Carnival Jumping ship to Celebrity

[1980dory]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

 

Wow!  That's a new one!  Really trashy.   Good for the comedian and the auduence!  

 

Dinner without a table cloth...might as well go to a diner!

Would that be a diner dinner?  Guy Fieri.  What is that?  Diners and Dives?  Hey, doesn't Carnival do his diner hamburgers?

Wait a minit.  Are we talking about Celebrity or Carnival?  I'm getting confused.

[HeavyMetalDeacon]

My DW and I have been Whale Tail Club members for a while. We finally decided for a change and are trying Celebrity . But sine we are celebrating a few things, we jumped in whole hog . RS on the Summit in August (60 days, but who's counting) . If any of you seasoned Celebrity cruisers have anything you would like to share , please do.

 

Thanks,

[hubofhockey]

I agree that Celebrity might not appeal to the typical Carnival cruiser.  They might find it boring.  I wouldn't recommend a line that I found relaxing and more upscale for someone looking to party and to have nonstop fun.  I don't recommend Celebrity to most under 30 or anyone with kids.  In much the same way, OP likes wearing t-shirts to dinner, I don't like wearing jackets and ties to dinner and won't cruise Regent or more formal lines.  I'm good with Celebrity and have one up with Azamara.  

[NCteacherlovescruising]

On 5/30/2019 at 3:01 AM, mgmigs said:

I like those “jugs” of water on the table, I would call them decanters.  I thought it was a nice touch and they are visually appealing, to each his own.  

 

We liked them too. No need to wait for refills, and I drink a lot of water. 

[Vagabond Knight]

I've sailed on Carnival and Celebrity, so here are some ramblings... 

Carnival is truly the Wal-Mart of cruising, but has its advantages.  I knew we were in for an interesting time when we arrived at the cruise terminal to board our first Carnival cruise, looked around and saw far too many people who looked more like they were dressed to clean out their garages than board a cruise ship (one of the highlights was the guy wearing denim overalls and no shirt).   I cannot for the life of me understand how a cruise line can have a chic night (or whatever they call it on Carnival) and allow people in the MDR wearing hoodie, sweat pants and sneakers, or shredded jorts, faded t-shirts and flip-flops, when there's a buffet alternative.  The food in the MDR was not to the standards of Celebrity's food of some years ago but honestly, pretty close to what's being served now on the Celebrity ships.  The dining staff's post-dinner entertainment on the final evening was truly cringe-worthy, but we still smiled and acted like we were enjoying it because we know how hard those folks work.  Honestly, you can't beat Carnival's prices, and even if you would prefer the people around you to dress and act more like they're boarding a lovely cruise ship than a fishing boat, sometimes you let other perks offset the negatives. 

 

Our last two Carnival cruises were to Alaska, and the main draw for us with Alaska is (by far!) the breathtaking beauty of the state, and so we had a marvelous time by booking a corner, aft wraparound Vista Suite... accommodations that we would never be able to afford on another cruise line.  Our private 220 sq ft balcony was where we spent the vast majority our time onboard due to the panoramic view that we had, and the wonderful peace and quiet in which we could enjoy it.  We left to eat and visit the bars, and then it was back to the balcony for the most part.  We didn't go to any of the shows (well, we tried a comedy show but left after just a few minutes).  We didn't go to the disco.  We did spend a few hours in the casino and my husband did quite well on the craps table (which, unlike our experience on Celebrity, was open when he wanted to play).  Also, the slots seemed to be much more loose (as expected, I didn't win, but I was able make my funds allocation last far longer than on Celebrity, and played almost the whole time he was playing craps).  We only tried one dinner in a specialty restaurant on our first Carnival cruise and were so disappointed that we did not do any more.  The food wasn't any better than in the MDR and the upcharge was absolutely not worth it (and again, no dress code enforced).  The "Chef's Table" experience was wonderful though, and Carnival's "Chocolate Melting Cake" is better than any dessert I've had on Celebrity (yup, I'm a chocoholic).  But THE main draw for us, at least for an Alaskan cruise, was Carnival's Vista Suite and its huge balcony, especially for the price.  We're probably going to switch it up for our next Alaskan cruise and try another cruise line though, since we've done that exact itinerary and ship layout twice.  Maybe we'll book on Celebrity, or maybe not.  Not sure I can handle the tiny Celebrity balconies for a cruise where I want to be out there most of the time, and the jump in price to a suite with a large balcony is substantial.

