I have been reading more and more marketing materials about how pretty much every cruise line now offers a luxury experience. Honestly, with so much of it becoming white noise, I hadn’t looked closer. That is, until I won a Celebrity Caribbean cruise in a veranda stateroom that I have to take by November 2026 by listening to a couple of webinars about Celebrity now sailing in Japan.
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As you may know, I am not a fan of Caribbean cruises, especially because getting to the ports from Lake Tahoe is usually harder and takes longer than flying to Europe. But it is time to make lemonade out of lemons…err, um, I mean my free cruise.
The first thing I did was look for Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-Class ships with embarkation near a major airport, longer than seven days (I’m not schlepping that far for a seven-day or shorter cruise), and that didn’t interfere with my already-planned travel. I came up with a 10-day round-trip sailing from Fort Lauderdale on the Celebrity Ascent.
As I was considering that I would be booked in a lower category veranda stateroom (Deck 7 with an unobstructed Infinite Balcony) with no ability to upgrade my stateroom, I wondered what I could do to upgrade my experience and avoid the dreaded “extras”. To be honest, I have been pleasantly surprised!
Now, before I get into the details, I want to reflect back on the last time I tried this: My rather troubling experience of sailing on Oceania Cruises 1,250 passenger Riviera in 2024: Oceania Riviera in Japan – Discovering a Premium Experience: Reflections (What Does One Problematic Cruise Tell Me?) – Goldring Travel. I went into that trying to see if it was possible to make an asserted Premium cruise experience rise to that of a Luxury one. What became clear very quickly was that Oceania struggled to even be a Premium experience. Shockingly, Oceania is now pitching itself as a Luxury cruise line, which, if you read my articles, you will see I find to be somewhere near “outrageous”. (That said, Oceania’s newest and similarly sized ships, the Vista and Allure, are receiving better reviews.)
The Celebrity Ascent carries nearly three times the number; the size affords a significant amount of space and, thus, options. While one of the conditions of my free cruise is that I cannot upgrade to, for example, the suites-only Retreat (and its private restaurant, lounge, pool, etc.), there are many more options available to upscale my experience than on Oceania; especially when it comes to dining (a very problematic aspect on Oceania, which pitches itself as a cruise line for foodies with “The Finest Cuisine at Sea”).
The first place I start on any non-luxury cruise line…despite what they market…is what are the “required” and optional packages offered for dining, beverages, and wi-fi. On Oceania all specialty dining, save La Reserve at about $150 per person, is included, as are Gratuities. A Premium Beverage package (soft drinks are always included) runs $59.95 per person per day. Basic Wi-Fi is included, but if you want any sort of speed and more than one device, it will cost you $39.98 per day. Because Oceania is (too) regularly changing its promotions, I found what seems to be a comparable cruise: Oceania Vista on November 11, 2026 (14 days) in the lowest veranda stateroom (291 square feet including the balcony) including house beer and wine at lunch and dinner, and $400 per person shore excursion credits is $9,774 total for two. If you add two premium beverage packages ($1,679), and upgraded wi-fi ($560) the price comes out to $12,013, or about $430 per day.
In comparison, for the lowest category veranda stateroom (290 square feet – 243 square foot stateroom + 47 square foot “veranda”), the price is $6.055.78 total for two. The Premium Access Package includes all specialty dining, the premium drinks package, two premium Wi-Fi sign-ons, and more. If you pay on the ship, it is $260 per person per day, or $2,600 for this cruise x 2 + 20% Gratuity, or $6,240. If you purchase it in advance, as I did, it is discounted…and for me it was 30% off, so it cost me $4,367.60. Add to that gratuities totaling $360, and the cruise costs $10,784, or about $539 per day. (Keep in mind that for me, after deducting the cost of the cruise, it comes out to only $236.38 per day.)
One question in my mind is, “Is the actual cost of my free cruise worth it?” But the bigger question, and probably more relevant to you, is, “Is the Celebrity Ascent experience worth $100 per person more than the Oceania Vista experience?” Or, better, “Is a properly positioned Celebrity cruise a better experience than an Oceania one?“
Now, as I get into the specifics of the Celebrity cruise, I have to disclose that I have a long history of sailing with Celebrity and have Elite Plus status, which gives a number of perks, most of which won’t affect my analysis…though two complimentary bags of laundry is nice. Celebrity offers a dizzying number of options for packages and upgrades for beverages, wi-fi, and dining. My focus is not to dive into all of them, but only the one that elevates all of those to the highest levels.
Celebrity Ascent has a truly impressive array of elevated dining experiences, and I intend on trying all of them, which, as you will see, if booked individually, would cost me about $1,000 per person (or $100 per day).(Note: The prices shown are for this specific 10-day cruise and without the10% pre-cruise purchase discount.)
- Chef’s Table by Daniel Boulud, which is a five-course dining experience in a private setting with, if you like, paired wines. There may also be menu supplements (which I am counting on!). For me, the included Daniel Boulud cookbook and photograph of the dinner are curious, but I can see that for those who normally do not experience such things, they are nice mementos. ($169 per person)
- Le Voyage Tasting – Daniel Boulud’s first restaurant at sea offers an a la carte menu (see below) and a six-course tasting menu with, if you desire, wine pairings. ($155 per person)
- Le Voyage by Daniel Boulud – This restaurant has a diverse, complex, and extensive international menu that, if delivered, will rival those on most any luxury cruise ship. ($125 per adult/$14.99 per child)
- Omakase Dinner Experience – This is a “very limited seating” ten-course dining experience featuring “elegant, traditional Japanese dishes, paired with unique sake and wines,” located at the Raw on Five restaurant (see below). ($129 per person)
- Eden Tasting – Eden is a unique, rather “organic”-looking venue that offers two Seven-Course Tasting Menus: the Eden Tasting Menu and the Plant-Based Tasting Menu. ($120 per person). This venue also functions as an a la carte (extra cost) restaurant.
- Dinner on the Edge – Celebrity Edge-Class ships have what is referred to as the Magic Carpet: a platform that glides up and down the side of the ship and is used for both cocktails/dining and as a tender platform. (It doesn’t move with guests on it). It is a fairly cozy al fresco dining option. ($129 per person)
- Fine Cut Steakhouse – A steakhouse with inside and al fresco dining options ($65.00 per person/$14.99 per child)
- Rooftop Garden Grill – A beautiful al fresco venue with a typical casual grill menu of sliders, fish sandwiches, BBQ ribs/chicken, etc. ($45.00 per person/$14.99 per child)
- Raw on Five – This is a Japanese cuisine venue that offers a variety of prix-fixe options of a small plate or starter, a choice of two large plates, and a dessert. ($40 per person)
If I add to that the cost of beverages, at, say, $15 + 20% gratuity for an average a premium drink, spending $100 per day most certainly is reasonable, if not underestimated (two mimosas at breakfast, two wines with lunch, two pre-dinner cocktails, two glasses of wine with dinner, and a couple of whiskies after dinner = 10 drinks), the Premium Access Package is starting to look pretty good!
With that, and to keep perspective, I could easily sail on the Celebrity Ascent in the same stateroom I am in and walk off the ship with only gratuities to pay. But that is simply unrealistic…and not much fun. Yes, I know there are those who sail on Celebrity and focus on such things, but, alas, this is, in part, how you upscale your experience. They will not, for the most part, be dining at specialty restaurants or other premium spaces, and that will, by design, reduce the crowds that most in my demographic seeking an upscale experience wish to avoid.
For now, the table is set, and all that is left to do is wait. Yeah, my chance of booking shore excursions in the Caribbean is pretty low. Now, what did I say about loving those sea days?!
