Jim_Iain - First Non-Celebrity Cruise in 22 year - Ponant vs Celebrity Comparison

[karmamule]

Thanks so much for this thread, it was an entertaining and interesting read. We've also hopped from line to line and enjoy all the differences. We've only been on 1 Celebrity cruise, with another in less than two weeks(!!) for the Summit Canada / New England. We've cruised on NCL, MSC, RCL, Princess (though a long time ago), Carnival and Virgin and they've all had something we liked about them along with a few less-than-optimal features. 

 

We've been on 3 MSC YC cruises with a fourth next February for 14 days on the Seascape and definitely recommend that as something worth trying. If you stay mostly in the YC areas you can pretend you're on a small luxury cruise, but still have the crowds and energy of the main parts of the ship if you want some variety. 

[1Virgo]

Thank you for taking the time to share your trip.   Enjoy Toronto.  Lots to see and do plus, the weather should be great.   

[GonzoWCS]

1 hour ago, cluso said:

Jim, do you have an overall conclusion on Celebrity vs Ponant?

Merci beaucoup and Sante`

Am wondering the same.  Thanks for the ride!

 

Cheers

[Jim_Iain]

23 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Toronto (where I was born) is a beautiful city.....very very big now with the ups and downs of a metropolis.  Terrific theatre, many high end restaurants, and quite a busy commercial district downtown.  Have you any plans for your stay or is it R&R? You're a distance from the waterfront but maybe you've seen enough water....LOL...Lovely B&B.

 

We have been really busy since we arrived.    Last night we were invited to dinner from a Zenith Couple we have sailed with many times.   Getting to visit with them was worth the stay in Toronto.   They had a wonderful dinner for us and we chatted until almost midnight.  The live just north of Toronto so our place was very convenient.

 

Today we have just been exploring Toronto on our own.    Such a beautiful city. 

 

Tomorrow another couple we sailed with 3 times have invited us to take a tour of Toronto and dinner afterward.   Really excited to see them because we have not seen them in 20 years.

[Jim_Iain]

23 hours ago, Orator said:

If it's Sue and Rob say hello for us. Look forward to meeting them soon.

 

How did you guess...   They look wonderful and the hours slipped away far too quickly.  

[Jim_Iain]

9 hours ago, cluso said:

Jim, do you have an overall conclusion on Celebrity vs Ponant?

Merci beaucoup and Sante`

 

We were really impressed with Ponant and sure we will do another with them.    Just need to find the right cruise.    We will be looking at some itineraries that can be built into a B2B or B3B.  

 

I'm sure will be discussing with our friends that sail Ponant frequently and see what they have planned.   They will be sailing with us on Edge in November (Singapore to Sydney).

[Jim_Iain]

8 hours ago, GonzoWCS said:

Am wondering the same.  Thanks for the ride!

 

Cheers

 

Definitely enjoyed Ponant and would have no qualms of sailing them again.     Will have to work through the cruises we have booked and will be shopping itinerary over loyalty.    

[Orator]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

How did you guess...   They look wonderful and the hours slipped away far too quickly.  

 

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

  

They are wonderful people. One of the best things about cruising is the people you meet along the way are the best! Many have become cherished friends.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Orator said:

 

They are wonderful people. One of the best things about cruising is the people you meet along the way are the best! Many have become cherished friends.

 

Sue and Rob were the perfect hosts and prepared an incredible 5 course meal.    We almost needed a wheelbarrow to get us to our Uber. 

[raudacruise]

Jim, thanks so much for your review.  Fun and informative as always.  And the pictures!

 

Seems that Ponant is not my cup of tea, but I look forward to any review of yours regardless of the line.  I think you should try Silversea so I can decide if I’ll like it. 😎

 

[Jim_Iain]

11 hours ago, karmamule said:

Thanks so much for this thread, it was an entertaining and interesting read. We've also hopped from line to line and enjoy all the differences. We've only been on 1 Celebrity cruise, with another in less than two weeks(!!) for the Summit Canada / New England. We've cruised on NCL, MSC, RCL, Princess (though a long time ago), Carnival and Virgin and they've all had something we liked about them along with a few less-than-optimal features. 

 

We've been on 3 MSC YC cruises with a fourth next February for 14 days on the Seascape and definitely recommend that as something worth trying. If you stay mostly in the YC areas you can pretend you're on a small luxury cruise, but still have the crowds and energy of the main parts of the ship if you want some variety. 

 

Thanks for another vote for MSC YC.    It is on the short list.   So many choices and so little time.

 

You should really like Summit and the New England Cruise.    We did it last year after our Iceland/Greenland B2B and loved it.   We have said we would definitely do it again.

 

Hope your cruise has an overnight in Quebec -  The ship docks right in the heart of town and looks right at the Chateau Frontenac.   

[Jim_Iain]

7 minutes ago, raudacruise said:

Jim, thanks so much for your review.  Fun and informative as always.  And the pictures!

 

Seems that Ponant is not my cup of tea, but I look forward to any review of yours regardless of the line.  I think you should try Silversea so I can decide if I’ll like it. 😎

 

 

Thanks --- Silversea is definitely at the top of the list.  

[Jim_Iain]

Toronto is a wonderful time to spend some time.   In a City of 3 Million we were surprised to bump into a couple we met on Ponant at Sack's 5th Avenue.

