If you were going to upgrade from Celebrity, where would you go?

[nordski]

I too would look at Azamara or Oceania, but also look at the luxury lines. Sometimes when you consider all of the items that are included in the cruise fare the price can work out nicely. For us, after many years of sailing Celebrity for our 25 wedding anniversary we took a Crystal Cruises cruise.

 

Keith

 

Thanks for that suggestion. Not one that immediately comes to mind and perhaps useful to the OP.

[micmacmissy]

Wow- thank you all for the great insights/suggestions.

 

Seems like Azamara has longer itineraries, Oceania has more 7-day ones...so we'll keep looking there.

 

Crystal and Regent look wonderful- I need to price the trips all the way out because they do appear to be prohibitively expensive (but maybe not so much so when you factor in airfare/shore excursions/drinks/tips/etc).

 

As always folks on these boards are SO helpful. Thank you! Keep the suggestions coming!

[Coral]

I've been on the Coral and the Island many times and actually, the Island Princess is a MUCH better choice since the Coral's botched retrofit job.

 

You have mixed up your ships.

 

The Island Princess had the retrofit.

 

The Coral Princess is the more desirable ship as it has not been modified.

[Caribbean Chris]

Wow- thank you all for the great insights/suggestions.

 

Seems like Azamara has longer itineraries, Oceania has more 7-day ones...so we'll keep looking there.

 

Crystal and Regent look wonderful- I need to price the trips all the way out because they do appear to be prohibitively expensive (but maybe not so much so when you factor in airfare/shore excursions/drinks/tips/etc).

 

As always folks on these boards are SO helpful. Thank you! Keep the suggestions coming!

 

Thanks for starting this thread, really good responses, helpful to all of us.

 

We had a great Sky Suite experience in December on Reflection - much better than a year ago pre-Luminae/Michaels. So X is a great option IMHO. We'll be on Eclipse in a SS next December.

 

We are booked on Azamara in 2017, and the reciprocal benefits with X are a real draw.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The more-inclusive a cruise line, the more you have to add on to the mass-market fare for a true comparison -- but only if those add-ons are things you care about. Unlimited liquor 24/7 adds to the fare, but what if you don't drink? Regent's included shore excursions have been getting poor reviews in recent threads (and their optional excursions don't seem to be priced with the knowledge that you have already paid for the basic one you aren't taking). When I compare prices across Azamara, Crystal, Oceania and Regent, Azamara is the cheapest because they include the things I want (basic beverage package with decent wines; integration with Celebrity loyalty program) and don't charge me for things I don't. But YMMV so you have to do the analysis for yourself.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Host Jazzbeau

[micmacmissy]

The more-inclusive a cruise line, the more you have to add on to the mass-market fare for a true comparison -- but only if those add-ons are things you care about. Unlimited liquor 24/7 adds to the fare, but what if you don't drink? Regent's included shore excursions have been getting poor reviews in recent threads (and their optional excursions don't seem to be priced with the knowledge that you have already paid for the basic one you aren't taking). When I compare prices across Azamara, Crystal, Oceania and Regent, Azamara is the cheapest because they include the things I want (basic beverage package with decent wines; integration with Celebrity loyalty program) and don't charge me for things I don't. But YMMV so you have to do the analysis for yourself.

 

Good point- we aren't' big drinkers but we were shocked to run up a $1,000 bar/shore excursion tab on our last cruise- that was an eye opener! We don't cruise enough for the loyalty programs to make a big difference, either.

 

I did want to say that I read all 11 pages of your Coral princess review and loved it- thank you! If we do Alaska, it looks like that will be the ship/itinerary we do. Appreciate your help!

[nhsails]

Interesting topic. We actually went on our first mass line cruise in 10 years in December. Did aqua on Silhouette enjoyed it alot. We walked after over 50 cruises because we were basically getting bored, the lines were morphing into each other and, not surprisingly to many here, the definite change in attitude of so "many fellow cruisers. A level of " I paid for it I'll do what I want Got pretty old. More land tours, more Hawaii and when we did cruise, Azamara, Oceania and Regent. A few on Crystal but not worth the price difference to me. No cruises in 2016 booked, however we do have Reflection 10 day, Azamara Med and Oceania Asia for 2017. Mind open for a couple of land tours for th his year, who knows....nice to have options.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Good point- we aren't' big drinkers but we were shocked to run up a $1,000 bar/shore excursion tab on our last cruise- that was an eye opener! We don't cruise enough for the loyalty programs to make a big difference, either.

