which celebrity ship for a small family?

[vizgal]

Hello!

Starting some research on going to Europe with our 7-yr old daughter next summer.  Looking at several options.  We have sailed Celebrity pre-kids and it was our favorite.  Disney is also a favorite but what they are asking for cruises is insane.  Was wondering if anyone had any advice if there were good or bad ships for kids/families.  I am looking at the Infinity, Constellation, and Silhouette.  We have been on the later.

Much appreciated!!

[cruisestitch]

None of the celebrity ships is particularly better or worse for families. There isn’t one that specializes in families and they all have kids clubs and activities for the children if they choose to participate

[Iamcruzin]

Europe is port intensive so the ship is not the destination. If you are looking for a lot of on board activity geared for children I would recommend Royal Caribbean. Celebrity draws and older demographic and one kids club on any ship isn’t any different than another.  Royal Caribbean would be a better choice if you want something more like Disney.

[kearney]

Just an observation from someone without children...but lots of nieces and nephews. I think kids that are self starters, can entertain themselves... do well on Celebrity. Kids who are really active..play sports etc do well on Royal.. as do kids who need more help finding things to do or very shy.... also seem do better on Royal. I ran into one teen who was complaining that there was nothing to do on Celebrity... I mentioned that they had basket ball... turns out he plays...but was hesitant to look into it.... and seem to prefer to be miserable. So I think it depends on the kids. Just an observation... 

[vizgal]

thank you for the tips!  We just are not RCL fans. Have been on two RCL cruises (pre-kids) and just not our product.  With that said, it is in the running for this Europe trip.  We are pretty much between Celebrity and Princess.  Our kid is a typical only child - much older than her age and already a pretty darn good traveler.  Not looking for kid-friendly activities persay, just wondering about the general vibe onboard. If I recall, Celebrity was more mature than other lines, but many lines are now jumping on the family friendly 'ship' so to say.

Thanks!

[PTC DAWG]

NCL, Royal or Carnival are better for kids...

[Orator]

Been on all of your potential choices and would recommend Silhouette because their shows are more appealing to children. I saw a group of kids really enjoying Euphoria. There are also more dining options on Silhouette compared to the M Class ships you are considering. As said by a previous poster the Kid's Club program is basically the same on all ships. The crew goes out of their way for kids and gives them special attention.

[vizgal]

9 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

NCL, Royal or Carnival are better for kids...

Ha!  thanks, but I am *not* going on NCL or Carnival!  Not going to happen in this lifetime!

 

[Tapi]

One more to consider is MSC. My kids are 7 and 9 and we sailed aboard the MSC Meraviglia in the Mediterranean from Civitavecchia last November. We had an absolutely fantastic time. Every family member thoroughly enjoyed this ship and itinerary. The ship is beautiful, new, and impeccable, with a long list of venues and activities to please everyone.

 

Do keep in mind that MSC does things a bit different since they are a European cruise line. They offer various classes of service. Bella, Fantastica, Aurea, and Yacht Club. Each class has its own perks, ranging from bare bones, to a long list of suite perks and exclusive use of certain facilities. We opted for an Aurea Duplex Suite (a 2 deck loft suite with its own jacuzzi tub) which included priority embarkation, unlimited access to the Aurea Spa, free massages, unlimited drink package, access to a private solarium for suite passengers, and a dedicated section with open time in the main dining room. The best part about it? It cost a fraction of what a standard cabin with no perks would’ve cost on another cruise line. 

 

MSC has a huge presence in the Mediterranean year round, so they offer a wide variety of itineraries from several port of embarkation. We were a bit hesitant about sailing on them, but after giving them a try in the Mediterranean, MSC has become a familia favorite. 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2019 by Tapi

[TeeRick]

We have sailed both RCCL and Celebrity with kids.  A discussion point is the number of kids on board.  If you want your kids to be with a very large number of other kids, go with RCCL.   There are plenty of kids in the summer and holiday periods on Celebrity as you might expect.  We did Constellation in Europe and a good number were on board but a small number compared to any RCCL cruise.  So on Celebrity, focused and supervised kids activities are with a smaller number.  Sort of like large class size vs small class size in school. On Celebrity there are dedicated kids activities but no water slides, rock climbing, amusement park type stuff on any Celebrity ship.  If that is what you want then go RCCL.  If you want a quieter but kid-friendly environment then go Celebrity.  But no mickey mouse!

