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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux)
First, let me say, Celebrity could easily become my favorite cruise
line. I thought I would go ahead and say that, just in case anyone was wondering. I also wanted to post this short review before the post-cruise blues sets in. The MOAGC2 (Mother of All Group Cruises) was on the Celebrity Infinity 2-5-06 and this was my second cruise on Celebrity, the first being the Mercury on 12-06-98. I have cruised about 28 times in between these two cruises, but I was not impressed with Celebrity, so I did not go back. Ben Smith, and a few other people, told me that Celebrity had made some changes and I am pleased to say, they were right. We walked into the port building and there was no line for passengers who registered online and were carrying Xpress pass. Everything is going great so far. We entered the ship and everything looked lovely, but we had a hard time finding our cabin. We looked on both sides of the ship and we could not find it. An elderly couple helped us, but it would have been nice if the ship had employees to help. Cabin The cabin was nice and comfy with plenty of space for storage, and I was impressed with the bathroom trash can having a trash can liner. I never use trash cans in ship's bathrooms when there is no liner, so I carry my old tissues and Q-tips to a trash can in the bedroom. It just feels tacky to throw trash into a can with no liner. I also enjoyed the rack on the wall that held the books, the cabin looked less cluttered, this way. When you open the cabin door, it stays open all by itself. That helped when we carried our luggage in and out of the cabin, or when you are waiting for someone to come out of the cabin. The bedspread had a couple of cigarette burns and two of the pillow cases had stains from either lipstick or nail polish. They did not have a good selection on TV but I do not watch television when I am cruising. For someone who is ill, I can see where this would be a problem. There were two wall outlets by the desk... TWO! I thought that was wonderful. I forgot to pack a clock and I go nuts without one, but one TV channel had a clock on it. It bothered my husband because I kept the TV on all night, but then I was going nuts without a clock. Entertainment The entertainment was great, except for the xylophone player. I would have left, but I did not want to insult him. He tried hard and he was very good, but I have no desire to listen to a xylophone for 45 minutes. The band had 7 musicians, they also used prerecorded tracts and some of the singers were lip synching. The singers were weak, except for one of the male singer, he was very good. The dancers were great, so was the couple who flew through the air. She was quite a contortionist and a joy to watch. They only had one comic and was comic juggler, Thien Fu. He was the same comic I saw on the Mercury in 1998. I was disappointed that this was their only comic, although I did enjoy him. There was no midnight comedy, either. Buffet Their breakfast buffet was very good, they had papaya most mornings and they had blueberries and raspberries a few mornings during the week. They had guava-papaya juice, which my husband liked, and their coffee was pretty good. They also had iced tea every morning, which was a plus. We sat in the same area every morning and Oscar Reyes would serve fruit juices, coffee and pastries. They had pizza every day and they had a sandwich station aft. My husband ate one of their hamburgers and he said it tasted "funny". I had one a few days later and he was right, it did taste funny. They had a decent salad bar, but not quite as good as the salad bar on Princess. Other than the sandwich station and the pizzas, their lunch buffet was quite plain. Carnival's lunch buffet is fabulous, by comparison. Dining Room We had a wonderful waiter and assistant waiter, both of them were friendly and efficient. I had dinner at two other tables on two different nights, and those waiters were equally friendly. One waiter let me know, that if I did not like my entree, he could have another one on the table in a matter of minutes, and for me not to hesitate to ask. They also gave us desserts to sample. Several of the people in our group would eat in port and at the special restaurant, so we had a lot of empty chairs at our tables. You could see empty chairs elsewhere in the restaurant, too. One couple was so disappointed in the food, they ate at the special restaurant 3 nights. I liked their vegetables and their salmon was very good. Their prime rib was tough and their lobsters were small and overly salty. You can laugh at Carnival, but their prime rib is so tender you can cut it with a fork. If you order a steak off the menu, it is tough. When you order a steak off the menu on Carnival, it is a filet mignon. I only ordered dessert once, but I noticed that many of their desserts were made from sponge cake. If I was choosing a cruise line for food, it would not be Celebrity, but