Celebrity Journey

[Bruin Steve]

Interesting to see the one-time Renaissance R-6 joining the Celebrity fleet...

 

A long time Celebrity fan, I recently cruised on the Oceania Nautica--a sister ship to the Journey...

 

I enjoyed the cruise overall, but I came away still preferring the Celebrity M-Class...but, mostly due to the better entertainment, more scheduled activities on at-sea days and more food options in off-meal hours...

 

So, it will be interesting to see how Celebrity adapts this ship into their cruise style...

 

First, the ships are actually very nicely laid out...

The cabins were ample at about 160 square feet for a standard cabin...

The public areas are nice, though some seem quite a bit smaller than we're used to on Celebrity...the casino was very small, the shops small, the buffet area small...of course, the ship is one-third the size with one-third the people...

 

The showroom is really a lounge--similar to the lounges on most ships--with tables and chairs rather than rows of seating...and no balcony...The stage is not equipped for any production shows, so the entertainment was somewhat more limited--singers (but no dancers, no costume changes or production numbers), a magician, impressionist, etc.

 

The main dining room is small with a lot of dinner traffic diverted to the two higher deck alternative restaurants...no set seatings--hard to do that when you're trying to deflect a third of the crowd to alternative dining...and Oceania doesn't charge for the alternative dining...So, the question is, will Celebrity try to wedge it's dining style into the ship...or will it adapt for the ship? Will they charge extra for alternative dining? Will they use assigned seating or go to an open seating set-up?

 

I guess the question is whether the Journey cruises will be like the other Celebrity ships but in smaller scale...or will it be Celebrity operating a cruise ship that more resembles the cruises on Oceania?

 

It should be interesting...

[dkjretired]

Interesting to see the one-time Renaissance R-6 joining the Celebrity fleet...

 

A long time Celebrity fan, I recently cruised on the Oceania Nautica--a sister ship to the Journey...

 

I enjoyed the cruise overall, but I came away still preferring the Celebrity M-Class...but, mostly due to the better entertainment, more scheduled activities on at-sea days and more food options in off-meal hours...

 

So, it will be interesting to see how Celebrity adapts this ship into their cruise style...

 

First, the ships are actually very nicely laid out...

The cabins were ample at about 160 square feet for a standard cabin...

The public areas are nice, though some seem quite a bit smaller than we're used to on Celebrity...the casino was very small, the shops small, the buffet area small...of course, the ship is one-third the size with one-third the people...

 

The showroom is really a lounge--similar to the lounges on most ships--with tables and chairs rather than rows of seating...and no balcony...The stage is not equipped for any production shows, so the entertainment was somewhat more limited--singers (but no dancers, no costume changes or production numbers), a magician, impressionist, etc.

 

The main dining room is small with a lot of dinner traffic diverted to the two higher deck alternative restaurants...no set seatings--hard to do that when you're trying to deflect a third of the crowd to alternative dining...and Oceania doesn't charge for the alternative dining...So, the question is, will Celebrity try to wedge it's dining style into the ship...or will it adapt for the ship? Will they charge extra for alternative dining? Will they use assigned seating or go to an open seating set-up?

 

I guess the question is whether the Journey cruises will be like the other Celebrity ships but in smaller scale...or will it be Celebrity operating a cruise ship that more resembles the cruises on Oceania?

 

It should be interesting...

 

Below is a link to a previous discussion on the Journey with some interesting comments. Two Specialty restaruants and Butler service in all cabins are two of the exciting features to be included. Also, the speculation on what she will be doing after Bermuda.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=445390

[Rev22:17]

dkjretired,

 

Two Specialty restaruants and Butler service in all cabins are two of the exciting features to be included.

 

Please stop srpeading misinformation ragarding butler service. The press release[/rul] does not say that this ship will have butler service in all cabins. Rather, that came from a poster who later admitted to misreading the press release. Here is the actual text from the parent company.

 

Blue Dream will be renamed Celebrity Journey' date=' and will join Celebrity's fleet in April, 2007, sailing Bermuda itineraries from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ, beginning May 5, 2007. Before switching brands, the ship will undergo a one-month revitalization and drydock to incorporate many of Celebrity's signature elements such as two specialty restaurants; expanded spa services, including in-room offerings; expanded concierge service, including butlers; and additional guest suites.

 

It appears that butler service will be only where it is on other Celebrity ships.

