Celebrity for a 3rd time?

[mnolan770]

Question: Should my wife and I do a Celebrity Caribbean cruise for the 3rd straight year?

 

More info: We love Celebrity. We are very active early 40s who have enjoyed relaxing on the Solstice and the Eclipse for the past two springs. We will hang out at the pool, grab a martini at the martini bar or a glass of wine in the Wine Cellar. Love the specialty restaurants and the MDR. We can spend a whole day just relaxing on our veranda. We are not into the formal attire during vacation. I'm happy to wear a sports coat to dinner, but I wear enough suits and ties during my work weeks. We aren't big party people. Haven't taken a shot of Jagger or danced til 2 in the morning since college.

 

With that background, I would love the feedback of others on the board. I know that some of you have probably done other lines. With the exception of a couple of Carnival cruises a few years back, we have only done Celebrity. Before committing to a third Spring cruise, we want to know if there is another line we should consider. Holland America? Royal Caribbean? Am I overlooking a jewel by sticking with Celebrity?

 

Appreciate your feedback.

[TeaBag]

Maybe you should ask Xellent. I'm sure he has done around 100 Celebrity cruises. We have only done 11 and soon to add two more. The only cruise company I would think of doing other than Celebrity is Oceania. We can't afford the luxury ones. We would also like to do a river cruise in Europe some time too.

 

I don't know the length of your other 2 cruises or the type of cabin you had, but if the first two were 14 days each in Concierge class or higher, you could be approaching Elite status after this third cruise. Celebrity treats their Elite people pretty well.

[We're The Groupnors]

You sound like similar people to DH and myself. Over the years we have tried NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and of course Celebrity. We've pretty much decided that from now on we'll stick to either Princess or Celebrity, with the nod going to Celebrity if the price and itinerary are similar. We found the food on NCL terrible (yes, I know, food is subjective, but we did not enjoy it at all), and Royal Caribbean was just a little too "busy" for us. We like the elegant, laid back vibe that both Princess and Celebrity provide. Both have great food and nice bar venues.

 

Good luck with your choice!

[suec12]

do Oceania or Azamara offer anything that would interest you? - no formal dress on their small / mid-sized ships - not alot of "bells and whistles" but wonderful upscale atmosphere. Its been awhile but we have done HAL or RCCL - did not like either one as much as Celebrity. The last RCL sail we did, the food was not appealing. I think Clelbrity has a product that suits me unless I want to spring for "a few dollars more" and do an Oceania or Azamara sail.

[mnolan770]

I don't know the length of your other 2 cruises or the type of cabin you had, but if the first two were 14 days each in Concierge class or higher, you could be approaching Elite status after this third cruise. Celebrity treats their Elite people pretty well.

 

Thanks. We are still a ways out on the elite status. Our first two were standard veranda rooms on 7 night cruises. One Eastern Caribbean and the other Western.

[mnolan770]

do Oceania or Azamara offer anything that would interest you? - no formal dress on their small / mid-sized ships - not alot of "bells and whistles" but wonderful upscale atmosphere. Its been awhile but we have done HAL or RCCL - did not like either one as much as Celebrity. The last RCL sail we did, the food was not appealing. I think Clelbrity has a product that suits me unless I want to spring for "a few dollars more" and do an Oceania or Azamara sail.

 

I haven't looked at either of these lines. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Orator]

I've cruised Royal Caribbean, NCL, Costa, Sitmar, Princess, Holland America as well as Celebrity. I now cruise almost exclusively on Celebrity, having taken more than 15 cruises with them in the past two years. I am at a point where I really know the staff and they make me feel like family when I return. If you believe that you'll miss something if you don't cruise another line, give them a try. I don't regret any of my non Celebrity experiences, they only reinforce my decision to cruise Celebrity.

[cirman52]

We have sailed Hal & NCL and "X" twice( have a BTB TA & Med booked on X for 4/12).

They are all so different. 1st cruise on X was great, 2nd ( Panama Canal) was not so, so so food & sub par staff thru out. Hal, at age 55, I dare say I was the youngest on board. Had a good time, but rather stuffy. NCL, you get what you pay for, that said, (a TA & BTB Baltic) the food was very good & the staff was the best we encountered.

You should ask yourself, what do I want to see/do, find the line that fits that need & take it from there.