[vizgal]

8 minutes ago, Tapi said:

One more to consider is MSC. My kids are 7 and 9 and we sailed aboard the MSC Meraviglia in the Mediterranean from Civitavecchia last November. We had an absolutely fantastic time. Every family member thoroughly enjoyed this ship and itinerary. The ship is beautiful, new, and impeccable, with a long list of venues and activities to please everyone.

 

Do keep in mind that MSC does things a bit different since they are a European cruise line. They offer various classes of service. Bella, Fantastica, Aurea, and Yacht Club. Each class has its own perks, ranging from bare bones, to a long list of suite perks and exclusive use of certain facilities. We opted for an Aurea Duplex Suite (a 2 deck loft suite with its own jacuzzi tub) which included priority embarkation, unlimited access to the Aurea Spa, free massages, unlimited drink package, access to a private solarium for suite passengers, and a dedicated section with open time in the main dining room. The best part about it? It cost a fraction of what a standard cabin with no perks would’ve cost on another cruise line. 

 

MSC has a huge presence in the Mediterranean year round, so they offer a wide variety of itineraries from several port of embarkation. We were a bit hesitant about sailing on them, but after giving them a try in the Mediterranean, MSC has become a familia favorite. 

 

 

Wow.  We looked into MSC but I too was hesitant.  Your review sounds amazing!  Great, now I may have to open the excel sheet back up and add another cruise line to our considerations!

[vtcruising]

Your daughter sounds like a good fit for the Edge or Apex. I have sailed on all 3 classes of X ships and the one that I would bring my kids on, if they were still young, would be the Edge (most likely Apex because it will have improvements). They have more than the usual kids' activities - they have several unique family activities not done on the other ships. A few people have done reviews of the Edge with an only child (who sounded similar to yours) and it sounded like the kids and parents had a good time. 

 

I know it is pricier, though the Silhouette looks pricey after the refurb. If you didn't want an infinite veranda, a sunset veranda might work well since they have a large open traditional balcony and the living area itself is larger than the other verandas. They have had sales for free 3rd and 4th guests,  so I'm not sure how it would compare.

 

Besides the enhanced family activities, there are many more choices of restaurants, a state of the art round stage in the theater, unique, and often fun art throughout the ship (examples on the Edge include  "The Magic Forrest" (Avalon, the road to Eden) and "Mr Edge," a giant black horse by the walking/running track) and lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore.

 

Just my two cents in case you hadn't looked into this class of ship - if not the Edge, I would definitely go with the Silhouette - the M Class have less to do and see!

 

Here is a list of Edge entertainment - additional family activities are on the last page. 🙂

 

 

EDGE_Entertainmentxxx.pdf

Edited July 3, 2019 by vtcruising

[Tapi]

23 minutes ago, vizgal said:

Wow.  We looked into MSC but I too was hesitant.  Your review sounds amazing!  Great, now I may have to open the excel sheet back up and add another cruise line to our considerations!

You’ll find polarizing reviews on MSC because they offer such a broad product geared to a very international and varied clientele. But we found that they delivered what we were looking for. Here’s a detailed review from that cruise. Hope it’s helpful! 

 

WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN aboard the MSC MERAVIGLIA by Tapi

[hcat]

We have been on all 3...It's been awhile but from what I recall, I would go with Silhouette. 

 

It,s a newer, larger S class ship..i think it has movies on the lawn and / or the upcharge  Lawn Club Grill... where you can make your own pizza ..not sure. Most  X ships now have a sea day Specialty Dining lunch where children are most welcome...overall they are catered to just like adult guests...not part of the herd.   Silho has nice pools, more to do overall on the ship than the other 2  although Europe is port intensive.

 

I believe Infinity has already  been updated but not Connie. Not sure of that date. There will be children on all ships in the summer... so your dtr may find some friends but hopefully not a mob scene!

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2019 by hcat

[BlueSkiesTX]

We took our 3 daughters (10, 7, 5) to Europe last summer on the Constellation. They loved the kids' club more than Adventure Ocean on RCCL and they were huge AO fans. Since the ship is smaller, they do more supervised activities outside of the club. We even did family activities together. Typically, I would avoid family activities on ships, but they were super fun! From the silent disco to the Amazing Race to the outdoor pool deck "campout". My kids had an absolute blast and made friends quickly. We have two more family cruises booked in the next year, both on Celebrity with the kids. 

