Making the jump next year

We are thinking of taking our first X cruise next year for the California Coastal out of LAX. Perfect test cruise I thought as it is 7 nights and from my home port. We are jumping over from RCCL. We are getting tired of all the pool parties and head pounding nightclubs and do we really need a ship that carries 6500 passengers?

We love the small ships. RCCL food is getting banquetish now even in the main dining room.

What are we looking for on a cruise? If we do this I will be 52 at the time and DH will be 44. We aren't boozers or clubbers. We would like a nice lounge/easy listening orchestra tucked in the corner somewhere for pre-dinner drinks. Maybe find a chamber orchestra playing light classical music. After dinner and the show a nice lounge to maybe have a night cap together and discuss everything we did that day and how much fun it was. I am Platinum with RCCL so I move over as Select on X. We don't like shore excursions that are all about boozing it up. We want to learn about the city and culture on the shore excursions. Does X sound like it might be a fit for us?

We were similar age to you when we first tried Celebrity...

Rest and Relaxation compared to Action and Energy would be the difference we see. No fault with RC, we just outgrew them.

Give it a go! A short cruise is a great way to try a new company. You do not say which ship you are looking at. There are two ship categories, S and M class. They are quite different in layout and design but the ambiance on both is very similar.

Hope you book and enjoy a great cruise!

We were similar age to you when we first tried Celebrity...

 

Rest and Relaxation compared to Action and Energy would be the difference we see. No fault with RC, we just outgrew them.

 

Give it a go! A short cruise is a great way to try a new company. You do not say which ship you are looking at. There are two ship categories, S and M class. They are quite different in layout and design but the ambiance on both is very similar.

 

Hope you book and enjoy a great cruise!

The Infinity. Actually debating between the 7 and 8 night cruise. Both the same ports but the 8 night has one day at sea. Love sea days. However considering where the sea day is it really is nothing spectacular. We did RCCL to Ensenada and has 1 sea day which was basically as I call it, cruising by dragging the anchor. You barely move.

That's exactly how we moved from RCCL to X. You and your hubby sound like us (I am 60 he is 54). Culture and exploration is more important than games and drinking. We love the serenity of Celebrity. If you see our future cruises we have NCL coming up and I am a bit leary but it's only 5 days, and I am also looking forward to experiencing the new Ovation of the Seas. Given choices I would take Celebrity but budget rules sometimes. Enjoy!!!

Joanne

We are thinking of taking our first X cruise next year for the California Coastal out of LAX. Perfect test cruise I thought as it is 7 nights and from my home port. We are jumping over from RCCL. We are getting tired of all the pool parties and head pounding nightclubs and do we really need a ship that carries 6500 passengers?

We love the small ships. RCCL food is getting banquetish now even in the main dining room.

What are we looking for on a cruise? If we do this I will be 52 at the time and DH will be 44. We aren't boozers or clubbers. We would like a nice lounge/easy listening orchestra tucked in the corner somewhere for pre-dinner drinks. Maybe find a chamber orchestra playing light classical music. After dinner and the show a nice lounge to maybe have a night cap together and discuss everything we did that day and how much fun it was. I am Platinum with RCCL so I move over as Select on X. We don't like shore excursions that are all about boozing it up. We want to learn about the city and culture on the shore excursions. Does X sound like it might be a fit for us?

X is going to fit you like a glove!!! :D We're about to go on our 3 cruise with them and have 3 more booked. Our first was after a disastrous Alaska cruise on another line....to the extent that DH and I swore off ocean cruising altogether and went on 8 river cruises instead! Now we find river cruising a little more strenuous than we're comfortable with and have fallen in love with X and ocean cruising. There is a nightclub that during the day is a wonderful place to find peace and quiet and read; there is music every night before dinner and dancing too! Depending where you go you can enjoy a pianist playing "oldies" and sing along, or sit and listen to some quiet light classical. Shore excursions are very accommodating. If you want to do a booze tour, you can and if you want to do a cultural tour, you can and if you want to see what nature offers, you can and if you want to parasail, snorkel or other adventure tour, you can do that too. But if you don't want to do any of those, you can usually find shopping right at the port (believe me people with stuff to sell will not make you travel more than a few steps to find them :D) and if you just want to have a light lunch at a nice cafe with local flavor, that will be nearby as well. From what you describe, you will, like us, really like Celebrity!:D