they have other advantages. They had so few children, I knew all of them by sight. They made very few announcements. The T-pool area was a nice spot for the group to gather and there were no children there. Outdoors by the buffet, they had wooden tables and chairs, which I liked. The Infinity had a few rusty spots and some soiled carpeting, but I heard the ship is soon to be refurbished. What is hard to forgive, is how dirty the T-pool area was. On the first day of the cruise, we saw a couple of old band-aids laying out by the pool and a couple of nicotene patches. These old band-aids and patches were sitting on the edge of the T-pool every day, all week, so this area was never swept or cleaned. You can see a ring around the inside of the pool, and I assume this is from suntan lotion. When you rubbed on it, the ring would come off, but they never cleaned the pool all week. Someone commented, that the water at Orient Beach was cleaner than the water in the T-pool. I looked down at the water, and he was right. Still, it was a quiet spot with no children and they did have nice wooden lounge chairs. Carnival has the best food, IMO, but at my age food is not everything. Royal Caribbean's Voyager Class ships are a lot of fun, and I enjoy cruising on RCI, but they are not my favorite cruise line. After my cruise on the Norwegian Sun in December, NCL is way down on the list. It is tough to say whether Celebrity or Princess is my favorit, but right now I choose Princess because they have Personal Choice dining. Princess also has fresh water swimming pools and they have MUTS (Movies Under The Stars) on some of their ships, and I enjoy that. Celebrity had several beverages in the buffet, Princess only offers coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Celebrity serves hand dipped ice cream all day and you have to buy ice cream on Princess. Would I cruise on Celebrity again? You betcha! Becca |
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux)
Terrific overview, Becca. So nice to read all about your fun.
Diana |
#3
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux) To Becca
"Becca" wrote in message
What is hard to forgive, is how dirty the T-pool area was. On the first day of the cruise, we saw a couple of old band-aids laying out by the pool and a couple of nicotene patches. These old band-aids and patches were sitting on the edge of the T-pool every day, all week, so this area was never swept or cleaned. You can see a ring around the inside of the pool, and I assume this is from suntan lotion. When you rubbed on it, the ring would come off, but they never cleaned the pool all week. Becca, you're scarin' me! I've never been on Celebrity and I'm going on Constellation on 3/18! Now you're saying that Carnival has better food, and the entertainment is okay, and the pool is dirty, and I'm trying to figure out why you like Celebrity the best? Help, help, help!!! I got a great deal on Celebrity but I'm biting my nails, here because I'll never hear the end from my husband for switching..... -- Shauna ))) |
#4
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux) To Becca
Shauna wrote:
Becca, you're scarin' me! I've never been on Celebrity and I'm going on Constellation on 3/18! Now you're saying that Carnival has better food, and the entertainment is okay, and the pool is dirty, and I'm trying to figure out why you like Celebrity the best? Help, help, help!!! I got a great deal on Celebrity but I'm biting my nails, here because I'll never hear the end from my husband for switching..... Shauna, I had a wonderful time on the Infinity and I would go back tomorrow, if I had the chance. I enjoyed it so much, I am looking forward to cruising with Celebrity again. The ship was nice and clean, except for the T-pool area. The nicotine patches and the band-aids were sitting there all week. None of us mentioned it, and maybe we should have. I am not sure what the problem was, maybe the staff or the supervisor in that area were new. When I cruised with my children on Carnival, we went to 3 adults only, midnight comedy shows. On that cruise, they had 4 different comics. The three of us enjoy stand-up comedy, so when we went to Las Vegas for Christmas one year, we visited a few comedy clubs. Celebrity did not have any midnight comedy, and they only had one comic all week. From what I could tell, not much was happening on the ship after midnight. I had a wonderful time on the cruise, but young people may enjoy a more active ship. The Infinity was active enough for old folks like myself. The entertainment on the Infinity was good, they had 4-5 singers and dancers who danced their little hearts out. I did not walk out on any of the shows, although I did not care to hear the xylophone for that long. They had a couple of French adagio performers who were amazing to watch. The breakfast buffet on the Infinity was nice. Given a choice between breakfast on the Infinity or on Carnival, I would choose the Infinity. They offered more fruits and berries, I also liked