New to Celebrity

[CrossM2]

Hi all, I’m planning a 50th birthday cruise and other friends will be joining. We’ve cruised RC which was always our favorite but now the only way to get the itinerary we want is to cruise on the oldest ships. We have done princess in the past and again can’t find the itinerary I want. I’m very interested in Celebrity, looking at Beyond, Apex etc. I am also looking at the new Viva because the itinerary I found is amazing but haven’t been a NCL fan in the past. Wht I’m wondering is about a couple of things. When trying to determine the cost, the main cruise prices seem good but I can’t find info on drink packages or WiFi pricing. I’m also concerned about the new verandas and the rooms getting too hot. Looking for you Celebrity experts to help me figure this out, I don’t want to end up with a lot of extra charges.

[cruisestitch]

What itinerary?

[CrossM2]

Eastern Caribbean . I prefer southern but the Apex covers 4 ports.

[chemmo]

44 minutes ago, CrossM2 said:

Hi all, I’m planning a 50th birthday cruise and other friends will be joining. We’ve cruised RC which was always our favorite but now the only way to get the itinerary we want is to cruise on the oldest ships. We have done princess in the past and again can’t find the itinerary I want. I’m very interested in Celebrity, looking at Beyond, Apex etc. I am also looking at the new Viva because the itinerary I found is amazing but haven’t been a NCL fan in the past. Wht I’m wondering is about a couple of things. When trying to determine the cost, the main cruise prices seem good but I can’t find info on drink packages or WiFi pricing. I’m also concerned about the new verandas and the rooms getting too hot. Looking for you Celebrity experts to help me figure this out, I don’t want to end up with a lot of extra charges.

Infinity verandas are loved by some and hated by others. There have been numerous posts listing the pros and cons. I strongly suggest you do some reading. Just use the search…

 

Prices can be cruise only or cruise including the classic drinks package and WiFi. It does depend on how much you drink as to if you will benefit from a drinks package. Remember the cost of decent coffee and water needs to be calculated in as well as alcoholic beverages. Also if you are D or above on RC you will be Elite on Celebrity and get some free drinks (menu) from some bars for a couple of hours each evening.

 

In my experience the ambiance on Celebrity is different than on RC. There is more of a focus on Rest and Relaxation on Celebrity compared to Action and Activity on RC. There is definitely plenty to see and do on Celebrity ships but without the constant announcements there are on RC…Unless it is vacation time usually a lot less children on Celebrity.

 

For a group of 50th year olds I think it may suit you well. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Classic drinks package is $89 pp/pd and I think the premium package is $109 pp/pd. The wifi package is 20 bucks a day. 
 

if you have loyalty points on RCL you can match them on Celebrity and possibly get some discounts depending on your loyalty level. 
 

You might also look for a TA that is offering a group rate for your cruise as those packages are often included in the price. In fact, TA or not, the All Inclusive rate is usually better that a la carte route. 
 

happy planing for your milestone birthday!

[hrhdhd]

The infinite verandas aren't verandas. They are cabins with windows that open. When the window is open, the AC is off. Not sure what month you're looking at, but the Caribbean can be warm all year.

[hcat]

E Class ( APEX) offers a great state of art theater..updated shows,  live music (and DJ)  throughout the ship, usually one outside deck party, nice gym and spa ( extra $ unless you book AQ Class) 

 

There are some daytime activities but hopefully  more subdued than Royal C ..usually fewer children unless school break time.

 

You can pre-book Specialty dining..

(extra charge), maybe one night for a B-day dinner. ( EDEN, FINE CUT) 

 

We liked our Inf Veranda..adds cabin sPace but it is NOT an outdoor balcony.

 

Happy  B  Day!

[cbfb]

If you prefer a traditional balcony on Celebrity E class ships, the sunset verandas are the only cabins that have them other than suites. I can’t comment on them yet, we are doing our first E class cruise on beyond in January. 
 

also, as far as drink package prices, there is usually a 20% off  sale and sometimes more when they have flash sales. 

[RedIguana]

5 hours ago, CrossM2 said:

Looking for you Celebrity experts to help me figure this out, I don’t want to end up with a lot of extra charges.

I'm not sure if you have cruised with RCI lately, but Celebrity and RCI really nail you with high drink/wifi  package costs compared to Princess or Hal. I use a rough cost of $125 pp/pd for celebrity premium bev/wifi/grats. I mention premium as the classic beverage and wifi are a bit underwhelming (especially for red wine drinkers). It might end up less that that if you catch a good flash sale or Black Friday, but I would rather overestimate slightly for budgeting purposes. The best Princess all-in add on is $80 pp/pd, a decent one for $60 pp/pd (includes grats on both) as of earlier this year. I haven't been on HAL in 18 months, I think they were running about $80 pp/pd back then also including grats. Hope this helps!

[hcat]

2 hours ago, cbfb said:

If you prefer a traditional balcony on Celebrity E class ships, the sunset verandas are the only cabins that have them other than suites. I can’t comment on them yet, we are doing our first E class cruise on beyond in January. 
 

also, as far as drink package prices, there is usually a 20% off  sale and sometimes more when they have flash sales. 

sunset verandas are great..  there is more space in the cabin  and  they have nice aft balcs with lovely views..

 

but they can be very sunny and some get ash.. long walk to elevators..

 

dining is the 4 mdrs.

 

 

[cbfb]

5 minutes ago, hcat said:

sunset verandas are great..  there is more space in the cabin  and  they have nice aft balcs with lovely views..

 

but they can be very sunny and some get ash.. long walk to elevators..

 

dining is the 4 mdrs.

 

 

Yes, we love them. But not for everyone for sure. 

[39august]

As Pinnacle RCI cruisers our first impression upon boarding our first Celebrity ship Dec. 2017 was the difference in the clientele. Also so many fewer children and teens. Never been tack to RCI. 

[PTC DAWG]

Price the cruise all inclusive…includes drinks and WiFi..then do the math to see if it makes sense to go that route instead of al a carte

Edited October 20, 2023 by PTC DAWG

[CrossM2]

6 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Price the cruise all inclusive…includes drinks and WiFi..then do the math to see if it makes sense to go that route instead of al a carte

We are typically beer drinkers, but my husband likes to drink a lot of them on a cruise