DHSbutcher
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2013
- Messages
- 441
Absolutely fantastic. We've sailed with them 3 times so far.
First time was in 2007 maybe. We did the Galapagos cruise tour with them, including a stay in Quito, Ecuador, and a 7 night sailing on the Celebrity Expedition. This whole experience
was absolutely phenomenal, definitely a once in a lifetime trip, and extremely different from a normal cruise. The boat fits 100 pax, everything is included- tours, food, alcohol, transportation. The food was great, service was fantastic, and the only problems we had on the trip were physically getting to Quito- thanks American Airlines! But we made it eventually, although missed actually seeing Quito.
The second time was to Alaska on the Infinity back in 2008 or 2009. This was by coincidence- at the time Disney hadn't begun sailing to Alaska, and they were the only option for our dates that sailed out of Seattle- which was important to us as we needed to see some family there too. We booked a concierge class room- and while it was nice- we didn't need it or use it. We had actually found their food options too rich, too much meat, and just too fancy. Sailing in Alaska we would have been happy with a simple crab legs option or something, but instead got lobster stuffed with crab and bacon and a rich sauce etc. That was a common theme. We did a galley tour that trip(on the last sea day) and realized that they could be as accommodating as Disney, they just didn't advertise it. This changed our overall perception of the trip drastically, as we knew for the future this is something we could fix. The overall quality of the ship was fantastic, they took a lot of time and care in Alaska and viewing Glacier Bay. Overall the cruise activities were average, nothing too special on this trip- definitely not Disney. On sea days we spent time in the Solarium(adult only area) where they had a covered pool!! The excursions offered were top notch- seem to be the same as what disney offers. We had signed up to do the Dog Sledding excursion which got canceled due to an avalanche on the mountain, and after consulting us they put us on a private seaplane tour over the glaciers which was so phenomenal. No recollection of what ports we stopped at, but I know we went up close to Hubbard Glacier and also stopped at Victoria, BC.
Most recently in March 2015 we decided to do a last minute spring cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette. It was a Western Caribbean itinerary, perfect price and perfect trip. We departed from Ft. Lauderdale- which was odd for us, and we arrived pretty late driving from Orlando(home.) The port was set up weird and it was very confusing. Once we got on the ship though, all problems went away. Their food had improved, service was fantastic, the cruise was everything we expected. The ship was new, huge, and in excellent condition. I'd say comparable to Fantasy size. There were additional dining options, nice drink packages, lovely facilities, and so many healthy food options. There were no children in our party so no idea how the ship appeals to families, but for Adults it is Brilliant. Definitely a lower cost alternative to Disney, and they do even sail some neat itineraries around the globe!
This cruise stopped at Cozumel(our favorite), Grand Cayman, Falmouth Jamaica, and Labadee- RCL's private corner of Haiti. The worst part of the trip was labadee- we shouldn't have gotten off the bat. Could not find a working bathroom anywhere and they were all flooded. Left and went back to the ship- it was very gross. It was our first time at Grand Cayman, Falmouth, and Labadee and absolutely loved the other ports. We paid 550pp for an inside guarantee room- and received an OBC of 100$ since we booked through AAA. The value of this trip was fantastic, and I hope to sail Celebrity again in the near future.
If you have any other specific questions feel free to ask!
