Celebrity right for late 20s early 30s?

[NMAL]

Welcome to Cruise Critic Viperau85. To the OP: you will enjoy Celebrity. Food is a notch above most major cruise lines. Entertainment varies, but there are still small music ensembles that are very good. The Martini Bar is full of great occasions for people watching and a whole lot of fun. The Sunset Bar is divine at that time of the day to ...you know what?, watch the sunset. Celebrity is laid back with opportunities to do, or not, things. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

 

This is good to know! I love watching a beautiful sunset. We watch them all the time on the Great Lakes :)

[lovemylab]

We are in our 30s and enjoy Celebrity.

 

December (before Christmas) is our preferred time to do a Caribbean cruise. We did an 11 day itinerary on the Equinox a few years ago in mid-December and most of the passengers were older, but that didn't bother us.

 

We are not into late night partying. In the evenings we will usually watch the show in the theatre, head to one of the lounges to listen to live music or go to the hot glass show. During the day we prefer to lay by the pool (or in the solarium) and read.

 

Celebrity ships are beautiful and the food is great. They also have a no smoking policy which I love.

[Tangocherie]

Smoking policy! Vey good point!

[NMAL]

Smoking policy! Vey good point!

 

I agree! This is nice :)

[notsomadhatter]

As we are in FL, cruising Disney was easy for us. We did it for about 5 years and could have made platinum almost twice. I'm ~30 and we have no kids. Lately we're much happier on Celebrity. Food is significantly better and the vibe is more my style. Reflection might be the nicest ship I've ever sailed, yes better than the Fantasy. We enjoy the adult focused atmosphere. The quality of the musicians has been a significant step up (the stage shows on Disney are great but the music is pre-recorded, the contracted entertainment was always hit or miss). I enjoy being treated like an adult and avoiding the zillion announcements a day. We love that people put effort into dressing for the evening and I no longer have to sit next to men in tank tops and trucker hats at the dinner table. :rolleyes:

 

So, in short, yes I think it will be a great change for you! Enjoy.

[NMAL]

My husband and I sailed on the celebrity solstice when we were (engaged) 25 and the equinox when we were (honeymoon) 27, and we are hooked on celebrity! We had a cruise booked for last year and had to cancel. We are trying to rebook for next year, we will be 29 :) (actual it is for our 30th birthdays but technically I will be 29 when the cruise leaves haha)!

 

I have 2 reviews, you can see them in my signature. I am still working on the 2nd which I promise to finish.

 

We are not big partiers, I have a few drinks and my husband does not drink. We prefer celebrity over any other cruise line. (I have been on both carnival and royal several times)

 

We really enjoy the hot glass show, that's our favorite form of entertainment on board. On our Equinox cruise we even became friends with hot glass artist!

 

If you have questions let me know!

 

I read up on your reviews! All that rain on your honeymoon?!! My DH and I actually took our honeymoon in 2013 to Costa Rica. We were married in 2007, but he was in the Air Force and deployed. So we kept putting it off. Costa Rica was amazing.

 

We looked into doing the same exact Equinox cruise that you did. However, it isn't going to work into our schedules. So we're debating a 10 night Equinox or a 7 night Reflection cruise!

 

I'm glad to hear that you had a great time though. I may have to pick your brain some more, if you don't mind ;)

[travellerin1984]

I am 31, my husband 38, no kids. We have been cruising on Celebrity for couple of years. We enjoy interesting ports, good food (usually book Aqua class and get to eat in Blu). Longer cruises means older passengers. Last year two weeks in the Caribbean on Eclipse was a bit too long because all the entertainment was for 50 + people. The last two sea days were too boring... And we are not that into entertainment anyway but felt that they could have done something different. We have done one week cruise on Summit from San Juan and one week cruise on Reflection from Miami and both had more entertainment options for younger crowd. One week cruise from Venice on Sillhouette was great, really nice younger crowd (more kids too of course!) and we danced at the night club couple of times! We have done two longer cruises (10, 12 days) on Equinox in the Mediterranean and enjoyed our time. We are active and plan a lot when it comes to ports and enjoy just beeing together when onboard. Entertainment is definititely the weakest point (especially on longer cruises with older crowd) but if you like reading, pool, maybe spa/gym, dinner and drinks Celebrity is a great cruise line. The staterooms are beautiful and service is very nice!

[cgags47]

I will echo many of the sentiments here by other cruisers. It seems as though you will have a great time on Celebrity. My wife and I are both 28, will be 29 for our next cruise. We had our first Celebrity cruise when we were both 25, and have been hooked.

 

Most of cruising is what you are looking for. If you are looking for a large party atmosphere (which it seems like you aren't), Celebrity isn't for you. There are definitely nightclubs and late night bars, the casino, etc. However, it's much more of a refined setting, as opposed to say, Carnival. We used to be loyal to Royal, but I haven't really been impressed with the direction they've been taking recently. Celebrity has very few children on their sailings, which we really like, and is geared more towards couples. You stated that you don't drink, so you won't really take advantage of all the bars onboard, but those are still great places to people watch and enjoy yourselves. Like other posters have said, you'll have a great time!