Even though we did not have the best experience last time on X, They are going where I want to go, good price, great time allowed for the ports & I am of the mind to try them again.

[travman106]

We have sailed Hal & NCL and "X" twice( have a BTB TA & Med booked on X for 4/12).

They are all so different. 1st cruise on X was great, 2nd ( Panama Canal) was not so, so so food & sub par staff thru out. Hal, at age 55, I dare say I was the youngest on board. Had a good time, but rather stuffy. NCL, you get what you pay for, that said, (a TA & BTB Baltic) the food was very good & the staff was the best we encountered.

You should ask yourself, what do I want to see/do, find the line that fits that need & take it from there.

Even though we did not have the best experience last time on X, They are going where I want to go, good price, great time allowed for the ports & I am of the mind to try them again.

 

3rd with celebrity, wow..

 

this is going to be our 1st

[TLCOhio]

Question: Should my wife and I do a Celebrity Caribbean cruise for the 3rd straight year? With that background, I would love the feedback of others on the board. I know that some of you have probably done other lines. With the exception of a couple of Carnival cruises a few years back, we have only done Celebrity. Before committing to a third Spring cruise, we want to know if there is another line we should consider. Holland America? Royal Caribbean? Am I overlooking a jewel by sticking with Celebrity? Appreciate your feedback.

 

Have you considered changing your geography and/or sampling some other parts of the world for some great port stops, unique cities, etc.??? Specifically, you might consider Celebrity for their great options in Europe, including the areas around Italy, the Greek Islands, Baltics, etc. Lots of great options there. Below you can read more on what we did in June on the Solstice sailing from beautiful Barcelona.

 

If you like history, architecture, culture, great scenery, interesting food, etc., Europe might be worth considering. Many options to consider, depending on your personal interests and travel style. The ship is important, but ports can make a big, positive difference, too!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now over 36,275 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[fridaythe13th]

We did our first X cruise this past Spring which was a repo from SJ to NJ. We have also done NCL, Carnival and RC. While we have enjoyed all our cruises we were real impressed with X and booked the same repo on the Summit for April 2012. Will we sail with the others again?? Yes, we will, but X did spoil us....

[mnolan770]

Have you considered changing your geography and/or sampling some other parts of the world for some great port stops, unique cities, etc.??? Specifically, you might consider Celebrity for their great options in Europe, including the areas around Italy, the Greek Islands, Baltics, etc. Lots of great options there. Below you can read more on what we did in June on the Solstice sailing from beautiful Barcelona.

 

If you like history, architecture, culture, great scenery, interesting food, etc., Europe might be worth considering. Many options to consider, depending on your personal interests and travel style. The ship is important, but ports can make a big, positive difference, too!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now over 36,275 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

This is a GREAT recommendation. We typically travel in April since my wife is a teacher and that is her spring break period. So that time seems to work well with the Caribbean. But it may be worth bumping back to June or July and trying Europe. Raises the cost substantially, but may be a worth it for the change.

[TLCOhio]

This is a GREAT recommendation. We typically travel in April since my wife is a teacher and that is her spring break period. So that time seems to work well with the Caribbean. But it may be worth bumping back to June or July and trying Europe. Raises the cost substantially, but may be a worth it for the change.

 

My wife has a school schedule "challenge", also, but we have had four great cruises in Europe. First, seven days for the Greek Isles and Turkish Coast with added time before and after the sailing in Athens and Istanbul. Second, the Baltics/Russia, starting in Dover, England and finishing in Stockholm. Last summer from Copenhagen to do the Norway coast and fjords, etc. Then this past June for the Med on the Solstice. You can see many more details and pictures from the last two cruises as noted below through these weblinks.

 

Check out these options more. Let me know any added questions. Yes, Europe takes a little more time and has a higher cost, but we've had some super great experiences in these areas. There are some super, world-class places in Europe. Not just beaches and tee-shirt shops. June in the Med does help beat some of the heat and crowds compared to July and August there in the Med, east and west.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now over 36,275 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 50,103 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Orator]

I have become addicted to Trans Atlantic crusies. You can find several in April and perhps one can fit into your schedule. They are the best value on a cost per day basis. You visit interesting ports of call and I find the days at sea wonderful. I find the Caribbean to be the least interesting cruises. One of those been there, done that many times things.

