Celebrity for a mother/son spring break cruise?

[Sigyn]

I think I'll take my 15-year-old son on a last-minute spring break cruise. Would Celebrity be a good choice? And if so, which ship? I know a lot of people opt for Carnival or Royal Caribbean for kids and teenagers, but we just did Norwegian for a holiday cruise and my son mostly preferred swimming in the pool, hanging out on the deck in the loungers as he listened to his music and napping in the observation lounge. If there is a ship with a basketball court or a jogging course, he'd be in absolute heaven. 

 

If not Celebrity, then please recommend which cruise line and ship. He's off school April 1-10, so of course we're limited in which cruises we can do. I am thinking Celebrity because it would make me happiest. My husband can't come along because he's stuck at work on a big project and he has limited vacation time, whereas I have weeks and weeks more than him. He said, "Go, have fun! Enjoy! I'll take care of our Maine Coon cats and play golf after work!" His own mini vacation. 🙂

[Georgia_Peaches]

Celebrity is pretty sleepy for a 15 yo but if he’s that low key, then it could be ok. Honestly, I’d probably check out Rcl bc you can still acquire your points and know for sure that you’re getting a basketball court. Doesn’t have to be a mega ship. Sorry, it’s been a while since I was on Royal so can’t really recommend a ship. 
Mother/son trip sounds awesome!

[Sigyn]

20 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Celebrity is pretty sleepy for a 15 yo but if he’s that low key, then it could be ok. Honestly, I’d probably check out Rcl bc you can still acquire your points and know for sure that you’re getting a basketball court. Doesn’t have to be a mega ship. Sorry, it’s been a while since I was on Royal so can’t really recommend a ship. 
Mother/son trip sounds awesome!

Thanks! How do you still get your Celebrity points with an RCL cruise? I know Royal owns Celebrity, but not sure how that works. Appreciate any info!

[Surfguyxxx]

19 minutes ago, njsmom said:

Thanks! How do you still get your Celebrity points with an RCL cruise? I know Royal owns Celebrity, but not sure how that works. Appreciate any info!

If your a Celebrity member, the points will automatically transfer over to your equivalent status.  https://www.celebritycruises.com/mx/captains-club/exclusive-offers/loyalty-reciprocity-program

[AbbyCruiser45]

If that’s what he liked doing on NCL, then Celebrity would probably be a good fit. You’ll want to sail a Solstice or Millennium class ship (so not Edge, Apex, or Beyond) because those all have a sports court with basketball. 

[WELDON]

The Oasis class ships on RC have a basketball court. They also have mini golf. Celebrity is probably not the best choice for a teenage boy. I was on Celebrity a week ago and there were 3 children on board. 

[chemmo]

Our son enjoyed Celebrity from a similar age…He had been, seen and experienced the RC activities. Like your son he was content crashing out sea days. However, we did look at providing shore excursions that we thought he would enjoy including some water sports. 

 

If you book an S class ship but not Silhouette I am fairly sure they still have a basketball court. Uncertain on M and E class. Check the deck plans…I think all ships have a jogging track…Perhaps someone can confirm…I get my exercise on board walking between bars and restaurants.

[Sigyn]

26 minutes ago, AbbyCruiser45 said:

If that’s what he liked doing on NCL, then Celebrity would probably be a good fit. You’ll want to sail a Solstice or Millennium class ship (so not Edge, Apex, or Beyond) because those all have a sports court with basketball. 

He'd have probably liked to do more, but he still had a good time doing those things. Our cruise, on the Norwegian Prima, was cursed with bad weather and we missed three of four ports. He's low key when he needs to be and a bundle of teenage energy when he wants to be. He's quite versatile. A good quality in a kid!

 

13 minutes ago, WELDON said:

The Oasis class ships on RC have a basketball court. They also have mini golf. Celebrity is probably not the best choice for a teenage boy. I was on Celebrity a week ago and there were 3 children on board. 

