Spif Barwunkel Posted July 7 #201 Share Posted July 7 7 hours ago, TGfromTX said: Ageist yes, frivolous not at all. MSC and Carnival mega ships out of US have lots of youth on them & my NCL cruise into Panama had about 10 people younger than me on the entire ship. The atmosphere onboard is quite a bit different. I'd easily say the 'atmosphere' onboard may be one of the most difficult things to determine when deciding between ships and cruise lines. For me, I think atmosphere has a great deal to do with how much I love a cruise. I personally LOVED every minute of the cruise with all older passengers, but I'm the youngest of all my siblings and cousins so I find it easier to meet older strangers than my own age group. That is not the case with most of my friends. When I was in my 20s I had no interest in drinking around people my parents' age who might give me disapproving looks for my behavior. Now that I'm at the age of a grandparent, I don't want to be on a ship surrounded by drunk 20 year olds. I don't want to be on vacation with hoards of their kids either. A great number of posts under Celebrity is about dislike for changes that are popular for the younger crowd & millennials take a beating in many of the threads. The OP said nothing with the intention of offending. Those posters will not be thrilled with the last Carnival cruise I was on. Seems to be a double standard. I have tried my best, but with the exception of the first sentence I do not understand anything that you have said in this post. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spif Barwunkel Posted July 7 #202 Share Posted July 7 6 minutes ago, Oliver6144 said: Your opinion it was a question if you don’t like it move on you don’t need to be rude And therein lies the frailties of differing opinions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFan33579 Posted July 8 #203 Share Posted July 8 On 7/6/2024 at 6:32 PM, zitsky said: My point is, who decides which of those people get to use the Bluetooth speakers they took to the pool? Now we can say Celebrity doesn’t allow them. But we know how good staff is about enforcing the rules. Translation, not very. I’m saying, if people just use some common courtesy and everyone listens with headphones no one is disturbed by another person’s music. On my last three Celebrity cruises, staff was very good about telling people they couldn’t use their own speakers around the pools. This happened several times every cruise at both the main pool and the Solarium. On the other hand, RCI appears to look the other way when passengers are blasting their speakers in a pool area(s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zitsky Posted July 8 #204 Share Posted July 8 50 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said: On my last three Celebrity cruises, staff was very good about telling people they couldn’t use their own speakers around the pools. This happened several times every cruise at both the main pool and the Solarium. On the other hand, RCI appears to look the other way when passengers are blasting their speakers in a pool area(s). Thanks. What does the staff do about people on speaker phones? I think most people are considerate and keep the volume down. But I shouldn’t have to ask in the first place. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NMTraveller Posted July 8 #205 Share Posted July 8 1 hour ago, zitsky said: Thanks. What does the staff do about people on speaker phones? I think most people are considerate and keep the volume down. But I shouldn’t have to ask in the first place. Yes we saw this some on the tender boats... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefchick Posted July 8 #206 Share Posted July 8 3 hours ago, zitsky said: Thanks. What does the staff do about people on speaker phones? I think most people are considerate and keep the volume down. But I shouldn’t have to ask in the first place. I realize I’m old enough to be at least some of your mothers, but where in the entitlement do people think it’s okay to blast their music on Bluetooth speakers or their phones at the ship’s pool or other public areas loud enough for others to hear? Even a phone call could be done at a reasonable/private level. You are in a cruise ship…not you own private yacht. Same goes for music on your balcony. If you want to listen to music on your speakers then keep it down or listen in your stateroom where you won’t be bothering others. Come on - Use some headphones and some common sense. Now GET OFF MY LAWN! 😉 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LB_NJ Posted August 1 #207 Share Posted August 1 I think the cruise I am currently on probably has an average age around 35. Eclipse, July 28, 2024. Besides a significant number of adults under 40 there are about 350 “children”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Milhouse Posted August 1 #208 Share Posted August 1 1 hour ago, LB_NJ said: I think the cruise I am currently on probably has an average age around 35. Eclipse, July 28, 2024. Besides a significant number of adults under 40 there are about 350 “children”. What's the itinerary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LB_NJ Posted August 1 #209 Share Posted August 1 18 minutes ago, Milhouse said: What's the itinerary? 