18 Great Reasons To Cruise on Celebrity

Debating whether to give Celebrity Cruises a try? After cruising on them frequently, we’ve come up with 18 great reasons to cruise on Celebrity.

Over the past several years, we’ve taken quite a few cruises, more than half of them on Celebrity Cruises. There are pros and cons with all the cruise lines, but since Celebrity does so many things well, it’s become a favorite of ours.

Here are some of the reasons we’ve found to cruise on Celebrity, and why you should consider it too.

1 | A Premium Cruise Line

Celebrity is a premium cruise line, focusing on luxury and quality, landing it somewhere between the mass-market cruise lines like Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival, and the luxury cruise lines such as Regent Seven Seas and Oceania. Celebrity straddles that line, offering many of the perks that luxury cruise lines offer, but without the perceived stuffiness and the higher fares.

2 | The Retreat

Suites passengers enjoy The Retreat facilities, which include a dedicated specialty restaurant called Luminae, a private sundeck with a hot tub and dipping pool, the Retreat Lounge, and the Retreat Bar. Additional benefits include a butler, concierge service, and more pampering than you can probably handle.

3 | The Buffet

Hot, fresh, and tasty food is on order at the Oceanview Café, a buffet with multiple multicultural offerings every day and tons of desserts. It also has vegetarian options, including a delicious Indian section.

4 | Couples and Family Friendly

Families enjoy the amenities—especially the kids/youth club, Camp at Sea—but Celebrity shines with couples. Its amenities and entertainment lean toward adults, with a fun but less strident vibe than you’ll see on mass-market cruise lines.

5 | Elegant, Low-Key Vibe

With its decor and music, as well as its friendly crew, a Celebrity ship will have you relaxed in no time. You’ll be able to leave your worries behind for the days you’ll spend onboard.

6 | Contemporary, Elegant Accommodations

The cabins on Celebrity ships, especially on its Edge-class ships, are contemporary, light, and airy with an uptown apartment vibe. The decor is sleek and the colors are soothing. Cabin choices include interior, oceanview, balcony, concierge balcony, and aqua class. The Retreat, Celebrity’s suites-only class, has choices including sky suite, aqua sky suite, sunset sky suite, celebrity suite, royal suite, villa, iconic suite, and penthouse.

7 | The Martini Bar

Every Celebrity ship has a martini bar, and it’s always the star. Its bartenders are experts at not only mixing cocktails but tossing them as well (think Tom Cruise in Cocktail). Their acrobatics with the bottles and impressive pouring feats draw a cheering crowd every evening at 8:00 p.m.

8 | The Solarium

If I had to pick the most relaxing place on any Celebrity ship, I’d have to choose the solarium. With its soaring ceiling, ocean-blue color scheme, and soft background music, it’s the perfect place to kick back and rest your eyes for a moment. Plus, it has a pool and a couple of hot tubs, so you can take a dip or enjoy a soak, then lean back on your comfortable lounger and order a cocktail. The solarium is for adults only, which keeps the noise to a minimum.

9 | Café al Bacio

Unlike other cruise lines, which have a Starbucks or a coffee shop with only paid offerings, Celebrity has Café al Bacio. The food is complimentary, and so are the beverages, unless you choose a cruise-only fare that doesn’t have a beverage package.

Open even on sea days, the coffee shop serves specialty coffees, spiked coffees, and gourmet teas, along with assorted sweet offerings. A comfortable adjoining lounge provides yet another relaxing place to sit back and watch the ocean through its large windows.

10 | The Art Collection

Celebrity Cruises has invested quite a bit of time and money in its art collection, which is scattered amongst its ships. The art is so prominent, it’s like cruising in a floating art gallery. From textiles to glass to modern sculpture and paintings, you’ll find it all on Celebrity ships.

11 | The Sunset Bar

If your dream is to sip a cocktail while gazing at the sea, the Sunset Bar is the place to be. Comfortable couches abound, along with other seating. In the evenings, there is live music.

12 | Broadway-Style Shows

Celebrity has beautiful theaters that present Broadway-style shows and avant-garde presentations that are engaging and thought-provoking. Talent abounds in the productions on the high seas.

13 | The Spa Café

Tucked away in a corner of the solarium is the Spa Café, a small restaurant and juice bar that focuses on healthy eating. It’s only open for breakfast and lunch, so be sure to check it out.

14 | Always-Included Drinks and Wi-fi

All-inclusive fares are wonderful, in our opinion. We love having the three biggies included. And suite passengers are upgraded to the Indulge Package, which gives them premium drinks and wi-fi. Cruise-only fares are also available for those who prefer to go à la carte.

15 | The Public Restrooms

I know, it’s an odd thing to bring up, but Celebrity’s public restrooms are amazing. They have cloth hand towels in tiny rolls, dedicated attendants, and are always spotless. Plus, some of them have visions of fish swimming along the bottom of their sinks, compliments of a light show. So whimsical!

16 | Power Up Points Program

Celebrity’s loyalty program, the Captain’s Club, makes email offers once a month of Power Up points in exchange for doing a small task, like watching a video or reading a website page and then taking a short quiz. Those points will convert into club points and automatically be added to your Captain’s Club points bank. For every ten Power Up Points earned, you’ll receive one club point. Everyone looks forward to earning these when they’re close to achieving the next loyalty tier.

18 | Innovative Fine Dining

Although there are more specialty restaurants available on Celebrity ships, these three stand out to me.

Le Petit Chef (available on Celebrity Edge and Apex) is a 3D table animation experience that kids love, and parents love the fine cuisine.

Eden is a specialty restaurant that is truly special. Its chef is an artist, carefully plating the delicious food to where it looks as good as it tastes. Dining at Eden is quite an experience.

Le Voyage by Daniel Bouloud (on Celebrity Beyond) is a fine-dining experience that is not to be missed. Everyone I’ve spoken to who has eaten there said it was a special treat.

Final Thoughts On Great Reasons To Cruise On Celebrity

Celebrity Cruises has so much to offer. If you haven’t given them a try yet, you should. Maybe we’ll see you there!

To learn more about Celebrity, check out these posts and these videos.

Happy cruising!