Celebrity Constellation or Symphony do the Seas?

We are a family of six adults and four children aged 11, 13, 13 and 15. We are travelling to the Mediterranean in July 2018 and going to go on a cruise. The two best choices seem to be Celebrity Constellation or Symphony of the Seas which. I believe is a similar size to Allure of the Seas. Which to choose? My husband have cruised on lots of cruise lines but never such a huge ship as the Symphony. But not sure of Constellation is good for families, in particular teenagers. Help - is there anyone that has good advice for me and thanks if you have!,

Thats easy, Symphony of the Seas. With all those teens, easy choice.

I agree, definitely Symphony. Yes it's the same size, well marginally bigger, than Allure but there is a wealth of things to keep the kids happy plus it will be shiny and new in its maiden season. We like Celebrity but sailed on Oasis this spring and loved it and we don't even have kids.

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If you're not bothered about itinerary, go with Symphony. We tend to make the huge Royal ships the destination when we sail on them ;).

No comparison.....especially with teenagers. Hands down, Symphony!!!!!

Apples and oranges... however, with teens the Symphony-oranges are definitely the better choice!

Agree with others here. That class if ship on Royal Caribbean is great the whole family. The entertainment is outstanding and you won't be able to do everything. You still get some great ports with access to Rome, Florence, Barcelona (great for kids), Pompeii, Capri, and more. Everyone will have a great time.

Normally I would totally agree with all the posters about symphony. But in such a huge port-intensive cruise, it might matter less. Choose based on the longest times in port, as some of the ports are not too close.

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Why not try msc cruises new ship for the med, msc seaview starts sailing the med in may/june 2018. Check out the videos on utube of her sister ship msc seaside they will be identical and msc prices are amazing kids sail for free[emoji106]🏻

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Forgot to mention we have booked a b2b cruise on msc seaview for july 2018 booked a super family plus room which is 3 connecting balcony rooms they sleep upto 10 guests and its one set price. We have 6 adults 3 children and it cost £8700 for 2 weeks. Hope this helps [emoji106]🏻

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Hi Everyone

Thank you for your replies. Symphony of the Seas sounds the best option or the MSC ship. However have been on RCL before and liked them. My concerns about this huge ship are as follows:

Is it so big there are lines everywhere for restaurants, activities etc?

Are there long waits to get on and off at ports?

Are the shows overcrowded?

Is it difficult to arrange to meet family?

My son-in-law has never been on a cruise before and don't want him to hate this :)

Any comments on the above and anything else on these mega ships would be most appreciated.

Many thanks

Cheryl

The msc seaview has the largest interactive waterpark at sea with a total of 5 slides , 2 longest zip lines at sea a bowling alley, 5d cinema and 2 f1 virtual reality simulators your son will love this ship [emoji106]🏻

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Hi Everyone

 

Thank you for your replies. Symphony of the Seas sounds the best option or the MSC ship. However have been on RCL before and liked them. My concerns about this huge ship are as follows:

 

Is it so big there are lines everywhere for restaurants, activities etc?

 

Are there long waits to get on and off at ports?

 

Are the shows overcrowded?

 

Is it difficult to arrange to meet family?

 

 

 

My son-in-law has never been on a cruise before and don't want him to hate this :)

 

 

 

Any comments on the above and anything else on these mega ships would be most appreciated.

 

Many thanks

 

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl we also did a cruise as a large family group, 11 of us, ages 3-62 we all loved Allure, one of my daughters has booked Symphony for next year.

We did Mtd but had the same table and wait staff every evening.

We met before dinner every evening in Central Park, we tended to sit in the same general area by the pool. We always seemed to meet up with no problem. I hope we can do it all again one day soon.

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Depending on a purpose of this cruise. Med is very port intensive. I'd choose Constellation there, and Oasis class in Caribbeans

Hi Everyone

 

Thank you for your replies. Symphony of the Seas sounds the best option or the MSC ship. However have been on RCL before and liked them. My concerns about this huge ship are as follows:

 

Is it so big there are lines everywhere for restaurants, activities etc?

 

Are there long waits to get on and off at ports?

 

Are the shows overcrowded?

 

Is it difficult to arrange to meet family?

 

 

 

My son-in-law has never been on a cruise before and don't want him to hate this :)

 

 

 

Any comments on the above and anything else on these mega ships would be most appreciated.

 

Many thanks

 

Cheryl

We were on Oasis this spring. There are not long lines (apart from queuing for the buffet at busy times) but there are other venues to eat in as well. You book the main shows on Oasis Class in advance (the broadway show, the Aquatheatre show, a headliner show, a second production show and the adult comedy shows). This avoids queuing or overcrowding. We found disembarkation and embarkation to be super smooth and without queues. We were very surprised by the Oasis Class and cannot wait to be on one again. They handle the passenger numbers incredibly well so you don't feel you are on there with so many. For a first time cruiser they will be in awe.

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This seriously is a no contest. I'm a huge fan of Celebrity's S class ships, but Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships cannot be beat. We sailed on the Allure of the Seas last year, and the only time we encountered a queue was at the Windjammer buffet on our first day. After that its difficult to believe that there are 5000-6000 passengers on board. There are multiple neighborhoods & just so many places to go on the ship, that it never feels crowded. The pools are just the most amazing we've seen. The food is excellent. The Central Park, Boardwalk, Royal Promenade, Pool deck, Casino can handle large crowds.

I can't wait to go back on an Oasis class ship. I'm sure you guys will love it too!

The lay out of the mega ships and the entertainment and activities on board (especially for youngsters) is fantastic. We love Celebrity as adults but with youngsters....

Although we find Royal ships louder and busier than Celebrity ships they do handle their numbers well. You must pre plan your show times...We always have managed to find quiet spots somewhere!

Can I suggest you look closely at all the room options available before booking. Royal do have some suites which are great for families....We loved the Aqua suites overlooking the theatre at the back....Also when pricing up take into account that if you book these rooms you also get access to Coastal Kitchen and the suite lounge. Some of the bigger suites come with drinks packages. In other suites (apart from junior suites) you have cocktails in the evening, soda and beer and water all day and free wine when dining in Coastal....With six of you, you could quickly recoup some of the additional cost of booking a suite by savings on drinks!!

DH and I much prefer X cruises over Royal. We love sailing on Connie. That said, if cruising with the grands ages 7,9,11 we would ALWAYS choose any Royal ship over X. There's always more for the kids to do, and more families on any Royal ship than on any X cruise we've ever taken.