7 day Bermuda out of NJ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boracay_Soul Posted August 1 #210 Share Posted August 1 I am trying Celebrity for the first time on a Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Beyond in November. I am 60 and my wife is 56. We are hoping for a crowd around our age. We did an Oceania cruise once and we were definitely younger on that one. Average age was 70+. The other cruises we have been on were with RCI mostly with our kids. Now that they are all grown up we are looking forward to a more upscale relaxing time with good food and atmosphere. We think Celebrity will fit that bill. We are actually pretty excited about it. Since this cruise is in mid November and a 10 day itinerary we surmise that the demographic will be a little older and minimal kids. Perfect for us. You are only as old as you feel. I'm sure we will have a good time regardless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zitsky Posted August 1 #211 Share Posted August 1 3 hours ago, Boracay_Soul said: I am trying Celebrity for the first time on a Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Beyond in November. I am 60 and my wife is 56. We are hoping for a crowd around our age. We did an Oceania cruise once and we were definitely younger on that one. Average age was 70+. The other cruises we have been on were with RCI mostly with our kids. Now that they are all grown up we are looking forward to a more upscale relaxing time with good food and atmosphere. We think Celebrity will fit that bill. We are actually pretty excited about it. Since this cruise is in mid November and a 10 day itinerary we surmise that the demographic will be a little older and minimal kids. Perfect for us. You are only as old as you feel. I'm sure we will have a good time regardless! Well as you know, there are kids in Celebrity cruises. It’s funny how folks cruise with kids then want to cruise without as they get older. Maybe it’s your karma to have kids around. Maybe they like you. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare flyerbrp Posted August 2 #212 Share Posted August 2 (edited) We sail Celebrity multiple times a year(Elite Plus) and now Virgin too. Tomorrow we leave for Rotterdam and sailing to Iceland and Scotland on the Silhouette. Last month we sailed the Eclipse to Bermuda. To the original poster, I would recommend a Virgin cruise. We have sailed 4 times on Virgin and actually doing the European Delight in September. No kids allowed but all adults of all ages from 18-80. Very upscale dining in specialty restaurants, all included in the fare. No main dining room. Food is awesome. Party if you want or enjoy wonderful quiet upscale bar rooms, hang in the casino, or enjoy eclectic entertainment (adult oriented) but fun. We always have a ball. The first night pajama party is a hoot and Scarlet Night is fun. Dress the way you want from casual to chic, it is acceptable. Great public space and fun places- a free arcade style game room, coffee bar, 50's style diner with jukeboxes, tattoo parlor if you want to get ink. The thing I like about Virgin is there is no upselling or "nickel and diming" Everything including gratuities and wifi are included in your original cruise fare (except tattoo parlor and spa services). There is no drink package offered but you purchase a bar tab and the cruise adds an amount to your bar tab. We enjoy Celebrity immensely but sail Virgin for a very positive change of pace. Edited August 2 by flyerbrp 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Milhouse Posted August 2 #213 Share Posted August 2 2 hours ago, flyerbrp said: To the original poster, I would recommend a Virgin cruise. I've got to admit that based on what I've read, it's been one of the brands that I've wanted to try. Similarly, we also enjoy Celebrity but it's nice to experience a bit of variety now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFan33579 Posted August 2 #214 Share Posted August 2 7 hours ago, Boracay_Soul said: The other cruises we have been on were with RCI mostly with our kids. Now that they are all grown up we are looking forward to a more upscale relaxing time with good food and atmosphere. I cruise on RCI and Celebrity frequently. I have been on 10 RCI cruises this year and going on my 5th Celebrity cruise this year tomorrow. I would not consider Celebrity to be more upscale than RCI. I find the atmosphere on Celebrity to be more similar to RCI than different. The biggest difference I have noticed, and this varies from cruise to cruise, is in general the average age of passengers on Celebrity is higher with fewer kids. I think the food on Celebrity is very comparable to RCI. So if you like the food on RCI ships, you should like the food on Celebrity ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zitsky Posted August 2 #215 Share Posted August 2 10 hours ago, flyerbrp said: We sail Celebrity multiple times a year(Elite Plus) and now Virgin too. Tomorrow we leave for Rotterdam and sailing to Iceland and