Few observations.....

[Scotico]

Wife and I just got off the reflection E. Caribbean cruise. We are both in our upper 30's. Something we found is that there is not much going on during the day and at night it seems like everything shut down at 10:30. The ship seemed to be about 80% 65+ and the rest in their 30-40. Spoke with another couple one night at the martini bar who agreed that the ship seems dead. We are not really into Ballroom dancing which seemed to happen every day. There was one salsa class which was funny to watch since the person teaching it had no clue what was going on.

 

The chair hoarding was very bad. There was an altercation one day in the solarium where a younger couple took 2 loungers that were not occupied for over an hour (over heard the conversation since it was only a few loungers away from us). The owners of the items finally arrived. They called over security and claimed everything is missing. The pool guy took it and placed it in a safe place. Security informed them that they cannot save chairs. The old guy and his wife steamed off.

 

Food in the MDR was bleh along with the food in the buffet. Not sure why they need to have indian food every day in the buffet. Maybe they should do caribbean one day, latin the next then maybe italian. Just an idea. We found ourselves eating at the alternative restaurants most night and there was never an issue with reservations. We ate at the lawn club 2x, the porch 3x and the dining room only one night (first night). One night we ate in Puerto Rico at a place we know.

 

So for those who are our age who are looking for a relaxed cruise where you can just relax and do nothing, Celebrity is for you. For those who want exciting, things going on all the time and late night activities, avoid Celebrity.

[Living4acruise2day]

Thank you for your review. Did you do any research before booking this cruise or have you ever cruised with Celebrity before. The reason I ask is almost everything you have stated is pretty much well known and it sounds like you did not know any of this. Laid back, quiet, older people, etc.(which is why a lot of us love X). Maybe try Carnival or Royal Caribbean? A lot more fun and lively.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Living4acruise2day
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[Scotico]

Thank you for your review. Did you do any research before booking this cruise or have you ever cruised with Celebrity before. The reason I ask is almost everything you have stated is pretty much well known and it sounds like you did not know any of this. Laid back, quiet, older people, etc.(which is why a lot of us love X). Maybe try Carnival or Royal Caribbean? A lot more fun and lively.

Our cruise was planned at the last minute. Some people who have cruised celebrity informed me that they had fun but their only celebrity cruises was Mediterranean which almost had a different stop every day. I think we will stick with Royal Caribbean from now on. We did not like Carnival or NCL. While we were debarking, we were sitting in the theater watching some video and they were touting on how they are a great family cruise line. I do not see it.

[LongJohn99]

Did the bars close early or just didn't seem very lively? Did you spend any time in the casino? My wife and I are mid 30's and this is our first cruise with celebrity. We have some very busy days planned for our ports so we were planning on the 2 sea days to just relax in the sun (hopefully) and then at night check out some bars and play some craps or something.... nothing too crazy but hoping for some nightlife. Was there any good live music (other than the shows in the theatre) or any dancing other than ballroom and salsa? Hopefully we didn't make a bad choice. We are on reflection march 25

 

 

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[lazygal]

Your experience sounds like my first Celebrity cruise. I called it the South Florida Snooze Cruise. As I got older, they got better and I have a different opinion of the line now. The first day's buffet and diner in the MDR is typically the worst food of the cruise, after that it is all uphill. My opinion only and all I can say is order the prime rib on the first night - it's the only good choice. We really don't have a problem with food on the MDR and after trying all of the specialty restaurants we prefer the MDR. I can remember when it was the only option other than room service and if you were not seated within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, the doors were closed. No buffet.

[Scotico]

Did the bars close early or just didn't seem very lively? Did you spend any time in the casino? My wife and I are mid 30's and this is our first cruise with celebrity. We have some very busy days planned for our ports so we were planning on the 2 sea days to just relax in the sun (hopefully) and then at night check out some bars and play some craps or something.... nothing too crazy but hoping for some nightlife. Was there any good live music (other than the shows in the theatre) or any dancing other than ballroom and salsa? Hopefully we didn't make a bad choice. We are on reflection march 25

 

 

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They were open late but were dead most of the time. We enjoyed the sunset bar but found it closed early most nights when we wandered up there after dinner. The martini bar always had people sitting around but was not really in the mood for hanging out with with elderly. The World class bar had some interesting drinks but was dead most of the time. The shows were mediocre and one show that we really wanted to see which was adult themed was held in a small theater which was already full 45 minutes before the show started. Not sure why they did not hold it in the larger theater.

