A DCL Platinum does a Celebrity Cruise

[mmmears]

This thread has me considering the Celebrity Reflection for our med cruise in 2023. Quick question that seems like it shouldn't be so hard to find the answer to... Looking at the staterooms it's offering me for 4 people, they say they have a single sofa bed. How do 4 people sleep in these rooms?! Google has failed me. Haha

I called and asked about the sofa bed. The person I spoke with said it's either a sofa bed with a trundle (giving you that 4th bed) or one that opens up. I asked about a specific room and was able to get an answer about that room. Hope this helps.

 

[ljhayes]

I called and asked about the sofa bed. The person I spoke with said it's either a sofa bed with a trundle (giving you that 4th bed) or one that opens up. I asked about a specific room and was able to get an answer about that room. Hope this helps.

Thank you!!

 

[Dug720]

This thread has me considering the Celebrity Reflection for our med cruise in 2023. Quick question that seems like it shouldn't be so hard to find the answer to... Looking at the staterooms it's offering me for 4 people, they say they have a single sofa bed. How do 4 people sleep in these rooms?! Google has failed me. Haha

I don't know about the room question, but...

Do be aware that the Reflection is one that has not been Revolutionized yet, so it is not as updated as those that have had it or the E-Class ships (of which Apex is the second).

 

[kalishea]

Thanks for posting this! While we’re not DCL platinum, we are gold and also own 3 DVC contracts so obviously pretty Disney loyal. We just got off the Wonder on April 3 and heading out on an Alaskan cruise May 29 on the Discovery Princess. We’ve done Royal Caribbean years ago but never Princess so it’ll be nice to compare to DCL. We also have a 12 year old who has never been a fan on the DCL kids clubs so we’ll see if he like the Princess kids offerings at all.

 

[Marypoppins14]

Thanks for this terrific review. I’m another platinum CC member that is ready to sail with another cruise line, given that DCL has priced out ridiculously. I loved loved loved (and staunchly defended) DCL (for years) but enough is enough. May (or may not) try the Wish. Especially that can sail with much higher level of service and amenities for the same $$. Thanks again!

 

[katmigordon]

I wonder how many people this post has convinced to give Celeb a try? I know I'm on that list! We're now planning for next October.

 

[daisyx3]

We have been on 6 DCL cruises but our next two are Celebrity Equinox (Solstice class) and Beyond (Edge class) and I'm excited. I told one of my kids that when her kids are old enough we will do a 4 night Wish, but that's at least 3 years away since my youngest grandson will be making his appearance any minute.

 

[tigerchic89]

We're Platinum DCL, but as our kids have grown, we also feel we have BTDT with DCL. We've sailed one and done with Carnival (never again), and we liked our one Royal cruise, but it just "wasn't Disney". My husband and I did sail Virgin October 2021, and Loved it.... we are taking our oldest for her college grad trip in a few weeks. I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump our 3 generation family cruises from DCL to VV yet, so we may give Celebrity a try. We loved the fun vibe on Virgin, the food ,service. We loved the Beach club too, but I'm a pool person. loved that there is no all-you-can-drink package yet drink prices were reasonable. We found the ship to be similar to Disney ships set up. And some things were also similar in a very grown up casual with a twist way

 

[daisyx3]

