Celebrity Cruises is known for being a higher-end cruise line, and for a long time, it was one of the few major lines I hadn’t sailed. That’s all changed.
In the past year I’ve sailed Celebrity multiple times and gotten a feel for what it does well, what it doesn’t do as well, and some ways that it’s completely different than what I expected.
So what do I wish I knew before I sailed or simply think others may not know? Here’s what stands out…
The Major Difference Between Ships
My first sailing with Celebrity was aboard the brand-new Celebrity Ascent, part of the cruise line’s Edge class. Sure, it’s new, but I’ve been on plenty of new cruise ships before. And I can tell you that this ship was above and beyond anything else I’ve sailed.
From the ship’s design to the décor to public artwork, everything about the ship was a step above. It didn’t feel like a cruise ship, but more like a high-end hotel. It left a stunning first impression of the line.
Then I sailed a ship in the cruise line’s Solstice-class, which was built a little over a decade ago. Nice? Sure, but nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, in many ways the design — at least on the interior — reminded me of a Royal Caribbean-style ship with just different décor.
The bottom line is that if you want to really have a different — and I think the best — experience, then you’ve got to go with the newest class of ships.
Yes, There Is A Difference In The Passenger Base
One thing I figured going into a Celebrity cruise was that the other passengers were likely going to be a bit different than other lines — especially mass-market lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean. But it’s something that I didn’t quite know exactly what to expect until I sailed.
First things first, there is a difference in the passenger base onboard. Just like a Holiday Inn is going to have a different clientele than a JW Marriott, it’s the same thing here given that Celebrity is more luxury focused.
But don’t think everyone is wearing tuxedos by the pool and talking about their portfolios. I have noticed a fair number of more affluent folks onboard. For instance, the well-kept lady I noticed wearing the hat of a Florida country club rumored to have a six-figure initiation fee.
But there were also tons of everyday people, including what seemed like a number of groups in their late 20s and early 30s on the shorter cruise that I took.
So, yes, it’s definitely a higher-end passenger base than other lines, but certainly not uncomfortably so.
Celebrity Is Not A Cruise Line For Kids
Now I knew that Celebrity isn’t aimed to appeal to families and kids. That segment is left to its sister-brand Royal Caribbean. But I wish I knew what that really meant before I sailed with my son.
Overall, if you want to bring your kids, that’s no problem. While there won’t be a ton of them onboard, they are definitely welcome. The ships feature a kids club where you can drop them off so they can have fun while parents get to enjoy themselves too. There are also a number of itineraries that feature CocoCay, which is a great place for kids.
But apart from that, it’s not really a kid-friendly experience. Waterslides? Nope. Arcade? No. Lots of kid-friendly food? Not really outside of the buffet. Even the kids club closed down multiple times a day, so you’re always looking at the clock to pick them up before.
I took my kid on a short cruise with multiple port stops. On a 7-day cruise, it just wouldn’t make sense to sail as a family. That’s not a knock on Celebrity as families aren’t their bread and butter. It’s just the way it is.
There’s A Big Emphasis On Specialty Dining
Everyone knows that food is a major part of your cruise, and there are actually a couple of things I wish I realized about Celebrity in that department.
The first one is that the cruise line places a big emphasis on specialty dining. Just about all the major cruise lines have specialty dining restaurants that cost extra to eat. Some lines, like Carnival, offer a lot of places that are included in your fare.
On the other end are lines like Celebrity. Here, it’s essentially the dining room and the buffet included, plus The Mast Grill. Just about anything else is going to cost extra. And those specialty restaurants aren’t cheap. My latest cruise saw prices of up to $60 per person for some of them and everything I saw was at least $30 per person.
I always like working in a specialty restaurant during the cruise, but dropping nearly $200 for two adults and a kid to eat wasn’t on the menu for me.
There’s An Elevated Food Experience With A Step Up In Quality
The second thing I didn’t know before sailing Celebrity is that the food options are definitely elevated compared to a normal cruise. Don’t get me wrong, every cruise line likes to talk about how amazing their food is. I’ve found that at least in high volume spots like the buffet and main dining room, it’s largely very similar.
Celebrity changes that somewhat. The buffet has a lot of what you’d expect, and many dishes are similar to what you find elsewhere. But then there are definitely some higher-end items that you don’t see on other lines and just overall, the quality seems to be a step above.
