First time cruise. Have picked Celebrity.
 

Not sure if I have made the right decision to be honest, but it's probably pre-cruise jitters.

- During online check-in, I noticed that Celebrity have dropped half of my pals double-barrelled surname from the booking. Should I be concerned? Airlines often put my title immediately next to my surname, ie: SEALINKMR and it doesn't seem to affect anything.
- I seem to have to print reems of paperwork. (This is new to me in the age of e-ticketing!)
- I probably haven't appreciated the scale of the ship, but it seems that there are supplements for every restaurant except 'The Main Restaurant'.
- Nearly every excursion, including snorkelling is labelled as strenuous. What is their definition of strenuous?

Thanks for your help with my questions.

I usually only print the boarding pass and invoice. Never had a problem.
My experience is that most cruise lines to to somewhat exaggerate the level of stress on their excursions.
Where did you book the cruise?

Should you be concerned? NO. Relax and enjoy the moment.

You have picked a mass-market ship, so everything is not going to go smoothly (it never does, even on a ship holding 1/10 the number of passengers as yours).

The "strenuous" label is applied with the 80-year old in mind. If you are in that category, it might be strenuous. If you are 35-years-old and fit, it will be a piece of cake.

Regarding the supplements, be prepared to pay almost everyplace you turn on the ship. For example, do you like latte in the morning at the coffee bar, make sure you have your room key with you to purchase it. Unless you sail on an all-inclusive line, that is the reality of cruising: You have to pay for (almost) everything on board.

Bon voyage!

Celebrity one of my favorites!

Also keep in mind that a different itinerary or holiday period can make even the same ship feel quite different from sailing to sailing. I hope you enjoy your first cruise but if it isn't quite the thing for you, don't worry, there are a lot of other cruise lines and styles which may be of interest in the future.

I normally cruise with Royal Caribbean (Just finished my 33rd cruise with them). Royal Caribbean is the parent company of Celebrity cruise line so the process should be similar. Celebrity is actually the upscale version of Royal Caribbean with more focus on luxury than family activities.

You do not have to print the "Cruise Document" or "e Doc". Normally I download the PDF version and email it to myself so I have access to it on my phone. The cruise documents or e Doc are basically like the cruise line version of the Contract of Carriage combined with detailed information about your cruise. Most of the time you don't even need it but it's good to have a copy around so you can reference it as it does have important telephone numbers in it. I personally feel a PDF version on my phone is good enough, of my 52 cruises across 5 different cruise line... I was never in a situation where I needed the actual printed Cruise Document or eDoc. It's basically a waste of paper.

The most important thing is you have to print the "Xpress Pass". If you didn't get luggage tags mailed to you, you should also print out the "luggage tags" for the cruise. You can print out as many luggage tag as you want and attach it to your bags. "Xpress Pass" (Celebrity) "Set Sail Pass" (Royal Caribbean) are basically boarding pass and like with an airline, thats the most important part of it. In theory you can show up to the port with out them but there will be a significant delay with getting into the terminal as they have to look you up manually and often time this is done by going through a book with the manifest and some time the manifest isn't in alphabetical order.

In addition to the "Xpress Pass", make sure you bring proof of citizenship, an ID, and also a credit card. It seems common sense but almost every cruise someone forget to bring them and get denied boarding. You can technically pay your onboard expenses with cash but a credit card is so much faster and easier. Paying cash onboard involve waiting in very long line on the last day of your cruise to settle your bill with the purser.

The "Main" Restaurant and the buffet are always free. There may be a few quick service dining venues or snack bars with free food. The "free" food on Celebrity is very good and the menu changes every night. The menu will have some items that repeat every night but the majority of the menu will be different so you can eat at the "Main Dining Room" every night and have a completely different meal. The "Specialty Restaurant" are basically upgraded experiences with specialized food and often time those menu don't change. It's great for special occasions or you want a change in dining venue.

As for shore excursion, pick something within your limits. Strenuous seem to apply to all type of tour that involves walking a long distance or swimming. Basically if theres a chance you might break a sweat... it's strenuous. HAHAHA. If you have any question, you can always talk to the shore excursion staff onboard the ship. They say tours sell out but you can often time book something onboard if you go to the shore excursion desk on the first day. For something like snorkeling, you will more than likely find a cheaper alternative in port... but if you decide to tour on your own... the cruise line won't be responsible if you're late getting back to the ship or get hurt on the tour. The tours I generally book through the ship are tours to places far from the port or the prices seem comparable to what the tour operator charges land based tourist. Some example of this is zip lining in Jamaica where the cruise line actually charge the same price as the zip line park but transportation is included.

Thanks all. Should I be bothered about the double barrelled surname omission?

Did you book directly with Celebrity, or through a travel agent? Call whomever that party is and query them. They will make sure there is no problem.

This is not like an airline and TSA, where nothing can be changed and everything has to match perfectly.

What is your itinerary and when are you going? These can make a difference in your experience.

Although I've cruised I have done so reluctantly and at the request of my spouse. My experiences have left me unimpressed with the entire process. So consider what follows as coming from a cruise cynic:

Upgrade to a balcony if you haven't already booked one. That little private space keeps me sane.

Be cautious about your consumption of food and alcohol particularly if you have an established tendency toward weight gain.

Patience is your friend. There are thousands of other passengers. There will be line-ups. Get used to it.

Go ashore every chance you get. Take the cruise company excursions if there is something specific you want to see or do. They are more expensive, you could probably see it on your own but for your first cruise it's a safer way to go. The ship will not leave if you are on a company excursion. Don't worry about anything they call "strenuous" unless you qualify for handicapped parking.

Remember that the cruise company's objective is to part you from your money while you are on board. Be wary of the shops. What seems like a good deal might turn out otherwise.

On your last day you will get a bill. It will be larger than you think. So will everyone else's.

Finally, keep an open mind. Cruising is not for everyone but it is generally a safe and convenient way to see different places that you might want to go back to someday.

I particularly like Celebrity.

I don't know what you mean by "double-barreled surname"? I'm guessing just a hyphenated name? When you first make your reservation, typically they send you an email with all the details and ask you to check them over carefully. While at that point it is the very easiest to get changes, it should still be possible. Start with wherever you booked, but if you can't get it resolved there and you didn't book directly with Celebrity, contact them directly. In any case, I doubt it will be a problem. They want you, and you've paid.

Regarding your bill, during the cruise one can go to Guest Services and ask them to print current charges out. Sometimes there is simply a printer in that general area and you can get a current bill with just your room key card. And sometimes one can track the bill on the room television screen.

If you are a frugal person, it is entirely possible to get yourself amused and nicely fed on a cruise ship without paying any of those extra fees.

I'm fine with the least expensive bottom-of-the-boat, no-window room. I've had windows and balconies and they are nice. But I've found that when I want to watch something outside like coming into a port city, somehow my view is never quite the direction I want. I end up going up to the higher levels where one can see in any direction.

I tend to do a couple excursions if they really are something I really want to do and I can't manage on my own, but often just get off and stroll about. Local museums, parks, people, stores, beaches - whatever I can reach on foot. Taking a good map, leaving a careful trail of bread crumbs, and watching the time.

Yes, the ratings and cautions are for the less able, whether they be 80 or much younger.

After the first couple of times, I quit printing all that paper also. Just the boarding pass. I don't do luggage tags, as I take either a roller bag or a backpack and just handle it myself.

The worst part of the cruise is the whole check-in procedure. They try, but in that same day they have to get prior passengers off, clean and restock the ship, and then let on several thousand new passengers. Lots of steps per person for that check-in.

Thanks all. I'm not bothered about paying for premium restaurants, it just looked like EVERY restaurant was premium and the idea of dining in the same place every night OR paying a supplement almost every night was a bit odd.
But believe there are about four restaurants to choose from plus premium.

Have you found www.cruisecritic.com yet? Tons of reviews there. Even an occasional specific cabin.

Also www.whatsinport.com can have some useful information.

For food on Celebrity, my favorite place was called something like "Spa Cafe". Smaller cafeteria style. The food was deliberately healthy and low calorie. Still exquisitely arranged and delicious. Lots of ocean view tables in the area. I ate most of my meals there. While I don't even try to lose weight on a cruise, I can break even and yet have some delightful meals.