That's good to know. I am making a list of all potential cruises for us and I'll review this weekend. I'm sure Celebrity is kid free in February, but thinking spring break time on any mainstream ship brand will have a lot of kids. Heck, people were saying the Prima had only a handful of kids in early December, but there were over 700 on our cruise (out of 3,000 passengers) over Christmas. They come out of the woodwork. 

 

Just now, chemmo said:

Our son enjoyed Celebrity from a similar age…He had been, seen and experienced the RC activities. Like your son he was content crashing out sea days. However, we did look at providing shore excursions that we thought he would enjoy including some water sports. 

 

If you book an S class ship but not Silhouette I am fairly sure they still have a basketball court. Uncertain on M and E class. Check the deck plans…I think all ships have a jogging track…Perhaps someone can confirm…I get my exercise on board walking between bars and restaurants.

That's good. I'll review each ship's layout before I book. Funny on the exercise. That's usually how my husband and I get ours, too. 🙂

[39august]

All the S class ships, except as noted above. Sillhoute, have basketball courts. There is ping pong on all of them. He may have to travel the ship to search out the ping pong table, but it is there and usually popular.  There is a hamburger grill on the deck just above the pool deck called Mast Grill. We like the burgers and this is no charge. Also, all those ships have great ice cream available every day in the buffet area, and soft serve self serve at the Mast Grill. 

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, Surfguyxxx said:

If your a Celebrity member, the points will automatically transfer over to your equivalent status.  https://www.celebritycruises.com/mx/captains-club/exclusive-offers/loyalty-reciprocity-program

Points do not transfer between Celebrity and Royal.  Each cruise line grants passengers the benefits of their loyalty level ( up to Elite and Diamond) but you gain points only on the cruise line you are actually sailing on.

 

We were Diamond on Royal when we took our 1st Celebrity.  Because of our Diamond status we received the Elite benefits from Celebrity.  At the end of that cruise we had 30 points on Celebrity toward the  300 points needed to reach Elite on Celebrity and our Royal points did not increase.

[cyntil8ing]

I just want to encourage you to do this, whatever ship you end up on! In 2019, my dad was sick and living with us. We split the family for summer vacation so someone could be home with him. Son, who was 13 at the time, and I went on the Equinox. We didn’t do much, in fact we didn’t even get off the ship after our stop in San Juan. But it was still a great experience and years later, he still brings it up. I can tell it’s a good memory for him.

 

Link to photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CZ6AqfGE3STkbGfr6

 

ETA: We will be on Silhouette, April 6th - 10th for Spring Break.

Edited February 18, 2023 by cyntil8ing

[mahdnc]

2 hours ago, njsmom said:

I think I'll take my 15-year-old son on a last-minute spring break cruise. Would Celebrity be a good choice? And if so, which ship? I know a lot of people opt for Carnival or Royal Caribbean for kids and teenagers, but we just did Norwegian for a holiday cruise and my son mostly preferred swimming in the pool, hanging out on the deck in the loungers as he listened to his music and napping in the observation lounge. If there is a ship with a basketball court or a jogging course, he'd be in absolute heaven. 

 

If not Celebrity, then please recommend which cruise line and ship. He's off school April 1-10, so of course we're limited in which cruises we can do. I am thinking Celebrity because it would make me happiest. My husband can't come along because he's stuck at work on a big project and he has limited vacation time, whereas I have weeks and weeks more than him. He said, "Go, have fun! Enjoy! I'll take care of our Maine Coon cats and play golf after work!" His own mini vacation. 🙂

 

Based on your description of your son, a Celebrity cruise over Spring Break will be just fine for him.

 

My recommendation is the 7 night Eastern Caribbean sailing on Reflection out of Ft Lauderdale on Sunday Apr 2: link. 

 

Reflection is one of my favorite ships and she is the youngest (i.e newest) of the S class ships. Reflection has some nice specialty restaurants. Our kids enjoyed the Lawn Club Grille. In particular (photo). Also I see you have some Celebrity cruises in the future (right?) and Reflection complements the other ships you will be on. 

 

The 7 night cruise fits neatly in your available time window. 

