Help choosing honeymoon cruise

I posted this in Rccl board too, but wanted celebrity fans point of view as well.

We are trying to plan our honeymoon for next April. We are getting married in SW Florida and want to cruise out of there too. Between Celebrity Equinox out of Miami 8 night to st. Thomas, St. Martin, Punta Cana, San Juan, Nassau and the RCL Oasis out of Port Canaveral 7 Night to Cozumel, Falmouth and Laberde. We have never been on an RCL mega-ship, or any celebrity. Price is so close not a swaying factor.

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I posted this in Rccl board too, but wanted celebrity fans point of view as well.

 

We are trying to plan our honeymoon for next April. We are getting married in SW Florida and want to cruise out of there too. Between Celebrity Equinox out of Miami 8 night to st. Thomas, St. Martin, Punta Cana, San Juan, Nassau and the RCL Oasis out of Port Canaveral 7 Night to Cozumel, Falmouth and Laberde. We have never been on an RCL mega-ship, or any celebrity. Price is so close not a swaying factor.

 

 

 

 

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Either will be great, but the Soltice Class ships on Celebrity are gorgeous, very few kids, more of an adult atmosphere. That being said, there is a boatload of Entertainment on Oasis-ice show, production show Cats, aqua show, etc. So really depends on what you are looking for. From SW Florida, you are looking at about 3 hours to FLL vs 4.5-5 hours to Canaveral. If price is no option, consider what you really want and decide. My nephew is getting married in Sept and they are doing Equinox.

Also, consider that on Celebrity you get a free perk - bev pkg, OBC, tips, or internet. On Royal you have to pay for that above the cruise price. So for us, when the price is about the same (which it normally is) and itin is not an big issue, we choose Celebrity since the bev pkg is included.

Ports on Equinox seem better but that is personal taste...based on experiencing them all...more variety, more to do and the Jamaica and Labadee ports are not that great.

We also like Eq much better than Oasis which is large, crowded in spots and impersonal...but again it' s personal choice, Oasis will be more lively and active but Equinox is more elegant and relaxing...

We have sailed on both types and loved the S-Class ships, all of them that we have been on. Our one venture into the mega ship world told us to never go back. We found the ship over crowded, the service in general poor and the food in the MDR inedible. We ended up spending a lot of extra money on specialty restaurants that were nice but no real wow factor. If things like rock climbing and the flow rider and zip lining a bit appeal then you might want to try to mega ship but if you want a nice, refined cruise with better ports and better service and food that drive to Miami and take the S-Class cruise.

Having sailed many times to all those ports and on all those class ships I would say 8 nights on Celebrity Equinox to St. Thomas, St. Martin, Punta Cana, San Juan, Nassau, because of the ships and the ports.

bosco

It really comes down to what you like to do. If you're an active couple, into lots of activities and nightlife than Oasis might be a better fit. An X cruise is more laid back. Food is a bit more refined on X and that "free" beverage package is nice to have.

I vote the Equinox. Love those ports.

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First off 8 of crusing is always better than 7.

Don't know if you indulge in alcoholic beverages but most time you can get the drink pack included in X (Celebrity).

Celebrity is more sedate. There is no rah rah rah. A nice relaxed adult type atmosphere. It is a litttle more elegant. You can feel the difference when boarding and they offer you a free welcome aboard glass of Champaign. Then when boarding in a port you get a iced towel to cool off and a cup of water.

RCCL is more of a amusement park. A lot of fun activities and "rides"

The cruises you are looking at X has the better ports. For us the eastern is always better and safer than the western.

If you decide on X I would recommend booking a Aqua class cabin. Blu is the main attraction as it is a nice more intimate dining experience that is available for both breakfast and dinner. The shower panel with jets and access to the Persian Gardens also a nice luxury.

Personnaly if I was getting married I would choose X for a honeymoon based on my cruising experience and not my age. I wish that we could have afforded a cruise when we got married. Did a 3 day driving trip to Niagara Falls.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

It really comes down to what you like to do. If you're an active couple, into lots of activities and nightlife than Oasis might be a better fit. An X cruise is more laid back. Food is a bit more refined on X and that "free" beverage package is nice to have.

