Our First Celebrity Cruise

[mrclean1]

Well, we finally booked our first Celebrity cruise, my wife and I have sailed Princess, Carnival and Cunard but favor Princess. We are traveling with another couple who we finally convinced to try cruising (she is afraid of getting sick) and are using this short trip as a test that will hopefully lead to longer adventures in the future. We scheduled the Century out of Miami on 2/9 as we will be in Florida with them the month of February. With them adamant about not doing 7 days we were left with few options and were leary about NCL or Carnival as they tend to be more upscale travelers, and I want them to have a great experiance so we can do more in the future. Did we do well?

 

Steve

[micmacmissy]

I think you did very well! The NCL reviews I read lately were really awful; I've heard stories about inconsistent food, bad service, crowded ships...something to consider if your friends are upscale travelers. I don't think you can beat Celebrity for a mainstream cruise.

 

Now I'm curious as to whether this cruise will win you over from Princess and Cunard! Have a great trip.

[shipshape sam]

Congrats on booking Celebrity! :)

 

I think you will be pleased. We like Princess also and RCL. Celebrity is clearly upscaled from both of them and far above Carnival.

 

You will not have the 'in your face' cliente of Carnival and even sometimes RCL. Princess has its moments also.

 

Food is good. Martha, my wife, likes the souffles on Princess and Celebrity does not have them as frequently as Princess does.

 

Have not sailed the Century, but I think the Century is rated high by Conte Nest Traveler's readers poll of best ships.

 

Have a great cruise!:)

[Cruisenouvelle]

You will enjoy Century. We took a five night also from Miami in April. My husband is prone to seasickness, but had no trouble at all - in fact, we never used the Dramamine. I can't comment to the other cruise lines, but I do know food was quite good, our cabin was spacious and nicely furnished (lots of storage) and service was C+ for our attendant and A++ in the dining room. I think our cabin attendant was having an off week, as I've seen high praise for most other stewards. Your friends will be complimenting you on your choice.

Enjoy.

[dkjretired]

Well, we finally booked our first Celebrity cruise, my wife and I have sailed Princess, Carnival and Cunard but favor Princess. We are traveling with another couple who we finally convinced to try cruising (she is afraid of getting sick) and are using this short trip as a test that will hopefully lead to longer adventures in the future. We scheduled the Century out of Miami on 2/9 as we will be in Florida with them the month of February. With them adamant about not doing 7 days we were left with few options and were leary about NCL or Carnival as they tend to be more upscale travelers, and I want them to have a great experiance so we can do more in the future. Did we do well?

 

Steve

 

I don't know if it matters but if you are going in February around Presidents week it is likely you will have a lot of children on board.

[bobbyleduck]

Don't worry about seasickness medication. If your friends need something, it is available at Guest Relations at no charge.

 

We did our first Celebrity sailing in March and it was so great and we met so many Cruise Critic friends, that we decided to book a TA cruise aboard Millenium in December.

 

I hope your experience is equally great.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[Debathome]

I am a big fan of Princess as well but we want to try Celebrity for our next cruise. Please keep us posted of what your thoughts are in comparison after your cruise.

Happy Sailing :)

[jerseygirl3]

It is true that you may hit some spring breakers with those dates falling near President's weekend, but we sailed Century from Miami this past Easter and, while there were 500 children onboard, their behavior didn't come close to what we experienced on a Carnival cruise during a holiday sailing. The kids were all very well behaved and seemed to be seasoned travelers who knew their manners. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, the parents on the Carnival cruise were more crude than their kids!

[mrclean1]

Thanks for the input I really appreciate it, sounds like we made the right decision. Jersey Girl, I know what you mean, 2 years ago we did Washington's birthday on the Carnival Valor as a family thing and do not think I want to do that again.

 

I don't have a problem with kids as long as they are reasonably well behaved and we are sailing the week before the vacation week so hopefully it will not be an issue. Anyway, as far as I am concerned, no cruise is a bad cruise, but I do want our friends to have a great experiance with this being their first one.

 

Deb I will be sure to do a review and compare the two when we get back.

 

Steve