JamieLogical's Big NCL vs. Celebrity Thread

[JamieLogical]

As many of you know, I am going on my first Celebrity sailing on the Equinox on July 26th. This is the thread that I am going to use to post my comparisons between NCL and Celebrity. I'll try to break things down into digestible chunks. First up will be my pre-cruise experiences with Booking, Pricing/Perks, Reservations, and Check-in. Here is the first installment:

 

Booking

On NCL, I usually figure out what cruise I want to do based on just searching the NCL site myself. Once I have picked out a cruise, I go to another TA site that shows up to 100 available cabins per category to see if there are any angled balconies available. Once I know which exact cabin number I want, I call my PCC and book that specific cabin through her. Sometimes, if it is after hours and I am worried about losing a cabin that I can actually book through the NCL site directly, I will put a 24-hour courtesy hold on the cabin and then call my PCC the next day, but that only works if the cabin I want is one of the 15 available on the site.

 

Right off the bat, one thing I really liked about Celebrity’s site is that you can see all of the cabins available. They don’t seem to have it organized by sub-categories like NCL does. So that is one downside. If you find a cabin you like on the deck plan, it might be more than what you initially saw when picking the general category. So say you pick “Veranda” (which is what they call Balconies) and it says the per person price for a veranda is $1000. When you go to the deck plan, if you move between decks or move from aft to forward or whatever, find a room you want, and then click on it, that room might end up being more like $1150.

 

Another thing I like about Celebrity’s site for the searching/booking process is that it is much more mobile friendly. When my husband and I booked our January, 2022 sailing, we did it from a restaurant on our phone. I don’t think I would ever try to book an NCL sailing on the phone.

 

Celebrity does offer 24-hour courtesy holds, but it is HARD to find that option! I encountered that when deciding on my Equinox sailing for this month. I wanted to put a hold on it right away while I searched for flights and talked more with my husband about my taking a solo cruise. On NCL’s site, there is just a checkbox on the payment page if you want to put in a hold. On Celebrity, you have to get all the way to the payment screen, then click on the Celebrity logo at the top of the page as if you are leaving and want to start another search. At that point, a pop-up will ask you if you want to put a hold on. If you click on that logo earlier in the process, you do NOT get an option for a hold, it just asks if you are sure you want to leave your booking.

 

Once I had my hold on, I shortly received a call from a Celebrity Vacation Planner, who is their equivalent of a PCC. She was incredibly helpful and friendly and it is my understanding that I can contact her for everything I would usually contact my PCC for moving forward regarding this booking and future bookings.

 

A BIG difference with Celebrity is that deposits are non-refundable. If you cancel, you can get it as an FCC towards another cruise, but only for a VERY limited time. Final payment was due right away for my Equinox sailing, obviously. However when we booked our January, 2022 sailing, first of all we had to pay a $500 deposit on a veranda instead of just $250 like on NCL, and we were told that if we do cancel, we would have to apply it to another cruise SAILING by October, 2022.

 

The only other thing to talk a bit about around booking was flights. I have never booked flights through NCL unless they were part of an airfare promo. When you take flights as a promo on NCL, you don’t get to pick the flights. I am really not sure how things work with NCL if you just use them as basically your TA to book flights through. For my Equinox sailing, I was planning to fly in the day of the cruise, which I know is pretty risky. So I decided to book the flights through Celebrity in order to have a little more security. Celebrity was also offering a $100 off promo for flights. In all, the flights only came out to be a bit cheaper (like $24) than if I had booked them myself, but it is nice to have the peace of mind of having Celebrity on the hook for getting me to the ship on time. What I did like about booking flights through Celebrity is that they have a search on their site to help you calculate the total cost of your sailing with flights before booking. What I didn’t like is that I wasn’t able to actually book my flights through the site on my own due to some sort of glitch. They simply would not accept my payment information, so I ended up having to call to get the flights booked finally.

[ggTexasGal]

Great start, with some helpful information, Jamie!

[MNcruisingcouple]

Really looking forward to this comparison.  

[kochleffel]

I'll be interested in reading your posts, because I have a booking on Celebrity for next year.