[austinlw]

To me it depends on the type of cruise you are looking for. We have been on Royal Caribbean 3 times, Princess twice, and Carnival once. We have really enjoyed RC on Caribbean cruises because of the fun atmosphere and available activities. The food has mostly been just fine on our 3 RC Caribbean cruises. We thought Princess was a little more "sedate" for the Caribbean in comparison, but the service and food were fine. However for our Alaska cruise, Princess was just about perfect as far as we were concerned. While we enjoyed our one Carnival cruise, we thought the activities were somewhat sillier (games with team vs. team, etc.), and the ship itself was just not as nice as the others. The service and food were mostly fine, but I'd still give the edge to RC for service and to Princess (slightly) on food quality. Ship layout, we like the openness of the RC ships, while we we like the Princess cabins a little better. I think the production shows are also generally better on Princess, but get there early to get a seat, because their theaters are not as large as RC theaters and sometimes not everyone gets a seat.:(

[woodofpine]

I'm one of those that has sampled several lines. I've come to think that large lines are all more similar than dissimilar (but styles vary considerably). That said, Vegas-y Carnival and staid Celebrity are pretty much style opposites.

 

Many that like Celebrity also like Princess. I think a lot of Celebrity cruisers like HAL also. HAL is closer to X in many style ways. X - like Princess - has gravitated to larger ships whereas HAL has remained committed (for now) to smaller to medium large hulls.

 

If you like the X style and are inclined to try a bit smaller hull then HAL is a nice line. HAL certainly offers more unusual itineraries than X. Like others have posted, you ought to consider hitting another region to cruise. Caribbean cruises are comparatively cheap and easy but the ports get redundant - and truth be told - the cruise industry has degraded them in many ways.

[Denny01]

I'd say that cruising with a Line you enjoyed is a good idea. Always nice to try differing things, but I like to change the itinerary more than the Line. Our background? Still working, in my 60's, cruised 'X' 11 times, 3 with Princess, 1 with RCl and 3 with CCL. I agree Princess is similar to Celebrity, and we just finished a Crown Princess around the UK - great cruise, but went with Princess because Celebrity doesn't have that itinerary. We stick with Celebrity and only go to another Line for a specific itinerary, or to join a group of friends.

 

Haven't had a bad cruise, but I find Celebrity to be more to our liking. Enjoy the dining and think their staff service is the best. Other Lines have come close, but overall, I give the tilt to Celebrity. I find the common areas to be less crowded and better organized and situated on Celebrity. Princess was excellent, but upgraded to a mini-suite because the shower was Very small and you coudln't have friends join you in your room on the Princess ships that go through the Canal...and we aren't big people. Found Celebrity (even with the storage issues some complain about on Solstice Class to be better). Princess theaters overall are smaller and people go to a popular show 1hr early to get seats. We'd walk in 15min before as we do on Celebrity and No seating, even apart.

 

Most of the differences are relatively minor....but since I found a Line that suits us, why change unless there is a specific reason. I pick and choose a cruise so I don't feel like experimenting except on an itinerary and stick with a proven quality in the Line. If I found the ship experience to be poor, it would make the cruise Very Difficult for me. the ship isn't just transportation to another port to me.

 

Yes, we are heading back to the Caribbean, but trying the Aqua Class and with 3 seadays so looking forward to a great onboard experience.

 

Denny

[mnolan770]

You all have given me a different perspective on this. I am realizing now that my issue with doing Celebrity again is not Celebrity, but the itinerary. Living in Atlanta, getting to south Florida is very cheap for us to embark on a Caribbean cruise. But the ports all seem the same. I worked for four years in remote areas of Africa, so touring the islands is often a lot like the areas where I worked. It's great to see the culture, but I lived it for so long that it is not really sightseeing to me.

 

I love the idea of the European cruise. Or even a Caribbean cruise with more sea days and fewer ports where we can just hang out on the ship. This past spring, we didn't even get off at one of the ports (Costa Maya). Had a great time being one of the few left on the ship for the day.

 

Thanks for the recommendations so far and keep 'em coming.

[StartrainDD]

I agree with previous posters; if at all possible try something different. Don't overlook Alaska!

