OMG! Kind of freaking out...

[jd1966]

I have never cruised Carnival but on our last Solstice cruise, we shared a shore excursion with folks from the Dream. Many were complaining about their experiences on the Dream. Not to trash Carnival but you'll find complaints on every board about every ship!

[Sailfish]

I am not by definition a cruise enthusiast, but I do lead at least one Scuba Cruise a year. This year, we will be going on the Solstice in June. Though I will say that the Celebrity cruises I have been on have been more low-key (fewer organized activities, virtually no outdoorsy things to do on days at sea and quieter evenings than with Princess, Royal Caribbean or Carnival), the fact that we almost always do more port intensive itineraries makes me appreciate the down time. Not everyone will agree, but as I am not into art auctions, napkin folding, bingo or ballroom dancing, I find relaxing on deck with a good book, or going to a lounge for after dinner drinks to be okay after scuba diving in all the ports of call. I would die if it weren't for the ports of call, though. Some people cruise for the ship - I do so for the ports of call.

 

Celebrity ships have a classy ambiance and a more adult feel to them. Yes, there will be kids on the ship in the summer and during holiday periods. But I am sure there won't be nearly as many as those on Royal Caribbean or Carnival. For better or worse, Celebrity attracts a more mature group of passengers and people like me, who would be more inclined to do a land based trip than go on a cruise. Celebrity is a good fit for us - but you have to be in the right mindset.

 

Like I said, I am a leading a group of divers on the June 20th sailing. We booked this itinerary so we could dive. Celebrity has done an amazing job helping to coordinate our shipboard activities. They also have been very supportive of our desire to NOT dive with the cruise line dive operators in port. We do a lot of dive cruises with Princess too - again it all goes back to which ports of call the ship will go to.

 

Our group forum here at Cruise Critic has a lot of good information about the Solstice and our ports of call. Even if you are not into scuba diving, there's a lot of good stuff there, so I would encourage you to visit.

 

Good luck.

[deb8805]

what reviews are you reading? I am so excited about our first cruise,(as a family!) and most of it is from reviews on this board!

[carolinesmom]

We took our first cruise over spring break this year. We were on the Century, which is a smaller ship. Our children are 14, 12, 9, and 6. Everyone had a great time, including my husband and I. I was a little nervous if I had made the right choice before we went, also. But it worked out really well. All of my children got involved in the clubs and made new friends. We always had dinner together, but every night as soon as dinner was over, they were all off to meet friends at the kids' clubs. Which allowed my husband and I to go to the lounges and the evening entertainment. My oldest is bugging me about when we can take another cruise! I think you'll be happy with your choice.

[Softball20]

Go and have fun! The cruise will be what you make of it, regardless of what the other passengers are doing and how old/young they are! We've taken our kids (now 17 & 20) on every cruise listed here but the first and the Med - doing the Med next month for our younger daughter's graduation. They have never gone to the kids' clubs activities on any of the ships, and all of us have always had a great time. None of us would ever do a Carnival cruise again. They were 9 & 12 when we did that, and none of us cared for the food or service. (Although, I will admit that when my older daughter and I went on a Carnival cruise with her Girl Scout troop we were both pleasantly surprised and actually thought that the food was a bit better than we recalled.)

 

Reviews are so subjective, anyway. We like laying by the pool/beach all day while others might find that boring. There will be plenty of things for you to do and there will be stuff going on all day -- some that will interest you more than others. Have a great trip!

[LINGBER]

As stated earlier, as long as you travel when school is out, there will be plenty for the kids. My kids who started cruising at 3 and 6 have been on over a dozen cruises (on Carnival, RCC, Celebrity, HAL, Disney, Princess) and have loved all of them. They are now 11 and 14 and we are off to Southampton next month to catch the Eclipse. They enjoy the clubs, look forward to meeting new friends and really love the whole experience. I personally don't think there is a better family vacation. My husband and I love Celebrity as it provides an upscale experience with above average food(overall) and has a fun program for the kids. Something for everyone. No it is not RCC or Carnival, but they love it nonetheless.

[Booyakasha]

We were recently in Mexico with our kids 8 and 12. We usually rent a house because we like the peace and quiet and my kids are very happy just hanging out. While we were there my son and I went Scuba diving and the dive shop was in a big all inclusive resort. While we were waiting to get ready to go diving and when we came back we got to see all the activities, people etc that they do all day. Egg toss, dance contest, limbo, drinking games etc. I asked my son "doesn't that look fun?" He said no way, I would never stay here. That is why we choose Celebrity over other cruise lines.

 

This is not to say that my kids don't like meeting friends on vacation, we just stayed in a beutiful small 10 unit condo in Grand Cayman and they both met good friends and played with them quite a bit. It was low key, at their pace and not forced. They could do what they want at their pace without 1,000 other kids around. That is why we choose Celebrity over other cruise lines.

 

Your mileage may vary.............

 

B.

[Softball20]

I've got to agree with Booyakasha. We've done cruises, all-inclusives (when the kids were little), resorts, private homes, and there's never been an issue over not enough to do or not having any other kids around. My kids never really wanted to do the kids' club thing - just not for them. Sure, there were vacations that either or both of them met up with other kids and hung out, but it never dampened any vacation if they didn't. They have always enjoyed hanging/relaxing with us. They also have "run of the ship" (as long as we knew where they were), and sometimes joined in things that were going on around the ship if it was of interest to them. My kids were always so busy at home that they really just like to hang out and relax and never really worried about any specific activity. They would tell you that they've always preferred the lines with the better food and service than the "stchick" any day.

[satchiesmom]

Two years ago we took our twin grandsons, 9 yo at the time, on a 5 day Century cruise. We imagined having the time of our lives with them on their first cruise. Didn't happen - they were so busy enjoying the children's activities that we rarely saw them! They even had dinner in the kid's club. And there weren't many kids there since this was January. The staff there were amazing and the boys never complained of nothing to do. So go and have a wonderful time.

 

Susan

[wineluvr]

You will love Celebrity. We have sailed Princess, Royal, and Celebrity with our kids and they say Celebrity is their favorite. They've loved the X Club/Fun Factory over the years with all the activities and Leapfrog products, and now that they are teenagers spend nearly all their time onboard in the Teen Center.

[Woobstr112G]

We just returned from the Apr 4 sailing of Solstice. We have two teens 14 & 12. My wife threatened to do me bodily harm if I told anyone of our friends about Celebrity. She wants to keep it a secret. Celebrity Solstice was without a doubt the best experience I've had in 46 cruises. From the food, drinks, and plain relaxation no other cruise line compares. I can find something good and bad to say about any cruise, just like everyone else. The only bad thing I can say about the Solstice is I wish the ports were smaller and more like those found on a southern Caribbean itinerary.

 

Most people who feel negatively will post negative things since CC gives a great forum for us to share our thoughts and experiences. Those who have positive experiences may not post them.

 

The grass areas on top were awesome. The food was excellent in the MDR. The buffet was great. Lots to choose from. My favorite thing? No announcements except for 1 at 12:00 noon....the Captain's daily update. I would be a happy man if I never heard a Bingo announcement again on a cruise ship.

 

Go Celebrity. Enjoy the spoils of a great cruise.

 

Glad you had a great cruise. Nice also to see a positive outlook as well.....:):):)

 

Bob