Thinking of trying Celebrity

[bjd2]

We are taking our 5th cruise, all Carnival, on 2/16. All so far have been wonderful. Even if this one is great we want to start trying other lines. We live in Wisconsin so have to fly anywhere so no port matters.

 

Does it matter which Celebrity ship we would choose to get an idea of how the overall Celebrity experience is? Is there a most popular ship or class among the Celebrity fleet that we might want to choose as the first one?

 

Thanks for all responses in advance.

 

Bobbie

[AlanAllyn]

I would recommend the Solstice class.

[bjd2]

I would recommend the Solstice class.

 

Thank you, why do you suggest this class? I have no knowledge of any classes for Celebrity.

[Miss SeaBee]

The Solstice class ships are the newest in the fleet. They are larger than the M class, and in my opinion, the best onboard experience, although that is very subjective, and there are many M class fans here. Neither is bad. S class ships are just stunningly beautiful.

[bjd2]

The Solstice class ships are the newest in the fleet. They are larger than the M class, and in my opinion, the best onboard experience, although that is very subjective, and there are many M class fans here. Neither is bad. S class ships are just stunningly beautiful.

 

I appreciate beauty very much so this is very helpful. I will of course have many other questions about how to get the best deal and how to get at PVP as I love that about Carnival. Thank you very much!

[dln929]

I appreciate beauty very much so this is very helpful. I will of course have many other questions about how to get the best deal and how to get at PVP as I love that about Carnival. Thank you very much!

 

What's a PVP? One thing you might want to do to familiarize yourself with Celebrity is go to their website. http://www.celebritycruises.com You can look at menus, see what the different stateroom classes offer in the way of amenities, etc. It's good for a basic overview.

[alcpa1]

Where do you want to sail? And, when do you want to sail?

Do you book a specific class of cabin - inside, ocean view, balcony, guarantee, etc.?

Would you seek a ship that provides a more upscale experience with only one PA announcement a day vs the frequent calls on Carnival.

The interior of the ship will be more refined...less neon for sure.

The passenger complement MAY be older, not HAL old, just more mature.

The children's programs are not quite as important on the X fleet - they're very good just different.

The food, while subjective, is much better on Celebrity. In addition to the main dining room and Lido buffet there are specialty restaurants with a surcharge. The X fleet offers a wonderful light fare in the Aqua Spa restaurants with sushi in the afternoon. For passengers in the Aqua Class cabins and suites the restaurant, BLU, offers an alternative menu. (The Aqua Spa restaurant and the Aqua class cabins are not linked in any way. Suite passengers are accommodated if seats are available.)

You will find the Celebrity experience very different. I think you will be very pleased.

[bjd2]

What's a PVP? One thing you might want to do to familiarize yourself with Celebrity is go to their website. http://www.celebritycruises.com You can look at menus, see what the different stateroom classes offer in the way of amenities, etc. It's good for a basic overview.

 

PVP is a personal vacation planner.

[bjd2]

Where do you want to sail? And, when do you want to sail?

Do you book a specific class of cabin - inside, ocean view, balcony, guarantee, etc.?

Would you seek a ship that provides a more upscale experience with only one PA announcement a day vs the frequent calls on Carnival.

The interior of the ship will be more refined...less neon for sure.

The passenger complement MAY be older, not HAL old, just more mature.

The children's programs are not quite as important on the X fleet - they're very good just different.

The food, while subjective, is much better on Celebrity. In addition to the main dining room and Lido buffet there are specialty restaurants with a surcharge. The X fleet offers a wonderful light fare in the Aqua Spa restaurants with sushi in the afternoon. For passengers in the Aqua Class cabins and suites the restaurant, BLU, offers an alternative menu. (The Aqua Spa restaurant and the Aqua class cabins are not linked in any way. Suite passengers are accommodated if seats are available.)

You will find the Celebrity experience very different. I think you will be very pleased.

 

We always book a balcony and the last couple have been on Lido deck. We like to go in Feb/March and would like to do Caribbean itinerary that has at least 2 ports that we haven't been to already. We've been to Grand Cayman, Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, Nassau, St Thomas (2), St Marten, Puerto Vallerta, Cabo, Grand Turk (2), San Juan, Half Moon Cay. Next goes to Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao, Dominican.

 

I guess I'd like to try something a bit more upscale but still have a fun atmosphere. We aren't bringing our adult children with us.

 

I like a good sale.

 

Thanks!

[CAMREIN]

We are also from Wisconsin and cruise feb/march. This will be our 17th cruise. We have been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, costa, and Celebrity. We have only had 1 cruise we did not like. This cruise will make 6 on Celebrity. IMHO each cruise line that we have been on offers something different whether it be the service, food, rooms and a total vacation experience. But, most of all I ESCAPE WINTER and nothing beats that. The one thing we find we are doing is taking longer and longer cruises which does limit Carnival. We are also looking to try another experience next year. Thinking about Norwegian we will see.

[Denny01]

Celebrity has vacation planners when you book directly w the Line. Call one and start the process and you'll have the same planner when needed.