 

In general, Celebrity and the other lines that I would consider the premium end of the mainstream (Holland America and Princess might be examples) are beyond my budget, and so are suites on any cruise line. The particular itinerary was priced below others of comparable length, as TATL and TPAC cruises often are.

 

One concern that I have about Celebrity is that there is more social stratification: while NCL has the Haven, Celebrity has two classes of staterooms that have their own, private dining rooms (separate from each other). It did strike me, when I inquired in the Celebrity forum about the itinerary, that many people advised me to book only the Retreat or Aqua Class.

 

On the other hand, the only trouble I've ever had with other passengers was on NCL.

 

I booked in the ordinary way on the web site. The itinerary -- TPAC via the Bering Sea -- is one for which a balcony didn't seem like a good value. What I booked was a forward-facing oceanview cabin, of which there are only 12 on the ship, so it didn't take a lot of research.

 

 

[pghflyer]

great thread idea. I've generally avoided a lot of these other lines because formal nights are a no-go for us, nothing about that = vacation

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

A BIG difference with Celebrity is that deposits are non-refundable.

 

I'm afraid that's not correct.  During the on-line booking process with Celebrity, you are given the option to select a refundable deposit, by paying a specified additional amount for the cabin.  This is a screen shot showing the refundable deposit option for a 10-night Caribbean cruise in December in a concierge class cabin.  (The non-refundable cruise fare per person was $1979.)  And, of course, if you are booking with Celebrity by phone, you can ask for that option as well.

 

 

 

 

[Turtles06]

42 minutes ago, pghflyer said:

 I've generally avoided a lot of these other lines because formal nights are a no-go for us, nothing about that = vacation

 

Celebrity got rid of formal nights many years ago.  They just have some nights that are now called "Evening Chic," with a pretty relaxed casual dress code.  

[coastcat]

Oh, I definitely agree about the cabin selection at booking time. It’s so annoying that NCL only shows a max of 15 cabins in a category. I consult a TA site to see actual availability, then book the cruise on NCL, and then call to change to the cabin location. That’s just goofy. Even though Celebrity doesn’t filter by category, it’s easy to click on different cabins to see how location affects pricing. 
 

On the other hand, searching for solo pricing on Celebrity and RC is annoying because it won’t display the prices until you do a mock booking. With NCL (and Carnival, Princess, and MSC), you set the # of persons as a search filter. If it weren’t for a glance at another website, I wouldn’t have known about the hefty solo discount on the January 30 sailing of Celebrity Edge. (yeah, Sunset Veranda for a 15% single supplement!)

 

Really looking forward to your impressions onboard. NCL is accustomed to solos and I do appreciate not hearing “JUST one?” at the dining venues. 

Edited July 7, 2021 by coastcat

[helen haywood]

“For my Equinox sailing, I was planning to fly in the day of the cruise, which Iknow is pretty risky. So I decided to book the flights throughCelebrity in order to have a little more security. Celebrity was also offering a $100 off promo for flights. In all, the flights only came out to be a bit cheaper (like $24) than if I had booked them myself, but it is nice to have the peace of mind of having Celebrity on the hook for getting me to the ship on time.”
 

I should point out that in these covid times, if your flight is canceled or delayed….Celebrity will not fly you to the first port if you miss the embarkation.  You will miss the cruise entirely.  

Edited July 7, 2021 by helen haywood

[helen haywood]

This is from a poster who missed their cruise…

 

6/19/2021 at 5:31 PM,  Tapi said: 

Not me, but I witnessed as a 78 year old lady, traveling by herself this morning to St. Maarten to board the Millennium, missed her connection, with zero chance to make it there before the ship sails tonight. 😢
 

It absolutely broke my heart, just thinking about all the preparations, and anticipation after so many months without cruising, go down the drain.

 

So I just wanted to throw this out there, and remind everybody to never fly on the same day of the cruise, no matter how many times you’ve done it without issues, or how many backup flights there are, etc, etc. 

