Cruise Reviews
Cruise Line: Celebrity Finally, I thought, for once and for all I would be able to decide for myself whether Celebrity Cruises are any nicer than the other mass market cruise lines. For over a year, I had read on the different bulletin boards on the Internet a debate over and over on this topic. It seemed to me that the cruising public was almost evenly divided. Many sang the praises of Celebrity but just as many decried that is was nothing but a big sham, an ad campaign and nothing more. I couldn't wait to decide for myself.
Embarkation The Cabin The Ship There was plenty of deck space and we never had to search for a chair. The deck chairs around the pool have navy blue cushions and look really nice with the camel color beach towels provided. We usually found a quiet spot either up front or aft, away from all of the action. The health spa was definitely too small for a ship this size. It had very limited equipment. Certainly nothing like you would find on a Carnival ship. The dining room, although crowded, has a very nice look to it. It could use a little more ceiling height but basically is a pretty room. All in all, we loved the décor and look of this ship, nothing flashy, everything in good taste. Food and Service Main Dining Room Food and Service Buffets, Grill The afternoon teas, and midnight buffets looked good but I was too full to sample the food! A note on the liquor policy we encountered. Much has been discussed about this but we found it not to be a problem at all. We brought liquor on in our luggage and had no trouble. They even addressed it in an early taped introduction asking to limit the use of liquor you brought to your cabin. I bought additional liquor in port and had no trouble bringing it back on board. They did not x-ray purchases and only on one occasion (when someone official was standing by) did they look into anyone's bag. The guy in the shop on board even indicated he would let us take a bottle back to our cabin so I certainly think that the policy at least on this ship was very lenient. Staff Entertainment Itinerary Curacao is post card pretty and has some great shopping values. Buy as much as you can here, it will be more expensive later in the cruise. The people were friendly too but didn't bother you. La Guaira, Caracas is an interesting stop. We did the Caracas tour and found the city very interesting. It is a huge city with lots of poverty and also lots of wealth. Stunning mountains and vistas will greet you here. As everyone has said in the past, don't go exploring around the docks, very poor and probably not too safe. Grenada is a beautiful island but the port city is poor and not very interesting. The tours to the Annandale falls are marred by aggressive panhandlers who won't take no for an answer. Incredibly beautiful, this island has a long way to go as a destination. Barbados port area is not impressive but the island does have its charm. Since we were there on a Sunday, nothing much was open so we got a cab and went to the most beautiful resort, Glitter Bay, for lunch. It was a stunning place with excellent food. Our driver waited for us and then gave us a tour on the way back to the ship. Barbados looks like it might be verging on a lot of big development so you might want to get there quick. We also did the Atlantis Submarine excursion here and that was a wonderful once in a lifetime experience. Martinique was not what we had expected. Everyone seems to think that the people here are rude but we found it to be just the opposite. All right, I admit that one of us speaks French and that helps, but most people we encountered spoke English too. We took the ship's excursion to St. Pierre and Mt. Pele. This is worth seeing but the excursion was overpriced. Do it on your own. St. Thomas was what we expected, beautiful from a distance but too commercial on closer inspection. We didn't bother with St. Thomas and spent the day in St. John. The island of St. John is stunning. We arrived in Cruz Bay and got a taxi to Trunk Bay. This was without a doubt the most beautiful beach either of us has ever seen. I was blown away by the snorkeling, so many beautiful fish and coral. A word of advice on ship sponsored shore excursions. For the most part, try to avoid them. We only did three but wished we had only done the one in Caracas. Believe it when people tell you that there are PLENTY of taxis willing to give you the same experience at a cheaper cost and without all the waiting for people to get on and off the busses. You might think that this is scary but believe me, it isn't! Overview Celebrity definitely met or exceeded our expectations in most areas. The ship was stunning but had a few problems. The space ratio was not the best (it's much better on their larger ships) and caused crowding in the buffets, Rendezvous Lounge, and sometimes on deck. The passengers were overwhelmingly senior citizens (not Celebrity's fault) with the average age being around 70. Celebrity must be marketing in Europe because there was a huge group (hundreds) on board. Most of the seniors, regardless of where they were from, were very pushy with a "me first" attitude. I don't have a problem with traveling with seniors but this group was very old with many rude and complaining people. Another charming fashion statement was made with many passengers wearing their complementary bathrobes around the ship. The good points are décor, food (really wonderful) and a terrific staff. Everywhere you went on the ship there was a smile and a friendly hello. We think that the Horizon is a very nice ship but feel that it could be improved in some areas. It is sorely in need of some upscale alternative dining as the Coral Seas Café had a terrible ambiance (just heard it is being updated during the next dry dock). We enjoyed the cruise but will probably not do such a long one again. After the first 7 nights we were really ready for it to be over. Surprising as that may sound it was true. Perhaps if the weather on our last few days at sea had been nicer and the other passengers were younger or more fun, we would have felt differently. We will definitely give Celebrity another chance though and look forward to trying some of the larger ships in their fleet. Andy Taylor, Arlington Virginia
Ship: Horizon
Horizon 11 Night Ultimate Caribbean Cruise
By: Andy Taylor
We flew down the day before the cruise and stayed at the Best Western Marina Inn which was better than expected. We saw the Grand Princess and the Mercury leave and then early to bed in anticipation of our cruise the next day. After a nice breakfast poolside and a walk around the marina we took a cab to the port to meet our Internet cruise buddies Linda and Phil and arrived about 11 AM. We had been corresponding for a couple of months after discovering that they were sailing on the ten night cruise right before ours. After dropping our bags off I spied Linda and Phil by the entrance and ran over to meet them. Linda and I hugged like we had known each other for years. They both looked very tan and relaxed. We had been worried about them since their cruise turned out to be in the middle of hurricane Lenny. They directed us inside and we got a boarding number (very important to do this first thing upon your arrival at the terminal) and since we were so early we got number 2. We had to wait until 12:45 or so before they called our number but the time flew by while we were visiting with our new friends. After they called our number we said our good-byes and headed through the doors for the next line where they check your tickets. This took about another 20 minutes or so and after the obligatory photo we finally walked aboard our home for the next 11 nights, the Celebrity Horizon. If it weren't for our visit with Linda and Phil, the wait would have been terrible. Plan on a long wait if you get there early.
