Aqua class parents, regular class kids

[robsmom]

This may be sacrilege on the Celebrity board, but maybe Celebrity isn't the right answer for this particular cruise. There may be a better set-up on another ship that would be a better match for the 5 of you? Last summer we took my nephew and fil along with the 3 of us. We were able to book a royal family suite on RCI. This was a 2 bedroom and 2 bath option. It is not The Royal Suite. It was not fancy (did not have marble bath tub or a piano or any of that.) It was slightly more than what 2 balcony rooms would have cost us. What it offered for us was a chance to all be together but sleeping space for everyone. It also is considered a suite so we had full access to the concierge lounge and other suite benefits. We were able to get that "special feel" that you are looking for and did not have to totally break the bank.

[junglejane]

This may be sacrilege on the Celebrity board, but maybe Celebrity isn't the right answer for this particular cruise. There may be a better set-up on another ship that would be a better match for the 5 of you? Last summer we took my nephew and fil along with the 3 of us. We were able to book a royal family suite on RCI. This was a 2 bedroom and 2 bath option. It is not The Royal Suite. It was not fancy (did not have marble bath tub or a piano or any of that.) It was slightly more than what 2 balcony rooms would have cost us. What it offered for us was a chance to all be together but sleeping space for everyone. It also is considered a suite so we had full access to the concierge lounge and other suite benefits. We were able to get that "special feel" that you are looking for and did not have to totally break the bank.

 

If you scroll back to Post #24, the OP explains why she is leaning toward this particular cruise. Sometimes you have to make trade-offs to get the itinerary you want.

 

It's too bad the Summit doesn't have Tuscan Grille. My younger DD was 9 when we were on the Equinox. She ate twice at the Tuscan Grille and just loved it. We haven't tried Qsine but it gets lots of rave reviews and sounds like a fun experience.

 

Some might flame me for saying this, but I feel that once onboard you can politely ask the Maitre D' of the Normandie if your party of 5, which includes one 10 year old, can be accomodated. Probably the answer will be no, but there may be a possibility that if business is slow, they might accomodate you at one of their slow times.

 

OP, is your 10 year old going to check out the Fun Factory? Our kids loved it when they were younger. Here's a link to a report from Rebeccalouiseagain about taking her son to Bermuda on the Summit. He was about the same age as your DD and loved the cruise, the Fun Factory and also Qsine. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=35017511 . If the Fun Factory is a big hit, then maybe you can arrange to go to the Normandie without your DD.

[Orator]

If you scroll back to Post #24, the OP explains why she is leaning toward this particular cruise. Sometimes you have to make trade-offs to get the itinerary you want.

 

It's too bad the Summit doesn't have Tuscan Grille. My younger DD was 9 when we were on the Equinox. She ate twice at the Tuscan Grille and just loved it. We haven't tried Qsine but it gets lots of rave reviews and sounds like a fun experience.

 

Some might flame me for saying this, but I feel that once onboard you can politely ask the Maitre D' of the Normandie if your party of 5, which includes one 10 year old, can be accomodated. Probably the answer will be no, but there may be a possibility that if business is slow, they might accomodate you at one of their slow times.

 

OP, is your 10 year old going to check out the Fun Factory? Our kids loved it when they were younger. Here's a link to a report from Rebeccalouiseagain about taking her son to Bermuda on the Summit. He was about the same age as your DD and loved the cruise, the Fun Factory and also Qsine. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=35017511 . If the Fun Factory is a big hit, then maybe you can arrange to go to the Normandie without your DD.

 

The Maitre d's have received specific directions concerning the rules. Violating the stated policy can lead to their dismissal. This happened when a Maitre d' in Blu allowed a person not in Suite or AQ into Blu. You can always have a person like an earlier poster who is sure to make an issue. I would urge anyone to not ask for a "favor" if you know that what you are requesting is against the rules and can put someone's job at risk.

[junglejane]

The Maitre d's have received specific directions concerning the rules. Violating the stated policy can lead to their dismissal. This happened when a Maitre d' in Blu allowed a person not in Suite or AQ into Blu. You can always have a person like an earlier poster who is sure to make an issue. I would urge anyone to not ask for a "favor" if you know that what you are requesting is against the rules and can put someone's job at risk.

 

I would never want to put anyone's job at risk, which is why I would only ask politely and accept a "no" without argument. But presumably a Maitre D' knows the limits of his discretion regarding rules. It is an inherent part of the job of a Maitre D' to field questions such as this. If he (or she) doesn't have what it takes to give a firm, polite no, then he/she probably isn't up to the job.

[Avery's mom]

You can sleep 5 on the Summit in the FV stateroom but that is not a suite nor AQ. The Penthouse has a connecting Sky Suite which is specially decorated to match the penthouse - I'm sure your family of five would fit very comfortably if you booked both:rolleyes:

 

The Normandy and Muranos are the same. On the Summit and other M class ships this restaurant had a unique name on each ship but each ship had more or less the same menu and style. When they built the S class ships they named all of this type of restaurant Muranos and standardized the menu across the fleet including all the similar M class ships but retained the original names on the M class ship including the Normandy on Summit. Because of this some people erroneously call the restaurants on the M class ships Muranos instead of their correct name since they are more or less the same.

