Top 12 Reasons To Sail With Celebrity Cruises

If you love to cruise like me, chances are, you’ve tried a few cruise lines. While some are quite different from the next, others have created a great brand that works for them. Celebrity Cruises marketing slogan is “modern luxury lives here,” and if you’ve sailed on a Celebrity Cruise ship, you’ll know this to be true. I remember researching a cruise line for my very first cruise, a 7-day roundtrip cruise to Alaska. When asking a few travel agents which cruise lines to recommend, they suggested Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. I booked with Celebrity Cruises, and that first cruise was not only magical, but I became hooked on cruising for life. If you’re thinking of booking a cruise vacation, here are some great reasons to sail with Celebrity Cruises.

The Welcome Aboard Champagne

The moment you step onboard a Celebrity ship, you’ll receive a welcome aboard complimentary glass of champagne or mimosa. As you wander through the elegant ship sipping your champagne, you can’t help but notice the touches of modern luxury, high-end art collection, and overall sophisticated décor.

Modern Luxury

Step onto a Celebrity Cruise ship, and be wowed by its modern luxury and swanky décor. While some cruise lines try to stand out with their outrageous color schemes and dare I say, tacky decor, Celebrity ships are timeless and elegant.

Their roomy staterooms remind me of a boutique hotel, and open areas have clean lines, modern furnishings, and trendy artwork. I recently sailed on the Celebrity Eclipse, and while it’s scheduled to have some updates in 2020, in my opinion, some areas don’t need it. The main dining room is timeless and classic in white and crystal. How can you ever go wrong with white, right?

Larger Staterooms

While I have done over a dozen cruises in the last ten years, I realized that not all cabins are created equal. I have tried to tour as many staterooms as possible through Cruise Critics cabin crawls and at other times, crew members have allowed me to view empty cabins on turnaround day. Comparing the same class of cabin from cruise line to cruise line, Celebrity Cruises generally offer one of the largest cabins.

I recently sailed on the Celebrity Eclipse, which is a Solstice class ship, and the veranda cabin offered more storage than any other cruise ship I have sailed. The cabin measured 185sq feet with a large closet, over the bed storage (something I have never seen before), plenty of drawers for clothes and room under the bed for large suitcases. The balcony was bigger than all the other ships I had sailed. There was no need to move the patio chairs when entering and exiting the veranda. Having a bigger stateroom is one of the best reasons to sail with Celebrity Cruises.

The bathroom was the largest I have used, with lots of storage and a large shower with no pesky shower curtain. I think having a shower door was my favorite part of the whole cabin. I always hated the plastic curtains that always wanted to stick to you like super glue. Anyone who has cruised before will understand this dilemma.

Bedtime Chocolate

After a long day at sea or a busy day in port, it’s nice to come back to your cabin or “home away from home” to a turned down bed and chocolates on the pillow. If you’re lactose intolerant like me, don’t worry. Just speak to your cabin steward, and he/she will leave you dark chocolate instead. I only had to mention once that I couldn’t eat milk chocolate, and my steward left dark chocolate every night for the balance of my 12-day cruise. And let me tell you, those chocolates disappeared before my head hit the pillow, lol.

Towels Instead Of Paper

One of the things I loved about Celebrity Cruises was their use of real towels in the public bathrooms instead of paper. Celebrity Cruises’ “Save the Waves” program makes a commitment to reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever possible. It was refreshing to see fresh rolled up white towels in the bathrooms instead of paper towels. Walking into a Celebrity public bathroom is reminiscent of using a bathroom in a luxury hotel. Their use of cotton towels is a small step to creating less garbage, which, in turn, protects the world’s oceans and the marine life that lives in it.

Hot Glass Class

Celebrity Cruises has teamed up with The Corning Museum of Glass to bring you hot glass classes at sea. Not only are the classes fun but educational too. Celebrity Cruises hot glass blowing class is offered on three of their cruise ships; the Eclipse, Equinox, and Solstice. Who would have ever imagined that you could blow your own glass out on the ocean on a cruise ship?

Individual classes are approximately 20 mins, and you can choose to make a variety of items from a simple paperweight to a fluted vase. The classes are popular and fill up fast, especially since many passengers on my ship were booking more than one class. Where else can you create your own unique art piece while at sea? Making your own blown glass has to be one of the best reasons to sail with Celebrity Cruises.

