Honeymoon Cruise with many questions ???

[zdobson71]

Hello all,

 

First time poster here. I've been reading the boards for the past couple of weeks trying to pick up answers to the many questions that have came about from the beginning stages of planning our honeymoon cruise. I know many of the questions will be somewhat subjective but the advice/input on the boards seem to be of the highest quality so all input is appreciated.

 

We are looking at the Celebrity Saling of the Reflection out of Miami on April 6, 2013. Itinerary of San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas. We will be 25 and 21 respectively on the sailing of the cruise and hope to make the most of our honeymoon cruise.

 

I have never been on a Celebrity ship, only 4 times with Carnival and thoroughly enjoyed my time on them but wanted a different atmosphere. Celebrity seems to fit the bill. My fiance has never been on a cruise, but we are looking to go on quick/cheap sailing out of Florida this Fall.

 

My questions are

 

1. What is the best stateroom for us to go with?

 

We have looked at the Balcony/Concierge/AquaClass? I know AC gets to dine in Blu but it doesn't appeal that much to our tastes. Other than that we just want a great cabin location and ease of access the upper decks of the ships.

 

2. Would anyone have any reservations about going on a ship that is so new?

 

I doubt there would be any because I have many CC's booked for the Med and TA of the Reflection.

 

3. Having never been on ship with so many extra/for fee options will I feel the need to budget another 1,000 just for onboard purchases?

 

We will be doing the Beverage Package so that would be included. Just don't want to feel like there a fee for everything, although I'm sure there is plenty to do for free on these beautiful ships.

 

4. And the most subjective question, for those who have sailed on the shorer/cheaper 4-6 Carnival sailings out of Florida, I want my fiance to experience a cruise before we splurge on a Celebrity sailing, but I also know these sailing will not hold a candle to the Reflection. Any suggestions on ships, experiences that would somewhat mirror a Celebrity sailing.

 

Sorry for the rambling and long winded questions, it is just we want our honeymoon to the trip we will always remember and knew there was no better place for information than here on the CC boards.

 

Thanks so much for your time.

 

Zach & Christen

[cheryl20772]

Hello all,

 

First time poster here. I've been reading the boards for the past couple of weeks trying to pick up answers to the many questions that have came about from the beginning stages of planning our honeymoon cruise. I know many of the questions will be somewhat subjective but the advice/input on the boards seem to be of the highest quality so all input is appreciated.

 

We are looking at the Celebrity Saling of the Reflection out of Miami on April 6, 2013. Itinerary of San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas. We will be 25 and 21 respectively on the sailing of the cruise and hope to make the most of our honeymoon cruise.

 

I have never been on a Celebrity ship, only 4 times with Carnival and thoroughly enjoyed my time on them but wanted a different atmosphere. Celebrity seems to fit the bill. My fiance has never been on a cruise, but we are looking to go on quick/cheap sailing out of Florida this Fall.

 

My questions are

 

1. What is the best stateroom for us to go with?

 

We have looked at the Balcony/Concierge/AquaClass? I know AC gets to dine in BLU but it doesn't appeal that much to our tastes. Other than that we just want a great cabin location and ease of access the upper decks of the ships.

 

If you don't want to dine in BLU, then please consider Concierge. It has all the same amenities as AquaClass, but no BLU, no aromatherapy or tea, and no free access to the heat suite. Look to price though. Some cruises show AquaClass priced lower than Concierge. In that case you may want to opt for AquaClass and just go to the MDR or specialty restaurants instead of BLU.

 

2. Would anyone have any reservations about going on a ship that is so new?

 

I doubt there would be any because I have many CC's booked for the Med and TA of the Reflection.

 

Certainly not. If minor annoyance adverse, I'd avoid the first cruise out of a dry dock; or the maiden voyage for a new ship, but I would think a new ship is very desirable.

 

3. Having never been on ship with so many extra/for fee options will I feel the need to budget another 1,000 just for onboard purchases?

 

We will be doing the Beverage Package so that would be included. Just don't want to feel like there a fee for everything, although I'm sure there is plenty to do for free on these beautiful ships.