Scotland on the Silhouette. Last month we sailed the Eclipse to Bermuda. To the original poster, I would recommend a Virgin cruise. We have sailed 4 times on Virgin and actually doing the European Delight in September. No kids allowed but all adults of all ages from 18-80. Very upscale dining in specialty restaurants, all included in the fare. No main dining room. Food is awesome. Party if you want or enjoy wonderful quiet upscale bar rooms, hang in the casino, or enjoy eclectic entertainment (adult oriented) but fun. We always have a ball. The first night pajama party is a hoot and Scarlet Night is fun. Dress the way you want from casual to chic, it is acceptable. Great public space and fun places- a free arcade style game room, coffee bar, 50's style diner with jukeboxes, tattoo parlor if you want to get ink. The thing I like about Virgin is there is no upselling or "nickel and diming" Everything including gratuities and wifi are included in your original cruise fare (except tattoo parlor and spa services). There is no drink package offered but you purchase a bar tab and the cruise adds an amount to your bar tab. We enjoy Celebrity immensely but sail Virgin for a very positive change of pace. What kind of discount is there on bar packages on Virgin? Because alcohol seems a great way to “nickel and dime”. And are spa services expensive? Celebrity is and you don’t often get convenient spa times when booking ahead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liao Posted August 2 #216 Share Posted August 2 2 hours ago, zitsky said: What kind of discount is there on bar packages on Virgin? Because alcohol seems a great way to “nickel and dime”. And are spa services expensive? Celebrity is and you don’t often get convenient spa times when booking ahead. VV does not really discount it per se. you purchase your bar tab and they add $ to it, depending on how much you purchase. For example, I bought the $300 bar tab and they added $50, so I have $350 to use on board, alcohol, specialty coffee etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefchick Posted August 2 #217 Share Posted August 2 3 hours ago, zitsky said: What kind of discount is there on bar packages on Virgin? Because alcohol seems a great way to “nickel and dime”. And are spa services expensive? Celebrity is and you don’t often get convenient spa times when booking ahead. The “bar tab” (Virgin’s take on the bev pkg) is pretty simple. You can purchase each drink outright, or if you pre purchase a $300 “tab” and they will add a certain amount to it (varies from sailing to sailing, but generally $50). Some sailings include a bar tab for X amount, so look out for specials. Best part? If you order a drink that costs $12 on the menu, that’s what you pay…taxes and gratuity are already included. Makes it easier IMO. As far as spa services, I’m not sure. I don’t think the current ships have great thermal suite areas like other brands, but there is one as well as separate barber and beauty shops. The gym on the other hand is excellent and all classes are included in your fare. There truly is no “nickel and diming”. When pricing out a Virgin cruise vs others you really have to compare apples to apples because so much is already included (wether you would use/partake in those inclusions is up to you). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Georgia_Peaches Posted August 2 #218 Share Posted August 2 (edited) I’m 57 and my mother is 77. We just got off Reflection today. Ship was full off people of all ages. Two of the 4 nights we didn’t manage to get to bed before 1am at which point live music/dancing was still going strong in the sky lounge. We got our groove on to the ABBA party in the grand atrium. Lots of birthday celebrations, a bachelor party, and a multigenerational family reunion on board. I dare say, those of you younger than 55 may have a hard time keeping up! 😊 Edited August 2 by Georgia_Peaches 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liao Posted August 2 #219 Share Posted August 2 39 minutes ago, chefchick said: The “bar tab” (Virgin’s take on the bev pkg) is pretty simple. You can purchase each drink outright, or if you pre purchase a $300 “tab” and they will add a certain amount to it (varies from sailing to sailing, but generally $50). Some sailings include a bar tab for X amount, so look out for specials. Best part? If you order a drink that costs $12 on the menu, that’s what you pay…taxes and gratuity are already included. Makes it easier IMO. As far as spa services, I’m not sure. I don’t think the current ships have great thermal suite areas like other brands, but there is one as well as separate barber and beauty shops. The gym on the other hand is excellent and all classes are included in your fare. There truly is no “nickel and diming”. When pricing out a Virgin cruise vs others you really have to compare apples to apples because so much is already included (wether you would use/partake in those inclusions is up to you). I beleive that spa services on all (most?) lines are outsourced. My experience with the spa on Celebrity was such that I would never again go, on NCL wasn't as bad