NCL Guy Sailing Celebrity in December

[Jim The Lizard]

Got married on a RCCL ship, then sailed Carnival, have sailed NCL since then.  Always wanted to try Celebrity (great reputation, lots of positive feedback here and on Facebook), so we're sailing Celebrity Silhouette in December.  Give me your thoughts on differences I can expect or "must do's" on Silhouette.   My wife is in her mid 40s, I'm early 50s.   We enjoy the sun, good food, live music, and the alcohol packages when we sail!  

[emmas gran]

Try searching Jamie Logical reviews she "came over" from NCL

[Jim The Lizard]

51 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

Try searching Jamie Logical reviews she "came over" from NCL

Awesome!  Thx for the response. 

[Prada Cowboy]

Ex NCL Haven cruiser here, just see Celebrity as more adult oriented with some better food and more inclusive. 

[Jim The Lizard]

4 hours ago, Prada Cowboy said:

Ex NCL Haven cruiser here, just see Celebrity as more adult oriented with some better food and more inclusive. 

Thanks!  Seems to be the common theme.  

[TeaBag]

Make sure you don't miss the Lawn Club Grill.  You can usually get 30% off first night.

[deliver42]

The S Class ships are just totally beautiful.

[Londoncruising1971]

21 hours ago, Jim The Lizard said:

Got married on a RCCL ship, then sailed Carnival, have sailed NCL since then.  Always wanted to try Celebrity (great reputation, lots of positive feedback here and on Facebook), so we're sailing Celebrity Silhouette in December.  Give me your thoughts on differences I can expect or "must do's" on Silhouette.   My wife is in her mid 40s, I'm early 50s.   We enjoy the sun, good food, live music, and the alcohol packages when we sail!  

You've chosen the right ship!!

We tried NCL Getaway in a Haven suite just prior to Covid. We enjoyed the ship, but the service was a million miles behind Celebrity.

World Class Bar and Martini Bar are both fantastic. Murano restaurant is also superb.

For reference, my wife and I are a similar age to you, and we are foodies who enjoy a drink or 2.

We always upgrade to the Premium drinks package, but the Classic package is great too

 

Enjoy 🙂 

[Jim The Lizard]

2 hours ago, Londoncruising1971 said:

You've chosen the right ship!!

We tried NCL Getaway in a Haven suite just prior to Covid. We enjoyed the ship, but the service was a million miles behind Celebrity.

World Class Bar and Martini Bar are both fantastic. Murano restaurant is also superb.

For reference, my wife and I are a similar age to you, and we are foodies who enjoy a drink or 2.

We always upgrade to the Premium drinks package, but the Classic package is great too

 

Enjoy 🙂 

Awesome!  Great comments, I appreciate your response!  

[Jim The Lizard]

15 hours ago, TeaBag said:

Make sure you don't miss the Lawn Club Grill.  You can usually get 30% off first night.

I will look into that. 

[4774Papa]

On 4/4/2022 at 8:20 AM, Jim The Lizard said:

Got married on a RCCL ship, then sailed Carnival, have sailed NCL since then.  Always wanted to try Celebrity (great reputation, lots of positive feedback here and on Facebook), so we're sailing Celebrity Silhouette in December.  Give me your thoughts on differences I can expect or "must do's" on Silhouette.   My wife is in her mid 40s, I'm early 50s.   We enjoy the sun, good food, live music, and the alcohol packages when we sail!  

Celebrity is our favorite line, but we also do Royal and NCL.

 

Celebrity excels in ship design, dining, service and atmosphere.   Royal and NCL do best in entertainment. Also, NCL does have some interesting activities that involve passenger participation that are nice.  However, Celebrity had good briefing on cruise locations, trivia and wine tastings.

 

Celebrity has jacked up its prices by requiring everyone to take drink packages (great if you drink 10 alcoholic drinks a day), but not for moderate drinkers like us.   However, sometimes they still allow booking without mandatory perks like drink packages.  NCL will still be a bit cheaper.  You won't find water slides and climbing much on Celebrity.

