X to Bermuda no longer kid friendly

[ocngypz]

IMHO, if you don't want to see kids or teens in common areas - make larger youth areas, but limit booking with kids. That what Princess does. We sailed on Caribbean Princess with 3100 pax double occupancy and hardly saw any kids ( I think there was around 400-500). There was huge facilities for kids, even with own pools. Teens had their own place and events up to 1 am!

 

On Century everything ended for the teens at 11 pm... :(

 

BINGO: And that's the difference between cruiselines which CATER to families and those that don't.

 

Sometimes it's as simple as looking at the deck plans.

[Charles4515]

Celebrity is our favorite cruiseline and for years we have not even looked at other lines. With the loss of Horizon and Zenith, we are trying NCL Majesty to Bermuda. I am going expecting to have a great time, knowing it will not be the Celebrity experience I know and love.

We have 3 children who have cruised with us all but once. We all love X and are not interested in RCL, Carnival, etc. We probably love X for the same reasons those without kids do and avoid the other lines for the same reasons.

 

Loving a cruise line is a mistake.

[rebeccalouise]

I did the Majesty ( athree night in 2000) and loved it. It was a nice little ship with a good layout. The diningroom food was excellent IMO. I don't recall not liking any aspect of that cruise. My group of ten had a fantastic time.

We had a suite and it was really nice. If you are traveling with kids. Get a suite. It was really worth it.

[rebeccalouise]

When I sailed on Century the children's area looked pretty small and limited. That was before the refurb. I don't think teens had a seperate place. The newer ships have a lot more youth areas. A ship like Crown Princess or Explorer of the Seas would be better for youth. These mega ships also have basketball and mini-golf, and on Royal, inline skating and rock climbing.

 

I have the Journey booked. It did not break my wallet. I did think it was going to be too expensive but it turned out we found a good deal. I doubt if the pool and hot tubs will be empty. I hope there are plenty of chairs. I am going with seven others who have cruised together before of varied ages, none of us is retired, and our little group includes a 13 year old.

My tablemates had a 9 year old on Constellation last year. She was a little shy about going to the Fun Factory. On day 3 of our 12 night Caribbean cruise, she finally bit the bullet and went- SHE HAD A BLAST! The older kids on Celebrity don't just hang out in the Fun Factory. They go to the Disco and Dance. They go to the Theatre during the day and meet the dancers and performers. They do scavenger hunts all over the ship. Celebrity realises that this age group (7-9) isn't going to be content to play and color. They make it action- packed with Basketball, Pingpong, etc. etc.

So don't under-estimate Celebrity. As for teens, I can't speak to that. My older son stopped wanting to cruise when he was 16 and frankly, I think older kids tend to get into more trouble on cruises. So I am thankful that he has abandoned ship.

[Tatka]

BINGO: And that's the difference between cruiselines which CATER to families and those that don't.

 

Sometimes it's as simple as looking at the deck plans.

 

Well, then Celebrity should do something about limiting number of children/kids, because it does advertise wonderful experience for all ages. Not all cruisers are that savvy to understand the difference. ;) It's even more difficult for parents whose kids loved kids club and are not aware of lack of facilities for the teens. :(

[rebeccalouise]

Journey is too expensive to bother taking the kids. Do a different line. I have done Oceania Regatta (sister ship to the Journey) and it is nice, good food, service, etc. but for the approximately $ 6000- 10000 depending on accommodations,

You can stay at a five star resort for seven nights with meals and airfare for $ 5500 ( for family of four).

[dakodacruiser]

The Xpedition, Journey and Quest are not family-oriented ships. They are called Xpedition Class vessels. With the exception of Bermuda, they feature more exotic itineraries, longer itineraries and more creature comforts to attract the ageing well-traveled boomer population. These are niche market ships.

I was not refering to specific ship's, however the OP did say that Bermuda was a kid friendly port and thus wished to bring children to it. When our children were small, cruised as a family vacation. That did not mean that we sent our boy's off to be watched by someone else during the day. We spent the time as a family. We enjoyed daytime, evening and port times together as well as our meals. Not all parent's let their children run wild. I have seen some pretty awful behavior from adults that would rank right up there with wild teen behavior.