 

IMO, the general feel of the sailing experience on Celebrity is a bit classier.  In part, it's the look of the ships themselves... Celebrity's are a bit more towards reserved elegance, where Carnival's ships (at least the older ones) seem a bit garish, which makes the contrasting look of many of the guests even more at odds with their environment.  The majority of the Celebrity passengers are nicely dressed when going to dining rooms, hanging out in common areas and attending the evening shows.  As you'd expect, the pool area, other outdoor areas and the buffet area are very casual on both cruise lines.  Celebrity's guests definitely have a higher average age (and the longer the cruise, the older the passengers) and there are far fewer children onboard.  All the kids we've seen onboard have been nicely dressed and well behaved, and this was a stark contrast to what we observed on Carnival.  Yes, at times we've felt the Celebrity cruise crowd was a little TOO subdued, but it depends upon what you're looking for in a cruise.  We tend to want more relaxation than action/excitement.... fun, but not TOO crazy.  I've seen very few inebriated people on Celebrity, most of the exceptions being a group that was traveling together on our last cruise and pretty much defied all the Celebrity norms.  Sloppy drunks were much more evident and plentiful on Carnival, which in turn meant that you had many more boisterous and annoying people who THOUGHT they were entertaining and funny.  People adhere to the dress codes pretty well on Celebrity and there seems to be an effort on behalf of the staff to keep it that way (we did observe a family turned away from Blu one evening due to showing up in shorts ... they seemed fine with the "correction" and returned a little while later with proper dress).  The buffet area on all the ships can be a zoo due to the sheer number of people and the fact that it's a place where you're constantly wandering... wandering around to find specific food, wandering around to find a table, wandering around trying to find the people with whom you arrived.  One difference I noticed in that area was the tendency for far more passengers on Carnival to pile up huge amounts of food on their plate (or multiple plates), eat some, leave a bunch sitting there and then go back for more.  When they departed, there were often piles of plates left behind with lots food on them.  How much of that is due to the food quality and how is due to the attitude of the passengers, I have no idea, but I observed less waste on Celebrity.  Also, the dirty plates were cleared by staff much more quickly on the Celebrity ships which made the eating areas more appealing.

 

Anyhow, FWIW, those are some of the differences I observed between the two cruise lines.  Of course the passengers are a whole different group each time, and they help set the tone of the experience, but much of it has to do with the employees... their attitudes and how they conduct themselves.  Even on the same cruise line, we saw big differences in the staff, how they interacted with passengers, and the quality of service between Celebrity's Eclipse and the Silhouette on our last two cruises.  I suppose that could even be a reflection of the higher-ups on the ship.  Your experience will be a little different each time and so you can only generalize so much.

[cruzeluver]

With an almost equal number of cruises on both Celebrity and Carnival I think I can weigh in. Have Carnival Sunshine booked for October and Celebrity Summit next Spring.

 

Entertainment in their theaters is not where Carnival shines. The music for production shows is pre-recorded and tends to be of the cheesey variety-show type. Found many of the singers very talented but hemmed in by poor production values. Celebrity still uses live musicians in their theaters.Royal Caribbean blows both lines away in terms of live entertainment.

 

We have found the quality of food in the main dining rooms and buffets to be pretty close to equal between X and Carnival with service being a bit more polished on X.

 

Believe it or not, its entirely possible to like both lines. We do.

 

I am still trying to figure out why some are so hung up on tablecloths. Very few upscale restaurants on land use them anymore. We live in a "foodie" city (Charleston, SC) and I can only think of one high-end restaurant here with tablecloths.They are not indicative of quality of decor, service or food. They create a huge amount of unnecessary laundry.

[hcat]

13 minutes ago, cruzeluver said:

With an almost equal number of cruises on both Celebrity and Carnival I think I can weigh in. Have Carnival Sunshine booked for October and Celebrity Summit next Spring.

 

Entertainment in their theaters is not where Carnival shines. The music for production shows is pre-recorded and tends to be of the cheesey variety-show type. Found many of the singers very talented but hemmed in by poor production values. Celebrity still uses live musicians in their theaters.Royal Caribbean blows both lines away in terms of live entertainment.