 

The casino was also dead most of the time. Most tables were empty except for Roulette. Craps always had a few wandering around. If you are into the big band type of music then you are in for a treat. My wife and I enjoy salsa/merengue and never heard them playing it. We made one request one night and the lady singing could not find any on her list. Seems like all they did was ballroom dancing even during the day. Every day we saw them giving ballroom dancing lessons. Why just ballroom dancing?

 

If all you want to do is relax and want quiet, then you made the right choice. If you want excitement, then Celebrity is not for you.

 

What stops do you have on your cruise?

[Scotico]

Did the bars close early or just didn't seem very lively? Did you spend any time in the casino? My wife and I are mid 30's and this is our first cruise with celebrity. We have some very busy days planned for our ports so we were planning on the 2 sea days to just relax in the sun (hopefully) and then at night check out some bars and play some craps or something.... nothing too crazy but hoping for some nightlife. Was there any good live music (other than the shows in the theatre) or any dancing other than ballroom and salsa? Hopefully we didn't make a bad choice. We are on reflection march 25

 

 

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Noticed you are Western Caribbean. Keep yourself busy on those days in port. There is plenty to do at those stops.

[Scotico]

Your experience sounds like my first Celebrity cruise. I called it the South Florida Snooze Cruise. As I got older, they got better and I have a different opinion of the line now. The first day's buffet and diner in the MDR is typically the worst food of the cruise, after that it is all uphill. My opinion only and all I can say is order the prime rib on the first night - it's the only good choice. We really don't have a problem with food on the MDR and after trying all of the specialty restaurants we prefer the MDR. I can remember when it was the only option other than room service and if you were not seated within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, the doors were closed. No buffet.

Oh it was definitely a snooze cruise. I have never seen so many electric wheelchairs and so many card games with the old ladies. One time in the Bacio cafe, I counted 7 card games going on. I should post a picture here. I thought the lawn club was great along with Porch. One night, we were the only table at the porch. They were making us stuff not even on the menu. They made my wife and I a stuffed lobster tail with crab meat and some really good mussels. I actually had the prime rib the right night but the cut they gave me was terrible. Very thin and dry. We tried to go to the MDR for the lobster tails but since we had anytime dining, the lady told us we can come back close to 9 for no wait or wait 45 minutes. We wandered up to the Lawn club a second time where there was only 2 other small tables and ate great. They make a good veal chop. We tried the sushi for lunch one day which was not good. Did not seem fresh at all.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Scotico

[RCKM43]

Timing has a lot to do with it, as does itinerary (Alaska had less nightlife than Caribbean due to early yours). I have been sailing Celebrity since the early 90s. We are in fact taking our kids on their 5th Celebrity cruise in a few months. We are in our early 40s. The key to Celebrity unless you want no kids and a very quiet cruise is to sail summers or school breaks. We find the majority of the ship during those times to be families and couples in their 30s-50s. I think I have only seen ballroom dancing once, if that. They were doing Thriller mob dance, various music and dancing was offered. Nothing remotely ballroom. Bars were crowded. Casino has always been hit or miss. I think you might have been more comfortable had you sailed one of those times. It is well known, outside of those times most cruises my 70 year old parents can feel young. As far as the first night in the MDR, I have found all ships tend to have an off night as they are adapting to the new weeks guests. RCCL might be more your speed, but if you do try Celebrity again, do so during school breaks where you will find the passenger demographics to me closer to your age bracket.

 

 

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[LongJohn99]

Thanks for the feedback. We are going without our kids and picked this cruise because it is during spring break (so our boys have a sitter and won't need to worry about school) so maybe it will be a little more lively because of the timing. I don't mind kicking back with some older people at all, but would like things to be fun and upbeat at night. Guess I'll find out in 2 weeks. Thanks again

 

 

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[succeed_2]

I'm curious as to whether there might have been activities going on that you were not aware of. I just got off the Equinox, and yes, at 10:30 everything LOOKED dead, BUT that was because all the partying was going on upstairs in the Sky Lounge on the 14th floor or the Party Zone down in the Quasar Lounge (I guess having loud music in those 2 places keeps it away from the people who go to bed earlier).