[dakodacruiser]

The Xpedition, Journey and Quest are not family-oriented ships. They are called Xpedition Class vessels. With the exception of Bermuda, they feature more exotic itineraries, longer itineraries and more creature comforts to attract the ageing well-traveled boomer population. These are niche market ships.

I was not refering to specific ship's, however the OP did say that Bermuda was a kid friendly port and thus wished to bring children to it. When our children were small, we cruised as a family vacation. That did not mean that we sent our children off to be watched by someone else during the day. We spent the time as a family. We enjoyed daytime, evening and port times together as well as our meals. Not all parent's let their children run wild. I have seen some pretty awful behavior from adults that would rank right up there with wild teen behavior.

[bububr]

Just a couple of points IMHO:

 

1. The X website should be updated, just like it was with the new alcohol policies it did take some time. However, X has NEVER had childrens facilities on its expedition class ships. Parents should do some research before booking regardless of what the website says.

 

2. X HAS NEVER advertised itself as a family vacation. Common sense, look at the website and ads...how many pictures of families and children do you see? I don't see any. Of course in the sub menus there are links to their childrens program which is more of a courtesy than an annemity. The childrens programs are limited and in small areas of the ship. There are no waterparks, rock walls, ice rinks, seperate kids pools. etc....Being said, X is NOT going to disallow families from cruising. It would be bad for business. Just as X does not ADVERTISE itself as a special needs cruise, it does offer ammenties to those with dietary conditions or physical imparements...they are COURTESIES.

 

3. Parents need to make the right choices. NOT EVERYTHING is kid friendly, or nor should it be. The cruiselines have everyright to set rules and standards. Someone mentioned that X's teen program shuts down earlier, and is limited...this is a clue, not a mistake on their part. What Don says is true, X does have some excellent activities for children, but if it was advertising to families...why wouldn't these things be in the front page of their website like RCCL, Carnival and others? Simply because they want to keep it MORE ADULT. They are NOT discriminating, they are simply setting their standards and laying a boundry.

 

4. I have NEVER found Bermuda to be KID FRIENDLY. I have found it to be kid tolerant. Maybe it has changed over the past couple of years, But I have found it to be more of a honeymoon type destination than anything else.

 

5. I don't know what has happened to parents, but as a kid, my parents chose vacations that kept us occupied, even if they had limited adult activities. They also travelled without us untill we were old enough to appreciate trips. We weren't treated as accessories like most parents treat their children now. They sacrificed their vacations, and time for us.

 

6. This post was NOT about adults acting badly, as it has been mentioned, or kids acting badly either. It was about X not offering childrens programs on their newly aquired ships. And while some parents may be in an uproar, There is nothing wrong with X limiting or not offering childrens programs on a couple of its vessels. X has plenty of ships that do offer this service, and their are plenty of us who look for LESS children onboard so they are simply filling a niche that parents SHOULD understand, and not get bent out of shape over. Not everyone thinks your kids are little angels. It's not an anti-child thing, it a pro-adult experience one. And X ADVERTISES itself as pro-adult experience, with childrens ammenties as a courtesy, not the other way around.

 

Dave:eek:

[Charles4515]

I was not refering to specific ship's, however the OP did say that Bermuda was a kid friendly port and thus wished to bring children to it. When our children were small, we cruised as a family vacation. That did not mean that we sent our children off to be watched by someone else during the day. We spent the time as a family. We enjoyed daytime, evening and port times together as well as our meals. Not all parent's let their children run wild. I have seen some pretty awful behavior from adults that would rank right up there with wild teen behavior.

 

Bermuda is not particulary kid friendly, it just so happens that the prime season for Bermuda is in the summer when school is out.

 

There is nothing to stop people from bringing their children to Bermuda on the Journey. Some say they don't want to spend the money to take them on Journey. That to me is a personal problem. You make the choice. There are other ships than the Journey, this year still the Crown, Empress, Majesty, and also the Explorer and Grandeur.

 

No they are not Celebrity, but you can't always have what you want. I personaly was quite happy going on the Zenith every year even though they had let it run down some and would prefer they kept the Zenith for Bermuda over the Journey, which I have booked anyway. Looks like I might also do a 5 day on the Explorer. I have done Voyager class ships and they are great ships. They are a different experience than Celebrity, but every sailing on them has been a great cruise experience.

