When reading this review, keep in mind that we are first-time cruisers. Because of that, our review is untarnished by comparisons to other cruise lines, other ships, or past cruises on Celebrity. I'm not going to critique the Ports or excursions because those are the parts of other reviews that I always skip over.
My husband and I (both 50 years old) sailed from Vancouver on Sept 3rd for a 7-Night Northbound Alaska cruise. Our stateroom was a C2 on the Sky Deck, and we had chosen Select dining. My husband had purchased the classic drink package, but I decided not to go that route and paid per drink.
Stateroom:
We found our concierge class stateroom to be just wonderful. There was not a single negative that I could mention. The bed was comfortable, the bedding was clean and there was plenty of storage area for toiletries and clothing. The flowers and sparkling wine that we were promised in our room were in place when we arrived, as were the other promised perks: warm, thick robes, umbrellas, binoculars, tote bags...all accounted for. Fresh flowers and fruit were a nice touch and added a bit of color to the room.
At 4 p.m., our attendant brought a plate of canapés. We always looked forward to seeing what would be brought, and none of them ever went to waste. I could see them not being to some people's tastes. For example, I know lots of people who do not eat seafood, and we saw shrimp on top of some of the canapés several times. (There were some stronger flavored cheeses featured occasionally, as well.) We're always happy to try new things, and enjoyed them a lot.
Select Dining:
Select dining worked out terrific for us. There was some confusion about what we were to do, so we called down the first day and chose a time, asking for a table for 2. When we got to the dining room there was further confusion. It turns out that there's a separate desk for Select Dining, and we were to enter the Metropolitan on the second floor(Level 5 rather than 4) on the starboard side of the ship. When we finally figured this out and presented ourselves at the podium to be seated, we were asked for our room number and if we wanted a table for 2 or wanted to join a table. We thought that was odd, since we had already called down, but decided at the last minute to join a table. I think this option works out great. We were seated immediately as the last two to join a table for 6. Since our table was now filled, we were able to order almost immediately. There was no waiting around for tardy seat mates to show up so the waiter could begin taking orders. On days we didn't feel like joining we were seated at a table for 2, and there was never any waiting. It was seamless.
The Food:
Again, we have nothing to compare the food to. We had read Cruise Critic's Celebrity board before cruising, so we were aware that changes in the menus happen often and that everyone has strong opinions about these changes. We were prepared for mediocre food, but for the most part were very pleased. We had some memorable dishes in the main dining room. My favorite entrée was the Slow Roasted Pork Belly Roulade, with the Lamb Shank "Tagine Style" (with Moroccan spices) as a close second. My husband really enjoyed several of his appetizers: the Shellfish and Saffron Risotto and the Beef Carpaccio.
We had some wonderful lunches in the Aqua Spa Cafe and also enjoyed our dinner in the Olympic Restaurant. The buffet was a buffet, but we each found favorite dishes there, too. We both loved the taste of the pizza, the made-to-order omelets, and the pancakes and waffles. We often ordered room service breakfast and ate out on our balcony.
We did not utilize the "Waterfall Cafe" dining, but talked to a manager in the Ocean View Cafe about it. He told us it was a more casual version of the Main Dining Room experience. A $2 service charge is involved and you need to call down for reservations. A section of the Ocean View dining room (aft section Port side) is cordoned off, and you order from a menu similar to what you order from in the Metropolitan Dining Room. We thought the menu looked very interesting! It is a set menu that does not change, but there are several choices of Appetizer, Soups & Salads, Entrees and Desserts. We never got around to dining there, and that makes me sad. It sounds like a nice option for those who don't feel like changing their clothes for dinner or who are uncomfortable in that sort of an atmosphere.
Drinks:
This was the only sore spot in our cruise experience. For some reason, there seemed to be a sort of ghost town atmosphere in the bars and lounges during the day. We found that we could sit down at a bar and wait for 5-10 minutes to even be acknowledged. We sat down at a table in the Platinum Club bar and waited between 20 and 25 minutes to get that before-dinner drink we wanted. There was only one other table occupied when we got there, and they already had their round of drinks! We rarely found bartenders behind a bar and would have to wait until someone walking by happened to notice us. It became ridiculous, and we were constantly trying to guess what was going on. Was this lounge closed now? Should we leave the bar and just go sit at a table in order to be noticed? Should we leave this table and just go sit directly at the bar in order to get noticed? Where the heck is everyone? Are they all on break?
When we did order drinks, the server would take our order and disappear for a while. Sometimes quite a while. Then they would appear with our drinks and disappear with our cards. Sometimes for quite a while. Then my husband would be given his card back and I would be given the slip to sign for my drink, since I did not have a beverage package. The server would stand over me watching me sign, so I always felt some pressure to tip on top of the 15% automatic tip. To be honest, I did tip more a couple of times, but when I have to work so darn hard just to get a drink, I don't see any need to over tip. When I have to work so hard just to get a drink I actually don't even feel that any tip is warranted. If things had been hopping busy I would certainly have understood the slow service and wait time. My generosity and patience declined sharply as the week wore on and I grew more exasperated with the service.
Officers / Crew:
I was truly surprised by how much interaction there was between the officers and the guests. We had several officers attend our Cruise Connections party. The "Oceans Ahead" programs were great for us as first-timers. We loved the Q and A session with the Captain. We enjoyed seeing officers participate in the "Dancing with the Stripes" competition and the Crew Talent Show. All of the officers seemed very proud of their ship and of the crew members who they were in charge of and they were universally accessible and eager to talk with guests.
As to the crew, I'll keep this short and sweet. We never witnessed anything but smiling faces and helpful staff, even in circumstances where they were not being treated with respect by our fellow passengers.
Miscellaneous:
There was a nice variety of activities, shows, and games offered. We're not Bingo players, but we did attend one watercolor class, played Wheel of Fortune in the Cosmos Lounge one afternoon, and loved the galley tour. The movies that were shown in the Cinema were fairly current. I live in a small town, and did not have the chance to see the Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" until this cruise! Avatar and Julie & Julia are a couple of the other movies I remember seeing listed.
I was totally turned off by the "Shopping Guide" on this cruise. The good news is that I could easily ignore Yvette and her efforts to steer us into the Diamonds International, Tanzanite International and Effy Jewelry stores that were located in each port.
