Has Celebrity Cruises evolved to the point where the ship can be the destination? We’re about to find out on a cruise aboard the new Celebrity Ascent, which offers a range of daily activities for every age and interest. But is it right for you? Here’s a look at the ups (and some downs) on Celebrity’s newest addition:
Cab to cocktails in a flash
I’ve never moved from bag drop to boarding to bar order as effortlessly as our arrival for this cruise in Ft. Lauderdale. There were no crowds or waiting in the cruise terminal at noon, which is often the most chaotic time to arrive at a pier. Having advance checked-in and uploaded selfies to the Celebrity App, it was only a matter of slipping carry-ons through a scanner and getting the all clear from a face-recognition system and we were heading up the gangway to our room, where the key was waiting in the mail slot near the door.
After watching a safety briefing on the television in the room, you only need to visit your assigned muster station before sailing and have your key card scanned. We did that on our way to lunch and a glass of Champagne.
The ship has become the destination
Feet together, step to the side and tap. Now add a hip lift.
Hip lift? Until this morning I was only vaguely aware that bachata was a Latin club dance, and now here I was in the middle of a class led by Asecnt’s cruise director learning the latest funky moves. Why not? On a cruise with as much time at sea as on Ascent, you’ve got no agenda , but there are any number of options if you want one.
Celebrity calls its newest addition a resort at sea, and she arrived along with a campaign for all their ships headlined “from downtime to showtime; have it all on board.” There’s a lot more time at sea than in port on this itinerary. Sure, we’re stopping at three islands on this week-long Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, but there are three full days at sea and another full morning on board before we dock in San Juan. Ascent’s summer season in the Mediterranean features two full sea days each week.
If you’d rather lounge, there seem to be more places to settle in around the pool than on Ascent’s Edge-Series fleet mates. The showpiece deck artwork—a towering stainless steel sculpture of a leggy octopus– is relatively compact and there are fewer built-in spaces on deck. The ship was at capacity, with 3,200 guests on board, and a sunny sea day saw most of the lounge chairs around the main pool claimed by mid-morning, but there were plenty of loungers on other deck areas and even hideaways where I could have a deck to myself with a choice of seating.
The upper deck Rooftop Terrace has added a Pickleball net for friendly matches, as well as a tournament that becomes one of the most biggest events of afternoons as the cruise goes on. The Rooftop is also a leisure spot with comfy sofas and couches to settle into in the sun or the shade. In between the paddle games there are still first run movies on a big screen and in the morning yoga classes. In the afternoon, it’s a great spot for a drink from the Sunset Bar.
Don’t miss becoming an Eden-ist
There’s a fascinating realm on Ascent you might completely miss finding unless you walk through a Stargate-like hall of mirrors and spacey sculptures that leads to Eden. The shops, restaurants and bars in this unique multi-deck zone at the rear of the ship are designed to appear to be part of a different dimension, including decorative chairs that resemble flowers and a garden of plants lining the walls. Because it’s less known by day, you can turn a space on a suspended inside walkway with a view or a lounge on Eden’s outside deck into your own personal hideaway by day.
It wasn’t until near the end of the cruise that I realized there’s also a deli tucked away alongside the bar that makes for a tasty and quiet lunchtime alternative to the busy Oceanview Cafe buffet or the burgers and bites at the poolside Mast Grill.
And it’s well worth making a reservation well in advance for a dinner at the Eden Restaurant. It’s got one of the freshest menus at sea prepared in an open kitchen so you can watch the team of chefs seemingly dancing an intricate choreography as they prepare every dish to order to be rushed by waiters to tables. I can vouch for every delicious bite of my jumbo crab cake appetizer and fresh grouper with vegetable and Thai curry sauce as a main and Azecta chocolate pie for dessert. Consider the seven-course tasting menu that has a sampler of everything only if you come very, very hungry.
