Totally New to Celebrity--Please Advise

[winddawn]

Due to changes on other lines, I'm considering choosing Celebrity for my next cruise and I've never cruised on Celebrity. For now, I'm only interested in cruising to The Bahamas or The Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale or San Juan. I have 41 cruises under my belt, so I'm not new to cruising. In "jumping ship" to another cruise line, my main priorities are cruising from a port that is a single direct flight from my home airport and cruising on a cruise line with a casino (and overall restrictive) no smoking policy.

 

With that in mind, can you please share with me as an X newbie any information about cruising on Celebrity? I'm not particular about ports of call because I've been to most in the Caribbean and The Bahamas many times. I'm most interested in what to expect on Celebrity ships. I'm also not particular about entertainment except for live music, especially on open decks.

 

What is embarkation/debarkation like for non-priority passengers? What could I expect from room service (hot food availability-costs, and other restrictions, etc.)? What is the policy/how do I purchase liquor and bottled water for my cabin? What can I carry onboard as far as wine and other liquids? What kind of casino offers does X have?

 

TIA for sharing your experience and information!

[helen haywood]

What other lines have you sailed? The embarkation at Ft. Lauderdale and Miami has separate lines for Suites and the various other categories. Unless there was a delay clearing the ship from the previous cruise, we've generally boarded an hour after arriving curbside at the port. The house bands will play pool side some during the day and occasionally at night. Generally more often in the Atrium or lounges at night.

 

Celebrity has a promotion currently where if you are booked in an oceanview or higher cabin you can select various perks...one of which is the beverage package.

 

 

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[dkjretired]

Try and answer some of your questions. Celebrity has perhaps the most restriction smoking policy of the major cruise lines. Smoking indoors is not allowed anywhere on the ships fleet wide, also no smoking in cabins and on verandas. There are a few spots where people can smoke, all are on the port side so suggest booking Starboard.

 

Cruising on Celebrity is a bit more sedate and restful than some other lines. The theater entertainment is good and there is entertainment around the ship, mostly a house band and Djs. Normally Celebrity makes only one PA announcement per day and that is the Captains update. This is particularly nice, no announcement for bingo or selling things around the ship. People do complain about the selling on the ships but I found it to be much less than the other lines I have been on.

 

Debarkation/embarkation are like other cruise lines, it really depends on when you get to the port. Be advised that cabins are generally not ready until around 1:00P.M. so if you have a carryon you'll have to tote it around until then.

 

Food in the stateroom has good options, for breakfast you can get almost anything, some items such as smoothies, etc will cost extra. The room service menu has regular fare you might find in a hotel or on other ships. Celebrity does however allow you to order off the Main Dining Room hours for lunch and dinner. All room service except for special items is free from 6A.M to midnight, after midnight I believe the price is $6.95.

 

You can purchase liquor from Celebrity for the cabin. This can be done on line before or once you get on board. You may bring cases of water or soda on board if you wish. I usually just put a luggage tag on the water and give it to the porters. The Celebrity policy for taking liquor on board is two bottles of wine per cabin at embarkation only. Liquor is not permiited to be brought on board.

 

I am 7 Stars with Caesars so have been in quite a few casinos. I limit my play quite a bit on cruise ships because the odds are so bad compared to land based casinos. Celebrity does have a Blue chip Club and also an association with MGM casinos. Info is available on the web site.

[1025cruise]

I've cruised a handful of lines including Celebrity. The crew were great, food was good, and ship in good shape. I liked that the breakfast room service hanger had real breakfast options included, not just continental. Don't recall the lunch/dinner room service as we didn't use it. Entertainment was good. Found the drink package excellent, though in my case not worth the money (I can't drink enough) but it was nice not worrying about anything, plus being able to get the large bottle of water (I should mention when I booked, I received the classic alcoholic package as a promo, but upgraded to the deluxe). All in all, I'd cruise Celebrity again if the time and itinerary worked for me. Only issue is that the cruise was out of Miami, not Fort Lauderdale, so we had to take a shuttle back and forth.

[neverbeenhere]

Compared to a Carnival cruise most Celebrity cruises will be quite sedate. If you want to build a party atmosphere, there are plenty of folks that will join in, but probably won't start the ball rolling. So, if you are a fire starter, you can create a crowd that will stay running until all hours of the night. But, if you are follower rather than leader, things will probably die down around 10pm. Accept for the holdouts at the Martini bar.

 

Celebrity has limited cutesy contests on a Caribbean cruise, but depending on the Cruise Director, there will be more or less.