In the main dining room, I found a similar setup. The menu wasn’t completely different than what I’ve found on other lines, but in general the portions seemed larger and the food with much better flavor. One of my big pet peeves is that when you get a side of veggies with your meal, they taste completely unseasoned. That wasn’t the case here.
So it’s not as if every dish looks and feels like it’s made individually — these restaurants are still serving thousands of people a night after all — but I found a definite step up in quality.
You’ll Find A Lot In Common With Royal Caribbean
Let me be clear that Celebrity is not Royal Caribbean. But Royal Caribbean Group owns both lines and while they are different, what surprised me a bit is that you can see similarities everywhere.
And in the case where I sailed Celebrity on a short cruise on an older ship with a stop to CocoCay, it had a lot of overlap with Royal Caribbean.
That older ship reminded me a lot of a Royal Caribbean ship, just with different décor, even down to the maps that are around the ship to help you navigate. The two cruise lines also use the same design for the cruise planner online and for the cruise line app that you use on the ship.
In many ways, it felt like Royal Caribbean, without the waterslides. So if you’re a fan of Royal, you won’t feel out of place on Celebrity. I will say that my experience on a newer ship definitely felt more unique, primarily because those ships have no comparison on the Royal Caribbean fleet.
A Difference In Entertainment Between Ships
I’ve mentioned the difference between old and new ships, but it goes beyond the style onboard. One thing that’s drastically different is the entertainment.
Cruise entertainment has jumped by leaps and bounds across the industry as newer and bigger ships allow for more cutting edge theaters.
When I sailed my first Celebrity trip on Ascent, I was blown away by the theater. It’s circular, with huge video boards that wrap around to provide the backdrop. Aerialists hang from the ceiling, and the performances were like nothing else I’d seen at sea.
In comparison, the shows aboard an older ship weren’t bad at all, but they were much more in line with what you find elsewhere with classic singing and dancing numbers.
The Small Touches That Show A Focus on Adults
Now before I sailed Celebrity for the first time, I knew it was going to be more adult focused, that’s no surprise. But to me, some of the touches jumped out as almost foreign compared to some of the other mass-market lines.
For instance, if you want a towel on Carnival or Royal Caribbean, you need to go to the towel station, scan your card, get your towels, and then turn them back in or face a charge. On Celebrity, they are just there. You grab one, use it, and you don’t have to go through the hassle of checking out towels. They treat passengers like adults.
Another touch are bottles of sunscreen and aloe out by the pool for passengers to use. So if you forget it at home or even in your room, you’re still covered.
These are small, but definitely something I noticed and appreciated.
The Sunset Bar Is A Can’t-Miss
If you’ve never sailed Celebrity, then you’ll want to know about a place that I wish I knew about a long time ago — the Sunset Bar.
The Sunset Bar is an open-air bar found at the back of many Celebrity ships, with lots of seating and sweeping views from horizon to horizon.
Now you might think that having an outdoor bar isn’t that big a deal, however, the design and the airiness of the spot make it a great place to relax and have a drink. And when cruise ships are seemingly putting in more and more things that draw attention away from being at sea, having a spot that you actually want to sit, relax, and take in the ocean is pretty special.
On the ships I’ve sailed, it’s also been near the Rooftop Garden or lawn areas of the ship that provide even more space and openness.
Infinite Verandas — Know Before You Book
If you’ve never sailed Celebrity, then one thing you might wish you knew comes when you are booking your cabin.
With the introduction of its Edge class of ships, Celebrity rolled out a new type of cabin known as the infinite veranda.
A normal balcony room features the cabin, then a wall with a door to step out into a separate outdoor balcony space. With the infinite verandas, there’s instead a far wall that’s entirely made up of a window that slides down halfway to turn the entire cabin into the balcony. When the window is up, you have more space inside the room. But when it’s down, it can feel more like you’re sitting beside a window than sitting on a balcony.
Not everyone is a fan. In a recent Q&A on CruiseCritic, Celebrity’s president admitted the rooms are “polarizing” and that passengers either “love it or they hate it.”
So if it’s something that you might not like, you’ll want to know before you book this type of room.
More on Sailing Celebrity:
- 11 Smart Tips for Sailing a Celebrity Cruise
- Worth It? Celebrity Cruise Drink Packages Explained
- 12 Big Differences Between Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean
