Trying out celebrity for the first time in years....why doesn't carnival have these p

[ajee622]

We've done carnival for our last 5 cruises over the past 6 years. I wanted to switch it up a little and we got a great deal on a cruise next month.

 

What I was surprised about was the perks they offer. So for an extra $200 per person I was able to get free alcohol the entire cruise(top shelf liquor and Red Bull/Evian water), tips for the week included which includes drink tips and room, free wifi and $150 obc per person ($300) for the room.

 

I'm assuming that with celebrity ads/who they cater for the crowd might be a little more up tight and older but honestly I'm still going to have fun.

 

Any opinions on celebrity??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shof515]

because carnival is trying to cater/market as a family friendly cruise line

 

celebrity cruise line is mostly an upscale/luxury cruise line (kinda of) so they are able to offer perks to people who spend the most money. that is why carnival is cheap and celebrity is expensive

 

if you still want similar perks on a budget cruise line, Norwegian Cruise Line currently has a free at see promo where you get similar perks

[NHNEV2003]

Not all people want to spend more money to cruise.

 

We are fine with Carnival prices and we feel we get a great vacation for our money.

[jimbo5544]

The short answer is they do not have offer these incentives.

Edited December 23, 2016 by jimbo5544

[ajee622]

Yeah I guess my point is if I booked a similar cruise I would've spent more on carnival than I would've on celebrity.

 

I guess we will see the difference in 2 weeks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Port of Tampa]

Have a great cruise and please post what you think vs. Carnival. We have only ever cruised on Carnival...turning Platinum in January and would to start over on new cruise line with zero status but still curious.

 

Cheers and happy cruising.

[Beach710]

Celebrity is a little more sedate and the crowd seems to be a little older but I think they are trying to reach out to a (slightly) younger crowd. There will probably be a lot less kids. I have really enjoyed my Celebrity cruises. You should be aware you may have to make your own 'fun' especially if you are a late night partier.

[tonit964]

Have a great cruise and please post what you think vs. Carnival. We have only ever cruised on Carnival...turning Platinum in January and would to start over on new cruise line with zero status but still curious.

 

Cheers and happy cruising.

 

Cruising for status, you're really missing out on other cruise lines.

You should branch out, then you'd have some other choices. :)

[LPYRCRUISER]

We did exactly that, last February. While very happy with our Carnival experiences, I thought we were ready to try something different. We were a group of 60ish (age , not #), and thought we'd try Celebrity. I found a great deal like the one the OP found. We had mid ship balconies and paid 900 pp. Once we paid our fares, everything else was included. plus some of us walked off with a credit balance from our OBC. Very happy with our Celebrity experience, didn't find it stuffy at all. but, we're back to Carnival this March. Taking a family cruise and Carnival fit our needs. It's all in what you are looking for and willing to pay. Shopping around doesn't hurt either.

[Club Disney Chandler]

We've done carnival for our last 5 cruises over the past 6 years. I wanted to switch it up a little and we got a great deal on a cruise next month.

 

What I was surprised about was the perks they offer. So for an extra $200 per person I was able to get free alcohol the entire cruise(top shelf liquor and Red Bull/Evian water), tips for the week included which includes drink tips and room, free wifi and $150 obc per person ($300) for the room.

 

I'm assuming that with celebrity ads/who they cater for the crowd might be a little more up tight and older but honestly I'm still going to have fun.

 

Any opinions on celebrity??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Carnival doesn't have "that" because the 2 lines have different business models. It kind of like asking why doesn't Subway sell burgers like McDonalds? They're both restaurants but they're catering to 2 different markets.

 

I really want to try Celebrity and was looking into a 2018 Mediterranean cruise with them but my teens have zero interest in it. They only want Carnival or Disney for that cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[rjrpar]

because carnival is trying to cater/market as a family friendly cruise line

 

celebrity cruise line is mostly an upscale/luxury cruise line (kinda of) so they are able to offer perks to people who spend the most money. that is why carnival is cheap and celebrity is expensive

 

if you still want similar perks on a budget cruise line, Norwegian Cruise Line currently has a free at see promo where you get similar perks

 

 

Let's not pretend Celebrity is a luxury vacation. It is a mass market cruise line, a small step above Carnival. No way near luxury; fair food, nice ships but crowded, decent entertainment, a slightly older clientele but not "uptight"

 

Have a great cruise

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hoosierpop]

I've never tried Celebrity but people I know have enjoyed it. They sail on Carnival more because of price, but they take Celebrity when they get a good deal.