Exactly what I was thinking!

If for the ports, the Equinox itinerary wins hands down.

If you are in your 20's or 30's, RCCL might be a better fit.

If you like having cocktails, Celebrity wins on this point.

For entertainment and activities, RCCL wins ... although, the Equinox does have sail away concerts with wine and cheese up on the lawn as well as bocci ball and the hot glass show ... all of which I think are awesome.

For dining in the main dining room or buffet, Celebrity wins hands down. Specialty dining is great on both, more affordable on RCCL.

For service, Celebrity offers a little more white glove.

For the ship itself, RCCL does an awesome job with their maintenance, WOW factor.

If you are a smoker, Celebrity's policies are a little more restrictive.

Keep in mind, also, that there are travel agents out there that offer the following perks when you book a cruise with Celebrity:

- free classic beverage package x 2

- free gratuities x 2

-$300 onboard credit x 1

--I've found this even though Celebrity is just offering the one perk and haven't seen perks nearly this good offered on RCCL cruises. I suppose they could be out there ...I haven't seen them.

On Celebrity, they have different classes of cabins which kind of buy you a little more priority.... early boarding, dining, priority reservations and tendering, etc. Aqua Class has their own dining room (Blu) and unlimited access to their Persian Gardens in the spa area. If you are willing to spend a little more and not spring for a suite, this is a wonderful option for a celebratory occassion. In any case, be sure to let them know it is your honeymoon.

So, I guess I would recommend Celebrity unless you are looking for a lot of fun activities, in which case, I would steer you towards RCCL.

I posted this in Rccl board too, but wanted celebrity fans point of view as well.

 

We are trying to plan our honeymoon for next April. We are getting married in SW Florida and want to cruise out of there too. Between Celebrity Equinox out of Miami 8 night to st. Thomas, St. Martin, Punta Cana, San Juan, Nassau and the RCL Oasis out of Port Canaveral 7 Night to Cozumel, Falmouth and Laberde. We have never been on an RCL mega-ship, or any celebrity. Price is so close not a swaying factor.

 

 

 

 

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We prefer the Solstice class on Celebrity rather than the mega sized ships like Oasis. Also, St. Thomas, St. Martin and San Juan are way better than Cozumel, Flamouth and Laberde.

If you want your honeymoon memories to be of a Martini or two before dinner, romantic meals, late night walks barefoot on the lawn looking at the stars go for Celebrity.

If you want your memories to be more of shows, activities and action go with RC.

Whichever you choose, make sure staff know it is your honeymoon. Request a table for two and confirm on boarding (the M'D can change your seating if you are on a big table). They do also sometimes have events for honeymoon couples. I honestly would also recommend booking a speciality dining package and booking the nicest room you can afford (it is a very special occasion). Nothing in the world quite so romantic as star gazing late at night from your own balcony....

Sincere best wishes for the future....

I posted this in Rccl board too, but wanted celebrity fans point of view as well.

 

We are trying to plan our honeymoon for next April. We are getting married in SW Florida and want to cruise out of there too. Between Celebrity Equinox out of Miami 8 night to st. Thomas, St. Martin, Punta Cana, San Juan, Nassau and the RCL Oasis out of Port Canaveral 7 Night to Cozumel, Falmouth and Laberde. We have never been on an RCL mega-ship, or any celebrity. Price is so close not a swaying factor.

 

 

 

 

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I've done both class (Solstice, Silhouette for S Class, Both Allure and Oasis for Oasis class), and for a honeymoon, I would pick Celebrity.

As others said, more adult feel, less kids, better ports, more days, better food...

The real plus for the Oasis class is the entertainment and nightlife, which if that's what you are looking for, might be a trade off. Hubby and I aren't big on either so it's not a big thing for us.

Celebrity = better food, better perks usually, better service, less crowded. An older crowd, very few kids.

RCL = better entertainment, more things to do (rock walls, ice skating etc). And in general a younger crowd (usually lots of kids too)