[Charles4515]

Just a couple of points IMHO:

 

6. This post was NOT about adults acting badly, as it has been mentioned, or kids acting badly either. It was about X not offering childrens programs on their newly aquired ships. And while some parents may be in an uproar, There is nothing wrong with X limiting or not offering childrens programs on a couple of its vessels. X has plenty of ships that do offer this service, and their are plenty of us who look for LESS children onboard so they are simply filling a niche that parents SHOULD understand, and not get bent out of shape over. Not everyone thinks your kids are little angels. It's not an anti-child thing, it a pro-adult experience one. And X ADVERTISES itself as pro-adult experience, with childrens ammenties as a courtesy, not the other way around.

 

Dave:eek:

 

I think you are getting carried away with this idea that X is a pro-adult experience but it is not like there are not plenty of other vessels sailing to Bermuda that are more children friendly. Besides the other cruise lines, RCI which owns Celebrity has three this year, Empress, Explorer and Grandeur. We are talking about one little ship which might only be doing Bermuda this year to satisfy Celebrity's contract with Bermuda.

[dkjretired]

Just a couple of points IMHO:

 

1. The X website should be updated, just like it was with the new alcohol policies it did take some time. However, X has NEVER had childrens facilities on its expedition class ships. Parents should do some research before booking regardless of what the website says.

 

Dave:eek:

 

What about the parents who did just that and booked the Zenith with childrens facilities and programs only to be switched. They then switched to the new ship and were told after the switch they would not have children's programs. I think Celebrity should have the programs on the Bermuda run this year for that reason....

 

 

As to your other points, I beg to differ on many of them.....

[Charles4515]

Not all parent's let their children run wild. I have seen some pretty awful behavior from adults that would rank right up there with wild teen behavior.

 

I have heard this a lot from parents about adults but on all my cruises I have never seen adults behaving as badly as some of the kids. Besides the one cruise I have been on with children run wild I have seen kids heckling the singers because they did not like their songs, running around the theater during the show in the show lounge, screaming in the buffet, treating the hot tubs as pools and diving in no less, invading adults only pool areas. Many parents take them on a ship and let them loose. Children are in the process of learning and many are still learning social skills so it is a given they will act childish. I would not expect otherwise.

[Charles4515]

What about the parents who did just that and booked the Zenith with childrens facilities and programs only to be switched. They then switched to the new ship and were told after the switch they would not have children's programs. I think Celebrity should have the programs on the Bermuda run this year for that reason....

 

 

As to your other points, I beg to differ on many of them.....

 

This question has been addressed. It is a small ship, not designed for childrens facilities and programs. It is not even designed for many adult activities and amenities many are used too. It is designed for exotic destinations.

[bububr]

Okay I agree to disagree:)

 

In my opinion, and it may not seem fair to all, But X only is really responsible for an apology to those who were expecting the kids club to be onboard, and quite possibly a no strings refund for those with children who want to opt out.

 

The bottom line is that Celebrity reserves the right to change any of its policies at any time. We saw this with the raising of the minumun drinking age to 21. Those who had booked and thought they could drink beer and wine at 18 during the policy change period were owed nothing more than an apology, or a refund if they wanted to opt out as I see it.

 

I do feel for the families that planned far in advance to be stuck like this, but things do happen, whether we like them or not. Part of cruising is rolling with the punches so to speak. Itineraries cancelled due to ????, ports missed due to ???, Etc......

 

I also feel for the passengers who were expecting FEWER children, and the ones that were onboard to be occupied by the kids club. THe other side of the coin is for the few sailings that were pre-booked with children, they will have far fewer things to keep them occupied and will most likely be more underfoot.

