20 Celebrity Cruises Tips that You NEED to Know About!

I recently took a cruise with Celebrity Cruises onboard one of the newest ships in their fleet: Celebrity Ascent. I’ve also previously cruised on the older format of ship from Celebrity, and it’s a cruise product that I’ve really grown to love. I find it a really comfortable product, with a degree of luxury without feeling overly ‘stuffy’ or unnecessarily formal.

In this post, I’m going to share with you 20 tips for your future cruises with Celebrity Cruises - hopefully these can help you to have the best trip possible when your time to board comes around.

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Who are Celebrity Cruises? 

At the point of writing this post (November 2025), Celebrity Cruises operate a fleet of cruise ships all around the world. They offer primarily an ocean cruise product, but they also offer an expedition product. As a third branch to their business, they’re also launching into the lucrative river cruise market - it’ll be interesting to see where this goes in the coming years. In this post today, I’m going to be talking specifically about their ocean product - in other words - the Celebrity Cruises ocean cruise ships.

Celebrity Cruises operate on the rivers and the oceans, but this post is focussing on their ocean cruise product.

They’re a mainstream cruise line owned by the Royal Caribbean group, and are widely known for offering a taste of modern luxury across the fleet, on a range of both older and newer ships. 

The Celebrity Cruises core product is really quite different to what you’ll find on their sister brand Royal Caribbean International, so hopefully doing some research before your cruise is going to help you understand what to expect from the onboard experience.

Let’s get started - what are the 20 Celebrity Cruises Tips that you need to know about?

Tip 1 - Be Careful When You Add Things to Your Cruise Booking!

If you’ve booked your cruise, you might be feeling a little like I often do - surprised, and a little overwhelmed, by the volume of emails that you’re receiving from the cruise line. After booking my most recent Celebrity cruise, I felt as though I was getting a different offer sent to my inbox every couple of days, making it almost impossible to secure the same price a few days apart for some additional elements of the cruise experience. 

I’ve found that the prices for add-ons with this cruise line seem to be relatively fluid - if you’re looking to add a Shore Excursion to your booking for example, I’d recommend holding off until you receive a special offer, or maybe even speak to the cruise line to see if they can tell you of any offers coming up. With the price of some of the official cruise line excursions, you could save a small fortune!

This same advice applies to drinks packages - I found I was often being offered discounts like 15%-20% off of the available drinks packages, which can add to be quite a significant saving if you’re paying the brochure ‘per day’ prices.

There’s no ‘right or wrong’ time to add things to your booking - I’m unfortunately not able to confirm the schedule of discounts (believe me - I really wish that I could!) - but my advice would be to hold off until you see your desired add-ons falling into line from a price point of view, and then making your bookings.

If you’re looking to add things like drinks packages, you don’t have any risk of them ‘selling out’, but it’s well worth keeping in mind that things like excursions can sell out if demand is particularly high. If there’s something that you really want to see or experience on your cruise, it’s usually best to book the excursion and not wait for a discount to appear - you’d kick yourself if you got closer to your cruise date, and it’s was no longer available.

Long story short - be careful when you add things to your cruise booking. You’ll want to book some things sooner than others - think about it, and you might just save yourself some money! 

Be careful WHEN you add elements to your cruise booking - things like drinks packages can fluctuate in price!

Tip 2 - Download the Celebrity Cruises Mobile App Before Your Cruise!

If you like a reliable mobile app experience, you’re probably going to be impressed with what you see from Celebrity Cruises.

Some cruise line apps can be glitchy and counter-productive, but not this one in my experience. On this app, you’ll be able to do things like view the Daily Schedule of events (in other words, what’s happening around the ship all during the day and night), add events and activities to your own personal calendar, complete your Muster Drill, and also view menus for dinner that evening.

You don’t NEED to use the mobile app to have a good cruise experience with Celebrity, but it absolutely helps. 

On this point - don’t leave downloading the app until the last minute. There’s a few reasons for me giving this advice… If you’ve got it in advance, you’ll be able to view things like the entertainment schedule ahead of the cruise. Not only that, but you won’t be fighting with potentially thousands of other people at the port to get mobile or cell coverage.