Well I promised I'd come back, and here I am! Just back from a 6 night celebrity equinox to KW, Cayman and Cozumel. This was comparable to a 7 night western on Fantasy, except I was in a suite, had a full drink package, $600 in OBC and tips included, although we tipped several people above and beyond that. The Fantasy cruise in a suite would have been much more.
Hate to say it here, but for an adults only trip, celebrity wins. I know, I used to tell myself Disney was nice enough for adults only, but several reasons made this the winner.
1) the pool was broken into two sections, one from 2-3 feet deep and one from 3-5 feet deep. Together they were the size of the kids pool and the family pool. There were some kids but I probably didn't see more than 20 the whole trip. On one port day and the first couple of hours of the last sea day we had plenty of room to float, hang out, etc. without anyone at our elbow. They also have a solarium pool for 16 and up, but on sea days that was pretty crowded. There is a retreat deck for suite guests but this one has no pool so we weren't there much. The other ship we have booked has one in the suite guest area so I am eager to try it out.
2) activities--the ship did not just shut down after the last show (even though we only went to one of the shows and we usually skip "entertainers" in the theatre, especially magic and ventriloquism, yuk). There was a party every night at 10--a silent disco, an ABBA themed night, a Queen themed night, a full moon party on the pool deck, etc. There was also a casino but we probably spent 20 minutes in there total, and it was smoke-free, and you didn't have to walk through it at all (I see that a lot--"I don't want to walk my kids through a smoky casino"). Usually there was more music in the sky lounge at 11, but hey I just turned 59 and I have my limits. Also, if I wanted I could have done general knowledge/pub trivia 3 x a day plus a themed one once a day (which I did win 3x--TV themes, oldies but goodies, and Broadway musicals). there were talks, and presentations, and art auctions ( didn't do that either). There was also a library on my deck. Now if you look, the books are all kind of older, but I saw a surprising number of folks reading there own books in there. There was also a card room that usually had at least one table playing games--the max I saw was 5 groups playing games or cards! And I don't mean just older people.
3) the food! WAY better than Disney. We have done the Dream 3x plus the other three once each. Of course the Dream menus are the same each time. We ate in the suite restaurant and had the same, highly attentive wait team each night. One night we ate in a specialty restaurant that was like Palo and it was great--they flambeed my lobster at the table. Cost was comparable to Palo. We hit the buffett twice and got room service twice and there was no lapse of quality and nothing was cold.
4. They didn't mention the survey until the last meal of the last day!!! No nagging.
5. Embarkation was so easy. No cattle call waiting for numbers, and tripping over people with higher numbers who are camping out by the embarkation spot. It was also by far the easiest debarkation I have ever had.

The only place I would say Disney wins for an adult is merchandise. Both cruises have the same high end places for watches, jewelry, etc. Celebrity adds booze and cigars, but we don't buy those anyway. There was very little "celebrity" branded merchandise. I would loved a T shirt or a beach towel, but the only t shirts that just said "celebrity cruise line" were size small. They had a model ship, pens, mugs, etc. But considering DCL has two or three ships devoted to branded merch it was a weird adjustment.

So sure, I couldn't wait in line to hug Mickey and there was no diaper race. But unless we take our grandsons on a cruise someday (and IMHO they are too little now at 6,3 and 2 months) I will be spending my money on Celebrity. I'm sure someone will jump on and say I missed the Disney magic (who isn't these days, with the parks a hot mess) but I had the best cruise ever, at a great value.

 

[Cheburashka]

I looked into it but for me it doesn't seem like a cost savings for the quality I'd want, since I don't sail concierge on DCL and couldn't afford it on Celebrity, either. I know Celebrity's suite class is cheaper than DCL's, but DCL's is so exorbitantly priced compared to its own non-concierge (and especially compared to the GT rates that I often nab), that once you stop comparing concierge levels and only compare non-suite offerings in terms of cost and quality, for me it doesn't seem worth it, especially since there is no AquaDuck, no Disney entertainment, and no stopping at Castaway Cay. For tropical cruises, I think I'll always sail DCL.

If you often sail concierge on DCL and mainly want to sail suite class more affordably, I agree that Celebrity would make sense.

