will not be disturbed with noises in the hall way. Very clean ships Silhoutte and Reflection. Enjoy you will never go back to any other ships if you want to be pampered and have an upscale experience..

We go back and forth between celebrity and NCL. They are more alike then different. I think it's funny that you said they wouldn't find drunks on celebrity!! We were woken up by an elderly lady drunk in the hall one night!! And there was a large group of 40 something starting their party b4 hitting the martini bar and then we saw them up in the lounge. Let's just say, we saw an interesting show. Lol.

Thanks all for your answers/support! We are booked! Happy!!!

Just my 2 cents. Comparing NCL to Celebrity is apples/oranges. Try Celebrity. More laid back, older crowd, depends on what you are going for.

In terms of service, amenities and food I found that Celebrity is more alike than different from NCL.

Just my 2 cents. Comparing NCL to Celebrity is apples/oranges. Try Celebrity. More laid back, older crowd, depends on what you are going for.

Thanks all for your answers/support! We are booked! Happy!!!

Wonderful! Which ship did you book?

Wonderful! Which ship did you book?

We decided on the Silhouette this time. There are better flight times into FLL with no extra burden of a transfer down to Miami (we fly Southwest), and the itinerary is the same. We chose an Aqua category A1. Both ships look lovely and I was leaning towards the Equinox because of the entertainment and glass blowing ordeal. However, that restaurant people rave about in its place on the Silhouette also calls. We've been to all the ports, so that wasn't even in the consideration. This is probably silly, but choosing the Equinox would have added a day of our being away from our beloved golden retriever, Charlie, and his four legged feline companion, Shakespeare, our big boy Tuxedo. They won't be boarded; we have a friend coming to our home to be a substitute Mom and Dad and house sit. :) Decided on staying at the Courtyard Marriott FL beach. We had stayed there several years ago and liked it very much. It has views of both intercoastal and ocean. Plus, we are looking forward to eating at a restaurant we have loved in the past, right across the street from the Marriott. Coconuts. Guess I'm rambling. It is day after booking brain freeze. I really appreciated everyone's swift responses and input.... Thanks again!