If you’re cruising from a particularly busy cruise port, there can be thousands of people all embarking on the same day. That’s thousands of mobile or cell phones all trying to connect, and not everyone’s going to get a lightning-fast connection in that scenario. Do yourself a favour - download the app once you’ve booked your cruise, and then you’ve got nothing to worry about!

Cruise ports can be very busy places - don’t fight for a cell phone signal - download the app before you go to the port!

You’ll often find multiple ships docked together in port, making cell or mobile coverage challenging at the best of times!

Tip 3 - Treat Yourself to Speciality Dining on Your Cruise - It’s Worth it!

On each of my Celebrity cruises, I’ve been really impressed with the calibre of the dining venues, both included (or complimentary) and speciality (in other words, the ones that you pay extra for).

While the included dining options are generally really strong on these cruise ships, the speciality options really are a level above. I’ve never been disappointed with a speciality restaurant on a Celebrity cruise, and I’m often relatively surprised at the price, especially those operating with a cover charge.

Across the fleet, you’ll find a range of speciality restaurants, so it’s worth doing a little research before your cruise to check if the option you like the look of will definitely be onboard your ship. This is really easy to do - just head to the Celebrity Cruises website and check out the deck plans of your chosen ship. 

What’s my favourite? I think it would have to be Eden, one of the trademark restaurants onboard Celebrity Ascent. This place offered such an elevated dining experience compared to anywhere else onboard. That said, it was among the most expensive options but, in my opinion, it was totally worth it.

If you’re cruising on a ship that features Eden, then this is your sign to book a table!

Although the ‘included’ food is good on a Celebrity Cruises vacation, the Speciality options really are ‘next level’.

Also, before we move on, you’re going to want to add any Speciality Dining to your account BEFORE you board the ship. You’ll not only save money by booking online from home, but you’ll also stand more of a chance of securing a booking on the days that you’d prefer at the best times. If you wait until you get onto the ship, you’ll pay the full price for your experience, and you’ll also need to book at a time that’s not already been booked by those using the online system - a ‘no brainer’ if you ask me.

Tip 4 - Enjoy the ‘Little Touches’ that Celebrity Cruises Offer That Lots of Other Cruise Lines Don’t!

Okay, we’re not setting the world on fire with this point, but it’s worth paying attention to the small things that this cruise line does that some of the others simply don’t. It’s by doing this that you’re able to really understand the benefit of the Celebrity Cruises product, and also understand why so many of their cruisers keep coming back time and time again.

Here’s an example… It might seem small, but if you’ve cruised elsewhere then you’ll probably be familiar with the concept of a towel station. If you’re looking to spend time poolside and you’d like a towel for your lounger, you’ll often be required to visit a table nearby to ‘check out’ a towel. This towel will then be allocated to your stateroom number, and a charge applied to your account if you don’t return it before the end of the cruise.

With Celebrity, things like pool towels are readily available for you - you’ll find them in huge towel storage shelves, and you can help yourself to as many as you want. No need to queue - it’s so easy!

Remember - return your towel at the end of your time using it - don’t be one of those that could ruin this for everyone else in the future… 

Want a pool towel? You won’t need to wait in line on these ships!

If you’re fortunate enough to be cruising in the Retreat (the suite-only area of the ship), then you can look forward to another little touch: sun cream and moisturiser available on the sun deck. Cool, isn’t it?!

Are you cruising in the Retreat? No need to pack Sunscreen - this will be waiting for you on the open deck!

Tip 5 - Research Which Included Dining Options are on Your Cruise Ship

We’ve mentioned this briefly as part of another tip above, but let’s think specifically about this one for a second. 

If you’re really looking forward to trying a specific restaurant, check if it’s on your ship before you board. Otherwise, you could be disappointed.

You can find a full overview of which restaurants are available across the fleet on the Celebrity Cruises website. Click here to go there now.

Tip 6 - Join the Celebrity Cruises Loyalty Programme Before Your Cruise.

If you’re new around here, then you might not have heard me talk about this one before. If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll probably already know that I’m a HUGE advocate of cruise line loyalty programmes. If I’m being really honest, I’m a supporter of any type of loyalty programme - I love them.