 

[imahistorygeek]

Well I promised I'd come back, and here I am! Just back from a 6 night celebrity equinox to KW, Cayman and Cozumel. This was comparable to a 7 night western on Fantasy, except I was in a suite, had a full drink package, $600 in OBC and tips included, although we tipped several people above and beyond that. The Fantasy cruise in a suite would have been much more.
Hate to say it here, but for an adults only trip, celebrity wins. I know, I used to tell myself Disney was nice enough for adults only, but several reasons made this the winner.
1) the pool was broken into two sections, one from 2-3 feet deep and one from 3-5 feet deep. Together they were the size of the kids pool and the family pool. There were some kids but I probably didn't see more than 20 the whole trip. On one port day and the first couple of hours of the last sea day we had plenty of room to float, hang out, etc. without anyone at our elbow. They also have a solarium pool for 16 and up, but on sea days that was pretty crowded. There is a retreat deck for suite guests but this one has no pool so we weren't there much. The other ship we have booked has one in the suite guest area so I am eager to try it out.
2) activities--the ship did not just shut down after the last show (even though we only went to one of the shows and we usually skip "entertainers" in the theatre, especially magic and ventriloquism, yuk). There was a party every night at 10--a silent disco, an ABBA themed night, a Queen themed night, a full moon party on the pool deck, etc. There was also a casino but we probably spent 20 minutes in there total, and it was smoke-free, and you didn't have to walk through it at all (I see that a lot--"I don't want to walk my kids through a smoky casino"). Usually there was more music in the sky lounge at 11, but hey I just turned 59 and I have my limits. Also, if I wanted I could have done general knowledge/pub trivia 3 x a day plus a themed one once a day (which I did win 3x--TV themes, oldies but goodies, and Broadway musicals). there were talks, and presentations, and art auctions ( didn't do that either). There was also a library on my deck. Now if you look, the books are all kind of older, but I saw a surprising number of folks reading there own books in there. There was also a card room that usually had at least one table playing games--the max I saw was 5 groups playing games or cards! And I don't mean just older people.
3) the food! WAY better than Disney. We have done the Dream 3x plus the other three once each. Of course the Dream menus are the same each time. We ate in the suite restaurant and had the same, highly attentive wait team each night. One night we ate in a specialty restaurant that was like Palo and it was great--they flambeed my lobster at the table. Cost was comparable to Palo. We hit the buffett twice and got room service twice and there was no lapse of quality and nothing was cold.
4. They didn't mention the survey until the last meal of the last day!!! No nagging.
5. Embarkation was so easy. No cattle call waiting for numbers, and tripping over people with higher numbers who are camping out by the embarkation spot. It was also by far the easiest debarkation I have ever had.

The only place I would say Disney wins for an adult is merchandise. Both cruises have the same high end places for watches, jewelry, etc. Celebrity adds booze and cigars, but we don't buy those anyway. There was very little "celebrity" branded merchandise. I would loved a T shirt or a beach towel, but the only t shirts that just said "celebrity cruise line" were size small. They had a model ship, pens, mugs, etc. But considering DCL has two or three ships devoted to branded merch it was a weird adjustment.

So sure, I couldn't wait in line to hug Mickey and there was no diaper race. But unless we take our grandsons on a cruise someday (and IMHO they are too little now at 6,3 and 2 months) I will be spending my money on Celebrity. I'm sure someone will jump on and say I missed the Disney magic (who isn't these days, with the parks a hot mess) but I had the best cruise ever, at a great value.

We are sailing the Equinox in 2023, so I'm glad to read your positive experiences on the ship. We previously sailed the Millennium and Edge. Both were great experiences.

We love having an indoor pool as a pool choice because if the weather isn't great outside, you still have a pool.
The non-smoking casino is a real plus because you can actually breathe when you walk through. We recently sailed Royal and the smoke was so bad in the casino that we couldn't walk through. The debarkation line snaked through it as well and it was terrible. The worst part was that the really good trivia took place in the bar next to the casino.

The food on Celebrity is better than Disney, especially the buffet.

We love Disney, but for us (we thought we would only sail Disney), Celebrity offers a better product in some cases. We don't stay in suites, so we don't have that experience, but for staying in verandas on both lines, Celebrity wins.

