It was just my husband and I, celebrating my 50th birthday a little early. We had an amazing experience on a Celebrity cruise in 2016, so we splurged to take one again. (We aren’t loyal to a specific cruise line and have done Royal, Carnival and NCL.) We had a great cruise, but were really disappointed that our much cheaper Carnival cruise taken in February had far better food, ship was better taken care of, and there were more activities. When I say cheaper, I mean a family of four on a 12 night sailing cost less than half of our Celebrity 7 night for two people . I can’t see sailing Celebrity again because the value for the money wasn’t there. The basic drink package is a joke, as you have to have an up charge for almost every drink. I think they keep the included dining purposefully low quality so you need to pay an up charge for decent food. The up charges would be fine if you weren’t already paying DOUBLE for base fare.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Arrived at our assigned time of 11am. Check in went really quick, but then we were put in a holding queue for 45 minutes waiting to board. Never had that happen before.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Service was REALLY slow. The concierge lunch was 1/2 hour late getting started, then we left before dessert because we had been there for over an hour. I was hoping it would be better in the MDR, but no. Painfully slow service and lukewarm food. We were very disappointed in the food quality in general, having come off a Carnival cruise less than three months ago. Carnival was far better and MUCH cheaper.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
There weren’t many activities during the day. Pools were nice. We played some bocce on the lawn
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The main show entertainers were very talented. This is the one area where this celebrity sailing surpassed our recent Carnival sailing experience.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Staff were typical of all of my cruises, which is to say very friendly and helpful.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship is older, but well maintained. Not one of the more memorable cruise ships though. The decor was pretty muted and boring. We did enjoy laying out on the lawn.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Clean, but definitely dated. Peeled paint all over the balcony. I guess I don’t understand what concierge class means. We had to ask twice for our “free” bottle of wine. It wasn’t any different than a standard balcony on any other line Ive been on. The balcony was small, but we had footstools! Guess they weren’t afraid of us throwing them overboard 😜
Ship tip
Definitely an older crowd. We were among the youngest passengers at 49 and 48. Nothing wrong with that, just know there’s not a lot of night life if that’s your thing.
Love, love, love Bermuda. We had a scooter rental for the whole three days we were there and made the most of it. You can park your scooter right outside the ship. Tom Moore’s jungle and the Admiralty house tunnels are highly recommended. We also arrived at Crystal Caves/Fantasy Caves as soon as it opened so we were able to get a tour. It does sell out very quickly so making reservations would be suggested . We took the ferry to Hamilton to see Harbor nights because we didn’t want to drive the scooter at night.That was a fun experience.
Flcruisepro, I did research the cruise, and my husband and I have sailed Celebrity in 2016 and were very impressed. That’s why we splurged on another one. Wasn’t worth the money given the much higher price point. It was in 2016. All of the pampering was gone. Maybe reserved for the Michael’s club people? But you literally get better service and food in Carnival or NCL steerage class than we did on this ship in Concierge. As to the older ship, Ive been on multiple ships of the same age and size, and that part doesn’t bother me. I was comparing value of food, drinks and activities on this Celebrity cruise to the budget cruise lines.
It sounds like you are not ready yet for a more senior type lifestyle Celebrity caters to. Some research might have helped you pick the right cruiseline for your style. If Celebrity is too tame for you, I suggest you stay away from Holland America as well. Also, older ships will show their wear. The Carnival ship you are comparing it to is much newer.
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