their pastries, although I tried to avoid them (well, sometimes). They offered more variety of bagels than just the plain bagel that you find on Carnival. Carnival offers a large variety of food on their lunch buffet. The lunch buffet on the Infinity was nothing special, but I always found something to eat. They had a nice salad bar and I liked the sandwich area. The food in the dining room on the Infinity was pretty good. They leave baskets of bread on the table, which I like. They have butter, instead of the "whipped" butter that Carnival is now using. I also liked their vegetables. If I did not want any of the entrees on the menu, I ordered salmon and it was very good. The steak, off the menu, was tough. The prime rib on Celebrity was not tender, like the prime rib on Carnival. There are things I liked about the Infinity. At 6:00 every morning, some of us would meet and have coffee. We would sit outdoors, at wooden tables with wooden chairs. This may not mean much to some people, but I like wooden chairs, so it meant a lot to me. There were no announcements, which made this cruise very relaxing. There were few children on the ship, so it was very quiet. The cabin door would stay open all by itself, making it easy to bring luggage in and out. They had two electrical outlets at the desk, which I thought was great. There were several small things that I liked, and it all adds up. Carnival and Celebrity are different, but I like both of them. Right now, I would not take my children on Celebrity, because they are young and they enjoy a more active ship. I may talk to them about cruising on the MOAGC3, it will be on the Freedom of the Seas, and I think they would really enjoy that ship. Shauna, I hope you enjoy the Constellation as much as I enjoyed cruising on the Infinity. I had a great time. You will have to let us know how you liked it, when you get back. You will be cruising in only 4 more weeks. Wish I was going with you! Becca |
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux)
Answered inline:
"Becca" wrote in message ... We walked into the port building and there was no line for passengers who registered online and were carrying Xpress pass. Everything is going great so far. We entered the ship and everything looked lovely, but we had a hard time finding our cabin. We looked on both sides of the ship and we could not find it. An elderly couple helped us, but it would have been nice if the ship had employees to help. We found the embarkation very easy and swift on both the MSC Opera and Infinity, Becca. Entertainment The entertainment was great, except for the xylophone player. I would have left, but I did not want to insult him. He tried hard and he was very good, but I have no desire to listen to a xylophone for 45 minutes. The band had 7 musicians, they also used prerecorded tracts and some of the singers were lip synching. The singers were weak, except for one of the male singer, he was very good. The dancers were great, so was the couple who flew through the air. She was quite a contortionist and a joy to watch. They only had one comic and was comic juggler, Thien Fu. He was the same comic I saw on the Mercury in 1998. I was disappointed that this was their only comic, although I did enjoy him. There was no midnight comedy, either. Glad that I did not go the night of the xylophone player...that would have been too much for me to sit through! I did enjoy the comic, Thien Fu, as I had never heard him before and he was very good at juggling, which does not interest me much usually...you know the expression *You've seen one, you've seen them all* Which is probably not fair, but its like going to the circus twice in a year sort of thing. ;-) Buffet Their breakfast buffet was very good, they had papaya most mornings and they had blueberries and raspberries a few mornings during the week. They had guava-papaya juice, which my husband liked, and their coffee was pretty good. They also had iced tea every morning, which was a plus. I really enjoyed the papaya fruit and pineapple, but where was I the mornings that they had they had the raspberries (my favorite) and blueberries??? Probably late arriving or not looking around enough! ;-( The Infinity had a few rusty spots and some soiled carpeting, but I heard the ship is soon to be refurbished. What is hard to forgive, is how dirty the T-pool area was. On the first day of the cruise, we saw a couple of old band-aids laying out by the pool and a couple of nicotene patches. These old band-aids and patches were sitting on the edge of the T-pool every day, all week, so this area was never swept or cleaned. You can see a ring around the inside of the pool, and I assume this is from suntan lotion. When you rubbed on it, the ring would come off, but they never cleaned the pool all week. Someone commented, that the water at Orient Beach was cleaner than the water in the T-pool. I looked down at the water, and he was right. Still, it was a quiet spot with no children and they did have nice wooden lounge chairs. The