 

I'm guessing you'll have a good time based on your attitude. Doesn't seem like you are so focused on one thing.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[cruzeluver]

Cruising for status, you're really missing out on other cruise lines.

You should branch out, then you'd have some other choices.

 

 

Let's not pretend Celebrity is a luxury vacation. It is a mass market cruise line, a small step above Carnival. No way near luxury; fair food, nice ships but crowded, decent entertainment, a slightly older clientele but not "uptight"

 

Agree absolutely with both of these. We like to sail different lines in order to have different experiences. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that.

 

Celebrity is fantastic. Beautiful, tasteful ships. Service is superb (more polished than Carnival) and food is a step up. But no way is it "luxury". You cannot provide luxury when you have thousands on board.

[ajee622]

Carnival doesn't have "that" because the 2 lines have different business models. It kind of like asking why doesn't Subway sell burgers like McDonalds? They're both restaurants but they're catering to 2 different markets.

 

I really want to try Celebrity and was looking into a 2018 Mediterranean cruise with them but my teens have zero interest in it. They only want Carnival or Disney for that cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Yeah but my point is carnival caters towards party and drinkers. If you think about what celebrity is offering it's more towards drinkers.

 

Carnivals alcohol package is terrible in my opinion so that's why I started looking at other cruise lines.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jobeth66]

We love Celebrity and find the service to be without equal (my favorite story - we were on the Solstice sailing the Med and walked through the deck the first evening next to where they have a for-fee ice cream stand. As we walked by the attendant was making fresh waffle cones and they smelled wonderful. I commented to my friend about how great they smelled as we walked by and a few moments later the attendant literally came running up to me to hand me a fresh-made waffle. She wouldn't even take a tip.) That is the level of service we have experienced on Celebrity from every staff member, without exception.

[tea4ular]

We did a Celebrity Alaska cruise in 2010 (Mercury...now retired). We fully understand that an Alaska cruise is unlike any other - overall our experience was good.

 

Things we found different...mostly the "streets rolled up" by 9:30 pm, not a huge issue for us as we're early birds anyway, but it was strange finding only a handful of people that early in the evening. One night my friend wanted some cookies to enjoy with her tea, and there was no place, and nothing available (tea yes, cookies, no). I don't know how she did it but she found a guy in chefs whites and asked him, a few minutes later she had a small plate of cookies. But yes, if you're looking for a snack at night you may be surprised.

 

Things we found different...the "welcome aboard" champagne/orange juice toast. Our Mother's Day rose in the cabin (that was a sweet touch). Wii bowling every day (complete with "leagues")!

 

We would very much like to sail with Celebrity again, but pricing is too high - we don't drink, so drink packages do nothing to enhance our experience. I will say this though, Carnival's pricing is getting higher, so maybe, next time, another line will be on par - we'll see.

 

For the record, we're two women, one mid-60s, one late 50s.

[PR0318]

So Celebrity is giving you the Premium drink package for free? How does one get these deals? My understanding it's 130 a day for a couple. I will switch from Carnival if i can get that deal.

[douglinc@msn.com]

Have not cruised on Celeberty, but last December we did a Norwegian and had free drinks (unlimited) for the entire cruise. Food was good, service was good, ship was clean and in good shape. No complaints except they didn't have the Punchliner for the comedians every night. Too bad they are not in Galveston (Houston) anymore.

