6 things you need to know about Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises has long been one of our go-to mainstream cruise lines when looking for our next cruise vacation. While we also have been lucky enough to cruise with Royal Caribbean, MSC, NCL, Azamara, Princess Cruises, and Oceania Cruises, Celebrity has become the standard to compare other cruises.

We love the diverse range of travelers we meet on board. Cabins and dining experiences are of a high standard; the ships are gorgeous. Most importantly, their itineraries hit all the holiday hot spots we want to visit and revisit.

Here are six topics cruise travelers looking at Celebrity Cruises for their next cruise vacation are talking about.

1. Well-deserving award winners

Winners of the coveted Forbes Travel Guide star award for resorts at sea in the Cruises category – Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Millennium, and Celebrity Flora ships earned the star rating.

Starting with Celebrity Apex, particular mentions were given to infinite veranda cabins and suits, the onboard nightlife, the Martini and Sunset bar, and the Eden restaurant.

Apex is the second in Celebrity’s “Edge” series of ships. It spends the winter in the Caribbean, sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, and the summer season in Northern Europe cruising from The Netherlands – either from the port of Rotterdam or with a cruise from Amsterdam.

It also offers an exciting cruise from Athens to Israel and Egypt in the Fall before the transatlantic crossing back to Florida in November.

Celebrity Millennium – an old-time favorite made new again

Celebrity Millennium boasts Starlink satellite internet onboard and is a fantastic ship. It’s over 20 years old but underwent a substantial multi-million dollar renovation in 2019 that keeps us coming back for more. It’s a smaller ship, with just 2200 guests, with the same exemplary standard of cuisine onboard. Millennium is ideal for guests who want a smaller, more intimate cruise without all the bells and whistles of adrenaline-pumping activities the newer vessels offer.

If you are eager to spend a week onboard Celebrity Millennium, they offer Alaska cruises in the summer of 2023. The ship is bound for Asia in the winter, with a stunning cruise from Singapore to Bali, Malaysia, and Thailand. This cruise is 12 days packed full of fantastic stops.

Celebrity Flora is one of our favorite cruise ships at sea. And the ultimate way to explore the Galapagos islands. The yacht-like cruise ship is made for the waters and marine life around the islands.

If you seriously consider a cruise on board Celebrity Flora, it will most likely be one of your most memorable vacations.

Particularly noted by the Forbes experts were the unique teak cabanas on the top deck, allowing you to have a night under a starlit sky. Celebrity Flora’s all-inclusive cruises include all dining, beverages (including alcoholic drinks), shore excursions, onboard activities, and gratuities.

Your cruise onboard Flora focuses on sustainability and immersive exploration, all in one luxurious, genuinely unforgettable experience.

2. The new Celebrity Ascent – Celebrity at sea is reaching new heights

We can’t wait for the launch of the latest and fourth ship in Celebrity’s “Edge” class, Celebrity Ascent. The launch date is planned for the end of 2023, and bookings are now possible.

If you are looking for an end-of-year cruise in the Caribbean, you could be one of the first lucky guests on board Ascent’s maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale to the Eastern Caribbean on December 3rd.

Alternatively, join a classic pre-Christmas cruise to the Bahamas, Mexico, and Grand Cayman on December 10th, and you’ll be home in time for the holiday celebrations.

If your dreams are to visit the Mediterranean, start looking now at booking for summer 2024 onboard Ascent. The itineraries to love the most are nine nights Italian Riviera and France, beginning with a cruise from Barcelona on April 27th.

What a fantastic selection of ports on this cruise! It is the ultimate western Mediterranean journey at sea.

Then there is an iconic 12-night Greek Isles and Italy cruise, starting on May 6th in Barcelona and ending in Athens. Book your spot now to avoid disappointment. From experience, we know the newest cruise ships sell out very fast in their first year of sailing. After all, who doesn’t love the biggest, best, latest and fastest vessel at sea?

Your garden oasis at sea

Spending time on deck just became even more enticing with the enhanced rooftop garden, a feature all fans of Celebrity Cruises love on the Edge ships.

Perched on the top of a massive 17 decks, the Rooftop garden offers an open-air restaurant set among live plants and shrubs, a green oasis at sea. If you enjoy American BBQ cuisine, then you’ll love the grill. Note that it’s a fixed price to eat here, and it is not included as one of the dining options in the cost of your cruise.

3. The food and cuisine onboard

Our experience on board Celebrity Summit in 2019, when we sailed from New York to New England and Nova Scotia, was fantastic. It was hard to fault anything on board, especially the dining.

We indeed felt little need to try the specialty restaurants as the main dining room offered quality and variation night after night. But we did, of course, as we wanted to be able to write about and inform our readers about as much as possible. They did not disappoint.

Since then, especially directly after the pandemic, reports about Celebrity’s dining and service have seemed a little more hit-and-miss. Most of this, from what we understand, is due to problems with available staff after cruise ships start sailing again. It is getting better and better, and we have heard from many satisfied cruise guests returning from their cruise vacation right now.

We can, however, say that if you take your dining experience very seriously, you should consider booking a suite. That way, you will have access to the Luminae restaurant.

Luminae is an exclusive restaurant available onboard celebrity cruise ships for guests in Suite Class accommodations. It offers a more luxurious and intimate dining experience focusing on contemporary cuisine and personalized service in an elegant setting.

Globally inspired dishes use local ingredients from the various ports on the itinerary, with a curated selection of wines and cocktails.

4. The infinite veranda stateroom for an elevated cruise experience

An infinity cabin is a type of stateroom found on some cruise ships that features a more oversized balcony with a transparent floor-to-ceiling window at the edge of the balcony.

This window gives the illusion of an endless horizon and creates a feeling of being suspended in the air, hence the name infinity. It provides you with an unobstructed view.

We love the infinity cabins as the balcony brings the outdoors in and gives you extra living space in an otherwise compact cabin. Look out for infinity cabins when booking your next celebrity cruise.

5. Testing and health screening

While most cruises now do not have vaccine or testing requirements, there are exceptions, and it’s vital to keep informed of which destinations may still require this.

For example, the Galapagos islands still have special requirements, as do sailings out of Brazil and for passengers who want to disembark in Grand Turk, to name a few destinations. Be sure to check for your chosen cruise. The best way to keep up-to-date with the latest information is to sign up with Celebrity Cruises with a free guest account.

6. Cruising with a conscience

Celebrity is committed to sustainable and ethical practices, such as reducing waste, conserving energy, and supporting local communities and environmental initiatives. This commitment to responsible tourism is increasingly important to many modern travelers.

Find out more about what Celebrity is doing to ensure it reduces environmental harm in the destinations it visits here.