What Cruise Ship is Better in your opinion?
 

Hi gang,
I am a newbie to cruising. We just got back a few days ago from a 40-year dream cruise to Alaska. We cruised with the Celebrity Infinity. The food was not bad food but it was also nothing to write home about [it did not quite live up to my expectation based upon what I heard about cruise ships and food.] My question is that, since I am inexperienced in cruising, has anyone done a cruise lately that they would consider better that the Celebrity Infinity and why? Overall, I would do the Celebrity Infinity again after trying some other ships; but I would still say that it was definitely worth it.

DrP,

Fundamentally, each cruise line has its own personality and style that may or may not be a good match for your style and tastes. Celebrity is a "premium" line that has a long history of fine French cuisine, made from fresh ingredients with lots of rich sauces -- but not everybody likes that style of cuisine day in and day out. Some cruise lines cater to the "beer and pretzels" crowd, some cater to the "wine and cheese" crowd, and some cater to the "champagne and caviar" crowd. Celebrity is somewhere around the upper end of the "wine and cheese" category.

So the question here is not absolute, but relative -- not "Which is the best cruise line?" but rather "Which is the best cruise line for you?"

And there's only one person who can answer that question -- you.

For first-time cruisers, I generally recommend going into a bookstore and buying a guide book to cruise lines and cruise ships. All of the major bookstores, like Border's and Barnes and Noble, carry such books in their travel sections. Once you get the book, read the descriptions of the major cruise lines to get a sense of the differences, then make your choice. If you read the descriptions carefully, the right choice for you probably will be pretty obvious. If you find that two or three sound better than the rest, a reputable travel agent probably will be able to help you narrow it down. But if not, you certainly can try two or three lines in your next few cruises to get a first-hand look.

Norm.

Good advice for sure..If you want to stick with Celebrity..check out the Solstice,and the Eclipse..new ships with more bells and whistles,with many options....Also, call a cruise specialist,and discuss in depth, what you experienced on board, and, now that you have a cruise under your belt..your expectations. Good luck..# 2 may be exactly what you were looking for...# 1 for me sounded like yours..don't give up:)

Celebrity are my (current) favourite cruise line, so good at everything they do in my opinion, if you go on a Solstice class you will have more options. How do you feel about the speciality restaurants that carry a cover charge?

Food , entertainment and other items are very subjective.
What one things is good , isn't the same for another.

Celebrity
 

I was so impressed with Solstice back in April that I rebooked in July. Beautiful ship, good food but entertainment not great.

Picking a Cruise Ship
 

We are big Celebrity fans and were on the Soltice when they had major entertainment problems (read my review on t his board) and I have to admit the ship was to die for..food okay.. but the E.D. needs to be replaced.. and some of the acts were horrible. That said.. entertainment in the lounges was wonderful, jazz, piano player in Michaels, etc. We are booked on the Equinox and I just love being spoiled rotten by Celebrity. Oh yes.. food on all lines in the cruise ship industry isn't what it was before.. but be sure to book Murano for an experience to die for..

i cruised on the Celebrity Equinox in May, and she was fabulous. the food, the service, the ship~everything was fantastic. Carnival is my hands down favorite line but Celebrity comes in a close second. this was my first Celebrity cruise and we will definitely be back for more!

As others have suggested, I would try one of the Solstice class ships. I would also recommend trying NCL and budget $100 - $150 for their alternative restaurants. I have been very pleased with these restaurants. The main restaurants are so-so but Cagney's, Le Bistro and the Chinese and Japanese restaurants are very good.

I also suggest booking a balcony cabin for Alaska. You can enjoy a lot from deck but there is nothing more enjoyable than watching the beauty of Alaska from your own balcony.

Take care,
Mike

I have been on 16 cruises on all the popular cruise lines. I would rate HAL the best all around cruise line with Princess a close second. Had a bad experience with Celebrity.
My wife and I were on the Constellation's June 9th Baltic sailing. We were late embarking in Amsterdam because the crew were trying to do a quick clean up after a norovirus outbreak on May Baltic sailing. This was a mistake because we had another outbreak on our cruise in which many were sick. My wife and I were sick for half of the 12 night cruise. I was also not at all impressed with the entertainment and food. It had to be the worst in all of the 16 cruises we have been on. The ship is grand after the refit and the service was great. but that is all I can say that is good about Celebrity. It was not a happy ship compared to our other cruises, no bridge playing, no happy hour, a big beautiful cinema used more as a meeting room. PPV movies on the new flat screen TV's were $12.00 and unwatchable due to very poor picture quality. Too many extra charges for too many functions. I had great expectations for this cruise on this premium cruise line. But was very disappointed. When we returned home, Celebrity is very unwilling to offer proper compensation. All they are offering is 48 hrs toward a future cruise which is a standard form letter.