Entertainment will include the standard "Las Vegas", "Broadway" shows with a couple guest performers. Likely the guests will be one comedian and one singer, but they do throw in the random juggler. Karaoke and the like are available for your participation. I can say with 99% accuracy that their will not be a naked oil wrestling contest. They do slip those in once in a while.

 

Service is generally very good with twice a day stateroom cleaning/tidying standard.

 

Officer's are very visible on Celebrity... Make sure you take the time to converse with a number of them. They offer a good perspective on Celebrity cruising.

 

We find that Celebrity deals with genuine customer issues very quickly. So, if there is a problem with any part of your cruise...SPEAK UP. Even if speaking up is not in your nature.

Edited January 13, 2018 by neverbeenhere

[neverbeenhere]

There is a Raider Fan who cruises that can answer your questions about M life, casino program.

[rsquirrel]

This will be my first cruise with Celebrity. I have only ever cruise with Disney.

 

Do they show movies in the theatre during the day?

 

Any tips for us new to Celebrity?

[neverbeenhere]

Celebrity info... Hit the Youtube. Plenty of videos on the various ships.

 

Specialty Dining is quite expensive on Celebrity but you won't be disappointed in the quality of the meal. I will suggest that you don't eat most of the day prior to a Specialty Dining experience. You can get 20-50% discounts on the rack rate just by asking and being willing to fit your schedule to the needs of the maitre 'd. Ask for a discount during the day, works best if you are booking multiple nights. --- Be willing to walk away.

 

As for the use of the theater for movies, maybe. Like all cruise lines, things are always changing. Back and forth in a continuing wave of insanity.

 

Like all cruise lines, the age of the ship changes the style of cruise experience you will enjoy. The "newer" ships offer many things that the "older" ships don't offer. But the older ships are not as large.

 

Free coffee is good on all Celebrity ships as it is brewed coffee, not from syrup.

 

Make sure you try the MDR at least once for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

[QE2_Fan]

I can say with 99% accuracy that their will not be a naked oil wrestling contest. They do slip those in once in a while.

 

.

 

 

Really , I mustn’t be choosing the right itineraries [emoji12]

Does Celebrity provide the oil, or should I 'slip' some in with my carryon? [emoji43][emoji38]

 

 

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[neverbeenhere]

If you check your stateroom bill early in your cruise you will see a charge coded OL4FUN at a rate of 37 cents, this indicates that you should be vigilant in checking the cork board by customer service. Most people miss interpret the charge as local sales tax.

[neverbeenhere]

You will get plenty of other "advice" tomorrow, but I will hit you with a small portion of what I've got.

 

Celebrity is a NO formal night cruise line. This doesn't mean that you can wear your overalls and short shorts. I advise (please read this correctly "I") that you bring and wear quality/nice clothing for evenings on Celebrity. This would include a jacket for men and a nice dress or pants outfit for ladies. You will do whatever you do, but if you are having one of those conversations with an officer, you will earn more "points" while looking above the standard cruiser. Those points have a tendency to be valuable in unique ways. Enough said.

 

Celebrity and Royal Caribbean sometimes give OBC for owning 100 shares of Royal Caribbean stock. Search Cruise critic for more understanding on the possibility of receiving OBC, this is heavily weighted on the basis of what perks you received during your original booking.

[GottaKnowWhen]

...What is embarkation/debarkation like for non-priority passengers? ...

 

Embarkation will vary greatly depending on the port and the ship. Basically you go in a large lounge, hand off your tagged luggage on the way in, have a short wait in your designated line according to the type of cabin you have, your paperwork is checked, your cards issued, and you go aboard. I have never seen "status" to make much if any difference.

 

...What could I expect from room service (hot food availability-costs, and other restrictions, etc.)? ...

No cost except in the dead of night. Prompt service, please do tip the server a $1 or $2. In Concierge (and higher classes of cabins?) a more extensive menu is said to be available but I have never wanted to use room service for anything other than a quick breakfast so haven't checked into this.

 

...What is the policy/how do I purchase liquor and bottled water for my cabin?

Bottled water is there waiting to use. Room attendant will monitor/record your usage and your charge is added to your account. Ditto for anything in the cooler in the room, water, booze, snacks, whatever. Or you can walk to any bar, request a water. If you have no drinks package, you will sign a slip and the charge is added to your account. Ditto for any drink you want.

 

...What can I carry onboard as far as wine and other liquids?

Two bottles of wine per cabin per cruise. I hear that people bring cases of water aboard but have never understood why and so have never investigated this option. For hard liquor, you can't bring your own aboard but you can purchase bottles and set-ups for your room, ahead of time or through any bar. Probably best done through your cabin attendant.

