Are we too young for Celebrity??

OK... I know that title sounds harsh, but I wanted to get your attention and get some real answers.

My husband and I are 40 and 41. We have 3 mostly-grown children (almost-18, 19 and 22) and we are very close to being empty nesters. We know we are young to be in that category, but we are.

We have traveled a decent amount and appreciate higher-end accommodations, food and service. This is why we chose Celebrity (Aqua class) to celebrate our 20th anniversary.

However... we also like to have fun! We like Vegas (also NYC, London, Amsterdam, Mexico) ... We like to sight-see and tour and lounge and explore.. but we also like to gamble and dance and party when we are on vacation. (Not in a disgusting way, but with drinks and great music and sexy clothes...)

We don't have young children anymore and are not interested in a bunch of them running around. But we do enjoy a lively night life and contemporary music.

I was torn between Celebrity and RCCL... but I liked the idea of the "higher end" cruising. Now I'm wondering if I made the right choice?

Will we find a lively bar, a fun dance floor and a hot Craps table on Celebrity (the Summit, in particular)??

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you so much!

Absolutely not! My partner and I are both 35, love to enjoy ourselves and have a bit of fun. Our first ever cruise was on Celebrity and it was enough to get us hooked! It took us less than a week to book our second.

With Celebrity, I think it comes down to what you enjoy - we love nice wines, fine dining and excellent service. We also enjoy nights on the dancefloor, (too many) cocktails and having a bit of adventure. We got all this and more with Celebrity. It's also worth noting that the majority of the staff are reasonably young too and quite enjoy engaging with younger passengers.

Don't expect to have your hand held and be 'entertained' constantly. I think, on Celebrity, you have to be capable of entertaining yourself and not expecting constant stimulation. We wanted this so it suited us well. If you do need never ending distractions then it may not be for you. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty to do and always something to explore but it's not necessarily in your face like with some other lines.

I will say, that on check in for our first cruise, an elderly man tapped my shoulder and asked if I was sure I was queuing for the correct ship! It made me a little nervous, but that was dispelled as soon as I got on board.

Hope that helps!

I don't think you are too young. Thinking of myself at your age, pretty similar likes, except I don't like gambling, I would have liked Celebrity as much as I do now I am a little older.

I am not sure which cruise you are doing, but if it is a 7 day out of San Juan it is a pretty port intensive itinerary so I really dont think you will get bored.

Don't expect to dance until dawn but you can hang in a bar until then. As surflen22 said the bar staff are great; chatty and good company. If all the passengers have gone to bed, quite often you will find a party happening with them.

It is a much more 'make your own entertainment' type cruise than many, so as long as you are sociable you can't go wrong - you will gravitate towards like minds.

Try it, I think you will like it.

Cheers, h.

The Summit is a fantastic ship, but

having sailed on the newer S class ships

They have wowed me ,I will add though that

The T Pools on the M class are excellent,

You will have a fantastic time

You made the right choice. We chose Celebrity in our 20's because we wanted a more upscale atmosphere and higher end food.

We have cruised on Royal, and it's a great cruise line...but more for families, so we brought the kids. Royal has a rowdier feel to it: belly flop contests by the pool, lots of announcements, parties/parades in the promenade, etc.

Celebrity is more about cocktails, live music, lounges, relaxing, has a little more of an upscale feel to it. People tend to dress a little more nicely and follow formal nights a little more closely.

And if you are on a 7 night in the caribbean, it's not an old people's cruise line. I'm sure it skews older on longer cruises, but we are very comfortable on Celebrity and now in our late 30s/early 40s.

I think you'll have a great time and you made a good choice.

We cruised Celebrity 10 years or so ago and then again recently. I would say they now seem to cater more to the 30, 40 and 50's crowd more than they did before. The music was a mix of current popular and older popular music, the martini bar was a blast, Qsine was really fun, and the Summit had a great coffee shop. We just re-booked on the Summit again doing the opposite itinerary with the other couple we went with as they too had the best time.

Gail

Well now, you all make me wonder about our choice ! We will both be 50 this spring and we have a 7 yrs old boy and we booked an X cruise out of San Juan for the March break. Our first cruise with Celebrity !