Le Petite Chef At Qsine

Le Petite Chef at Qsine offers a one-of-a-kind 3D animation dining experience. This dining experience is beautifully choreographed with an elegant menu created by Celebrity’s Michelin Star Chef. During your meal, a tiny chef is projected onto your place setting. During my cruise on the Eclipse, I watched intently as this whimsical chef magically creates each course of my dinner. After he created my course, the waiters bought out the real food for me to enjoy. There are two seating times and everyone in the dining room sees the animation at the same time.

The food at Qsine was reasonably good, but the animation really made for an extraordinary experience. If you haven’t done this before, I would highly recommend it. This 3D dining experience is available on the Celebrity Reflection, Infinity, Eclipse, and the Silhouette. While the cost to dine at Qsine might be a little costly, consider booking on one of the first two night when they offer discounts.

Use Of Items

On my first Celebrity Cruise, the ship left a complimentary bag in my stateroom. It was nice to have an extra tote bag to use during port days. However, on my last trip, the stateroom included an umbrella to use, should you need it. While it was sunny in Hawaii and no need for an umbrella, it was great to know this was available for use on all cruises. In Alaska, this little umbrella would be much appreciated since it rains a great deal. The cruise line also leaves beach towels in your cabin to use on port days.

Martini Bar

If you love martinis, then one of the best reasons to sail with Celebrity Cruises is their Martini Bar. The Martini Bar is by far the coolest bar I’ve experienced on any cruise ship. The ice-topped bar has samples of liquor wedged into the ice and makes for quite a statement. Even if you don’t drink, the bar is a fun place to visit just for the lively atmosphere and the fun entertainment. Hang around the bar for a while and witness the skillful bartenders shaking up some fantastic cocktail concoctions like a banana split martini or a black forest martini.

These are not just ordinary bartenders but high energy entertainers. If you love martinis, why not order a martini flight? It’s not just a series of drinks but an exhilarating show. Watch as the accomplished bartenders shake, juggle and twirl their tumblers before standing on the bar to pour out a round of colored and delicious martinis. It was tempting to order a martini flight even though I don’t drink, just for the entertainment, lol. One night as I stopped at the Martini Bar, I witnessed the bartenders doing a double martini flight; a total of 30 miniature martinis. And wow, was it exciting to watch!

First-Class Entertainment

Contrary to what some people believe, there is never a dull moment at sea. In fact, the best cruise ships keep you busy both day and night. What better way to start your evening than with a Broadway-like show? On a Celebrity ship, the entertainment is first-class with not only musical shows but magicians, acrobats, pianists, and comedians. 

The singing and dancing are so incredible on the Eclipse that the seats would fill up incredibly fast. During one night in Hawaii, some local people came aboard to entertain us with their traditional Hawaiian and Polynesian song and dance. The tiny 4 and 5 years old mesmerized us with their fantastic hula dance.

By far, my favorite show on the Eclipse is called “Topper.” The musical features Sir Stuart Peabody, his giant hat and his collection of eccentric friends. If you have ever seen a Cirque Du Soleil show, this one is very similar in the way it is presented.

Celebrity’s Heartbeat Of the Operations Galley Tour

Celebrity Cruises offers its passengers the heartbeat of the operations galley tour. While cruises are climbing in price and companies are finding more ways to make money, this tour is entirely free.

If you want a peek into what happens in the ship’s kitchen or galley, I can highly commend this tour. Be sure to check your daily newsletter for the day and time. If you want more information on this very popular sea day activity, read “Celebrity’s heartbeat of the operations galley tour.”

The Lawn Club

If you plan to sail a Celebrity Solstice class ship, you’ll have the luxury of being able to feel the grass between your toes. You’ll enjoy a half acre of real grass on each of the Solstice Class ships. On most days, this grassy area was not frequented by cruise ship passengers. So, it’s the perfect spot for an afternoon picnic or a quiet place to read a book. Games like bocce ball or croquet are available for use during the day.

During my Easter cruise on the Eclipse, the lawn club provided the perfect area for the children’s Easter egg hunt. The little ones were even treated to a visit from the Easter bunny.

There are many great reasons to sail with Celebrity Cruises but here are my top 12 reasons. If there are other reasons that keep bringing you back to Celebrity Cruises, I’d love to hear about them. 

Happy travels ~ Karen