Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises is among the very best of the American mainstream lines. With some of the most elegant mainstream ships in the industry, Celebrity offers the best of both worlds: a refined cruise experience with pampering and fine food, yet one that is fun at a price average people can afford.

Each of the Celebrity Cruises ships is spacious, glamorous, and comfortable, mixing sleekly modern and updated classic styles, and throwing in astoundingly cutting-edge art collections to boot.

The genteel service on board is exceptional for a mainstream product. Staff members are exceedingly polite and professional, and contribute to the elegant shipboard mood. Dining-wise, Celebrity shines, offering innovative cuisine with a French influence that’s a cut above what’s offered by most other mainstream lines (though not as good as luxury lines).

There’s plenty to do on Celebrity Cruises ships, but the focus is on mellower, more relaxing pursuits. Innovative programming helps set the line apart from the pack.

Niceties such as roving a cappella bands and magicians who sidle up to your table to entertain during pre- and post-dinner drinks, lend a personal touch.

Celebrity gets the “best of” nod in a lot of categories: The AquaSpas, with their indoor thalasso therapy pools, are the best at sea; the art collections the most compelling; the cigar bars the most plush; and the onboard activities among the most varied. Cabins are good size (there is really not a bad cabin in the house) and Celebrity pampers suite guests with butler service. Guests in any cabin can get in-cabin pizza delivery.

Pros

• Spectacular spas and gyms - Gorgeous to look at and well stocked to suffice to everyone’s requirements.

• Focus on food - The quality of cuisine is top among mainstream ships.

• Innovative everything - Entertainment, art, cigar bars, service, spas, and cuisine are some of the most creative in the industry.

Cons

• Semi-private verandas - Many of the huge “private” verandas are really only semi-private (keep that robe on!).

• Occasional crowding - Pack a couple thousand people onto a ship (pretty much any ship) and you’ll get crowds sometimes, such as at buffets and when debarking.

THE FLEET

The line’s ships in Europe include some of its newest—the 77,000-ton, 1,870-passenger Galaxy (debuted in 1996), and the virtual twin ships, the 1,950-passenger, 91,000-ton Millennium (2000) and Constellation (2002). With their distinctive exterior, large cabin size, innovative spa, and fine dining, there’s no mistaking for which line these ships sail.

PASSENGER PROFILE

Celebrity vessels attract a wide range of ages and backgrounds, although the common denominator among passengers is that they want a toned-down, elegant brand of fun cruise: lots of activity, without the wild or nutty atmosphere you get aboard some other megaships. And they want (and get) reasonable pricing. This line particularly focuses on middle- to upper-middle-income cruisers.

ENTERTAINMENT

This line offers a varied selection when it comes to entertainment, including some innovations. For instance, on many cruises a roving a cappella group or wandering magician performs in lounges and public areas. You’ll typically find a harpist playing at dinnertime in the atrium, and sometimes a classical trio will serenade guests.

In the high tech, state-of-the-art theatre, there are the usual Broadway-style musicals led by a sock-it-to-’em soloist or two and a team of lip-syncing dancers in full Vergas-esque regalia. Other nights in the theatre, you’ll find magicians, comedians, cabaret acts, and passenger talent shows. If you want something more cozy, retreat to the piano bar or hear live jazz or music from the big-band era in one of the lounges. The late-night crowd can enjoy disco dancing, usually until 3am. Other offerings include karaoke, and the showing of new-release movies.

The outstanding overall quality and high rate of satisfaction has made Celebrity cruises one of the most sought after cruise vacation in the European cruise calendar, and on its part, Celebrity cruises has been raising the bar higher and higher each year, well out of the reach of its competition.

Bookmark this page

Delicious Diigo Fark Furl Google Bookmarks Spurl Stumbleupon Yahoo My Web Technorati Reddit Digg