The cruise industry operates with loyalty at the heart of everything it does - cruise lines place such a huge emphasis on the topic. 

The loyalty club with Celebrity Cruises is called Captain’s Club, and it’s free to join. As a member, you’ll build loyalty points, which will then unlock various benefits when you cruise onboard any ship in the fleet in the future. You might think that you need to be incredibly well-cruised to get anything from these programmes, but after only taking a few cruises, I’m already seeing benefits.

On my most recent cruise, I was invited to a wine tasting, and was also taken on a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the main theatre onboard. I found it fascinating, and it was brilliant to get this FOR FREE! 

As one of my loyalty perks on my most recent cruise, I was invited to go for a ‘backstage tour’ of the Theatre!

Of course, I had to snap a quick selfie up on stage…!

As you work into the higher tiers of the Captain’s Club, you can look forward to free invites to things like mixology events, elite breakfasts, cocktail hours, discounted and even FREE laundry.

The best part? All that you need to do is first sign up, and then CRUISE!

Tip 7 - Keep Watching for ‘Power Up’ Points

Following from the above recommendation to join the Captain’s Club, you should keep an eye out for ‘Power Up’ point opportunities.

From time to time, you’ll receive emails containing opportunities for you to boost your loyalty points and therefore status, usually by doing something like voting in a survey, or watching a webinar. I absolutely love these emails - it’s so rare that you’re able to move up the loyalty ladder with a cruise line without actually spending more nights on their ships. That’s right - by simply getting involved and doing things like watching the videos that Celebrity Cruises send you, you’ll further build status within Captain’s Club.

If you’re eligible to take part, you’ll receive notifications to your emails - keep watching! 

You’ll receive email notifications that look like this when there’s an opportunity to earn ‘Power Up points’ - keep watching your inbox!

Tip 8 - Don’t Worry about ‘Evening Chic'!

Before taking my recent cruise, I had no idea what the term ‘evening chic’ meant. This is the term applied to the dress code on the more elevated evenings during your Celebrity cruise, and it’s their version of what other cruise lines might call ‘Black Tie’ or ‘Formal Night’, or similar. 

Don’t worry - Celebrity Cruises are much more informal than so many of the other cruise lines out there. In my experience, it’s pretty rare to find formal dinner suits or tuxedo’s onboard. Instead, you can expect smart trousers and chino’s to be the norm on the elevated nights of the cruise for gents, and summer dresses or tailored business suits tend to be the outfits of choice for the ladies).

If you don’t want to take part in the ‘Evening Chic’ nights, you don’t need to worry about being treated like the naughty child by being excluded from lots of venues onboard - Smart Casual attire is perfectly acceptable for dining rooms and also the theatre. This isn’t the case on most other cruise lines, where you’ll be required to dine at the buffet on a formal evening.

On their website, Celebrity do a good job of reassuring you that the dress code on this night is up for interpretation - it’s about wearing whatever you’re most comfortable and happiest in. If ‘dressing up’ for you means wearing smart jeans and a top, so be it - just dress in a comfortable outfit that you enjoy wearing, and you’ll be absolutely fine! 

The only really strict rule when it comes to dress codes is that t-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear aren’t permitted in the main restaurants. This is a bit of a ‘no brainer’ though, isn’t it?

Don’t worry about ‘Evening Chic’ as a dress code - here’s what I wore, and I felt right ‘at home’!

Tip 9 - Get Your Caffeine Fix from Cafe al Bacio!

If you’ve cruised with Celebrity Cruises before, I’m confident you’ll be very familiar with this brand. Cafe al Bacio is the name of the onboard speciality coffee shop, where you can order a wide range of premium coffees throughout the day and night. 

Here, the coffees aren’t included, but they’re very good! I’ve always really enjoyed ordering my coffee here during my cruise, settling down in an armchair, and just watching the scenery rolling past the windows outside the ship. 

The best part? Well, this isn’t just a coffee shop. 

You’re also going to get some absolutely FANTASTIC cakes here. Think your favourite coffee shop ‘on land’, and then make it better, and you’ll probably land somewhere in the region of what the cakes are like here.