soiled areas and rust I saw, but I did not know that the T-pool was that bad; but then I observed y'all from a distance..The area was so attractive..it's too bad they neglected it.. Carnival has the best food, IMO, but at my age food is not everything. Royal Caribbean's Voyager Class ships are a lot of fun, and I enjoy cruising on RCI, but they are not my favorite cruise line. After my cruise on the Norwegian Sun in December, NCL is way down on the list. I agree, so far the last Carnival ships that we have sailed on have had the best food. HAL, Celebrity and Princess tie for second place...that of course, it subjective.. We'll see if Carnival has managed to keep that place when we get on the Conquest this October! I like Princess because of their Personal Choice Dining and I think that is the reason that I like NCL...both their relaxed attire and their Freestyle Dining. But then you know already, that I like the variety offered by different cruise lines. Would I cruise on Celebrity again? You betcha! Me too! Thanks for posting an interesting review...I enjoy hearing how different and same the opinions of the passengers on the very same sailing are! --Jean Becca |
#6
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux) To Becca
Phewwww!, I am now letting my breath out in a sigh of relief as I value your
opinion I like Carnival too, and think their food is the best of all the lines I have been on so far. I am sure Celebrity's will be great because I like light dishes and fruits and it sounds like they excel in this regard. I do know if I find that the T pool area isn't clean, I'm going to complain right away, so that they clean it! (I'm not swimming with other peoples band-aids all week We are not taking our kids so quiet is fine with me. I have had such a great time reading the tips here and on Cruise Critic, I feel like I know the ship before I get on. We were able to get a military discount, that I had no idea we were entitled to because my husband was out of the service for a long time. This saved us many hundreds of dollars. I had never thought to ask before. I feel so blessed to be going. Anyway you are right 4 weeks to go and time to get the suitcases out (well almost!) Shauna -- Shauna ))) "Becca" wrote in message ... Shauna wrote: Becca, you're scarin' me! I've never been on Celebrity and I'm going on Constellation on 3/18! Now you're saying that Carnival has better food, and the entertainment is okay, and the pool is dirty, and I'm trying to figure out why you like Celebrity the best? Help, help, help!!! I got a great deal on Celebrity but I'm biting my nails, here because I'll never hear the end from my husband for switching..... Shauna, I had a wonderful time on the Infinity and I would go back tomorrow, if I had the chance. I enjoyed it so much, I am looking forward to cruising with Celebrity again. The ship was nice and clean, except for the T-pool area. The nicotine patches and the band-aids were sitting there all week. None of us mentioned it, and maybe we should have. I am not sure what the problem was, maybe the staff or the supervisor in that area were new. When I cruised with my children on Carnival, we went to 3 adults only, midnight comedy shows. On that cruise, they had 4 different comics. The three of us enjoy stand-up comedy, so when we went to Las Vegas for Christmas one year, we visited a few comedy clubs. Celebrity did not have any midnight comedy, and they only had one comic all week. From what I could tell, not much was happening on the ship after midnight. I had a wonderful time on the cruise, but young people may enjoy a more active ship. The Infinity was active enough for old folks like myself. The entertainment on the Infinity was good, they had 4-5 singers and dancers who danced their little hearts out. I did not walk out on any of the shows, although I did not care to hear the xylophone for that long. They had a couple of French adagio performers who were amazing to watch. The breakfast buffet on the Infinity was nice. Given a choice between breakfast on the Infinity or on Carnival, I would choose the Infinity. They offered more fruits and berries, I also liked their pastries, although I tried to avoid them (well, sometimes). They offered more variety of bagels than just the plain bagel that you find on Carnival. Carnival offers a large variety of food on their lunch buffet. The lunch buffet on the Infinity was nothing special, but I always found something to eat. They had a nice salad bar and I liked the sandwich area. The food in the dining room on the Infinity was pretty good. They leave baskets of bread on the table, which I like. They have butter, instead of the "whipped" butter that Carnival is now using. I also liked their vegetables. If I did not want any of the entrees on the menu, I ordered salmon and it was very good. The steak, off the menu, was tough. The prime rib on Celebrity was not tender, like the prime rib on Carnival. There are things I liked about the Infinity. At 6:00 every morning, some of us would