 

I'm not a "Cheerleader" for any line, and as you can see have an "X" cruise fast approaching. I would encourage you to try HAL. During school breaks you will NOT be the youngest on board. If you cruised in Mid-October you might be!:eek:

 

We look at X and HAL first, looking for the best itinerary and price. DW likes X just a bit more; I actually prefer HAL by a smidgen. Each has it's pluses and minuses. We did NOT like Princess. As Denny01 posted, it's silly to have to get to a theater an hour before show time to get a seat for a 45 minute show!

 

I find X has great service on board but their HQ leaves much to be desired. Have you noted how their parent company (RCCL) treated their passengers last week in San Juan? At least Carnival took care of their passengers (Carnival owns HAL) in the same situation.

 

Some make great distinction between the smoking policy differences, and maybe we've been lucky, but except in the casino (where we don't linger anyway) we've not been bothered by smoke on HAL. Both lines still have formal nights, but I believe you can "Get by" with your sports jacket - check the fine print or these boards before committing to other lines.

 

All the best and enjoy your next cruise!

[StartrainDD]

This past spring, we didn't even get off at one of the ports (Costa Maya). Had a great time being one of the few left on the ship for the day.

 

Just saw your update. We've only been to Costa Maya once but we thought that they had one of the nicest, soft powder sand beaches we've ever been on. You have to get away from the port and go "Downtown."

 

But we also understand enjoying the ship when most everyone else is ashore!

[mnolan770]

Just saw your update. We've only been to Costa Maya once but we thought that they had one of the nicest, soft powder sand beaches we've ever been on. You have to get away from the port and go "Downtown."

 

But we also understand enjoying the ship when most everyone else is ashore!

 

I did hear that from a few others later in the cruise. If we do that itinerary again, we will give it a try.

[texkan]

We like the Eastern Caribbean islands better than Western. Have sailed the Eastern several times with Celebrity and are going again 2012.

 

Celebrity has some good fares on the Equinox 2012 Eastern Caribbean.

[C 2 C]

We have cruised with Princess, HAL, RCL, NCL and Celebrity. Each one offers a great product and each has a very loyal following.

 

If you like a product I would advise you to stick with a cruiseline because the product continues to improve as you get to know more of the staff. Many faithful Celebrity cruisers continue to return to the brand because of the familiar faces who begin to treat you like family. Perks improve until you reach the elite level.

 

We cruise often because we love life on board regardless of where we cruise. However there are places to visit and itineraries do affect our choice of sailings. In the winter however get me on a ship away from the cold. Celebrity provides us with our winter condo.

 

If you follow the boards, you will find complaints about similar topics with every cruise line. I am sure that for every person who says never again will I cruise with... ????, another person is saying the same about another cruise line.

 

The following is from a post I made several months ago:

 

Constellation: It’s not the ships but the friendships!

We are currently sailing on Constellation on the second of our four consecutive cruises. We have sailed on every class of cruise ship in the Celebrity fleet and we find the design and layout of the M-Class most suited for our cruising preferences. The new Solstice Class ships are beautiful, even stunning, but Constellation is our choice for our Celebrity Condo; more practical, easier to move between decks, better seating arrangements and in our view, a ship with a distinctive character.

In October Sue Denning, the Cruise Director on board Century during a Transatlantic crossing, made a statement that I believe is critical in enjoying life at sea for a frequent cruiser. “It’s not about the ships but the friendships we make.”

Our first cruises involved seeing places, visiting new islands, scenic fjords and historic places. Now our cruises are about finding a comfortable, friendly place to enjoy warm weather, the smell of the sea and the chance to meet again with other cruisers who love life at sea. Constellation generally offers longer itineraries that allow people time to settle in and get to know staff, crew and fellow passengers.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1362954

 

Whatever you choose to do, nothing beats life at sea and we think Celebrity does it better, more often than most.

[skandls]

If you decide to cruise the Caribbean try the Oasis or Allure. Great entertainment ... the food is better on X but there are many specialty restaurants on these giant ships. Champagne Bar instead of Martini Bar (some nights have caviar available). The Broadway show Hair Spray was great - going on the Allure this December.

 

We did the Oasis - Solstice B2B this March both were great cruises.

[CathyCruises]

Before I read all the prior posts, I was going to suggest changing your itinerary too. We did a 7 day Carib cruise on Eclipse in January, $899 for AQ; in early November, we are doing 12 days on Solstice in the Med in a 575 sq. ft. FV cabin for $1009/pp--so there are great bargains to be had in Europe. No, you can't drive, but you will have a fantastic experience!