Reflection for Young Adults

[succeed_2]

My husband and I are planning a Caribbean cruise on the Reflection next spring. We would like to consider inviting our adult children to join us (23, 25, & 28), but only if they will not be bored. We know some cruise lines are not really geared towards young adults, so we thought we'd ask here if we should consider bringing them along on a Celebrity cruise, or finding a different cruise line.

My husband and I have not cruised on Celebrity before, so we are not certain of the activities that are offered. We are hoping that the following activities are offered, that would help keep the younger generation entertained. Please confirm if the following would likely be available:

Pool volleyball? Zumba classes? Yoga? Art Classes? DJ playing CURRENT music for dancing? Basketball? Ping Pong?

We assume the Reflection will have the following (correct us if we are wrong):

Casino. Pool. Live show nightly. Hot tubs. Dance lessons. Golf putting. Bingo.

We're wondering if there are movies offered nightly on deck on Celebrity (or is that a different cruise line)? Is there a night club for younger people? Are there trivia contests or game shows?

And yes, I did call Celebrity to ask these questions, but the guy on the phone was not really helpful.

Thanks for whatever info you can provide. We appreciate it.

[cynbar]

Passenger makeup varies from cruise to cruise, but I would have to say, in general, that Celebrity does not attract a lot of young adults. There will be some, of course, but they'll be in the minority. Celebrity tends to be elegant and sedate. There is some entertainment, some dancing, but it's not a party crowd. Overall, it's more about relaxing and enjoying the company of those you are traveling with. But, as I said above, the energy level WILL vary and it's hard to predict in advance. There aren't a lot of pool games, I do remember a pool volleyball game with officers against guests. There was some live music by the pool, but more piped in music. No outdoor movies, some late releases are shown in Celebrity Central. I don't recall any golf putting but of course there are pools, casino, hot tubs, zumba. I don't know about basketball or ping pong. I don't remember any game shows like "The Newlywed Game" that other ones have. I think a lot of it will depend on your children -- if they are looking for a lively, party atmosphere, you'd be better off on another line. If they want to spend a lot of time with you and each other, Celebrity will be fine.

Edited July 25, 2014 by cynbar

[succeed_2]

Thanks cynbar, I really appreciate your insight. I think my husband and I will consider a different cruise line for a family trip, and just do a Celebrity cruise when we're on our own.

[ClaudiaB]

There is golf putting. No miniature golf though, no flow riders or rock climbing walls, and no outdoor theatre (thank goodness!) Definitely ping pong - there are tournaments of a sort and free play. We spend a decent amount of time in that area. I am pretty sure there is basketball.

 

Our first cruise in 2001 we took our 20-something daughters. They loved it. They did a lot of hanging out by the pool and spa and played Bingo (and won!) and enjoyed reading and relaxing. But, they didn't need to be "entertained" every minute. Actually one of our daughters and her husband went on their honeymoon on a Carnival cruise and apparently (according to my son-in-law) she kept mentioning how she wished they were on a Celebrity ship because there was just so much "busy-ness" all the time and she hated the smoke.

 

They will definitely be in the minority age-wise, but a majority of the people who are on board are young at heart anyway and love traveling and new experiences and I'm sure your kids will have a great time talking with the more "seasoned" travelers. If you think they need lots and lots of peers and more constant high-energy activity then perhaps Royal Caribbean would be more to their liking.

[ClaudiaB]

Oh, there IS the Newlywed Game. We were on it once, put there by our daughters (against our wishes!). It was pod-cast all the time on the ship and people would call out to us all over the place, even on shore. So embarrassing.

 

I have a suggestion: Talk to your kids, let them read some of this, let them get on this message board and learn a bit about all the lines - let them help to make the decision.

[Christine Frances]

Our 28 yr old DD and her girlfriend came with us on our Eclipse Baltic cruise last summer. They had a great time. They came dressed to impress on Formal nights, and after dinner went to the shows, martini bar, molecular bar, sunset bar, dancing in no particular order lol They hung out by the pool/hot tubs, read, went to the Port lectures. I guess if there was a rock climbing wall they may have tried it but they sure didn't miss it. They both made their own entertainment and had a blast.

[Cruising89143]

We have cruised on the Reflection during March for the last two years. A very good mix of passengers on board. January and February will have more of the older crowd on board. I think that they will have a great time.

[ArkansasCruiser73]

I have been sailing Celebrity since my early 20s. We have sailed Reflection March of this year and had a great time. There was a wide mix of ages on board. My suggestion would be to ask your kids if the activities available are things they would enjoy. Some people spend much of their at sea time just relaxing in between stops. For us, the available shows, activities during the sea days, and the ports were everything we could have wanted. The only downside to our cruise was time went by so fast it is hard to believe it was a week. We are booked again for November!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

My husband and I cruised on Celebrity at 26, 27 and next year 28 :) So obviously we prefer Celebrity. However, we are not party type. Sure, I like to go to the molecular bar, shows, dress up for dinner, etc. but we are not ones to stay up late and dance. We like to relax by the pool, read, go to the lectures etc.