 

Doug

Edited December 23, 2016 by douglinc@msn.com

[Chigirlcruzin]

Let's not pretend Celebrity is a luxury vacation. It is a mass market cruise line, a small step above Carnival. No way near luxury; fair food, nice ships but crowded, decent entertainment, a slightly older clientele but not "uptight"

 

Have a great cruise

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Completely agreed. Granted, I only did one Celebrity cruise and it was 4 years ago, but I kept hearing how wonderful Celebrity is and how it's such a superior product to Carnival. I saw minimal difference. Buffet was a small notch up, MDR was comparable, service was similar, etc. Even the dress code wasn't a step up. Great cruise, nice product, but not a luxury product at all. I'd definitely do Celebrity again, but right now I'm loving Norwegian.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ajee622]

So Celebrity is giving you the Premium drink package for free? How does one get these deals? My understanding it's 130 a day for a couple. I will switch from Carnival if i can get that deal.

 

 

 

It's not free. It was an extra $200 per person. 3 people we have cruising. So $600. 4 day cruise.

 

$300 obc, all tips paid for (worth $200??), all top shelf drinks and fee wifi.

 

By cruise standards I will easily drink $150 a day of alcohol on a 4 day cruise. If it was 7 days it might be a little more difficult. My wife likes more wines and exotic drinks so she could have 6 a day and it pays for itself.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[berrieh]

Let's not pretend Celebrity is a luxury vacation. It is a mass market cruise line, a small step above Carnival. No way near luxury; fair food, nice ships but crowded, decent entertainment, a slightly older clientele but not "uptight"

 

Have a great cruise

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Isn't Celebrity more akin to Princess than Carnival? I mean, it's not a "luxury" line but it's an upscale tier above (I thought -- never cruised Celebrity, though).

[Aquahound]

Isn't Celebrity more akin to Princess than Carnival? I mean, it's not a "luxury" line but it's an upscale tier above (I thought -- never cruised Celebrity, though).

 

Yes. Celebrity is in the Premium category, like Princess and HAL. By standard cruise line classifications, it is a step up from the contemporary lines like CCL, RCI and NCL.

 

Granted, I have only one CCL cruise under my belt but comparing that 1 cruise to the several Celebrity cruises I have taken, I can say this. I totally disagree with the earlier post that said Celebrity is crowded and the food is only fair....that is, when compared to CCL. Of the mass market lines I've sailed, I've found Celebrity's food to be the best.

 

Speaking toward what seems to be the true topic here...boozing it up...this incentive probably exists on Celebrity because in most cases, Celebrity is going to make a lot of money from it. Celebrity is far more refined than CCL and while I wouldn't say the crowd is knocking on Heaven's door, they do tend to be a little more on the mature side than CCL. Therefore, you see less boozers. On a short cruise though, you do still get more of a party crowd, and the martini bar will be packed in the evenings.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Aquahound

[ajee622]

Yes. Celebrity is in the Premium category, like Princess and HAL. By standard cruise line classifications, it is a step up from the contemporary lines like CCL, RCI and NCL.

 

 

 

Granted, I have only one CCL cruise under my belt but comparing that 1 cruise to the several Celebrity cruises I have taken, I can say this. I totally disagree with the earlier post that said Celebrity is crowded and the food is only fair....that is, when compared to CCL. Of the mass market lines I've sailed, I've found Celebrity's food to be the best.

 

 

 

Speaking toward what seems to be the true topic here...boozing it up...this incentive probably exists on Celebrity because in most cases, Celebrity is going to make a lot of money from it. Celebrity is far more refined than CCL and while I wouldn't say the crowd is knocking on Heaven's door, they do tend to be a little more on the mature side than CCL. Therefore, you see less boozers. On a short cruise though, you do still get more of a party crowd, and the martini bar will be packed in the evenings.

 

 

 

That's what the lady at celebrity said. I asked because I have an 11 year old child. I was nervous that it was going to be a retirement home at sea but she said it's a shorter cruise so probably more family and younger crowd.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CJHAN]

Go on YouTube and take a look at Celebrity cruises they twnd to be much older people and for lack of better words at the moment boring and low paced.

 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Forums mobile app

[chong67]

I heard if you want good food, go on Celebrity.

 

I seen photos of sushi on the buffet at Celebrity.

 

I am cruising on Carnival my first time tomorrow.