 

We have found the quality of food in the main dining rooms and buffets to be pretty close to equal between X and Carnival with service being a bit more polished on X.

 

Believe it or not, its entirely possible to like both lines. We do.

 

I am still trying to figure out why some are so hung up on tablecloths. Very few upscale restaurants on land use them anymore. We live in a "foodie" city (Charleston, SC) and I can only think of one high-end restaurant here with tablecloths.They are not indicative of quality of decor, service or food. They create a huge amount of unnecessary laundry.

 

Hope X does not get any ideas about elimination of table cloths for dinner.

.In the buffet, whatever they clean the tables with often leaves that wet  dog smell!

 

Off topic:   we'll be cruising to Charleston (1st visit)  with an over night, what is the table cloth restaurant you mentioned, and do you have a lunch rec near the cruise port? Thnks

[kearney]

DH and I are generally pretty easy going.... but I have to say... table cloths really help set the mood for a nice dining experience. I can't imagine that Beef Wellington would taste as good without being placed on a nice table cloth.... I can't even picture a wine sommelier in a dining room without table cloths... it would be a really different experience. 

 

As far as dress goes, I have noted on previous boards that on the first chic night I can get DH into a jacket and tie and dress shoes... but by the second one... it is usually down to an open dress shirt ... gone is the jacket tie and nicer shoes....  but then again, when you have a table cloth... who sees your feet :) 

 

 

 

[citronella]

1 hour ago, cruzeluver said:

I am still trying to figure out why some are so hung up on tablecloths. Very few upscale restaurants on land use them anymore. We live in a "foodie" city (Charleston, SC) and I can only think of one high-end restaurant here with tablecloths.They are not indicative of quality of decor, service or food. They create a huge amount of unnecessary

 

Very true.

[cruzeluver]

Hope X does not get any ideas about elimination of table cloths for dinner.

.In the buffet, whatever they clean the tables with often leaves that wet  dog smell!

 

Off topic:   we'll be cruising to Charleston (1st visit)  with an over night, what is the table cloth restaurant you mentioned, and do you have a lunch rec near the cruise port? Thnks

 

Grill 222 has table cloths but I can think of a lot of places with better food, better service and atmosphere. For lunch near the port a good choice would be Hank's for seafood, Hall''s Chop House for steak, Poogan's Porch for local cuisine or Poogan's Smokehouse for bbq.

[happy cruzer]

They are just a little different.  Neither is right or wrong.  Set your expectations and enjoy the differences, you don't have to sail on one line that is your favorite.

[Nymich]

I never thought about it but after several cruises on several lines I would imagine in very short order ALL of them will eliminate the table cloths and the staffing and laundry expenses associated with them..   Raise prices while lowering expenses seems to be the business plan for ALL of them.  This fits well in that plan.

I don't think they will ALL do it.  I am quite certain they will.

[Tatka]

To me the biggest difference between Carnival and Celebrity is .... people.

Then it does not matter what dress code is. Daily planner does not have to say that dress code for tonight is smart casual or elegant so people won't wear basketball shorts to the evening restaurant. 😉

[keithm]

On ‎5‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 2:29 PM, cyntil8ing said:

I found very quickly that I didn't miss the tablecloths.   

Well, without a table cloth, should you spill a drink, it will be all over you! A table cloth at least gives some time to quickly move. Plus, seeing how tables get wiped down in many cheaper dives, I'll stick to a table cloth on my dinner table, thank you. I have a food business & trust me I get really grossed out at how some tables get wiped down, but hey, knock yourself out!

[Germancruiser]

Superflous laundy- tableclothes. That may be- but if you think that economic you should consider dining at home! Here tableclothes are more the standard then the exception- even in restaurants which are not at the high end.

[6fan]

This has been enlightening. I am sure X will be fine. My g/f and I are planning on having more than shorts and flip flops. Will still have then but will go to MDR looking a little more classy. My g/f looks classy no matter what she has on,

[happy cruzer]

Saw a picture of Tuscan Grill with no tablecloths on the table.

[ipeeinthepool]

Since the tables in the MDR are just pieces of plywood on a center post, I don't think there is a chance Celebrity will eliminate the tablecloths.