Every night in the Sky Lounge there was a huge party and bar scene - the place was packed - it was hard to find a seat at a table or at the bar. Almost every night, the Celebrity Dancers were up there too, giving a short performance (in costume) to get everyone warmed up. And either the house band or the DJ played. You might never have accidentally stumbled across any of this, unless you knew where to go looking.

Twice we also had Silent Disco in the Martini Lounge (which is great fun and something not to be missed), and it too was jam packed. And every night there were also other late night activities like the Newlywed Game or a trivia challenge or karaoke party.

During the day, there was water volleyball, drone racing, line dancing, salsa dancing, basketball or soccer (in the upstairs outdoor sports area), golf putting challenge, fitness classes, XBOX challenges, beer/wine/whisky tasting, daytime trivia challenges, and daily live music performances by the pool.

During the evening, there was Wheel of Fortune, Friendly Feud, and live music between the live shows in the theatre (which you might miss if you had an early supper seating and didn't happen to pass by).

And yes, there were a whole lot of other, quieter activities I have not even bothered to mention here (like bingo, the Behind the Scenes Galley/Kitchen tour, travel presentations, shopping seminars, ping pong, massage, casino, etc.)

Our Activity Manager told us that even though the activities are planned before the cruise, they will often make adjustments during the cruise, based on demographics and what the group seems to enjoy. So some cruises you might have one karaoke party (which is a flop) and on some other cruises, 5 karaoke parties might not be enough to keep the crowd satisfied.

I'm not saying that all Celebrity ships are the same, or even that all Celebrity guests are the same. A lot might have to do with the itinerary and the time of year - or just luck of the draw. And no, I would not likely plan to take my 20-something year old kids on a Celebrity cruise with me, because I think they would want even more activity than this. All I'm saying is that there is a lot to do, you have to read your daily bulletin carefully to see what will be happening, and to not be shy about asking the Cruise Director or the Activity Manager for suggestions - they are VERY approachable.

[ProfessorEFFE]

Scotico,

 

Personally I like Celebrity for the reasons you didn't. I certainly can understand why you didn't. I think you'll find each Cruise line is targeting a specific demographic. NCL, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean are more targeted toward lots of glitz, activities, partying for adults, kids programs, etc. These are targeted to folks who like to be on the go all the time or just a little. I think lines like Celebrity, HAL, Princess target an older demographic. Yes they have kids programs, yes they are fun, but I suspect they wouldn't be offering what you seem to like.

 

As far as critiques I appreciate most of them. Yours was honest and I appreciated it. I hope you find a line that gives you the type of vacation you are looking for.

[Scotico]

I'm curious as to whether there might have been activities going on that you were not aware of. I just got off the Equinox, and yes, at 10:30 everything LOOKED dead, BUT that was because all the partying was going on upstairs in the Sky Lounge on the 14th floor or the Party Zone down in the Quasar Lounge (I guess having loud music in those 2 places keeps it away from the people who go to bed earlier).

Every night in the Sky Lounge there was a huge party and bar scene - the place was packed - it was hard to find a seat at a table or at the bar. Almost every night, the Celebrity Dancers were up there too, giving a short performance (in costume) to get everyone warmed up. And either the house band or the DJ played. You might never have accidentally stumbled across any of this, unless you knew where to go looking.

Twice we also had Silent Disco in the Martini Lounge (which is great fun and something not to be missed), and it too was jam packed. And every night there were also other late night activities like the Newlywed Game or a trivia challenge or karaoke party.

During the day, there was water volleyball, drone racing, line dancing, salsa dancing, basketball or soccer (in the upstairs outdoor sports area), golf putting challenge, fitness classes, XBOX challenges, beer/wine/whisky tasting, daytime trivia challenges, and daily live music performances by the pool.

During the evening, there was Wheel of Fortune, Friendly Feud, and live music between the live shows in the theatre (which you might miss if you had an early supper seating and didn't happen to pass by).

And yes, there were a whole lot of other, quieter activities I have not even bothered to mention here (like bingo, the Behind the Scenes Galley/Kitchen tour, travel presentations, shopping seminars, ping pong, massage, casino, etc.)