Best advice we never received: go to the Guest Services desk on day 2 or 3 and ask them to remove the automatic gratuities (the per person, per day)- we prefer to pay via envelope at the end of the cruise.

Now that we are 15+ cruises in, we treat the ship as an all inclusive resort with an ever changing view out the windows- rarely leave except to walk a new port or for a new experience (George Washington House tour led by the head of the National Trust in Barbados being our latest greatest)

Tipping can be a thorny issue on cruise ships. I've never considered removing the automatic gratuities but will also cash tip directly for exceptional service much to the horror of certain members of the "cruise community." The bothersome busybody who scolded me for cash tipping a bartender was bluntly advised to MYOFB. :)

That 'hassle' and 'gratuity' can ever be used in the same sentence :eek:

The TV in your cabin should have an option to look at your onboard bill. I typically check mine daily - 1) to know how much I've spent and 2) to make sure there aren't any errors.

In the Oceanview Cafe (the buffet), there will be different stations with different types of foods. What is typically offered will vary by day (for example one day all the desserts will be cakes, another day the theme will be cookies). There will be a stir fry station, a pasta station, typically at least few indian dishes. The buffet will be open from early in the morning until fairly late, with only a few short breaks during the day (the times will be listed in the daily schedule that is provided to you by your cabin attendant the night before).

In the main dining room, there will be a few standards on the menu daily, but there will be several dishes (both appetizers and mains) that will rotate daily based on a theme. The dining room is open for breakfast and dinner on all days, and lunch on sea days.

There is also typically a grill by the pool for burgers, hot dogs, etc, in addition to the spa cafe. These are all no charge eating options.

It is entirely possible to eat well without paying an extra charges if you don't want to do so.

As to tipping, I would actually recommend prepaying your tips now as the tips on Celebrity are about to go up in the next two weeks. If you prepay them now, you miss the rate increase, and then you can decide if you want to tip extra in cash at the end of the cruise.

For docs, as said above all you need is your Xpress Pass. I too just send the actual cruise docs to my phone as a PDF, and find that's all I need now that online check in is available.

Yes, see also CruiseCritic
 

Double the suggestion to browse through www.CruiseCritic.com

Among other topics, you'll find sub-forums for the cruise line, for Roll Calls for your particular ship and sailing date, for Ports of Call (where your ship will be stopping along the way).

Also, topics like hints for first-timers, Ask A Cruise Question, tips for cabin selection, etc.

And then the topics like travel insurance, air travel (there are a few specifics that are relevant for cruising that might not be emphasized here on FT), and lots more.

Enjoy!

GC

Please do not do this. Celebrity, along with all the mass market lines, clearly disclose what they will charge you as an auto-grat. You have the option to prepay it as well. They also clearly disclose how the funds are dispursed to the service side employees. If you go to guest services on board, they will be happy to provide you with a letter stating how the funds are divided up. For example, the stateroom attendant gets just over $5 per person per day for 14 rooms to clean each room daily, change linens, turndown service, restock ice, deliver laundry if you send it out. Very long days with no days off. That "gratuity " is their pay for the job they do.

Another vote against this, if possible (and it's your choice).

There are many of the crew who work hard (long hours, months away from home/family) to help make your cruise comfortable and pleasant.
Many of them you will never see: laundry, kitchen help, those who keep the pools clean/check the chemicals (and perhaps scrub at times), perhaps hand out (and later collect) towels and water as you leave the ship or return, etc...

Tips typically get spread to all of the staff (or almost all?) who are helping behind the scenes, while you see and interact directly with stewards, housecleaning (the part for your cabin, not the public areas)...

We always tip extra, including to those we see occasionally, along the way. This includes our cabin/suite crew, especially if they've gone out of their way to make our trip especially pleasant/comfortable.