 

Dave:eek:

[tarheelmjfan]

Apparently, the term "kid friendly" has many meanings. It depends largely on the kid in question. Like many others Celebrity's itineraries aren't working for us this year. We're forced to look elsewhere. My DH & I were considering trying a Carnival cruise, because it leaves from our home port. It was our 15 yr. old son who said "no" to Carnival. Believe it or not, all kids don't like to party & run wild. (Not that that's all Carnival is about.) For this same reason, switching to RCCL isn't the answer for everyone. We looked into that not too long ago, & weren't that impressed. The things we enjoy most about X are the service & dining experience. Our son included. I read many negative reviews about both on RCCL. Johnny Rockets is a specialty restaurant for goodness sake. I don't eat at JR in the mall. My son doesn't want to climb a rock wall, or stand in line with a hundred + of his closest "new" friends for a couple minutes of surfing. If he wants to surf, we live in FL. There's plenty of places to take lessons.

 

I really think that Celebrity seems to be in a lose, lose situation. They have many passengers who want more varied destinations. It seems they've pretty much abandoned the East Coast for most of the year in order to meet those needs. Hopefully, the new ships will help with that. Then there's those who don't want kids onboard. With the new destinations, & ships that don't cater to kids, they're forcing many families to look elsewhere. Many couples who still work don't have the time to commit to the new itineraries. I can see them catering to the older clientele who now has the time for multiple longer cruises throughout the year. The problem is, these families & younger couples are now looking elsewhere. Most of us are creatures of habit. If the parents & post-baby boomers find another cruise line they like, odds are they'll stick with it. That's why they offer loyality programs. In the future, Celebrity may be in the position of depending largely on 1st time passengers, once those who are now seniors are no long cruising.

[dkjretired]

Okay I agree to disagree:)

 

In my opinion, and it may not seem fair to all, But X only is really responsible for an apology to those who were expecting the kids club to be onboard, and quite possibly a no strings refund for those with children who want to opt out.

 

The bottom line is that Celebrity reserves the right to change any of its policies at any time. We saw this with the raising of the minumun drinking age to 21. Those who had booked and thought they could drink beer and wine at 18 during the policy change period were owed nothing more than an apology, or a refund if they wanted to opt out as I see it.

 

I do feel for the families that planned far in advance to be stuck like this, but things do happen, whether we like them or not. Part of cruising is rolling with the punches so to speak. Itineraries cancelled due to ????, ports missed due to ???, Etc......

 

I also feel for the passengers who were expecting FEWER children, and the ones that were onboard to be occupied by the kids club. THe other side of the coin is for the few sailings that were pre-booked with children, they will have far fewer things to keep them occupied and will most likely be more underfoot.

 

Dave:eek:

 

Hi Dave:

 

I guess they can always just refer to the contract, it covers so many things. I also agree to disagree as you make your points well without getting personal. I am just a little prejudice since my kids are adults now and we had so much fun on the Celebrity ships and with their programs as they grew up. I always insisted they eat dinner with us and they went on many shore excursions with us, can't remember ever leaving them on the ship alone while we were off doing something.

[Charles4515]

I really think that Celebrity seems to be in a lose, lose situation. They have many passengers who want more varied destinations. It seems they've pretty much abandoned the East Coast for most of the year in order to meet those needs. Hopefully, the new ships will help with that.

 

You are looking at Celebrity as if it were a stand alone cruise line. It is a brand of a larger entity Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The company has many destinations covered and do sail from the east coast. They have also tied their loyalty programs together. With two brands it is to be expected there would be differentiation as to who they are marketed too. Otherwise they would combine the brands. Celebrity is more laid back, more pampering, better dinin . Royal Caribbean is more active, more family orientated. I would think that it is win win for RCCL that they are diversified and maintain the two brands as distinct.

[tarheelmjfan]

You are looking at Celebrity as if it were a stand alone cruise line. It is a brand of a larger entity Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The company has many destinations covered and do sail from the east coast. They have also tied their loyalty programs together. With two brands it is to be expected there would be differentiation as to who they are marketed too. Otherwise they would combine the brands. Celebrity is more laid back, more pampering, better dinin . Royal Caribbean is more active, more family orientated. I would think that it is win win for RCCL that they are diversified and maintain the two brands as distinct.

 

 

I suppose it's how you look at it. I do see X as a stand alone line. As you noted, the 2 brands are distinct. Just because you enjoy the experience on one of the lines, doesn't necessarily mean you'll love the other. If you're a family who loves X, you probably aren't going to be that crazy about RCCL. They are very different. I'm puzzled why people keep suggesting families sail on RCCL, without taking their interests into account. That's like a couple saying they really wanted to go to Las Vegas, but all the hotels were full, then everyone suggests they go to Disneyland instead. If they wanted to go to DL, they probably would have thought of that themselves.