but still was annoying. I've learned to be very upfront and direct if/when I use them, on what I want and what I don't want from them, i.e. the constant upsell, calling my room and leaving messages multiple times, ambiguity re grats. I will probably give it a try on VV and see what the expereince is like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare flyerbrp Posted August 2 #220 Share Posted August 2 2 hours ago, Liao said: VV does not really discount it per se. you purchase your bar tab and they add $ to it, depending on how much you purchase. For example, I bought the $300 bar tab and they added $50, so I have $350 to use on board, alcohol, specialty coffee etc. Also you can use it for full bottles of wine at dinner and if you have any bar tab credit left at the end of the cruise your can buy an unopened bottle and take to your cabin to take home. The only negative thing about the bar tab is that any unused credit is not refundable. On 2 of my cruises the match for 300 was 100 and on one cruise 50 so watch for deals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefchick Posted August 2 #221 Share Posted August 2 6 minutes ago, flyerbrp said: Also you can use it for full bottles of wine at dinner and if you have any bar tab credit left at the end of the cruise your can buy an unopened bottle and take to your cabin to take home. The only negative thing about the bar tab is that any unused credit is not refundable. On 2 of my cruises the match for 300 was 100 and on one cruise 50 so watch for deals. One other thing about the bar tab that is useful for some…you can buy ONE and use it for all in your cabin or even to buy random strangers drinks. For a couple where one partakes in alcohol and one doesn’t this is great alternative to the traditional beverage package on other lines where everyone in a cabin has to purchase. It’s another way Virgin treats adults like adults. Just sayin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted August 2 #222 Share Posted August 2 2 hours ago, Liao said: I beleive that spa services on all (most?) lines are outsourced. My experience with the spa on Celebrity was such that I would never again go, on NCL wasn't as bad but still was annoying. I've learned to be very upfront and direct if/when I use them, on what I want and what I don't want from them, i.e. the constant upsell, calling my room and leaving messages multiple times, ambiguity re grats. I will probably give it a try on VV and see what the expereince is like. gee.. we have had great spa experiences on X..esp since Canyon Ranch left.. No hard upsell, nice hypoallergenic products, and very professional therapists.. Guess your experirnces differed. Ascent had a very lively night life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_coach Posted August 2 #223 Share Posted August 2 18 hours ago, flyerbrp said: We sail Celebrity multiple times a year(Elite Plus) and now Virgin too. Tomorrow we leave for Rotterdam and sailing to Iceland and Scotland on the Silhouette. Last month we sailed the Eclipse to Bermuda. To the original poster, I would recommend a Virgin cruise. We have sailed 4 times on Virgin and actually doing the European Delight in September. No kids allowed but all adults of all ages from 18-80. Very upscale dining in specialty restaurants, all included in the fare. No main dining room. Food is awesome. Party if you want or enjoy wonderful quiet upscale bar rooms, hang in the casino, or enjoy eclectic entertainment (adult oriented) but fun. We always have a ball. The first night pajama party is a hoot and Scarlet Night is fun. Dress the way you want from casual to chic, it is acceptable. Great public space and fun places- a free arcade style game room, coffee bar, 50's style diner with jukeboxes, tattoo parlor if you want to get ink. The thing I like about Virgin is there is no upselling or "nickel and diming" Everything including gratuities and wifi are included in your original cruise fare (except tattoo parlor and spa services). There is no drink package offered but you purchase a bar tab and the cruise adds an amount to your bar tab. We enjoy Celebrity immensely but sail Virgin for a very positive change of pace. Seems Virgin changed it's mind on adult only. Kids now allowed https://www.virginvoyages.com/cruise-deals/young-adult-kids-free-family-cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zitsky Posted August 2 #224 Share Posted August 2 6 minutes ago, pete_coach said: Seems Virgin changed it's mind on adult only. Kids now allowed https://www.virginvoyages.com/cruise-deals/young-adult-kids-free-family-cruise Most 18-26 year olds these days can’t even feed themselves without mom and dad there. When I was their age I ate my microwaved dinner in front of the tv while I waited for my parents to come home. Kids these days are spoiled. Now get off my lawn! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark46 Posted August 2 #225 Share Posted August 2 Much depends on the length of the cruise. Cruises longer than 7 days tend to have fewer under 50's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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