Mediterranean Cruise Lines Review – Celebrity Cruises

Note: Celebrity Cruises is not only cruising in Mediterranean Sea but also on other continents. But if you are going for a Mediterranean cruise, you should seriously consider this line because it is famous for its luxury ships. If it's luxury without pomposity at a reasonable price you're after, Celebrity may well be your choice of Mediterranean cruise line.

Company overview

Celebrity cruises launched in 1989 by John Chandris, scion of one of Greece's mightiest shipping family. Starting out with two ships, Zenith and Horizon, Celebrity cruises immediately identifiable by the big blue italic “X” alongside the smokestacks. The focus of Celebrity cruises was on modern European elegance such as cigar and martini bars, hand-picked modern art by John Chandris' wife, the line gained a small but loyal following with experienced cruisers.

Now, Celebrity Cruises - one of top Mediterranean cruise lines - offered Michelin three-star cuisine by renowned London Chef Michel Roux, suites with butlers, the biggest spas at sea, remarkable private art collections, large staterooms in all categories, and (favorites of more sophisticated voyagers) piano lounges, champagne and martini bars, and magnificent alternative dining restaurants.

Millennium-class ships feature the largest suites at sea; over half the staterooms have private verandas, including six disabled-access suites with balconies.

Celebrity's "signature" features include the piano bar/martini bar Michael's Club, the elegant Cova Cafe of Milan, and the AquaSpa, which, be assured, richly merits attention. Art-lovers will revel in this Mediterranean cruise line's remarkable collection.

Newly boarded passengers are greeted with "welcome aboard" mimosas or a glass of sparkling wine. During their Mediterranean cruises they'll find an array of tempting shops in the Emporium complex, a spa cafe dinner option, poolside fashion shows and wine tasting, a revamped sports deck, extensive golf programs, and the innovative Acupuncture at Sea program. While on your Mediterranean cruise journey, you can enjoy the singing of roving a cappella groups, and find they have a choice of seminars on such topics as astronomy, photography, personal investing, and history.

Internally, this Mediterranean cruise line’s most striking features are three-deck atriums and gigantic 25,000 sq.ft Spas, including a solarium and health club. There are full-service floral conservatories created by the noted Parisian floral designer, Emilio Robba, on board - the first living flower gardens at sea making your Mediterranean cruise vacation more exciting. Exterior glass elevators provide panoramic ocean views of your Mediterranean cruise journey. Innovative alternative restaurants each of the ships pays homage to celebrated ocean liners of the past. Thanks to their Michel Roux-developed menus featuring authentic recipes from the grand era of shipboard oceanic transversal, these restaurants are hugely popular.
In January 2004, This Mediterranean cruise line unveiled Celebrity Xpeditions, offering small-ship adventure cruising in the Galapagos Islands aboard the program's 2,842-ton, 98-passenger namesake. These casual, 10-night Galapagos sailings include unique and active shore excursions such as snorkeling and hiking, as well as a pre and post-cruise stay in Quito, Ecuador.

The Celebrity Experience:

Among Mediterranean cruise lines, Celebrity's entertainment isn't up to the level of Royal Caribbean's or Carnival's. But the most glorious spas afloat take some of the sting out of that.

These Mediterranean cruise ships' technologically advanced interactive television systems enable you to order wine for dinner, book shore excursion, or play games of chance without even leaving your cabin. Cabins are spacious, and include such goodies as hair dryers, in-cabin massages, and in-cabin dining from the restaurant menus, including full breakfast service. Suite amenities are conspicuously superior to most mid-market lines', with butlers serving meals in-suite and assisting with unpacking and packing.

While these Mediterranean cruise line's adherence to a traditional dress code (two formal and two informal nights on a seven-night cruise), music library, dedicated chess area, floral conservatory, and subdued decor might suggest otherwise, these are actually quite upbeat ships, with eagerly frequented casinos, floor shows, cabaret lounges, and piano bars. Honestly, with so many Greek staff members, especially officers, how could the line be pompous? This, after all, is a cruise line, that offers delivery of pizza right to your cabin.