 

We've cruised a number of Lines and enjoyed all, but Celebrity is our Line of choice. We think the service is top notch, the ship layout reduces the crowding, the theaters are less crowded, dining is excellent w many options, and we love the SRs.

 

As to which ship, we love the S-class (Solstice, Eclipse, Equinox, Silhouette,, Reflection). They are beautiful and well organized. The M-Class (Millinnium, Infinity, Summit, Constellation) are older, smaller but also great. They have an inside pool we die for. Not as many dining options, but excellent ships.

 

The Century is the smallest, and like her but not as many options as the others.

 

Our favorite specific ships are the Solstice and then the Constellation. Very subjective.

 

I find Celebrity a good mix of low-key elegance and 'do your own thing'. only one announcement each day, no press to join a game or Konga lines. Much to do but I don't feel the press. Treated as an adult, and there is less sales-pitching.

 

Suggest you give it a go. Look to an itinerary then pick your date and ship. Can't really go wrong.

 

Den

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I am a huge fan of the M-class ships and am really not as enthusiastic about the S-class. I was on the first passenger sailing of Equinox in 2009. I was not blown away as some of the posters are here. I am sailing Solstice this year and perhaps I'll change my mind (I'm doing it for the itinerary).

 

I absolutely love the M-class ships. There is lots of glass- something that is lost on the S-class. The S-class have more indoor activities but they lack the connection with the sea that I love about the M-class ships.

 

I just find that you get to know the passengers and crew better on M-class than on the larger S-class ships. Little things like the glass elevators overlooking the ocean and the easy navigation of the ship make M-class feel homier.

 

The weak point on our S-class sailing was the diningroom. I felt it was very crowded on the upper level and this time I'm going to request a table on the lower level.

 

The two dining venues that I love on Celebrity are Bistro on Five which is available on all the M and S- class ships ($5 pp surcharge) and Qsine ($40pp surcharge) available on Infinity, Millennium, Summit, Eclipse, Silhouette and Reflection.

[paulajj]

We've had one sailing on Carnival in a Jr suite and one on Celebrity Equinox in an inside cabin. We are soon going on our second on Celebrity on the Eclipse in the same cabin.

 

I found the entertainment better on Carnival. The dance bar much more active. The food less fancy but very good. The prices much better. We had better service on Carnival but this could have been because we were in a jr suite. And sometimes service depends on the ppl and the situation.

 

On Celebrity we found the inside rooms a great size (awesome because it's much more expensive for a balcony) We can go on longer Caribbean cruises without messing with back to back. And we like that most people dress up.

 

The 14 day Caribbean on Eclipse will give you a bunch of new islands to see:)

[CruisingGatorGirl]

 

I guess I'd like to try something a bit more upscale but still have a fun atmosphere. We aren't bringing our adult children with us.

 

I like a good sale.

 

Thanks!

 

BINGO I think that says it all. When I think of X I think a little more "upscale" and still fun. If I could describe X in one word I think I might say "classy." We did a med cruise which I know is a different vibe than a tropical destination but from our one cruise on X I am sold! The rooms are fantastic! And I would suggest getting a concierge level or spa/blu level (can't think of the term for that). We had concierge. If you want to you can look at my review, even though it was from the med I do have lots of pics of the ship and rooms so you could skip past the port posts. The link is in my signature.

[judatt]

Hi Bobbie. We enjoy both Carnival and Celebrity but for different reasons. We go on Carnival with our kids and grandkids who love Carnival. Our grandchildren love Camp Carnival and we love to be with our kids and our grandkids. We don't see a lot of difference in the cabins between the two lines. We think the food overall is somewhat better on Celebrity but we enjoy the MDR on Carnival as well. The specialty restaurants are no comparison - Celebrty wins hands down (at least in our experience). We go to the shows on cruises and have enjoyed them on both lines. The comedian tends to be better on Carnival - don't know why :). We prefer the overall ship decor on Celebrity - Carnival is a little gaudy in our opinion but this is not a deal breaker for us.

 

There is a huge difference that seems small but for us is huge. Announcements. You get one a day on Celebrity and you get dozens a day on Carnival. The crew - including the captain - are very accessible on Celebrity. We just got off the Summit and two different days we saw the Captain and senior staff having lunch in the buffet area.

 

As far as itineraries go - you might like the cruise we were just on. Sailed from San Juan on the Summit and went to St Croix, St Kitts, Grenada, Dominica and St Thomas. Only one sea day and we were docked in all 5 ports. It was great.

 

Give Celebrity a try - you'll like it.

[Lady Slipper]

I was wondering if anyone could give me a idea of what the Century is like. I understand that it is a smaller ship and we don`t mind that idea at all.

Denny01: you say there are not as many options on Century, could you elaborate on that please.

[navyrotorhead]

We are taking our 5th cruise, all Carnival, on 2/16. All so far have been wonderful. Even if this one is great we want to start trying other lines.

 

Does it matter which Celebrity ship we would choose to get an idea of how the overall Celebrity experience is? Is there a most popular ship or class among the Celebrity fleet that we might want to choose as the first one?

 

Bobbie

 

I was wondering if anyone could give me a idea of what the Century is like. I understand that it is a smaller ship and we don`t mind that idea at all.

