SebagoSue

You can book one comedy show in the small venue, Comedy Live and a second comedy show in the larger Amber Theater. It will likely be the same two comedians in both venues, but they typically change some or most of their material for the larger theater.You are not able to pre book two shows in the smaller Comedy Live venue.

There are no reservation times for any meals at Luminae. You can just walk up and except for the most busy times, you will be seated right away. We have never had to wait more than a few minutes at any time. You can also ask the hostess for the same table or wait staff area so you will get the same team helping you at each meal. (They won’t necessarily save the table for you, but will get you the same area.) I believe once you ask the first time, they will put it in your record and it will happen automatically thereafter. The entire team at Luminae is amazing and the service top notch. You are also able to order some classic type menu items that are not on the menu. Enjoy!

@Smokey79 You sound just like me! I am always the planner for our cruises and am used to being self sufficient and concise when I respond to the concierge email because I know just what I want. So this first Star class cruise with Nityam was very different for me. By the end of our 3 days, I enjoyed every moment of the pampering and felt confident Nityam would always be there and I could just relax. He will definitely communicate more as you get closer to your cruise. The other thing I would mention is to read the long email he sends at the outset very carefully. I thought I knew the deal, but the day before the cruise when I reread that email I picked up a couple things that were helpful.

We had Nityam as our genie on our first Star class sailing last weekend. He was FANTASTIC! We never received that survey, but found Nityam to be excellent with both pre cruise communication, as well as onboard communication using the WhatsApp app. We absolutely loved every moment of our cruise with Nityam. If Nityam is your genie, rest assured you will be very well cared for and he will make magic happen.

@ScottDAny of the Edge class ships would be a great way to try Celebrity. I would expect the XCel to be most like Beyond or Ascent, which have some changes from the Edge. Also, I would liken Edge class ships more to Quantum class than to Oasis class in size and feel. Celebrity is very adult oriented. While you might see a few children, there aren’t many except for Holiday cruises. Typically there are shows in the main theater at 7:30 and 9:30 each night. There are also shows in Eden around 10:30 and other events, games, etc in The Club throughout the day. You won’t find a pub singer or lots of late night action as on Royal, so for some people it may be too calm. We find Celebrity to have better food than Royal in all venues. if you like to sail in suites, the Retreat experience is amazing. We sailed Celebrity for the first time last year and going forward we will be splitting our cruises about 50/50 between Royal and Celebrity as we love the activities and entertainment on Royal and love the relaxation on Celebrity. @Matt did a great review recently of his Thanksgiving sailing on Apex and talked about the differences between the two lines. if Xcel is a great deal for the maiden voyage, I say YOLO book it!

Not Voyager, but we had an overnight in Istanbul in October sailing on Celebrity Beyond and the gangway was open all night. The port area is beautiful, with lots of restaurants and shops. At certain times in the Fall, they even have free open air concerts at the port in the evenings.

The Edge class ships like Beyond have 4 MDRs with some different menu items in each, as well as some of the same items in all. While it appears that you can reserve dining times, in actuality they are doing it all as walk up. It never takes long to get a table. If you have a large group, you may want to talk to a host in advance. As far as specialty dining, you can definitely make reservations once you board. Try to make them as early as you can once you board. The two that will be the most difficult to get usually are Eden and Le Voyage. I have also had luck asking at the restaurant during the cruise as they sometimes have cancellations.

I agree with everything @SMOKEY0202 said, it’s definitely personal preference. But unless you love going to the spa, $2,600 would buy quite a bit of specialty dining as well as perhaps a one day spa pass. I love all the specialty dining restaurants on Celebrity ships, so for me, I’d go with the regular veranda and add specialty dining.

New 2025-2026 Celebrity deployments are out today for booking.

So would this likely mean Symphony and Odyssey will have northeast home ports in winter 2026 and Wonder would be 3/4 night or longer Caribbean?

We were on Symphony last week and experienced the same as @LLW2683. The shrimp cocktail was the only difference. There was no filet. Some other items at the small buffet were burgers, hot dogs, jerk chicken, watermelon/feta salad, cheesy bread, some desserts and fruit. There may have also been a shrimp salad?

@JasonOasis Suits are definitely not required and you will see a mix of attire, even on chic nights. Most restaurants just require long pants, instead of shorts. Nice jeans or pants with a polo or nice shirt are perfect. (Thats my husband’s standard attire at dinner on Celebrity.)

Yes, another Edge class. The deck plans show cabins only at this point, so not sure what changes they are making in public spaces. They are adding more Sky suites and celebrity suites, while reducing the number of veranda cabins, which is interesting.

New Celebrity ship launching November, 2025.