Were some dining room staff extra friendly/helpful to a 2 year old in our group? We asked for the same waitress the next evening. As soon as the same waitress saw us, she rushed over with a huge smile, and ask if we would like for us to have his food rushed out first. WOULD WE?? Oh my YES!!! That made the meals so much better for us, the wait staff, and the passengers dining nearby. Win/win!
We tipped her directly :-)

GC

Our cultural norm is to tip for services rendered above and beyond what would be expected... given what was said up thread about tips to an individual having to be added to the collective pot, makes one wonder how this can be accomplished.

Right, it is trickly.
You mentioned "all inclusives"... these are land resorts where one fee includes *everything*... including "tips"?
IF so, then that is probably the best way to think of a cruise, but they are (so the joke goes, "for *your* convenience" :confused:) adding the "included tips/gratuities" as a separate line item.

I know. I know....!

We think that is the best way to think about it, to avoid grinding one's teeth while trying to relax.

Given that... we THEN give "real TIPS" to those who have in some or several ways gone out of their way to made our trip even better.

One other thing: On some cruise lines, the BUTLER is not included in the regular gratuities bundle. So we keep that in mind when tipping... that the Butler's tip is NOT "in addition to" the bundled/shared gratuities.
And...with one exception, the Butler made a *huge* difference in our enjoyment, certainly beyond anything we had imagined/expected. (But now? Well, alas, we do sort of expect it, or at least "hope" for more of same :-))
So we tipped him (they've been "him" for us, thus far; not all are) quite generously, two of them especially, as they really went far and beyond.

Anyway, that's how we handle it, and it works for us, etc.

Also, if there were to be a service problem, rather than "taking it out with lower tips - or withholding gratuities - we'd speak with someone on the senior staff, to try to get it fixed, or the crew involved re-assigned.

GC

I’m back!

And I have my opinions which I will post shortly.
A mixed bag experience. Both amazing and infuriating at the same time.

Favourite place to dine: a tie up between QSine and The Lawn Grill.

Would I cruise again? Likely.
Would I cruise with Celebrity again? Possibly, but I definitely wasn’t wowed by them.

Automatic gratuities relieve one of having to be constantly thinking about whether to tip or not to tip. There's no need to feel guilty if you don't and yet you remain free to tip directly if the service is exceptional.

Tipping in an environment like a cruise ship doesn't just reward better service it also encourages it. On my first day on a Princess cruise I complimented a young bartender on the quality of her martini, tipped her $10 in cash and told her I'd like the same every night before dinner. The next day as people are milling around trying to order she stopped what she was doing and made mine. On the third day and every subsequent day all I had to do was walk into the lounge and by the time I got to the bar it was ready and waiting for me. :)

Here's my notes about my first ever cruise, taken on the Celebrity Silhouette. I've used the traffic lights to indicate the good, not so good and downright annoying.

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- staff were excellent, Celebrity really let their personality shine and it they made the cruise overall an absolute pleasure

- QSine: dining here was USD45 per person, and there was so much food. The sushi here was better than Sushi on 5, their play on every course was a delight. They recommend you go for five or six courses, we were struggling to finish our fourth!

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- The Lawn Grill: possibly my favourite meal of the week: the menu has 'Chefs Wanted' on it - so you can actually throw your own flatbread and cook your steaks at the open air kitchen. Again, USD 45.00 but great fun.

- Martini Bar: this tended to be the most social area of the ship, which takes me to my next point:
- the people we met on board were brilliant! Made so many new friends, everyone was so social and up or a chat. It made the occasional person who didn't say Good Morning in the elevator for example, stand out like a sore thumb!
- the beds were very comfortable and there was a surprising amount of storage space in our balcony cabin
- the balcony was nice. It was listed as Obstructed View, but as you can see from the pic below, it was a minor obstruction

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- security was excellent, and I felt reassured each time we boarded with the XRay machines etc.

- entertainment highlight: a group of singers called Uptown - really excellent. The acrobatics and trapeze shows were superb, although I heard a few people saying the entertainment was not good. The silent disco was one of the best things I have ever done!

- I really liked the public bathrooms. There was always someone there making sure they stayed spic and span. And actual hand towels - I approve!

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- the artwork throughout the ship was lovely

- our cabin was great, with amazing water pressure in the showers!

