megessey

What a bunch of Debbie Downers! Not just serious business attitude there, it is curt, cold and even overtly rude! Whenever I ordered a drink there I felt like a nuisance. Is it too much sun exposure?

On day 2 there was a couple at the bar. Lady asked the bartender “what do you recommend?” The guy shrugged his shoulders and mumbled “I dunno...”. Ahh maybe just throw out any suggestion? She asked because a) no menu and b) she wanted to engage you.

Last day of cruise and I’m on the starboard side of the bar, wanting a water. My side bartender takes care of other customers, and I’m waiting my turn. Other bartender walks in front of me, makes eye contact and I say “I just need some water and ice when you get a chance.” Port guy is instantly annoyed, points to other bartender and says “ That man, This side of bar. Me....that side of bar.” and turns away.”:( Well excuse me a-hole!! I got his name and will let Celebrity how I felt about all that.

Mast grill guys are the same but also kinda scary!

We just did this last tues. It depends on your taste and party style on whether you will enjoy it. We are a married couple in our late 40’s with a 9 year old daughter. I wouldn’t recommend anyone under the age 18, and wished I had been warned.

They start the ride with beer and sodas or water. Then they break out the Green Juice. In liquor bottles, they give you shot cups at first, but after 1/2 hour they just pour it directly into the passengers’ mouths. The ride was way too long ...almost an hour. Then at the beach there’s more free weak drinks, and if it’s part of your package, a buffet. The beach is small but private. They have kayaks, hammocks and a playground for children, and that’s about it. Showers and toilets. Not their fault but the water was covered in algae and kelp. They did have men working hard to rake it up.

On the bus ride back, you will be shocked to learn that one woman became very ill. Shocked, because it was only one person. We had to pull over 3 times so she could throw up. The green juice kept making th rounds. Oh and there were biting flies we had to deal with. Half of the passengers kept the party going, the other half was miserable.

I had fun for the first half hour, great music, fun people, laughing care free etc. but once it went to mouth shots, i was full of regrets. Hammocks were great though.

Mvpinboynton Thank you for the pics! I’m sure we will spend time in there next week! :D

Do they have air hockey? Or skee-ball?

2nd request for EQUINOX please?

What is the name of the app?

The Ensigns age group is 8-11, my daughter is 9 and I mentioned this on another thread that we will also be on the equinox March 24th. Not sure about the older groupsor whether they care if older kids participate with the younger groups.

Our only experience was when she was 4, we were on the Constellation in January, and sometimes she was the only child in the club. Free babysitting!! The staff loved her! And she had a great time.

Lots of anti-kid responses eh? We will be bringing our 11 & 13 year olds on Celebrity for their first ever cruise in March. They're both quiet intellectual types. I hate to think the old people on this thread would be opposed to this HAHAHA! Oh well too bad. We have chosen Celebrity for multiple reasons, but in this particular case, because of life-threatening food allergies. My husband and I have cruised many other lines, and we corner the head of dining services on every cruise we've ever taken and grill them about their policies. I can tell you that Celebrity was the only line fully aware of/cautious of food allergies with proper protocols in place. The head waiter on RCCL tried on multiple cruises to force me to eat food I was allergic to. They also had no clue whether it was prepared in a safe area, nor did they know the ingredients. The food on Carnival was just plain gross. And while my food allergies are not life threatening, my daughter's are life threatening. The only line we feel safe taking her on is Celebrity. I very much appreciated the dining room customizing our food at every meal on Celebrity, and that was in both the MDR and Blu. And no we will not stay home/not cruise/not experience life due to food allergies, so don't even bother posting that type of a response. My kids have been begging to go on a cruise for years. So they're finally getting to go. And they will enjoy it regardless of their young ages, because that's the type of kids they are. My 13 year old is looking forward to the library, and my 11 year old is stoked about the glass show. So there ya go, age IS really just a number folks.

We are on the same cruise as you! We have a 9 year old daughter who will definitely be in the kids club a few times. I hope we get a chance to meet you all!