We switched from RCCL to X last January, not because we were looking for an "older" experience (in theory we are in our 50's now, but that doesn't make any sense), but because we were looking for a more upscale experience.

The food, drinks and service on X are what got us hooked. The experience is lovely. (I just wish they wouldn't refrigerate the solarium; it's not uncommon to see pax bundled up in multiple towels because it is too cold in there if you are in a wet bathing suit.)

One thing making us change from RCCL is the food. Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing RCCL, it is a great product, but we are foodies and as of late RCCL has gotten to be somewhat of a glorified hotel banquet quality in the MDR. Our last trip in 2007 on the short trip one night we had lamb shank which was basically a lamb bone with only a ultrathin layer of meat on the outside. People we actually sticking their tongues and knives down the center hole of the bone trying to get to the marrow to get more meat. We are doing a 7 nighter in RCCL in December this year, but I think that is going to be it for the time being. Got too good of a deal through a TA.

Sounds like you're growing up... :D Come on over to X. I think you'll fit right in. You certainly would with us and we feel like we fit in with Celebrity. To us, it's all about the destination and getting there in a peaceful, somewhat elegant and civilized way. ;)

Just one thing to remember; you are on an M class ship and not an S class ship. there is a difference for many of us. That being said, enjoy your cruise and welcome to a different way to cruise...

The food, drinks and service on X are what got us hooked. The experience is lovely. (I just wish they wouldn't refrigerate the solarium; it's not uncommon to see pax bundled up in multiple towels because it is too cold in there if you are in a wet bathing suit.)

It doesn't seem right that you're wearing a bathing suit to go to the solarium and you've brought every towel you can lay hands on so you don't freeze to death!! :D

Just one thing to remember; you are on an M class ship and not an S class ship. there is a difference for many of us. That being said, enjoy your cruise and welcome to a different way to cruise...

We've been on both classes: M and S. I really liked the Eclipse, it's a beautiful ship and we're on her again in March But I LOVED the Infinity and we're on her sister ship, Summit, in Oct. Given a choice, I would prefer the M class because: S class has only 2 elevator banks. 1 is midship and the other is forward. We like the aft cabins where the balcony looks out over the wake and unobstructed views of the ocean. Problem is I have trouble walking long distances and I needed a w/c to get from my cabin to anywhere on the ship. So I've had to trade my aft cabin for a hump cabin. But otherwise I love them both.

The Infinity. Actually debating between the 7 and 8 night cruise. Both the same ports but the 8 night has one day at sea. Love sea days. However considering where the sea day is it really is nothing spectacular. We did RCCL to Ensenada and has 1 sea day which was basically as I call it, cruising by dragging the anchor. You barely move.

We're booked on both of these....the seven and eight night itineraries. I absolutely love Celebrity and the Infinity is one of my favorites. They will have some lively activities with more modern music but usually have a lovely duo or guitar player / soloist at one of the venues, which makes for relaxing conversation. I haven't really seen a classical music orchestra, though. Maybe it does exist ... we just haven't run into it.

You will probably find the shore excursions similar to those offered on other lines. Some are filled with boozing it up, some are filled with culture. The itinerary you are looking at does lend itself to more cultural events. We've done the Pacific Coastals before and they tend not to be very popular with the 20 year old crowd.

I would do the 8 day ... or the back to back, as in our case. Whichever one you decide, come on over to our roll call(s). They have been a bit on the quiet side so far but they will pick up when these cruises drawer closer.