 

[RAD]

I looked into it but for me it doesn't seem like a cost savings for the quality I'd want, since I don't sail concierge on DCL and couldn't afford it on Celebrity, either. I know Celebrity's suite class is cheaper than DCL's, but DCL's is so exorbitantly priced compared to its own non-concierge (and especially compared to the GT rates that I often nab), that once you stop comparing concierge levels and only compare non-suite offerings in terms of cost and quality, for me it doesn't seem worth it, especially since there is no AquaDuck, no Disney entertainment, and no stopping at Castaway Cay. For tropical cruises, I think I'll always sail DCL.

If you often sail concierge on DCL and mainly want to sail suite class more affordably, I agree that Celebrity would make sense.

So how much is the AquaDuck, Disney entertainment and CC with to you? For grins I looked at a 7 night eastern for April next year, similar itineraries with DCL on 4/1 and Celebrity on 4/8. Disney for a 5C veranda stateroom (246sq ft) was $6,319.26 for two adults. On celebrity for a veranda stateroom (243sq ft) it was $2,996.54 for two adults. I will qualify that rate saying it wasn't a cancellable rate, it was a few hundred dollars more if you wanted that option. So basically I could get two cruises on Celebrity for the price of one on DCL. If all the extras you mentioned to you are worth it that's what's important to you, enjoy. I used to also enjoy those things and really it's only Castaway Cay that I miss, I wish Celebrity had a private island stop but they make it up by being able to visit an additional port that DCL doesn't on their cruises.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

So how much is the AquaDuck, Disney entertainment and CC with to you? For grins I looked at a 7 night eastern for April next year, similar itineraries with DCL on 4/1 and Celebrity on 4/8. Disney for a 5C veranda stateroom (246sq ft) was $6,319.26 for two adults. On celebrity for a veranda stateroom (243sq ft) it was $2,996.54 for two adults. I will qualify that rate saying it wasn't a cancellable rate, it was a few hundred dollars more if you wanted that option. So basically I could get two cruises on Celebrity for the price of one on DCL. If all the extras you mentioned to you are worth it that's what's important to you, enjoy. I used to also enjoy those things and really it's only Castaway Cay that I miss, I wish Celebrity had a private island stop but they make it up by being able to visit an additional port that DCL doesn't on their cruises.

I have to say though, that Celebrity may get you in the door with lower prices, but how much do you actually spend on board?

That's a big thing that a lot of people miss. Sure, Celebrity might offer lower costs for the initial booking, but when the vacation is actually done, how much is that final tab?

I took a Norwegian cruise in 2018 that left such a bad taste in my mouth that I struggle to book with them ever again. Literally everything felt like it cost extra money. The food that was included was hands down terrible and virtually inedible. I know that I pay a much higher price for Disney out of the gate and that's why we have been reduced to sailing only GTY with Disney but at the end of the day, I know what level of service and experience I'm looking forward to when I sail.

We have wanted to try the Celebrity Edge series, but with most of the ships being in Europe for the summer season its been hard to find a good option.

 

[RAD]

I have to say though, that Celebrity may get you in the door with lower prices, but how much do you actually spend on board?

That's a big thing that a lot of people miss. Sure, Celebrity might offer lower costs for the initial booking, but when the vacation is actually done, how much is that final tab?

I took a Norwegian cruise in 2018 that left such a bad taste in my mouth that I struggle to book with them ever again. Literally everything felt like it cost extra money. The food that was included was hands down terrible and virtually inedible. I know that I pay a much higher price for Disney out of the gate and that's why we have been reduced to sailing only GTY with Disney but at the end of the day, I know what level of service and experience I'm looking forward to when I sail.

We have wanted to try the Celebrity Edge series, but with most of the ships being in Europe for the summer season its been hard to find a good option.

Like DCL there are extra charges if you eat at a speciality restaurant, or drink (yea and no free soda station). But if you don’t do those things the only thing you would have on your bill is the standard tip charge.