Our Activity Manager told us that even though the activities are planned before the cruise, they will often make adjustments during the cruise, based on demographics and what the group seems to enjoy. So some cruises you might have one karaoke party (which is a flop) and on some other cruises, 5 karaoke parties might not be enough to keep the crowd satisfied.

I'm not saying that all Celebrity ships are the same, or even that all Celebrity guests are the same. A lot might have to do with the itinerary and the time of year - or just luck of the draw. And no, I would not likely plan to take my 20-something year old kids on a Celebrity cruise with me, because I think they would want even more activity than this. All I'm saying is that there is a lot to do, you have to read your daily bulletin carefully to see what will be happening, and to not be shy about asking the Cruise Director or the Activity Manager for suggestions - they are VERY approachable.

I wish our cruise was like this. The ship was literally a ghost town. They did have music at night in sky lounge but it was ballroom dancing and very slow dancing. They tried Karaoke but that was a flop (one person with a very bad voice sang 3 songs in a row due to no one showing up). As I mentioned before, what is the deal with the indian food. No one ever touched it. I tried it once and it was so hot.

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your observations.

We enjoy X from time to time and some X cruises can be more active in the evening than others ... depends.

Even on the most active, they are never for those wishing LATE night activities. ;)

[gg88]

I wish our cruise was like this. The ship was literally a ghost town. They did have music at night in sky lounge but it was ballroom dancing and very slow dancing. They tried Karaoke but that was a flop (one person with a very bad voice sang 3 songs in a row due to no one showing up). As I mentioned before, what is the deal with the indian food. No one ever touched it. I tried it once and it was so hot.

 

Funny, because the Indian station is almost usually my favourite! I love Celebrity because they almost consistently have an Indian station, an Asian/Thai station and a Mexican station... All my favourite cuisines!!

[JaniceB]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am trying my first Celebrity cruise next year, I hope it is somewhat lively. We are going with a group. We tried RCI last year and Celebrity this year. We are older than 30 but our 30 year olds like to hang with us!

[photofreak24]

Wow. We just came off Celebrity Silhouette and our experience was totally different. We are early 40s and found the ship was many 30-50yr olds. Lots of night life and we liked to wander everywhere to see what was happening. Sometimes we wanted crazy and fun, sometimes we wanted quiet and relaxed. We got both if we looked for it lol. And Sunset Bar is our favourite and we also finished off with a nightcap there every night. I can honestly say we never made it there til 11-1am and it was always open lol. Maybe it depends on the cruise. We lucked out on choosing our last 3 with Celebrity lol. Only saw one scooter too (and he was a grumpy older gentleman lol maybe he wanted older an older crowd lol)

 

 

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[davekathy]

Thanks for posting your opinion and observations of your cruise. We like Celebrity a lot but we are not loyal to them. We are looking forward to our next three future cruises with Celebrity.

[C 2 C]

As I mentioned before, what is the deal with the indian food. No one ever touched it. I tried it once and it was so hot.

 

I can't quite understand your reaction to this choice.

Right next to the Indian food station, about 4 choices that change daily, there is a stir fry station, next a choice of pork chops, flank steak, chicken breast, another section of different rice dishes, a Mexican station, a sandwich station, a cheese station, pizza, a prepared-for-you pasta section selection of salads, meat carving of the day, such as ham, turkey, beef, various fish dishes, 2 choices of soup and of course lots of dessert and ice cream choices.

 

We were on board for seven weeks and found something great to eat every day.

My wife always consumes the Indian food in addition to other choice for a well balanced taste selection.

[PBC29]

Curious if that much ballroom dancing was going on was there a good size ballroom dancing group booked on board. We'll be sailing in late January 2018 on the Equinox with an Irish group an have daily Irish dance lessons along with private to our group Irish entertainment. Sort of a theme cruise but not the entire ship. Unless it's a majority of the ships passengers usually the different lines don't mention it to the other passengers booked on the sailing.

[Scotico]

Curious if that much ballroom dancing was going on was there a good size ballroom dancing group booked on board. We'll be sailing in late January 2018 on the Equinox with an Irish group an have daily Irish dance lessons along with private to our group Irish entertainment. Sort of a theme cruise but not the entire ship. Unless it's a majority of the ships passengers usually the different lines don't mention it to the other passengers booked on the sailing.

I thought of that but is was only about 5 couples taking the class. Funny it was at about 2pm every day for an hour. Did not understand why they would not offer any other classes.

