new to celebrity usually do royal caribean

[cary1306]

this will be my first cruise with celebrity and trying the solstice in june with my sister and husbands. couple questions. we are 55-62 and are there young people .i read this is the cruise for geriatric people?also we are going to enjoy pool and music on sea days ,what kind of band music do they play?like music? someone mentioned no reggie music just 50 dub music? how much are beers? margarite?on formal night are the guys in tuxedo or suite jackets fine? how are the shows at night?love to hear from all:confused:

[ohiocruisemom56]

this will be my first cruise with celebrity and trying the solstice in june with my sister and husbands. couple questions. we are 55-62 and are there young people .i read this is the cruise for geriatric people?also we are going to enjoy pool and music on sea days ,what kind of band music do they play?like music? someone mentioned no reggie music just 50 dub music? how much are beers? margarite?on formal night are the guys in tuxedo or suite jackets fine? how are the shows at night?love to hear from all:confused:

 

We were on Solstice last week and are in mid 50's. Definitely not a "geriatric" cruise line but lots of empty-nesters like ourselves. Very few children, but of course it wasn't a school break and I assume that it would be different then. They have amstel light on tap...don't remember the cost though...sorry....and a nice reasonably priced wine list; most of our dinner selections were $38/bottle or so. There are definitely men in tuxes on the formal nights, but the majority are in suit/tie. The first show is a cirque de soleil type show and the others more Broadway singing-dancing sorts of things (there are 3 production shows). Solstice is a beautiful ship...the customer service is outstanding. Have a great cruise!

 

Virginia

[cary1306]

thanks i am so happy now love shows. anone about music?

[Bellfree Bat]

We are RCCL people too (48 and 52) and went on our first X cruise a couple years ago in January. The demographics of this particular cruise, even in early January, was diverse. We had a dinner table with two other couples, one about the same age and the other a little older and closed the dining room on most nights. We we able to meet up with other Scuba Divers on the Roll Call and dove together and did the America's Race together. It was the most relaxing and activity filled cruise we had been on. Definatly not geriatric!

 

I don't really remember the music at the pool but did like that there was not bellyflop competition or sexy legs competition. Can't comment on the beer prices either but suspect they are in line with RCCL.

 

There was a mix of Tuxes and suits on Formal night and you could get away with wearing either. Really no need to rent a Tux if you don't have one unless you want to.

 

We just made Diamond on RCCL and are booked on the Solstice sailing on May 25th and counting down the days! My husband will be a happy man if there is handscooped ice cream available at the buffet area like it was on the Summit. So much better than the frozen ice cream-like product on RCCL.;)

 

I am sure you will enjoy your cruise and will be back for more!

[cary1306]

yea i love hard ice cream. i will look for;):D:)

[mikechass]

We've done two X cruises, both were lovely.

We are early 30's and although the ages of the guests were definatly older then us it didnt matter.

The music by the pool did have some caribbean flare, there was a band playing and they did all sorts of stuff, modern, oldies, and of course vacation type stuff.

We didnt have beer while away BUT the cost of the drinks of the day were reasonable. My hubby enjoys the fruity ones.

The shows were great, we enjoyed every one. There are always some that are a little older then we would get, more jokes about health insurance and aging etc but everything was funny.

We were on Equinox in February and loved her...

Formal nights were great, just a suit and tie will be wonderful. You will see everything from gowns to pant suits for women.

Celebrity is just a little step above and you will notice it in the finer details if you look.

Enjoy your trip.... safe travels

[Ma Bell]

Check your date for Solstice. It's either the 23rd or 30th. Nothing on the 25th. Yes, they have the wonderful ice cream in the buffet. There is also great gelato in the Cafe Al Bacio. There is a charge for gelato.

[tomcruiser1234]

You will love X

 

Be sure to sign up with the Captains club cause your RCCL points can get you extra perks

[Bellfree Bat]

Check your date for Solstice. It's either the 23rd or 30th. Nothing on the 25th. Yes, they have the wonderful ice cream in the buffet. There is also great gelato in the Cafe Al Bacio. There is a charge for gelato.

 

Yes, we are on the sailing on the 23rd...slip of the finger...And Charlie will be a fat, happy man with all the ice cream flavors to choose from!

 

We signed up for the Captains Club before our last X cruise and have the reciprocal Elite status now that we are Diamond on RCCL. Looking forward to using the free bag of laundry!;)

[encoresue2]

We have done both lines and enjoy them for slightly different reasons....when traveling with other adults...prefer X as it is just a little more upscale...and LOVE that there are not all those pesky announcements. I also like the pads on the deck chairs...and the nicer atmosphere in the buffet. RCCL is always chaos in the buffet.

 

None of our X cruises have been "old and quiet." We have found a range of ages, fun people, and dedicated cruisers. Our cruise on Summit was especially entertaining as the orchestra folk (RCCL has only recorded show music) would jam after the shows in Michael's Club and we got to hear super jazz and great singers almost every night in a real casual format. These musicians obviously loved doing this on their time off.

 

Now, when we have traveled with our kids (and now a couple grandkids), RCCL was a better choice....not that the little ones liked the kids program (they didn't). But they loved the belly-flop contests, stupid pool games, better video game rooms, etc. And our waitstaff on both Mariner and Navigator seemed happy to keep the kids entertained at dinner with toothpick building challenges, nightly jokes, lots of desert presentations, etc. WAY better than taking kids to normal restaurants. I will admit, we haven't done X with kids we save it for our "alone" times.

 

Hope that helps.:o

[tarajean1962]

We are also RCCL people and just came back from the Equinox. We had very mixed feelings and although we had a nice time, I wouldn't say it was a great time. We have done 5 cruises with RCCL and will definitely be going back to that brand. ( We do realize that RC owns Celebrity, which is why we took the chance.)

 

All of the above posts seem to really enjoy Celebrity, so perhaps it was just not for us. I just wanted you to know that there is another side. Have a wonderful voyage!!

[Bridge Maven]

It depends upon your preference. Royal Caribbean ships have a more energetic feel to them with a lot more organized activities during the day. Celebrity ships are much quieter with less organized activities. Another difference is that there are very few children on Celebrity so most of their ships sail with only two passengers per cabin instead of at maximum capacity. I am a baby boomer who feels very old on Royal Caribbean and very young on Celebrity but enjoys both cruise lines equally.