meet and have coffee. We would sit outdoors, at wooden tables with wooden chairs. This may not mean much to some people, but I like wooden chairs, so it meant a lot to me. There were no announcements, which made this cruise very relaxing. There were few children on the ship, so it was very quiet. The cabin door would stay open all by itself, making it easy to bring luggage in and out. They had two electrical outlets at the desk, which I thought was great. There were several small things that I liked, and it all adds up. Carnival and Celebrity are different, but I like both of them. Right now, I would not take my children on Celebrity, because they are young and they enjoy a more active ship. I may talk to them about cruising on the MOAGC3, it will be on the Freedom of the Seas, and I think they would really enjoy that ship. Shauna, I hope you enjoy the Constellation as much as I enjoyed cruising on the Infinity. I had a great time. You will have to let us know how you liked it, when you get back. You will be cruising in only 4 more weeks. Wish I was going with you! Becca |
#7
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux)
Becca wrote: I also enjoyed the rack on the wall that held the books, the cabin looked less cluttered, this way. The rack on the wall kept the books, beach towels etc out of our way. I thought that was a very nice design feature and hope to find it on other ships in the future. They did not have a good selection on TV but I do not watch television when I am cruising. For someone who is ill, I can see where this would be a problem. There were two wall outlets by the desk... TWO! I thought that was wonderful. I only noticed the poor tv selection when I found out about the east coast blizzard and wanted to find out what was happening. If someone was ill and stuck in the cabin, there were always movies. I also LOVED having two outlets by the deck!! The T-pool area was a nice spot for the group to gather and there were no children there. The T-pool was heaven and no matter when I went, there was always someone from our group there. Becca, thanks for your review. Kevin is still working on ours.LOL sue |
#8
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux)
Jean O'Boyle wrote: We found the embarkation very easy and swift on both the MSC Opera and Infinity, Becca. Embarkation and debarkation on the Infinity was the best we have ever experienced. Their breakfast buffet was very good, they had papaya most mornings and they had blueberries and raspberries a few mornings during the week. They had guava-papaya juice, which my husband liked, and their coffee was pretty good. They also had iced tea every morning, which was a plus. I really enjoyed the papaya fruit and pineapple, but where was I the mornings that they had they had the raspberries (my favorite) and blueberries??? Probably late arriving or not looking around enough! ;-( We only had breakfast at the buffet one time, but I remember them having papaya. I don't mind that we missed the other berries at breakfast. At dinnertime we both had blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for dessert, for dietary reasons. After seeing our berries day after day a couple of others at our table ordered them and it was no problem. I agree, so far the last Carnival ships that we have sailed on have had the best food. HAL, Celebrity and Princess tie for second place...that of course, it subjective.. I think the food on the Infinity was very, very good, but the Carnival Conquest food was just a little better. The conquest lunch buffet was wonderful and varied, the Infinity was good, but didn't have the same variety. We never had a problem finding something good to eat and that is what is important. sue |
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux) To Becca
Shauna wrote: I am sure Celebrity's will be great because I like light dishes and fruits and it sounds like they excel in this regard. Shauna, be sure to check out the "spa cusine" that is by the T-pool. Kevin and I didn't take advantage of it, it just didn't work with his diabetic diet. The food they had there was very light and looked very good. Next time I will try it without him.LOL sue |
#10
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MOAGC2 (aka Celebrity Part Deux)
Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote:
I think the food on the Infinity was very, very good, but the Carnival Conquest food was just a little better. The conquest lunch buffet was wonderful and varied, the Infinity was good, but didn't have the same variety. We never had a problem finding something good to eat and that is what is important. sue Carnival has more variety on their lunch buffet, I agree with you. The Infinity had wonderful breakfast buffet. I had grapefruit, eggs, bacon, a pastry and 1/2 bagel with cream cheese. At lunch, I would eat a salad to cancel out the bad stuff I ate at breakfast. Now that I think about it, I can see why my diet is not working.g Becca |
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