I couldn’t believe the range of cakes available all day on my most recent cruise - it was so impressive. Not only are you able to get individual cakes here, but you can also order ‘by the slice’ from the large gateau’s presented in the display cases.

Here’s a few photos to get you in the mood - see you at Cafe al Bacio! 

Can we talk about the CAKES at Cafe al Bacio? WOW!

If you’re travelling with food intolerances or special requirements, don’t worry - there’ll be something here for you!

Tip 10 - Don’t Buy the Premium Drinks Package - Buy the Classic!

When I booked my recent cruise, I opted to book the rate that came with perks included. This meant that I had the ‘Classic’ drinks package applied to my account. I did a little research before the cruise, and assumed that this drinks package would be absolutely fine for what I’d enjoy drinking onboard.

Once I boarded the ship, I was approached by a member of the crew, who invited me to upgrade my Classic drinks package to the Premium. This would include MUCH more than what was on my original package. In fact, I was quite surprised at how primitive and limiting the Classic package would have been - I’d have been required to pay extra for most of what I’d enjoy drinking onboard.

I know what you’re thinking - surely it costs a small fortune to upgrade your drinks package on the ship? Well, this is what I assumed too. However, for my 7-night cruise in Summer 2025, it cost just over $100 (US) to upgrade to premium drinks for the whole week - an absolute bargain when you consider what that would now unlock for me.

In hindsight, had I opted to book the premium drinks package before my cruise, it would have cost me far more than upgrading onboard. 

For more information on the drinks packages available from Celebrity Cruises, click here. 

Research your drinks package options before you purchase one - they’re expensive, so be sure to check you’re booking the one best suited to your needs and budget!

Tip 11 - Ask your Stateroom Attendant to empty your mini fridge, and use it to store your own drinks!

When you board your Celebrity Cruises ship and get to your cabin, you’ll find that you’ve got your own personal mini fridge in there. Over my first few cruises, I had a rule where I would never touch that fridge, out of my constant fear of being charged the ridiculous prices that come with hotel and cruise ship mini bars.

Even if you’ve purchased a drinks package for your cruise, the drinks in that in-stateroom fridge won’t be ‘free’ or ‘included’, unless you’re staying in a premium Suite and they clearly confirm this once you’re onboard. For that reason, I had an idea - why don’t I empty it, and then I can use it for myself?

I’ve never had any issues with this - stateroom attendants are always so happy to help with this request, and it’s completely transformed how I cruise. At the start of the cruise, I’ll go to a bar onboard and ask them for a few of my favourite non alcoholic drinks (in my case, it’s still water and Orange Fanta), and I’ll keep them in my fridge. That way, I’ve always got a chilled drink waiting for me in my room when I come back from being ashore, or after I’ve been exploring the ship during a busy day ‘at sea’.

I’ve heard feedback that some cruise lines don’t like to sell you drinks from their bars that they don’t then open for you, but I’ve never had this issue with Celebrity Cruises - this tip always works perfectly!

Is there a better feeling than coming back to your stateroom at the end of a busy day to a perfectly chilled drink?! I’m thirsty at the thought…

Tip 12 - Watch a Ship Tour for Your Chosen Cruise Ship on YouTube!

This one’s important, and I’m sure you’ve already thought about it if you’re this far into this post. YouTube is home to thousands of tours of cruise ships - some are very cleverly edited, while others are simply someone walking around a cruise ship talking to their phone while recording.

These tours all have one thing in common - their aim is to help make you as comfortable as possible when your time to board comes around. Sometimes it’s little things that you’ll want to know, like where are the closest restrooms to the Martini Bar, while other times you might want to see higher-level details like what the venues look like on the ship. Whatever level of detail you’re looking for, there’s going to be a ship tour out there to help you!

Here’s a link to the ship tour that I’ve created for Celebrity Ascent to give you an idea of what to expect. You can find more of my ship tours over on my YouTube channel.

Tip 13 - Take your own Alcohol on your Cruise with you!

If you’re new to cruising, you maybe didn’t see this one coming. That’s right - some cruise lines will allow you to take some of your own alcohol on your cruise with you.