 

Celebrity is best for long cruises where there are fewer kids.

[Jim The Lizard]

Just now, 4774Papa said:

Celebrity is our favorite line, but we also do Royal and NCL.

 

Celebrity excels in ship design, dining, service and atmosphere.   Royal and NCL do best in entertainment. Also, NCL does have some interesting activities that involve passenger participation that are nice.  However, Celebrity had good briefing on cruise locations, trivia and wine tastings.

 

Celebrity has jacked up its prices by requiring everyone to take drink packages (great if you drink 10 alcoholic drinks a day), but not for moderate drinkers like us.   However, sometimes they still allow booking without mandatory perks like drink packages.  NCL will still be a bit cheaper.  You won't find water slides and climbing much on Celebrity.

 

Celebrity is best for long cruises where there are fewer kids.

We can drink ten drinks a day!  Wine at dinner, drinks throughout the day, Mojito or nightcap at night.  We don't do trivia or participation events; we love live music.  We are pool or beach bums all day.   Thx for your comments!  

[jenlock21]

I am also 40 and my husband is in his 50s. We were loyal Disney cruisers, then when it was just me and my husband we only cruised in a NCL haven spa suite because we loved the spa on NCL (something I think celebrity could do better on) and on a whim tried our first celebrity cruise pre Covid. We booked three more with celebrity since. I think the biggest difference is the passengers. We met so many great people and there weren’t a lot of kids. We don’t mind children but we tend to do adult only resorts and that is what celebrity felt like. As far as food, service, drinks, etc, we did not notice a big difference between any of the three because they were all excellent. We don’t attend the shows so I can’t speak on that but we loved the live musicians, murano dinner, and the solarium pool. 

Edited April 5, 2022 by jenlock21

[talljules1]

We've mostly sailed with Celebrity, but we did do an NCL Jade cruise to the Norwegian Fjords.  (We've also sailed on Celebrity Eclipse to the fjords, so I will compare the two).

 

We had great cruises on both. The age of the passengers was older on the Celebrity cruise - but this could be because we sailed in May on Celebrity and in early September on NCL. Regardless, we met lots of lovely people on both ships - and it this that makes our holiday.

 

I find it hard to put in to words, but Celebrity ships are just nicer. More plush? Better appointed?  Dunno - the decor and furnishings are, somehow, just better.

 

The food on NCL was fine. The food on Celebrity is better. Buffet on Celebrity Eclipse/Silhouette/Infinity is larger and better than on NCL Jade. I liked Cagneys on NCL, along with the Asian fusion restaurant, but the other specialty restaurants were a bit meh compared to those on Celebrity. 

 

On NCL I liked that my fav cocktail (long island iced tea) was on the menu. Didn't like their use of single-use plastic cups at the outside bars (Celebrity use more eco-friendly reusable sturdy plastic glasses outside). On Celebrity Long Island is not on the menu - but discovered (finally - should have asked sooner) that they will happily make them on Silhouette!  The sunset bar and martini bar are way better than the bars on NCL Jade.

 

We would sail again on NCL if the itinerary was a particular draw, but Celebrity is better.

 

(Worth noting we have not tried the Haven on NCL - we were in a standard balcony cabin with the equivalent of the premium drinks package)

[funredhead]