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

Bruin Steve,

 

Interesting to see the one-time Renaissance R-6 joining the Celebrity fleet...

 

A long time Celebrity fan, I recently cruised on the Oceania Nautica--a sister ship to the Journey...

 

I enjoyed the cruise overall, but I came away still preferring the Celebrity M-Class...but, mostly due to the better entertainment, more scheduled activities on at-sea days and more food options in off-meal hours...

 

So, it will be interesting to see how Celebrity adapts this ship into their cruise style...

 

First, the ships are actually very nicely laid out...

The cabins were ample at about 160 square feet for a standard cabin...

The public areas are nice, though some seem quite a bit smaller than we're used to on Celebrity...the casino was very small, the shops small, the buffet area small...of course, the ship is one-third the size with one-third the people...

 

The showroom is really a lounge--similar to the lounges on most ships--with tables and chairs rather than rows of seating...and no balcony...The stage is not equipped for any production shows, so the entertainment was somewhat more limited--singers (but no dancers, no costume changes or production numbers), a magician, impressionist, etc.

 

The main dining room is small with a lot of dinner traffic diverted to the two higher deck alternative restaurants...no set seatings--hard to do that when you're trying to deflect a third of the crowd to alternative dining...and Oceania doesn't charge for the alternative dining...So, the question is, will Celebrity try to wedge it's dining style into the ship...or will it adapt for the ship? Will they charge extra for alternative dining? Will they use assigned seating or go to an open seating set-up?

 

I guess the question is whether the Journey cruises will be like the other Celebrity ships but in smaller scale...or will it be Celebrity operating a cruise ship that more resembles the cruises on Oceania?

 

It should be interesting...

 

Having cruised on another sister, MV Tahitian Princess (nee MV R4) in the South Pacific, I suspect that Celebrity's adaptation will be more like Princess's adaptation. Princess offers "Traditional Dining" in the main dining room, which is large enough to accommodate all passengers at two seatings, and retained both restaurants above the buffet area as the "Sterling Steakhouse" and "Sabatini's Trattoria" with the same surcharges as on their fleetmates. Also, Princess's shows do include costume changes just like on other Princess ships. The only difference is that they have a smaller cast and do not require stage elevators and other gimmicks.

 

My most significant complaint with this class of vessel is that I found Renaissance's interior decor to be tacky in places. The worst of the tackiness included the faux wraught iron (actually black paint on glass panels) on the stairway in the main lobby and the photos of artifacts on display, mounted behind glass panels in the doors of what actually were storage cabinets thoughout Deck 4 (plain hardwood doors would have been more tasteful).

 

Norm.

[BarbGar]

Seeing that the Journey is small ship, do you think a NY/NJ to Bermuda cruise the end of August (2007) would be a rough sail?

 

I know several people interested but I am concerned that it won't be smooth sailing. Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.

[dkjretired]

dkjretired,

 

 

 

Please stop srpeading misinformation ragarding butler service. The press release[/rul] does not say that this ship will have butler service in all cabins. Rather, that came from a poster who later admitted to misreading the press release. Here is the actual text from the parent company.

 

Blue Dream will be renamed Celebrity Journey' date=' and will join Celebrity's fleet in April, 2007, sailing Bermuda itineraries from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ, beginning May 5, 2007. Before switching brands, the ship will undergo a one-month revitalization and drydock to incorporate many of Celebrity's signature elements such as two specialty restaurants; expanded spa services, including in-room offerings; expanded concierge service, including butlers; and additional guest suites.

 

It appears that butler service will be only where it is on other Celebrity ships.

 

Norm.

 

That information was posted by Ocngypz and she stated it was issued in travel bulletins to TAs. Since you are new to this board, that poster is perhaps the best source of any info on this board and is always accurate. If she says there are butlers in every cabin, I will certainly pass that info on as accurate.

[Canes Rule]

That information was posted by Ocngypz and she stated it was issued in travel bulletins to TAs. Since you are new to this board, that poster is perhaps the best source of any info on this board and is always accurate. If she says there are butlers in every cabin, I will certainly pass that info on as accurate.

 

I guess Celebrity has come up with a new name for the room attendants on Journey. It is not logical to have a butler for each cabin and still sell it as being special.

 

I think in this case Ocngypz is mis-informed.

[dkjretired]

Here's a quote she gave on the previous thread from a Celebrity release.

 

I have the flyers we received last week on CN's inaugural and during the following seminar at sea.

