DrBunsenHoneydew

Most of the promotions X releases now are little more than creative marketing.  Their revenue department seems to keep a pretty good pulse on past promotions and make sure that they don't undercut themselves on future promotions.  You'll see bigger extra perks deals, but then the base price is increased such that the total is the same or just slightly higher.  But occasionally there's a promo that's actually a better deal and it's usually trivial to reprice if they have it. 

It didn't used to feel this way, but really it's now become that you'll get the best deal the earlier you book.  Or you can wait until after final payment when they chop prices on the remaining cabins, which is fine if you're flexible on timing (<3 months to sail) and the less desirable stateroom locations.   

Not sure I have much more constructive to add to this topic.  But I'll weigh in regardless...

We started cruising X on our honeymoon cruise.  Now 7 years and two kids later, having experienced HAL, Princess, and NCL, mainly due to price considerations, really have decided that X best matches our taste and cruising style.  We're fortunately willing and able to pay more for the privilege, but have been thrilled to see the most recent Kids Sail Free promotion which has been a rarity for X in the past. 

We've also taken our kids on previous cruises and had nothing but positive experiences, both with fellow cruises and the crew.  I know we've all had bad experiences with "other people's kids", whether on a cruise or a plane or in the local grocery store.  Frankly, I've found just as many rude non-parents as rude oblivious parents who don't seem to keep their kids under control.    Rude, discourteous people everywhere you go, and it's admittedly hard not to let them ruin your vacation.  

I'll also provide some reassurance:  even with X's KSF promotion, it's still WAY more expensive than your Carnival or NCL party barges.  I'll selfishly believe that the type of parents who prefer Celebrity also have the type of kids you won't mind having on your vacation.  You'll be fine.  And come say hi to my kids when you see them.  We're on 3 cruises booked in the next 12 months.  If they're out of line, you have every right to come tell us and we'll ensure they don't ruin your vacation. :)  

Happy Cruising! 

The TSA is saying that EDL's aree not secure enough of an ID. Washington State is one of them. There may come a time soon where you will be required to have a passport to even board a domestic flight.

This statement is incorrect. EDL's are, in fact, accepted IDs for air travel under new TSA rules. It's the non-enhanced driver's licenses issued by Washington State that will no longer be accepted by the TSA starting sometime in 2018.

https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs

Q; Will a federal agency accept my Enhanced Driver’s License?

 

Yes. State Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDLs) designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by DHS under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative are acceptable for official federal purposes such as accessing a Federal facility or boarding a commercial aircraft. Individual agency policies may still apply.

 

Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington are the only states that currently issue EDLs. For more information on EDLs, please go to www.dhs.gov/enhanced-drivers-licenses-what-are-they.

We took our honeymoon cruise on the Equinox and loved it. We were in our early 30s, on a Mediterranean cruise that probably skewed even older than most Caribbean cruises. Yes, we were probably some of the younger people on the ship, but there were definitely some younger than us. Everyone really had a great cruise. While the clientele may be on the older end, the crew definitely was on the younger side. We had a good time with the bartenders and entertainers, and yes, made friends with many of the passengers older than us. Everyone young(er) and old(er) had a great time. Many of the party animals on the ship were significantly older than us. ;)

I'd say don't worry about it and you'll be fine. We love Celebrity and found it perfect for our honeymoon. Congrats and good luck!

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Not at all. My wife and I are both in our late 30s, and are looking forward to our 3rd Celebrity cruise this May. On the whole, we've met nothing but pleasant people of all ages and demographics on our cruises (both on Celebrity and other cruise lines). Though the staff and ships on X keeps us coming back as our favorite.

The critics on Cruise Critic are the minority of what you will see on the ships. Don't be discouraged. Especially if you're laid back in your approach to cruising and don't set unrealistic expectations, you'll have a great time! Enjoy!

Echoing the masses, but I'll share our experiences... ;-)

We were on cruises with our then 6 month old and later 9 month old, and used tap water from the room both times without any issues. But we don't use bottled water at home anyway, so it's probably not too much different for her. [We actually started with bottled water for formula at home, but then switched to tap water after our dentist recommended using the fluoridated tap water instead, and we have good quality water here in the NW. But fluoridation can also be a personal opinion, so to each their own and choose what's best for you and your family.]

A few other useful things we learned after the first cruise though:

1) We had no problem just letting the faucet run a minute or so to get the water hot enough to make reasonably warm formula bottles. If it got too hot, just added a bit of cold to bring it back down. No need for special heating.

2) If you're using reusable bottles, make sure to bring a small bottle of dish soap and a bottle brush! We had the bottle brush but forgot the soap, and let me tell you, trying to wash a bottle using bar soap just doesn't quite work as well. ;-) We managed to pick up a little bottle of Dawn in port and it made a world of difference.