[Philomath]

My husband and I started cruising with Celebrity when we were both 29 and the atmosphere on the S-class suits us very well. Here's some of what works for us in our age bracket:

 

- Texas Hold-Em poker tournaments in the casino

- There's a half basketball court with competitions daily plus free play

- We both like croquet, golf putting and "cornhole" (there must be a more dignified name!) up on the lawn near the hot glass show

- There are often ping pong tables in the Entertainment court

- The DJs have gotten *much* better in the past few years, very modern EDM and hiphop by the pool - great for us although I know not all love it :rolleyes:

- Shift toward interesting craft cocktails and craft beers

- Sin City adult comedy was an addition we both enjoyed

- Dance classes with the dancers - I have 2 left feet but I always like trying!

- Nice fitness center with boot camp or TRX classes for him and yoga for me (yes you pay a small fee but a lot less than at home in Boston!)

- Live music with guitarists, jazz singers or the small string ensembles in the bars/lounges are a particular favorite of mine - not so much for him but I like to listen and enjoy a glass of wine and the view

- There are various activities after the late show up in the sky lounge - martini mixing competition, newlywed games, etc - as well as dance parties or karaoke (which are variably attended based on the next morning's port)

- Since all your kids are 21+, having the drinks package and not worrying about paying out of pocket for every drink makes a huge difference on vacation!!

 

We're not exactly the rock climbing wall type but I do feel there's a lot on Celebrity for younger people. Increasingly so over the last few years as well! I do find the M-class to be more limited for us so we'll be sticking with S-class in the future unless there's a really compelling itinerary.

[ScarlettMLB]

My boyfriend and I are in our mid-30s. We cruised the Reflection last year and LOVED it. It was our only Celebrity cruise, but it made Celebrity our favorite (we've also sailed Royal Caribbean and Carnival). We're booked on another cruise next month and didn't even look at lines other than Celebrity.

 

Things that made it really cool:

 

Art classes - they offered several classes a day in various mediums, including jewelry making. It was just a beaded bracelet, but it completely got me hooked. I went home, signed up for a ton more classes. I'm now making silver wire-wrapped and soldered jewelry with gem stones for all sorts of friends, including wedding jewelry. It all started with that class on Celebrity.

 

Qsine - my boyfriend and I LOVED this restaurant. We're total foodies and it's one of our top 5 favorite meals of all time. It's very inventive, modern food. You order on iPads. It's so clever and really has to be seen to be believed. (Yes, there's an added cost, but it's well worth it.)

 

Music - there was a guitar/singer that performed around the ship who we absolutely loved. We kind of turned into his stalkers and would chat with him and ended up buying his CD. He was in his 20s and really played music that we loved.

 

Molecular Bar - such a great bar. Really inventive, fun cocktails. We went there every night and usually tried 2 cocktails each to try to make it through the menu.

 

Galley tour - you can take a free tour of the kitchen and see how it all works. It was really cool and very popular. Most other lines will make you pay if you want to see the kitchen.

 

Atmosphere - the atmosphere is more sleek and modern, with lots of wood. The feel of the ship felt more like being in a nice hotel, versus the kind of cheesy decor colors on Royal Caribbean/Carnival.

 

There was also plenty of the regular cruise stuff, like trivia and karaoke and shows and the casino. We were never bored. We're not dancers, so can't speak to dance music, but from what I remember there was a place that played typical dance music.

 

In short, there was no shortage in activities that we felt were fun and appropriate for young adults. It's true that the average age probably skewed a bit older than Carnival or Royal Caribbean. In some ways that's a benefit - it was nice to have a cruise that didn't have a ton of little kids running around. (Not that there's anything wrong with kids - but sometimes it's nice to not have to fight them for the pool or have them smack into you in the hallway.)

 

I wouldn't hesitate to take your adult children on Celebrity. If you're at all uncertain, you can usually search and find photos of the daily activity sheets that people post on Cruise Critic. This can give you an idea of what may be scheduled. Your kids could look at that and see if anything catches their eye.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The ship you are describing is more like Princess or Royal Caribbean.

 

Celebrity does not have putting greens, outdoor movies, poolside volleyball.

Celebrity does have ping pong, pools, casinos, nightlife, basketball, bingo and trivia games. They have dance classes and cooking demonstrations. They also have interesting lecture of the various ports of call.

 

I am traveling next summer with my 27 year old son and 27 year old daughter in law. They are "young" but wouldn't really care about putting greens or outdoor movie theaters. That's not really what twenty somethings are into. They like fine dining, gambling, partying in night clubs. They like the gym though for sure and Celebrity has a great fitness center with lots of classes- zumba, etc.

 

I am 49 and I do LOVE the outdoor movies on Princess but wasn't a fan of the "Movies" on Royal. They always seemed to have sporting events or loud concerts. I like actual movies, which Princess has outside and they are really good flicks. Will miss that on our cruise but there are always trade offs. The Constellation is doing the itinerary I was looking for and it's a nice sophisticated vessel, which will appeal to the whole family.

 

Europe is port intensive, so much of the on board activities aren't really going to matter much IMO. There are certainly plenty of night time activities on board for those who can keep their eyes open.

Edited July 26, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Ma Bell]

I've seen all the activities you mention except the movies on the deck. They do have movies indoors

 

They do have pool volleyball occasionally. Here's a video.

 

 

Also this from the Celebrity website.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/cruise-activities

Edited July 26, 2014 by Ma Bell

[hirobmay]

- We both like croquet, golf putting and "cornhole" (there must be a more

 

Heh heh...:D

[Philomath]

Heh heh...:D

 

Hahaha I hesitated putting it down but if you say "bean bag toss" to anyone in New England they'll have no idea what you're talking about!! Plus the Celebrity activities staff called it that so I thought it'd be ok :D