 

Our son making our flatbread in the Lawn Club Grille while his sister cheers him on (Jan 2019)

Edited February 18, 2023 by mahdnc

[Tyler414]

The E-class ships do not have a basketball court, they do have ping pong tables.  If he likes the pool the E-class ships have a large pool, it may be the largest at sea??  There are typically "sport type" things done on the pool deck each day (pool volleyball, football toss, golf chipping, bags, ect...)

[Reel Love]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

 

If you book an S class ship but not Silhouette I am fairly sure they still have a basketball court. Uncertain on M and E class. Check the deck plans…I think all ships have a jogging track…Perhaps someone can confirm…I get my exercise on board walking between bars and restaurants.

You are correct Chemmo....we have been on the Silhouette since the refurb and yes the basketball court was no longer there. 

And thank you for the morning laugh over coffee about your exercise regimen 🤣  (although I tend to follow the same exercise routine as you lol)

[DMS1]

I would concur that Royal Caribbean would probably be a better choice choice for a 15 year boy.

 

One reason I choose Celebrity ahead of RCL and other cruise lines is their food and drink I find better, however that might not really be of interest to a teenager.

 

 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, njsmom said:

Thanks! How do you still get your Celebrity points with an RCL cruise? I know Royal owns Celebrity, but not sure how that works. Appreciate any info!

CAS and CC points do not transfer over between the two lines. You could be CC Elite (being CAS Diamond) with zero CC cruise points. 

 

For example. CAS Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle are all equal to CC Elite. CC Elite, Elite Plus and Zenith are all equal to CAS Diamond. If you are CAS Platinum or Emerald you will be CC Select. 

Edited February 18, 2023 by davekathy

[Sigyn]

2 hours ago, cyntil8ing said:

I just want to encourage you to do this, whatever ship you end up on! In 2019, my dad was sick and living with us. We split the family for summer vacation so someone could be home with him. Son, who was 13 at the time, and I went on the Equinox. We didn’t do much, in fact we didn’t even get off the ship after our stop in San Juan. But it was still a great experience and years later, he still brings it up. I can tell it’s a good memory for him.

 

Link to photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CZ6AqfGE3STkbGfr6

 

ETA: We will be on Silhouette, April 6th - 10th for Spring Break.

I love the photos. Particularly the cool photos of you two together. Keepsakes forever. You even have one of him with Captain Kate!

[Sigyn]

2 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Based on your description of your son, a Celebrity cruise over Spring Break will be just fine for him.

 

My recommendation is the 7 night Eastern Caribbean sailing on Reflection out of Ft Lauderdale on Sunday Apr 2: link. 

 

Reflection is one of my favorite ships and she is the youngest (i.e newest) of the S class ships. Reflection has some nice specialty restaurants. Our kids enjoyed the Lawn Club Grille. In particular (photo). Also I see you have some Celebrity cruises in the future (right?) and Reflection complements the other ships you will be on. 

 

The 7 night cruise fits neatly in your available time window. 

 

Our son making our flatbread in the Lawn Club Grille while his sister cheers him on (Jan 2019)

Fantastic photo of your son! This does look like a nice cruise for us. Thanks for suggesting it. I've added it to my list of potentials. 

[lobsternight]

I sent my eldest son twice with my late mother on Celebrity cruises, once at 12 and again at 15.  He had a great time both cruises.  Its not overrun with kids, but they do find each other, and enjoy the teen club activities. We took him again at 17 and really never did see him. He will be fine  

[FlyGal25]

I have a 15 year old, granted a daughter, but from what you describe of your son I think he would enjoy a Celebrity cruise. My daughter prefers X over RCCL and Disney - as an only child she finds it is much easier -- esp during spring break -- to find kids on X to hang with. (In her personal experience, on the more family oriented ships, RCCL, NCL, DCL etc, during spring break it tends to be extended families all going together so kids have cousins to hang with.) Celebrity doesn't have that as much, so my daughter felt it was easier to get to know other peers. 

 

I think it would be good fit for both of you. 

 

4 hours ago, WELDON said:

The Oasis class ships on RC have a basketball court. They also have mini golf. Celebrity is probably not the best choice for a teenage boy. I was on Celebrity a week ago and there were 3 children on board. 

