As a seasoned cruise traveller
Review of Celebrity Ellipse: A Mixed Experience
I recently disembarked from Celebrity Ellipse and unfortunately, it may have been my last cruise with Celebrity Cruise line. While my previous two cruises with Celebrity before the pandemic were excellent, this time around fell short of my expectations.
Let's start with the positives. The entertainment on board was outstanding. Eddy, the entertainment director, did a remarkable job identifying a rich mixture of performers to keep guests entertained. The Cover Girls singing and dancing were top notch, Andrew Lee's magic was mesmerizing, and Opalira, the duo from Argentina gave a memorable musical performance.
However, when it came to dining, the experience was lackluster. The food and service did not meet my expectations. While the entertainment was great, the other two aspects fell short, especially the food. The Oceanview buffet, in particular, lacked variety, with the quality of the food being subpar. The fruit selection was limited to banana, rock melon, melon, water-melon, grapefruit, cut-apple, and cut-oranges with no pineapples, cherries, grapes, berries, etc. The desserts were disappointing, with unappetizingly colored cakes. The Sonata restaurant, which had consistently good steak, was a letdown in other areas, with mediocre to poor starters and entrees. One night, everyone at the table who ordered cod as an entree gave up after the first mouthful. It didn't taste like cod and was dry and flaky. The only good food was the variety of ice cream. Unlike previous cruises, there were no nuts or snacks available at the bar or cafe to accompany drinks.
Furthermore, the ship was scheduled to dock at Wellington and Christchurch but did not. The captain claimed that the ports were closed, but while that may have been true for Wellington, the closure of Christchurch's port was questionable. According to the internet, the weather in Christchurch was cloudy with a light shower on March 21, 2023.
Lastly, the pre-cruise communication from Celebrity/Royal Caribbean websites was limited and difficult to reach, but the housekeeping and dining service experience were excellent.
Overall, while the entertainment was superb, the dining and port experiences were a letdown. I would give this cruise a mixed review and recommend Celebrity Ellipse with reservations.
