Celebrity Newbie Questions- comparisions to DCL?

[Angeliki19]

Hi! We just got off DCL Fantasy.. it was fabulous. That was our third DCL cruise as a family. I am actually sailing on the Celebrity Reflection in a month for a girls-only bachelorette party weekend. Our itinerary is Fort Lauderdale- Nassau-Bimini- Fort Lauderdale. I have never sailed with Celebrity and feeling a little overwhelmed now! A few questions:

1) Is the online check-in process similar to DCL as far as wanting to be on top of it for a good port arrival time?

2) We booked our excursions through DCL for convenience and peace of mind. Is the same thing recommended with Celebrity?

3) We booked the "anytime seating" for meals. I read different things regarding needing to make a reservation that day vs. just showing up. Can someone clarify?

4) We are three staterooms all together- how do we link our rooms so we are all seated together for meals (or is that not needed with the anytime?)

5) Does Celebrity provide towels for excursions?

6) Anything else that would be helpful to know that is vastly different than DCL?

Thanks!!! I am excited but a little nervous as I don't know what to expect and will be shepherding a bunch of drunk moms, ha!

 

[starvenger]

I would assume that the process with Celebrity is similar to Royal. But it might be best to check in at CC to see if there are any Celebrity primers.

Best of luck coraling all the drunk moms, and have fun!

 

[Lesverts]

Hi! We just got off DCL Fantasy.. it was fabulous. That was our third DCL cruise as a family. I am actually sailing on the Celebrity Reflection in a month for a girls-only bachelorette party weekend. Our itinerary is Fort Lauderdale- Nassau-Bimini- Fort Lauderdale. I have never sailed with Celebrity and feeling a little overwhelmed now! A few questions:

1) Is the online check-in process similar to DCL as far as wanting to be on top of it for a good port arrival time?

Celebrity is not nearly as strict about PAT. Doing your online check-in just makes the port process so much easier. Just aim to head to the port sometime after 11am, getting there around noon and you'll be fine.

2) We booked our excursions through DCL for convenience and peace of mind. Is the same thing recommended with Celebrity?

I've done both, if you are comfortable with the choice and the price book through Celebrity. If you are comfortable doing your own thing do that. Both those ports have fairly easy do it yourself beach days.

3) We booked the "anytime seating" for meals. I read different things regarding needing to make a reservation that day vs. just showing up. Can someone clarify?

If you have anytime you can go into your Celebrity account and prebook your dinner times, or can book once you get onboard or just show up. Wait should be minimum no matter which way you go. If you all want to set together it is better to do it onboard.

4) We are three staterooms all together- how do we link our rooms so we are all seated together for meals (or is that not needed with the anytime?)

5) Does Celebrity provide towels for excursions?

Yes, your room attendant will leave a towel in your room the night before.

6) Anything else that would be helpful to know that is vastly different than DCL?

Thanks!!! I am excited but a little nervous as I don't know what to expect and will be shepherding a bunch of drunk moms, ha!

 

[kittylady1972]

We just returned from our FIRST Celebrity cruise. Before that we have done 12 Disney cruises only. We went out of Ft Lauderdale. I just did a mini review here.

Here is how I would answer your questions now:

1) Is the online check-in process similar to DCL as far as wanting to be on top of it for a good port arrival time?
Our port arrival time at Ft. Lauderdale was 1:30pm and we arrived closer to 1pm I think. We found the port just fine, the guy outside yelling at us to make sure we had our passports was annoying. We stood in some somewhat formed lines after going through security, and they just looked at our passports and our online check-in stuff and sent it on the ship even though it was before our official port arrival time. I'm guess that's because it was late morning/early afternoon.

2) We booked our excursions through DCL for convenience and peace of mind. Is the same thing recommended with Celebrity?

Don't know, we stopped only at Key West and just booked parasailing at the port in person.

3) We booked the "anytime seating" for meals. I read different things regarding needing to make a reservation that day vs. just showing up. Can someone clarify?

Don't know we booked the early seating.

4) We are three staterooms all together- how do we link our rooms so we are all seated together for meals (or is that not needed with the anytime?)

We linked our 3 rooms in the app...similar to Disney...and I will stay that one of our party was actually schedule to be seated at a different table next to us with another party. However since our table sat 6 (and there were supposed to be 7 of us but one didn't make the trip) my son just sat at the table with us with no issues. I don't know why we were not seated together in first place having linked them all and booked together with our TA.

5) Does Celebrity provide towels for excursions?

YES they do...but this works differently in that they are in the room the night before and you MUST return them to the room...or you will be charged. They even say you can buy them but they are nothing special, no logo or anything on them...just plain towels at least for us. So of course we made sure we held onto them. I didn't enjoy schlepping my dirty towels back onto the ship from the beach and leaving them in my room...but we did just that.

6) Anything else that would be helpful to know that is vastly different than DCL?

See the towel thing above. Also speaking of towels we had NO towel animals in our room EVER...this made me sad but our attending still kept our room up very well and was very nice. We did get papers every night of the next day activities, which I loved...hate that DCL has gotten rid of these. As I put in my review (probably not the best place for it on this forum) I thought the food at the buffet and the MDR was better on Celebrity and had more options. I was glad Celebrity had an evening buffet which was fun...and my 19yo never missed that one! I felt the room service options on Celebrity were not as good, didn't use it at all. The drinks were not as good, and my husband was sad about the lack of high level alcohol options being a Whiskey person. I was not tempted at all to try too many of the mixed drinks as they never appeared to have alcohol in them, exception was the martini bar which had great drinks and even better entertainment. I missed DCL Bingo (we had one Bingo night which was okay...and they only used paper cards which seemed more fair to everyone). The casino was okay but I didn't play though some of my family members tried it. I thought the overall cruise ship service was good. Also very very very few kids on our cruise...makes sense as there wasn't much for kids to do. Lots of adult activities scheduled and we tried a few. Didn't love their trivia as much and the prize of a pop socket...kinda lame. Coco Cay the private island was lovely and huge...loved the pool and beach there, but the food was just meh to me.

 

[Dug720]

I didn't enjoy schlepping my dirty towels back onto the ship from the beach and leaving them in my room...but we did just that.

You could always get them from the pool deck and leave the ones your stateroom hosts provide untouched.

You would still have to bring them back though. I don't know of any cruise line who sends people to all the potential beaches people might visit to pick up towels passengers don't want to "schlep back to the ship".

 

[kittylady1972]

I guess I'm thinking of our DCL trips where on their private island they places all over the island where y.ou can leave the towels...I don't have to bring them back to the ship. I'm trying to recall how it works for other stops...but yes I think we got towels for other island stops but again they weren't tracked since you got them as you got off the ship so you could get one or two or ten but they weren't tracked to you individually so if they didn't make it back to the ship...nobody would know and you wouldn't be charged for them.

 

[Dug720]

I guess if you want to leave ship towels somewhere they won't be brought back (and a) litter wherever you are and b) cost the ship money), you could get them from the pool deck and just leave the ones your steward leaves in your cabin in your cabin. Because no, they are not going searching beaches after them. Even on Perfect Day at Coco Cay the expectation was that unless you were in a cabana or beach bed where towels are provided you take your towels back to the ship.

I can't imagine not taking them back. Even at Castaway they have bins at the ship to dump them in. It's NOT that big of a deal to bring them back. And it saves the crew the EXTRA work of having to find them.