Is Celebrity the new Carnival?

[Georgia_Peaches]

I've never had a bad Carnival cruise...I've never had a bad Celebrity cruise...but even with the changes and cuts, Celebrity is nothing like Carnival.  I don't cruise carnival anymore but I did enjoy Guy's burgers...best at sea IMO.

[manmachine]

5 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I've never had a bad Carnival cruise...I've never had a bad Celebrity cruise...but even with the changes and cuts, Celebrity is nothing like Carnival.  I don't cruise carnival anymore but I did enjoy Guy's burgers...best at sea IMO.

Definitely a lot better than those worst-in-class Mast Grill hamburgers.  Those things are awful!  But one evening I got a burger from room service.  Even worse!

[young_k92]

13 hours ago, oakbender said:

Since you are a Carnival cruiser just curious why you picked Celebrity and not Princess.  We have no loyalty to any cruise line and pick our cruises usually by itinerary or because a club we belong to picked the cruise.  i will say that Celebrity is our over all favorite but you can't beat Hal or Princess for itinerary.

Less children, or so I've read when I Google "princess vs celebrity" anyway. I love kids. I babysit for a living, so I need space without them when I'm on vacation!

[young_k92]

13 hours ago, tigervixxxen said:

I’ve cruised on Carnival plenty but not in a couple years. The difference isn’t as extreme as some folks make it out to be. At the end of the day they both are mainstream cruise lines. 
 

What did OP hate so much about their cruise that it forced them to walk off the ship? Need more info there to help determine if Celebrity is a better option. 

Decreased service. Food quality decline. Paid for "exclusive" spa room but spa sold passes to literally EVERYONE on the ship not in a spa cabin and allowed anyone to wander in and use the "exclusive" facilities. The amount of comped casino cruisers. Generally terrible behavior from guests. By the last sea day, my husband did an experiment. We were walking down an interior hallway. He said a polite "hello" and gave a smile to each person/group we passed. We were ignored and stared angrily at, I kid you not, every time. The ship was over capacity, and it's too small an area to be around that many nasty, drunk people for 8 days, much less 14. Hope that helps.

[hubofhockey]

I have never seen a cat fight on a Celebrity cruise, nor have I seen people vomiting in the elevator. Carnival seems to focus more on crew and passenger provided entertainment like game shows, talent contests, and even red team vs blue and white teams. It’s an experience like no other.  Some people eat that stuff up. There is a certain cheese factor to Carnival, but I have to say that their core base loves the product.  If Celebrity ever gets like that, I’d move on.  So far, I haven’t seen that, but my next Celebrity cruise (in May) will be our first since the summer of 2018.  

[CruisinShips]

16 hours ago, zitsky said:

Maybe read one or two of the MANY threads about the Celebrity changes? 😂

Trying to scare the OP off?

[zitsky]

57 minutes ago, young_k92 said:

Decreased service. Food quality decline. Paid for "exclusive" spa room but spa sold passes to literally EVERYONE on the ship not in a spa cabin and allowed anyone to wander in and use the "exclusive" facilities. The amount of comped casino cruisers. Generally terrible behavior from guests. By the last sea day, my husband did an experiment. We were walking down an interior hallway. He said a polite "hello" and gave a smile to each person/group we passed. We were ignored and stared angrily at, I kid you not, every time. The ship was over capacity, and it's too small an area to be around that many nasty, drunk people for 8 days, much less 14. Hope that helps.

Sounds like my last visit to California.  It was quite strange.

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, CruisinShips said:

Trying to scare the OP off?

Not at all.  If OP can start another thread about the same topic discussed previously, then I will point out what they are missing.  It’s a public service.

[NMTraveller]

I think that someone should take one of the new 3 day Celebrity booze cruises to Perfect Day and report back 🙂🙂 At about 60 pp per day those cruises are in direct competition with Carnival.  

Edited September 20, 2023 by NMTraveller

[NE John]

22 hours ago, young_k92 said:

Honestly, I wouldn't mind trying a line that was like Carnival 18 years ago.

Can you describe what you liked about Carnival 18 years ago? That always helps in giving perspective to answer questions. 

[hcat]

6 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I think that someone should take one of the new 3 day Celebrity booze cruises to Perfect Day and report back 🙂🙂 At about 60 pp per day those cruises are in direct competition with Carnival.  

but they won't attract  usual Celeb clientele..who know what to avoid!

[Texed]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

but they won't attract  usual Celeb clientele..who know what to avoid!

 

Good post.  😊

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I think that someone should take one of the new 3 day Celebrity booze cruises to Perfect Day and report back 🙂🙂 At about 60 pp per day those cruises are in direct competition with Carnival.  

I will take one for the team and volunteer...who's buying??

[ECCruise]

So much depends on itinerary and length of sailing.

 

A 12 day in Europe on Carnival is going to be a lot more like what people are touting for Celebrity than a 5 day from FL on Celebrity, which will likely have a much more Carnival flair. 