My husband and I are in our 40s.  We are Sapphire with NCL and did our first Celebrity Cruise over the holidays for 12 nights on the Equinox.  We are completely blown away by Celebrity. Everything was better.  As others have stated, the ship was just nicer.  The furnishings, the decor, the lighting all of it felt more elegant.  The service, and I have to say that we’ve always had excellent service on NCL, was superb.  It’s almost like your wants are anticipated.  The food is also a HUGE improvement on Celebrity. On NCL, most of our meals are in specialties.  By comparison, on our holiday cruise, most of our meals were in the dining room.  We preferred Celebrity.  The food is just better. And, then you add that we had the same servers every night and they really got to know us and us them…I realize it’s cliche, but, it was just a much nicer, more personal experience.  
It’s a particular talent to make each guest feel like a VIP.  NCL has particular employees who stand out, who get talked about constantly for their superb service.  People like Bong & Chocolate Cowboy. On Celebrity, everyone you interact with has that talent. It’s remarkable.  But, you will feel like a VIP.  
And, don’t miss the buffet.  The selection and the changes everyday are seriously impressive.  The desserts alone were unbelievable.  One day, in the buffet mind you, they had cream puffs that were individually carved into swans.  Each was decorated with a face. And, that was one dessert at lunch among about 50 other options.  
I hope you have a wonderful cruise. 

[klfhngr]

You'll love it! Wife and I same age bracket as you. We just got back from Carnival Panorama, had a blast. We've sailed NCL once, loved it. Did many RCL and Carnivals cruises, loved them all. Did 2 Princess did NOT like! Did X once and loved it, we're going back in May for a 10 day Europe. 

 

You'll enjoy the pampering and service over the others. The food is way better, in all venues! Shows ok, not as good as RCL. Older crowd, BUT STILL FUN! Dining room elegant that you really don't have to go elsewhere (Specialty Dining). Drinks and drink package awesome, best selection of beers that I've seen on any ship! You made the right choice/jump!

[Elvis1209]

I just did a NCL cruise in the Haven.  It was very nice to be treated in such a way!  However, Celebrity is always nicer!  Better food, less kids, etc.  We have a cruise on Silhouette coming in February.  The one thing I'll miss are the little fishies on the carpet telling you which way is forward!

 

Elvis

[capecodmercury]

You are going to love the Silhouette!   A few things I would like to echo from earlier comments.   

1.  Definitely try out the specialty restaurants.  Our favorite is Murano for a special date night.  The Lawn Club has great reviews,  but it always seemed to us to be better enjoyed with a group rather than just a couple.  And yes, it does seem to be easy to get 30% off on most specialty restaurants the first night.

2. As for drinks and bars, this is one place where the S class shines and there seem to be bars to fit every taste.  The Martini Bar may be the most popular bar on the ship and is always fun with flair bartenders.  It's located on the balcony over the Grand Foyer so you can hear the bands.  World Class Bar may have the best cocktails and is usually fairly quiet.  Sunset Bar has its moments for Sailaways and usually has music scheduled a few times each day.  And for a nightcap, there are multiple options from the Ensemble (near the entrance to 3 of the specialty restaurants)  which tends to have a mellow vibe later in the evening to the new craft bar which I am not familiar with.  Also, don't forget Cafe Al Bachio which offers a variety of coffee based drinks.

3. The final thing is you should consider, if you like the occasional drink is whether to upgrade to the premium drink package.  The Celebrity website provides comparisons of what brands are offered on each package (essentially drinks on classic package are mostly Celebrity's well liquors).  The wine list is far better on Premium package and if you enjoy Scotch or Bourbon,  then the premium package is a must.

[terrydtx]

OP, you didn't say what category of cabin you booked, but if you have booked the Haven on NCL you will be blown away by the entry level Sky Suite on any Celebrity ship. We did the Haven one and done with NCL in 2018 and now almost exclusively sail with Celebrity in the Retreat Suites. We also have done several HAL cruises and their suite product doesn't come close to Celebrity either. The only thing NCL may have over Celebrity is number and variety of specialty restaurants but the food and service quality is not close to Celebrity.

 

Enjoy your first Celebrity cruise and do all of us a favor come back here after the cruise and let us know what you think of the product VS NCL.

[4774Papa]

20 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

OP, you didn't say what category of cabin you booked, but if you have booked the Haven on NCL you will be blown away by the entry level Sky Suite on any Celebrity ship. We did the Haven one and done with NCL in 2018 and now almost exclusively sail with Celebrity in the Retreat Suites. We also have done several HAL cruises and their suite product doesn't come close to Celebrity either. The only thing NCL may have over Celebrity is number and variety of specialty restaurants but the food and service quality is not close to Celebrity.