 

...What kind of casino offers does X have?...TIA for sharing your experience and information!

Every ship I have been on has offered a casino and they are usually placed in a main trafficway so that one must walk through on the way from A to B.

 

Our own experience is limited: two cruises on Royal, now 7-8 on Celebrity. No complaints.

 

Stan

[NordicPrince]

You will get plenty of other "advice" tomorrow, but I will hit you with a small portion of what I've got.

 

Celebrity is a NO formal night cruise line. This doesn't mean that you can wear your overalls and short shorts. I advise (please read this correctly "I") that you bring and wear quality/nice clothing for evenings on Celebrity. This would include a jacket for men and a nice dress or pants outfit for ladies. You will do whatever you do, but if you are having one of those conversations with an officer, you will earn more "points" while looking above the standard cruiser. Those points have a tendency to be valuable in unique ways. Enough said.

.

 

A jacket is not required for men to dine in the MDR. I usually wear a long sleeve button down shirt and a cashmere sweater on casual chic nights and do not consider the opinions of the Fashion police. Nuff said.

[NordicPrince]

Going from Ft Lauderdale to Miami and vice versa is no bigggie as it is only a 25-30 minute shuttle ride. Last time from the hotel it was $15 p\p plus tip. Prearrange with a service ahead of time.

 

You will enjoy an S-class ship such as Equinox or Reflection.. They are really quite beautiful

 

Enjoy your cruising days.

[dkjretired]

Embarkation will vary greatly depending on the port and the ship. Basically you go in a large lounge, hand off your tagged luggage on the way in, have a short wait in your designated line according to the type of cabin you have, your paperwork is checked, your cards issued, and you go aboard. I have never seen "status" to make much if any difference.

 

 

No cost except in the dead of night. Prompt service, please do tip the server a $1 or $2. In Concierge (and higher classes of cabins?) a more extensive menu is said to be available but I have never wanted to use room service for anything other than a quick breakfast so haven't checked into this.

 

 

Bottled water is there waiting to use. Room attendant will monitor/record your usage and your charge is added to your account. Ditto for anything in the cooler in the room, water, booze, snacks, whatever. Or you can walk to any bar, request a water. If you have no drinks package, you will sign a slip and the charge is added to your account. Ditto for any drink you want.

 

 

Two bottles of wine per cabin per cruise. I hear that people bring cases of water aboard but have never understood why and so have never investigated this option. For hard liquor, you can't bring your own aboard but you can purchase bottles and set-ups for your room, ahead of time or through any bar. Probably best done through your cabin attendant.

 

 

Every ship I have been on has offered a casino and they are usually placed in a main trafficway so that one must walk through on the way from A to B.

 

Our own experience is limited: two cruises on Royal, now 7-8 on Celebrity. No complaints.

 

Stan

 

Actually, the S class ships are the only ones I’ve been on that you can go from point A to B without going through the Casino

[colocop004]

Celebrity is a great line. We prefer Celebrity to all others, however Royal is a close second. If you have any type of status on Royal, sign up for The Captains Club on Celebrity and they will give you reciprocal benefits.

 

The casinos do not allow smoking and are quite nice. The are also part of M Life through MGM, check on line for more info.

 

As mentioned above you can purchase liquor for your cabin on-line prior to the cruise or when on board.

 

The food on Celebrity is quite good, except I am not a fan of the room service menu.

 

 

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[cruisestitch]

There is a current thread that says the M life partnership contracts have not been renewed. Perhaps that will change soon, no one knows.

[winddawn]

Thank you kindly everyone for sharing your experiences and advice. I've cruised on Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America, Carnival, and some older cruise lines. I'll continue reading your advice as long as you're willing to share it. :-)

[SMSACE6]

Thank you Winddawn, for this thread. I too am looking to try a different cruise next time. I am currently unable to cruise or travel due to obligations at home, but am very much researching all possibilities for whenever I eventually do get to cruise again, and that day will come.

 

I actually did once cruise on Celebrity 16 years ago, and had a quite enjoyable cruise, but for various reasons, I ended up after that cruising on Carnival until last year. Those cruises were all enjoyable as well, except for one or two significant issues for me, and a few smaller ones. I know that it is definitely time for me to venture away from Carnival, as they no longer appeal to me.

 

I am considering Celebrity, NCL and MSC, Holland America and Princess, but because of my previous good experience on Celebrity, I keep coming back to them.

 

Will continue to read any additions to this thread. Thanks for all input.:)