Experienced X Cruisers: Is it right for us? Help!

[amandajean06]

Hi all! I really enjoy spending time on CC, and I know that you are full of helpful insight. Please, share a little bit with me! Thanks in advance!

 

Background info: We are planning a cruise to celebrate my 30th birthday in June of 2017. I know the actual cruises aren't listed yet, so I am using 2016 as a guide. My husband and I have cruised both Carnival and RCI in the past. Joining us will be our 3 y/o and 14 m/o in 2017, as well as several extended family members. They are all trusting me to plan for the most part, and will go with whatever we choose. We live in Indiana, and would like the quickest drive to a port we can get, so it's looking like East Coast. Right now, the choices are: Carnival Pride out of Baltimore to Grand Turk, HMC, and Nassau, NCL Dawn out of Boston to Bermuda, NCL Breakaway out of NYC to Bermuda, or X Summit out of NJ to Bermuda.

 

We enjoy just about everything about cruising, and are not overly picky about much. We also aren't super "adventurous" and like to be more laid back. The "night life" on a cruise isn't important to us, other than maybe a comedy show and the casino each night. We would be in bed by midnight, for sure. We like food, but tend to be pretty basic eaters: to us, a great steak or burger and a yummy potato side dish with an excellent dessert is perfect. We aren't much into seafood or "fancy" food, and we don't tend to spend extra on the Steakhouse, etc., except for maybe one night per cruise. We like to enjoy the pool, deck, spa (me only, maybe for one massage), casino, MDR, and enjoying a few shows. We don't love a "party" atmosphere all of the time, but a good deck party and some great music is always nice!

 

We do have little ones, but prefer to keep them with us most of the time. With taking grandparents along, they are more than happy to watch them for us anytime, so childcare facilities aren't really something that will factor into our decision. We are still debating whether to try for two connecting rooms for our family of 4, or a suite. What really drew me to X was the Family Verandah cabins, which seem perfect and just about to die for in our situation. On the other ships, cost seems fairly close when calculating the rooms both ways.

 

I have always thought that X would be out of reach for us financially, but we are celebrating a big event, having all of our family along, and if the expereince goes above and beyond the other lines, then I am ok with spending a little more.

 

Some odd things that are important to us...is there bread on the table at dinner? We love bread! =) My hubby is a Coke drinker-how is the ease of service at the MDR and bars if he has an unlimited package? Is there an early dining time available (the kids need it) and if so, how easy or possible would it be to get a table for our group (10-12?) I am asking because I don't know the size of the dinig rooms or table arrangements on X. Has anyone taken a group and do they offer any kind of perk or discount?

 

I am SO sorry for rambling, but I want you to have as much info as possible to help us decide, as long as the itineraries stay the same in 2017. Thank you in advance, SO much!

 

Is X right for us, or should we go a different route?!

[wallie5446]

Welcome to Celebrity!

 

You will find that everything on a Celebrity ship will be 90% as you have found it on your other cruises, ie: MDR seats 6-700, early seating time, bread, ect, will be the same.

 

With the soda pkg you don't get the neat cup lon Celebrity like on RCCL. But there is no problem getting a soda at any bar quickly.

 

You may want to look into 'Select' which is 'any time' you want to dine, nothing etched in stone as traditional is.

 

RCCL is like 6 Flags or Disney Land, Carnival like Wet n Wild, where Celebrity is like the Country Club.

 

Of the 7 lines we have sailed, IOHO, the food quality on Celebrity is the best.

Keep askin questions, the basics will be about the same,

 

ps: here are two great reviews by Heather, who was in your spot about a yr ago. And has sailed the Summit 2x now.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2037736

Edited October 29, 2015 by wallie5446

[amandajean06]

Thank you SO much, Wallie!

[TickledBlue]

Wallie is correct, 90% the same on all cruise lines...

 

We did just 1 Celebrity cruise in the Mediterranean last year on the Equinox but many, many others on RCI, NCL, MSC, and one each on Princess and HAL (none on Carnival, so I can't speak to that). All cruise lines are more alike than different and we enjoyed every cruise, just some more than others. Bigger differences were in the ships themselves. I recommend reading the specific ships' reviews to make your final decision.

