Report-First time on Celebrity
 

We just returned from our first Celebrity cruise--Constellation. I was somewhat disappointed because I had expected it to be better than RCCL and HAL, particularly the food, and I found it comparable. Good, but not great. Maybe we should take an Azamara or Oceania cruise sometime, but that will have to wait, because for now, we travel with a relative who is a smoker.

Service and accomodations were comparable as well. I heard some complaints about the new beds--they were VERY firm. We absolutely loved Perry Grant, the pianist/entertainer in Michael's Pub, and he seemed to make the cruise for many others as well. And I have to say the waffles were fantastic! The best we've ever had. (Not served in the dining room). The Baked Alaska was wonderful too.

Sue

Thanks for the review. How did the general ambiance compare? I like a bit of elegance, but not "snooty".

It has been a few years since I have sailed Celebrity but I didn't find them any better than the other cruise lines either. I actually prefer the other lines.

Hi Side53,

I cruised on the Constellation last June and expected to see a big difference from RCCL and HAL too. I think in order to see a drastic change in food and service you have to cruise on one of the top tier lines such as Seabourn,Regent, Cunard etc.

However, it's worth taking the cruise LOL to see Perry Grant. He does bring us all back to a time when New York Cabaret was in full bloom. It was so nice to be able to sit and enjoy his show each evening and see the smiles on all of our faces.

In fairness to Celebrity my experience was that any request that I made, be it food, cabin service or general issues it was acted on promptly and courteously.
The Maitre D' was exceptional in my opinion. One evening he heard me mention that I enjoyed a certain meal that was not on the ship's menu. The very next night they surprised me with my favorite entree. A few nights later I joked with him about a yummy dessert and voila I had it the next evening. It soon became an adventure with The Savvy Old Lady,the Maitre D' and the Chef as to how they could surprise me.

All too often people don't realize that if you engage the staff in conversation they will go out of their way to make your cruise more enjoyable. If you find something not to your liking or expectations TELL them. Cruising today is extremely competitive among the cruise lines and they really do want to get your repeat business.

The Crabby Old Guy loves to use the Spa on the different ships. He paid about $150.00 for a specific Spa service for the week. On the third day he politely mentioned to the Spa manager that he was disappointed in how one of the the staff in the spa was treating the passengers. She apologized and said she would take care of the matter. When we received our bill on the last evening the fee for the Spa was removed from our bill. Crabby didn't ask for this to be done but it was definitely the proper way to handle a complaint.

So if you are looking for pampering and have a special request that you feel will make your cruise more enjoyable SPEAK UP and you may be happily surprised with what you receive. I did find that Celebrity was more open to suggestions and requests than the other cruise lines mentioned.

Oh, Barbara, the general ambiance was wonderful and there was no "snootiness" that I could see. It was the usual friendly cruisers however, without the brawls and rowdiness that you find on some cruise lines.

Hugs,
The Savvy Old Lady(c)
www.thesavvyoldlady.com

We didn't go on the Constellation, but we did go on our first Celebrity cruise this past year. We didn't do the whole cruise thing right at all - we started with Crystal (which was perfection), then went on a Princess cruise (not a good experience) and then Celebrity. As previous poster said, the crew seemed extremely anxious to help and absolutely anything we asked for was handled quickly (unlike on our Princess cruise, but I digress).... We found the food to be very good, the service was exceptional and the ship was fine (not a new ship - but kept up well). I would definitely use Celebrity again (I haven't been on HAL, which would be my other potential selection) - unless of course, I could figure out how to afford another Crystal cruise... :)

Frankly, the only "snooty" stuff I have ever encountered on any cruise came from some of the other people and not the staff.

We were on the Constellation this past July in the Baltic and were very pleased with the service, the condition of the ship, and thought the food was certainl;y adequate. It beats the stuff I cook every day that's for sure.

And I was glad to see that Celebrity has figured out the answer to tiny shower areas, too.

I've sailed on Princess, HAL, RCCL and most of the other moderately priced lines and Celebrity's service was far superior. Unlike the RCCL staff, who wanted you to say 'EXCELLENT' as your answer to every question (the guest surveys carry great weight with RCCL staff apparently), the Celebrity staff seemed genuinely happy to help you.

We're sailing on Celebrity again in March. One of the best things is you can order off the restaurant menus for room service during mealtimes, instead of being stuck with sandwiches for dinner like on the other lines if you don't feel like going to the dining room. Celebrity is definitely our choice.

Enjoyed reading your review. We too love Perry Grant and have his CD. We've seen him on Regent and HAL...

Just my two cents, I haven't been on RCCL or HAL, but for anyone reading this thread who might be wondering, there is a TON of difference between Celebrity vs. Carnival or Norwegian. Celebrity is classier in every way, better food, better service, nicer rooms, etc. Of course the ship, itenerary, specific room and luck of the draw on who your staff is all have an impact, but so far in my experience Celebrity seems well worth the few extra dollars it is in most cases unless keeping costs low is your top priority.

We thought Celebrity was greatly overrated. Had better cruises on HAL/Princess who both have much nicer ships. Our Celebrity ship esp the cabin was kind of shabby. Celebrity did have a more formal food presentation but overall not much difference in food quality. I cannot compare to RCCL, havent sailed tha tline

HAVE SUSPICION THIS RELATES TO SAME CRUISE WE WERE ON CONSTELLATION.AGREE ON ALL COUNTS.HAVE CRUISED CELEBRITY MANY TIMES AND FOOD NO WHERE NEAR WHAT IT USED TO BE.IN GENERAL CELEBRITY NO BETTER OR WORSE THAN THEIR COMPETITORS, EXCEPT NCL, THEY ARE NOT TO BE COMPARED TO ANYONE.PERRY GRANT DESERVES MORE THAN THE LIMITED VENUE HE HAS ON BOARD.