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There was also a sofa, coffee table, tv and minibar between the balcony and bedroom area.

- back to food, the Oceanview Cafe felt like it had been lifted from a car ferry. But it was pretty wholeseome, good comfort food. I liked that the Indian food section had actually spicy, hot Indian food, rather than trying to keep it safe. Also, the pizza here was excellent!

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- The bars tended to be understaffed for the amount of people there. This lead to the annoying situation of people arriving at the bar after, being served first. This is an 'amber light' because as the staff recognised us as days went out, we tended to get served pretty quickly. One way we made friends was to ensure we weren't queue jumpers ourselves.

- We went back to QSine for lunch, but it turned out to be a set courses of sea food. Not my first choice. Although, when this arrived, we assumed it was to share. We were wrong!

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- On every excursion, you basically signed your life away. Celebrity weren't responsible for your death or injury. While I'm sure the legality could be challenged, it felt like a real downer. I didn't rate the excursions at all, apart from the one to some ancient Mayan ruins which was fascinating.

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Yes, I felt sick.

- Grand Cayman was particularly disappointing with what appeared to be the mistreatment of the Stingrays. I was delighted to be paddling in water with the rays happily swimming around me, I didn't care for the organisers grabbing them and dragging them over to a circle of us humans. My pal said one of the rays was actually bleeding, but not sure how it was caused. The snorkling was disappointing too - perhaps one of the storms is to blame? Incidentally, the drive back to the ship, was in a word, hair-raising. I didn't feel at all safe.
There was then a hard sell on photographs on the way back, with the boat deliberately slowed down to ensure the hard-sell could be completed. (USD 40 for a few photographs - emailed!!)

- I know it's for health reasons, but having to hold your hand out to get a squirt of cleansing gel every time you went into the Oceanview Cafe felt very child like. But I guess if it prevents Novovirus then who am I to complain?




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- boarding was from a warehouse, basically. Port Everglades Quay 29 was pretty awful. We first queued in blistering sunshine (I'm from London. 24C was blistering!) for an age, before being led into this grim warehouse for security then another huge queue to get our boarding cards.

- there was a faint, yet strange smell around our deck which, was a bit like stale urine. Couldn't really work out why, because a) the ship and cabin was spotless b) it either went away or we got used to it

- had lunch in the main dining room "Grand Cuvee" and it was really poor. We did not return.
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Main course. Asked for medium rare, arrived well done. With no further additions to the plate.

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Strawberry Shortcake, looked nice, tasted of nothing. And no shortcake to be found.

- The up-selling was incessant on days one and two, embarrassingly so. C'mon Celebrity, surely you are better than this? At every bar and restaurant we felt like we were being accosted (we were followed on several occasions by staff trying to get us to upgrade to Premium Drinks and extra dining packages and this was not a good introduction to Celebrity. )

- Believe it or not, these cakes were tasteless. Or tasted the same. Not sure how they achieved this!

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- Wifi was USD249 per device. Having said that, it was fast, and enabled access to Netflix for those lazy moments at sea.

- Certainly not my experience, but during several conversations, other more regular cruisers noted that 'This is not a good ship. Not a good ship at all'. Odd!


Overall then, it was a good experience. I think I would like to try Celebrity Edge, but also see what other brands have to offer.
Don't get me wrong, while I was annoyed by some aspects of the cruise, this is mainly due to what Celebrity promise and what they deliver. I struggle with Celebrity being seen as a more upmarket cruise line. It felt like a Hilton Hotel. (I don't rate Hilton)
WIth eyes wide open, I was happily try Royal Caribbean. They have WATER SLIDES!!

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Ship preferences are a funny funny thing. I've been on several of the Celebrity Solstice class ships which Silhouette is part of and enjoyed them a lot. I've read that some cruisers prefer a smaller ship, a wrap-around promenade deck, another set of elevators, or perhaps the glass blowing instead of a restaurant.

