Alternatives to Celebrity

[Hobbsey]

1 minute ago, MACruisers said:

That said, there is only so many price increases and quality/service cuts you can pass on to a consumer before they start looking for value for their money.

That is exactly on point for all the threads related to the topic.  Loyalty is a two way street.  They are attacking their problem on too many fronts at the same time.  

[phoenix_dream]

At the risk of feeling like I'm hijacking the page, can we get some info on suite experiences as well?  Been a loyal Celebrity cruiser for more than 20 years and finally reached Zenith only to find the Celebrity I know is changing a lot, and none of it for the better as far as what we like.  I've heard some lines, like NCL, are not comparable as to non-suite cabins, but may be equal or better in their suite area.  thoughts?  I will do research on other posts as well, but thought maybe I could get some feedback here as well.

[RainbowRichard]

I’m very much in the same boat too (excuse the pun), We are in our early to mid forties and have been pretty loyal Celebrity cruisers the last few years - the last few times in Aqua class. We have one booked on Silhouette in September but looking ahead to next year from Southampton UK you are looking at £8k for an aqua class cabin for pretty much the same itinerary as we did in 2019 for £4k. I know prices have increased but double in five years is excessive. We earn good salaries but cannot justify that for a holiday. We went on P&O earlier this year and were pleasantly surprised so we’ll see what Celebrity is like in September and see if the extra for Celebrity  is worth it.  

Edited August 16, 2023 by RainbowRichard

[lv2cruisgrl]

31 minutes ago, MACruisers said:

As a long time Celebrity Suite cruiser, I am also looking at other options. In the past, I have been very pleased with the Celebrity product both pre “retreat” and post.  As a consumer I understand Celebrity is a business and suffered tremendous losses during the pandemic.  That said, there is only so many price increases and quality/service cuts you can pass on to a consumer before they start looking for value for their money.  I’ve only ever cruised with  RCG brands (RCI and X), and I still have 4 cruises booked with Celebrity in Suites and I am holding judgement until I experience my next cruise with Celebrity.  The info on this board and put out by Celebrity has raised my level of concern enough to explore other brands.  

Agree we feel the same way.  Time will tell.

[Ken the cruiser]

We're in our late 60's/early 70's as well and use to cruise with HAL quite a bit until they switched their entertainment strategy to focus on their Music Walk lounges and pretty much said good-bye to production shows and guest entertainers performing nightly in the main theater, except for a dance troupe and maybe a movie or two. Has that changed?

 

Also, when we stopped cruising with HAL back in 2019, their CD had one assistant rather than a group of 4-6 assistants like there is on Celebrity and Princess cruises. Has that changed to where they now offer fun-loving game shows and other entertainment every night designed to make you laugh? Then there are the professional lecturers that are invited onboard Celebrity and Princess cruises to speak on most sea days. From what I remember the combination HAL Cruise/EXC director provides canned port talks. Has that changed?

 

If so as we are 4-star Mariners, we'd definitely entertain the thought of booking a 3-5 week HAL itinerary as they offer some good ones. However, if their main focus is still to pack folks into the Music Walk lounges, each with a 100-150 pax capacity, to simply listen to music every night, we'll stick with Princess, Celebrity, and on occasion NCL if the itinerary is super awesome.

[billc23]

...can we get some info on suite experiences as well?

 

We tried Silversea in a basic suite and found the experience, as far as dining and interesting itineraries go, superior to Celebrity's upper suites. Great service and public spaces. Not the same level of entertainment, but after many cruises we don't go to the shows that much anymore. The included excursions are superior to Celebrity unless you want to shop on the excursion. No art auctions on Silversea (so if you cruise to buy art you won't like it), no photographer at dinner, small casino and no buffet for dinner. Multiple sit down dining venues at lunch and dinner. No hierarchal system like Celebrity has created over the years. Usually cheaper than a Sky suite at the current prices.

[MACruisers]

Here is a live trip report about the YC experience on MSC.  GenX is a loyal X cruiser and this report has me seriously looking at the YC.  BTW GenX’s reports are a great read, entertaining, informative and fun. 

 

[Suite Susie]

Have a look at Explora cruises. They are new and currently only have one ship sailing. All suites and all inclusive. Expensive, but their entry level suites are a reasonable price on some of their sailings. 

[hubofhockey]

2 hours ago, prmssk said:

If you are not a suite cruiser who can afford Azamara, Oceania, or some of the other more premium lines, then your options are all going to be pretty comparable to Celebrity so which you prefer of those comparable options greatly depends on which specific aspects of the cruise you enjoy more.