Unfortunately I’m not telling you that, instead of buying one of the drinks packages, you can just load your suitcase with your favourite beers, wines and spirits, but I am telling you that you’re able to take something on there with you. At the point of writing this post, Celebrity Cruises allows passengers to take onboard (on embarkation day) 2 bottles of wine per stateroom. The Celebrity Cruises alcohol policy states very clearly that no spirits (or ‘hard liquor’) are allowed to be taken onboard by guests.

There is no corkage charge if you choose to enjoy this wine in your stateroom, but there’s a corkage fee of $25 (US) per bottle applied if you’d like to drink if in a public area or venue.

This option offers a great option to those who have a favourite drink that they’re unable to buy on the ship. Perhaps you’ve got a favourite wine that you really like - this could suit you perfectly! It also suits those drinking particularly expensive wines from their collection - it would be much cheaper to bring your own premium wine onto the ship and pay the $25 corkage charge than purchase it on the ship!

If you purchase alcohol while the ship is docked in port, that’s not an issue - the security team will confiscate this when you board the ship in port and store it onboard for you. They’ll then return it to you on the final evening of your cruise.

You could bring a bottle of your favourite champagne onto the ship with you to really elevate your ‘breakfast on the balcony’ scenes!

Tip 14 - Don’t sit indoors at the buffet where you’ll struggle to find a seat. Go outside, where you’ll find more seats and fresh air!

This is one of my biggest tips for buffet dining on any cruise ship, but particularly on a Celebrity Cruises ship. On my most recent cruise on Celebrity Ascent, I couldn’t believe how people seemed to not realise there was a large outdoor dining area at the back of the ship. I guess people must visit the buffet, and then simply look to sit nearby the food service area, instead of taking a walk further back.

Most cruise ship buffets will have outdoor seating options, where you can relax and enjoy the same views as you’ll see from the inside. The biggest benefits to this are that you’ll usually find a seat much quicker, but you’ll also get the benefit of fresh air while you’re dining! A ‘win win’, right?!

The onboard buffet will be busy throughout service times, but head to the outside dining area - it’ll usually be so much quieter!

Tip 15 - Take 2 Power Packs on your Cruise with you!

As a content creator, I feel as though I spend my life constantly charging batteries, trying to make sure that my devices won’t run out of power at any point. When I cruise, I like to have my phone and camera charged at all times (just incase!).

On most of my early cruises, I would carry a power pack with me during the day when I was ashore, and then I’d charge it overnight when I was back onboard the ship. However, this has changed as I’ve started to take more cruises, largely due to one key issue: the availability and location of power outlets in cruise ship cabins.

I always like to charge my mobile phone overnight while I sleep, and my preference is to do this beside my bed. That way, if I need my phone through the night, it’s within easy reach. This also allows me to turn off my alarm clock in the morning without having to get out of bed and walk to the other side of the room!

I was so surprised to find that there were no bedside power outlets on Celebrity Ascent. If this is the case for one of the newest ships in the fleet, I’d almost certainly assume it’s the case across the wider fleet, too.

It’s an easy workaround - don’t worry. All you need to do to overcome this annoyance is take a second portable charger with you. This allows you to have one available to you while you’re ‘in port’ and ashore, and the other is then ready for you to use to charge overnight. When you’re using one, you’re charging the other. This might sound complicated, but trust me - it’s SO important if you’re even slightly tech-minded like I can be!

You can buy these portable chargers from most supermarkets and tech shops, but you can also order them via Amazon. I’ve popped some good examples into my Amazon store, which should hopefully make it a little easier for you to find one (or two!) for your upcoming cruises - just click here to go to my Amazon stores!

Tip 16 - Take part in the ‘MoveUp’ programme to get a Stateroom Upgrade!

Did you know that Celebrity Cruises operates an upgrade programme that allows you to submit a bid to receive a new, better stateroom? Well, now you do! It’s called ‘MoveUp’, and you can submit your bid easily online for your sailing. All you’ll need to do is enter your Surname and your Reservation ID, and then you’ll be able to access the upgrade portal.