 

[Cliffside]

Up until recently Celebrity was selling an all inclusive model..with drinks, tips and WIFi included..they have recently changed that so now it is just the suites and their Aquaclass level that it is part of the package where other categories you need to add it..
I am Elite now on Celebrity and Platinum on Disney…
I was on the MV of the Wish and couldn’t believe my on board bill which they stopped sending to you so make sure you download it before you leave the ship..

The WIFi was so expensive and the drinks really add up fast..

On Celebrity in the suites I find it hard to use the $600 ObC they give you..and used some in the casino and won another $500..

I have not found Celebrity nickel and diming ….like I did on Royal…

I am sailing the Edge in September in Greece and hopefully the Apex in December in the Caribbean…but I still love Disney ..just booked the PC for next December.

 

[Sykes]

That's a big thing that a lot of people miss. Sure, Celebrity might offer lower costs for the initial booking, but when the vacation is actually done, how much is that final tab?

Celebrity has had drinks, wifi, and gratuities included (except for deeply discounted fares) for the past few years, so my final on-board bill there has been much much lower than it is on Disney. I do like specialty dining so that adds a bit, but IMO the food in all of the MDRs is excellent so it is pretty easy to avoid specialty dining if you want to (unlike with Royal Caribbean where I feel like it is a must). We've booked suites on Celebrity lately and also find that the $600 OBC covers most of our shore excursions too. It'll be interesting to see if that changes now that they're moving away from the all-inclusive model.

 

[tidefan]

I have to say though, that Celebrity may get you in the door with lower prices, but how much do you actually spend on board?

That's a big thing that a lot of people miss. Sure, Celebrity might offer lower costs for the initial booking, but when the vacation is actually done, how much is that final tab?

I took a Norwegian cruise in 2018 that left such a bad taste in my mouth that I struggle to book with them ever again. Literally everything felt like it cost extra money. The food that was included was hands down terrible and virtually inedible. I know that I pay a much higher price for Disney out of the gate and that's why we have been reduced to sailing only GTY with Disney but at the end of the day, I know what level of service and experience I'm looking forward to when I sail.

We have wanted to try the Celebrity Edge series, but with most of the ships being in Europe for the summer season its been hard to find a good option.

Not sure about Celebrity, but I can tell you about Princess (which is similar)...

On Princess, you can do the "Princess Plus" package when you book that includes wifi, drink package, and gratuities for $50 pp/per day. Considering gratuities and wifi are already $25, that makes the drink package $25pp/per day, which is well worth it in my book (I drink a LOT of salted caramel lattes on Princess...). With all that, your cruise is still going to be less expensive. We booked Regal Princess for a 12 night British Isles next year with Princess Plus for around $4,600 for 4 of us in an inside (which, BTW at 175 sq ft is 6 sq ft larger than the comparable stateroom on the Dream). I never feel like I need to do specialty dining on Princess, but if we did decide to splurge, the Crown Grill is $29 pp and Sabatini's is $25pp (much more reasonable than RCCL in my opinion). That said, we find the food to be great on Princess (especially the Royal class ships with their much improved buffet and Alfredo's pizzeria/italian), so we don't feel the need to have to go to specialty restaurants.

Conversely, while DCL is not doing a British Isles cruise next year, the closest one I could find was an 11 night Northern Europe. For 4 people on the Dream, it started at $12,200 for an standard inside cabin...

So, I don't think in this case, I will be spending anything extra onboard. In fact, because I have gratuities, drinks, and wifi included, I am actually getting more... for about $7,600 less out of my pocket. Now, I still love me some DCL, but there is a huge delta here that you just can't ignore...

And, in case you are wondering, I still get a musical horn:

 

[Cheburashka]

So how much is the AquaDuck, Disney entertainment and CC with to you?

They're worth a great deal to me in terms of a cruise. They're a big part of why I choose DCL: Disney entertainment (including the theater shows, family game shows, scavenger hunts, funny bingo, silent dance parties, Disney on Demand on the stateroom TV), themed MDRs, waterslides, character interactions, beautifully nautically-themed ship, promenade, pleasant stateroom, Castaway Cay. That's what I think about when I think about taking a cruise. I would never do a Bahamian or Caribbean cruise non-DCL, because I expect all of those things. For a European cruise that was mainly about the ports I'd be more open-minded, perhaps, but for a tropical cruise getaway, I want all of those things I listed.