[bububr]

I think you make a good point.

 

I almost see it as 3 lines though.

 

1. RCCL- Parent company. Advertises to families, promotes family vacations, ships are family friendly with a higher energy atmosphere.

 

2. Celebrity - more laid back, more adults, few to no recreational venues ( rock climbing, skating, onboard waterparks, etc..), No trendy commercial dining venues ( Ben & Jerrys, Johnny Rockets, Seattles Best...etc ), More formal dress codes.

 

3. Celebrity Xpeditions - smaller ships with fewer smaller ammenities. Longer and more exotic itineraries, no kids club venues, more of an adventure than just a cruise. Country club casual dress codes, Etc...

 

So the RCL corporation is trying to grab all of these demographics in my opinion.

 

Dave:eek:

[Charles4515]

I suppose it's how you look at it. I do see X as a stand alone line. As you noted, the 2 brands are distinct. Just because you enjoy the experience on one of the lines, doesn't necessarily mean you'll love the other. If you're a family who loves X, you probably aren't going to be that crazy about RCCL. They are very different. I'm puzzled why people keep suggesting families sail on RCCL, without taking their interests into account. That's like a couple saying they really wanted to go to Las Vegas, but all the hotels were full, then everyone suggests they go to Disneyland instead. If they wanted to go to DL, they probably would have thought of that themselves.

 

They are distinct but not all that different. It is a matter of emphasis. It is not like the difference between Las Vegas and Disney. From my standpoint I like to vary things and I like both lines and sail on both lines cause I would get bored with the same old same old. (although I sure go to Bermuda a lot!) But I don't love Celebrity or Royal. I love cruises. The company is only a business out to make a profit for investors. Along the way to doing that they have to satisfy customers but only to the extent we keep buying and at a high enough per diem. They considered their bottom line and transfered Zenith and brought in Journey cause they think it will be more profitable. My personal preference not having done Journey yet, would have been for them to renovate Zenith and leave it with Celebrity. But they made a business decision. That is what they do.

 

Right now I have two Celebrity's booked and one Royal Caribbean and will probably have another Royal booked in a few days. I have usually had a wonderful time on both. Probably the cruise that did not work out the most on Celebrity was the one with 600 kids yet i have been on Royal and Princess when there were 600 kids and those were wonderful cruises, probably because the kids did not get bored, so they did not run amok.

[Karynanne]

Dave, I agree with assesment of there being 3 separate lines.

 

Since we cruise often, we're asked by friends and family our opinion of what cruiseline we'd suggest for them, according to what their family needs are.

 

We always say that RCCL is more "children" oriented. Just view their commercials on T.V. You definately get the impression that this is a cruise loaded with "active" venues.

 

Celebrity's commercials convey a more elegant, pampered atmosphere. Massages, fine food, relaxation, etc.

 

I have always felt that even though there are "children" services provided on Celebrity...it is a courtesy, and not the main focus of this line.

 

I'm very pleased that Celebrity is adding a smaller fleet of ships. We have wanted to sail on that size ship, and now will get an opportunity. We now we have 5 cruises booked for the next 18 months, almost all of them will probably not have many children, due to it's itinerary and length.

 

Karyn

[dkjretired]

It will be interesting to see what Celebrity does to Bermuda in 2008 and beyond. There is just something nice about docking in Hamilton and St. George but Bermuda is making changes also so I guess we will just have to see how it plays out.

[Charles4515]

I think you make a good point.

 

I almost see it as 3 lines though.

 

Dave:eek:

 

Yes, I can go with seeing it as three lines. With only two ships it makes sense for them start it as a sub brand of Celebrity. If it takes off and they add more small ships in the future they possibly would seperate it out from the Celebrity brand. If they had succeded in buying Oceania as they tried to do I am sure they would have had three brands.

[Sky Sweet]

I personally think that children add a special vitality to any environment, including cruises, providing that they are well behaved and considerate of others.