Night Owls face a dilemma
Decisions, decisions. Every evening there’s a choice of multiple late night parties—or do you really just want a night cap and turn in for a good night’s sleep? Look at it this way, you’re already home and there’s no reason to set an alarm for tomorrow, so you might as well take advantage of the opportunity to party into the early hours.
But there are still choices to be made. One evening, the late night comedy show features a stand-up who’s been featured onTV networks around the world. There’s a night of jazz at the Club. And a performance called Wonder at Eden: ShimmerBox promises “dance, groove or simply soak in the spectacle all around.” But you can’t do them all, because they all start at 10:30.
Fortunately there are more many more late nights ahead. Another evening offers another daunting set of options. In The Theatre, there’s Awaken: “a showcase of surreal dreams to explore a world where anything is possible.” And then there’s a Shine the Night party on the upper resort deck where guests are encouraged to dress as metallic as possible, or Karaoke in the Club, or a concert featuring the music of Queen.
A simple way around standing in the restaurant corridor–that doesn’t have bars– while you wait, is to have someone in your party go to the restaurant of your choice and get a pager while you enjoy drinks at the Martini Bar or World Class Bar located midships. Restaurants are always less crowded and rushed after 8, so another strategy is to catch an early show and dine later.
It’s not really All Included
A welcome feature on Celebrity Cruises has been All Included promotional fares, that include basic wi-fi, the basic beverage package and –until recently–gratuities. But there’s been a change you need to know about. As of October, 2023, the package no longer includes shipboard gratuities, which range between $18 and $24 per guest per day depending on stateroom category and will appear on your bill at the end of the cruise. In our concierge-level suite, that meant and extra $18.50 a day each for me and my wife, totalling $259 for the week appearing on our bill at the end of the cruise.
All Included still represents a significant saving over buying a classic drinks package and the basic Starlink wi-fi plan separately. There’s an upcharge for those who have the classic drinks package for drinks priced more than $10. You can still get a Bud for $8 and a Heineken for $9, which are below the limit for the classic package, but premium beers like Peroni and Stella Artois are priced at $11 and cocktails are all priced over $10 Every drink is also topped with an automatic 20 per cent gratuity.
We opted for athepremium drinks package, which if bought before the start of the cruise adds about $24 a guest per day to the fare but gives you unlimited cocktails and wines and Champagnes that are priced at up to $17 a glass. Even with the premium package, you can end up paying an upcharge for top-shelf pours and there are specialty drinks on the Eden bar menu which are priced at $20 or more. Whether premium is right for you depends on your preferences, but we found it opens a range of options and saves the hassle of having to sign for drinks. Every guest in a stateroom has to buy the same package.
You can of course opt for a cruise-only fare if you don’t drink and can live without internet, but you’ll still have to pay extra for things like bottled water and coffees at the Café al Bacio.
Another new addition is a service charge of $9.95 if you order room service, except for continental breakfast in the morning, On top of that charge, they add an additional service fee of 20 per cent.
Plan ahead, or miss out
Let’s just say, this ship is extremely popular. Our first choice of suite level when booking Celebrity is Aqua Class, that includes dining in the exclusive Blu restaurant. But when we decided to book Ascent a month before our Caribbean cruise, not only were all the Aqua suites sold out, but there was only one other accommodation available anywhere on the ship. And that was only because of a last-minute cancellation.
And there are already many summer cruises that are showing sold out. We would also have been able to get a better shipboard credit and more choice of available locations on the ship if we had booked longer in advance.
It’s a reason the advance cruise desks on Ascent were extremely popular during our cruise. Guests were already putting down deposits for the next ship in the Edge Series, Celebrity Xcel, which is due to launch in November 2025.
Next stop Europe: Ascent is sailing in Europe until October 2024, with cruises from Athens, Barcelona and Civitavecchia with calls in ports including Santorini, Mykonos, Naples, Portofino, and Sicily that include two days at sea each week.
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
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