[mauimary]

On 9/19/2023 at 11:21 AM, RedIguana said:

RCI has pretty much turned into Carnival. Celebrity is becoming (has become?) what RCI used to be.

Just my opinion.

Not even close

[mauimary]

13 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I will take one for the team and volunteer...who's buying??

Not I said the little brown cow!

[mauimary]

5 hours ago, NE John said:

Can you describe what you liked about Carnival 18 years ago? That always helps in giving perspective to answer questions. 

Funny thing was 18 years ago when we were first starting to cruise we were ushered away from booking carnival and directed to RCI

Edited September 20, 2023 by mauimary

[Cachecara]

On 9/19/2023 at 1:35 PM, young_k92 said:

First, this topic is not intended to start a verbal war. I'm honestly asking, because I do not have unlimited funds to spend on trying new cruise lines in an attempt to find one that doesn't make me, to be honest, hate cruising. And we're trying to decide if we should try Celebrity or move on to HAL.

 

Background: My husband and I are almost-50 Gen Xers who cruise exclusively as a couple and have only cruised Carnival. We usually average about one cruise every 5 years. We started in 2005. We started on a 5-day on the smallest ship in the fleet, and have done 8-day as well as a 14-day Journeys cruise. Each time, we've cruised a bit larger class of ship, but we will never book a cruise on a mega ship. Just not for us. Our next cruise is in October on MSC (not YC).

 

Our last cruise on Carnival was on the Magic in the Caribbean last January. For various reasons, it became apparent to us that, post-Covid, Carnival would not be receiving any more of our hard-earned dollars. It was so bad, that we were booked on a B2B and chose to get off the ship after our first leg, even with it costing us some of those dollars. We are stuck on a previously-booked 14-day Journeys cruise to Alaska next year, praying that the length, itinerary, and sailing month makes the other passengers at least semi well behaved. We're not snobs. Before Covid, we considered Carnival people to be "our people," but post-Covid, it seems to be a different cruise line.

 

So, I've been reading a lot of the posts here on the Celebrity forum. It almost sounds like RCI is turning a once premium line into what Carnival was like pre-Covid. Anyone that can elaborate on this possibility? Honestly, I wouldn't mind trying a line that was like Carnival 18 years ago. We rather enjoyed our pre-Covid cruises. But I want to be prepared not to expect "premium" when it isn't anymore.

 

And, if someone with experience could elaborate on the difference between Celebrity and HAL post-Covid, I would appreciate it. The plan was to try MSC first, then Celebrity, then HAL. But after reading these reviews, I'm wondering if moving straight to HAL might be a better option for us.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

We have never sailed Carnival, so I can not fairly compare Celebrity or Royal with Carnival.  
Initially, we sailed RCI with teens and young adult children.  When we sailed by ourselves this was with X.  We had great cruises with each cruise.  Never a disappointment. 
For the last, 20 yrs we have sailed with X solely, 2-3 times a year.  We have chosen to sail with a verandah room, choosing deliberately NOT to sail suite, aqua or concierge class. Again, always a great cruise, with little to no disappointments.  
We have sailed X 3 times since Sept 2022, post Covid.  Lovely cruises with no complaints.  The latest on Summit in June. No stateroom, food or service issues.  Wonderful times.  
We sailed May 2019 on RCI Jewel to the Mediterranean.   It was wonderful and we plan on sailing on her again to Iceland/Scotland next June.
 I think itinerary and particular ship is extremely important when comparing cruises or cruise lines.
 We live right outside of NYC so are very accustomed to fine dining, Italian, seafood, steaks, sushi etc.  We realize we are not getting a comparable when cruising and do not expect such, but again, have never been disappointed as service has always been great to help if there was an issue( there has not really ever been).  
so many things are subjective, but I hope this helps, from our opinion.  
have fun! 

[zitsky]

40 minutes ago, Cachecara said:

We have never sailed Carnival, so I can not fairly compare Celebrity or Royal with Carnival.  
Initially, we sailed RCI with teens and young adult children.  When we sailed by ourselves this was with X.  We had great cruises with each cruise.  Never a disappointment. 
For the last, 20 yrs we have sailed with X solely, 2-3 times a year.  We have chosen to sail with a verandah room, choosing deliberately NOT to sail suite, aqua or concierge class. Again, always a great cruise, with little to no disappointments.  
We have sailed X 3 times since Sept 2022, post Covid.  Lovely cruises with no complaints.  The latest on Summit in June. No stateroom, food or service issues.  Wonderful times.  
We sailed May 2019 on RCI Jewel to the Mediterranean.   It was wonderful and we plan on sailing on her again to Iceland/Scotland next June.
 I think itinerary and particular ship is extremely important when comparing cruises or cruise lines.
 We live right outside of NYC so are very accustomed to fine dining, Italian, seafood, steaks, sushi etc.  We realize we are not getting a comparable when cruising and do not expect such, but again, have never been disappointed as service has always been great to help if there was an issue( there has not really ever been).  
so many things are subjective, but I hope this helps, from our opinion.  
have fun! 