This could be the cheapest way for you to leave your interior stateroom behind to enjoy the ocean views that come with a balcony stateroom, or perhaps your way to cruise in the Retreat class for your next cruise - you just need luck to be on your side!

For more information on the upgrade programme from Celebrity Cruises, click here to go to their website now.

You could use the MoveUp programme to bid your way into the Retreat… Good luck!

Tip 17 - Research your ship choice carefully, and be sure to book the best one for you!

Like most cruise lines, Celebrity Cruises has a very diverse fleet. You’ll find that lots of the commercials and general marketing is showing the experience onboard the newer ‘Edge class’ ships, rather than the older classes of ships. I guess the reason for this is simple - the newest ships in the fleet are far more ‘instagrammable’ than the older models, and they’ll appeal to a wider audience than the more traditional vessels.

Celebrity Cruises operate four ‘classes’ of cruise ship.

First, you’ve got the Millennium class, featuring Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Infinity and of course, Celebrity Millennium.

Next, there’s the Solstice class, featuring Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Solstice.

Finally, you’ve got the EDGE class, which consists of Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond, Celebrity Ascent, Celebrity Excel and Celebrity Xcite

There’s no ‘right or wrong’ ship to book - it’s entirely down to your personal preference. If you’re looking for a more laid back, quiet and traditional cruise experience, you’ll probably want to avoid booking one of the newer ships in the fleet. On the other hand, if you’re looking for all of the glitz that comes with a newly-built cruise ship, you’ll want to avoid one of the older ships.

Going back to my earlier point - YouTube and travel websites are your best friend with this one. Happy researching…!!

Celebrity Cruises operates some very different ships. Here’s Celebrity Silhouette, launched in 2011.

In contrast, here’s Celebrity Ascent. She launched at the end of 2023.

Tip 18 - Make time during your cruise to experience the Sunset Bar

‘Sunset Bar’ is a venue that you’ll find across the Celebrity Cruises fleet, and it’s among my absolute favourites. I love nothing more than watching the sun set while I’m on a cruise and, as the name suggests, this is one of the best places to do so on these cruise ships. Imagine comfortable chairs, loungers and benches, acoustic live music and a mediterranean vibe, and you’ll be thinking of something similar to this venue.

Regardless of which ship you’re cruising on, the views from this bar are absolutely stunning. It’s been designed in a way that forces your eyes to look out from the ship - there aren’t any high walls blocking the views, and the venue will wrap around the aft (back) of the ship on most of the fleet.

One of my biggest criticisms of the cruise industry in general is that I don’t think the ships ‘cash in’ on the top deck spaces enough - they seem so keen to force passengers inside to the revenue-generating areas onboard. However, Celebrity Cruises are doing a great job of encouraging passengers to use the upper and outer deck spaces, with Sunset Bar being a great example of this.

Here’s the Sunset Bar onboard Celebrity Silhouette. If only the sun was shining…!

The Sunset Bar onboard Celebrity Ascent has a very similar vibe - look at that view!

Tip 19 - Enjoy cruising on a smoke-free ship!

If you’ve got to this one as a smoker and got a fright, don’t worry - there are smoking areas onboard. What you don’t find on a Celebrity Cruises ship are indoor smoking opportunities.

On lots of cruise ships, it’s perfectly normal to walk into a casino to find that it’s a smoking-permitted venue, which can then cause issues with the scent of smoke drifting into nearby venues. For most, this wouldn’t be too much of an issue, but it would be to some.

The interior of a Celebrity Cruises ship is entirely smoke-free, so don’t worry about having to avoid some venues when you’re cruising due to the smell - that won’t be an issue!

Celebrity Cruises operate smoke-free ship interiors. Even the Casino venues are ‘non-smoking’!

Tip 20 - Check out my ’20 things to do on your next EDGE class cruise’ video

Whether you’re cruising on an EDGE class ship, or another in the Celebrity Cruises fleet, I’m hopeful that you’ll find this video useful. To head over there now, just click the link below!

Thank you for checking out this post today. I really hope you’ve enjoyed it, and I hope it helps you to plan for your future cruise. While you’re here, why not have a look around this website? I’ve got so much more to show you, and to tell you about!

Happy cruising!