Ben and David

[swjumbo]

We’ve just watched them on their latest voyage on a Celestyal ship and they were suitably impressed!

 

Most reviews, if any, are quite dated. 
 

Has anyone cruised recently and how was it? We’re Celebrity fans but having watched B&D we’re considering a Celestyal voyage next year. 

[sch44792]

That's awesome to hear that the Celestyal ship experience seemed impressive, Haven't been on a Celestyal cruise myself, but if B&D had a great time, it's worth considering, right? Especially if most reviews are dated and you're looking for something fresh.

I'm a Celebrity fan too, but sometimes it's cool to switch it up and try something different. Keep an eye out for recent reviews as we get closer to next year, but honestly, if it looks good, why not give it a shot?

Hope this helps!

[Number34]

I’m considering a Greek Isles cruise next July and two itineraries that I like are one on Celebrity Infinity and one on Celestyal Journey. I’ve been on Infinity before and had a great time but cabin rates make Celestyal a tempting choice. BUT most of the reviews are terrible. Any advice welcome.

[ddaley822]

I really liked our cruise on the Celestyal Crystal in August 2022. We sailed the 7 day Idyllic itinerary as a section of our Greek honeymoon.

 

We had a full suite and I wouldn’t recommend one. The junior suites have a much better room layout if you don’t need the extra space! In the full suite, the bedroom is completely walled off from the living area and balcony (read: no view at all from bed). The bedroom also has no secondary tv. 

 

It says included drinks but you’ll need the package if you want bottled water or brands of liquor you’ve heard of before. Fortunately it’s super cheap if you’re used to big brand causing! I believe we each got a drink package for ~$350 total, which is a far cry from the $1050 I spent recently for a 7-night on Royal. 

 

We did a ship-sponsored excursion in each port (you can see my review of each excursion here) and really loved all of them. Best would be swimming in the pirate caves in Kleftiko, Milos. 

 

The ship was small and dated but was perfectly fine if you’re going for the amazing ports. They have a dedicated restaurant for suite guests which was almost always empty. The food in the main dining room was perfectly fine, I don’t remember being overly impressed but it certainly wasn’t bad! The staff were all very friendly, bartenders especially. 

 

I didn’t like that the best bar on the ship (on the top deck, center) only opened after 11pm!! We certainly were never up late enough to experience it, but the daytime view from there was great. The Thalassa bar at the aft of the ship (Greek for ‘sea') was the best spot for sail aways but gets packed quickly at the end of a port day and after dinner. 

 

Overall we would go with Celestyal again, simply for their jam-packed itineraries! We were originally slated to go on the Experience before they had to sell it and were swapped to the Crystal. I would love to try the Journey and get a slightly newer ship next time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by ddaley822
Added photos