The ship looked beautiful from the moment we stepped aboard. There were white-gloved stewards waiting to escort you to your cabin. The steward took time to go over the features of the cabin before he was off to escort others. We were thrilled to find a present of a pair of champagne flutes from Linda and Phil waiting for us! The cabin was lovely, a little smaller that we would ultimately have liked, but tasteful and very practically arranged. We were in cabin 6127 on deck 6 a category 4. A good location for the restaurants and bars but quite a multi-deck hike to the pool area. The cabin was tastefully furnished and had several nice features. The storage was phenomenal, 18 drawers and two closets. Built into the nightstand was a selection of four different music stations. There was a stainless steel tray with ice, glasses and a carafe of water. This was nice and meant that you didn't have to purchase bottled water. The bath was on the large side for a cruise ship and very tasteful also, all white and chrome with a blue gray tile floor. It had shampoo and lotion dispensers, a hair dryer and a fabulous shower. All in all we were very pleased with the cabin.
We were immediately impressed with the Horizon. The understated elegance permeates the ship completely, even the casino. We checked out all the major public rooms and for the most part they were all stunning. Particularly beautiful are the new areas including the Library, Card Room and Michael's Club. The only areas of the ship I felt in need of some updating were the Coral Seas Café and the Zodiac lounge. Both were certainly still in good condition and serviceable but could stand some sprucing up.
This was one of the main reasons we decided on Celebrity and they really do phenomenally well with the food. It was definitely better than any other cruise we have taken, Carnival, NCL or Regal Empress. Strong points were the entrees, I had some stuffed Quail that were incredible, red meat and Lamb were always fantastic and cooked to perfection even if you like it rare. I don't eat fish but others seemed pleased with it. The pastas were also good and the appetizers were often fantastic. They even had sweetbreads one evening, my favorite! The salads were hit and miss. For the most part they were very tasty but sometimes they looked like not enough care was taken putting them on the plate. The breads were wonderful, soups very good, deserts mostly were outstanding. All in all we were thrilled with the food. The service was another matter however. We felt rushed at almost every meal. I would often practically have my plate removed while still having my fork in my hand. There is no excuse for this at second seating. Our waiter and busboy were OK, nothing more. I know that they have better.
While the food was consistently good in the Coral Seas Café, it was almost always very crowded. Long lines were the norm. This cruise was filled with seniors who seemed to do nothing but eat, or wait to eat. The waiters did take your tray to your table for you if you needed help or if they knew you. The décor in this area as noted before, needs work, the baby blue walls look very passé. The grill had very good hamburgers and hot dogs and really good French-fries. The outdoor dining area by the grill was lovely too.
While not everyone at our table agreed, I thought this was where Celebrity shined. Everywhere you turned there were smiling faces with a cordial greeting. The staff is very attractive and helpful. Although we felt like we had somewhat special treatment due to our introductions from Linda and Phil, they seemed to us to treat everyone well. The only area that needs improvement is in the dining room.
Hit and miss. The one big production show we saw was fantastic but some of the other entertainment was tired. A pretty bad magician (I kept waiting for him to make his toupee disappear), a couple of so-so singers and a really bad accordion and violin duo in the America's Cup Lounge who effectively kept everyone out of there! Jay Scott on the piano was good and the lead female singer is fantastic. These entertainers change often so should not be used as a criterion for not selecting this cruise.
This was our first eastern and southern Caribbean cruise so we have nothing to base this on. We enjoyed all the ports but now understand why the private island concept has become so popular since the beaches are really one of the high points of these cruises.
We had a great time! On the two days at sea on the return we had gray skies and rough seas though. We also had an emergency evacuation with a helicopter and this caused the ship to be a few hours late getting into Ft. Lauderdale. Although this wasn't Celebrity's fault, I'm sure many, many people missed their flights.