 

I did want to say that I read all 11 pages of your Coral princess review and loved it- thank you! If we do Alaska, it looks like that will be the ship/itinerary we do. Appreciate your help!

 

Thank you for the kind words!

[cruiseyj]

We're just regular balcony folks- whatever works out price wise, which was a CC balcony on the Millennium and a balcony guarantee on Silhouette (couldn't pass that up for $799/pp, down from the $1,499/pp so we gave up our A1 balcony on the hump!)

 

So yes, we'll definitely look into a suite- the new dining rooms are appealing. And Michael's Club was our favorite hangout prior to the renovations (we liked it when it was focused on craft beer) so that just might be a good bet, too. And I do like the idea of not "risking" trying a new line. We know we like Celebrity so part of me worries over a lateral move to Princess or HAL.

 

Princess seems to get great Alaskan reviews, though- but what about HAL? Are their ships really smoky? Is it worth looking at? (We hate smoking and smoky casinos are the worst!)

 

Unless it has changed, the HAL ship we were on a few years ago was smokey. The casino and shops right next to the casino were smokey as smoking was allowed in the casino. Passengers were also allowed to smoke on balconies so if you had a neighbor smoking it did waft into your room.

[atb]

We have done Alaska twice - both on Princess. With attached land tour. The second time I looked at the Tauck tours little ship and that's what we're doing next time. Small ship, can go to the smaller ports of call.

Norwegian fjords was awesome. Beautiful and gorgeous but different to Alaska and Glacier Bay.

[ABoatNerd]

Just got off the phone with Oceania.

 

Registered with Oceania 9 am this morning to receive email for future planning. They called me from their Florida operations just now.

 

Oceania has a host of special pricing for Canadians on their web site.

 

When I mentioned that I am a former Celebrity patron, the concierge was well aware of this site and the declining product offering from Celebrity. She quoted from this specific thread - indicating that Oceania is working to take business from Celebrity and grow their line in the premium category.

 

She asked what elements of the former Celebrity product were admired by me and I shared same.

 

She also asked what elements of Celebrity I currently dislike and I listed them.

 

Soooooo, FYI everyone.

 

ABoatNerd

[chamima]

Just got off the phone with Oceania.

 

Registered with Oceania 9 am this morning to receive email for future planning. They called me from their Florida operations just now.

 

Oceania has a host of special pricing for Canadians on their web site.

 

When I mentioned that I am a former Celebrity patron, the concierge was well aware of this site and the declining product offering from Celebrity. She quoted from this specific thread - indicating that Oceania is working to take business from Celebrity and grow their line in the premium category.

 

She asked what elements of the former Celebrity product were admired by me and I shared same.

 

She also asked what elements of Celebrity I currently dislike and I listed them.

 

Soooooo, FYI everyone.

 

ABoatNerd

 

 

 

VERY interesting!!!

It's nice to know that there's a cruiseline that actually wants your (our) business!

[TrulyBlonde]

Just got off the phone with Oceania.

 

Registered with Oceania 9 am this morning to receive email for future planning. They called me from their Florida operations just now.

 

Oceania has a host of special pricing for Canadians on their web site.

 

When I mentioned that I am a former Celebrity patron, the concierge was well aware of this site and the declining product offering from Celebrity. She quoted from this specific thread - indicating that Oceania is working to take business from Celebrity and grow their line in the premium category.

 

She asked what elements of the former Celebrity product were admired by me and I shared same.

 

She also asked what elements of Celebrity I currently dislike and I listed them.

 

Soooooo, FYI everyone.

 

ABoatNerd

 

We use Oceania for most of our cruises and last year Alaska on O Regatta was one of my favorites. Under 700 passengers and able to squeeze in some tight places for viewing vs larger ships.

[BrendaJ]

I think it really all depends on how much you are willing to spend, and what is most important to you. We've been on three Azamara cruises, and the food, service and itineraries were great; however, the cabin left a bit to be desired, comparing Celebrity and Azamara standard verandahs. I guess it's a moot point if you're looking for Alaska, as I don't believe Azamara sails there. I expect Oceania's old ships don't have much better in the way of cabins than Azamara, as they are the same class of old Renaissance ships.