 

I would put Celebrity, Holland, Princess, and Virgin on roughly the same level (maybe Disney too but I have no interest in that many kids or Disney).  We've done both Celebrity and Princess lately and much prefer Celebrity but that may just be our personal preference.  We hope to try Holland someday soon.  I don't know if Virgin is quite our vibe but it's not off the table as an option for us.

 

Another one you might consider is MSC.  We haven't sailed them yet but have two Yacht Club bookings coming up.  My understanding is that the ships are a lot bigger and the standard cabins are likely a pretty big downgrade to Celebrity but Yacht Club is a lot more affordable than the Retreat and I've also heard good things about Aurea (probably the most comparable to aqua class).

 

I suggest trying something different.  I've never had a truly bad time on a cruise and each one we take on a different line helps me better narrow exactly what I enjoy most when cruising.  Every line has a little different pluses and minuses.  

 

Azamara often is not too much more than Celebrity.  After taking into account that it's more "all inclusive", it probably costs less for similar cruises.  

[MustBCruzn]

3 hours ago, erniesband said:

We're the same as you. We've found Holland America Line to be a good alternative to X. Cruised to Alaska twice with them and are doing a Med cruise next year. They do have some different itineraries from X. The food was good, on par or in some cases better than X. We do balcony cabins and so far they have been equal. HAL doesn't do production shows but has good music venues like BB King's. They also have better lectures and enrichment programs.

 

Agree completely. We're Elite+ on Celebrity (which doesn't mean anything anymore), and have loved our cruises. However, for a number of reasons we've begun branching out and have found HAL to be a great fit. The food and service are great, and the itineraries are much more varied than Celebrity's itineraries. The only downside (for us), is HAL's smoking policy in the casino. But that aside, we absolutely love thier newer, Pinacle class ships and have several more booked for 2024.

Edited August 16, 2023 by MustBCruzn

[cruise47]

3 hours ago, MACruisers said:

Here is a live trip report about the YC experience on MSC.  GenX is a loyal X cruiser and this report has me seriously looking at the YC.  BTW GenX’s reports are a great read, entertaining, informative and fun. 

Please read GenX review

 

[NMTraveller]

When I compare a HAL itinerary vs Celebrity itinerary HAL wins most of the time.

[Ken the cruiser]

16 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

When I compare a HAL itinerary vs Celebrity itinerary HAL wins most of the time.

Same thing when I compare a Princess itinerary to similar Celebrity itinerary. However, if I were to compare a Princess itinerary to a similar 3+ week HAL itinerary, even though they may be similar, I know we’ll laugh a lot more and have a lot more entertainment options on the Princess one.

[BCHappyGal]

A Loyal X cruiser who is nearly at Zenith level... only to find the many changes to X policy mostly negative changes which is very disappointing...  I have begun to look at comparable (price wise) options where there is NO SMOKING/VAPING  and what is advertised is what you get... It is a bit much when one purchases a cruise that is advertised to include certain features that are after final payment deleated...  

As I finally got to the point where we could afford a suite I am finding several optiiions... 

[BCHappyGal]

I have 3 upcoming cruises this fall so holding out final decision until I ahve sailed -- but if enough changes then I will jsut loose my deposit on 5 more upcoming in Spring 2024 and try out one of the smaller luxury line ships... 

 

Would like to do a test sail on one or more of them out of Florida but many do the Caribbean from some of the southern islands not the mainland...  still looking...  but a non smoking ship is a big deal for us as we truly value our health ...

[basenji56]

40 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

When I compare a HAL itinerary vs Celebrity itinerary HAL wins most of the time.

In the Caribbean, what are the better ports on HAL?

[swjumbo]

6 hours ago, prmssk said:

If you are not a suite cruiser who can afford Azamara, Oceania, or some of the other more premium lines, then your options are all going to be pretty comparable to Celebrity so which you prefer of those comparable options greatly depends on which specific aspects of the cruise you enjoy more.

 

I would put Celebrity, Holland, Princess, and Virgin on roughly the same level (maybe Disney too but I have no interest in that many kids or Disney).  We've done both Celebrity and Princess lately and much prefer Celebrity but that may just be our personal preference.  We hope to try Holland someday soon.  I don't know if Virgin is quite our vibe but it's not off the table as an option for us.

