This was my first with Celebrity and an upscale cruise line. I've been on NCL, RCCL, Carnival, etc and I guess I had set my expectations too high. The food and entertainment was not near what I've had on other lines. I have been cruising since the 80's and this is in excess of 20 cruises of which I normally write a decent review but this one just did not meet my expectations.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Easy embarkation as would be expected
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The MDR definitely needs help. First the reservation system did not work and on our first dinner, they attempted to set four of us at a table for two, our second dinner we were seated and then a management person continued to asked how and why we were seated as if we seated ourselves. We did three specialty restaurants. The Le Petit Chef was entertaining with service and food being the best we had during the 7 days. The Tuscan Grille also had good service and food. The Sushi on 5 was just okay with nothing special. Overall, the food was not up to what I would expect for an upscale cruise line.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We used the solarium pool and was very happy with the facility
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Again another area lacking for being an upscale line. The music provided in the gathering areas, bars, etc was very poor as compared to other cruise lines. We attended two shows in Celebrity Theatre but the quality was not to our expectations and we only stayed for a short time.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Service was the best thing about our cruise. We had an outstanding room steward who did a great job of cleaning the room daily. Also, we had outstanding service at Cellar Masters. Because of this service we took care of the people involved with generous gratuity.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was maintained very well for the age of the. vessel
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was nice size with spacious balcony, in good condition and maintained well by our cabin steward
Celebrity is not an upscale cruise line. It is a mainstream cruise line just like the others you mentioned. Yes it is a little better in my opinion than those others but in no way should be confused with Regent, Viking, even Oceania. If you have read any cruise line reviews prior to your cruise you would understand that the industry is suffering staff shortages/new staff, supply issues, and other pains getting back up to speed. Reasonable expectations is the start of a good experience.
Appreciate your feedback. I think most cruise lines are operating below their standard level. Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations but happy you gave it a try. Having so many options is a good thing. May your next cruise (whatever line) be better!
Give Celebrity a try when they aren't understaffed. The lines you mentioned don't even come close to the quality & preparation standards of the Celebrity MDR.... however we also noticed the decline in overall service/preparation of the food and beverage department during our April cruise, the crew tried so hard but there was no making up for lack of bodies.
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