 

Enjoy your first Celebrity cruise and do all of us a favor come back here after the cruise and let us know what you think of the product VS NCL.

What I notice cruising on Celebrity vs. NCL is that the wait staff in the MDR is always well trained on Celebrity.  Not always so on NCL.   On Celebrity, the wait staffer takes the orders from the ladies at the table first, then when the food is brought, each person's order is provided correctly.  We have found on NCL and sometimes the wait staff will take orders by going clockwise (or counter clockwise) around the table irrespective of gender, then when the food is delivered, sometimes the wrong plates are laid in front of the diners.

 

As for a Sky Suite on X, we upgraded to one an a cruise  and enjoyed it, we had double sinks and  a shower and tub in the bathroom, also spacious balcony and cabin.   The Luminae restaurant was our place of dining and excellent.   We have declined to pay the significant cost for a suite again, since we are quite happy with a veranda cabin.

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

As for a Sky Suite on X, we upgraded to one an a cruise  and enjoyed it, we had double sinks and  a shower and tub in the bathroom, also spacious balcony and cabin.   The Luminae restaurant was our place of dining and excellent.   We have declined to pay the significant cost for a suite again, since we are quite happy with a veranda cabin.

You need to take advantage of the real sales when booking suites and book early. We did for our Sky Suite on the Reflection this August. When we booked the SS on Reflection in January we got a great deal as the same cabins today are $2400pp more than we paid in January. Taking into account the value of the premium Suites amenities and generous OBC our SS on the Reflection is not too much higher than Aqua Class. But I agree booking suites is not for everybody. I also see no reason for us to book any thing higher than a Sky Suite, it has all the room we need and it gets the full Retreat amenities. 

 

We have probably our last Cruise on HAL this August after our Reflection cruise booked in a Signature Suite which is a suite in name only, no special dinning or amenities other than a cabin about the same size as X Sky Suite. On a cost per night comparison the Signature suite on HAL is about the same as a Sky Suite on Celebrity, which is why we will be exclusively sailing with Celebrity in the future.

[Dolebludger]

I can’t see where you say  what class of rooms you have booked to cruise on NCL. We have only been on the NCL Pearl in the Haven In 2015 for a music cruise. There was no suite lounge with included drinks. There was no separate suite restaurant. I don’t know if NCL has upgraded this situation, but if it hasn’t it is unacceptable. Two years later, we were on another music cruise — this time on the Celebrity Eclipse in a Celebrity suite. All these perks (and more) were included. Even after cruising Regent and Silversea on non-music cruises, we were impressed with X! So we booked an Alaska Cruise in a Royal suite for the next year and we’re really  impressed!  Even in parts of the X ships not reserved for suite guests, there was a much more upscale vibe on X compared to NCL. And with all the inclusions X now has for non-suite guests, we wonder if we even need to book a suite in the Retreat to have an enjoyable cruise. The only thing that I can see that would be missing is the separate dining room.  So your decision to book on X instead of NCL would seem to be a good one. I have seen cruise ratings that classify X as a premium line, and NCL as a budget line. We think that about sums it up.

 

(By the way, the music cruises where of the type were the average age of guests was over 60. So they were not rowdy music cruises.)

Edited April 18, 2022 by Dolebludger

[Jim The Lizard]

14 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I can’t see where you say  what class of rooms you have booked to cruise on NCL. We have only been on the NCL Pearl in the Haven In 2015 for a music cruise. There was no suite lounge with included drinks. There was no separate suite restaurant. I don’t know if NCL has upgraded this situation, but if it hasn’t it is unacceptable. Two years later, we were on another music cruise — this time on the Celebrity Eclipse in a Celebrity suite. All these perks (and more) were included. Even after cruising Regent and Silversea on non-music cruises, we were impressed with X! So we booked an Alaska Cruise in a Royal suite for the next year and we’re really  impressed!  Even in parts of the X ships not reserved for suite guests, there was a much more upscale vibe on X compared to NCL. And with all the inclusions X now has for non-suite guests, we wonder if we even need to book a suite in the Retreat to have an enjoyable cruise. The only thing that I can see that would be missing is the separate dining room.  So your decision to book on X instead of NCL would seem to be a good one. I have seen cruise ratings that classify X as a premium line, and NCL as a budget line. We think that about sums it up.