 

It reads:

 

STATEROOM DESCRIPTIONS:

 

Upgraded amenity package and butler service in every stateroom.

 

 

The real question she asked at the time which begs to be answered is will there be both Butlers and Stewards in those cabins. Perhaps you are right about the renaming, we will just have to see.

[richsea]

Just received this in an email from CruisesDivision/American Express regarding Celebrity Journey which in part reads:

 

Celebrity just purchased the R6, rechristening her the "Journey." She will sail for the first time to beautiful Bermuda from New York. Leave the fancy duds at homedress is resort casual. Cuisine is strictly gourmet, featuring the creations of the amazing Michel Roux. One nice unique touch: Every stateroom has butler service!

 

They seem to confirm the butler in every room & this is the first I've seen the reference to the resort casual dress code. That certainly is "a true departure".

[JPH814]

Are my wife and I the only ones that think dressing up - even black tie - is one of our favorites aspects of cruising?

[Bruin Steve]

My most significant complaint with this class of vessel is that I found Renaissance's interior decor to be tacky in places.

As I noted, I recently sailed on the Oceania Nautica, a sister ship, and IMHO, the decor was very tasteful and quite elegant...

 

Of course, when Oceania took the ship over (only a few months prior to my cruise), they had the whole ship remodeled...

I anticipate Celebrity will do the same--so the interior decor will be entirely to the standards of Celebrity's designers...

[nlvc12]

someone at the Captains Club told me today, in no uncertain terms, that this ship will have 3 Formal nights.

[craven3]

The bottom line is that we'll find out what Resort Casual meant to Celebrity after the first reports of the Bermuda cruises are posted in April or May.

 

However, don't believe that the Captain's Circle people necessarily are in the know. RCCL just jumped the last hurdle with the Spanish government to purchase Pullamntour on October 30, and the sale was only completed a couple of weeks ago. The Captain's Ciecle people are customer service folks; they are not part of the decision making process. After it's all hashed out in the upper eschelons of the company and put into practice, then Captain's Circle employees will find out about it.

 

However, my impression from all I've read in releases from RCCL corporate and from Celebrity is that they want this ship to compete with Oceania and to be something less than a formal, traditional cruise experience. It's an alternative. I'm going to paste in a quote from Dan Hanrahan, President of Celebrity Cruise Line, from a trade journal. It certainly indicates that there will be NO formal dining. This quote also addresses the butler issue.

 

"Says Hanrahan. 'We felt Journey tied the whole brand together. Regardless of the kind of premium cruise experience you wanted, we can offer it.'

 

"The product itself appears a mix of the Galapagos product and the general Celebrity offerings. There's going to be butler service for all staterooms, including insides. "We're going to do in-room spa treatments, two specialty dinings, a lot of fabulous stuff," Hanrahan says. "It will still be the Celebrity brand; there will still be a Cova Cafe, there will still be a martini bar, and so forth."

 

Capacity for Journey will be 710 double. "If you look at the cabin mix that is there today, you can actually go quite a bit higher than 710, but we're restructuring," says Hanrahan. "We're taking capacity down, because the ships didn't have a large number of suites, so we'll be adding 32 junior suites by taking three cabins and making two out of them. The end result is a nice balance of outside balconies, suites, and deluxe cabins."

 

Hanrahan says the ship will be very destination focused, and as a result, dining will be informal, similar to that of Xpedition in Galapagos. "When people get back from a full day of touring or a full day of shore excursions, it's a lot to ask to hustle back to the room, shower, and get all ready to go to a formal evening," says Hanrahan. "So we're going to make it a resort casual approach--no formal nights."

 

JPH814, to respond to your comment regarding your desire for formal nights, there are a lot of us who do like to dress up on vacation, but there are also a lot of baby boomers with a lot of money who don't want to drag all those clothes along when they go. In the future there will be more ships that don't do formal nights, giving both the dressupers and the dressdowners their 'druthers. It isn't a question of one being right and the other being wrong; it's about a company being able to offer to different groups of society what they want to spend their money on. All of us need to be aware of what we're plunking a deposit on, and make sure it's what we want.

 

Charlotte

[BrooklynGirl2]

The bottom line is that we'll find out what Resort Casual meant to Celebrity after the first reports of the Bermuda cruises are posted in April or May.