 

I'd compare RCI to Celebrity like Chevy to Buick, a bit more upscale. But Wally's comparison might work as well. Celebrity will certainly fit with your likes. If anyone smokes, they'll find it a little more restrictive on Celebrity since no smoking is allowed in the casino.

 

We only eat in the MDR on our Celebrity cruise and yes, there was bread on the table every night but a nice touch was the spreads that came with them, very tasty. We had the drink package and we had cans of Coke just waiting on our table for when we arrived after the first night (our preferences were already learned) -- this is the service we love when doing traditional dining. Ordering more drinks in the MDR was very easy and quick easy as well, no card showing after the first night.

 

As far as getting early dining, it seems that Celebrity plays games sometimes with wait listing traditional dining (both early and late), but get on the wait list and you'll likely get your choice after a couple of weeks. There are lots and lots of large tables in the MDR.

[varoo]

........ We are still debating whether to try for two connecting rooms for our family of 4, or a suite. What really drew me to X was the Family Verandah cabins, which seem perfect and just about to die for in our situation. On the other ships, cost seems fairly close when calculating the rooms both ways.

If you were booking one of the newer S-class ships, a Family Verandah would be ideal because those are actually 3 room suites that have a separate small bedroom for the children, so you can put them to sleep and still have full use of the living room, plus a separate private bedroom for the parents.

 

 

However on the Summit, and the other older M-class ships, a Family Verandah cabin is only one long room that has a bedroom area on one side and a living area on the other side, divided by a sliding partition.

 

The children sleep on the couches in the living area, so you lose the use of your living/sitting area in the evening when the couches are made up as beds and the children go to sleep.

 

On the Summit it is necessary to walk through the area where the children are sleeping to get to or from the balcony, and for the children to walk through the bedroom area where the parents are sleeping to get to or from the bathroom.

But the Family Verandah has a very large balcony.

 

We prefer to book 2 connecting cabins instead, for convenience and practicality.

 

 

As for suites, I would not choose a sky suite for a family of 4 because it is only one large room.

With a higher level suite you would have a private bedroom for the parents and the children would sleep in the living room.

 

The choice depends on a combination of price, availability and which features matter most to you.

 

The ideal solution would be to book a penthouse suite plus the adjoining sky suite for the children, but that would be prohibitively expensive for most cruise passengers. ;)

 

 

Edited October 29, 2015 by varoo

[amandajean06]

All excellent points! Does Celebrity have any kind of price guarantee (I'm thinking of the Carnival early saver) that allows you to be compensated if the price of the cruise drops after you book?

[wallie5446]

All excellent points! Does Celebrity have any kind of price guarantee (I'm thinking of the Carnival early saver) that allows you to be compensated if the price of the cruise drops after you book?

 

Sadly, no.

[varoo]

All excellent points! Does Celebrity have any kind of price guarantee (I'm thinking of the Carnival early saver) that allows you to be compensated if the price of the cruise drops after you book?

It depends on the type of price drop and when it is offered.

 

Celebrity will honor price drops they offer for which you qualify after you book up until the final payment date, but not beyond that.

 

So if you see a price drop for which you are eligible before final payment, you only need to call Celebrity to request it (or call your travel agent, if using a TA).

 

 

It is a good idea to keep the page where you see the lower price open while you call them.

A couple of times, the agent's immediate reply was "I don't see a lower price" so all I needed to do was give the exact location where I was seeing it, and then the agent would reply "Oh, there it is."

 

Whenever I did this, the agent immediately applied the lower price and emailed me an updated invoice. The reduction was applied and the transaction completed before I even got off the phone.

 

 

However, there are some reduced prices that are only for new bookings, or may have other restrictions.

 

The biggest price drops may come without any perks, so if your current offer includes perks from Celebrity and the lower price doesn't, it is worth doing the math to figure which will be more beneficial to you.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2015 by varoo

[texasgirl29]

We sailed on Celebrity Eclipse last summer in the Baltic with extended family.