 

The Normandy/Muranos type restaurants are the only ones that have a minimum age. They are generally pretty strict about this. We've occasionally heard of rare exceptions being made if a booking is available for the semi-private wine room in these restaurants - but I wouldn't count on it and in any event this could not be arraigned before you are on board.

 

I'll one thing: We did our first AQ cruise last spring and loved Blu but we know quite a few other cruisers who do not like Blu and prefer the MDR, so it is not a slam dunk that your children would prefer Blu in any event. We also cruised last month in a standard room and were disappointed that we were not going to be able to dine in Blu. We were pleasantly surprised that the MDR food was greatly improved over our recent MDR experiences over the past few years making the difference between Blu and the MDR much less apparent. The bottom line is that if you may find that missing out on Blu is not as big of a deal as you think it may be.

 

Thank you for clarifying the Normandie/Murano issue for me:) I think we will make the best of things and do what we can to make this a special cruise, even if we can't do it exactly the way we'd prefer. The MDR is normally quite fine for us, and we will dine in Qsine when we can. If we can't dine in Normandie as a family - so be it. We will make sure to hit up some great restaurants while we are in NYC the weekend prior to the cruise. (Some may have asked where and when - Bermuda June 16, 2013)

 

Even without a suite, or unlimited specialty dining this option is better for us than the other ships sailing this itinerary. My daughter's first cruise was on Celebrity, and she is sentimentally attached to it. She was thrilled to hear that we would be sailing Celebrity again. Considering our last cruise was on the Disney Dream, and she is still super excited about going on Celebrity, this speaks to the decision we've made. Yes, we are often spoiled by suites/perks on other lines that don't restrict children as much - however - this will still be a great cruise for all of us.

[junglejane]

Avery's Mom: Have a wonderful cruise. Please come back afterward and let us know how you liked it. :)

[Orator]

Thank you for clarifying the Normandie/Murano issue for me:) I think we will make the best of things and do what we can to make this a special cruise' date=' even if we can't do it exactly the way we'd prefer. The MDR is normally quite fine for us, and we will dine in Qsine when we can. If we can't dine in Normandie as a family - so be it. We will make sure to hit up some great restaurants while we are in NYC the weekend prior to the cruise. (Some may have asked where and when - Bermuda June 16, 2013)

 

Even without a suite, or unlimited specialty dining this option is better for us than the other ships sailing this itinerary. My daughter's first cruise was on Celebrity, and she is sentimentally attached to it. She was thrilled to hear that we would be sailing Celebrity again. Considering our last cruise was on the Disney Dream, and she is still super excited about going on Celebrity, this speaks to the decision we've made. Yes, we are often spoiled by suites/perks on other lines that don't restrict children as much - however - this will still be a great cruise for all of us.[/quote']

 

Have a great cruise with your family.

[hcat]

Why not switch cabins and enjoy BLU another time--use the money saved for some nice dining in Bermuda! the MDR is certainly not a terrible place on Celebrity!

 

Aside from Q sine does the ship have a Bistro on Five? i think they may allow children...not sure though!

[dkjretired]

Why not switch cabins and enjoy BLU another time--use the money saved for some nice dining in Bermuda! the MDR is certainly not a terrible place on Celebrity!

 

Aside from Q sine does the ship have a Bistro on Five? i think they may allow children...not sure though!

 

 

Yes, Summit has a Bistro on Five and they do allow children...Also, check out the Aqua Spa cafe by the indoor pool, more health food and free.

[TommyD3]

For our upcoming cruise' date=' I'll be bringing my 2 teenage nieces and my 10 year old daughter. All experienced Celebrity cruisers:) We will be in Aqua Class and they will be in the inside directly across the hall from us.

 

We really don't want to be in one cabin - unless it were a suite - which won't work with a group of 5:( And we can't put 3 in Aqua Class, so what makes the most sense is to put them across the hall in an inside cabin.

[/quote']

 

In the future I would recommend you book interconnecting balcony or concierge cabins. We sail with our adult children all the time and always book interconnecting cabins. That is one reason I will not book AQ - they are not family friendly.

[jveevers]

In the future I would recommend you book interconnecting balcony or concierge cabins. We sail with our adult children all the time and always book interconnecting cabins. That is one reason I will not book AQ - they are not family friendly.

 

I think AQ is not "family friendly" for a reason. Celebrity probably designed it that way so at least there are some areas that will have minimal kids. Viz AQ cabins and Blu.

[hcat]

I think the numbers restriction is needed b/c of access to BLU which has limited capacity...

 

and, they try to market a spa type atmosphere--an adult sanctuary with the Persian gardens & Relaxation Room....but in our experience, children travelling in AQ are welcome in BLU by staff & other pax...