I’ll be honest with you, that’s all I and my daughter want to do in Key West :D;p

I came looking for this exact information! We are on the equinox next march and there's me, my husband and our 8 year old daughter. We booked a c-1. My parents want to come on the cruise too but they will insist on an aqua room, specifically for blu. So we probably won't eat breakfast OR dinner with them :(

That makes me wonder though -- if the cups have the scanner on them, and not the seapass card, what keeps someone from stealing these cups?

You must have a drink package. The machine only works with a special cup you get with the package with an RFID chip in the bottom. Each time you use the machine, there's a delay (15 minutes?) that must expire before you can use the same cup with any other machine.

Aw I'd be the person to lose that cup on the first day :(

Just curious how they charge for the use of this, and how does it work with a drink package?

HEEHEE! Thank you so much for the laugh!

Regarding a poster's comment about value system- agree to disagree. IMO, it's all how you handle it. My kids understand that cruising is special and they are saving up "behavior points" towards their next cruise. The oldest has also asked his grandma if he can do some chores for her to help him save- at age 7! And although there are people less fortunate than us all around, it didn't hit home to my boys until we were driving in a Caribbean village and they saw children with less than what they have. We had a great conversation about being thankful for what we have but also appreciating the things money can't buy (son was surprised that the children were happy playing without toys). Prior to the trip, we show them the ship's route on a map and teach them a few easy facts about the places we will visit. On Eclipse, we spent a lot of time using the giant globe. The kids were learning and didn't even realize it. We did enough activities for a Cub Scout belt loop. Then there's the opportunity for my kids to practice the table manners they learn at home. And learning to order from a menu. And remembering to say thank you to the ship's crew. All this and we get to do it as a family. For us, it's the best kind of vacation.

Best.Comment.Ever ;)

So grateful for this thread! We were also worried about the Celebrity not being kid friendly. We were on the Solstice before our daughter was born -- she's 3 1/2 now and we haven't been on a cruise since. Most of our friends and family say we're crazy for thinking of taking her on a Celebrity -- "she'll be bored and you'll be stuck with a cranky toddler!"

This thread reassures me we're making the right choice. Thank you!

Eww times two!!! I used to gag when I saw my parents just kissing each other!

If you wanna get it on, I suggest you put the kids in a separate room.

Or do it while they're at Adventure Ocean or something.

Skiiergirl, here are a few more recommendations for your hubby--these are all kind-of oldies (like from the 90's--ancient stuff :p ) but if he hasn't read any of them, he may get a few more authors on his list of "Must Read All Their Stuff"

Gone but Not Forgotten -- Phillip Margolin (courtroom thriller; i actually say any of his early works are great)

Primal Fear -- William Diehl (better than the movie!)

Bone Collector -- Jeffery Deaver (another better-than-movie; if you like CSI and forensics, you'll love this book)

Dead Ringer -- Ken Douglas (edge-of-your-seat thriller)

Fifth Angel -- Tim Green (dark "revenge/justice" thriller, awesome characters)

My recommendations-- all which were page turners for me:

Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore (for Christmastime, but warning, its a raunch-fest! But the funniest book I've ever read.

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult -- a fascinating ghost/romance story

No Way to Treat a First Lady by Christopher Buckley-- reminds me alot of Janet Evanovich's humor/mystery combo

The Gunslinger (Dark Tower Series) by Stephen King -- I am a girlie, and I hate westerns, and i thought I was going to hate this book.....wrong! Loved it, and reading the whole series now.

The Third Secret by Steve Berry -- if you like Da Vinci Code, a similar but well written book.

Here are some of my picks:

“Come Sail Away” by Styx

“Cruisin’” by Smoky Robinson (or Huey Lewis/Gweneth Paltrow from Duets)

“Kokomo” by Beach Boys

If you’re going to western Caribbean, “Go West” by Village People, very upbeat fun song

If going to Jamaica, there’s a version of “Take me home, Country Roads” by Toots and the Maytals, a Reggae band—substutes west Jamaica instead of west Virginia

I have more to post as soon as I think of them. I can email these songs to anyone interested.