 

You can probably figure out your expenses before you go on the cruise. You have already decided about the beverage package, you know about the gratuities (you can prepay those if you want), and you can even book your excursions before you go. There's not much more to surprise anyone. Do you pan to gamble some in the casino? You can set aside an amount and commit to not go over that; likewise a spending budget for onshore shopping. There are shops on the ship and the liquor prices are pretty good, but only you know if you want that. In my experience most other things on the ship are expensive and you might better buy souvenirs in ports.

4. And the most subjective question, for those who have sailed on the shorer/cheaper 4-6 Carnival sailings out of Florida, I want my fiance to experience a cruise before we splurge on a Celebrity sailing, but I also know these sailing will not hold a candle to the Reflection. Any suggestions on ships, experiences that would somewhat mirror a Celebrity sailing.

 

On a Carnival? Well, what port are you looking at? Some ports only have one ship. The smaller Carnivals are probably very similar as to experience. We've been on Sensation and Ecstasy and they were similar. The shows were really ordinary and nothing near what we experienced on Solstice.

 

Sorry for the rambling and long winded questions, it is just we want our honeymoon to the trip we will always remember and knew there was no better place for information than here on the CC boards.

 

Pick any of the smaller Carnival ships and, by comparison, your honeymoon will be awesome. I know Carnival has some newer larger ships and they may be wonderful too, but, if you pick a small one, you'll have the desired effect.

 

Thanks so much for your time.

 

Zach & Christen

 

Please see my comments in green above. I hope you and your new spouse will have many, many cruises in your future too.

[emo]

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic :)

 

My husband and I are also in our 20's and love Celebrity!! We've only been on 2 cruises so far (Solstice and Equinox) but will be booking a 3rd (or possibly B2B) in the next few weeks! So to answer your questions:

 

1. What is the best stateroom for us to go with?

 

We have looked at the Balcony/Concierge/AquaClass? I know AC gets to dine in Blu but it doesn't appeal that much to our tastes. Other than that we just want a great cabin location and ease of access the upper decks of the ships.

 

All the cabins on the solstice class ships are the same size, so really they're all good! If you don't care about Blu, then I believe booking a CC room would get you on the higher decks and give you a few extra amenities to make your honeymoon a little more special (flowers, champagne, etc) :). There's a list somewhere here on the boards of all the cabins with larger, angled balconies on the "hump"... so maybe check that out as well. We had one of the almost triple-size balconies on our last trip and it was in an obstructed category but still awesome!

 

2. Would anyone have any reservations about going on a ship that is so new?

 

I doubt there would be any because I have many CC's booked for the Med and TA of the Reflection.

 

Nope, we were on the Equinox 4 months after it went into service (2nd cruise after the TA), and if there were any kinks, they had certainly been worked out by then. Everything was perfect and I hope we are lucky enough to sail a ship that new in the future!

 

3. Having never been on ship with so many extra/for fee options will I feel the need to budget another 1,000 just for onboard purchases?

 

We will be doing the Beverage Package so that would be included. Just don't want to feel like there a fee for everything, although I'm sure there is plenty to do for free on these beautiful ships.

 

If you're already doing the Beverage package, I doubt you would need an extra $1,000. The specialty restaurants are definitely worth the cost though, so do budget for a few of those. And since it's your honeymoon, I'm sure you'll want a few of the professional photos, and maybe a spa treatment or 2. So maybe like 5-600 for all of that? Don't forget about gratuities of course (so do add that in to the figure), but I would highly recommend Select Dining, which would require you pay gratuities in advance.

 

4. And the most subjective question, for those who have sailed on the shorer/cheaper 4-6 Carnival sailings out of Florida, I want my fiance to experience a cruise before we splurge on a Celebrity sailing, but I also know these sailing will not hold a candle to the Reflection. Any suggestions on ships, experiences that would somewhat mirror a Celebrity sailing.

 

Sorry, can't help much here, but if you can get away this spring, or later next fall or winter, you can try one of the 4-5 night Celebrity sailings out of Miami. They are really affordable if you can get one of the weekly specials. I don't know that I'll ever try Carnival, just had too many friends and family members try it and say that they'll never go back. I do believe we're spoiled by Celebrity though!

 

 

Hope all that helped, I know some of it is kind of repeating what the last poster said...and congrats on your upcoming wedding, and enjoy your cruise(s)!

[Leeroy-Jenkins]

1. What is the best stateroom for us to go with?

 

Balcony.

 

2. Would anyone have any reservations about going on a ship that is so new?

 

No.