 

Another one you might consider is MSC.  We haven't sailed them yet but have two Yacht Club bookings coming up.  My understanding is that the ships are a lot bigger and the standard cabins are likely a pretty big downgrade to Celebrity but Yacht Club is a lot more affordable than the Retreat and I've also heard good things about Aurea (probably the most comparable to aqua class).

 

I suggest trying something different.  I've never had a truly bad time on a cruise and each one we take on a different line helps me better narrow exactly what I enjoy most when cruising.  Every line has a little different pluses and minuses.  

Have a look at a YouTuber called Gary Bembridge and his opinion on Yacht Club.

Makes for interesting viewing!

[NMTraveller]

30 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

In the Caribbean, what are the better ports on HAL?

It has to do more with the length of the cruise.  The Celebrity cruises are rather short.  Why go down to the ABCs on a 10 or 11 day cruise?  My average length of cruise on Celebrity is 12 days.  

[1Virgo]

we are in the same boat.  So disappointed Celebrity management has reduced quality/service and what you get, and as I ve previously mentioned,  in such a sneaky back handed way. 

 

We listed for ourselves, the changes we ve seen in both Aqua and Retreat since we started sailing X.    bit of an eye opener.  and, targeting more the “long weekend getaway crowd. I d like to see a cost analysis on what X makes on that. many are Party til you puke crowd, damage etc.    probably not as much as they think. Their  bread and butter comes from people in established careers, retirees, and loyal customers whether they want to see that or not. 

 

Vaping.   Well we ve already seen and heard how compliant people are

 

Sadly, we too are giving X a second thought

 

 

[rj59]

I was actually a dedicated HAL cruiser, then switched to Princess, and only tried Celebrity last summer in Alaska and 3 times in Mexico on bargain fares for a solo inside. I also went on the Apex once, and was amazed. I'd say Princess is closest to Celebrity for me, but without the class system. Princess is pushing their all-inclusive plans, which used to be standard on X. They all have their pluses and minuses. The huge outdoor movie screen on Princess is a plus over Celebrity's, they have great pizza, and a beautiful atrium, where most things on the ship are centered. NCL has good entertainment and Broadway shows, and a dedicated Haven area, if you want an exclusive area. HAL ships have a forward Crow's Nest, similar to the X Sky Lounge. Personally, I find Princess MDR food the best, then HAL, then Celebrity. I'm also trying Cunard for the first time tomorrow, which also is an option. Personally, I'd go for variety and find ships and itineraries and experiences you like, since I think it's easy to get stuck in a rut if you get sucked into loyalty, status,

[markeb]

We actually started cruising on HAL, but in our 40's. Loved the service, food was great, and they had an amazing wine program. But our last HAL cruise was 2006, and I'm reading with interest what others are saying now. The HAL crowd at the time was, politely, not young (OK, we probably dropped the median age by 15 years).

 

From what I'm reading lately, I'd probably seriously look at the "new" HAL, but honestly we're just not sure how much cruising we're going to do going forward. There's a lot of the world that's not near a coast. I'd rather spend a week (or more) in Tuscany and Veneto than cruising around Italy for the same amount of time. We rarely do production shows. I have the Kennedy Center 30 miles away and can be on Broadway on a 3-hour train. We do like interesting live music (something Celebrity struggles with a bit). Way back in the day, a number of HAL venues felt like small music clubs, and on one cruise we spent a few nights talking to the musicians on their breaks. That's not something you really do on Celebrity.

 

Can't really answer the OPs question, but those are my thoughts tonight!

[wineoclock]

4 hours ago, swjumbo said:

Have a look at a YouTuber called Gary Bembridge and his opinion on Yacht Club.

Makes for interesting viewing!

He’s really good. I enjoy watching his videos.

[villauk]

5 hours ago, BCHappyGal said:

get... It is a bit much when one purchases a cruise that is advertised to include certain features that are after final payment deleated.

 

Don’t try Princess then as that’s exactly what has happened to us. I think all the mass cruise lines are presently doing the same thing.

[wineoclock]

2 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

Don’t try Princess then as that’s exactly what has happened to us. I think all the mass cruise lines are presently doing the same thing.

Just thinking of switching our June cruise in a CS on apex to sky Princess (can’t remember which suite) but unsure. 

[killaypirate]

Prefer Azamara to X, better food in bith MDR & specialitiy restaurants and smaller ship suiting quieter ambience. But have not booked recently as Azamara having problems with IT since they migrated to their own system. Customers reporting errors on bookings and really difficult to get corrected pre-sailing, everything seems correct & OK when onboard though. Both starting to price me out of suites.