We cruise exclusively on Royal and Celebrity. We book Royal for their ships and Celebrity for their itineraries. Although Celebrity's S class ships are absolutely brilliant.

When we tried Celebrity for the first time, we also felt that the food was ALOT better than Royal. However this year we cruised twice on Royal after 3 straight years on Celebrity and we found that the food was comparable (but that's pretty subjective). The burgers at the Mast Grill on Celebrity are amazing.

It doesn't seem right that you're wearing a bathing suit to go to the solarium and you've brought every towel you can lay hands on so you don't freeze to death!! :D

 

....(snippage)

It's not quite that bad, there are stacks of towels there for you to bundle up in. I just don't think they should be necessary. But aside from that, there isn't much to complain about. (Although, I am often amazed, when reading reviews, at what people can find when they really look).

It's not quite that bad, there are stacks of towels there for you to bundle up in. I just don't think they should be necessary. But aside from that, there isn't much to complain about. (Although, I am often amazed, when reading reviews, at what people can find when they really look).

Too true!!! As Roseann Rosannadanna said: "It's always something" :D

Does X sound like it might be a fit for us?

YUP! :D

I am 62, the wifester is 59. Our first RCCL cruise was in 1989, we are Diamond, Our first Celebrity cruise was in 1994, we reached our 300 point for Elite in 2014. Our DD ( now 34 ) worked on the Monarch and Majesty in 2004, and has cruised 4x on RCCL and 4x on Celebrity cruises before that. We have also sailed on 5 other lines. Celebrity is our first choice for all the reasons you mentioned.

The 11 day Equinox in 2014 was our first over 7, liked it so much we did the 10 day last Thanksgiving 2015, back on the Equinox.

Both lines are great, Celebrity is more like the country club, where Royal is like 6 flags.

EW

YUP! :D

 

I am 62, the wifester is 59. Our first RCCL cruise was in 1989, we are Diamond, Our first Celebrity cruise was in 1994, we reached our 300 point for Elite in 2014. Our DD ( now 34 ) worked on the Monarch and Majesty in 2004, and has cruised 4x on RCCL and 4x on Celebrity cruises before that. We have also sailed on 5 other lines. Celebrity is our first choice for all the reasons you mentioned.

 

The 11 day Equinox in 2014 was our first over 7, liked it so much we did the 10 day last Thanksgiving 2015, back on the Equinox.

 

Both lines are great, Celebrity is more like the country club, where Royal is like 6 flags.

EW

Don't laugh about RCCL being like 6 flags. They have one ship with bumper cars and a carousel. I'm waiting for the first roller coaster at sea by them. HA!

It's like Royal Caribbean for grown ups.

Yes, I think you'll love it!

Just made the jump Nov 2017 on the Summit out of San Juan.

.... There are two ship categories, S and M class. They are quite different in layout and design but the ambiance on both is very similar....

I don't know if I agree with that...I find that the S class ships tend to have loud (ish) music in the open lobby area around dinner time (think loud lounge music)...and the M class, with a much smaller area, tend to have more mellow music (piano or guitar)...I know that isn't an absolute, but we find it to be so more often than not.

Our favorite ship is the Summit out of San Juan...Only 1 sea day for a week long Caribbean cruise and smaller "less hectic" ship.

Have a great cruise!

Well, I am doing the opposite..........after years and years of sailing

on X.....I booked Serenade of The Seas to New England in October.

I did it for the itinerary more than anything else but I have read a lot

about the ship....she is smaller than the "mega ships"....(thankfully).

Hoping I have a good time too;):):D

Hope you have a great cruise as well.:)

We also prefer Celebrity over Royal for most of the same reasons you stated. We have a big (to us) cruise coming up. I would have preferred Celebrity, but I booked to late to get the time we wanted with them. It's for our 30th anniversary so we booked with Royal. It sounds like Celebrity is for you. BTW, we are 54 & 55 and I used to be a big party girl. :D