 

3. Having never been on ship with so many extra/for fee options will I feel the need to budget another 1,000 just for onboard purchases?

 

No.

 

4. And the most subjective question, for those who have sailed on the shorer/cheaper 4-6 Carnival sailings out of Florida, I want my fiance to experience a cruise before we splurge on a Celebrity sailing, but I also know these sailing will not hold a candle to the Reflection. Any suggestions on ships, experiences that would somewhat mirror a Celebrity sailing.

 

Princess.

[zdobson71]

Thank you so much guys. I appreciate all the input.

 

At the moment the Conceirge class staterooms are 100 dollars cheaper per person than the AquaSpa. We keeping a check on the rates and although I know it's very early for discounts just trying to find that right deal for us.

 

Thanks again. Hoping to pick a great stateroom

[AZ ParrotHead]

Thank you so much guys. I appreciate all the input.

 

At the moment the Conceirge class staterooms are 100 dollars cheaper per person than the AquaSpa. We keeping a check on the rates and although I know it's very early for discounts just trying to find that right deal for us.

 

Thanks again. Hoping to pick a great stateroom

 

Congratulations! I am sure you and your fiance will have a wonderful honeymoon regardless of the ship, location, or stateroom.

 

To answer some of your original questions:

 

1. If Blu or Concierge benes are not important, then go with a balcony cabin. Something mid-ship with cabins above and below you to reduce noise. Recommend NOT settling for an inside or oceanview--verandah is the way to go!

 

2. No Reservations--new ships are fantastic!

 

3. Budgeting is important. You can pre-pay for just about everything and there are even some wedding websites where your guests can help defray the cost of your honeymoon. The only expenses that would be hard to plan would be gambling money and purchases from the shops on board.

 

To save money, and have better experience, think about booking your excursions independent of the cruise line. The port of call boards have great suggestions and reviews.

 

4. A tough one here--I would choose RCCL's Vision class for a shorter cruise--your frequent cruiser status earned on Royal would transfer to Celebrity--one step closer to elite cruising!

[PSCruiser]

4. I'd rethink the whole short cruise thing. One of those "let's party for the whole long weekend with your 2000 new booze buddies" cruises could make her have doubts about the idea of a cruise honeymoon.

Your X cruise should/will have a very different and classier atmosphere.

[LegalCat]

Congrats!!!

 

You could consider putting cruise gifts on your wedding registry if you have one? This way you could cover some of the costs... my husband and I lived together for ages before we got married, we were very set and didn't need any kind of household things or anything like that... we just had a private ceremony and didnt have a gift registry or anything... but some of my employers and some family members wanted to get us gifts, so we had everyone get us cruise stuff such as excursions or pre paid speciality restaurant etc...

 

I would recommend a balcony cabin... you can't go wrong... only you can determine how much you are willing to spend on your room... I recently booked an Aqua cabin on a sailing in April.. after thinking about it, we decided to downgrade to a regular balcony... the room was exactly the same size just without the extra perks... we saved $900 per cabin....(3 cabns!) I figure I would have a lot more fun with that $900 rather than spending it on the cabin itself..

 

Some perks just aren't worth it in my opinion.. for example in Aqua you get bottled water for free, but if you have the beverage package thats pointless anyway... priority boarding? I've had priority boarding a bunch of times and its NEVER once made a difference... its not like they are going to come down with a golden carriage and collect you and bring you aboard on a rainbow....

 

I also would have no reservations about a new ship...

 

A 5 day or 4 day or shorter cruise... it will just be very different... you can't really compare the two... even a 4 day on celebrity will be very different than a longer cruise on celebrity... I would save that money from the shorter cruise and use it on the honeymoon... but if you do it, just keep in mind that its different... We recently took the celebrity 4 day and it was cheaper than the carnival 4 day so you could look into that...

[ghstudio]

4. A tough one here--I would choose RCCL's Vision class for a shorter cruise--your frequent cruiser status earned on Royal would transfer to Celebrity--one step closer to elite cruising!

 

Sorry...RCL points accumulate to RCL levels and Celebrity points accumulate to Celebrity levels....you can transfer your level reached, but you can't transfer points. Either you do enough cruising on RCL to reach the equivalent of elite level....or you earn enough points on celebrity to reach elite level....you just can't combine the two.