[cluso]

I think we would enjoy Ponant (and your particular cruise without flying over the pond).  Celebrity Silly TA booked for this Fall, Equinox booked for January, 2 Star Clipper cruises in March, and Oceania Vancouver to Alaska/West Coast cruise to LA next September.  Looking at Blue Danube Cruise on Tauck in Spring 2026.  So many options!

[Jim_Iain]

28 minutes ago, cluso said:

I think we would enjoy Ponant (and your particular cruise without flying over the pond).  Celebrity Silly TA booked for this Fall, Equinox booked for January, 2 Star Clipper cruises in March, and Oceania Vancouver to Alaska/West Coast cruise to LA next September.  Looking at Blue Danube Cruise on Tauck in Spring 2026.  So many options!

 

Surprisingly the Great Lakes are becoming the new cruise destination and have been doubling each year for the past 2 years.

 

I noticed that in 2024 Ponant has another Great Lakes Cruise that will be after the Toronto to Milwaukee and will sail to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior and probably will then have one returning to Milwaukee. 

 

[abbydancer2003]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

 

You should really like Summit and the New England Cruise.    We did it last year after our Iceland/Greenland B2B and loved it.   We have said we would definitely do it again.

 

Hope your cruise has an overnight in Quebec -  The ship docks right in the heart of town and looks right at the Chateau Frontenac.   

We just got off the Caribbean Princess doing a similar itinerary (Quebec to NY) with similar port stops.  We were with the Summit in Sydney (discussing if it was possible to switch ships), and of course missing most of them due to the hurricane.  I do want to try again, and will probably look at 2025, but if X has a ship doing the same cruise, we'll definately do it on Celebrity not Princess.

 

And we were in Quebec from Thursday to Sunday (ship overnights there on Saturday) and loved it, although I don't quite understand the thing for Poutine.  

[hcat]

Glad things are  going well in Toronto! Hope you will share some pics.

 

off topic: We had smooth flights on SW Air  to Sarasota Fl from Long Island,  NY. A long travel day starting at 4 am...have to  change planes in Baltimore with 1 hr  layover.

 

.Arrived in time for a great lunch.  Sal had meatloaf with bacon wrapped  in phyllo dough and topped with mushrooms.. that would a creative meal on X..He loved it!

 

Drought is over..our gardens are lush!

Hope to get to the Gulf of Mexico.. a few miles away... some beach roads  and our fav jetty for Manatee watching were damaged in the recent storm (can't pronounce the name!).

 

  We are in Venice Fl..If you ever want to visit  great small city, I rec the Sarasota Area.  Great culture, nature, beaches..Sarasota Bay!

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by hcat

[cluso]

7 hours ago, abbydancer said:

 although I don't quite understand the thing for Poutine.  

 

Many years ago, we went to the Quebec Yacht Club for lunch.  Being adventurous, I ordered the Poutine.  Not wild about the cheese curd.  It was OK, but I would have rather ordered the Lobster Roll that my DH ordered.  We noticed there were Poutine fast food places, and even McDonalds sold it.  

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Fries with gravy is great , I would also skip the cheese curds 

I alway freaks out the wait staff on the ship if you ask for gravy with your fries 🤣

[miched]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Fries with gravy is great , I would also skip the cheese curds 

I alway freaks out the wait staff on the ship if you ask for gravy with your fries 🤣

I don’t know why.   It is potatoes with gravy.  
 

There was a restaurant we were in years ago.  Nothing fancy.  We were giving a choice of potatoes.   One was mashed potatoes and gravy.   When we said we would like that.  The waiter said that it isn’t the type we would expect.   It was mashed French fries with gravy.  

Some greasy spoons offer gravy on the hash browns.  
 

I have seen people order a bowl of gravy to put on their pancakes, or waffles,  and there are those that put syrup on their bacon, or ham.

 

It is a remixing of products. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited September 20, 2023 by miched

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, miched said:

I don’t know why.   It is potatoes with gravy.  
 

There was a restaurant we were in years ago.  Nothing fancy.  We were giving a choice of potatoes.   One was mashed potatoes and gravy.   When we said we would like that.  The waiter said that it isn’t the type we would expect.   It was mashed French fries with gravy.  

Some greasy spoons offer gravy on the hash browns.  
 

I have seen people order a bowl of gravy to put on their pancakes, or waffles,  and there are those that put syrup on their bacon, or ham.

 

It is a remixing of products. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Wow, those are different combinations with gravy🤪

[JDPCruisers]

17 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Surprisingly the Great Lakes are becoming the new cruise destination and have been doubling each year for the past 2 years.

 

I noticed that in 2024 Ponant has another Great Lakes Cruise that will be after the Toronto to Milwaukee and will sail to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior and probably will then have one returning to Milwaukee. 

 

As with others here, have truly enjoyed your review and the pictures speak volumes. We are looking to expand out from X and keeping our options open, which no includes a Great Lakes cruise. Thanks, and look forward to your next adventure.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

This is a nice road trip 

https://lakesuperiorcircletour.info

[yoshi]

Thank you for your live review of Ponant Great Lakes/Canada Cruise. It looked wonderful, different than ocean voyages, more similar to European river cruises. We have done a couple of river cruises on AMA and they were also wonderful, in a quieter way than Celebrity. If you like to mix up the cruises now between ocean and river, AMA had the options of a hiking or biking tour included in addition to regular town sightseeing tours. 

[DUTRAVEL]

Thank you for your great review Jim! Henrietta and I enjoyed following along and seeing new places. You are headed home to lovely fall weather in the Bay Area.

 

Dianne