 

Yes! Dinner every night had a different kind of bread. However, my brother is law requested gluten free bread, so we had that too.

 

My husband and I had the the classic drinks package and no trouble at all getting drinks at any bars, or at dinner. I'm sure you'll have the same experience.

 

We were a family of 8 people and we had early traditional dining. We had a round table in the main area between the stairs and the kitchen. It was pretty quiet. I don't see them having a problem setting up for your large group. If it were me, I'd stick with the early dining instead of select because you don't want to have to wait with such a large group, and it's nice to have the same waiters, especially with children.

 

I don't see you getting any group discount :-)

 

Enjoy your cruise. Especially with extended family everyone can have some family time and some alone time. My girls are older than your children but have cruised on Disney and Princess since age 5 and really enjoy it.

 

Tons of photos of our trip last summer in my signature below.

 

JoAnn

[cwtravel]

I would recommend the Summit or the Pride. Since you are driving both Cape Liberty or Port of Baltimore are better/easier than NYC or Boston. The Summit give you two overnights in Bermuda and there is plenty to do for all ages. The Pride gives you beach stops at Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. The weather should be good in The Bahamas or Bermuda in June.

[Pickels]

Hi all! I really enjoy spending time on CC, and I know that you are full of helpful insight. Please, share a little bit with me! Thanks in advance!

 

Background info: We are planning a cruise to celebrate my 30th birthday in June of 2017. I know the actual cruises aren't listed yet, so I am using 2016 as a guide. My husband and I have cruised both Carnival and RCI in the past. Joining us will be our 3 y/o and 14 m/o in 2017, as well as several extended family members. They are all trusting me to plan for the most part, and will go with whatever we choose. We live in Indiana, and would like the quickest drive to a port we can get, so it's looking like East Coast. Right now, the choices are: Carnival Pride out of Baltimore to Grand Turk, HMC, and Nassau, NCL Dawn out of Boston to Bermuda, NCL Breakaway out of NYC to Bermuda, or X Summit out of NJ to Bermuda.

 

 

 

We enjoy just about everything about cruising, and are not overly picky about much. We also aren't super "adventurous" and like to be more laid back. The "night life" on a cruise isn't important to us, other than maybe a comedy show and the casino each night. We would be in bed by midnight, for sure. We like food, but tend to be pretty basic eaters: to us, a great steak or burger and a yummy potato side dish with an excellent dessert is perfect. We aren't much into seafood or "fancy" food, and we don't tend to spend extra on the Steakhouse, etc., except for maybe one night per cruise. We like to enjoy the pool, deck, spa (me only, maybe for one massage), casino, MDR, and enjoying a few shows. We don't love a "party" atmosphere all of the time, but a good deck party and some great music is always nice!

 

We do have little ones, but prefer to keep them with us most of the time. With taking grandparents along, they are more than happy to watch them for us anytime, so childcare facilities aren't really something that will factor into our decision. We are still debating whether to try for two connecting rooms for our family of 4, or a suite. What really drew me to X was the Family Verandah cabins, which seem perfect and just about to die for in our situation. On the other ships, cost seems fairly close when calculating the rooms both ways.

 

I have always thought that X would be out of reach for us financially, but we are celebrating a big event, having all of our family along, and if the expereince goes above and beyond the other lines, then I am ok with spending a little more.

 

Some odd things that are important to us...is there bread on the table at dinner? We love bread! =) My hubby is a Coke drinker-how is the ease of service at the MDR and bars if he has an unlimited package? Is there an early dining time available (the kids need it) and if so, how easy or possible would it be to get a table for our group (10-12?) I am asking because I don't know the size of the dinig rooms or table arrangements on X. Has anyone taken a group and do they offer any kind of perk or discount?

 

I am SO sorry for rambling, but I want you to have as much info as possible to help us decide, as long as the itineraries stay the same in 2017. Thank you in advance, SO much!

 

Is X right for us, or should we go a different route?!

 

Go check my response in the post: Cruising with gluten allergies.