Celebrity Equinox holiday cruise with kids

[felix9]

hello all

 

i would love some advice on a Celebrity cruise with 2 children age 13 and 7. I wonder due to the holiday saling, will there be a lot of children? we want to book this cruise on the 21st dec 2012,for 10 days. Am a bit nervous whether the kids will be kept busy and have fun. We have travelled on RCI and Carnival but wanted a little more upmarket and at the same time family friendly!

 

Grateful for any advice to help me make that booking:).

[alj1208]

Our experience is that Celebrity is family-friendly but not kid-centric. I think that's a good thing. We sailed on Eclipse last March with our 4-year-old DS. It was a seven day W. Caribbean cruise. We had no problem keeping him (and ourselves) entertained. The kids' club is top notch and not crowded! There's lots of individual attention. There's a "family" pool on the pool deck, which is just a regular pool but shallow, about 4 feet deep max. Kids like to play in the fountains, which are decorative, but still the young ones enjoy them. Since you have older kids, it will be even easier for you to keep them busy. Everyone was very nice. During our late-winter sailing, there were definitely some children aboard, but it wasn't overrun with kids. I assume there will be many more kids on a Christmas cruise.

[onthelake]

The Equinox is a beautiful ship. There will be lots of kids on a holiday sailing. The buffet has an ice cream bar that is very good and pizza is there as well. You can get burgers, hot dogs and fries just above the pool from approx. 11am to 6pm every day.

 

We did the TA in Nov/Dec and really enjoyed the experience.

[Mileeny]

We sailed on the Equinox last October when my daughters were 13 and 8.The kids facilities were great for them.There were very few children on board our sailing as at was only school holiday time here in Europe, so I imagine that your sailing will be different in that respect.The facilities and activities were not as extensive as on say Voyager OT Seas or Disney but my girls did not miss these.The staff engaged both age groups really well and we all enjoyed things like the lawn deck and the hot glass show which beforehand I almost dismissed as gimmicks.

It really is a beautiful ship with great service. It suited my family but I would think that if you have kids who "need" zipwires and skating rinks that it may not be for you.

The buffet was the best that we have experienced. The MDR was good enough but nothing special.It looks as if you have to pay for the specialty restaurants to get wowed. Service was great though with waiter drawing cartoons for the girls and not a bit stuffy.

Here in Europe Celebrity advertise themselves as a 5 star product but I really wouldn't rate them as high as that. Maybe it is if you are in a suite as you do get to use a different dining room. Before we went I was concerned that it would be too up market but it really wasn't.There was a better class of sun lounger on the pooldeck but the passenger profile looked about the same as every other line!

Hope this helps you to make a decision.

[felix9]

Thank you all, it has helped me a lot. My son is the teen so as long as there are a few teens for him to hang out with. My DD will be happy to get individual attention and of course we will do family things. I was more concerned it would be stuffy and i would not be relaxed. It sounds like a great ship and i think the family will enjoy it. we have done the mgea ship (oasis) which they enjoyed and other more bells and whistles but they are older and i think that is not really such a major feature we need to look for.

 

if the price is right it looks like it will be our holiday cruise. plus i think with a hilday sailing there will be other kids. a handful will be enough just to get the kids having fun.

 

thanks again

[alj1208]

Celebrity is not stuffy at all. It is a little bit more upscale. We love it-- with our without kids!

[felix9]

thanks for that, i am quite excited...:)

 

 

Celebrity is not stuffy at all. It is a little bit more upscale. We love it-- with our without kids!

[felix9]

Thanks for the replis, we have decided to go ahead and give X a try! I think it will be ok and as long as their are some options for the children it will be fine. The kids club on Celebrity has great reviews from fellow CC members..

[rebeccalouiseagain]

There will be plenty of kids on a holiday sailing. I was on the Equinox's maiden voyage in 2009 with my son and he loved that ship. It was awesome. The Equinox is very low key. The decor is subtle and it is nothing like Royal Caribbean. If you are thinking "in the mornin, in the evenin' ain't we got fun"- its not the cruise for you.

 

People are reserved and friendly but there won't be lots of drinkers or families with kids running around. It's upscale and people are respectful to be quiet in the hallways and such.

 

My son loves Celebrity because the children tend to be respectful too and he never wanted to leave the fun factory! He is 11 now and we are about to embark on our 6th Celebrity cruise and his 23rd cruise (We've done Holland, Princess, Royal, and Carnival also)

[felix9]

Thanks for that,

 

This is just what i needed to hear!

 

While i have 2 kids, i cant bear to see kids running down hallways and being obnoxious. My kids are respectful and well mannered. They are also well travelled , though not as many cruise as your DS:).. However I just wanted a few other kids for company really..

 

It sounds like what we need and I lok forward to something a little more upscale!

 

 

 

There will be plenty of kids on a holiday sailing. I was on the Equinox's maiden voyage in 2009 with my son and he loved that ship. It was awesome. The Equinox is very low key. The decor is subtle and it is nothing like Royal Caribbean. If you are thinking "in the mornin, in the evenin' ain't we got fun"- its not the cruise for you.

 

People are reserved and friendly but there won't be lots of drinkers or families with kids running around. It's upscale and people are respectful to be quiet in the hallways and such.

 

My son loves Celebrity because the children tend to be respectful too and he never wanted to leave the fun factory! He is 11 now and we are about to embark on our 6th Celebrity cruise and his 23rd cruise (We've done Holland, Princess, Royal, and Carnival also)

[Sugar*Magnolia]

hello all

 

i would love some advice on a Celebrity cruise with 2 children age 13 and 7. I wonder due to the holiday saling, will there be a lot of children? we want to book this cruise on the 21st dec 2012,for 10 days. Am a bit nervous whether the kids will be kept busy and have fun. We have travelled on RCI and Carnival but wanted a little more upmarket and at the same time family friendly!

 

Grateful for any advice to help me make that booking:).

 

Excellent choice! Your kids will meet plenty of other kids their age in a Celebrity Holiday cruise! We have been on a few RC holiday cruises and have met others who have been on multiple Celebrity holiday sails.. holiday cruises have always been our kids favorites as they always meet kids from other countries! Enjoy!

[felix9]

Yes, i figured with a holiday cruise, there will be lots of other families, so I am excited to try a new line...

 

 

Excellent choice! Your kids will meet plenty of other kids their age in a Celebrity Holiday cruise! We have been on a few RC holiday cruises and have met others who have been on multiple Celebrity holiday sails.. holiday cruises have always been our kids favorites as they always meet kids from other countries! Enjoy!