Nice post, but haven’t you read the other discussions?  No one can be enjoying Celebrity as much as you say.  This must be a fake post!!!  😂😂😂

[deliver42]

I don't care what line it is. A 3 or 4 day Bahamas cruise is going to be a booze party.

[GranysT]

We just got back from our very 1st Celebrity cruise on September 16. After more than 25 cruises with Carnival, I can honestly say that Celebrity really impressed us with their overall feel. They still treat their passengers like they appreciate them. Carnival, post coved, just doesn't anymore. All they care about is the money. How much money will you spend with us. I'm going to write a complete review of our Equinox cruise on the Celebrity boards.

[Tapi]

We are late 40’s-early 50’s Gen X’s as well.
 

15 years ago, we loved Carnival, and while we still hold very fond and fun memories from those cruises, we “outgrew them” and decided to move on and try new lines. Our last Carnival cruise was in 2019 and it was pretty underwhelming, to the point that my wife begged to never sail on them again. Ship in poor condition, stateroom had several maintenance issues, cheapened food selections, crew members spread too thin, and many fellow cruisers that left a lot to be desired. 
 

We sailed on Celebrity (Solstice) for the first time last November and I can assure you that, even with whatever cutbacks Celebrity loyalists may have perceived, the product is far superior than what we last experienced on Carnival. We thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not a luxury line, but a definite step above Carnival in terms of service, cuisine, and overall ambiance.
 

We have also sailed recently on Holland America (Nieuw Statendam) and we absolutely loved it. We considered it a step above Celebrity in pretty much every aspect. It set a new standard for what we’re looking for on a cruise in this stage in our lives. 
 

Do keep in mind that if you still love the “fun, unpretentious and jovial atmosphere”, you may find Celebrity or HAL to be on the boring side. But personally, we don’t cruise to attend hairy chest contests, silly pool games, or stay up late drinking and partying anymore. So we don’t miss those elements from our Carnival days.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Tapi

[cheer25mom]

On 9/19/2023 at 2:17 PM, Cruisegoer said:

Carnival has way better food selection and quality wise than Celebrity these days, just compare the menus and options.  I'm Elite on Celebrity but going on my first Carnival cruise since 2019 next May on the new Jubilee. My last Celebrity cruise was July 2022 on the Summit, prior to that on the Apex in Feb 2022. I'm expecting the Jubilee to knock my socks off so not sure when I might be returning to Celebrity until their standards go back to the casual elegance it once was.

I have been on the Mardi Gras, which is pretty much the same ship at the Jubilee. If you are used to Celebrity, it isn’t going to knock your socks off. It’s new and shiny, but the service is definitely not the same level. No one is going to come to you for anything, you will be going to the bar yourself every time you want a drink, and restaurant staff was constantly frazzled and rushed. The food definitely isn’t going to impress either. It’s basic food, nothing special with the exception of the up charge places. We really liked Emerils and Rudy’s but everything else is standard cruise fare, nothing wrong with it, but nothing stand out either. Nothing we couldn’t get at an average restaurant at home. 
 

as for options, the bar options are very similar. Shows were pretty much unwatchable for us. Nowhere near actual theater quality, basically a bad variety show. The only place I think they have an edge is music. There is more live music on board, and it’s more of what we enjoy. 

[ChucktownSteve]

6 hours ago, Tapi said:

We are late 40’s-early 50’s Gen X’s as well.
 

15 years ago, we loved Carnival, and while we still hold very fond and fun memories from those cruises, we “outgrew them” and decided to move on and try new lines. Our last Carnival cruise was in 2019 and it was pretty underwhelming, to the point that my wife begged to never sail on them again. Ship in poor condition, stateroom had several maintenance issues, cheapened food selections, crew members spread too thin, and many fellow cruisers that left a lot to be desired. 
 

We sailed on Celebrity (Solstice) for the first time last November and I can assure you that, even with whatever cutbacks Celebrity loyalists may have perceived, the product is far superior than what we last experienced on Carnival. We thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not a luxury line, but a definite step above Carnival in terms of service, cuisine, and overall ambiance.
 

We have also sailed recently on Holland America (Nieuw Statendam) and we absolutely loved it. We considered it a step above Celebrity in pretty much every aspect. It set a new standard for what we’re looking for on a cruise in this stage in our lives. 
 

Do keep in mind that if you still love the “fun, unpretentious and jovial atmosphere”, you may find Celebrity or HAL to be on the boring side. But personally, we don’t cruise to attend hairy chest contests, silly pool games, or stay up late drinking and partying anymore. So we don’t miss those elements from our Carnival days.

It looks like Celebrity's changes to target specific new customers is working.  This post proves that. BTW the XX cutbacks are not perceived.

 

Enjoy Celebrity and HAL until you reach your next cruising stage to premium or luxury!

[Tapi]

1 hour ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Enjoy Celebrity and HAL until you reach your next cruising stage to premium or luxury!

If everything goes according to plan, we’re going to dip our toes into the luxury market next year. We’re leaving our teenage kids at home for that one. 😀 We’ll see how it goes!