 

...ONE smaller and older ship, the Century. (her sister ships were sold to other cruiselines several years back. 72,000 tons/ 1800pax

 

...FOUR "Millenium" (M) class ships, Millenium, Constellation, Infinity, and Summit. 91,000 tons/2000 pax.

 

...FIVE "Solstice" (S) class ships, Solstice, Eclipse, Equinox, Silhouette, and the brand spankin' new (and very slightly larger) Reflection. 122,000 tons/ 3000 pax.

 

There is an absolutely OUTSTANDING website at www.beyondships.com that has an increidible amount of information about all these (and other) ships. LOTS of pictures and even menues, very fun, eduactional and entertaining. Enjoy!

[BettyCruiser]

A frame of reference of the size of the ships is the S class falls between Conquest and Dream in size and M class is about the same as Spirit class.

 

As opposed to most cruise ships on S class the best balconies are not on the aft, but on the angles, while M class has nice aft balconies. On most S class you can book a balcony on the same deck as the pool.

 

Celebrity has a wide variety of drink packages available, both in the cabin don't have to book the same one, although if you book by the 27th you can get the classic alcohol pkg for free.

 

Aqua spa category on Celebrity has their own dining room, they also offer a concierge class that has no equivalent on Carnival, but provides some extra perks.

 

The Century is smaller, so less amenities, only one specialty restaurant, but offers a much more intimate experience sailing with a wonderful staff that truly loves to work on that ship and most request to return. Century is my favorite ship.

[Lady Slipper]

Thank you navyrotorhead: I will check out that site right now :)

And thank you Bettycruiser: good to hear it`s your favorite ship. :)

[GeorgiaPeach51]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but Celebrity has a very strict smoking policy. No smoking except in some designated outside areas on the port side and I think one area on deck. Someone else will know exactly. No smoking in your cabin, on your balcony, in the casino.

 

For us, this is huge. We recently went on a Carnival cruise after having fled for a number of years, and while it was a nice stroll down memory lane (it was the out of dry dock Conquest, which we had sailed years ago), it's true that you can't go home again. The smoke was appalling.

 

We prefer the ambiance of Celebrity, the specialty restaurants, coming back from a long, hot day and having cold towels and drinks as you struggle back to the ship...small things, but there's too much lacking on Carnival for us.

 

One note, the M class ships have all been "solsticized", meaning that they have many/most of the additions the S class ships brought to the fleet. Carnival has responded with Alchemy to fight the Celebrity Martini Bar...and I'm sure there are other upgrades Carnival is trying. But for us, the lack of smoke is a huge win for Celebrity and a big NO for Carnival. Just sick of smokers ruining our cruises.... not everyone feels the same, of course--the the smoking issue makes Celebrity a no for some people who smoke.

 

Good luck with your search...that's half the fun!

[jelayne]

I was wondering if anyone could give me a idea of what the Century is like. I understand that it is a smaller ship and we don`t mind that idea at all.

Denny01: you say there are not as many options on Century, could you elaborate on that please.

 

Just took our first cruise on the Century in Dec. (other Celebrity cruises were on S class). The Century is a small older ship. Unlike the newer ships on most cruise lines the Century has a much warmer feel - lots of dark wood and warmer colors. There is only 1 speciality restaurant (Murano) on the Century, no lawn area like the S class, no mini golf, rock wall or zip line like you would find on some lines. Although they have a library, spa, fitness center, game area, casino, and plenty of bars.

 

The crew was wonderful, service was outstanding, the ship never felt crowded, food in the MDR was wonderful and it was a very relaxing atmosphere. I think the Century is a good choice for the port intensive itinerary -but I think I might get bored on the Century if there were a number of back to back port days.

[jelayne]

Oops - meant back to back sea days.:o

[Banjo]

Just took our first cruise on the Century in Dec. (other Celebrity cruises were on S class). The Century is a small older ship. Unlike the newer ships on most cruise lines the Century has a much warmer feel - lots of dark wood and warmer colors. There is only 1 speciality restaurant (Murano) on the Century, no lawn area like the S class, no mini golf, rock wall or zip line like you would find on some lines. Although they have a library, spa, fitness center, game area, casino, and plenty of bars.

 

The crew was wonderful, service was outstanding, the ship never felt crowded, food in the MDR was wonderful and it was a very relaxing atmosphere. I think the Century is a good choice for the port intensive itinerary -but I think I might get bored on the Century if there were a number of back to back port days.

 

I just looked at the Century's cruises and I see they are doing 15 day out of San Diego Hawaiian runs. 9 of the 15 days are at sea. Not exactly port intensive. Shame they don't put the Century in the Med, where the cruises are port intensive. Also maybe it could get into ports, like along the Dalmatian Coast and Greek islands that the biggies cannot or have to tender. I heard smaller ships don't have to tender in Kotar. I guess it comes down to economics on where the demand is.

[Tampa Jim]

We did our last cruise in 1995 (heading out in March on X) on Carnival. Between the overall experience and the smoke, we didn't cruise for 18 years. The fresh air and upscale environment (based on personal recommendations) encouraged us to give it another go.