You obviously haven't checked out other cruise lines if you think Celebrity is the best.

I'm new to cruising too. I'll be disappointed if the I don't like the food but can make do with a poached egg for breakfast and a salad for dinner if I have to.

Those who have pointed out that what is good food to one person might be a disaster for another are so right. My last 3 "all inclusive" resort vacations were 1 each at 5*, 4* and 3* resorts. I would say the 4* food was by far the best. It seems not everyone agreed because the line ups for french fries and toast were equally long at all the buffets.

Among the reasons I choose Celebrity are the "No Smoking" policy, dress code, and adult oriented entertainment. I've also heard the staff are friendly.

I can't imagine enjoying anything in a cloud of smoke. I don't relish going to dinner with folks in swim wear and sweat suits. I'm not interested in breakfast with Shrek or belly flop contests. I'm not a Princess and don't want to be pampered like one.

Like the others have said, we all have our own idea of a good time ...

Other lines
 

Many years ago we cruised Carnival and although I think the ship is no longer operating it was the worst experience, our recent experience on our one and only Princess cruise has turned me off completely..Royal Caribbean, cruised Brilliance of the Seas a bit more than five years ago..and even loyal Royal Caribbean admitted the crew, food, entertainment were worst..NCL..being a Gold Member we cruised after several years the Gem last fall..NCL isn't what it used to be..but I would cruise them again.. as for HAL ..I consider myself too young mentally..lol.. but Celebrity has what I want..service and class... Would I cruise Princess again..they would practically have to beg me.. Royal Caribbean..maybe..NCL ... we will but Celebrity.. oh Celebrity..Sorry you had a bad experience. but I must tell you after 25 years of cruising even lines lines like Premier, Dolphin.. cruising isn't what it used to be..unless your going on luxury lines..and that is out of our budget.. Yes, I remember the days of "french service", white gloves, etc. etc. Every ship has it's own personality and playing bridge and a happy hour..The Celebrity Soltice movie room had first run movies and according to my husband well attended.. I did fault in my report the entertainment which was not the quality we are used to on trans-atlantic cruises and a major problem which developed the week we were on the ship.. As for the Constellation.. I met many people who loved the ship and sailed it many times..I'd go on it in a heart beat..

Snowman,

You are soooo right! Each of us can sure have a personal opinion about what cruise line we prefer and sadly some do go on a cruise just looking for small things to complain about. While I would give a slight edge to Princess over HAL, either one would suit me just fine.

I had sailed Celebrity five times, along with Princess and HAL, but would not go near Celebrity after the major problems that I encountered while onboard the Summit and the ensuing total lack of care by the home office of Celebrity.

If one was going to try Celebrity I would only recommend trying one of the newer ships and would definitely recommend passing on the older Celebrity ships.

As far as the food on Celebrity, my opinion is that it is very close to other mass market cruise lines. Even though Celebrity did get rid of their head Chef several years ago and there have been some cuts in the food department, I don’t see anyone having any problem finding something good to eat on Celebrity.

Debra

Well I have cruised mainly with P&O, also Ocean Village & Cunard (QE2 short cruise) I would say out of this lot Celebrity were far ahead in every department, not that far ahead of Cunard though to be honest.

We have sailed with all the major lines. At one time, RCI was our line of choice. I have to admit it isn't anymore even though we have one cruise coming up next year on the Jewel. The Radiance are our favourite class of ship.

Our last cruise was on the Solstice and for a ship, it was gorgeous. Our only complaint was the food in the MDR which we found sorely lacking. Maurano's was fantastic.

We will be on Azamara in November and back to the Eclipse in December. Hopefully the food was a one off as we really did like the ship.

Individual Ships
 

Felix I agree with you about the Soltice..the MDR food is so-so according to my taste and Murano's is to die for, I've already made reservations for two nights on the Equinox.. Yes.. each ship is an individual and should be judged separately,but if I've had a bad experience overall on a line as I did on Princess... I am hard pressed to want to spend my $$$ b ack on the line again. Personally, I love the smaller ships, but there was never a time on the Soltice when I felt there crowded. Yes, I'm proud to say Celebrity is my line of choice and cruised other lines recently, but I do cruise it with an unbiased eye.. I do not work for Celebrity, nor do I consider myself "a cheerleader". What many people comment on whether it's the decor, art work, rugs, etc. mean little to me. I can only say that never in more than 25 years of cruising have I ever experienced such incredible service from all the staff on this ship.. and the main problem that week was the entertainment and I certainly don't intend to harp on t his for the rest of my cruising life and comments. (read my review for my honest and unbiased opinion)

I have recently come back from a 4 night mediterranean Cruise onboard the Celebrity Eclipse and all i can say is WOW. everything about her was just amazing whether it was the cabin, the food or the facilities onboard. I would highly recommend this ship.