 

"When people get back from a full day of touring or a full day of shore excursions, it's a lot to ask to hustle back to the room, shower, and get all ready to go to a formal evening," says Hanrahan. "So we're going to make it a resort casual approach--no formal nights."

 

 

Another reason for us NOT to sail on Journey. I can be "resort casual" every weekend where I live. I want to cruise in formal attire, enjoying the ambiance that this brings to a special dinner or two. If cruising becomes so ordinary/casual then I might just as well do land vacations. I'd most likely have better food, more choices of places to dine and more time to explore the places I'm visiting.

 

I don't want to turn this into a formal vs. casual thread but the more I hear about Journey the more disappointed I become. We love cruising from NJ to Bermuda and we very much enjoy the traditional Celebrity experience. They have taken that option away from us and they have taken away the option of cruising to the Caribbean during the summer months when I can travel. And so X has pretty much abandoned us and our needs for travel forcing us to look at other lines.:( :mad:

 

Oh and BTW we are also baby boomers and WE like to dress up.

[BarbGar]

We agree --We enjoy dressing up for formal night also. Like you say, we also have the option of dressing casually (or up) at home and look forward to our formal night(s) on a cruise.

 

We hope the" Journey" can keep Captain's night, or another formal night for those of us that enjoy it. We don't think that is asking too much. We plan our day accordingly to our dinner schedule. Those that choose to remain informal have many other options available. For those of us that choose formal -what other options would we have if the formal night was taken away?

[ocngypz]

Okey dokey smokies:

 

First, on the other ships each butler serves approx 10 suites (depending upon the type of suite), so it has never been one butler per accommodation.

 

For the Bermuda run, the traditional two seating dining and formal nights will be "business as usual". This was expressed in the presentation by Celebrity's President and VP, Sales.

 

At the conclusion of Journey's summer schedule which ends in Miami at the end of her repo, that's when changes MAY occur with regard to formal nights and open seating. However, there has been nothing else released from Miami regarding the ship, her future lifestyle cruises.

 

So, as they say.. stay tuned!

[Rev22:17]

dkjretired,

 

Here's a quote she gave on the previous thread from a Celebrity release.

 

I have the flyers we received last week on CN's inaugural and during the following seminar at sea.

 

It reads:

 

STATEROOM DESCRIPTIONS:

 

Upgraded amenity package and butler service in every stateroom.

 

 

The real question she asked at the time which begs to be answered is will there be both Butlers and Stewards in those cabins. Perhaps you are right about the renaming, we will just have to see.

 

Interesting, but I'm still skeptical because it would not be the first time that Celebrity's press releases have contained information that was, quite simply, wrong from "Day One." Remember the original Cirque du Soleil debacle, the announcement of shows featuring Cirque du Soleil performances at sea, which were never part of the original plan? Seems that whoever wrote and authorized the press release simply got it wrong! Cirque du Soleil finally started staging shows in about Version 8.0, but only after Celebrity lost considerable revenue because several incarnations of the "Bar at the Edge of the Earth" yielded a tiny fraction of the revenue of the former discos as customers took Nancy Reagan's advise to "Just say NO!"

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

JPH814,

 

Are my wife and I the only ones that think dressing up - even black tie - is one of our favorites aspects of cruising?

 

No, far from it! In fact, one of the things that I like about Celebrity is that the "informal" evenings draw people who like to dress and tend to drive away those who don't. Dress, and conformance with the prescribed dress, deteriorated very rapidly on Princess when Princess dropped the "semiformal" evenings a few years ago. I really do not want to see Celebrity do likewise.

 

Norm.

[bububr]

I'm really enjoying your insights and wisdom. :)

 

Just curious I haven't been over at the 'Other site' in quite a while..Last time I looked it was quite dead...did anything happen?

 

Just curious,

 

Dave:eek:

 

BTW: you can E-mail so the post doesn't get way off topic.

 

booboobear60304@yahoo.com

[Bruin Steve]

You know, just because they don't designate a formal night, doesn't mean you can't dress up if you want to...

 

When we were on the Oceania cruise, with every night designated "Country Club Casual", there were still folks who seemed to like to dress up...Of course, we didn't see any tuxes...but there were a fair number of Dinner Jackets, Sports Coats and ties, etc....and plenty of women who seemed to be wearing attire that they might also wear on formal night on some other ship...

 

It seemed everyone had their own idea as to what "casual" meant...

But, truly, it's not like all hell broke loose and folks were wearing shorts and tank tops to the dining room...

