Ship for cruise newbies in their 60s, who've never gone to the Caribbean

[cocacola86]

My DW and I've been on 3 Carnival cruises, but my parents have never been on a cruise or the Caribbean, there in their 60s, my dad has walking trouble. I'm just wondering if you can help me out, would this be a good ship for them and us, I think a cruise is better for them rather than a behemoth like Oasis. Or if this isn't a good ship can you recommend one or what inteneary would be good, eastern, western or Southern, my DW and I've done all three.

[Go-Bucks!]

My DW and I've been on 3 Carnival cruises, but my parents have never been on a cruise or the Caribbean, there in their 60s, my dad has walking trouble. I'm just wondering if you can help me out, would this be a good ship for them and us, I think a cruise is better for them rather than a behemoth like Oasis. Or if this isn't a good ship can you recommend one or what inteneary would be good, eastern, western or Southern, my DW and I've done all three.

 

 

I can't see where you mention the name of the ship you're asking about. Celebrity has many ships of different sizes and styles. Which one are you inquiring about?

[cocacola86]

Sorry, I think Summit cause it's not to big for them but not to small. My mom likes to relax, she sometimes works 14-15 hrs a day sometimes less, my dad likes different food, shows. I had mentioned a cruise we did in Nov on Carnival out of San Juan, where you see lots of the Caribbean.

[lb0103]

The Summit and her sisters are a good size if they have walking issues, Infinity also does some carribean.

 

How long a cruise were you looking at and is there a port you would rather go out of like, Tampa for western carib, Ft Lauderdale for eastern, and PR for southern. 7days? 10? 11? 14?

 

We are in our 60s and enjoy Celebrity, the longer the cruise the less kids if that bothers you and a lot of quiet places to relax.

Linda

 

We just booked a 10 day 10/5/15 on the Infinity out of Ft. Lauderdale

This cruise docks in all the ports no tenders which could be an issue for them.

[Denny01]

I'd think either of the Celebrity class ships would be just fine. We love the millennium class ships with the great T-Spa pool and the neat common areas. The Solstice class ships are larger and more people but are still more 'intimate' than the very large ships. Heck, I find the Solstice to seem less crowded than some of the smaller ships.

 

You already know the itineraries so you may have a better feel of what your parents would enjoy. There's a lot of tours that cater to those who don't walk well. The ships are a good place to be when everybody is in port also. Very relaxing.

 

We live on the Fla panhandle coast so we have better beaches and better restaurants then most Caribbean ports. When people ask me where the best restaurant is in some port, I love to stand there 'thinking' a bit and then point back at the ship and say 'there is the best restaurant in the city.....and it's free!'

 

Enjoy

 

Den

[Go-Bucks!]

I've been on the Reflection (larger) and the Infinity (smaller) ships. I loved them both, but enjoyed the more intimate feel of Infinity. It was plenty big enough to have things to do but had less walking involved. It was beautiful and elegant. If you get mid-ship cabins then your parents will be closer to most places on the ship. Good luck! :)

[Host Jazzbeau]

If you are open to more than 7-days, Celebrity has several great opinions in the Caribbean that are hard to duplicate. Eclipse 14-day southern and Equinox 10-11 day out of Florida; and Summit has two alternating 7-day itineraries out of San Juan (which can make a 14-day b2b). Eclipse and Equinox are the larger S-class ships, but they never feel crowded and if your cabins are near the main elevators you won't have to wait and you will have easy access to most parts of the ship. Summit is an M-class ship with 3 sets of elevators, so all cabins have convenient access.

[cocacola86]

7 days is what were looking for, cause I can't take that much time off of work. Is there enough things for us in their 30s to do as well as my parents, cause there kind of wanting me to pick but yet still have a say.

[alcpa1]

The Summit is a good ship for your parents too!.

One advantage is their two itineraries, both out of San Juan but both a little different. Both have one sea day and visit 5 distinctly different islands. I know you would enjoy the Barbados-St. Lucia-Antigua-St. Maarten-St. Thomas and having done this itinerary before, I think it would be easier on your father.

Each island has historical, geographical highlights, and a variety of vegetation. Each has beaches and water sports options.

There are English speaking cabbies available at the ports for tours. This would be preferable for your father.

One advantage that the Summit, and her sister M class ships share is three elevator banks making access to dining and entertainment easier with less walking. I find the M class ships very relaxing. They do not share the bling of Carnival and there are plenty of areas to just sit and relax.

For their first cruise a sailing into normally smooth waters of the Caribbean Sea would be preferable to a Western itinerary across the Gulf of Mexico.

Any sailing out of south Florida to the lower Caribbean will involve more sea days and first time cruisers will either love or hate this part of the adventure.

I do think the Summit is a good choice. So good that we're doing it again.

[cynbar]

We love Celebrity and the service is excellent, staff will do all they can to make things comfortable for your Dad. However, just be aware that Celebrity has a very different ambiance from Carnival. Celebrity features a quieter, more sedate and elegant environment --- entertainment is good but is not as varied or extensive as many other lines. Of course cruises can vary, but this is not a lively, party atmosphere. Dress code is followed by most cruisers, with 2 formal nights on a 7 night cruise and the rest smart casual. You can avoid formal dress by dining at the buffet or the specialty restaurants, but most people will change and dress up a little for dinner, no shorts in the MDR at night, that sort of thing. There are not a lot of announcements, or as many organized activities as on some lines. But you will find a lovely ship, very good food, and excellent service. This sounds a little negative and I don't mean for it to be, just giving you some idea of what to expect so you can make sure this is the cruise line for all 4 of you. Too many people post on these boards about disappointments in their cruise, when a little homework would have given them the info in advance.

