First cruise, are we making a mistake

[sparklytink]

We have booked our first cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse in November, 14 nights to southern Caribbean. While we're not into mad partying, we do need things to keep us occupied other than reading books for two weeks, and reading some reviews the entertainment on this ship is pretty low key. We're also not into dressing up a lot for dinner, and prefer to be relaxed and laid back rather than formal. Wondering if we've made the right choice for a cruise line and should think about changing! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

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[Langley Cruisers]

I want to ask what drew you to this cruise in the first place, and what has happened to make you re-think yourself?

 

This question is completely subjective - you may very well get several dozen different answers here. Just be prepared for that.

 

Have a great cruise. The Southern itinerary is wonderful.

[OCruisers]

Celebrity is a very nice cruise line but does tend to be a bit laid back. Still, there are some things to do besides reading.

Other than wearing shorts, dress in the main dining room is casual on all but formal nights.

LuLu

[Cruisin' Chick]

I want to ask what drew you to this cruise in the first place, and what has happened to make you re-think yourself?

 

This question is completely subjective - you may very well get several dozen different answers here. Just be prepared for that.

 

Have a great cruise. The Southern itinerary is wonderful.

 

I was thinking that first sentence too. Did you just see this itinerary and book it without looking into the cruise line? Or didn't realize more than one cruise line does two week Southern cruises? Or there was a specific port you wanted to go to and this cruise had it? Or a friend recommended this ship?

 

Just curious as if the person (cruise specialist, friend, co-worker,etc.) who had advised you on this cruise didn't say this is not the type of cruise to wear shorts 24/7 on (certainly you can during the day, and some cruise lines, maybe Celebrity too, have casual buffet dining rooms that you can dress down for dinner in).

 

Most likely there will be plenty of activities. Every night, you'll get the ship's newsletter that will give the following day's schedule. You'll be surprised at how many daytime and night time activities will be going on from trivia to talks about your destination to movies to Broadway-like shows. The cruise director is ultimately responsible for keeping it fun and lively. There may be a lighter day on port days, but a good CD knows that some passengers like to stay on board on port days too.

[marshhawk]

I suggest reading a few of the reviews written by past cruisers on the review page of this web site. If they all say how bored they were, and you want some night life, then yes, I probably would reconsider.

 

I cruise for the ports, and I find that after a day in the sun, walking around, swimming, walking all over the ship to find my DH, that I am usually pretty tired, and that idea of night life becomes the urge to have my head on a pillow.

 

It's your first cruise? I wouldn't start out with a long cruise, you would have spent a long time on a ship and a lot of money to find out what you do and do not like. You might be seasick and miserable for 14 days.

 

Or, do you mean this is your first Celebrity Cruise? and you chose it for the destination? In which case you are experienced enough to create your own party.;)

[Lerin]

We've cruises Celebrity with children and found tons of things to do.

I'd suggest doing a search for copies of the daily schedule to see what activities are offered. Check with the Celebrity board here too.

While not our favorite line, we were certainly never bored. In fact, like all cruises, there never seemed to be time to do all the activities.

[Roz]

Since the OP is from the UK, they probably figured it would be more cost effective (given the airfare) to book a 14 day rather than a 7 day cruise. That said, I agree that if you've never cruised, 14 days could be too long if you find cruising not to your liking.

 

There will be more to do than reading books. Most ships have a production show each evening, as well as a piano bar and disco, casino, and other music venues. There are several bars on the ship and some ships show movies.

 

Roz

[sparklytink]

Thank you all for replying, I think we will stick with our celebrity eclipse booking. The main reason for booking this cruise was the itinerary to be honest. We got married in St Lucia 21 years ago and wanted to include this in our cruise. I guess even if we swapped to another cruise line i would still have concerns that we may not enjoy cruising, so have to start somewhere ... Hopefully we don't get sea sick for 14 nights! Everyone I've spoke to who have cruised love it, so that's promising. It's also our first holiday without taking our kids too, so it's all change for us!

 

 

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[flowers12155]

I am not familiar with celebrity but I am pretty sure you will find things onboard to keep you busy. I do hope sickness is not an issue. I have dominated most of the Caribbean and love it. Be open to possibly sharing a table at breakfast you may find some new friends. I suggested breakfast since often by dinner the company may be drunk. Enjoy yourself don't stress. Check out my travel blog http://www.atouristlife.com

[Nic6318]

Thank you all for replying, I think we will stick with our celebrity eclipse booking. The main reason for booking this cruise was the itinerary to be honest. We got married in St Lucia 21 years ago and wanted to include this in our cruise. I guess even if we swapped to another cruise line i would still have concerns that we may not enjoy cruising, so have to start somewhere ... Hopefully we don't get sea sick for 14 nights! Everyone I've spoke to who have cruised love it, so that's promising. It's also our first holiday without taking our kids too, so it's all change for us!

 

 

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I would feel sorry anyone that was seasick for 14 days, but if this is your greatest fear, the feeling would normally ease when you reach port and that would be your opportunity to go ashore and find a pharmacy that can provide you with some relief. Or you could just bring something with you. There are many over the counter products that work well.

 

Don't worry you will

Have a great cruise