Good luck! Cruising with a wee one is challenging but fun!

On the ship and just informed of a change in itinerary. Adding an additional sea day on the departure, now hitting Costa Maya on Wednesday (instead of Tuesday), and moving Cozumel from Weds to Fri, which was originally supposed to be a sea day. Makes more logical sense now than the original itinerary did! And no loss of port days is a big win.

We were just with our 6-month old on the Star. The crib was a pack-n-play, not a traditional crib. The crib wasn't set up, but it was already in the room when we arrived. We asked our steward for an extra large bed sheet and kinda made our own sheets around the floor piece of the crib. Seemed a little cleaner that way. :)

We were in a standard balcony room, and found the best place to put it was right in front of the balcony door (off to the side a bit so we could still get in and out). We didn't try to put it in the wardrobe area, but it might have worked. But I agree it would have been a challenge with all the noise from the bathroom door and such.

They have a strict "no babies in the pools until they're out of diapers" rule. Though my cousin is going to try bringing an inflatable kiddie pool and putting it out on the balcony on their next trip.

Having been big fans of Celebrity, we recently tried our first Princess cruise on the Star, with another planned in January on the Caribbean. I think this thread demonstrates very well how close the two lines generally are, and the small differences are what translate into which you'll like better.

I feel the open buffet layout of Celebrity's Solstice-class ships far outweigh our limited buffet experience on Princess. The Star's buffet was consistently a bottleneck with lines I rarely see on Celebrity. And while nice to have beverages delivered on Princess, I don't really miss it on Celebrity (though any of the staff would be more than willing to fetch you something if you ask).

I found bar service deplorable on the Star. Often waited 10+ minutes after ordering a drink in a lounge before getting it. X was far better in that regard, though I think they focus on the beverage service... everywhere. I swear I've never seen as many drunk people late at night as on Celebrity. Not that I have a problem with that.

Definitely enjoyed the MDR on Princess more, but that's not to say X is inadequate.

I found the X ships also easier to navigate, took me several days to figure out the Star and just getting around the decks. But that could just be lack of familiarity.

Service was impeccable on both. In fact, I'd probably give the edge to Princess.

I completely understand the "stuffy" atmosphere comments on X. They seem to think stuffiness is synonymous with "luxurious" which isn't really true. Didn't really annoy me as much. Though it will be interesting to see how that changes with X dropping formal nights.

All in all, I'd sail on both again without any hesitation. Though for nothing other than personal taste, I slightly prefer Celebrity.

But yes, Princess pizza wins hands down.

 

We were just on the Star earlier this month ... on that one where the debarkation was a mess. We, too, had a lot of children onboard -- 250, I believe, but they were behaved so maybe something in the cruise in between ours and yours may have prompted the captain to speak up.

 

We also were on this same cruise, but with our 6-month old. Families with kids actually receive a letter from the captain the first day welcoming the children on board and laying out the "ground rules" for how they (and we parents) are expected to behave. It was actually friendly and very well written, and should help those with older kids know what's expected.

... at least for the 5% or so who actually read what is given to them. ;-)

The real answer to the question is: it depends on how you prefer to cruise and Celebrity really does have something for everyone, it's just all cleverly disguised in their marketing and promotions.

For example, our extended family went on a 7-night on the Reflection. We booked and took advantage of a substantial resident discount on our room, but my sister got the 123 classic package promotion instead. Later as prices dropped closer to the cruise, those of us without the package were able to get free upgrade on our rooms, though they couldn't without losing the free package. We also were able to take advantage of the shareholder OBC in addition to our other discounts.

We drank when we wanted, and yes, expected a bill at the end of the trip, but aren't the type who can drink all the waking hours, are perfectly fine drinking tap water and iced tea instead of bottled water and fresh squeezed juices (though a glass of wine with dinner didn't break the bank), and feel we came out ahead. Ended up spending $200-300 on booze, but were fine with that considering how much we saved otherwise.

My sister on the other hand drank the ship out of Bud Light along with other tasty beverages. Yes, they enjoyed the convenience of grabbing a bottle of water (which they needed to stay hydrated ;-)). The free drink package definitely wasn't "free" for them, they paid for it by paying more for the trip. But they also were happy, felt like they got their money's worth, knew they wouldn't have a bill at the end of the trip, and it worked with their style.

We both won. You just have to understand what is more important to you, and know enough of how Celebrity's pricing and promotions work to take advantage of it. And that's why the CC community here is there to help you figure out. ;)

I actually had this same question last year when we were on the Equinox. I was surprised to find nothing in any of the in-cabin materials that provided a definitive answer, so had just assumed that it was the cabin number directly.

I also suspect that's why, at least on the S-class ships, there is a mysterious gap in cabin numbers on deck 9, where no cabin number begins with "911".