We chose Celebrity because we wanted more upscale, less rowdy atmosphère. We love great food, good wine, a nice scotch. We enjoy dancing when we have the chance (although it doesn't happen often) We are planning a couple excursions but we are mainly beach bums, lol, so it will be beach mostly !

We know the specialties restaurant do not accept kids under 10 but that's OK with us !

I hope there is at least a couple of kids his age ! But then again, he barely speaks English ! ! ! Last year we were seating at dinner table in MDR with a couple with a boy his age ! Perfect ! And they could speak French together, they became BFF ! Lol !

:-!

you are not too young. We started sailing with Celebrity in our late 30's and keep coming back. We have gone on RCCL and Carnival but always return to Celebrity for the upscale ambiance.

Each cruise "feel" does change based on passenger mix.

We were on Summit September 2012 and loved it. We sailed to Bermuda. Even the nights in port, our table mates came to dinner each night and we had a blast with them at the Martini bar and hanging out.

Happy sailing.

This is great! Thx all for your comments. Fiancé & I (46 / 52) booked for our honeymoon this April (AQ on Summit). First time w/X. I was starting to have some doubts b/c we like to dance & socialize. But chose it looking for upscale experience not party boat. And like its port intensive - 1st time to S. Caribbean. After we will stay in PR to enjoy our Latin culture.

This will be our fist cruise in March and we are 38 and 39. Looking forward to 10 days of fun. From all the research that we have done we feel that it will be mixed age group on the ship. we were between the RCCL and X but choice x due to best itinerary and that time.

This is great! Thx all for your comments. Fiancé & I (46 / 52) booked for our honeymoon this April (AQ on Summit). First time w/X. I was starting to have some doubts b/c we like to dance & socialize. But chose it looking for upscale experience not party boat. And like its port intensive - 1st time to S. Caribbean. After we will stay in PR to enjoy our Latin culture.

To meet folks be sure to join your roll call. Scroll down on the boards and you will find a section called roll calls. It is listed by cruise line.

The martini bar is always hopping in the evening. That is where we usually hang out and have met some great people. We have also met life long friends through our roll call.

Congratulations on your marriage and happy sailing!

We are 47 & 51 and are a lot like OP (Vegas & cruising are our 2 fav vacations). I was having some reservations about Celebrity after booking & reading a bit...although figuring a 5 day cruise at spring break time should bring a younger crowd overall...

I will say, overall, we prefer Princess to RCCL EXCEPT for our Allure cruise--LOVED LOVED LOVED it.

Will let you know in 10 weeks how we feel about Celebrity!

Absolutely not, I first went on a celebrity cruise when I was 22 (some 6 yrs ago) and I went solo. Loved it and haven't looked back since.

I would pick celebrity over rcl, if you don't want a lot of children (that's why I cruise celebrity)

You will have a fantastic time.

How long is your cruise? If it is 7 nights, you will find a younger crowd and the dance floor will be full. I always sail a 2 weeks Caribbean cruise and I must say that I am one of the younger ones on board - and I am 60. Lots of walkers on my cruises. I don't mind because it is my yearly sailing with my mom, but when we started sailing this agenda I was in shock. Even the last time we sailed (last Jan.) at 11:30pm you can roll up the corridors - almost no one is around, even at the casino. Only a handful of children on these sailings. The shorter cruises have a much younger crowd.

I'm going on my first celebrity cruise - I'm 31 and hubby is 36 so I hope we're not too young lol.

My wife and I are just short of 50 and have three children in their early 20s. Our family has been on many Celebrity cruises, and on RCCL as well. We prefer the 'upgraded' experience on Celebrity over RCCL (but enjoy Royal also). And yes, you will find a excellent gambling, dance, nightlife, and bar scene on a Celebrity cruise. The Summit is an excellent experience. Based on your description of what you are looking for - IMO you made the right choice going with Celebrity.

My husband and I are taking our 1st Celebrity cruise in April, 15 night full Panama transit, to celebrate my 30th birthday. I wouldn't be surprised if we were some of the youngest people on board, but based on our roll call, I'm not worried at all. We're going with some fun people.

I find that being sociable tends to attract the people that you'd have a good time with. Don't write some one off because they have a few decades on you.