[cocacola86]

I had suggested either out of SJ or doing Bermuda as you get 3 days in port and 3 sea days, out of San Juan is probably the most gorgeous city Imo.

[cocacola86]

Is there a lot of pool area, I know they have one in the solarium and I'm not sure how many more. If you do a cruise out of NJ or San Juan do you usually book inside, OV?

[wendychloecruiser]

To OP: stop reading and book Celebrity Eclipse, 14 day caribbean. You cannot go wrong. Great itinerary, wonderful ship and a fabulous crew. What more is there? IMHO.

[keithm]

My DW and I've been on 3 Carnival cruises, but my parents have never been on a cruise or the Caribbean, there in their 60s, my dad has walking trouble. I'm just wondering if you can help me out, would this be a good ship for them and us, I think a cruise is better for them rather than a behemoth like Oasis. Or if this isn't a good ship can you recommend one or what inteneary would be good, eastern, western or Southern, my DW and I've done all three.

Personally, we love the Eclipse & the 14 day trips to the Caribbean. The food has been very good to excellent overall. The special rest. are outstanding(especially Murano)t's a little more dressy so bring a suit/sport coat & tie. Prices vary from about $1800/PP(inside) to $5000/PP for for a suite.

[Olive1950]

I want to cast my vote for one of the M-class ships (Constellation, Infinity, Millennium, or Summit.)

 

The reason I like them is because there are 3 banks of elevators: Forward, midship, and AFT.

 

Since I usually book an AFT suite, I don't have to make that trek to midship.

 

I have never been on any of the big ships; M-class is good enough for my 64-year old ***....

[offnoncruiser]

You also didn't say when you wanted to go. With Celebrity, during the summer your only choice would be Bermuda on the Summit (or Alaska), whereas Fall-early Spring has many Caribbean options. Assuming since you're from Canada, and you mentioned a previous Nov cruise, a warm weather destination during your cold weather seasons is the plan.

 

Summit would be a good choice for the four of you. The southern Caribbean itinerary is a GREAT first cruise for your parents. Very port intensive, but you don't have to spend the whole day off the ship, because it will wear ALL OF YOU out by the end of the week. You really have to fly in at least one day early though to SJU.

 

And with all the ports, you shouldn't get bored either by not having quite the onboard antics you see on Carnival. Much more laid back on Celebrity (just one daily announcement in the morning). If you have to have all the poolside games, and party in the bars until the wee hours, you may get bored. Celebrity has plenty to do, just not to those extremes.

 

Good food, good buffet, great service, and decent entertainment, plus a ship that seldom seems very crowded, and is not nearly as big as the S class ships. The rooms are slightly smaller and the bathrooms aren't as nice as the S class however, but they're fine. And yes, there are outside pools/hot tubs.

 

Unless you really want a balcony (or higher), book an OV in rooms 3112-3144. Good value, great location, quiet, HUGE window, and relatively new cabins (installed during a dry dock 2-3 years ago).

 

BTW, no smoking anywhere inside or on private balconies, so this could be good (if you all don't like smoke) or bad (if one of you smokes, but there are outside smoke areas).

 

Get a brochure from a TA, or order online from Celebrity, and check it out (just ignore all the beautiful models!).

 

Enjoy.

[cocacola86]

Bermuda we would sail the first week in May, it's my moms birthday on the 6th. San Juan my DW and I went to St Thomas, St kitts, Barbados, St Lucia and St Maarten. We didn't care for St Maarten, we were more tired going to WDW two weeks ago. Airfare won't be that expensive to NJ, as we would fly from Buffalo, and my parents from Syracuse. Our airfare to SJ in Nov was cheaper than flying to Fort Lauderdale. Weird

[bwaz]

Both my DH and DSIL have mobility issues. We have found cruising to be a perfect family vacation. It makes it easy for more active and less active people to have a good time together. As others have said, we pay attention to where our cabins are in relation to the elevator. Slogging down those long hallways over and over can seem like the Bataan death march for someone with dificulty walking.

 

Sent from my LG-D801 using Forums mobile app

[lara68]

Everyone will weigh in on their own opinion of the best ship/itinerary. We feel you can't go wrong with Celebrity. If New Jersey is less expensive to get to, I would go on the Summit, a lovely ship, but use the extra money on a balcony...

[cocacola86]

For two of us RT from Buffalo to NJ is around 400, when we went to SJ from Buffalo it was around 700.

[lara68]

The only thing that might be a downside of sailing the Summit out of Bayonne is early May can be chilly for the first day or so... We have always sailed June through August.. The M class ships, which the Summit is, easy to navigate and not overwhelming. It is an older ship but we feel very well maintained.

[phoenix_dream]

If you are going to sail on the Summit (and I recommend an M class ship for size reasons), I would suggest you consider booking Aqua Class rooms on Deck 11 if it is just the four of you, and that is within your budget.

 

The rooms are very convenient for someone with mobility issues. You eat in the Blu dining room (which is something like a specialty restaurant) which is smaller and easier to navigate. The rest rooms are right outside the restaurant. The M class ships have elevators both fore and aft (unlike S class which have front and center elevators, no aft). If you are in those AQ cabins, it is a few steps to the elevator which takes you directly down to Blu, and also to the buffet. You also are steps away from a lounge that is preferred by those in that age range - the Rendezvous Lounge. The one downside (other than being aft where there is more motion if the seas are rough) is that if you want to see a show in the evening you need to walk all the way to the front of the ship. But eating is one thing you will always be doing, so IMHO that trumps the theater convenience.