[Scotico]

I can't quite understand your reaction to this choice.

Right next to the Indian food station, about 4 choices that change daily, there is a stir fry station, next a choice of pork chops, flank steak, chicken breast, another section of different rice dishes, a Mexican station, a sandwich station, a cheese station, pizza, a prepared-for-you pasta section selection of salads, meat carving of the day, such as ham, turkey, beef, various fish dishes, 2 choices of soup and of course lots of dessert and ice cream choices.

 

We were on board for seven weeks and found something great to eat every day.

My wife always consumes the Indian food in addition to other choice for a well balanced taste selection.

Ok so on ours the stir fry was switched out with something different every day and a few days there was no one there at the stir fry. They were grilling chicken and a few other meats. Only fish offerings were either salmon or tilapia which I do not like (would have been nice to offer some snapper or maybe something like sword. The mexican consisted of some chips, cheese sauce and chile con carne which was very spicy. Like I said I was not impressed with the food. We only enjoyed the alternative restaurants (really good burger in the lawn club which we had a few days on the ship).

[Straughn]

I agree with those who say that some of your experiences were simply"luck of the draw". What you described sounded like my second cruise on HAL and I have not been back. On that cruise it was easier to count the passengers who didn't have either a scooter, wheel chair, walker or cane. They were also a grumpy, grouchy group. The first HAL cruise was a lively bunch with a good cross section of age.

 

 

Don't give up on Celebrity. Cruising this time of the year tends to draw more of a senior crowd looking for a warm break. Also, many of the cruises after New Year's and before spring break season have better rates and that is also attractive to retirees. This crowd wants ballroom dancing and are not into late night activities. It is almost impossible to get into early seating in the MDR. They get up early and they go to bed early.

 

 

I am somewhat surprised about the food issue. I would agree that the buffet can get a bit repetitive if you don't know where to look for daily specials. We have found the food on Celebrity to be consistently good and often excellent.

 

 

I think if you took a cruise with ~X~ over spring break or in the summer, you would have entirely different experience. As they say, timing is everything.

 

 

And before I get flamed about giving seniors a bad rap, I am retired and in my mid -60's. I just prefer more of what the OP was looking for in nightlife. There are many seniors who still have a bit of the party animal left in us.

[Living4acruise2day]

I agree with those who say that some of your experiences were simply"luck of the draw". What you described sounded like my second cruise on HAL and I have not been back. On that cruise it was easier to count the passengers who didn't have either a scooter, wheel chair, walker or cane. They were also a grumpy, grouchy group. The first HAL cruise was a lively bunch with a good cross section of age.

 

 

Don't give up on Celebrity. Cruising this time of the year tends to draw more of a senior crowd looking for a warm break. Also, many of the cruises after New Year's and before spring break season have better rates and that is also attractive to retirees. This crowd wants ballroom dancing and are not into late night activities. It is almost impossible to get into early seating in the MDR. They get up early and they go to bed early.

 

 

I am somewhat surprised about the food issue. I would agree that the buffet can get a bit repetitive if you don't know where to look for daily specials. We have found the food on Celebrity to be consistently good and often excellent.

 

 

I think if you took a cruise with ~X~ over spring break or in the summer, you would have entirely different experience. As they say, timing is everything.

 

 

And before I get flamed about giving seniors a bad rap, I am retired and in my mid -60's. I just prefer more of what the OP was looking for in nightlife. There are many seniors who still have a bit of the party animal left in us.

I am not "quite" a senior, but agree with everything you have said. Love the Celebrity product and feel bad for the OP. Just wish they did a little research before their cruise. Oh, and thanks for the info on HAL. Sounds like a ton of fun. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[RCKM43]

I wish our cruise was like this. The ship was literally a ghost town. They did have music at night in sky lounge but it was ballroom dancing and very slow dancing. They tried Karaoke but that was a flop (one person with a very bad voice sang 3 songs in a row due to no one showing up). As I mentioned before, what is the deal with the indian food. No one ever touched it. I tried it once and it was so hot.

 

 

See that is a shame because that is exactly the long list of activities that we have witnessed on all of our prior Celebrity cruises. While it might not have been as hopping as maybe NCL we have never been bored on our cruises. Curious if the activities were listed but not attended or just not offered at all?

 

 

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