 

If you're looking for something very special, I would suggest one of the upper suites on Celebrity. We did a Royal Suite on the Summit for our 25th anniversary and it was fabulous - it's really a completely different experience from the usual Celebrity cruise. The cabin and verandah were amazingly spacious and comfortable, dining in Luminae was excellent, and over all, we were treated like VIP's for a week. I still dream about it, it was so wonderful.

[TrulyBlonde]

I think it really all depends on how much you are willing to spend, and what is most important to you. We've been on three Azamara cruises, and the food, service and itineraries were great; however, the cabin left a bit to be desired, comparing Celebrity and Azamara standard verandahs. I guess it's a moot point if you're looking for Alaska, as I don't believe Azamara sails there. I expect Oceania's old ships don't have much better in the way of cabins than Azamara, as they are the same class of old Renaissance ships.

 

If you're looking for something very special, I would suggest one of the upper suites on Celebrity. We did a Royal Suite on the Summit for our 25th anniversary and it was fabulous - it's really a completely different experience from the usual Celebrity cruise. The cabin and verandah were amazingly spacious and comfortable, dining in Luminae was excellent, and over all, we were treated like VIP's for a week. I still dream about it, it was so wonderful.

 

I have had 2 AZ cruises and many O cruises. The R ships on O are beautifully decorated, elegant, immaculate, and wonderful food. Azamara may be same size, but a different animal compared to O.

On the other hand, the suites on X are quite lovely too with exceptional service and we enjoy X too.

[micmacmissy]

Another option, which I recommend with a little hesitancy, is Viking Oceans. Their ships are beautiful and reviews are quite positive -- except when things went wrong in their maiden year (this year) when they really weren't ready for prime time. But hopefully next year they will have it sorted out. Prices are amazing for the luxury on offer.

 

And we have a winner! I had forgotten you mentioned that...and then I got a catalog from Viking River Cruises which got me on their website. I am blown away by the Viking Star- reviews are really positive now, and the ship looks amazing. Service and food get high marks...and they have an 11-day round trip San Juan southern Caribbean that I'm drooling over!

[Century2000]

Add us to the list of long time Celebrity cruisers who are actively seeking something better. We just booked the 11-day cruise on Viking Star from San Juan for next Christmas. Looks amazing!

[micmacmissy]

Add us to the list of long time Celebrity cruisers who are actively seeking something better. We just booked the 11-day cruise on Viking Star from San Juan for next Christmas. Looks amazing!

 

 

That is EXACTLY the one I'm looking at! Did it include airfare?

[Century2000]

Yes, airfare is included if booked by Jan. 31. We love the itinerary - Guadeloupe, Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, etc. but most of all, we are attracted to the CC reviews that indicate Viking offers high quality cuisine.

[casper106]

We are booked for our second cruise on Eclipse for 2017. We booked it a year ago when we were on the first one. It will be our last on celebrity. As another poster mentioned, Oceania is aggressively courting Canadians so that's what we will consider. The nickel and diming on Celebrity is getting to be a bit much.

[Erikamac]

LOVE AZAMARA! And capts club transfers!! 😀

[buggins0402]

Add us to the list of long time Celebrity cruisers who are actively seeking something better. We just booked the 11-day cruise on Viking Star from San Juan for next Christmas. Looks amazing!

 

Did you have to pay 100% upfront? I remember some people had an issue with that for their European itineraries. Also, those with mobility issues should do some due diligence, I also seem to recall issues in that regard.

Edited January 10, 2016 by buggins0402

[rjrpar]

We are booked for our second cruise on Eclipse for 2017. We booked it a year ago when we were on the first one. It will be our last on celebrity. As another poster mentioned, Oceania is aggressively courting Canadians so that's what we will consider. The nickel and diming on Celebrity is getting to be a bit much.

 

 

Celebrity is a mid-priced mass market cruise line. All these lines nickel and dime and have cut quality in the last 10 years. To get anything better, go to the luxury lines and pay twice the price. People who pretend that X is different from Princess, RCCL, etc are just not realistic

[hulamoon]

I think I saw a press release recently that called X Modern Luxury and spoke of the luxury experience.

 

The suites are very high priced, so they are competing with other ships now. They are for me, I remember my last booking thinking, well now I have to price check this....

 

This would be a great time for another line to match loyalty benefits, but then again it would likely anger those who earned them elsewhere.

[rjrpar]

I disagree. You are paying a higher price for a bigger room; same entertainment, food, bars, etc. I would go to a luxury line before booking a larger suite on any mass market cruise line.