Expand  

 

The post referred to upthread about someone else also missing a Millennium sailing was by @tljordan444 on the thread below (page 28 post #699)

 

They said "Unfortunately we were also in Charlotte 3 hours before boarding and did not make it. It was total chaos at the airport with no help at all from AA. We called Celebrity Air after we missed the flight at 9:53am to see if there was another option and after being put on hold and back and forth we were told no. It was now 11:12am.

I then called my TA and she was able to find another flight at 12:30 which was delayed until 12:53. She was speaking to AA and myself and got us a seat. So we went back to the AA agent and the plane had started boarding and they would not be able to get our luggage on the plane. We were told there was nothing they could do and it was only 12:10PM Unbelievable!!!

We have since been on the phone with Celebrity Air with us being the ones reaching out to see if we could join the ship in Barbados or Aruba. But we are now being told they will not do this.

It has been a VERY frustrating experience with the Covid tests mix up last week and the total lack of communication from Celebrity. We are still in the process of trying to find out who is saying NO and Why??

We booked the air with Celebrity for this exact reason thinking that if there was a travel issue with the flights that they will be there for us. Well I'm here to tell you they HAVE NOT helped us at all!!

I just wanted to let people know about the lack of help we have been receiving from Celebrity Air to try and resolve this issue. We have even asked for FCC to take next weeks cruise instead and were told sorry. We are just out the money.

[JamieLogical]

20 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

This is from a poster who missed their cruise…

 

 

6/19/2021 at 5:31 PM,  Tapi said: 

Not me, but I witnessed as a 78 year old lady, traveling by herself this morning to St. Maarten to board the Millennium, missed her connection, with zero chance to make it there before the ship sails tonight. 😢
 

It absolutely broke my heart, just thinking about all the preparations, and anticipation after so many months without cruising, go down the drain.

 

So I just wanted to throw this out there, and remind everybody to never fly on the same day of the cruise, no matter how many times you’ve done it without issues, or how many backup flights there are, etc, etc. 

Expand  

 

The post referred to upthread about someone else also missing a Millennium sailing was by @tljordan444 on the thread below (page 28 post #699)

 

They said "Unfortunately we were also in Charlotte 3 hours before boarding and did not make it. It was total chaos at the airport with no help at all from AA. We called Celebrity Air after we missed the flight at 9:53am to see if there was another option and after being put on hold and back and forth we were told no. It was now 11:12am.

I then called my TA and she was able to find another flight at 12:30 which was delayed until 12:53. She was speaking to AA and myself and got us a seat. So we went back to the AA agent and the plane had started boarding and they would not be able to get our luggage on the plane. We were told there was nothing they could do and it was only 12:10PM Unbelievable!!!

We have since been on the phone with Celebrity Air with us being the ones reaching out to see if we could join the ship in Barbados or Aruba. But we are now being told they will not do this.

It has been a VERY frustrating experience with the Covid tests mix up last week and the total lack of communication from Celebrity. We are still in the process of trying to find out who is saying NO and Why??

We booked the air with Celebrity for this exact reason thinking that if there was a travel issue with the flights that they will be there for us. Well I'm here to tell you they HAVE NOT helped us at all!!

I just wanted to let people know about the lack of help we have been receiving from Celebrity Air to try and resolve this issue. We have even asked for FCC to take next weeks cruise instead and were told sorry. We are just out the money.

 

I have no choice but to fly in the day of due to other commitments. My flight is scheduled to arrive at 11:14 AM. The ship doesn't leave until 8:00 PM.

[JamieLogical]

5 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I have no choice but to fly in the day of due to other commitments. My flight is scheduled to arrive at 11:14 AM. The ship doesn't leave until 8:00 PM.

 

 

Also, I am not checking any bags.

[ColdCruise]

37 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

 

 

I just wanted to let people know about the lack of help we have been receiving from Celebrity Air to try and resolve this issue. We have even asked for FCC to take next weeks cruise instead and were told sorry. We are just out the money.

Are you saying that you missed a flight connection and the cruise line that booked the flights didn’t help and you lost all your cruise+air money? Or this happened to the poster @tljordan444. 
Sorry if the answer’s obvious but it’s been a l-o-n-g day here. 😕

[helen haywood]

Not to me.  I was quoting the poster it unfortunately happened to.  The important thing people commented about that situation is they would have been better off talking to gate agents/calling airlines themselves instead of hoping Celebrity would fix it for them in time.