Welcome! My wife and I are 33 and we enjoy Celebrity for the upscale feel. We are just off a Panama Canal cruise, so we were definitely among the youngest, and I didn't mind and didn't feel out if place because of it. But on our cruise (maybe the 7 nights are different), the dancing was more likely to be ballroom, not Top 40 'club' music like you'll find in Vegas. There were some theme nights in the Constellation nightclub, but one was a 50s sock hop, and another a 70s night. I actually love that music but my wife couldn't care less and stopping coming with me to the lounges. I also found nightlife to die down by about midnight and our itinerary wasn't very busy (8 sea days).

I hope this helps some!

We know the specialties restaurant do not accept kids under 10 but that's OK with us !

I just wanted to point out that your 7 year old is welcome to dine with you at Qsine.

Wow... Thanks so much for all of the replies! I am now getting so excited for this cruise!

Yes, we are doing a 7-night cruise out of San Juan and we will actually be on the ship over Valentine's Day.

From all of your descriptions, it sounds perfect for us! We certainly don't need our "hands held" to to find things to do, nor do we like in-your-face entertainment that doesn't give you a break. We know we will be very busy in the ports and likely leaving early in the mornings, so we won't be partying the night away. But some drinks, lively conversation, a little dancing and some dice will be a fun way to spend the evening. I also like to lay out with a book or go to the spa or maybe find a fun exercise class. (Yeah... ok... maybe not, but I'll think about it! :) )

Thank you all for your input! 35 days and counting!

Now I just have to try to get my bikini to fit again... (Dang holidays!!)

I have found cruisers' ages are more based on length and itinerary than on the cruiseline. We were on Holland America (famed for their ancient cruisers) on a one week Eurodam.... the passengers skewed much younger than they did on our 2 week transatlantic on Celebrity. Same with RCI...the longer the cruise, the older the crowd.

Go more for what your expectations are for cruising than anything else.

I just wanted to point out that your 7 year old is welcome to dine with you at Qsine.

Oh didn't know that ! Good to know ! Thanks ! We might go on captain's night if my DH doesn't bring a suit and tie ! ! ! !

There is dancing every night in the top deck night club (name varies depending on class of ship). It's not till dawn, but live music is still going on after midnight and then a DJ takes over till even later. There is music at the pool every afternoon and at most of the lounges all evening. There are dance classes, cooking classes, trivia and other games (my favorites) and so much more to do, I don't have space here. I do like the casino, but make myself stay in control, lol. I never understand how some people can complain about lack of activities and music.

If you want to splurge, try a massage at the spa. I never planned to do that, but in June '11 after 7 days of touring on cobblestones in Scand/Russia, I needed help for my legs and whole body. I took advantage of a sale after getting a free 5 min foot and ankle massage. (Those spa people aren't dumb, lol). Last winter, I was with my cousin, who planned to have a spa massage as a birthday gift to herself (she turned 70 the day after we sailed). I wasn't going to succumb to temptation, but after winning $278 in the casino the first night, I scheduled one, too. Now I will probably always do it, even without a windfall in the casino, lol. They cost more than I pay at home, but I don't spend a lot of $$$ on other things.

The food is great and the service is top notch. In 3 weeks I'll be leaving for my 12th cruise on Celebrity. I've done 4 with RCCL and had great experiences there, too.

Since you are posting on a Celebrity thread, your responses are of course going to be that you're not too young. I like Celebrity, and our upcoming cruise is on Reflection. That said, nighttime excitement is certainly more subdued than some other lines.

I did many cruises on Celebrity and Princess before a specific itinerary had me choose Carnival. After years of bashing it ( without actually sailing on a Carnival ship) I have to tell you I loved it and have done several more with them.

I doubt I would have a bad time on any cruise, and like the variety of options out there.

A 7 day cruise should not have an average age above retirement I don't think. My son went on a Celebrity transatlantic with me, he was 21 at the time - he was a bit shocked at how few people his age were on board. But he made lots of friends with crew, and the few passengers his own age stood out & they quickly bonded it seemed.

I met a couple on our roll call who were in their 20s, I am not sure if they felt they were too young. But I saw them all over the ship, they seemed to be enjoying their cruise.