[denatravels]

I haven't yet sailed on celebrity (coming up in April). But when I cruised last February, leaving from NYC in 3 degrees, all I wanted to do was thaw out in the sun. It sounds as though you are looking for a relaxed thaw out-- from what I had researched about celebrity, I think it fits the bill.

[TLCOhio]

Is think a lot depends on what time of year you cruise. If you cruise during school vacations, there's going to be a lot of extended families - young 'uns to old 'uns. My first impression of the Solstice Class ships was, "This is hip! I really think a younger crowd would appreciate the tech-savvy-ness (is that a word?) of Celebrity." You'd do well with Princess probably too but if you like a more modern vibe, go with Celebrity. We're not into bars, being up on the latest wine or watching shows, but there's still plenty to do onboard.

 

Appreciate the very good summary and comments above and by others on this thread. You seem like reasonably "normal folks" seeking the right and best things that can be offered well by Celebrity, especially with their Solstice-class ships. As a few pictures below and my live/blog from last year prove as "evidence", we liked the "style" with these ships. Depending on the timing and port stops, the crowd might be a little older, but there are plenty of potentials to find what works for your personal needs and interests.

 

The larger-scale shows were not Broadway and/or London's West End, but there were good enough for our purposes. And, only involved about 50 minutes. Entertainment, but not too long. See the visuals below. Keep up the good research and planning.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, 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 more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 122,417 views for this posting.

 

 

Here is a photo highlight from our ship's production show called "Ghostlight--The Spirit of Broadway". Lots of great tunes, including many from the Four Seasons as done on Broadway with Jersey Boys. Nice lighting, staging, sets, etc.

 

 

 

 

I liked to ride one of the eight glass elevators in the mid-ship courtyard with nice views out to the different floors, enjoying the ship architecture, people being active, etc. You can see the relaxing library in this shot. Classy design on this ship! Some tradition, but not too dated or old.:

 

 

 

Super loved it when there were times at the pool in the afternoons on the Solstice in June 2011 when the “party band” was going at it with great tunes. This added to the fun and excitement around the pool area of our ship. Just like done by some famous California pop groups, we were hearing “fun, fun, fun” underneath the sun!!:

 

 

 

The Solarium was one of our most favorite areas. Food and drinks were nearby and it was very relaxed and sophisticated. Quieter, too, as it is an adults-only area. Two hot tubs here. Not crowded, especially in the evenings. Nice art and design with this facility. Wonderful setting for relaxing and watching the outside water/shore views, enjoying subtle inside action, etc.:

 

 

 

For dining in Tuscan Grille on the Solstice in January while sailing from Australia to New Zealand, we started with a nice glass of sparkling Italian wine (Prosecco Spumanti). The best is always saved for last . . . a nicely designed and super tasting of this Italian favorite, Tiramisu.:

 

 

 

[Pipo]

It is good if you go with your couple, or a group of friends. For a single 28 y/o man travelling with his mother, like I did, it was just BORING. The only young ladies that had no couple, were the female crew members. We were on the Reflection, eastern Mediterranean, last week. Royal Caribbean is better on this matter.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Pipo

[CruisingGatorGirl]

I read up on your reviews! All that rain on your honeymoon?!! My DH and I actually took our honeymoon in 2013 to Costa Rica. We were married in 2007, but he was in the Air Force and deployed. So we kept putting it off. Costa Rica was amazing.

 

We looked into doing the same exact Equinox cruise that you did. However, it isn't going to work into our schedules. So we're debating a 10 night Equinox or a 7 night Reflection cruise!

 

I'm glad to hear that you had a great time though. I may have to pick your brain some more, if you don't mind ;)

 

I am glad you had a good time in Costa Rica! Yes, let me know if you have any more questions :) I am just about to start planning our next Celebrity cruise, woohoo!

[LuckiePuris]

I guess demographic can vary depending on the cruise and the itinerary however I can give you my feedback from my recent Solstice cruise departing from Sydney to the South Pacific islands.

 

My partner is 31 and I'm 28. We are both travel agents and knew that booking on Celebrity it would generally be a bit of an older demographic than Royal Caribbean, Carnival.

 

But for us, I don't mean this to sound rude or arrogant but the purpose of the cruise was to enjoy uninterrupted time with each other and just relax, so the other passenger demographic didn't matter to us as we weren't wanting to socialise a lot.

 

We love good food and wine, and love those extra little luxury touches, so Celebrity was perfect for us.

 

We didn't need mini golf or rock climbing or ice skating to entertain us so Solstice fit us to perfection. Beautiful pools and hammocks and cabanas to relax by, great lounges and bars, and fantastic choice of restaurants.

 

No theme nights on our 12 night cruise where you dress in fancy dress etc, no sexy leg competition, no loud spruking sales, no loud live competitions etc by the pool. By not having these, we found this really did carry on the feel of a more adult cruise line with a touch of luxury and set the tone for relaxation.

 

Once onboard there must have been perhaps another 20 young couples, maybe 20 families, and the rest of the passengers did tend to be late 30's up. Didn't bother us one bit! Everyone was friendly with small talk and passing "good mornings" in the corridor.