For grins I looked at a 7 night eastern for April next year, similar itineraries with DCL on 4/1 and Celebrity on 4/8. Disney for a 5C veranda stateroom (246sq ft) was $6,319.26 for two adults. On celebrity for a veranda stateroom (243sq ft) it was $2,996.54 for two adults.

I can't sail 7 nights in April. I'm a schoolteacher. It's either school holiday cruises or 3-night weekend cruises. Yes, this really limits when and how often I can cruise, which is part of why I'm particular about getting what I want out of a cruise.

 

[holula]

I have to say though, that Celebrity may get you in the door with lower prices, but how much do you actually spend on board?

That's a big thing that a lot of people miss. Sure, Celebrity might offer lower costs for the initial booking, but when the vacation is actually done, how much is that final tab?

I took a Norwegian cruise in 2018 that left such a bad taste in my mouth that I struggle to book with them ever again. Literally everything felt like it cost extra money. The food that was included was hands down terrible and virtually inedible. I know that I pay a much higher price for Disney out of the gate and that's why we have been reduced to sailing only GTY with Disney but at the end of the day, I know what level of service and experience I'm looking forward to when I sail.

We have wanted to try the Celebrity Edge series, but with most of the ships being in Europe for the summer season its been hard to find a good option.

I have been on 3 NCL cruises and I’ve spent less on them than I ever do on Disney.

Drinks on NCL? Included with their $99 upcharge. 2 or 3 speciality dining? Likewise. I have paid for the internet before. But Disney always gets me in Mickey’s Mainsail and NCL has nothing comparable.

I actually liked the food on NCL a lot, and for me Cagney’s is the best restaurant at sea hands down.

I would definitely try Celebrity on a Europe or Alaska itinerary just to dip my toe in the water.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Not sure about Celebrity, but I can tell you about Princess (which is similar)...

On Princess, you can do the "Princess Plus" package when you book that includes wifi, drink package, and gratuities for $50 pp/per day. Considering gratuities and wifi are already $25, that makes the drink package $25pp/per day, which is well worth it in my book (I drink a LOT of salted caramel lattes on Princess...). With all that, your cruise is still going to be less expensive. We booked Regal Princess for a 12 night British Isles next year with Princess Plus for around $4,600 for 4 of us in an inside (which, BTW at 175 sq ft is 6 sq ft larger than the comparable stateroom on the Dream). I never feel like I need to do specialty dining on Princess, but if we did decide to splurge, the Crown Grill is $29 pp and Sabatini's is $25pp (much more reasonable than RCCL in my opinion). That said, we find the food to be great on Princess (especially the Royal class ships with their much improved buffet and Alfredo's pizzeria/italian), so we don't feel the need to have to go to specialty restaurants.

Conversely, while DCL is not doing a British Isles cruise next year, the closest one I could find was an 11 night Northern Europe. For 4 people on the Dream, it started at $12,200 for an standard inside cabin...

So, I don't think in this case, I will be spending anything extra onboard. In fact, because I have gratuities, drinks, and wifi included, I am actually getting more... for about $7,600 less out of my pocket. Now, I still love me some DCL, but there is a huge delta here that you just can't ignore...

And, in case you are wondering, I still get a musical horn:

Thank you for this! Nice to get some inside view on other lines and costs.

I have promised that the Carnival Brands (Sadly including princess) won't get any of my money due to their egregious environmental blights but I really appreciate this cost perspective.

I think we'll probably try Virgin next. Seems like they have a lot of interesting offerings.

As a non-concierge traveler, it seems like lots of the experiences that other concierge guests get on other lines are things that are regularly included with Disney. Sadly, concierge will never be a consideration for us just due to the cost and no discounts.