 

You were on a ship during school, the ship is bound to have a lot less kids. Celebrity on Spring Break will definitely have a lot of kids. Granted, not as much as Oasis class ships, but a heck of a lot more than 3. On our Reflection Caribbean spring break cruise pre covid, I think they had over 400 kids. 

 

[Dadedumdum]

I've done this twice with my teen to the Caribbean, once onboard Celebrity Eclipse and another time on MSC Divina. He preferred Celebrity. When we boarded, we found the basketball court which is next to the teen club on deck 15 and within a short time, he had made a few friends. There were fewer than a dozen teens on board and they all seemed to enjoy just hanging out together in the teen lounge, playing basketball, ping pong, etc and video games. This was during March spring break (pre-covid) and before the App was available which will now make it much easier to keep track of each other.  The number of teens onboard is usually lower than on other lines but my son preferred that. Probably his worst cruise experience wrt to meeting other kids was in Europe and it was because none of the other teens spoke English. He felt out of place so just stopped going to the teen lounge.

[newtocruiseinblue]

On 2/18/2023 at 7:26 AM, njsmom said:

I think I'll take my 15-year-old son on a last-minute spring break cruise. Would Celebrity be a good choice? And if so, which ship? I know a lot of people opt for Carnival or Royal Caribbean for kids and teenagers, but we just did Norwegian for a holiday cruise and my son mostly preferred swimming in the pool, hanging out on the deck in the loungers as he listened to his music and napping in the observation lounge. If there is a ship with a basketball court or a jogging course, he'd be in absolute heaven. 

 

If not Celebrity, then please recommend which cruise line and ship. He's off school April 1-10, so of course we're limited in which cruises we can do. I am thinking Celebrity because it would make me happiest. My husband can't come along because he's stuck at work on a big project and he has limited vacation time, whereas I have weeks and weeks more than him. He said, "Go, have fun! Enjoy! I'll take care of our Maine Coon cats and play golf after work!" His own mini vacation. 🙂

We took our 16 yo daughter last summer on Celebrity to the Mediterranean and she LOVED it! We even joked to one another this morning "meet me in the spa cafe". She is like your son - likes to chill by the pool, listen to music; etc. She did meet other kids on the cruise (as your son likely will during spring break) and they still have a group chat together. We enjoy the finer things and Royal Caribbean is not our vibe. I don't want anything with water slides and go carts. 😵‍💫 It is YOUR vacay too!!! Enjoy! We are taking her again this summer to Greece 

[newtocruiseinblue]

On 2/18/2023 at 10:06 AM, mahdnc said:

 

Based on your description of your son, a Celebrity cruise over Spring Break will be just fine for him.

 

My recommendation is the 7 night Eastern Caribbean sailing on Reflection out of Ft Lauderdale on Sunday Apr 2: link. 

 

Reflection is one of my favorite ships and she is the youngest (i.e newest) of the S class ships. Reflection has some nice specialty restaurants. Our kids enjoyed the Lawn Club Grille. In particular (photo). Also I see you have some Celebrity cruises in the future (right?) and Reflection complements the other ships you will be on. 

 

The 7 night cruise fits neatly in your available time window. 

 

Our son making our flatbread in the Lawn Club Grille while his sister cheers him on (Jan 2019)

Yes, he would definitely fit right in on Celebrity!! Handsome kid!

[DCPIV]

I agree that he would enjoy it.  If he enjoyed NCL, then he will enjoy Celebrity. 

 

Someone mentioned Reflection, and that is a great ship!  We're about to sail on her for the second time.  If no Reflection, maybe Equinox or one of the others that has the glass blowing (assuming you are willing to for over the cash for that).

 

 

[hcat]

On 2/18/2023 at 8:30 AM, Surfguyxxx said:

If your a Celebrity member, the points will automatically transfer over to your equivalent status.  https://www.celebritycruises.com/mx/captains-club/exclusive-offers/loyalty-reciprocity-program

unless this has changed your levels will match uo to a certain level but u wont actually get Celeb points per se.  

 

i agree Royal will likely be a better choice