Which ship?

[MillbrookMom]

We have cruised Royal for all but our very 1st cruise (which was NCL) and really find their larger ships a great fit for our family. Now that our oldest is off to University and our youngest will be soon too, we are looking to branch out to other lines, and since Celebrity is owned by Royal, we thought it would be the natural choice. We are relatively active people (don't spend a lot of time relaxing by the pool...) in our early 40's. Any recommendations (and why) for a 1st time Celebrity cruise?

[Cruising89143]

I suggest either the Reflection or Silhouette which are the newest ships in the fleet. Of course a lot will depend on the desired area of cruising. They have a WOW factor but in a more subtle way than that of RCI. We tried X last year and they are now our first choice over RCI. We look at Celebrity as RCI for adults. Only one announcement per day which is the Captain's update, more strict smoking policy with no smoking allowed indoors, no belly flop contests, better food across the board and less kids.

 

I have photos of the Reflection in my link below.

Edited May 3, 2014 by cruisingator2

[WestLakeGirl]

If by chance you like ballroom dance stick with an m class ship, they have dance floors, otherwise you end up dancing in the lobby

[TLCOhio]

We have cruised Royal for all but our very 1st cruise (which was NCL) and really find their larger ships a great fit for our family. Now that our oldest is off to University and our youngest will be soon too, we are looking to branch out to other lines, and since Celebrity is owned by Royal, we thought it would be the natural choice. We are relatively active people (don't spend a lot of time relaxing by the pool...) in our early 40's. Any recommendations (and why) for a 1st time Celebrity cruise?

 

In my personal view, it is a question for . . . BOTH which ship AND where. As noted in the two live/blogs below, we have done the Solstice twice. These Celebrity ships are excellent with nice class and good variety, etc. The June 2011 sailing was in the Med from charming Barcelona that worked out super well. Then, earlier this year for down under, sailing between Sydney and Auckland, NZ.

 

Check out these postings for more info/background on this nice ship, its entertainment, food options, etc. Doing the Carib is nice, but when you do Europe port or for Australia-NZ, it really moves up the enjoyment and enlightenment factors. Enjoy BOTH the ship and where you can visit.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 169,975 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 55,144 views for this fun posting.

[MillbrookMom]

In my personal view, it is a question for . . . BOTH which ship AND where. As noted in the two live/blogs below, we have done the Solstice twice. These Celebrity ships are excellent with nice class and good variety, etc. The June 2011 sailing was in the Med from charming Barcelona that worked out super well. Then, earlier this year for down under, sailing between Sydney and Auckland, NZ.

 

Check out these postings for more info/background on this nice ship, its entertainment, food options, etc. Doing the Carib is nice, but when you do Europe port or for Australia-NZ, it really moves up the enjoyment and enlightenment factors. Enjoy BOTH the ship and where you can visit.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 169,975 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 55,144 views for this fun posting.

 

Thanks for the info. We definitely have some more "exciting" itineraries that we'd like to do in the future, a river cruise and Norwegian Fjords are near the top of our list....but we won't be doing those for at least 5 years from now.

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the info. We definitely have some more "exciting" itineraries that we'd like to do in the future, a river cruise and Norwegian Fjords are near the top of our list....but we won't be doing those for at least 5 years from now.

 

I too think that the itinerary and timing more or less dictate the Ship. However, if given a choice, I would go S class over M class ships.:D

[villauk]

We have cruised Royal for all but our very 1st cruise (which was NCL) and really find their larger ships a great fit for our family. Now that our oldest is off to University and our youngest will be soon too, we are looking to branch out to other lines, and since Celebrity is owned by Royal, we thought it would be the natural choice. We are relatively active people (don't spend a lot of time relaxing by the pool...) in our early 40's. Any recommendations (and why) for a 1st time Celebrity cruise?

 

Recently been on Silhouette and loved her, definitely our favourite X ship so far ;). Service was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at the Lawn Club Grill. Itineraries always come first for us, followed by ship. Where do you want to cruise; any places you'd like to tick off the bucket list?

[TLCOhio]

Thanks for the info. We definitely have some more "exciting" itineraries that we'd like to do in the future, a river cruise and Norwegian Fjords are near the top of our list....but we won't be doing those for at least 5 years from now.

 

For our Canada "neighbor", glad to hear that you've got your eye on "exciting" itineraries, including Europe and Norway. YES, the Norwegian Fjords can be super interesting and highly scenic. See my live/blog connected below. BUT, here is your key factor to consider:

 

KEY NORWAY COAST QUESTION: Your major challenge is whether to just focus on the lower Norway fjords, Bergen, etc. Nice and wonderful. BUT, there is the option of going up, UP farther north, above the Arctic Circle, seeing such great places as the Lofoten Islands, the North Cape, interesting cities such as Tromso and Trondheim, etc., in taking more time to go more north. Only doing the lower portion requires less time, has more sailing/ship options and costs less. That’s very good! BUT, if you can take the added time, seeing farther up this Norway coast can be very special and unique. Especially, if you really love/seek nature, great scenery, wildlife, etc. Your choice? See one Norway fjord visual sample to get you excited about this future option.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 142,138 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

You go on these Norway Coast cruises for the spectacular fjords. From the journey to Flam, Gudvangen and Sognerfjord, here is one picture giving you a sampling of the skies and views for these beautiful internal coastlines of the fjords. Being up on the top of the boat can provide great view on BOTH sides as you sail up and down these various fjords.

 

[MicCanberra]

Fantastic photo Terry.:D