[Highpeaklad]

On 7/3/2019 at 2:42 PM, vizgal said:

Ha!  thanks, but I am *not* going on NCL or Carnival!  Not going to happen in this lifetime!

 

 

NCL is fantastic, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. 

 

[dkjretired]

On 7/3/2019 at 9:32 AM, PTC DAWG said:

NCL, Royal or Carnival are better for kids...

 

Depends on the kid.....

[rwdennis]

We did a Med cruise last year on the Reflection and my two boys (10 & 12) really had a great time.  Even though it has a reputation of catering to an older crowd, there were still over 200 kids onboard.  They really enjoyed the kids club not being so crazy like it was on RCL and the food was definitely better.

 

[cangelmd]

On 7/3/2019 at 6:32 AM, vizgal said:

thank you for the tips!  We just are not RCL fans. Have been on two RCL cruises (pre-kids) and just not our product.  With that said, it is in the running for this Europe trip.  We are pretty much between Celebrity and Princess.  Our kid is a typical only child - much older than her age and already a pretty darn good traveler.  Not looking for kid-friendly activities persay, just wondering about the general vibe onboard. If I recall, Celebrity was more mature than other lines, but many lines are now jumping on the family friendly 'ship' so to say.

Thanks!

Sounds like a Celeb kid. Has she gone to camp? I was an on,y, so I can relate, even if it has been 50 years ago. Onlies feel different from other kids, especially in mid elementary ages. If she isn’t extremely active and into sports, RCL may be too frenetic. A beach excursion at a beach with water toys may be enough of that for her. The smaller number of kids and the camp atmosphere may help her make friends easier on the Celeb ship. On the other hand RCL has more accommodations geared for families and water slides, even the retiring child might like a water slide! Celebrity certainly has family rooms with more space, just not as many of them.

Europe is so port intensive, though, the ship may be only a place to sleep

[chemmo]

On 7/3/2019 at 2:32 PM, vizgal said:

thank you for the tips!  We just are not RCL fans. Have been on two RCL cruises (pre-kids) and just not our product.  With that said, it is in the running for this Europe trip.  We are pretty much between Celebrity and Princess.  Our kid is a typical only child - much older than her age and already a pretty darn good traveler.  Not looking for kid-friendly activities persay, just wondering about the general vibe onboard. If I recall, Celebrity was more mature than other lines, but many lines are now jumping on the family friendly 'ship' so to say.

Thanks!

 

Your daughter sounds like she would enjoy Celebrity....

 

You have not mentioned itineraries and I do think that is more important than the ship type when cruising with a ‘good travelling’ youngster! At that age our son was really into castles and volcanos and loved the myth and legend stories of Ancient Greece...Trips to Pompeii, Crete and the Barcelona football ground (also loved football) were worked into our cruises. We looked for itineraries where variety of port excursions were offered (city tour one day, beach day the next, then a boat trip...). He was also into stars and planets and at night we would try to spot different constellations from our balcony (apps now on iPad help do this and to track the space station). With such busy port days on sea days he used to mainly be happy with a swim and to crash out by the pool with us. Rather than attend clubs he would often just ‘make a friend’ poolside...

 

I suggest you also look into where you want to start and finish your cruise from and what ‘value added’ a pre or post cruise stay could add. For example, a city break in Venice or a beach break near Barcelona before flying home...

 

Silhouette I think is mainly cruising from Southampton next year...As I come from the U.K. obviously I would recommend a tour here pre or post cruise! If you do choose one of these cruises be aware that many of the cruises are chillier than those starting in the Mediterranean.

 

We always found cruising to provide great ‘family time’, whatever you choose have a great family holiday!

 

 

[Cruise a holic]

On 7/3/2019 at 9:42 AM, vizgal said:

Ha!  thanks, but I am *not* going on NCL or Carnival!  Not going to happen in this lifetime!

 

We tried NCL and Carnival and agree with you.  NCL Haven is the only acceptable place on the ship, but is so expensive.  Carnival, best place is off the ship!  We do enjoy Royal Oasis class with family.  Even the Freedom class is great for kids.  But in Europe, as somebody said, it is port intensive, and Celebrity does have some kids clubs and activity so it is fine.