Celebrity's new Concierge Class offers premium ocean view staterooms with plusher furnishings and service-related perks like priority check-in. originally available only on Millennium-class ships, the program have proved so popular that it is now available fleet wide, and continues to be expanded.

Fellow Passengers:

On one-week Caribbean and Alaska cruises most passengers will be well into their 40's and 50's. During vacation and holiday periods, of course, a lot more families are evident. On longer cruises, including Europe and South America itineraries, retired seniors predominate. While children do cruise during vacations, some Alaska cruises and aboard Century's Caribbean cruises, these ships are unapologetically primarily for adults.

Past Passenger Program:

Celebrity's "Captain's Club", a triple-tiered program offering a range of benefits based on how many of their cruises you've been on, sponsors four Captain's Club reunion cruises each year. Other loyalty rewards include complimentary one-category upgrades on selected cruises; a cruise video; priority embarkation and debarkation; a newsletter; complimentary wine tasting, and a cocktail party. For further information call 1-800-760-0654 or 1-316-554-5961.

Shore Excursions:

Described in detail on the line's Web site, www.celebrity.com, these excursions can be booked online up to ten days before sailing. Obviously, some of these adventures go beyond the usual four-hour bus tour, but well-planned and efficiency optimized, you find them to be on par with the luxury cruise lines in terms of quality and price.

The Xpedition series offers unique, and sometimes even extreme, experiences in Celebrity's ports of call, such as the Galapagos Islands or the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. Options in other parts of the world include a visit to the Kremlin in Moscow, exploration of Easter Island, marlin fishing in Mexico, zodiac and helicopter tours in British Columbia, bear-watching in Alaska, and a private tour of the NASA space center in Houston. "The Outer Limits of Siberia", new to the lineup in 2006, is a six-night adventure that travels from Anchorage to the Kamchatka Peninsula, an area so remote it has been called "Siberia's Siberia," and includes hiking, rafting, off-roading, and wildlife-spotting.

Taking the Kids:

While Celebrity is frankly adult-oriented, their Club X program offers excellent activities for children year-round. Youth activities are arranged by age groups, which vary between high and low seasons: Shipmates, 3-6, Celebrity Cadets, 7-9, Ensigns, 10-12 and Admiral T's, 13-15 and 16-17. 18 year olds are welcome to use the teen facilities. The youth program maintains the same hours whether in port or at sea: 9 a.m. to noon; 2 to 5:30 p.m.; and 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. Group babysitting is available in the youth room for children ages three to 12, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., at a fee of $6 per hour per child. Private babysitting is available in your stateroom for $8 per hour per child, with a maximum of two. When Mother and Pop are scheduled to dine formally, "Parents' Nights Out," is declared, and youth counselors take children to a pizza party, at no extra charge.

Caribbean and New York/Bermuda seem to be family favorites, with more and more families heading for Alaska too. Century, Galaxy, and Mercury have separate teen discos and more extensive facilities than the line's newer Millennium, Infinity, Summit and Constellation.

Theme Cruises and Special Programs: Celebrity offers unique Acupuncture at Sea and holistic healing "wellness at sea" programs. Special cruises to focus on photography and culinary gourmands are offered semi-regularly. Some ships have special designed and set entertainment by Cirque du Soleil.

Tipping:

As on so many lines, a 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to beverage tabs, and you're on your own when it comes to room service, spa, casino and other staff. Gratuities to shipboard personnel are included in the fare for Celebrity Xpedition.
Celebrity suggests a per person per day gratuity of $3.50 for the waiter, butler (suites only) and stateroom attendant; $4.00 for stateroom attendant in Concierge Class; $2.00 for the Assistant Waiter; .75 for the Assistant Maitre d' and the Assistant Chief Housekeeper. Children under 12 who are the third or fourth person in their stateroom need cough up only half those amounts. Tips may be added to the passenger's shipboard account upon request.

Hope this article help you choose Mediterranean Cruise lines which suits you. Enjoy your Mediterranean Cruise!