 

From what I gather from these forums, celebrity tends to be a bit more popular with families from other ports but from Australia, not many families cruise on celebrity.

 

We really liked that there wasn't too many kids onboard, you barely noticed them, which made for a much more relaxing poolside and buffet experience.

 

I think it comes down to what's more important for you. If you are your husband like little luxury touches and value the better quality food, celebrity will be perfect.

 

On the other end if you're looking to make lots of friends with couples your age, and do prefer more activity attractions on a ship, royal Caribbean might be more for you.

 

we loved our cruise so much, we booked another two Solstice cruises. That's saying something!

Edited October 5, 2015 by LuckiePuris

[DZalumni]

DH and I have been cruising since our honeymoon when we were 24 & 25 you'll love it!

[riclop]

Hello everyone. DH and I are thinking about booking a 10 nights Caribbean cruise on the Equinox. We have never cruised on Celebrity. I'm 28 and DH is 31. A lot of people are telling me that Celebrity is geared towards middle aged to older people. Just wondering what your thoughts are?

 

We are not party animals (with 2 kiddos at home, our idea of fun is Netflix and beer on the couch!) I don't drink alcohol at all. So bars are not a big deal for me. What is the entertainment like? We like shows, movies, games or trivia nights, pools/hot tubs of course. That kind of stuff.

 

When looking for searches, a lot of posts were from 2011 or earlier. I was just wondering what the entertainment recently was like. Celebrity had the best itinerary for us as far as dates and ports. That's why we chose it. But when people are constantly telling me we won't enjoy Celebrity, it made me want to ask you experienced cruisers.

 

Thanks for your opinions.

We are not as young as you and after 1 cruise on the Equinox it was so boring we have never gone back on X.

[BubMunkeyBles]

Just turned 30 and Celebrity is my line of choice without kids. I love it and find it much more relaxing than what we used to do (Carnival and Royal). I think the entertainment is ok. Other lines like NCL and Royal with their big productions are probably better but I enjoy what they have. The food is great and we usually do a fine dining package.

[denatravels]

We are not as young as you and after 1 cruise on the Equinox it was so boring we have never gone back on X.

 

 

Can you perhaps elaborate, instead of throwing a bomb? Itinerary? What were you looking for that you didn't get? Anything helpful that you can give?

[north29]

After reading your profile in the OP, X should be good for you. Having said that, we are D+ on RC and after a couple of X cruises (Equinox and Eclipse), we prefer RC and we are 45 years older than you, and we find X to be sedate with few activities and the activities are usually over crowded and NO Athletic, Ping pong was the most streneous.

However, X has some slightly different itineraries that are appealing, and we are booked on X for Christmas and New Years, RC did not offer anything that compared for the Holidays.

[NMAL]

We are not as young as you and after 1 cruise on the Equinox it was so boring we have never gone back on X.

 

Yes can you elaborate on this? What kind of activities were you wanting? You are the first person to say they didn't enjoy Celebrity at all. So I am curious.

[NMAL]

After reading your profile in the OP, X should be good for you. Having said that, we are D+ on RC and after a couple of X cruises (Equinox and Eclipse), we prefer RC and we are 45 years older than you, and we find X to be sedate with few activities and the activities are usually over crowded and NO Athletic, Ping pong was the most streneous.

However, X has some slightly different itineraries that are appealing, and we are booked on X for Christmas and New Years, RC did not offer anything that compared for the Holidays.

 

We were debating between RC and Celebrity. We don't want to be surrounded by the young party crowd. The older demographic of Celebrity doesn't bother us since we're really not booking just to make friends. If we do, great. But on our last cruise, we didn't really talk to anyone besides small talk. Granted, we were so busy taking DD to dance parties and to meet Disney princesses etc. This time we'll have more down time. But since there is more time for us, we want there to be something to do.

 

We're not interested in listening to podium speakers. We aren't the kind to find a lounge chair and read a book.

 

I'd like to eventually travel RC and Celebrity so might try them both.

[phoenix_dream]

My son has cruised with us since he was three (is now 29) and he loves Celebrity. That said, he prefers the more lively atmosphere of RCI cruises. It really all depends on what you are looking for. Celebrity will provide a more relaxing, more sophisticated (without being stuffy), and more upscale experience. There will be decent shows and entertainment, albeit much of it will be geared more towards an audience a little older than the OP's. On a 10 night cruise the passenger age will trend slightly older than on seven day or shorter cruises, but you are almost guaranteed to find at least some contingent of passengers your age or similar. If you want relaxation, and to be treated like royalty, with great food and service, you can't go wrong with Celebrity.

[crazycatlady82]

We are in our mid 30s and took our first X cruise after 5 carnival. We enjoyed it, great service and being able to relax, but-if it wasn't for our great roll call folks, I think we would have been bored during the sea days. We don't go to lectures or play bingo, I like trivia but the hubby hates it. We do have 2 more cruises booked on X, but honestly, bring stuff to do during sea days...the nighttime entertainment was fine. Shows were good, comedian was ok. If your goal is to relax, eat, drink and spend time with your hubby, X will be fine :)