I've also been on RCCL's Anthem and Allure. Oasis (/Allure) class is gigantic with plenty of higher energy activities and I felt the upsell was more frequent than Celebrity. Wifi does cost less, though, which is nice. Quantum (/Anthem) class is also built by Meyer Weft shipyards which did the Solstice class and some refer to it as a mini Solstice. There's a bit less outdoor viewing on the lower levels than Solstice. Can't fully speak for Quantum balcony cabin size comparison as I sailed in a solo cabin on Anthem with large angled balcony. Oasis ocean facing balcony cabin was smaller than standard Solstice class balcony cabin.

I wouldn't say either would wow me if I didn't opt-up for dining or a suite with dedicated suite restaurant as the food budget for the main dining room isn't sufficient for a "Wow" factor. I don't mind paying to opt-up for better food and just factor it into my cruise cost as the next step up to premium line (think Y+) for Azamara, Viking Sea, or Oceania costs a good bit more and has fewer (new) ships. Celebrity markets itself as upmarket but I think of it more as a slightly quieter mass market. When I compare standard balcony pricing to the premium ones, Celebrity's balcony pricing (esp. for Caribbean) is more in line with mass market when I account for cabin, dining opt-up, drink packages, and tips.

Welcome back! Note that this is standard for all cruise lines. The buffet and the main dining are included, and everything else is an upcharge. Celebrity and RCCL even offer optional supplements on the main dining menu now, which I think is obnoxious.

We have done two Celebrity and two RCCL cruises and much preferred Celebrity and will sail with them again this year. So for your first, I think you picked a nice one!

"The buffet and the main dining are included, and everything else is an upcharge. Celebrity and RCCL even offer optional supplements on the main dining menu now, which I think is obnoxious." sounds reasonable to me. 10 bucks add on for a quality prime steak properly cooked is a deal. the quality and prep are better than what i would get in DC in a brand name steak house. so is the service.

the menu choices are not that bad, but the steak is great. try one on me.

lets not talk about the wine prices. royal runs on wine profits.

The upsell is barely noticeable, if at all, on some cruise lines. Disney for sure. The main dining rooms are sort of events in and of themselves so most people don't want to leave the main dining rooms and Disney acknowledges it. Their specialty dining rooms are more for the few guests who really want a more adult meal and to please those guests rather than to make a ton of extra money. They can easily make more money with some upcharge in the main dining room. The upsell isn't very high on Princess either.

I haven't tried Disney or Princess (the latter is on my radar). Celebrity has people standing outside the buffet every afternoon hawking the specialty restaurants and usually offering discounts. One night in the MDR the maitre'd came by and offered us 20% off QSine. I countered at 30% (having read cruise critic) and it was accepted.

Whoah! That's not what I would have expected of a higher end line like Celebrity. I don't even think the cheapy lines like Carnival or Norwegian have a guy offering discounts off the specialty restaurants. Well, they just make the free dining rooms' food so bad, people go more out of desperation.

That is standard operating procedure at Celebrity.

I would not call Celebrity High End.

"Higher end" of the mainstream lines. By "mainstream", I'd say, in terms of the average US (not sure how the lines are marketed in other countries) vacationer's mind, they really just consider cruises amongst Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Disney, Holland, and Celebrity. Cunard is small enough and not well known enough that I wouldn't call them "mainstream".

I'd say this guy's list is pretty accurate, although I'd say Royal Caribbean bleeds into the Premium category. They sorta straddle the line between Mass Market and Premium along with Princess.
http://www.kevinderntravel.com/blog/2016/1/7/intro-to-cruise-line-categories

Mass Market
Carnival
Norwegian
Royal Caribbean

Overview
"Massive ships that offer something for just about everyone, from multiple pools to high-energy shows to bingo. Ideal for families, these cruise lines offer some of the most extensive programs for children and teens."
(Fodor's)

Premium
Holland America
Celebrity
Princess
Cunard
Disney
Azamara
Oceania

"Ships tend to be newer midsize to large vessels that carry fewer passengers than mainstream ships and have a more spacious feel. Even the onboard decor may be a bit more glamorous and subtle than on a mainstream line." (Fodor's)

Luxury
Seabourn
Crystal
Regent Seven Seas
Silversea
Seadream

Luxury cruises offer smaller ships, more interesting ports, better service, higher quality food, more inclusions, and larger cabins.