Equinox
 

Good to knowSocrates..we have 13 nights on her in October.. How did you find the food/service in the MDR compared to specialties..i.e. Soltice

We found the food & service outstanding in all venues on Eclipse, & we did go to ALL venues!!

snowman1940,

The reality is that there is no one "best" cruise line for everybody. We all have our own style and tastes, for which some cruise lines are a better match than others.

The reality is that Celebrity is the most traditional and most "upscale" of the major cruise lines. There is a segment of the population for whom Celebrity is the best choice.

Norm.

snowman1940,

I'm sorry to hear that you were ill, but that could happen on any sailing on any line. Celebrity actually has had a far lower frequency of Norovirus than many other lines.

Do you suppose that being ill for half of the cruise might have affected your ability to enjoy the food and the entertainment?

[qupte=You]When we returned home, Celebrity is very unwilling to offer proper compensation. All they are offering is 48 hrs toward a future cruise which is a standard form letter.[/QUOTE]

What compensation do you expect, and on what basis? You received the cruise for which you paid, didn't you?

Do you really believe that any major other cruise line would have given you anything more than what Celebrity offered you?

Norm.

What compensation do you expect, and on what basis? You received the cruise for which you paid, didn't you?

Do you really believe that any major other cruise line would have given you anything more than what Celebrity offered you?

Norm.[/QUOTE]

Norm:

They have been having a problem with Noro on Connie since she came out of drydock. I understand that there was compensation given on board which of course they did not have to do.

I also agree that no compensation is due....

Absolutely NOT true. Celebrity is certainly no more "upscale" than Princess, HAL or many others of the major cruise lines. As I said before if you are on one of the older Celebrity ships you would not really be anywhere close to being "upscale". In fact you can make a case that the Celebrity Mclass ships are not even close to the newer Celebrity ships. I have sailed Celebrity many times and also sailed other cruise lines many, many times and I have found several cruise lines to be in much better shape and the service just as good as or better than Celebrity.

Debra

What is good for one person is not for the someone else.

Choice of cruise line is a very personal choice.

Exactly,Debra had a bad experience on one of the M class ships and has not let anyone forget about it since then. All the M class ships are getting a major makeover, one of them already has and they will be around for a long time. They will soon all have most of the elements of Celebrity's S class ships which are proving to be very popular. Celebrity is not any more upscale than some of the other lines, they used to be but they are not now however they do have better service and food than the lines Debra mentioned. There is a difference between upscale and having better service, they are two different things...

Premium Line
 

Nurse Debra who has "harped" on the same bad experience 3-5 years ago puts down Celebrity because of that one experience.. I had the same overall experience on a Princess cruise....There is a feeling of CLASSY when your on a Celebrity ship. whether it's the newer Soltice sized or the M size..It's a gut feeling. But then again.. she phoo phoos the upscale readers and cruisers of Conde Naste when they put Celebrity way above Princess...But then again... she knows better and I would defy her to go back on the same ship she had a problem with years and years ago.

There is a huge difference between one person's experiences not being good, while the rest of the passengers probably had a great time. On any cruise you are bound to have a few people grossing about this or that, but what I unfortunately discovered that these long running propulsion problems, when they happen, they affect everyone on board. At the end of the day it comes down to a few personal experiences, from one person, that may have been good or bad or the experiences of tens of thousands of unspectiong cruisers who happened to be on one of these ships while it was was experiencing this long standing problem.

My whole point is that my experience was not one person's experience on one of the Celebrity Mclass ships, but a poor experience of all 1,900 passengers who were on board. To make matters worse I discovered, after the fact, that there have been more than twenty cruises that resulted in similar disappointments of cancelled ports and shortened port times because of Celebrity's decision to sail these defective ships. There is definitely two sides to Celebrity and my choice is to not to gamble with my vacation dollars on any of these ships; others can make up their own minds.

I agree with Don that Celebrity used to be at the top of the choices in cruise ships and I admit that six years ago I was recommending Celebrity to hundreds of people, but NOT anymore. I would not argue that the newer Celebrity ships are an example of Celebrity starting, at long last, to move in the right direction.

Debra

I love Celebrity and have a cruise booked on the Equinox. Our last Celebrity cruise was on the Solstice ane we abslolutey enjoyed it.

We have sailed on the M class ships and never had any problems. What we did have was a lot of fun.

TM

Exscuse me, Debra, but when have you last been on a Celebrity ship? I would guess that it has been at least since May, 2006, over 4 years ago; & that was on an M class ship. When were you last on on "older" Celebrity ship; ie; the C class.
Your Celebrity experiences are ancient history. Please stop innocently trying to inform your fellow cruisers about anything regarding Celebrity or their ships. After all tihs time, it is appparant that you have an axe to grind with Celebrity, & all but the newbys are aware of it
(Sorry Paul, I tired, but she is just too full of it to ignore.)