 

I imagine that if YOU prefer to dress for dinner, nothing will stop you...You just have no say as to what anyone else does...

 

Now, I've been to a lot of nice restaurants where some folks are wearing suits or coats and ties...and others are wearing nice slacks and sports shrts...and how folks at other tables are dressed never seems to detract from my dining experience...

[Dorene1]

Hi

 

I read that people who were booked on the Zenith months ago will be changed over to the Journey. Does anyone know anything about this? Does anyone know the itinerary of the Journey once it leaves the Bermuda area? The Zenith was going to Tampa Florida, now it seems the Journey is going to Miami.

 

Dorene

[nlvc12]

Hi

 

I read that people who were booked on the Zenith months ago will be changed over to the Journey. Does anyone know anything about this? Does anyone know the itinerary of the Journey once it leaves the Bermuda area? The Zenith was going to Tampa Florida, now it seems the Journey is going to Miami.

 

Dorene

 

Yes, Dorene, those of us that were booked on the Zenith for May 2007 and beyond have been offered to change our cruise to the Journey. I had a repositioning cruise scheduled with the Zenith, and now the Journey has such a cruise. This might be what you mean by 'once it leaves the Bermuda area', as it appears that it will just be doing the Bermuda run up until then.

 

The 10/27/07 Journey Repo has an interesting itinerary: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, Nj, Hamilton, Bermuda, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, Labadee, Haiti, Santa Marta, Colombia, Cartagena, Colombia, Cristobal Pier, Panama, San Blas Islands, Panama, Miami, Florida

 

Those of us with Zenith bookings were offered rather nice discounts. Otherwise, this will be a pricey cruise. Butlers for all staterooms, smaller ship, more amenities, etc.

 

To learn more, check out the Roll Calls section for the Celebrity Journey. It eventually will join the Celebrity Expeditions group.

 

nlvc

[Dorene1]

Yes, Dorene, those of us that were booked on the Zenith for May 2007 and beyond have been offered to change our cruise to the Journey. I had a repositioning cruise scheduled with the Zenith, and now the Journey has such a cruise. This might be what you mean by 'once it leaves the Bermuda area', as it appears that it will just be doing the Bermuda run up until then.

 

The 10/27/07 Journey Repo has an interesting itinerary: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, Nj, Hamilton, Bermuda, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, Labadee, Haiti, Santa Marta, Colombia, Cartagena, Colombia, Cristobal Pier, Panama, San Blas Islands, Panama, Miami, Florida

 

Those of us with Zenith bookings were offered rather nice discounts. Otherwise, this will be a pricey cruise. Butlers for all staterooms, smaller ship, more amenities, etc.

 

To learn more, check out the Roll Calls section for the Celebrity Journey. It eventually will join the Celebrity Expeditions group.

 

nlvc

 

 

Hi

 

Thank you for the quick response.

 

Unfortunately, I booked a cruise out of Tampa and this was to be the 2007 New Years cruise. This was for my husband for Christmas this year. I made a deposit in June and even posted a thread on the cruise(no wonder no response) My travel agent didnt even know until I called her this morning regarding my question "what happened to my cruise". I really don't want my money back.....I would like them to offer me a crusie for next New Years at the price I paid. Did you book your cruise directly with Celebrity? I am trying to figure out why I was not told until now.

 

Thanks

 

Dorene

[NorthernLite]

Capacity for Journey will be 710 double. "If you look at the cabin mix that is there today, you can actually go quite a bit higher than 710, but we're restructuring," says Hanrahan. "We're taking capacity down, because the ships didn't have a large number of suites, so we'll be adding 32 junior suites by taking three cabins and making two out of them. The end result is a nice balance of outside balconies, suites, and deluxe cabins." Charlotte

 

Why do I see the wheelchair accessible balcony cabins disappearing during drydock? I knew the deck plans were too good to be true. Please someone prove me wrong.

[nlvc12]

If you're booked on the Zenith's 12/29/06 cruise, it looks like that one is still "on". I think the Zenith is going into DryDock around March of 2007. So not to worry, you've still got a cruise. And there is a Roll Call for it on the Cruise Critic Boards.

 

Yes, I booked directly with Celebrity. They probably aren't calling people whose cruise is not affected by the new ship.

 

Have you been notified that it was cancelled? Again, I see no evidence of a cancellation. It's still available on Celebrity's website.

 

nlvc