 

And just want everyone to realize that whereas in normal times you can join the ship at a later port, due to the covid protocols that currently isn’t an option.  So it’s more important than ever (especially with so many canceled flights) to be careful.

[rmandmm]

Following this BIG THREAD. 🙃

[soonernick]

I’m so excited for this! I’ve been pretty NCL loyal, but really thinking about giving Celebrity a try this spring, so excited to read about your experiences! 

[Sthrngary]

I have enjoyed your other OP-EDs and will enjoy this one as well.  My wife and I cruised on the Equinox in November of 2018. This was prior to the drydock the Equinox went through.  I really look forward to your comparison of the two brands.  Your initial post is very interesting.  Keep it up.  Excellent content. 

[Jonslola]

Looking forward to your posts! I am curious about the differences and similarities you experience between the two lines. 

[saltsandknit]

Thanks for this. Celebrity is the next cruise line to try. I am pretty partial to NCL for most of the reasons you are as well.  My Husband does not enjoy formal nights. I really want an in depth comparison.

[Treasure Hunter]

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

I have enjoyed your other OP-EDs and will enjoy this one as well.  My wife and I cruised on the Equinox in November of 2018. This was prior to the drydock the Equinox went through.  I really look forward to your comparison of the two brands.  Your initial post is very interesting.  Keep it up.  Excellent content. 

 

55 minutes ago, saltsandknit said:

Thanks for this. Celebrity is the next cruise line to try. I am pretty partial to NCL for most of the reasons you are as well.  My Husband does not enjoy formal nights. I really want an in depth comparison.

We are on the Encore Thanksgiving week with a bunch of family ( which is why we are not in the Haven but in a Club suite ( mini) and on the Celebrity Equinox in January. Do you know what renovations were done in 2018? On the Celebrity, we are in a Celebrity suite. I expect it to be radically different from Thanksgiving for many obvious reasons. I love both lines and I’m just thrilled to sail.

[nhtravels]

I'll be following along on your comparison Jamie. DH and I are mostly loyal to NCL, but if we were to consider another cruise line, I think Celebrity would check most of the boxes! 

 

 

[roxette]

I am platinum plus on NCL, and Elite on Celebrity. Those are my preffered lines. In my mins Celebrity is (quite s bit) more luxurius, the main dining room with the food and service is much better than NCL. 

 

NCL is more fun and casual. And used to be cheaper by quite a bit. If I find two similar cruises and the price difference is not tio much, i would pick celebrity any day. The Solstice class is, by far, my favourite of all ships. First time on the Edge the coming spring. 

 

I really enjoy Jamie's reviews and look forward to see how you compare the lines. 

 

I am sure you will love it! 

 

Have fun. Wish I was there. 

 

 

[Sthrngary]

23 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

 

We are on the Encore Thanksgiving week with a bunch of family ( which is why we are not in the Haven but in a Club suite ( mini) and on the Celebrity Equinox in January. Do you know what renovations were done in 2018? On the Celebrity, we are in a Celebrity suite. I expect it to be radically different from Thanksgiving for many obvious reasons. I love both lines and I’m just thrilled to sail.

If you are in a Celebrity Suite, you will now have access to the VIP Retreat Area.  In 2018, that did not exist on the Equinox.   You will love the Suites Only dinning. It is over the top. The entire ship has been upgraded especially the furnishings.  BTW, the suite you are in is fantastic.  

[JGmf]

I'm eager to read more!

 

I've always found your posts and comments to be fair and insightful.  Can't wait to learn about other cruise lines outside of the NCL orbit.

[Treasure Hunter]

13 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

If you are in a Celebrity Suite, you will now have access to the VIP Retreat Area.  In 2018, that did not exist on the Equinox.   You will love the Suites Only dinning. It is over the top. The entire ship has been upgraded especially the furnishings.  BTW, the suite you are in is fantastic.  

How would you compare the Retreat to the Haven? I am worried about the lack of shade . That’s why I love the Sanctuary ( Princess) when we can get it. As you know even with a suite on Princess it’s not included.