 

(By the way, the music cruises where of the type were the average age of guests was over 60. So they were not rowdy music cruises.)

Ok, we book balcony cabins on NCL.  We always do Vibe and specialty dining only.  So we enjoy the exclusivity this provides us as we truly are in the room to shower and sleep.  As Platinum on NCL, we always have wine in the cabin and small plates as treats.   We truly cruise to catch up and reconnect as we are both busy professionals who travel for work and work crazy hours!  So low key is our pace.  

[Jim The Lizard]

15 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I can’t see where you say  what class of rooms you have booked to cruise on NCL. We have only been on the NCL Pearl in the Haven In 2015 for a music cruise. There was no suite lounge with included drinks. There was no separate suite restaurant. I don’t know if NCL has upgraded this situation, but if it hasn’t it is unacceptable. Two years later, we were on another music cruise — this time on the Celebrity Eclipse in a Celebrity suite. All these perks (and more) were included. Even after cruising Regent and Silversea on non-music cruises, we were impressed with X! So we booked an Alaska Cruise in a Royal suite for the next year and we’re really  impressed!  Even in parts of the X ships not reserved for suite guests, there was a much more upscale vibe on X compared to NCL. And with all the inclusions X now has for non-suite guests, we wonder if we even need to book a suite in the Retreat to have an enjoyable cruise. The only thing that I can see that would be missing is the separate dining room.  So your decision to book on X instead of NCL would seem to be a good one. I have seen cruise ratings that classify X as a premium line, and NCL as a budget line. We think that about sums it up.

 

(By the way, the music cruises where of the type were the average age of guests was over 60. So they were not rowdy music cruises.)

 

Ok, we book balcony cabins on NCL.  We always do Vibe and specialty dining only.  So we enjoy the exclusivity this provides us as we truly are in the room to shower and sleep.  As Platinum on NCL, we always have wine in the cabin and small plates as treats.   We truly cruise to catch up and reconnect as we are both busy professionals who travel for work and work crazy hours!  So low key is our pace.  

[Jim The Lizard]

15 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I can’t see where you say  what class of rooms you have booked to cruise on NCL. We have only been on the NCL Pearl in the Haven In 2015 for a music cruise. There was no suite lounge with included drinks. There was no separate suite restaurant. I don’t know if NCL has upgraded this situation, but if it hasn’t it is unacceptable. Two years later, we were on another music cruise — this time on the Celebrity Eclipse in a Celebrity suite. All these perks (and more) were included. Even after cruising Regent and Silversea on non-music cruises, we were impressed with X! So we booked an Alaska Cruise in a Royal suite for the next year and we’re really  impressed!  Even in parts of the X ships not reserved for suite guests, there was a much more upscale vibe on X compared to NCL. And with all the inclusions X now has for non-suite guests, we wonder if we even need to book a suite in the Retreat to have an enjoyable cruise. The only thing that I can see that would be missing is the separate dining room.  So your decision to book on X instead of NCL would seem to be a good one. I have seen cruise ratings that classify X as a premium line, and NCL as a budget line. We think that about sums it up.

 

(By the way, the music cruises where of the type were the average age of guests was over 60. So they were not rowdy music cruises.)

 

Ok, we book balcony cabins on NCL.  We always do Vibe and specialty dining only.  So we enjoy the exclusivity this provides us as we truly are in the room to shower and sleep.  As Platinum on NCL, we always have wine in the cabin and small plates as treats.   We truly cruise to catch up and reconnect as we are both busy professionals who travel for work and work crazy hours!  So low key is our pace.